Okay, first off, I have some things to say. This chapter nearly took me two weeks, not because I had no time, not because it was hard, but because 1. Blackout=no wi-fi, and 2. I'm lazy. SO. I will make an attempt to release chapters more like twice a week rather than my current anarchy schedule. Today is the last day before school starts, and I have 5 or 6 pictures to draw and a fanfiction to write. I also apologize that some of this chapter may accidentally be written in present tense instead of past tense, because I am used to writing in present… oops. Sorry if this chapter ever gets confusing… :3
My hand automatically flew to my pocket and fumbled with my phone that was uncontrollably vibrating. I flicked it open and pressed it to my ear, trying to remain calm and collected. I knew who I wanted it to be. "H-hello?" I said into the phone.
"Max?" Fang's voice was urgent.
"Uh-huh," I said numbly.
"We've, uh, reached a problem."
A problem? "What do you mean," I said sternly.
"Well, Maya's gone."
Silence.
"Gone?" I asked doubtfully, even though I knew Fang wouldn't lie to me about something like this. "Tell me what happened."
"We had stopped, you know, to rest. She was keeping watch, but when we woke up, she was gone."
Maya was gone.
I didn't know what to think. I should be upset – a member of his flock was missing – but I almost felt happy – I always hated Maya to begin with, and now that she was gone…
"What should we do?" Fang interrupted my thoughts.
"Max? What's he saying?" Nudge asked.
"Maya's gone," I mouthed to my flock as their eyes all went wide. After a moment's thought, I decided to say, "I think we all know what happened. She was probably kidnapped and taken back to the School."
Those words always brought back the memory that all of us mutants shared something in common: our fear of the School.
"Oh, no," Fang muttered. Because now that Maya was there, it meant that not only was she trapped in that prison, but we would also have to return there.
"See you there." I ended the conversation with that, snapping my phone shut and shoving it into the unknown depths of my pocket. I unfurled my wings and saw the rest of my flock do the same. I wondered where this little trip would take us. "Let's go, gang," I said, and we all took running leaps into the air, where gravity didn't exist and neither did our fears and worries.
"Max? I'm hungry," Nudge whined. We had been flying for almost four hours, and I couldn't blame her for speaking up. We pit-stopped on top of a building a city away from our destination. Once again, Iggy dumped out the contents of our backpack and we all munched away. I wonder where Fang would be… How will we find his group? I struggled to keep these questions in the back of my head – right now I just wanted to enjoy eating something, since it had become a rare pleasure.
After our last meal for who-knows-how-long, we circled the sky, looking for any sign of Fang's gang. I was circling a small area including a rundown diner, a church, a market, and a parking lot, when the Voice suddenly got an urge to suggest some advice. The lot. They're waiting there. Left to assume that when the Voice says "They" it means "Fang and Friends," I summoned the others and we swooped down to the lot. Scanning the area, I found that the Voice was right – there they were, standing around a red van. It was clear they had been waiting for us. It felt strange to only see five of them. But then again, it must seem strange for them to only see five of us, since Angel was no longer here.
"What's the plan?" Dylan said, breaking the awkward silence between the two flocks.
"It isn't really for you to decide," Fang said bitterly as Dylan cast him an angry look.
"Okay, guys," I said, not wanting another argument between the two. "I think our objective is really to sneak over there and somehow get Maya out."
"Hence the term 'somehow,'" Star muttered and Kate giggled.
"What if we split up, you know, based on our powers," Ratchet began, "and then found a way to bust her out."
"How would we split?" Iggy asked.
"Well, let's think. We'll need a few people to go over there ahead of the rest of us to, one, make the entry easier for the rest of us, two, to maybe get a few whitecoats out of the way, and three, to take inventory of where Maya might be.
"Then, we'll need the rest of us to split up – group one will be the main fighters, and then group two will be back up in case something goes wrong. Is that clear with everyone?"
"So, how will we split up?" Kate said.
"Um, well, in the first group, we'll have Fang with invisibility, Ratchet with super-senses, and Dylan for back up with you guys. Then in the main fighting force, we'll have Star, Kate, and me. Fang, Dylan and Ratchet can also help fight when the time comes. On back up we'll have Nudge, Gaz and Holden. Is that good?" Everyone nodded.
We were getting prepared when I walked over to Fang. "When I get there, I'll send out a whistle as a signal. When you hear it, whistle back to me twice. Okay?" He nodded.
Getting the first three over there was a little tough. Fang and Dylan both had to carry Ratchet all the way over there – which wasn't too far, but it would be a struggle to remain unnoticed. Ten minutes later, I headed out with Star and Kate. I had to carry Kate, but Star would run on the ground below me. During the flight, I couldn't help but wonder if the guys were okay. Hopefully, we would land and see them there.
Unfortunately, things don't always seem to go as planned for us mutants. When we landed a good distance away from the school, I sent out the whistle, telling Fang's group that we had arrived. I told the girls to stand still and listen. My call wasn't returned. I waited longer. Still no whistle. "That's strange," I muttered, starting to get worried. With both Dylan and Ratchet, there's no way that they couldn't have heard the whistle. Was it us? Was my hearing just not strong enough to hear their returning whistles?
"Uh, Max—" Kate began, but she was cut off by a rustling noise behind us.
A strong, muscular arm suddenly came out of nowhere and gripped me tightly around my neck. I tried to claw at it with my hands, only to feel a strange, rough texture under my fingertips. I looked to Star and Kate to see them in a similar situation. That was the first time a got a good look at our captors.
They were big; maybe a foot taller than an Eraser. But instead of being a human-wolf hybrid, they were human-shark hybrids, with the heads of sharks and the bodies of men. They had scaled skin, sharp teeth, and small fins on their knees, elbows, and backs. They were absolutely terrifying.
The next thing I knew, a bag was shoved over me, enveloping me in fear. They hadn't heard my whistle. They had been caught. And now we were captured too. And, worst of all, Nudge, Gazzy, and Holden were on their way right now, with no clue of what awaited them.
We were going back to the School.
Sorry my chapters are always so short… Making them longer includes less dramatic chapter endings, and I love those! Sometimes, I'll write a story just for the ending! Thank yous to 20 toes, the12thcookie, uber-monster, and maximumFANGirl!
OR EEELLLLLLLLLSSE!