Chapter Four

Told by Max

Okay, now I really am shocked. But now I can see the similarities. That's also why she looks so familiar. Seeing them side by side, they really do look like siblings. I hate asking so many questions, but I can't help it.

This is when Iggy gets to the heart of the matter. "Fang, of all people to actually have a family."

Kai sighs, her smile gone. "Obviously I'm going to have to go over this again." The last word was pointed.

Fang just shrugs. "She refused to listen to me."

"Okay. This might take a while." Kai closes her eyes, calls up memories.

"Now. We might want to sit down for this. And please, questions get on my nerves, so wait until the end."

"What if we can't remember our question by the end?" Gazzy asks.

"Write them down."

I take a seat. The flock(plus Dylan) follows suit, whispering.

"Um..." Gazzy raises his hand.

"Yes, Gazzy?" Kai says.

"First of all, how do you know my name, second... how did you get here?"

"I flew." Kai answers the second question. Then her wings are revealed. All fifteen feet. Black. With a little bit of blood red and venom red. All in all, beautiful.

She folds her wings up again. "Now, I'm going to start with the beginning."

*.*.*.Kai.*.*.*

I have so much to tell, but have no clue what to say or how to say it. So, I open my mouth, and hope the right words come out. "The beginning. Well, it's not exactly the best past. But then again, you all haven't had the best past either. Angel told you about a year ago that she overheard people at the school thinking about your parents. The thing about the school is that they don't know about me. Never did." I am sitting on the floor with my legs crossed and my hair tucked behind my ear. "And, my-our mother was sixteen when she had me. She also has wings. Fang and I come from a long line of winged beings. Who weren't stolen and created in labs.

"Anyway, the next year, my father married her. The year after that, Fang was born. But then the doctors told us that he had died. That part was true. But we knew. We knew that ha had been taken." I look up, actually focusing on the flock. They all wear varying degrees of perplexed, surprised, interested, and furry faces. The furry one belongs to Total.

"When I was six, our father left to go confront The School and try to get Fang back. He tried again, and again. And several times after that. Finally, when I was nine, I got suspicious. I followed him. And he did actually go to the school. But I had chosen the wrong time." I take a deep, pained breath.

"The School had finally had enough, and they killed him. Right before my eyes. I'm going to leave out the details, but let me tell you, it wasn't pretty." I close my eyes and let my hair fall in front of my face. The memories still haunt me. "So, when I got back home, I immediately started training. In any way I could. When I was ten, I convinced one of my other bird friends to come with me to scout the place out. Jeb found us. So, Shard used her amazing manipulative powers to get us out of there, and, we had hoped, you out. By the time I was thirteen, I could have taken on a few grown Spartans with my bare hands. I'm not kidding. That's also when I founded the little group focused on helping you. By that time, you all, besides Dylan and Total, had been with Jeb for a year. When we found out that they were close to finding where you were hiding, we sent them on a few little goose chases. A few random bird kids here. A few School break ins(and outs) over there. You know, just all around chaos. And I was the mastermind behind it all. All the while keeping tabs on you. It got a little harder after the Erasers did find you." I look up again and see Nudge looking like she really wants to ask something.

"Yes Nudge. One question, please."

"Um... Can you really take on a Spartan?"

Not off topic at all. "If you must know, yes."

I laugh a little. "Okay, now. All the times you suddenly didn't have anything going after you, that's because we decided you needed a rest. I would have happily wiped out all the Erasers and then 'accidentally' lost every file they have on them, but one, you were going to go through much worse and needed to be ready, two, it would have done nothing because they had so many dispatched and the whitecoats had probably committed the Erasers to memory.

"And we also knew that it was safer for everyone if no one knew about us. So, we kept a low profile, something you have had trouble with a few times, and helped in little ways. Like tapping into the Voice, by the way, you have some very interesting conversations, Max," I smile as the blood drains from her face, "And we gave you clues. Directions. Or by making something a little obvious. Or having a seemingly random jogger call 911 when Fang almost died, then being sure that the doctor was one that wouldn't send you to the School. We just had no idea Anne was working with the school. Which I am still mad about. But, I'm only human with a little bit of bird in me. I make mistakes."

I stand up and lean back against the wall, arms crossed. "Then the day before yesterday, Fang and his little gang were attempting, rather poorly, I might add, to negotiate with the head of a company. That head is in league with The School, and if he had gotten mad, he would have sent them there. So, I made sure that he was distracted and sent them to Nancy, who hates The School. Then they unexpectedly ran out. Fang ran into me. And then this morning I got here. Any questions?"

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