Chapter 36

Hey XX FAXNESS XX I just wanted to say don't worry the major Fax will come but I didn't want it to just be a snap of my fingers and it's there I wanted it to come overtime so you could kinda see it develop. I just want to remind everyone that they're still 11 and 12 (Fang is almost 12) so I think it would be a tad inappropriate to have a lot of Fax just yet.

For the rest of the week I took a point of noticing that Lissa tried to get to know all of us and began to leave her security blanket known as Fang. On the other hand Sam was clinging to me more than ever and Nudge started shooting me weird looks.

Finally Saturday came and with that came what I'd been looking forward to for the whole week. We all meet at Nancy's property ready to work well four of us were ready to work. Fang and Iggy were still half asleep. I introduced them all to Nancy and we headed off to the barn she wanted to use. I couldn't believe it when I saw it yeah it was big but it was a pigsty. Old hay, wooden crates, wooden this and wooden that, spider webs, dirty windows, broken doors and basically a whole lot of mess.

Nancy gave us all a thick pair of gloves as we spread out trying to pick up the crates. Under a couple of the crates were a few tires that Fang and I began to wheel out. We got outside the door when I saw Dad's UTE pull up with the horse trailer in tow. I heard the familiar whinny and a huge smile broke out across my face.

"Dad, Midnight!" I squealed and let go of the tire.

"Ooof" I heard Fang say as I let go of the tire.

I ran to the horse trailer and opened it instantly. I led Midnight out and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Terrific I've been replaced by a horse," Dad complained.

"Sorry," I winced and hugged my Dad.

"Max, some helped over here?" Fang grunted as he struggled to hold up the big tire.

"Oh whoops sorry, Fang," I apologised and ran over to help him.

"Yeah thanks," He grunted.

We wheeled it over to the rubbish pile and I ran back to Midnight. I walked him to the entrance of the barn/shed thingy.

"Max, are you going to help?" Ella asked me.

"I'm taking care of Midnight, I'll be in in a minute," I grinned. The next thing I knew I felt Midnight's nose digging into my back pushing me forward.

"Ok, ok I get the message," I glowered at Midnight and grabbed a crate.

Iggy continuously checked his hair every time someone came anywhere near his head. Fang and I smirked at each other each knowing what the other was thinking. Fang nodded at me and disappeared.

"Hey, Ig, can you help me with something outside?" I asked him.

"Yeah sure," Iggy agreed so un-expecting of what was coming. I led him outside to the huge pile of rubbish that used to.

"So what do you need help with?" Iggy asked as he ran his fingers through his reddish blonde hair.

"Oh, it's just that thing over there, can you see it?" I told him. He turned around and I gestured to Fang.

"Max, seriously what do you need help with?" Iggy asked.

"Oh that thing over there and it needs to go over there or maybe over there," I replied vaguely. I helped Fang lift the bucket silently over Iggy's head. With a quick pour Iggy was drenched and his perfect hairstyle was well ruined.

We left the bucket on Iggy's head and ran for it. We raced back to the barn and quickly grabbed a couple brooms and started acting naturally.

"What are you two up to?" Nudge asked us.

"Nothing," We lied together. We tried to stifle our laughter when we heard someone yell out our names.

Iggy came storming into the barn with his sopping wet hair in his eyes.

"Whoa, dude, what happened to you?" Gazzy asked him, trying not to laugh.

"Ask them!" Iggy demanded with an accusing finger in Fang's and my direction.

"Well, Iggy, we thought you wanted to be the cool one in the group," I explained to him trying not to laugh.

"Max, this isn't funny!" Iggy complained.

"It's kind of funny," Nudge laughed.

"You two are so dead!" Iggy warned us through gritted teeth.

"Iggy, don't be a girl it's just hair, you're making Max seem like a guy the way you're carrying on," Ella told him. Suddenly we didn't hear another word out of Iggy.

I saw Mum and Dad talking quietly in the corner. Mum was looking grim.

Eventually after Dad said something she smiled and they hugged. I felt a wave of warmth and then almost as quickly as it had come it became a wave of emptiness filled with false hope and promises.

"Hey, Max, are you alright?" Nudge asked me.

"Just look at them, they're so happy," I sighed.

"Max, your parents divorced for a reason, maybe they're just better making it work as friends," Nudge shrugged.

"Your right, I can't even remember them together but I look at them and I can't think of why they divorced," I sighed.

"Why did they divorce?" Nudge asked me.

"I never found out," I shrugged. "Come on let's clean the windows,"

We had gotten rid of all the rubbish and cleaned the windows by one thirty so Nancy made us stop and go have lunch. She had a couple of roast chickens, some chips, green salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, dimsims and drinks, it was a feast. I dove in quickly so I could grab a leg which was my favourite part of a chicken. Nudge grabbed a wing chips and pasta salad. I only noticed because she was sitting right next to me.

"Iggy, you seem to be a lot dryer," Gazzy pointed out to him.

"Shut up, Gazzy," Iggy growled.

"Aw, Iggy, you can get revenge on Max and Fang later," Ella assured him.

"I just can't believe that my own parents did that to me," Iggy cried.

"Are we still going on about that?" I groaned.

"Yes," Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Ella all answered.

"We will get revenge on you lot." Fang promised them.

We ate our lunch in peace and then let our food settle. We all assumed that it meant that we were going back outside to the shed thingy. We got ready to go back out.

"Where are you lot going?" Nancy asked us.

"To the shed to clean," Ella told her.

"You've done enough for today, Val and Jeb are going to finish but I have something planned for you," Nancy smiled at us.

We followed Nancy outside and to the stables.

"You didn't have to come in on your weekend but you did so I wanted to treat you to something," Nancy told us again. As we walked in six horses were lined up. "Nudge, here you have the dark brown one, her name is Coco," Nudge walked up to Coco and patted her on the forehead.

"Hey, girl," Nudge whispered softly as she stared into Coco's huge eyes.

"Ella, over here you have Blaze," Nancy pointed Ella to the liver chestnut horse standing next to Coco.

"Aw, he's beautiful," Ella cooed.

"Gazzy, I think you're on, Dusty she's over there next to Ella," Nancy ticked Gazzy off and watched him walk up slowly to the dapple grey horse. She had warm and gentle brown eyes.

"Iggy, you have this young girl over here," Nancy walked him over to a beautiful palomino. "Her name is Sandy,"

"Hey, Sandy," Iggy said to the horse in his I'm super cool and you're lucky to have me voice.

"And I believe that that leaves Fang. Fang you're on Asher," Nancy told him and brought him to a jet black mare. I couldn't believe it they were all on horses that matched their wing colour when I imagined us with wings.

"Max, go and get Midnight and his tack," Nancy instructed me. I did as I was told and ran off to get Midnight who was no longer a colt but a gelding since he was now five years old.

"Come on boy I think we're going for a ride," I told him. He whinnied at me happily and followed me to the barn. I didn't even have to lead him he just followed me as I held his tack. So everyone had a horse that matched their wing colour except for me but I wouldn't trade Midnight for the world.

I quickly tacked up Midnight and put my helmet on. I mounted him and watched everyone else do the same.

"Ok how many of you have ridden a horse before?" Nancy asked us.

"We all have, Max got us to ride Midnight," Iggy told her.

"Ok well I want you all to follow Max out to the riding ring then and we'll go over a few things, Max, I want you in the front at all times," Nancy told instructed us.

I gave Midnight a kick in the sides and rode him out to the riding ring. Nancy had us go through walking and trotting, the basics for beginners. We did this for about five minutes and then Nancy tacked up her horse Moonbeam and took us for a trail ride. The trail was wide enough that we could find walk next to each other. Iggy, Fang and I were behind Gazzy, Ella and Nudge.

"Nancy's going to make an awesome teacher," Fang told me.

"Yeah, she will," I agreed.

"How long have you known her?" Iggy asked me.

"I met her when I bought Midnight last year," I answered him.

"How come you guys are close then?" Fang asked me. "I mean Dad bought a new car last year and he's not all buddy, buddy with the sales guy."

"Dad, Nancy and Mum were all friends in college until Mum and Dad divorced then they lost contact and she ran into Dad one day and they've stayed in contact," I explained.

"Oh ok," Iggy nodded.

"Gazzy, I haven't gotten any cheese for a while," I heard Nudge complain.

"I'll tell you what Nudge, I'll bring you cheese on Monday at school," Gazzy promised her.

"Gazzy, you must be spending a fortune on her," Ella laughed.

"I am," Gazzy confirmed.

"Yeah, but I'm worth it," Nudge said cheekily.

"What is it with that girl and cheese?" Fang whispered to me.

"No idea," I said with a shake of my head. Midnight spotted an empty paddock to our left and made a hopeful whinny.

"No we have to stay with the flock," I told him. He gave out a grunt of disapproval.

"Fine, just a quick run though," I caved in. "I'll be back in a bit," I told Iggy and Fang. I steered Midnight through the horses until we found a gate. We waited for a bit and then I gave him two sharp kicks to go into a trot and then two clicks of my tongue and two kicks to make him canter. We sat in a canter for a bit and then with three sharp kicks to his side we broke into a gallop.