Zzzzzzzzzz-W-what-wait, what just happened? Had I been asleep? Where am I, and why do I fell like I'm on valium? I opened my eyes and found myself lying on the ground with my arms and legs spread. For some strange reason, I felt refreshed like I was smelling coffee, hazelnut flavored, in the morning.

"Wake up, my preciousss." A voice that sounded like a low-wage clown chuckled. "Oh I loved how you jussst easssily fitted in my coilsss."

I saw a huge snake hanging from the branches above me, leaning a little closer to my face. "Oh, what the heck is this," I complained, "Animal Farm? Who are you anyways?"

"I am the one whom they chossse to wait for you," said the snake. "They knew that you were coming. They knew right after you pulled off your naughty tricksss. They'd let me out of my cage becaussse I'm ssso good at finding prey. Wouldn't that be decadent of me to keep you all to myssself, my little gold mine?"

I didn't know what he was lisping about, but I was feeling like an out-of-bed-grouch to even care what he told me. I just wanted to snooze off like I mysteriously did before. "Right, pal," I mumbled. "Now would you please go away before I turn green and go madly berserk?"

The snake weaved his head in front of my face. "Jussst let me look into you eyesss."

"No," I waved him off. "You bother me, now buzz off."

"You don't…want me to look into your eyesss? Then…you look into mine."

Just what was this guy's problem? Even in the middle of one of Mother Nature's overgrowing front lawn twenty thousand miles away from a cheese enchilada, I can't seem to get a break.

"No sir," I protested while I tried to get up, even though my legs were feeling like jell-o. "You don't want to get me on my angry-Whoa!" I had almost hit the ground with my face when the snake caught me with its coils around my waist.

Perve Alert, Perve Alert, my mind went off suddenly. Why on earth was it thinking that way?

"I don't?" the snake replied with a look of disappointment on his face, which was of course weird for a snake to have a face. "Ssso, you mean you don't have a sssoft ssside?"

"That's none of your business!" I growled at the snake as I tried to get his scaly limb off of me.

"Then it ssseemsss we have nothing in common to ssshare, Maximum Ride."

Whoa, time out! How does a talking snake in the jungle have any idea about who I was? Is it possible that he's been watching Animal Planet? Or is this really a dream?

"Now what would a snake have in common with me?" I stopped struggling and bothered to ask. "I mean, this is *the* me that we're talking about you know."

"Ah, but we do ssshare a common enemy," the snake hissed silently. "I know that we derived from the same hands, which made us from the same laboratory. Jeb Batchler, was it not?"

Jeb Batchler…the man who freed me from a life with no purpose, but to be a test subject…the same man who led me into a new life of hope, and security…the same man who lied to me about everything I thought was true. I thought that he always loved me and my family, and that he would never let anything terrible happen to us as long as he lived. But he did…

"Yeah, you're right," I said coldly. "Let's just say he's no friend of mine anymore. I thought he was my guardian angel. Now I wish so badly that he was dead, I could taste it."

"I don't blame you, little one." The snake put a few coils around my arms and squeezed gently, like he was hugging me. "I'd hate to sssee sssuch an angel like you to forget the warm affectionsss of trussst and unconditional love."

I was about to tell him that maybe it was already too late for that, when I saw the familiar colorful lights in his eyes rotating fast, I started to get dizzy.

"You can have a new life with me, my darling angel. Trussst in me."

Oh wow…that gut-wrenching thought I had for Jeb disappeared so…quickly. I didn't know why, but when I looked into the snake's rainbow eyes…I started to smile so silly…like I just heard a humorous story. He weaved his head left…and right, and I followed. I didn't know…why I was mimicking his funky head weaving routine…but then I felt his coils massaging my body…and it felt…so…good.

"You are my angel," I heard…the snake sing... "Come from way above, to bring me love."

I felt him raising me…up to the tree…and I didn't seem to care…I continued to look…into his pretty eyes…and following his moving head…

"Look into my eyes," he went on…singing. "They reveal Paradise."

The painful memories…of Jeb, and Angel…and Fang…and Dylan…were leaving my mind…I didn't care…so glad that they're…going…away…

"No lies in my lullaby. Feel the love tonight."

I was…being wrapped…in a cocoon…of caressing scales…giving me a much needed…backrub…I loved it…so much…I didn't…want it…to end…

Then we heard someone coming…and the snake stopped singing.

"What's wrong?" I asked in an anxious voice.

"I'll be right back dear," he smiled so sweetly…which is kinda weird for a snake to be able to smile…but who am I to argue?

He lowered his head down to the forest floor, as I sat there so relaxed inside his…embracing coils. "Yesss, yesss, who isss it?" he called.

"Times up, freak." I suddenly recognized that menacing voice down below…as Ari's…