Wow, just wow. I got those reviews! Thanks soooo much! And as reward, here's the next chapter a day early! By the way, I went back and reread my first chapter... and it sucks! How are ya'll still with me? Thanks for your dedication!
Random thought of the day: How am I such a genius?
Here's the answer. I'm told to mop the kitchen, but the little Swiffer-spray-thingy isn't working and is making me mad. So I come up with the solution of taking the sink hose aiming it as random places and switching the faucet on and off. Yup, genius. And to top it off, I sprayed anything that happened to be walking by, so my apologies to the cat and I'm glad I could make one of my dogs happy (she loves the water).
Where was Dylan in that last chapter? Making evil plans no doubt. Or do we actually trust him? Hmmm... And there's a reason for that little tid-bit of Max noticing her promise ring was off in the last chapter.
And nowwwwww... time to find out what's up with Fang, although, surely you've all guessed it by now. AND THIS WAS A CONCERN, SO I MUST SAY THAT FANG WILL NEVER BE A BAD GUY!
(A/N: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that they all got an apartment and are crashing there! Ooops. Forgive me please. I just kinda skipped over that.)
GAZZY POV
"Pass me the red wire. It's somewhere in that pile." Iggy said.
I smiled. This was one of the few things that wasn't affected by my blindness. Actually, it was kind of easier. I shoved my hands elbow deep in the bucket of wires and I felt like I was going into a sensory overload. "Is this what it feels like to touch rainbows?" I asked, dead serious.
There was no response.
"Dude, I totally get how you feel when people nod or shake their head at you now. It's really frustrating." I pulled out the wire that felt red and handed it to him. "So, now in words, tell me."
"Sorry, man. I totally forgot. I've never had to worry about another blind person before. Shrugging just comes natural." He paused and I could hear a bolt being tightened. "I honestly don't know Gaz. I've never actually seen a rainbow. Not even a drawing. The only time I could ever see was back at the school, and there wasn't much to see there. I've only had sight for the past two days, and I don't think rainbows just appear everyday."
I didn't know smiles made a noise before this whole 'being blind' thing came about, but I could hear it on Iggy every time he talked about his new seeing. I thought about it for a moment. When you can't see, you start to notice the little things, like the way his voice had changed when he said the word 'rainbow'. "Do you wanna see one?" I asked, an idea forming in my head.
"What? A rainbow?" He asked, sounding even more like a kid, giddy with excitement. "Uh, yeah."
"Good." I said smiling. "'Cuz I wanna feel one too." I stood up, ready to sprint out back, and then groaned when I realized I'd need Iggy to take me. "We need to go out back and get a hose with one of those nozzle-things."
"Sure. Okay." Iggy grabbed my hand and I tripped along behind him. I really didn't know how he ever got around and kept up with us when running from Erasers.
I listened carefully for clues to keep myself on my feet. The creak of the door told me to lift my feet over the door jam. The delayed thud of his feet told me we were going down stairs a moment before I stepped off. And finally the whisper of feet brushing grass told me we'd made it around to the back of the apartment.
"Got the nozzle." Iggy confirmed. "Now what?"
"Turn it to mist." I said, twisting my wrist to demonstrate. "Make sure you turned on the main water source."
"Kay?"
"Pull the trigger! It's not that hard." I shifted toward the hissing sound of the water. "Hold it to the sun."
There was a long moment of silence before Iggy sighed. "I know this is going to sound really lame, but this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He gasped. "It disappears when I move it." He said concerned. "Is it supposed to do that?"
I actually laughed at this. It was weird that Iggy was a fifteen-year-old boy and was so fascinated in rainbows. "Yeah, Ig. They do that."
"Oh." He said his voice changing to thoughtful. "Here, it's back. Come step in front of me and touch it. I'm interested in what you have to say."
I reached a hand out and Iggy guided it until I felt my hand get wet from the spray.
The bucket full of wires felt like a solid white piece of paper compared to this. This rainbow felt... "It's like a bazillion colors are screaming at me. Colors I didn't even know existed." I wiggled my fingers. "There's so much." I reached my other hand into the mist, and then a full blast hit me right in the chest. "Hey!" I protested angrily.
"You so should have seen this coming!" Iggy called happily.
I stomped toward his voice. "Well I can't see, so I couldn't have seen anything coming. Now stop spraying the blind kid!"
"Never!" Iggy crooned. "It's payback time!"
FANG POV
Iggy and Gasman both ditched me as soon as Max left with the girls to get some food, just like I'd expected them to. It was kind of tradition that when she was gone, they ran off to get more supplies for explosives. These were the few times when I found myself some quiet time.
Woods. Nature. I find myself most relaxed in places like these. When I sit still long enough, and my invisibility kicks in, it's actually pretty amazing what you see.
Ah, who am I kidding? It's not the nature I like, it's the... away from humans kind of deal. I guess that's how you'd put it. Anyway, this 'not being able to actually talk to Max' is killing me. How long has it been since we've actually... kissed? Forget it, I'm an idiot.
As I was walking, I had the strangest feeling of being watched. Now, I'm not a complete idiot like those crazies in those movies - when they're all wandering around in the dark and feel like they're being watched, but they just keep on walking. I mean, who does that?
Instead, I turned around. A flash of feathers, and then nothing. Did I shrug it off and keep going? No.
I disappeared and waited.
"So you finally realized I've been following you." Dylan said hopping out of the top of one of the nearest trees.
"What do you want?" I asked stepping out of my hiding.
Dylan stepped even closer and dug the small tip of a knife into his wrist. My throat lurched and my stomach twisted, but it wasn't like I was going to throw up. I'd seen blood almost everyday of my life. Dylan held out his hand to let me see the red river drip from his fingertips. "This." He said simply. "This is what I want." He trotted nearer.
I growled. "Get back Dylan. What do you think your doing?" I covered my nose. He must not have washed in the past month, because I could smell him from ten feet away. "Since when did you start cutting yourself."
Dylan stopped in his tracks and shook his hand so the blood spattered the ground. A droplet hit my cheek and I hissed in disgust. This was traitor blood. "I was made to do this." He reasoned.
I backed up ready to just leave the wackjob behind. "What are you talking about. You're not making sense."
He smiled. "What if I told you Max was still meant for me?"
I growled again. "I'd rip your arms off."
Dylan nodded his head as if this was good news. "I'm glad to hear that." He squeezed more blood from his cut and my gut twisted painfully, harshly. "Because I like it when you get mad. It gives me an advantage." He held out Max's promise ring that I'd given her. I'd never seen it off her hand since I'd been back. I blinked in surprise and Dylan shook his bloody hand again. "She threw it away." He said with a sad smile.
"She wouldn't." I spat. "She... she wouldn't." I marched to him and shoved him. "You liar!"
His smile became wildly crazy, and he held up his hands in surrender. "Yes. I lie. But not about this."
I shoved him hard again, snarling.
"Max is mine." He smiled eerily.
And then I snapped. I went to charge, but this time when my fist came up, he dodged, shoving me against the nearest tree. "I'll kill you." I seethed.
"Great." Dylan said, and he wiped his bloody wrist over my mouth.
My stomach convulsed, and he stepped back. Actually, he practically ran. He stopped on the other side of the clearing, watching to see what I'd do.
What happened next scared the hell out of me. I fell to the ground and my body shut down, not responding to anything I wanted it to do. And the pain hit hard and fast. My bones felt like they were snapping all at once, and it felt like every inch of me was being struck with a flaming branding iron. It only lasted for a second, and then I was on my feet - all four of them. I had the overwhelming urge to rip the throat out of anything with a beating heart.
Dylan stepped from behind a tree clapping with glee. "It worked!" He shuffled excitedly.
My heartbeat was faster than normal, and thudding loudly in my ears. What had he done to me? I took a menacing step toward Dylan.
"Ah-ah-ah!" He said, wagging a finger at me. "You're an Eraser-Human-Avian hybrid now!" Dylan rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Now, before you make the decision to rip me to shreds, let me explain." He sat down and patted the grass beside him as if he was offering a seat to a friend. We were no where near being best buds. I stayed where I was at, so he continued. "It should be much easier for you to morph from now on. More unpredictable. Blood and anger triggered the transformation."
I went to ask how the transformation was even possible, but because of my anger, all that came out was a throaty, dark rumble.
"Now, Fido, don't get an attitude with me."Dylan said with his creepy ax-murderer smile. "We have much to discuss before you make any rash decisions." I backed up into a tree, and he continued yet again. "When you all went back to the school and got those wonderful new chips in your arms, I was being created. And since I was being made for Max, they needed a back up plan incase you all escaped. Eraser DNA was put into you so that way the Flock would see you as a danger and kick you out if you ran off." He paused and scratched his head thoughtfully. "It does take quite a lot to get you mad, but I think using Max was the key."
I stood up to take a good chunk out of his pride.
"Anyway," He went on without even a glance at me, "the others all have a few quirks in them now too. Of course, it's not the same as yours, but that radioactivity will surely speed up their... unfortunate problems. And what does any of this have to do with me?" Dylan picked a blade of grass and flicked it, uninterested. "Well, here's how this benefits me. Your predicament being that if you kill me, then Max will find you as an Eraser with a dead ally. She'll hate what you've become and then kill you. If you let me live, then I'll kill you and Max will see that I did it in only in self-defense." He shrugged. "Either way, you'll still end up hated and dead. And I'll end up with no hostility toward me."
My glare at him dropped and realization hit me. He was right. And if I killed Dylan, how could I trust myself around Max? Would I start some kind of killing frenzy.
"It's probably best if you just let me kill you." He said walking forward with his knife. "Easier for Max."
And I agreed. I couldn't hurt Max. In this state, who knew what I'd do? Just the everyday blood and a little anger thrown in and I could kill her? I laid on the ground, surprised at how wolf I was and how hopeless I felt. I had a flashback to yesterday, hearing Max's voice. Nothing can stop me from killing every single one of those monsters that are always threatening us. And now I was one of those monsters.
"Yay!" Dylan said, finally reaching me. "I told you I was meant for her." And then he raised the knife and I stared into his eyes the whole way, letting him know I wasn't a coward. And then the knife came down aiming for my heart.
"No you (bleeped-out series of curse words)!" An extremely loud voice called out, and Dylan's knife hit something else.
WAKE POV
Part bat. Never in my life have I ever been happy for being what I was. Every sound killed my ears because of how sensitive they are, and so I never spoke above a certain tone.
And the wings! They were such a pain to hide.
But none of this mattered today. I'd heard Dylan's heart speed up when he told me he was going out for a fly. A faster heart beat is a sign of lying. I've learned that over the years. Dylan had never lied to me before. He'd always been honest, which had assured me I could trust him from the start when he said he'd turned his back on the School. And if he ever decided to lie, I'd know. And so my curiosity made me follow him at this sudden small change in his behavior.
All he'd done was fly for the longest time. Fly and land somewhere down with Fang. I guessed it was to talk so I circled away. No need to take privacy. Within minutes, I was aware of the sound of argument. Even from a mile away, I could hear how upset Fang was and I lazily doubled back to break up what was sure to be a fight. And then the words became clearer and I heard the word 'die'.
I was suddenly aware of flying as fast as my wings would allow, a sinking feeling taking the pit of my stomach. And when I entered through the canopy of trees a knife was coming down at what I knew was Fang. The comparison was undeniable. And without thinking, I flew in the way of the knife, blocking the blow with my right wing and shoving Fang away with the other. A sickening tearing sound caught in my enhanced ears and was magnified to where I heard the shredding of my wing at four hundred percent. And not only that, but it tore completely through, cutting my arm hiding behind it too. I cried out in the unbearable fire I felt pulsing through my veiny, damaged wing and the agony screaming in my arm.
Dylan's eyes widened and he stepped back.
"What do you think you're doing?" I shouted at him.
He pointed at Fang who was watching us with slit black eyes. "Fang turned into an Eraser! He tried to kill me!" He gestured to his bloody wrist and then Fang's bloody muzzle. "Help me!"
But I didn't even look away. I hadn't told Dylan I could tell when he was lying like I'd told Nudge, but I was sure of it now. "Why are you trying to kill Fang?"
"He tried to kill me!" He spluttered.
Lie.
"Leave or die." I said wincing as I moved my wing back and I took up what I knew all to well as a fighting stance. I'd lived on the run since I was six. And I had one advantage over what the Flock had - I'd learned to live on my own. I knew how to kick butt one-on-one easily.
Dylan's eyes flitted back and forth between me and Fang, before he slyly leapt into the air and left without a second glance. I'd come to a quick assumption, and I'd only been living around others for forty-eight hours, but I didn't think I needed experience to tell me that you don't try to kill family. No acceptions.
I turned back to Fang. "Are you hurt? Can you speak?"
Fang stared back. When I stepped closer, he coward like an abused dog. "Don't get close." His voice rasped, deep and feral. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't hurt me." I said confidently, but also treading cautiously forward as if not to wake a mouse. "We have to get you back. Are you hurt?" I asked again. I reached out to touch him, and his nostrils flared and his breath caught.
"You have no idea how hard it is trying to keep myself from ripping you to shreds." He nodded at my wing. "The blood. It's... disturbingly alluring."
And it was true for him. This sent my senses on high alert. I painfully pulled my wing in under my hoodie, whimpering the entire time.
His tense shoulders relaxed. "Better." He stated at the diluted smell. "No, I'm not hurt. We have to get you back though. You're losing a lot of blood." He looked uncertainly in the direction of the hotel. "If I attack anyone... kill me, okay?"
I nodded.
"On." He demanded, and I sat on his back grabbing fistfuls of fur so I wouldn't fall off. He stood carefully and then started the run back to the Flock's temporary home. Why didn't you warn me!? I thought angrily at my Voice. Fang almost died!
The Voice answered quickly. Fang has been tainted too much by the School. He puts the mission in Jeopardy. That's why we sent you to find Dylan in the first place; it was his only purpose. The School had accidentally created something that could help us, but now you've made two monsters that you'll have to fight now. Two new enemies. The one you're riding, and the one that would kill all of you just to get to Fang.
Somewhere in the time of my fuming and us arriving, I lost consciousness.
And sadly, that's not a lie.
NUDGE POV
People say I talk a lot, but that's because I just have, like, so much on my mind. But on the flight home from the store, I didn't realize I was being so quiet until Angel mentioned it. I guess because there was only one thing on my mind now instead of, like, a bajillion or something.
"What's wrong, Nudge?" She asked with a tilt of her head, dark brown hair trailing behind her. She shifted over closer to me.
"Huh?" I blinked out of my thoughts. I craned my necked around to see her.
"You're really quiet. Is something wrong?"
I shook my head, watching the city streets pass by below me. "It's nothing, really."
Max gasped, like, extremely loud. "Land now!" And so we followed her.
"What happened, Max?" Angel asked. She walked over to her and poked her in the side, questioning the bizarre look on Max's face.
Max stalked over to me and shook me. "You hadn't talked at all while shopped, and you just gave a three word answer. Three words!" She shook me by the shoulders again. "Do we need to take you to the hospital? Is there something wrong? Come on girl, talk to me."
I sighed. "No."
And that one word practically sent her into a panic attack.
"Angel!" She called. "Call 911! Somethings wrong with her. What!? You don't have a phone!? Oh, God, Nudge! What do we do? Are you feeling faint? Dizzy? Nauseous?"
I shook my head.
"Great!" She shouted sarcastically. "Now she doesn't even use words. It's official! The world is really ending!"
"Calm down, Max." Angel patted her shoulder. "I think I can guess what it is."
"What?" She asked, stepping back from me while Angel dragged her slowly away.
"I bet she's just tired that's all." Angel said soothingly.
I cleared my throat, and they both looked at me. What would Max think? "It's... uh, Wake." They both stared like I'd just grown a third eyeball. "He's kind of cute, right? And nice? And sweet? And funny?"
"And really, really quiet!" Max said. "He is like a complete opposite of you! Plus, you're too young! And he's too old!"
"He's only a year older than me." I said appalled. "That's normal!"
"But you're not normal!" She protested. I shrank back. I knew I wasn't normal, hence the flying and the running for our lives everyday. Her eyes widened, realizing that'd been a little harsh. "Sweetie, it's just that you're my little girl and and you're too young." She brushed my cheek. "Trust me, you do not want to get into that kind of stuff yet."
I looked to Angel, and she spoke up hesitantly. "You're a great talker, and he's a great listener." She reasoned, and I grinned. A smile spread across her face as she grabbed my hand and pulled me up into the air. "Wake and Nudge, sit'n in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"You're too young!" Max called up after us, which I laughed at, because technically, she was younger than me right now.
I flew with Angel as she swirled through the air, giggling. Max was leader, and I always listened, but I think I'd ignore one of her commands for once.
Oh, no! What's gonna happen when Max and them get home to find a bloody, unconscious Wake laying next to a Wolfed-out Fang? All the while, helplessly clueless Gazzy and Ig are off playing with rainbows. Tsk. What are we going to do with them?
Anyway, what will Nudge think? And most of all... what's Max gonna do?
I UNDERSTAND YOU GUYS WANT FAX, SO I GUESS I'LL TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK THAT IN WITH THE WHOLE BODY SWAP. I'VE GOT A FEW IDEA'S, BUT IT MIGHT TAKE ME ANOTHER WEEK TO UPDATE. SORRY, I'M A BUSSY GIRL. :)
And I JUST WANTED TO SAY... with great stupidity comes HAPPY MOPPING!
I hope ya'll's days are as random filled as mine!
