BIG NEWS!

I DEDICATE THIS CHAPTER TO THE BEST REVIEWER OF ALL TIME...

SoNotPerfect

**You crack me up and totally make my day every time I read something from you! You are the main reason that chapter 9 is up so quickly!**

And I totally forgot the random thought of the day in the last chapter, so, here it goes...

Random thought of the day: What would I do if I woke up one morning with wings?

I totally wish that would happen. Do you ever just have those moments? Those moments where you wish you could just have wings and be, like, best buds or something with the flock? (sigh)

Okay, so, this chapter has...

A) A little badassness

B) A little bit of Fax

C) A little bit of "Wadge" (I guess that would be a couple name)

D) A tiny bit of Angel getting mad

Sooooo... Thank your buddy SoNotPerfect and READ!


Max POV

Iggy's face was frozen in helplessness, Nudge was crying, Angel was screaming, and I was fighting, fighting hard against Wake. I wasn't really sure why. What could I do? Watch them kill Fang? See the thing I'd always dreaded, happen right in front of me?

I slammed my fists into Wake's back. My ears started ringing, and I let out a blood curdling scream of defiance. Just as the flock took their first step down the stair case, I managed to scramble out of his arms. He spun to grab me, but Wake's arms slipped through me. They literally slipped through me. Like a ghost or something.

He blinked in surprise. "Max?" He asked.

I didn't even question it or turn to look at him. I was sprinting back to where Iggy sat staring through the glass. I shoved him aside and dove at the blocked doorway, squeezing my eyes shut and bracing myself for the impact that would tell me I was losing my mind. The impact that would tell me I was losing Fang forever.

But it didn't happen.

I fell through, crashing to the floor on the other side while the others were still trapped behind the intact glass in the hallway. I scrambled to my feet, holding my breath. The grey chemicals burned my eyes, but I launched myself at the first person closest to me. A simple kick to his manly place, and he was on his knees. I ripped his gas mask off and pulled it over my own head. I faced the rest of the men. There were maybe eleven others in the room. The expressions on their faces clearly stated that they hadn't planned on me getting through. What can I say? I'm a pain in the ass when I wanna be.

The biggest of the men was yelling, ordering the scrawnier ones around. He was heavy set and had a blonde, scraggly beard that looked like a barbie doll's head that hadn't been brushed in five years. Let's call him Mr. Tubby, just 'cuz I feel like being nice. "Attack it! We have to get this thing out of here!" He took on the weight of Fang by himself as the others came at me.

Stupid idiots. They should know better than to attack an angry Max.

I swept my leg under the first one, grabbed him by the ankle and swung him around, hitting the next three like they do in movies. These people were surprisingly weak. They were only humans! Didn't they know that they were messing with the chick that was supposed to save the world?

I ripped the mask off of the next one running head first at me. He sucked in a gasp of surprise and fell to his face, choking on the knock-out gas.

"Put Fang down!" I yelled furiously at the people.

The others were smarter. They tried to sneak around behind me and get me surrounded. That didn't work out to well for them either though. As the two on my sides jumped forward, I flung my wings out and hit them in the face, using my wings to fight like I'd been practicing recently. I hissed in pain at the feel of using so much force on the dislocation. Then, I jumped around doing a 180 degree spin and sent one more guy flying with a well placed kick to his chest. I turned and snarled at Mr. Tubby and his last fighter.

"What are you waiting for?" Mr. Tub yelled, his cheeks puffing in anger and exertion. He was just getting his first foot out of the window above Angel's bed. "Get her!"

The little guy's eyes went wild like a scared kid's. He paused, and I lunged, taking his mask off for him. This was just too easy.

I turned to the window. "Drop. Him. Now." I seethed. The dude just laughed.

"Did you forget we are in control of your chip?" He chortled. I stumbled back in surprise. "Good night, Max. Don't let the Erasers bite."

I jumped forward, shoving the man up against the wall. Quicker than I could register it, he grabbed a piece of broken glass off of the dresser, and jabbed it into my stomach. I felt every inch of it enter as if I were being stabbed in slow motion. My breath hitched, and my mouth opened in a silent scream.

No pain. No pain. I told myself. I yanked the piece out and threw it to the ground, before throwing the man to the ground along with it. I put my shoe on his chest and leaned down to his face, hissing in pain and fury. "Don't touch my family." I spit and slipped the mask from over his head. He fell unconscious like the rest of his comrades. I stumbled back over to Fang, holding my stomach, and fumbled with Tubby's mask still in my hand. I barely managed to fit it around his nose, and not even his mouth when I was hit with a brain attack. I fell to the floor bleeding and in unbearable pain. I pried my eyes open and looked up at the rest of the flock hitting the door in panic.

Max, The Voice said with actual emotion in its voice for once, what have you done?


I woke up to a throbbing pain in my head, and felt something move beside me. I shot to my feet on high alert, scanning my new forest surroundings.

"Max!" Nudge yelped. I was suddenly squished in a bear hug by every one of my flock. "Thank, God you're okay! We were totally worried. You wouldn't wake up! And we couldn't get in. And then the knock-out gas cleared out, because the window was open. Iggy decided we could set off a small explosive against the drywall. So that blew up, but it wasn't as big the normal ones. And we got you guys. Fang wouldn't wake up for the longest time though. He had that shot in him that those people gave him. We were scared it was poison, but eventually he got up. He healed you, but you-"

"Where is he?" I asked while patting the heads of everyone around me to make sure all of us were there. "Where's Fang and Wake?"

Iggy shrugged. "They left to pick up food and supplies. They promised to be back in under an hour." He pulled back from the group hug. "They've been gone for thirty minutes."

I nodded, distracted. I'd been putting too much trust in things lately. The Voice, which I thought I'd be able to trust since it was practically part of me, had just tried to kill a member of my flock. Now, I wasn't so sure about Wake either. "I don't trust Wake." I said while shuffling and getting antsy. The rest of the group hug was dispersed by now.

"What do you mean you don't trust him?" Nudge gasped. "Saving Fang wasn't enough for you?" She seemed to be trying to defend and block someone, but there was no one there to block me from.

"Calm down, Nudge." I said hugging her gently. "I don't want to kick him out or anything, but I just found out I couldn't even trust the Voice. The Voice has always been on our side, but now it's not." I stroked her hair soothingly. "I just want us to be cautious around him. When Fang gets back, I don't want any of us going anywhere alone with him. Always have a buddy."

"That's ridiculous." She said upset.

I held her out at arms length. "Please just promise me you won't go anywhere alone with him."

She seemed to debate the answer she would give me, and I gave her shoulders a light squeeze. "Fine." She said, defeated.

I turned to the others. "That means the rest of you too." I added.

Iggy cracked up. "You don't have to worry about me hanging out with him. I hate him."

"Iggy!" Nudge exclaimed.

He ran over and picked her up while spinning her around and then finishing it with a noogy. "You're my little sister." Iggy said grinning. "I'm going to hate all of your boyfriends."

"Hey!" She protested. "You messed up my hair!"

He held out a pine-cone. "Here. Brush it with this."

Nudge looked at it in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You brush yours!" She snatched it from him and threw it at his chest.

"Pine-cones?" Iggy said thoughtfully. "It's like these things have an obsession with hitting me."

Nudge threw another and so did the Gasman. Suddenly, Morgan Freeman's voice was lighting up the clearing. "Once upon a time, a pine cone army wanted revenge on a bird kid."

I shook my head. "Iggy, that is so creepy. You are not allowed to do that voice anymore. I feel like he's hiding in the trees and narrating us."

"The pine-cone's were angry at the one called Max, so they turned and pelted her." He continued in the forbidden voice.

Quickly, the whole flock was turned and throwing one after another at me. "Ahg!" I yelped. "Stop it!"

"And the pine-cone's continued." Iggy said. Gazzy was cackling maniacally.

My ears rang once, and then the seeds were passing through my body as if I was just a foggy shadow.

"What the-? Ow!" Iggy shouted as a pine-cone went straight through my shoulder and hit him on the other side of me.

The throwing session stopped, and Angel stepped froward, waving her hand through my face. "Stop that!" I said jumping back. "It feels funny."

She tilted her head. "So you can walk through walls and we can walk through you." She concentrated hard on my face.

"Woah!" Gazzy's eyes were wide as saucers. "Iggy said you ran through that wall, but I thought he was crazy! Are you really like a ghost?" He ran forward with his arms out. "Where are you?"

"You're standing in her shoulder." Nudge said giggling.

"Weird..." He said, grinning.

"Hey, look, Max." Iggy said stepping toward me. "I'm picking your nose!"

I rolled my eyes and stepped away. "I guess it's a new ability, guys."

"I can't even hear your mind." Angel said. "It's like you don't exist."

"Weird..." Gazzy said again. He waved his arms around like an octapuse to try and hit me again.

Angel picked up a branch and held it out for me. "If you're holding something, can things still go through you?"

I shrugged and took it. "It's staying solid." I informed while poking Iggy. He batted it away and shoved me. I let out a quiet oof. "Nope, I can't stay misty if I'm holding stuff."

Angel nodded and grabbed my hand. "Okay, drop the stick and try to disappear."

I concentrated, heard the ring in my ears, and then... nothing happened. I tugged at Angel's grip on me, but she wouldn't let go. "I can't do it." I said in surprise. Just then, a pine-cone hit me in the side of the head. I snapped my glare in the direction it came from. Iggy was whistling innocently.

Angel lifted her head in the way that she does when listening to someone's thoughts. "We should go, guys." She said quietly. My heart immediately started pumping with adrenaline. Was there another attack coming? Angel shook her head hearing my worried thoughts. "You stay here, Max." She said smiling. She waved for the others to follow and they all walked with her. I watched as Wake came down from the trees, and went along with them. Then, a dark shadow fell from the canopy.

Fang.

I froze to the spot where I was at, flooded with emotion. Flooded with relief that he was still alive. His eyes blinked slowly from his spot several feet away from me, the flecks of gold in them sparkling slightly brighter than usual.

A sound escaped my throat, and Fang chuckled. He held out his arms and I ran to him, too happy to worry about how girly I may have looked. I jumped up, and Fang wrapped his arms around my shoulders in a comforting gesture. "God, I thought I lost you." I breathed into his chest.

He kissed my forehead and brought one of his hands down to entwine with mine. "I'm fine." He said, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. He rested his forehead against mine. "Angel was generous to leave us alone." He said looking into my eyes.

I smiled. "Yeah. She's the only one who deserves the ability to read and control minds. She knows when to use it... and when to stop." I raised my mouth inches from his. His breath stopped for a moment as I leaned closer... and then pushed him away playfully. "Unlike someone I know."

He grinned. "Okay, maybe making you slap yourself wasn't the best idea."

"Nope." I agreed. "I don't forgive easily, and I never forget." I started walking away, knowing he would follow.

"I'm not one to ask for forgiveness either." He said falling into step beside me.

I tilted my head and shrugged. "Okay, then. Guess we're stuck at a cease-fire."

"Sorry." He said laughing, playing along with my teasing. "Sorry, I didn't make you slap yourself more."

"Hmm." I mused. "Are you being serious? I really needed that extra slap."

He grabbed my hand and made me hit myself on the chin. "Does that answer your question?" He asked.

I laughed, finally giving in. "Come here, dog-boy."

He smiled and stepped closer. I went up on tip-toe, resting my arms on his shoulders, and kissed him. It was light, and small, but as soon as I pulled back, his lips were on mine again. I gave no hesitation or playfulness this time. This second kiss was more intense and before I knew it, I was pinned against a tree with his hands on either side of me. I pulled him to me and his head came down willingly, while he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I smiled against his mouth at a fleeting thought. He felt it and pulled back just slightly enough to see my face.

"What?" He asked.

"Angel wasn't just being generous, she was being smart." I said with my smile widening. He grinned, but it quickly dissolved into another kiss.


Nudge POV

"Shh." I hissed, dragging Wake behind me.

He tripped along barely keeping pace with my crazy speed. "Why are we staying quiet?" He whispered back as a branch hit him in the face.

"'Cuz." I said as if that one word explained everything and the meaning of life itself. "Max said I wasn't aloud to hang out with you anymore."

This took him by surprise. "Why? What'd I do?"

"Nothing!" I said a bit louder while pushing aside the underbrush. "She thinks that just because she was wrong about one thing, she's wrong about everything!"

"Umm." He said hesitantly. "Your little sister is gonna take me down to the ground. Probably take my duck tape off and shove me over the edge of a cliff." He said with actual fear in his voice.

"Don't worry about her. Her mind is closed off of everyone right now because she wanted to give Max and Fang 'alone time'." I laughed aloud as I pushed my way into the clearing I'd found earlier. A little pond stretched out in the middle, and a turtle ducked its head below the surface.

Wake stopped breathing for a second and back pedaled, pulling me back. "Not here. I can't be here." He said with his eyes widening.

"What? Why?" I asked.

He yanked back, pulling us behind tall grass so that we could no longer see the clearing. "It's the water. I can't be near water. I'm scared to death of it."

"What?" I laughed. "You're joking right? Oooo, I'm a glass of water and I've come to kill you!"

He didn't laugh back, and the panicked look was still in his eyes.

I stopped laughing and bent down to him. "Are you really serious?"

He nodded and sank to a sitting position, calming his hyperventilation. "Big water masses."

"Why are you scared of water?"

He leaned back to lay down. "It's not a pretty story." He answered. "Not one that would be good to share."

"I want to know."

He closed his eyes eyes and took a deep breath. "The School got me at one point." He paused, waiting for my reaction. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, urging him to go on. "They were trying to test out my wing durability along with some other kids. I was the only bat-human hybrid though. We'd have to wait in line, and watch what happened to each other." He shuddered. "The test was done by hooking a rope up to the bottom of a boat and tying the other end to our ankles. The boat would run laps in a big pool area, while we had to stay above water. That was our incentive - Stay above water by working your wings to the point of beyond exhaustion, or drown. I'd watched countless other kids drown in that pool. And when it was my turn, I'd lost hope." He brought his hands up to press on his temples as if it would keep away the bad memories. "When the boat started up, it was like they were trying to rip my leg and wings off at the same time. Since my wings weren't feathered, the air had nowhere to slip through, and they caught the wind like a para-sail. I skidded across the top of the water, barely keeping my chest out. I caused huge 'wakes' when my wingtips met the water. I made it through, though."

I laid down next to him. I didn't know what to say.

"That's how I got my name." He said screwing his eyes shut against the memory. "It's a stupid reminder of what happened. Of how all of those other kids drowned, and I was the only one to make it out alive."

"Wake..." I started, and then dwindled off, cursing myself for just using his name after he'd just said how much pain it caused him. How could he look at anything with wings and not think about those kids? Especially when he looked at me? I was just like them.

"That's why I joke a lot, ya know? You only live once. Why not make the best of every second?" He smiled softly and opened his eyes, turning his head to me. "Every moment is precious. And every moment with you seems to be ten times more."

I blinked stupidly. Wake was like the freaking prince from those fairy-tails. Funny, cute, and absolutely the sweetest thing on the planet. "Haha..." I said not knowing how to respond and screwing up the moment. "I didn't see that one coming."

He smirked and messed with a strand of my hair before turning to look at the sky again. "You want to know how I always know when you're lying or telling the truth?"

I nodded to get out of the awkward moment.

"I hear everything." He said tilting his head. "Having super sensitive bat ears lets me hear your heart beat right now." He winced. "Sorry. That sounded weird."

I shrugged. "So? I'm weird."

He smiled. "People's heart rates naturally speed up when they are lying. That's how I tell. It's as simple as that."

I thought a moment back to when I was quizzing him on true or false. As I was going through the list in my head, he rolled over and his face became inches from mine. I held my breath with sudden panic. I wasn't ready for my first kiss or anything! What about my make-up?

"You are either really excited, or about to go into a panic attack." He said concerned. "Which one is it?"

"Really excited." I lied.

He turned back onto his back, which kind of disappointed me. "And you still insist on lying to me." He sighed. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable. Too, close?"

"No."

He rolled his eyes. "You know you can't trick me."

I wondered whether or not he liked me. Angel said he did, and said that I was stupid for not seeing it. She also made it pretty clear of how much she didn't want me around him. I could keep myself from asking, since I'm cursed with a mouth that never stops moving. "Do you like me?" And suddenly I felt like I would die of embarrassment.

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I thought I've been making it obvious."

"Oh." I said relieved. I shifted my head to where it laid on his arm. "Good. I like you too."

I think at some point we drifted off to sleep.


Wake POV

"Ha! I knew it!" Were the first things I heard when I woke up. "You scheming little butt!" Angel's face was as red as a tomato, and, boy, was she mad.

"Calm down." Nudge said groggily.

"No!" She said angrily. "I told you I'd be watching you." She squinted her eyes at me before lunging forward and kicking me where no man should ever be kicked. I squeaked in pain. "You deserve it!" She said storming off.

Nudge was trying not to laugh while checking to make sure I was okay. "Will you live?"

I was holding my breath in agony. "Your... sister... is... the devil."

She laughed. "Tell me something I don't know."


Once, again, this chapter is dedicated to the author SoNotPerfect! Woohoo for you! :D

And I wanted to do a shout out for the few of you that reviewed, like Wolf and MR Lover and supersexyghotmew95. You guys rock too!

As for the rest of you... I'm very disappointed. What happened to all of those reviews? It's like I've totally disappeared! You guys aren't making me too happy... :[