ESCAPED
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The Writers Guild :: Compositions :: Stories :: Fanfictions
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ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 1/28/2010, 7:47 pm
Maturity: High-level romance, high-graphic violence.
Fantasy: Part-bird people. xD
Amanda Noelle [Subject 5]
Maximum Ride [Subject 6]
Fang [Subject 7]
Iggy [Subject 8]
Nudge [Subject 9]
Gazzy [Subject 10]
Angel [Subject 11]
Whitecoat
Ari Batchelder [Subject 47]
Jeb Batchelder [Whitecoat]
"What about a bird and human combination?" Bill asked slowly. "They would be able to fly..." Robert added. "They would be interesting to study," I added, "But also to escape. Couldn't they just fly away?" Everyone laughed. "Not if we keep them locked up, they won't."
"Subject 5 split; identical twins. The ones with blond hair and blue eyes." I explained to the newbie, looking at the specimen. "Both of them have the avian gene grafted perfectly. Subject 7 is alone, the one with the dark hair. It's doing well." I drummed my fingers on the table anxiously. "And Subject 8 is fine as well. All's good here."
"Look here, at Subject 9." I pointed to the small baby in the cage. "Her wings haven't yet grown in yet, not like them." I pointed to our first specimen, who were all crammed in one cage. Subjects 5 and 6 were just getting wings; Subject 5 was growing silver wings, with a stripe of black and a stripe of white. Subject 6 had more tawny wings, and I wondered why they had different wings, if they were twins.
"Get Subject 8; we need to enhance his night vision." I picked up Subject 8, his six-year-old body fighting me. "Come on." I put it on the operating table, strapping it down. We began operating, slowly making sure it would work. "Um... it's blind now."
"And we've finished our avian-human experiments. This here is Max and Amanda, the twins. This is Fang, the one in the black; Iggy, there; Nudge, in the pink; The Gasman, over there; and Angel. Her wings aren't in yet." I pointed them out. "Max, Amanda, Fang, and Iggy are about nine; Nudge is six, The Gasman is three, and Angel is just over one."
"Subject 6's immune system is boosted and ready, sir. We're going to try the same procedure on Subject 5." The whitecoat picked up the 9-year-old, her eyes filled with fear. She was staring at the others her age, and her twin had a comforting expression on her face. The other one was stone-faced, and the last was blind, and didn't know what was going on anyway.
Subject 5 sniffled as she was put back in her cage. Subject 8 kept a straight face, as usual, and her twin sighed. Subject 5 sneezed, and every avian-human looked at her, clearly thinking that she shouldn't be sick. The whitecoat next to me turned, and I shrugged. "The procedure failed."
"Get Subjects 5, 6, 7, and 8." The whitecoat came out with them a few minutes later, and I took Subject 7, the stone-faced one. "Watch its expression." I told the whitecoat as another watched the three others. I ran my hand down Subject 7's back, inspecting the smooth intersection between the wings and the back. Nothing.
I put my hands on the outside of the wings. Nothing. I quickly snapped my hands together, the wings with them. I heard a distinct crack, and Subject 5 winced and shot Subject 7 a sympathetic look.
But it did nothing.
"WHERE DID THEY GO?!" I exclaimed, looking at the empty cages. My assistant shook his head. "They're gone."
"Just a little farther." I murmured, looking behind us. The six most successful genetic anomalies and I were escaping from this School through the air conditioning ducts, and then to a truck I had parked outside. I heard Amanda sneeze from up ahead, freezing in the coolness of the vents. It was harder for her than anyone else- her immune system was unnaturally low from surgery.
"How much farther?" Gazzy asked, and Max sighed. "However long it takes, Gaz." Max said quietly. "I see the exit up ahead." I called back to Jeb, my voice pitched to reach only us. "Alright. Fang, Amanda... go to the back and watch. Iggy, stay in the middle, and Max, keep watch from up front. I'm going to make sure this is the right one." Amanda and I crawled backwards in the dark tunnel as she sniffled occasionally. I suppressed a sigh; this was harder on her than most of us. She has a very low immune system from the surgery that had tried to "enhance her abilities to resist disease and illnesses." Yeah, that worked so well.
"This is the right one." Jeb said quietly, and I watched Amanda's face light up. I heard the light 'Thump' as he landed out of the building, and Max followed. Angel jumped into her arms, and so did Gazzy. "Ig- 6 paces." Amanda murmured, and he slipped out as well. Nudge went after him, and then me. I went out feet-first, landing nimbly on my feet. Amanda came out last, perfectly steady on her feet, for once.
I had never told anyone this, but I just loved Amanda. I had known her since I was born (or hatched, none of us knew which), grown up with her by my side, gotten to know her like no one else had. I knew her from the inside out, and she knew the same about me. She was quick on her feet, smart, and sweet to pretty much everyone, even the whitecoats (somehow). She had a smile that could light up the entire world with one try, and she wasn't one of those girly girls that we had heard about from the whitecoats. She didn't care what clothes she wore or how her hair looked (though I often saw her pulling her hair in and out of a ponytail. Then again, I wasn't a hair expert.). Despite her allergies, she was a tough fighter, but a sweet girl.
And I had always loved her. All of us had very good memories, and I knew that I had loved her for my entire life. From the time that we were stuck in the same cage as toddlers, I had known that she was what I wanted, what I needed. Since we were just babies, I had just known. I had grown up with her, watching her out of the corner of my eye, discussing everything with her. When her immune system dropped, I had been the one she told everything too. When the whitecoats had hurt my wings, she had been the one I vented too. She was my best friend, my one certainty, my one knowing. If Amanda wasn't here, then nothing was.
We were in the truck now, and I couldn't fight the oncoming wave of claustrophobia. Being in a cage for ten years did that to you. Amanda's eyes were happy and sad at the same time. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, wrapping her arms around her knees. I nodded curtly, and I could tell she knew I was lying. "It's the last time." She whispered, coughing. "We're getting out."
As the doors opened once again, we found ourselves near a huge canyon, and Amanda's face split into a huge smile. Jeb smiled as well, pointing to a house a mile or so away. "Welcome home."
The two-year-old Angel was asleep in my arms, and I grinned. "We need to split up the rooms." Jeb said, smiling. "There are five bedrooms. Presumably, the younger kids will stay in the same room with the older ones?" I nodded. "Max, do you want to room with Nudge, and I'll take the room with Angel?" She nodded. "Okay. that's two rooms... and Gazzy can room with Fang..." I glanced his way, and had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from snickering at his expression. "Or... Gazzy can room with Jeb, and Iggy and Fang each get their own rooms?" Everyone seemed fine with this, so we parted into our respective rooms. "Remember, in ten minutes, I'm going to teach you how to fly." Jeb called. I grinned. Finally.
Apparently, Jeb had already stocked the house with furniture, so I laid Angel in the crib. Her wings weren't even in yet, and we were flying today. I kissed her forehead gently, pulling the blankets around her. And then I realized I wasn't alone.
"Fang!" I scolded. "What are you doing?" But I couldn't keep the laugh out of my tone. "Waiting for you." His face split into one of those rare Fang smiles, and it was like the sun coming out. "Okay, okay." I sneezed once and followed him out.
"Let's just... see what you can do." Jeb smiled. Max started running, and leaped into the air, snapping out her white and tawny wings. I followed her, my own gray, black, and white wings carrying me up into the air. Fang was after me, his black wings moving silently through the air as he soared up to meet us. Iggy soared upward as well, his blindness not an issue. Nudge was next, her tawny wings beating in rhythm with mine. Gazzy came last, his wings calmly coming bringing him upwards. "Just enjoy yourselves." Jeb said quietly, and another smile spread over my face.
"Surprise!" Gazzy came up behind me, putting his hands where my wings intercepted my back and snapping my wings together. Oh, crud. He hadn't seen when the whitecoat had snapped Fang's together... it was then that I realized I was falling, plummeting towards earth from at least 5000 feet, and my wings wouldn't work. This was just peachy. We finally escaped the School and I was going to die.
It felt good to be up in the air, free to soar and just... be free. Not limited to a certain area, not electronically shocked when you went too far or too high. I looked down... only to see Amanda plummeting down towards the earth. Gazzy flew up to where I was. "Fang! Amanda!" He pointed. "Explain later." I said quickly, and then soared downwards.
I went slightly up, and then Amanda was in my arms, and I could feel the blood from her wings on my hand. "Are you okay?" I asked quietly, flying down towards the ground. "Not exactly." She admitted weakly. "Okay, everyone. Come down." Jeb called, and Max, Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy landed. I still had the almost-unconscious Amanda in my arms, and her eyes fluttered shut. "Jeb..." I said quietly, looking down at her. "its fine, Fang. Just let her lie down. We're all going in now anyway."
I looked down at Amanda and her expressionless, pale face, so unlike her. "Fang?" Nudge bounced beside me. "Yeah?" I replied, feeling Amanda's blood run down my arm. "You okay?" She kept bouncing, up and down, up and down. "Yeah." I repeated. I wasn't exactly sure if it was a lie or not. "Fang?" But it wasn't Nudge this time. I looked down at Amanda, whose eyes were open now. "I can walk, you know." Jeb hurried up beside me. "Amanda, I don't want you walking just yet, okay? I'm not exactly sure what happened, and I don't want you to hurt yourself, alright?" She nodded slowly, but crossed her arms unhappily, closing her eyes. Jeb hung back, and I kept walking to our house.
Angel was awake now, looking at Amanda. " 'Manda!" She started pulling on my jeans. "Hey, Angel." I laid Amanda on her bed, and looked at my arm. It wasn't dripping with blood, but it was probably stained. Angel crawled up on Amanda, and I lifted her off. "Not on the wings, Angel." I put her back in the crib, and she fell back asleep.
"I didn't mean to!" I pulled on Jeb's coat. "I didn't mean to hurt her!" I cried. "Shhh." Jeb picked me up into his arms. "I know you didn't mean to, Gazzy. Calm down. She's going to be alright." He laughed. "I'm going to check on her right now."
"How's she doing?" Jeb asked, opening the door. "Went limp again. Might be unconscious. Wings are bleeding." I left to go get the blood off my arm, and walked back in afterwards. She was still lying down, but her eyes were open and happy. I sat next to her pillow, looking into them. She smiled. "Fang... you saved my life." She murmured, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You think I was going to let you die?" I asked quietly. She shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't let me die purposely. I just didn't know you could fly that fast." She blinked rapidly, and I realized that she didn't have a whole lot of energy in her anymore. Nearly dying probably took it out of her. As I stood up to leave, I heard her whisper. "No. Stay, Fang." And her eyes drifted closed again.
I glanced at Fang and chuckled to myself. Turning my head towards him, I raised my eyebrows. He shrugged, and I chuckled again.
I watched her sleep. If anyone asked, I would have told them the truth: she told me to stay. Then again... I probably would have stayed anyway. A few minutes later, Gazzy wandered in, tears in his blue eyes. He sat in my lap before I could say anything, and looked up at me. "I didn't mean to!" He cried, burying his head in my shoulder. "Shhh, Gazzy. She knows you didn't mean to." I was not good at this kind of stuff- Amanda had always calmed them down, and I just wasn't good at it. "How do you know!?" Gazzy asked. "I... just do, Gazzy." Further proof that I was not good at calming younger kids down.
Gazzy crashed then, falling asleep with his head on my shoulder. I grimaced slightly, making sure Amanda wasn't, for example, having an asthma attack in the middle of her unconscious state (yes, the whitecoats had decided to see how asthma worked on a bird kid. To any of you whitecoats, it doesn't work). A few hours later, her eyes opened again, and she seemed better. "Gazzy crashed... on your lap?" She giggled. "Not my fault."
"Here, give him to me." She took Gazzy in her arms, stroking his blond hair. "Oh, Gazzy." She murmured to herself (though I could hear it), lying her head on his. Her face was lit up like the sun as she stroked his hair. Jeb took him off the bed. "I'll put him to bed." He explained, walking out. And we were alone.
"You alright?" I asked. "Yeah, I guess. Wings hurt a bit..." She sighed. "What was it like for you? When the whitecoat..." I knew what she meant. "Couldn't fly for a bit. But you'll be fine." I said shortly. She smiled. "Thanks. Really. You could have just let me fall." No, I couldn't Amanda. No, I couldn't.
I wouldn't admit it, but my wings were killing me. They burned, aching where they joined my back. But apparently my face was showing it, because Fang was looking at me with concern. "You alright?" He repeated. "And tell me the truth." I sighed. He knew me so well. "Not really. They burn." I admitted, knowing he'd get the information out of my anyway. Nudge walked in then. "Oh, Amanda, are you okay?" She asked worriedly. "Shhh, Nudge. I'm fine, sweetie. I'll probably be able to fly soon. Calm down. It's late, okay? Get ready for bed." She nodded, skipping off. Fang sighed. "I'll get you some ice."
Fang was back quickly, a Ziploc bag of ice in his hand. He very gently laid it on my wings, making me wince at the pressure but smile. "Thanks.." I murmured, blushing a little. "It's nothing compared to saving you life." He joked, his eyes sparkling slightly. I shrugged it off and sneezed. "Psh." Was the best response I could come up with.
Before I went to sleep, I mentally checked everything over. Angel was asleep, as she had been all night, Gazzy was down, Nudge was asleep as well, Iggy had crashed, and Fang was still sitting here, propped against my bed, his eyelids closed. "You can go, you know." I whispered to Fang, careful not to wake Angel. "I'll stay... make sure nothing happens..." He said groggily. "Whatever." And I closed my eyes.
The second I closed my eyes, images flashed through my brain. Diagrams, pictures, blueprints, DNA fragments... and then it all became clear. I watched as a whitecoat took out a needle, and I felt the prick as it went under my skin. I watched another whitecoat snap Fang's wings back, while I looked at him in sympathy. I saw myself closing my eyes, and the whitecoats "enhancing" my immune system, and then me walking back out, sicker than ever. I coughed, crawling into the cage and Fang shot me a sad look. Iggy becoming blind.... more needles... stuck in a cage...
I watched her with careful eyes, fighting the sleep that was dying to over. She seemed to be fine, but I noticed how she winced when the air conditioner brushed her wings, forcing them upward about six or seven inches. I put a hand on the ice bag, pulling it off and going to get a new one- this one had melted. When I got back, her eyes were just barely open, but tears were streaming down her cheeks. "What happened?" I asked quietly, putting the ice back on. I really hoped it wasn't because I had taken the ice off for two minutes.
"N-nothing." I sat up and shrugged, wincing as it hurt my wings. He raised his eyebrows, as if daring me to lie to him. I gave in. "Nightmare. From... The School. I saw everything that happened to us... the surgery... the wings... Iggy's eyes..." I was rambling on and on as tears rolled. He sighed quietly, getting up and sitting next to me on the bed. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, carefully avoiding my wings. "That's all over now. We're free. No cages, no shots, no rules." He cracked a smile, and then I wasn't worried anymore. We were free. No cages. No shots or needles. No tests. No rules. My face lit up as well. "Thanks."
"It's all part of the job."
I sniffled, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them. Fang slid off the bed, propped up against the metal pole again. "You can sleep, you know. I think I can manage one night." I said quietly, letting my legs fall and lying down. He put the ice back on my wings and sighed. "I'll stay, just in case." I sneezed, but I was secretly grateful. I just... couldn't feel safe unless at least one person was on watch. "Thanks." I murmured as I closed my eyes to better dreams.
I woke up late that morning, wondering why the something was poking me. It was to dull to be a needle... I sat up and realized there was no dog crate around me. It wasn't all a dream. Sudden pain seared onto my wings, and I grinned. It really wasn't a dream. Jeb had gotten us out. We were in Colorado. I really had fallen from the sky (not fun, by the way). We were free and alive.
We were free, alive, and, well, starving. When I woke up, the first thing I noticed is that I was hungry. Fang was slumped against my bed, clearly exhausted, and I smiled to myself. He deserved to rest. Though my wings hurt like nothing else, I managed to lift him up (us bird kids really weren't that heavy- light bones. He maybe weighed, like, forty or fifty pounds.) and carry him across the hall to his room without waking him. I let him sleep, going into Iggy's room and shaking his shoulder gently. "Ig- rise and shine. We're giving you some landmarks today." He moaned, but got up, rubbing sleep out of his sightless eyes. I guided him downstairs, and Max joined us with Nudge. "Nudge? Help Iggy, okay?" She nodded, and they got to work. "Angel's already up." I alerted Max, and she nodded. "I'll get Gazzy."
In about ten minutes, all of us (besides Fang) were mostly awake and at the table as Iggy made eggs. I never understood how a blind guy could cook better than I could, but whatever. We were all born with special talents.
A few minutes later, Fang appeared silently in the room. "You look beat." I commented, rubbing Angel's face with a towel, trying to get the food off. "I told you that you didn't need to stay up." He mumbled something incoherent and lied down on the couch, which was very un-Fang-like. "Max? You finish up here." She nodded as I tossed her the towel, and I went over to Fang, laying a hand on his forehead. "Are you alright? You're not acting yourself." I said, real concern seeping into my voice. "You don't have a fever..." Fang mumbled something else about feeling fine. "Just go back to bed, Fang. You're whipped." As his eyes closed on the couch, I giggled. "Or you can crash here."
As Fang crashed on the couch, I walked back over to the table. "Guys, honestly, do not bug him. He's had a long night." So, of course, Gazzy got up, walked over to Fang, and proceeded to poke his arm with a fork. I lifted him up. "No. Fang needs to sleep or he'll be cranky." Fang's eyes opened just a hair. "I will not." He defended crankily. "There's my proof." I smiled, taking Gazzy back over to the table and kissing the top of his head.
Apparently, my polite asking to leave Fang alone just didn't work. Gazzy tried to poke him with another fork, which I promptly took away, but when I went upstairs to brush my teeth (leaving Max in charge, since Jeb was sleeping in), I found that the entire family was huddled around him, and he was awake. "Guys!" I yelled, running quickly down. "I seriously meant leave him alone! To my knowledge, he didn't get any sleep! Just cut him some slack!" Gazzy stared at me in horror. "I'm sorry, Amanda. I was just having some fun." He crawled into my lap, tears rolling, and I stroked his hair. "I know, honey. But Fang needs to sleep. He was up all night last night in my room, making sure my wings didn't go up in flames or anything." He cracked a small smile. "Okay. I won't poke him anymore."
"Good."
Once everyone had left to go back and eat breakfast, my legs folded next to the couch. "Can you sleep after that?" I asked, sniffling. "Muh." Was the answer I received. He looked at me, and I saw how beat and worn-out he was. We'd all had a long day yesterday, and he had such a bad claustrophobia that the truck must have been pure torture, and then he got to save me from a horrific death, which would totally wipe you out. After that, the biggest relaxation he gets is sitting beside me all night, not sleeping, making sure I'm okay. Notice how much I'm responsible for this. "Sleep." I whispered quietly, feeling motherly as I found a blanket and draped it over him. "You're totally wiped." He sighed. "Worth it." I kept my face straight, but I was warming from the inside. I was blaming myself, again, and he seemed to know it, even half-asleep.
But, being Fang, he didn't stay on the couch long. Like, ten minutes later, he got up and walked to the table, so silent that I didn't notice until the back of my neck was met with a slight rustling of air, which could only be caused by his silent movements. He still looked tired, worn, and beaten, yet he was still awake.
Just your typical Fang.
He seemed to get less tired as the day wore on, but I knew he was going to be the first to crash when the day was over. Flying was the scariest part though.
We're just soaring around, after I banned anyone from wing-snapping (based on experience, thank you very much.), feeling the wind whip out hair back. Fang is flying higher, doing something-or-another. Obviously, I can see him with the amazing raptor vision we have, so I soar up. I can see how tired he is, and, before I say anything, his eyes flicker closed, and he plummets.
Naturally, I immediately fall back, thinking on my feet- erm, in the air- to see what will make sure he doesn't break any bones. Before I can think of anything, my adrenaline rush is gone as his eyes blink back open. I raise my eyebrows, and he shrugs.
He will never do that again. It scares the life out of me.
"Fang..." I began as we landed, but he put a hand up. "I'm fine." I sighed to myself. "Please? You're scaring me." I admitted. "I shouldn't be. I'm fine." He walked ahead, and Gazzy looked up at me. "Amanda? Is that what you meant by cranky?" I giggled. "Yes, Gazzy. By the way... I give you permission to poke him at dinner." His face lit up. "Yay!"
I kissed Gazzy's forehead gently as I went to serve him more pasta. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Gazzy poke Fang with a fork. Once, twice, thrice. His expression tightened, and I knew he was going to pulverize the fork. "I told you he'd be cranky." I giggled, kissing his forehead again and arching my eyebrows at Fang. "I told you to go to sleep."
At 7:00, he finally seemed to realize what I had been telling him all day. "Night." He nodded in my direction and went into his room. A few minutes later, as I was putting Angel to bed, I saw him asleep, black sheets covering a Fang-sized lump. I smiled.
In a few weeks, we were into the normal pattern: get up, eat, fly around, lunch, rest, fly more, dinner, sleep. Iggy, Fang, Max, Jeb, and I took turns taking watch, and everyone seemed fine. We all seemed fine, until Fang, Iggy, Max, and I were all eleven. And then... something went wrong.
We had all thought that everyone except me was pretty much immune to anything.
Boy, were we wrong.
It started out as a normal day. And then, around the 'eat' part of our day, things changed.
"Hey, honey." I ruffled Angel's hair, lifting her and putting her in the high chair. Nudge was already up and sitting at the table, Gazzy was sitting next to her, and Iggy was cooking. Max was already sitting, since she had been up half the night on watch. I was alone for half a second before Fang appeared silently beside me. "Hey." I greeted, taking the eggs from Iggy and beginning to put them on the younger kids' plates. Iggy started making another batch, and, when they were done, I put them on his, my, Iggy's, and Fang's plates (Jeb was on a short trip). After the prayer, we began to eat.
A few minutes later, I noticed that Fang wasn't eating. "Aren't you hungry?" Asked Gazzy. Fang shrugged, his face a shade paler than normal. I put my hand on his forehead, moving it gently to his cheek. "You're warm..." I said quietly. He shrugged again. "I feel fine." I sighed. And then the coughing started.
Naturally, everyone turned towards me, but I was turned towards Fang (along with Iggy, because he just followed the sound). He had his hand in a fist just under his mouth, and he was coughing hoarsely. We were all staring at him in shock as the coughs slowly subsided. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, putting my hand back on his forehead. "I'm fine." He said curtly, but I didn't buy it. Of course, though, I couldn't say that, so I just went back to eating, glancing at him ever so often (which he noticed, somehow).
A few minutes later, the coughs started again, and, again, they weren't mine. We all looked at Fang, and suddenly, yesterday's dinner came back up. "Ewe!" Nudge shrieked, squealing. I looked at Max and she nodded; I'd take Fang and make sure he got better, and she'd take over everything else. To those of you who are thinking 'Oh, yeah, leave her with the five kids', trust me, I had the harder job. Fang was stubborn, hated feeling weak, and it was going to be a challenge to get him back to his room alone. Plus the fact that he was puking.
But he wasn't himself anyway. Knowing that he probably couldn't walk, I pulled him upright, letting my body support his. He moaned, and that's when I knew he really was sick. "Come on." He lied down on his bed, looking pale, clammy, and green. Since his bed was a double, I climbed onto the other side and sat, pulling the covers up to his chin. I laid a hand on his head, sighing quietly as I stroked the sweaty hair back. "Stay here." I whispered, walking out and grabbing a plastic trash can. Max seemed to have everything under control, and she nodded at me. I nodded back, walking to his room, shutting and locking the door. He looked horrible.
He looked at me, and the expression clearly on his face hurt my heart. "I'd ask if you were okay, if I didn't already know you weren't." I sat next to him again, holding the trash can in one hand, just in case. He coughed again, his fist under his mouth, and I bit my lip, holding the trash can up. He puked again, and I was fighting tears. I had never seen Fang like this: weak, vulnerable, sick. It hurt to watch.
I saw the tears in her eyes, and I wanted to comfort her, make her stop crying. Except for the fact that I was the reason. I felt like death- clammy, sweaty, to warm, even with Amanda's cold hand on my forehead. Her hand fell through my hair, brushing the back of my neck. I heard her gasp as she turned to me with tears in her eyes. "Max. Get ice when you can." She said in a choked whisper. "I'm fine." I tried to tell her, but she shook her head. "You're not fine. I can see it in your face."
Like, 10 minutes later, I started coughing again, and she held the trash can under my mouth. After I threw up, I shot her a glance; she seemed to be fighting something- tears? "It hurts to watch." She admitted, setting the trash bin off to one side. "You. Sick. Vulnerable. Weak." She whispered. "It hurts."
Just then, Max came in with ice and a glass of water. "Oh, gosh. You do look off." Max said sympathetically. "Amanda, you holding strong?" She nodded, her hands around her knees. "I'll tell Jeb when he gets back." She nodded and left, leaving Amanda and I in the room.
Tears were rolling now, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. "Fang..." Amanda whispered, laying her head on my shoulder. "Get better. Please. I can't watch this. You must feel horrible, and you never get sick, and... why couldn't it have been me? I'm used to it!" I wrapped an arm around her awkwardly, attempting not to breathe on her and get her infected with this. "Shhh. If you had gotten sick, it'd be a whole lot worse. You take care of everyone, Amanda. I'm just... here." She looked shocked to hear me say that much. 'You're not just here, Fang." She whispered. "Not to me." Our super-emotional conversation was interrupted as I started coughing again, and she sat up and grabbed the trash can. "Oh, Fang. I'm sorry."
Jeb came back late in the day, only to find me still lying in bed and Amanda's hand on my forehead. "Stomach flu." He said the second he put the thermometer in my mouth. "How are you feeling, Fang?" I shrugged. "Better... I guess." Amanda's face lit up with happiness as she heard that I wasn't as sick. It was getting late, though, and I knew all the younger ones were in bed. Iggy and Max were still awake though; I could hear their low voices in the living room. Amanda's eyes were starting to droop, but she had told me already that she wasn't going back to her room. She didn't want to infect Angel, since she had been exposed to whatever was infecting me, and she wanted to make sure I was okay. Like the first day all over again, when I watched over her. She smiled at me as Jeb went to refill the water glass. "Glad you're feeling better..." She murmured dreamily. Her eyes were fluttering shut, and her head fell onto my lap. I smiled to myself, secretly happy as I stroked her hair away from her eyes.
And that's when things went bad. The dreaded cough came again, and I was grateful that it was dry coughs now, not puke. And then I realized that Amanda was right below me, breathing in whatever I had coughed out.
Worst plan ever.
Somehow, she was still asleep, and Jeb walked in then, handing me a glass of water and sitting in a chair next to my bed. He stuck the thermometer in my mouth before I could drink, sighing. "You're almost back to normal. Your recombinant healing powers work on diseases and illnesses to, but it takes just a little longer. You'll be better before morning." That was a relief. At least, if Amanda got sick.... no, not if. When. She was directly exposed to this.
And it was my entire fault.
At least Jeb was right. By morning, I felt completely better- physically. Amanda still hadn't woken up, and I was wondering how long she was going to sleep until her blue eyes opened and looked up at me with trust. "How do you feel?" She asked, sitting up and blushing a little from lying on my lap. "Better. Jeb said I'd be better by morning." She smiled. "Great! I'll take this to the sink." She slid out from the other side, grabbing my cup and skipping towards the door. Before she fell, hands around her stomach.
Something was eating my stomach. I dropped the cup, my hands wrapping automatically around my torso as I hyperventilated and wobbled back and forth. I breathed heavily, tears streaming down my cheeks from the horrible, horrible pain. "Amanda?" Came a faint voice. "Amanda?" It was louder now. "Amanda!" The pain was slowly ebbing away, and I was back to reality.
And reality seemed to be curled in a ball on the floor clutching my stomach.
"Amanda." The voice was calmer now, quieter. "What happened?" It was Fang. He sat next to me quietly, a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Stomach." I whispered, letting my hands fall slowly, but still hyperventilating. "Amanda, can you get up?" He asked in a no-nonsense tone that he must have gotten from me. I sighed, trying to stand. "Do you just want to stay in here?" He asked as I leaned heavily on him, feeling horrible. I nodded as he looked at me in a concerning way. He pulled the black blankets up to my chin, just the way I had done with him only twenty-four hours ago. "Rest." He whispered. "It might hold it back." As if on cue, my eyes drifted closed.
I gazed down at her, asleep, and I felt guilt pile onto me. It was my fault she was sick, going through all this. I was hoping nothing would happen, but now I knew something was up. And I knew that it was my fault.
Jeb came in then, and raised his eyebrows. "Feeling better?" I nodded, my eyes on Amanda, who then opened her eyes. "Oh, hey, Jeb." She sat up, which made me feel a little better- maybe she wasn't as sick as I thought. "Come here, Fang. I need to take your temperature." He stuck the thermometer in my mouth, and it beeped. "You're normal. Amanda, why are you...?" Jeb was confused. "Here. Let me just take your temperature and make sure that you didn't catch what Fang had. That's just what we need." More guilt. He cleaned the thermometer and slid it into her mouth, and I watched with careful eyes. Here was the moment of truth.
"You have a fever." Jeb said sadly, looking down at Amanda. "You've got it."
And it was my entire fault.
"Amanda?" I asked quietly. "How are you feeling?" Guilt piled up as I looked at her pale face. "Horrible. Sick to my stomach. Feverish. Take your pick." She said, trying to keep the moan out of her voice. "D) all of the above?" I assumed, sitting next to her on the bed. "Choose a prize." She half-smiled, but then winced, her hands flying to her stomach. I took her shoulders in my hands, gently forcing her into a lying-down position. "I'm fine." She accused, pushing my hands away, but at least she stayed down.
Another ten or twenty minutes later, I watched as her face paled significantly. Quickly, I grabbed the plastic trash can from the side of the bed, one hand holding it to her gagging mouth while the other pulled her fly-away hair away from her face.
"You can go, you know." She whispered quietly, her skinny body shaking under the blankets. "It's fine. I don't mind." I tried to convince her, letting go of her hair and watching it cascade down her back like a golden waterfall. Noticing it on the bedside table, I handed her the water cup from earlier. "Do you want the water I used, or do you want me to get more?" To everyone who's thinking, Ewe! Old water! So gross! Gosh, what are you doing, Fang?, trust me, we'd all done grosser. Plus, if I even tried to get her more, she'd probably tell me that she was fine, didn't need anything, ect, ect. She was just weird that way.
She shrugged. "I don't want you to leave." Amanda admitted quietly, about to take a sip when Jeb walked in again. "Here you are, sweetheart." He handed me a cup of ice water with a straw, clearly sensing two things: I wanted- and could- take care of Amanda, and Amanda was going to fight the entire way. She was tough. She wasn't going to let Jeb- or me, for that matter- baby her.
Just another reason I couldn't stay away.
I held the straw to Amanda's lips as Jeb closed the door, ignoring the frown that was appearing. "You don't always have to be so tough, you know. You're sick. Relax, Amanda." She rolled her eyes, taking the cup from me and sitting up, but I saw the quick expression of pain on her face before it went smooth, showing no emotion.
Guess who she learned that from?
I would not back down. I could handle this. It was just the stomach flu- nothing to get worked up over. "Amanda...." Fang began, but I cut him off, hating how weak I sounded. "Don't even start, Fang. I'm fine." He sighed unhappily, taking the cup from me and pulling the blankets up, his hands pushing me down with little effort. "Rest." He whispered. "That's all I ask."
She was so flipping stubborn! My hands knotted together as I looked at her, pale, clammy, sweaty. "Amanda, you don't have to be so tough. Stop trying to hide the pain. I can tell." Her face stayed smooth, but one corner of her mouth turned slightly upwards into a smile. "You're sick, Amanda. Please stop trying to pretend you're perfectly healthy. I can see it in your face." I reached my hand out to push her bangs out of her eyes, but her expression stopped me. She pushed them behind her ear as I stepped off the bed, walking around to the chair in front of her. "Take off the mask, Amanda."
And that's when I knew she was really sick, because she actually did what I said. Her perfectly straight face fell, and I heard her wince as I called for Jeb. "Sorry." I whispered now, pushing her bangs that had fallen again away from her eyes. "It's fine." Her voice was wavering, weak and hoarse. Jeb slid the thermometer under her tongue, and it showed her temperature almost immediately. I looked over Jeb's shoulder; Amanda had a temperature of 109.7. Still a fever. Our normal temperatures were usually anywhere between 104 and 106, so she would probably be down for a while. "Amanda? Sweetheart?" Jeb said quietly. "How are you feeling?" She shrugged, and I could tell she just wasn't up to talking, which meant this was bad. Really bad. When Amanda wouldn't talk, there was something seriously wrong.
As Jeb left, she looked up at me with trusting blue eyes, a teary, pleading blue. "Fang..." She moaned quietly, turning towards me. "Shhh. what do you need, Amanda?" My voice was soft and quiet as I looked her in the eye. "Don't leave me. Please. Don't... leave..." Her eyes were drifting shut, and I didn't know if that was good or bad. "I won't leave, Amanda. I promise." One pale hand fell out from under the blankets, and I incased it in mine. "I'm not gonna leave. I promise."
I pulled the blankets tighter around me, and Fang sighed. He got up, tucking them under my chin. "No bedtime story?" I coughed. His gentle hands brushed over my forehead. "Once upon a time, the end." He said, leaning down slightly. His hand now rested on my cheek, one finger tracing right below my lips. His mouth turned downwards as his hand traveled back to my forehead. "Please get better." He whispered, his caring obsidian eyes filled with worry. "I will." I promised. "I will."
Fang stepped back, clearly ending the over-emotional moment, but he was still looking at me with concern, his calm eyes crinkling at the edges with worry. And that's when I started coughing.
He immediately put his hand under my back, helping me into an upright position. He grabbed the trash can with the other hand, holding it in front of my mouth. Since I was up now, he pulled my hair back as I gagged.
When I was, erm... finished, the trash can left my line of sight, my hair flowing back around my face. I lied back down on the pillows, feeling off-balance and feverish. Fang looked at me, whispering one word. "Sorry." He looked almost... guilty? "Why are you sorry?" I asked, reaching for the water cup. He held the straw to my mouth, and I rolled my eyes, but drank anyway. "You didn't do anything."
"That's what you don't know."
Amanda coughed, and I winced to myself as she took another sip of water from the cup I was holding. "What don't I know?" She whispered, looking at me suspiciously. "Well... um..." I began, but then Jeb walked in again. "Amanda?" She raised her head slightly, and Jeb looked concerned. "Fang? Can you leave for a second?" I nodded in his direction and closed the door behind me, sitting against the wall. A few minutes later, Jeb walked out, motioning that it was fine for me to go in. I nodded again, entering only to see Amanda's face, pale and scared and young.
"Amanda?" She looked at me with fear in her eyes. "S-s-shots." She whispered, and I couldn't fight the sudden chills. "Oh! You're cold!" She started fiddling with the blankets until I put my hands on hers.
They were ice cold.
She seemed to calm at my touch, and I kept them incased in mine. A few minutes later, her eyes drifted closed, but I kept her hands in mine. We stayed like that for a couple of hours, until she woke and Jeb walked in, carrying needles. I watched her face pale, and I'm sure mine did to- when you grew up in a cage in a lab, needles, shots... really anything doctor-y scared you out of your wits. "Calm, Amanda. You're through." She calmed a little, but I realized what was going on. If it wasn't for her... well, I was the only other one in the room.
"Fang? After analyzing Amanda's... tests," I heard her wince, and I rubbed the back of her hand soothingly with my thumb, "I learned that she has what, most likely, she caught from you," More guilt, "And then something else. I vaccinated the rest of the flock, but you still need one." Amanda turned to me with sympathy in her eyes, squeezing my hand gently. "I can leave, if you want." She whispered, but as she got to her feet, she paled significantly, and I gently helped her back up. All this time, I had subtly been loosening my wing muscles, getting ready to fly off. "You can break your promise." Amanda whispered weakly. "Just come back." Her eyes were fluttering, and my grip tightened. "I promised, Amanda. I'm not leaving."
And it was the truth. We were all deathly afraid of needles, and I'd rather puke again than get a shot, but I had promised Amanda. She was sick, forced to stay here, almost relying on me. I couldn't leave. And, even if I hadn't promised, I would have stayed. I wouldn't let her get sicker. I made a vow, right there, right then:
I would hurt anyone who hurt her. Even if it was me.
My grip tightened again, and though I'd never admit it, I was flipping scared. Amanda's thumb was rubbing soothing circles on my hand, and I stopped tensing. "Fang? Your arm."
Jeb, by now, was gripping my arm tightly, rubbing something antiseptic-y on it. I watched Amanda, watching how her eyes widened just slightly, her frown turned down by a fraction of an inch. None of us could take anything antiseptic-y, doctor-ish, ect, so both Amanda and I were crawling the walls as Jeb stuck the needle under my skin quickly. It was fast and not very painful, but brought back much more painful memories.
Ever since The School, I had been afraid of two things: cages and needles. Only two. But they had pasts, pasts I'd rather not remember, things coming with them that no one could ever imagine... Basically, needles and cages- not good.
I was sitting in the chair, trying to not smell the antiseptic on my arm when Amanda stood up. "Amanda, you're not supposed to get up." I protested immediatly, standing up to help her back onto the bed. "I'm fine, Fang." She said, wobbling slightly as she walked towards me. As she turned to me, I sat back down, but I was ready to catch her if/when she fell.
Which she didn't, at first. She stood next to me in the chair, one hand on my shoulder. "He's gone, Fang. Are... are you alright?" She asked, her voice still wavery. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" She looked pale and shivery. "Be right back." I muttered, walking out and going to the couch. "Fang!" Angel giggled. "Hey, Angel." I said absentmindly as I grabbed the blanket from the side of the couch, walking back into my room, shutting the door, and wrapping it around her shoulders. She smiled, her eyes sparkling, and I couldn't help but to unleash one of my rare smiles. Her face lit up like a sunset, and she started walking back to the bed. The only thing was... she collapsed. Into my arms.
"I told you not to get up." I muttered as I wrapped the blanket tighter around her. "Sorry!" She said weakly, looking up at me with sad eyes. "It's fine, Amanda. Do you feel better?" One hand was now on her forehead, and it shook slightly, back and forth. Amanda still looked kinda sad as she nestled closer into my arms, and I pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Fang..." She whispered silently.
It was then that I realized my heart was racing, going faster and faster as Amanda stayed in my arms. She looked realtively happy for a girl with the stomach flu, and seemed to be holding strong. Even now, she was beautiful, and her blue eyes shone out at me as a small smile appeared on her face, invisible to most. "Fang..." She whispered again. "Fang..."
"I'm here." I whispered back, and a smile appeared on her pale face. "I know you are... you always are..." Her eyes were closing slowly, looking into mine. "And you always will be..." Her hand met mine, and I brushed over it gently. "As much as I can, Amanda." She smiled wider, leaning on me as her breathing slowed, her heart rate decreased, and her body relaxed. She fell asleep again, and I just watched her for hours on end, wondering why someone so good and sweet had to go through this.
A few minutes later, Jeb came back, and I put a finger to my lips. He nodded silently, taking out his thermometer and sliding it into her mouth. Later, he took it out, a small smile on his face as he showed me the temperature. 105.7. I smiled myself, looking down at my best friend. My healthy best friend.
Jeb left with a nod, going to sanitize the thermometer as Amanda slept on, held in place by my arms. She mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, turning over to look in the direction of my bed. Her wings were turned towards me now, and I stroked the ruffled feathers down into place. Her wings were beautiful, like every other part of her: a light gray, silver in the sunlight, the feathers around the edges black as the night, the exact color of mine. Surrounding the black feathers were pure white feathers, like Angel's. My own wings weren't as intricate- they were dark, black as the night, and simple- no streaks or fades. Back in the lab, Amanda used to tell me how much my wings described me: Simple, strong, and silent. She was right.
She woke up a couple hours later, looking better than she had in the days we had been trapped in here. "Jeb came in when you were sleeping- you don't have a fever anymore. How are you feeling?" I asked her very quietly. "B-Better." She said, standing up shakily. I stood up as well, making sure she wouldn't fall again. "You may want to take it easy today, though." I advised. "Just in case."
"How long have we been in here?" Amanda asked, standing still. "Uhm... no idea." I said truthfully, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. Jeb came in again, a smile on his face. "Feeling better?" She nodded. "How long were we in here?" She asked. "About three days. You were sick for two of them." She rolled her eyes for an unknown reason, and I could tell she was feeling better than she had before the nap. Her cheeks were flushing, she wasn't as pale, and she looked happier. That, and the fact that she was currently vomiting, pretty much meant this was over.
She went to the side of my bed, pulling the covers off with ease. "Waht are you doing?" I asked. "Stripping your bed. And mine too, actually. Then, we're putting this in the wash, after I get out of pajamas." She giggled, skipping to the other side of the bed. Gosh, she got better fast. Was it only four hours ago that she was lying in my arms?
After we had both showered and gotten into something clean, stripped the beds, ect., ect., I walked back into Fang's room, where he was sitting on his mattress. "Fang?" I said quietly. He patted the space next to him, and I sat, pulling my legs up next to me the way people did when they were wearing a skirt. His wings were out, the feathers slightly ruffled, and I smoothed them down gently. "Thanks." I whispered, letting my gray wings out a bit. His warm hand brushed the feathers soothingly. "You wouldn't have had to be taken care of if it wasn't for me." I suppressed a sigh. "Fang, you didn't do anything. I was the one who wanted to make sure you were okay. Please stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault." His black wings brushed over mine, wrapping around my shoulders. "That's what you think, Amanda."
"Stop!" I nearly screamed. "You didn't do anything, Fang! Stop blaming yourself!" His wing pulled me slightly closer. "I did do something, Amanda." His voice was nearly silent, like the wind. "Completely by accident, when you were asleep, I... uhm... well..." I'd never seen him like this before, stuttering for words. "Fang..." I began, but he put a finger to my lips. "I coughed on you." His voice was a whisper now, and he looked like he was waiting to be strangled or something. "Fang..." I whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you. I know it was an accident. It's not your fault." He started to say something, but I took a leaf out of his book and brushed a finger over his lips. "You were sick, Fang, and, from personal experience, I know it's hard to control. I understand, okay? You can stop feeling guilty." His mouth opened slightly, and I moved my finger. "But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be sick in the first place." He dropped his head into his hands, looking guilty and sad. I shrugged his wings off, wrapping mine around him and putting my hand where his wings intercepted his back, rubbing soft circles.
"If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead."
His head lifted slightly, and he shrugged my arm off. I put my hands in my lap, looking at him with concern. "Please, Fang. Believe me." I said quietly, pulling my knees up to my chest and sneezing. He kept his head up, looking at me quietly. "Are you really feeling better?" I nodded. He sighed. "I guess I'll believe you... on both counts." I smiled. "Thanks." I felt really awkward now. "Uhm... I'll just... go..." I edged out of the room. "It wasn't your fault." I reminded him, then slipped out the door.
Thankfully, the next few months were uneventful in the room of injuries and sickness. Of course, I still had my normal ways, but neither Fang nor I or anyone else from the flock got sick, which was excellent. And then, sometime in March, I think, things got interesting again.
"Fight... Fang!" Angel giggled, clapping her hands from the sidelines. "Okay, sweetie." I kissed her forehead, pulling my hair out and into a tighter ponytail, wiping the sweat off my own forehead. "Fang? You up to the challenge?" He rolled his eyes, shaking his overlong bangs away. "Max? On your count." She was the referee, and she nodded. "Go!" I snarled, anticipating his every move. He stalked towards me slowly, in true Fang fashion, and then suddenly he was behind me, aiming a kick at my back that knocked the wind out of me.
I gasped for air, really irritated now because he knew that I couldn't do anything for a few seconds, 'cause I had flipping asthma! He came back around, aiming a high kick at my head. I flipped backwards, landing on my hands. I then turned back to him, flipping from my hands to my feet, back to my hands, then my feet, and then grabbed his shoulders, pushing him to the ground. He snarled, rolling over and landing on top of me, jumping to his feet. I got up as well, turning in a roundhouse kick aimed right at his chest. He staggered back, coughing as he tried to get oxygen, but still managed to grab my wrist and threw me into the air.
I immediatly whipped out my wings, grabbing him by the hair and yanking hard. His wings unfurled as well, and he fought out of my grip, flying off a bit and wincing. I flew higher than he did, falling and kicking him right in the nose, watching the blood drip. He growled, speeding off into the dim light of the morning. A few seconds later, he flew back in, but I immediatly flew upward, landing in front of him and grabbing his wrists. Despite his protests, I pulled him downwards and pinned him to the floor, a foot to his neck. "Amanda wins!" Max called. I giggled, taking my foot off his neck and pulling him upwards. "Good. You can still breathe." I giggled. "I wanna rematch."
Later, after we were all ready and calmed, Jeb nodded for us to have our rematch. I coughed, shaking the hair out of my eyes. Once Max yelled "GO!", I didn't wait for anything else, but rushed him, forcing him to the ground, my head an inch from his. He snarled in my face, pushing me off and causing me to land face-first in the dirt, gasping for air. So, basically, I was inhaling desert dust like nothing else, which doesn't help anything when you have asthma.
I coughed like there was no tomorrow, holding up two fingers- our sign for time-out. Fang landed calmly, but he looked worried as he helped me stand up. I leaned against him, the rough dust scratching my throat and making me cough more as I hyperventilated. "Better?" I nodded weakly, rubbing my throat. "Here." He handed me a water bottle with a straw, and I drank half of it, still coughing a little. Before he could react, I called, "Time in!", wincing as it hurt my throat, and twisted him to the ground, still coughing. "Amanda? Why don't you and Fang spar later?" Jeb walked over, motioning us to stand up. I jumped to my feet, Fang next to me, still looking worried as I coughed again. "Fine. But only because you're in shock." I elbowed Fang in the stomach. He winced, still looking concerned. What was with him?
Fantasy: Part-bird people. xD
ESCAPED
Amanda Noelle [Subject 5]
Maximum Ride [Subject 6]
Fang [Subject 7]
Iggy [Subject 8]
Nudge [Subject 9]
Gazzy [Subject 10]
Angel [Subject 11]
Whitecoat
Ari Batchelder [Subject 47]
Jeb Batchelder [Whitecoat]
"What about a bird and human combination?" Bill asked slowly. "They would be able to fly..." Robert added. "They would be interesting to study," I added, "But also to escape. Couldn't they just fly away?" Everyone laughed. "Not if we keep them locked up, they won't."
"Subject 5 split; identical twins. The ones with blond hair and blue eyes." I explained to the newbie, looking at the specimen. "Both of them have the avian gene grafted perfectly. Subject 7 is alone, the one with the dark hair. It's doing well." I drummed my fingers on the table anxiously. "And Subject 8 is fine as well. All's good here."
"Look here, at Subject 9." I pointed to the small baby in the cage. "Her wings haven't yet grown in yet, not like them." I pointed to our first specimen, who were all crammed in one cage. Subjects 5 and 6 were just getting wings; Subject 5 was growing silver wings, with a stripe of black and a stripe of white. Subject 6 had more tawny wings, and I wondered why they had different wings, if they were twins.
"Get Subject 8; we need to enhance his night vision." I picked up Subject 8, his six-year-old body fighting me. "Come on." I put it on the operating table, strapping it down. We began operating, slowly making sure it would work. "Um... it's blind now."
"And we've finished our avian-human experiments. This here is Max and Amanda, the twins. This is Fang, the one in the black; Iggy, there; Nudge, in the pink; The Gasman, over there; and Angel. Her wings aren't in yet." I pointed them out. "Max, Amanda, Fang, and Iggy are about nine; Nudge is six, The Gasman is three, and Angel is just over one."
"Subject 6's immune system is boosted and ready, sir. We're going to try the same procedure on Subject 5." The whitecoat picked up the 9-year-old, her eyes filled with fear. She was staring at the others her age, and her twin had a comforting expression on her face. The other one was stone-faced, and the last was blind, and didn't know what was going on anyway.
Subject 5 sniffled as she was put back in her cage. Subject 8 kept a straight face, as usual, and her twin sighed. Subject 5 sneezed, and every avian-human looked at her, clearly thinking that she shouldn't be sick. The whitecoat next to me turned, and I shrugged. "The procedure failed."
"Get Subjects 5, 6, 7, and 8." The whitecoat came out with them a few minutes later, and I took Subject 7, the stone-faced one. "Watch its expression." I told the whitecoat as another watched the three others. I ran my hand down Subject 7's back, inspecting the smooth intersection between the wings and the back. Nothing.
I put my hands on the outside of the wings. Nothing. I quickly snapped my hands together, the wings with them. I heard a distinct crack, and Subject 5 winced and shot Subject 7 a sympathetic look.
But it did nothing.
"WHERE DID THEY GO?!" I exclaimed, looking at the empty cages. My assistant shook his head. "They're gone."
"Just a little farther." I murmured, looking behind us. The six most successful genetic anomalies and I were escaping from this School through the air conditioning ducts, and then to a truck I had parked outside. I heard Amanda sneeze from up ahead, freezing in the coolness of the vents. It was harder for her than anyone else- her immune system was unnaturally low from surgery.
"How much farther?" Gazzy asked, and Max sighed. "However long it takes, Gaz." Max said quietly. "I see the exit up ahead." I called back to Jeb, my voice pitched to reach only us. "Alright. Fang, Amanda... go to the back and watch. Iggy, stay in the middle, and Max, keep watch from up front. I'm going to make sure this is the right one." Amanda and I crawled backwards in the dark tunnel as she sniffled occasionally. I suppressed a sigh; this was harder on her than most of us. She has a very low immune system from the surgery that had tried to "enhance her abilities to resist disease and illnesses." Yeah, that worked so well.
"This is the right one." Jeb said quietly, and I watched Amanda's face light up. I heard the light 'Thump' as he landed out of the building, and Max followed. Angel jumped into her arms, and so did Gazzy. "Ig- 6 paces." Amanda murmured, and he slipped out as well. Nudge went after him, and then me. I went out feet-first, landing nimbly on my feet. Amanda came out last, perfectly steady on her feet, for once.
I had never told anyone this, but I just loved Amanda. I had known her since I was born (or hatched, none of us knew which), grown up with her by my side, gotten to know her like no one else had. I knew her from the inside out, and she knew the same about me. She was quick on her feet, smart, and sweet to pretty much everyone, even the whitecoats (somehow). She had a smile that could light up the entire world with one try, and she wasn't one of those girly girls that we had heard about from the whitecoats. She didn't care what clothes she wore or how her hair looked (though I often saw her pulling her hair in and out of a ponytail. Then again, I wasn't a hair expert.). Despite her allergies, she was a tough fighter, but a sweet girl.
And I had always loved her. All of us had very good memories, and I knew that I had loved her for my entire life. From the time that we were stuck in the same cage as toddlers, I had known that she was what I wanted, what I needed. Since we were just babies, I had just known. I had grown up with her, watching her out of the corner of my eye, discussing everything with her. When her immune system dropped, I had been the one she told everything too. When the whitecoats had hurt my wings, she had been the one I vented too. She was my best friend, my one certainty, my one knowing. If Amanda wasn't here, then nothing was.
We were in the truck now, and I couldn't fight the oncoming wave of claustrophobia. Being in a cage for ten years did that to you. Amanda's eyes were happy and sad at the same time. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly, wrapping her arms around her knees. I nodded curtly, and I could tell she knew I was lying. "It's the last time." She whispered, coughing. "We're getting out."
As the doors opened once again, we found ourselves near a huge canyon, and Amanda's face split into a huge smile. Jeb smiled as well, pointing to a house a mile or so away. "Welcome home."
The two-year-old Angel was asleep in my arms, and I grinned. "We need to split up the rooms." Jeb said, smiling. "There are five bedrooms. Presumably, the younger kids will stay in the same room with the older ones?" I nodded. "Max, do you want to room with Nudge, and I'll take the room with Angel?" She nodded. "Okay. that's two rooms... and Gazzy can room with Fang..." I glanced his way, and had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from snickering at his expression. "Or... Gazzy can room with Jeb, and Iggy and Fang each get their own rooms?" Everyone seemed fine with this, so we parted into our respective rooms. "Remember, in ten minutes, I'm going to teach you how to fly." Jeb called. I grinned. Finally.
Apparently, Jeb had already stocked the house with furniture, so I laid Angel in the crib. Her wings weren't even in yet, and we were flying today. I kissed her forehead gently, pulling the blankets around her. And then I realized I wasn't alone.
"Fang!" I scolded. "What are you doing?" But I couldn't keep the laugh out of my tone. "Waiting for you." His face split into one of those rare Fang smiles, and it was like the sun coming out. "Okay, okay." I sneezed once and followed him out.
"Let's just... see what you can do." Jeb smiled. Max started running, and leaped into the air, snapping out her white and tawny wings. I followed her, my own gray, black, and white wings carrying me up into the air. Fang was after me, his black wings moving silently through the air as he soared up to meet us. Iggy soared upward as well, his blindness not an issue. Nudge was next, her tawny wings beating in rhythm with mine. Gazzy came last, his wings calmly coming bringing him upwards. "Just enjoy yourselves." Jeb said quietly, and another smile spread over my face.
"Surprise!" Gazzy came up behind me, putting his hands where my wings intercepted my back and snapping my wings together. Oh, crud. He hadn't seen when the whitecoat had snapped Fang's together... it was then that I realized I was falling, plummeting towards earth from at least 5000 feet, and my wings wouldn't work. This was just peachy. We finally escaped the School and I was going to die.
It felt good to be up in the air, free to soar and just... be free. Not limited to a certain area, not electronically shocked when you went too far or too high. I looked down... only to see Amanda plummeting down towards the earth. Gazzy flew up to where I was. "Fang! Amanda!" He pointed. "Explain later." I said quickly, and then soared downwards.
I went slightly up, and then Amanda was in my arms, and I could feel the blood from her wings on my hand. "Are you okay?" I asked quietly, flying down towards the ground. "Not exactly." She admitted weakly. "Okay, everyone. Come down." Jeb called, and Max, Nudge, Iggy, and Gazzy landed. I still had the almost-unconscious Amanda in my arms, and her eyes fluttered shut. "Jeb..." I said quietly, looking down at her. "its fine, Fang. Just let her lie down. We're all going in now anyway."
I looked down at Amanda and her expressionless, pale face, so unlike her. "Fang?" Nudge bounced beside me. "Yeah?" I replied, feeling Amanda's blood run down my arm. "You okay?" She kept bouncing, up and down, up and down. "Yeah." I repeated. I wasn't exactly sure if it was a lie or not. "Fang?" But it wasn't Nudge this time. I looked down at Amanda, whose eyes were open now. "I can walk, you know." Jeb hurried up beside me. "Amanda, I don't want you walking just yet, okay? I'm not exactly sure what happened, and I don't want you to hurt yourself, alright?" She nodded slowly, but crossed her arms unhappily, closing her eyes. Jeb hung back, and I kept walking to our house.
Angel was awake now, looking at Amanda. " 'Manda!" She started pulling on my jeans. "Hey, Angel." I laid Amanda on her bed, and looked at my arm. It wasn't dripping with blood, but it was probably stained. Angel crawled up on Amanda, and I lifted her off. "Not on the wings, Angel." I put her back in the crib, and she fell back asleep.
"I didn't mean to!" I pulled on Jeb's coat. "I didn't mean to hurt her!" I cried. "Shhh." Jeb picked me up into his arms. "I know you didn't mean to, Gazzy. Calm down. She's going to be alright." He laughed. "I'm going to check on her right now."
"How's she doing?" Jeb asked, opening the door. "Went limp again. Might be unconscious. Wings are bleeding." I left to go get the blood off my arm, and walked back in afterwards. She was still lying down, but her eyes were open and happy. I sat next to her pillow, looking into them. She smiled. "Fang... you saved my life." She murmured, a tear rolling down her cheek. "You think I was going to let you die?" I asked quietly. She shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't let me die purposely. I just didn't know you could fly that fast." She blinked rapidly, and I realized that she didn't have a whole lot of energy in her anymore. Nearly dying probably took it out of her. As I stood up to leave, I heard her whisper. "No. Stay, Fang." And her eyes drifted closed again.
I glanced at Fang and chuckled to myself. Turning my head towards him, I raised my eyebrows. He shrugged, and I chuckled again.
I watched her sleep. If anyone asked, I would have told them the truth: she told me to stay. Then again... I probably would have stayed anyway. A few minutes later, Gazzy wandered in, tears in his blue eyes. He sat in my lap before I could say anything, and looked up at me. "I didn't mean to!" He cried, burying his head in my shoulder. "Shhh, Gazzy. She knows you didn't mean to." I was not good at this kind of stuff- Amanda had always calmed them down, and I just wasn't good at it. "How do you know!?" Gazzy asked. "I... just do, Gazzy." Further proof that I was not good at calming younger kids down.
Gazzy crashed then, falling asleep with his head on my shoulder. I grimaced slightly, making sure Amanda wasn't, for example, having an asthma attack in the middle of her unconscious state (yes, the whitecoats had decided to see how asthma worked on a bird kid. To any of you whitecoats, it doesn't work). A few hours later, her eyes opened again, and she seemed better. "Gazzy crashed... on your lap?" She giggled. "Not my fault."
"Here, give him to me." She took Gazzy in her arms, stroking his blond hair. "Oh, Gazzy." She murmured to herself (though I could hear it), lying her head on his. Her face was lit up like the sun as she stroked his hair. Jeb took him off the bed. "I'll put him to bed." He explained, walking out. And we were alone.
"You alright?" I asked. "Yeah, I guess. Wings hurt a bit..." She sighed. "What was it like for you? When the whitecoat..." I knew what she meant. "Couldn't fly for a bit. But you'll be fine." I said shortly. She smiled. "Thanks. Really. You could have just let me fall." No, I couldn't Amanda. No, I couldn't.
I wouldn't admit it, but my wings were killing me. They burned, aching where they joined my back. But apparently my face was showing it, because Fang was looking at me with concern. "You alright?" He repeated. "And tell me the truth." I sighed. He knew me so well. "Not really. They burn." I admitted, knowing he'd get the information out of my anyway. Nudge walked in then. "Oh, Amanda, are you okay?" She asked worriedly. "Shhh, Nudge. I'm fine, sweetie. I'll probably be able to fly soon. Calm down. It's late, okay? Get ready for bed." She nodded, skipping off. Fang sighed. "I'll get you some ice."
Fang was back quickly, a Ziploc bag of ice in his hand. He very gently laid it on my wings, making me wince at the pressure but smile. "Thanks.." I murmured, blushing a little. "It's nothing compared to saving you life." He joked, his eyes sparkling slightly. I shrugged it off and sneezed. "Psh." Was the best response I could come up with.
Before I went to sleep, I mentally checked everything over. Angel was asleep, as she had been all night, Gazzy was down, Nudge was asleep as well, Iggy had crashed, and Fang was still sitting here, propped against my bed, his eyelids closed. "You can go, you know." I whispered to Fang, careful not to wake Angel. "I'll stay... make sure nothing happens..." He said groggily. "Whatever." And I closed my eyes.
The second I closed my eyes, images flashed through my brain. Diagrams, pictures, blueprints, DNA fragments... and then it all became clear. I watched as a whitecoat took out a needle, and I felt the prick as it went under my skin. I watched another whitecoat snap Fang's wings back, while I looked at him in sympathy. I saw myself closing my eyes, and the whitecoats "enhancing" my immune system, and then me walking back out, sicker than ever. I coughed, crawling into the cage and Fang shot me a sad look. Iggy becoming blind.... more needles... stuck in a cage...
I watched her with careful eyes, fighting the sleep that was dying to over. She seemed to be fine, but I noticed how she winced when the air conditioner brushed her wings, forcing them upward about six or seven inches. I put a hand on the ice bag, pulling it off and going to get a new one- this one had melted. When I got back, her eyes were just barely open, but tears were streaming down her cheeks. "What happened?" I asked quietly, putting the ice back on. I really hoped it wasn't because I had taken the ice off for two minutes.
"N-nothing." I sat up and shrugged, wincing as it hurt my wings. He raised his eyebrows, as if daring me to lie to him. I gave in. "Nightmare. From... The School. I saw everything that happened to us... the surgery... the wings... Iggy's eyes..." I was rambling on and on as tears rolled. He sighed quietly, getting up and sitting next to me on the bed. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, carefully avoiding my wings. "That's all over now. We're free. No cages, no shots, no rules." He cracked a smile, and then I wasn't worried anymore. We were free. No cages. No shots or needles. No tests. No rules. My face lit up as well. "Thanks."
"It's all part of the job."
I sniffled, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on them. Fang slid off the bed, propped up against the metal pole again. "You can sleep, you know. I think I can manage one night." I said quietly, letting my legs fall and lying down. He put the ice back on my wings and sighed. "I'll stay, just in case." I sneezed, but I was secretly grateful. I just... couldn't feel safe unless at least one person was on watch. "Thanks." I murmured as I closed my eyes to better dreams.
I woke up late that morning, wondering why the something was poking me. It was to dull to be a needle... I sat up and realized there was no dog crate around me. It wasn't all a dream. Sudden pain seared onto my wings, and I grinned. It really wasn't a dream. Jeb had gotten us out. We were in Colorado. I really had fallen from the sky (not fun, by the way). We were free and alive.
We were free, alive, and, well, starving. When I woke up, the first thing I noticed is that I was hungry. Fang was slumped against my bed, clearly exhausted, and I smiled to myself. He deserved to rest. Though my wings hurt like nothing else, I managed to lift him up (us bird kids really weren't that heavy- light bones. He maybe weighed, like, forty or fifty pounds.) and carry him across the hall to his room without waking him. I let him sleep, going into Iggy's room and shaking his shoulder gently. "Ig- rise and shine. We're giving you some landmarks today." He moaned, but got up, rubbing sleep out of his sightless eyes. I guided him downstairs, and Max joined us with Nudge. "Nudge? Help Iggy, okay?" She nodded, and they got to work. "Angel's already up." I alerted Max, and she nodded. "I'll get Gazzy."
In about ten minutes, all of us (besides Fang) were mostly awake and at the table as Iggy made eggs. I never understood how a blind guy could cook better than I could, but whatever. We were all born with special talents.
A few minutes later, Fang appeared silently in the room. "You look beat." I commented, rubbing Angel's face with a towel, trying to get the food off. "I told you that you didn't need to stay up." He mumbled something incoherent and lied down on the couch, which was very un-Fang-like. "Max? You finish up here." She nodded as I tossed her the towel, and I went over to Fang, laying a hand on his forehead. "Are you alright? You're not acting yourself." I said, real concern seeping into my voice. "You don't have a fever..." Fang mumbled something else about feeling fine. "Just go back to bed, Fang. You're whipped." As his eyes closed on the couch, I giggled. "Or you can crash here."
As Fang crashed on the couch, I walked back over to the table. "Guys, honestly, do not bug him. He's had a long night." So, of course, Gazzy got up, walked over to Fang, and proceeded to poke his arm with a fork. I lifted him up. "No. Fang needs to sleep or he'll be cranky." Fang's eyes opened just a hair. "I will not." He defended crankily. "There's my proof." I smiled, taking Gazzy back over to the table and kissing the top of his head.
Apparently, my polite asking to leave Fang alone just didn't work. Gazzy tried to poke him with another fork, which I promptly took away, but when I went upstairs to brush my teeth (leaving Max in charge, since Jeb was sleeping in), I found that the entire family was huddled around him, and he was awake. "Guys!" I yelled, running quickly down. "I seriously meant leave him alone! To my knowledge, he didn't get any sleep! Just cut him some slack!" Gazzy stared at me in horror. "I'm sorry, Amanda. I was just having some fun." He crawled into my lap, tears rolling, and I stroked his hair. "I know, honey. But Fang needs to sleep. He was up all night last night in my room, making sure my wings didn't go up in flames or anything." He cracked a small smile. "Okay. I won't poke him anymore."
"Good."
Once everyone had left to go back and eat breakfast, my legs folded next to the couch. "Can you sleep after that?" I asked, sniffling. "Muh." Was the answer I received. He looked at me, and I saw how beat and worn-out he was. We'd all had a long day yesterday, and he had such a bad claustrophobia that the truck must have been pure torture, and then he got to save me from a horrific death, which would totally wipe you out. After that, the biggest relaxation he gets is sitting beside me all night, not sleeping, making sure I'm okay. Notice how much I'm responsible for this. "Sleep." I whispered quietly, feeling motherly as I found a blanket and draped it over him. "You're totally wiped." He sighed. "Worth it." I kept my face straight, but I was warming from the inside. I was blaming myself, again, and he seemed to know it, even half-asleep.
But, being Fang, he didn't stay on the couch long. Like, ten minutes later, he got up and walked to the table, so silent that I didn't notice until the back of my neck was met with a slight rustling of air, which could only be caused by his silent movements. He still looked tired, worn, and beaten, yet he was still awake.
Just your typical Fang.
He seemed to get less tired as the day wore on, but I knew he was going to be the first to crash when the day was over. Flying was the scariest part though.
We're just soaring around, after I banned anyone from wing-snapping (based on experience, thank you very much.), feeling the wind whip out hair back. Fang is flying higher, doing something-or-another. Obviously, I can see him with the amazing raptor vision we have, so I soar up. I can see how tired he is, and, before I say anything, his eyes flicker closed, and he plummets.
Naturally, I immediately fall back, thinking on my feet- erm, in the air- to see what will make sure he doesn't break any bones. Before I can think of anything, my adrenaline rush is gone as his eyes blink back open. I raise my eyebrows, and he shrugs.
He will never do that again. It scares the life out of me.
"Fang..." I began as we landed, but he put a hand up. "I'm fine." I sighed to myself. "Please? You're scaring me." I admitted. "I shouldn't be. I'm fine." He walked ahead, and Gazzy looked up at me. "Amanda? Is that what you meant by cranky?" I giggled. "Yes, Gazzy. By the way... I give you permission to poke him at dinner." His face lit up. "Yay!"
I kissed Gazzy's forehead gently as I went to serve him more pasta. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Gazzy poke Fang with a fork. Once, twice, thrice. His expression tightened, and I knew he was going to pulverize the fork. "I told you he'd be cranky." I giggled, kissing his forehead again and arching my eyebrows at Fang. "I told you to go to sleep."
At 7:00, he finally seemed to realize what I had been telling him all day. "Night." He nodded in my direction and went into his room. A few minutes later, as I was putting Angel to bed, I saw him asleep, black sheets covering a Fang-sized lump. I smiled.
In a few weeks, we were into the normal pattern: get up, eat, fly around, lunch, rest, fly more, dinner, sleep. Iggy, Fang, Max, Jeb, and I took turns taking watch, and everyone seemed fine. We all seemed fine, until Fang, Iggy, Max, and I were all eleven. And then... something went wrong.
We had all thought that everyone except me was pretty much immune to anything.
Boy, were we wrong.
It started out as a normal day. And then, around the 'eat' part of our day, things changed.
"Hey, honey." I ruffled Angel's hair, lifting her and putting her in the high chair. Nudge was already up and sitting at the table, Gazzy was sitting next to her, and Iggy was cooking. Max was already sitting, since she had been up half the night on watch. I was alone for half a second before Fang appeared silently beside me. "Hey." I greeted, taking the eggs from Iggy and beginning to put them on the younger kids' plates. Iggy started making another batch, and, when they were done, I put them on his, my, Iggy's, and Fang's plates (Jeb was on a short trip). After the prayer, we began to eat.
A few minutes later, I noticed that Fang wasn't eating. "Aren't you hungry?" Asked Gazzy. Fang shrugged, his face a shade paler than normal. I put my hand on his forehead, moving it gently to his cheek. "You're warm..." I said quietly. He shrugged again. "I feel fine." I sighed. And then the coughing started.
Naturally, everyone turned towards me, but I was turned towards Fang (along with Iggy, because he just followed the sound). He had his hand in a fist just under his mouth, and he was coughing hoarsely. We were all staring at him in shock as the coughs slowly subsided. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, putting my hand back on his forehead. "I'm fine." He said curtly, but I didn't buy it. Of course, though, I couldn't say that, so I just went back to eating, glancing at him ever so often (which he noticed, somehow).
A few minutes later, the coughs started again, and, again, they weren't mine. We all looked at Fang, and suddenly, yesterday's dinner came back up. "Ewe!" Nudge shrieked, squealing. I looked at Max and she nodded; I'd take Fang and make sure he got better, and she'd take over everything else. To those of you who are thinking 'Oh, yeah, leave her with the five kids', trust me, I had the harder job. Fang was stubborn, hated feeling weak, and it was going to be a challenge to get him back to his room alone. Plus the fact that he was puking.
But he wasn't himself anyway. Knowing that he probably couldn't walk, I pulled him upright, letting my body support his. He moaned, and that's when I knew he really was sick. "Come on." He lied down on his bed, looking pale, clammy, and green. Since his bed was a double, I climbed onto the other side and sat, pulling the covers up to his chin. I laid a hand on his head, sighing quietly as I stroked the sweaty hair back. "Stay here." I whispered, walking out and grabbing a plastic trash can. Max seemed to have everything under control, and she nodded at me. I nodded back, walking to his room, shutting and locking the door. He looked horrible.
He looked at me, and the expression clearly on his face hurt my heart. "I'd ask if you were okay, if I didn't already know you weren't." I sat next to him again, holding the trash can in one hand, just in case. He coughed again, his fist under his mouth, and I bit my lip, holding the trash can up. He puked again, and I was fighting tears. I had never seen Fang like this: weak, vulnerable, sick. It hurt to watch.
I saw the tears in her eyes, and I wanted to comfort her, make her stop crying. Except for the fact that I was the reason. I felt like death- clammy, sweaty, to warm, even with Amanda's cold hand on my forehead. Her hand fell through my hair, brushing the back of my neck. I heard her gasp as she turned to me with tears in her eyes. "Max. Get ice when you can." She said in a choked whisper. "I'm fine." I tried to tell her, but she shook her head. "You're not fine. I can see it in your face."
Like, 10 minutes later, I started coughing again, and she held the trash can under my mouth. After I threw up, I shot her a glance; she seemed to be fighting something- tears? "It hurts to watch." She admitted, setting the trash bin off to one side. "You. Sick. Vulnerable. Weak." She whispered. "It hurts."
Just then, Max came in with ice and a glass of water. "Oh, gosh. You do look off." Max said sympathetically. "Amanda, you holding strong?" She nodded, her hands around her knees. "I'll tell Jeb when he gets back." She nodded and left, leaving Amanda and I in the room.
Tears were rolling now, and there was nothing I could do to stop them. "Fang..." Amanda whispered, laying her head on my shoulder. "Get better. Please. I can't watch this. You must feel horrible, and you never get sick, and... why couldn't it have been me? I'm used to it!" I wrapped an arm around her awkwardly, attempting not to breathe on her and get her infected with this. "Shhh. If you had gotten sick, it'd be a whole lot worse. You take care of everyone, Amanda. I'm just... here." She looked shocked to hear me say that much. 'You're not just here, Fang." She whispered. "Not to me." Our super-emotional conversation was interrupted as I started coughing again, and she sat up and grabbed the trash can. "Oh, Fang. I'm sorry."
Jeb came back late in the day, only to find me still lying in bed and Amanda's hand on my forehead. "Stomach flu." He said the second he put the thermometer in my mouth. "How are you feeling, Fang?" I shrugged. "Better... I guess." Amanda's face lit up with happiness as she heard that I wasn't as sick. It was getting late, though, and I knew all the younger ones were in bed. Iggy and Max were still awake though; I could hear their low voices in the living room. Amanda's eyes were starting to droop, but she had told me already that she wasn't going back to her room. She didn't want to infect Angel, since she had been exposed to whatever was infecting me, and she wanted to make sure I was okay. Like the first day all over again, when I watched over her. She smiled at me as Jeb went to refill the water glass. "Glad you're feeling better..." She murmured dreamily. Her eyes were fluttering shut, and her head fell onto my lap. I smiled to myself, secretly happy as I stroked her hair away from her eyes.
And that's when things went bad. The dreaded cough came again, and I was grateful that it was dry coughs now, not puke. And then I realized that Amanda was right below me, breathing in whatever I had coughed out.
Worst plan ever.
Somehow, she was still asleep, and Jeb walked in then, handing me a glass of water and sitting in a chair next to my bed. He stuck the thermometer in my mouth before I could drink, sighing. "You're almost back to normal. Your recombinant healing powers work on diseases and illnesses to, but it takes just a little longer. You'll be better before morning." That was a relief. At least, if Amanda got sick.... no, not if. When. She was directly exposed to this.
And it was my entire fault.
At least Jeb was right. By morning, I felt completely better- physically. Amanda still hadn't woken up, and I was wondering how long she was going to sleep until her blue eyes opened and looked up at me with trust. "How do you feel?" She asked, sitting up and blushing a little from lying on my lap. "Better. Jeb said I'd be better by morning." She smiled. "Great! I'll take this to the sink." She slid out from the other side, grabbing my cup and skipping towards the door. Before she fell, hands around her stomach.
Something was eating my stomach. I dropped the cup, my hands wrapping automatically around my torso as I hyperventilated and wobbled back and forth. I breathed heavily, tears streaming down my cheeks from the horrible, horrible pain. "Amanda?" Came a faint voice. "Amanda?" It was louder now. "Amanda!" The pain was slowly ebbing away, and I was back to reality.
And reality seemed to be curled in a ball on the floor clutching my stomach.
"Amanda." The voice was calmer now, quieter. "What happened?" It was Fang. He sat next to me quietly, a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Stomach." I whispered, letting my hands fall slowly, but still hyperventilating. "Amanda, can you get up?" He asked in a no-nonsense tone that he must have gotten from me. I sighed, trying to stand. "Do you just want to stay in here?" He asked as I leaned heavily on him, feeling horrible. I nodded as he looked at me in a concerning way. He pulled the black blankets up to my chin, just the way I had done with him only twenty-four hours ago. "Rest." He whispered. "It might hold it back." As if on cue, my eyes drifted closed.
I gazed down at her, asleep, and I felt guilt pile onto me. It was my fault she was sick, going through all this. I was hoping nothing would happen, but now I knew something was up. And I knew that it was my fault.
Jeb came in then, and raised his eyebrows. "Feeling better?" I nodded, my eyes on Amanda, who then opened her eyes. "Oh, hey, Jeb." She sat up, which made me feel a little better- maybe she wasn't as sick as I thought. "Come here, Fang. I need to take your temperature." He stuck the thermometer in my mouth, and it beeped. "You're normal. Amanda, why are you...?" Jeb was confused. "Here. Let me just take your temperature and make sure that you didn't catch what Fang had. That's just what we need." More guilt. He cleaned the thermometer and slid it into her mouth, and I watched with careful eyes. Here was the moment of truth.
"You have a fever." Jeb said sadly, looking down at Amanda. "You've got it."
And it was my entire fault.
"Amanda?" I asked quietly. "How are you feeling?" Guilt piled up as I looked at her pale face. "Horrible. Sick to my stomach. Feverish. Take your pick." She said, trying to keep the moan out of her voice. "D) all of the above?" I assumed, sitting next to her on the bed. "Choose a prize." She half-smiled, but then winced, her hands flying to her stomach. I took her shoulders in my hands, gently forcing her into a lying-down position. "I'm fine." She accused, pushing my hands away, but at least she stayed down.
Another ten or twenty minutes later, I watched as her face paled significantly. Quickly, I grabbed the plastic trash can from the side of the bed, one hand holding it to her gagging mouth while the other pulled her fly-away hair away from her face.
"You can go, you know." She whispered quietly, her skinny body shaking under the blankets. "It's fine. I don't mind." I tried to convince her, letting go of her hair and watching it cascade down her back like a golden waterfall. Noticing it on the bedside table, I handed her the water cup from earlier. "Do you want the water I used, or do you want me to get more?" To everyone who's thinking, Ewe! Old water! So gross! Gosh, what are you doing, Fang?, trust me, we'd all done grosser. Plus, if I even tried to get her more, she'd probably tell me that she was fine, didn't need anything, ect, ect. She was just weird that way.
She shrugged. "I don't want you to leave." Amanda admitted quietly, about to take a sip when Jeb walked in again. "Here you are, sweetheart." He handed me a cup of ice water with a straw, clearly sensing two things: I wanted- and could- take care of Amanda, and Amanda was going to fight the entire way. She was tough. She wasn't going to let Jeb- or me, for that matter- baby her.
Just another reason I couldn't stay away.
I held the straw to Amanda's lips as Jeb closed the door, ignoring the frown that was appearing. "You don't always have to be so tough, you know. You're sick. Relax, Amanda." She rolled her eyes, taking the cup from me and sitting up, but I saw the quick expression of pain on her face before it went smooth, showing no emotion.
Guess who she learned that from?
I would not back down. I could handle this. It was just the stomach flu- nothing to get worked up over. "Amanda...." Fang began, but I cut him off, hating how weak I sounded. "Don't even start, Fang. I'm fine." He sighed unhappily, taking the cup from me and pulling the blankets up, his hands pushing me down with little effort. "Rest." He whispered. "That's all I ask."
She was so flipping stubborn! My hands knotted together as I looked at her, pale, clammy, sweaty. "Amanda, you don't have to be so tough. Stop trying to hide the pain. I can tell." Her face stayed smooth, but one corner of her mouth turned slightly upwards into a smile. "You're sick, Amanda. Please stop trying to pretend you're perfectly healthy. I can see it in your face." I reached my hand out to push her bangs out of her eyes, but her expression stopped me. She pushed them behind her ear as I stepped off the bed, walking around to the chair in front of her. "Take off the mask, Amanda."
And that's when I knew she was really sick, because she actually did what I said. Her perfectly straight face fell, and I heard her wince as I called for Jeb. "Sorry." I whispered now, pushing her bangs that had fallen again away from her eyes. "It's fine." Her voice was wavering, weak and hoarse. Jeb slid the thermometer under her tongue, and it showed her temperature almost immediately. I looked over Jeb's shoulder; Amanda had a temperature of 109.7. Still a fever. Our normal temperatures were usually anywhere between 104 and 106, so she would probably be down for a while. "Amanda? Sweetheart?" Jeb said quietly. "How are you feeling?" She shrugged, and I could tell she just wasn't up to talking, which meant this was bad. Really bad. When Amanda wouldn't talk, there was something seriously wrong.
As Jeb left, she looked up at me with trusting blue eyes, a teary, pleading blue. "Fang..." She moaned quietly, turning towards me. "Shhh. what do you need, Amanda?" My voice was soft and quiet as I looked her in the eye. "Don't leave me. Please. Don't... leave..." Her eyes were drifting shut, and I didn't know if that was good or bad. "I won't leave, Amanda. I promise." One pale hand fell out from under the blankets, and I incased it in mine. "I'm not gonna leave. I promise."
I pulled the blankets tighter around me, and Fang sighed. He got up, tucking them under my chin. "No bedtime story?" I coughed. His gentle hands brushed over my forehead. "Once upon a time, the end." He said, leaning down slightly. His hand now rested on my cheek, one finger tracing right below my lips. His mouth turned downwards as his hand traveled back to my forehead. "Please get better." He whispered, his caring obsidian eyes filled with worry. "I will." I promised. "I will."
Fang stepped back, clearly ending the over-emotional moment, but he was still looking at me with concern, his calm eyes crinkling at the edges with worry. And that's when I started coughing.
He immediately put his hand under my back, helping me into an upright position. He grabbed the trash can with the other hand, holding it in front of my mouth. Since I was up now, he pulled my hair back as I gagged.
When I was, erm... finished, the trash can left my line of sight, my hair flowing back around my face. I lied back down on the pillows, feeling off-balance and feverish. Fang looked at me, whispering one word. "Sorry." He looked almost... guilty? "Why are you sorry?" I asked, reaching for the water cup. He held the straw to my mouth, and I rolled my eyes, but drank anyway. "You didn't do anything."
"That's what you don't know."
Amanda coughed, and I winced to myself as she took another sip of water from the cup I was holding. "What don't I know?" She whispered, looking at me suspiciously. "Well... um..." I began, but then Jeb walked in again. "Amanda?" She raised her head slightly, and Jeb looked concerned. "Fang? Can you leave for a second?" I nodded in his direction and closed the door behind me, sitting against the wall. A few minutes later, Jeb walked out, motioning that it was fine for me to go in. I nodded again, entering only to see Amanda's face, pale and scared and young.
"Amanda?" She looked at me with fear in her eyes. "S-s-shots." She whispered, and I couldn't fight the sudden chills. "Oh! You're cold!" She started fiddling with the blankets until I put my hands on hers.
They were ice cold.
She seemed to calm at my touch, and I kept them incased in mine. A few minutes later, her eyes drifted closed, but I kept her hands in mine. We stayed like that for a couple of hours, until she woke and Jeb walked in, carrying needles. I watched her face pale, and I'm sure mine did to- when you grew up in a cage in a lab, needles, shots... really anything doctor-y scared you out of your wits. "Calm, Amanda. You're through." She calmed a little, but I realized what was going on. If it wasn't for her... well, I was the only other one in the room.
"Fang? After analyzing Amanda's... tests," I heard her wince, and I rubbed the back of her hand soothingly with my thumb, "I learned that she has what, most likely, she caught from you," More guilt, "And then something else. I vaccinated the rest of the flock, but you still need one." Amanda turned to me with sympathy in her eyes, squeezing my hand gently. "I can leave, if you want." She whispered, but as she got to her feet, she paled significantly, and I gently helped her back up. All this time, I had subtly been loosening my wing muscles, getting ready to fly off. "You can break your promise." Amanda whispered weakly. "Just come back." Her eyes were fluttering, and my grip tightened. "I promised, Amanda. I'm not leaving."
And it was the truth. We were all deathly afraid of needles, and I'd rather puke again than get a shot, but I had promised Amanda. She was sick, forced to stay here, almost relying on me. I couldn't leave. And, even if I hadn't promised, I would have stayed. I wouldn't let her get sicker. I made a vow, right there, right then:
I would hurt anyone who hurt her. Even if it was me.
My grip tightened again, and though I'd never admit it, I was flipping scared. Amanda's thumb was rubbing soothing circles on my hand, and I stopped tensing. "Fang? Your arm."
Jeb, by now, was gripping my arm tightly, rubbing something antiseptic-y on it. I watched Amanda, watching how her eyes widened just slightly, her frown turned down by a fraction of an inch. None of us could take anything antiseptic-y, doctor-ish, ect, so both Amanda and I were crawling the walls as Jeb stuck the needle under my skin quickly. It was fast and not very painful, but brought back much more painful memories.
Ever since The School, I had been afraid of two things: cages and needles. Only two. But they had pasts, pasts I'd rather not remember, things coming with them that no one could ever imagine... Basically, needles and cages- not good.
I was sitting in the chair, trying to not smell the antiseptic on my arm when Amanda stood up. "Amanda, you're not supposed to get up." I protested immediatly, standing up to help her back onto the bed. "I'm fine, Fang." She said, wobbling slightly as she walked towards me. As she turned to me, I sat back down, but I was ready to catch her if/when she fell.
Which she didn't, at first. She stood next to me in the chair, one hand on my shoulder. "He's gone, Fang. Are... are you alright?" She asked, her voice still wavery. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" She looked pale and shivery. "Be right back." I muttered, walking out and going to the couch. "Fang!" Angel giggled. "Hey, Angel." I said absentmindly as I grabbed the blanket from the side of the couch, walking back into my room, shutting the door, and wrapping it around her shoulders. She smiled, her eyes sparkling, and I couldn't help but to unleash one of my rare smiles. Her face lit up like a sunset, and she started walking back to the bed. The only thing was... she collapsed. Into my arms.
"I told you not to get up." I muttered as I wrapped the blanket tighter around her. "Sorry!" She said weakly, looking up at me with sad eyes. "It's fine, Amanda. Do you feel better?" One hand was now on her forehead, and it shook slightly, back and forth. Amanda still looked kinda sad as she nestled closer into my arms, and I pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Fang..." She whispered silently.
It was then that I realized my heart was racing, going faster and faster as Amanda stayed in my arms. She looked realtively happy for a girl with the stomach flu, and seemed to be holding strong. Even now, she was beautiful, and her blue eyes shone out at me as a small smile appeared on her face, invisible to most. "Fang..." She whispered again. "Fang..."
"I'm here." I whispered back, and a smile appeared on her pale face. "I know you are... you always are..." Her eyes were closing slowly, looking into mine. "And you always will be..." Her hand met mine, and I brushed over it gently. "As much as I can, Amanda." She smiled wider, leaning on me as her breathing slowed, her heart rate decreased, and her body relaxed. She fell asleep again, and I just watched her for hours on end, wondering why someone so good and sweet had to go through this.
A few minutes later, Jeb came back, and I put a finger to my lips. He nodded silently, taking out his thermometer and sliding it into her mouth. Later, he took it out, a small smile on his face as he showed me the temperature. 105.7. I smiled myself, looking down at my best friend. My healthy best friend.
Jeb left with a nod, going to sanitize the thermometer as Amanda slept on, held in place by my arms. She mumbled something incoherent in her sleep, turning over to look in the direction of my bed. Her wings were turned towards me now, and I stroked the ruffled feathers down into place. Her wings were beautiful, like every other part of her: a light gray, silver in the sunlight, the feathers around the edges black as the night, the exact color of mine. Surrounding the black feathers were pure white feathers, like Angel's. My own wings weren't as intricate- they were dark, black as the night, and simple- no streaks or fades. Back in the lab, Amanda used to tell me how much my wings described me: Simple, strong, and silent. She was right.
She woke up a couple hours later, looking better than she had in the days we had been trapped in here. "Jeb came in when you were sleeping- you don't have a fever anymore. How are you feeling?" I asked her very quietly. "B-Better." She said, standing up shakily. I stood up as well, making sure she wouldn't fall again. "You may want to take it easy today, though." I advised. "Just in case."
"How long have we been in here?" Amanda asked, standing still. "Uhm... no idea." I said truthfully, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. Jeb came in again, a smile on his face. "Feeling better?" She nodded. "How long were we in here?" She asked. "About three days. You were sick for two of them." She rolled her eyes for an unknown reason, and I could tell she was feeling better than she had before the nap. Her cheeks were flushing, she wasn't as pale, and she looked happier. That, and the fact that she was currently vomiting, pretty much meant this was over.
She went to the side of my bed, pulling the covers off with ease. "Waht are you doing?" I asked. "Stripping your bed. And mine too, actually. Then, we're putting this in the wash, after I get out of pajamas." She giggled, skipping to the other side of the bed. Gosh, she got better fast. Was it only four hours ago that she was lying in my arms?
After we had both showered and gotten into something clean, stripped the beds, ect., ect., I walked back into Fang's room, where he was sitting on his mattress. "Fang?" I said quietly. He patted the space next to him, and I sat, pulling my legs up next to me the way people did when they were wearing a skirt. His wings were out, the feathers slightly ruffled, and I smoothed them down gently. "Thanks." I whispered, letting my gray wings out a bit. His warm hand brushed the feathers soothingly. "You wouldn't have had to be taken care of if it wasn't for me." I suppressed a sigh. "Fang, you didn't do anything. I was the one who wanted to make sure you were okay. Please stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault." His black wings brushed over mine, wrapping around my shoulders. "That's what you think, Amanda."
"Stop!" I nearly screamed. "You didn't do anything, Fang! Stop blaming yourself!" His wing pulled me slightly closer. "I did do something, Amanda." His voice was nearly silent, like the wind. "Completely by accident, when you were asleep, I... uhm... well..." I'd never seen him like this before, stuttering for words. "Fang..." I began, but he put a finger to my lips. "I coughed on you." His voice was a whisper now, and he looked like he was waiting to be strangled or something. "Fang..." I whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you. I know it was an accident. It's not your fault." He started to say something, but I took a leaf out of his book and brushed a finger over his lips. "You were sick, Fang, and, from personal experience, I know it's hard to control. I understand, okay? You can stop feeling guilty." His mouth opened slightly, and I moved my finger. "But if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be sick in the first place." He dropped his head into his hands, looking guilty and sad. I shrugged his wings off, wrapping mine around him and putting my hand where his wings intercepted his back, rubbing soft circles.
"If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead."
His head lifted slightly, and he shrugged my arm off. I put my hands in my lap, looking at him with concern. "Please, Fang. Believe me." I said quietly, pulling my knees up to my chest and sneezing. He kept his head up, looking at me quietly. "Are you really feeling better?" I nodded. He sighed. "I guess I'll believe you... on both counts." I smiled. "Thanks." I felt really awkward now. "Uhm... I'll just... go..." I edged out of the room. "It wasn't your fault." I reminded him, then slipped out the door.
Thankfully, the next few months were uneventful in the room of injuries and sickness. Of course, I still had my normal ways, but neither Fang nor I or anyone else from the flock got sick, which was excellent. And then, sometime in March, I think, things got interesting again.
"Fight... Fang!" Angel giggled, clapping her hands from the sidelines. "Okay, sweetie." I kissed her forehead, pulling my hair out and into a tighter ponytail, wiping the sweat off my own forehead. "Fang? You up to the challenge?" He rolled his eyes, shaking his overlong bangs away. "Max? On your count." She was the referee, and she nodded. "Go!" I snarled, anticipating his every move. He stalked towards me slowly, in true Fang fashion, and then suddenly he was behind me, aiming a kick at my back that knocked the wind out of me.
I gasped for air, really irritated now because he knew that I couldn't do anything for a few seconds, 'cause I had flipping asthma! He came back around, aiming a high kick at my head. I flipped backwards, landing on my hands. I then turned back to him, flipping from my hands to my feet, back to my hands, then my feet, and then grabbed his shoulders, pushing him to the ground. He snarled, rolling over and landing on top of me, jumping to his feet. I got up as well, turning in a roundhouse kick aimed right at his chest. He staggered back, coughing as he tried to get oxygen, but still managed to grab my wrist and threw me into the air.
I immediatly whipped out my wings, grabbing him by the hair and yanking hard. His wings unfurled as well, and he fought out of my grip, flying off a bit and wincing. I flew higher than he did, falling and kicking him right in the nose, watching the blood drip. He growled, speeding off into the dim light of the morning. A few seconds later, he flew back in, but I immediatly flew upward, landing in front of him and grabbing his wrists. Despite his protests, I pulled him downwards and pinned him to the floor, a foot to his neck. "Amanda wins!" Max called. I giggled, taking my foot off his neck and pulling him upwards. "Good. You can still breathe." I giggled. "I wanna rematch."
Later, after we were all ready and calmed, Jeb nodded for us to have our rematch. I coughed, shaking the hair out of my eyes. Once Max yelled "GO!", I didn't wait for anything else, but rushed him, forcing him to the ground, my head an inch from his. He snarled in my face, pushing me off and causing me to land face-first in the dirt, gasping for air. So, basically, I was inhaling desert dust like nothing else, which doesn't help anything when you have asthma.
I coughed like there was no tomorrow, holding up two fingers- our sign for time-out. Fang landed calmly, but he looked worried as he helped me stand up. I leaned against him, the rough dust scratching my throat and making me cough more as I hyperventilated. "Better?" I nodded weakly, rubbing my throat. "Here." He handed me a water bottle with a straw, and I drank half of it, still coughing a little. Before he could react, I called, "Time in!", wincing as it hurt my throat, and twisted him to the ground, still coughing. "Amanda? Why don't you and Fang spar later?" Jeb walked over, motioning us to stand up. I jumped to my feet, Fang next to me, still looking worried as I coughed again. "Fine. But only because you're in shock." I elbowed Fang in the stomach. He winced, still looking concerned. What was with him?
Last edited by Jesus4Eternity on 3/12/2010, 7:33 pm; edited 32 times in total
Jesus4Eternity- Best-Selling Author
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Posts : 16258
Join date : 2009-06-08
Age : 623
Re: ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 1/29/2010, 5:52 pm
Crud. Why did I keep hurting her? Could I not see that she was delicate? Strong, tough, and beautiful in every way imaginable, but delicate. She rubbed her throat again, taking another sip of water, and I blinked. "You okay?" She coughed hoarsly. "Y-Yeah. Just shocked." More dirt-water came out of her mouth. "I think you need to lie down, Amanda. Come on." Jeb smiled at her, the ends of his eyes sparkling. "I'll get you something for your cough." She smiled as well, walking off with him and leaving me in the dust. What was with her?
"Fang?" She called back hoarsly. I glanced her way, following her. "Yeah?" I said, putting no emotion into my voice. "Come with me." She looked fine, maybe a little paler, but still fine. She didn't want to leave, but Jeb was taking her off anyway. I nodded, keeping pace with them. "Spar later?" She whispered. I nodded again. "Sweetness."
After Amanda had gotten all the dust out of her system, we went back out to practice. We started again, both trying to forget last time as Max blew the whistle. She immediatly took to the air, and I followed, watching her every move. She sped off into the distance, and, a few minutes later, she came back, rushing towards me with a flying kick with both feet right in the chest, at maybe a hundred and fifty miles per hour. I staggered backwards in the air, gasping for air. Gosh, she was flipping strong! She looked concerned, staying off and not attacking until I had righted myself. And then she rushed me again.
I sighed. She was so cute when- Ouch! Her feet connected with my chest again, and I coughed, trying to gasp in air. "F-Fang?" She asked, sounding worried. I coughed again, and she flew over, trying to get me to stand straight. I gripped her wrist, still coughing. And then I flipped her over in the air, causing her to plummett a few meters. "Syc." I muttered. She snarled, grabbing my wrist and yanking- hard- upwards, almost pulling it out of the socket. Amanda punched me straight in the nose, causing blood to rush out. "Sorry!" She looked at my nose guiltily, then kicked my chest for the third time. I snarled at her, snapping my wrist away and flying off.
A few mintes later, I returned, kicking her straight in the shoulder at two hundred miles an hour. She used the momentum to swing her arm back to punch me, but winced loudly, her left hand gripping her shoulder. "Ouch!"
Oh, I was going to kill Fang later. But right now all I could do was clutch my shoulder, try not to scream, and try not to cry. Since our wing bones were connected to our shoulders, my wings were slowing down. "Amanda?" Fang asked. "What's going on?" I shrugged, but that only hurt more, and I fought the tears as I landed awkwardly since one of my wings was dysfunctional. Fang landed as well, and Max slugged him in the arm. "Smooth move, Fang." He rubbed his arm, walking over to me. "You okay?"
"You would know, you idiot! You're the one who caused it!" Painfully, I extended my wings. "Don't follow." I snarled, and flew up to a big tree, wincing as it jarred my shoulder. And that's where I burst into tears.
I didn’t know why I was mad at Fang, I didn’t know why I had screeched at him, and I didn’t know what had happened. My shoulder hurt like nothing else, tears were streaming down my cheeks, and there was a black wall of feathers in front of me. Wait a second… “FANG!” I yelled, roaring to my feet as the tears stopped. “I said don’t follow! That means that you don’t come here!” The screaming hurt my throat, but I didn’t show it. “Get out of here, you idiot!” He landed calmly on the branch, his overlong bangs hanging in his eyes. “I’m not going to leave you up here.” He said, motioning to my shoulder. “You’re not going to be able to get down like that.” I rolled my eyes. “That’s my problem, not yours!” He sighed quietly. “Look, Amanda, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like this.” I snarled. “Oh, yeah, you’re sorry. That’s great. Now leave!” He placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me, but all it did was make me cry out again since he had jarred the hurt shoulder. “Get your hands off me!” I yelled, elbowing him with my good arm. He let me go, but watched me. “If you’re trying to make some stupid rescue, go find someone else. I don’t require assistance.” I jumped down to another branch, holding in the scream and the tears as a branch scratched my shoulder. He followed, a calm expression clearly visible on his face. “Amanda…” He began, but I cut him off. “Just leave me alone, you idiot!” And I started crying again.
My heart felt like shattering as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Shhh, shhh.” I pulled her closer into my arms, stroking her hair down. “Shhh. I know it hurts. Shhh.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean any of it! It just… hurts so bad… and you… and… and… I don’t know! I’m sorry!” She wailed. I stroked her hair again. “Shhh. It’s fine. I forgive you, Amanda. Shhh.” My shirt was stained with her tears and blood, but it was fine. Lifting her head, she gasped. “You’re bleeding!” She pulled something out of her pocket and dabbed at the cut on my forehead, wiping the blood away. “I’m sorry. Maybe you were right. Maybe I did need a heroic rescue.”
I pulled her into my arms again, slowly stroking her dark golden hair. “Amanda, I’m always going to be there for you. Even if you hate me.” She kept crying, and, slowly, her shaking body calmed. My shirt was soaked, and I was cold because of it, but Amanda was fine, which was all that was important. “I’m sorry. For everything.” She whispered, a few tears still lingering on her cheeks. “I should have known you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.” Her hand was still on her shoulder, clutching it, and I glanced at it. “Can you get down?” She shook her head. “That’s fine. Come here.” I lifted her into my arms, extending my black wings. She nestled perfectly against my chest, her soft hair falling into my hands. I quickly launched off the wide branch, making sure no branches or anything scraped her shoulder. She looked more childish than I’d seen her in years, her blue eyes looking scared and painful. “Ouch, Fang.” She muttered as a hand brushed her shoulder. “Sorry.” I landed on the ground, and she stood up shakily, cradling her shoulder.
Jeb came over with an ice pack, ushering her into a chair and placing it on her shoulder. I watched her wince slightly, but keep her face straight, even though she looked frightened. “It’s gonna be fine.” I whispered. She reached for my hand, but stopped, putting it back on the chair. I smiled to myself, taking her hand and rubbing soothing circles. “I promise.”
She coughed, rubbing her throat, and Jeb stroked her hair. “Amanda? I want you to tell me how this happened, okay?” She began talking quietly to him, but her grip on my hand tightened. He smiled and nodded, talking to her in the same quiet, calm voice. I heard a loud pop, and my head snapped towards her, looking for signs of pain. But she was smiling, shaking her hair back and letting go of my hand. “Thanks, Jeb!” She laughed as Angel leaped into her lap. “You better?” She nodded. “Yeah, sweetie. Jeb fixed me all up.” Angel giggled. “Yay!” She kissed her cheek, and Amanda stroked her hair. “Want some ice cream, sweetie?” Angel nodded wildly. “Fang, do you want some?” I nodded, still glancing at Amanda. Yeah, Jeb had fixed her all up. And I had just sat there like a lump on a log, not getting yelled at, not calming her down, not letting her soak my shirt with blood and tears, not bringing her down from fifty-foot trees, and definitely not helping her in any way. I just sat there, didn’t I?
Amanda placed the bowl of ice cream in front of Angel, kissing the top of her head. "You can eat, sweetie." Angel fumbled with the spoon, being three, and I sighed. Gently, I lifted a scoop of ice cream to her giggly mouth, hoping she wouldn't, say, choke on it and die. Amanda shot me a smile, placing bowls in front of Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy, who all began eating. I got up to stand behind Amanda, watching her serve the chocolate ice cream. "I don't get extra for saving you from the top of a tree?" I teased as she handed me the bowl. She giggled, scooping out some more and putting it into my bowl and then turning back to hers, Max's and Jeb's. She handed him his and carried her carefully after putting away the ice cream, sitting next to me and pulling Angel onto her lap.
"Yeah, sweetie. Want some more?" Angel's mouth was covered in chocolate as Amanda held the spoon up. She giggled, opening her mouth wide as Amanda put the spoon in. "Okay, baby, you're done." Amanda grabbed a wet towel, wiping Angel's face ever so gently and kissing her cheek. "Go play, alright?" Angel nodded, and she sunk into a chair, looking rather tired.
"I will not spoon-feed you ice cream." I alerted her, and she laughed weakly. "I wasn't going to ask you too." She muttered, taking a bite of her own and dropping her head into one hand. I took my bowl to the sink and stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "What time is it?" She asked, sitting up slightly and taking another bite. "About 6." Jeb informed us on the way to the sink. She sneezed and rubbed her forehead. "Jeb? Can you and Fang handle them? I've gotta crash early. I'm wiped." I nodded as Jeb said, "Of course, sweetie."
When she was done, I took the bowl and nodded for her to sleep. She shot me a grateful smile, sniffling and walking down to her room. And that's when Angel started wailing like a banshee.
Naturally, I went into her and Amanda's room, but she was already in Amanda's arms. "Shhh. I'm here, sweetie. I see you. Shhh." Amanda was wiped, but I saw her still make an effort to be upbeat. She nodded in my direction, acknowledging my presence, and went back to Angel, who was calming down. "Yeah, baby. Yeah. What do you need, sweetie?" Angel giggled, pulling on Amanda's hair and laughing. She kept up a shaky smile, carefully transfering her to my arms. So, of course, Angel started wailing again.
Amanda winced, quickly taking her back, and Angel immediatly stopped crying and looked up at Amanda, her big blue eyes innocent. Amanda sighed, walking back out to the living room and sitting on the couch. I followed like a shadow, and the first thing I saw was Jeb. "Can you take her?" He asked, gesturing to Angel. I shook my head. "She wails every time Amanda leaves." Jeb sighed, glancing at Angel and the ever-tiring Amanda, who's eyes were drifting shut, but opened every time Angel pulled on her hair, which was a lot.
Eventually, Angel fell asleep and, when she didn't wake up for twenty minutes, Amanda put her in the crib. "Fang..." She began. "I'll take them." I said before she could say anything. "No, I mean you can crash. I've gotta bathe Gazzy anyway." She walked tiredly into the living room, lifting Gazzy up. He started complaining, and I watched her stroke his hair, whispering to him comfortingly as she walked into the bathroom. I heard the water going, and, when I brought the shampoo in ten minutes later, I saw a happy Gazzy in a bubble bath, Amanda rinsing his hair. She took the shampoo, smiling and thanking me as she poured some on his head and scrubbed. "You're going to bed after this, 'kay Gaz?" He shook his head, spraying soapy water all over her face. She smiled at him patiently, wiping her face with closed eyes.
Later, Amanda had wrangled Gazzy into pajamas and gotten him into bed, and he was sleeping soundly. She was now washing Nudge's hair while I showered in the other bathroom. "Nudge? Do you want to wear the pink or purple Pj's?" I heard her ask from Nudge's room. "Pink!" Nudge giggled. "Okay, honey. Step right here, okay?" I heard the loud crash, and Amanda's laugh. "No, here, hold onto the dresser. Don't fall again, okay?" She sneezed. Nudge must have gotten into her pajamas, because I heard Amanda getting her into bed. "Night, Amanda!" Nudge giggled. "Night, Nudge."
At about ten o'clock, I saw Amanda in her pajamas, her wet hair streaming down her back. "I'm drying my hair and crashing... never mind. It's my night for watch." She yawned and coughed, walking towards the bathroom to dry her hair. I heard the blow dryer and walked into the room. "I can take watch today, if you want." I offered, taking the blow dryer and drying the back of her head. She smiled, but shook her head. "I can... handle it..." I sighed to myself, turning it off. "Really."
"No." She grabbed the dryer, turning it on high and pointing it at my face while she giggled. "Out. Get some sleep. And some colorful PJ's." She joked, glancing over my black pajamas. The dryer was flicked off, and she sneezed, pulling her sleeves down. "Get a good night's sleep." She muttered almost enviously, going to sit in front of the door. I sighed, wanting to go after her but knowing she'd decline anyway. So, grudgingly, I fell asleep.
Late that night, Amanda brushed my arm. "Your watch, Fang." I nodded, getting up silently and ushering her to bed. And, finally, I could hear her calm breathing from the other room. And tomorrow, the cycle would start all over.
I got up silently, feeling a lot more refreshed then I had in a while. Which is probably where I got my evil idea. Quietly, I slipped out of bed, tiptoeing across the hallway to Fang's room. He was sleeping peacefully, his face softer in sleep, his hair hanging over his face. Excellent. This would be fun.
I flicked the light on. Nothing. Carefully, I climbed on top of the bed, and started jumping wildly, about a foot away from him. "Wake! Up! Fang!" I giggled, jumping closer. He pulled the covers over his head. "Muuuuh. Leave me alone." I kept jumping, giggling hysterically. "Wake! Up! Fang!" I said again, landing on my side on top of his chest and knocking the wind out of him. "Hey!" He grabbed me around the waist, rolling over and dumping me off. "That was rude!" I accused, getting up and starting to jump again. He grabbed my ankle, pulling me down and causing my head to hit the pillow. Which, frankly, didn't hurt, but whatever. I grabbed the pillow and started hitting his head with it, until he rolled off the bed. So I followed, jumping of nimbly and landing an inch from his face. "Are you up yet?" I asked innocently. "No."
So, naturally, I grabbed his arm, yanked him upwards, and pulled him to the table, where Iggy had set out eggs, bacon, and toast. "Have fun!" I giggled, pulling his hair back. He turned around immediatly, yanking mine harder and causing me to fall backwards onto the floor. "You are evil." I remarked, getting up quickly. "Thanks."
"Fang?" She called back hoarsly. I glanced her way, following her. "Yeah?" I said, putting no emotion into my voice. "Come with me." She looked fine, maybe a little paler, but still fine. She didn't want to leave, but Jeb was taking her off anyway. I nodded, keeping pace with them. "Spar later?" She whispered. I nodded again. "Sweetness."
After Amanda had gotten all the dust out of her system, we went back out to practice. We started again, both trying to forget last time as Max blew the whistle. She immediatly took to the air, and I followed, watching her every move. She sped off into the distance, and, a few minutes later, she came back, rushing towards me with a flying kick with both feet right in the chest, at maybe a hundred and fifty miles per hour. I staggered backwards in the air, gasping for air. Gosh, she was flipping strong! She looked concerned, staying off and not attacking until I had righted myself. And then she rushed me again.
I sighed. She was so cute when- Ouch! Her feet connected with my chest again, and I coughed, trying to gasp in air. "F-Fang?" She asked, sounding worried. I coughed again, and she flew over, trying to get me to stand straight. I gripped her wrist, still coughing. And then I flipped her over in the air, causing her to plummett a few meters. "Syc." I muttered. She snarled, grabbing my wrist and yanking- hard- upwards, almost pulling it out of the socket. Amanda punched me straight in the nose, causing blood to rush out. "Sorry!" She looked at my nose guiltily, then kicked my chest for the third time. I snarled at her, snapping my wrist away and flying off.
A few mintes later, I returned, kicking her straight in the shoulder at two hundred miles an hour. She used the momentum to swing her arm back to punch me, but winced loudly, her left hand gripping her shoulder. "Ouch!"
Oh, I was going to kill Fang later. But right now all I could do was clutch my shoulder, try not to scream, and try not to cry. Since our wing bones were connected to our shoulders, my wings were slowing down. "Amanda?" Fang asked. "What's going on?" I shrugged, but that only hurt more, and I fought the tears as I landed awkwardly since one of my wings was dysfunctional. Fang landed as well, and Max slugged him in the arm. "Smooth move, Fang." He rubbed his arm, walking over to me. "You okay?"
"You would know, you idiot! You're the one who caused it!" Painfully, I extended my wings. "Don't follow." I snarled, and flew up to a big tree, wincing as it jarred my shoulder. And that's where I burst into tears.
I didn’t know why I was mad at Fang, I didn’t know why I had screeched at him, and I didn’t know what had happened. My shoulder hurt like nothing else, tears were streaming down my cheeks, and there was a black wall of feathers in front of me. Wait a second… “FANG!” I yelled, roaring to my feet as the tears stopped. “I said don’t follow! That means that you don’t come here!” The screaming hurt my throat, but I didn’t show it. “Get out of here, you idiot!” He landed calmly on the branch, his overlong bangs hanging in his eyes. “I’m not going to leave you up here.” He said, motioning to my shoulder. “You’re not going to be able to get down like that.” I rolled my eyes. “That’s my problem, not yours!” He sighed quietly. “Look, Amanda, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like this.” I snarled. “Oh, yeah, you’re sorry. That’s great. Now leave!” He placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me, but all it did was make me cry out again since he had jarred the hurt shoulder. “Get your hands off me!” I yelled, elbowing him with my good arm. He let me go, but watched me. “If you’re trying to make some stupid rescue, go find someone else. I don’t require assistance.” I jumped down to another branch, holding in the scream and the tears as a branch scratched my shoulder. He followed, a calm expression clearly visible on his face. “Amanda…” He began, but I cut him off. “Just leave me alone, you idiot!” And I started crying again.
My heart felt like shattering as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Shhh, shhh.” I pulled her closer into my arms, stroking her hair down. “Shhh. I know it hurts. Shhh.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean any of it! It just… hurts so bad… and you… and… and… I don’t know! I’m sorry!” She wailed. I stroked her hair again. “Shhh. It’s fine. I forgive you, Amanda. Shhh.” My shirt was stained with her tears and blood, but it was fine. Lifting her head, she gasped. “You’re bleeding!” She pulled something out of her pocket and dabbed at the cut on my forehead, wiping the blood away. “I’m sorry. Maybe you were right. Maybe I did need a heroic rescue.”
I pulled her into my arms again, slowly stroking her dark golden hair. “Amanda, I’m always going to be there for you. Even if you hate me.” She kept crying, and, slowly, her shaking body calmed. My shirt was soaked, and I was cold because of it, but Amanda was fine, which was all that was important. “I’m sorry. For everything.” She whispered, a few tears still lingering on her cheeks. “I should have known you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose.” Her hand was still on her shoulder, clutching it, and I glanced at it. “Can you get down?” She shook her head. “That’s fine. Come here.” I lifted her into my arms, extending my black wings. She nestled perfectly against my chest, her soft hair falling into my hands. I quickly launched off the wide branch, making sure no branches or anything scraped her shoulder. She looked more childish than I’d seen her in years, her blue eyes looking scared and painful. “Ouch, Fang.” She muttered as a hand brushed her shoulder. “Sorry.” I landed on the ground, and she stood up shakily, cradling her shoulder.
Jeb came over with an ice pack, ushering her into a chair and placing it on her shoulder. I watched her wince slightly, but keep her face straight, even though she looked frightened. “It’s gonna be fine.” I whispered. She reached for my hand, but stopped, putting it back on the chair. I smiled to myself, taking her hand and rubbing soothing circles. “I promise.”
She coughed, rubbing her throat, and Jeb stroked her hair. “Amanda? I want you to tell me how this happened, okay?” She began talking quietly to him, but her grip on my hand tightened. He smiled and nodded, talking to her in the same quiet, calm voice. I heard a loud pop, and my head snapped towards her, looking for signs of pain. But she was smiling, shaking her hair back and letting go of my hand. “Thanks, Jeb!” She laughed as Angel leaped into her lap. “You better?” She nodded. “Yeah, sweetie. Jeb fixed me all up.” Angel giggled. “Yay!” She kissed her cheek, and Amanda stroked her hair. “Want some ice cream, sweetie?” Angel nodded wildly. “Fang, do you want some?” I nodded, still glancing at Amanda. Yeah, Jeb had fixed her all up. And I had just sat there like a lump on a log, not getting yelled at, not calming her down, not letting her soak my shirt with blood and tears, not bringing her down from fifty-foot trees, and definitely not helping her in any way. I just sat there, didn’t I?
Amanda placed the bowl of ice cream in front of Angel, kissing the top of her head. "You can eat, sweetie." Angel fumbled with the spoon, being three, and I sighed. Gently, I lifted a scoop of ice cream to her giggly mouth, hoping she wouldn't, say, choke on it and die. Amanda shot me a smile, placing bowls in front of Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy, who all began eating. I got up to stand behind Amanda, watching her serve the chocolate ice cream. "I don't get extra for saving you from the top of a tree?" I teased as she handed me the bowl. She giggled, scooping out some more and putting it into my bowl and then turning back to hers, Max's and Jeb's. She handed him his and carried her carefully after putting away the ice cream, sitting next to me and pulling Angel onto her lap.
"Yeah, sweetie. Want some more?" Angel's mouth was covered in chocolate as Amanda held the spoon up. She giggled, opening her mouth wide as Amanda put the spoon in. "Okay, baby, you're done." Amanda grabbed a wet towel, wiping Angel's face ever so gently and kissing her cheek. "Go play, alright?" Angel nodded, and she sunk into a chair, looking rather tired.
"I will not spoon-feed you ice cream." I alerted her, and she laughed weakly. "I wasn't going to ask you too." She muttered, taking a bite of her own and dropping her head into one hand. I took my bowl to the sink and stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "What time is it?" She asked, sitting up slightly and taking another bite. "About 6." Jeb informed us on the way to the sink. She sneezed and rubbed her forehead. "Jeb? Can you and Fang handle them? I've gotta crash early. I'm wiped." I nodded as Jeb said, "Of course, sweetie."
When she was done, I took the bowl and nodded for her to sleep. She shot me a grateful smile, sniffling and walking down to her room. And that's when Angel started wailing like a banshee.
Naturally, I went into her and Amanda's room, but she was already in Amanda's arms. "Shhh. I'm here, sweetie. I see you. Shhh." Amanda was wiped, but I saw her still make an effort to be upbeat. She nodded in my direction, acknowledging my presence, and went back to Angel, who was calming down. "Yeah, baby. Yeah. What do you need, sweetie?" Angel giggled, pulling on Amanda's hair and laughing. She kept up a shaky smile, carefully transfering her to my arms. So, of course, Angel started wailing again.
Amanda winced, quickly taking her back, and Angel immediatly stopped crying and looked up at Amanda, her big blue eyes innocent. Amanda sighed, walking back out to the living room and sitting on the couch. I followed like a shadow, and the first thing I saw was Jeb. "Can you take her?" He asked, gesturing to Angel. I shook my head. "She wails every time Amanda leaves." Jeb sighed, glancing at Angel and the ever-tiring Amanda, who's eyes were drifting shut, but opened every time Angel pulled on her hair, which was a lot.
Eventually, Angel fell asleep and, when she didn't wake up for twenty minutes, Amanda put her in the crib. "Fang..." She began. "I'll take them." I said before she could say anything. "No, I mean you can crash. I've gotta bathe Gazzy anyway." She walked tiredly into the living room, lifting Gazzy up. He started complaining, and I watched her stroke his hair, whispering to him comfortingly as she walked into the bathroom. I heard the water going, and, when I brought the shampoo in ten minutes later, I saw a happy Gazzy in a bubble bath, Amanda rinsing his hair. She took the shampoo, smiling and thanking me as she poured some on his head and scrubbed. "You're going to bed after this, 'kay Gaz?" He shook his head, spraying soapy water all over her face. She smiled at him patiently, wiping her face with closed eyes.
Later, Amanda had wrangled Gazzy into pajamas and gotten him into bed, and he was sleeping soundly. She was now washing Nudge's hair while I showered in the other bathroom. "Nudge? Do you want to wear the pink or purple Pj's?" I heard her ask from Nudge's room. "Pink!" Nudge giggled. "Okay, honey. Step right here, okay?" I heard the loud crash, and Amanda's laugh. "No, here, hold onto the dresser. Don't fall again, okay?" She sneezed. Nudge must have gotten into her pajamas, because I heard Amanda getting her into bed. "Night, Amanda!" Nudge giggled. "Night, Nudge."
At about ten o'clock, I saw Amanda in her pajamas, her wet hair streaming down her back. "I'm drying my hair and crashing... never mind. It's my night for watch." She yawned and coughed, walking towards the bathroom to dry her hair. I heard the blow dryer and walked into the room. "I can take watch today, if you want." I offered, taking the blow dryer and drying the back of her head. She smiled, but shook her head. "I can... handle it..." I sighed to myself, turning it off. "Really."
"No." She grabbed the dryer, turning it on high and pointing it at my face while she giggled. "Out. Get some sleep. And some colorful PJ's." She joked, glancing over my black pajamas. The dryer was flicked off, and she sneezed, pulling her sleeves down. "Get a good night's sleep." She muttered almost enviously, going to sit in front of the door. I sighed, wanting to go after her but knowing she'd decline anyway. So, grudgingly, I fell asleep.
Late that night, Amanda brushed my arm. "Your watch, Fang." I nodded, getting up silently and ushering her to bed. And, finally, I could hear her calm breathing from the other room. And tomorrow, the cycle would start all over.
I got up silently, feeling a lot more refreshed then I had in a while. Which is probably where I got my evil idea. Quietly, I slipped out of bed, tiptoeing across the hallway to Fang's room. He was sleeping peacefully, his face softer in sleep, his hair hanging over his face. Excellent. This would be fun.
I flicked the light on. Nothing. Carefully, I climbed on top of the bed, and started jumping wildly, about a foot away from him. "Wake! Up! Fang!" I giggled, jumping closer. He pulled the covers over his head. "Muuuuh. Leave me alone." I kept jumping, giggling hysterically. "Wake! Up! Fang!" I said again, landing on my side on top of his chest and knocking the wind out of him. "Hey!" He grabbed me around the waist, rolling over and dumping me off. "That was rude!" I accused, getting up and starting to jump again. He grabbed my ankle, pulling me down and causing my head to hit the pillow. Which, frankly, didn't hurt, but whatever. I grabbed the pillow and started hitting his head with it, until he rolled off the bed. So I followed, jumping of nimbly and landing an inch from his face. "Are you up yet?" I asked innocently. "No."
So, naturally, I grabbed his arm, yanked him upwards, and pulled him to the table, where Iggy had set out eggs, bacon, and toast. "Have fun!" I giggled, pulling his hair back. He turned around immediatly, yanking mine harder and causing me to fall backwards onto the floor. "You are evil." I remarked, getting up quickly. "Thanks."
Last edited by Jesus4Eternity on 4/1/2010, 6:37 pm; edited 6 times in total
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Re: ESCAPED
by shadowsowner888 1/29/2010, 7:07 pm
Okay. xD I might be safe then, if I can read fast enough.
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Re: ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 1/30/2010, 10:54 am
Fang does nothing. He's the tough guy. xD
That part will become important later, BTW.
That part will become important later, BTW.
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Re: ESCAPED
by shadowsowner888 1/31/2010, 9:42 am
Sweet job!
Ha, I just realized we both have low immune systems. xD *pokes Save Me*
Ha, I just realized we both have low immune systems. xD *pokes Save Me*
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Re: ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 1/31/2010, 10:17 am
I always have low immune systems in my stories. Have you been paying attention to Correction? xD
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Re: ESCAPED
by shadowsowner888 2/1/2010, 10:57 pm
Yes . . . coincidentally the same reason as mine. xD I swear it's a coincidence! I swear! I came up with it before I read this!
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Re: ESCAPED
by shadowsowner888 2/15/2010, 10:24 pm
YAY! FANG! He has my font!
>3 You know . . . if you're interested in an evil suggestion, read the spoiler.
Anywho, sweet job. :1 You did a good job of getting into Fang's character.
He has my font! >3 You know . . . if you're interested in an evil suggestion, read the spoiler.
- Spoiler:
- If you wanna make the ULTIMATE sacrifice, for God . . . what if you gave up MR and Twilight? >) *collective gasps*
Anywho, sweet job. :1 You did a good job of getting into Fang's character.
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Re: ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 2/15/2010, 10:29 pm
Actually, I'm kinda doing that. Since everyone knows me by Twilight, I'm completly giving it up. I'm also dying down on MR, trying to just be a person who liked the series and not obsessed. 
Fang is a very difficult character to get into for me, because I'm usually the type of girl who likes kissing and hugging and see-able romance like that, and Fang's not like that. He's, like, the opposite, so it's hard, but fun. Adn I like how he describes me. XD
Fang is a very difficult character to get into for me, because I'm usually the type of girl who likes kissing and hugging and see-able romance like that, and Fang's not like that. He's, like, the opposite, so it's hard, but fun. Adn I like how he describes me. XD
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Re: ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 2/16/2010, 12:16 am
shadowsowner888 wrote:Ha, wow . . . Fang . . . xD
Jesus4Eternity wrote:Fang does nothing. He's the tough guy. xD
That part will become important later, BTW.
shadowsowner888 wrote:I shall remember it, then!
Remember this, Shad? From the current part, you can see why it was important.
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Re: ESCAPED
by shadowsowner888 2/16/2010, 12:26 am
Oh, seriously? xD Wow. Well . . . good luck with that, too!
Yeah, just like it's fun for me with Largo, cus he's not as physical with romance as I'm used to dealing with. xD But it's, like, a challenge.
Oh, yeah!!
Yeah, just like it's fun for me with Largo, cus he's not as physical with romance as I'm used to dealing with. xD But it's, like, a challenge.
Oh, yeah!!
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Re: ESCAPED
by Jesus4Eternity 2/16/2010, 9:54 am
Gracias, mi amiga.IKR? It's really hard, 'cuz, in my Jasper RP's, he's all "sweetheart, honey" ect, and if Fang EVER calls someone sweetheart you know he's mentally ill [even if it is Angel. XD], so.. yeah. It's hard, but SO MUCH FUN!!
See? It was important.
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Re: ESCAPED
by shadowsowner888 2/16/2010, 7:21 pm
Exactly! Not to mention that it's probably good for us, to get the variety. xD
:3 I shall go read!
Ooooh. x3 You must keep going.
:3 I shall go read!
Ooooh. x3 You must keep going.
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