Book 1: Missing Angel; Part 6

“Ari!” Jeb shouted, eyes wild and angry.

Fang was as still as a statue, looking at where Digi was bent over coughing and vomiting.

“Ari. You have your orders.” Jeb repeated, beginning to walk towards Max. But his gaze remained on his son. After what seemed like an eternity, Ari pulled away.

Fang scrambled towards where Digi was, and his face fell upon seeing the large, red handprints that would bruise horribly around his neck.

Jeb stepped in front of Max. “Do you get it now? Do you see the incredible beauty of the game? That no child, nor adult, no one has ever experienced?”

Max scowled, mentally checking over the flock. Nudge, Gazzy and Angel were still safely in the air. Fang was protecting Digi. And she and Iggy were still being restrained by Erasers.

The Eraser finally removed his hand so she could speak.

“No, I don’t get it. I’ll never get it. I want out of it!”

Fang tuned most of everything else out. He was worried about the small form beneath him. Digi still hadn’t responded to anything he’d said, and he was worried that Ari had seriously damaged something. The handprints were starting to purple, and he only made pained gurgles.

He felt to see if his neck was broken or anything and felt nothing. After a few minutes, Jeb and his horrible Erasers left. Max and the rest of the flock raced towards him.

“He looks bad, I think he needs a doctor.” Gazzy said.

“We could carry him.”

“Where to? We can’t just go to a hospital!” Fang replied, looking more stressed by the minute.

“‘M up!” Digi said weakly, finally sitting up. He then wheezed, yelping in pain. Breathing and speaking hurt.

“Stay down, stay down.” Max advised. “You just got choked out. Don’t say anything, okay?”

He laid back down with a whimper.

“I was so worried… you looked like you were dead. Don’t die, you just tasted freedom, you can’t die yet.” Fang said, surprisingly emotional. Then he rubbed their foreheads together, just glad that he would live.

He then quickly sat up, realizing that what he just did was extraordinarily out of character. His cheeks felt extra hot, and he swallowed anxiously. In this moment he was glad Iggy was blind and that Angel was getting some drinkable water.

Max, Nudge, and Gazzy were staring at him as if he’d lost his marbles. He didn’t blame them one bit because it felt like he had.

Digi sat up again, a lot slower. He blinked confusedly, but shrugged and rubbed foreheads with Fang. “I’m up.” He said, a little more clearly, but still strained. He took a sip of the water Angel had gotten him, and awkwardly made it to his feet. His fingers had stopped bleeding, and his claw had retracted back into his skin.

Max thought for a moment, recalling that the newest member of their flock had basically been socially isolated for almost all of his life thus far. Meaning he just thought that what happened was normal. Despite how completely utterly shocked she was, seeing Fang act emotional, she wasn’t gonna ruin things especially when clearly, Digi could have flat out died for real.

Digi wobbled, and Fang was by his side in an instant.

“I’m gonna kill Ari.” He said under his breath.

Max noticed Angel was looking with a sort of knowing expression. ‘Okay, that’s it, what’s up with Fang?’ She thought.

‘Fang likes Digi. Like… Likes like.’ Angel replied. ‘Digi likes him too.’

That knowledge didn’t make her feel any better. Digi was still new, and she was still unsure if he was dangerous or not.

‘Digi has no bad thoughts. Mostly just confusing ones. As far as I can tell, no danger.’

Max bit her lip. She would trust Angel.

They grabbed all their things and made it back to central park in the darkness. It was so quiet, Digi stumbled but otherwise seemed fine.

He flapped and wrung his hands, clearly deep in thought.

Max gave Fang a long like, as if to say ‘we’re so talking about that later. When everyone else is asleep.’ She decided it was safer if they were underground, and let them walk along the tracks of the subway station again until they reached the camp of homeless people living down there.

Digi didn’t hear much, just mostly chatter, and then did the bedtime stack thing they did. He was starting to like it. He yawned, and curled himself into a little ball, hoodie up and pulled tight around his head, and fell asleep.

Fang and Max were the only ones still awake.

“What was that about?” Max whispered. “You okay in the head?”

Fang grimaced slightly, and by that, Max meant he gave a small frown. “I like him.” He whispered back. Leave it to him to be blunt.

“You’ve never liked anyone before.”

“...He’s different.” He shrugged.

“How?”

“I didn’t grow up with him.”

Max frowned.

“Not in a bad way.”

She still crossed her arms, thinking. “You’re supposed to watch him in case he’s suspicious.”

“He can barely fly or keep up with us, he’s barely taller than Angel, and he’s eight inches shorter than me. He has no muscle, can’t fight, and trips and stumbles all the time.”

Max hadn’t realized he was that much of a klutz. Fang really had been watching him. “You’re my best friend, and I want you to promise me that you’ll… take care of things if he turns out evil.”

“Fine.”

Fang didn’t seem particularly happy, but then again when was he ever. “Is this why you’re being so weird?”

“Me? I’m the one being weird?” Max whispered incredulously. “I’ve never seen you this mushy before in my life.”

“He just started talking, and even though he had a cushier life in the school, he was alone. Sure, we were tortured and stuff, but we had each other. He was alone, drugged up to be docile, and… somehow, he’s still a good person like us. He’s awkward but… he’s nice.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Fang nodded, and finally turned to sleep. Max waited until she heard his breathing even out, until finally going to sleep.

Unfortunately, this fitful sleep wouldn’t last too long. Something made her body tense, and her body moved on impulse. She sat up quickly, grabbing someone’s wrist, and twisting the offending limb behind the intruders back.

“Cool it, sucker!” Whispered the intruder, furious. Max yanked upwards, mind slowly returning to her body.

Fang sat up slowly, upset that he’d been woken up so soon. He blinked slowly, assessing the situation.

“You’re screwing with my Mac again.” The hacker then turned to the dark haired teen. “Jeez, what happened to you?”

“Cut m’self shaving.”

Max finally let go, and the Hacker backed away, rubbing his sore arm. “Why’d you come back here?” he asked angrily. “You’re totally wrecking my hard drive.”

Max and Fang listened intently.

---

Digi was having a dream. A dream set in the past, when he was a small child, where his hair went down to his back, and his wings were still oversized, heavy on his back. He was holding a researcher's hand, padding along the white tiled floors back to his room.

The researcher lady was talking, but her voice was so far away that he could barely understand what she was saying.

“Back up… calm… subject… parents….”

He yawned, and the lady gently shoved him into his room. He didn’t want this room anymore. He had been outside, where people were. He slowly walked towards the window, which pointed towards the courtyard. Freedom. The air, rushing past him, in his air, in his too big wings. Flying.

But he was stuck in this room. He could only watch the birds fly away. If he left though, it’d be dangerous. He barely had any survival skills. But he had agency, he had thoughts, feelings, emotion, he wasn’t just another test subject. He took a step forwards, hands pressing against the glass. Digi frowned, then pushed the glass from the frame, leaving a large square hole in its place.

He stepped out, finding that his room was suddenly on the ground floor when originally it had been on the third floor. He started to walk, and the ground turned to rough sand beneath his feet. There was a trail of blood, and suddenly a large splotch of it. He frowned, and the ground became floor tiles again. He was suddenly in a hospital, smelling just like the school. Digi frowned, was this like his last dream?

He walked through the hallways, and the hospital became a nice home, with lots of rooms and space. But then it was gone, and very suddenly he was falling through the air.

Digi was shaken awake just before hitting the ground. He was covered in sweat, and realized he was hyperventilating. His throat was still sore, but it wasn’t as bad as before. Fang was there, and he quickly got to his feet. “What’s going on?”

“Max figured out where the institute is.” He replied simply. “Let’s get going.”

He nodded quickly, and got going. The flock had started walking through the tunnels, following Max as if she had a map. She seemed confident in her movements, but she seemed tense, as if she was afraid.

Everyone else seemed especially tense today too. Maybe it was because they didn’t know anything about their pasts. The only reason he knew about this was his last dream.