A Girl Among Erasers

Wingless Angel

I sat at the bar, Mom and Nudge cooking up a storm while Gazzy played with cars in the floor. He made urks! and kssh! sounds as he made the Hotweels roll around the carpet and hardwood. I vaguely listened to him, my main concern being the little recombinant DNA hybrid girl cuddled into my shoulder.

Alex wasn't asleep and yet, wide awake, she was perfectly quiet. Her chest rose and fell with each breath and her hands would move every now and then, but nothing else. I rubbed her back, grief stricken when I only felt skin and no wings. The book I was reading did a sappy job of keeping my heart from trembling.

Not too long ago on the way home, Ari and I had discovered that Alex had been tortured by the white-coats: they ripped off her wings. All that was left were holes on her shoulder blade and her bone visible.

Mom had thankfully held it together and placed bandages on all of her wounds, even her eyes. Her feet and hands were wrapped in gauze, legs covered in duct taped gauze, and a few bandaids here and there. Alex was a mess.

I heard the door open and a brief grunt. "Hey, Gasman, come help!" I paled at the voice. It was deep, smooth, and very familiar. I turned around and there he was, his hair in his face and still wearing black.

He looked up and our eyes locked. It was almost as if the world crumbled and caught on fire at the same time. My heart was pounding in my ears, gut was churning, and palms became sweaty. His lips curved up into a small grin. "Max!" He ran forward and picked me up off the chair before twirling me around. I felt his lips brush over my cheek as he set me down.

We were both elated, almost like our birthdays, New Years, and Christmas all rolled into one. But Ali had to go and be fussy, her battered hand gripping my collar tighter.

Fang finally seemed to notice her and a ghost of a smile flashed across his face. "Ali..." he whispered, his hand reaching up to touch her back. It instantly fell as he didn't find our trademark appendages. His dark eyes turned on me. "What. Did. They. Do?"

A lump suddenly formed in my throat. "Uh... They may have clippedherwings-testedher-and madeheragefast!" It took a minute, but he figured it out.

Instantly anger, pain, sorrow, and remorse filled those dark orbs of his. Fang lowered his forehead to mine and sighed. "I'm sorry Max. I should've been there for you." He looked at Ali as she turned towards his voice. More pain filled his features. "Both of you."

"Hey," I lightly punched him, "Don't beat yourself up about it. We're out now and no one can take that away from us." He nodded and sighed again.

"I know."

A miracle then happened. Alex, being the genius she is, suddenly giggled and reached out for him, her small hands grasping at his button up. Warily, Fang took her into his arms and she smiled even more. He shifted her so she was leaning on his shoulder and she leaned forward, snuggling into his neck. She wrapped her arms around him and settled in, her face relaxing.

Fang chuckled and smoothed back her hair. "I'm glad I still have that affect on girls." I glared and punched his thigh. He barely flinched, "So how bad are the injuries?" He gestured to her face and arms.

I sat back down and leaned against the bar. "Not too bad, a few scars, but her eyes are something else. I think they tried to do to her what they did to Iggy. She can't see as far as I know, but she's extremely smart." He sat beside me and I ran a finger over Ali's bruised cheek. She gave a small smile before nuzzling further into his shoulder. "She no longer has chocolate brown eyes like I did. They're a pale blue... And her pupils are white." My guts clamped together and groaned in agony at the memory. A lump formed in my throat an I tried to swallow it down.

Fang glanced to Alex and kissed her forehead. "She's one tough kid, then."

----

I slumped against the wall, groaning slightly as my eyes felt too heavy to open. I pushed open the bedroom door and forced myself over to it. Once there I let gravity do the work so I ended up with a face full of pillows. Fang came in and lay down beside me, his dark scent filling my nose.

"Someone looks tired," he whispered as a certain little girl was placed between us. She was sleeping heavily, her dark hair fanning around her head.

I smirked and covered her up. "Lets just go to sleep, okay? We're lucky enough as it is that Mom trusts us to share the same bed." I hugged Alex to my chest and Fang did the same to me, his nose caressing my shoulder.

"I missed you, Max." He muttered sleepily before kissing my neck.

"I missed you too, Fang."