Angel (Maximum Ride 7)

66

“HOW OLD ARE you?” a teenage boy with short dark hair asked, looking her up and down, not smiling.

“Seven,” Angel said. She shifted from foot to foot, her eyes bright and a hopeful expression on her face.

“She was out in the park, by the fountain,” said the girl standing next to him.

“What’s your name? Where are your parents?” The boy looked suspicious.

“Angelika,” said Angel. “My parents are back in America. I’m here with my school.” Without changing her facial expression, Angel edged her consciousness next to theirs, sidling up to their minds, quietly listening in.

It took all of her self-control not to jump as a barrage of static blasted her mind. Jangly, hard-edged thoughts were chopped up by pictures, like bits of a film. Fire raining from the sky. Blood pooling in the street. Terror. But mostly, she received an overpowering sense of fear, a desperate need to belong, false feelings covering up real ones. With great effort, Angel tore her mind away, trying to regulate her breathing. She felt her heart beating hard.

They were in a poorer, much less pretty part of Paris, in an ancient, sunless alley. The kids were blocking her exit, and Angel noticed with alarm construction overhead. She was feeling a little… trapped.

“And you want to save the world, don’t you, Angelika?” the girl asked in a soothing voice, her eyes burning into Angel’s. They were nearly colorless like Iggy’s but… hypnotic. Angel nodded and glanced away, but the girl grabbed her chin and made Angel look at her. Angel had already visited the minds of the cult members once before, at Ella’s school. She hadn’t expected to feel so weak now. The cult was getting stronger.

“There you are!”

Angel turned to see Gazzy walking up, enjoying an ice-cream cone. She quickly sent him two thoughts: Angelika. We’re here with our school.

He blinked once, then licked his cone. “Hey, I was looking for you.”

What are you doing here? Angel thought at him. This was my thing. I can take care of myself.

Gazzy shrugged. “I was worried about you, Angelika.”

“Who’s this?” The older boy’s voice was cold. Angel caught another glimpse of his violent, fiery thoughts.

“My brother, Andrew,” Angel said. Don’t look into their eyes, Gazzy. Try to block what they say. She saw fear on Gazzy’s face and freaked out a little. She could do this. The flock needed her to do this.

“Does anyone know you’re here?” the girl asked, sounding a little too casual.

“Nope,” Gazzy said, shaking his head, eyes downcast. “They’re doing some museum today.”

The boy nodded at the girl, then they grabbed Angel and Gazzy by the arms and hustled them deeper into the dark alley. They walked past overturned trash cans and piles of broken boxes, saw rats scurrying away from them. The girl flipped open a black pad attached to a wall and pressed her thumb on a button. Locks released, ringing out like gunshots in the quiet alley. The sound startled Angel but she tried to remain calm. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so skittish.

“Everybody in,” said the girl, pulling open a thick door covered with rusty sheet metal. Angel felt the girl’s senses quicken, felt a mix of anticipation, anxiety, and fear.

Angel suddenly thought that she might never make it out. It wasn’t quite a vision but… She paused, and Gazzy shot her a worried look.

The dark-haired boy shoved Angel forward. “In you go!”

Then they were in a narrow, dank hallway, lit by harsh overhead fluorescent lights. As soon as Angel stepped inside, several huge Dobermans lunged at her, snarling and barking. Angel quickly sent them soothing thoughts, telling them she was a friend. They quieted at once.

She looked up to see the two teens and now a grown-up staring at her.

“Who are your friends, Toni?” the man asked the girl. Angel felt his suspicion.

“Angelika and her brother, Andrew,” said Toni. “They want to join us.”

“Toni, not now,” the man said crossly. “Everything is all set. We can’t take them.”

“Don’t make us go back,” Angel pleaded. “You have to let us stay!”

“And why should we?” the man asked.

“Because we can’t live with them anymore. The normal people,” Angel said, slowly extending her wings.