My happy, chocolate-smeared bird kids were relaxed, laughing, having the best time we’d had in – ever. It was the perfect way to celebrate our new house, our new lives.
“Is it present time?” Nudge asked, bouncing in her seat. “I can’t wait anymore!”
“Yes,” I said, and everyone cheered. So let me see: have party, massive amounts of cake and sugar, presents, etc., and I’m super popular. Insist on schooling, homework, education, and everyone hates me. Okay, got it. “Who wants to go first?”
“Me, me!” Angel jumped up and rummaged in a paper grocery bag, pulling out small packages wrapped in the Sunday comics – one for each of us.
I quickly ripped open the paper on mine, and something small fell into my lap. I picked up a necklace strung on a black silk cord.
“It’s a good-luck charm,” said Angel. “I made it myself. I found all the stuff outside.”
My necklace was weird and beautiful, not unlike Angel herself. “Is this a… snake jaw?” I asked. Angel nodded. The small, sharp fangs of a snake’s lower jaw spiked delicately among eagle feathers, bits of worn glass, and some ancient aluminum pop-tops from soda cans.
“See?” said Angel. “It’s like you: kind of dangerous but really pretty and strong and unusual. See?”
The bits of glass caught the light and glittered like gems. I nodded, really touched. “Thank you,” I said, and gave her a big hug, like old times.
Each of us had a similar but unique necklace, and each necklace really reflected who we were. Fang’s was all black obsidian, the top half of the snake jaw, and some eagle feathers. She’d really put a lot of thought and work into them.
“Now mine!” said Nudge, pulling out her wrapped gifts.
I’d never had so many presents all at once, and even though I was a big fifteen-year-old now, I couldn’t help feeling excited as I ripped off the wrapping paper.
Nudge had hot-glued all sorts of pretty shells and beads around a picture frame. It was gorgeous, too heavy to lug around, and totally not sturdy enough to survive even a light battle.
“Nudge, it’s beautiful! I love it!” I told her. She threw her arms around me, and I realized that she had grown several inches without my noticing.
“Oh, my, gosh.” Angel’s quiet voice got my attention. I looked over to see her holding a small digital camera, her eyes wide.
“Who gave you that?” I exclaimed.
Angel’s face shone. “Fang. Oh, I love it so much! I’ve wanted a camera for so long. The first thing I want to do is take a picture of all of us.”
“I can put it in my frame,” I said, holding it up. Nudge looked pleased.
“Here,” said Iggy. “I made fudge for everyone. Didn’t have time to wrap it.” He held out a large plate covered with neat squares of marbled chocolate-peanut butter fudge. I figured we had about forty minutes before we were all in sugar-induced comas.
“Max!” Gazzy cried. “Way cool!” He held up his certificate for one tattoo at the tattoo parlor a couple towns over. (No, I’m not going to mention which one.)
“I got one too!” Nudge squealed, waving it around. “I’m going to get a unicorn! Or a heart! Or a rainbow!”
“I’m going to get a stick of dynamite on my arm,” Gazzy said.
Okay, it wasn’t the most imaginative gift, but I’d been pretty sure everyone in the flock would like a tattoo. It looked like I was right.
Fang came and stood next to me. “This is for you.”
He held out a small box tied with satin ribbon. My heart started thumping hard, as if I’d been in a fight. With shaking fingers, I pulled off the ribbon and opened the box.
32
I QUIT BREATHING for a moment when I saw what was inside the box. It was a delicate, old-fashioned birthstone ring, with this month’s birthstone.
Every other person in the world would have looked at it and thought, Max would hate this. It was girly. It was beautiful. It wasn’t made of titanium and black leather with spikes on it. But it seemed exactly right, in a weird, heartfluttery kind of way. And I really loved it.
Quickly I slipped it onto the ring finger of my right hand. It fit like it was made for me. I couldn’t stop looking at it.
I realized that Fang was waiting for a reaction. “Thanks,” I managed, my voice husky. “It’s perfect.”
“You’re perfect,” Fang whispered, leaning close. “As is.”
It took several seconds for me to realize I was beaming at him like an idiot. I shook my head, trying to escape the pull of his gaze.
“Okay, now! Everyone up to the roof!” Gazzy said, clapping his hands. “I can’t give you your presents inside! Something might catch on fire.”
I had a flash of concern that was quickly wiped out as we all flew up to our rooftop. The sun had just set, and there was a lingering pink glow outlining the mountains in the distance.
We sat down in a line on the roof, our legs dangling over the edge. Even in the dim light, I kept turning my hand this way and that, looking at my ring, feeling like I was glowing inside.
Nudge, sitting next to me, gave me another hug. “A tattoo!” she said happily. “They’re so in right now! I can’t decide.”
“You’ll find the perfect thing,” I told her, happy that she liked my gift.
“Now, everyone, stay sitting down,” Gazzy said, fiddling with something in a big cardboard box. Fang moved behind me and gently pulled my shoulders back so I was leaning against his chest. Of course I started practically hyperventilating. After the flock’s teasing, I was super selfconscious, but clearly Fang had no intention of pretending that we weren’t – together.
“Max first,” said Gazzy. “Since it was her idea to have a birthday party.”
We all cheered as Gazzy flicked his lighter. Something caught fire in the darkness, and after a few seconds of hissing and crackling, went whoosh out into the night. Three seconds later it exploded, making a gorgeous blue fireball of sparks, and we all went ooh and ahh. As the sparks fizzled and began to fall, they looked roughly like the letter M.
“Oh, my God!” I cheered. “Gazzy, that’s beautiful! How did you get it to do that?”
Gazzy smiled modestly. “I can’t tell you that. Next, Fang!”
Fang’s fireball was a brilliant orange, lighting up the sky.
In fact, it was so bright that it illuminated the old, unused logging road way below us in the gorge. And it showed a black Jeep four-wheeling it up the side of our mountain.
I got to my feet just as Fang’s orange letter F appeared. “Flock!” I announced. “We have company.”
33
WE CROUCHED DOWN, staying in the shadows on the roof. The moon was bright overhead, and our raptor vision easily picked out the dark Jeep as it came toward us.
“Any chance it’s lost? On its way somewhere else?” Fang asked softly.
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Sure. It’s probably the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, and they’re looking for the North Pole.” I shook my head, already pumped into battle mode.
It was starting. I could feel something change. I’d been on edge, paranoid for days. There was too much déjà vu: the house, the location… I’d seen an Eraser paw and an Eraser face. Even the black Jeep reminded me of the first time the Erasers attacked our old house. We’d been on the run ever since.
It was almost like the nightmare of the past year was about to start all over again.
“Okay, guys,” I said tightly, “let’s fan out. Hide high in trees, watch and see what happens. Check the sky for choppers; make sure the Jeep’s sunroof doesn’t open. When I give the signal, we attack. Aim for the Jeep’s windows. Break ’em.”
“Right,” said Gazzy, his face determined.
Almost silently, we ran hunched over to the other side of the roof, farthest from the road. I couldn’t believe this was happening. We’d barely been at the house a week…