James Patterson - Two Schools Out - Forever

"Wouldn't that be redundant?" Fang muttered.

"Hmm. Well," I said. "I know how easy it's been to relax there, guys. But let's try to keep on guard, okay?"

"Okay," Angel said.

"I'm chilly," said Total.

My eyes narrowed.

Angel smiled at me.

"You're wearing a fur coat," I pointed out.

"It's chilly up here."

I gritted my teeth, unzipped my coat, zipped Total into it, and tried to ignore how the boys were snickering. Total's little head peeped out at the neck of my jacket.

"Much better," he said happily.

"Yo-first address is down there," said Fang, pointing. "Showtime."

"Maybe her dad was a barber?" Nudge said.

I looked over at Fang. This was the address that had been closest to his name, the address where his mom had supposedly lived. We thought she'd been a single mom, a teenager, and that she'd given Fang up for adoption. But like the first two addresses, this was a bust-a barbershop in the shadow of an office building.

Fang shrugged, looking unconcerned. But I knew him, and the stiff set of his jaw.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. For just a moment, he met my gaze, and I saw his emotion. Then his eyes went flat again.

"No big. Didn't think it would add up to anything anyway," he said. "It's probably more wasting of our time, but should we check out this last one?"

"Yes," said Iggy. It was the address next to his name.

"Okay, let's go," said Fang, and he took off, not turning to see if we were following.

"He's really upset," Angel whispered to me, as Nudge and Gazzy leaped into the air.

"I know, sweetie," I whispered back.

"I don't care where I came from," Angel said earnestly, looking into my eyes. "Wherever I came from, I don't want to go back. Not if you can't come too."

I kissed her forehead. "We'll deal with that if and when it happens," I said. "But right now, let's catch up to everyone else."

"Hang on," said Total, trotting over to a fire hydrant. "Potty break."

"Are there apartments on top of the stores?" Iggy asked, his feelings written all over his face.

"No." I heaved a sigh. Iggy's coded address had turned out to be an Asian food store in a little strip mall.

"What's across the street?" Iggy asked.

"A used-car lot," I said. "I'm sorry, Ig."

"It's my fault, guys," said Fang. "I thought I'd cracked the code, but obviously I was totally off my gourd."

"Well, if you were wrong," Nudge said, "then we don't have to be disappointed, right? It just means we still don't know."

"Yeah, that's right, Nudge," I said, thankful that she was taking it so well.

"This sucks!" Iggy shouted suddenly, his voice echoing off the glass storefronts. He punched a telephone pole in front of him, hitting it accurately. He winced, and I saw the scraped skin and bloody knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Ig-," I began.

"I don't care if you're sorry!" Iggy shouted at me. "Everyone's sorry! That doesn't matter! What matters is that we find where we belong!" He walked angrily away from us, his boots kicking up stones in the parking lot. "I mean, I just can't take this anymore!" he yelled, waving his arms and heading back to us. "I need some answers! We can't just keep on wandering from place to place, always on the run, always hunted..." His voice broke, and we all looked at him in shock. Iggy hardly ever cried.

I went over and tried to put my arms around him, but he pushed me away.

"We all want answers, Iggy," I said. "We all feel lost sometimes. It's just-we have to stick together. We won't stop looking for your parents, I swear."

"It's different for you," Iggy said, his voice quieter but bitter. "You don't know what it's like. Yeah, I make jokes, I'm the blind kid-but don't you see? Every time we move on, I'm lost all over again. You guys-it's so much easier for you. Even your lost isn't as bad as my lost, you know?"

I'd never heard Iggy admit to feeling scared or vulnerable.

"We're your eyes, Iggy," said the Gasman, sounding small and anxious. "You don't need to see when you've got us."

"Yeah, but I won't always have you!" Iggy said, his voice rising till he was shouting again. "What happens if you get killed? Of course I need to see, you idiot! I remember seeing! I know what it's like! I don't have it anymore, and I won't ever have it again. And someday I'm going to lose you, lose all of you-and when that happens, I'll lose... myself."

His face was contorted with rage, and he swept one hand down and picked up a chunk of asphalt. Whirling, he threw it hard against a storefront, where it shattered a big plate-glass window. Immediately alarms went off.

"Uh-oh," Iggy muttered.

"Let's split," Fang said. Angel, the Gasman, and Nudge took off. Total jumped up into my arms, and I zipped him into my jacket.

"No," said Iggy, and I skidded to a halt.

"What? Come on, Iggy," I said. "The alarm's going off."

"I know. I'm not deaf too," Iggy said bitterly. "I don't care. Let them find me, take me now. It doesn't matter. Nothing matters."

And, to my horror, he sat down on the curb. I heard police car sirens wailing toward us.

"Iggy, let's go, get up," Fang said.

"Give me one good reason," Iggy said, dropping his head into his hands.

I tossed Total to Fang, and the dog yipped, startled, as Fang grabbed him. "You guys go," I ordered.

Fang took off, but the flock stayed nearby, hovering. The police sirens were getting closer.

I leaned down. "Listen, Iggy," I said tensely. "I'm sorry about tonight. I know how disappointed you are. We're all disappointed. And I'm sorry you're blind. I remember when you weren't, and I can't even imagine what it's like to lose that. I'm sorry we're mutant bird kids, I'm sorry we don't have parents, I'm sorry we have Erasers and people trying to kill us all the time.

"But if you think I'm going to let you give up on us now, you've got another think coming. Yes, you're a blind mutant freak, but you're my blind mutant freak, and you're coming with me, now, you're coming with us right now, or I swear I will kick your skinny white ass from here to the middle of next week."

Iggy raised his head. Flashes of light told me the cops were almost on top of us.

"Iggy, I need you," I said urgently. "I love you. I need all of you, all five of you, to feel whole myself. Now get up, before I kill you."

Iggy stood. "Well, when you put it that way..."

I grabbed his hand and we ran around to the back of the mall, then took off fast, racing toward the shadows at the edge of the parking lot. We stayed high, looking down to see two squad cars zoom into the lot.

We turned and headed toward Anne's house, and I made sure the tips of my wing feathers brushed against Iggy's on every downstroke.

"We're your family," I told him. "We'll always be your family."

"I know." He sniffled and rubbed his sleeve across his sightless eyes.

"Let's go fast," Total said.

"What is this?" I said without thinking. "I mean-looks good. Smells good." I sat down at the table and held my plate out. "Is that broccoli? Yum."

Anne put a big spoonful of some casseroley-type stuff on my plate. I could identify peas and a possible carrot and something brownish that was probably of the meat persuasion.

I picked up my fork and put a smile on my face. "Thanks for making dinner, Anne," I said, taking a bite.

"Uh-huh," she said, giving me a wry look. "At least I made a lot of it. I'm learning."

"It's fine," I said with my mouth full. I waved my fork in the air. "'S great."

Fang passed Iggy his plate and tapped the table by his fork. Unerringly Iggy picked up his fork and started eating. I'd kept my eye on him since last night, but he'd been pretty okay today. At least, he hadn't blown anything up or set anything on fire, so that was good.