Blue Wings {COMPLETE} {UNDER EDITING}

Chapter 18 - Mack

I blink my eyes open to muffled chatter, suddenly frighten when I no longer feel Liz's warmth in my arms. I strain my ears to hear the conversation but even though my hearing is better than before, I can only make out half of it: "You mean... esse.." A voice says through the leaves. I sit up, flinching with the ache in my back.

"Th.. said." Another voice replies and I immediately recognize it as Liz's voice when she speaks and my fright lessens. I stand quietly, finding my way through the dark to the area the two stand.

"How do you know that's right though?" Dylan asks, leaning back against a tree.

"I don't, but it's the only thing we have to go by." Liz replies, standing in front of the teen.

"Tell me this." Dylan begins, stepping forward and grabbing Liz's arm. I take it as my cue to join in, and walk closer to the two. Their heads snap my direction, and Dylan releases his hold on Liz, shaking his head at us. "Were you just so caught up with your boyfriend to share this with me anytime sooner?" Dylan mumbles in anger, turning away. Liz grabs his wrist, holding him in place. "Of course not. I didn't understand it at first, that's all."

"Sure you did." Dylan snaps, pulling away and stomping off through the trees. I walk forward, pulling Liz into my arms.

"Everything alright?" I whisper curiously, anger at Dylan lessened by his view of Liz and myself.

"I think Maria is in Tennessee." Liz whispers back, leaning her head on my shoulder with a sigh. The new information slowly registers in my mind and the earlier events click into place.

"Well then let's go to Tennessee." I suggest lightly but Liz shakes her head.

"I want to find her as much as Dylan does, but right now we are far too weak. If those devils ever find us again, we'd end up dead or worse.."

"Okay." I nod in agreeance. "What do we need to do?" Liz pulls back and glances around the forest, staring at the tree tops for awhile before looking at me. "We need to go back to her house, gather supplies and find out where exactly we are."  Liz suggests, walking over to where Dylan stands.

"Dyl-" Liz begins but the angry teen cuts her off.

"How could you even think about not going directly to Maria!?" He screams at Liz, face twisted in anger and pain.

"Dylan, calm d-"

"No!" Dylan strikes at Liz, but she grabs his fist before it makes contact. Surprised, he tries to pull his hand free, but Liz holds tight, pulling him around to look at her.

"I'm much stronger than you Dylan." Liz states coldly, giving Dylan a death stare that frightens even me,  but Dylan returns it.

"That's only because you were born a mutant!" He spits, his voice thick with venom. For a full minute the two stay quiet, but Liz's glare doesn't falter from the comment.

"Dylan, look at yourself! Most of your cuts aren't even healing, you need rest. We all do." Liz pauses, glancing at me sideways briefly before returning her gaze to Dylan. Slowly she releases her grip on his fist and he pulls it away, glaring into the forest.

"I know you want to find Maria, but think about it.. Could we really do any good for her in our current state?" There is a brief silence and Dylan relaxes his stance, shaking his head.

"You're right, I'm sorry." He admits quietly. Liz throws her arms around him whispering to him, "You have nothing to be sorry about." Eventually Dylan returns the hug. I slowly walk up to the two, glad that the fight is over.

"So does this mean we are going back to the cabin?" I wonder out loud. Dylan turns to face me, and Liz watches quietly as he gives a brief nod.

~<->~

As we near the quiet cabin a chill goes through my skin. Seiza had been kind enough to take us in and it only brought her death. I stop at the entrance, staring up at the empty abode, before quietly ducking inside after Liz and Dylan. Glass crunches under my shoes as I walk inside, making me flinch at the memory of the devils just outside the windows.

"Mack." Liz's voice cuts into my thoughts and I glance up at her. "Can you check for cans of food in the kitchen?" She asks. I nod blankly, stepping over the glass and into the kitchen. The cabinets hold numerous cans that I pull out and place on the table, counting the total quickly in my head.

Fifteen. That's five for each of us.

Liz soon appears in the doorway, gripping a green backpack in her hands and we fill it with the cans, returning to the living room where we meet Dylan with a folded map in his hands. Dylan lays the map out on the floor and we crowd around it. " I marked the places with major mountain ranges." He explains, pointing to a red circle. Liz scans the map, noting every circle before pointing to the one in California. "There." She says looking at us. "I think we are in California."

"How do you know?" I ask, studying the map some more.

"I remember when we first escaped. We had been in California. It just seems different now because we're walking instead of flying." She responds, glancing at the map.

"Are you sure they brought us to the same place?" I question still unsure.

"How else would Dylan be here?"

"But are you sure--"

"No Mack, I'm not sure. I'm not sure about anything but it's all we have right now." Liz cuts me off staring at me with sadness and pain in her eyes. I nod reluctantly, backing off.

"Okay." Liz begins, sighing tiredly. "We should try to rest, but someone should keep watch."

"I'll keep watch, you two rest." I suggest, receiving a grateful smile from Liz. Dylan grabs blankets and pillows from the other room, positioning himself on the couch, while Liz curls up in the corner not far from my position.

As the room grows quiet, images of my past life form in my head. I see the faces of my old friends and wonder how they are faring without me. Do they miss me? Has my uncle even noticed my absence or does he not care?

"I"m sure he does." Liz whispers, sitting down beside me. "Sorry I was listening in, it's hard to control what I hear." She admits, resting her head on her knees.

"Maybe you just need practice?" I suggest.

"Maybe.." Liz agrees, fading off and her voice soon appears in my head. Do you want to go back? The question catches me off guard and I sit back, allowing myself to think about it, but my father's face pops into my thoughts instead. The memories that I had tried to forget. The scars reopened when I discovered he was still alive. The scar on my stomach aches and my new wings ache along with it. Liz scoots closer, gently laying her hand on the middle of my back. She presses down, slowly moving her hand up and down between my wings. I instantly relax feeling her touch, and the aches, new and old fade.

Now I see why you like this. I think to her receiving a faint smile in return.

"You know, I haven't done this for you in awhile." I whisper out loud, turning around to face her, but she shakes her head backing away. "I'm fine." She replies quietly, staring blankly ahead.

"Okay.." I murmur, "Then can I ask you a question?" Liz glances in my direction, giving me a brief nod before looking away.

"What did Dylan mean by 'you were born a mutant?' "

There is a long pause, then Liz sighs. "Unlike Dylan and Maria, who were given their mutant DNA after birth, I was given it before." She pauses, fiddling her fingers. "Basically, I'm just an experiment." 

"It's fine, whatever..... You never answered my earlier question." Liz reminds me, eager to change the subject.

"It's in the past now." I assure her, but the feeling that I'll be seeing them again doesn't fade.