Forty-six. There were forty-six residents in the hotel. I stared at the wall in the kitchen as the older mutants recounted the stock in the pantry. Eating out of the dumpsters was not enough to keep all of them alive. The scavenger group had gone as far as Bronx on foot and had dared to cross the water into Brooklyn and Queens a time or two. The food was rationed to the point that I was eating 200 calories per day. I couldn't stand flying anymore. It took too much energy. I would have to do more than scrape food out of the trash. I had to get it from somewhere else.
If they could find a new sponsor, everything would go back to normal. Even if they were to get half of what Susan supplied them, they would live a long while. I could hear, even from across the building, the angry, hunger-driven roar of twenty mutated teenagers. It was a scary sound. Aaron, the poor kid, was trying to calm them down. I suspected that Slick was the fast-talker that broadcasted the word to the whole hotel that we are starving.
I was still staring at the wall when Frankie grabbed my arm. "Angie, we aren't going to make it much longer like this! You have to figure something out and stop this crazy shit!"
Aaron busted into the kitchen and shut the door. Leaning on it, as if to keep the shouting out, he panted like a dog. "I've been trying to quiet them for hours! What are we going to do, Angel? You have to do something!"
I had previously rejected the leadership position, but they seemed to ignore that and follow me anyway.
"Why don't we take that old convenience store by the railroad? It would be easy, and we can live off that for two extra days. That's what they want. What do you say?" Aaron looked at me. My mind spun with disbelief. The thought of stealing food, or robbing for that matter, had never crossed my mind. What he said was true. It would be very easy for them to break into the old building. It would also be very easy to lose control of the crazy crowd of hungry kids and possibly hurt or kill someone. My mind rejected the idea, and a new one lit up my mind.
"No way, Aaron." I said. "No resident of this hotel is going to steal anything." I pushed past him and swung the door open.
The shouts grew louder than before when the crowd saw me tipping over a crate and climbing onto it. I stood there while they started chanting. "... Angel, Angel, Angel.." I knew what they wanted me to say and I hesitated before yelling for their attention. Much to my irritation, my voice got lost in the swirling roar of the mob. The chanting continued and I screamed for them to stop, my anger burning hotter. The immature, pathetic children jumped and chanted like idiots, wanting me to let them steal and destroy for their own wellbeing. My face grew hot and white spots flashed before my eyes.
I filled my lungs with air and my voice cut through the noise. "SHUT UP!" My wings opened, blowing the dust off the walls and stretching to their full length for emphasis. The shouting faded and I let five whole seconds of silence set a dramatic mood before I began to announce my decision, clearly. "I suppose you all have heard, by now, that we are not finding enough food to feed us all decently." A murmur began echoing around the room. I folded my wings back behind me so fast that they slapped together, sending a silence once again over the room.
I began again. "I am also sure that you all are well aware of my willingness to beat the living snot out of anyone I want." Someone snickered. "So I am positive you will all be very calm and accepting of my decision to send some of you away." Before the protests could start, I cut them off. "HUSH! I want everyone who is willing to help me continue what Susan Rockley started in the same, non-violence way she started it, stay here with me. Those of you who would rather steal for yourself... You must leave. That way, everyone gets to eat. If you stay, but steal, you are going to deal with me. That is my decision and it is permanent."
I could feel the angry glares as I hopped off the crate. Whispers turned to chatter, and chatter to groaning. I looked at Frankie and Aaron, who were leaning out of the kitchen. Frankie smiled approvingly, and Aaron looked impressed.
In the two hours following, over half of the older people had stomped off the hotel's property, grumbling under their breath. Ruby, the fuzzy bear guy, and so many others that I was secretly happy to see leave. To my surprise and horror, Slick decided to stay. He gave me a smirk and said that he liked living at the hotel and contributing. I would, without a doubt, be watching him very closely.
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