Falling Slowly: A Maximum Ride Fan Fiction

The Butterfly and the Bat

A good two hours later and everyone had settled in. It turned out Freya, Keziah, and Azalea had been living in a very well hidden but huge Mansion that was settled underground. Well sort of. Half of it was up above ground (3 levels) and another three levels were underground. Currently, everyone but Angel and Azalea was in the kitchen. The missing two were in the back in the huge greenhouse he was told. Fang looked around the giant living room. Gazzy and Keziah were playing her Xbox, while Iggy and Freya were having a conversation about everything under the sun. Fang sat there, wriggling with the slightest bit of curiousity of what exactly Angel and Azalea were doing. He stood up and began to walk out with his hands clasped behind his head. 

"Going to find Azalea?" Keziah asked. She was dead on. 

"Nah, just going to check on Angel and make sure she isn't bugging Azalea too much." Fang said. 

"Ahh, Kowareta loves children." Freya laughed. 

"Ko-ware-ta?" Iggy questioned. Freya nodded. 

"It means 'broken' in japanese. We all have nicknames pertaining to our present or past," Freya explained, "Aza is Kowareta, broken, Kezi is Onrain, Digi because she is a nerd, and they call me Chishi, Lethal."  

Fang nodded and began to walk out. Iggy began to engage in a conversation about why she got "lethal". Fang crossed a rather large meadow before he reached something that looked like a two story glass house. He opened the door slowly and walked in. Rows of flowers and plants lined a perfect path. The green house was enormous, very wide and looked like a sanctuary. After about half a mile, there was a glass staircase that led up. Fang stepped up, following the staircase when he heard gentle singing from above. 

"The crimson stained sun has illuminated everything; now and the past. Is what I have imagined in this twilight more than my own hands can accomplish?~" Fang heard the gentle, yet fierce melody that echoed perfectly off the glass walls. He reached the top of the second floor and gasped. It was nothing but grass, flowers and bushes. Tons of butterflies roamed freely. Towards the middle of the meadow like floor, Azalea and Angel had their backs to Fang. A vivid butterfly sat idly by on Azalea's finger, which she held out so the insect could stay awhile. It flapped its glass wings, as if it too was enchanted by the young girl's song. Fang walked up quietly and sat next to Angel, who smiled and placed a finger to her lips as to not disturb the song. 

"If eternity knows what manner of darkness and when pain will vanish, then that way, you shall taint me, I looked always to yesterday, to castles in the sky, when will I be able to follow them? This song of truth shall be my guide." Azalea finished, the butterfly fluttering off her finger and to the other side of the brunette female, out of sight. Fang was at a loss for words. Not that he spoke many to begin with. Just as he was about to say something, a little girl crawled out from the other side of Azalea. Her long dark brown hair was combed into neat pigtails. She was thin, not malnourished, but scrawny and pale. Her eyes were an olive green color that almost comforted Fang. 

"Hi!" the little girl squealed in an excited voice. 

"Hello," Fang smiled, "What is your name?" 

"I am Mirette!" the little girl giggled. Mirette climbed onto Azalea's lap and did the most amazing thing Fang had ever seen. 

Mirette giggled and then shifted into a small Calico kitten. Angel turned to him with a bright smile, her eyes excited. Fang's eyes were about as wide as Azalea's who was frowning as well. 

"I told you not to do that around others, Mirette," Azalea scowled, "You might scare him." 

Mirette yawned and hid her petite face under Azalea's hand. Azalea sighed and turned to Fang. 

"I can explain." Azalea said with a weak smile. 

"That is the single most coolest yet weirdest thing I have ever seen," Fang said with a raised eyebrow, "And I'm a mutant freak, there isn't much I haven't seen." 

Surprisingly, Azalea laughed. Fang smiled as Azalea pet Mirette's head with her index finger. 

"Her name is Mirette Lowrin. She is four years old and she is mutated to be a shape shifter." Azalea said. Fang frowned a the sorrowful note her voice held. 

"Is she your sister?" Fang asked. Azalea shook her head. 

"She's my.. sister- in- law. Supposed to be."  

"May I ask how?" Fang asked hesitantly. Azalea looked at a flower for a moment before taking a deep breath. 

"I had a boyfriend, his name was Xander Lowrin. He was Mirette's older brother. Both of us grew up together. My father was..," Azalea hesitated, "highly important. So was Xander's parents." 

"Important?" 

"They were scientists weren't they?" Angel asked, reading Azalea's mind. Azalea closed her eyes and nodded. 

"Yeah. After they succeeded in some aviation experiment, they tried more and more. Finally, they ran out of options. My father and Xander's parents agreed to use Xander and I. I was turned into a Generation 74 child, Xander was turned into an Eraser." Azalea said, her eyes were tainted with a dark aura. Fang didn't dare to ask, instead he let her continue. 

"I escaped one day and Mirette helped me. We went to find Xander, but instead of coming with us.." Azalea's voice faded off. 

"He attacked you." Angel read again.  

"Yes. Engaging him in battle was hard, but after he almost killed Mirette, I knew he was no longer the Xander I loved. He was powercrazed and insane, and that day, I ended up killing him." Azalea finished. 

"Pretty intense background. I am sorry to hear that." Fang said, offering condolences. 

"Heh, Don't be. Past is the Past, can't change it now." Azalea said quietly. Angel nodded and patted her shoulder sympathetically. 

What Azalea was thinking, Fang would never know; 

Angel, however, would.