spread my wings

chapter 17

"Did it work?" Nudge asked.

"Yes, it worked. Where'd you get it?" Max said.

"The computer." Nudge informed her. "Like, when I touch it. I can see the person who works here. It's a woman with frizzy red hair. She drinks way too much coffee. She typed in the password, and I can feel it."

"Wow." Max said. "Touch something else."

    There's a pause, then "A guy sits here. A baldie. He bites his nails. He went home early yesterday. I have a new skill! I can do something new! This is so cool!"

"Good for you, Nudge." Max said. "You saved our butts here."

There's a long period of just key clacking a mouse clicking, then a printer whirred.

"What are you doing?" the deep male voice said.

"I think maybe I found something," Max told him. "I'm going to print it, and then we should get the heck out of here. Start getting the others together."

I scrambled up, bumping my head on the top of my cage. Don't leave without me! I try to scream, but my throat had closed up.

"Uh, just a second, Max," a new little voice says.

Someone pulls back a curtain that had apparently blocked off all our cages from view. Six faces of varying heights pop in to look at us.

The people (obviously kids, maybe even younger than me) started looking into cages.

"This is pathetic." the deep male voice says. I finally got a better view of them as they slowly approached.

    Max was a tallish teen with short, blond hair and a tough face. Nudge was younger and shorter, maybe around twelve, and African American. The young boy was about six and had a crew cut. There was an adorable tiny girl, obviously his sister, that clung to him fearfully. The deep male voice belonged to a tall, dark haired hot guy. Finally, there was the tallest boy, pale skinned and blond, who held his hand out in front of him as though he couldn't see. The others guided him with small touches and noises, and I realized that he was blind.

     The angelic little girl ran up to Total's cage. "Hi, doggie." She said. "Hi, little doggie. You look like Toto. From The Wizard of Oz?"

     Nudge stood stiffly in front of a cage a little ways away. I squint and see that the kid in the cage has wings, just like mine.

"You know, we can't save them all." Said tall-dark-mysterious.  "I'm supposed to save the whole world, remember?"

     The fuck is she talking about? I wondered.

"Well, I'm gonna start with these guys. Start popping latches."

    I press against the bars eagerly. Max ended up staring into my cage, a sad look on her face.

    She popped the latch on my cage. I awkwardly climbed out, stretching my wings. I caught her staring, so I self-consciously tucked them away.  

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Kids don't belong in cages." she says.

Well duh. I want to say. What was all that shit about saving the world? Are you guys freaks like me, or just really in the loop? Who the fuck ARE you?

But I hold my tongue and stand next to her as she calls out in a loud voice, "Okay, everybody. Let's blow this joint."