Two Schools Out - Forever

12

Twenty minutes later, I was two pints lighter and dizzy as a dodo bird from it. I shouldn't have given that much blood, but Fang needed even more, and it was the best I could do. Now he was in surgery.

I made my way down the hall to the waiting room, which was crowded-but not with bird kids.

Quickly I walked the perimeter, in case they were under chairs or something. No flock.

My head swiveled as I checked one hall and then another. I was already weak and kind of nauseated, and the fear of losing my flock made me feel like hurling was seconds away.

"They're down here." A short, dark-haired nurse was speaking to me. I locked my gaze on her.

She handed me a small plastic bottle of apple juice and a muffin. "Eat this," she told me. "It'll help with the dizziness. Your... siblings are in room seven." She pointed down the hall.

"Thanks," I muttered, not knowing yet if I meant it.

Room 7 had a solid door, and I opened it without knocking. Four pairs of worried bird-kid eyes looked up at me. Relief-however temporary-made my knees weak.

"You must be Max," said a voice.

My stomach seized up. Oh, no, I thought, taking in the guy's dark gray suit, the short, regulation hair, the almost invisible earpiece of his comm system. Eraser? It was getting harder to tell with each new batch. This guy lacked a feral gleam in his eyes-but I wasn't going to let down my guard.

"Please, sit down," said another voice.