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33

As soon as I looked, I saw them, hundreds, if not thousands, of fluttering bats. They swept jerkily among the trees, odd little black quotation marks against the deep purple night sky. We'd flown with hawks before, but not bats.

"Hey, they're mammals, like we are," I said. Were they more like us than birds? Well, not the whole eating-insects thing.

"My ears hurt," Total complained.

"It's their echolocation," I heard Iggy explain. "It's way cool. Now be quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

Total huffed and settled down.

Nudge, Angel, and I swung into a circle, each keeping one wing tip touching the others', and flew around like feathered spokes on a wheel.

Then Gazzy came up and whapped Nudge on the back with one wing. "You're it!" he cried, and darted away.

Fang was up high, doing steep circling moves, banking, practicing the techniques he'd learned from the hawks out west. It was hard to see him-except when he passed in front of the moon.

Then all at once I felt the all-too-familiar rush of heat flooding me, washing my face with fire. I began breathing fast, the adrenaline jump-starting my heart. Quickly I put my hand up to my face, hoping I didn't look like an Eraser now, in front of the others.

The next thing I knew, I was streaking into the sky like a rocket, my hair streaming in back of me, wind stinging my eyes. I was going incredibly fast, and I could hardly feel my wings moving. Oh, my God, what is this? I thought, seeing the earth blur beneath me.

The flock and I could keep up a steady pace of eighty miles an hour with no effort, and could sprint at a hundred and twenty. Dive-bombing, we'd hit speeds of a hundred and eighty.

I was going way faster than that now, straight out, by myself.

It so totally rocked.

A giddy joy rose up in me, but my laugh was snatched away, left far behind me as I shot into the night. Eventually I came back to myself, felt myself slowing.

I wasn't even breathing hard. Laughing again, I turned and headed back toward Anne's house. I figured I'd gone about... thirty miles.

The flock was where I'd left them. I saw them long before they saw me.

I slowed and coasted up to them. Five faces turned toward me, looking stunned. Six, if you count Total.

The Gasman was the first to speak. "You have warp drive," he said faintly.

"I want to ride with you," Total said, trying to escape Iggy's hold.

I laughed and held my arms out, and he leaped into them. In his excitement, he licked my neck, which I could have lived without, but whatever.

"What was that, Max?" Angel asked, wide-eyed.

"I think I just developed a new skill," I said, grinning big.


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