“Show them bird girl,” said Total. “I love that one.”

Angel smiled. While we all waited, holding our breath, she began to change again. Two minutes later, we had a blue bird of paradise with Angel’s eyes. I mean, she still had a human shape. But her face and head were covered with fine turquoise feathers and she had two spectacular plumes. It was the weirdest freaking thing I’d ever seen, and believe me when I tell you, that’s saying something.

She held out slender feathery hands and wiggled her fingers.

“Oh, my God,” breathed Nudge. “That is so awesome.”

Angel smiled and, just as quickly, turned back into herself. “So far I can only do those two,” she said. “But I bet if I practice, I can do other stuff.”

“Uh-huh,” I said weakly.

“How come she can do that and I can’t?” the Gasman asked.

“You’re siblings, not twins,” I said, giving mental thanks.

“We’re all changing a lot,” said Nudge, sounding worried. “We’re changing in ways they didn’t plan, didn’t expect.”

“Yeah,” said Iggy. “By the end of the week, we’ll be tadpoles.”

“Iggy,” said Nudge, “I’m serious. We don’t know what’s going to happen to us.”

I looked at my flock. Fang was guarded; the rest looked varying degrees of anxious. Time to put on my leader hat.

“Listen up, guys,” I said, sounding calm and in charge. I should be on Broadway, I really should. “It’s true we’re changing, and in ways they didn’t program. And we have no idea what’s going to happen next. But you know what? No one else does either. It’s the one way that we’re like the rest of all the people out there.” I waved my arms to demonstrate “world.”

“No one ever knows what’s going to happen next,” I went on. “People change all the time, and they’re not sure how they’ll end up. They might be short or tall, able to play the piano or not; they might have their mom’s eyes or their dad’s nose or their uncle’s bald spot. It’s always a mystery. It’s the one constant, everywhere, with everyone. We’re just a little more exciting, a little cooler than most.”

Was I good or was I good?

My flock looked calmer, more cheerful. They nodded and smiled.

“Okay, now,” I said more briskly. “Time for bed.” I held my fist out. One by one, my flock stacked theirs on top, and then we headed up into the trees to sleep the sleep of the innocent.

Well, okay, maybe not so innocent. But the sleep of the much less guilty than others, for sure.

Chapter 24

24

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