"NO SHE ISN'T," I said. "She came out with us!"
Nudge shook her head. "She's trying to save someone—she flew up to the top floor and went inside!"
"Mon fils!" a woman cried nearby, pointing.
I gaped at Nudge, my mind reeling as she pulled me toward the hotel. Nudge pointed to the spot Gazzy was staring at: there, on the top floor of the hotel, a small boy was leaning out an open window. One window over, flames were lapping out, eating the expensive silk curtains. The boy was crying and shouting for his maman, reaching for her.
"Aidez mon fils!" the woman screamed, pointing.
"Angel!" Gazzy cried.
Maya and Fang were already up there, hovering outside the window. Angel was in the room with the boy, but he was terrified and wouldn't listen to her. She kept gesturing to the window, but he wouldn't budge.
"Why doesn't she just control his mind?" Gazzy asked, watching fretfully.
"The kid might be too upset," I said, not taking my eyes off Angel.
The little boy looked about four. I watched Angel talking to him earnestly. Then I saw flames enter the room and whoosh across the ceiling.
"Get out of there!" I shrieked.
Fang and Maya were beckoning to Angel and holding out their arms. A fire truck rounded the corner just then, sirens blaring, lights flashing.
Now the fire was very close to Angel and the boy. He was sobbing. On the street, his mother was wailing and wringing her hands. Then a billowing cloud of thick smoke rolled through the room, hiding the boy and Angel from us.
My mouth gaped in horror as I shot out my wings and started flying toward the window.
Fang and Maya were coughing from the smoke.
Suddenly, two figures jumped from the window.
"Angel!" I yelled.
Her once-white wings were dull and gray. The boy's weight was making her sag as she flew, but she held him tightly. They were both gasping for breath and coughing.
Fang and Maya went closer. Angel looked at them and
nodded. With one forceful stroke of her wings, she shot away from the building—just as the room exploded in flames, showering the sidewalk below with glass and debris.
I flew along the sidewalk beneath her, and with Fang and Maya flanking her on either side, Angel landed well down the block, setting the boy down gently. His mother raced up, shrieking in French, and grabbed him. He was coughing and sniffling but managed a smile as he motioned to Angel. The woman tearfully thanked Angel, who nodded wearily and then headed over to me. I met her halfway.
"Way to go, hero," I said, giving her a high five.
"Thanks." She smiled, her teeth bright white against her soot-covered face. "I bet you were dying to come get me."
I laughed ruefully. "You know me too well. I was going crazy."
Angel smiled again and took my hand. It was like old times.
