“Max?” said the Gasman. “Are those, um, rats?”Lovely. “Yes, those do appear to be either rats or mice on steroids,” I said briskly, trying not to shriek and climb the walls like a girly-girl.”

“What are you doing here?” [ndr prison]Selling Girl Scout cookies,” I said. “Want some? The Samoas are terrific.”(Max II to Max)”

“Nudge threw her arms around my neck. 'I love you Max! I love all of us too!'Yeah, me too,' Said the Gasman. 'I don't care if we have our house, or a cliff ledge, or a cardboard box. Home is wherever we all are, together.”

“Max!' Nudge cried, rushing over to hug me. Her thin arms gripped me tight, and I hugged her back, scratching her wings where they joined her shoulders, the way she liked. 'We were so worried—I didn’t know what had happened to you, and we didn’t know what to do, and Fang said we going to eat rats, and—''Okay, okay. Everything’s okay,' I told her. I met Fang’s eyes over her shoulder and mouthed rats? silently. A flicker of a grin crossed his lips and then was gone.”

“Um, there's a girl meeting her friend,' he went on. 'Her friend is giving her an ice-cream cone. Oh-it's dripping. Huh. It, uh, dripped on her...chest.'Iggy drew in a hissing breath.It's gonna stain for sure,' the Gasman said. 'That's chocolate.'Hmm,' Fang said, watching, the girl dab at her chest with a paper napkin.”

“Flying monkeys?" the Gasman called out a guess. "Like in the Wizard of Oz?"It dawned on me then. "No," I said tersely "Worse. Flying Erasers.”

“I love you Max,"Fang said..."God, Max I love you so much."I know. I thought. I've always known”