Disclaimer: I do not own MaximumRide, any of the characters associated with stated book, or Bambi. Nor do I have the rights to any musical artist or other celebrity mentioned in this story.
I missed Mom's cookies. This thought was the one thought that kept running through my head as we flew across the country. Right now, we were coming back from a short saving-the-world jaunt in Washington (the state, not the DC). We had been doing the usual, camping every night in trees or in parks, eating out of garbage cans, going 48 hours without sleep, etc. Today we had risen with the sun (it sounds romantic, but it is in fact terrible). We had been flying for maybe a half an hour before Angel came up to me.
"Max?"
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"I'm hungry."
Wow. No kidding me. But honey, we just had breakfast. "Can you wait a while? We'll be flying for a couple more hours, but I think there's a town about a half an hour away."
"Where are we going, anyways?" asked Iggy.
"Californ-i-ay!" I said, grinning. Fang raised an eyebrow. I lowered my voice and said, "We can have a nice little vacation after saving the world (partly), right?"
"Guess so," he said.
"Where are we going? Are we going to go to Hollywood? I so want to go to Hollywood. Maybe we can walk on the Walk of the Stars. Is that what it's called? Maybe we'll see Orlando Bloom or even the Taylor Twins again!"
"We can definitely go to Hollywood, Nudge," I said. "But first I want to stay in a hotel."
"Like a nice one? With unlimited hot showers, free soap, soft fluffy white beds, warm blankets, puffy white pillows, shiny brass lamps with linen shades, and even a TV?"
That's my Nudge. "Most definitely."
Fang came up silently next to me. "You know your MaxRide card probably isn't limitless."
I hate it when he's right. "I hate it when you're right. But can't we have a nice hotel stay after saving the world?"
"Probably not 5-star."
"No, ya think?"
"But they'll need to think we have an adult with us. Or at least an over-eighteen."
"Says who?"
"You don't like Angel using her mind controlling powers. So they have to think we have adult supervision."
"I hate it when you're logical like that. Okay, so how are we going to pull that off?"
"You'll see. Dinner soon." He ducked away, flying back to the back.
Angel darted up to me. "Fang has a plan, and I don't think you're going to like it."
"Why not?"
"Because…" she started to giggle.
I looked back and saw Fang giving Angel the dagger glare. "Here," I said, before anything else could be conspired against me. "You guys pick a place and fight it out. We'll land in the back and walk around to the front."
"There!" Gazzy pointed with glee.
"That's not a Garden Tavern type place, is it?" I asked with a feeling of ominous dread and imminent gloom. I shuddered at the memory of us placing our orders and waiting… and waiting…and waiting until the manager came out and essentially told us we couldn't have our food. Then police started coming in and we had to break through the ceiling and break our cover.
"No, silly," laughed Angel. "It's a Golden Great Wall Tiger Cottage China Dragon Buffet place."
I stifled a snort of laughter at the name. Nudge, on the other hand, gasped. "I am like, so there."
"Is it good?" asked Iggy.
Fang looked at me with those dark eyes…
"Max? Please?" begged Angel.
"Don't make us bring out the Bambi eyes," said Nudge.
"Okay, sure. Just promise me you won't get thrown out by the manager."
It was too late. They were all spiraling down, even Fang. Man, he must be hungry. I followed them in and paid, biting back a smile at their 'innocent' faces. Considering our 3000 calorie per day minimum, this was a great deal. I followed our hostess to a table and set my backpack under my chair. "Let's eat!"
They all grabbed plates and left, except Fang. I looked up at the familiar prickling on the back of my neck. He was standing right behind me, his eyes dark and unreadable as always.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, almost tenderly.
I dropped my head into my hands. "I miss Mom and her cookies," I said. "But other than that, I'm just tired."
His hand brushed the back of my neck, smoothing all the stray hair off to the side. "Now that we've saved the world a couple of times, can't we find a home? A permanent home that we can return to? Maybe even a permanent, damage-proof home that we're sure to be able to return to?"
I looked up at him. Our eyes met, and for one brief moment, I felt like the world had gone away.
"Maybe you could change your mind now?"
I paused, remembering our not-so-brief kiss and my flight (literally!) from that scene. "Can we talk later? The kids and Iggy are coming back."
Fang nodded, his face returning to calm-and-unaffected. Then he walked off to get his own food. I just sat there. My stomach was churning with nerves. Later, we were probably going to have a long 'discussion,' and I would lose my Max-mind (was there any left?) and, of course, my famous silver-tongued rapier wit,
"Max, aren't you gonna eat?" asked Angel.
"No, sweetie, I'm not hungry."
"Please, Max. They have Chinese doughnut. They're greasy and fried and dipped in sugar and oh god that's so good…" said Nudge, her eyes closing in decadent bliss.
"But only if you eat your vegetables," said Gazzy, whose face was perfectly straight.
Angel giggled at something and whispered to Nudge. Fang was staring hard at Angel. Then he rolled his eyes, turned to face me, and forced a piece of Szechwan chicken into my mouth. I gagged and then swallowed, glaring at Fang.
He shrugged. "You weren't eating."
I rolled my eyes at him and went to get some food. I was surprised to find that I was hungry, and I piled my plate high. On top, I placed the crowning glory: the Chinese donut. It glistened invitingly as I walked back to our table. I sat down and started eating… and eating… and once I started, I couldn't stop. After my fourth plate, I slowed down.
"Max done yet?" Iggy asked. "I want to find out what Fang's plan is."
I stopped halfway to biting into my last Chinese donut. "Nooo…" I moaned. "My donut…must have donut."
As I relished the last bites of donut and licked my sugar-coated fingers one by one, I felt the flock, minus Iggy, watching me eat. They were eager to go find out what Fang had in store for me. Finally, I stood up. We paid, walked out the door, and congregated on the sidewalk in the dark.
"So. Iggy, you're in charge for now. Go over to the Sleep Inn and say you're waiting for your family. Don't let them see Total unless he's allowed as a guide dog. Max and Fang are going on a little adventure. I promise it'll be good when we get back."
He grabbed my arm and marched me away down the street. I caught a burst of giggles from Angel and Nudge, and I rolled my eyes.