Two years have passed since the third book. Max, Iggy, and Fang are all 16 – I'm not sure about the other's ages.
Fang POV-
I shifted my weight around quietly, trying to find a more comfortable spot on the cold ground.
Pulling my windbreaker more firmly around me, I scanned the clearing before checking on the flock.
Angel and Gazzy were curled up beside each other, their identically colored golden hair spread about them like halos.
Nudge was sleeping next to Iggy, who had one hand on her shoulder so that he would know when she moved.
Then, finally, was Max. She always slept a little ways away from the rest of the flock, as if she thought that she could protect them by not being right beside them all of the time.
She was curled up, shivering, with her thin, worn out windbreaker under her head as a pillow.
Oh Max…
I stood up, stretched, and walked quietly over to her and spread my jacket over her shaking shoulders.
I knew that my face was probably betraying my emotions, but there was no one around, so I didn't care. I worried about Max, so much more than anyone else in the flock.
She was so brave, taking care of the five of us without a care for herself. I sat back on my heels, with my hands on my knees, just looking at her.
I smoothed a lock of her soft hair from her forehead, and stood up, careful not to wake her.
As soon as I sat down, though, she stirred, eyelids fluttering. She yawned, and pulled my windbreaker tightly around her. Looking slightly confused, Max looked at the jacket, then at hers, then back to mine. The reason finally dawning on her, her brown eyes flickered up to meet mine.
I grinned at her, and she came and sat next to me. She yawned again, and leaned her head back against the tree.
"Thanks."
"Sure."
No other words were needed; we knew what had to be said.
"What'cha doing?"
I smiled to myself, looking at her closed eyelids.
"What's it look like? Keeping watch."
"Want me to – " Yawn. "-take a turn?"
Glancing up at the still star-jeweled sky, I shook my head humorously.
"Think I can manage, thanks."
Eyes still shut, Max's head slowly lolled sideways until it came to rest on my shoulder. I stiffened, and then slowly relaxed, smirking inwardly. Max would never hear the end of this one. Not that I minded, of course.
Telling myself I didn't want her to be cold, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and gently placed her head on the inside of my shoulder. I leaned my head softly against hers, listening to her steady breathing.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Max POV–
I slowly stirred, and sat up. I had been extremely tired (and still was) but I knew I needed to check on the flock.
I pulled my jacket around me, then paused. If I was using my windbreaker as a pillow, then whose was- oh. I met Fang's smirking brown eyes, sighed, and sat next to him.
"Thanks."
There was no need for Fang to ask what I meant.
"Sure."
I closed my eyes and mulled around for words, finally seizing the first phrase that popped into mind.
"What'cha doing?" I mentally smacked myself for the dumb question.
Jeez, Max, can we say 'duh'?
I could just feel Fang's smirk.
"What's it look like? Keeping watch," He replied, a touch of humor coloring his voice.
"Want me to – " I yawned. "take a turn?" Great. Now I really do sound like I'm going to fall over if I try to stay up another minute. Not that it's true, of course.
"Think I can manage, thanks."
He was laughing at me!
I was really getting dopey with lack of sleep.
I felt myself slowly slipping into dreamland again, so I sighed and surrendered to the dark tide.
A long time later, I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I was sitting on the ground, but I was considerably more comfortable than was normal in our circumstances. I was leaning against something warm and hard, and a strong arm was around my shoulders.
Fang.
Crap.
I knew that I had fallen asleep last night after I was talking to him, and that I had most likely, in my dopey state, fallen on him.
I was so never going to hear the end of this.
Fang's head was leaning against mine, his breath tickling my ear. From his deep breathing I guessed he was asleep, but I knew that could change in an instant. Fang is one of the most paranoid people I know (other than me) and would wake in an instant.
So, after some careful deliberation and difficult mental calculations, I decided that the best course (with the least embarrassment on my part) would be to stay in my current position.
Aka, with Fang.
I sighed and relaxed, feeling the soft cotton of his black t-shirt rubbing against my cheek. He smelled nice, a mixture of wind and outside and his own unique scent.
I hurriedly deepened my breathing and relaxed when I felt Fang stir and his breathing quicken. I could almost sense him open his eyes and check on the Flock, unconsciously tightening his arm around me.
I smirked inwardly, grateful for some ammunition to use against him when he teased me about falling asleep.
I felt Fang looking down at me, and his big hand closed on my shoulder, shaking me gently.
"Max. Wake up." I thought I put on a pretty good act of slowly opening my eyes, and grinning blearily when I saw him.
"Mmm, morning, Fang."
"At least it is morning now, unlike the last time we talked."
I grinned at his gentle teasing, and noticed that he hadn't removed his arm from around my shoulders.
"You're warm," I said, closing my eyes and leaning against him again.
"You're cold," he said, and I could feel the words rumble up from his chest.
"Wow."
Maximum-
"Shut up, Voice."
"We really should get up," I said reluctantly after a while.
"Do we have to?" Fang groaned jokingly. "Five more minutes."
I must have been imagining it, but I was sure I saw real disappointment in his eyes as he rather reluctantly removed his arm from around my shoulder.
I stood up and stretched, leaving Fang still leaning against the tree; one long leg bent and the other stretched out straight, his dark eyes following me.
"Up an' at 'em, Iggster! It's a brand new day!!"
"Max?"
"Hmm?"
"Shut up."
I laughed as I shook Gazzy awake gently.
"Fang, can you wake up Nudge? I'll get Angel."
Once the whole Flock was up, I slipped back into my leaderly role.
"Ok, I think that we should go visit Mom in Arizona. Any objections? Good. Pack up; we can be there by dinner if we hurry."
As I was packing my things into my backpack, a heavy hand came down on my shoulder, making me jump and spin, preparing to attack as adrenaline flooded my veins. Fang leapt backward, lithely avoiding my swinging fist.
"Jeez, Max, tense much?"
I staggered, a hand over my even-more-rapidly-than-normally thumping heart.
"Holy cow."
I felt slightly dizzy – I knew that much adrenaline at one time could be just as effective as any knock around the head.
Fang looked at me critically, a hand automatically reaching out to steady me.
"You look pale. Sit down before you fall down."
I let a breath out with a whoosh. "I'm fine. You just startled me, is all. Did you want something?"
He even had the grace to look slightly sheepish.
"Any particular reason we're hauling ourselves all the way to Arizona in one day?"
I sighed. Time to spill the proverbial beans.
"Yes. I've decided that if all of you guys are ok with it, we're going to settle down at Mom and Ella's for a while."
He read my guarded expression closely; hands shoved in his pockets and face expressionless.
"What else?"
Dang.
"And we're going to start school again."
Fang got that faintly shocked look again (which for all of you non-Fang-readers out there means that he's going to die of amazement) and pulled his hands out of his pockets.
After a few minutes of silence, I couldn't stand it.
"So?"
He recovered his expression carefully. "So what?"
"So what do you think?!" I exploded, throwing my hands in the air.
Fang smirked at me, satisfied. "Whatever."
I shook my head in exasperation. "Fine. We'll talk to Mom and Ella when we get there."
I strode back over to where the Flock was waiting patiently.
"Flock! Air! Now!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I rapped quickly on the door, then pushed it open.
"Hey, Mom! You've got visitors!"
Dr. Martinez (or Mom) bustled out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Max! It's about time you all showed up for a visit," she smiled, giving me a hug.
I shot Fang a nervous look, but he just looked back at me.
"Um, actually…"
"Can it wait until dinner?" she interrupted, looking knowingly at Nudge and Gazzy's longing faces.
"Yeah! Sure," I said in relief. "Where's Ella?"
"Oh, she went out for a run. She should be back soon."
I was completely dumbfounded.
"Why on Earth would she do that?"
Dr. Martinez laughed. "She plays soccer, but some people actually do like to run for the fun of it, Max."
"Oh." I said, ignoring Nudge's whisper behind me. "Yeah, but I'll bet we could beat any other human runner by like, a mile!"
Just then, I heard noise in the entrance, and Ella's voice calling.
"Mom! I'm home!"
Ella clattered into the kitchen, looking hot and sweaty. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, and the pushed it away from her eyes in annoyance. She broke into a smile as soon as she saw us, and pulled me into a hug.
"Hey, Max! I missed you guys!"
I hugged her back, smiling happily.
"Missed you too. Mom said you were running – how far'd you go?"
"Oh, only about a mile today. I was too tired to do any more after practice yesterday."
I shook my head in amused amazement. "Ella, you're nuts."
Ella made a playful face at me, then her expression lit up. "Hey, Max! You should come running with me tomorrow! You are staying for a while, right?"
I very deliberately didn't look away. "Yeah."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
By the time we had all gotten seated at Dr. Martinez's table, I somehow ended up sandwiched between Fang and Ella.
"Hey, Mom? What're we having? "Ella asked, taking a gulp of water.
Dr. Martinez bustled around the kitchen, setting dishes on the table.
"Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls."
My mouth was a freaking waterfall. I didn't dare open it lest I drool all over Dr. Martinez's clean tablecloth.
"Mom, I love you." I grinned.
The doctor flushed as she busied herself in the kitchen. "I should hope you do!"
She sat down, taking off her apron. After saying a quick grace (where the Flock awkwardly closed their eyes, not knowing what to do) we all dug in.
It was dang good.
After thirty consecutive minutes of suffering from stuff-your-face-itis (which wasn't all that horrible of a disease) we all sat back in our chairs.
Dr. Martinez folded her hands on the table. "So, Max, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
I shot a quick glance at Fang, who was sitting back in his chair and had his arms folded with his long legs stretched out under the table. He looked relaxed, but his eyes were focused and his jaw was stiff.
Thanks for the help there, chatterbox.
Before I could answer, Angel interrupted. "Max, can Gazzy and Nudge and I go play?"
"Sure, sweetie," I answered in relief. That left only Iggy, Dr. Martinez and Ella to break the news to right now.
After Angel, Nudge and Gazzy had scampered off, I faced Dr. Martinez again.
I mulled around for the right words. "Well, we've been thinking… we've been on the run for a long time, and we think it's over for a while."
I sighed. This wasn't coming out right.
"I want us to stay," I said bluntly.
"Of course," Dr. Martinez said. I shook my head.
"No, I mean stay. I mean for like, a long time, school, the whole shebang."
Dr. Martinez's eyes widened.
Iggy's jaw dropped. "School? Who are you and what have you done with Max?" He joked. Ella seemed dazed. "You want to actually stay? Like, stay?"
I nodded. Ella jumped up and practically tackled me in a hug.
"Whooooo!!!! Mom, they can stay, right?"
Dr. Martinez nodded her head happily. "Of course! She's my daughter – how could I say no?"
Ella dragged me out of my chair and grabbed my hands, spinning in circles.
"You're staying! You're staying!" She yelled.
I laughed out loud as I spun with her. I briefly saw Fang grinning slightly at our antics before he whirled out of view again.
Ella and I finally stopped, breathless and laughing. "Come on, let's go tell the kids!" I grinned, pulling Fang and Iggy behind me.
"Gazzy! Angel! Nudge! Living room!"
They raced in, falling on top of each other as they fell on the floor. I knelt down to their level.
"Guess what, guys? We're going to stay here with Mom and Ella! You get to go to school and everything!"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Fang-
I grinned quietly to myself as Max was immediately tackled by a screaming Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel.
"You mean it, Max?
"Yippee!"
"So
we can go to school again, and we won't have to wear uniforms this
time hopefully. And we can get a whole bunch of new school clothes
and maybe we can walk to school-"
"Ella! We're staying!"
"Igg! We can meet a whole bunch of new girls!"
"-cause I mean really, who rides the bus – ew!"
Max finally laughingly shushed them, sitting up from where she had landed on the floor.
"Yes, we're going to school. No, Nudge, there are no uniforms and we are going to have to get new school clothes, but we will have to ride the bus, sorry."
I nudged Iggy with my elbow. "I'm surprised she didn't call the Gasman a sexist pig," I chuckled.
"And
as for you,
Gazzy,
you little sexist pig –"
Iggy snorted with laughter.
"-I somehow doubt that you and Igg are going to be meeting the same girls, seeing as he's in a much higher grade than you."
"Awww!"
Dr. Martinez came in and interrupted the hilarity. "Ok, come on, kids! You need to come see your rooms!"
Max-
We all filed upstairs like good little children, and Dr. Martinez opened a white door.
"Here's
our first extra room – I'm guessing the girls are going to want
this one."
The room was white and green with wood trim. It had
two twin beds, with homey looking quilts. The dressers were painted
white.
Angel
and Nudge ran into the room and bounced on the beds.
"Dibs on
the blue one!"
"Awww. Ok, I'll take the white one."
The next room we came to had a heavy wooden door.
"And this one, I assumed would be for some of the boys."
The room was papered with reddish brown. There was an intricately carved wooden desk with a lamp and places to put things in drawers, and there were two also very fancy looking beds. Gazzy took Iggy over to the desk, and whispered something to Iggy as he grinned.
"We want this one!"
"Fine," I warned them, "but don't blow it up!"
Iggy and the Gasman cracked up, and Dr. Martinez looked faintly alarmed.
Now only Fang and I had to be shown our rooms. Dr. Martinez opened the next door, and I knew it was going to be Fang's. It was sparsely furnished, with only a plain desk, a chair, a lamp, and a plain wooden bed. There was a fairly small closet, but it's not like Fang has a huge wardrobe.
I snorted at that thought.
It was perfect for him - it matched his personality to a T.
Fang walked in, looking pleased. He ran his hands over the desk, and sat down on the bed.
"It's nice."
He grinned at my exasperated expression, and stood back up.
In answer to Dr. Martinez's questioning look, he explained impassively, "I want to see Max's room."
So did I, now that I thought about it. "Let's go."
Dr. Martinez led the way to the end of the hallway. When she opened the door I was expecting to see a room, but instead I saw a set of small stairs leading upwards.
"The attic," Dr. Martinez said slightly apologetically.
I was feeling slightly apprehensive until Ella bounded up behind me. "Oh, Max! Are you getting the attic? That's the best room in the house!"
I smiled at her. "Only the best for me, huh?" I joked.
Fang shook his head at me as we headed up the eensy-weensy steps.
I opened up the door at the top of the steps, and grinned. The room was perfect. It was cozy but not too small, colorful but not too bright. I can't describe it, but we'll suffice to say it was way cool. I ran in and fell on the bed, sighing happily.
"Oh, I can so see myself getting sent here if I get in trouble."
Dr.
Martinez and Ella laughed and the corner of Fang's mouth twitched
upward.
"Well, you guys get unpacked and settled, tomorrow
we're going for school clothes and supplies. You didn't come a
day early, school starts next Monday and I still have to get you
registered."
I grinned impudently. "My trademark. Since when have I ever been on time for anything?"
As they started down the stairs, she called back over her shoulders. "You were never late when I called for cookies!"
I laughed. "That's different!" I hollered back.
I grinned at Fang, who hadn't left yet. "Scat and go unpack your stuff, bucko."
He
smirked back at me. "Don't call me bucko, Maxine."
"Shut
up, Fnick."
"Shut
up yourself, Fmax."
"Laaaame."
"That's Mr.
Lame to you, shorty!"
I
mimicked him.
"That's Miss.
Shorty to you, jerk!"
"Right back at'cha!"
I was laughing my head off by this time; even Fang was grinning at our exchange. I pushed him out the door and slammed it, listening with a grin to his chuckles receding down the steps.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"How
about this one?"
I shook my head at Nudge and her disgusting
frilly neon green shirt.
"Ew, no."
Nudge sighed put her hands on her hips exasperatedly. "Max, if you don't agree to anything, then you won't have any new clothes for school!"
"Fine."
"Max!"
"Look, Nudge, I'm a big girl; I can find my own clothes without having a mental breakdown."
She looked slightly dubious but threw her hands in the air and stalked off to find Angel.
I sighed, and began looking around halfheartedly.
I found a few pairs of cargo pants, and plain t-shirts. I also ended up getting some jeans (that actually fit!) and some nicer shirts in a lot of plain colors like dark red, blue, green, white, orange, and black. I grabbed two new hoodies and a windbreaker for good measure.
After
picking out a few different plain pairs of tennis shoes I headed off
to see how the others were doing. The Gasman and Iggy were both happy
with anything other than torn army pants and huge hoodies, so they
hadn't had any trouble finding new things. Angel and Nudge had gone
to town with pink and purple frills, so that I could hardly look at
them.
"Ow. You're searing my eyes with all that pink," I
joked, covering my eyes teasingly.
"Max!"
"Ok, ok. Hey, at least I'll never lose you in a crowd," I grinned at them.
Fang
was sitting quietly on a bench, waiting for everyone to finish. I
flopped down next to him, sighing dramatically.
"Woe is me,
cruel and unusual punishment is being inflicted on us for no
reason!"
He grinned pitilessly. "Except that we looked like
we'd just come off the streets,"
I stared at him. "We did."
"Right."
I chuckled, peering into his bag. "So what'cha get?"
He snatched it back, looking through it.
"Jeans, t-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, boots."
I
grinned. "Let me guess. All black?"
"Nope."
I
pretended to fall off of my chair in surprise.
"What? The
almighty dark-and-silent Fang is going to wear something other than
black in public?"
He punched me on the arm gently.
"Shut up."
I socked him back, smirking.
"Seriously,
though, who took over your mind?"
He looked down, and I would
almost swear he was embarrassed.
Nah.
"Dr. Martinez said I had to get some colored shirts."
"What colors?"
"Uh, navy blue, dark green, grey, dark brown."
"Awww, come on, that barely counts."
He just smirked, his word quota apparently used up for a while.
I hate him sometimes.
You do not, Max. You would never hate your flock. The Voice (aka Jeb) jumped in.
My back stiffened instinctively. Even though Jeb had 'explained' all of the things that he had done, I still didn't trust him.
"You got that right. I would never betray them, either." I thought back pointedly.
I
could feel him sigh, and narrowed my eyes.
What, you don't believe me, Jeb?
There
was silence for a long time, then:
This
isn't Jeb, Maximum.
I swear my heart stopped then.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I quickly attempted to recover my composure, and succeeded fairly well.
"Fine. Who is it then?"
The Director – your mother, Max. It said.
"Ok, I'm feeling a definite sense of déjà vu here; we already went over this, and I already shot down any dreams you had of trying to be maternal." I shot back.
Max, the Director said reprovingly.
A sharp pain struck my temple, and I flinched.
I
became dimly aware of someone shouting my name, and looked up.
Fang
was crouching in front of where I sat on the bench, trying to get my
attention. He sat back when he saw my eyes focus, and put his hands
on his knees.
"Max, what the heck is going on? I've been
trying to get your attention for five minutes!"
"Um, Voice. I mean, no, it's not Jeb, but she's trying to talk to me – yes, it is the Voice." I rambled, not really paying attention.
"Max, you're not making sense," he said in concern.
I
raised my hand to stop him. "Give me a few minutes – I'll
explain then."
He sighed in exasperation, he hated waiting.
I returned to the conversation in my head.
"So, where were we… oh, yeah, I remember! We were at the part where you try to make me come back to the School so you can kill me, and I tell you there's absolutely no way that's ever going to happen!" I stated triumphantly.
You are half right – you made one crucial mistake, though: you will come back to the School.
"Yeah, and Fang's going to start wearing pink and singing Little Bunny Foo-Foo."
There is no need for sarcasm, Max. The Director was getting audibly angry, and I grinned, although the angrier she got, the worse my headache got.
"And why not? Just because you're totally incapable of making a joke or using sarcasm doesn't mean you have to dampen my spirits!"
I flinched again, she was getting mad. I grinned wolfishly to myself, shutting out the throbbing.
"And
just so you know, what I said earlier about never betraying my Flock
totally applies to this situation. I'm never, ever going to come
back to your vile School and leave them behind-"
Max-
"-because they are a million times better then anyone you could cross breed in your dumb labs! Plus, Iggy can make some mean pancakes," I added.
The Director shrieked in anger, resulting in waves of pain radiating through my skull. I gritted my teeth, satisfied in the knowledge that I could still get under her skin.
Fang –
"Aww, come on, that barely counts." Max grinned at me.
I just smirked, knowing that she hated it when I didn't reply. Sure enough, she frowned, then her eyes unfocused and her back stiffened until it was ramrod straight.
Her
eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched tightly.
"Max. What's
going on?"
She appeared not to have heard me, so I assumed Jeb talking to her.
I started to get worried when her eyes widened and she slumped back against the wall.
"Max?"
She
sat back up, looking defiant. Her mouth moved silently, then she
flinched, only her facial muscles moving. The rest of her body was as
tense as a rope.
I crouched in front of her, shaking her shoulders and calling her name. "Max! MAX! Come on, you idiot, snap out of it. Max!"
Her brilliant brown eyes, which had been looking dazedly into the distance, focused on me, and I sat back on my heels. Trying not to show my relief and concern, I asked, "Max, what the heck is going on? I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes!"
Ok, so slight exaggeration.
"Um, Voice. I mean, no, it's not Jeb, but she's trying to talk to me – yes, it is the Voice." She rambled, and I could tell she wasn't focusing on me.
"Max, you're not making sense,"
"Give me a few minutes – I'll explain then."
I
almost groaned in frustration, but checked myself and sighed instead.
I absolutely hated
waiting for important things, especially if they concerned Max.
She
looked back into the distance, a concentrated expression on her face.
It was rather interesting watching her facial expressions changing –
I saw concentration, then triumph, then amusement.
"Yeah, and Fang's going to start wearing pink and singing Little Bunny Foo-Foo."
I started, almost falling over.
Whaaat?
I didn't think she meant to say it out loud. I shook my head and chuckled. Oh, what I would give to know what was going through her head when she said it.
I
could tell she was in pain, which worried me. She didn't seem all
that bothered though, she actually looked pleased.
She's
goading them,
I realized with a start. Whoever (or whatever) was talking to her,
she was purposely pushing their patience.
Max, you idiot. This was probably up in the top ten of the "Dumb things Max has done" list.
I
shook my head.
And
I would do exactly the same thing, I
admitted grudgingly.
Max grinned ferociously. Defying the pain, I guessed. I watched her jaw tighten slowly until a knot of muscle was clearly visible.
"Max, you moron," I said out loud, trying to hide my anxiety.
Suddenly her eyes flashed in triumph, then she groaned. She slumped back against the wall behind her, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her eyes had slid closed, and she was breathing quickly.
"Max!"
I jumped up, and wiped the sweat from her forehead, sitting beside
her. Her eyelids fluttered, and she cracked them open.
"Headache."
She mumbled.
"Yeah, cause you were dumb enough to make them mad," I grumbled.
She grinned faintly, closing her eyes again.
I touched her temple carefully with my fore- and middle fingers, rubbing gently. She leaned into my hand in a very un-Max-like way, making a soft sound of content.
"Does that help the headache?" I asked quietly so as not to agitate her aching mind.
"Not really, but oh man does it feel good," she sighed.
I pulled my hand back, much to her reluctance, and stood up. "We have to go find Dr. Martinez and the Flock," I reminded her. "They're probably wondering where we are."
"Drat, I forgot." Max struggled to her feet, looking around dizzily. I took her elbow, steering her in the right direction.
We arrived at where the Flock were still trying on clothes a few minutes later.
"Max! Fang! Where have you two been?" Dr. Martinez asked. "Wait, Max?"
"I'm taking her home," I said shortly. "She's not feeling well."
Iggy dropped his bag in the shopping cart with his usual accuracy. "I'll come with you; I was done anyway."
I nodded to Dr. Martinez and steered Max toward the door with Iggy beside me.
"I hate this," Max muttered. "My eyes just won't keep up with my brain, making it impossible to walk."
I chuckled at her description, stopping before we crossed the street.
"Not many people can keep up with your brain, Max."
"So what's wrong, anyway?" Iggy asked, walking across the street quickly.
I
glared at a guy who was looking at Max with a funny expression till
he backed off.
"I don't really know other than she was
talking to someone in her head, made them mad, and got a huge
headache as a result of it."
Max stumbled, grabbing my arm for support. "I'll tell you about it when my brain decides to stop imitating scrambled eggs," she grumbled.
Iggy laughed. "At least she still has a sense of humor."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Iggy and I walked Max up to her room in the attic, where she went in and collapsed on her bed with a sigh. Iggy went and got her a glass of water, which she sucked down gratefully. She sat up, already looking a lot better.
"So what was that about?" Iggy asked finally.
"The
Voice started talking to me, but it wasn't Jeb." Max started. "It
was the Director lady. We exchanged insults about motherhood, then
she finally got down to business. She wanted me to go to the
School."
Max laughed bitterly. "I told her no. She started
getting mad, which causes the headache. Then she told me I was
going to the school. I was being sarcastic and said, 'Yeah, and
Fang's going to start wearing pink and singing Little Bunny
Foo-Foo."
Iggy snorted. I glared at him.
"Sorry, mental picture."
"Yeah, I heard you say that," I said dryly.
She flushed. "I said it out loud?"
I smirked. "Unfortunately. I thought you were going crazy. Well, even more crazy."
"She socked me on the arm. "Shut up and let me talk. So, we ended up bickering for a while, her getting madder and madder, and me egging her on. I told her I would never betray the Flock because you're so much better than any of the people at the School."
Max ginned. "I also recommended your pancakes, Iggy."
Iggy got up and gave a mock bow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. I know I'm amazing," he grinned.
Max high-fived him and continued. "So, she got really really mad, and apparently she kinda made my headache explode. Not like a brain explosion, it just hurt more than a normal headache. You know the rest."
I fiddled with the comforter on Max's bed. "Anything you need?"
She shook her head. "Nope, I'm good. A little sleep, maybe."
I
got up to leave. "We'll let you sleep then."
Iggy left, and
I was about to follow him when I heard Max. "Hey,
Fang?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For everything."
I turned around and grinned at her, watching her flush.
"Hey, no problem. What else am I here for?"
She
smiled and threw a pillow playfully at me.
"Skedaddle and let
me sleep, Superman."
I chuckled as I walked out the
door.
"Superman. I like it."
