bazinga101: This chapter is for my friend, Vatala Darkmist. I had already written it when I realized how fitting the chapter was. We'll miss you VD! Also I have a poll up for why there are hardly any Iggy fanfics.
Iggy: Please check it out. I feel so unloved.
Ella's POV
Iggy can see? I looked at his eyes. Instead of staring and foggy, his sky blue irises were sharp and focused. The day I wear my mom's clothes, I thought, exasperated.
I tried to say something but all that came out were bubbles. So Iggy can see and now I'm mute.
"I can only see underwater." He gurgled sheepishly.
"And you can paint and you've kept it a secret!" Nudge rambled, "That is sooo cool! And now you know what we look like and we don't need to describe stuff for you. Except above water of course. But still! Iggy seeing! That's like mmph-"
I clapped her mouth shut and looked quizzically at Iggy: How long?
He got the message. "About four months." seeing my hurt expression he added quickly, "I didn't want to tell anyone, not just you."
I guess that makes me feel a bit better.
"Can we see your paintings?" Gazzy asked.
"I guess so."
We swam over to the cave. Reaching it first, I glanced around and gasped, which with this breathing thingy was a mixture between a cough and a hiccup. Photos floated and danced with the current a long with globs of paint and a few paper airplanes. Paintings lined the wall. I floated closer to one. It was a painting of a hand searching through darkness. Its extended finger was lightly brushing the surface of water, causing ripples to form. From the point of contact, colors burst from the water, spiraling and shooting to the edges of the canvas.
"You did this?" Nudge whispered. Iggy shrugged. He swam over to a floating camera, obviously waterproof.
"Can I take a picture of you guys?" he asked sheepishly.
"Of course!" Nudge squealed/gurgled. I rolled my eyes and thunked the back of her head.
"I mean yeah, sure whatever," she corrected, rubbing her neck.
"Let's do it at the surface so Ella doesn't have to wear goggles." Gazzy suggested.
Yes let's, I thought. The rubber of the goggles was beginning to pinch skin. I nodded agreeably and we all started to swim up to the surface.
Iggy seeing. Huh. It's a Maximum Day miracle.
Angel's POV (Next Day)
You don't want your ice cream.
"I don't want my ice cream." Dylan was saying.
You think you'll give it all to Angel.
"I think I'll give it all to Angel."
"Thank you so much, Dylan!" I exclaimed innocently. Strawberry, my favorite.
As I was licking my bowl clean, I noticed Iggy was scowling at me. Or maybe he had a problem with Celeste, I don't know. I frowned. This is Paradise, no one should be unhappy. Maybe he doesn't like his ice cream. I reached into his thoughts, trying to pick up what got him so mad.
Self centered little girl. Thinks she can do anything she wants just because she's Max's favorite. Not that Max is any better. I wonder why Dr. Martinez even lets her rule this place.
I just stared at him in shock. Iggy doesn't like me? But he was like a big brother or something. Was I his annoying little sister? I don't like being annoying.
"Max?" I whispered, tugging on her sleeve.
"Yeah sweetie?"
"Am I self-centered? What does self-centered mean, exactly?"
"Who called you self-centered?"
I looked down, fixing Celeste's halo.
"Angel, sweetie, tell me who called you self-centered." Max said firmly.
"I-iggy."
"Iggy?!"
I nodded. Iggy's head swiveled towards our voices.
"What?" he asked harshly.
"Did you call Angel self-centered?"
He turned red, "Maybe! What's it to you?"
I grinned from behind Celeste's head. Iggy's gonna get it trouble!
Iggy's POV
"Iggy, what's this about?"
Max and I were outside of the food hall, standing about a foot and a half away from each other, the space between us crackling with anger.
"What is what about?" I growled.
"You calling Angel self-centered. What was that all about?"
"Because she is! And you! And Fang!"
Max was silent for a moment. "I think you should think carefully about what you're saying, Iggy."
I gaped at her. I couldn't believe this. She was threatening me! Max, who comforted me when I became blind, who led me through everything that the white coats threw at us was threatening me!
In response to her threat, I unfurled my wings and started to fly away.
"Oh, no you don't" I heard Max say. Her fist shot right past my ear, whistling through the air. Okay, that was it. I pushed down with my wings, climbing steadily into the sky. A whooshing sound just below me told me Max was doing the same. Calculating her position carefully, I dropped onto her head, covering her eyes with my hands. She twisted, pushing me away. When I broke away, she had a kind of cream over her eyes.
"I can't see!" she shrieked.
"Oh, no! What a nightmare!" I exclaimed in mock sympathy. In that moment Max shot at me, attempting to land a round kick.
Of course, what she didn't know was that I was expecting that.
I grabbed her leg, the force of the kick traveling up my arm. I used the energy of her attack to twist her leg behind her, narrowly avoiding her wings.
"Give up." I hissed.
"Never!" she kicked outwards, sending me spiraling away.
I heard her start to drop. Was she unconscious? She shouldn't be. I dived after her, hoping I wouldn't have to carry my opponent to safety.
I heard a splash below me. Oooh. I get it now. She wanted to wash off the salve. Smart, but there's a problem with that...
I sank into the water, enjoying the symphony of colors that rushed up to meet me. Beams of light sparkled over a giant coral reef, sea life swaying calmly in the ocean. An angry Max floated in the middle of it all. Fang was right. Ella and Max do look-alike. Only, I first saw Ella in a relatively calm environment. Now I see Max trying to kill me. Yep, so alike they could be twins.
"You've lost, Iggy," she said, looking triumphant.
"How so?" I asked calmly.
"Because I can see, you idiot!"
"Your point?"
"Well, you can't."
"Says who?"
"Says...wait, what?!"
"Don't hurt yourself."
"You can see?"
"That could be a possibility."
She glared at me, "You're lying."
"Me? Lie?
"Ha-ha. Prove your telling the truth."
I thought for a moment. "See that fish? The orange one with three white stripes?"
"Yeah?"
"Well so do I."
She turned a pasty shade of white.
"I can also see that you're resembling a ghost."
"Shut up!" she launched herself through the water at me.
Ever tried to fight underwater? I didn't think so. Well, let me tell you it's not easy. Trying to land a blow is hard to do in slow motion.
I ducked her first attack and launched a crescent kick at the side of her head. She dodged it easily and attempted a spinning heel kick, missing completely. I knew neither of us could win, going on like this, so I swam to the surface, making Max follow me. I never got there.
Strong hands clamped over my gills. Panic washed over me, overwhelming my senses. I gasped for air but only got a lungful of bitter seawater. I tried to break her grip but my adrenaline was quickly fading. My short life passed before my eyes, which wasn't very interesting considering most of it was dark. My struggles to break free grew half-hearted. Would Max really do this?
Just as I started to sink, I heard an 'oof' and the pressure on my neck lifted. I sucked in water gratefully, passing the air through my gills. I twisted around trying to see what had happened. Max was staring at her hands, shocked. Ella was holding her back, looking just as shaken.
What happened? Her look said.
I shook my head angrily and swam away.
Darkness greeted me as I surfaced. I shook my wings and struggled to get into the air. Numb with shock and anger, I caught an air current, not caring where I was going. All that mattered was to put as much distance between Max and I as possible.
Max's POV
I stood at the beach, helping Ella dry off. She stiffly accepted my help, quietly letting me wrap a towel around her.
"What did you do?" she whispered.
I paused, not sure myself, "I don't know."
I reached out to reassure her but she shrugged my hand away.
"He'll come back." I said, trying to sound certain. I'm not sure if it worked.
The flock came running into the clearing.
"Max!" I turned to see Nudge's face streaked with tears for the first time in a year, "Angel told us what happened and-" she frowned and glanced around, "Where's Iggy?"
Ella seemed to wake up "He flew off. Max-" she broke off.
Gazzy's eyes widened. Nudge, for once, was at a lost for words. Fang and Angel just stood glumly next to Dylan who was staring at me uncomprehendingly.
"Just when I thought I knew you..." Dylan trailed off shaking his head.
Nudge and Gazzy each took one of Ella's arms and led her out of the clearing with Zombie Dylan in tow.
"He'll come back." Angel said.
"That's what I told Ella, but I'm not so sure."
"He's practically got an internal compass," Fang pointed out "he'll come back."
"Yeah. Yeah, okay, he will." I took a shaky breath "And if he gets lost, he probably has some kind of gadget to get him home."
"See? There's nothing to worry about."
I let the two of them lead me back to the food hall. Instead of the usual noise that greets me, tables of mutants sat in silence, staring as we passed to the head table.
My life is officially a soap opera.
bazinga101: I'm rereading this and can't help but think how dramatic this is. By my standards at least. Como se dice 'cliche'?
Iggy: Can you please not speak French? It makes my head hurt.
bazinga101: I seriously need to get you a Rosetta Stone. At least so you can learn THAT I"M SPEAKING SPANISH, YOU FOOL!
Iggy: Hey, Hey! I'm not deaf too!
bazinga101: Coulda fooled me.
Iggy: R&R!
