Chapter 3: Explanations and Hope
I woke up the next morning to the smell of someone cooking. Now, in my house this would be bad. None of us girls can cook. However, this was the boy's house and Iggy, for some reason, could cook better then anyone else I know.
After getting dressed, I managed to get downstairs where everyone was sitting around a large dining room table, eating. I smiled at them and sat down and the only available chair. I helped myself to some of the scrambled eggs and avoided Fang's gaze.
"So, what are we going to do today?" Nudge asked. "Are we going to go shopping? I saw some really cool stores a few blocks from here. Angel, I think you might like some of…mph!" Iggy plastered his hand over Nudge's mouth, shutting her up.
"Actually, I think Max has something she wants to tell you," Fang said, glancing at me. I glared at him and then glanced at the four curious faces that were now looking at me.
"I guess you're all wondering why we're reuniting after three years of separation," I said. The flock, it feels sooo good to say that again. The flock all nodded. I stole a glance at Fang for support and he nodded to me. "Well, a few days ago, back in Arizona, my expiration date showed up. It says that I'll die in four days." I had never been one for fancy speeches. I looked at each face and they all had the same look: shock. Then Angel burst into tears. I got up and went to hug her.
"It's okay, sweetie," I whispered, running my fingers through her curls. "It's okay."
"No it's not!" Gazzy cried. "Y-you just got here and now-" He went quiet. I could tell that he was trying to be strong, but he was still really young. Only twelve. I held out my other arm and he moved into my embrace.
"We've got to accept this," I said, holding both of them tight. I looked behind them to see Nudge quietly sobbing and Iggy was grabbing the table so hard that I thought it would snap. Fang, the emotional person that he is, didn't say anything. But, then again, he had already known. "It's not like there's anything we can do about it."
"Maybe there is."
We all turned to look at Fang. "What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean, that the whitecoats planted these expiration dates in us. Maybe they can somehow reverse them."
"But how would we find the School?" I demanded. "Didn't it disband?"
"Well, yeah."
"If we can't find the whitecoats, then how can we get rid of my expiration date?" Why didn't he just realize there was no hope.
"Do you honestly think that they don't keep in touch with each other?" Fang asked. "We can find Jeb. Jeb can tell us where the whitecoats who implanted these expiration dates are and then we can go get them." When the flock just stared at him, he stood angrily. "Well we can't just sit here, damn it! We have to try to beat this thing."
"Yeah!" Gazzy said, pulling out of my reach. "We have to al least try."
"But how are we going to find Jeb?" I asked. I refused to get my hopes up.
Fang smiled. "A new skill of mine. If I concentrate hard enough on a person that I've met, then I can find them." He shrugged. "I've never really had a chance to use it until now."
I looked around at my family, at their hopeful expressions, and almost against my will, I felt hope rise in my chest.
"Do you really think this will work?" I asked Fang. He turned to me with a confident smile.
"I really think it will," he replied.
I smiled back and looked at the younger kids. "Then let's go."