A/N: I am such a bad writer. I mean, I lack several important values a writer should possess. Like fulfilling promises. Yeah, I'm so bad. SORRY!


Chapter 3

Max POV

If you had told me I was going to this trip and suffer from this scorching heat, I would have ignored you. If you had told me I was going to be stuck here for 2 weeks, I would have complained. If you had told me I would an albino, I would have jumped in awesomeness. If you had told me I was going to this ancient town of Adalia, I would have been stoked.

If you had told me I WAS GOING TO MEET THE MOST FAMOUS SENOR ALEJANDRO NAVARRO, I would have died. Unfortunately, I didn't. I would have picked Death any time of the day. And yes, I did mention I met Alejandro Navarro.

Now, I know you're freakin' out right now, so CALM DOWN. I was like that too. . . just two hours ago. How can I be telling you this now? Because I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! It's all your fault for not telling me earlier!

Sorry, sorry. I'm losing it. I'm losing my mind. If you can see right now, my hands are shaking. They can't keep still. Look at Ella. She's practically staring at Alejandro. Iggy is grinning like the Cheshire cat at him. Alejandro, well, he's looking at us like we're aliens. Not to blame him. He's the one wearing a suit at this scorching heat. Ain't that weird?

Okay, fine. This is what happened.


"Please tell me this is all just a dream," Iggy said, while staring at the huge wooden door right in front of us. Turns out, Adalia is not that small. I mean, IT HAS A CASTLE. When we entered the town, the first building we saw was a bell. Right in the middle of the courtyard. Then, the stores were all arranged in a circle. The blacksmith, the dressmaker, the whatever-occupation-people-had-back-in-the-day people. Behind the bell was a cathedral.

The three of us went inside the cathedral and saw it was full of dust. Dust. Everywhere. What's interesting is that the statue of Jesus nailed to the cross was utterly shiny. It was dust-free. Ella took a picture of that. Also, the stained glass window that held Jesus was also dust-free. Right at the foot of Jesus, there was a picture of a girl, with her arms around a dark-haired guy. They were almost kissing and the girl was crying. I don't know why, but I found it heart-breaking. I took a picture of it in my cellphone.

After praying and making a wish (because Mom said that when you enter a church for the first time, you pray and make a wish), we left the cathedral and went out back. There was a huge trail leading to the forest. Ella was freaking out. Iggy laughed at her.

So we followed the trail, out of curiosity. The forest was the epitome of Death. The trees were decaying and almost all the leaves were on the ground, rather than attached to the branches. Ella took another picture. We followed the trail for half an hour. There we saw the castle.

It's not much. I mean, it doesn't have any moat or drawbridge. That's too English. And too creepy. There was only one tower, and thankfully, it's all the way in the back

Iggy snapped out of his reverie and kicked at the door. It opened. Ella clapped at his "strength." I rolled my eyes. Iggy flashed out his flashlight. We stopped again and admired. There, in front of us, was the biggest staircase I have ever seen in my entire life.

"Why does everything that appears in front of us has to be gigantic and elegant?" I demanded, and it's true. Ella just took another picture.

Iggy, however, was grinning. "Wanna go upstairs?" I sighed and went with his plan.

Again, everywhere we looked, it's covered in dust. Except for the gigantic family painting we saw when we were at the top of the staircase. It was the family painting of the Navarro nobility. Lady Navarro was seated in the middle of two handsome men. The one on her right was smaller than the one on the left and had grayish-black hair. Still handsome, though. The one on the left, however, was the most handsome of the two. Unruly black hair, unsmiling face, angular cheekbones, cold dark eyes, and a small scar running down to his right jaw from the right corner of his lips. Almost perfect. Somehow, the scar made him more handsome.

"Wow, drool much, Max?" Iggy teased. I scowled and jabbed my elbow to his diaphragm. He doubled over in pain. The three of us toured all around the castle, even to the wine cellar. Iggy took two wine bottles. I have no idea what he's going to do with the wine.

When the three of us went to the backyard, it struck us how green the ground was. It was, like, there's something that's making the place the epitome of hope and life. Then we saw the tower.

I heard the old woman's voice echoing in my head. Alejandro pulled the door, and he saw a staircase winding upwards. Iggy and I looked at each other and nodded. We pushed open the door and a dust cloud exploded right in front of us. We coughed and cleared the air. Ella went in first and took Iggy's flashlight. The two of us followed. After reaching the top step, there was another door. He took the stairs and it led him to another door. This time, I was the only one who opened the door.

I screamed at what I saw in front of me. Iggy and Ella pushed at me and also screamed. The blood pounding in my brain was making me dizzy. I closed my eyes and told myself it was all a dream. I opened my eyes and it's still there.

Alejandro Navarro was sleeping on a coffin-like bed while cradling a guitar.


The first one who broke the silence was Ella. She said, "I feel like I'm in the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, except the Beauty is a dude." Then it was clear to me. IT IS LIKE SLEEPING BEAUTY!

I burst into laughter. I shook Alejandro to wake up. He wouldn't. "Max, do you not know that's the wrong way to wake up the Beauty?"

Oh, right.

Ella and I looked at Iggy. Iggy suddenly got it. "I AM NOT KISSING HIM!"

Ella and I complained in unison. "COME ON! YOU'RE THE ONLY GUY HERE!"

Iggy yelled back. "IT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO KISS HIM!"

"YES, IT DOES!"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"

"WE DON'T CARE! JUST KISS THE DAMN GUY AND PRETEND IT'S CHRISTINA AGUILERA!"

"CHRISTINA AGUILERA DOES NOT HAVE STUBBLE ON HER JAW!"

I gave up. "Ella, kiss him," I said, through my clenched teeth.

"Ew, gross. No." Ella shook her head and backed away from me. Iggy did too.

I let out a breath and dropped my face in my hands. Then Iggy yelled, "NOT IT!" Ella yelled quickly, "NOT IT!" In a heartbeat, it registered to me.

"NOT IT! DAMN YOU, PEOPLE!" I stomped my feet like a little girl. Except little girls don't curse. Ella and Iggy laughed and pointed at me. I gave them my Death glare and they shut up.

I knelt beside the coffin-slash-bed. I studied Alejandro. His skin was unbelievably pale, rather than the tan I saw in the painting. I leaned down and noticed how his lashes were longer than mine. Damn.

I leaned closer. I saw the scar and ran my finger down from the jaw up to his lips. My index finger ran through his upper and lower lips. His were soft and smooth. I took my finger and my lips descended down. I closed my eyes and almost pulled back when it was so bright. (I know it doesn't make sense. Try closing your eyes and flash a flashlight to your eyes. You'll see what I mean.)

I kissed him. He kissed back.

HE KISSED BACK!


I pulled back abruptly and covered my lips, as if they touched something dirty. I blinked many times and stared at the figure who was sitting up and smirking at me.

"Who are you?" Alejandro asked, with a low, deep voice. He crossed his arms and laid down the guitar to the floor.

"Max. You?"

He just tilted his head at me, while his dark eyes roamed up and down. Is he checking me out? He smirked again. HE WAS! His dark eyes saw Iggy and Ella huddled together in the corner.

"Who are you?" he asked while looking at me. He was asking Iggy and Ella.

"Iggy," Iggy answered in a low voice.

"Ella," Ella replies in a scared voice.

His dark brows rose and continued to look at me. They traveled down to my bag. His eyes widened. He pointed at it.

"I-is that. . .?" he stammered.

"Is this what?" I looked at my bag confusingly.

He shook his head. "What is today's date?"

I answered, "June 21, 2011."

He closed his eyes. They said guys don't faint. Well, this one did just that.


And so, that's how we got stuck with the infamous Alejandro Navarro. When we left his tower, I noticed that my lips tasted copper-ish. Then I knew Alejandro bit me, when I was kissing him. I started calling him 'Fang'.

This is the part where I'm supposed to be kicking him, beating him up. But I don't have the energy to do so. I sigh again and look out the window. We all decided to go back to Madrid and figure out a plan. A plan about. . . I don't know!

My head is hurting again. Ella has already given me 5 tablets of ibuprofen, yet my head is still stubbornly hurting. Ella gives me another tablet and I swallow it. I feel Fang looking at me.

I glare at him until he looks away. Iggy gives me an apologetic shrug and pats Fang's shoulder.

"Fang, take off the coat," Iggy says to Fang and nods.

Fang looks confused at first then he takes his coat off.

"Take off the cravat." There goes the cravat. Also called tie. Fancy-schmancy.

"Take off the ruffles." There goes the ruffles. Out the window. Fang's eyes widen.

"Unbutton the top three buttons of your shirt." Fang does so.

"Unbutton your sleeves." Thankfully his shirt is not one of those kind where the arms are. . . wide. Know what I mean?

"Roll the sleeves up to your elbows." I'm so enjoying this spectacle. I grin.

Iggy examines Fang with his pale blue eyes squinting. He taps his index finger on his chin. "Lose the vest. Remove the pocket watch. And please, please take off the ring. It's creeping me out."

"No, no, and absolutely not," Fang finally answers. Ella and I are taken aback.

Iggy is not fazed. "Lose the watch then."

"Agreed."


When we get off the train, Fang looks normal. Like your normal 21-year-old man. Except of course, he walks so slow that it takes us almost an hour back to our hotel. Iggy comes with us, since he wasn't planning on staying in Madrid.

When Ella and I are alone (we kicked Fang out with Iggy), we begin to pack our clothes in our suitcases. The only bright side of this trip was that it was only four days long. You don't know how much I'm thankful to leave this country. Not that I hate it. It's just that it's so hot that it's almost possible to fry an egg on the head of some bald dude. That hot.

"Max. . ."

"Yeah?"

"What's going to happen to Fang? Is he coming with us?" Ella asks, while folding her yellow sundress. I attempt to fit the figurine I bought for Mom inside the already-full suitcase. SUCCESS!

I let out a breath. "I still don't know."

"You can't just let a guy like him out wandering in society! People would think he's crazy! Look at what he's wearing!" Ella exclaims and zips up her suitcase. Besides, people (mostly girls) think he's handsome. The girls practically melt when Fang looks at them. Stupid people.

I slap my forehead. "Tell me what we should do then. How is he going to come with us if he doesn't have any money?"

Ella bite the inside of her cheek. "Well, he took a bag. Maybe he filled it with his riches. Or we could sell his pocket watch. It's made of gold, you know."

I squint my eyes. "The question is, will he agree to sell his pocket watch?"

Ella shrugs. "He agreed to take it off. He'll agree."

I shake my head. "I don't think it works that way. I mean, we don't even know what he's like. Maybe he's some con artist!"

Ella looks at me, as if saying Really? "Sis, all we know is that he's smokin' hot, super smart, super tall, super rich, doesn't talk, and would rather eat broccoli than chocolate. Besides, I don't think there were any con artists back in the 19th century."

"Yeah, there were."

Ella drops her head. We take one last look at our hotel room; I take the keys and we leave to the lobby.

Once in the lobby, Ella and I check out, reclaimed our money, and meet with Iggy and Fang. Fang and Iggy suddenly stand up and my eyes go to Fang. There's a certain sadness in his dark eyes. I sigh.

I walk over to him, grab his wrist, and drag him away from Ella and Iggy.

"Is there something wrong?" Fang asks and tilts his head.

I don't answer. Instead I ask, "Do you wanna come with us?"

"To where?"

"Home."

"Where is 'home'?"

"New York, United States of America."

His dark eyes widen. "America? I've always wanted to go there."

"So, do you wanna come?" I meet his dark gaze.

"How do we get there? How long is it going to take?"

I laugh. I know he thinks that we're going to take a ship to go to US. I laugh harder. "Fang, we're going to take a plane. It's going to take 8 hours, at least."

Once again, his eyes widen. I laugh harder at his ignorance. "8 hours? What is a 'plane'?"

I pat his shoulders. "Welcome to the 21st century, Senor Alejandro Navarro." I smile at him.

He does not smile, however. "I did not -"

I cover his mouth. "Shut up. You're now a 21st century citizen, and I am going to teach you the works of modern society. Oh and, give me your watch." I hold up my hand, palm up.

Fang reluctantly gives me his watch. "Whatever do you need it for?"

"We're going to sell it." I grin at his expression.

This time he grins back. "Go ahead. What is your real name, Max?"

I stare at him for a second. This is my first time meeting a 211-year-old guy, yet it feels like I've known him all my life. So I tell him my real name. "It's Maxine 'Maximum Ride' Martinez."

"What an unusual name. It suits you." His dark eyes twinkle. I feel myself blushing. I turn away and walk back to Ella and Iggy.

Iggy notices my red face. He grins evilly. "Either Fang said some Spanish romantic shit and you were touched or he humiliated you because of his lack of modern society knowledge," I glare at him, despite my red face. He flinches and hides behind Ella. "I'm guessing it's neither!"

Fang looks confused. Ella giggles at him. "Welcome to the New World, Fang!"

"I am not sure how I am going to cope at this New World."

I grab his shoulder. "Dude, you have me. I'll teach you everything you have to know about society."

"Then could you please tell me why that couple is kissing at this public place?"

I grin. "Because they're clearly in love. They don't care about the people."

Fang stares at me with his mesmerizing eyes. I stare back. "Have you ever been in love, Max?"

I shrug. "I can't say I have."

"Pourquoi?" Fang asks in French. He is smart. And multi-lingual.

Again, I shrug. "I just don't have the time."

"How old are you?"

"21."

He grins. "Plenty of time to fall in love."

I don't need this guy to tell me I'm getting old. I scowl and turn away. He turns me around again.

Fang has on his serious face again. This time, I can clearly see the sadness in his dark eyes. "Max, if you fall in love, will you tell me?"

For some reason, his words go deep. I shiver at his words. This guy has fallen in love before. "Only if you tell me, if you fall in love."

He gives me a sad smile. God, he's so handsome. BAD MAX!

I turn away from him and yell at Iggy. "Where's the nearest pawn shop?"

"How should I know? I don't live here!"

"You're the one with the GPS!"

"Oh, right."

I hear Fang chuckling beside me. I laugh with him.

This is going to be an interesting year. I mean, how hard is it going to be to teach one guy about the 21st century? It has to be easy.


A/N: GOMENASAI MINNA! I'll update on The Kidnapping tomorrow! RnR?