bazinga101: What? Is it update time all ready? La dee dah, paragraph here, and there, done!

Iggy: Nice to know you put so much work into your stories.

bazinga101: Hmm? Oh, yeah. Wait. What is this 'work' you speak of?

Iggy: How do you live with yourself?

bazinga101: With Green Day and books. I'm my own kind of cat lady!

Iggy: The insane book nerd with a social life but just barely and allergic to cats cat lady?

bazinga101: Awww! You think I have a social life! How cute! I leave the house to catch the bus and that's it.

Iggy: Well, I'm glad you're not turning into that author from 'Nim's Island'.

bazinga101: What's wrong with her? That was my first career choice!

Iggy: Ummmm, well at least your not the girly kinda book nerd. Come on, I'm trying to give you some credit here.

bazinga101: Well that one is true. I finish reading a young adult novel and then go and try to get past 'Medium' on Guitar Hero. Hardcore!

Iggy: Riiiiiiiight...

Disclaimer: I don't own Lily either. *sniff*

Iggy's POV

Did I ever mention I have short-term memory loss? Well I do and let me tell you it's almost as annoying as Max.

About fifty or so miles from the island, I remembered who I was mad at. Then I realized how stupid I was being. Where was I going to go? It was the end of the world for crying out loud! There's no one else out there to take me in. I turned around and started flying back to Max Land. Good thing I have an internal compass.

Wait, where's my sense of direction? Hello, Mr. Compass? I started freaking out, turning this way and that, trying to remember which air current brought me here.

Cold acceptance reached my head. I was lost. More lost than a blind guy already is. I, Iggy Griffiths, was lost.

And I was flying over the Atlantic Ocean. No landmarks, no sight, no nothin'. I couldn't stand it anymore. I let myself drop thirty feet to the ocean, sobbing all the way.

I hope Max is happy.

After my tears had completely dissolved into the salty water, I got up and tried to get my bearings. I thought about Gazzy and Ella, even Nudge as annoying as she is, back at the island. I had to get back to them, there's nothing for me here, twenty thousand leagues under the sea.

I took a deep breath and started swimming towards what I think is north. If I flew I wouldn't be able to tell if I had found land or not, seeing how I couldn't see (Get it? Seeing how I couldn't see. Because, like, I'm blind and...Nevermind).

The water was completely clear. No fish, no reefs, no other bird kids (duh). The light blue liquid faded to black beneath me. It was kind of unsettling, actually. Not knowing what was down there was worse than being certain that there is a shark two inches from my I know what to do and start planning an escape. Down here I felt more blind than ever. There was no change in scenery after the hours I've swam. I couldn't here anything except the deafening sound of water pounding against my ears. All in all it felt kind of... peaceful. And that's not something I'd normally admit.

I liked big loud explosions and complex gadgets that makes life easier for me. My paintings back at the island were just so I could remember what it's like to see when I'm above water. I don't particularly like to draw but it was kind of relaxing in a nice way.

I glanced back down at the ocean depths and felt a trickle of fear. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. This ain't so bad. Just swimmin' and hummin' along. Maybe I'll put together a musical when I get back.

I paused for a was wrong with me? I don't hum. Iggy no hum. Nor do I quote Finding Nemo.

I started swimming faster. I need to get home. I need to get home. I need to get home.

Jeb's POV

Wonderful, this was going to be a great experiment. Balancing on the utmost branch in a tree not far from the crowd that was forming, I raised a pair of binoculars to my eyes.

There.

Max flew down from her house, looking ticked off at the mob of mutants gathering under it. She gestured wildly at the dark night and at herself. I frowned trying to catch her words through the static in my headset. I tweaked a wire and Max's ramblings streamed into my ears.

"...trying to get a wink of sleep but noooooo. You just had to march in the middle of the night and wake half the village up! Can't it wait 'til morning?"

The head of the mob, a seventeen year-old leopard recombinant, stepped towards her. I leaned forward, anticipating the first words of rebellion.

"We wish to speak peacefully with you before we take action." he said, completely ignoring Max's question, "You may bring Fang and Angel with you as long as the girl doesn't try any funny business."

I held my breath, knowing Max did not take kindly to an older mutant trying to take charge. She was weighing her options, I suspected, trying to decide if it was better to go with them and lose more respect as a take-charge leader or refuse and cause more anger among them.

"Fine, but leave your crew behind. You may take two with you but that's it."

The mutant grinned and waved an avian and snake recombinant forward. Fang and Angel flew down from the balcony and the six began making their way to the food hall.

I lowered my binoculars and smiled. The fight for leadership is always the most interesting part of watching a herd or pride and this was shaping up to be the biggest, dirtiest, foot-stompin'-est fight of all time.

Leopard Guy's POV

I can't believe I got this far.

Max's POV

I can't believe he got this far. Normally by now one of his minions would at least have a few major injuries. The only thing that was hurt now was my pride. Stupid mutant uprisings. Why couldn't they just shut up and follow orders?

I stopped and stared ahead bewildered. I was starting to sound like those annoying officials! I never shut up and follow orders so why I am I wishing these guys would? I shook my head. I confuse myself sometimes.

"What are you standing around for? Get moving, prisoner!" The snake dude hissed.

"Yeah, yeah I'm movin- wait, prisoner?" I turned around to stare at Leopard Guy. I guess a year of being free had made me slow. I needed some good old-fashioned broken bones.

Spotty shot a glance at Scaly and cursed under his breath "Get them!" he shouted and mutants burst out of the surrounding jungle. I waited for my brain to go on autopilot. And waited. And waited.

Nothing happened.

Well, I was tied up and covered in duct tape but what I meant was I didn't:

a) kick butt

b) shout orders

or

c) fly away

What was wrong with me? I had just sat there and let them tie Fang, Angel and I without batting an eye. Struggling against my restraints I sent a thought to Angel. Why did I freeze up?

She turned towards me, her golden curls pinched in the rope around her shoulders. I had to do it, if you had attacked it would have made us look even worse and there's no way we could beat them. These are thinking enhanced beings, not some M-Geek or Flyboy.

I stared at her. I had hoped she'd never control me but now she had and I was not okay with that.

"Angel, when I get my hands on you..." I threatened. Or at least tried to.

What came out was 'Umphol hmph egen mm hanph nn oo...". But she understood me and, get this, smiled through the duct tape. That child has serious issues.

The next few hours consisted of me being paraded around the village and stuffed into a shack somewhere on the other side of the island. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate closed spaces? Well, I hate closed spaces and this one was a pretty small closed space. Whoop de doo dang.

I glanced at Fang who was tapping his foot against the wall.

"They should at least hurry this kidnapping thing up." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

He smiled (kinda), "Maybe they're bringing the Gasman in to torture us."

"God, no!" Angel shrieked.

We started laughing but at the same time I was genuinely afraid of this new idea. Small closed spaces and the Gasman don't mix well.

"Maybe...maybe they'll bring Nudge in and make us all dress up!"

Fang stopped laughing, "That-that's horrible! How could you joke about a serious matter such as that?"

Angel was crying and trying to stifle her fits of laughter. Just to make her more miserable, I came over and started tickling her until she shrieked for mercy.

You've probably noticed our lack of restraints by now. Well, our gentleman of a captor took them off right before we were shoved in here. 'Here' being an iron-based hut with reinforced locks. It's nice to see they trust us so much.

I lay back and started gulping lungfuls of air. stared up at the ceiling. Instead of a roof there were bars like the ones in jails. And it looked like it was about to rain.

Happy Maximum Day to me, happy Maximum Day to me...

bazinga101: So Max is being held hostage (poor captors) and Iggy's lost.

Iggy: Are you blind too? I'm right here!

bazinga101: No, you're lost! Be gone! *poof*

Iggy: (somewhere in Mexico) Hey!

bazinga101: That's better. The Gentleman Ghost, may I call you The? No? OK. , I really, really wanted to use Coltrane as the mob leader but my Maxness (paranoidness) took over.

Iggy: (still in Mexico) Help!

bazinga101: R&R to bring Iggy back! Otherwise we'll have Nudge entertain us.

Nudge: What is that supposed to mean?

bazinga101: You know we love you. My poll is still up so be sure to vote! And am I the only one who feels sorry for Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Ella being treated like extras?