Chapter 4 — The Almost-Talk

Blessed, blessed sleep. This was the ultimate escape. Whenever you were stuck between a rock and a hard place in life, the blissful Morpheus served as a way to shut off the world, relax, and get set to face the next suckish day. If more people had an outlook on life like mine, there'd be more of us in therapy.

To those of us out there who cherished sleep as much as I did, you'd know how rejuvenated I felt the following morning. For a few minutes, I completely forgot that James had developed a new power that had the potential for much evil, that Anne Walker had offered to take Fang from our home, and that Jeb was possibly working against me. When the reality of these horrific discoveries came crashing down on me, I felt much more tired than I had in months.

I reluctantly rolled out of bed at the usual 5 AM, ready for the early morning monotony of work on the farm. It was mindless work, things that I have done for many years. My mind was free to wander to places that I desperately wished to avoid. And seeing Fang, gazing at me with eyes that said, I hope you're thinking clearly, didn't help to ease my thoughts.

By the time I was done, I was flushed and sweating, ready for a cold shower. Unfortunately I didn't get in fast enough to get to a bathroom on time. Ella and I shared the upstairs room, which she claimed eagerly. Her friend Monique was coming to our house for a sleepover and Ella wanted time to prepare for the night's events. Our other bathroom was split by Mom and Fang. Mom had already finished and was ready for her day at the vet clinic, so Fang just stepped into the shower.

I poured a glass of milk and sprawled on the couch, trying to ignore the headache I'd had since yesterday.

Max, I heard the Voice say.

What? With all I'd gone through yesterday, the least the Voice could do was give my brain some space.

But it never answered.

"Max," Mom said, the heels of her dress sandals clicking on the floor.

I lifted my head but didn't say anything.

She came over to the sofa opposite mine — the one I had sat in yesterday when I spoke with Anne. If I had been more aware of her instead of dealing with the pain in my head, I would have noted the concern and anxiety that marked her face. That should have raised some flags.

Her caring brown eyes were cautious. "Can I talk to you?" she asked, and I could hear the importance in her voice.

Sensing that I really had no choice in whether I wanted to talk to her or not, I straightened up in my seat. "Sure," I sighed. I had a strange feeling that I wasn't going to enjoy this particular conversation. The past few hadn't been terribly pleasant.

She measured me, making sure that I was listening and willing. With a skeptical look, she continued, "I've noticed something," she began, looking away, "that I wanted to get some answers for. Something I think I should know about. And I have faith in you to be completely honest with me."

I did not like where this was going. "Okay."

She relaxed some, but the tension stuck in her shoulders. "I think it's time that we had a talk…"

"Oh, Mom, please don't!" I could see it in her eyes, how they wouldn't meet mine. I knew that we would have to some day, but I really didn't expect it to be now. Or in such a stereotypical manner. "I already know what you're going to say."

"Even so, I think it needs to be said." She paused, pursed her lips, and took a deep breath. "Back in December, we had a fight, and we've never really made up from it. I'm sorry for not caring more about Fang, and it was wrong of me not to consider him as part of the family. I now know that it was a stupid thing to say, especially since he means a lot to you."

"It's alright, really." Truth be told, it still hurt to remember that night. After an Eraser attack, Fang ran away, and when Mom came home she was only concerned for me. I couldn't believe how she disregarded him, and it stung.

She didn't accept my response, but it didn't stop her. "And since then I've been keeping a close eye on both you and Fang."

I held my breath. It was becoming a common action lately.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

That was a dagger, driving deep into my gut. It was idiotic to believe that Mom was blind. The way I reacted that night was a clear sign that my feelings for him overpowered any concern for myself. I risked getting captured (which saddly happened anyway) to chase after him, even after Mom forbade me to leave.

I sighed again, feeling a thousand years old. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because I spent the night considering what Miss Walker had to say. And if I have any doubt that you and Fang might… do something that could end up hurting each other, then I might make him live with her."

"Mom!" I was stunned, and embarrassed. "It's not like that at all. I would never do anything with anyone, especially Fang."

"How would I know―?"

"If you want to know how I feel about Fang, you can ask him yourself," I interrupted. "I told him that I didn't want anything going on between us, and that he should back off. And he would never push me into something I'm uncomfortable with. It's not going to be a problem, Mom."

She still didn't look convinced, probably because I didn't answer her question. "You know I'm just thinking about the two of you."

"I do understand that, but Fang and I are smarter than that. If we had intentions of being boyfriend and girlfriend, you'd know."

"How am I supposed to know with kids these days? Teenagers sneak off and do things behind their parents' backs all the time. And I'm sure there are things that you and Ella don't tell me."

"Is this sneaking off thing similar to what you do with Justin?" I know I delivered a sucker punch, but she had it coming. Justin Truman was one of her old coworkers at Itex, when she was working on developing the perfect 'angel kids'. It was too bad that around that time she was dating Jeb (something that I have never understood). Maybe if they'd had been together at the time, this whole experimentation-on-Max thing could have been avoided.

But ever since Jeb disappeared, Mom's dates with Justin have been infrequent. She's been concerned for my father, while Justin has been trying to contact anyone who might know more about Jeb's whereabouts.

Mom instantly went on the defensive. "There's a major difference, Max. As an adult, I know more about life and relationships than you do. My past has proven that making the wrong decisions will result in bad consequences, and I want to protect you. Teenagers don't know what they're getting into when they pursue love."

"Don't you think I know that already?" My voice softened; I felt bad for bringing up Justin. "I know what can happen, only because you've raised me well enough not to be hasty. I appreciate that you're a concerned parent."

"Aw, Max." She shuffled over next to me and gave me a giant mom-hug. I squeezed her tightly. "I'm glad you think so."

"And I'm sorry for mentioning your dating life, but I was trying to prove a point. You're worried about me and Fang, but I'm worried about you, too. Whose there to tell you to be careful of what choices you're making?"

She stared at me, deep in thought. "That's very wise," she murmured, almost to herself. "I'm lucky to have daughters like you and Ella." She hugged me again and planted a kiss on my forehead.

While I was still able to deliver more nuggets of wisdom, I had something else to say. "You might want to get to work soon, before angry clients start calling in."

"That shouldn't be a problem," she chuckled. "They can't begin at the office without me."

She rose and grabbed her purse. "But remember what I said," she intoned, putting on a pseudo-authoritative voice. "If there is any relationship you want to pursue, don't be afraid to come to me."

"Okay." I smiled.

"I love you, Max."

"Love you, too."

She walked out the door, and I heard a chuckle from behind me. I turned, and what do you know? The bane of my existence is sauntering toward me.

"That was sweet," Fang said, a smug smile on his lips. His hair was slick from the shower.

I glared at him. "How much of that did you hear? Haven't you heard of private conversations?"

"Just the end of it." He shrugged. "Was there anything you talked about that you'd like to share with me?"

Now it was my turn to smile slyly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

OMG! I am still pumped about the Flyers game last night! :D Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't get this out sooner. Been busy with stuff, yada-yada-yada. I always wanted to add a chapter like this, and I found this to be an appropriate time because of Anne. Could have been better, could have been more embarrassing for Max (which is always fun to write), but my mind is set on other things (like finals in two weeks and a banquet/formal tonight in which I really need to get a new dress).

Sooo, to those of you who haven't seen, I've FINALLY updated my story Ghost of Me after eons of not writing anything. I will try to work on finishing that one, too, so if you haven't please try to read it. And has anyone heard of The Letter Black? If not, do yourself a favor and listen to them. Their album "Hanging on by a Thread" is A-FREAKIN'-MAZING!

--biteoutoflife--