Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Chapter Three: Soul Break
Max POV
I shook my head trying to get the voice to go away finally after a few minuet of it ranting about my importance and how I need to save the world it shut up. I sighed in frustration when I felt eyes on the back of my head. I turned to see Atrum sanding, leaning against the side of the cave. One leg was bent and resting behind him on the wall the other was supporting his weight. He had his arms crossed over his chest. He gave me a once over and came to sit beside me.
"Why?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" I asked the puzzlement clear on my face.
"Why did you do it? Let your self fall I mean?" he asked goose bumps rose on my arms and the hair stood up on the back of my neck when I thought about the reason.
"I lost it." I whispered.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. I surged.
"What was his name?" he asked.
"What? How did you-" he cut me off, "I may not be the warmest guy in the world but I know a broken soul when I see one."
"Why do you call it a broken soul not a heart?" I asked.
"Because, heart break can happen very easily, when a parent dies, when a grade school crush doesn't like you back, when a beloved puppy dies and be fixed just as quickly" He took in a small breath. "Only those who have meet their true match, their other side, their soul mate per say can feel soul break, heart break can be fixed. Soul break can never. It's truly like your missing a part of you." He whispered the last part. I realized it then that he must have gone through something similar to me.
"What was her name?" I asked. He gave me a questioning look.
"I may not be the warmest girl in the world but I know a broken soul when I see one." I quoted; he gave me a small smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"I asked you first." He said, I sighed.
"His name was Fang." I said. I felt the whole I've tried so hard to cover up in my chest tear open with the sound of his name.
"Her name was Poppy. You remind me of her." He said with another grim smile.
"What was she like?" I asked. A cold breeze blew past sending ocean spray across my cheeks. I shivered again and goose bumps covered my body, this time from the cold.
"Here." Atrum said heading me his black leather jacket I didn't realize he had on before. I hesitated but another gust went by and I put it on. It was too big for me but it still had his body heat.
"She was the most beautiful girl in the world. She had long slivery blonde hair and pale almost translucent skin but rosy cheeks. She had one blue eye and one brown eye. She looked like a living porcelain doll, so small and delicate that if you held her too hard she might shatter. But her personality was the complete opposite of her delicate, beautiful, soft exterior. She was sassy, brave, rude at times, but also passionate, and loving. But she was a human." His eyes were fixed on mine but a million miles away.
"She was the daughter of a whitecoat at Itex in Germany, where I was created. She was only six when Lumen and I escaped. We were both nine. They were going to turn her into a Wolf. (Eraser)" He shivered.
"I couldn't just leave her there, so I grabbed her before we broke out of that hell hole. A year after we escaped we found out she had epilepsy. She was in my arms when her first seizure happened we were flying to California from Texas. I was carrying her, she started to shake then it got more like convulsions and her eyes rolled back in her head. Lumen and I panicked. We brought her to the hospital and the diagnosed her. They asked us about our parents but we gabbed her medicine and booked out of there." A single tear rolled down his cheek.
"We found ways to get her prescription filled and get money, stupid little jobs. Things were good we eventually rented an apartment. When I was eighteen and she was fifteen we finally got together. I told her we would get married. I believed it too." He sighed.
"But one night when I took her flying." He swallowed hard and his eyes filled with self-hatred. "She had another seizer. I should have seen it coming, I should have been checking on her future but by the time I got her to a hospital it was too late. She was dead." He swallowed again and wiped away the lone tear. "That's all." He concluded.
"I'm, I'm so sorry" I said I pulled my hand through the long sleeves and grabbed his that was resting on his knee I gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"Its not your fault you know. You can't blame yourself." I said after a few minuets of silence. He shrugged.
"So do you want to talk about Fang?" he asked I sighed and started the long story. Atrum and I talked for hours, about the flock, about Poppy, about Lumen. Eventfully I couldn't fight my heavy eyelids and sleep over took me.
* * *
The next morning I woke up back in the cave, another jacket over my legs. I sat up and stretched.
"Morning!" said Lumens cheery voice. I yawned. I rubbed my eyes.
"I can't believe we actually slept on the beach last night!" he said. I gave him a puzzled look; I assumed this was where they lived.
"Well you can't actually think we lived on the beach!" he said. "Come on up and at em. Atrum is already backing at the house." He said I stood up and shook out my wings. He threw him self out of the cave. He snapped out his gold wings and the sun seemed to shine so much brighter with him out side. I flew beside him he smiled at me. We flew over Time Square to an open field surrounded by forest. He landed on the long drive way and walked up to the front door. I followed him and he pulled out keys. We walked in to a wide room with an extravagant staircase.
"So, um do you plan on um." He stuffed one hand in his jean pocket and the other rubbed the back of his head. "Are you going to stay with us?" he asked his face emotionless but his eyes danced with hope and excitement. I had already made my decision last night.
"If you'll let me." I said smiling at him. He picked me up in a hug.
"You have NO idea what its like being stuck with Senor Emo all the time!" Said setting me back on me feet. I gave a small giggle as Atrum came down stairs. "I'll get it." He said five seconds later the phone rang. He picked it up and started talking. "Mhmm, yes okay I see… On the Fifth?...Yes of course we will be there… Lumen? Yes he will as well…Yes…Yes…Okay…Thank you Dr. Velencci" He hung up and turned to Lumen.
"There's a ball this weekend. For the hospital. Dr. Velencci wants us there." Atrum said. I gave him a puzzled look.
"Lumen and I work at Brooklyn General Hospital (AN idk if that's real?) We are the top sergeants with our intensified senses and our 'gifts' and there is a charity ball this weekend to raise money to open a hospital in Kenya, Africa." He said. I'm sure by this point my eyes were popping out of my head. Lumen laughed.
"You're coming to of course." Then he got down on one knee and took my hand in his "Will you my fine lady accompany me to the ball?" Lumen asked in a horrid British accent. I laughed and curtsied.
"Of course good sir." He grinned up at me and stood back up. I heard Atrum chuckle.
"Well let me show you too your room" Lumen said grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs.
He gave me a tour of the house and showed me my room. It had dark burgundy walls and a black carpet all the furniture was dark mahogany wood with gold accents. It reminded me something you would see in a mid-evil castle. I settled was laying down when Atrum knocked on my open door.
"Erm here's a t-shirt you can sleep in we don't have any girl clothes so we can go buy some stuff tomorrow in the city if you want." I smiled and thanked him. After a long shower I pulled on the oversized t-shirt that hit mid-thigh and fell asleep in my big puffy gold bed. The next morning I slipped into the pants I wore to the concert. That felt like years ago. I pulled my hair up and met Lumen down stairs.
"Hey! Atrum had to go to work but I can take you to the city to get some clothes if you'd like" he said I nodded and we went to his shiny sliver Porsche.
We parked and started toward Times Square walking past huge skyscrapers. When we walked past the plaza I couldn't help but think about the flock. They were probably back home in Arizona by now. I sighed and walked away.
"Is that her? Is that Maximum Ride?" I heard someone ask from across the street. I looked to see a group of girls. One screamed and they charged me. I groaned grabbed Lumen and ran to a dark alley. The mob of fans ran past the alley just like in the movies and I let out a sigh of relief. Lumen gave me a puzzle look when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Fang POV
I awoke the next morning on top of the skyscraper I fell asleep on. My throat was burning and my lungs were begging for oxygen. I knew I needed to feed, now. I looked off the side of the building when I saw two people in a dark ally below, away from any witnesses. I jumped off the building and spread my wings just enough to land. I landed in the shadows. The people were a guy and a girl both blonde. My throat begged to lunge. I felt the muscles in my legs coil ready to pounce. I shot forward colliding with the girl. She fell on her back I pushed her chin up and my fangs shot towards her neck. They dug into the soft skin and warm blood filled my mouth. It would look like I was kissing her neck from any observer. She was struggling but soon her body fell limp. I reluctantly pulled back before I killed the poor thing. I quickly sealed the two small holes with my tongue and turned to my other victim.
"Hey buddy get off of her!" he yelled. I licked my cherry red lips and lunged. He fell and I grabbed his wrist I quickly drank enough to nock him out and retracted my fangs. I turned to man. He was tall probably as tall as me with blonde hair. I propped him up against the wall so he wouldn't be sore when he woke. I may be a monster but at least I'm considerate. Then I turned to the girl I brushed away her hair and gasped. The beauty behind the gold locks was Max.
"Maximum" I whispered as her eyes fluttered open.
GASP! Hahaha okay so tell me what you think!
I kinda based the character Poppy after myself, with the different colored eyes but I made her pretty haha.
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-SMC