A/N: Wow…it's almost been a month since I updated. I hope this chapter isn't too disappointing. I have a little, itty-bitty writer's block, and I'm trying to balance all my fanfics as well. It's kind of hard. But…anyway…enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. It belongs to James Patterson.
Aleda entered her room, cautiously peering around. Already, May had made herself at home, throwing their stuff everywhere, setting up a little manicure/pedicure area. A big stack of DVDs were on top of the DVD player, and a few of them were anime, the rest being comedy and horror. May was currently sitting right in the middle of Aleda's rug, sorting through games. Yuzuyu sat beside her in companionable silence, purring softly. Hearing the door open, she looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Aleda, do you want to play Uno, or would you rather play Monopoly? Both are fun and could last for a while. I've been trying to decide for ten minutes or so." She continued to look from one game to the other.
"It doesn't matter," Aleda shrugged in reply.
"What's wrong?" May asked, finally picking Monopoly. "You didn't make anyone mad, did you?" She opened it up and began sorting the money and cards. "Oh, and I call shoe."
"I want hat," Aleda replied. She was always the hat; everyone knew that. "But, going back to what we were talking about before—no, it's more like the other way around. They didn't make me mad exactly. Things just didn't end that great."
"Doesn't that always seem to be the case? Now come sit down. I'll go and see if Luke and Belle are coming. Belle should be calmed down enough that she can play a good game of Monopoly with us without Luke worrying over her too much." She rose and walked past Aleda.
Aleda sat and sorted through her money, separating all of it. Yuzuyu watched her movements with her dark blue eyes. She tilted her head to the side. Iggy was coming. Either Aleda didn't notice, or she was just ignoring his oncoming presence. However, she saw Aleda visibly tense as she continued with her activities. Much to their surprise, he seemed to pause outside the door, reconsider knocking, and left.
May, along with Luke whose arm was securely around Belle's waist, walked in, each with a plate of snacks. Without asking, Belle could feel Aleda's question bubbling underneath the surface. She gave a reassuring smile and set her plate on a nearby folding table that May had set up. Aleda felt herself relaxing little by little, glad that Belle was recovering. Soon they began playing Monopoly, talking and laughing quietly while snacking on Emily's desserts.
It wasn't until hours later that May, Belle, and Luke fell asleep, exhausted from their five hour game of Monopoly that was still unfinished. At around midnight, Aleda soundlessly gathered her most precious possessions, things she always carried with her. She began walking towards the door, avoiding whatever May had set up. She'd been determined to simply leave without looking back, but something urged her too.
She turned around and took one last look at her friends. May had shared the bed with her, hogging all the blankets. She could barely see Belle's small form under the comforters and enveloped in Luke's embrace. She gave a small, sad smile. She'd miss them; she really would. Softly she shut the door, Yuzuyu, in keychain form, gently hitting her backpack. Her socked feet padded softly on the wood, barely noticeable. Aleda stepped out the back door and walked farther away from the house into the empty field that was Edward's backyard. Slowly her wings unfurled, midnight black with black and brown streaks. She ran a hand over them and sighed dejectedly. The pain in her stomach was worsening. He'd be approaching soon.
"So where are you all in a rush to get to? Are you abandoning your own flock?" Aleda froze at the deep voice whose questions seemed to echo through the moonless night.
"What flock?" She replied, nothing in her voice betraying how uncomfortable of a situation it was. "As far as I know, my only family here are Yuzuyu, Edward, Luke, May, and Belle."
"What about Angel? Or Nudge? Gazzy? Maybe not so much Max and Fang, but…" He trailed off, leaving a waiting silence.
"And you, Iggy? If I left, how would you feel?" Aleda didn't understand what had compelled her to ask, but if she was rejected, her infatuation for him might fade. Without realizing it, her wings had been pulled back in, lying dormant in her.
He didn't answer, and she took his silence as a rejection. She breathed a sigh of relief, but it felt likes some was squeezing her heart. Suddenly she heard a noise above her and looked up in fear. Iggy landed almost silently before her. She watched as his wings slowly retracted, pressing tightly against his back. He turned around to speak, but a sudden noise caught his attention. It had come from Aleda, a small catching of the throat.
Aleda had been shocked when he'd landed; he looked so ethereal. His pale skin and hair gave a sort of glow. His sightless eyes seemed to pierce right through her. Slowly she found herself moving forward. Her backpack slid off her shoulder and fell on the grass, creating a loud sound, yet her trek towards Iggy continued.
Iggy tensed, hearing the bag fall, but he didn't feel like he should move.
She stretched out a hand, withdrew it, and then stretched it towards his face. She stood on her tip toes, her hand cradling his cheek.
"Wh-what are y-you doing?" He coughed out, his cheeks turning a light pink. Clearly, he was flustered and confused by her actions.
"I don't know…but…it…scares me," she whispered, her eyes running over his face. He truly was the most beautiful of all the hybrids she'd ever encountered.
Suddenly, a deep, gut-wrenching pain filled her abdomen. She gasped loudly, clutching Iggy's sweatshirt in her fists.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly, bending down to where he felt her head pressing against his chest. She really was small compared to everyone else…well, compared to him, Max, Fang, and maybe even Nudge.
"Damn it," Aleda muttered under her breath. She pulled away from him and moved, only to fall near her backpack. She sat on her knees, clutching her backpack. Yuzuyu was silent, eyes shut. It was only on moonless nights like this one that she was like this. Beside her was Ciaran, a cat always in keychain form with the same exact physical appearance as Yuzuyu.
"Aleda, Aleda, what's wrong?" Iggy asked again, following the sound of her harsh breathing. He kneeled beside her.
"Go away," she gasped, "please. Please, just go away." One blast of overwhelming pain left her whimpering, curled up into a ball. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the tears to go away. She hated being weak; being weak wasn't an option. Always she'd been taught that weakness would be looked down upon; people would take advantage of her. However, the tears leaked out anyways in little rivulets, as if telling her that it was okay to be weak…so long as Iggy was the only witness.
Iggy reached forward and gathered her in his arms. Even as the pain increased, she still struggled against him. 'I have to get away. He'll-he'll hurt everyone.' She was so full of conflicting emotions, some she'd felt before and some that were entirely new. She wanted to stay with Iggy, but she had to leave. All her life, except for those few instances where she'd stayed with aunt Rio, uncle James, or Edward, she'd been alone. She'd grown used to it, being adopted into the houses she had.
Iggy pulled her closer and brushed aside her hair. "What's wrong?" His question went unanswered again.
For a brief second, Aleda's pain disappeared. She'd heard Iggy's heartbeat.
"Aleda, has cruelty been so kind that you need someone to comfort you?" Both looked up at the newcomer. Aleda's eyes widened. The pain hadn't been intense enough to give off warning of his arrival.
"J-Jaeger, p-please don't—please don't hurt anyone. I'll-I'll go home. I-I-I promise." Aleda stuttered, showing the weak her that appeared every once in a while.
Jaeger stood at six feet tall with curly black hair and dark emerald eyes. His form was thin and muscled like all of the male avian-hybrids.
Aleda stood shakily, Iggy along with her. Neither his arms nor hands touched her, but hovered around her waist, waiting in case she collapsed again.
Jaeger sighed and shook his head. "Aleda, you always were a kind soul. Cynical, and yet kind at the same time. But what fun would it be if I left them alone? All I've been able to fight are erasers, and that loses its entertainment values after a while." He grinned maliciously. "Unless, of course, you want to continue our little game of cat and mouse? It might give me enough entertainment that I won't hurt them…not even that boy you protect so gallantly." Jaeger crossed his arms, and his body relaxed. He knew she would take this option. Every time he caught up, she always had someone to protect. "One day is all I'm giving you. Run fast. And make this chase exciting." He turned around and spread his wings, ebony with white feathers weaved in and out, and a span of twenty feet, eerily similar to Aleda's, and even Fang's, wings.
"Jaeger, do you promise you won't touch anyone?" Aleda asked, her voice growing stronger.
"I'll occupy myself for the time being with erasers," he replied before leaving. Aleda watched as he flew, finally leaving her sight. She bent down to retrieve her backpack.
"So who was he?"
"None of your business," Aleda replied scathingly. Now that the pain was disappearing, she'd have to drive him away or else she'd never be able to leave. She shouldered her backpack and spread her wings again. This time, nothing was going to stop her.