The Long Way Home

deludedfreak

Chapter Nine: Everything Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, yada yada yada… This ain't nothing you haven't heard before. So. DON'T BE STEALIN' MAH STUFF, CRAB-CAKES.

"You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go"

-- Sufjan Stevens, "Chicago"

I wake up the next day in a cold sweat, terror gripping at my mind like a vice. Moaning, I sit up in bed, a splitting headache pushing any coherent thoughts out of my head. Calming myself, I lean my head against my knees, breathing slowly, in and out, in and out.

Getting out of bed, I walk into the kitchen to see Fang slumped at the table, asleep. Putting my fingers to my temple, I turn around and plop down on my couch, adjusting the volume on the TV, which is still on. I bury my face into a sofa cushion, drawing in on myself. "Bad dream…" Why couldn't I remember it? And why had Fang fallen asleep at the table, when he could have snagged the couch?

Someone sits down next to me and yanks the cushion from my hands. Speak of the devil- He blinks at me through half open eyes, and then falls to the sofa, pushing me off onto the ground. I'm too tired to care, and fall asleep on the floor.

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I bet Rathe wouldn't be this rainy. Actually, I'm sure it wouldn't be this rainy.

Sunny and bright and cheery and smiley, so much that it'd make my heart burst and I'd die and wouldn't have to live like this anymore. Of course, maybe I wouldn't want to die on Rathe. On Earth, definitely.

But anyway.

I'm standing outside Alison's door, shivering down to my skivvies, debating whether or not to ring the doorbell to ask if she wants to go out for breakfast or not. Because I'm hungry. I don't know about her, but I am hungry. Starving. Ravenous.

Hungry.

So, if I remember correctly, the plan was to get close to the target, and when I have her complete and total trust, I can turn her over to the Others, and I'll be free to do whatever I want. Hmmm…

Raising a fist, I bang loudly in the center of the door, hoping she hears.

The sound of someone talking reaches my ears. I can barely make it out.

"Crap- Someone's at the door… Fang! Get off of my foot!"

A crash.

"Ow…"

And then Alison opens the door, looking at me in surprise for a moment. She smiles, and, since I've never actually seen her smile, I grin too.

"Hey, Jeanine. How's it going?"

She must be in a good mood. Even though… I glance down at her hands, which are both placed on her right hip. Maybe that's where she fell…

"You want to go out to breakfast with me today? And what happened to your hip? It's also really cold out here, so don't take too long to decide," I say, adding a shudder in between sentences to show what I mean.

She looks uncertain. "I've got a friend over."

"That's okay, she can come along!"

Alison turns then, to look back at someone I can't see. Without turning around, she tells me, "Hold on, alright?"

The door closes a bit as she leaves, but I'm able to make out a little bit of the conversation.

"Um… My neighbor wants to take us out to breakfast."

There is no answer from the other end, or at least, none that I hear.

"Don't look at me like that. It's fine. We'll just go. If Nudge- Monique, sorry- calls, wondering where you are, you can call her back. Now, come on. I'm hungry and I know you are too."

"Fine," Someone answers. Sounds like a guy.

Alison's at the door again, and behind her someone, really tall, taller than her even, hovers at her shoulder, his head ducked so I can't see his face.

"Er… Jeanine, Andrew, Andrew Jeanine," Alison pointed back and forth. Andrew nodded a greeting, and I smiled.

This was one of them. I could tell. This was one of her family.

As we begin to walk towards the diner, I get guiltier and guiltier. Was it fair? What I would be doing to Alison and Andrew, and their family, would it be fair for me to betray them? I want to be their friend, I realize with horror. But… I'm not supposed to have friends. I'm one of the Hunters. The Erasers. I'm not supposed to have feelings, get attached to anyone, let alone our sworn enemy. Yet, here I was.

I remembered what my family had told me of the Hunter who came before me, who fell in love with Alison, and caused his own downfall. But that was because he was born human, unlike the rest of us. I don't remember the details, but he was definitely different from the rest of us.

But… I've been a Hunter since the day I was created. I can't be… I can't be different.

The plan. The plan was to gain the trust of Maximum Ride. Then lure her into the perfectly put-together trap, and rid the world of her once-and-for-all.

That's what Bub and the others told me.

That's what I should follow.

But that's not what is going to happen.

A/N: Finally. FINALLY FINISHED WITH THIS! ArggerfirgleraggledraggleABLAH. –vents-

Despite how short it is and how long it took me, I'm actually proud of it. The actual storyline is progressing, instead of just mindless fluff. And I totally just revealed Jeanine's secret identity. So be happy, 'cause I know you were wondering what she was. Hell, even I was!

So… Um… Apologies. Sorry for getting the chapter late. Too much schoolwork, stress, blah blah, you don't want to know… But just a few hours ago I read over the reviews from the previous chapter, and that made me feel good enough to write the next chapter. So I'm dedicating this to all of my reviewers from Chapter Eight.

Thank you: xXdiamondwolf027Xx, coolbeanie, JellieBeanz, Set.Me.Free.123, SamanthaFantasyFan, FireDitto, Golden Nugget, Odet Mae

And since I don't know if I'll finish another chapter before the holidays: Happy Chrismahanakwanzikah! –that was long to write-