~Emma P.O.V~
"Emma," She began. I nodded at her. "Fang and I," She pulled his hand closer to her. "Are your birthparents." I completely lost feeling in my face, my body felt like Jello. What? What? Whhhhaaatttt? I suddenly felt my face twisting into my trademarked confused, dazed, angry, scared, and shocked combination as Mrs. Ride's, or my mom's, or whoever the hell she was, eyes continued to slice into mine.
"Emma, say something, baby." My un-bio-mom said like ten minutes later.
"I, uh, I'm, um, I'm just not, uh, just not quite sure what to say here…" I stammered. Hello confused stage of my panic attack.
"Okay, well, just don't panic." I looked away from apparent bio-mom and saw the un-bio-parents kneeling in front of me. When did they move? Oh, why hello there, Mr. Dazed. "Emma?" She slipped her hand on my knee, waking me up. I sprang up and paced over to the window, my hand slapped over my mouth. "Emma?" My mom said again. I felt everyone's eyes on my back as my other fist clench. Welcome to the party anger.
"So, you're my bio-mom?" I hissed as I whirled around and glared at Mrs. Ride, or Max, or mommy… She nodded. "Prove it." I snapped and crossed my arms.
"Emma-" My mom started.
"No, mom. I want proof. Or is this some kind of sick joke?" I growled, now looking at the women who actually raised me.
"Okay, first off, you're freaking out. Calm down and think about this rationally." My non-bio-dad spoke up.
"I don't want to think about this rationally. I want to know how the hell I wound up here while my biological parents are still alive and just hanging around my living room!" I screamed. Yeah… anger usually lasts longer then all the other emotions in my very spastic panic attacks.
"Emma, calm down." My mom said, then she got up and came at me. I staggered back when she got to close. "Emma," She whispered. My eyes widened slightly and I felt my shoulders relax. Ah, Mr. Scared! I was wondering when you were going to show your lovely face! My mom pulled my into a tight hug. "You're trembling…" She mumbled. I shrugged against her. "Emma, I know you're scared, you always are when you don't know how to handle something." Last time this happened: when Leo and I broke-up. "But if you would just calm down, we all could just talk about this." She whispered soothingly into my ear. I nodded. "Deep breaths." She said and released me. She led me back to the couch and I popped a squat back next to bio-mom. I looked at her, our eyes met… The women that gave birth to me sat beside me… I was scared to hear why she wasn't the one to raise me…
"Well," She began. "When you and Devin were one," My eyes widened causing bio-mom to stop. Holy shit! I never even thought that me being their kid means I'm Devin's twin! Damn it! Why am I such an idiot? I sighed and nodded at Mrs. Ride telling her to go on. "When you and Devin were one, things happened…"
"Things? Real specific, Bio-mom." I said and crossed my arms and legs tightly.
"Emma!" Normal-mom warned.
"What?" I turned to her. "I'm not exactly thrilled with any of you for keeping this from me. How long have you known, a week? Two weeks?" I growled.
"Three actually…" Lucas spoke up.
"Lucas!" Normal-dad snapped.
"What? I'm not going to lie to her!" Lucas replied crossing his arms as well.
"At least someone's truthful!" I hissed.
"Emma, stop. Listen to your birth mother!" My mom said.
"You listen to your birth mother!" I retorted quickly without thinking.
"What?" My mom raised an eyebrow.
"You know I'm not sure… That made sense in me head… It really did…" I shrugged and let my arms fall to my sides.
"Just listen." My mom snapped.
"Ugh, fine." I groaned and turned back to my bio-mom. "Please continue." I said in a much more civil tone. And then, I listened. For hours… About how sorry her and Bio-dad were about everything… about not looking hard enough, not protecting me… I actually wanted to cry… My biological parents did want me… They have been searching for me for sixteen years… That's longer then I have ever committed to anything! And they were committed to finding me of all things! After Bio-mom was done, I did the gutsiest and yet easiest thing I have ever done: I threw me arms around my mother, my real mother… the women that had given birth to me… She responded by immediately coiling her arms around me and holding me close to her. Her head was on my shoulder and I felt Bio-mom smiling into my hair. She just held me…
And I let her…
To be honest, her hug felt more comforting then my mom's had ever felt… not that I don't love her… After all, she did raise me as her own when I wasn't, however, being in Maximum Ride's arms flashed me back to my first night in the hospital… that dream I had and been having ever since then… The one where I was in the body of a baby… Being in her arms felt exactly the same as being in the arms of the women that had rescued little baby me… I felt safe… secure… like nothing would ever hurt me again…
I suddenly felt like an ass for behaving like I had earlier. Then came shock from everything that I had just been told… Ah, I knew this was coming… Shock, the last stage of my hectic panic attacks. I felt myself begin to tremble again… Bio-mom felt it too because she pulled away and looked at me.
"How do you feel about all of this?" She asked, looking me in the eyes.
"T-this is a lot to process…" I replied. My voice was shaky. I turned so I was staring at the hardwood floor in front of me.
"Knew this was coming." I heard Lucas mumble from across room.
"What's happening?" Devin spoke up for the first time today.
"Shock, the last stage in her panic attacks." Tyler replied for him.
"You've all seen this before?" James asked.
"Well, yeah. You should have seen her when her and he-who-must-not-be-named broke up. She was hysterical." Tyler snickered.
"Emma and Voldemort dated?" Devin asked.
"Even worse: Leo." Lucas replied.
"Guys, enough. Emma, are you okay?" Real mom was kneeling in front of me. I shrugged. My brain had gone into malfunction mode.
"How's her head?" I heard Bio-dad ask.
"She's not thinking… Her mind is completely blank…" Angel's voice replied sounding genuinely puzzled. "Wait, something's happening… she's having a flashback…" Flashback? I thought it was just a dream… "It might not be just a dream, Emma." Angel answered my mental question… My eyes widened and I looked up at her. Was I so crazy that I thought things I said were just thoughts? "I can read minds, Sweetie." She replied. Holy shit!
"Show me." Bio-mom snapped. "Oh my God…" Bio-mom breathed. "That's the night, that's the night it happened!" She exclaimed.
"Show me too." Bio-dad snapped. "Wow…" He breathed a few minutes later.
"Max, explain why I can read minds before Emma's head explodes like it's about too." Angel said.
"We all have certain abilities that developed as we aged. Like, some of us can breathe under water, Angel can read minds, Fang disappears when he holds perfectly still, I have warp-speed when I fly, and so on… we all have at least one." Bio-mom explained to everyone, mostly to me though.
"Like, uh, so, like, flying? Like you have like wings and stuff?" I stammered rather skittishly with my hands shyly in my lap. My eyes ventured up to Bio-mom's face, who was smiling slightly.
"Yes, Emma. All nine of us have wings." She answered calmly.
"Wow, okay, this is a lot to process." I replied repeating myself, well, it sounded like a gasp then my voice.
"It really is." Bio-dad sighed. At least they knew I wasn't going to accept this 100% right away… I stood up. Real mom followed me as I paced around the room.
"Emma, say what you're thinking." Mommy stood in my way.
"Kind of like a million things re running through my head…" I said shyly. I'm not sure why, but I just felt really insecure right now, like I was the same winged loser I had been in Alaska... I felt like I had to get away…
"I know this is a lot to take in…" Real mom said and gently pulled me into another hug… so much hugging… I felt myself twitch so I quickly ducked out of it and popped up behind her. "Are you okay, baby?" She turned to face me.
"I don't know what to do right now…" I shrugged as I shoved my hands skittishly into my jeans pockets. My mom sighed and tucked a few strands of hair that had fallen loose from my headband behind my ear and out of my eyes. I seriously just stood there staring at the women that had raised me for like ten minutes before I sighed loudly. "Well," I began. "Can I go for a walk?" I said more of a statement rather then asking for permission, already starting toward the front door.
"Emma, it's raining outside." Mom told me as I shed my sweatshirt, dropping it on the floor.
"You're raining outside." I snapped then was out the door, slamming it behind me. I walked for about three seconds before spreading my wings out behind me, and taking off into the air. Mother was right when she said it was raining… it was freaking pouring! I was already drenched from head to toe as I flew threw the darkened air. It wasn't like a thunderstorm or anything… just rain, freezing, drenching rain… I realized I was crying a few minutes later; my warm tears mixed with the cool rain. I landed in a tree when I could no longer see. I rubbed at my eyes, which did nothing because my hands were wet as well. I froze completely when I heard voices approaching through the rain.
"-I mean, she couldn't have gotten far." I came in mid-conversation. I recognized the voice as James and Monique's mom.
"You sure about that? She's Max's kid." Their dad, Iggy, replied.
"Good point… We should hurry. Monique, hurry up!" She sounded far away now. I waited until the voices disappeared completely and then took back off into the air, this time toward home. I circled the house a few times, not want to face who was inside. I sighed and flew behind the house. Knowing Tyler's window was unlocked, I silently slid it open and crept inside closing the window behind me. I snuck through my little brother's pigsty of a bedroom, and into my own, clean one. I almost instantly stripped out of my soaking wet clothes and into warm, dry pajamas. I pulled a dirty towel out of my hamper and used it to dry my hair. When it was just damp, I pulled it back again, blindly, standing in my dark room as I listened to my parents, bio and non, sort of arguing downstairs about where I could be. I sighed and climbed into bed. I really wasn't worth fighting over. I pulled my covers over me and curled up tightly. I looked up about five minutes of playing games on my phone later just to see Tyler perched against my doorframe.
"What the hell are you doing home? How did you get in here?" He hissed.
"Shh. Quiet. I don't want them knowing I'm here." I whispered, sitting up in bed.
"Emma, they're freaking out. Everyone else is out looking for you and you're just sitting in bed!" He snapped.
"Tyler, please. I've had one hell of a day. I just want to go to sleep without anyone else feeling sorry for me of asking if I'm okay." I whispered. "Come here." I said when he just stood there. He obediently came into my room, sitting on the edge of my bed with his arms crossed. I slid to his side. "I snuck in through your window, I not going to even think about why it was unlocked, but that's how I got in. I know things haven't been all shits and giggles between us lately, but if you love me at all, you'll let me just have tonight alone. Tomorrow, I'll explain to mom why I did what I did. She won't even know you knew." I felt tears streaming down my face again. He nodded silently, feeling sorry for me just like everyone else. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him once, hugging him for the first time since we moved here. He squeezed me back and then he got up. "Thank you. Just remember, I'm not here." I said as he walked out. He stopped in my doorway, his fists clenched.
"I love you, big sister." He said without turning around.
"I love you too, little brother." I whispered and then he walked out of my room leaving me alone. I laid my head against my pillow, seriously just laying there staring at the ceiling, ignoring call after call from my mother, father, Lucas, Grandma, James, Monique, Devin, like six numbers I didn't know, and even Tyler, probably trying to prove he didn't know where I was. And the entire time, I was listening to conversations downstairs. There was a lot of yelling, not at anyone, just yelling. I heard the voicemails everyone was leaving me. Some were nice telling me to just come home and others were scary telling me to get my ass home. I sighed and just shut off my phone for the night but not before texting my mom telling her that whatever happened tonight, I was fine, safe even. You should've heard how happy she sounded when she received my message. I could clearly hear the tears of relief in her voice to know I'm alive instead of lying dead in a ditch somewhere. That made me feel like literal shit knowing she cared that much about me while I'm just letting her worry... I silently sobbed in my bed, waiting for sleep. I passed out sometime later from sheer exhaustion.
But I guess, crying did that to a person.
~Max P.O.V.~
"Emma, it's raining outside." Cate told her as she shed her sweatshirt, dropping it on the floor.
"You're raining outside." She snapped then was out the door. I twitched when it slammed behind her and I noticed Cate do the same.
"And she's gone." James mumbled. I watched Nudge slap him lightly on the back of his head.
"Stop it." She growled when their eyes met. He nodded and then looked away quickly.
"She just needs time to cool off, I mean, not that running of into the pouring rain is a good way to express that..." Howard replied, his face grave. Everyone's heads turned toward the window just in time to see Emma's wings spread out behind her and then she took off into the air.
"And there she goes." Devin murmured. Fang and I turned our glares on him. He looked away quickly when our eyes met. I looked around the room, not sure what to do next.
"So, what do we do now?" Fang asked. Well, great minds sure do think alike…
"To be honest, I have no idea." Cate sighed and slumped onto the couch next to Howard. I continued looking from face to face. When I got to Lucas, his expression was blank, and when I looked back the next second, it twisted into a look of pure shock and horror.
"Lucas, say what you're thinking." Angel hissed her voice was shaky. Everyone's heads turned toward Lucas.
"Well," He peeped. His voice sounded so different, so scared… "Last time this happened, when-uh, when her and Leo broke up," He paused. His arms that were crossed dropped to his sides limply. "Emma kind of freaked out, much like this, and a she kind of, kind of plummeted to rock bottom and hit it really hard. And that night, after she stormed out, a lot, uh, a lot like this and uh, well-"
"Lucas, skip to the point." Angel snapped. She sounded more scared now.
"Emma tried to kill herself that night." I felt my heart drop. "I had to physically wrestle the knife out of her hand." Lucas finished and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Why didn't I know about this?" Cate hissed. "Why didn't I know my daughter tried to kill herself?" She yelled.
"She didn't want anyone to know." Lucas shrugged.
"You don't think you should have told us anyway? We could have gotten her help." Howard cut in.
"With all do respect, if you didn't notice, she probably didn't need anyone's help." Tyler defended his sister, my daughter. Lucas nodded at Tyler, thanking him for his help. Cate on the other hand, never looked madder. She opened her mouth to speak but then snapped it shut and shook her head at them. She ripped her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number that I'm assuming was Emma's.
"Oh God, she's not answering." She said about thirty seconds later. "Emma, baby, please come home. I just need to know you're safe. I love you." She spoke into her phone and then hung up.
"Guys, we're going after her. There is no way in hell I'm losing her again." I growled. My flock, still after nineteen, knew not to argue.
"Gazzy and I'll go east and circle back south." Angel stood up pulling Gazzy up behind her.
"Monique, James, come with your mother and I. We'll go west and circle back north." Iggy snapped looking toward Monique and James.
"Fang, Devin, and I will go around town." I said.
"Max, maybe you three should stay here." Angel suggested, her voice was careful.
"No. I was unconscious last time she disappeared, I'm not letting her slip away again." I snapped.
"She has a point. What if she comes back and she's still freaking out?" Fang spoke up, and I hate to admit, he had a point.
"Fine." I sighed, feeling defeated. "Guys, go." I growled.
"I could drive around town if I needed too." Lucas spoke up as the others reached the door. I nodded at him and he looked to Cate for conformation.
"I don't want you going alone." She replied.
"I'll go with him." Devin spoke up.
"Yeah, me too." James said and looked at Nudge right before they walked out the door.
"Fine, go." Nudge sighed and then ran outside after Iggy.
"Devin, you too." I said as Lucas and James started toward the garage.
"Lucas, take my car." Cate said and tossed her keys to him. He nodded and then all three of them took disappeared into the garage.
"Want us to drive through town too?" My mom spoke up.
"Yeah. Take my car." I said and handed her my keys. Mom and Ella walked out the front door within the next few seconds. I sighed loudly.
"How did this happen?" Cate said weakly. I looked up at her; she was watching Alexis sleep next to Christen in the playpen.
"I have no idea." Howard sighed as he got up from the couch and walked over to her.
"How didn't we know Emma tried to kill herself?" She looked at him. Howard just shrugged causing Cate to breakdown crying. He caught her before she crumpled to the floor. I looked away, giving them some privacy. Fang came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my cheek when he pulled me close.
"Hey." He whispered, his breath tickling my ear.
"Hey." I replied, smiling slightly.
"She's going to be fine." He said soothingly. I just nodded silently praying he was right. And then, Fang just held me against him. I heard Cate sobbing quietly for a few minutes and then she just stopped.
"I'm calling her again." She said. I watched Howard nod. She dialed Emma's number again and sighed again when I'm guessing she didn't answer. She left another message and then put her phone back in her pocket. "Howard, you try. Tyler, you too." She snapped.
"My phones in my room." Tyler said. For the first time, I actually saw fear, not just anger, in his face.
"Go get it." Cate told him. He nodded and silently got off the couch and trudged up the stairs. "Mom, you call her too." She said looking at her mom. "Do you two want to try too? May as well." Cate looked at Fang and I as Howard dialed. We both nodded and Cate read of Emma's number as Howard left her a message. Of course, she didn't answer. I left a message and my voice was shaking the entire time I was talking. Fang did the same and I could tell he was just a scared as I was. Tyler came back a few minutes later, and about ten more minutes later, everyone was back. Well, everyone except the one we were all looking for. Everyone was calling Emma, leaving messages when she didn't answer. Even Nudge, Iggy, Angel, and Gazzy called her at least once each. Every part of me began to tremble as I slowly started to assume the worst. There was still apart of me that was telling myself that she was fine and would never hurt herself, but I mean, I really didn't know. She seemed pretty out of control when she left… I looked around the room again. Everyone's faces were the same: drenched, upset, and scared as the night dragged on. I remember when I used to run away when I got scared or overwhelmed… Fang always came after me; always telling me everything was going to be okay…
But this time I wasn't sure if everything was going to be okay…
Cate sprang up from her seat on the couch a few minutes later, pulling me from my depressing monologue in my head.
"Emma texted me!" She screeched as tears welled in her eyes. Howard, Lucas, Fang, and I were at her side in the next millisecond. "Hey, mom. Whatever happens tonight, I'm fine. I'm sorry I ran out like that and made you all worry. I know it was wrong and stuff but I just panicked. I'm a horrible person and daughter and I'm so sorry. I just wanted to let you know I'm safe. I love you all. See you tomorrow." Cate read aloud. Her voice cracked when she read the 'I'm a horrible person and daughter' line. Cate texted her back quickly, but of course, Emma didn't text back. Cate sighed a few minutes later and threw her phone onto the couch where she had been sitting.
"Well, at least we know she's alright." Howard sighed and slumped onto the couch himself.
"I guess." Cate sighed. "Lucas, go get more towels from the upstairs bathroom." Cate instructed when she looked around and realized everyone was still wet and their towels were drenched. He nodded and went up the stairs. He ran back down not even a minute later.
"Mom, Emma's in her room." He said before he even reached the bottom.
"What?" She snapped.
"Emma's in her room." He replied as she and Howard dashed passed him up the stairs.
"Is she really?" Devin asked.
"Yeah." He made his way to the couch and sat down next to Tyler. "It looked like she cried herself to sleep though." He said. Howard came down stairs a few minutes later.
"She's sleeping." He said and I heard countless sighs of relief throughout the room. "Cate's with her now." He looked relieved. "Do you two want to see her?" He looked at Fang and I. We both nodded at the same time and then were led upstairs and into Emma's room by Howard. Cate's arms were around Emma's sleeping body. Cate was crying, Emma's face looked puffy like she had been crying before she fell asleep. Their dog sat on the edge of Emma's bed just watching everyone. We were all silent, just listening to our daughter's steady breathing. She suddenly stirred in her sleep. Her eyes opened and they shifted around the room.
"Mom?" She said looking up at Cate.
"I'm right here, baby." She replied holding her tighter.
"I'm so sorry." Emma's voice broke as she started crying again, this time against Cate.
"It's okay, sweetie. Please don't cry." Cate pleaded into Emma's hair. Cate stroked Emma's hair until her shoulders relaxed a few minutes later. "Just go back to sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow." Cate whispered to Emma. She nodded tiredly and I watched her as her eyes closed. "She's asleep." Cate said not a minute later. "Would you all want to be here tomorrow when we talk about this?" Cate looked up from watching Emma.
"Do you think she'd mind?" Fang asked gesturing to Emma.
"After what everyone did looking for her tonight, I think you all deserve answers." Howard shrugged.
"Alright." Fang shrugged. I nodded in agreement.
"Okay. See you all tomorrow." Cate smiled up at us.
"Bye." Fang replied looking at Emma one more time.
"See you." I smiled at her. I touched Emma's arm gently before Howard led us out. We all left the Larson's. Everyone agreed to come back tomorrow. Fang drove home and all of us went straight to bed when we got home.
Well, I guess one thing was for sure: Emma was a lot like me.
Well, hello there. I sincerely hoped you enjoyed this chapter, yo! Tell me what you liked or didn't like and if you have any ideas, feel free to let me know, you lovely reader, you! Your opinion matters! Loves you! :D