AN: I would like to dedicate this chapter to Call Me Bitter. I hope I met your expectations. . . and remember: whatever happens, KEEP READING! ^_^ see you at the bottom!
Chapter 40 Ella read.
Never in my "argh," she said, interrupting herself, causing us to laugh. fourteen looong years have I felt the slightest bit normal – except for my day with Ella and her mom, Dr. Martinez. "Glad we could help you feel normal." Mom said.
First, we ate a real breakfast together, around the kitchen table. On plates, with forks and knives and napkins. "Wow," Iggy said. "That is nice." Instead of, like, a hotdog stuck on a barbecue fork, "For breakfast?" Ella asked. Nudge nodded, then shivered, remembering how nasty they were. burned black over an open flame, then eaten right off the fork. "um, ew." Ella said. "Well you try not eating anything but cereal for days and when you need so much more." I said and she started reading again. Or cereal with no milk. Or peanut butter off a knife. Beanie weenies from the can.
Then Ella had to go to school. "Aren't those jerks still out there?" Nudge asked. Ella shook her head in dismissal. "They weren't any trouble to me after Max showed up." I was worried about the jerks from before, but she said her teacher was good at keeping kids in line, "Yeah, Mrs. Morthew (More tho) is really good about that." and so was the school bus driver. A real school bus! "You get really excited over the simplest of things." Mom said, Ella was giggling. Like on TV shows. "Yup. Sounds like Max." Iggy said, and I smacked him upside the head.
So it was me and Dr. Martinez. "So, Max," she said as she unloaded the dishwasher.
I tensed.
"Do you want to talk about . . . anything?" "nope, never." Fang said.
I looked at her. Her face was tan and kind, her eyes warm and understanding. "Yep," Ella said, "You got mom down to a tee." Mom blushed and smiled at me. But I knew if I started talking, I would never stop. "Cause Max is totally the chatterbox in the Flock." I heard Fang say. . . from the wrong direction. Everyone was laughing, and it was obvious what had happened. I let it slide just this one time. It was too funny. I would break down and start crying. I would freak out. Then I wouldn't be Max anymore, wouldn't be able to function, take care of the others, be the alpha girl. To save Angel. If it wasn't already too late. "You have got to stop thinking that way." Nudge said.
"Not really," I said.
She nodded and started stacking clean plates. I fantasized about actually being friends with Ella and her mom long after I left here and went home. "Definitely a fantasy." I muttered, and hey, it was mostly true. I could come back and visit sometimes. . . . Yeah, and we could have picnics, exchange Christmas cards. . . . I'm so sure."Wow, Max" Fang said. The REAL Fang this time. "I didn't know you could see the future." I stuck my finger in his ribs and he stuck his tongue out at me. I was totally losing my grip on reality. I had to get out of here. Ella sighed, knowing that I would leave soon, in the book at least.
Dr. Martinez put away the clean plates and loaded the dirty ones into the dishwasher. "Do you have a last name?"
I thought. Since I didn't have an "official" identity, there wasn't anything she could do with the information. I rubbed my temples – a headache had been creeping up on me since breakfast. "Do you think this is where your headaches started?" Nudge asked. "I don't know. . ." I said. "I mean, it might be. And now that I think about it. . . They only escalated from here on out." "What headaches?" Mom and Ella asked simultaneously. "You'll find out later. . ." I said, shuddering at the memory of the pain.
"Yeah," I said finally. I shrugged. "I gave it to myself."
On my eleventh birthday (which was also a day I picked for myself), I had asked Jeb about a last name. I guess I was hoping he would say, "your name is Batchelder, like me." "Which, technically, it is." Total said. "Thank you for that." I said, feeling the air turning colder around my mouth. But he hadn't. He'd said, "You should choose one yourself."
So I'd thought about it, thought about how I could fly and who I was.
"My last name is Ride," I told Ella's mom. "Like Sally Ride, the astronaut. Maximum Ride." "Ahem." Came from most of the flock. "You forgot something." Oh, great. I placed my head in my hands while they went over this yet again. Mom was looking kind of confused, as was ella. "Wah?" She said. "Maximum," Iggy said. "Charging Off," Fang said. "Ride." Nudge ended. Causing a great spurt of laughter. "Just read El, before I kill them." I said.
She nodded. "That's a good name. Are there others like you?" she asked.
I pressed my lips together and looked away. My head was throbbing. I wanted to tell her – that was the awful part. Something inside me wanted to blurt out everything. But I couldn't not after years of Jeb telling me I couldn't trust anybody, ever. Again, mom's eyes were torn between sadness and pride. Proud I wouldn't just trust somebody off the street and sad that I even had to be.
"Do you need help?"
My eyes flicked back to her face.
"Max – with your wings – can you actually fly?" Quite a few of us laughed.
"Well, yeah," I was startled into saying. That's me: mouth-like-a-steel-trap Maximum. "Ha!" Iggy said. After seeing him cringe away from where my hand should have gone to whack his head, I whacked his knee. "Didn't see that one coming did ya?" I asked him. Yep, you have to use all your tricks to get me to talk. Jeez. That's what I get for sleeping on a soft bed and eating homey food.
"Really? You can really fly?" "What?" Mom asked sheepishly. "It was kind of hard even imagine someone ever being able to fly." She looked fascinated, alarmed, and a little envious.
I nodded. "My bones are . . . thin," I began, hating myself. Shut up, Max! "And that would be my 'Fang' like conscience." I said, causing everyone to laugh, even Fang himself. "Thin and light. I have extra muscles. My lungs are bigger. And my heart. More efficient. But I need to eat a lot. It's hard." "Da-arn, Max." Iggy said. "When you spill, you spill BIG." He said. Nudge was nearly on edge of saying something, but Ig, had his hand over her mouth, Thank God. Abruptly, I clammed up, a furious blush heating my cheeks. That, folks, was the most I had ever said to a non-flock member. But when I spill the beans, I spill big! I might as well have hired a skywriting plane to scrawl, "I'm a mutant freak!" in huge letters across the sky.
"How did this happen?" Ella's mom asked softly. "She's not going to tell you." Fang said. "I know," Mom said. "But I was just hoping for more info on how this all happened. "You don't want to know." All six of us said together.
My eyes shut of their own volition. If I'd been alone I would have put my hands over my ears and hunkered down into a little ball on the floor. Fractured images, memories, fear, pain, all came crashing together inside my brain. You think being a regular teenager with growing pains is hard? Try doing it with DNA that's not your won, not even from a mammal.
"I don't remember," I told her. It was a lie. "You lied to MOM!" Ella said, her jaw dropping slowly.
"Well, Yeah," I told her. "I didn't want to talk about it then, and I still don't like talking about it." "But still!" She just wouldn't let it go. "You lied to mom." "I didn't know then." "But, bu –" "Just let it go, Ella, honey." Mom butted in, and took the book from El's hands.
"Thank you, mom." I said.
Chapter 41
Dr. Martinez looked distressed. "again, a familiar expression on mom's face." Ella said with a giggle. "Max, are you sure I can't help in some way?"
I shook my head, irritated at myself, irritated at her for bringing all this up. "Nah. It's all over, anyway. Done. But – I have to get out of here. Some friends are waiting for me. It's really important."
"How will you get to them? Can I give you a ride?" "You know that she can fly, yet you offer her a ride?" Ella said. Mom shrugged, "What? I was just hoping to have a little more time with her." "oooh." Ella said, nodding. "That definitely makes sense."
"No," I said, frowning and rubbing my hurt shoulder. "I need to, um, fly there. But I don't think I can fly yet."
Dr. Martinez creased her forehead, thinking. "It would be dangerous for you to strain your injury before it's healed. I couldn't tell the extent of it. But I could give you a better idea if we had an X-ray."
I looked at her solemnly. "Do you have X-ray vision?" Okay, I'll admit it, it was a stupid question. I laughed along as but not as loud as everyone else in the room. Fang looked at me, "Did you, really, just ask that question?" "So what if I did?" I asked. "That was two years ago." He shook his head and I placed my mine on his shoulder.
She laughed, startled, and I couldn't help grinning too. God, Ella had this all the time. A real mom. "I was really jealous of you," I told Ella. "You had the best thing in the world and I was stuck playing 'leader.'" Iggy melted, "Ouch, Max. That really hurt." I smacked his head, laughing as he pulled his legs in closer to him.
"No. Not all of us have superhuman powers," she said teasingly. "But some of us have access to X-ray machines." "Ick." Nudge said. "Doctors." . . . "No offense Dr. M." She said fast, thinking about what she just said, causing Ella, Angel and me to laugh.
Dr. Martinez shared a vet practice with another doctor. Today was her day off, but she was sure no one would think it was weird for us to show up at the office. She gave me a windbreaker to wear, "Thanks for that, by the way." I told mom who smiled. but I was still pretty freaked about seeing other people up close. Iggy snickered. "You were too, if I recall." Fang said.
"Hi, guys," Dr. Martinez said as we walked into the office. "This is a friend of Ella's. She's doing a report on being a vet, and I told her I'd give her a quick tour." "That's a great cover story Dr. M!" Angel said. "Thank you sweetie." Mom told her.
The three people behind the counter smiled and nodded as if this was totally believable. Maybe it was. How would I know? Fang chuckled. "Yeah," Iggy said. "Cause everyone is out to get you. . .wait. . . never mind." I laughed.
Two seconds after I walked in, I froze in the doorway, feeling the blood rush out of my face and a wash of terror sweep over me. "What happened?" Nudge said, tensing beside Iggy. "Nothing of consequent." I told her.
There was a man there.
In a white coat. "Ooooooh." Nudge said, relief showing clearly on her face. Iggy chuckled, "Shoulda known."
Dr. Martinez glanced back. "Max?"
I stared at her mutely. She gently took my arm and led me off into an exam room. "Yes, in here is where we see our patients," she said cheerfully "You are really good at keeping up with the façade." Nudge said. Mom shrugged. as she shut the door behind us. Then she turned and lowered her voice. "Max, what's wrong? What's the matter?" "Just the usual, when we step into a doctor's office that is." Iggy said.
I forced myself to take several slow, deep breaths, to uncoil the fists at my sides. "It's the smell," I whispered, embarrassed. "You don't need to be embarrassed, Max." Ella said. "I feel that way sometimes too." "Yeah, but let me guess," I said, "That started once you knew my story." I smirked as she sheepishly smiled and said, "Maybe." "The chemical smell, like a lab. The guy in the white coat. I have to get out of her, okay? Can we just go now, really fast?" I looked for an exit, a window. "You need this though, Max." Fang said. "Yeah, I know, that's why I didn't run." I answered him.
Her hand rubbed my back. "I can promise that you're safe here. Can you stay just long enough for me to get a quick X-ray, and then we'll leave right away?" "You really were the best person for me to run into." I told her. Everyone in the flock nodded their head in agreement.
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. My heart was pounding so hard it made a rushing sound in my ears.
"Please, Max."
I forced myself to nod. Dr. Martinez checked to make sure I wasn't wearing jewelry – as if- "Not now though." Ella said smugly. Nudge grinned too. I nodded and fingered my necklace. Fang had gotten (with the help of Mom and Ella) it. It has a heart with wings on it, on each of the wings were the names of my family members, those closest to me. I never left my room without it. then carefully positioned me on a table. A machine hovered over me. I felt like my nerves were about to snap. "Your nerves are always about to snap." Gazzy muttered, and Angel giggled. I pouted and Fang poked me in the ribs.
She stepped out of the room, I heard a tiny buzz, and it was all over. "It was a lot faster than I thought it would be," I said. Mom nodded, "They are pretty fast."
Two minutes later she showed me a large dark sheet with my shoulder bones, arm and part of my wing showing in shades of white. She stuck it up on a glass box on the wall and turned on its light. The picture jumped out brightly.
"Look," she said, tracing my shoulder blade with her finger. This bone is fine. It's all muscle damage "Awe, darn." Iggy said. "Muscle damage takes longer to heal." Mom giggled, I smirked and said, "Thank you Dr. Birdbrain." – you can see the torn tissue here and here."
I nodded.
"And your wing bones," she said, unconsciously lowering her voice, "all seems fine. Which is good. Unfortunately, muscle damage usually takes longer to heal than bones do. "Told you." Iggy muttered and I whacked his head again. Though your rate of regeneration seems weirdly fast, "The first time I had to deal with it." Mom said, shaking her head. I must say."
She frowned at the X-ray, tapping it with her finger. "Your bones are so fine and light," she murmured, as if talking to herself. "They're beautiful. And then . . . huh. What's this thing?" "Huh?" Total said. "is that the –" I cut him off – motioning to mom to keep reading – not bothering to let him finish his probably right question.
She was pointing to a bright white square, maybe half an inch wide, that sat smack-dab in the middle of my forearm. "That's not jewlry, is it?" She glanced down at me. "Is it the zipper of the windbreaker?" "Erm, I don't think that's it." Total said, his eyes betraying his thoughts, This is where the beach scene came in. I shook off the thought as mom read again.
"No – I took it off." Fang shivered beside me, remembering the scene all too well.
Dr. Martinez leaned closer to the picture, squinting her eyes. "It's a – it looks like a . . ." Her voice trailed off.
"What?" I said, unnerved by the expression on her face.
"It's a microchip," "I knew it." Total said, shaking his head, ruffling his fur. Angel smoothed it down softly, I think it soothed her as much as it soothed him. Yeah, Angel told me. It helps a lot. I smiled at her. she said hesitantly. "We put something similar into animals. To identify them in case they're lost. Yours looks like a, like once we use on really expensive pets, show dogs and such. They have a tracer in them in case they're stolen. They can be tracked, wherever they are." "And here is where Max tenses up and wants to rip her arm off to get the stupid chip out." Iggy said. Nudge shook her head beside Angel. "No, that's not yet." Nudge started but Angel cut in, saving all of our ears.
"It's not time yet Iggy," She said in her cute 'innocent' voice. "Remember, we were on the way to Florida when she had her breakdown." Iggy nodded grimly, and then Smiled. I guess Angel sent him a thought worth remembering or something. I took the book from mom, grabbed another cookie and silently thanked Angel for that pleasant reminder. Fang, feeling me tense up like only Fang can do, started rubbing my back and some of my feathers.
I started to read so we could get on with it.
Chapter 42
The look of comprehending horror that rose in my face alarmed Dr. Martinez. "You're look of comprehending horror alarms all of us." Fang whispered. Nudge said it louder for everyone to hear.
"I'm not saying that's what it is," she said quickly. "It's just what it looks like." "Oh, that's definitely what it is." Total said.
"Take it out," I said hoarsely. I held out my arm and pushed up my sleeve. "Please. Take it out right now." "I'm glad you didn't take it out then." I said. If that had happened, I might not have ever regained the use in my arm. Fang nodded.
She looked at the X-ray again, studying it for several minutes while I tried not to jump out of my skin. Ella laughed, along with Angel, Nudge and Gazzy, Iggy chuckled. They were probably picturing me actually trying to jump out of my skin. I narrowed my eyes and kept reading.
"I'm sorry, Max," she said at last. "I don't think it can be surgically removed. It looks like it was implanted a long time ago, when your arm was much smaller. Now your muscles and nerves, blood vessels, have grown around it so completely that I think if we tried to take it out, you could possibly lose the use of your hand. "Oh, how right you were." I muttered.
You'd think I'd get used to the ongoing nightmare that was my life, but I was actually pathetically surprised that those demonoids "Demonoids," Ella said, "that's a new one." Iggy nodded too. from the School could continue to wreak havoc on me from so far away, so long ago.
But why was I surprised? "Yeah," Nudge asked. "Why were you surprised? They already brought trouble back to us when they took Angel." I smirked and read the next line. I asked myself bitterly. They had done just that two days ago, when they'd kidnapped angel. An image of her popped into my mind, her sweet, small face smiling up at me, love shining out. The Angel in the room beamed up at me, showing the exact picture of what I had seen in my head that day. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
Right then, we became aware of voices "Oh snap." Iggy said, "Get out of there." Ella was worried, she didn't know this part. in the waiting room, men's voices, smooth and charming, "They came to your office?" Nudge asked, worried. Ella couldn't speak. asking questions.
I froze again, doing my deer-in-the-headlights imitation. "You seem to be doing that a lot in this book." Gazzy muttered trying to lighten up the atmosphere by just a hair.
Dr. Martinez looked at me and listened to the voices. "I'm sure this is nothing, Max," she said calmly. "But why don't you step in here for a minute?"
In the hall was a small door that led to their medicine storage closet. Several long white coats hung inside, and I slid in behind them, flattening myself against the wall. Chuckles made their way throughout the room, Fang actually smiled. "You hid behind the whitecoats!" Nudge said, smiling. Angel was trying not to laugh, but it wasn't working very well.
And yes, I get the irony, thanks.
Dr. Martinez turned off the light and closed the door. Barely twenty seconds later, I heard the voices in the examining room where I had been. "You went face to face with them…" Iggy said.
"What's going on here?" Dr. Martinez said sharply, sounding outraged. "And here's where Max got her temper from." Iggy said, and I smacked him on the leg again. "This is a doctor's office!"
"Sorry, ma'am," one voice said, sounding as if it were made of honey. My heart began to pound.
"Doctor!" she snapped. "My, God," Fang said. "You're practically immune to their charm." Mom smiled.
"Sorry, Doctor," another voice said. It was soothing, calming, placating. "Forgive us for interrupting. There's nothing to be concerned about. We're with local law enforcement." I scoffed. "Yeah, right." Nudge said.
"We're looking for anything unusual," said the first voice. "Just a precaution. I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that." Implying that it was all top-secret government stuff. Maybe I was. "Not really government stuff," I said.
There was a pause. Was Dr. Martinez being drawn in by their voices? She wouldn't be the first one. Oh, God . . .
I suddenly remembered my X-ray up on the light box, and I clapped my hand over my mouth. My stomach tightened. In the next minute I could be fighting for my life. It was too dark to look for possible weapons. Think, think . . .
"Unusual like what?" Dr. Martinez said acidly. "Go Dr. M!" The flock said in unison. Well, me and Ella said "Go Mom!" But you get the picture. "A double rainbow? Gasoline for less than a buck fifty? Sugar free soda that actually tastes good?" Everyone laughed. Mom sure did know how to get around their questions.
I couldn't help grinning. She was just so great. And she seemed immune to Erasers, which was really weird. "Not weird," Mom said. "The fact that you were so terrified at the sound of their voice made me furious that anyone would such things to children."
"No," said the second voice after a moment. "Unusual people, for instance. Strangers in the neighborhood. Children or teenagers that you don't know or who look suspicious. Or unusual animals, even." "Basically," Iggy said. "All he's trying to figure out is if you've seen kids with wings in the area."
"I'm a veterinary surgeon," said Dr. Martinez in a chilling voice. "To tell you the truth, I usually don't look at my patients' owners much. And I haven't seen any strangers around. As for unusual animals, last week I treated a cow that had a bicornuate uterus. She had a healthy calf in each side. "Wow." Everyone said. Does that help?" My mom was now the flock's greatest hero. I smiled.
Silence. I would hate to be on the receiving end of her anger. "Tell me about it." Ella said.
"Um . . ." said the first voice.
"If you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a business to run." Icicles dripped off her words. "The way out is through that door." "You're the bomb!" Angel said. "Like tick-tick!" Gazzy and Iggy said in unison. Causing all of us to laugh.
"If you do see or hear of anything unusual, here's a number for you to call. Thanks for your time. Sorry to disturb you." "Yeah right." Iggy said.
Heavy footsteps faded from my hearing. A minute later I felt the front door slam shut.
"If you see those two guys again, call the cops," Dr. Martinez said to the receptionist.
She came and let me out of the closet, looking at my face solemnly.
"Those guys were bad news," she said, "am I right?" "Most definitely." Nudge said.
I nodded. "I better leave right now."
She shook her head. "Tomorrow morning is soon enough. One more night of rest. Promise me."
I opened my mouth to argue, "Let me guess." Total said. "You say yes anyway." I glared at him and he stared at his paws. but what came out was "Okay. I promise." "Ha! I knew it!" He said.
"Wait," I said as Fang reached out to take the book. "What's this?" I was staring at the page I had just finished reading and where had been blank paper, now read some other chapter.
"Chapter 71?" I asked. Mom cocked her head to the side.
"But I thought we just read Chapter 42. . .?" Nudge asked.
Angel smiled. I know what it is! She said in my head. I frowned. What is it Angel?
It's from the 5th book: MAX. I don't know why it's there, but I think we should read it now!
Let me ask Fang about it okay? Fine, I heard her mentally sigh. Here! She perked up then I heard her 'presence' in my head vanish.
Huh? What the – Fang! I cut him off. Max? Okay, yeah, it's me. What do you think? Read, or skip? Read, or skip?
Max, I – um, I don't know. God, this is weird. Um, Angel can you take this down now?
I don't know Fang, I kind of like it. I laughed. This was fun.
"Angel, could you please stop it now?" I asked, nicely. She giggled and nodded. I felt fang's relief and my own. I stared at him, and he shrugged his shoulders, I cocked my head to one side, he gave a sideways nod. (Yes that is possible. And No it's not a shake) My family watched (minus Iggy but you should know that by now) the interaction between me and Fang. This went on for a minute until Nudge finally couldn't stand it. "Max! Fang! Come on! Just read! PLEASE?" Angel joined her on the 'please' with bambi eyes included.
"No," I said. "I'm gonna wait Till we get to that book." I was drowned out by Ella, Nudge, Angel and surprisingly, Gazzy saying "Awe Come on!"
"Look," Fang started, "We're gonna get to that book later on. It won't make any sense in light of the current situation." Mom nodded and Ella's jaw dropped. "B-but," She said. "But nothing," Fang continued. "This chapter comes from much later on. . . Apparently it's the 5th book. What book are we on right now?" He asked and Ella murmured, "the first." "Exactly. We won't understand it at all."
Mom got up clapped her hands together and said, "Well, I've got to go to work, I didn't know it had gotten this late. Iggy? Help with lunch, okay?" Iggy nodded.
"Well," Total said, standing shakily. "This has been fun, but I'm going to go take a nap." I looked at mom, and her eyes were worried. "Total?" She said. "Why don't you come with me?" I nodded, I was worried about him. "I'll come, Angel?" Angel popped up, nodded and we were out the door in 5 minutes, with a snoring Total in my arms.
A/N: Aren't I cruel : ) Sorry guys, It just wouldn't have worked that way. *sigh* I know, I know.
HOWEVER! I will let you see the Future chapter. KEEP IN MIND that it might change by the time I get to that book. So without further adieu I am pleased to present unto you the special future chapter.
Chapter 71 (MAX: A maximum ride novel) I took the book from Mom and started to read, the tension in the room was so thick you could slice it with a butter knife.
I SLAMMED MY FIST against the pressure pad that opened the air-lock chamber. "Max, Do you really have to do this?" Ella asked, voice thick with worry. "Ell, You sure you're not suffering from short term memory loss? You know who I'm going out there to save." I told her. And she nodded solemnly. Angel was looking smug, she was obviously not at all sorry about what she had done. Fang rubbed my back as I continued. I knew Captain Perry and the others were right behind me, and if they wanted to get sucked out of the diver air lock along with me, that was their business. "That would not have been good." Mom said. I nodded, unlike us, they were pretty crushable. Ten seconds ago, one of those creatures had been speeding towardAngel. "It was okay though." Angel muttered, and Total whimpered, remembering the fear he had had. That image, seared into my brain, made me feel sick. I couldn't believe that after all we'd been through, everything we'd done, Angel had basically just
committed suicide by sea monster. "You really, have GOT to stop doing that to Max or she's gonna spontaneously combust." Ella said. Angel giggled, then calmed herself down. The air-lock door opened, the interior of the chamber still wet from Angel's escape. Brigid Yay for red-haired wonders. Angel snickered. grabbed my arm. "Max — don't," "Did she seriously tell you 'no'?" Mom asked, "She doesn't know you at all." I narrowed my eyes. "No," I said, "She doesn't." she said. "You know you can't go up against them. The best thing would be for us to get out of here, fast, before they start attacking the whole sub. "She really should have known that you couldn't just leave Angel like that." Fang said. Remember what they did to the Minnesota? Mom shuddered, Ella too. Hey, even I shuddered. This one is so much smaller and more vulnerable." Ella shivered. "Did she have to say that?" She asked.
"I have to go get Angel," I snarled with my endearing bulldog tenacity.
"Max — you can't help her." Brigid sounded close to tears. "Will you shut up already?" Ella said, "She just doesn't get it!"
"I'm not leaving her," I said, standing threateningly over Brigid, several inches taller. "Go Max!" Ella cheered. "If it's too late, then I'm bringing back her body. Ella and mom winced. Either way, I'm not leaving without her." I looked at Captain Perry, John, Brigid, and the rest of the flock. "So suck it up and get out of my way." "One thing I've learned in the Flock," El said, "Is to never question Max when she uses that tone." Iggy laughed with Nudge and Gazzy, granted, it was a weak laugh but hey, it works. John looked at me for a long moment, then nodded, and carefully stepped out of the air-lock chamber. He touched Captain Perry's arm, and, frowning, Captain Perry left "Well John knows when to listen." Mom said, and I smiled at her. John Abate was one of the better adults that I knew. too. "Brigid," said John. Tears rolling down her cheeks, she let go of my arm "She was crying?" Ella asked. "I didn't think that witch had it in her." and left the room, followed by a solemn, stiff-jawed flock. Except Fang. "Oh, no." Fang said, seeing the wary look Ella, Mom and Total gave him. "I know better than to stand in the way of Max when her Family is in danger." I tapped his knee. I've trained him well. I glared at him. "Go on. Try to stop me. I dare you." It was like the old days when we used to wrestle, each trying to get the better of the other. I was ready to take him down, my hands curled into fists. "Exactly why I didn't try." Fang whispered so only Iggy and I could hear. "I was just going to say be careful," "Wait for it," Ella said, then was joined in by Nudge and Angel saying: "AWEEEEE!" Fang told me. He stepped closer and brushed some hair out of my eyes. "And — I've got your back." He motioned with his head toward the torpedo chamber. I felt my blood rush to my cheeks as I read this part. Oh, my God. It hit me like a tsunami then: how perfect he was for me, "No way," Ella said. "She's actually admitting she loves you!" Angel and Nudge snickered. "Well it's about time." Iggy muttered. how no one else would ever, could ever be so perfect for me, how he was everything I could possibly hope for, "I've often wondered how you thought of me." Fang whispered so low, I wasn't sure I heard it. as a friend, boyfriend — maybe even more. He was it for me. There would be no more looking. I really, really loved him, with a wholenew kind of loveI'd never felt before, something that made everyother kind of loveI'd ever felt just seem washed out and wimpy in comparison. "Wow, Max." Mom said. "That's deep." "Just wait," Angel said as my cheeks deepened in color. "It gets better." I loved him with every cell in my body, every thought in my head, every feather in my wings, every breath in my lungs. I paused, feeling breathless. "What about air sacs?" Iggy asked as he chuckled. I blushed yet even deeper and continued to read. And air sacs. Too bad I was going out to face almost certain death. Right there, in front of everyone, "I remember this." Nudge said. "Max, you must be blushing really bad, cause the air is a lot warmer now." Iggy said, causing Angel and Gazzy and Ella to laugh. threw my arms around his neck and smashed my mouth against his. Mom smiled. Iggy snickered. Nudge, Angel and Ella smiled. He was startled for a second, then his strong arms wrapped around me so tightly I could hardly breathe. "ZOMG," I heard Nudge whisper, but still Fang and I
kissed, slanting our heads this way and that to get closer."Ick." Gazzy muttered. "Young love." Total said. I could have stood there and kissed him happily for the next millennium, but Angel "back to the present." Gazzy muttered, relieved. — or what was left of her — was still out there in the cold, dark ocean. Reluctantly, I ended the kiss, took a step back. Fang's obsidian eyes were glittering brightly, and his stoic face had a look of wonder on it. "Well of course it did." Fang said. "It was the first time you actually kissed me." "True," I said. "Gotta go," I said quietly. A half smile quirked his mouth. "Yeah. Hurry back." I nodded, and he stepped out of the air-lock chamber, "You let her go alone?" Ella asked, incredulous. "Well, someone had to look after these guys if anything had happened to Max." Fang replied. I nodded. He needed to stay there. keeping his eyes fixed on me, memorizing me, "as if you needed to." Nudge said. I stared at her. "What? It seemed like all he did was stare at you. Most of the time he would do that and then sometimes he would look around doing the 360 thing that you always do, bu–" Iggy clutched his ears and curled into a ball, "MY EARS!" He said, shutting her up so I could continue to read. as he hit the switch that sealed the chamber. The doors hissed shut with a kind of finality, and I realized my heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to start snapping ribs. "That wouldn't be good." Ella frowned. "Ya Darn Straight!" Iggy said. I was scared. "I'm sorry Max." Angel said, now realizing what this had done to me. "But you needed to come out there and this was the only way it would work." I was crazily, deeply, incredibly, joyously, terrifiedly "I don't think that's actually a word." Mom said, smiling. in love. I was on a death mission. "You didn't die though." Ella said. Before my head simply exploded from too much emotion, Angel, Gazzy, Ella and surprisingly Iggy chuckled at that. I hit the large button that pressurized the air lock enough for the doors to open to the ocean outside. "here we go!" Iggy said. I really, really hoped that I would prove to be somewhat uncrushable, like Angel did. Angel shook her head and rolled her eyes. Hadn't I proved that already? She thought to me. I just didn't think that would be like me Ange. She sighed. The doors cracked open below me, and I saw the first dark glint of frigid water. Showtime, folks. I set the book beside Fang and went into the kitchen for a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie. Fang surprisingly followed. He stood beside me for a second, rubbing my back and then embraced me in a special Fang hug.
"I love you," Fang said.
"I love you, too." I said back at the same time I heard the distinct click of a camera.
I turned to face the perpetrator and was about to say "burn it," when Fang surprised all of us by saying, "Keep it." You could hear the jaws drop.
AN: Okay guys. . . that's it for now! Let me know how it was! I really need your input. . . especially on things like what I did in the special chapter. Love scenes aren't really my forte. . . I'm really sorry about the wait guys. But Junior year is getting pretty hard. and it's only my second week. I'll try to keep updating regularly, but you know how life is.
Hope you enjoyed it!
~Jezabel Raewin