Solace: Chapter Twenty-One – Separation Anxiety
10 minutes…
30 minutes…
1 hour, 15 minutes…
"Are Max and Fang coming back?" Angel whispered to Iggy, knowing he couldn't have the answer, but needing some kind of reassurance, however false it might be. Nudge and Gazzy had already passed out from exhaustion, not being able to fight it, no matter how worried they were about the eldest Flock members' return.
"They always come back," he told her, offering a weak smile. "You should try to sleep, Angel. Max is going to be angry at me if she knows I've let you stay up so late."
Iggy could hear her breaths wavering, forcing back the quiet sobs that threatened to escape. He was amazed at how strong the 10-year-old was. She was battling with her composure and winning, for the most part. Any other 10-year-old would be in hysterics if their leader/stand-in mother went missing, along with her second-in-command. He didn't know if he could fill their role if they didn't return…
He shook his head lightly. This is ridiculous, Iggy thought to himself. It had been less than an hour and a half since Max and Fang separated from them. He was overreacting. There were only two experiments that escaped before the bomb was dropped, or so Gazzy had informed him. Surely they could hold their own against just two…
But what if it had been a trap? What if that damn voice in Max's head had finally turned sour? It could have been waiting patiently these past four years, slowly gaining Max's unconditional trust, then luring her to her demise when it was absolutely sure she would listen. There could have been Reflectors concealed in the forest, blocking their minds from Angel to keep their presence unknown. That other experiment, the one in charge, could have been there, too, trying to take Max back with him to God-knows-where. Oh, hell, there could be any number of new and dangerous things out there.
If only he wasn't blind… Maybe Max would have let him help… Then he wouldn't be sitting in this chair in a hotel room, just waiting around uselessly for his next command. If she would just trust him…
"Iggy, Max trusts you to take care of us," Angel soothed, hearing the rejection in Iggy's thoughts. "She wouldn't have been able to send us back here without knowing we would be safe and she knows that we're safe with you. It doesn't matter to her that you're blind. She knows you can watch over us, even if you can't see us," she assured him, pulling herself into his lap and hugging him around his neck. "Besides, everything will be better soon. I promise." He couldn't help but wonder what she meant by that last part, but he pushed it aside, focusing his thoughts more on how to handle this situation.
He held her close and she kissed him once on the cheek. He sighed, feeling less than adequate being comforted by the small girl when he couldn't comfort her in return.
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