I promised I'd update soon. I couldn't wait to get this chapter up. So, without further ado… Chapter 35!
They reached the house by nightfall. Fang still hadn't informed anyone of the reason he was in a rush to get back home, although Elisabeth was sure Max knew. Max kept staring at Fang, her eyes full of concern.
Elisabeth thought something had to be wrong. Why else would they hide the truth? It just didn't make any sense.
As they stepped on the porch, Fang peered inside the window before he knocked. There was the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs, the hall light turned on, the door swung open, and Dr. Martinez, crying, pulled Max close.
"Oh thank goodness you found them. I'm so happy you're all home safe. I was so worried." No one had seen Dr. Martinez like this before. Her hair was matted and her eyes were red and puffy. It looked like she was sick, but Elisabeth knew she had been crying her eyes out since Max left.
She ushered them inside, blowing her nose, and shut the door, quietly. "What happened?" she asked.
Elisabeth opened her mouth to explain, but Fang held up his hand, silencing her. "We'll discuss that later, but first…" He gave her a look.
"Oh, yes. I understand. In the living room. She's waiting there." Dr. Martinez said, leading them inside.
The house was warm and Elisabeth couldn't wait to curl up under her nice warm covers and go to sleep. But something occurred to her just then; Dr. Martinez said something about someone waiting for them in the living room. But who?
She was just about to ask, when she saw Dr. Mullins sitting on the beat up old couch. She looked exceptionally tired, like she had been sitting there, awake, since the rest of the flock left.
She smiled warmly at all of them. "Elisabeth. Fang. Everyone."
Everyone took a seat. They were all curious about what was going on; Fang looked the most impatient.
What's going on? Elisabeth wondered.
I don't know. Angel replied. I can't get anything out of them.
"I'm sure Fang told you why I needed to talk to you." Dr. Mullins began.
"Actually, I haven't told them." Fang said. "Max knows, but that's all."
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Dr. Mullins sighed and said, "Well, I don't know how to explain this. I guess the best thing is just to come out with it."
"Come out with what?" Elisabeth asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I'm your mother." she whispered.
The atmosphere changed abruptly. Everyone was silent, but it was an unnatural silence. Elisabeth started to shake and Iggy, instinctively, held her to him.
Her mother? How was that even possible? How could that be? When she was younger, Elisabeth always wished that Dr. Mullins was her mother, but now the idea just seemed ridiculous. If she was her mother, she would have told her. Or would she have?
"Elisabeth?" Iggy whispered in her ear. "You alright?"
Elisabeth nodded slowly and then whispered, "How?"
"I suppose I owe you a better explanation." Dr. Mullins sighed. "Where to begin? Let me tell you a little about my life. I grew up in a nice family. We were well off. I had an older brother and a younger sister. My two favorite people in the world were my grandmother, Elisabeth, and my Uncle Phil. When I was seventeen, I ran off with my boyfriend, Jon Walker. Of course my parents were furious. They didn't approve. Only Uncle Phil and my sister, Julia, knew the whole story. Not long after, I got pregnant. I remember the trip to the hospital as if it were yesterday."
~Flashback~
It was night in the middle of summer. She woke up, her stomach hurting her. She knew what that meant.
"Jon." She shook the man next to her. Her husband stirred, but wouldn't wake. She shook him again, harder.
"What?" he asked, sleepily.
"It's time Jon." she whispered urgently.
"Time for what?"
"Our special deliveries."
"Oh shit." He hopped up out of bed and grabbed her suitcase. "Put on your coat and meet me by the door. I'll take this to the car." He then ran out of their bedroom door.
Despite what was happening, she was unusually calm and relaxed. She grabbed her coat, put on her shoes and headed to the door. Jon helped her down the stairs and into the car.
"I called Phil and Julia." he told her. "They're on there way to the hospital." He backed down the driveway and drove to the hospital.
They were halfway there when it happened. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "I hate you Jon!" she shouted.
"What'd I do?" he demanded, his temper getting the better of him.
"You did this to me! This horrible mess I'm in is your fault!"
"I'll fix it." he told her.
She knew he wouldn't listen to her, so she grumbled under her breath, occasionally gasping in pain.
They made it to the hospital in record time. She was wheeled into a room and left there while Jon went to get the doctor.
Soon, the doctor came, with a nurse and Julia behind him. Julia took her hand and squeezed. It was going to be a long night.
An hour later, the doctor placed her babies in her arms. A boy and a girl. The boy was older by seven minutes. They were both beautiful, perfect. Slightly olive skin, inherited from her mother, deep brown eyes, like their father, and beautiful dark brown, almost black, curls on their little heads.
"They're beautiful Char." Julia cooed.
"Where's Jon?" she asked.
"He's talking with the doctor and Uncle Phil." Julia said, not meeting her eyes.
Just then, Uncle Phil stormed in, his face livid. Jon followed him, looking just as furious.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused. She handed the little boy to Julia and held the little girl close.
"Well, Jon, tell her." Phil was struggling to keep calm.
"Tell me what?" she asked.
"We're putting the kids up for adoption. I have the papers." Jon replied, getting the papers out of his pocket.
"We're what?" she asked, shocked.
"I told him you wouldn't agree with it. I told him you wouldn't have anything to do with it. I told him you wouldn't allow it." Phil said.
"Char, we have to. We can't keep them."
"I'm not letting you take them." she protested. "You can't." She started sobbing.
"It's the only way."
"No!" she cried.
"You're making this harder than this has to be."
Phil knocked Jon off his feet. "I'm not going to let you hurt her or those children. Get out you filthy piece of scum!"
"You're making a mistake Char!" Jon yelled before he left. "You'll see."
Julia handed the boy back to her and she held both of them, crying.
"It's okay Char." Julia said. "Uncle Phil won't let him take them away."
"That's right Char." Phil whispered.
~End Flashback~
Dr. Mullins had tears in her eyes and Elisabeth noticed that she was crying too.
"What happened?" Max asked. "How did they end up at the School?"
"Later, the doctors took them to the nursery so I could get some rest. I took a nap and woke up to Julia sitting by my bed crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said that my babies died. She said the doctors said that something went wrong. I can't really remember that part. I was devastated. I knew I wasn't going back to Jon, but I also couldn't go back home. Uncle Phil offered me a place to stay and I accepted. I went to college online and became a doctor. I got a job at the School, but I didn't know exactly what went on there. I soon found out, but like so many others, I was too afraid to quit. A while after I started, Elisabeth was brought there. She was three years old and as soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew what had happened. Jon had done something and somehow Elisabeth had ended up with wings. She had never died and I hoped that somewhere her brother was safe, having a better life than she was. I later found out that my boy had indeed suffered the same fate."
She went silent, waiting to see what they'd say.
"Did you ever tell anyone?" Max asked, since she figured no one else would say anything.
"No." Dr. Mullins said. "I thought I'd not be allowed to see her. If they knew…I don't want to think what might have happened."
There was another moment of silence. Elisabeth and Fang were having a hard time grasping the meaning of her words.
Their father hadn't wanted them. He had probably bribed a doctor or nurse to dispose of them. Fury burned deep inside both of them. They hated him. Jon Walker. The devil. The reason they had wings. The reason they could never be normal.
But, if it wasn't for him, they wouldn't be part of the flock. They wouldn't know who Max, Iggy, Nudge, Gaz, Angel, Total, Dr. Martinez, Ella, or Jeb were. Maybe what had happened to them wasn't all bad.
"Elisabeth?" Iggy asked. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" She noted the worry in his voice.
"I'm okay." she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Dr. Mullins.
"I know I should have, but I thought they'd find out." she explained. "Do you forgive me? Both of you?"
"Of course." Elisabeth said getting up and going to the couch. She hugged her mother and said, "It's okay. I understand."
"Fang?" Dr. Mullins asked.
"I don't see why I need to forgive you. It's not like it was your fault." he whispered.
Dr. Mullins smiled softly. "Thank you." she said. "Well, I suppose you should be getting to bed."
"Actually, we need to discuss with Elisabeth what actually happened to her." Max said, turning to her.
Elisabeth knew this was coming and she was ready to finally be able to tell the whole story to everyone for what she hoped was the last time. She took a deep breath and said, "I was there for three days. On the third day, they wheeled me into a room and told me they were going to drill a hole in my head. No anesthetics. I was about to lose all hope when Iggy and Angel blew up a wall-"
"You blew up a wall?!" Max yelled.
"It was the only plan I had. Would you rather they had turned her full super-computer? Would you rather she destroyed the world; destroyed us?" Iggy asked.
"No." Max admitted. "That would not have been good."
"Did anything else happen?" Dr. Mullins asked.
"Nope." Elisabeth said.
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
"Well, keep your eyes peeled." Dr. Mullins said, standing to leave.
"Do you have to go?" Elisabeth asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid I do. You all need sleep. I'll see you at school." She then left.
"You heard your mother." Dr. Martinez said. "She's right. You've got school tomorrow. I know you've had several exciting days, but you need to go to school." She ushered them up to their rooms.
Elisabeth crawled onto her bed. It was just a mattress, she never liked sleeping off the ground much. Spending all those years sleeping on that cold, metal table had done that to her. She drifted off into a troubled sleep.
I think that was a pretty long chapter. I think you all deserved a longer chapter. Well, read, review, vote in my poll, and all that good stuff. Hope you like it!