43.
"So when you said that you had things to do, you meant fighting off this company, the erasers and the flyboys?" John asked, and I nodded. "And that your planning on leaving tomorrow?" Again, I nodded.
"And you're okay with this?" He asked my mom.
"Of course I'm not okay with it! But they're the only chance that this world's got right now- as sad as it is to say, and I think that they can manage it. Like they said, they've already stopped roughly five experimentation centreS, I think that they can do this, I really do." She replied, he nodded and I pulled my jacket back on, right as the doorbell went. The flock and I froze, Mom and John looked around slightly, confused looks on their faces; Mariah, Ella, Jordan and Lewis also seemed confused as I began dishing out silent orders just in case.
I waved a hand at Fang and Nudge to guard the door (of the room that contained everyone) and the others to guard the windows, whilst I went to answer the door.
When I opened the door it was to see a guy, just older then me, about to turn and walk back down the path; his eyes widened as he took me in. I mean seriously, did I look that bad?
"Hi, I'm Karl." He said, holding his hand out to shake. Now, usually, I wouldn't have even thought about accepting his hand, but a handshake was all that I'd really need to figure out if he was human or not, so, I accepted his hand and shook it, putting slight pressure on his hand. His grip was firm, and I could feel the muscle there, but his skin was smooth, and the grip wasn't too strong; and, so, I deduced that he was human and released his hand.
"I'm Max." Was my response. "How can I help you?"
"My mom sent me round to introduce myself to the new neighbours, you know? She says that if you and your family need anything, just to let us know." He said, with a wide grin.
"Uh… Thanks?" I said, unsure of what people would normally respond to this.
"So, how many of you are there?" He asked, leaning nonchalantly up against the doorframe.
"Twelve." I said, and his eyebrows raised a little bit.
"Me and my adopted brothers and sisters from my mom's past marriage, my sister, my step-sister, step-dad and two step-brothers." I specified, and he nodded.
"Hey, I know, why don't you come out with me on Saturday night?" He asked, "I can show you around, introduce you to some people…" He said, but trailed off as Fang emerged from the room and wrapped his arms around me, dropping a kiss on my collarbone.
"What's taking so long, baby?" He asked, and I mentally rolled my eyes.
"I'm busy Saturday." I said, mentally rolling my eyes again. "Sorry."
"Oh, okay then." He said, and just when I thought that he'd given up, he spoke again. "How about Sunday?"
"Still busy." Fang mumbled against my skin, making me shiver as he pulled me further back against him.
"Oh, well, what school are you going to?" He asked, clearly he did not get the message.
"We're not going to school here; we still live primarily with our dad for the moment." Fang said stiffly.
"Our Dad?" Karl queried, raising an eyebrow at mine and Fang's positioning.
"Yeah, Maxi here's mom and dad adopted me, my half-sister and a few other kids." Was Fang's vague response, as I sneakily elbowed him in the ribs for calling me Maxi.
"Actually, we're supposed to be packing the stuff for our dad's house right now." Fang continued, and I nodded slightly as we both moved to shut that door and Karl said a hurried goodbye- ending with the door just about shutting on his face.
Fang and I watched him re-trace his steps to his car, climb in, and speed out of view with relief. Thank God that he'd been human, I was pretty sure that John, Mom and the others wouldn't have been too happy about having to leave their new house already. The two of us headed back into the front room, where we'd left the room; the others hadn't moved, and the four of them turned to face us as we entered the room.
"So, who was that, Maxi?" Iggy asked, and I calmly threw a shoe at his head- hitting it with perfect aim.
"Hey! No throwing stuff at the blind guy!" He said, in apparent outrage, and I grinned.
"Yeah, 'cause you're so handicapped." I said, and then, "He was human, it's all clear." The other stepped away from the windows and I nodded at them, silently telling them that they'd done a good job.
"Right, have we got blankets and stuff for the floor, or are we going it rough?" I asked, signalling at the carpet- there was a moment of silence, and then Mom spoke again.
"There's plenty of rooms, with inter-changeable rooming." Mom said, "John and I figured out some quick rooming ideas when you were… unconscious, Max." Mom said, and John picked up where she'd left off. "We figured that the flock would want to be together? So Mariah, Ella, Jordan and Lewis can have a room of their own, and Iggy can share with The Gasman, Nudge with Angel, and Max with… Fang." John said the last part reluctantly, it would appear that the adults were still learning to accept the change in relationship. The flock and the other kids nodded, and it was agreed. I paused for a moment, and then Mom and John's words' meaning sunk in, they really did want us to stay; to them, we really were a part of the family, and that felt better then I ever could have thought.
