Chapter Two: That Pesky Voice

MAX'S POV

Everyone calmed down after the fire was put out but the questions kept coming. I don't respond, still staring at my burned, smoky bathroom door. The boys are busy removing it from its hinges as the girls sit around Nudge and me.

Nudge has seemed to have enough of the questions. Just like me, she is still trying to figure out what happened. "Look, we aren't sure what happened. All we know is that the lights burned out, sparks flew and the door caught on fire. I was standing near the door, causing my arm to get burned."

Nudge and I know that that isn't true. I was having a panic attack and I accidentally burned Nudge. The lights blew out but it wasn't the sparks that caused the fire. It was whatever came out of my hands.

The others don't seem entirely convinced but they know they aren't going to get anything else out of us. My mom takes a deep breath, patting my knee gently. I look away from the door in Fang's gloved hands and onto her.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Her eyes are filled with concern and I take a deep breath. There is no rising panic or a headache this time but it still helps to get my thoughts in order.

"I think so."

She nods, surveying the room. "Alright, everyone. I think it's time for bed. Fang, take the door out of the house and put it in the recycling. Iggy and Gazzy, finish cleaning up the mess. We'll deal with the burned wall in the morning. Girls, start getting ready for bed."

Nudge nods, leaving the room immediately. Iggy and Gazzy gather the dirty towels, placing the burned ones in the trash as Fang walks out of the room with my door. Angel and Ella whine as they stand.

"But, Mom, I still have homework!" says Ella, rubbing her forehead.

"And I'm not tired." says Angel, pouting.

My mom laughs softly, picking up Angel. "Alright, Ella. Finish your homework. I'll come to check on you in an hour. And, Angel, sweetie, you must go to bed. A seven year old shouldn't be up all night."

Angel pouts as my mom carries her out of the room. She pauses in the door, turning towards me. "Goodnight, Max. Do you need anything?"

I shake my head and she blows a kiss in my direction before closing the door. I sigh, looking at the hole where the door used to be. I get up, putting on my pajamas before opening up the window and climbing out onto the roof. There is a light breeze coming from the ocean and the sky is tinted orange as the last of the sun vanishes over the horizon.

I sit on the cushion I put up here months ago and wrap myself in a blanket. I look at my hands, both the normal color and slightly cool to the touch. I hold them out in front of me, trying to see if I can recreate the blast from earlier.

After several minutes, I sigh, dropping my hands in my lap. I close my eyes for a moment, savoring the feeling of this freedom. No more panic, no more headaches. At least, for now.

Max. It's like a whisper in my ear and I snap my head around, looking behind me. There's no one there and I shake my head. I must be hearing things.

Max. My hands tingle again and before I know it, my blanket disintegrates into a pile of ash around me. I yelp, clumsily standing up. I look down at my hands which are back to being red.

"What the hell?" I whisper silently to myself.

Maximum Ride. It rings loud in my head, causing it to pound. I groan, rubbing my slightly hot hands against my forehead.

"Who's there?" I whisper-shout into the air. I'm starting to get pissed off and nothing good happens when I'm in one of my mood swings.

It's me, Max.

"Voice?" I say, hoping beyond hope that it's not.

Yes, Max.

I groan. Great. "What do you want?" I sit back down, wrapping myself in one of my spare blankets. I burned my favorite one by accident so now I have to resort to a smaller, itcher one.

I'm here to tell you that it's time.

I roll my eyes. It's always time for something. "Time for what?"

Time for you to leave the Flock and start your training.

I freeze. "Leave the Flock? What training?"

Something has happened to you, Max. You are evolving, leading you to develop new powers. Except, they are highly dangerous. You need to learn control. If you don't, someone will get hurt whether it being you or a member of your Flock.

"New powers, huh? Why?"

I do not know. Your training will allow me to figure out the 'why'.

"Okay, when does training start?"

Soon, Max. But it requires you to go far away. It's time to leave the Flock and learn of all that you are, all that you possess. You are in great danger, Max, if you do not learn control over your new power. Your Flock is in great danger if you do not leave them.

"Far away? I don't know. I can't just leave the Flock, Voice. Not without an explanation."

It's for their safety, Max. If they know of where you are going while you are training, they can be greatly harmed.

"How?"

I can't tell you that, Max.

"I can't just leave, Voice." I stand, frustrated. The Flock needs me. It doesn't matter if we aren't on the run anymore. I'm the leader and they depend on me. But, if I stay, I can seriously harm someone just like I burned Nudge earlier. I can't let that happen again. "How long will I be away?"

I can't tell you.

I huff, pacing. Who knows how long I could be away for and not telling the Flock where I disappeared too? They'll hate me. I can't do that to them after everything we have been through together.

I know it's hard, Max, but you must. For the safety of you and for the safety of them.

Well, I can't really argue with that. The Flock is finally safe but they won't be for much longer if I stay. The safety of my family comes first.

Every good, Max. It's time.

I nod, throwing the blanket off my shoulders and climbing back into my room. I shuffle around quietly, gathering my stuff. Making sure I have everything, I grab my journal, running my hands over the top. I flip through it before placing it back down. I have a feeling I won't be needing it anymore.

I silently open the door, taking one last look around my room before closing the door and setting my bag against it. I need to say goodbye to the others. I could be gone for a very long time. You could also never see them again.

I shake my head, ridding the thought from my mind. Of course, I'll see them again. They might hate me when I return but I'll just have to explain everything then.

I approach Iggy's room first which is directly across from mine. We are at the end of the hall, allowing more privacy from the rowdy younger kids. I knock on the door quietly, knowing that he's probably still up.

"Come in," sounds from the other side of the door and I smile softly, turning the knob as quietly as I can. Inside, Iggy is sitting on his bed, reading. I walk over and sit next to him, trying to figure out something to say that's heartfelt and not at all suspicious. "Yes?" He prompts, closing his book and setting it down next to him.

"Hey, just wanted to come in and say goodnight."

He looks at me skeptically and I can't blame him. This is unusual behavior for me and after the events in my room, he probably has a lot of questions. "Alright?"

I sigh, moving so that our shoulders touch. He tenses, confusion radiating off of him. "I know this is really weird but there's something else I want to talk about for a moment."

It's time, Max. I huff quietly, letting the Voice ring throughout my head but not paying it any attention. I need these last few moments with the Flock before I leave and break the bonds I have with them.

"I would just like to say thank you." I conclude. I'm not sure it's exactly what I want to say but it's the best I've got at the moment. I can't seem more suspicious than I already am.

"Okay?" He says, hesitant. I smile, giving him a side hug. "This is really weird, Max."

I laugh, leaning away. It is but I don't really care. Leaving will break the bond that we've formed. "I know but I thought you would like to hear it. It's been a rough few months for me."

He nods, agreeing that I haven't been the same. "Yeah, well, thank you." I nod, getting up and walking out of the room. As I close the door, I watch Iggy shake his head and pick up the book. The encounter was weird but his smile makes me happy. I savor the scene before closing the door and moving to Nudge's room.

I knock on the door before gently cracking it open. The lights are out but Nudge is awake, sitting in front of her window. My mom wrapped her burned arm and guilt stirs in my stomach.

I close the door behind me and she turns to look at me. She doesn't say anything as I approach and sit next to her. "Are you alright? I'm sorry about burning you."

She nods, eyes tearing up a bit. "Yeah. What happened, Max?"

I shake my head, unable to answer. It's not a good enough answer but there's not much I can say without giving away too much. "I don't know but I'm deeply sorry."

"I know." She gives me a hug and I'm careful not to touch her tender arm. I linger in the hug before pulling away. I smile at her and she beams.

"Goodnight, Nudge." I stand, walking over to the door as she settles into bed.

"Goodnight, Max. I love you."

"I love you, too." I close the door as her breathing evens out. I walk across the hall to Ella's room. A faint glow can be seen from the crack and I know she is still studying. I enter to find her lying on the floor with her books spread out in front of her. She is writing on a notecard, deep in thought.

I sit beside her, gently tapping her on the shoulder. She looks up, putting down her pen. "I'm surprised you're still up. You've had a long day."

I shrug, looking down at her notes. "What are you studying for?"

"History and science. I will never understand why teachers like doing their tests on the same day as other teachers."

I smile. "Well, good luck."

"Thanks. Are you going to bed now?"

I nod even though I'm really not. "Yeah. Goodnight, Ella."

She smiles, giving me a hug before going back to her work. I stand, walking out of the room. I feel bad for not telling the truth to any of them but I must. I walk into Gazzy's room but he's already asleep so I kiss his forehead lightly. Angel is silently reading when I walk into her room.

She relaxes when she sees it's me, smiling sheepishly from where she has buried herself in her comforter. "You won't tell right?"

I smile, sitting next to her. "Nah, you're good. Just make sure you go to bed soon."

She nods enthusiastically but I know that she'll probably be up all night. "Thanks, Max."

I laugh. "Of course." I give her a hug, kissing her lightly on the cheek. She does the same back. "Alright, missy, goodnight."

"Night, Max."

I pause outside of Fang's door, leaning my head against it. I'm nervous to enter knowing that disappearing in the middle of the night might ruin whatever is happening to our already unstable relationship. After several minutes of just leaning against the door, I finally work up the courage to enter.

Fang is sitting at his desk, updating his blog. He smiles slightly when he sees me. I sit at the edge of his bed and he turns his chair around to face me.

"Hi," I say, nervous. Being around Fang makes me nervous enough without the knowledge that I'm about to ruin whatever is going on between us.

He gives me a weird look before moving his chair forward so our knees are touching. "Is everything okay?"

I nod, looking into his gorgeous obsidian eyes. I grab his hands, fiddling with them. His skin is really smooth.

He flexes his hands, now holding mine in his. "Alright, if everything is okay then why did you come in?"

I shrug, not really knowing the answer myself. "Because I can?"

He smiles, pulling me forward until I am sitting on his lap. He wraps his arms around my stomach and looks at me. He leans in, kissing me gently. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him slightly closer. Things won't be like this the next time I return.

I lean back, taking a deep breath. His eyes seem brighter at night, with the moonlight shining through the window and hitting his face. I fiddle with the back of his hair, staying silent.

"I love you, Max." He says. I freeze, slightly startled. It's the first time he's ever said the words since our first kiss. He waits patiently, seeing if I'm going to say it back.

"I love you too, Fang." It comes out slightly breathless in my panic. I had to say it because after night, things won't be the same. Fang will be angry at me and it'll take awhile for him to trust me again.

He smiles and pulls me in, kissing me a second time. He lets this one linger until I pull away, standing. I pause at the door, smiling at him.

"Goodnight,"

He nods, getting up and climbing into bed. "Goodnight, Max."

I close the door, one tear sliding down my cheek. Things won't be the same after this and I'm afraid that it'll permanently damage my relationships with the Flock. I know the Voice said to not say anything to them but I can't just leave them without an explanation. I walk back to my room and sit at my desk. I pull out a blank piece of paper and pen.

First things first, I would like to say I'm sorry. . .

I really, really hope the Flock can forgive me.