Chapter Ten: A Different Life

FANG'S POV

Life was pretty gloomy for the next three months as we tried to handle Max's absence. I wouldn't say we completely went off the rails but the carefreeness and joy dissipated on the way back from the School.

My main thoughts though, were about the whole encounter. Nothing seemed right about Jeb's behavior and I couldn't shake the feeling that in a different situation, we wouldn't have given up so easily.

I would spend the nights outside with Max's flower crown in hand pondering, wondering. Why the hell did we give up so easily? The more I think about it, the more I realize that we wouldn't have given up that easily. The more I realize that there was definitely something off about Jeb.

But it's too late. Max is gone and we're all going to die if we try to save her again. All we can do at this point is continue living a free and safe life. That's what Max would have wanted. But . . . I don't have to be happy about it.

"Fang! Please come down. I need to talk to you about a few things." I hear Dr. M yell from the stairs. I groan, kicking my legs through the window and landing on my soft carpet. I close the window so no bugs enter before leaving my room.

At the bottom of the stairs, Dr. M is standing with her hands on her hips, waiting for me to come downstairs. I stop on the bottom step in front of her, impatiently waiting. The girls are at the mall and the boys are probably in the woods blowing stuff up.

"Ah, so you decided to actually listen this time." I roll my eyes as she smiles and walks into the kitchen. I follow and sit down at the island. She places a plate of cookies in front of me as a bribe.

I raise my eyebrows but take a cookie anyway. "What are the cookies for?" I say through a mouth full. I wasn't one for proper manners.

"I was thinking . . ." She clears her throat and shifts on her feet. It's odd behavior coming from Dr. M. She is rarely uncomfortable or nervous. "I think it's time we move and start fresh."

I stop chewing, forcing a big bite of cookie down my throat. I cough when it goes down wrong. "What?" I manage to squeak out.

"You guys need a fresh start and a safe place to live. Clearly, this place isn't very safe anymore and I can see you guys get down in the dumps wherever something reminds you of Max."

I nod my head in agreement. Even though I don't think the others will like it, it makes sense. Almost everything reminds us of Max, especially when we pass by her door when we walk to ours. The others and I need a new setting.

"Yeah, it makes sense."

She nods, smiling sadly before whipping out her phone and dialing a number. "I'm going to call the girls and tell them to come home. They didn't really seem in the mood for shopping today anyway. You go find the boys."

I nod, getting up and taking my half eaten cookie with me. I walk out of the house. It's hot outside but it's late summer in Arizona. Luckily, Iggy and Gazzy aren't too far from the house and the loud booms are a dead give away.

When I find them, they are laughing and high-fiving. I let a small smile slip which is rare and only happens when no one sees. It's nice to see them so happy after the last few months.

I step out from my spot behind a tree and they stop laughing. "We need to talk. Come back to the house." They both give me a skeptical look but obediently pack up their kits and follow me back. Once inside, we all sit in the living room waiting for the girls to return.

Several minutes later, quite chatter fills the room as the girls walk in, each with two bags of clothes. They dump the bags at the bottom of the stairs before taking their designated seats in the room. Dr. M joins, sitting on the arm of Ella's chair.

What's going on Fang? I glance at Angel and shake my head.

Calm down. I'm about to tell you. She always wants to know what's going on before everyone else.

Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed again?

I roll my eyes in her general direction before turning to the rest of the crew. "Alright, while all of you were out Dr. M and I had a conversation. . . We came to an agreement that we should move." I let the sentence hang and several groans ring out.

"I think it'll be good for a fresh start. I've seen how all of you have been over the last several months and it's not healthy. We all need a change of scenery." says Dr. M, patting her daughter's knee when she pouts.

"Where will we move?" asks Nudge. No matter what, she tries to look on the bright side of things. She looks at me and I nod, my way of saying thanks. She smiles softly at me.

"Well, I've been looking for the last few weeks and I found this really big beach house in San Diego. It's private and secluded. Perfect for us."

That perks us all up. We've always wanted a beach house. "Really?" says Angel, excited for the first time in months.

Dr. M smiles. "Yes and I already bought it."

That catches me off guard. She already bought the place? Before even talking to me or the Flock about it? What if I said no to moving?

There are several happy shouts in the room but I stay silent. I'm furious that she didn't tell me. When Max was here, she was the one in charge. Now the duty has fallen to me. I make the decisions for the better of the group. I know Dr. M means well but she has to realize that it isn't her place.

Dr. M glances at me, seeing that I am the only one not chatting excitedly about spending the whole day at the beach and the amazing weather we'll have. I send her a brief glare before standing and walking towards the stairs.

"Pack up. We leave in three days." I look at Dr. M once more, her finally getting the signal that I'm in charge before I walk up the stairs. Max probably wouldn't like my behavior towards her mother but she would have to agree that the Flock comes first and the decisions are ours to make.