Chapter Twenty Two: Oh My God, It's Max

FANG'S POV

The mood in the room has turned sad and it's making me uncomfortable.

Simpson, having had enough of the sadness, turns to Dani who seems about as comfortable as a wooden chair with no cushion. "Ok, it's your turn."

Dani ponders for a moment, trying to figure out what to ask. "Never Have I Ever. . . wished I could go back in time and redo an event."

The question makes me halt because it hits too close to home. I wish I could go back and stay with Max. Maybe she wouldn't have been kidnapped. Maybe she could be with us now, enjoying a new life.

So what, maybe I haven't been thinking about Max a whole lot the last few years but everyday, even if it's a one second thought, I think of a different outcome of that day. Especially on the anniversary of her kidnapping. I could have stayed with her for a few more hours.

I look at Iggy and I know he's thinking the same thing as I am. It takes me a moment to speak, trying to find the right way to phrase the news. "Yeah. Iggy and I used to know this girl. . ."

I lean away from Ivy, trying to get a moment to breathe. Her warmth has turned suffocating since the questions started getting a little more personal. I keep eye contact with Iggy, both our expressions turning sad.

We both should think of Max more often. "She was our best friend. But she was taken from us."

My chest tightens and surprisingly, I have to blink back tears. Max was a huge part of my life and I made her vanish for three years. Why didn't I think of Max more often?

Maybe I was in denial or something. I'm happy. I am, right? Right?

I notice Dani takes a deep breath, having trouble composing herself. It confuses me but I don't focus on it. I need to make sure I don't start crying.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jessica squeeze Iggy's hand in support. I look at Ivy but she doesn't seem to care that I lost a dear friend. It hurts even more because it genuinely surprises me.

"I could have stopped it. I was right there. If only I had stayed with her for a few more hours."

Ivy shakes her head, clearly trying to be more engaging while I'm practically spilling my guts.

"Don't say that. If those people were there for her, they could have gotten her at another moment."

Her words burn a hole in my heart. Who says something like that? I could have saved Max if I stayed just a little longer. I could have.

Ivy seems to be trying to be sympathetic but it's clear as day that she's only upset because I was close with another girl. Is she really that possessive?

I glance up to see Dani clearly upset by Ivy's comment. I'm confused. Why would it bother her? It wasn't like she went through it.

"Well, you don't have to be a bitch about it." She murmurs. Everyone freezes and the moment she realizes what she said, her eyes go wide.

Ivy scoffs, turning to Dani so fast that I'm surprised she didn't get whiplash. She glares at Dani but this time, she doesn't back down. Some strong emotion has awakened inside her upon the turn of events in the conversation and she's clearly pissed off.

"Excuse me?" Ivy's tone is enough to send chills down my spine. This isn't the Ivy I know.

Maybe you don't know the real Ivy. Maybe you only created this fantasy in order to forget your feelings for Max.

But I love Ivy.

Did you really?

I shake my head to clear the thoughts. Where in the world did they come from?

Dani stands, glaring back at Ivy. It's a stare down and the rest of us don't exactly know what to do. I glance at Iggy hoping he has any idea what's going on but he's staring at the scene in front of me, intrigued.

"Don't be a bitch, Ivy. Fang and Iggy lost a friend they really care about and it seems like you don't give a flying fuck."

It seems like my little story hit too close to home for Dani. Interesting.

Ivy shows a side of herself that I never expected, getting all up in Dani's face, challenging her. She seems pissed off that Dani is calling her out. Well, Dani's not exactly wrong. She didn't seem to care that I had lost a friend, only that my friend was the girl I seemed to really have cared about.

Care about.

Are you sure about that, Fang? Then why haven't you thought of her all these years?

I don't know and I don't have time for this shit.

"And you think you have any idea what it's like to have a friend go missing? No? I didn't think so so don't act like you give a fuck either."

My eyes go wide. Shit is going down. I look over at Iggy who seems to be having a grand old time. I give him a questioning look but he doesn't seem to notice.

"Well, because you're a right saint. And for your information, sweetie, I do know what it's like to lose a friend because guess what?" Dani's voice has been rising but she doesn't seem to care. And what the hell is she talking about? "I have been kidnapped from my own friends and family and none of them know that I'm alive."

A chill runs down my spine. Just like Max. Taken just like Max. Something isn't right about the situation. Uneasiness rests in my stomach, growing until it's all I register.

For a second the air is still in the room as we all realize what Dani said. Ivy stumbles back, shocked as the rest of us. I'm confused, still trying to make sense of her words and how similar they are to what happened to Max.

I notice Dani's eyes go wide, finally registering the information she revealed. She glances at Iggy nervously which only confuses me more. I look over at Iggy, my eyes shifting between the two as they have a silent conversation.

What the hell is this about?

Dani has seemed to resign, coming to terms with the fact that she probably revealed information she wasn't supposed to. "Thank you all for having me but I really must be going. See you guys at school." She walks out of the room quickly, her footsteps ringing throughout the house. I briefly hear her say goodbye to the adults before the front door slams.

Everyone is frozen in place, Ivy standing where she was during her argument with Dani, Jessica squeezing Iggy's hand with her eyes wide and Simpson with his mouth shut, as confused as I am.

Emotion dances in Iggy's face as he mauls over something. He glances at me quickly before standing suddenly and walking out of the room. "I'll be right back." He doesn't wait for a response and seconds later, I hear the front door slam.

I stay frozen where I am, trying to figure out the silent conversation that Iggy and Dani had and why Iggy seems to have followed Dani out.

What the hell is going on?

I can feel my uneasiness growing.

IGGY'S POV

It can't be.

But it all connects. Dani's presence, the nervous, tense energy. Her voice. The on-the-run paranoia. Max.

It has to be her. It has to be.

Dani's sudden change in energy are definite red flags. When Fang started telling the story, something in Dani changed. It's like she could relate. Like she lived it. Well, she did because Dani is Max. My Max. The Flock's Max.

Everything's going to go to hell.

"I have been kidnapped from my own friends and family and none of them know that I'm alive."

And there it is. The bomb drop.

Max.

Before I can fulling comphrend my sudden realization, my eyes go wide as I mouth the word Max. She looks in my direction, seeing the realization clear on my face.

Her expression is clear. I'm in deep shit.

I can't move, frozen in place as the gears in her head turn. What do I do? Fang doesn't seem to have any idea that this girl claiming to be Dani is actually Max. Our Max.

"Thank you all for having me but I really must be going. See you guys at school."

I hear her footsteps down the hall and not long after, the loud slamming of the front door. I need to stop her. I need to know that I'm right. That's it's Max.

Except, I don't move. I'm frozen in place as Jessica squeezes my hand, silent. The energy around me is nervous and shocked, crackling with our heavy silence.

I really need to know that I'm right. I stand, hoping to catch Max before she flies off. "I'll be right back." I don't wait for a response, waltzing out of the room and running down the stairs.

Max is walking down the stairs when I finally catch up to her. I throw open the door, slightly out of breath. "Max?"

I must know.

I hear her pause, taking a deep breath. I stand frozen in the doorway, waiting for her response. From the silence, it looks like I may be right. She shuffles forward, placing a hand on my cheek before pulling away.

"Max," I say yet again but this time I'm sure. I can recognize anything or anyone by touch.

She doesn't say anything, running down the steps and down the street. In the distance, I hear her wings flap.

I should go after her.

Maybe I need to give her a moment.

I deserve answers.

I need a moment.

I hear footsteps behind me, already knowing they're Fang's.

The uncertainty and confusion in his voice tells me that he hasn't connected the dots between Dani and Max yet.

Maybe it's for the best. With the whole Ivy-Dani-Max situation that seems to have erupted.

Oh hell.

I really need to talk to Max.

She needs a moment. I need a moment.

I'll go look for her tomorrow. I really need to clear my head.

Only one thing is clear as I stand in the doorway. Max is home. After all these years, she's back. She's back and well. Back and clearly pissed off.

What hell has she been through the last three years and why is she now back?

I need answers. And I'll get them tomorrow. Hopefully. I need to find her first.