Author's Note: So here is the second chapter! Thanks to the people who have taken their time out of their day to read this lovely story, review; follow it, etc., etc. So I have a question for you guys…should Iggy like Nudge or Ella?
Disclaimah: I unfortunately do not own Maximum Ride, it all belongs to J.P.
Mom, Ella, and I lived on the outskirts of town, about an hour's walk to and from school. It was an older house, surrounded by the same style of homes which suited my parents' taste. My dad had bought the place when Mom was pregnant with me and for once, after Ella was born, things were perfect and peaceful. Then, Jeb was diagnosed with cancer and our world was turned upside down….
Sophomore Year:
"Mom, Dad, we're home!" I shouted, dropping my backpack onto Dad's rocking chair and made room for Ella as she walked in through the door, shaking the rain from her hair.
The house was silent for a few minutes before we heard Mom call us from the kitchen, her voice thick with emotion. "In here, you guys."
Ella and I exchanged a concerned look. Why was Mom crying? Did she get into a fight with Dad again? Deciding it was best to see what was going on, we headed to the kitchen.
Mom was sitting at the dining room table, her head resting in her arms and her body trembling. Across from her, Dad's blue eyes were red and swollen from crying, but he managed a weak smile. "Hey girls, how was school?"
Mom sighed and looked up at him, tears streaming down her face as she bit her red lip, not bothering to look at us with a fear of setting herself off. "Just tell them, Jeb. Don't keep them waiting; you know how much they hate it…"
Dad took a deep breath and finally looked at us each in turn, twiddling his thumbs. "I…I have cancer." He whispered, wincing as Mom burst into tears and dropped her head back into her arms.
I honestly didn't know what to say. My throat refused to work and my vision blurred, my world tilting beneath my feet until my legs moved and I was running, running from the house and down the street, ignoring a car that honked its horn at me. I ran until I reached the park where I proceeded to my favorite tree and collapsed on the ground, my body numb. All I could think about was my father, about how he'll survive the fight with cancer, but if he didn't how we would be able to move on without him there. I choked and let out a sob, finally letting the tears run down my face. What was I going to do?
Not too long after his diagnosis, he had gotten sick and, due to the cancer, he couldn't fight off the infection. Within a few weeks, he passed away, leaving Mom in shambles and Ella and I stricken with grief. For a while after, no one spoke of his death, nor mentioned anything that had to do with him. Though I knew Mom was torn apart, she continued to care for my sister and I, knowing that was probably what He would have wanted. She became a lot quieter and rarely cooked for us like she used to and, to this day, she still never cooks; only for special occasions. You can only imagine my surprise when I came home after school to find the house smelling like food and cookies. Wait….cookies?
"COOKIES!" I screamed, shoving Ella aside who yelped in surprise when she hit the couch and ran towards the kitchen where that delicious smell was coming from. I followed my nose and spotted the cookies before lunging towards the delectable treats, snatching one from the plate and shoving it into my mouth….
SMACK! "Max! Don't touch the cookies; those are for our guests tonight!" Mom scolded, putting her hands on her hips, Her long brown hair was pulled back in a loose bun, but a few strands that weren't long enough to be held back framed her face. Her smiling face was covered in flour along with her apron which had turned the red fabric white.
"But Moooooom, you know how much I love cookies!" I whined, holding my aching hand which still stung from the smack I had taken from her wooden spoon.
"No buts. Now, I want you two to get ready. Please?"
"Ngh, fine, but you owe me!" I grumbled to myself, shaking my head as I made my way out of the kitchen..."Wait...guests?" I turned around and walked back in, folding my arms over my chest as I did so. "What guests are you talking about?"
Mom didn't bother to look back at me as she continued to stir something in her pot. "You didn't hear about the family who moved into the Jameson's house across the street? They're coming over for dinner tonight."
I frowned. The Jameson house was about as big as ours, maybe a bit bigger, with a huge pool that my family and I went to swim in. I was friends with their daughter until they moved about six months ago. "Do they have kids?" I asked, now curious. Curiosity killed the cat...just saying.
"Yeah, two. Their son is about your age and they said he goes to the same school as you, Ella, and everyone else...they also have a daughter around seven."
"Have I met the son before?"
My mom shrugged and finally turned around, leaning up against the bar. "Maybe, maybe not." I raised an eyebrow but nodded, not bothering to question who the family was, figuring that I'd find out tonight. I ran up the stairs, Ella trailing behind me. I knew she wanted something from me by the way she followed me up the stairs, intruding on my privacy. I mean seriously, the girl was going to turn into some kind of stalker just so she could get what she wanted. If that isn't creepy, then Edward Cullen wasn't some 107 year old pedophile who watched girls sleep.
"…I get to help you get ready." See? Damn it, why did this girl have to be so into fashion, makeup, and all those other girly tortures?! It was one thing to dress a little more…girly, but putting on fancy clothes and wearing makeup, there was no way in HELL I was going to let Ella help me get ready.
"Hell no! I'm not letting you touch one hair on my head, you got that?! I'd rather die than let you get anywhere near me!"
An evil grin spread across my sister's face and her chocolate-brown eyes seemed to darken. Oh dear God in Heaven, please save my tormented soul. "If that's what it takes, then so be it." She slowly began to advance towards me with full intentions on tying me down to give me a makeover, that malicious look sending shivers down my spine. Sometimes, she reminded me of my Mom when it came down to trying to force me to do something they wanted that I didn't want.
I quickly backed away, trying to put as much distance as I could away from my sister, but when she pounced, I took of running, rapidly running to my room which somehow seemed a lot farther than it actually was. "ELLA LEAVE ME ALONE!" I shouted, darting to my room and slamming my door shut...until Ella rammed her shoulder into it, keeping it open a crack.
"NEVER! I...WILL...PREVAIL! NOW OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR OR I'LL DYE ALL OF YOUR CLOTHES PINK!" I froze, my eyes going wide. "You wouldn't dare!"
Never, ever, EVER doubt Ella Freakin' Ride, she is the devil in disguise. By the devilish smile in her voice, I knew immediately she wasn't joking. "Oh I would, now open the flippin' door or I'll seriously do it. I hear mom has pink dye in the garage..."
"Oh FINE!" I opened the door and she skipped in, looking way too innocent. "Alright, let's get crackin'."
After literally an hour of picking through my closet while I lay on my bed messing on my laptop, she came up with a nice pair of dark jeans, my black converse, and a Minnie Mouse tank top, and as she started on my hair, I drew the line. "Okay, enough! I already let you pick out my clothes, but I will not let you touch my hair. It's fine like this now begone!" I glared at her as she shook her head in defeat and threw my hair up into a messy ponytail, watching as she stomped out of my room. I sighed with relief and lay back on my bed, taking an interest in the ceiling above me.
Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Mom opened the door, the sound of voices drifting up to my room. Curious, I got up and ran down the stairs to meet our neighbors, and when I saw who it was...I gasped. It was Fang's family.
