Chapter 15
God, Daniel must think I'm a freak! Oh. Wait, that wouldn't be entirely wrong…
I slowly extracted myself from his hug, and looked down. I knew my whole face was aflame, not to mention Daniel looked a little uncomfortable, making this whole situation just a teeny bit more awkward.
"Sorry," I mumbled, hating myself. Stupid, stupid Max!
"It's all right," he said calmly, patting me on the back. "Restroom's down the hall to the left," Daniel offered before I could ask him. I blinked. He knew exactly what I was thinking, just like…Fang.
Fang! Oh darn, I better hurry up. Christ, how much time have I wasted already?
"Thanks," I said quickly, smiled, and then hurried out the door. Restroom, restroom, restroom, ah! Found it. Opening the door, I locked myself inside, and turned to face the mirror.
It was pearly white and decorated with several geometric patterns. Rich family, I thought.
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Daniel tapped his foot, thinking. His "parents" would definitely pose a problem to Max. So his explanation…
Hmm. He was supposed to be a medical genius. Maybe he got a job offering half way across the world? Even better, maybe there was an important meeting that would take him away from home for a several weeks. Yes, that would work. Business trip. People did that all the time nowadays, didn't they?
Rummaging around the room for a piece of paper, Daniel brought out a pen. He better make this sound authentic.
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I finished up in the restroom, feeling better. Note to self: No more mental breakdowns. Glancing in the mirror again, I paused. The girl before me looked so much different than the last time I had seen her. Even though I had taken a shower, she looked tired and tough. But…she didn't look like me. She was pretty. Like a girl.
I shook my head, whatever. I'll blame it on Nudge's shopping.
"Daniel?" I called, in the hallway.
"Over here," came a voice from the room up front, probably the kitchen from the looks of it. I wandered in, following Daniel's hand as it scrawled a note on a piece of paper.
"My parents," he explained absentmindedly. "Make sure they don't worry and all that." I nodded, suddenly thinking about Mom and Ella. I should check up on them soon…
Leaning over his hunched form, I read it silently.
Mom and Dad,
Business has called me away for awhile. It may take up to several months, so don't worry. I promise I'll call you as often as possible. It's just a meeting, I think, about new medical products and the better promotion of our company. Stuff like that. Can't tell you where I'm going though, boss doesn't want people (meaning media) to know about this meeting. So if any reporters come knocking, please say I'm out with friends. Thanks.
Love your son,
Daniel Wycliffe
My breath caught in my throat. This kid had a family and everything…
Had I really forgotten that? It was dangerous and Daniel was just a normal human. There was no way I could do this to a family.
"You shouldn't come. I mean, I appreciate everything you've done, but this is not your fight. I don't think you understand how dangerous this really is. People do get hurt, badly, where I'm concerned. I also don't think your pare-"
"My parents will be fine. And so will I, Max. Trust me," He flashed me a reassuring smile, and I nodded. Doubt still ensnared my heart, but there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop him.
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Outside, in the streets of New York, my eyes automatically raked the surroundings for a small alley. It was best to take off unseen, as I had learned very thoroughly from experience.
Daniel cleared his throat, shuffling his feet. I turned to him and a red tinge flooded his cheeks.
"I can't fly, Max," he reminded me gruffly. Well, no fricking duh. I nearly slapped myself. I must be getting amnesia…
"Right. So, uh, what should we do?" I said without much hope. To my surprise, Daniel smiled.
"I want to show you New York," Daniel suggested. "After that, we'll take a taxi to a car rental and continue our mission."
"But-" I protested. He put his hand over my mouth, his ocean-blue eyes glittering. Tucking my hair behind my ear, he looked at me intently.
"Please, Max"
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New York was amazing. Period. I mean, every teen wants to come here, but I've never really had the time to understand why (*cough cough* Erasers *cough cough*). I happily inhaled the scent of honey-roasted peanuts and hot dogs, the wonderful aroma calling to my ever-hungry stomach. Seeing my expression, Danny chuckled and bought a large bag of peanuts.
Ok, so obvious rule of etiquette, no devouring food at light speed in public. However, I am a starving mutant with honey-roasted peanuts. I say screw etiquette (and you wonder why officials tend to look down on me). Strangely enough, Daniel didn't seem to find my eating habits at all unusual. Must be a guy thing, I thought.
We passed the Rockefeller Center (Atlas still looking strained under that globe), and then headed to Central Park. A small breeze washes over us, causing the trees to sway lightly. Daniel brings out a bag of bird feed and smiles. "Watch this."
Dropping several seeds around us, we watch as pigeons to flock over like bears to honey. Several landed on Daniel, pecking at his fingers and face. I took one look at him and cracked up. Grinning widely, he threw me the bag. I caught it, and tossed it to the air. Seeds rained down on us and Daniel yelped with surprise. Laughing hard, I leaned against him. I was so happy.
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Aqua studied her brother and the prey walking in the park. He was touching, laughing, and talking to her. He was letting his guard down. What was he doing?! They seemed to be so enwrapped into each other, like the whole world no longer existed. Understanding hit her like a bucket of cold water.
"Oh no…" Fear washed down her spine as she thought about what would happen if Xam knew. "Oh no, no, no…we're all in danger now. I must talk to Blade as soon as possible."
She looked at the screen again and worry clenched her stomach. This wasn't supposed to happen…
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It started to rain. The droplets were lightly and ignorable at first, but grew in size and frequency. Round pebbles of cold water touched my skin, and I turned to Daniel. He was smiling widely, face to the sky. His feathery blond hair clung to his face, wet, and his blue eyes sparkled, reflecting the color of the grey-blue sky.
He looked like an angel.
The droplets poured down on us and I laughed with Daniel as we rushed to the cover of a store's canopy. Breathing hard, I looked at Daniel, and a strange emotion rushed over me. He smiled, and whispered breathlessly, "See? I told you it was worth it."
I grinned, half-blushing, and answered, "Yep, you're right. New York's amazing." Daniel's blue eyes, now the color of the dark ocean, gazed deeply into mine, and I felt my heart miss a beat. Oh crap, I thought.
Daniel leaned towards me, his warm breath touching my skin. My nerves shot into hyper-drive as his luminous sapphire eyes gazed so closely at me. Then I did the weirdest thing in the whole entire frickin galaxy: I didn't run away from him.
His lips pressed softly against mine, and I closed my eyes, my heart thudding rapidly in my chest.
The Flock! my brain screamed numbly. Remember them? And Fang!
I kissed him back, my whole body on alert and yet at the same time, everything felt disoriented. Encouraged, he pressed harder, his tongue forcing its way into my mouth. I began to feel hot all over…
Finally, I stepped out of my daze, and broke away. Daniel looked at me, half-wounded, and half-confused.
"What's wrong, Max?"
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It had been amazing, so amazing, until she broke away from me.
"What's wrong, Max?" I asked. She looked so confused. Looking at me, a red blush touched her cheeks and I suppressed the urge to kiss her again.
"I...I don't know," Max murmured. "I think maybe we should start looking for the Flock now."
Disappointment flooded my body. I had thought she liked it, but it seems she was saying otherwise. I nodded gravely, and hailed a taxi cab.
Holding the door open for Max, I watched as she got in, her blonde hair still pretty wet, and her beautiful brown eyes muddled with so many emotions. It had felt so right. But…my job wasn't to love her. My job was to kill her.