Lie Tonight – Chapter 17
By MyNameIsCAL
As Ari adjusted to being around the others in the flock, Angel seemed to be adjusting to being around all of us again. In fact, she stopped by at least twice a week to help us out with Ari. When she first held him, he wouldn't stop crying, but now that he's been around her for a while, like to Iggy, Ari seemed to have warmed to Angel.
And yet Angel seemed a little scared of me. Most of the time, she would talk to Max. Not that we ever really talked to each other before, but Angel could read my mind, and she knew that I had nothing against her. I guess even though you could see into everyone's minds, there were still things and people that unsettled you. There still seemed to be a disconnection between her and the rest of us. Even Gazzy said he had a hard time getting her to talk to him.
And while the others were frustrated by Angel, I always reminded them that she, in a way, had saved all of our lives that night, not just mine.
"Well, I better go now," Angel would always say before dinner time. "I'll see you later."
"You can stay for dinner," would always be Max's offer.
But she shook her head, finding Ari to say goodbye, and then rushing out the door. Whenever I tried to talk to her, she would find a reason to escape from me. She knew that I wasn't angry at her anymore, which was why I couldn't understand what she was so afraid of about me.
"I think she still feels guilty," Max suggested. "It's nothing that you're thinking."
I sighed. "I don't want her to be scared of me."
Max shrugged.
It was almost midnight now. Ari had been put to bed a few hours ago and we lay awake still, wondering if he would sleep through the night or wake up crying.
"I'm just glad she isn't running from us," Max said after a while. "I missed her."
I knew I couldn't say I felt the same, but I was glad Angel wasn't trying to get away from us too. Still, I felt troubled by her.
"You know, things will get better with her," Max continued, realizing I wasn't going to say anything.
"I guess so." I turned off the light and Max rested her head against the side of my shoulder.
-Six Months Later-
I sat on the couch with Ari, waiting for Max to finish getting ready to head over to Iggy's for Sunday night dinner. He grabbed at my nose and I stuck my tongue out and he laughed, sticking out his own tongue.
"You're still doing that?" Max sighed, sitting on the couch next to me.
I stuck my tongue out at Max. "Yes, I am."
Ari put his hand on my nose again. "Da-da!"
Max blinked.
I felt a smile growing on my face.
"Da-da!" Ari grabbed at my hair.
"Fang! He's talking!" Max exclaimed, her eyes looking teary.
"Well don't cry. I mean, he's talking, that's a good thing, right?"
She punched me in the arm lightly. "No, Stupid, we don't even know what our first words were. For all we know it could have been lab or scientist or something unpleasant!"
I started to laugh and she wiped her eyes, leaning towards Ari, kissing his forehead. "Can you say mommy?"
Ari stared at her. "Da-da."
She let out a laugh and Ari stuck his tongue out. And while I made fun of Max all the way to Iggy's restaurant that he had said daddy first, I was just as excited as she was.
Everyone was always excited to see Ari and now that they had heard he could talk, they were trying to teach him how to say things. But once Nudge got to Ari, he started to cry.
"Oh, what did I ever do to you?" Nudge sighed. "I mean, I made the clothes you're wearing. How can you not like me?"
Iggy laughed. "Well maybe he doesn't like them!"
She punched Iggy hard and he still continued to laugh.
"Shh, Ari, it's okay," Max soothed.
Ari stopped crying after a while, just in time for the food to come out. I put him in the highchair between Max and me. He sat there quietly, playing with his spoon Max had set down on the table. I pulled out some baby food and began to feed him.
"Da-da!" He hit me in the nose, hand in a fist as I tried to put the spoon into his mouth.
"You have to eat," I said to him.
He blinked and put his hand over his mouth.
Max took the spoon from me. She got it into his mouth after a while. Ari always seemed to like it better when Max fed him.
"You see, maybe he does like me better," Max joked, giving me a smile.
I started to eat my own food. "Nah, he definitely likes me better. He just pities you."
"He's seven months old and you think he can actually figure that out?" Max started to poke holes into my logic.
"Well, maybe he takes after me."
Max seemed amused. "Alright, whatever you say."
Sorry it took so long to update this. I'm working on a few more chapters that shows Ari growing up. Then the ending. Thanks for reading!