Hello again! I'm sorry I haven't written in forever! Really, I am!
Oh, and by the way: I EDITED THIS CHAPTER! It's way longer than it originally was, so I hope you guys like it more! (I did. Seriously, the last one stunk. :p) Hope you like it! Please reread before you move on to the next chapter! Thanks!
Disclaimer: Don't own.
He sat in the backseat of the car, fiddling nervously with his thumbs. Dr. Valencia Martinez sat beside him, staring out at the rain, quiet. Ever since her turn into The Cause, she had been unusually quiet and closed off, a dark contrast to how she used to be when she met her daughter again, Maximum Ride. She had been happy then, more content and full of life. What had happened to her?
Or was she always this way?
Jeb sighed, fidgeting restlessly in his seat. He wasn't always this way. He used to be levelheaded, stern, knowing exactly what to do in any and all situations. Ever since he had joined The Cause, however, he had become more fidgety. Scared. Second guessing himself at ever turn. But that was because now he had more to live for. Now, he had to be perfect. He had to act and feel and think the way that the One Light wanted him to act and feel and think. Though he would never admit it, it was sometimes torture. If he wasn't careful, a man could go mad under the tension. But that was where the better man is separated from the weaker. If you could survive the torture, you were worthy of the One Light. If you couldn't...
You were worse than trash.
That's why Jeb fidgeted. That's why Dr. Martinez was so closed off emotionally. They each were afraid of becoming outcasts, freaks.
Rejects.
The car lumbered onward, the taxi paint fooling anyone who looked. It had taken them from the helicopter and was now transporting them towards Valencia's house itself, the place where the flock had taken solitude in. Jeb didn't understand why they had picked that place as a safe house. Maybe to wait expectantly for their return? Didn't they know that, of all places, this would be the one that their enemies would look to first? Were they becoming stupid?
Jeb gasped, catching himself. Not stupid. Flawed. They were all flawed. But not Jeb or Valencia, though. They were perfect. They were a part of the One Light. They found purpose.
Jeb's spine tingled at the thought.
Finally, the car turned, entering the Martinez's land. Trees hung low over the road, just far enough away so the branches wouldn't smack against the car's roof. Jeb's heartbeat quickened as they neared their destination. Almost there, he thought, squeezing a napkin he found on the floor between his fists, not caring where it had been. Almost there.
The car pulled up to the curb, then stopped. "Get out," came a gruff voice from the driver. He took a cigar from his mouth and blew a ring of smoke through his lips and into the air, smiling a yellow-teeth-filled smile back at them.
"Thank you for your services," Jeb said, anxiously pushing Valencia out of the car to rid himself of the second-hand smoke odor. The man only grunted in reply, then drove away just as Jeb shut the door, bag limp in his hand. They stood there, holding their bags, standing in front of Valencia's house, silent. They glanced at each other, not knowing what to do or say.
Turning, they headed for the house, knowing that Max and her flock lay on the other side, awaiting their return. Jeb picked up his bag higher, so as not to knock against the steps as they walked up toward the front door, the faces of those he loved doing their chores or watching T.V. Doing whatever the flock did.
Jeb sighed. He really did miss them.
Going up to the door, he glanced at Dr. Martinez. She nodded her head impatiently, and he knocked on the door, stepping back to wait for Max or Iggy to open the door, for it wouldn't be anyone else. But no one came. He knocked again, louder this time, but still nothing. Turning back to Dr. Martinez, he shrugged, showing defeat. Sighing loudly, she stepped in front of him and pounded on the door, rattling it against the hinges. "Max!" she called inside, her voice nice, motherly. "Max, honey, open the door!"
"What the heck are you two doing here?"
They turned, seeing Max with the flock behind her, followed closely by Fang's Gang, to Jeb's surprise. They exited from the woods, their close wet and muddy from their adventures in the woods along with the rain. On closer inspection, Jeb saw that most of them had red, puffy eyes, looking up at them with sad, withdrawn faces, as if they were walking from a funeral. I wonder who died? Jeb thought humorlessly.
"Max," Dr. Martinez said, dropping her bag and stepping off the steps, running toward her daughter with wide arms, a complete transformation from the woman whom Jeb had sat with in the car only five minutes ago. "Max, dear. Are you alright? You look like you've come from a mud fight, hon. What's wrong?"
Max stepped away from her motherly welcome, glaring at the two nervously. "Where. The heck. Have you two. Been?" she asked again, each word clipped and angry. Suspicious.
Dr. M turned to me, her face confused. "What does she mean, Jeb?" she asked, her eyes cold only to him. "Jeb, weren't we just away on a little trip? Isn't that what this was all about?"
Jeb stood there, unsure how to proceed. He looked at the flock, then at Fang's Gang, and immediately he knew her plan. Judging by all the glares he was getting and the cold satisfaction coming from Valencia's eyes, she wanted them to think that she was somehow kidnapped. Brainwashed by him and not having a clue just where she had come from or what she did. He raised his hands in a 'Whoa, Nelly' gesture, taking a step back nervously. "Wait a minute," he began. "I didn-"
"So, you did kidnap her?" Max asked, her eyes throwing daggers as she glared at me.
"I didn't do any such thing!" Jeb exclaimed, dropping his hands and pointing at Dr. Martinez helplessly. "She came willingly! I asked her if I wanted to come, and she went!"
"Jeb, what are you talking about?" she asked, sounding lost, but her face couldn't be more focused. "You told me we were going to Hawaii. You said we were taking the flock. That's why I agreed, right?" She looked out at the flock, shrugging. "When we got there, and he told me that you weren't coming after all, I wanted to come back immediately, especially after everything with the plane incident. But Jeb wouldn't let me."
"She's lying!" Jeb exclaimed, feeling his face go red with anger. How could she do this to him? How could she lie and betray him like that? They were in this together! Right?
"Finally, he took me to this big, white building," she continued, ignoring his outburst, "and then... Well, I can't remember anything after that. Can you, Jeb?" she asked, pointedly looking at him.
He glared at her, his breath coming in huffs. How dare she pull this. How dare she turn the flock and everyone against him for her own gain. How dare she!
Max looked between the two of them, her eyes unsure of who to trust. Jeb wanted to grab her shoulders and tell her to look at the facts. Tell her to look at what Dr. Martinez was saying from all angles, comparing it with what she knows and drawing a plausible explanation from it. Do like he had taught her to do. But he couldn't. If he did do such an outburst, especially reminding her that he taught her such things, she would most likely push him away again, siding with her mother just because she hated him. It was a small flaw, but one that would, clearly, cost her dearly.
Instead, he just turned to Max, raising his hands in a pleading gesture. "Please, Max," he began, practically going on his knees in desperation. "Please, you have to believe me! I did no such thing."
"Why should I believe you?" she demanded, glaring at him once more, her eyes careful, calculating.
"With all do respect," Jeb began, motioning to her mother. "Why should you trust her?"
He knew his mistake once he finished making it. Max's gaze hardened, then turned to her mother, still looking like she was trying to come to a good decision. "You both will stay here for now," she decided, ignoring Jeb and nodding for the house. "But you will both be put under surveillance, and you will not be aloud to go anywhere on your own, understood?"
Jeb and Valencia nodded, Valencia looking around nervously, as if she had just noticed something amiss. "Where's Ella?" she asked, looking at Max expectantly.
"Gone," was her simple reply. "Come on," she said as she walked toward the door, everyone following her.
Jeb came up with her. "What were you kids doing just now?" he asked. "If it's okay to ask," he clarified after receiving glares from different members of the now extended family.
Max stopped at the door, her head bowed in remorse. Slowly, she turned her head so she was looking straight at him, then at Valencia. "Angel's funeral," was her quiet response. She turned back toward the door. "She's dead."
Valencia gasped. I stopped, frozen in my tracks. Not out of shock, though, but out of confusion. Angel was dead?
"No she's not," he said, looking at Max like she sprouted two heads. "I just saw her reports yesterday. She's in the hospital at The Center, right?"
Max froze, then spun around, staring at him in shock. The flock did the same, not moving, barely breathing as they processed the news. Gazzy seemed the most shocked, his face a mix of disbelief and wonder. Could it be true? His eyes seemed to read.
Jeb was thoroughly surprised. They didn't know? Finally, Max broke the silence, asking the one question that no doubt was on everyone's mind: "What?"
Well, what did you think? Better than the last version? Worse? About the same? Please tell me what you think!
Now, to write more...