A/N: For any of you who've read this story in the past, I edited the other chapters a little.
ARI
I unlocked the motel door and set the groceries down by my feet, taking off my soaked jacket. It had started pouring not long after Gazzy and I left and it was still going hard. Max was sitting on the edge of the bed, remote in hand. I could barely keep my relief contained, just from seeing her up. Nudge was beside her and Iggy was sprawled out on the other bed. Nudge and Max's heads turned towards us and Nudge's face lit up. She sprang up and ran towards me. For a moment I thought she was going to tackle me in a hug, but she didn't. She grabbed at the grocery bag and tore it open.
"I'm so hungry!" She nearly yelled. I couldn't help smirking a little.
I side stepped her and let Gazzy by. He quickly pushed Nudge away from the food and grabbed it, carrying it towards the dinky mini-kitchen. She nearly crawled after him, like a zombie or something.
"Hey," Max said to me. I hesitated, shuffling my feet slightly then looked towards Iggy. Why did I feel awkward around my own sister? Oh yeah, she doesn't remember me at all. My fists clenched at the thought.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked gesturing toward's Iggy's limp body. He still hadn't moved. Max looked hesitant for a moment and then she shrugged.
That wasn't fishy at all.
A sizzle caught my attention and I spotted Gazzy with a pan on the stove, putting on some chicken. He was still soaked. Nudge was curled up at his heels, nibbling on a poptart. I was starved as well, but having breakfast in the middle of the night was a little too weird. I could wait a bit. I sat at Iggy's feet, purposly jostling him. He groaned and kicked me softly.
"Okay," I began in my team captain voice, "Let's make sure we're all on the same page."
Iggy regretfully sat up and leaned against the headboard, crossing his arms. Nudge made her way back over to Max's bed, poptart still in mouth, and sat. Gazzy stayed by the stove, but was paying us full attention.
"Who wants to start?" I asked. Everyone was silent and looked between each other. Finally, Nudge piped up.
"I lived in New Mexico most of my life. One day, when I was twelve, these two people showed up at our trailer park. A light girl and a dark guy. I could tell they were bad news. I decided to split for a while, I had my wings then, and when I got back..." Nudge was quiet for a moment, her hands tinkering in her lap. She still had crumbs on her chin. I could tell she was trying not to cry. "When I got back my mom's trailer was gone. Burned. There were firefighters and police and reporters." Nudge sniffed and ran a hand across her face. "Since then I've been on the run. Those two seemed to show up everywhere I went."
Nudge looked to Gazzy and he picked up where she left off. "The same happened to me, not long after I first got my wings, but I've never had a family or anythin'. I've been livin' at orphanages and foster homes since I was just a baby," Gazzy shrugged and flipped the meat, "Those two showed up and started askin' around for me. I split. Maybe a year later Nudge and I ran into each other when we were campin' out at a national park."
Nudge nodded. "We figure there's no way those two work alone. There's more of them somewhere and somebody who's in charge. There's no way those two could just show up and find us, over and over, without satillites and intel or something."
"Have you ever tried talking to them?" Iggy asked quietly. He'd been nearly stoic this whole time.
Nudge and Gazzy exchanged a glance. "Yeah," Gazzy began, "We're not exactly sure they even want to be chasin' us."
I was laying in the bed beside Iggy who was sound asleep, curled up towards the curtained window. Nudge and Max were sound asleep in the bed beside us. Gazzy was up, on watch, out on the balcony. The healing cuts on my left arm were throbbing, but that wasn't what was keeping me up. It was this sense of constant insecurity that seeped into me from Nudge and Gazzy.
Gazzy and I had talked a lot while we shopped. He gave me some insight into what our lives would soon lead. They'd been on the run for years. I couldn't even imagine. I didn't want to. Thinking about my Mom and Dad, up late like me, worried to death about us. It just made me almost physically ill.
I'd had the perfect life, really, seriously. I was gifted at sports, which made me popular and I wasn't a jerk, which made people genuinely like me. The girl I liked, liked me back. I had a loving family, good grades. Things were looking up. But even that couldn't make me happy. How long had this emptiness been growing inside me? This part of me that was never satisfied? The part of me that whispered darkly in the back of my mind, even when I was laughing with my friends or kissing Erin.
The only thing that stopped it, even for just a moment, was the cutting.
I'd always worried that somehow, someone would see them. Not as much as my wings, but still, a lot. I always wore long sleeved shirts and jackets and those I love boobies bracelets. During Lacrosse practice and when we were changing before and after, I wore my under armour sleeve. Sometimes I thought about what Coach would say if he saw them, or Brad, or Max. I wondered if they would think I was crazy or scream or something, but worst of all I worried that they would just ignore them.
Somehow that would be worse.
I heard the door open and close. Even in the dark I could see Gazzy's bright blonde hair clearly. He walked over to the girl's bed and I stayed still, slowing my breathing. He tapped Max until she was awake, then he gestured behind him.
"You're up." He said. Max nodded drowsily and stood. She glanced at the clock and I followed her eyes. 2:52 am. She grabbed one of the dry towels off the small table and wrapped it around her shoulders before stepping outside. Gazzy settled beside Nudge and fell asleep almost instantly. I waited a few more minutes before getting up and heading outside.
It was chilly and still raining. Max turned and smiled a little when she saw who it was. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked as I sat beside her and let my legs hang out between the railing. Our motel room was on the second story, kind of like those apartment buildings you see sometimes with the shady ledge and peeling paint and everything.
"Nope," I replied and we sat in silence for a moment. "So you really don't remember anything?"
She shrugged. "Things are weird. It's hard to explain." She nodded suddenly, then said snidely. "I know that."
I gave her a strange look. "Talking to yourself again?" I asked, half joking and half concerned.
"No," She replied seriously, "I'm talking to the voice inside my head."
I tried not to look too worried, but she read my face easily. "It's like there is a radio inside my head and someone is watching and giving me advice from the other end," She frowned, "That just makes me sound crazy."
"Yeah it kind of does," I replied truthfully, "How long has this been happening?"
Max went from social awkwardness to teleportation. Why would a voice inside her head be any surprise? But, of course, it still was.
Max shrugged. "A while."
"It doesn't tell you to sacrifice small animals does it?" I asked, once again, half joking.
She shook her head. "It's more like a GPS therapist."
That image made me laugh. "They should look into installing those into cars."
She laughed as well and we sat, basking in the laughter afterglow, watching the streetlights illuminating the rain with mild interest. Max had a large bruise on her forehead, but besides that her head wound seemed to be healing well. I was still a little pissed at Gazzy for nearly killing my sister, but he had explained a little and I could understand their suspicion. Stupid Max, always walking up to strangers and asking about their personal lives. I don't know what I would do if she actually... Well, keeled over.
She seemed to catch my solum look and guess where my thoughts were. "I love you, Ari." She said, squeezing my hand and catching me off guard.
Max? Affectionate? Geez. I nodded like, duh you love me. But really, deep down, I was glad. Max smiled softly and looked back towards the street. She kept her warm hand in mine.
"Do you know about Iggy's..." She seemed at a loss for words.
"Iggy's what?" I felt my voice tighten suspiciously.
"Whenever he gets mad or excited," She frowned as she tried to find the words, "He changes."
I thought back to Dave's party when Iggy had slugged me hard, his eyes not himself. Everything about him radiating... what was it? I don't know, but it gave me the creeps. "...Yeah." I said after a moment.
"He can't control it." She said quickly, "It freaks him out."
"It freaks me out too." I muttered lowly. She scowled at me and it was almost like she'd never been hit on the head.
"Anyway," She continued, a little exasperated, "Something happened and now he's being really self-depricating. I want you to talk to him." She gave me her puppy eyes and I scowled.
"Wait, what happened?" I asked, "What'd he do this time?"
"It was nothing." She insisted.
I didn't believe her for a second, but I didn't push the subject. I was so right though. Iggy was bad news. If Max actually remembered anything from before I would have rubbed it in her face.
"But can you please talk to him?" She asked, voice pleading. I hesitated. "Please!?"
I sighed. "Fine!" Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She sighed, smiling. "Thank you Ari."
"Yeah, whatever." I muttered.