Wowie! 71 reviews! Can you believe it! Well, I think I'll have a TON of time for this chapter, so here ya go!
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"What?!" I demanded. Did he not notice how close Fang and I were?
"Max can't dance." Iggy said between gasps of laughter. I glared, but the effect was lost on him.
"And in case you haven't noticed, I have a—a boyfriend." The word sounded weird. Fang was more than that to me.
"But it would be nice to see you in a dress." Fang said with a small smile in my general direction. I rolled my eyes.
"You couldn't pay me to put a dress on." I snarled. Brandon raised his eyebrows.
"You'd look beautiful in a dress." Brandon said softly. Iggy laughed harder, Fang looked up, and I shot out of my chair.
I was about to say something, but Fang stood and grabbed my wrist.
"Max." he said. I refused to meet his gaze. "Max." he said again.
I didn't know why I was so mad at this guy.
I finally turned towards Fang. "You'd look beautiful." He whispered.
I noticed that the strawberry blonde by Iggy had disappeared. Oh well.
And then the words that Fang had just said registered in my brain, and my cheeks grew hot.
"You really think that?" I whispered. He smiled one of those rare smiles that stopped the Earth's rotation, every movement everywhere, and even made the sun look like a dull light bulb compared to it.
Ah, the poetry of a mutant bird kid.
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Eventually, the bell rang, and we made our way to study hall. The only class I had with Fang all day.
As the students filed in, the teacher stood there, with a stupid smile on her face. I hated her already.
Once everyone seemed to be seated and mostly quiet, she introduced herself.
"Hello students. I recognize most of you from last year." Her smile faltered. "But I do see some new faces." She looked pointedly at me, Fang, and Iggy. "And we have some students that weren't in this class last year. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ms. Campbell." She was talkative, young, and I hated her.
"So, why don't we all stand up one by one and tell a little about ourselves."
Everybody stood up and talked when it was their turn. And then it was my turn.
I remained seated, even when Ms. Campbell gave a 'disappointed smile'.
"I'm Max. I just moved here."
She looked as if she expected me to say more, but I just stared at her. She blinked rapidly a few times, then looked at Fang.
"Nick."
She looked even more disappointed. She looked at Iggy, who was last. He looked in her direction, and she shivered slightly.
Yeah, lady. I know how you feel. It's creepy when the blind guy can almost look you in the eye, isn't it? I thought.
"I'm Brian."
She blinked once more, and turned away.
Ms. Campbell opened her mouth, but then the bell rang. I smiled at Fang.
Saved by the bell.
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The rest of the day sucked, to put it simply. But it only got worse once we got back 'home'.
I walked in with Nudge and Angel, both jabbering about their days. We'd walked to their schools and then escaped to the woods, taking off for a glorious ten minute flight back to our house.
When I finally looked up to see why everyone had stopped talking all at once, except for Fang, who hadn't been talking, I froze.
"Mom? Why're you back? You just left." Ella was smiling hugely on the floor at Mom's feet.
"Jeb and I have—" she stopped, and my gaze drifted down to her hand in Jeb's. Her left hand. And the third finger had a shining diamond on it.
"You guys are—are engaged? Getting married?!" I demanded angrily. I didn't trust Jeb. He'd hurt me, and for a really long time, I'd thought he was dead. And then when we'd found out he wasn't, turns out he was with the bad guys. And he was my father on top of all of his betrayals.
Nudge and Angel squealed and ran over to them.
I stood there and stared as everyone went and congratulated them, even Fang.
Traitors. They were welcoming him into the family. It wasn't fair to me, or any of them. Jeb had betrayed us. He'd been on their side. For a few years, I'd thought he was dead, and it was the worst feeling ever. And then, when he decides to come back to life, he's a bad guy. On the wrong side.
And now he wanted to marry my mom and just be welcomed back into the family, just like that? No way. No freaking way. This wasn't happening. He would never be considered my family, even if he was my father. Never.
I stomped furiously up the stairs and went into my room, slamming the door so hard I thought it was going to break. Then I yanked open my window, and then hopped out, unfurling my wings with a snap.
It hurt, just a little. My boo-boo wasn't completely healed yet.
But then the wind was pushing my farther and farther upward with every stroke, and I was smiling. This feeling made everything else seem a lot better. I was happy in the sky, and I knew I always would be.
I poured on the speed, and decided to experiment a little with it.
I tilted my wings, and I was suddenly shooting through the clouds. Most people would think that clouds are all fluffy and soft and fun to play inside. But take it from someone who knows; clouds are wet, cold, and they basically are not fun to fly through.
As I burst out of the cloud, I hit something feathery and warm. I was about to scold the member of my flock, but then I realized that it was a seagull.
I sighed, and slowed down. I swooped below the clouds to see how far I'd gone.
But when I looked around, I couldn't see anything but the ocean. And the clouds had chased away the sun, so I couldn't tell where I was by the sun's position. And the seagull had somehow turned me around.
I headed in the direction I thought was back to the house. I even sped up.
But after ten minutes, there wasn't anything anywhere. Nothing but blue water, as far as I could see. Which was pretty dang far.
I started to panic, but only slightly, because I could've been in a dog crate, or dungeon, or tied up. At least I was in the sky.
But I never, ever got lost, or turned around. Ever. It was almost impossible. We weren't made to get lost in the sky. Weren't programmed to get lost where we belonged.
It just didn't happen to us.
I began to hyperventilate.
Max, calm down. Don't lose control. You have to get yourself out of this. Take a few deep breaths. The Voice.
I immediately listened to it, and felt better. Okay, think. I'd traveled out maybe forty or so miles, then headed straight up from there. When I hit that stupid seagull, I turned….Wait. I hadn't turned around. I was heading west. I needed to go east.
I turned around in a big arc, and zoomed back the opposite way. I saw land almost twenty minutes later. But I knew it wasn't our island. It was completely wrong. I landed on the deserted beach, and walked in a random direction.
I tripped on something, and then everything turned black.
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When I woke, I smelled smoke. I lifted my throbbing head, only to see none other than Mr. Chu, who was surrounded by M-Geeks, and was smoking a cigar.
"Long time no see, Chuey." I croaked. His eyes narrowed.
I attempted to sit up, but my wrists and ankles were bound to a metal table, with Velcro straps. The kind that were almost impossible to yank apart.
"I see that you have not changed, Maximum." He said in his heavily accented voice.
"Please, call me Max." I said, steel in my voice.
"And what would it take to get some water in this joint?" I demanded. And my hoarse voice didn't have the effect I wanted. But Chu motioned to one of the M-geeks.
"Go. You heard her. Water." He barked, and the M-geek walked off, its face emotionless.
"Thanks. So why have you led me to your home?" I asked curiously, noticing that we were in the middle of an expensive looking living room, the only thing out of place being the metal table I was strapped to.
The M-geek returned with a glass of water just then, and held it to my lips while I drank deeply.
"This is not my home. Just temporary. And I have a…proposition…for you. But it will not be pleasant." Mr. Chu explained.
"What kind of proposition?" I asked slowly, wondering just that.
"A life for a life. Or, I should say, a life for many lives."
"And that would include….?" I demanded, trailing off.
"One of your flock is dying, the one you call Fang, correct?" My eyes narrowed. How did he know this?
"Yeah, he got Itex's expiration date disease thing." I said, and Mr. Chu gave a short nod, as if he was confirming something.
"Yes, except that this disease works slower, and is created by my corporation. The one you call Iggy shall get it soon. But not you. No matter what we try, you will not get the disease." As Chu was speaking, my heart rate sped up. Iggy was going to get it? How soon was soon?
Then I remembered what he'd said minutes earlier. A life for many lives, huh? That would mean…
"We are willing to let everyone of your flock live, as well as the rest of your family, live. But only if you give yourself up for our experimentation. You will die, and they will live out their lives. And my company and I get all the information we want." I turned my head away.
"That's it? I just give myself up? Right now?" I asked, one tear slipping down my cheek. It didn't matter. I already knew my answer.
"Yes and no. You will have a week or so to say your goodbyes. Then we will bring you and your flock to one of my testing facilities, so you may say your final goodbyes, and then everything is over. For you, at least." He said in a flat tone, as if this was the hundredth time he'd said it.
"Okay. I'll do it. But you have to honor your word, and let them live. Please." I said with no hesitation. If I could save my flock, I would do it. No matter what.
Mr. Chu looked surprised. Like he didn't expect me to give in so easily. I allowed myself a grim smile.
"I'll do anything to save my flock." I said.
Then the world was black again.
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I woke in my own bed.
And according to the clock on my nightstand, it was 5:16 in the morning.
I sucked in a big sleepy breath and let out a yawn.
When I went to sit up, I was hit by a wave of dizziness, and fell back on the pillows.
I heard a grunt, and turned towards the noise.
Fang was sitting up on the window seat.
"Fang?" I called softly, my voice hoarse again.
"Max!" he whispered, moving silently over to sit on the bed.
"What happened?" I mumbled. I wanted mostly to know if his expiration date was gone, and how Mr. Chu had gotten me back inside without anybody noticing.
"We heard you leave. But it wasn't until around nine that we heard you get back. I came up here to talk to you, but you were out. What happened?" His voice betrayed no emotion, but I could tell how tense and worried he was underneath it all.
"Ran into a seagull, and got turned around cause of the clouds, and I was tired. And I hit my head on the way in, so I blacked out." I said. I saw Fang's eyes narrow. He knew I was lying.
"You're lying." He pointed out softly.
"No I'm not." I insisted.
He raised his eyebrows and studied my face.
"I know you too well. Tell me the truth, Max." he demanded. I set my jaw and clenched my teeth.
"No."
"Max…" His voice sounded slightly angry, which meant that he was furious.
"I can't, Fang. I just—I can't okay? Can I have my own secrets for once? Besides, the truth doesn't matter anyways." I admitted. The truth didn't matter to me. I was saving my flock, my family, and that's all that mattered.
There was a long silence, which wasn't all that unusual for Fang.
Finally, he spoke. "Fine. But…Just go back to sleep. I'll get you some water." He practically disappeared, and then returned shortly after, with a glass of water in hand. I grabbed it from him and drank deeply.
"Thanks." I said when I was finished. He chuckled softly.
"Your mom is pretty upset though. You should talk to her later. And I don't think you should go to school tomorrow. You might have a concussion." He said simply, leaning down to kiss my forehead. My heart sank.
I made my mom sad. I'd only had her for a short period of time, and now I felt betrayed by the fact that Jeb was claiming her.
Fang turned to leave.
"Wait." I whispered. He turned back.
"Will you…stay?" I asked, embarrassed by the fact that I didn't want to sleep alone. I was too afraid to be alone.
I only had a week.
Abruptly, I was crying silently into Fang's shirt, and he was holding me, and stroking my hair in the most comforting way he could.
"Don't worry, Max." he whispered. And with three simple words, I felt better.
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I woke in the morning to a throbbing head, and nobody beside me.
My clock showed that it was only around seven. Nobody had left yet. I went downstairs for some Tylenol.
"Good morning, Max!" Angel said, running over to hug my legs.
"Mornin' sweetie. Did you sleep well?" I said with a warm smile. She nodded.
Look what Fang did to Iggy. Angel's voice said in my head. I looked over to Iggy, who had a hat on.
Bright pink tufts of hair stuck out from under the hat.
I snickered.
"Wow, Fang. You dyed his hair pink?" I said with a disbelieving laugh.
Fang looked up from the kitchen sink, where he was washing out his cereal bowl.
"Not just his hair." Gazzy said with a grin. He ran around the other side of the table and carefully yanked up Iggy's shirt.
We all exploded into laughter, except for Iggy, who scowled.
"That…is…so…hilarious!" I managed to say between giggles.
Iggy's wings were pink.
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I stayed at home. And I was bored all day, even with Ella there, since she hadn't been enrolled in the school yet. We played Monopoly. We played Foosball and air hockey. And I was still bored. Ella went out to swim and look for seashells on the beach, while I stayed inside.
Pretty soon, Mom joined me on one of the couches in the living room.
"Max, I wanted to talk to you. About….yesterday." I gritted my teeth to keep from yelling at her for her betrayal.
"I don't know how everything has been for you lately, because, I'm obviously not you. But I know I can help Fang better here, with Jeb's help. And….Jeb and I have thought about this for a long time." She looked at me with pleading eyes.
"Max, will you just talk to me? I need to know what you're thinking. I want to help you with any problems, just like a mom."
I couldn't take it.
"You could never know what I'm thinking! You don't know how it feels! Any of it! It feels like you betrayed me, by marrying him! I can't trust him! Not ever again. And I won't have to for long!" I yelled, and darted out the front door.
I didn't fly, I just ran. I ran through the forest until I ran out of breath, which was a really long time.
I collapsed to my knees, panting hard.
All I saw was her hurt and shocked expression. She didn't know what I meant by 'not for long' , but she got the idea.
It wasn't that hard to figure out.
I threw up. Something inside me was completely repulsed by the thoughts that were running through my head. And it wasn't good that I'd over exerted myself with a serious bump on my head.
I sat on my knees, bent over for a few minutes. Then I wiped my mouth and stood.
I leapt into the air and flew back to the house, and went in through my window. I immediately went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth twice, to get rid of the taste and smell.
I sat down on my bed and turned on a random DVD and watched it until everyone else was back from school.
Fang knocked on the doorframe of the open door.
"School sucked and Brandon told everyone that he's taking you to the dance." He said, then walked away.
I stared after him openmouthed.
I shook my head to clear it and ran after him.
His door was locked.
"Fang!" I yelled. "You can't just leave me like that!" I shouted, pounding on his door.
He opened it and stood there grinning.
"Sorry. But it got you up, didn't it?" he said with a short chuckle.
I just hugged him. The dance didn't really matter. I'd be…gone… before then.
He stood stiffly for a moment, and then hugged me back.
He tilted my chin up and kissed me, for one of the last few times.
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Longest chapter EVER!! I just moved my arm and my shoulder popped like eighty times. Ouchies. Anyway, I love reviews, reviews, reviews, and cookies! Press that button down there. I dare you.