I do not own Maximum Ride! :D

A Lifetime by the Bedside
Chapter 6: Max – Way Out

It seemed like weeks seen I'd arrived, or returned, to the old E shaped house. There had been no Erasers, no crazed scientists, and no danger. Surreal was what it was. I woke up in my old comfy bed, rolling over lazily onto my stomach, while I inhaled the unmistakably delicious smell of pancakes. I could feel the drool dribbling out of my mouth and onto my pillow, but didn't try to stop it. Some things were truly out of your control.

'Iggy?' I called, yawning, 'bring me some pancakes!'

I thought that, as leader, I should get some special treatment. There had to be some quirks to the job, surely. Iggy didn't seem to be thinking along the same wavelength though. He hit the unit with the spatula and laughed, 'not a bloody chance Maximum!'

He began to cackle, 'it just means that there's more for us.'

Imagining his smug grin, I rolled out of bed, practically crawling over to the kitchen. Greedily grabbing for a plate, already stacked high and mighty with chocolaty gooey pancake goodness, Gazzy stole it from me.

'Careful,' Angel warned, wagging her tiny finger at him threateningly, 'or she'll attack!'

'Yeah,' Iggy yawned, he must have been up early to cook for everyone, 'she's a fighter, our Max.'

I nodded seriously at Gazzy who was eyeing the top pancake with the chocolate sauce oozing out, as if it was reaching out for him, pleading with him, asking him to destroy it. He twitched, feeling the icy temperature of my gaze, and his eyes briefly flitted to mine. Licking his lips, he reached out with his grubby hands. It was as if everything had slowed down, the widening of Gazzy's mouth, like a serpent, preparing to devour its prey; the movement of his fingers, dancing their way to their goal; his eyes bulging in longing for the delight. I was faster though. Jumping onto the counter in one swift movement, I kicked the plate out from his reach. Ha!

'Nooo!' Gazzy whined.

I spat my tongue out at him childishly and he sulked.

Angel, Nudge and Iggy were laughing, but Fang was nowhere to be seen. Shoving a healthy sized amount of pancake into my mouth, I closed my eyes in bliss.

'Iggy, I love you, I mean, seriously, these are amazing!' I approved.

I had every intention of taking another bite when Fang walked in. He was in his pyjama bottoms and a plain vest. Yawning in the doorway, his nose twitched like a sniffer dog.

'Breakfast,' he murmured, still half asleep.

His hair was ruffled and messy from sleep. Running a hair through it roughly, he greeted us with a half-hearted 'morning.' Nudge ran up to him and tugged on his vest, 'Faaang,' she charmed. 'Can we pretty please go shopping today? Maybe to Paris, the dogs are mega cute there. The poodles are so fluffy. But oh the shoes are amazing, with like the best fashion designers ever and so many colours and styles and some are glitzy, whilst others are more sophisticated and smart and others are just adorable I could hug them all!'

Fang blinked at her slowly. Nudge tended to talk, you know, without breathing. He patted her head, 'maybe.'

'Maybe? How can there be a maybe? The decision is so obvious!'

Well, she wasn't satisfied.

'And what is that?' Fang asked, accepting a plate from Iggy. He sat down on the stool next to me, giving me a brief smile before turning to Nudge.

'Well, yes – obviously. Please, please, pleeeease! Pretty please? With a cherry on top and everything!'

I motioned for Nudge to come to my side. She sighed and obliged. I stroked her thick hair and she leant into me, looking up at my face in hope.

'It's a maybe Nudge,' I said, backing up my right hand man.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she moaned, 'well, fine then. I would have given all of them to you anyway!'

I smiled, but she strutted off to sit next to Gazzy. Ouch – I had been rejected. I dread the thought of her teenage years. Out of instinct I decided to go outside. Fang grabbed my hand as I got up to leave, his eyebrows rose, asking without words 'where are you going?' I smiled and squeezed his hand briefly, 'just going to get some air,' I explained, pointing vaguely in the direction of the door. He nodded stiffly and returned to his pancakes. He's never been one for many words, I thought.

Once outside, I leant against the wall of the house, taking deep breaths. The air was sweet and it was as if some of Iggy's awe-inspiring cooking flavours had infiltrated the atmosphere. I closed my eyes, just enjoying the moment.

Max.

I unwillingly opened them, groaning slightly. The voice had kindly stayed absent from my mind for a time, but good times never last.

'Max?'

Whoa, I was popular today. Scanning the grounds, I saw Ari in the distance. He was wearing tattered jeans and a green tee – typical young boy. I felt so touched by this sight – that Ari had finally found somewhere to have the life that every boy deserved. Smiling, I walked over to him, although his expression was the complete opposite. He wore a scowl and his jaw was clenched so tight I feared it would snap. Stopping a few feet away from him, cautious, I waited for him to start.

I didn't have to wait long.

'What are you doing?' he asked.

He didn't appear angry, more disappointed. That hit me harder than I thought it would. Then again, I wasn't expecting this type of tone from my younger brother. I frowned at him.

'What are you talking about?' I asked, taking a step closer to him. My entire being wanted to comfort him and make him happy like everyone here was. He took a step back, stopping my approach. Hurt, I crossed my arms of my chest and tucked my fringe behind my ear.

'Max,' he said, looking at the ground, 'you need to go.'

My eyes widened at this and I felt a piercing stabbing sensation in my chest.

'What do you mean? I'm not leaving them...' I stuttered, attempting to latch onto something – a purpose for my being here. They were all here and they needed me.

'Stop it!' he screamed.

His face turned a violent red and his fists were clenched into fists. His breathing became irregular and ragged. Dark hair began to sprout from his knuckles and savagely long and jagged claws grew from the whites of his nails. I gasped in horror and took a jagged step backwards. Not Ari, please, don't take him again, I thought.

'Ari,' I barely whispered.

His face was contorted in fury, his eyes bloodshot and his face scarred with vicious slashes.

'You don't belong here Max,' he shouted, sinister, 'this is the wrong world for you. You've forgotten what really matters.'

A strong wind swept past us then, making our clothes flap against our bodies.

'The flock matters,' I defended, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

Glancing briefly in the direction of the house, I fooled myself into believing that the harmonious laughter could be heard from where we stood, the different timbres complimenting one another. By the time I turned back, Ari was only inches away from me and I took in a sharp breath, shocked by his sudden proximity. His face was no longer boyish and innocent, but old and tired, gruesome and bloody, as if he had been in battle. He leant in close to my ear, sending a shiver up my spine.

'They're... not... real.'

They're not real. But they were here and... A sob escaped from my chest and when I looked at Ari again he had returned to the normal little boy, his eyes shining with honesty. I had known it all along, but thought it would be easier to ignore it. None of them were real, but I still loved them and didn't think I'd be able to bring myself to leaving them.

'You have to Max,' Ari said calmly, as if reading my mind. 'They're waiting for you.'

He began to walk away then after looking past my shoulder. His eyes had hardened and looked sharply away.

'What about you?' I shouted after him.

He let out a low laugh and looked at me seriously.

'Oh, I'll be around.'

Just as quickly as my last encounter with 'Ari', he vanished, swept away with the wind. Grabbed firmly by the arm, I jumped, struggling against the grip.

'Let go!' I demanded. If someone wanted to mess with me at a time like this they were going to regret it!

'Max. What did he say to you?' he asked quietly.

It was Fang. He released his grip on my shoulder, sighing. He balled his hand into a fist and it shook slightly at his side.

'Wh-' I breathed.

'What did he say to you?' he rose his voice so loud a flock of birds in a nearby tree scattered, flapping their wings hard, trying to escape the commotion. He seemed to have turned furious just as quickly as Ari had and this scared me. Nothing seemed certain here, things were changing too quickly. People were changing too quickly.

My eyes followed the birds, curious as to where they were going, wishing I could follow them. Ari was right, I couldn't stay here. This wasn't real, I told myself.

'I'm waiting,' he muttered impatiently.

My eyes found his black orbs, almost like black holes, drawing me in, threatening destruction.

'That was a private conversation,' I said bluntly, my voice emotionless.

I turned my back to him and took deliberate steps away from him and towards the house. I made it a few metres before Fang caught up and took me by the elbow, steering me off at a tangent. Again, I struggled and even kicked out at him, but he was stubborn and my efforts were futile. Shoving me back against a tree, the air was knocked out of my lungs and I groaned from the sudden impact. Several leaves fluttered down to my feet and I watched as Fang menacingly walked towards me. Using his arm to block me from escaping, he asked again, 'what did that mutt of a brother of yours say to you?'

Think fast, Max.

Well, that wasn't really very useful, I cursed the voice. Trying to 'think fast,' I blurted out the first thing that came to my head. 'He said that he was glad that I finally found you... all of you,' I corrected. I tried to say it with as much conviction as I could muster, but wasn't sure if it was at all believable.

He seemed to think about what I had said for a moment and then removed his arm, allowing me freedom. I dared not move for a moment, but then Fang laughed quietly to himself, shaking his head. He held out his hand for me to take and, trying to bide my time, I took it, still feeling shaky on the inside, but trying not to show it. Smiling down at me, Fang swung our arms to and fro jokily, definitely not Fang, leading us back to the house.

'I thought...' he started, but then stopped and just continued to smile at me.

I tried to smile back, but it was forced, its sincerity cracking at the edges. My eyes were set up in determination, looking at the sky. Ari had well and truly snapped me out of this fantasy. There had to be a way out of here, I just needed to find it first.

A/N Thank you for the encouraging reviews :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry it took me a while to update - got exams coming up, so, revision :'(
I'll try to update soon ;)
Again, all feedback is welcome and much appreciated :D:D:D

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