I'm not doing so good with updating. Sorry! I hope you like this chapter. -Max
Disclaimer: I am the proud owner of the Maximum Ride series. ^-^ And if you believe me, you need to take a good look at the cover of the books and vist JP's website. Whose name is there? I bet a billion and one dollars it's not my name...
Claimer: I think it's obvious....
My mom came into my room the next morning. She gave me a sleepy smile. I noticed how the worry-lines on her face seemed to evaporate when I was with her.
"Max, I missed you so much," she said to me. I pulled myself into a sitting position on the bed and my mom did the same.
"Yah, me too," I replied.
"What happened?" Mom asked. "You disappeared for five years, then show up at my sister's house. Where were you?"
"I can't tell you," I sighed. My mom nodded. She knew where I had been. Or at least she had a rough idea of it.
"Is that where you found all those kids?" she wondered.
"I found most of them there," I answered slowly. "I didn't exactly find Ty or Vani…"
"What do you mean?" my mom inquired.
"Valencia!" Jeb called from the hallway. "We have to leave now to get to the plane on time!"
My mom looked at me sadly.
"Promise you'll come by soon," she requested.
"We will," I promised. My mom gave me a tight squeeze then rushed away.
I stood and stretched my muscles. Tyler was still asleep in her drawer. I decided to take a shower while she napped.
Connected to my huge room was a large bathroom. The giant bathtub took up only a quarter of the room. I stepped into the shower and turned the water on. The water was so hot. I didn't ever want to get out.
Reluctantly, I stepped out of the shower. I dried off and changed back into my clothes.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, there was a strange lady sitting on my bed. In her hands were my little baby. I growled instinctively.
"Who are you?" I demanded. The woman looked up, surprised.
"I'm Ana Varga," she answered. Her voice was soft and friendly, a high-pitched Texas accent. "And who are you?"
"Max," I said. I kept my narrowed eyes on Tyler.
"May I ask why you're in my house, Max?" Ana wondered.
"I came to see my mom," I answered. "She just left."
"Val's your mom?" Ana asked, shocked.
"Yah," I answered.
"So you're the one Val's been telling me about." Ana smiled. "She talks so much about you." Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit. "And so does Jeb."
"Can I have my baby?" I requested. I couldn't stand seeing her in someone else's hands. Especially a stranger's hands.
"Of course," Ana agreed. She handed me Ty. I relaxed a little.
Ana studied me carefully. I didn't worry if she could see my wings or not. I knew she couldn't. The School had made it so I could turn my wings ghost-like years ago.
"How long did you plan on staying here?" my aunt wondered.
"Um," I faltered. "I don't know. I just had to see my mom…"
"You should stay here for a while," Ana suggested. "It looks like you could use some food."
"Thanks," I muttered. This solves our food problem… Ana smiled.
"No problem," she replied. "I'll get my cook to make us some breakfast. Is it just you two here?"
"No," I said. "There's seven of us."
"I'll have my cook make a feast," Ana stated. "Since it looks like you could use a ton of food."
If only she knew.
"That'd be great," I replied. Ana nodded and skipped off. I shook my head. That women, who was obviously my mom's younger sister, would drive me insane if we remained here for too long. Too happy and peppy. And very blonde. Like a high school cheerleader…
I reached into my pocket and fingered a piece of paper. That paper was my key to getting home.
I rounded the kids up for breakfast some time later. Ana led us down to the dining room. On the table was more food then I'd ever seen at once. Ana laughed at our shocked-- and pleased-- faces.
We sat around the HUGE table and dug in. There was every kind of breakfast food imaginable. It was all fresh and delicious.
Ana was startled by our impressive appetites. We had finished off every last thing on the table. I prepared some convincing lies, but I didn't need to use any of them. She didn't ask about anything.
"Please excuse me," Ana said as she stood up. "I need to get to work. Make yourselves at home here."
The woman left.
"Can we go explore, Max?" Illuminate asked. She looked up at me, her eyes twinkling.
I need to talk to you, Dylan thought to me.
"Go ahead," I said to the kids. Lumi, Breeze, and Jordan took off.
"Take Vani with you!" I called out. Breeze ran back in and took the little boy away.
"Are you finished here?"
I turned to see a petite woman in a maid's outfit come into the dining room. I nodded my head and she started removing the plates, glasses, and silverware from the table.
Let's go somewhere else, Dylan suggested.
There has to be a more private room somewhere in this place, I replied.
Dylan and I stood up and left the dining room. I could faintly hear the kids' yelling from somewhere in the giant house.
We wandered around until we found an out-of-the-way room. Inside were plenty of chairs and tables. Each table had its own lamp. Looking around the room, I noticed that it was a library. Books covered three whole walls. The last wall was completely made of glass.
"What's the problem, Dylan?" I asked, propping my feet on a table. We were seated by the glass window. I gently rocked Tyler in my hands.
"It's Ana," Dylan answered. "She's on Jeb's side. From what I picked up from her, he's still evil- which I knew- and she knew we were coming. I'm guessing Jeb told her, though I don't know how he figured it out."
"The Voice," I sighed. Dylan nodded.
"That explains it," he muttered.
"What's she planning?" I asked. We had to be ready.
"I don't know," Dylan admitted. "She pushed me out before I could find the answers."
"We need to leave," I decided. "It's not safe here."
Especially not if Jeb's evil. And if Ana knows some of what we can do.
"Right," Dylan agreed. He looked around the room quickly. "Though I'll miss this room. I've never seen so many books in one place."
"I'm sure there's a library like this at Fang's place," I said. Dylan's face lit up for the first time since I've known him. It's so hard to get him interested in something. "Let's go."
We walked over to the door. I turned the knob. It was stuck. I turned it the other way. It was still stuck.
"No," I breathed. I turned the knob as hard as I could. "It's locked!"
I silently cursed. We were trapped.
"Ana did it," Dylan whispered, one hand resting on the solid door. "She lied about going to work. She wants revenge."
"Revenge?" I demanded. "Why? I never did anything to her!"
Dylan concentrated for a few minutes. I forced myself to be patient while trying to break down the door. And smash the glass windows. Apparently they weren't really made of glass.
"She wants revenge on your mom," Dylan mumbled, half conscious. "She wanted Jeb but your mom got him. She figured that she could take her revenge by hurting the thing they created together- you."
Dylan removed his hand from the door and looked at me, wide-eyed and terrified.
"She wants you dead," he said. "Or in pain somehow. She hates you because you're the reason Jeb's with Valencia and not her."
I widened my eyes.
"She knows I can take physical pain, thanks to Jeb," I realized. "She's gonna hurt me by hurting what I love most. My family!"
I didn't even mean my blood family. I meant my two Flocks. She was gonna hurt the people that I'd give my life to protect. One of which I'd already given my life to save.
"The kids?" Dylan asked. I nodded. "No! Oh, man!"
I had to come up with a plan. I needed to go save the kids before Ana got to them. The only thing that made me feel better was the fact that this place was so huge. She would have a hard time finding four kids who had trouble staying still.
"Do you have a plan?"
Dylan knew the answer. He didn't need to ask. I had no clue how to get out of this mess. There was no plan. At least, not yet.
I started pacing the room, my claustrophobia escalating. It didn't help that I was worried about the kids' safety, and my old Flock's safety as well.
I refused to set Tyler down. Ana had something up her sleeve and I wouldn't help her with her plan. I grew more and more anxious by the second.
A voice chuckled in my head.
Maximum. Another chuckle. You are a very foolish girl. I thought we taught you not to trust strangers. Look what it's gotten you into.
She didn't seem dangerous! I silently cried. My mom and Sara trust her! You told me to trust her, Jeb!
Jeb had nothing to do with this. I am not Jeb.
I made a silent scream. There was no way I could handle another Voice. I could barely handle the one Jeb used. Now someone else was in my head?
Maximum, it's about time you rest, the new Voice said.
Alarms went off in my head. I saw flashing, blinding lights and heard screams. Pictures of my two flocks rolled across my eyelids like a movie projection, but in high speed. I saw the Mexican School and replays of parts of the last five years, along with a majority of the first ten years of my life.
Dylan felt the pain in my head. He quickly made a mind-block so he wouldn't be able to read my mind and suffer the same pain. He managed to grab Ty just as I fell to the ground. I let out a blood-curling scream and everything went black.
*The Flock*
"Fang? Fang? Fang!"
Fang blinked.
"Well?" Nudge demanded. "Are we gonna go after her?"
Fang thought for a minute, his eyes traveling from the desk over to Meri and then to Nudge.
Max… Do you really need saving? Or can you escape on your own? The kids need you, but do you really want to come back? Things are different now… I don't know what you'll think of it… I honestly didn't think you'd survive this long…
"I… I don't know," Fang said. Nudge's eyes widened in shock.
"We have to, Fang!" she cried, eyes darting towards Meri and back again, an angry look forming on her face for a moment. "What if she's killed because of us? What if…?"
"She won't die," Angel whispered. Fang looked down at the girl. "I think they're gonna escape and come here…"
Thank goodness for that…
"Ok, we'll make room for her," Fang decided. After a second he added, "Did you say they?"
"Uh-huh," Angel confirmed. She smiled, relaxing a bit. "There's six kids with Max."
Meri sighed.
Nudge grinned. "Let's go shopping!"
Yay, chapter done! Now, I could give you a hundred and one reasons why I took so long to update, but all I'll say right now is I've been busy. Super busy. That said, I have nothing else to say really. Later on Meri will be explained. Reviews are lovely my readers. Ok... Now I am going to leave you to press the review-button-thing (It changed since I last remember it) and I'm gonna get some much-needed sleep... And now a final thought from a song I love that most of you have never heard before:
It's funny how its the simple things in life that mean the most
Not where you live, what you drive, or the price tag on your clothes
There's no dollar sign on a piece of mind this I`ve come to know
So if you agree have a drink with me
Raise you glasses for a toast...
...chorus goes here but it's not the part of the song I wanted to post...
I thank god for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring
Salute the ones who died
And the ones that give their lives, so we don`t have to sacrifice
All the things we love...
That's from the song Chicken Fried sung by the Zac Brown Band. On the off chance that you actually know the song, well, good for you! (It's country by the way...) That's all. Hopefully. Have a happy week! -Max