"I called Jeb," Dr. Goo Goo said. "He should be here in a few hours."

I glanced at him, only half interested. Being hours away from death really snaps things into perspective. "Oh? Care to explain where he was? Or did you just call him so I could slap him silly before I died? If so, thank you very much." I injected my trademark sarcasm into those words. He didn't answer.

There was an aura of gloom upon the lunch table, me not knowing when I was going to drop dead, Nudge asking me every few seconds "But are you sure? Are you sure it's today?", Iggy muttering, "Why don't you just do the condition?", Angel looking sad, Gazzy looking miserable, Dylan looking suicidal, Fang looking... Fang.

I hadn't talked to Dylan since yesterday, I was still really angry. But I wanted to make it right before I died. I owed it to him, plus I wasn't that much of a witch, to want him to feel guilty later. I looked at him, catching his attention, tried to convey all that I was thinking in my gaze. He nodded as if he understood, which I wasn't sure he did.

I was sure we'd all run out of tears by now. I wanted to make things right with... everyone. I wanted to talk to my mom, Ella, Fang, Maya, Jeb, and everybody else in the world that I'd gone off on the wrong foot with. Basically everyone.
~~~

After a couple of hours of everyone just sulking, I took matters into my own hands and spoke up. "Look, guys," I said, looking at everyone in the eye: Ratchet, Holden, Kate, Star, Maya, Fang, Angel, Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, Dylan, and even Dr. Death. There was nobody else, really, in this little cafe; I wasn't really caring at this point who heard me.

"Life is short," I began strongly. That was the only thing I'd planned saying beforehand. For the rest? I'd wing it. "We live without knowing when it's all going to stop and that's how I've always lived- like it's my last day." I sucked in a deep breath. "And now it really is."

I heard Nudge crying, but at a distance, as if she were a mile away. "Look, I know some of you aren't my best friend, and I've been not the greatest person to you," I admitted graciously. "And I just want to say I'm sorry for that. And if you guys ever meet up with the other people that aren't here today that didn't like me, you can tell them what I said." I looked back down at my gross egg salad, ending abruptly. I wasn't great at huge, tearful conclusions.

No one said anything. The doc was fiddling with his phone. "Jeb's arrived," he announced. "He's got something important to say."

"He can stuff himself," I said absentmindedly, stroking Gazzy's hair.

Now Dr. God looked up. "We have to go meet him," he said firmly. "Really, Max, if you're too stubborn to mate with Dylan to survive, then at least do this-" He never got to complete his sentence because I'd socked him in the face, knocking him out of his chair and onto the floor. He held his cheek and God help me, he looked amused. Which made me even more irritated. I mean, he'd just humiliated me in front of everyone! I seriously wanted to kill him.

Instead, because I'm such a mature individual, I gave him a good kick to the side, eliciting a satisfying "oof" and declared, "All right, we'll go and meet with Jeb, then."

So we went to where the doc indicated, which ended up being a big field. And Jeb, lying as usual, hadn't actually arrived as in gotten on the ground, his helicopter was still hovering around.

I saw his traitorous face appear in one of the big windows. Experimentally, I waved at him cheerfully; he waved back. So, he could see me. I flipped him the bird. He couldn't pretend not seeing that. He scowled, and I grinned, feeling a bit cheerier. Nothing better than pissing off your old man to make you feel less crappy!

The doctor had tried to take me aside again, a couple hours beforehand, to tell me to get it on with Dylan.

"I told you, I'm not doing it!" I'd insisted. He had shook his head.

"This is your only chance, Max. You'll simply be ensuring that the world will have a leader after you die. After the apocalypse."

"You and your conspiracy theories," I'd replied loudly, and flounced away. Well, I tried to flounce. To annoy him.

And now we all stood in the field, waiting for Jeb's ride to land in the grass so we could- meet?- I wasn't exactly sure what I'd say to him.

The helicopter, chopping the air, made a breeze that blew my hair around, undoubtly making it messier. It landed, and we all waited for him to jump out, although I was waiting, waiting for my time to be up. To suddenly collapse.

But when Jeb clambered out of the helicopter, yelling something I couldn't quite understand due to the fact that the helicopter was still running, it wasn't I who collapsed.

It was Maya.

The 100 review mark is passed, so yes, we'll be getting an additional fax scene at the end. But keep reviewing, otherwise I shall be sad. :(