Max's POV
I looked to my left to see Angel fainted and lying on the floor. Nudge was bouncing with excitement, and Gazzy and Iggy were staring in disbelief.
"How's it been while I was gone, guys?" Ari asked.
"Um, good. Is it really you, Ari?" I asked, and he nodded.
"What, you don't recognize me?" he asked, and I shook my head.
He chuckled then said, "You do know I'm not your present, right? I'm just part of it."
"Well, what's the other part?" I asked, and he pointed to the couch.
I looked over to see Dylan lounging, his feet up on the coffee table.
"What?" he asked once he noticed everyone looking at us.
"Oh, yeah! The other half." he said, and he got up and went over to the window.
He looked up and called, "Okay! Come on in!"
"Coming!" someone called, and I heard rustling above us.
A minute later, a bird-kid or a very large bird came swooping in. We all ducked, trying to avoid dying by contact with "birdzilla". Apparently, I did something wrong, because in seconds, the thing had pinned me up against the wall.
"Let...me...GO!" I said, trying to break free of the bird's vice-like grip.
It's grip loosened, and it spoke to me.
"Happy birthday, Max." he said, and he smiled the lop-sided smile I had seen so many times before.
"Fang." I said breathlessly, and he smiled and kissed me. Alive. Fang was alive. It felt good to kiss him again.