Chapter 22:
We stopped at a hotel. My talk with the receptionist was short.
"One room please," I said. The lady looked at me to the girl in my arms. The stranger. She was starting to shake, mumble. I impatiently nudged at Max. "Get me a freaking room. God will never forgive you for having killed a person." The kind receptionist quickly nodded and asked,
"Should I call 911?" nervously.
"Look," and I leaned in closer, she was only half my height. She cowered and handed me the keys. Iggy took them expertly, and the flock followed, not saying a word. Next thing, Angel was next to me.
"Fang…I'm sorry." I didn't look at her. I would start to feel mutinous about my long reputation of staying composed.
"Can you read her mind?"
"Yes. She's like a machine…all she thinks about is death. Right now, she's thinking about Ari."
I nodded and walked into the room, she was flipping over in my arms now, struggling to keep her eyes open, but they continued to drift downwards. "Guys, Iggy, can you go and buy some take out for us?" my voice weary, not my own.
"Sure," he tried to sound light-hearted, I could tell. I'd brought the whole flock down…all because of a girl. Not just any girl Fang, Angel chimed sadly in my head. I grunted. "Come on guys," Iggy mentioned to the rest of the flock. I looked up.
"It's dangerous that you guys all move at the same—," but I didn't finish. Iggy, with his blind eyes gave me a knowing look. You need time to persuade her, get her to remember you. Then Angel said, He says, whatever it takes. I choked on spit. Just go, I thought to her.
The flock left, and silently, I laid Max down on the only bed in the room. But as I tried to put her down, suddenly her arms clung onto my neck, biting into my skin. I gasped in shock, the pain was sharp. I tried to pull her off of me, but she clung on, then her feet touched the ground. She pushed me up against the wall.
"You!" she scowled. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't hurt her, though I'd done it before. I just stood very still, as her pain traveled more acutely. I pushed her away from me, but before anything else. She punched me, hard. "Where's— Ari?!" she grunted. I took her shoulders and tried to shake her, but her tense muscles came up as a fist around my jaw.
"Max! Pull yourself together—"
There was a fight right in that room. Whatever I said seemed to go through one ear and out the other for her. All I could do is try to keep myself alive while still keeping her safe. She screamed, but I didn't, too much racket would draw attention.
"Max, stop." I commanded her. Then I couldn't stand it anymore, the ravenous look in her eyes, her genuine desire to kill me, to hurt me. My mind wrapped around the fact: this isn't Max. I grabbed her shoulders and with all my strength this time, pushed her onto the bed. I towered over her.
She struggled hard and ferociously. "Max, listen. Just try to remember me. They did some things to you and—," but then her knee came digging into my crotch, right there. I groaned and fell over, landing right on top of her.
She squirmed under my heavy body and I tried to get up, but the pain was blinding. "Max," I grunted out.
My hands groped around and pushed her down, a finger pushing down on her pressure point. She went limp instantly.
"Get your hands off of me," she mumbled. Was that an embarrassed look? WAS MAX GOING TO BE HERSELF AGAIN?! But then I realized what she was talking about. My hands were on her breasts, my other hand around her head and pressing at the back of her neck.
I blushed and instantly came off of her, and though I thought she was going to attack me again, she stood up slowly, with me gazing into her, and straightened out her shirt so her bra strap wasn't showing.
"They did what things to me?" she asked slowly. Her voice was calm, but no one could say there wasn't a growl in her voice.
"You have wings. You didn't have them before…" She suddenly turned around.
"What are you running away from?" she asked, walking closer to me. Her voice was a whisper, her eyes searching me. I eyed her wearily, this sudden calmness made me all the while more cautious.
"Fly boys. Ari."
"What have you done?" She was close enough for a hug, but she was also close enough for a knock-out punch.
"Nothing. They created me, and now they want to destroy me."
"No. They want to find you and bring you back. More tests."
"And you're okay with that?" Max, are you crazy?
"It's for the future of science. I'm an orphan, and they raised me. It's the least I can do."
No, no, no you're not. No, you're not, Max.