Max POV
"No. Way." Fang said slowly. I sighed.
"Why not? The whole point in us coming here was to quote, 'Return to Where the Start of Our Lives and Love Began'. That house was a huge part in it."
"But it's destroyed. And well, our love didn't start in the E-Shaped house. We officially got together in Arizona, where we just left."
"Don't try to be sarcastic. I'm the sarcastic one in this marriage." It felt funny saying that! Heehee! "But we loved each other way before that point. More specifically, when we were here."
"Fine. But then we go somewhere I want to go."
"Where?"
"Surprise."
"You know I hate surprises!"
"Which is why I'm doing it. To annoy you," he smirked. Ugh!
"Fine."
We got in the shower and dressed in about an hour. Then we flew off to the one place we never could forget the directions to.
(Awesome Invisible Line!!!!!)
Ashes. Dirt. Rubble. Dirt. Grass. Dirt. Wood. Dirt and dirt. Oh and did I mention that there's dirt?
Basically everything about this house is gone. Every memory, every record from the school....
Gone. G-O-N-E. Most of the wood and stuff has been grown over by grass. Dirt covers everything. It's like if someone came here and saw this, they would know a house was here, but all of it just looks like a pile of nothing. I'm surprised that all of this is still here anyway after all those years. It seems like a lifetime ago. Which it almost is.
I run my fingers over what looks like a piece of stuffed animal. Angel would have broken down crying, remembering. Ashes cover most of the things as well, but most of them must have blown away. I step over all the ruins to where my room used to be. Then Fang walked over to where his room used to be, right across from mine. I smiled at him. Even though coming here is kind of depressing and we haven't seen this place in FOREVER, it feels to remember where you came from. How your life started. Things kind of started downhill for the Flock and went even further down, but we never let hit the bottom.
"Thanks to you," Fang called to me. Darn! Stupid Voice thingy....
I shook my head.
"It took all of us," I might say arrogant things sometimes, and come off a little cocky, but I know that I couldn't have gone through any of that without Fang and the Flock.
"But you were leader,"
"I was 14 year old girl who was told to save the world and drag five other bid kids along with me to do it. All of you could have just let me do it alone. Not even be there. But you stayed and helped, and for that I will be forever grateful."
He smiled.
We didn't stay for long. I never planned to. Just a quick stop. But just as we were about to take off, something glinted against the light and caught my eye. I swooped down to see what it was. Probably just a piece of glass or something--
No. It's a PICTURE.
I quickly pick it up and brush off as much dust and dirt as I can. I see a dark figure appearing meaning it's no one but Fang and.....
Me. Where did this picture come from? It's us when we were about 10. Sitting outside on the steps watching the sunset. Jeb or Nudge or someone must have snapped it. And most importantly how did it not blow away or get ruined in all this time?!
"Fang!"
"What is it?"
"Look!!!"
I shoved the picture in his face excitedly.
"Whoa, is that us?"
I nodded my head quickly smiling. I can't believe this picture made through the fire and the weathering from all this time.
"How is this even still here?" he asked incredulously.
"I have no clue. But it made it. I guess our love can stand through anything," I laughed. He bent down and kissed me, full of passion.
"The others are gonna be jealous,"
"I know. But they'll get over it."
He put the picture in his pocket and we flew off. But of course I looked back at the place I ever really called home, that was now turned into ashes. At least we have the picture as a symbol of us, and where we came from, and that's way more than I'd thought I'd get from coming here.
(Sigh. Peaceful Awesome Invisible Line.....)
Back at the hotel, Fang and I are starved, so we order food from room service and eat. Then we decide to go swimming. But the problem is our wings. If Angel was here, she could convince everyone to just leave. But she's not. So we have to think of something else.
"A secluded beach," Fang suggests.
I shrug. "Sure,"
I throw on my bathing suit and some short and beater to go over it, because -gasp!- it's a two piece! Yeah yeah yeah....
Fang puts on his trunks and a beater too. We walk into the hotel parking lot, sneak over into the woods, (there's woods everywhere, this is Colorado we're talking about....) and leap into the sky snapping our wings open. It takes us about 10 minutes to find secluded enough beach. When we do, we tighten our wings for a slow descent.
Or not.
Fang lands first and catches me, throwing me over his shoulder. As you all may know, this means my butt is in his face, and his in mine.
"If you fart, I swear--"
He made a farting noise but with his mouth.
"Ha ha. So funny," I said as I gave a butt a good wack.
I should've known he would smack mine back. Since we're married this really is stuff I should know by now. I'm sure normal wives know when they smack their husbands in the ass that they would know if he was gonna smack theirs right back.
"Can you put me down, please?" I said sweetly.
"Nope."
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"Nope."
"I'll be your best friend!"
He laughed. "Nope."
"Well fine! If you don't wanna be my friend I don't see how you can be my husband. Therefor we will have to get a divorce!"
"Nope."
Ugh.
"I'll give you a kiss...."
This he pondered for a second.
"Nope. I can get one of those whenever I want."
"Says who?"
"Me."
Well! It looks like there's only one way to get Fang to let me down. It's going to be excruciatingly painful for both him and me, but it looks like I have no choice.
"Fang, you give me no choice."
"What....?"
"Just remember that when I do this, you left me this only option."
"Max wha--"
I leaned down a little farther and bit him. On his butt. I told you it would be painful for both of us. He hissed in pain and let go of my legs. I went flipping right onto my back, on my frickin wings. He just turned around rubbing the sore spot on his back side.
"You are completely insane."
"I warned you..."
I got up and walked hand in hand with Fang closer to the water. We sat close to it and I put my feet as we just talked about stuff. It's not really everyday that you can hold a conversation with Fang so when you can, you better take advantage of it. And I was. Listening to him open up is what I like most about when we're alone. He'll talk about the kids for hours, smiling the whole time. Sometimes we'll stop to make out, but then as we relax, he'll come up with random questions like,
"Do you ever still think about what it'd be like to find our parents?" Or statements like,
"I wonder if my mother was a more than a crack head. If she was just a complete whore and doesn't even know who my dad is."
Or right now,
"I wonder if you can love people when you're dead."
I cocked my head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Like, if there is something else after you die, can you still love people? Like your spirit."
"I don't know. I guess. I mean, doesn't love start in your mind though? And where does your mind go when you're dead....?"
He shrugged. I told him I don't like talking about death so we changed the subject to Charlotte and her eyes. If she'll ever be able to open them without knocking people unconscious.
She has a surprise for you when you get home, Ari told me.
What is it?
You'll have to wait and find out!
I felt him pull out of my head. It started to get really really dark, so we headed back to the hotel after a fun filled day, to eat dinner, which was also room service. We also had more fun after dinner, and you can probably guess why. My phone didn't ring at all today.