A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank everyone for the generous outpouring of reviews you guys sent me for the last chapter I put up. It was heart-warming, really. Like...ALMOST as good as watching Moulin Rouge late at night while eating sushi. THAT kind of good. :D I love hearing from you guys. Thank you so much!
WARNING: This chapter contains some pretty harsh language. Please don't take any offense, I just like to get my point across and portray certain characters how I feel they would act and talk.
Chapter 13: Extreme Trick-or-Treating Part 2
Max's POV
My feet thundered against the warm pavement as I flew down the street, the lights from the lamps keeping me from stepping on any stray pebbles or sticks. While running, I pulled the wings off of my back and tossed them to my left. They hit the pavement without a sound. I finally slowed my bolt to a skidding stop as the mansion came into view. It was like extreme Deja Vu of that night back when I was living with my dad and me and the gang had broken into the Watson Estate. A chill rolled down my spine as I stared up at it, looming over me on its hill, almost taunting me. One of the shutters banged restlessly against the wooden siding of the house in the gentle breeze.
Fang and Iggy were behind me. I could hear the bursts of slightly uneven breathing from running. "They're in there, alright." I muttered so quietly I wasn't sure they would be able to hear me. Both of them seemed to have superb hearing though, judging from their responsive reactions. Fang just nodded, staring up at the house, and Iggy let out a slight whimper. "I can feel it." And indeed, goosebumps were settling into the skin on my arms, making them prickle. A little bit of fear was waking up inside of me, and for a moment I was dreading having to go into the house. But then a picture of Ella struggling against harshly tied bonds as two goons stood around her chuckling made my fists clench. And if Ella was in there, that probably meant Nudge was being held captive as well. Along with Angel and Gazzy. My hands were shaking.
My first reaction was to feel guilty. This whole thing was entirely my fault. If not for me, Ella and everyone else would just be going about their normal Halloween rituals, laughing and joking around. But everything had changed because of one tiny little decision made by me. It had all started when I decided to pocket that stupid necklace for myself. I could've simply taken it and given it to Sean like I'd been supposed to do. Then I would've never gotten beat up, so Jeb probably wouldn't have sent me to live out in Arizona. If I'd given the necklace to Sean, I could've been back at my house right now eating stolen candy and watching late night once-a-year showings of Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
The sound of Fang's voice startled me out of my thoughts and brought me back to the warm night. "How many of them do you think there are?" he was asking me. I hadn't thought about this. There could be two, or there could be twenty. I really had no way of knowing. I admitted this to them, and heard Iggy give a fearful noise. "So what exactly were you planning to do?" Fang asked.
"I-I don't...I was just kind of..." I fought to keep my thoughts in order as I tried to come up with something constructive to suggest. Fang and Iggy were both looking at me expectantly. I sucked in a deep breath, feeling my natural urge to lead set in. "Alright..." I continued in a much stronger voice, "Here's what we're going to do. I'm guessing there's probably three or four guys or girls in there that are holding them. We've got to figure out a way to get in there without any of them noticing. I want to get Ella and everyone safely out of the house before there's any trouble." I grimaced at the thought of poor Angel being stuck in the middle of a violent fist fight. I thought hard.
"Well, I don't think they'll be worrying too much about people getting IN, they're probably more concerned about people getting OUT. So I'm guessing they won't be watching doors or windows or anything. And they're probably keeping them upstairs in like...a bedroom or something. I think our best bet is to sneak in through a back door and then find the staircase. After that, it's sort of hazy..." I trailed off, looking back and forth between Iggy and Fang. Then Fang nodded determinedly.
"Alright...whenever you're ready." he said. Iggy looked slightly less than prepared to head in, but we didn't have much more time to waste. They could've taken Ella and everyone HOURS ago. For all I knew, they could've been taken the minute they set foot onto the street. The thought of that drew up an anger in me. NOBODY messed with my friends and got away with it.
"Okay, come on. Let's go. And be quiet on the way in. The last thing I want is for somebody to hear us." I waved them forward to follow me as I shot up the hill, careful not to make too much noise and to stick to darker corners of the yard. I didn't know if anybody was looking out of the windows or not, but I didn't want to take any chances. I could hear Iggy muttering to himself in fearful tones as we ran towards the back of the house.
"Oh my God, we're gonna die. We're gonna die..." he said, inhaling and exhaling loudly and deeply. I whipped around to shush him.
"Well, we're gonna die faster if you keep breathing like you're in fucking labor. SHHH!" I hissed. I was being a bit harsh, but it least it shut him up. We reached the side of the mansion, and I blithely slipped around the corner, clinging to the wooden walls for a sense of security. Fang and Iggy followed suit. I paused for a minute to take in my surroundings. I couldn't see a back door anywhere, but I soon spotted one of those double doors that leads down into cellars and shit. I pointed it out wordlessly to my companions and then motioned for them to follow me. I crept over to the wooden doors jutting out of the ground and wrapped my fingers around the small, metal handles, giving them a little tug. It refused to budge. Locked...damn.
"Do either one of you guys have like...a bobby pin or a paper clip, or something? I need to pick this lock." I whispered, turning around and squinting at Iggy and Fang, trying to see them in the darkness. I saw Iggy shake his head, but Fang was fumbling with his ridiculous costume.
"Here..." he said, extracting something from the shoulder of the sheet and holding it out to me. It was a bobby pin. "Nudge was using it to hold my costume together." Indeed, his costume was now falling apart and sliding off his shoulder. He kept having to hitch it up. I nodded and grabbed the bobby pin, thrusting it into the amateur padlock on the doors. It was pretty simple. I had them open in under thirty seconds. They made a slightly louder creaking noise than I would have liked, but I tried to remain calm.
"Woah..." Iggy breathed, hearing them noisily open up. "How'd you get that so fast?" I shrugged my shoulders, which was of course, of no use.
"Lot's of practice. Now come on. We don't have much time. And BE QUIET." I warned them, placing a finger to my lips. I stuck one leg into the dark abyss that existed behind the doors and felt around with my foot until I felt cool cement on the tips of my toes. I had ditched my flip flops awhile ago. "There's steps." I said quietly. "Here, Iggy..." I extended my hand upwards and grabbed his. "I'm not going to have you falling down the stairs and causing a miniature earthquake that sends them all running down here." I stepped fully onto the steps and pulled him after me. He rolled his eyes on my insistance.
"I'm not a five year old..." he grumbled bitterly.
"Yeah, well then quit whining like one." I said, making my way cautiously down into the cellar. I reached the bottom, and then looked back up to the square of moonlight above me to see Fang still fiddling with his costume. "What are you doing?" I hissed, waving at him to come down.
"I can't...get this...to stay...on!" he said in frustration, flailing awkwardly as he tried to get the fabric to stay in position.
"We don't have time for this!" I whisper-shouted. "Just...leave it up there. It would be hard to move around in anyway." He sighed loudly and then ripped the cloth off, tossing it irately to the ground beside him. Thankfully he had been wearing jeans underneath the toga. I tried not to gape at him as he stood up, the moonlight shining down on his shirtless upper half. His fairly well-defined muscles shone slightly with sweat and I could see the tendons flexing in his arms and neck as he lowered himself down to the steps. I had to tear my gaze away and remind myself that my half-sister was possibly just a floor or two above us in very grave danger. Still, though, I couldn't help but glance back at him once or twice as we made our way forward in the near-pitch-blackness, me still pulling Iggy around.
"I can't see anything." I muttered after about twenty seconds of trying to navigate the floor without running into something. I'd already almost tripped over what felt like a garden hose. I paused and felt the others come to halt behind me. I bent over slightly and reached my hand up my dress, fishing around for my phone, which I had conviniently clipped onto the side of my underwear.
"Max? What the hell are you doing?" Fang asked incredulously. I held up my free hand to silence him and finally pulled out my cell phone. Flipping it open, we were suddenly surrounded by a dim, blue glow. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. I could see Fang staring at me in...what was it? Disgust? Confusion? It was hard to tell.
"Oh, get over it." I told him, rolling my eyes. "I had nowhere else to put it." I held the phone out in front of me to guide me through the cellar and then began walking again. I side-stepped several large boxes and numerous burlap sacks littering the floor. Then I spotted a small metal table with a large array of different tools displayed on it. I stopped again to examine it, looking for anything useful. I clutched a box cutter knife in my hands when we continued. "To cut any ropes with." I explained softly. Finally, we got to what appeared to be the staircase that led up to the main floor of the house. At the top was a door. A little sliver of light seeped in from the crack at the bottom of it, signaling that one of the lights was on upstairs.
"'Kay, Iggy, more stairs." I said, tugging him forward. Fang followed closely behind us as we crept up the flight quieter than mice. When we reached the door, I put my phone back in it's holding spot under my dress. I gave my friends a pointed look before ever so slowly sliding the door open and poking my head out. The hallway was dimly lit with a single lamp standing next to a spindle-legged table with several pictures on it. It was completely empty though. If I looked to my left, I could see what looked to be the front door, and to my right, the hallway trailed off to another room that was also dimly lit. I could hear muffled voices and laughter coming from the room. Then the chink of bottles. I turned back to Fang and Iggy. "The coast is clear. Come on." I began to step forward. Suddenly, the stairs gave a large, moaning creak. I felt like it echoed through the silence. I stopped quickly to end the noise, but only succeeded in losing my balance and being forced to cling to the wall next to me. My fingernails slid down it, making a loud scraping noise.
The noise from the other room stopped. Then my keen hearing picked up on a singular male voice. "Did you hear that? Go check on them. I don't want them getting away." Then I heard soft footsteps coming towards us.
"Shit." I said quietly, shutting the door of the cellar with only a gentle clicking noise. I prayed he wouldn't think to check down here for whatever reason. The shadow of whoever had been sent to "go check on them" passed in front of the door, blocking some of the light from the crack. We all held our breath. But thankfully, they passed by without hardly pausing a beat by the door. We heard the thunk of feet going upstairs, and I started to breathe again.
"That means they must be upstairs." Fang said. I nodded. We waited several more minutes in the pitch dark and then the shadow came back, going the other way. I heard him talking to his companion as he kept walking.
"Naw...they're all where they're supposed to be. Still tied up and everything. Must've been rats or something." The chinking noises of bottles resumed. My hands pulled into little balls. Ella was right upstairs, along with everyone else. I opened the door again softly and was careful not to make a creaking noise again as I cautiously stepped into the hallway. I was still guiding Iggy. Even though he was relatively good at navigating for a blind guy, I couldn't take any risks. Not when my half-sister's life was in my hands.
We all tip-toed over to the staircase that was conveniently located just a few feet from the cellar door. I looked up at it ominously when I reached the bottom step and prayed to whoever was out there that there would be no loud, annoying creaks or groans when we started climbing them. Back in what I assumed was the kitchen, I heard a small clicking noise and the quiet tune of some song over the radio began to play amidst a bit of static. "Keep the volume low." I heard a voice say. "I don't want the cops showing up or something."
I breathed steadily as we scurried soflty up the steps, finally reaching a long, ancient hallway at the top. It was lit by the glow of little old fashioned wall lamps that were lit by flame. The walls were decorated with all sorts of weird pictures of flowers and nature. I nodded at Fang and Iggy and we began quietly opening doors. There were five or six of them to go through. The first four we opened were just furniture covered in white sheets and whatnot. Then Fang pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. It was cracked open just slightly, like somebody had forgotten to shut it all the way.
My heart hammered in my chest, and I let go of Iggy's hand and practically ran for the door. I was careful to make absolutely no noise as I slid it open. I froze when the full of the room came into view. Ella's frightened eyes shone wide in the dim light of flaming wall lamps in the room. She was tied tightly to a chair with some sort of rope. A dirty rag was wedged in between her half-open jaw as a makeshift gag. Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy were also bound and gagged in chairs several feet away from eachother. I assumed this was to make sure they weren't able to help one another in any way. Ella's mouth opened and she let out a frantic noise when she saw me.
I rushed to her side, whispering to her to be quiet. I knelt down in front of her and felt an incredible guilt for getting her mixed up in all of this. She looked frightened beyond belief. I laid down the box cutter on the floor for a moment to wrap her in a hug, which was rather difficult seeing as she was tied to a chair. Then I pulled back and pushed a stray strand of hair out of her sweaty face. She was still wearing her costume, along with the taaffeite necklace. The heavy eyeliner she had used for the costume was running down her cheeks from a mixture of sweat and tears.
I looked around at everyone else. They were all wearing the same expressions of fear. "It's alright..." I whispered to all of them, "I'm going to get you out of here. Just hold still. I'm going to cut the ropes." I was reaching for the box cutter when I heard loud noises downstairs. It sounded like a door banging open and hurried footsteps. I could here faint voices in hurried conversation, but I couldn't make out any words or specific voices.
Suddenly I heard footsteps rushing towards the staircase. I looked at the shirtless Fang and Spiderman-clad Iggy standing in the doorway in fear. They too looked alert and agonized. I looked around the room frantically. It appeared to be a master bedroom of sorts. Under the bed wouldn't do because you could clearly see everything beneath it. I spotted a large armoire wardrobe at the back of the room, and dashed to it, grabbing the box cutter to take with me. I threw the doors open and stepped inside. It could fit all three of us if we squished together. Fang grabbed Iggy and dragged him over, shoving him in and then climbing in himself. Ella and the others looked at me in horror. I placed a finger to my lips, telling them to be quiet, and then shut the doors, leaving them open just the SLIGHTEST crack so that I could see a sliver of what was going on.
I could hear the voices more clearly now. "Yeah, they're in here. She's all tied up and ready to go." I cringed as one of the guys from the kitchen informed whoever he was talking to about the condition of my tied up friends. I didn't like the way he talked about them like they were fucking cattle. I heard the door to the room open noisily and the sound of several pairs of feet entered. I shifted, trying to catch a glimpse of who was all there. And when I did, my heart stopped beating momentarily.
Standing tall and rock solid as always, Sean was rigidly making his way into the room. When I craned my neck a little bit more, I could see Mousey and Caden standing behind him along with two other guys I had never seen before. I assumed these were the douchebags in the kitchen. Mousey and Caden looked like they would rather be anywhere else. Sean just stared straight ahead of him at Ella, Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy all tied up. I saw his jawline harden and his eyes flash. "Where is she?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Looks of confusion crossed the two guys' faces.
"Wh-What do you mean?" one of them asked timidly. "She's...she's right in front of you." Sean looked at the pair of them for a long moment. Caden and Mousey looked on with slightly curious expressions. Sean took a step forward and, towering above poor Ella in her chair, glared down at her. I saw her sink as far back into the chair as she could manage. The rest of them tensed under his gaze as well.
"Is there something the matter?" the other guy asked, stepping forward minutely. His expression was looking a little anxious. I tried to control my breathing when I saw Sean's fists clenching. I was terrified of the thought of him hurting one of them. I was leaning out towards them and almost knocked into the door of the wardrobe. Fang's hand pulled me back by my shoulder until my back was pressed against his chest and he held me back with a strong arm across the front of my shoulders, at my collar bone. He could tell I was itching to get out there and protect the kids.
"Not now..." he whispered in my ear so that only I could hear. I focused my attention back on the scene going on outside of the armoire. Sean was now kneeling in front of Ella, eyeing her up like she was an animal he was deciding whether or not to buy.
"Remind me again of the description I gave you?" he said icily to the two guys standing nervously in the doorway.
"Well...um..." the one on the the left (he had brown hair) stuttered out, "You said she was...tall for her age and pretty skinny. And umm...she had brownish hair and brown eyes." He clenched his hands together anxiously as he spoke. Sean was looking more irate by the minute. The guy on the left (who had ginger hair) stepped forward, obviously hoping to ease any tension. Mousey and Caden were still just silent bystanders.
"Look...she's even fucking WEARING the necklace you were talking about." the redhead said. "I didn't think she'd be stupid enough to, but..." He gave a rather nervous chuckle. "I guess I don't know her that well." Sean spoke fiercly as he stood up.
"Maximum Ride ISN'T that stupid. You wanna know why?" he paused and turned to look at the brown and red headed boys murderously. "Because this ISN'T MAXIMUM RIDE, YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!" he thundered. Both boys backed up a step or two, their eyes widening.
"What are you talking about?" the brown haired one said in earnest, "She looks just like you described her. And...and the necklace..." He trailed off to a slight whimper as Sean advanced on him, looking just about ready to hit someone. Mousey must've seen the fire building, because she stepped in at exactly that moment to cool things off.
"She does look WEIRDLY like Max." she said in a thoughtful voice. "The resemblence is almost uncanny." She bent at the waist to look into Ella's eyes. Then she turned to look at Sean, who had backed off from the two boys and was now watching Mousey. "Max's brother said she was staying with family...You don't think..." She pointed to Ella and shrugged her shoulders. Sean looked back and forth between Mousey and Ella, thinking.
"Then who are the others?" he asked, referring to Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy with a wave of his large hand. Mousey shrugged, but Caden spoke up this time.
"Who knows. Friends, maybe?" he suggested. Sean took a step forward and suddenly ripped Ella's gag from her mouth. She let out a shriek of pain mixed with terror.
"Don't hurt her, Sean!" Mousey said frantically, taking a step backwards. Fang's arm drew me in tighter as my fists began to clench around the box cutter. If he had the nerve to...ugh! My blood was pounding through my veins; a combination of adrenaline and anger. Sean waved Mousey off while Ella stretched her jaw open a little, trying to get it to loosen up.
"Are you Maximum Ride's sister?" Sean asked Ella in as calm a voice as he could manage. I pinched my eyes shut and prayed that she would deny it.
"Say no, say no, say no, say no..." I whispered ever so quietly to myself. Fang traced the pad of his thumb across my collar bone in an attempt to calm me, but it was only of minimal use. I wouldn't be calm until me, Ella, and all the others were safely out of the house.
"No." I heard Ella say. I let out a soft sigh of relief. Phew... "I'm her half-sister." Ella said with a firm voice. My jaw dropped. "And I'm proud of it." she continued. Sean chuckled.
"Well, that would explain why you look so much alike." he said. He crouched down by her and reached out his hand to grab what I assumed was the necklace. I couldn't see very clearly. "And what are you doing with this necklace, then? Did she give it to you? Or did you steal it from her?" Ella didn't respond. Sean stood again and gave another short laugh. "It's funny. She stole it from us, and then you stole it from her. Karma, I suppose." He cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. "But yeah, she stole it from us and now my brother is in a coma." There was a frightening glint in his eyes, though he spoke with a steady voice. Then he smiled. "Maybe Max should learn what it feels like to lose a sibling."
His large hand shot out and squeezed her small jaw harshly. Mousey let out a squeal of fright, and Caden suddenly came into view, looking slightly shaken. Sean beant down and in a raspy voice, said to Ella "Maybe I should rip you limb from limb and then mail your body parts to your bitch of sister. Wouldn't that be nice?" This was more then I could handle. I suddenly shot out of wardrobe, startling Fang and breaking his grip. I launched myself into the center of the room, and everyone jumped a little in surprise. I was just standing there, breathing erratically and clutching the box cutter in my hand, my arms braced outwards from my sides.
Sean took a step back and released Ella, looking slightly amused. Mousey and Caden were gaping at me, and the other two looked confused. Glancing behind me, I saw that Fang and Iggy looked like they had been thrown into a public place completely naked. They were just standing there awkwardly. "Well look who decided to show up." Sean said, grinning at me with malice.
"If you so much as lay a FINGER on her, I swear I will chop off your balls and force you eat them." I said through gritted teeth.
"Ouch..." I heard Iggy say behind me. "I don't think that's sanitary." I ignored him. Sean rolled his eyes.
"Maximum Ride..." he said easily, stretching his arms and shaking his head in mock disappointment. "You always talk so highly of yourself. Thinking you can beat me...Thinking you can get away with things under my watch. Well...look where it got you last time." He paused for emphasis. I felt the spot on my forehead that had been slammed into the side of The Meeting House so many weeks ago give a throb. "And now look where it's gotten you now." He gestured around at the room. "Your friends are all tied up, and you and your...sidekicks over there are outnumbered three to five."
Suddenly, Angel started squirming against her ropes and making frantic noises through her gag. Sean turned to look at her before going over and ripping off the rag tied around her mouth. "You leave Max alone, you big meanie!" she shouted angrily, her little fists in balls of rage. Sean stared at her for a minute and then lashed his arm out, shoving her chair roughly to the floor. Angel toppled over and slammed into the ground with a sharp cry.
"Stay out of this, you little brat." Sean spat at her. Mousey looked horrified and rushed over to pick up Angel's chair and set it upright. The poor little girl was whimpering by now. An anger like I had never experienced overtook me and I jumped straight at Sean, my box cutter ready to collide with whatever skin I could reach. He was quicker than I remembered though, and grabbed me by my wrists, throwing me to the ground. I skid across the wood floor and banged my head into Gazzy's chair. Then Sean grabbed me roughly by my hair and yanked me into a standing position. I fought to give the knife another swing, but he caught my wrist again and dug his fingernails into my arm until I was forced to relinquish the blade. It clattered to the floor.
"Get the others." Sean instructed Mousey and Caden. They hesitated for a moment, but then Sean barked at them to do it already so they surged forward and pulled Fang and Iggy out from the wardrobe. I was trying desperately with my foot to reach the box cutter. Sean kicked it out of my vicinity and then tugged my hair back so that I was forced to look at him. " Everything is your fault." he said through gritted teeth. "It's your fault that Carson's practically brain dead."
"It's not my problem if you can't protect your own family." I said snarkily. I knew I'd crossed the line immediately after I said that, judging from the fierce flash in his eyes. He practically roared in fury and slammed me sideways into the nearest wall. One of the wall lanterns crashed down onto rug when I tried to grab onto it for support. I groaned at the impact and winced as my head pounded.
"Well, then I guess it's not my problem if you can't protect YOUR family either." he said, shoving me roughly away from him. I stumbled to the floor, disoriented. He stalked over and grabbed the box cutter, pacing over to Ella and crouching down by her. Then he turned to face me. "I want you to listen to your sister scream." he said cruelly. Then he placed the blade to Ella's cheek and drew a swift line across it. I saw the cut open up and blood seeped out and down her face. She cried out in pain. I yelled something unintelligable and threw myself at Sean, knocking him over from his squatting position, and reaching frantically for the knife.
He shoved me slightly backwards with an elbow to my face, but I pushed myself back with my arms and tried to reach across his body to get the box cutter. This time, he rolled us both over until he was kneeling over my body and swung his fist down hard into my collar bone. It hurt like hell, but I ignored the pain and grabbed him by both his shoulders, using him to pull myself upwards. He was standing up, and quickly threw me into a nearby standing mirror. It smashed to the floor behind me and glass shards showered down all around. As he was making his way towards the others, I grabbed his ankle and pulled him backwards sharply.
He lost his footing and fell face forward. Losing his grip on the box cutter, it slid a few feet away from him. I jumped over his sprawled form and managed to grab it off the floor. I felt Sean grabbing at MY ankles now, and swung my leg, kicking him directly in the side of his face and pulling myself forwards. I heard him groan. I clambered to my feet. "Stop her!" Sean yelled, his command directed at the brunette and red headed boys from the kitchen. They nodded and started to advance on me. Suddenly, two people were blocking the space between me and them.
"If you want her, you're going to have to get through us." Mousey said, crossing her arms over her chest. Sean stood up, rubbing his jaw.
"What are you doing?" he asked Mousey and Caden fiercely. They had released Fang and Iggy, who were now over by Ella and the others, trying to untie the ropes.
"We're tired of being your minions, Sean." Caden said. "And...maybe Max did steal the necklace, but...I don't really care. She would've made a much better leader than you anyways."
"Yeah!" Mousey shouted, stepping forward and getting into Sean's face. I had never seen her acting so bold. "So leave everyone alone, you selfish, insecure, narcissistic dick!" There was a shocked silence and then Sean looked furious.
"Whatever. If you guys are out, more money for me from that stupid necklace. Get 'um, boys." The two guys launched themselves at Mousey and Caden and the four of them started battling it out with fast punches and kickes.
"Max!" Caden yelled to me. "We'll get these guys if you can take Sean. Just get out of here!" I nodded, mouthing a quick 'thank you', and ran after Sean, who was making his way over to Ella. I jumped on his back and clawed at his neck, but he threw me off eventually and I slammed to the floor on my ass. He grabbed the taaffeite necklace from around Ella's neck and wrenched it off, breaking the chain. Fang and Iggy were busy helping Caden and Mousey a few feet away. Sean started to make his way towards the door to make a break for it.
"Fang!" I yelled. He turned to face me. "Here, catch!" I slid the box cutter across the floor to him. "Get the kids out! I'm going after Sean!" He just nodded and picked up the weapon. I scrambled to my feet and tore after Sean, who was already to the door. I tried to throw myself through the threshold, but he was trying to slam the door on me. The impact of the hard wood colliding with my stomache was almost enough to make me vomit, but the second time he tried to slam it, I managed to get one foot through and pushed back on it with all my might, making every effort to squeeze through the shrinking opening.
I finally had a rush of adrenaline strength and shoved the door open so hard, it knocked Sean backwards. He paused for a fraction of a second, his body tensed in an angry stance, breathing heavily. I could hear the others behind me, groans and sharp breaths echoing. I could also hear the sound of someone slicing rope. Thank god...someone was getting them out. Sean startled me by speaking in a taunting voice and swinging the necklace in front of him as though to goad me with it. "What do you even want with this necklace, huh? Do you think wearing it will impress your little pussy of a boyfriend back there? Well, I'll tell you this...You could wear the most expensive fucking necklace in the entire universe, and nobody would ever want to be with you, you stupid bitch." He smirked.
"I'm not stupid, and I'm not a bitch, you fucking creep!" I shrieked with rage and pounced on him, trying to punch him any place I could reach. He grabbed my wrists again and held them above my head. We surged back and forth, each trying to shove eacother to the ground. "You fight like a little girl." I said angrily. He suddenly drew back his fist and punched me hard. Right in the mouth. It knocked me backwards and onto the ground. Sean was towering above me.
"Max!" I heard Fang say. I turned my head to the side. Fang slid the box cutter back to me and I grabbed it, brandishing it upward at Sean to fend him off. He drew backwards slightly. I stood up with the blade still poised to strike.
"You hit me." I said, whiping a trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth. He just smirked at me, though he looked a little nervous.
"And what are you going to do about it?" he taunted. I jumped towards him and brought my leg up in a roundhouse kick to the chest, knocking him backwards slighty. I was so angry, I couldn't stop myself. I punched him hard in the nose and felt it break under my fist, spilling blood all down his face as he slammed back into the wall. Then I kicked him in the balls for good measure. He slid to the floor groaning in pain.
"You never EVER hit a girl." I spat at him, wrenching the necklace out of his hand. Then I threw the knife down at his feet, embedding the blade in the wood of the floor. I sat there watching him tremble below me and could've laughed. I would have too, if I hadn't suddenly smelled smoke.
"Max!" I heard Iggy calling. I rushed back to the master bedroom. It had errupted in flames from the wall lamp Sean had shoved me into. The rug was already consumed by the blaze, and it was roaring quickly through the floor and towards the drapes. This whole place was made of wood. It would be burned to a crisp in no time at all. Ella, Nudge, Angel and Gazzy were all standing clustered by Fang, looking horrified. The two guys from the kitchen shoved past me and ran for the stairs.
"Come on! We have to get out of here!" I shouted, waving for my friends to follow me. I started towards the stairs myself and then noticed that Sean was no longer crumpled on the floor. "No!" I shouted, seeing him shooting down the steps. He was getting away! I had been planning to call the police as soon as we got out. I ran after him as fast as I could, but was not fast enough. We were tearing down the lawn, and he was practically out of sight. I slowed to a stop. He was too far away. I heard footsteps behind me and then a warm hand was on my shoulder. "He got away." I said to Fang, staring straight ahead. "That fucking bastard got away."
Just then, Iggy rushed over, the rest of the kids trailing behind him in a hurried mess. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." he said breathlessly. "Look." He pointed to a spot in the distance, down on the road. Cherry red and bright blue lights were flashing towards the house, sirens wailing. Police cars and firetrucks were lining up on the street. I saw several figures leap out of the cars and surround Sean and his two accomplices. I gaped at the scene.
"How did they-?" I trailed off, wondering how the cops had picked the EXACT perfect moment to arrive. Iggy shrugged his shoulders.
"I figured it might be useful to call 911 when those wierdos were beating you up." he said nonchalantly, like he did things like this all the time.
"They WERE NOT beating me up." I said defensively. "I totally kicked his ass." Iggy just rolled his eyes. Fang shook my shoulder a little bit, and then pointed down the hill.
"Look..." he said. Firefighters were running towards us, hoses at the ready.
"Let's get out of here before we get in trouble for trespassing." I said anxiously. "Come on! We'll cut through the trees over there." I made everyone else run before me and counted to make sure we had everyone before taking off myself. I was just to the edge of the trees when I felt someone grab my elbow. I whipped around and Mousey and Caden came into view. Fang, who was running just ahead of me stopped as well and turned around, looking ready to fight again if necessary. I looked back at my two old pals. They were looking sheepish, and I sensed no ill-meaning vibes. "Go ahead." I told Fang. "I'll be there in a minute. We just want to talk." He hesitated for a brief moment, and then began running after the others, glancing back just in case. I turned to Mousey and Caden. "What do you need?"
Mousey suddenly threw herself ontop of me and wrapped me in a giant hug. I was startled, but wound up eventually just awkwardly patting her pat. "Oh my God, Max! I'm so sorry! I tried to convince Sean to just let it go, but he wouldn't listen!" she sobbed into my shoulder.
"Shhh..." I said nervously, glancing around. "Someone will hear us." She pulled back and looked at me with teary eyes.
"Oh God, we've been such awful people, Max. We've done so much bad stuff! I'm an awful person!"
"Hey!" I said suddenly, looking her directly in the eyes. "Hey...you're not an awful person. You've just made some bad decisions." She whimpered and shook her head. I grabbed her firmly by her shoulders. "Are you listening? It is NEVER EVER too late to start making good ones. Do you understand?" She looked at me for a long moment.
"Really?" she asked feebly. I nodded my head.
"I'm positive. Look at me. I've got great friends, and a really nice family to stay with. I haven't gotten into any trouble since I've gotten here. Well...not counting tonight, that is. I mean...we burned down a fucking house, but..." She giggled, making me grin. Then I looked at Caden. "Same goes for you, too. All you guys have to do is get yourself out of this rut. Stop digging yourself holes to fall into. Meet new people, get a change of scenery."
"Hey, though...we really ARE sorry." Caden said, kicking the dirt beneath his feet sheepishly. "Alot of what happened tonight was partially our fault. I mean...we're guilty for just helping."
"Yeah, well...I forgive you." I said, reaching out a hand and patting his arm.
"Max, are you coming, or what?" Iggy shouted from somewhere in the distance. I rolled my eyes.
"I uh...I better go." I said, pulling away from Mousey and giving them both a last grin. They nodded.
"Yeah, we should too." Caden said. "We're uh...We're gonna turn ourselves in." He looked down at the floor.
"Well...good luck." I said, feeling a bit awkward. They started to retreat away. "Stay out of trouble!" I called after them.
"Yeah right!" they both shouted in unison. I chuckled, and then sprinted off through the trees, finally able to shut the door on the old life that had been threatening to break in for some time.
When I had reached the street where everyone was congregating, Ella had immediately thrown herself at me in a fit of hysterics, positively sobbing and apologizing endlessly for taking the necklace, which I had clutched tightly in my hands. I had sunk onto the curb with her and just hugged her for good ten minutes as she tearfully retold the story of what had happened. Apparently, they'd been walking past the mansion and were suddenly ambushed by the two guys. They'd dragged them up to the house and locked them all in the cellar until they could tie them all up. I tried to comfort her while she talked, just glad that she was safe.
When she finally finished, we just sat on the curb in silence for a few seconds. "Um..." I finally said soflty, "Would you mind not mentioning this to your mom? It would be...beyond complicated." I felt like I was asking to much, but to my surprise, she just laughed.
"Haha...I was thinking the same thing." We both chuckled at this. Then Nudge made her way over to the pair of us.
"Oh my God, that was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. We were just walking along minding our own business, and the next thing I knew we were all tied up and stuff. It was so weird. It was almost as weird as the time when me and Samantha walked to the gas station last year and were looking at the candy aisle and picking out Snickers and stuff-Oh! Snickers sounds so good right now! I'm so glad it's Halloween, but my costumes making me kinda sweaty and stuff. Anyways-" I knew she would never stop, so I just gave Ella a "good luck" look, and stood up to go join the others.
Angel was sitting in Fang's lap on a bench, and Iggy was beside him. Gazzy was a few feet away from everybody, his head in his hands. I knelt down in front of Fang to talk to Angel. She looked a little shaken. "Hey, sweetie, are you okay?" I asked, tentatively putting a hand on her leg. She nodded slowly.
"Those guys were a bunch of jerks." she said suddenly, looking a little mad. I chuckled.
"Yeah, they were." I agreed, patting her knee. "But listen, can you do me a favor?" She nodded. "You have to pinkie promise me that you won't talk about what happened tonight with anyone, okay?" I extended my pinkie out to her, and she took it without asking any questions. I thanked God that she was so intelligent for her age. Then I looked over at Gazzy. He was in the same position as earlier. "Is he okay?" I asked Fang in a quiet voice. He simply shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe we should go over and see if he's okay." I said, slightly worried. Fang nodded, and Angel hopped off his laugh.
We all went over to circle around Gazzy. Nudge and Ella came over, along with an overly-nosy Iggy. We just stood there for a loaded moment, and then I squatted down, placing a hand on Gazzy's shoulder. "Umm..." I said, not really sure how to start. His shoulders began to shake. Uh oh! He was crying. I patted his shoulders frantically. "Hey, it's okay." I said, "You're alright now. Everyone's safe." His shoulders started shaking harder. I sat down next to him and wrapped an arm around his trembling form. "Gazzy, what's wrong? What's the matter? I'm so sorry for ruining Halloween for you." I felt terrible.
It was then that his head shot up. His eyes weren't filled with tears, they were filled with laughter. I let go of his shoulders in surprise. "Are you kidding me?" he shouted eagerly. "That was the best Halloween EVER! Can we do this again next year?"
Everyone just laughed.
A/N: Cheese and fries, that was a long chapter! I think I may have contracted carpal tunnel from all the typing. Ah...the things I do for you guys. :P Sorry it took so long to get this up. I've been sort of busy you know...living and stuff. And this is SUPER long. I kept going back and changing things, because I kept adding new things as I went along that wouldn't make sense unless I went back and changed something. So anyways, thank you for your patients.
Anybody up to review? It makes me endlessly happy! :D
What is slowly making me deaf right now: John Coltrane and his frigging AMAZING saxophone skills. Seriously, this guys is just AWESOME. I love saxophones, and his music gives me goosebumps, he's that good.