Maximum Ride : A Second Forever

2

"You want to what?" asked Gazzy, half a mouthful of eggs spewing out.

I looked at my flock. They were all looking at me with utter shock. Even Harry (granted, his vocabulary was much larger than eight years ago) looked appalled. Well, except for Fang. He was static - another glimpse of the old him.

"I want to go back. It's been a over a year since we did our last survivor search; I think it's time to go again."

They all stared.

Angel was the one to articulate everyone's thoughts. "Max," she started. "I know you mean well, and you don't want to leave anyone behind in the ruins, but... The last time we went, it was Africa."

One of the critical events in the apocalypse was the bombs. At the beginning, Dr. Gunther-Hagen nuked northern and southern Africa, and the entire continent, into the Middle East, Europe and Asia was affected.

"We lost nearly half of the search party to radiation on-site, and many died later of leukemia, Max. We can't afford to do that again."

I sighed. "We don't necessarily have to go to Africa again. Europe was successful, we came back with lots of people who are living here with us."

"That's the thing, Max. Europe was lucky. We can't afford to go anywhere else. East Asia is swarming with the H8E virus, Africa is toxic, Australia is underwater and the U.S. is either a fish habitat or so dried up that the earth is literally cracking open. There's nowhere to go that's safe, and with you being the leader of this little island nation on Earth 2, we can't afford to take those risks."

I glanced at Nudge, who held my gaze. Realization passed over her face, and she looked guilty. Her dark, mocha cheeks turned red. It's not your fault, I wanted to say to her.

After turning around and letting out a very frustrated breath, I looked Angel dead in the eyes. "Fine," I said, "but this subject is nowhere near closed. Right now I'm just sick of talking and watching you eat food that I haven't given my stomach the chance to taste." Gazzy snickered and Phoenix smiled, but that's all the reaction I got out of them. Iggy came from the back of the crowd and handed me a plate of food.

"Oh," I moaned as I smelled the eggs. "I love you right now, Iggy."

He smiled, proud of himself. Just then, Fang stood up and headed towards me, and Iggy's superhuman hearing picked it up. He opened his mouth, trying to find the right words, then said, "I think I'll get them all back to the village."

"Thanks, Ig," I nodded. Fang just stood, leaning against the cave, until everyone was gone. I gobbled up the Eggs Benedict, Island Edition. When I finished I turned to Fang, who was gone, and I thought back to all the times when he would go completely still and just disappear. Gazzy got flatulence, Nudge got magnetism; one of Fang's gifts was blending into his surroundings if he was still enough.

"Fang, I know you're there."

I heard a sigh and then he materialized, and it looked as if he'd walked out of the cave wall like a ghost or something. He stood, staring into my eyes for a while, and then he talked.

"What are you thinking, Max?" I was a bit taken aback, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Huh?"

"Another search mission? Are you crazy?" His voice was slowly rising, and it was making me worried.

"What!?"

He looked at me with fury in his eyes. Burning anger. I couldn't even remember the last time he'd looked at me like that.

"The last time you went, you took Harry, Iggy, and others from the island, but you made me stay back to take care of Phoenix. I bought it. I may not have liked it, but I bought it. But Angel saw everything. And she shared everything. Who do you think comforted her when she'd had nightmares, Max? And what were those nightmares about? You dying. I know that you got sick, Max. And I know you try to hide it, but you still are. And if you think, even for a second, that I'm letting you go across the world on a rescue mission, well, you're wrong." My eyes widened, realizing how much he knew.

"I'm not sick!" I meant to say, but I couldn't finish. I burst into a coughing fit. I collapsed to the ground, feeling weak. I couldn't believe it. He'd known.

All of a sudden, the anger from his eyes disappeared and turned to extreme worry. He knelt and gathered me up, trying to help me. I was sweating. I was freezing.

I was sick.

"It..." I began once I could talk, "it was the... all the radiation, and my lungs... I just, I can't-"

"It's okay," he said. "I'm here." I clung to Fang. I had to be strong, and I couldn't let this ruin my lungs. I had to be there for the flock, for Fang, for Phoenix. I spent a few minutes wrapped up by Fang, trying to calm myself. I stood up after a while, determined.

"Okay," I said. "I'm okay." I walked to the entrance to the cave, looking down at the ocean below.

"Max..." Fang warned.

"I'm okay! I can do this. Let's go back to the village."

"Max!" Fang was yelling now. But I didn't listen to him, and I jumped out of the cave.