Maximum Ride: If I Never Come Home Again

I'm Glad You're Back

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All credit to James Patterson.

Chapter 6

Iggy stood in the doorway. I couldn’t speak. He was taller and looked so much more mature. His hair was spiked and styled. He had wrinkles surrounding his eyes. He looked no more than 18, but he looked 20. But, even though I was 19, my own wrinkles from years of worry made me look aged.

“Look, I know I’m blind but I can still hear you breathing. I know you’re there. What do you want?” His voice was deeper, and was laced with irritation.

“Iggy…” I whispered. He stiffened, and his pale unseeing eyes grew wider.

“Max?” He said softly, as though he couldn’t believe it. Tears sprung into my eyes, and I tried to blink them away so they wouldn’t blur my vision of him. “Is that really you?”

“Yes Ig. It’s me.” He leaped forward and gripped me tight. I squeezed him back and let the tears leak onto his blue t-shirt. He rested his head on top of mine.

“I can’t believe it. It’s really you!” I could feel droplets falling on top of my head.

“Yes it is.” I laughed. I was so happy to see him.

“Iggy? Who is at the door?” Nudge’s voice came from behind him.

“Nudge, you’re never gonna believe this.” Iggy said with his voice choked up and watery.

“What? It can’t be worse than that time-“ She faded out as Iggy moved out of the way so she could see me. A dish she was holding crashed to the floor and broke. She was also taller, and curvier. She was wearing a fashionable outfit, so unlike the t-shirts and jeans that I always wore. She was beautiful.

“Max? Oh my god MAX!!!” She raced towards me, jumping over the broken dish. She hugged me tightly and I had to step back to keep from falling. I laughed, and more tears came pouring down. I heard feet racing down stairs, probably from the sound of the dish breaking.

“Nudge?! Are you ok?” Soon, the entire flock was at the doorway staring at me in shock.

“Umm… Hi guys.” I said, with Nudge’s arms still wrapped around me.

“MAX!!” That’s when my baby came to me. She was sobbing and Nudge’s arms were quickly replaced with Angel’s.

I held her close to me and sobbed freely. I don’t care who saw. I was with my baby again. She was so beautiful, just like I predicted. Her fair skin and long hair. I clutched her to me tighter, and her arms nearly choked me.

“Oh my baby. My little girl. I missed you so much.” I whispered to her.

“Hey! Don’t we get to say hi too?” I heard Gazzy say. He tried to sound as though he was joking, but I saw the tears he also had and I knew he wanted me to hold him too. I released Angel and held my arms open to him.

“Only if you don’t fart.” He smiled and ran to me.

I had hugged all of them except one. Fang stood in the back, still staring at me in shock. His dark hair flopped over one of his eyes. I looked at him.

“Fang?” I whispered. The rest of the Flock looked between us, not knowing what to expect.

He walked slowly up to me and grabbed my face. His eyes searched all over my face. Looking at everything. I stayed still and let him look over me. He turned me around slowly and moved my hair away from the back of my neck. It was smooth and unblemished. He twisted me back around.

“It is you.” He whispered. His rough calloused hands caressed my face before he pulled me into a tight hug.

“Guys? What’s going on? Who broke this dish?” My mother came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a small towel. She paused when she saw me. “Max?”

“That’s my name.” I tried to joke, but I was already crying to hard. My eyes were sore and I’m sure were puffy, but the waterworks kept coming. She rushed at me.

Finally when all the reunions were finished mom pulled me inside.

“Wait!” I went back out the door and saw Jax sitting on the porch swing. I gestured for him to come inside. He walked in the door behind me, looking at the floor.

“Max! What are you doing? That’s an Eraser!” Fang looked pissed.

“I can go back to the house and join you later Max.” Jax said quietly.

“No! Jax may be an Eraser but he helped me and kept me sane in that hell hole. So he is stuck with me. If he is not welcome somewhere then I’m not either. And that’s final. Got it?” I glared at Fang, angry that he doubted me.

“Max has still got it.” Iggy joked. I smiled at him, and everyone relaxed. Fang looked like a scolded child, but still mad. He got even madder when Jax grabbed my hand and smiled at me in thanks.

Mom led us all to the living room to sit down and talk. She went to the kitchen and I heard her open the oven. The smell of homemade cookies wafted towards me and I started salivating.

“What’s that smell?” Jax asked, sniffing the air like a dog. Hehe… dog. That’s funny.

“Heaven.” I said simply. He looked at me in confusion. Then he understood when mom came in with a plate of her cookies and I instantly grabbed some and shoved them in my mouth. I moaned in delight.

“Max, where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you okay? Did they do all those horrible tests? Where are they now? Why are you here? Did you escape? Did you-. “ Iggy cut Nudge off with a kiss. I raised my eyebrow in surprise. When did that happen?

“They have been dating for about 2 years.” Angel said sweetly. I forgot that she could read minds. I would have to get used to that again.

“Well, I was in the head Itex building. I thought at first that they had taken me to the School, but the Voice made me realize that I was in a different building. It was actually located near here, around 50 miles away. I was an experiment there. I did my part. I cooperated and didn’t fight. I actually never spoke the entire time I was there. Jax worked for them, but he was unwilling. He never hurt me, and refused to participate in the Secon… in another test. He talked to me, even if I never spoke in return. They did run all the tests. And more. And they are all gone. I destroyed the building. The Voice told me that I needed to destroy the head Itex building in order to save the world and I did. We are all free now. All the Itexs are gone. And I’m okay now.” They all sat in silence as everything I told them sunk in.

“Wait, where is Ella?” I asked, suddenly noticing my sister’s disappearance.

“She’s at college. She should be home on break in a couple days.” My mom said.

“So how did you destroy the building?” Iggy asked me.

“I blew it up.” Everyone whipped their heads to look at me in shock. “I got a new power.” I made a flame come out of my palm. Everyone stared at it in amazement. “I waited until the day that all the sponsors of Itex would be there and they were parading each of the experiments around and showing off their skills. When it came to my turn, I set the place on fire, and the fire eventually reached some explosives, and the place blew up.”

“But how did you get out?” Gazzy asked me.

“I also have a force field that I was able to use to protect the experiments, Jax, and I. The experiments all went their separate ways to live their own way.”

“You BLEW UP the head Itex building?!” I nodded. “That’s so cool!”

We all laughed. Jax grabbed my hand again and I looked at him and smiled. I was glad he didn’t feel uncomfortable around them anymore.

“I’m glad you’re back Max.” Angel said softly.

“Me too Angel. Me too.” I said, smiling at them all.