Critical Condition

Chapter 3

Max POV

I paced back and forth across Fang and Iggys bedroom anxiously. Fang stood by the closed door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Iggy lay on his bed and listened to me rant.

"How does he know mom? Is he lying just to get us to relax? Why would she tell anyone else about us?" I continued, shaking my head with frustration. Iggy sat up on the bed and groaned.

"Maybe she actually did tell him. She would have known this storm was going to hit us hard. Can I have a piece of pizza now?" Iggy reached for the plate but I stopped in front of it.

"Ig, this is serious!"

"Yeah, and I'm seriously hungry!" he yelled.

"Max, just take a breath." Fang sighed, and also reached for a piece of pizza. I sighed and sat down on the bed. My nerves were fried and chaotic, my head ached, and I was exhausted. I didn't even know if this pizza was safe to eat, but Fang and Iggy were clearly too hungry to care. Ben would definitely have to make more if everyone was to get enough.

"He said he had seen us earlier in the day." I said and helped myself to some pizza as well. Fang remained quiet, but Iggy started laughing.

"Yeah, like he saw us through the storm way out in the middle of his backyard."

"I don't know how he did, but we need to move on as soon as we can. Tomorrow morning." I said and Iggy groaned.

"Max, Angel is still sick. This is our first break in weeks." Fang reminded me. "I think we can handle one man long enough to let her rest."

"Yeah, but what about 20 Erasers? He could be calling them right now!" I pointed towards the door. As if on cue, there was a knock, which made all three of us jump.

"There's more pizza in the kitchen if you all are still hungry. Valencia told me about your huge appetites. I'm going to bed, call me if you need anything. Goodnight!" Ben said cheerfully on the other side of the door. We all exchanged confused glances. I felt like I was a kid again and Ben was the overprotective father figure.

"Ok, so let's just say he is telling the truth. This could be our huge break before we head out again. We won't even need to stop at your moms!" Iggy said excitedly, but I felt saddened by the thought. I had been looking forward to cookies.

"He's a creep." Fang ignored Iggys excitment.

"Thank you!" I sighed. Now we were getting somewhere. "And why wouldn't he just call me Max like mom does? The only people who call me 'Maximum' was the whitecoats..."

"You're just being paranoid. Come on, I'm still starving." Iggy headed out the door and set off towards the kitchen. Fang sat down on the bed across from me. I could hear Iggy shouting to Gazzy and the others to get some pizza, their doors opening and running footsteps going by. I rest my head in my hands.

"I don't trust him either." Fang said quietly. I looked up at his dark eyes. His black hair was still damp and hung in front of them. Something in me couldnt bring myself to trust this Ben guy, something was just off. Things were too perfect. Down to the clean black T shirt he had ready for Fang.

...

The house was quiet and dark, the kids asleep, and Ben hadn't showed up again. I lay in my bed while Nudge snored in hers across from me. Just a few hours ago we had been sleeping in a wet drainage pipe, hungry, and cold. Now we were laying in a dry, warm bed, clean, and had eaten our weight in pizza. I sat up in bed. Maybe Iggy was right and I was just paranoid?

I couldn't bring myself to sleep and I padded towards the boys' room. I slowly cracked it open and peered inside. Both Iggy and Fang were fast asleep. Iggy snored lightly on his stomach, drooling into his fluffy pillow. I stepped into the room silently. Iggy shifted in his sleep, rolling over onto his side, his excellent hearing woke him and his blue eyes opened.

"Max?" He said quietly.

"Hey, Ig. Sorry to wake you." I said and glanced over at Fang as he sat up, now fully awake as well. Years of being on the run allowed us to be extremely light sleepers.

"What's wrong?" Fang asked, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed.

"Nothing. I just couldn't sleep." I admitted and Iggy nodded, flopping back down onto his stomach.

"Then wake me when its morning..." he sighed and closed his eyes again. Fang looked over at me, the moonlight reflecting back at me through his eyes.

"You ok?" he asked and I shrugged. I sat down by his bed and leaned against it.

"I don't know anymore. Maybe I am just paranoid." I groaned. Fang lay back down in his bed, this time his head by the foot of the bed. He pulled the covers up to his chest and rolled onto his side to face me.

"You wanna sleep in here tonight?" he asked and I shook my head. I couldn't leave Nudge by herself.

"No, I just have this feeling of dread, like something bad is gonna happen."

"Same. But we needed rest, we needed food." Fang yawned, his eyes struggling to stay open now. He blinked hazily and slowly.

"I know. But why would mom tell him about us, unless he's lying?"

"Maybe she trusts him." Fang said calmly, his eyes closed now.

"I don't trust him." I grit my teeth. Even with my tension and anxiety, I was now feeling really tired. Talking, even if we hadn't found any solution to our problem, had helped. I looked up at Fang. His breathing had slowed down and he was relaxed. I stood up and brushed some of his black hair away from his closed eyes. He was exhausted. I sighed and backed out of their room quietly. Tomorrow I would get to the bottom of this strange turn of events, but for now...I just wanted to sleep...

...

Fang POV

A slight noise brought me out of my dreamless sleep. It was difficult to open my eyes and adjust them to the dim light of the bedroom. Max was standing in the center of the room talking to Iggy, who was sitting upright in his bed.

"Then wake me when its morning..." Iggy collapsed into his bed again. I forced myself to sit up as Max turned to me.

"You ok?" I asked her as she leaned against my bed. I situated myself so I had my feet in the opposite direction on the bed. I lay back down, feeling the warmth of the blankets dragging me back down. Max talked about her wariness of Ben, and I couldn't blame her. I didn't trust the guy any more than she did. But I was so tired, my mind just couldn't focus on the conversation anymore. Exhaustion, a warm, dry bed, and a full stomach were more than my worn out conscious could handle. I closed my eyes, Max's voice continued to rant in the background but grew farther away. I slipped into another dreamless sleep as quickly as I had woken up a moment ago...