The Final Warning (Maximum Ride 4)

These people were unlike most other humans I’d ever dealt with. They were just as curious, but they were actually respecting our personal boundaries — for now. Most other scientists were content to trap us, slap us into cages, and start sticking needles into us. It was weird. I wondered how long it would last.

“I’m going to turn in,” I said abruptly, and headed toward the aft stairs. (Aft means “rear” on a boat. See how I’m throwing the lingo around?)

I had just started down the narrow, steeply pitched steps when I realized Fang was waiting for me at the bottom.

“What’s the matter with you?” he asked. “Why’d you take off like that?”

Oh, like I would tell him.

“Wanted some air,” I said, trying to brush past him. But he took my arms to hold me in place, and because I didn’t feel like having this escalate into a knockdown fistfight, I let him.

“Tell me what’s going on,” he said again, his face very close to mine.

“Nothing.” I’m nothing if not stubborn.

“Max, if you would just talk to me —”

“About what? You and me? There is no you and me. Especially when you keep throwing yourself at everything in a skirt!” Okay, now, that was so, so stupid. Fang’s eyes widened — I’d given far too much away. Plus, Brigid Dwyer wasn’t wearing a skirt.

I wrenched my arms away from him, feeling as if my cheeks were on fire. I was confused and miserable — two of my least favorite things.

“You’re wrong, Max,” he said in a low, dark tone that made butterflies in my stomach. “There’s a you and me, all right. There will always be a you and me.”

I pushed past him, hard, and tried not to run for the room Nudge, Angel, and I were sharing.

35

“MAX!”

I was assaulted by excited bird kids as soon as I stepped over the threshold. Iggy and Gazzy were sitting on our bunks, and there was so much energy in the air that we could have powered the boat with it.

“Yeah?” I said, trying to calm my jangled nerves.

“Max, this is great!” said Nudge. “This is way better than going to school. Or being on the run. It’s like we have something fun to do, plus we have people protecting us, plus food and beds, all at the same time!”

“The food and beds are a huge plus,” I agreed.

“And we have a real mission,” said Gazzy. “I mean, you’ve been having a mission. But now we’re in on it too. And it’s a good mission!”

“You think?” I looked for a place to sit down and finally chose the tiny chair at the tiny built-in desk as my only option. Total was stretched out on Angel’s bunk, not sleeping, just sighing heavily from time to time.

“Yeah, I think!” said Gazzy.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Iggy. “Despite being cooped up like sardines in this can. It still makes sense. I’d like to do some actual good, instead of just trying to thwart bad all the time.”

“What’s wrong with him?” I jerked a thumb at Total just as Fang joined us. I didn’t look at him and was furious to feel my cheeks heat up again.

Angel patted Total’s small black head. “I think it’s Akila,” she confided.

“Cruelty, thy name is woman!” Total moaned. “Or rather, dog.”

“She won’t talk to him,” Gazzy told me.

“Total, she doesn’t talk,” I pointed out.

“She won’t even talk to me in the universal language,” Total said.

“French,” Angel said knowingly.