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Back Saving the World Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. Prologue
  2. Part 1
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. Part 2
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47

Again and again I felt Fang’s night sky eyes on me, to the point where I was about to climb the wall. When Dr. Martinez and Ella were outside for a moment, I cornered him.

“What I said yesterday didn’t mean anything!” I hissed. “I love everyone in the flock! Plus, it was the Valium talking!”

An unbearable smug look came over his usually impassive face. “Uh-huh. You just keep telling yourself that. You looove me.”

I took a swing at him, but he jumped back nimbly, and all I did was jar my left arm, making it hurt.

He laughed at me, then pointed at the woods outside the window. “Pick a tree. I’ll go carve our initials in it.”

Barely suppressing a shriek of rage, I flung myself down the hall and into the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind me.

My superacute raptor hearing couldn’t help registering his chuckles outside. Holding my head in my right hand, I muttered, “God help me.”

Too late for that, Max, said the Voice. Only you can help yourself now.

Oh, no.

The Voice was not connected to the chip. It was still inside my head.

Which made today’s total:

1) Useless left hand

2) Fang believing some mushy emotion I didn’t even mean

3) Voice still with us

Given these revolting developments, there was only one thing to do. Leaving my bandaged left arm outside the shower curtain, I sat in the tub with the water pouring down on my head and cried.

32

32

“I don’t think you should leave until your arm heals,” said Dr. Martinez, looking worried. “I’m saying that as a doctor, Max.”

“We’ve been gone too long as it is,” I said. “Besides, with our zippy recombinant healing powers, I should be fine, in, oh, about twenty minutes.”

She knew I was exaggerating, but she also knew me well enough to know that little things like healing up and common sense don’t usually affect my decisions.

“I don’t want you to go,” said Ella miserably. “Either of you.”

“I know,” I said. “But we have to. We’ve got to get back to our, uh, situation.”

“Max, is there anything we can do to help?” Ella’s mom’s eyes were filled with a deep emotion that unnerved me.

Saving the world didn’t feel like something I could delegate.

“No, I don’t think so,” I said politely.

Behind me, Fang stood waiting, hating being in the open in their yard. He’d been weird all morning, and I wasn’t sure if it was about my wonky hand, what I’d said by accident, or what. Anyway, I knew he was itching to be off, and part of me was too.

Part of me wasn’t.