Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

89

"I don't want to make you feel even worse, Max," said Total. "But I can't stand your mother."

I looked at him. In the English/mad-scientist dictionary, you can translate "place I prepared" as "dank, ominous dungeon." Literally a freaking dungeon! Cinderella's castle had come complete with a real dungeon. And the "you know what to do" part translated to "chain them all to the walls like medieval prisoners."

"Well," I said, "at least with my parents, I don't have to look hard for something to rebel against."

Anyway, we seemed to be the only occupants in the dungeon, though it stretched on, out of sight. Loudspeakers were hung on the walls, and they were playing the Director's brainwashing messages, which in itself was enough to drive anyone starkers.

Like, if the whole "chained to a wall in a dungeon" thing wasn't enough to send you around the bend.

All of us were flying creatures, except for Total, and sort of halfway Ari. So chaining us to the wall, underground, was one of the worst things you could do.

My mother had done this to us.

I shook my head, unutterably depressed. "I mean, why couldn't she have been a nice hooker, or a crack addict, like Fang's mom?"

"Speaking of Fang," said Nudge, "maybe he's on his way here right now."

A gleam of hope flared and was just as quickly extinguished. "Yeah, if our message got through. If he's gotten over Ari, which I doubt. If they can somehow get to Europe, like, right away."

"Max?" said Angel. "You're kind of making things worse."

I was. I was being a jerk. Later, when I was alone, I would lie down and sob my guts out from the raw, acid disappointment about my mother. Right now I had to stop taking it out on everyone.

"You're right," I said, my throat feeling tight. "I'm sorry. Actually, I do think that our e-mail got through, because Nudge is brilliant at that stuff. And he's Fang. They're on their way. I know it."

Silence.

"You lie really well, Max," Nudge said approvingly.

I laughed. "I've had a lot of practice. But seriously, I do bet they're on their way."

"How could they cross the ocean?" Ari asked, not meanly, just wondering.

"Maybe they got tickets on a plane, like us," said Angel.

"Or maybe they stowed away on a plane," suggested Nudge.

"Or maybe they, like, flew up into the sky, waited for a jet to pass by, then dropped down onto it and held on," I said dramatically, and we all laughed. I imitated Fang hanging on to a jet, mouth open from the wind drag.

Their chuckles seemed to make the walls recede a bit and the darkness not quite so dark.

The loudspeakers were most annoying when they were in English because we couldn't help listening. The Director-or Crazy Old Mom, as I liked to think of her-was again spouting something about the future of flawlessness.

"She is a seriously negative woman," I said.

"I'm sorry, Max," said Nudge. "I know she wasn't what you were hoping for."

"Yeah." I smiled wryly. "'Delusional mass murderer' wasn't really on my list."

Again I wanted to wail with disappointment, but I swallowed it down. I had finally found my mother, and she was my worst nightmare. This was really just too bitter to bear. On top of that, Nudge was trying to comfort me. It was my job to comfort her. Usually the only person who comforted me was Fang. Who had deserted me.

A slight scratching sound in the shadows made us all prick up our ears.

"Rats," said Nudge nervously.

But it wasn't rats. A tall figure appeared in the distance. We all went on alert, ready for a fight, since flight was out of the question.

A voice spoke.

"Max," Jeb said.

And now my day of horror was complete.