Max stared at the woman with mixed emotion. If this was who she thought, she either put on a good show or really cared that Iggy was gone. Max couldn't tell from her short appearance if the woman honestly thought Iggy had been kidnapped. It hadn't sounded as though living like a side show circus act would be anyone's dream. Did Iggy's mom think he was happy, or did she just think he was incapable of getting away? How could you torture a person like that and not even have a clue?

Max clicked off the television with a frown.

Looking around the lights in the house were off, as they had been before she had fallen asleep. It wasn't dark outside but the sun had begun to fade. No one was home yet, although she imagined it wouldn't be much longer. Her brow furrowed. Sure, she liked to sleep and could do so with the best of them- but she hadn't actually planned on dosing off here.

It seemed yesterday's altercation had left her more affected than she had realized. Max's stomach began to growl she decided to postpone her concerns until after lunch. Dinner, she corrected herself as she swept into the kitchen and past the clock mounted on the wall. A late one, at that.

Max pilfered through the cupboard, the cabinets, and the fridge before puling out what looked like left over spaghetti. While it wasn't on the top of her culinary preferences it didn't require much prep time and Max was hungry.

Pulling the plastic wrap off the industrial sized bowl Max pulled out another and dumped no less than half the contents into her own before stuffing the remaining back into the fridge. Picking up her supersized portion Max stared at the bowl, judging it's size and bouncing it in one hand. She looked at the microwave with suspicion before shaking her head; making bee line to the utensils drawer and scooping out a fork. Max hopped onto the counter and dug in.

Cold spaghetti wasn't half bad, she mused between bites.

Max polished off the bowl and dumped it in the sink along with the morning's dishes, deciding it was a task better suited to someone else. As she was rounding the corner to flop back onto the ouch and see if there wasn't anything else that could be discerned from the woman on the television, realizing it might be something she should bring up with her own mother, Max was distracted by a heavy thump coming from upstairs.

The brunette froze, remote hanging from her hand listlessly. It couldn't have been a tree branch, could it? The whole limb would have to break off and fall to make that kind of noise. A person? She listened intently for the sound to repeat. She was supposed to be alone here – Ella and Angel would still be at school for another hour and Mom was likely finishing things up at work. She had no idea what her step father did when he wasn't here – she had a habit for ignoring the conversation whenever topics of him came up because, frankly, she didn't care – but he never got home until it was time for dinner. She was definitely alone. Or, at least, she was supposed to be.

Tossing the remote onto the couch Max crept toward the stairs, stopping for a moment to pick up an umbrella from the rack by the front. She wove her way up the stairs, dodging the squeaky boards and pausing at the head of the stairs, straining to hear the sound again. She had just begun to edge toward the nearest bedroom when the door bell rang, frightening her enough that she wheeled around and swung her makeshift weapon wildly, smacking it into the wall.

A picture frame vase crashed against the hardwood, spilling glass and raining down the steps in a tiny, tinkling cascade. Max stared forlornly at the mess. Her moment of sorrowful silence was punctuated by a second ding of the doorbell. Max slammed the umbrella down on the steps, scattering the shattered pieces all the more in a moment of pitiful anger.

Doing her best to skirt the mess – and faily miserably – Max picked her way carefully down the stairs and to the entry hall. She wrenched the door open just as it rang its last, dreadful tole.

Standing in the doorway, decked out in a mass of baggy black, was Fang.

Scowling at the unwarranted house call she pointed her umbrella accusingly at the one responsible for the mess she would be cleaning up. "What exactly are you doing here?" He raised a mocking eyebrow. As if it didn't already want to knock him upside the head.

"What are you doing with an umbrella?" She growled and tossed it back into the stand.

"Trying to figure out what's running around in my-" her eyes widened and she pointed at him accusingly as the pieces clicked. "You landed on my roof!" Fang held up his hands and gave a little shrug before dropping them.

"Guilty as charged."

"And you had to use the roof?" Max demanded as she crossed her arms. "Sounding like you were carrying a bag of bricks, no less. Honestly, it's a wonder I never heard you sooner if that's what your landings sound like." Fang's shoulder shrugging graduated to severe eye-rolling.

"As it so happens," Fang shrug off the bag on his shoulder and let it hit the ground with a larger thump than she might have expected. He'd been holding so carelessly it might as well have been empty. Studying the backpack, Max did indeed see the tell tale signs of book corners straining against the top and sides of the bag. She grimaced.

"You brought me my books. And homework, I presume," Fang nodded, "Oh, goody." The corner of his lips quirked at this, and Max began to wonder just how expressive one boy's face could be. Honestly, why bother using words when haughty exasperation can be so readily conveyed through eye rolling and smirks.

"Mrs. Alvarez didn't want to see you miss out on any more work," His smirk turned into a grin and Max was rather shocked at the development. He had a pretty smile, as it so happened. She hated him a little, for it. "She took the liberty of seeing that all your teachers compiled today's assignments and homework so you wouldn't be without. Everything's expected to be turned in along with everyone else. Tomorrow." Her face fell.

"You've got to be kidding me,' Max bemoaned, "what does this batty lady think I am, Albert Einstein?"

"Well, we haven't gotten to relativity yet. Still all about the Law's of gravity. I'm sure she'll settle for Isaac Newton." Max glared her discontent.

Smol words of thanks to WannaZiggyZiggah. You're an absolute doll and your reviews are a treat I always look forward to. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.