Wishing

Max

One

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"I don't care that I'm four days late! I get paid tomorrow! Please just give me until this time tomorrow night!" I yelled into the phone and the man replied, trying to calm me down but I only yell some more. He finally agrees and I breathe a sigh of relief after slamming the phone down on its receiver.

After a second of staring at the snow covering the grass outside, I dropped down at the kitchen table. My hands tugged at my hair and I heaved a sigh, trying to calm myself down enough to drink my coffee. Living without the flock was harder than I thought it would be when I was kicked out. Yes, I was kicked out of the flock because they thought I was betraying them after I willingly followed Ari into his huge white truck. They didn't know it was for their own protection, but that was four years ago and I almost completely forgot about it.

No one knew I was pregnant at the time so after I broke out of the van half way to the School, I went for the closest place. I flew all the way to Alaska, not realizing I was flying for two, and bought a room at a motel. The flock wouldn't take me back even if I tried to explain, so I decided I'd just give them their space. Eight or nine months later Riddle was born at a local hospital where my friend worked as a nurse; she was the one that held my hand as I was in labor.

Fang wasn't there for the birth of his own child and I felt bad that I didn't at least send a letter or called or something. But instead he has no clue in Alaska he has a little girl waiting for her daddy to 'come home'. She loves to tell her friends about how her daddy is out saving the world from bad guys. And how he's handsome and loves her more than the whole world, and how we would be a big happy family soon with the other flock members.

As far as I know the flock was now in Arizona with my mom and Ella with Total, Akila and their pups. This was all over the news along with people asking if anyone sees me report it immediately. The small town I chose to raise my daughter in had people nice enough, but gossipy enough for any family. Everyone in the town knows who I am, but after I practically begged them they agreed not to call in and tell the flock where I was.

"Momma? Are you okay?" a small voice asks and I look up at Riddle as she stands in the doorway.

Her hand held Fang's old stuffed Black Panther from when we were kids; I sneaked it out of the E-House for her after she was born. It was old, but after being on Fang's bed for fourteen years it still smelled of him and his earthy scent. Riddle didn't go anywhere without the raggedy thing, but I didn't mind a piece of Fang lingering around. All of her waist-length raven black hair was tangled and wild falling in front of her dark eyes. She looked so much like her father sometimes that it hurt.

The little four-year-old watched me shuffle some papers, bills, and other useless papers where I had to pay just for cable. My kitchen had dark blue walls, white tiles, a new refrigerator, and a mahogany eight-person dining room table. Riddle Nikki Ride stood in the doorway looking half asleep and freezing in her pajamas. It was pretty cold in the house because of the snow outside during this time of the year. She shuffled on her feet in her Littlest Pet Shop footie pajamas; I smiled at her small form.

I stood from the table and walked over to her, "Hey, princess, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" She nodded and yawned then rubbed her eye with her free hand; she threw her arms around my neck.

"My tummy hurts," she whispers and nuzzles her nose into my neck; I walk her up the stairs and into her bedroom. I lay her down on her bed and press the back of my freezing hand to her forehead; she was burning. "And my head hurts, Mommy why does everything hurt?" tears were building in her dark eyes.

I trail a finger down the side of her face as she curls up on her bed with her knees pulled to her chest. A sigh escapes my lips, "Baby, you feel hot, you have to stay home tomorrow because you're sick. I'll take you to Dr. Baker if you don't feel better in two days or so," I mutter and she whines.

She hates hospitals like a mutant would and she hates the smell of disinfectant as if she grew up in the School. But she didn't. She grew up like any normal baby girl without a father there to help out; she was almost normal in a sense. The needles scare her more than any other child, and she would hold my hand in one hand and squeeze the Panther to her chest with the other. She's mumble about how her mommy and daddy were here and then I'd hear her silently crying on the way back to the house, asking for her daddy and mommy to be with her.

"But De'Val {A/N: It's pronounced da-ve-l, she's my best friend and I promised to include her here somewhere… so yeah.} was going to share her cookies with me and Carly and Meg {THAT'S MEEEEEE} tomorrow," Riddle complains now and I smile slightly as I brush some of her curly dark hair from her face. She looked kind of red, but she was shivering under her thick Barbie purple comforter.

For the past four years I've worked as a secretary for a large company and Riddle has almost given my boss a heart attack with all her 'cuteness'. He's given me four raises just for bringing her into the office and I figured I'd have to stay home tomorrow to take care of her. Jerry, my boss, would agree immediately and still give me the check and raise he promised last time. All of that work has gotten me from a one-bedroom apartment to a four-bedroom house in the suburbs.

In her room she had light purple walls with gray swirls in random places all over the four walls. She had seven large toy boxes filled with toys, but most of them were from Jerry including most of her nine Barbie dream houses. They were all different but were as tall as her, if not taller with complete sets of furniture and other things for every room. She'll spend hours using the little Barbie girl with the black hair, the boy Barbie with black hair, and a regular blonde Barbie to play out what she wished her life to could like.

One time I walked in to see her playing with the Barbie supposed to be me and the black-haired one that was supposed to be Fang. The supposed me was on the plastic pink couch with a bundle of blue in her arms with a blonde head poking out. And the supposed Fang was sitting beside my Barbie with one arm over the back of the couch with the supposed Riddle sitting on his lap. They were all smiling and Riddle had silent tears running down her cheeks with her hands covering her eyes.

I had dropped down next to her and held her to my chest while staring at the happy fake family in the Barbie house. It took hours to calm her down enough to get her to sleep; I took away the Barbie's for a week. She was happy, usually but she's always wanted to see Fang in person instead of the pictures I had all around the house of the flock. There were some where it was only Fang and I caught in some of the time Fang grinned at me. Nudge caught it on film surprisingly ten or eleven times and Riddle had one of them on her bedside table.

Her bed was covered in darker sheets but a normal Barbie comforter with a family of seven with three dogs on it. She'd always wanted a pet, so I got her a bunny and the cage sits in the corner where Snuffles was sleeping. We went to the mall, she found the pet store, and begged me for months to get her the fluffy white rabbit with dark eyes. I reluctantly agreed and she often closed her door and let him hop around; he knew to do his business in his cage from experience.

"You'll see them in a few days," I reply quietly and leave her for a second to get some stomach medicine from the cabinet in the bathroom. She took some grudgingly then chugged down some water afterwards to get rid of the bitter taste; she wrinkled her nose and handed the small cup back to me.

She snuggled under her covers after a minute and murmured, "Goodnight, love you Mommy," and she almost fell asleep. Until she suddenly added quietly, "Goodnight Daddy," as if trying to keep me from hearing her.

"Night, Riddle, love you too," I said sadly and kissed her forehead before leaving and going down the stairs to my bedroom. The dark blue walls, black blinds, and gray carpet made me remember Fang in so many ways. I had the kind sized bed with one side messed up, the left, and one side made up, the right.

Back in the E-House, Fang always slept on the right when we slept in the same bed and I stayed on the right. My sheets were dark green and the comforter was gray with green polka dots all over it. All of the pillows were different shapes and sizes ranging in dark green, black, white, gray, and navy green. I shut the blinds on my three large windows and climbed into the unmade section of the bed. My hand reached out and flicked off the black lamp on my bedside table; I fell asleep.

"MOMMY!" Riddle screeched from her bedroom; I jackknifed and looked around wearily at my dark bedroom. She yelled again and I was out the door, tying the robe around my waist, and literally flying into her bedroom. I tucked my wings back against my back as I approached her door; I swung it open and saw her curled up under her comforter. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she continued to wail while yelling and then she screeched, "DADDY!"

I dropped down on my knees next to her bed and leaned back against her bedside table and I gathered her against me. She buried her head in the crook of my neck and I stroked her hair while whispering in her ear. Her tears seemed to burn my skin and I almost started crying because I knew she was in pain. This continued for five minutes until I couldn't take it anymore and gave her some sleeping medicine while I tried to call our doctor.

Max, she needs her father. It won't stop until he's here with her. And the Voice was back in my head after four years of me being on my own, yes I am eighteen if you haven't guess. I saved the world right before I was kicked out of the flock; the Voice hasn't talked to me since then.

What? I ask in my head, completely confused out of my wits and after a minute I thought it wouldn't answer. Until it did and I fell back against the wall in shock at the words it repeated to me; her father? Riddle cried out in her forced sleep, and I knew it was worth the risk I was about to take if Riddle would be okay. I pulled out some paper and an envelope and started to scrawl a letter on the sheet of paper and a blue ink pen.

Dear the flock,

I realize this is short notice. But I really need you guys to come visit. I'm in Alaska now, and I want to explain everything. I went with them because I was protecting you guys like I always have and always will. I've wanted to try and explain for a while but I knew you wouldn't want to listen. This is urgent, even if you don't believe me, come. I need you guys right now.

I'm sorry if you ever thought I didn't come back early enough or if I didn't try to write to you soon enough. I'll explain everything as soon as you get here, just give me another chance.

I Love All of You,

Max

I put it in the envelope, lick it shut, then left the house long enough to put it in my mailbox, and then I went back inside. Riddle was still crying in her sleep and I bit down on my bottom lip as I started for the kitchen. After a few seconds of hesitation, I dialed for three large pizzas then went back up to Riddle. She was awake already and I hugged her to me for a long while until she finally stopped screaming. It took a lot of medicine but she was good enough to eat her large cheese pizza and watch cartoons.

And I was hoping for everything in the world that the flock would agree to come and visit and help me, and Riddle.