A/N: It feels like I haven't updated in forever and a day… But I've been grounded and yeah. Sorry if you had to reread the first chapter because you forgot what this is…

Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Max POV

I never really fell asleep that night—but then again I never do. When all the sleepy fog drifted out of my head, I checked the black bedside clock. 5:34 A.M. I pulled the blankets off my body and stumbled to the door, almost loosing my balance in the process. I pressed my clammy hand to the knob and twisted and opened the door hastily so it wouldn't make a sound. Hesitantly, I took a step onto the wooden floor. The coldness felt nice on my foot.

It was dark and silent all through the house which was kind of peaceful until my stomach grumbled.

I searched the refrigerator for food first but when all I saw was low fat milks and yogurts I decided to check the cabinets. And, don't get me wrong, I'm the farthest thing from a picky eater. But when you have as big a selection as this, you should never settle for anything less than perfect.

I found a stash of mini Cheetos in the first cabinet and grabbed a few bags. I froze when I heard footsteps coming toward me from the other room but then quickly tossed the Cheetos onto the counter. After I determined the speed the possible threat was traveling at, I shut the cabinet and turned to face whatever was challenging me. My whole body tensed when I saw a rather large figure walk around the corner and into the kitchen.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in when I saw it was just Iggy, but I still didn't completely relax my tense muscles.

"Max?" His hair was even messier than when I first saw him and his eyes looked almost friendly. Maybe that was just because it was dark.

"What?" I snapped.

He didn't reply as he walked over to one of the other cabinets and took out a bag and ate out of it. Turns out, they were pretzels. It looked as if he hadn't eaten in months.

"That's a big appetite for such a tiny boy," I said.

"Yeah," he said between mouthfuls, "and that's a big appetite for such a tiny girl." He motioned to the Cheeto bags behind me.

"Touché," I muttered.

I scooped them up and began to walk to the staircase when he said, "So, what're you doing up, anyway?"

I glanced at him to see his expression when I saw him looking at me curiously. "Uh, couldn't sleep." He nodded and threw out the now-empty bag. I forgot what it felt like to talk to another human being beside Gabe. It felt amazing and I didn't want it to end. "What about you?"

"Oh, uh, Angel had another nightmare," he replied, leaning against the counter.

"Does she usually have nightmares?" I blurted.

"Nah, she has as many as any other seven-year-old," he said, "not that I would know, though."

I cracked a smile and he did the same.

…..

The next morning I fully woke up thanks to the sun. I tried to go back to sleep but gave up after a few minutes. I sat up in bed and tried to smooth out my hair which felt like a soft haystack. Groggily, I stood and walked out the door.

No one was in sight and I couldn't hear them either, which is saying a lot considering my excellent hearing. I walked down the stairs slowly and found Iggy handing out cereal bowls. Angel gratefully grinned at him and dug in. I wonder why she looked so miserable yesterday…

"G' mornin', Max!" Nudge said cheerfully from her seat at the table.

I half-smiled. "Morning."

I walked in the direction of the fridge when I saw a sticky-note on the counter.

Went to the store, it read, Be back at 10.

-Val and Ella

I wonder why Ella went too…

I sighed and poured myself some milk and tossed the empty carton aside. It felt weird just standing there so I decided to change and maybe even shower if I could. I explored the house a bit and found that they had at least three bathrooms and a ton of hallways just filled with bedrooms. The house even had a room with at least six computers! Whoa, these people were loaded!

I went back into my room and brought my clothes into the closest bathroom. I haven't really looked in a mirror since my last shower which was a few days ago so I was a bit shocked when I saw my appearance. My blond hair was knotted together and sweat stuck it to my face. I had bags under my eyes which I was used to, but they somehow looked darker. I looked too skinny, like I haven't eaten in weeks, which wasn't really true, but it's not like they feed you all that much back at the orphanage. So, I pretty much looked like crap.

I locked the door behind me and search the shower for soap and shampoo, but when I couldn't find any I checked the cabinets under the sink and found a large Zip-Lock bag that had "MAX"written in Sharpie on the front. I opened it up and found soap and shampoo and even shaving cream and an expensive-looking razor. I couldn't remember the last time I shaved.

I took my time in the shower. As I combed my fingers through my hair I found that it wasn't as tangled as it looked and it would be all right to brush. So that's what I did. I probably shouldn't get so used to this because I probably won't be here tomorrow. But I couldn't help but spoil myself just a little.

I heard my stomach grumble loudly so I hurried up a bit so I could eat something. Before walking out the door, I checked myself in the mirror. I looked pretty good. Still too skinny and the bags under my eyes were still visible, but my hair was combed and I looked like an actual human being now.

I was in there longer than I thought because when I got downstairs, Val and Ella were back and watching TV together and the microwave clock said 9:57.

"Good morning, Max," Ella said from the couch.

"Uh, yeah," I mumbled awkwardly.

"We brought you some breakfast," Val said with a warm smile. "We got back about ten minutes ago so you're going to have to warm it up." When she told me where it was I practically ran, my mouth drooling, to where it was put away.

I opened the white food carrier it was held in, trying not to rip it with my savageness. I was not disappointed. Inside were scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and even a few pancakes.

I walked back into the living room and said, "Val, is this all for me?"

She grinned at my expression. "Yep."

…..

The days that passed were uneventful and utterly boring. I didn't really talk to anyone unless asked a question or unless I was asking a question. Maybe I could live here until I got a job and got enough money to pay for my own place. Maybe. The people seemed nice enough, but I still didn't trust them.

...

"So," Val said one night at dinner (she makes us eat together), "I was thinking we could go to the movies tomorrow night."

"Sounds great!" Nudge said.

"All right," Gazzy said but then regretfully turned to Iggy for full permission.

"Iggy? Max?"

"Sure." I shrugged.

"Yeah, okay," Iggy finally said.

A/N: I would write more but I really need to go right now. Thanks for reading! Please REVIEW!

-Annemarie787