Chapter 9
Forty-five minutes later they reached the station with Sam still going on about dinosaurs.
"Shut up Sam!" she cried, it finally getting to me. She didn't think she could stay sane any longer if he kept going on about it.
"Yes, no one cares about the history or the mystery of the dinosaurs, because in case you haven't noticed, we're teenagers, living teenagers, not walking corpses like the old hags that actually care about this kind of crap!" Max cried, he had been forced into coming with them, because Martha needed to make cookies and dinner for everyone and she insisted that Max would just get in the way. she wasn't very happy when she learned about this but right then and there she was ever so grateful he was there so that he could say exactly what she was thinking but to kind to say to her best friend.
"Jeez, I get a hint, you should've just told me earlier," Sam scowled.
"We did!" Alex and Max growled in unison.
"Alex!" Alex's mum's voice carried over to her. She turned around to see her come off the train and running towards them. She barely had time to take a breath before being engulfed in her arms, the strong scent of her mother's perfume tickling her nose. She's never met any women who could run faster on heels than her mum.
"Hi mum," she laughed as she finally let her go so that she could smother Sam. "And this is Max."
Her mum eyed Max up and down warily, she could spot trouble a mile away.
"Anyway, let's go to where we were staying last night because Alex has a lot to say," Sam interrupted as he put his hands on the hollow of her mums back and guided her towards the door, "A lot."
The walk to Martha's place was long and awkward with tensions running high. Alex's mum kept giving Max wary glares, Max kept scowling at her mum, and you could tell he was biting his tongue, the same as Alex. There was a lot of things she would have liked to ask then and there but she knew that it would go all wrong. Instead she kept fidgeting with her hands, they were sweating like crazy. Sam put an arm round her waist and gave her a squeeze of reassurance. She smiled a thank you before opening the gate into the garden. Martha instantly opened the door wide and beamed at them. The smell of home baking wafting towards them.
"Your back just in time," she more or less sang as she urged them in. she placed a big tray of brownies on the table in the sitting room before sitting down.
"You must be Alexis's mother, I'm Martha, Max's mother," Martha beamed as she shook Alex's mums hand rigorously. Her mum beamed back engulfed in Martha's enthusiasm.
"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, dear?" her mum asked a smile plastered on her face. Everyone's eyes turned to face Alex.
"I'll be right back," she whispered before bolting out the door and into the kitchen. She was beginning to panic, and started pacing the floor, trying to think up a way to bring up the topic of Angels without stressing her mum out.
"You okay there?" Sam asked from behind her. Alex didn't look at him; in the end she grabbed the Crolonian and Sam's hand and marched into the sitting room. She slammed the Crolonian down on the wooden table with such force, the table vibrated.
"Alexis!" her mum cried.
"Careful with that!" Max growled, "Have some respect for history you dimwit!"
"Well don't expect anything from her," her mum chuckled, "She doesn't like anything to do with the past."
Alex stared at her mum, wondering if she knew what it was, she didn't show any signs of recognition. She didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing but she felt a twang of disappointment.
"Mum, do you know what that is?" Alex asked as she turned the book round so that she could read the title.
"Lets..." she began but stopped mid-way when she saw the ruins. Her face visibly drained of its color and her eyes darkened. She took a sharp breath
"We need to talk," Alex stammered.
"How do you know about this?" she whispered. It was so low it was barely audible. She looked from Alex to the book, then to Martha and Max.
"How dare you!" she exploded, "You had no right to tell her anything! She didn't need to know any of this. She lost the right to know any of this when I resigned my post and left that world forever!"
"What do you mean I have no right!" Alex growled, "I have every right to know!"
"No, you really don't," She argued, "There's something's that you should never know, things you don't know anything about."
"Well, I know enough to know that I'm in danger," Alex cried, "I have been hunted for the past week and like yesterday I saw my DAD!"
Her mother's eyes widened in sudden fear and she staggered to steady herself. So much for not stressing her mum out.
"You saw your dad?' she whispered, "Oh god this is BAD."
"Why?" she asked, "You have to tell me. I can't avoid them forever you know. They told me some really weird things that keep confusing me but I'm certain that it is a big piece of the puzzle."
"Tell me what you know and I'll clarify them for you," She sighed.