Heeyy! So, I know I haven't UD'd The Dracon's Tail recently, but I have been working on this, which is pretty much a teaser to see if I get good responses from it and if I should continue it or not. If I get good reviews and stuff, I'll probably put TDT on the back burner for a while until maybe May, or until an idea hits me! Please R&R! :) Also, if I continue, there WILL be wings!

~ENJOY~

Maximum Ride's Point of View:

RIIIIIING!

The lunch bell dismissed us from our IB English class, and all of the students flocked to get to lunch, except me. I leisurely packed my binder, notebook, and textbook into my messenger bag filled with all the others from every one of my classes so I wouldn't have to go to my locker.

I slid my phone and iPod into my back pockets, and slung the heavy bag onto my shoulder, grunting slightly from the weight. Under my breath, I asked myself why I did this. Oh right, because the hallways are Hell. The pushing, shoving, teasing, and relentless rumors made about me, Maximum Ride.

Wait a second and the reason will come...hold on...lightbulb! Yeah that's why. I'm known as the school's biggest slut, which incidentally isn't true. It's also why my bag is my locker, even if I wanted to go to my locker, I couldn't because I forgot my combination. Ha, stupid huh?

I pulled my golden hair with the under layer dyed black, out from under the strap of my bag, and released it from it's messy bun prison, free to fall in small relentless curls to the small of my back. The long side parted bangs fell into my dead, dull brown eyes.

I hurriedly walked past Miss Martin's desk, where she sat grading todays tests, and held mine out to me. Grabbing it, I saw a red one hundred-forty percent sign, and shoved it into my bag, not caring if it ripped or crumpled.

I stalked out of the classroom, down the deserted hallways, and through the back doors that led to the football field. I felt the fake, green grass squish under my feet as I jogged past the outside lunch tables filled with all of the "cool" kids who joked me.

I ignored the taunts and catcalls I heard, and just walked to the bleachers, and up to the third row, then plonked down, face toward the field. I took off my bag, setting it down next to me, and pulled out my lunch, homemade chocolate chip cookies. My adoptive mother, Dr. Martinez made them for me this morning. Even if she isn't my birthmother, I still love her, but if I tell her, she might leave like everyone else.

I ate two cookies, and was about to bring the third to my mouth when I heard the clanking footsteps of someone walking up the bleachers, going up three levels behind me. Quickly, I turned around, ready to tell off the likely popular, but instead I saw a boy my age, with raven black hair, olive skin, and a strong jaw sit down, and pulled out his iPod, and listened to it.

As if he felt my eyes, his head snapped up, his hair flying into his eyes, and his impossibly onyx eyes met my dull brown ones. Being stubborn me, I refused to look away, and apparently so did he. I pushed up my aviator sunglasses to atop my golden hair, and narrowed my eyes, put my cookie away, and pulled out my half-pack of red Marlboros from my hidden bag pocket, and lit one up with my red engraved zippo, still looking at him. He smirked a bit as I took a drag and blew the smoke out, and looked ready to say something.

When he opened his mouth, a large BOOM went off under the bleachers where I knew there was an illegal "science lab." Two boys I had the pleasure of knowing, Gazzy and Iggy, ran out from under the bleachers with smoke on their tails. Gazzy was my adopted brother and the older brother to Angel, my adopted sister, and was Iggy's partner in crime. They made illegal bombs, and Iggy was like a brother, they way he hung out around Dr. M's house. They were grinning like idiots, and I took another drag from my cigarette before putting it out, and stashing my stuff back into my hidden bag pocket. I flicked the butt to the ground, and found myself smiling at the mystery guy.

I picked my bag up again, and ran after the two idiots waving at me from the back doors of the school. I smirked and shook my head at their antics, running through the eating populars before reaching my only two friends. I stopped in front of them, and looked over my shoulder toward the farthest bleachers where the mystery guy was walking away from. He looked at me and slightly smiled, and I smirked back. Turning back around to Iggy and Gazzy, and saw them looking at me with wide, curious eyes. And then I realized, this was the first time I had made any contact with somebody other than my family and my attackers since the Sam Incident.

~Flashback~

"Are you coming, Maxie? The 'Special Place' is all set up for us!" Sam, my boyfriend called out to me from under my window. I poked my head out, and called back.

"Hang on a minute! I'm coming Sam!" And I shut my window and ran down the stairs. I got the front door, and threw it open, jumping into my wonderful boyfriend's arms. He kissed me lightly and I felt my newly fifteen year old heart flutter, Sam was perfect. He took my hand and we walked to the local park, hand in hand.

When we got to our 'Special Place' I gasped and tears came to my eyes. It was perfect, just like him. Sam set up a picnic on top of a secluded hill, overlooking the sunset on our blanket. The very same blanket we took to our first concert together.

"Do you like it, Maxie?" He asked, pulling me down to sit next to him on the blanket, facing the sunset, and handing me a delicately wrapped dark blue box with gold ribbon.

"Happy Birthday, Maxie. I hope you like it."

I tore off the paper and found a box full of tissue paper, and under all of that was a sticky note. It read,

'Ha! You fell for it. Love? Psshh! Who could love and ugly thing like you? This was a bet, meaning none of it was real!

Sam'

I read, and reread he note, and when I looked up, Sam was gone. I couldn't believe he was gone, that it wasn't real. I really, truly loved him, and it was all a bet. I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces and fall out of my chest. Tears came to my eyes, threatening to spill over.

"NO!" I growled out to my self. No tears would be shed for that scum. I loved him and he broke my heart. I whipped out my cell phone and called him.

Ring, ring, ring...and it went to voice mail.

"I hope you know that you are the most God awful son-of-a-bitch to ever walk the face of this earth. And to think that I loved you! You used to be one of the rotten ones, and I loved you for that, but I guess I was wrong. I hope you get your 'winnings' for putting up with me for as long as you did." Beeeeeep.

With an angry huff, I hit the red end call button, and left everything where it was, and left, walking home by myself. I walked past a man of maybe thirty or thirty-one, with sandy blonde hair and a long scar trailing from his eyebrow to his chin, sitting on a bench smoking a cigarette. Unafraid, like I would have been earlier today, I plopped down next to him. An idea flashing into my mind.

"Hello," The man started, confused. "Are you lost?" He asked with compassion in his eyes, exhaling the smoke away from me.

I smiled, but it probably looked like a grimace. "No, my name's Maximum Ride, what's yours?" I asked out of the blue.

His eyes flashed with recognition at my name, but he smiled, showing a row of pearly white teeth. "The name's Ari Batchelder, what are you doing out here all alone?"

"Nothing of importance. Look, how much do I have to pay you for a smoke?" I asked, pulling out my wallet.

"Why? You shouldn't throw your life away, it's only just begun!" He argued, taking another drag.

"I've got nothing to live for. Besides, I don't even know who my real parents are." I drawled, expressionless.

"Look kid, even I regret ever starting. The only reason why, was because I was a Marine, and we had nothing better to do, and I regret it every time I spend forty-five dollars on a carton."

"Ari, I'm a failure, and I'm all that I have to blame. If I'm going to experience life, I better do it right." I egged on, pulling out all the stops. Maybe smoking could make me feel better.

"Look Max, it's not the best life, and you could die from it. I don't want you to have to live through the grief I feel everyday." He said, pointing out a good point.

"You want to know what? Thank you, Ari! I feel better now." And I reached over and hugged him, reaching into his pocket to find a mostly full pack of red Marlboros and a lighter. I let go, and quickly put them in my pockets, without Ari being any the wiser.

I felt a small pang of guilt, but I pushed it away, and smiled at Ari before walking calmly away.

When I knew I was far enough away that he couldn't see the smoke, I picked out a cigarette and lit it up with the plastic Bic. Bringing it to my lips, I inhaled, and the smoke was too much.

"Cough...cough...cough!" I wheezed, and brought the cigarette back to my lips, inhaling again. The process repeated itself before the action of the smoke was somewhat comforting to my distressed mind, but that was after my second. As I inhaled and exhaled the poison smoke, I walked down the path to the park and out, heading home. A block away from my house, I put the cigarette out, and shoved the pack into my pocket behind my phone and the lighter in my bra. I walked inside, and ignored Dr. M's attempts at calming me down when she saw the distressed look on my face.

I told her everything that happened and she held me, rocking me back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in my ear.