Funny story. I was doing NaNo this year, right? Most of the authors on here seem to do NaNo, I noticed. Anyway, I was doing NaNo and two days before it ended I suddenly got this idea. And wrote this story in two days. Yup. Crazy, right? You'd think, so close to the end of NaNo, my muse would've been dead and gone but noooo. The idea wouldn't leave me alone.

So, this is pre The Angel Experiment. Takes place while they're living in the E House. In TAE, according to wiki, Max is fourteen. In this she's thirteen.

Thank you: Kissy Fishy for beta-ing.

Claimer: I claim the right to disclaimer Maximum Ride. Consider it done.

I was running, running, running. My feet blurred, my braided hair whipped behind me like a banner. I could see every branch, twig, and leaf slap me, cut razor thin brands of nature across my skin. I felt none of it – adrenaline was too strong in my veins to feel anything but the beat of my heart, hear the air rasp in my lungs.

Wings squeezed tight against my back, I launched myself over the fallen log, landing lightly on my haunches. I took a moment to breathe, wipe sweat from my forehead. The woods around me were made of dry life, hard packed dirt. I knew these woods.

I listened hard. Every heated, summer sucked leaf and bit of wood was an alarm. I would hear someone coming.

My blood pounded in my ears. I strained for something, anything. It was too quiet.

And then… behind me, four o'clock. A rustle, more than a breath of air. My heart jumped into my throat, made me choke on an intake of air.

I was running before I consciously thought to do so.

Only it was too late.

He hit me from behind, full speed from the air. I fell forward with a shriek, trying to get my hands under me at the last second as the ground rushed up.

But he had me pinned. Head to the side, I could see a tan, brown, strong arm.

"Gotcha," Fang breathed in my ear. "You're It."

And he was gone, freeing my wings and letting me breathe as I lay on my stomach. I scrambled to my feet, scowling as I brushed dirt and dust off me. It clung to my sweat, sketched me brown. Cool. Camouflage.

Still…

"Freaking black shadow of death," I muttered, picking a twig from my ruffled tan wings.

"I heard that," Fang said, his voice drifting in the wind. I tensed but didn't jump in surprise. I wouldn't give him the pleasure.

"You were meant to!" I shouted to the woods. "And that was cheating! No tackling allowed!"

I heard Fang smirk. Did it make me weird to hear his smirks or him weird to have hearable smirks?

"Tackling is allowed," he said. "Only on you. Not the little kids."

I looked around for him and saw him sitting casually on the tree branch, blending just barely in with the dappled shadows.

"That's an unwritten rule I never agreed to," I said calmly. I shook out my wings.

He hadn't called time out. If I could keep him talking…

Fang's lips twitched. "Well, a written rule is that this part of the woods is off limits." He smirked. "And yet look who ran here as soon as I was It."

"You're only It 'cause Angel caught you," I grumbled.

"I let her," Fang said flatly as I started to walk slowly over to the foot of his tree.

"Suuuure you did," I said, edging steadily closer.

Fang watched me thoughtfully. "Bambi eyes, Max," he said by way of explanation. He suddenly grinned and I tripped over a stick. "Nice try."

And Fang fell backwards off his branch, twisting gracefully in the air before shooting up through the trees and towards the open skies.

"Show off."

I took a running leap, pushed off the fallen log and shot up through the tree branch roof. I burst through dry leaves, causing a crackle, and squinted in the summer sun. A blue, thirsty sky stretched endlessly all around me. No Fang. No shadow. No movement. Just dead air.

I was just turning a 180 when Fang descended from above, coming down from my blind spot: the sun.

He rapped me on the head with his knuckles and winged it towards the E House by the time I had gotten out a squawk of surprise.

"Fang! I'm It anyway!"

I darted after him, picking up speed until we were neck to neck. Halfway home and it turned into a race.

Which I won.

"In your face!" I crowed, landing on the E House's roof with a thump.

Fang touched down lightly and raised an eyebrow. "Still won tag."

I scowled at him as Angel flapped up to us.

"Who won?" she asked eagerly.

"Me," Fang and I said in unison.

"You went out of bounds." Iggy's voice came up from the yard below. "Jeb wants one of you, by the way."

"Ok, Iggy," I called. I shared a glance with Fang and we decided silently for me to go and Fang to stay with the rest of the Flock.

"That eye thing you guys do is basically mind reading," Angel said brightly. "So why can't I mind read?"

I let Fang handle that hardball and left to go see what Jeb wanted.

"What's up?" I asked, poking my head in the office, glass of water in hand.

"Someone needs to get more food," Jeb said distractedly. "And toilet paper."

"Oh, right. Iggy and Gazzy blew up the last few rolls." I took a gulp of water and studied him. He was reading at boring looking piece of paper at his desk. "I've decided to become a hermit, runaway with a snowman and do the polka tomorrow."

"That's nice, Max. Be home before dinner."

I slunk away. Fang would've done his smiling eyes thing.

I came to the backdoor of the E House and threw it open.

"Fang!" I bellowed.

"Right here, Max," he said from behind me.

I spun around and socked him in the arm. He looked unfazed.

"Quit that!" I exclaimed.

"Quit breathing? I didn't know you cared so little, Max. What did Jeb want?"

"Someone to go to the store," I said as I stepped outside. "Want to come with me?"

Fang looked at the Flock. Angel was playing quietly with a doll, talking to it while Nudge did a running commentary in the background. Iggy and Gazzy were bent over something that looked suspiciously like our sixth toaster.

"The supermarket has some great AC," I said casually.

"Ok," said Fang.

"Awesome." I grinned. "We leave in five."

~MR~

Since money had always been an issue, our version of shopping was different from the kind we saw on TV. The difference probably would've made me laugh if it wasn't so sad a contrast.

Fang and I entered the supermarket quietly. We glanced at each other wordlessly, and then split. Ten minutes was the limit. Get in, get out, make no lasting impression and be back in time for dinner.

I ended up standing in front of the cheeses, contemplating Swiss and provolone. The dilemma was that everyone loved Swiss, but provolone was less expensive.

"Who are you?"

I looked down. Standing in front of me was a little Asian boy no higher than my knee, with a pushy expression on his face. His arms were crossed incorrectly across his chest. I didn't even know you could cross your arms incorrectly.

I glanced around. No mom or dad looking adult in sight.

"I'm Max," I said finally.

"That's a stupid name," he told me bluntly, as children are like to do. "You're a girl. How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"Why are you wearing that coat thing?" he asked.

"It's called a windbreaker," I said, but he was still talking.

"You're lying. You're too tall to be thirteen."

Brat.

"Sorry," I said sarcastically, grabbing some Swiss. "Where's your mom, kid?"

"Kid?" The boy stomped his food and glared. "I'm ten."

Ten, huh? That made him a jerk and a brat.

I eyed his height and decided to play the bigger man.

"Sorry," I said again, a small sneer on my face.

His eyes went behind me, expression changing to one of disgust. "Who's that? Why's he wearing all black?"

"M'Fang," Fang said, coming up behind me with no noise in his step. "Who are you?"

"Bobby," he said defiantly.

I nudged Fang and nodded towards the check out. He nodded.

"Are you guys friends?" Bobby asked, following us.

"That's none of your business, Bobby," Fang grunted.

I hide a grin and Fang smirked in my direction. We high fived subtly.

"Girls and boys are never friends for long," Bobby announced.

I stopped walking, causing Fang to pause patiently for me. It was too interesting to pass up.

"Why's that?" I asked politely.

Bobby seemed frustrated by my lack of emotional response. Which was exactly why I didn't smack him silly before now. This would leave a lasting impression and drive the spoiled, rude little brat up a wall.

"Because all the books and movies say so," Bobby said authoritatively.

"Really?" I asked. "So a boy and girl can't be friends forever?"

Bobby nodded. Fang at some point had come up beside me. He touched my elbow with his free hand.

"Max and I will," Fang said tonelessly, but I could hear the obstinacy under it. I smiled.

"I actually agree with him," I told Bobby. "We're best friends. Nothing can change that."

"All the books and movies say that's not true!" Bobby's voice was getting shrill. "And you guys have such stupid names!"

I met Fang's eyes.

Wanna blow this joint?

Let's.

Fang and I as one turned back towards the checkout lines and ignored Bobby's shrill bellowing.

"Brat," Fang muttered.

I nudged him with my elbow as I loaded up the belt with food from my basket. "Should be easy enough to prove the brat wrong, though," I said. "Don't get your panties in a twist, F-Joe."

I'd almost forgot about the cashier.

"Whatever, Maxine," Fang said, brown eyes sparkling and giving away his laughter.

I opened my mouth to retort but the cashier popped her bubble gum loudly.

"22.99," she said dully.

I handed her the money as Fang started double bagging our groceries. We'd had one too many accidents flying with plastic bags.

"Come on," I said, jogging to the door. "We're gonna be late for dinner!"

"No, we won't." Fang came at an infuriatingly low pace. "They can't have dinner without us if we have the food."

"Fang." I was too far away to sock him in the arm. Dang it. "Just hurry up."

It was only a year or two later, when I randomly thought of it, that I figured out what Bobby was saying – if he wasn't simply just saying it to bug us.

In the books and movies, the guy and girl usually fall in love.

Funny how it worked out, huh?

I had a lot of fun writing this, even if it didn't really have a plot. (But this turned out lot better than my NaNo novel turned out, I can tell you.) Hope you liked! Read and review please!

sincerely,

SS