A/N: Here is the better version of The Flock Meets The Clan. I'm sorry I had to delete it, but it was just horrible. Not at all the point of the story.

I'm only going to say the claimer and disclaimer once, so that I don't have to be bothered by it when I'm trying to write. Call me lazy.

Claimer: I own the plot to this story, and Patrick, Jasmine, and Shane all own themselves but I own their characters in this story. BTW- the big reveal of my nickname: RAINE. This is something Shane made up, because Jaz calls me Max and it's just too confusing, what with Maximum Ride. This is totally unrelated to The Flock Meets The Clan, so don't confuse yourselves.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any other references to books and/or television programs.

Enjoy the story!

Chapter 1

I heard a knock on my window.

Smiling to myself, I turned to the opening, seeing just the person I expected.

"You're going to have to wait a little longer, Shane-la, my dad's still awake… What the hell? You got MORE condoms? Why must you pollute my bush?" I said, laughing only slightly.

I mentally sighed.

I have a boyfriend who's a fifteen-year-old crack addict and just loves to hide condoms in my bushes. Sad truth, though, I love him.

Shane chuckled quietly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh whatever, Raine. Just you try and have fun at Walmart without throwing a couple of those in some old lady's cart. And putting some in your pocket before leaving… C'mon, your birthday's tomorrow, shouldn't we enjoy it?" he smiled.

"Yeah, my 15th birthday. I know. Who really cares, though? My only friends are you, Jaz, and Patch. And no offense, Shane-la, but you're kind of a crack head. You know, a Sprungkopf, as Bill would put it." I said, referring to my favorite band's lead singer (A/N: Bill Kaulitz from Tokio Hotel… GERMANS OWN).

"Well, for starters, I care…" Shane said, sliding in the window close enough to whisper in my ear, "You are, after all, Raine the amazing…"

Then he jumped back down into the bush, leaving me slightly dazed.

And just then my dad opened the door. I had to give him credit, even with all those drugs, he could still hear like a bat.

"How're you doing, Maxine? Planning on going to bed soon?" My dad said, nosey as ever.

"I'm fine, dad. And I've got this new theory- if I sleep during Social Studies at school this week, I'll take in the information better." I replied, annoyed, while trying to close the door on him.

"Alright, then… Oh, Mom and I are going to Audrey's horse show tomorrow, we should be back around two. Love 'ya." He said, walking out the door.

"Same to you, daddy-o. 'Night." I replied, closing the door all the way.

I pulled on a sweatshirt, pulling off my arm socks to look at the scars only briefly before I pulled the sleeves back over my arm.

Then I jumped out the window, landing next to Shane easily.

"Oh crap, I think I left my phone up there. Be right back… PUT THAT OUT! Seriously, either you stop using drugs or we're done." I said, snatching the marijuana out of his hand.

He looked into my eyes for a moment.

"Okay. I'll quit." He said, handing me his lighter and the contents of his pockets- marijuana, cigarettes, cocaine… the works.

I took the drugs, startled.

"You're quitting? Just like that?" I said, searching his eyes for an answer.

He shrugged, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Trust me, if I weren't eternally cursed to love you, it wouldn't be this easy."

At that I threw the drugs and the lighter into the sewers across the street (with my amazing aim) and pulled him towards me, completely forgetting my phone.

"C'mon, Raine, let's go for a walk," he whispered in my ear, taking my hand and walking towards the cemetery, our favorite hangout.

Waiting there was Jasmine and Patch, on the roof of the lawn keeper's shed.

"Hey! Shane-la, Raine! Get up here!" Jaz yelled, ushering us to hurry up.

I laughed a little, then broke into a run, pulling Shane along behind me.

When we got close enough, we put our feet on the ledge of a window, then pushed ourselves up onto the roof alongside Patch and Jaz.

"What up Patcherz?" I said, leaning around Jaz.

"The trees?" he replied, then pulled his sweatshirt more tightly around him, laying his arm across Jaz's shoulder.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow? You know we have to celebrate." Jaz said, looking deliberately at me.

"Ugh, nothing! I'm going to be lazy and watch a movie or something." I said, leaning against Shane's shoulder and covering my face.

I could feel his laughter in his chest. Looking up, I saw his features more clearly in the moonlight than I ever had before.

His face was similar to the actor's who plays Edward in the Twilight movie. He was very pale- almost paler than I was. His purplish-black hair was cut perfectly around his face, exactly like Bill's old hair style, and he was wearing my eyeliner thickly around his eyes. I reached my head up to kiss him lightly on the lips, then settled back onto his chest.

"Um, I hate to burst your little love bubble here, but- WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Jaz said, standing up and looking into the distance.

"What…?" I trailed off, hearing the sound too.

There on the ground below us was a cluster of robots… sickly robots, and one boy standing in the middle.

My mind screamed flyboys and Omega, but I knew it couldn't be true.

Until that pure voice shouted up to us.

"Either come down now or fight to the death!" he yelled, aiming a gun in our direction.

"Run." I breathed, grabbing Shane's hand and jumping over the other side of the roof, sprinting as fast as I could.

It was fast for a human, and I only hoped fast enough to outrun what I only knew was behind us.

I prayed that Patch and Jaz would make it out, while I held Shane's hand tighter and jumped onto one of the passing train's cars.