Damn. My flock wasn't dead but they were gone. Their insides were dead. They were dead. All that was left were empty soulless creatures who had betrayed me to the school. They had given me to the School after everything I'd done for them. But I still couldn't stop the pain. I couldn't stop hurting because of them. They had been infested with some kind of parasitic creature that ate out their insides and took over their bodies. Now it was just their outer appearances and the little alien-like creatures that the School made. I had gotten away from them. Those were the only parasitic creatures that the School made plus one that was meant for me. It was like recycling to them. I had killed my little buddy before it got to me but it had been too late for the flock. They had already been taken over and were giving me to the School. Now I've escaped the evil clutches of the School after blowing up their building. I'm with my mommy in Colorado but not in Colorado for long. No, mother had some news.
Chapter One:
"Did I ever tell you about the time I used to live in a town called Forks? I graduated there, you know. It was a wonderful town! Really!" My mom said nervously at the table as she cracked walnuts to put on her salad. I merely glared at her. She was holding it from us. I had changed my entire appearance from dirty blond hair to some kind of black. I had tried to change it to something unappealing but for some reason it came out shiny black and everyone loved it. Ella even got hold of me in my sleep and curled it. Now I had curly black hair. My eyes had changed to match me; a nice little shade of purple that seemed to depress you with its darkness. "Are we moving to Forks, mom?" Ella asked with a sigh. We'd seen this coming for a while. She had been trying to shove the whole happy thought of Forks on us. "Yes, sweetie, yes we are." My mom said, her voice sighing out the rest of its nervousness and becoming strong. I nodded silently as I played with my food. I hadn't been eating much; just the average human's amount and very slowly as well. Wouldn't you be depressed if your entire family had died because it was now invaded with soulless parasites? My entire outfits consisted of fishnet and black nowadays. I wore a short sleeve black T-shirt with fishnet long sleeves that became fingerless gloves at the hand areas. It just barely hid the scars. I wore black skinny jeans, a black studded belt and a pair of black and white high tops. My mom had caught me one day maybe a year ago, a month after I first came to live here, when I was deep into cutting myself. I had done it because it was adrenaline filled; without fighting I left myself open and vulnerable and so I needed some kind of rush. I cut myself. "And if you want to protest, Max," My mom started but I just nodded. "Fine," I said. "I'm going out for a ride on Lucy," I said as I scooted back my chair. Lucy was my Honda Nighthawk 250. My mom had gotten it for me to replace the cutting so that I had this one rush. My mom seemed shocked but then seemed proud as if she had laid down the law. "Oh, and I'll be getting married," She said quietly. I stopped with my hand on the jacket that I had on the hook in the corner of the dining room. "He doesn't know about your past, Max," Mom assured me. I nodded. "But he makes me happy; his name is Charlie Swan and we'll be getting married in Forks with his daughter and son-in-law and his son-in-law's family and some of his other friends. I've invited some of my colleagues and the wedding is next month," My mom said.
I nodded again. "Good, be happy then," I said quietly as I pulled the leather jacket off the hook finally and started out of the room. "Is that sarcastic or real, Max?" My mom cried out worriedly. "Real," I answered as I exited the house.
Charlie's POV------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I paced my kitchen until the pizza came in. Then I paid and then I went back to pacing but eating at the same time. Then Bella and Edward entered the house. But I didn't stop pacing. It'd be easier if I didn't see their faces. I know I'm an old man but I can still fall in love, can't I? I can. Definitely. "What's wrong, dad?" Bella asked me. "Um, sit down, Bells, Ed," I said and gestured to the chairs at the kitchen as I passed them. "You're going to run holes in your floor, Charlie," Edward said with a slight smile. I nodded. "Well, um, I have some incredible news for you! Fantastic news!" I said. "What's the news, then, dad?" Bella urged. She wasn't very patient and I knew that. Oh, boy did I know that but I just couldn't spit it out. "I've met someone," I said quickly and stopped pacing in front of them. "A woman; she makes me very happy and we've been dating for some time now." I said. God, I sounded like an old British man. "Her name's Valencia Martinez and she has two daughters, Max and Ella. They'll be moving here and Valencia and I will, um, be getting married. Next month," I said. I waited for their response. Then they exchanged a look and then broke into wide open grins. "That's fantastic, dad!" Bella cried out and jumped up to hug me. Edward shook my hand in congratulations and I kept my eyebrows raised in shock. Well, I knew that I had to get it out one way or another. They would've just had to deal.
Max POV-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The wind rushed past my body as the helmet shielded my head. I was running Lucy along the highway next to my house. I was going to the park to think. I wanted something but I couldn't put my finger on it. What did I want? "What do I want?" I asked in a whisper as I parked next to the parking lot. I pulled off my helmet and hung it on the handle bar of Lucy. I immediately went over to the swings. "What do I want?" I whispered again as I kicked off the ground. The swing went high into the air with me on it. I let myself fall off for a second then pulled back onto it. Fang. That was what I wanted. But Fang was gone with the flock. They were all gone. They would always be gone because they were dead. They were completely soulless corpses now. The School had done this to them. But I just wanted Fang.
Two weeks later I kept Lucy gunning behind mom's car on the way to Forks, WA. We were closer than ever now, now on a highway actually in Washington right on the outskirts of Forks. I was kept in my own angry thoughts behind the car until my mom came to an abrupt halt in front of an old house. It was a wonderful house with window panes and stuff. But I didn't bother with the details. I was thinking about how pissed I was with the School. I wanted Fang more than ever right now. Then I was pissed with Fang. How could he let himself be killed like that? How could he leave me like this? Why hadn't he just stayed strong for me? Why? He said he had loved me!! I stopped my thoughts abruptly as I saw three people standing on the porch. Charlie was the older one I'm guessing and the girl must be Bella, his daughter, and the boy must be Edward. "I'm Charlie," Charlie immediately said to Ella as she approached with my mom. My mom really did seem happy around him. I kicked down the kickstand and dismounted Lucy. "I think you have a stray here," Charlie laughed, confused. "Oh, that's not a stray; sorry, that's Max," My mom said apologetically. Charlie's jaw tightened as he looked over Lucy again. I pulled off my helmet and hung it on Lucy's handle bar as I began to approach Charlie. I was wearing a pair of faded torn jeans and the same shirt from two weeks ago. "Oh, well, I'm Charlie," Charlie said to me. I gave a brief nod to him. "Max," I introduced myself. My mom snapped her jaw shut disapprovingly at me. I glanced at her then back at Charlie and gave a small forced smile. Then something felt at my mind-barrier. It was odd; I hadn't felt anything there for about a year. I hadn't felt anything there since I last saw Angel and she was trying to bug into my thoughts. The thought saddened and angered me at the same time. I traced the link back to Edward, the son-in-law. Then I found something; his eyes were gold. They couldn't be gold; why were they gold? It was the same with Bella but not with Charlie.
Ella kept on squealing and chattering away to the happy family. Edward, however, looked confused and frustrated. Gee, I wonder why. My mind-barriers happen to be steeled with my every life being. If it broke and I hadn't let it then I would die because this was how I kept it so strong. So his nudge was barely even a nudge. It was like a nagging mosquito bite. "Well, let's not just stand out here when this is Forks! Max, you can put your bike under a tarp or something in the backyard." Charlie instructed me. I nodded and went to get Lucy. I rolled her into the back. I would have to clean her a lot more because of this mud. I went back in after tying down the green tarp, carrying my helmet under my arm. I placed the helmet in the entrance way and hung up my jacket as well. "So, Max," Charlie said as I entered the kitchen. I raised my eyebrows in question. "What does your mom usually cook for you? Let me have a whack at it," Charlie said with an excited smile. And this elicited my mom's giggle. Yes, a giggly giggle from the mother who made me, the strongest, most non-giggly giggler. "Try lasagna," I said with a shrug. Charlie nodded, some excitement going down. I felt a bit bad for him. "Alright," He said but gained back his excitement a second later. "Well, you better believe this will be the best lasagna you've ever had." Charlie said. "I wouldn't bet on it; Charlie can't boil water without burning it." Mom laughed. I gave a small smile at her and nodded. "Well, at least I tried boiling it," Charlie said and gave my mom a peck on the lips. It reminded me of Fang's little peck-giving moods. It made me want him even more. But I couldn't because of the School. "Oh, Ella, Max, you two will love the high school here in Forks." Charlie told us. I raised my eyebrows at him in prompting. "Oh, I can't wait!" Ella squealed. "Oh, you'll probably see some of my siblings there." Edward suddenly said. "Oh, yes, Edward's family is a major foster family. They adopt like a pair of monkeys! But alls well; they somehow choose the best," Charlie said with a small smile. Edward gave a proud grin. I nodded. Doubt it. "I actually have a couple of siblings that are around your age. Juniors, right?" Edward asked. I nodded. "Well, there's Elizabeth, Cash, Brit, and Lyle." Edward said. Ella kept her conversation on Edward's siblings with him. She just couldn't wait to meet them! Mock, mock, mock.
The conversation, however, somehow picked my mind off of my anger. "But Lyle's kind of a loner, like how I was before I met Bella." Edward concluded. Ella seemed all squealed up again and was ranting on about her old friends in Colorado and their crazy antics, including the sixties-themed sock hop and soda parlors! I couldn't wait to get back on Lucy. "Well, we better get going. I want to put Renesmee to bed." Bella said. Renesmee was their daughter. "Tell her that grandpa says hi," Charlie said as they left. Bella nodded and the two left. They were eerie. "So, what did you think of Bella and Edward?" Ella whispered to me. I shrugged noncommittally and gave a soft breath. Then I heard their voices outside. "I can't read her mind and I think she has some suspicions about us. It's just blank there, almost like she's dead to the world." Edward said. "Well, maybe she's just another shield like me." Bella said. I heard the rustles meaning he was nodding. "But let's just keep an eye out for her." Edward said. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning back. Then I finished my burnt lasagna. "It was nice, Charlie," I said. My mom smiled widely. "Oh, it's a long story but that's very, very, very good for Max's standards!" Mom said to Charlie. Charlie seemed very proud of himself now. It almost made me want to laugh. I went upstairs to the empty room that had been showed to me as mine. It was a sky-blue room with nice furniture and such. I wasn't going to do anything with it; this was perfect.