"We finally found it!" Yelled Nudge. "I can't believe we finally found it! I mean I knew we would, but I never knew when, or where! And I really hope we find out about our parents. I, like, really, really want to, but I'm kind of scared, you know? It's like, what if we find them, but they might not want us, you know, because of the wings and stuff."
You know, Nudge's babbling is almost always the last thing I want, but for some reason, it comforts me now. She had a point, and to be honest, I'm kind of scared. But of coarse, if I'm scared, the whole flock will break down with worries. No, I need to be strong now, strong for them.
However, if we can't get passed this door, it will be a mute point, 'cause we will never even find anything out. "So anybody got any ideas?" I call out. " We obviously can't break it down with brute strength- it's way too thick."
Iggy sports a sly grin. "Maybe we can't break it down, but I know somebody -or something- that can." He holds up what appears to be a bomb, I can't quite make it out in the dim light.
"And were did you get that?" I ask him.
" A magician never reveals his secrets," he jokes.
"Oh shut up and blow it up already!" I snap, out of frustration and irritation. But I have to say, watching that door explodes was quite satisfying. Once it had been blown apart, we were able to walk right in. But my good mood faded quickly when I saw the person in the room, now with us.
When my shock finally faded the slightest bit, I managed to choke out a few unintelligent words. "You're supposed to be dead," I croak. The rest of the flock steps in for a closer look. Iggy is the only one able to speak.
"Tally," he whispers.
Look. I'm sorry I never told you about Tally. It's kind of a touchy subject for me. Long ago, when we were still in the School, Tally was there with us. She was just like us; 98% human, 2% avian, and a part of our flock. She was my best friend, Fang's "future girlfriend", and well, Iggy's sister. Twin sister. Two months before Jeb took us away, we had been told that she died in an experiment gone wrong. We were heart broken, of course, but Jeb helped us to move on, and get passed it. We did, eventually, but it's still an incredibly difficult subject.
"Wait a second," said Tally. "This can't be real! You're dead!"
Okay, now I'm confused. "What are you talking about?" I practically yell. "Is it really you, Tally?"
"Yeah, it is." she says, blinking back tears, "It's me, Max. It's me." She ran forward and gave Iggy a big hug. I was kind of hurt that she went to him first, but I can't really blame her, they are siblings after all, and twins, and that. I got over myself really quick, and interrupted their reunion to find out what had happened with Tally.
We all sat at attention as she spoke the story of what happened after we left, thinking she was dead. The day we were told she had died, what had really happened was she was pulled away for an annual health check, in another building. We had them all the time; it was like going to a doctor appointment. However, not long after she got to the office, someone told her that there had been an explosion in the chem. lab, and it had destroyed the entire School, and all the people in it. After that, she never went back to the school, just stayed in a small shack until a scientist named Marty Gregorovitch "rescued" her and took her to a small house in Arizona. She lived there for two years until Marty passed away. Since then, she has been scouring the country looking for answers about her past, just like we were.
"But it doesn't make sense," I added skeptically. "Why would they do that?"
"Why do they do anything?" Tally replied.
I was about to add that she had a good point, but just then the room became filled with cops. I guess we got so caught up in the moment that we forgot that this place might actually have a security system. But still, I was relieved to find that they were real cops, not scientists who would be much harder to escape from.
"Be very careful," one of the cops was whispering. "They are highly dangerous." He pulled out a syringe, and before I had anytime to react, he plunged it into my arm.
The next thing I remember was that I woke up sore all over, and was trapped in a cage of some sort. In cages around me were Nudge, Fang, Gazzy, Iggy, Angel, and oh yeah, Tally. They all seemed more of less fine, only a bit shaken up.
Before I could even think of a plan, the opportunity to escape came. A man in a white coat unlatched the door to my cage, and told me he wanted to "check my blood pressure", but I guess we'll never know, because the second he opened the door, I delivered a swift kick to his abdomen, and then a sharp blow to he's head, knocking him clean out. Then I freed the rest of the flock, broke a window, and flew out of that awful place. I did a quick head count, and made sure everyone was present and accounted for. They were.
After flying for a few hours, we finally found a nice place to land in the mountains. We were all exhausted, but no one seemed to want to sleep. It had been quite a day, and everyone was still a bit pumped up on adrenalin. Then, when I was sure everyone was finally asleep, I heard a quiet whispering.
I glanced up, and saw Tally and Fang, over in the darkest corner of our little cave. Of course, they had a lot to talk about. Back at the School, I saw the way Fang looked at her, and the way she looked at him. It was no secret that the two of them liked each other, but I had thought that Fang was starting to like me, after he got ever her "death". Now it looks like they might even want to get back together. I'm usually a tough girl, but seeing them together hurt me more than any knife could.
Besides, there was no way I could compete against Tally. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but her long blond hair and gentle features made her irresistible. And I can see the reason she wants Fang; I want him for the same reasons. He's soft, but fierce, and he is so wonderful to be with. Not to mention the way the light bounces off his shoulder makes him look like and angel. Wait a second! Why would the light reflect off his shoulder? After looking a little bit closer, I realized there was something on his shoulder! There was a little round disc on his shoulder!
"Fang! Get over here!" I yelled. He looked really embarrassed.
"I'm really sorry Max, but there was just so much we had to talk about and-"
"Forget about that! I'm talking about this." I picked the tiny disc off his shoulder and held it up to the light. "Any idea what this is?" I asked. Fang looked confused.
"I have no idea." He said.
"It could be some sort of tracking device."
"Maybe, but lets talk about it in the morning, okay?"
"But what if they are on their way?" I was frustrated.
"Then they would have been here already. Look, we all need our sleep. Let's discuss it in the morning."
"Fine," I grumbled, and trudged back to me makeshift bed. Eventually, I drifted into a dreamless sleep.
I woke to the sound of loud noises. There were Erasers everywhere, and they looked mad.
"Maximum Ride," said a voice. I looked up. Ari.
"I'm sad to say, well, actually, I'm not sad at all, that I've been sent here to kill you. You failed the test, Maximum. We need a leader, but you just won't cooperate. So I get the pleasure of shooting you. I would tear you to shreds, but I can't risk you escaping. But I'm a fair guy, so I'll give you a chance. I only have one bullet, so if I miss, then you get to go free. But I WONT miss," he snarled.
Two hairy Erasers came up and grabbed me from behind. There was no escape for me now. Ari cocked the gun and aimed.
BANG! Went the hammer, as it fired the bullet. But I wasn't dead. Tally was.
She had jumped in front of me in order to save my life. I had just gotten her back and now she was gone. Really gone.
Ari began to speak. "Looks like you are safe this time Maximu-"
"SHUT UP!" I screamed. "JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE!"
I bent down to the floor where Tally lay. Tears were streaming down my face and on to the floor, but I didn't give them any notice. I don't know what time the erasers left, and I didn't care. I was upset, but not quite as upset as Iggy. He had just gotten his sister back, and now she was dead. He sat next to her, quietly sobbing and clutching her hand, as if willing her to come back to life. She didn't. The rest of the Flock was crying too, even Fang. It was like Colorado all over again.
At least ten hours later, Gazzy finally had the nerve to speak.
"What now?" He asked. "Where should we go?"
"I don't know." I answered. "Anywhere but here. In fact let's just get as far away from here as we can. NOW."
And with that, we launched ourselves into the night sky.