Fangs Journal

It's been two years since Max 'saved the world'. Long story short, there were several explosions – courtesy of Iggy and Gazzy – and the School etc being exposed.

Iggy and Nudge live together. I still don't know why Ig hasn't gone deaf yet! Angel and Gazzy live next door on either side of Ig and Nudge. Max and I live across the street. But not how I really want it. I don't know who I'm kidding with the whole 'I-don't-care-about-anything-really' image. To cut another long story short, I like Max. Heck, I think I love her. But I can't just tell her. She'll freak. And that would not be good.

The main reason I'm writing in this journal is so I don't explode. I don't tell anyone how I feel. It's better that way. But if I write it down, I can get it out of my head. Just for a while.

Max's Journal

God, why did I let Angel talk me into this? Then again, her mind-control probably helped. So now I'm writing a journal.

Anyway, I 'saved the world'. It mainly involved a few of Gazzy and Iggys 'creations' and exposing the School and the rest of the whole whacked up group. Oh yeah, Iggy and Nudge are in happy-la-la-land, a.k.a in love. They live across the road from me and Fang. Angel and Gazzy are on either side of them. It's sad that, even though I saved the world, the Flocks parents didn't want them back. The Griffiths practically begged Iggy to come back. But he flatly refused to go anywhere near them. And I don't blame him.

So, what am I supposed to write in a journal? Aren't I meant to put down secrets and stuff? Well, if I am, then I guess I'd better do my biggest one; the fact that I am in love with my best friend ever and fellow mutant bird-kid – Fang. I'm sure he's not in love with me. It's hard being in the same house as him. God, I'm being so girly. Uh. I'd better stop writing before I turn into a Barbie.

Fangs Journal

I almost walked in on Max in the shower this morning. Luckily, I have mastered the art of entering and leaving rooms silently. So when I opened the door and heard her singing I backed out sharpish.

I'd never tell her, but Max has a beautiful voice. Seriously. If she wasn't a mutant bird-kid she could be famous. She even looks like a celebrity. Her hair is long and kind of golden. Her tan wings look like gold as well, when the sun catches them. And…I'm turning into Nudge. Only I'm rambling about Max. Incredible, indestructible, gorgeous Maximum Ride. I'd love to call her mine. But she's like a wild horse. She may stay with someone, but no-one could ever own her.

Max's Journal.

I've decided to write a poem. I know I'm sixteen and poetry can be really sappy but hey. This came to me, well parts of it, while I was flying last night.

'This lady in white

Is tired of the fight

Always waiting

Always wondering

Bound to this day

By demands, secrets, lies

It goes against all of her family ties

This lady in white

Fell in love with the Night

But the Dawn came and stole her away

Trapped in her dress

By a corset and silk

Both purest white

White as the bone

Indestructible hearts

Living apart

Open wounds slowly healing

Vices are squeezing

Eternity is closing

Freedom is offered

A chance to escape

Night takes her hand

Going, going, gone

The Dawn wakes to find

His false love has gone

Fled to the embrace

Of dark handsome Night

Joined by love and by flight

It's only right.'

I've just noticed that the first letters of some of the lines spell I LOVE FANG. That was a total accident. But it's true. I do love him.

Fangs Journal

Oh my freaking god. Iggy and Nudge are getting married. And all of the Flock are invited to the wedding. It's great for them. But being there will tear me into little pieces. Cause I'd do anything to marry Max. Even just to be able to tell her I love her every day would be enough. But I never will.

Anyway, Max is forcing me to go with her and Nudge to get dresses and a tux. How dumb will I look in a tux? Max'll look gorgeous in anything she picks out. She'd look fantastic in a sack. Not that she'd ever wear a sack. One of these days I'm going to get up the nerve to tell her that I love her. Fighting Erasers is easy compared to the thought of doing that. And if I do, and she rejects me, I'd probably kill myself. I'd rather not be here at all than know for certain that Max will ever love me.

Max's Journal.

Fang almost walked in on me in the shower the other day. He thinks I didn't notice him come in but I did. But I was so caught up in what I was singing that what happened didn't really register until now. God, I can't believe I didn't remember until now.

But more importantly, Nudge and Iggy are getting married! And all of the flock are invited to the wedding. Me and Nudge have roped Fang into going shopping with us. How dumb will I look in a dress? Fang will look way hot in a tux and break my heart. Hold on. I did NOT just write that Fang was hot. Oh well. It's my private journal. It's not like he'll ever read it. Besides, I am head over heels in love with him. Yes, that's right. Maximum Ride has officially entered happy-la-la-land thanks to Fang. If only he felt the same as I do. Oh, that reminds me. I wrote another poem. It came to me while I was online, so I scrawled it on a post-it. Here it is:

'It's no good saying if only

Cause if only's can't come true

It's no good saying I wish

Cause wishes just won't do

And I would do

Just anything

To have you here with me

Tonight

Is a night of stars and magic

We can really reach the moon

If you take my hand

And fly with me

Then I'll believe in you

If I believe in you then

Dreams really do come true.'

Actually, thinking about it, this is more of a song verse than a poem. Maybe I should sing it. I know Fang plays piano. And guitar, keyboard, drums and just about every other instrument. Apparently that's his skill. Not just instruments. He can pick up anything and know how to use it. Kind of like Nudge, really.

Back to the point. Maybe I can convince Fang to write some music to go with it. Hopefully he won't realise that it's mainly about him. Heck, I hope he never reads this journal. If he finds out about it, I'll have some serious explaining to do.

Oh, I forgot. The only reason Nudge is old enough to marry Iggy is because of her new time-travel power. She can freeze time and travel around in it. But if she travels forward and doesn't concentrate hard enough, she ages the amount of years she's travelled. And vice versa, it also uses up a lot of energy, so she doesn't use it very often. But when she realised she was in love, really in love, with Iggy, she travelled forward far enough so that she was the same age as him. So now she's sixteen. Like me, Fang and Iggy.

Fangs Journal

Max asked me to write some music for a song she'd written. Somehow, I knew exactly what to play. Gods, her voice is beautiful. I could listen to her sing for hours. She made me make up scores for two songs. Both of them are about someone she's in love with. I know it. The odd thing is, I can't help thinking that maybe they're about me in some way. But I bet it isn't. Max doesn't love me.

Max's P.O.V. (not her journal.)

"Ohmigosh MAX!" shrieked Nudge, almost knocking me over.

"Hi Nudge." I smiled. The fact that she's sixteen when she should really be thirteen-fourteen-ish is a little unnerving.

"I can't believe Iggy proposed! It's so great! I'm so excited!" Nudge was practically bouncing off the walls, she was so hyped up.

"Nudge, breathe." I told her, and then shouted, "Fang! Nudge is here!" Nudge whispered in my ear,

"Are you two together yet? Cause I know you like him." I shook my head sadly.

"I don't think he likes me like that."

"Ohmigosh, FANG!" shrieked Nudge again, running over to hug him. She barely noticed that he didn't hug back. I rolled my eyes at him and he mouthed, 'she hasn't changed a bit, has she?' at me. I grinned. Nudge let go of Fang and took a deep breath.

"Max, can we go get my dress cause, y'know, it makes it feel real and I want you to help me choose cause you're, like, my best friend apart from Angel but she's only eight and she doesn't really know that much about weddings and…"
"Nudge! Breathe!" Fang and I said loudly.

"I already said I'd go with you didn't I? And so will Fang." I hot him a look that said, you-will-come-with-me-or-I-will-really-hurt-you.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed his jacket from a hook in the hall.

"I'll come on one condition. I drive." Nudges face fell.

"Uh, I have a car; it's just across the street. I though maybe…" she trailed off. A first, for Nudge.

"That's okay Nudge. You drive yourself up there, and I'll ride with Fang. Seeing how he wants to show off his fancy motorbike driving skills." He hit me on the arm. I hit him back.

"Okay." Said Nudge, her face brightening. Wow, lot's of short sentences from Nudge today. Maybe Ig's been training her not to talk people's ears off anymore.

Minutes later, Fang and I were zooming down the road, behind Nudge's red convertible. At least it wasn't pink. To tell the truth, I love riding with Fang on his bike. It's the only time I can hug him as hard as I want, and not get a weird reaction. He thinks I don't rate his driving skills, but I trust Fang more than anyone else. If someone has saved your life several times, you tend to trust them quite a lot. As we shot out of the suburbs onto the highway into town, Fang shouted an interesting proposition to me over the roar of the engine.

"You want to drive fore a while?"

"Sure!" I called back and we pulled over to the side of the road to change over. Soon I was speeding us down the tarmac, feeling great. Riding a motorbike wasn't too hard; Fang had taught me the basics. We were halfway to our destination when fangs hands, which had been wrapped around my waist, moved up to cross over each other and hold my shoulders. I frowned to myself. What was he doing? Then he laid his head on my back! What was going on, he's being all…emotional! His movements were distracting, so I slowed down.

After another half an hour's drive, we reached the mall. It was huge and commercial. I could see why Nudge loved it. As we pulled into the huge, multi-story parking lot, Fang resumed his original position. Very, very strange. Another strange thing was, as we got off of the bike and I stretched to loosen up my cramped limbs, I was sure he was string at me. Not in a, you know, sick, perverted way or anything. It was like I was some rare and exotic creature (okay, bird-kids are pretty rare, but exotic?) that had never been seen before. I shook off the feeling that he was watching my every mood and dragged him over to where Nudge was waiting by the elevators.

The first one that arrived brought with it a tide of people that swept Nudge, Fang and I away from the elevator. We managed to fight out way back towards it, but another tide of people appeared from nowhere and dragged Nudge into it.

"I'll meet you guys at the bottom!" she called as the doors clanged shut and the elevator made it's way down. Luckily for us, the next one was empty, so we got in and pressed the down button. Talk about awkward silences. And this damn parking lot had about twenty floors before the actual mall.

"Um, what was all that about back then? You know the hugging and the staring…" I asked, feeling my cheeks flame with embarrassment. Surprisingly, Fang seemed to be embarrassed as well.

"Uh, it's kinda hard to explain." He said, not looking at me.

"Tell me. You know you can tell me." I told him, shuffling my feet.

"I know I can. Tell you stuff, that is. But this is different." He rummaged in his pocket and handed me a small black book. Even without opening it I knew it was a journal. It looked almost exactly like mine. Except that mine was sky blue.

"Thanks. Actually, I think you'd better read this, as well." I handed him my journal. I always carry it with me; I don't want it to fall into the wrong hands.

"Read it later, alone." We both said at the same time. Then we laughed. There was a loud, ding as the elevator reached the bottom floor. The doors swished open and we stepped out and looked around for Nudge. She was hanging around, looking bored – boy has her attention span shrunk – outside a glass fronted store that sold, yep you guessed it, wedding clothes.