Disclaimer-I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the charecters. Other than the ones I made up of course.
I look up at the new house and wince. So this is where we will live for the next who knows how long. I feel a tug on my shirt and look down at Angel.
"Can Gazzy and I go pick our rooms?" she ask me, looking up with those baby blue's I love so much.
I bend down so I am eyes level with her and Gazzy, her big brother, and smile. "Of course sweetie. Lets go." They both grab one of my hands and we walk into the new house, or mansion I guess, together.
The place is huge. Maybe big enough to hide from Jeb. Maybe life itself.
I'm gonna guess that by now you are lost and thinking 'WTF?'. Let me help you out.
My name is Maximum Ride, Max for short. I live with my 'father', Jeb, my little adopted sister Angel, and adopted brother Gazzy. They are blood siblings. We move a lot and for a good reason too. Jeb likes to...play with us... We mostly get beaten, well I do, I will never let him close enough to get to the little kids. But we also have...experiments done on us. Because of them we are strong, fast, smart, scarred, and given a gift/curse, depends on how you look at it. We have wings. Not like the play kind that your little sister Angel's age would play with. Real wings, that flap and lift you off the ground. That let you soar and feel like God. That are the reason we live in this hell. But if I tell you all of this now then there will be no story. So one we go...
Before we can go off and explore the house Jeb walks in. I turn to face him and push Angel and Gazzy behind me.
"I already chose your rooms, follow me," Jeb tells us. Angel and Gazzy squeeze my hands tighter as we follow him up the long, twisting stairs. He stops in front of three door all next to each other. I raise one brow at him before the doors are opened and cautiously step into the first one.
The room is painted variates of green, cameo. There is a bed and a big desk full of different chemicals. Oh no. Stuff to make a bomb. Gazzy looks up at me with eyes so much like his sisters and I nod. He lets go of my hand and walks into the room, walking to the big desk and peering at the different chemicals.
Jeb coughs and motions for us to follow him. We walk out of the room, leaving Gazzy to look around his. The room next to his is opened and looks like heaven on earth-for Angel.
The room is a soft pink with a pink bed with a canopy, piled high with stuffed animals. There is a toy box in the corner that is overflowing with toys. Angel lets go of my hand and goes to sit on the bed. She smiles at me from where she is sitting and I smile back at her. She and Gazzy are the only ones that can make me smile, which is big.
Jeb coughs again, is it too hard to say excuse me, and leads me to the last room. The door opens and I take a tentative step in.
The room is a dark blue and the bed is black. Dark colors, something was done right. There is a black electric guitar on a stand in the corner. For the first time Jeb got it right. Wow, give the man a cookie. But this is too right. Gazzy, Angel and I, all getting the right room for us, or even a room at all.
I turn to Jeb and place my hands on my hips, glaring at him. "What is this for?" I ask him.
Jeb lowers his eyes a bit. Even he can't stand one of my glares. "They're your rooms." Before I can protest he starts again. "I want to try something new. I want us to be a family. Please give me a chance. Let me get this right." Before I can say a thing he walks off.
I sigh and walk over to the guitar. Maybe it's not so bad... I pick up the guitar and study it. It is more than just a black electric it has a pair of metallic silver wings outlined on the arm. Of course Jeb had to rub it in my face that he ruined my life. He can't just let it go. They are pretty though.
I grab a pick with the same design on it and pluck at the strings carefully. The tuning is wrong so I fix it, listing for the right sound with my bird hearing before starting again. Much better. The song is slow and sad. I don't know what it is though. Maybe its the song of my soul. I stop thinking and close my eyes. I just play. My breathing calms and everything is focused. It's like a new world. I like it. I relish in the feeling as my fingers stop and I sigh in content. I hear clapping and look over to the door. Angel and Gazzy are standing there beaming at me. Angels runs up to me and gives me a hug.
"That was amazing, Max," she whispers into my neck. I set the guitar down and wrap my arms around her.
"Thanks sweetie." I pull back and stand up. Lets go and get some food guys. As I pass Gazzy I smell something...something... "Gazzy? What were you doing in your room?"
Gazzy smiles sheepishly at me. "Nothing," he says before dashing down the stairs to the kitchen. I shake my head and walk after him. Jeb is always sober for about a week while we settle in and neighbors come over to welcome us before getting drunk. That and when he is doing experiments once a month.
The kitchen is really big but I don't know how to use any of the appliances. I burned water, just a warning. I walk to the pantry and find some bread. Then I go to the fridge and get cheese and turkey. This I can do. No cooking required.
I finish my masterpiece and hand one to Gazzy and one to Angel, keeping one for myself. I keep the stuff out and keep making more sandwiches until we have been though the entire loaf of bread. Hey! Bird kids eat more that human ones. Jeb walks into the room as I though away the trash and I freeze.
"Ah, good. You guys have already eaten. It's been a while since I have cooked." I laugh at this. Jeb-cook-for us? He has a better chance of flying.
"Yeah, it has been a while since you've cooked for us," I retort. Jeb sighs and walks up to me and pats me awkwardly on the back. I stiffen and in half a second he is on the floor, squished under my boot. "Get this straight," I snarl at him. "We are not yours. Do not think you can give us nice stuff and expect us to kiss your feet." I lift my foot and walk out of the room, dragging Angel and Gazzy with me.
I lead them back up the stairs but we walk to a common area with a TV, gaming system and pool table. I sit down on the couch and they sit next to me. And we just sit there. No need for words. Angel lays down and puts her head in my lap. I push her hair from her face and brush it back. She yawns and snuggles closer. I wrap an arm around her protectively and glace at Gazzy. He is sitting there and yawns. Angel is asleep and Gazzy looks like he could pass out any second. I get up and hold Angel in my arms.
"Come on Gazzy, lets get you guys to bed. It's late."
Gazzy yawns. "But I'm not tired." I laugh quietly.
"Come on, lets get you to bed." He yawns again but does not complain this time. He follows me to his room and lays down on the bed, asleep before he even changes in to pj's. I shut his door quietly and bring Angel to hers. I put her in a night gown and lay her in her bed. I kiss her forehead softly before walking out and shutting the door behind me.
I walk into my room and slip on some sweats and a tank top. My tawny wings hang behind me. I sigh and ruffle them slightly. I walk over to the other side of the room and open the door that I think is my closet, but it has curtains, and walk out onto a balcony. The crisp winter air kisses my skin and I shiver involuntarily. There is a pool behind the house and to my left is another balcony that belongs to our neighbors. I wonder what they are like? I stop dwelling on it. They will probably hate us. Most people do.
The clear sky is calling to me in a way that makes me want to jump off the balcony and into the stars but I can't. If I leave Angel and Gazzy alone who knows what will happen to them. I turn and walk back inside before I convince myself to fly. I shut the door and pull a hoodie on. My wings slip though the cuts I had made when I altered it. The soft black fleece hoodie is my favorite. I lay down on my bed and sigh. Only two weeks of winter vacation and they will go by in a flash, or as slow as a snail.
Was it good? bad? Do you want to kiss my feet or throw onions at me? You know the drill. R & R! (Do not use the double meaning! Don't use this as an excuse to rest and relax!)