A/N: I do not own Maximum Ride.
This story holds the same characters, and I'll try to keep them acting like that, although the plot is completely different. RnR? Please?
Chapter One
I was flying. Well, not literally. In reality, I was sprinting the home stretch in my school cross country meet. No one was in front of me, not even the guy runners who had started two minutes earlier than me. I'd run right by them with a split-second grin and comet-like speed. Maximum happiness there, let me tell you.
I could see the finish line only a few yards ahead. I put on the extra speed, and barreled right over it. Everyone from my school in the stands raced down to meet me as I gasped for breath.
"Ten minutes?" I heard a familiar voice shriek. "Ten freaking minutes to run three and a half miles?"
I smiled as I was crushed in a hug by none other than Nudge, my best friend. She was crushing the air outta me, and I needed all the air I could get after that run.
"Nudge…" I gasped. She looked at me sweetly, her brown eyes happy and confused. "Dying, can't… breath…" I managed, attempting to struggle from her vise-like grasp.
"Oh, shit!" she gasped, releasing me, and I dropped to the hard-packed ground only to be raised up again on my school's shoulders.
"Yeah, Max!" one of the guys holding me aloft said, and I grinned widely, relishing this up in the air and winning thing.
"Won this competition for Flock High yet again, Speedy," another holder-of-Max guy congratulated me as my little group proceeded to the stage to watch the other racers file in. I knew we'd have to wait a little while. Okay, a long while.
My carriers lowered me to the ground and I laughed and slapped high-fives with everyone, gasping no more. My entire mini-sized school filed onto the stage as I took my seat next to the prize-awarder-guy.
"Hey!" I said happily, facing the announcer guy.
"Congratulations," he replied, completely unenthusiastically, and promptly left his seat to walk away from me. Some people.
Nudge ran up to me yet again, this time with a water. Yes, water! The drink of the runners! I gulped the whole thing in one sip while Nudge took the announcer's seat, chattering animatedly about my performance.
"And then, through the woods I saw you give your grin to those guys and I was like, 'OMG, Max is just too much!'"
I smiled at my friend, laughing as she described my 'super amazing wickedly fantabulous' performance. Her words, not mine.
I looked over her head at the line, a strawberry-blond head was coming at it full-speed.
"Nudge!" I yelled, hopping down the stage, ignoring the questioning glances from onlookers. "It's Ig, c'mon we gotta go congratulate him!"
James, 'Iggy' Mitchel, the best guy runner on the team and my practice-partner, was running across the finish line, wheezing, his ears straining to hear where the most noise was coming from. Contrary to most beliefs, Iggy's blind, yet he's the fastest (other than me, of course) runner on Flock High's cross country team. Makes ya think, it really does.
Just as he flopped over the finish, exhausted, I heard the not-so-kindly announcer call our names, probably hoping to just finish this whole ordeal. I mean, at how many meets do they give awards before there is even a third placeman? Not many, let me tell you.
I climbed the stairs back up onto the stage, bowing dramatically to the gathered crowd. I'm practically famous in my town, Flock, if you couldn't tell.
The announcer handed Iggy and me our medals and ushered an Itex Township runner up onstage. Guess he was third.
After all the award stuff was over, the announcer totally shocked me. Like, completely.
"Maximum Ride, our first placeman,"
"Fist placewoman," I corrected sweetly.
He shrugged and continued. "Right, first placewoman from Flock High has qualified for the Regional Hike-a-thon, which will be held next month!"
The audience clapped, the Itex students booed. I could just stand there, my mouth hanging wide open, one thing playing over and over in my head: Um, what?