A/N: So, this is my third FF story. I had a hiatus for a few months when I only had CinderMax up, so that's why it doesn't have many chapters…I try to update all of my stories once a day, but if I get too many then I won't.
Disclaimer: I am not named James. Iggy is though! I'm also a teenage girl, not a grown man.
CHAPTER ONE
Max POV:
So, I'll catch you up on things before I start. As you probably know (man that sounded snobby) I'm Maximum Ride, but if you call me anything other than Max, you die. I'm now 5'11, I still have sun streaked hair, and I look about the same as I did when I was fourteen.
I'm seventeen years old. Three years ago, the Flock split up because of my half-brother, Ari. Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy never returned. After I found out Dr. Martinez was my mom and Ella's my half-sister, Angel, Nudge, Total, and I went back to Arizona and had a teary reunion. Mom adopted Nudge and Angel, but I still go by my last name Ride, but Nudge and Angel go by Martinez.
Mom put us in school. Nudge is fourteen, and Angel is nine. They still look and act the same, they're just taller. Okay, now that that's out of the way…..
Today marks the third year since I've seen the other half of the Flock. We all pretend to be over them, but Angel misses her brother, I miss my right-wing man, and we all miss all of them.
I got up and chose something to wear. That never gets old, having more than one outfit at a time. I got some jeans and a plain black tee. Quickly, I brushed my hair. I walked out to smell food. "Bacon and pancakes!" I yelled. Of course, I still loved food. I need more of it than I used to. I sat down in between Angel and Ella, and Nudge, Mom, and Total (yes, he still sits at the table). Angel gave my hand an assuring pat. "It will be okay, Max. We all miss Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy. I wish I could see my brother, too," she said, and my heart gave a little jerk. I looked at Nudge, and she was quiet, for once. Ella broke the awkward silence. "How about we do something after school? Maybe we can go to the lake or something." Mom nodded. "I think that would be great for us, you three in particular," she said, motioning to Angel, Nudge, and I. "Oh, I see, think that just because I'm a dog means I don't miss the boys. I wish I wasn't always stuck in a house full of girls, you know!" I glared at Total. "Yeah, I could go flying. There's some hawks that used to live around here, and there was a cave that's perfect for diving. It's right over Lake Mead." I looked at Nudge, and she burst into tears. "F-F-Fang and I st-stayed there wh-wh-when you s-saved E-Ella," she shuddered. I mentally punched myself. Really, Max? I asked myself.
It's not your fault, Max, Angel's voice said in my mind, and she patted my hand. I got out of my seat and went around the table to hug Nudge. "I'm sorry, Nudge. I forgot about that." I had a sudden idea. I looked around at Ella, Mom, Nudge, Angel, and Total. "We're going to make this day great. I know we can," I said. Nudge nodded through her tears. She was being awfully quiet. While she still talks a lot, it's been different for the past few years. "I know we can, Max. We will. We can pretend that the rest of them don't exist, if they're still alive. We can give you makeovers, too!" She burst into tears. "What if they aren't alive?" she cried. I shook my head. "They are. I know they are." I didn't want to tell them I'd been reading Fang's blog. "No makeovers, though," I said. They gave me Bambi eyes. I tried not to look at them, but then I reminded myself: They want today to be amazing. I just sighed in defeat. "Fine. Just give me a few minutes," I said. I still had an hour. I always wake up early, usually to go flying. Instead I just went into my room. I turned on my laptop. Yes, Mom got us a bunch of unneeded things that came in handy, like laptops and iPods. I went to the same place as always: Fang's blog.
Fang's blog: Welcome!
Date: September 17, 2013
You are visitor: 156,678,435
What's up? The counter thing broke again. So the number should be higher.
This marks the third year of not being with the girls in the Flock. It's not going to be a good day. We're starting school. You see, we never found our parents (I would've mentioned that), but we're going to pretend to be normal. We found a completely abandoned cabin somewhere in the U.S. (not saying where), and are pretending to be normal. We all have multiple pieces of clothing, so we won't look homeless. Gazzy has been bugging to go to school. I sometimes forget he's only eleven.
Well, I have to go soon. I wish I could say that there were six of us going, but I don't even know if Max, Angel, and Nudge are alive. Maybe they were eliminated in Itex. I don't know, but I'll never let Iggy and Gazzy know that. Max, Angel, and Nudge: If you're out there, I miss you guys. I hope you're safe.
Fly On,
-Fang
I read this a few times. Fang missed us? He thought we were dead? That made me angry. He didn't think I could stay alive through all of this? The only thing that almost killed me was missing having all of my Flock. Ella and Nudge ran in, Angel right behind them. I shut off my laptop quickly. That was really close to them seeing it. I hope they never look up his blog. The Flyboys are still after them, even if all of them have left them alone. Even if we destroyed Itex, that doesn't mean that all the scientists are dead and resting. They haven't given up yet. I know they won't rest until they die. I let them set me down for makeup, even though I hated it. You see, I was still the Flock leader. While Mom adopted the girls, I'm still in charge of them, and she accepts that.
I looked at my arm, seeing the scars from having my chip removed all those years ago. I almost cried, remembering getting it out. I had the Valium that day, and told Fang how much I loved him. Even if it was the Valium, I hated remembering it. I wished that they would come back. Ari is gone, and they are, too. Fang never came when I sent him that email, and it killed me. After they were done making me up, I was allowed to look in the mirror.
I looked like a… seventeen year old girl with makeup on. My lips were this red color, my eyes had what Nudge called a "smoky eye effect", whatever that was. My eyes also had black eyeliner and mascara. I looked pretty, but not like Max. They handed me something to wear, and I sighed in relief when I saw it wasn't a skirt or dress. They handed me red skinny jeans and my Bulls in the Bronx Pierce the Veil tee. I found a love for music when we came here, mostly for the post-hardcore genre. It relaxed me and understood my feelings most of the time. They straightened my wavy hair, and I looked okay, I guess. Not too girly, and like Max, just a little different. My shirt didn't have holes in it, and I'd like to keep it that way, so I couldn't fly to school. I decided to walk, considering it was a nice day. The girls were getting a ride with Mom, but I hate riding in cars. I've never been fond of it, but Nudge and Angel had grown used to it. I turned on my music, and turned on Bulletproof Love by Pierce the Veil. I waited for my favorite line.
My love for you was bulletproof
But you're the one who shot me.
I felt like I was about to cry. I still had feelings for Fang, not that I'd ever tell anyone. I put my head down. Fang was my right-wing man, my best friend, and I feel like we could have been more if he stayed. But he had to leave, and I was left alone. As the song changed to Stay Away From My Friends, I walked with my head down.
After about ten minutes of walking and listening to music, I slammed into something in the school parking lot. They caught me and said, "Hey, are you okay?" I looked up, and my heart stopped. Why was he here?
"Fang?"
Fang POV:
A girl slammed into me, and I caught her. She was wearing red skinny jeans and a shirt that said Bulls in the Bronx with a bull on it. "Fang?" she asked, her voice a whisper. I looked at her face, and my heart stopped. Max looked at me. I quickly put her back on her feet. "Max," I said. She walked up to me, and I opened my arms. Sure, I'm not a hug person, but Max was an exception. She walked hesitantly into my arms. After realizing I was really here, she wrapped her arms around me. After a minute, she asked, "Where's Iggy?" I nodded towards Iggy, waiting at the entrance to the school. He was waiting for me, and I told him I was going to walk around a bit. Max then punched me hard in the stomach. "How dare you leave us? I'll tell Nudge and Angel that you're here. You have no idea how much I've missed you guys. Where's Gazzy? I need to see my Flock!" She ran over to Iggy, me on her heels. She tapped the back of his hand like she used to and hugged him. "Max?" he asked. She laughed. "Yes, Ig, it's me," she said, and started crying.
A/N: How was it? The other chapters will be longer, but I figured since this is just starting the story, I wouldn't make it really long. I might be updating it later today, if I have time.
I do this thing in all of my chapters called Song of the Chapter (SOTC). I put song lyrics at the bottom of the chapter in an A/N and you guess them (No cheating with Google or YouTube!), so I'll start that.
This chapter's SOTC:
You'll never know Maybe we're just having too much fun. I've been having this dream that we can fly,
I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight.
She said, "Hotels are cheap,
And there's one down the street."
But, don't you threaten me with a good time.
Murder the moment.
My God, I'm the serpent.
I'm sorry, I can't see that you truly love me.
Maybe you can't handle yourself,
Staring at me with your lips and tongue.
So maybe if we never wake up, we can see the sky.
There's a hint in the chapter, just saying. Review, follow, and favorite! (If you want, of course)
-Maximumride732