A/N: This is my first fanfic, so any reviews are welcome, including "constructive criticism" meaning you can say my story sucks, you just have to be nice about it. :)

There is no Total, sorry to all the Total lovers out there…. You can tell me if you want him in.

If only one person reads this and wants me to keep going, I will, for that one person. That's my Writing Promise. Check out my profile.

Disclaimer: I, sadly enough, do not own Maximum Ride or any of these characters. James Patterson does. But seriously, have you seen his pic? The dude is OLD! No wonder the book FANG went all wonky! No offense, JP, you're a genius…

Max's POV

I'm going to tell you a secret: if Iggy accidentally blows up Nudge right now, I don't think I'll be all that concerned. Really, I don't.

It's because of her that I'm here, crouched in a tree, my wings smooshed up against a particularly pokey branch, wearing short-shorts and a skimpy cami. My little fashionista Nudge has, not for the first time, taken things too far. She, Angel, and Ella'd had the idea that I wasn't 'feminine' enough. Me? I frankly don't give a darn. (why does that phrase sound so familiar?)

Anyway, they decided that if I wasn't going to be girly willingly, they would just have to force me. I'd been taking a shower only to come back and find all my clothes gone, replaced with disgustingly undersized shorts that, I guessed, would hardly cover my butt (I was right) and a three-sizes too small cami. I could hardly yell at the three in my towel, so I pulled on the clothes and set out to find them. And I did – each with a camera in hand.

After attacking me, duct taping my to a chair and covering my face in disgusting goop – my threats that I would burn all their Jonas Brothers posters and snap the CDs seemed to fly right over their heads - they took pictures and let me loose, figuring that one of them would be able to get away with some pictures. They figured wrong.

So, being the hot-headed bird kid that I am, I took the incriminating boxes and booked straight to the woods behind Mom's house. But they wouldn't break, and Nudge and Angel were after me to get their pictures back.

A year ago I would have been able to stop Nudge and Angel with a look, a glance. But now they're more stubborn and, I can't help but think, maybe for the better. After all, Nudge is 13 and Angel's 7. We have a home – for however long that's going to last – and in a couple months we'll be starting school. Maybe it isn't such a bad thing for them to be so independent.

So here I am, hiding in a danged poplar, planning my next move. Suddenly a tree branch snapped. I would have preferred to take to the air, and simply fly away, but that was what they probably expect me to do. Sure enough, I hear Nudge's voice call out "She's probably flying right now!" and then Angel's voice, sounding smug:

"No, she's definitely on the ground. She's thinking about it right now." I grit my teeth. Darn Angel and her mind-reading abilities. Wow, I think, trying to project my thoughts, the air up here's really cold. Maybe I had better land somewhere…. But no, then Nudge and Angel will find me. I keep up the flying related thoughts until I hear Angel saying, a lot closer sounding than before, "Wait! I think…. I think she's flying now. Her thoughts suddenly changed."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? We should be flying right now, not walking all around through these woods! I mean really, it's like RUINING my hairdo! I just did it! Max looked so pretty with her hair down and curled like that, don't you think? I wonder if she'll let us do it like that again? Maybe if we give her cookies. Mmm, cookies…. Doesn't Dr. M. make the BEST cookies ever? Huh?" Nudge babbled on and on, and I could hear her talking even as they unfolded their wings and leapt into the air.

"I mean, they're even better than Iggy's! And that's saying something. Ooh, its cold up here…." I waited until her voice faded away and I was sure I was alone before jumping down. I stretched my wings out to their full 13 foot span. Ahhh…. Now, what to do with the cameras?

"Bury them." I let out a yelp as Fang stepped out from a tree.

"Ah! Fang! What are you doing here?" my heart beat a little bit harder as he stepped through a patch of sunlight and crossed over to me. He raised an eyebrow.

"Looking for you, what else?"

"But… how'd you know I was here? Why aren't you with Angel and Nudge?" he chuckled.

"Obviously they'd think you were flying, and you know it. So you would hide on the ground." I rolled my eyes. Fang could read me so easily, it was almost disturbing. Almost. But usually helpful, when we were, say, fighting M-geeks or Erasers. The usual stuff. Deciding to take his suggestion into account, I knelt down and started scraping at the soft ground. A few seconds later Fang was beside me helping, and in no time, we had a decent sized hole. I shoved the cameras in and heaped the dirt on top of them, wanting to get them out of sight as fast as I could. Fang snickered.

"What?" I demanded, rounding on him.

"Nice outfit. Is that mascara you're wearing?" My hands flew self-consciously to my eyes. They came back with black gunk smeared on the backs. Shoot. He was right. I reached up and tried to rub the eyeliner and mascara away, but only succeeded in getting it in my eye.

"Crap!" I yelled. Ugh, if I was blinded because of this junk, someone was going to pay. I squeezed my eyes shut as so not to get anymore glop in them.

All of a sudden I felt warm, slightly calloused hands touch my face. I started slightly, and then felt my breath shorten as Fang's rough voice said "Hold still."

"W-what are you doing?" Fingers gently stroked my eyelids.

"Helping you get this off before you blind yourself," he muttered. My whole body felt tense as he rubbed back and forth under my eye.

"There. It's gone." I opened my eyes and stared straight into Fang's dark ones. My heart pounded, and I felt like a school girl. Neither of us moved.

"Max…" he muttered.

"Fang…" I whispered back.

"There's a huge centipede crawling in your hair."

"WHAT?" I screeched. I leapt up and began frantically brushing at my head. Bug, bug, bug! I thought. "Is it gone?"

Fang smirked. "Yes, Max, you're safe from the big bad bug." I glared at him, and unfolding my wings, burst into the air. And into a tree branch.

"Waug!" I felt myself falling, falling, and then being caught in strong arms. And then I fainted.

"Dang, Max, you just can't stop, can you?" Iggy's laughing voice broke through my sub consciousness. "I mean, we're not running from Erasers, we're not being hunted by Itex, we're not fighting M-Geeks, and you still managed to get knocked out!"

"Max! Max! Ohmigosh are you okay? When Fang came back and he was carrying you, I thought you had died or something! But then I thought, no, she couldn't have died, she still needs to give me back the camera!"

I sighed. "Thanks, Nudge Channel. But I'm fine now." I sat up and a wave of dizziness hit me, causing me to rock backward. Whoa. Head rush. Nudge gasped, Gazzy muttered "Cool!" and Iggy wrinkled his nose.

"Your blood reeks, Max." he grumbled, turning his sensitive nose away.

"What?" I said, confused. What blood?

"Max," Angel scolded from somewhere behind me, "you're ruining your curls!" Curls-schmurls, in my opinion.

"Help me up," I demanded Fang. He cocked an eyebrow but put out an obliging arm. Gripping it, I heaved myself up.

"The stairs," I instructed.

We were halfway up when the door slammed.

"Dr M.," I heard Nudge call, "come see Max!"

"I'm fine, for the last time!" I insisted, but my words were slurred. I was aware of the warm liquid now dribbling down my neck. "I've had worse!" and I had. This was like- like- like chocolate chops to the cookies of injuries I'd had before. Okay, bad analogy, but you get the point.

I heard Mom sigh. "I'm sure Max can take care of herself. Now come help me unload these groceries, and Iggy, stay away from that bacon!"

I made it up to the bathroom, and, with Fang's help, cleaned up the wound. I had lost a lot of blood, but it looked worse than it felt.

"Whew," I said, perching on the edge of the bathtub, "next time I'm taking off in the middle of woods, remind me to look up." Fang just smirked. "Ah, well. It's getting late. Now that the daily chaos quota has been filled, I think I'm going to bed." I stood up and, yawning, walked toward the door.

Can't stay here much longer, Max. You need to leave soon.

"Huh? Why would you say that?" I turned around and looked at Fang. He looked bemused.

"I didn't say anything."

You're developing a false sense of security. Enemies could attack you easily – your senses are dulling.

I froze. Shoot.

"Um… Max?"

"Sorry, Fang. It's not you. But… my Voice is back."

Hello to you too, Voice.

End of Chappie 1

WELL, dahlings, that's it. Sorry so short but I'm not really a 10 page long chapter kind of person… if you review and want me to keep on going I will. I'll probably go to like Chapter five, and if I get no positive response…. I will go gorge on bacon and soak in the kiddy pool and pout all day. ;)