A/N: This is my first fanfiction, but flames are okay. Like the title shows, I wrote this for Flame-Taw's challenge. It's about the kids that were freed from the Institute. Tyler isn't one of these kids - he'll explain in the next chapter. Also, check out Flame-Taw's challenge if you don't know what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Maximum Ride stuff, but I do own Sammy, Andy, Ride, Tie, Rocket, Canter, Whisk, and Tyler. You need my permission to use them.
A few people gave me odd glances as I walked down the sidewalk. I probably attracted attention, since I was obviously a homeless thirteen-year-old wandering the streets of New York, looking half starved, dirty, and pale. But there was nothing I could very well change, since our home didn't have running water, and we had just run out of money.
I lingered outside of AFO Schmidt, staring through the window like a kid who hadn't seen a toy in her life time. Actually, before two months ago, I didn't even know the meaning of the word "toy." So, I guess that description is pretty accurate.
Through the window, I saw the life-sized giraffe that Rocket wanted, but it was way too expensive and we didn't have the money or the room. If he was there, he'd be bugging me to get it, even though he knew the only way I could would be to steal it, and a stuffed giraffe leaving the shop is kind of…conspicuous.
With a sigh I turned away from the toy shop and started walking again. My eyes scraped the ground, hoping to find maybe a forgotten dollar bill in the gutter, or even a lone quarter. Any money at all would be fabulous – I would have to steal otherwise. Just in case, though, I had my large backpack on my back. It smelled strongly of cat and was even covered in golden cat fur.
One of the outdoor stands was suddenly missing a bag of honey smoked peanuts after I passed when the guy's back was turned. I snacked on my food while I tried to find some way to pay for enough food to feed seven kids, including myself. Or, six kids and a cat. There we go. I was about to give up when…bingo! Hello, my friend fifty dollar bill. The money was flapping in the gutter and was kind of damp, but it could still be used. I stuffed the money in my pocket. No one would mind a girl without a penny to her name taking some money she found lying in the street.
With my meager about of money - $51.82 total, since I found some extra change on the ground as well – I went to the cheapest place I could in order to get food. It wouldn't be much, but it would be enough to last us a day and hopefully get some money in that time.
I put the food I had just bought in my backpack, before glancing at a large clock in the store. I swore under my breath. It was three – I was supposed to meet Ride half an hour ago in Central Park. No doubt he was still waiting for me. After zipping up my pack to keep the food in, I ran down the street. My shoes threatened to come apart then and there – they had been doing that for a while now – but miraculously stayed in one piece. Fifteen minutes later I skidded into Central Park, panting.
"What took you so long?" Ride dropped from a tree, staring me in the eye. Even though he was ten, so three years younger than me, he was taller than me. Dang, he was almost six feet tall! Lucky sap.
"I was getting food," I said. "I didn't have money." Ride snorted and pushed three hundred dollars into my hand. I stared at it in awe. How did this twerp manage to get so much money? In one day!
"What would you do without me?" he asked.
"Where'd you get this?" I stuffed the money in my pocket. Ride glanced around to make sure no one was listening. He looked sheepish. Even once he was sure that no one was around, he wouldn't say anything. He scuffed the ground with his shoe. "Ride…" I said sternly.
"I, uh, stole it," he muttered. He was avoiding eye contact. "I ran past some guy, and he didn't notice me, uh, go by and take it." I smacked my forehead and Ride grinned sheepishly. Great…I had a ten-year-old, thieving, super speed freak on my hands. How much could one thirteen-year-old bird kid manage?
"Ride, that is so stupid! There are other ways to get money," I snapped.
"How'd you manage to get enough for food?" he shot back.
"There was a fifty lying in a gutter – all you have to do is look. Or you could even get a job, Ride! You look the oldest out of all of us." Ride's hand shot to his hair, feeling the feathers that stuck out randomly. "No one would notice the feathers. Other kids are always doing odd things to their hair and stuff." I dismissed it with a wave of my hand.
Ride sighed and nodded, clearly defeated. It took a lot to get that kid to change his way of thinking, and chewing him out was pretty much the only way. Or at least, it was the only way I knew of at the moment.
"Come on, let's get back to the others," I sighed. The two of us again made sure we were in a secluded part of the park before spreading our wings. Mine were thirteen feet long, and a soft grey with white specks near the bottom. Ride's were almost fifteen feet and a dull red, like rust. He had brown streaks on random feathers.
The two of us had a running takeoff, since takeoffs going straight up were difficult. Hopefully no one saw us taking off from the park, otherwise we'd be all over the news, and my warnings to the others would be stupid if I broke them myself. Ride still looked sheepish and was avoiding my eyes.
"Going down," I announced a few minutes later. Ride glanced down at the ground and grimaced. Our "house" was below us, its rotting roof having two kid-sized holes in the top where Ride and I constantly broke through. There was a little bit of smoke coming from one hole. The two of us dived down into the other one, dropping onto the ground twenty feet below. I had to flare my wings to prevent myself from going splat. Ride did the same next to me.
"I smell food." A cat got up from next to the fire and walked over to me, tail flicking. This was another one I had to look after: Whisk. It was short for 'whisker.' Whisk had been a normal cat, but was mixed with human DNA. Now he had human eyes, a voice box, and human fingers under his claws.
"Yeah, you do." I took off the backpack, dropping it next to the fire. Ride sat down and leaned back against the wall. "How'd it go, Ash? Any troubles with these four?" I directed my question at the one other girl out of the seven of us. She was part cat, and actually looked cat-ish. She had yellow eyes with slits for pupils, her fingernails came to sharp points for claws, and she had a tail and cat ears. She was my second-in-command, and was Ride's twin sister. Even though she actually looked like a ten-year-old.
"They were kind of rowdy," Ash said. "Canter and Tie were playing tag and kept fighting, Rocket was complaining about food, and Whisk wouldn't shut up."
"So an average day?" Ash laughed and nodded, helping me hand out the food to the boys. Rocket was settled next to me, staring at the food.
"Did you get me a toy?" He asked that every day, and I gave him a What do you think? look. His face fell. Rocket was four, so I could understand him wanting a toy all the time. He was part snake and frankly, the most noticeable out of all of us. His skin was gone, instead replaced with sickly green scales. His eyes were like Ash's, and he had a forked tongue.
"We don't have enough money for a toy," Tie pointed out with his usual tack. He was seven, and also the snidest out of everyone here. He had a comeback for anything, even if it wasn't anything insulting. Tie was part dog and, like me, didn't show off his mutations. Unless he morphed, like the Erasers.
Last was Canter. He was asleep, curled up in a tight ball with a ratty blanket over him, probably by Andy. He was part ferret. Canter was always jumpy and wanting to run. He also had a higher body temperature, so he needed to be warmer than everyone else. That's why we always kept a fire going and he got the blankets. Canter was also mute, and had come up with his own version of Morse code. He was pretty smart, for an eight-year-old.
The seven of us filled our faces with our meager amount of food I'd allowed everyone. We had enough for dinner tonight, but then I'd have to use the money that Ride had…acquired. Little bugger.
Once they were done eating Tie and Rocket started to goof off inside of our bombed-out shell of a home. Whisk was sitting up on a crate, his tail swishing as he watched. I saw his nose twitching for a minute before he joined in the boys' game. Ride was making sure no one got hurt.
Canter whimpered in his sleep and burrowed his head under a blanket. I saw him shivering and put the last one, a fluffy fleece blanket with – get this – ferret pictures on it, over his body. Canter's shuddering slowed and he started breathing calmly again.
"Are we ever going to leave this place? I don't know about you, Sammy, but I'm getting fed-up with having to sleep in this hellhole. I feel like it's going to fall on our heads any night now," Ash said.
"I know – I feel the same way. Ride and I probably aren't helping." I pointed to the two holes in the ceiling and Ash laughed.
"No, not so much." I smiled. Ash was cool, and also a pretty good kid to talk to. The boys got kind of dull after a bit. For a little bit there was just the sound of the fire crackling and the two kids playing, as well as the cat.
Outside, I heard the normal hubbub of New York. Until it suddenly fell silent for a moment, before picking up volume. I stiffened and Ash was tense, too. Okay, so I wasn't hearing things. Canter sat up quickly, and I got the kids' attention and got them to be completely silent. They stared at me, looking scared. Outside the run-down door, I heard barking and a dog clawing at the rotten wood.
"They're in there," I heard a smooth, angelic voice of an Eraser say. Oh, no. I caught Ride's eye and pointed at the ceiling. He looked up, then down at the others, biting his lip. He shook his head, and pointed to the door, before shrugging. I growled and made an "I don't care" motion. So what if they saw us? They couldn't do anything. Ride made a finger gun and pointed it at him pretending to shoot it and die. Oh, right. I had forgotten about the guns.
Again I looked at the ceiling. Ash shook my shoulder and mouthed one word: "helicopter." I gulped, looking between the door and the ceiling. I could hear it now. Ride had just gone pale, and Whisk was hiding in the backpack. Canter was looking ready to bolt, while Tie and Rocket were shaking.
The dog barked again and a claw came through the wood. With my quick thinking, I stood and went over to the crates in the corner Whisk had been on. They were full of horse junk – saddles and such – so were kind of heavy. Also, the door opened inward. I motioned Ash and Ride over to help me move the boxes in front of the door. The younger four watched us barricade the door.
"Get them out!" I heard an Eraser snarl. Oh, man, this was bad. We all looked over at Tie. He could normally get us all out of trouble like this, since he was pretty much one of them, but Tie paled and shook his head quickly. I put my hands together in a pleading motion, and winced when a dog managed to get his nose inside. Canter squeaked and jumped. "I heard them!" Uh-oh.
"Ride – U and A. Now. We'll deal with the chopper," I said tightly, motioning to myself, Tie, Ash, and Canter. Ride looked troubled but agreed. He slung the backpack on his back and picked up Rocket. He shot through the ceiling and I heard gunshots.
"Hurry!" Ash snapped. I picked the three of them up off the ground and shot into the sky as well. It's a good thing I had super strength, otherwise I would have fallen again. Above was a chopper with Erasers. Below were also Erasers with dogs. The people on the streets had run off seeing these morphed monsters. There was one slight problem – Ride, Rocket, and Whisk had been captured in those thirty second it took for me to get up here, and were being held captive on the chopper. That sucked.
"Tie, you're up. You better do something or those guys are dead," I hissed. Canter was hanging on around my neck, and I had Ash in one arm. Tie was in my other arm, morphing to Eraser. "Up or down?"
"Down," he said with a gravely Eraser voice. Knowing he wouldn't get hurt, I dropped him to the ground to battle it out there. He would to fine against those five thugs and the dogs. I hoped.
"You two – up. I'm going to try a sneak attack," I hissed. There were guns pointed at me from the chopper. "On three." Ash looked horrified and Canter was shivering again. "One…two…three." I tossed them up onto the chopper. Ash landed on one and it clubbed itself on the head with its gun. That was easy. Canter managed to take out two more, since they ran into each other trying to get to him and fell off. Ride growled and threw one over his shoulder, and it also fell off. But you know, that wasn't one of my best plans.
After a couple minutes, I was the last one free. I swore to myself and put a hand in my sweatshirt pocket, feeling the small bombs I'd confiscated from Tie. I was really contemplating throwing them, but I would probably kill my friends.
The three Erasers that had fallen out of the chopper suddenly came up from the ground…on wings of their own! "Aw, come on! Cut us a break now and again!" I cried in anguish. I glanced at my friends sadly. "Sorry, guys. I'm coming to get you back." With that parting note, I started to zoom off. Rocket yelled my name, and I felt tears gathering. I wiped my eyes and looked back. The Erasers were following. There were now four for some reason.
And the race was on.
I zipped down into the city, the idiots following me. A building popped up and I almost crashed – I took a sharp left and came within an inch of hitting the building. One Eraser wasn't so lucky and hit the brick wall. Cool! But I still had three on my tail.
People gawked up at us from the ground, and I saw flashes from a camera, but now I had more pressing matters to attend to. Like not getting captured myself so that I could free my friends who I had so foolishly put into danger. Even though I was breaking every rule I had laid down.
Ahead of me loomed a tall building. I put on a bit more speed, heading right for it. I would have to time it right so that I didn't kill myself. At the last minute, I pulled up, my toes brushing the building. This was too tempting an opportunity to miss. I put my feet on the wall and started running up, my wings keeping me from falling. That was cool!
The Erasers were actually gaining, and I almost fell backwards when I reached the roof. The Erasers grinned wolfishly when they landed on top with me. If I weren't running for my life, I'd stand here and look out towards the ocean about three miles away. But if I did that, I would have to have all six of my friends by my side.
"No where to run, birdie. Just come with us and your friends and you won't get hurt," one tried coaxing. I snorted, backing up. And backing right up into a wall. Why the heck did someone put walls up on roofs? Okay, so they needed someway to get up here, but haven't they heard of trapdoors? Not these dinky little things!
The lead Eraser, who actually looked more wolfish than the others, drew a gun and pointed it at my head. I closed my eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable shot. But it never came. I heard a grunt of pain and a gasp. Naturally curious, I opened my eyes….
…and saw that all three of the wolf guys were out for the count. I stared at them in shock, then my gaze slowly went up and met that of another boy. He was closer to my age than Ride and was about my height, too. Not towering over me like the little twerp Ride was. This kid had messy brown hair that fell in his face and his eyes looked almost black. He, like me, looked like a homeless teenager that scrounged for food on some occasions.
"Thanks," I said breathlessly. The kid smiled.
"Don't mention it. I've wanted to do that for a while. By the way, the name's Tyler," the kid said, offering his hand out to shake. I took it.
"Sammy," I introduced myself. "How did you know these guys?" Tyler grinned and I gasped – he had spread a beautiful pair of silver wings from his back, then folded them up again. "You're…you're like me." Okay, that topped the list of weird things going on today.
"Yeah. And I want to help you, Sammy. Help you get the others back. I was watching the whole thing." I blushed and turned my head away so that he couldn't see. "I think you might need some help getting back in the Institute."
"Probably. And you're willing to?" I asked skeptically. Tyler nodded. "Okay… I guess I could use the help." Tyler gave a brief grin, then jumped off the building, spreading his wings after falling ten stories. I followed suit, waiting until I was five floors from the ground before taking off. Again people stared, but I didn't care. I was off to get my family back!
A/N: First chapter done! Next one, you learn some stuff about Tyler.
Also, I needed to ask people to help out my friends, Max and Kat (Flame-Taw and maximum-ride-004). They told me that they can't think of anything else for their made-up stories, and both of them will be gone for a little while. Apparently I missed doing something fun, and they got grounded. Oh, well, I guess next time. Anyway, I think they'd appreciate help with their stories if you don't mind. PM them if you want to help, please.
- Zach
