"Trinity, wake up," my mother whispers in my ear.
I blink open my eyes to blinding sunlight. My mother, Maximum Ride, is standing over me, smiling. Her blonde hair looks like it's glowing, and her chocolate brown eyes—my eyes—are warm. "Do I have to?" I groan.
"Yes, if you know what's good for you."
"But mama…"
"No buts. Now." And with that she leaves.
I giggle and pull the blanket over my head.
"Trinity Maria! Get down here right now, young lady!"
"Coming!" I call, getting reluctantly out of bed. My dove-gray wings, almost nine feet long, unfurl behind me. It feels good.
Downstairs, Mom is staring at an empty frying pan, looking perplexed. "Having trouble?" I laugh.
She pretends to swat me with a towel, but she's smiling. "Better watch your mouth, smarty."
"Here, let me help." I grab the carton of eggs from the fridge and start cracking them into the frying pan with practiced ease.
Mom sighs. "To think you're still a child," she murmured, half to herself. And she hugs me, a rare display of affection.
I turn and hug her back. "And you're what, twenty-four?" She doesn't reply.
"Trinity, I love you."
A lump rises in my throat, and I struggle to choke it down. "Love you too, Mom."
She holds me tight for a heartbeat longer, then steps away. She smiles at me mischievously. "Hey, forget breakfast. Wanna go for a fly?"
"You know it." Abandoning the food, I turn and race out the door, Mom hot on my heels. When I'm outside, I snap out my wings and soar into the air.
Mom is laughing. "Wanna race?" she calls, streaking past me.
"No fair!" I protest. "You gotta head start!"
Based on the stories she's told me, I'm the only one who has a prayer of catching up to her. You see, I inherited her ability to fly at the speed of light. I can also turn invisible. Mom tells me it's called…hmm, what did she say? Something like 'blending in'. It basically means that if I stay real still for a while, I start to disappear. But when I move again, I immediately turn visible again. I'm not quite sure where that comes from.
We're in the air for at least an hour. By the time we get back, we're both a little out of breath and laughing so hard we can barely stand up straight. "Alright," Mom gasps, still laughing. "Time for you to get ready for school."
"Aww, Mom…"
