The Theory of Superman
Chapter One:
The Future Freaks Me Out:
Fang and I were the only flock members that were up. I flew to the edge of the cliff we were on that over-looked a beautiful canyon and perched myself on a moss covered rock. I looked up to find Fang staring at me.
"Max..."
"Yeah" I said in a soft thoughtful voice.
"We can't keep playing their game. We need to break this cycle! Listening to Jeb, almost dying, resting and then asking Jeb for directions again!" I took in a deep breathe.
"Fang I can't do that, believe me, I want to but I need to do this."
"WHY!? This isn't your reasonability. Your fourteen years for gods sake you have been through hell and back…you need to stop this before you get seriously hurt or worse…killed!" he said the last part slower and softer, almost in a whisper.
"It is my reasonability. I just need to do this, if I don't I will never forgive myself. Think of all the people who will die if I just sit here and do nothing!"
"…"
"If you love me… if you love us, you'll stay." Fang gave me the saddest pleading face I had ever seen in my life, but resisting him was the hardest thing I ever had to do.
"I love you all! This is just something I have to do, for me. And there is no doubt in my mind that I love you, but if you love me, you'll wait for me when I come back."
And with that, I snapped out my wings, and flew into the sunrise, never to see them again. What troubles me most is I thought I heard him say 'I will always be here,' but that could just be my heart clouding my better judgment again.
January 19, 2010 (two years latter)
The world had changed that was for sure. New York City was always a gang banging place, but now it was horrific. The police where discharged because they couldn't stop the wars that happened in the streets, it just added to the list of dead people if they did help. So why have hundreds died when only a couple dozen could?
Maximum Ride slowly walked down the street her hands in her leather jacket and her head down.
This is my entire fault she thought. She had failed and ITEX had won, she was the cause of this dismal place. Well they hadn't exactly won because they even lost control and ran away leaving a broken world to fend for itself.
A man whistled at Max but she ignored him and carried on walking, not even giving him the time of day.
"Come on baby don't be that way!" He called walking closer.
"Take one more step and you will regret it." She said in a voice dripping with venom, not even looking up.
The man got the hint and quickly changed directions, Max couldn't help but smirk.
She walked till she got to the Hudson River where there was an old run down factory. She walked into it, but stopped and spun around checking to make sure no one had followed her.
When she was sure no one had she entered it. The staircase that led to the second floor had long since broken and lay in a pile of metal. She whipped out her wings and flew up there. She didn't mind not having stairs, it was one of the reasons she picked this place to live, no one could get to her easily unless they could fly, which she knew no one else could.
She sat down on the floor where there was a thick layer of dirt covering it. There was no use cleaning because it was never coming off. She picked up a can of baked beans and ate them quickly.
Whipping her mouth she got up and walked to the small warn down bathroom.
There was running water but it was ice cold, at least there was water.
She turned on the sink and splashed her face. She looked up into the dirt covered mirror. She whipped it with her hand and looked at her pale skinny face. She had dyed her hair black so no one would recognize her (Well that's what she told herself. The real reason was because it made her think of Fang), but her eyes where still a piercing blue. She sighed lately she had been doing that a lot lately. That and wishing, but she knew both where a waste of time.
She looked down at her worn dress that she like to where. The old Max hated dresses but she liked this one, it came just before the knee had a wide boat neck and was covered in stripes of different colored sequins. It was meant to be a cocktail dress, but Max always wears it when she is sad. It reminded her of better times, when she was 14 and had people that loved her. Now she was sixteen, by her self, and scared, something she never was in the past.
She walked out of the bathroom, feeling worse then when she had entering it.
She looked outside and noticed the sun was setting, giving the factory eerie shadows that made her want to hide under the covers like a five year old hoping the monsters couldn't see her.
But she couldn't she knew what she had a job to do. She had to make up for what she had done to the world even if it was just a little each night.
Every night she would take the job of superhero. Go out and fight crime, help little old ladies getting mugged, things like that.
She dove out of a broken window letting herself fall. Just before she hit the ground she unfurled her vast wings. She loved the rush it gave her, she felt alive even if it was for ten seconds each night.
She flew slowly back to her factory, tried and hungry. She landed just before the place she called home and walked the rest of the way. Again she turned and made sure no one had followed her and entered the sad looking building.
When she landed on the second level, a huge black bird squawked and flew out of the broken window. Great, not even birds wanted to be around me she thought.
She looked around her floor to find food but only found empty tins, and dirt. This wasn't the first time she had gone hungry so she was learning to live with always having an empty stomach.
She knew tomorrow she would have to go out and get some even if it meant going out during day time.
Max, over the years, started to hate the daylight and thrived in darkness, but every once in a while she knew she had to go out in it.
But she would worry about that tomorrow, for now, she needed sleep. She walked over to a dark corner where she had made a bed out of old rags and pillows she had found.
The minute she lay down, she was out.
How To Save A Life
I woke up to a blinding sunlight, she looked out the window the sun was directly over head so it must be around noon.
Time to get some food she thought as she gloomily sighed to herself.
She jumped down to the first level. The moment her feet gingerly touched the concrete floor, a massive amount of dust clouded and enveloped Max.
She carried on out the door into the bitter winter air; she rubbed her shoulders and put on her leather jacket.
When she found a convenient store she entered trying to look as casual as possible.
She walked up to the canned goods section and started stuffing random cans down her jacket, she couldn't take too many or she would be caught.
She hastily left the store, the store keeper not even noticing, not like he would be able to catch her if she was caught.
She made her way back and quickly took out the cans. She hated herself for what she had become.
"I've become a second rate thief" She said quietly disgusted at herself.
Night fell before Max knew it and it was time for her to fight crime.
She dove out of her usual window, letting the cold air swirl around her. She let out a sigh as she unfurled her wings letting her long night begin.
She fell around looking for any trouble she spotted a man getting a little to close to a girl. She swooped down and walked over to them.
"Come on baby let's go back to my place." The guy said in a smooth seductive voice.
"I told you NO! I'm with Johnny!" said the girl looking a bit scared, she tried to walk away, but the man grabbed her waist and pulled her back to him.
"Stop! I said no!" her voice was getting higher. The man let out a low throaty chuckle.
"Baby, you don't really get a choice in this." He said with a smile leaning in to kiss her.
Max, having enough, stepped in to help.
"I believe she said no!" Max said punching him in the nose. As the blood started to flow, the man let the girl go and headed towards Max.
"You BITCH!" the man screamed as he lunged at Max, but before he got close, she kicked him square in the balls and he went down crying out in pain.
Max turned to the frightened girl.
"RUN!" She obeyed and took off down the street.
"You asshole!" She said as she kicked him in the ribs.
"AAAAH!" He said coughing franticly as she heard the distinctive sound of ribs shattering. But Max was no where near done.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you to be a gentleman to a lady?" She said kicking him hard in the gut.
Suddenly she saw something move in the shadows. She stopped beating the shit out of the bastard and looked up. But nothing was there but darkness.
She kicked him hard one more time in the balls and bent down so she was right in his face.
"I hope you learned your lesson." She said. The man looked at her uneasily and spit at her in the face. As she stood up, he started to fumble with a pistol. Out of instinct, Max started running around the corner, but before she rounded the corner, the man fired.
Instant pain pierced the outside of her thigh, but she kept pumping her legs, trying to create as much distance between them as possible. Max had experience with men and pistols and she wasn't about to take another chance with her wings.
She usually stayed out a lot longer but tonight she felt uneasy, like someone or something was watching her. And her thigh was starting to bleed heavily.
She jumped into the air, wanting to be back in her factory more than anything where she would be safe. The air stung her wound but she kept going letting silent tears spill over.
Max hated how weak she had become. She should have beaten the shit out of that guy for spitting on her and then shooting her! But instead she had run away like the scared little girl she was.
When she arrived to her home, she didn't even take the time to check if anyone had followed. She flew in and up to her level.
She collapsed onto the floor in pain, only then did she notice how badly she was bleeding.
As she began to examine the wound in the moonlight, she realized that the bullet only grazed her thigh, even though it felt much worse. She took in a sharp breath when she started to add pressure with a ratty t-shirt that was lying around. When she tried scrambling up to get the first aid kit in the sad excuse for a bathroom, she noticed him.
A dark shadow lurked in the far corner of the room where no light could touch. She tensed up her muscles, which made her flinch slightly, as he took gradually made his way toward her.
His back was to the large window so she couldn't see his face. However, she could defiantly tell that he was at least taller than her five foot eight frame.
"Not as sharp as you used to be, eh?" The man said in an awfully familiar, slightly deep voice. Max could tell that there was a smirk painted on his face even though she couldn't see it. She grabbed a banister of the railing to position herself in a defensive stance.
As if he knew what she was about to do he held his hands up as if to tell her he meant no harm. She slumped back onto the floor, too weak to fight back. The mystery man went into the bathroom and returned shortly after with the first aid kit.
As Max was slowly slipping into unconsciousness, the man grabbed her attention by saying, "Tsk. Tsk. Max, what have you gotten yourself into this time?"
I will have the second chapter out soon. Hope you guys like it! Review please.
Peace-Andrea
P.S.
The years have changed Max she broken and sad and I wanted this chapter to show that.