Images of the Past*I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters EXCEPT Avi (which is pronounced AV-EE), James Patterson does! Anyway read, review, have fun!-Esther Marie*Chapter 1-Avi
It was cold, again. I hated being stuck in a cage, I felt so trapped so vulnerable! I rubbed my arms to try to get warm. I was all alone now. My chocolate brown wavy hair fell down to my waist; I'd never cut it before. These gowns they have the "experiments" wear are really thin. I stood up when I heard a door open, "Daniel!" I said happily. Daniel was the assistant in charge of me, but he was like my best friend. He was about 18 while I had just turned 15. He was tall, had brown short spiky hair, and dark eyes. He looked into my green eyes, "Hi Avi! Are you cold?" he asked suddenly noticing me shivering. I nodded, "You know there's only so much I can do for you without getting in trouble." He said. I knew that; Daniel tried to make me feel comfortable and he treated me like a person and not just "Experiment 7: Avian". I trusted Daniel, more than any one.
I saw him grab the keys to my cage and instantly, fear began to spread in my stomach. This meant one thing; I was going to another lab test! What other horrible thing could they possibly do to me? "I know, I'm sorry. I just follow what I have to do, even if I don't like it." He said holding his hand out to me to help me out of the cage. My cage was cold and metal but at least it was tall enough for me to stand in, unlike others. I pulled my gown down; I hated how short it was, even if it was just above midthigh. He led me to a room and closed the door, leaving me alone. The last few tests had been horrible! I had been experimented to see if I could "cross-reproduce" with other animals. I still shudder thinking about how I was abused so, just for "science". Another time I had been made to run a maze, one that seemed to NEVER end. But once scientists had seen how delicate I was, even after having been with them 15 years, they decided they couldn't risk killing a valuable experiment like me. How nice huh?
I heard the door open; Daniel came back in and closed the door. "So what is it today?" I said scared. Daniel smiled and locked the door. I froze, "What's going on?" I asked shivering. He came closer, "Daniel, what's wrong?" I asked moving back. He flashed an evil smile. I froze in terror; he was with them all along. He had just been pretending to befriend me all this time to get close to me, to be part of an experiment. "Today's experiment is another lesson in Cross-Reproduction." He said grabbing my arms. I shoved, "Noooooo!" I screamed and everything went black.
Chapter 2-Fang
I was staring out the window, replaying that night 1 year ago. -1 year ago- "MAX!" I yelled as soon as I saw her get hit by Ari. He seemed in shock, "What have I done?" he kept saying. I ran to her as fast as possible. I picked up the back of her head slowly. Her eyes were closed and my finger touched something warm behind her head, blood and lots of it. "MAX! Stay awake!" I screamed. She opened her eyes and put on the best smile she could, "P…promise me y...you'll go back and rescue…the other kids…" she said weakly. "NO! YOU'RE NO GOING ANYWHERE! YOU HEAR ME?" I wouldn't know what to do without her. She limply touched my face with her hand, "I'll…miss Angel, Gasman, Iggy, Total, and…especially you…" she said softly and then her eyes closed and her hand dropped from my face. My eyes grew huge, NO she CAN'T be dead! "Max…Max…MAX!" I yelled pulling her close to me. I heard Angel behind me, I tried to shield her from seeing Max but she saw her. "MAX!" She let out the most horrific scream ever and fainted. Iggy caught her while he was crying too. Nudge and Gazzy were crying together, everyone was in such pain without Max. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO KILL HER! I'M SORRY!" Ari wailed and screamed in agony.
I felt numb, almost dead myself. Iggy came up behind me, "Fang…" he said but I toke off flying, with Max still in my arms. I flew for a bit then landed in a tree. I didn't want the Flock to see me so weak… I sobbed terribly, screamed, everything. "MAX! Why Max? WHY?" I was mad and hurt…hurt. I never got to tell her how she always got on my nerves, how I walked quietly on purpose to aggravate her, how I liked the way her hair just flowed in waves, how she was so sporty and smart, how much she meant to me… -Present- It still hurts to even think about it. Angel lost about 20 pounds after Max's death, Nudge became silent, Iggy never left his room, Gasman never laughed anymore, and I didn't feel anything anymore. I remembered Max's last words, especially, "Promise me you'll go back to rescue the other kids." She had meant the other kids at the school and we hadn't kept our promise. I stood up, now we WILL keep our promise.
I called everyone into the living room. "Ok guys, I know it's been hard without Max, you have NO IDEA how hard it is for me." I began. "Yea…since she was practically your girlfriend…" I heard Gazzy mumble. "Ignoring that comment. Max had us promise we would save the other kids in the labs. That was over a year ago and I think we need to pick ourselves up, stopping whining and moping around, and go out and do what we promised!" I said. Everyone was silent; I rarely talk so this is huge. Iggy gets up and puts his fist out, I tap it. Nudge gets up too and taps our fists, then Gazzy, and then finally Angel with a smile on her face. "Ok Flock! This is for Max!" I say and everyone yells, "For Max!"