Maximum Twilight

Chapter 1

I stared out the window at the place which was to be my home. Total was asleep on my lap.

"You'll like it here. It's out of the way. And plenty of room to fly in the mountains." Jeb said trying to make some conversation.

What does it matter where I live? I should be dead, I deserve to be dead. The day my flock died I should have died with them.

"I enrolled you in the local high school. Your tutoring sessions should have gotten you up to the level. No uniform, you'll be glad to hear not like your last school."

Shut up. Just shut up.

"I'll be away a lot for the FBI but I'll be here for the first month to make sure you get settled."

He waited for some kind acknowledgement but I gave him none. He sighed.

"Please Max, honey. Please just try this once to have a semi-normal life. Just to be a teenager. For me, for the flock."

He hit a sore spot when he mentioned them. Be normal? How? I'm a freak. How can you be a normal teenager when you have wings on your back, a talking dog and been tortured for years on end by scientists?

The car suddenly became claustrophobic.

"Stop the car. I need to stretch my wings out." Jeb didn't argue and he stopped the car as soon as possible.

"You know where the house is, don't you?" He said as I got out. Total hopped out after me.

I nodded and took off without a word.

After about ten minutes of flying around the mountains, Total spoke, "I know you hear this way too much but you never listen so I'll say it again. You need to forgive yourself and enjoy the life you have left. The flock didn't die just so you could silent and depressed all your life!"

"I shouldn't be here."

"Yes you should! You are the reason anyone is alive today! You are the reason Itex has been shut down! You are the reason that no more people will be tortured! You deserve a life free from running and fighting!"

I stopped flying and hovered close to the trees. "What did they deserve then? To die? For me to kill them?"

"It wasn't your fault. Stop believing it is!"

"To hell it wasn't my fault. I was the leader. They were my responsibility! My family! The decisions I made killed them!"

I started to shake and knew that if I didn't get in control of my emotions soon my powers would get dangerous. I turned around and poured on the speed, zooming away from Total. I wasn't fast enough and I could hear Totals voice as I left.

"It's been two years, Max."

I stopped just two minutes away from the border of Washington State. Far away from Virginia and the east coast where Ella and Mum were.

I can't go back. I can't, I can't.

It has been two years, three months and thirteen days since angel died. Since the last of my flock died.

I should have prevented it. I should have found a way to save them.

I managed to finish off Itex myself. Find all the secret branches, work with the FBI to arrest all the people, finish off Fangs blog to let people knoe what had happened but when I was finished everything else seemed so pointless.

Along with Total, I disappeared. Sometimes I'd curl up and let misery have me or sometimes I'd just keep flying. Without Total I probably would have killed myself by forgetting to sleep and eat.

Kill myself.

It seemed like a good option sometimes. But Total and Jeb kept reminding me, to stay strong. Don't let them die in vain. They were right. In memory of my flock I kept fighting and tired to stay strong. Eventually I came home...or to mums place. It's not really home. Mum has remarried some guy called Pete who I really don't care for. Ella, as much as I love her made my heart ache with loneliness whenever I saw her. She deserved a proper life. Go to college, get a job, have a family.

So I turned to Jeb. He tutored me and managed to get my schooling up to scratch. He said we should get out of the east coast to somewhere quiet. The FBI helped us out and Jeb agreed to work for them for money to support us. He vaguely knew some people here and they helped us move to this place. To Forks.

I could feel a storm brewing. Over the years my powers had developed. I could control electricity and manipulate metal; I could run as fast as I could fly. The static in the clouds made my skin tingle.

I found the house easily enough. It was pretty far from the town. I liked it that way. I started to drizzle and I was wet when I got there but I didn't care.

Total and Jeb had already finished unpacking though we didn't have much to begin with. We would have to buy a lot of things. A fridge, a cooker, a table, beds. Total had his own room, which was basically a large walk-in wardrobe in the hall that we converted.

My room was pretty empty. It had blank white walls, one large window, a camp-bed, fangs laptop (which was pretty old and damaged from fighting) and a single box of clothes. Mum had gone out and bought some stuff before I left knowing that I had nothing that wasn't either ripped or blood stained.

There were also a couple of books on the floor. Both text books and normal ones. I was still not a great reader(considering I didn't learn until I was ten and then had no time because of the saving the world crap) but every once and a while I found something that caught my eye.

Jeb said that he'd ordered some stuff and that it would arrive tomorrow. Dinner was Chinese because none of us could be bothered to cook. Not that they'd eat it if I did cook. It was a quiet dinner as usual. None of us said much. We were still pretty awkward around each other. Not that I talked much anyway. I only rarely talked to people at all.

Jeb mentioned school again and that it would start on Monday. Oh, joy. He also, once again, pleaded for me not to fly off and not show up every other day. I promised I'd try.

On Sunday, He came home not only with food, a microwave, a fridge and a cooker, he also came home with a motorcycle and helmet.

"Thought you might like it more than a car. I found it in a junk yard. It might need a bit of work but it runs and I know you can fix anything."

I loved the bike. Didn't let Jeb know that but it gave me something to work on and take my mind off things. I went back to the junk yard and spent the day stealing parts and by Sunday evening it looked as good as new.

Running down the white corridor. Flyboys hot on my tail. Must find Nudge but there is too many doors to look through them all. I hear the blood curdling scream of my baby not knowing where it came from. I scream for her but she doesn't answer. The smell of blood reaches me and I see the red pool outside one of the rooms. Oh god, oh god, I'm too late. I burst through the room only to see her lifeless body on the cold hard floor surrounded by those bastard scientists. By the time I kill them all and their blood is dripping from me, Nudges body has gone cold. I hold her close, tears streaming down my face. Why her? Why?

I woke up covered in sweat to patter of the rain hitting the window. My new alarm clock said it was only 5:30.

I didn't sleep much. I didn't need as much sleep as normal people but I also knew that when I closed my eyes I risked reliving my memories. That night was the same. After my flock died the dreams were every night and a lot worse. I would always wake up either screaming or crying. Now, if I was lucky my sleep would be dreamless, if not, I would be reliving my nightmares but I was now numb to it. It's not that I didn't care, it's just that after to years I've learned to bury my emotions so nothing, not even my subconscious can touch me.

It took all my willpower to go to school on Monday morning. I wasn't looking forward to crowded halls and having to hide my wings all the time. I threw on some jeans and the biggest hoodie I could find. I realised I'd have to eat bigger breakfast than usual to keep me going if I have to put up with normal portions for lunch.

I couldn't ride my motorcycle, it was lashing. I realised that motorcycles would not be the best mode of transport in this place. When am I gonna ride it?

I borrowed Jebs car, he didn't start work for another few weeks, he didn't need it.

When I parked outside the school, I could see people already staring and talking about me. I knew this was going to be hell with constant questions 'where are you from?' Why'd you move here?' I knew in this small town I'd definitely be a source of gossip. I went over the cover story to make sure I didn't trip myself up.

My name is Max Bacheldor. My family were killed in a car crash and now I live with my foster dad, Jeb Bacheldor here. I used to live Virginia, and my schooling was put on hold for a short while so I could rehabilitate and deal with the tragedy of my family's death. That basically covers most bases of course most people won't ask much questions about my past if I tell them my family is dead. I'll just get teary eyed and say "It's just too painful to talk about."

As I went into the school I memorised all the exits out of habit. The lady at the front desk had a sad sympathetic smile on her face as I gave her my name. She gave me my schedule and a map of the school. As I thanked her she took my hand and said "If you need anything or need to talk to someone, I'll be here." Obviously Jeb had called ahead and explained my 'situation'.

School wasn't as bad as I expected, except for the constant sympathetic "Tell me if you have any trouble," most teachers teachers didn't bother me or turn into erasers, which, I gotta say is a big plus.

Coming out of English, a boy with black hair came over to me. "You're Max aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Cool name, I'm Eric." Another girl came over and introduced herself as Jessica.

"So you just moved here from Virginia right?" She asked as we lined up for food in the cafeteria. I despaired at the tiny portions they were giving out.

"Yeah."

"You can sit with us if you like." Eric interrupted over- enthusiastically.

This caught me off guard. I was expecting to be sitting alone at a table at the back yet here I was being invited to join people. It was almost like my last experience in school. I think I was making...friends...

Before I could think I said yes.

Walking down the cafeteria we passed a quiet group of people who stared intensely at me. Their skin was practically white. When I looked back at them they stopped staring except for one with brown hair and a slightly confused look on his face. I had a chill down my spine and I got a predator feel from them.

Just like erasers.