Timeline:

Fruits Basket: Towards the start, maybe even in the first volume.

Maximum Ride: You know when the Flock is taken back to the School in the third book and are told that all that happened was a dream? Well, instead of that... this happens:

1

I woke up in a forest. I sighed. This was low, even for the School. This wasn't even a real forest, with bears. Not that I couldn't take on a bear. This was a la-de-da forest. I mean, what was going to attack me? Squirrels? Birds?

Well, like they always say, best to know your surroundings before you make your move. They don't say that? Well, I do.

This was such a sucky forest. To me, it was more like a field with trees. And the trees weren't that much, either. Compared to the trees I've seen, and the flock has slept in (you read it right – slept in, not slept under). These trees looked like they'd been attacked by the chainsaw of a crazy guy. So, all in all, this was one of the most open (and perhaps safe) places I've ever been. If the School wanted me to suffer, they were doing a crappy job. However, if they wanted to keep me guessing and confused, they were doing a great job.

After an hour of walking, I suddenly saw a house in the distance. That left me even more puzzled: were they still trying to make me confused? Did someone actually live here? If so, was that person evil? Or an innocent bystander that was told to live there? Or was it just a house?

I sucked in a breath of air and started sneaking closer. I wouldn't know about the house until I checked it out. It might not be dangerous. Then again, Mars could be made of Mars bars.

Suddenly, someone came out of the house, so I quickly ducked into some bushes. The last thing I needed was someone seeing me and getting involved in my life, wings exposed or not.

The girl was a head or two shorter than me. She had brunette hair that went down to her waist. She was petite, and wearing a skimpy school uniform. She looked fourteen or fifteen, but right in the face she was twelve, tops.

While the girl was looking around, I took some time to look at the house. It was small, and the windows and doors were covered with some sort of thin tan paper. I wasn't that educated, but I knew that was a Japanese-style house. The question is, why? Why was it there?

The girl suddenly stared in my direction. At first, I wasn't worried. I mean, if she was trying to look tough, she wasn't doing a good job. Besides, she was too... cute. She reminded me of an older brunette Angel.

And then I realized, Man, she sees me! She sees me! Even though she wasn't giving off 'I am evil' vibe, but I could never be too sure. She could be a guard. Perhaps the School made cute girls who turned into full-blown monsters.

And perhaps I was a little too paranoid.

But I could never be too sure.

All of a sudden, I felt someone watching me. I mean, as well as the girl. I felt like someone was watching me from behind me... right behind me.

I slowly turned around, expecting something bad behind me. Instead, I get a cat.

A cat! With whiskers and everything! This bright orange cat that looked like it needed to shed a couple pounds. I couldn't help but giggle; it looked like a traffic cone!

He hissed at me, and ran back to the girl. It was almost as if it knew I was laughing at it.

Well, I decided to show myself. I wanted to know more about this cat. Besides, the house looked like a good place to hide, now that I didn't have my chip anymore.

Slowly standing, I looked at the girl, expecting her to freak out. Instead, she was looking down at the cat, and talking to it. And, crazy as it sounds, the cat actually looked like it was talking back. No biggie to me. I was used to Total.

I walked slowly to them, defying every bone in my body telling me to run away while I still could.

It was the cat who spotted me first. It hissed and ran inside the house.

The girl looked from it to me. She gasped when she saw me, and took a small step backward.

"Hey," I said. "Sorry for intruding. I know this is your property and all, but I was... er, let's just say, dumped here. Can you direct me to the nearest internet cafe?"

She just looked at me strangely, her head slightly cocked.

"Uh, excuse me?" I asked. "Who are you? And where the heck am I?"

She continued to look at me strangely. She muttered something under her breath that I didn't understand.

"Do you even understand me?" I asked.

She still stared at me, which I took as 'no'. Crap.

A boy appeared behind her. He was about a head taller than her, which made him a head or so shorter than me. His hair was silver, even though he only looked fifteen or sixteen. He also wore a school uniform. He whispered something in her ear, and her face brightened, and she nodded vigorously.

He looked up at me. "Sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable," he said. His voice was quiet and smooth, unlike what I was used to. "We like it if you'd just go on your way, and leave us alone,"

That ticked me off. What did they have to hide? Whatever it was, ten bucks says I had more to hide. "Listen," I said. "If I had a way, I'd be on it, and wouldn't be bothering you guys. I was dumped here, and I would like to know where I am,"

"Where were you before?" he asked, looking intrigued.

"I'm not really sure. We were heading back from New York,"

His brow wrinkled. "New York?"

"Yeah," I said. "I know it'll be pretty far from here, but still, I need to get back to my friend, who is waiting for me."

"New York?" he repeated.

What was his problem? "Yeah. But he's not there."

"That's... in the United States, right?" he asked, looking a bit confused.

"...Yeah?" I asked. He was either part of a trap, or really stupid. "Where are we?"

He looked at the girl, and then back at me. "...Japan," he finally muttered.

Yeah, I left it at a cliff hanger. Yeah, I'm that mean. :P What will happen nest? (Little flock humor for ya!)

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