A/N: Hey Guys! I just say a Huge Thank you to everyone who read this in the past couple days - I've had close to 40 hits on this story!!! AMAZING!!!

And you know I don't own any of this so . . . . the flock and stories belong to *sigh* James Patterson.

I'll see you at the bottom!!

Max POV:

Oookay so maybe waiting till now to tell them wasn't the smartest idea but they'll have to suck it up for now because they all want to go back to this time and hear what happened - especially mom and ella since they weren't even there. So I handed the book over to fang, avoiding his eyes for now.

Fang Pov:

I took the book from Max, why she was avoiding my eyes I'm not really sure except I was pretty ticked over the whole deal of not telling me till now. Any I read on, I'll deal with this problem later.

'Part One: Flock Fright' I read.

'Chapter 1:

The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective. Take right now for instance.

Run! Come on, Run! You know you can do it.

I gulped deep lungfuls of air. My brain was on hyperdrive; I was racing for my life. My one goal was to escape. Nothing else mattered.

'Where were we Max? why haven't you mentioned us?' Nudge asked.

'I think, if I'm remembering right, that you'll find out soon enough.'

My arms being scratched to ribbons by a briar I'd run through? No biggie.

My bare feet hitting every sharp rock, rough root, pointed stick? Not a problem.

My lungs aching for air? I could deal.

As long as I could put as much distance as possible between me and the Erasers.

Yeah, Erasers. Mutants: half-men, half-wolves, usually armed, always bloodthirsty. Right now they were after me.

See? That snaps everything into perspective.

Run. You're faster than they are. You can out run anyone.

I'd never been this far from the School before. I was totally lost. Still, my arms pumped by my sides, my feet crashed through the underbrush, my eyes scanned ahead anxiously through the half-light. I could outrun them. I could find a clearing with enough space for me to -

Oh, no. oh, no. The unearthly baying of bloodhounds on the scent wailed through the trees, and I felt sick. I could outrun men - all of us could, even Angel, and she's only six. But none of us could outrun a big dog.

There were gasps from Dr. M and Ella, not knowing whether or not she'd be okay, but I had more faith in Max, I knew she'd be okay.

Dogs, dogs, go away, let me live another day.

They were getting closer. Dim light filtered in through the woods in front of me - a clearing? Please, please . . . a clearing could save me.

I burst through the trees, chest heaving, a thin sheen of cold sweat on my skin.

Yes!

No - oh, no!

I skidded to a halt, my arms waving, my feet backpedaling in the rocky dirt.

It wasn't a clearing. In front of me was a cliff, a sheer face of rock that dropped to an unseeable floor hundreds of feet below.

In back of me were woods filled with drooling bloodhounds and psycho Erasers with guns.

Both options stank.

The dogs were yelping excitedly - they'd found their prey: moi.

I looked over the deadly drop.

There was no choice, really. If you were me, you'd have done the same thing.

'I was wondering when you'd take off. About time really, there's only one way to get away from Erasers and dogs right there - take a flying leap!' Iggy said, I nodded and waited for Max to respond.

'Well I was probably trying to figure out when the perfect moment was Ig.' She said.

I closed my eyes, held out my arms. . . and let myself fall over the edge of the cliff.

The Erasers screamed angrily, the dogs barked hysterically, and then all I could hear was the sound of air rushing past me.

It was so dang peaceful, for a second. I smiled.

Then, taking a deep breath, I unfurled my wings as hard and fast as I could.

Thirteen feet across, pale tan with white streaks and some freckly looking brown spots, they caught the air, and I was suddenly yanked upward, hard, as if a parachute had just opened. Yow!

Note to self: No sudden unfurling.

Wincing, I pushed downward with all my strength, then pulled my wings up, then pushed downward again.

Oh, my god, I was flying - just like I'd always dreamed.

'Wait, what? 'like I'd always dreamed'???? you mean you hadn't flown yet??' I couldn't hold back my surprise for a second.

'Well it would seem so now wouldn't it? Now just keep reading would ya?' she replied.

The cliff floor, draped in shadow, receded beneath me. I laughed and surged upward, feeling the pull of my muscles, the air whistling through my secondary feathers, the breeze drying the sweat on my face.

I soared up past the cliff edge, past the startled hounds and the furious Erasers.

One of them, hairy-faced, fangs dripping, raised his gun. A red dot of light appeared on my torn nightgown. Not today, you jerk, I thought, veering sharply west so the sun would be in his hate-crested eyes.

I'm not going to die today.

I stopped reading and held the book out to Nudge so she could read next.

'That's it? That's all that's in the first chapter Max? that's really small. Hmmm I wonder why you wrote it like that.'

'NUDGE!' came from Max, Ella, and Iggy.

'Just read it Nudge.' Said Angel, shaking her head at her, as I went to sit by Max. She's so cute when she's nervous. Wait - I didn't just think that, nope that was some delusion thing. Right. Maybe I'm coming down with something.

A/N: so whatd'ya think???? I want 5 reviews before this and now that we're getting closer to CHRISTMAS (YAY!!!!) I can probably update sooner so let me know! : )

It's because of you - my readers - why I updated so soon too! so if I don't hear from you - im just gonna wait to update. And check out my other story too! I'm kinda dealing with writers block for it right now so if you got any ideas, let me know. Its called: When Mutants Collide. It's a Maximum Ride crossover with Twilight!

Yours Featherly

Jezi