Disclaimer: I already put it in but you have to rub it in, don't you? (Goes off and sobs) James Patterson owns it all. (Cheers up) At least I own the plot and Crystal (sorta…)

Thanks to MissStud and Jason Strong, my FIRST TWO REVIEWERS!! You rock!

The Library, The Message And The Alphas.

Crystal POV

I hurried along the street, keeping my hood up and my face down so Itex wouldn't be able to identify me if they looked through the security camera footage. I saw a huge, white building up ahead and realised it was the town's library. I wondered if they had computers in there and wandered in. I glimpsed an area for computers at the very back and worked my way through to them. To me the library looked like a maze and I wondered how the librarians found their way around. Eventually I found the computers and logged on to one. I found Fang's blog and read the latest update.

You are reading Fang's Blog. Welcome!

Today's date: Thursday 14th 2008

You are visitor number: I really am trying to fix the counter

Hey guys. Now that we have blown up the Itex HQ (using all the bombs that Iggy and Gazzy told Max they got rid of) and Max hasn't received anymore instructions from the Voice, we're all just crashing at Max's Mom's place. She and Ella obviously were pleased to see us because they didn't care when Iggy and Gazzy set fire to their garden shed. That didn't stop Max having a go at them though. Just to set the record straight, Nudge, Angel and I do not think it is absolutely hilarious watching them being chased by Max and we are not laughing our heads off right now. Definitely not.

Now I've got to go finish watching Max kill Iggy and Gazzy. I mean... er... watch some TV.

Fly on

- Fang

The 14th! That was today! However I couldn't just zip over to Dr Martinez's house. I had something I had to do first. Using my power of controlling electrical devices (what? Didn't I mention that?) I created an untraceable email and sent it to Fang's laptop. It read: One of you is a traitor. One of the flock has gone bad. Then I turned, checked no-one could see me, and flew off.

Max POV

I was SO going to kill them. I'd bury them alive, then dig them up and kill them again.

"Furious Max strikes again." I heard someone say. I whipped round and glared at Fang, who was leaning against the wall, smirking. I gave him one of my specially reserved death glares and he backed down. Then I turned back to my previous prey, the bomb brothers. I heard Angel erupt with laughter as she read my mind.

"The bomb... laughter... brothers... laughter... describes Iggy... yet more laughter... and Gazzy... if you guessed 'laughter' then you were right... PERFECTLY!" she gasped out. You had to smile at her, at the age of six she found everything amusing (and yet she's already practised the art of Bambi Eyes to the level where I can't turn her down. Scary.) Then of course Nudge had to butt in.

"That's actually really funny Max and oooh doesn't it sound like band name and if someone did call their band that I would probably buy all their songs and get Gazzy to sing them all using his amazing mimicking thing and it would be like a party and Ella could invite all her mates to it and I could sing that song I made up and..." I tuned out the Nudge Channel (all Nudge, all the time) at that point and focused on my goal: bring Iggy and Gazzy to justice for burning down Mom's shed.

There's six (well, seven if you count the dog) of us in the Flock: Angel, six years old and packed full of more powers than all the rest of us put together: mind reading and controlling, breathing underwater, talking to fish... the list could go on and on. She literally looks like an angel with her curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes and pure white wings. Next we have the Gasman (enough said). He and Angel are the only real siblings between us and as such they look alike. He is two years older than her at eight. Gazzy can mimic people's voices perfectly and explode like a vile smelling bomb. I can describe Nudge in one word. Motormouth. She has brown skin and black hair and can become magnetic when she tries. She's eleven. Iggy, Fang and I are all fourteen, though it's coming up to my chosen birthday (none of us know our real birth dates). Iggy is blind and yet can build bombs, pick locks and cook food better than me. Oh well. Recently he discovered his powers mean that he can sense colours and see things against a white background. Mr. Tall, Dark and Silent or Fang, is my right-hand man, my best friend and lately, though I try not to dwell on it, something more. And last but not least, moi. My full name is Maximum Ride or Max for short but never Maxine even though I am a girl. I have super-speed and an annoying little Voice in my head. Don't worry, I'm not mad... yet.

"You're not going mad, Max." Angel consoled me. Evidently she had been reading my mind. "And why did you call Total 'the dog'?"

"What?!" yelled the small, black Scottie from the other end of the room indignantly. Yes, we have a talking dog. Long story. He has wings too so he must be a sort of human/canine/avian hybrid. "I am much more than a mere dog. Does a normal dog understand the wonders of ancient architecture or modern culture? Does he..." Total carried on in this vein for a while and my attention wandered.

"Angel?" I called, interrupting Total's speech. "How 'bout we all go down to the beach after lunch?" Angel didn't need to even consider it, despite all the bad things that have happened whenever we visit a beach.

"Really, Max? Great! Can I go tell Nudge?"

"'Course sweetie." I answered. Within a minute she was back, bringing the rest of the flock with her. Nudge and Angel were jumping up and down with excitement; Gazzy and Iggy were deep in conversation and Fang was, as per usual, emotionless.

"Oh Max, the beach is so great and I was sitting down and Angel came in and yelled 'We're going to the beach' all excited like and I was like 'yeah' and Fang was all silent and Gazzy was smiling like his face was going to split in half and ooh wouldn't be funny if it did split in half and thanks so, so, so, so much for letting us -" Nudge was cut off suddenly as Gazzy put his hand over her mouth.

"Has everyone got their swimming kits?" I asked. Yeah, Mom had seen our (well the younger kids') love of swimming and on impulse got us all swimming kits. I heard four yeahs and saw Nudge's nod (she still had Gazzy's hand over her mouth). Then, as Ella was at school and Mom at work, I scribbled a note explaining where we had gone and stepped outside.

"Max?" Fang called, sounding a bit strange. I wondered what was wrong and turned to face him. My jaw dropped open as I surveyed the crowd of Alphas surrounding us in every direction.

"Sorry guys," I apologised, "I think our trip to the beach might have been postponed."

Sorry if you thought the first chappie was a bit short. Hopefully this makes up for it… though I don't how much longer this is. :P