Hello! This is the third edited chapter I've been meaning to do, but haven't had the means to as I was at my dad's house all weekend and didn't get to use the laptop there. So, here I am to continue editing. Also, here are the ages of the characters:
Max and Iggy: 17/senior
Dylan, Ella, Fang/stepsisters: 18/senior
Nudge and Angel: 16/junior
Gazzy:14/freshman
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to James Patterson's Maximum Ride series or the songs and bands used within the chapters. No copyright infringement intended.
Max POV:
I started running, my sweats and to sticking to me. I was covered in sweat, but I had to keep running. The dogs and wolf-men I called Erasers were chasing me. I knew this was no game anymore.
I found a clearing. A cliff. I wanted to scream and run away, but I couldn't let my cowardice win. The Erasers and dogs were closing in. Oh, crap. I had to get away from them. With no other choice, I launched myself of the cliff, backwards. I unfurled fourteen-foot white, brown, and speckled feathery wings. It hurt my back to open them so fast. But I would live to see tomorrow. I heard a beeping sound. The Erasers had guns, which seemed to beep all the time as they pointed at me. As I fell, I thought of the worst pun: Erasers would erase my existence if falling from the cliff didn't. I flapped my wings fast, gaining speed as I looked back at the Erasers, and-
I woke up drenched with sweat. My alarm clock was still beeping. I got up and turned it off. I was not excited for school. We got to start a history project in partners, and we didn't know who ours were yet. With my luck, I'd get stuck with one of my dumber-than-a-freaking-brick stepsisters, Ella, or Fang. I got into the kitchen and made the twins and Anne some easy-bake lean breakfast pouch, and me some scrambled eggs, the only thing I could cook. I got dressed in a blue Fall Out Boy tee shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans I had set out in front of my dresser the night before, and pulled on neon green ankle socks and my black and white Chuck Taylors.
School went the same way as it always did. I was invisible as always, but that was just the way I liked it. It was better than being the center of attention or being the kid everyone hated. Instead, it was as if I simply wasn't there. In fourth period, History, my teacher, Mr. Howe, explained the project to us.
"The project can be about an event that happened during the Civil War. This can be a battle, or it can revolve around a group of people, including but not limited to spies, women, nurses, soldiers on either side, or governments. I will now randomly partner you up, and there will be no switching of partners whatsoever. Once the two of you decide on a topic, come to my desk and make sure the topic hasn't been taken to prevent any sort of cheating or boring and repetitive presentations."
Mr. Howe then picked up a Mason jar with popsicle sticks, one with each name of a student. Elementary school style.
"Brigid Stone and Ella Martinez," he started, and I internally groaned. I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a rusty knife than watch that presentation. It would most likely be about the fashion sense of women in the Civil War or something that had nothing to do with the war.
"Igneous Nicholls and Dylan Reysmeyer," he said. I felt so bad for Iggy; he'd have to do all of the work for both him and the bonehead that had just been declared as his partner.
This continued on until there was almost no one except me and a few others left.
"Nicholas Walker, and" please not me please not me, "Alison Woodard." I let out a sigh. That just left Charles, the genius, and I. Mr. Howe pointed to us, and we nodded. At least I didn't get stuck with Fang. Charles was a brown-haired boy, with glasses. He was tall, but pretty skinny, and was nice to everyone despite being taunted by the jocks of the class. I smiled in his direction, happy that he wasn't just smart, but also nice. (And kind of cute.)
"So, what do you want the project to be about, Charles?" I asked, and he just looked at me.
"You can call me Charlie. And I think we could make a very interesting presentation by using battle strategies from battles like the Battle of Gettysburg, Antietam, and the Battles of Bull Run. Is that okay with you?" I nodded, clearly pleased that my partner wasn't a moron that didn't know anything about the Civil War despite having learned about it for the past semester.
"Perfect."
A/N: Wasn't that a plot twist? If you read this before, you would know that Fang was originally Max's partner. However, I needed something instead of the straightforward plot I had before. Anyway, this is where I'm also restarting the song of the chapter with a few lines of a song, where I see who can comment the correct song and artist. So, here's the first one (and relatively easy, in my opinion):
"Baby, seasons change, but people don't.
And I'll always be waiting in the back room.
I'm boring but overcompensate with headlines and flash, flash, flash photography."
So comment if you know the song or artist (hopefully both). Please don't cheat, but I won't be able to tell if you do, so whatever.
Also, until I finish editing, every chapter ahead of this won't make any sense. Sorry!
-Grace
