Here's the happy part. It's not over though. I don't own MR.

Runaway Cookie!

Max's POV (Flashback)

I found myself crouching on the ground, looking at the tank of acid I was floating in, along with my flock. There were so many things wrong with that sentence. Like the fact that my flock was crouching right beside me.

"Max!" Iggy said excitedly. "I can see!"

As you can imagine, I was a little out of it, so all I could say was "Mmmgh."

"What?" Iggy asked. "Aren't you happy for me?"

As I came to realize what was going on I said "Really? I mean that is so awesome! Hey, can you tell me what's going on? I'm confused. Last I remember I was dieing a horribly painful death in an acid bath."

"Um, Max." Nudge said slowly. "We're dead."

I was about to argue, when something inside me told me it was true. "Wow, so I'm dead? I always thought ghosts were…less substantial than this." I said, trying to push my hand through the wall behind me.

The flock laughed quietly around me; even Total seemed to think this was funny. I was confused, I'd meant it literally: but I let it go.

A new part of what I guessed was me boomed in my head Rule number one- it started.

Hey, I don't think we've met. I'm Maximum Ride: I don't listen to rules very well. I told the new Voice in my head.

It started again, this time a little annoyed. Rule number one: You cannot be seen by the living.

Hey! I told it. I have appointments to keep!

Now the Voice sounded like me when I'm mad. Rule 2: You cannot leave until a hole big enough for you to go through is made.

Is that it? I asked.

There was no answer.

"Great." I said aloud. "Did you guys here that?" I asked the Flock. I had to say yes by the laughter they tried unsuccessfully to hide.

Max's POV (present, 2116)

I started laughing crazily, but quietly, as Gazzy, the Phantom Fart, pointed his butt into a rec. room Itex personnel were eating in.

One of them looked up and started sniffing. "Hey Joe, did you fart?" the first guy asked.

The other guy said "No! Why would I fart? Maybe it was Bill."

"What? No way! I haven't eaten beans for six months." Bill defended.

"You know guys; you always blame this on me. How come I always fart, but you and Bob have never farted in your entire lives!"

"Because," Bob said. "We're way cooler than that."

The entire Flock just wanted to crack up at this. Yup, since we died, this is the only way we get our yuks. That and watching people run away from a Scottie that isn't there. What! It's actually pretty funny. Total barks, people scream and run away from a dog that isn't there, everybody wins!

"It wasn't as funny as when you met that cookie." Angel said, trying not to burst into tears as she talked. I tried not to think about that too much.

It was a day after we'd been killed. One of the scientists at Itex had bought a Subway meal, and he got a chocolate chip cookie with it. When he left, I was unable to resist the chocolate goodness he'd left behind, so I tried to eat the cookie.

It didn't go too well. When I brought it to my mouth, the cookie flew away from me. I tried again and again to catch the cookie, chasing it around the room until the scientist came back and stepped on what pieces of dirty cookie were left.

At the thought of this, Iggy, the one who caught me cookie hunting, laughed his guts out. "Oh god that day makes me thankful I can see!" Iggy laughed.

"Shut up! It wasn't that funny!" I yelled.

Iggy looked at me strangley. "Trust me, it was." This started his laughing spree all over again.

I looked at him for a moment and said "Ugh, what am I going to do with you?"

He just looked at me and laughed.

Please tell me what you think, though I'm just glad I have readers.