AN: Hello peoples! What's up? I'm back with an update! Here's the next chapter. Oh, and I don't own MR, or any of the songs used in this story unless said otherwise. Like, if I make up my own song.
(Fang's POV)
Max and another girl, plus Roger and some other guy walked up to the stage. Max and Roger grabbed electric guitars. The other guy grabbed a bass, and the girl went to the drums. "This first song is Animal I Have Become, written and sung by our very own Maximum Ride." Roger said into his microphone.
Max nodded her head before the guy on the bass started playing. In this light, I could see that on her arms, which were always hidden before, she had a lot of scars. And I mean, a lot of scars. "Look at her arms." I heard Iggy whisper behind me, and then I heard a lot of silent gasps. I turned to see the others looking at Max with sad eyes. As she started playing, she looked at us, then quickly looked away. Then Roger came in and after a little more playing, she started to sing. She started off in a normal tone of voice.
I can't escape this hell.
So many times I've tried.
But I'm still caged inside.
Then she got a little louder. It was painful to listen to. Not because she was bad, but because she sang it with some much feeling, you know this song came from the heart. I can't even imagine what she was feeling when she wrote it. The song in itself sounded like it was written in pain and anger.
Somebody get me through this nightmare.
I can't control myself.
So what if you can see
The darkest side of me?
No one will ever change
This animal I have become.
Help me believe
It's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame
This animal.
(This animal. This animal.) Everyone except for Max sang that part. The she started again, going back to the normal tone.
I can't escape myself.
(I can't escape myself.) Roger did the repeats.
So many times I've lied.
(So many times I've lied.)
But there's still rage inside.
She got louder and more angry again. It almost sounded like a song reflecting her anger and pain, but, at the same time, it was a song begging somebody for help. To save her from not just the people who were abusing her, but from herself. From what she thinks becoming, a cold stranger that had no feeling, no heart. An "animal" so to speak.
Somebody get me through this nightmare.
I can't control myself.
So what if you can see
The darkest side of me?
No one will ever change
This animal I have become.
Help me believe
It's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame
This animal I have become.
Help me believe
It's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame
This animal.
Somebody help me through this nightmare.
I can't control myself.
Somebody wake me from this nightmare.
I can't escape this hell.
Max held out this note and everyone else stopped playing, except for the girl on the drum. Then the rest of the band repeated "This animal." over and over again. Seven times, I think? Then everything stopped except for Max's sing and playing.
So what if you can see
The darkest side of me?
No one will ever change
This animal I have become.
Everyone else joined in.
Help me believe
It's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame
This animal I have become.
Help me believe
It's not the real me.
Somebody help me tame
This animal.
(This animal I have become.)
Max ended it with this sort of solo thing. The others kept playing, but you could hear her instrument above theirs. When they all finally stopped everyone else started clapping, including us. It was an amazing song. But was I the only one that noticed Max's pained expression when she saw it. It was just slightly different, but, if you looked closely, you could see her clenched jaw and the pain that was buried deep in her eyes.
Her and Roger shared a look, deciding if they should do another song. "How about we have someone else come up and sing? Karaoke night!" Roger yelled excitedly. He and the two others stayed on the stage to play the songs, but Max jumped off and went to stand in another corner of the room, away from the crowd.
I walked over to stand next to her. "Crowd getting to you?" I asked. Max just gave me a get the hell away from me glare. "That was an interesting song. You wrote it?"
She nodded. "Last year, I think. I'm not sure."
I nodded. "It was good." She glared at me again, but I just stayed where I was. Max seemed to allow that as long as I didn't talk to her. We stood in silence, watching the other staff members sing. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it sure as hell was comfortable either. "So, how long have you worked here?" I asked.
"Since I was eight. I used to help clean the dishes. Then I got promoted to bodyguard after I threw out some drunken idiot." she said, disgust clear in her voice. Note to self: Keep Max away from drunk people. She might rip them limb from limb.
"So, you've known these people for awhile. Do you trust them?" I asked.
Max's wary look was almost enough of an answer for me. "Only Sue and Roger." she mumbled, her eyes carefully watching the crowd. But when I followed her gaze, I saw she was watching Angel and Gaz. Then, somebody bumped into them and they went flying into someone else.
"What the hell?" the person growled, surprised and ticked off at the same time. Before I could even blink, Max was off the wall and walking over to them. Roger saw her. The song they'd been playing had stopped, but he didn't start another when the girl up there gave him the cue. He was watching Max.
"Watch where you're going!" the guy yelled at Angel and Gazzy. I started walking towards them, scowling. Max stopped behind Angel and Gaz and the idiots eyes flew to her. She was glaring at him. I stood beside her, also glaring. The guy gulped and walked to the other side of the room. Max just calmly placed her hands on the kids' shoulders and guided them over to the bar.
She motioned for me to sit them on the bar stools. She walked around and mixed a bunch of sodas together before handing two of the concoctions to Angel and Gaz. At their wary looks, she just said, "Drink up. It's good." before walking away. Gazzy and Angel shared a look before sipping carefully from their glasses. They grinned. "Wow! This is really good!" Angel said.
"Yeah! You've got to try this, Fang!" Gazzy said, holding his cup out to me. I took a sip from it and felt my eyes widen as the taste exploded in my mouth. It really was good. "I wonder what she put in it." I mused, looking across the room to Max. She was leaning up against the wall, watching the girl on stage. But when she felt my eyes on her, she looked back at me. I smiled and held up the glass, indicating that the drink was good. She nodded, and I could've sworn I saw a flash of a smile before she looked back to the stage.
Eventually, the shop closed down for everybody and Max hopped back into the car. She turned the car on and started driving down the road. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Max, what did you put in that drink?" I asked her.
The corner of her mouth turned up in the barest hint of a smile and she looked at me briefly in the rear view mirror before her eyes went back to the road. "That's my own personal secret." she replied. "I haven't told anybody, and I'm not going to start." Suddenly she shook her head sharply.
"Are you okay, Max?" Dr. M asked worriedly.
Max nodded. "Tired." she mumbled, keeping her eyes on the road.
"I can drive if you–"
"I'm fine." Max said stubbornly, cutting her off. She turned down an exit, taking the turn a little too quickly. But, she got us home alive, and that's the important thing. When she parked in the driveway, she immediately hopped out.
"Wait, Max." I said, quietly enough for only her to hear. She stopped and looked at me expectantly. "Where did these scars come from?" I asked her worriedly, gesturing to her arms. She looked down and her eyes went distant, filled with pain, sorrow, and anger.
"Doesn't matter." she grunted, turning and going inside.
I sighed. "Why won't you just give us a chance?" I asked her.
She froze. Then she looked back at me from over her shoulder. "I've been done with giving people chances since I was four years old." she said, her eyes full of annoyance.
"But…I thought you entered the foster program when you were five." Nudge said from beside me. All of them had overheard her last statement.
"I did." Max replied. Her eyes went distant again for a split second before she shook her head and walked back inside the house. Great. So that means her parents probably abused her too, or screwed up somehow. Has she ever gotten a break?
(Max's POV)
My wings cramped up again as I walked back into my room. I knew that I couldn't put it off any longer. I had to fly. Tonight. If I didn't, my wings would cramp up badly. And it would be hard to fly, which means that there's a good chance of crashing.
I opened the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony. From there, I climbed up to the roof and did a running take off. I spread my wings out and it felt so good. I hated that I had to be so careful. If I had it my way, I'd fly every night. The wind in your face, the adrenaline rush, the freedom, and just knowing that something others only wish they can do comes as naturally to you as breathing. My wings moved up and down in the familiar pattern.
My eyes darkened as I remembered Fang asking about my scars. Some had come from the foster homes. Like the family whose dad kicked me through the wooden door. Big splinters and shards of wood had buried themselves in my back and arms. Or there was that time that the same foster family threw me down the stairs. But a lot of them were from the School. I remember this one particular experiment. It was when they made several long, deep, painful incisions in me. They wanted to see how much pain I could take. They figured out it was a lot.
I shook my head sharply and moved to land. I circled down easily and landed lightly. I was in a clearing with this big lake. It even had a small waterfall. It kind of looked like a small paradise. I should come back here sometime, I thought absentmindedly. I bent down and splashed my face with water, trying to get myself up. I couldn't fall asleep out here. They might wake up before I do and see that I'm gone. They won't be happy. They might finally break their No Beating Max rule. I wouldn't be surprised. It wouldn't be the first time.
I shook my head again. I found myself thinking a lot about my old families these days. Even about my mom and dad. They are memories that I would much rather just forget.
I just sat by the lake for a while, letting my mind wander to anything. Anything but the stupid families I had before.
Maybe you should trust this family, the Voice told me. Yeah, so I have a voice in my head. Don't you? They're different. They're only here to help you, Max.
Yeah right, I grumbled. Nobody wants to help me. They never have and they never will. People just don't care.
You don't never know, Max. You really should give them a chance.
Just go away, Voice. To my surprise, it actually did go away. I took off from the clearing, easily finding my way back to the house. I had this sort of navigation system in my head. I was never really lost. And I could always find a place I've been to easily. I also always know which direction I'm heading in. It was actually pretty cool.
I landed easily on the roof and climbed back down to the balcony. I didn't want Nudge to look out her window just to see that her new foster sister wasn't home because she was a mutant bird-kid with wings. Yeah, I bet that conversation would go over well.
I silently slide open the glass door and crawled into bed, falling into a fitful, nightmare-filled sleep. I don't even know when the last time I got a good night's sleep. Probably sometime after I left the School, before my first family. Then again, I had just gotten out of the School so maybe not. Hmm…
AN: Alright guys, review! I really want to know what you guys think. Don't hold back if you find something that you think can be improved.