3. Maximum's Return...My Return

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Edward pulled me out of the car before I had a chance to grasp what was going on. They were coming for me? How did they find me? I managed to avoid them for four years, why were they popping up now? And what were they? They kind of look like a really screwed up version of an Eraser.

"Come with us now Maximum," One of them said. "And we won't harm your friends." I looked at the Cullens.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Emmett asked right as Jacob morphed into a were-wolf.

I stared up at the sky. I knew what they wanted, but I wasn't going down without a fight. I would never go down without a fight.

"Edward, you know where to take her." Carlise said, I barley caught it because it was so quiet.

"No." I said looking up at the sky.

"Bella don't argue just go, we can hold them back." Jasper said.

"Yeah, we're tough. No need to worry about us." Alice said smiling at me.

Edward threw me into his arms and started to run the opposite direction we came.

"Edward...No...Put me down!" I said struggling.

"Most of the time I would do what you ask, but you are in danger." Edward said, concentrating in the direction we were headed.

"Edward, you need to know why they're after me!" I said kicking.

"You can tell me now." He said calmly.

"I need to show you!"

"Then it will have to wait."

"EDWARD!" I shrieked. He stopped suddenly that I almost flew out of his arms. I wondered if I had scared him.

"What is it?" He asked, looking to see if I was hurt.

"Please just like me explain." I pleaded. He bit his lip.

"We're almost there. I can see the cave now." He said starting to run again. I nodded. I could see the outline of the cave too, but I didn't say anything.

He put me down once we reached the cave entrance. I sighed and stretched my legs. I loosened my wings too. Ah, that felt so good.

"Now what is it?" He asked when he made sure we where safe.

I sighed trying to calm myself. "I'm Maximum Ride." I said when I had enough voice.

He shook his head. "No. You can't be. Maximum Ride has wings. She disappeared four years ago..." He said. I wasn't quite sure if he was talking to me or himself.

"How do you know about that?" I asked baffled.

"I watch the news. She made nation-wide news." Edward explained

"Well, I'm Max." I said taking off my sweat-shirt again. I cut slits in all of my tank-tops. That's why I never let Charlie do my landry. I let my wings slide out of the back of my shirt and extended them completely. They were sixteen feet across now. I guess I wasn't full grown at fourteen.

He stared at me. "Is this why you hang out with monsters?" He asked.

I smiled. "That's the exact thing Jacob said."

He frowned at me. "You told Jacob first? How long has he known?" Edward asked unhappily.

"I didn't exactly tell him. He wanted to go swimming and I said no. So he jokingly took off my sweat-shirt and my wings just shot through my tank-top. He's only known for maybe fifteen minutes now. So you really aren't missing much. And he doesn't know I'm Maximum Ride." I explained quickly. I didn't want him to think that I was telling my best friend my then my boyfriend. Even to a girl like me, that would be cold.

"So you've kept this from me for six months?" He asked.

"Yes. I wanted to seem normal to you. I am a danger to everyone I'm near so I didn't want you to figure out." I said, almost babbling. Man, I sounded like Nudge.

"I can't believe it..." Edward mumbled.

"Edward I'm sorry. I just-"

"No, not that. I can't believe that I didn't see that coming! How dumb am I?"

I laughed, relieved that he wasn't mad at me. "You're not dumb. I just seemed to normal." I reassured him.

"But you didn't seem normal! You've always been different from all the other girls, now I know why." He told me.

Before I could speak again one of the monster landed in front of me.

"I told you not to run Maximum. Now I have to kill you both." He said smiling. "But that's okay with me."