Ahh, sorry, it's been awhile. Like I said, I'm busy with school and stuff like that, but I'll try to be more frequent with updating new chapters and such.
Thanks, UNDERLANDERfromtheOVERLAND, for reviewing. I'm sorry for not being specific about the restaraunt they were in, but it's not McD's. I totally would've wished, though. But then, if it WAS McD's, then Nudge's fork catastrophe wouldn't happen.
And for those of you who don't know what the heck I'm talking about, read the last few chapters, doofuses! (just kidding.)
I may be slow in updating and crap like that, but I have school (as do the rest of you youngin's).
Here's chapter four! -confetti-
The pain this time was much, much, worse than last time. I heard a high keening sound, miserable and so high that it may break your eardrums. I realized that it was me.
My only thought going in my head, as I lie there on the muddy ground in the same fatal position, was hell, just kill me.
Of course, if the headache killed me, I wouldn't be around to save the world, and I guess the whole point of the Maximum Ride series would be worthless.
And the Flock would be leaderless.
I didn't want to go that far.
"Max!" A couple of voices startled me, as if someone was treading into a calm, undisturbed lake. I couldn't answer back, because it was clear that I was writhing in pain.
Tears flooded over my closed eyes and I screamed again as the headache went away. Shouldn't I be happy? The reason was that it didn't kill me. There are chances that it would come back again, and I would have to endure the pain all over again.
People and things like Jay Sean and chocolate would so not soothe me right now.
I felt gentle fingers touching my shoulder. "Max?" a quiet voice said, the tone screaming CONCERNED. None other than Fang.
Opening my eyes, I looked up at eight concerned looking faces, including Total, who was sitting on my legs. "Dude, something's wrong with you," Total stated, frowning.
"No freaking duh," I replied, putting my hands over my face and letting out a huge sigh. Fang and Rayne bent to help me up, and Rayne just stood there awkwardly, avoiding our eyes.
"You never told me who you are," Fang said, glancing over at her with an I'm-about-to-make-my-first-impression-but-it's-going-bad-so-far stare. I almost laughed, the pain in my forehead numb, but still there.
"Rayne," she said, staring longingly at the lake that was beside our little campsite. If you could call a small fire and a few bags of marshamallows a campsite. "I'm also a.. water manipulator."
The Flock's eyes all widened, including mine. "So, you can like, shift water in air and stuff?" Gazzy asked, inching forward and gazing curiously at her glow-in-the-dark blue eyes. You can get them at K-Mart. Although, I prefer Wal-Mart. You know what? Nevermind.
Without a word, Rayne walked over to the lake, and the Flock followed.
Since it was still night time, the moon's reflection casted an ominous glow over the lake, and it was as if it was made especially for Rayne. She walked to the water's edge, the mud making weird sloppy noises.
And let me tell you, what she did was the most awesomest thing I've ever seen in my horrible life.
Rayne took a deep, slow breath, and rose her arms up into the air. The water moved with her arms, and created a huge chunk of water right in front of us. I was expecting it to crash any minute, but then she spun in a circle, swishing her hands back and forth. The water created a huge wall around us, like the Great Wall of China. Except.. it's made of water.
In awe, Angel walked over and placed a finger through the water wall. The water splashed on Angel's finger, licking it hungrily, before she pulled it away.
Nudge and Gazzy had eyes as wide as dinner plates, staring around the wall of water. I heard Nudge swallow. "Oh my gosh," she whispered.
I could tell Iggy was really pissed, because he had an expression on his face that said, I'm going to kill anyone who utters another word. Fang's face was expressionless, like always, but I could tell that he was amazed just as much as the rest of the Flock.
I wanted to walk through the water wall, but it took everything in me to NOT do that.
Rayne hissed in a breath, and with her outstretched hands, she clenched her hands into fists. The water wall turned into an ice wall.
Now I was glad that I didn't walk through the wall at that moment. Get your Max-icles! Only a buck fifty!
Two seconds later, the ice exploded and turned into snow. Maybe snow is too soft to describe the word.. maybe it felt like HAIL.
The Flock's eyes were frozen-open where the wall was supposed to be. Rayne was panting a little, prespiration beading her forehead and her neck.
Iggy's mouth turned to the side, looking ticked. "Gaz, you have five seconds to tell me what just happened," he said murderously, and Gaz filled in what just happened, Iggy nodding every now and then.
Rayne turned back to us, her eyes searching mine and Fang's. "I could do a lot more, but I just don't have the energy now," she said, looking at the ground.
Nudge and Angel were silent, but then they bursted into cheers. "Wow, that was incredible!" Nudge spluttered, grinning. Angel nodded excitedly and started to tug on Rayne's hand. "C'mon! We'll get you smore's."
So much for trusting a total stranger.
I was about to say something, but Fang shot me a look. "Let it go," he murmered, walking after Rayne, Nudge, and Angel. Total was trotting with Gazzy and Iggy, occasionally adding on things Gazzy had missed. I walked beside Fang. "We can't trust her that easily," I said nervously, glancing at Fang.
Fang put his hand on my shoulder, and I felt my cheeks warm up to about two hundred degrees. He looked at me, concerned, probably thinking about the headache. "Take it easy," he said simply. We walked the rest of the way, saying nothing.
A stranger eating our smores? That I can cope. A stranger becoming one of the Flock? Well, I don't know how I'm supposed to deal with that.
"So you ran away?" Nudge asked, poking her stick with her marshmallow attached to it in the fire.
Rayne nodded. "They did horrible things to me," she said, then shuddered. I know exactly how you feel, girl. Needles, blood tests, x-rays galore. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"How long have you been on the run?" Fang asked, pity in his voice. I was suprised; normally, Fang would keep his wall up, for safety measures.
Rayne shrugged, avoiding everyone's eyes and stared at the fire, getting lost in the angry, thrashing flames, which were hungrily licking at Nudge's marshmallow. Nudge whipped her stick away from the fire and slid the marshmallow between two graham crackers. She slapped a chunk of chocolate in it and handed over to Rayne, who smiled politely. She bit into the smore, closing her eyes for a second. She reopened them and looked at Fang. "I've been on the run for about two years now. I'm suprised that they made no move to catch me."
Really? No Erasers or Flyboys that try to decapitate you?
I grinned stiffy at her, deciding that we should give this poor girl a chance. "Anyways.. I'm Max." I pointed to Fang. "That's Fang. That's Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Iggy." They all mumbled their hellos, and Rayne flushed lightly.
The crack of dawn (that reminded me of an old crackhouse Fang and I discovered so long ago) appeared over the rest of the hills. The skies changed from dark blue to light orange/pink very quickly, and suddenly, I missed the night.
"I guess I should be going." Rayne stood up, shoving the rest of her smore in her mouth, and was about to walk away when Angel grabbed her ankle. Gosh, just replace Angel with a zombie and ta-da, a zombie movie.
"You should come with us!" Angel pouted, still holding on to Rayne's ankle.
Rayne was prettier in the sun, especially her eyes. They're like a crystal-ice blue. Better than my doo-doo colored brown eyes. (Sorry, Mom!) Rayne's wings were butterscotch colored, as if light caramel sauce spilled over them. If they really happened and a mad scientist really did that, well, I have no comment.
Rayne was really gorgeous.
But I'm still cautious.
Angel shot me a look, still holding onto her ankle. I wouldn't be suprised if there are nail marks from Angel on Rayne's ankle. Max, give her a chance, Angel thought, looking away with me, scowling. That is no way to treat your leader, sista!
Rayne looked at the sunrise longingly, which was now casting light pink streaks across the sky as if an artist whipped his brush across the easel in disgust, because he thought of Erasers.
Why is everything related to Erasers these days?
"Where are you guys off to?" she asked without turning around. I shot Fang a look, and he glanced back, calm. "We're off to Florida," he said, coming over to stand next to Rayne. Fang was about two inches taller than Rayne, and they had the same shade of hair; glossy and black. Fang's dark wings went pretty good with Rayne's, like an oreo cookie.
Gaz and Iggy had fallen asleep in the big oak tree, their arms and legs dangling, their mouths open. I thought I heard Gazzy fart. "Yeah, we're going to Disney World," I said, nodding toward Nudge and Angel, who were now hanging on Rayne's legs. "The kids want to go."
Rayne shot me and Fang an amused glance. "At a time like this? Aren't mad scientists and whatnot after you?" As if. Nahh, they just wanted to sell us Flyboy parts.
Fang went over, tapped on Gazzy's and Iggy's hands, and bent down to sling a backpack over his shoulder. "Apparently, they decided to lie low. We're taking the chance to be kids." He shot me another glance that said, but we're still on a lookout.
Gazzy sat up on his branch and yawned. He fell backwards and landed on a pile of random leaves. "Fang, please get my backpack?" he moaned, waving his arm in the air. I grinned and tossed Gazzy his backpack, and it landed on his stomache. I heard Gazzy's breath go whoooooooooosh.
Iggy jumped down and was groping around for his backpack and crashed into Rayne. "Um, sorry," he stammered, skittering away and snatching up his backpack. Is Iggy blushing? Damn.
Rayne blushed lightly and helped me and Fang to clear up the campsite and trodding away any evidence that freaky mutated bird kids were here in the first place. Next thing we want is Angel manipulating minds and Nudge attracting MORE forks.
"Alright, up and away," I said, gesturing towards the open space in front of us. The lake was located on the far side of the lake, and when Angel took off at a running start, her feet skimmed the lake's surface, causing a bunch of ducks swimming frantically away. Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy followed suit, unfurling their wings and pumping upward.
I motioned Rayne to go before Fang and I, and she nodded, avoiding our eyes. She took a running start and unfurled her butterscotch wings. They were pretty big, maybe bigger than my own wings. Well, nothing can be bigger than my wings, besides Fang's and Iggy's. Fang stood there with an awed expression on his face, as if he never saw a kid fly. Nah, every single DAY he does. I felt jealousy flaming up inside, and I bit the inside of my cheek.
Once the Flock, including Rayne, was in the air, we flew in a loose Vee formation, me in the front and Fang and Rayne flocking my sides. I looked over just in time to see Fang and Rayne exchange happy glances, and I felt the jealousy all over again.
Max? Angel.
Yes, sweetheart? I used one of the techniques my fellow hawk friends taught us, banking with one wing moving faster than the other.
Nevermind. I could almost feel the sweet-coated sugar on Angel's voice.
Great. The last thing I wanted was a six-year old to butt into my love life.
Not the greatest chapter, but hey, it's something.
Review&read! Or is it the other way?