Today is the Day that I've been here for a year! So I'm celebrating it with you guys with a new chapter! So happy birthday/anniversary! Oh yeah, sorry that this chapter is kinda slow, I've been unwell all week and I dunno, I feel totally out of it. I finished writing the other half of the story today, I think I spent like 2 hours on it, a better of 30 min was dedicated to finding out what I was doing and staring off into space because I was so out of it. Oh! I got invited to a concert but I turned it down, as much as I love country, I don't love love country. I'm more of a rock fan, tickets to Red Jumpsuit Apparatus anyday! And if I spelled it wrong, that's 'cause I'm more concerned about the names of the songs than anything else.

To My Goth Faerie: I miss you T.T Have I told you? I've been on watch for a root canal for ages and now I think I finally have to get oneT.T and what's worse is that the seditives on that side of my mouth doesn't work, they gave me three shots there, painful stuff. Again... I miss my goth Faerie T.T

To the Challangers! It was the second escape, not the Jeb escape!

Myrah: Thank you so much, I just recently got my book back and I wanted to check Cookie!

EndlessHope: I have to say, you are the biggest Fan I've ever met. Cookie!

And I am working on tallying the cookies from all my reviewers so a new story can be posted.

Chapter 7:

Start of Something New

Angel and Nudge begged to watch High School Musical last night and now they won't stop singing the songs, bad idea Max. Bad, bad, idea. I caved into letting them watch, which isn't showing very good parenting skills but screw it. I mean, I have the Flock, we all take care of each other and they're more of a family than the one I lived with Jeb.

"You HAD to let them watch?" Iggy groaned beside me as we flew with the current, his wing tips brushing against mine occasionally. "And their getting Gazzy into it! Listen!" I listened behind us where Angel and Nudge were singing.

"Now who would ever thought that, Mmmm, we'd both be here tonight, and the world is so much brighter, with you by my side!" I heard Troy and Gabriella as if they were actually there.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention, Gazzy can mimic voices." Iggy grinned. Great, we have another prankster. First a bomb maker then a mimicker. This would be a great combination if I were to break into the federal bank, don't ask me how but it would.

The first days of freedom are always hard to adjust to. All this pent up energy, the adrenaline finally fading away, more food to pig out on, just like summer. "Peter Pan!" I called out to Fang, who was flying ahead of me. He dropped back until he was on my other side, looking intently ahead. "I still want to go to Never Land." I saw laughter fill his eyes and a small smile crept onto his face. "To Never Land!" I grinned, beginning to fly ahead, knowing that the flock was looking at me weird. I turned around, a sudden realization hitting me. "Uh, where's Florida?"

"Florida?" Nudge asked, a confused look on her features. "What's in Florida?"

"Oh yeah," I saw a grin form on Iggy's face, "Disney World."

"What's Disney World?" Angel asked, looking at me and then to Iggy.

"It's a place where we can have fun." I replied. "And I say we go on the Peter Pan ride first!" I smiled, remembering the first time I went.

"Go East." Fang told me, his dark eyes encouraging. "We're in Nevada."

"That's like, on the other side of the country!" I gasped, almost horrified.

"Well that's like, a twelve hour flight from here!" Fang mimicked horribly. I glared and he smirked. It was possible that it was a twelve hour flight but I wouldn't know, all I knew is that it was a twenty-two hour drive from Texas, almost double from California, so who knew, being higher up could mean getting to places faster…

"Actually…" I glanced at the flock, eying their ratty pieces of clothing. "We need to go shopping. I mean, you guys scream, I escaped from prison with wild dogs after me." Fang looked at me blankly. "Hey, I'm trying to be a little inconspicuous here," I began, "it's not my fashion sense that's talking if that's what you're thinking." I glared at Fang. He shook his head, saying that I didn't get the point.

"Oooo, shopping? Does that mean that we get to get some of those teen magazines and other stuff like that, like earrings! There's a white coat that had really pretty earrings, well, until one of the experiments ripped them off but you know she had it coming because they dangled really low like almost touched her shoulder and they were shiny, really shiny and-"

"Nudge!" I said firmly. She shut her mouth and gazed at me in curiosity. "We're going to go shopping, yes, we might pick up a teen magazine but you are not getting earrings. Not even if you beg and plead." I gave her a stern stare.

"But why?" Her dark eyes questioned me. "I mean you have earrings." I winced. Yeah, I have earrings. I've had to get them pierced so many times because my earlobes kept on closing.

"Max says that they hurt and then you can't touch them forever and if you take them out then your ears will close and then you have to get another shot thingy to wear earrings again." Angel told Nudge, holding her brother's hand.

"I'd like to be warned before someone goes and invades my head, personal space people." I grumbled under my breath. Iggy laughed, hearing it all.

"There's a Wal-Mart in the next town," Fang began, his dark eyes unfocused as he looked at me. "I went there with Jeb before he brought me back to our old home." I looked away, home… the world felt bittersweet. Not because Maximum died only a few weeks ago but my ex-dad tortures experiments that used to be human and Ari, he's no longer my brother, that family there is gone and I've lived with that family for most of my life.

"Then lets go." I nodded, following Fang as he led us through the skies. I closed my eyes for a moment, the sun feels so warm.

We flew for only minutes before Fang dipped his wing, showing off a graceful dive. I followed the suit, gesturing for the others to do the same. I heard their wings flap behind me as I eyed Fang's every movement. I couldn't lose him, not now, not after all we've been through.

I saw the familiar blue store coming closer into view and watched as Fang pulled back. "We've got to land somewhere where we're not noticeable." I nodded, surveying the area. I pointed and Fang nodded, letting me take the lead.

We landed a little clumsily at the trailer drop off. There was only one trailer in the two available spots, a wall on the other side of the vacant spot. The ground dipped for easy unloading and for good cover on my part. "It ripped my shirt didn't it?" I attempted to look at my back to no avail. Great, just great. I pulled out a vest and pulled it on, covering up my rips. I glanced at Fang who was pulling his shirt off and rummaging through his pack for another. "Nudge," I called, pulling a short sleeve jacket out and tossing it to her, "Angel." I saw her clutching the Winnie the Pooh bear tightly "I need you to wear this backpack in the meantime until we get you some proper clothes." Angel nodded when I held out my pack. I glanced at Fang who was already in a new black shirt, Iggy scowling at the new shirt he was wearing, no doubt he had accidentally put it on backwards and Gazzy was wearing- "Fang! That's my elementary school shirt! How do you even have it?" I stared at him, a hardened gaze. So sue me if I can still fit into those clothes.

"Hey, you're the one who left it over at my place after swimming before we left. Thought I could return it but this has more use." Fang shrugged. I sighed; I really couldn't do anything about it now.

"All right, since we all look… remotely normal…" The boys and I were the only ones who looked remotely normal. It isn't usual to see a cute little ten year old in dirty and torn gray sweatpants and shirt and it isn't normal to see a fifteen year old in ratty sweatpants and in a short sleeve jacket that had a sweatshirt underneath where it was obvious she had torn off the sleeves because it looked to weird. "We can go in and get stuff."

We walked out from the unloading area and towards the front of the store. As we entered I smelled the familiar smell of Wal-Mart and believe me, Wal-Mart has its own special smell. "Fang, you take the boys and I'll take the girls." Fang nodded and pushed the guys farther ahead. "They have no idea how lucky they are that they're guys." I muttered. "Nudge, grab a basket." I gestured to the rows of baskets waiting.

"So what are we going to do first?" Nudge asked, pushing the basket lazily, leaning over the basket, her chest covering her hands.

"As odd as this sounds, get you a bra." Again, they have no idea how lucky they are to be guys, no checking that this fits the right stuff or growing pains, I forgot. I grimaced feeling a familiar cramp.

"Functions of a girl," I told Angel, noticing the look she had as she was reading my mind. "So don't grow older than twelve." Angel nodded, hugging Winnie the Pooh so tight I thought he was going to pop at the seams.

So I'm gonna totally skip shopping because shopping can get extremely annoying at times, especially when there are prick guys checking you out as you choose clothing. So I'm just gonna say this, we got plenty of necessities. Toothbrushes, packs for the rest of the flock…Feminine items…

We stopped at the McDonalds on the way out; it was funny because the guy who took our order looked completely surprised on all the food we bought.

So, a twelve-hour flight to Disney, we'll have to stop somewhere because we didn't even get to sleep last night, Angel's already faltering.

"Hey Max," Nudge called to me as we flew over the clouds. She flew next to me, a confused expression on her face. "What's the acquisition of poultry?" I heard Fang snicker at the words and I looked at Nudge, eyes wide in confusion. "No?" Nudge cocked her head. "But they guys back in the store…" She trailed, her brows furrowing to think the conversation the guys that were checking us out were having. "I mean, it's really stupid, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, bewildered.

"The acquisition of poultry!" Nudge replied. "You remember the guys, they were like, 'Lets pick up some chicks-"

"Wait." I held out a hand to stop her. "You mean to tell me, this acquisition of poultry is what you thought the guys meant when they said they were going to ask us out?" I saw Fang smiling, he knew it all along, damn you. "Nudge," I began, I swear I felt a few brain cells die, "chicks mean girls and boys ask girls out to go on dates. There is no acquisition of poultry, if there is, I'd feel sorry for the poultry."

"You know," Iggy mused, flying beside me as Nudge dropped back a bit. "Technically, it is an acquisition of poultry in Nudge's and your case. You are a bird, aren't you?" He flashed a smile before dropping back and discussing something with Gazzy.

"Oh ha ha Iggy." I muttered. Fang flew closer to my side, out wingtips touching at every down stroke. He remained silent as we flew.

"Max, I'm hungry." Nudge complained hours later, we were somewhere over Texas by now. I glanced at Fang, who seemed to be oblivious to my glance even though he seemed to be staring right at me. My wings hurt a little but I didn't want to give in before Fang.

"Just a little farther," I told Nudge, "Fang go check out the nearest place we can eat." I pointed down to the clouds beneath us. He nodded, tucking in his wings and diving.

I heard voices behind me of Iggy and Gazzy talking. "How long can you stare at the sun?"

"About three minutes. What about you?"

"Five hours." I could sense Iggy smiling with pride. "You know, staring at the sun long can make you blind."

"So you're the one who had the staring contest at the School!"

"Yeah, I was already blind then, Gazzy, remember?"

"Oh."

"Wendy's east of here, Taco Bell just a bit north." Fang reappeared at my side. I thought of the choices, Wendy's there was chilly, bad idea for Gasman but Taco Bell was so much worse for him and if it's worse for him then it's worse for us.

"Wendy's." I nodded to Fang. I told myself we were not landing to rest we were landing because the rest of the flock was hungry. I dipped my wing to turn right, the others following the suit. We dipped out of the clouds and saw the bustling city. There were honking cars everywhere and a heavy smog that caused me to sneeze violently. Great, an industrial city, just like I always wanted.

"There." Fang pointed to a familiar sign that had a girl with flaming red hair. I nodded landing behind the dumpster of Wendy's.

I sighed, pulling on my short sleeve jacket to hide the tears in my clothes. I pressed the wings tightly to my back, making it almost impossible to tell I had them. "Why does it seem so slow now?" I asked Fang quietly as we walked through the doors of the fast food restaurant.

"How does this feel slow? We're on the run, Max."

"But it feels like life is at a stand still, like with a normal life you just do nothing but eat, drive your car, watch TV, drive some more, east some more, and then sleep. That's all it feels like we're doing." I should be grateful for this slow life but I had just gotten used to living life on fast forward.

"Knock on wood." I heard Fang mutter under his breath before the flock made their orders.

Oh how I wish I did.

We had just gotten our food and I had managed to eat one burger until this old lady came up and smiled at us. "Your little girl is so cute," the old woman cooed, pinching Angel's cheek that caused her to flinch. "I could just eat her up!" the old woman's voice turned menacing and rough by the last word. The woman morphed into an Eraser which caused me to look around, there were four others, how could they have found us so fast?

"U and A!" I said through gritted teeth, watching the Eraser still pinching Angel, it's claws almost ready to tear off the skin on her face. I launched myself at the Eraser, knocking it to the ground and releasing Angel. "Follow Gazzy, Angel!" I ordered giving the Eraser a hard punch in the face.

Knock on Wood he says, I thought to myself as I ducked a punch, I'll be fine I say, I kicked one where the sun don't shine, what an idiot I am. I scolded myself as I leapt up, letting two Erasers crash heads. I watched more customers morph into Erasers. Damn. This isn't going so well. Nudge was out, along with Gazzy, Angel, and Iggy. Which meant, I looked around, Fang and I.

"Time to go!" I shouted over the growls of the Erasers. I leapt onto the tables and ran across them before jumping onto the counter of the restaurant. "Hi!" I waved to the cashier before jumping behind the counter, Fang following. "Thanks for the food!" I grinned, eying a to go bags ready to be given to the drive thru customers. I ran out the back door and leapt into the air, Fang hot on my heels. "I would've gone through the drive thru window you know," I told Fang as he gave me a hard stare, "but Wendy's drive thru windows are notorious for snapping on your fingers and getting jammed."

"Happy now?" Fang asked me as we flew higher where the flock was flying just below the clouds. "No more 'boring' life."

"Yeah," I replied sarcastically, "'cause you know, I just love to eat and run. Not to mention I'm going to be scared of little old ladies for the rest of my life! I mean come on! Old ladies should be retired, weak, and not FREAKING LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD!" I glared at the hard stare. "Grandma, what big teeth you have!" I mocked, a small look of horror on my face.

"You know, for a new life, it has its ups and downs." I told Fang as I handed two of the bags to Gazzy and Nudge. There was a kids meal that I gave to Angel and four other bags that I split between Iggy, Fang, and I. "I mean, it's great, I have an actual family, totally awesome, I have wings, which I can't decide is a plus or negative, and you're still with me. On the other hand," I sighed as we passed through the clouds, "it's very lame that we don't have a safe place, kind of like a home where we all can return to. Not to mention, you know, old ladies turning into Erasers, Erasers attacking in general, limited money, the School is after us 'cause we're experiments that are going to be used for who the hell knows what." I ate some fries from my bag. "Other than that, it's just peachy."

"You are insane." Fang told me. I beamed, acting like it was a compliment.

We stopped somewhere near the border of Florida, staying at another run down hotel. "Disney Channel again?" I groaned as Hannah Montana came on. "What no cartoons?" Kids these days, rather watch real people than cartoons with superpowers or like Tom and Jerry, Yay violence!

"Gazzy, shower." I ordered seeing Angel glued to the television screen. "Best of both worlds, eh?" I flopped onto one of the musty beds. "Do you remember what our old world was like?" I asked Fang, my hands reaching out towards the ceiling.

"Yeah." Fang nodded, sitting beside me as Iggy seemed to be napping on the other bed.

"Oh yeah." I sat up suddenly, rushing to the packs on the small desk area. I took off the flock's packs except for Fang's and mine. I dumped out the contents, looking at them carefully.

"What are you doing?" Fang asked, snatching his boxers from the pile, I heard Nudge giggle and I wasn't sure it was because of that or the show, I don't think I wanna know.

"The Erasers found us easily. Which means there might be a tracking device in the stuff Jeb gave me." I removed my wallet from the front pocket of my pack and went through it carefully. "Look for anything suspicious." I told Fang as I took out the cards. ID, debit cards, nothing.

We sifted through the items for a long time, when we finished; each member had been put through the shower, even Fang and I. "I've got nothing." I sighed, beginning to brush the knots out of my wet hair. Angel and Nudge shared a bed as did Iggy and Gazzy, the four were fast asleep.

Jeb didn't give you a tracking device, the voice told me, giving me a mild headache. Great, I'm going mad again. Fang pulled out the sofa bed as I started putting our things back in our packs. If Jeb didn't give us a tracking device then how could the Erasers find us? I yawned tiredly, sitting on the edge of the bed, Fang already lying in it.

Don't worry about it, the voice reassured me, I wanted to glare at it. None of it concerns you for now.

If they're finding my family, my flock, it concerns me. I laid down on the bed, pulling the covers up. Forget it, I don't want to argue right before I go to sleep. I gazed at the dark ceiling, still vaguely aware that I hadn't taken off my black bracelet. I'm surprised I haven't lost it through all this mess. I fiddled with it, unable to think.

"Night." Fang told me as he shifted in the bed, I could see a faint outline of his arm with his own bracelet dangling on his wrist. I turned to my side and banged bracelets with him, remembering how we used to do that all the time.

"Night." I replied, holding the bracelet close and falling asleep.

I woke up to the sound of a bird. I sat up, looking around. Fang was sleeping on his side, beside me, his hair disheveled but his face was peaceful, Nudge was sprawled near the bottom of the bed, and Angel curled into a ball with Winnie in her arms. Iggy was lying on his back, his eyes open, telling me he was awake, and Gasman was on his side and lying like a dog on its side.

I heard the sound again and saw as Iggy's eyes flicker to me and then to the door. I felt the bed move a little. Fang sat up slowly, having heard the sound. His face looked slightly pale, like he had a nightmare of some sort.

He got up quietly and walked to the door and opened it wide letting a hawk fly in before closing it again. "Morning Roger." Fang told the hawk, rummaging through his pack for beef jerky.

He gave the piece of beef jerky to the dark hawk and untied the note as the hawk gobbled up the jerky. He tucked the note in his pajama pocket and let Roger out of the room. "What?" Fang saw me looking at him in disbelief. Apparently Roger visited him a lot because Fang thought nothing of it.

"Never mind." I muttered. It makes me wonder though, how many secrets has Fang kept from me? I mean, there's this whole major thing about me having wings that he kept quiet about for eighteen years of my life, well not really eighteen because he said I was taken from the School when I was about five. I wonder if I'll ever get those memories back…

They're in New York; the voice told me with a sigh, your memories are in New York.

I didn't say anything, how can my memories just be in New York anyway? I mean if you have amnesia you just need to see something familiar and then boom, you remember. At least, that's how it works in the movies…

I looked at Fang whose eyes were rapidly reading the note. The expressions in his eyes were changing as rapidly as he was reading. Gazzy and Angel began to wake up thanks to Nudge who fell of the bed with a loud thud. I watched Fang in curiosity and silence at the serious expression on his lips. What did Roger give Fang?

Angel crawled to the edge of her bed, trying to read Fang's mind while Gasman was talking to Iggy quietly, wondering what was going on.

"I can't believe it." Fang muttered to himself. Believe what? "Max, we have to go to New York, this is so much more important that going to Never Land." He gestured to his note. "You'll finally remember things from when you were young and-" He cut himself off. "Never mind about the and but we have to go."

I sighed, two against one, no fair. "So much for Disney World." I muttered to myself but I guess memories are worth it. "Okay, change of plans," I announced to the room, they all looked alert at the sound of my voice, "we're going to New York." A small look of satisfaction crossed Fang's face for a moment.

Good choice Maximum.

Roger is back! I missed Roger and the bracelets. And let me tell you, they're important to this story. A little slow, Voice is back, no Never Land T.T Oh yeah, this chapter tells you I am so totally a female, sorry guys... Just to let you know, I'm adding a new story. In my Profile, I have MAXIMUM RIDE: THE AU Soundtrack, if you're curious as to all the songs I find inspiration from and then add them to the stories.

Challenge Time! This is totally your opinion and I'm debating whether or not I should do this 'cause I have it sort of planned out, not all the way but the basics of every story. Should or should this not be a trilogy series? Because, I'm letting you guys know, it's gonna end in New York like the First book. Which means the last chapter is coming up soon.

Preview:

Of Sunrises and Sunsets

"Okay, so we're in New York. Now what?" I looked at Fang, he suggested it. Fang shrugged and I looked around, what to do what to do...

Get on the Madison Avenue bus, the Voice told me, get off when it looks fun.

I looked around, nothing but taxi's and people. Stores and cars. Great. So where's the bus?

Now if I were a bus, where would I hide? I mentally smacked myself, how idiotic was that? "Max?" Fang called out my name, bringing me from my thoughts. "Something wrong?" He reached out a hand.

"Nothing," I replied shaking my head, "we just have to find a bus." I looked at a street sign. Madison Avenue. "This way." I pointed taking the lead. Angel sped to my side, holding my hand and Fang hung at my other side, holding my other hand in reassurance, sensing my unease.

Adieu
Nightwing