AN: Ah! The formidable (yet somehow lucky) Chapter Seven! And it's not even Friday yet! I pumped a lot of reviews out of you guys last chapter (taking us past a hundred!! BRAVO!!), and it turns out most of you prefer brownies! I swear, I'm not dessert-ist or anything; I do like brownies. And cake. Both are awesome!

Okay, so a bit of a mix-up happened last chapter. Setfiregirl reviewed Ch5 and answered the riddle correctly just a hair before I posted Ch6, and the answer. Since I didn't find her review till afterwards, she gets this chapter all to herself. Whoo-hoo!

Maximum Ride: Passing the Torch
Sequel to MR: The After Years

Summary: Much has changed in the flock after fifteen years. At their second reunion, secrets lurk at every corner and disaster strikes, upsetting the delicate balance of their new lives and thrusting their fate into unprepared wings. SEQUEL TO MR: THE AFTER YEARS!

Chapter Seven: The Bird's Out of the Bag

Hotel Elevator, Lake Tahoe, Nevada

After causing mayhem down at the pool, the four of us decided to retire to the room Beth and I were sharing. We snickered constantly, remembering the angry chef and pool lurkers.

But Gisli still wouldn't look me in the eye.

The elevator dinged at the third floor and we piled out and headed to room 308, our room. But, as we passed 306, where all our parents had been, we saw that the door had been forced open. Curious, I peered inside.

It was empty.

Confused, I stepped inside. I heard two other sets of footsteps behind me, but knew Behitha was following, too. I couldn't spy anything out of the ordinary. There was my dad's book, resting on the end table. There was Mom's watch, the one she always had on her wrist when she went out.

And then I saw it, a piece of hotel stationery on the bed. But I didn't recognize the handwriting.

I tried really hard to keep my cool as I read the torn slip of paper. The messy handwriting announced:

To whom it may concern:

Alas! I have done it! Revenge is mine, as well as the famous flock! No ransom will be made. They will only disappear for good. I have deemed retrieval impossible and nothing will make me let them go, now that I have them.

--B.D.

"Uh, guys…I think our parents have been kidnapped…"

"What is it? A ransom note?" Hawk asked anxiously.

"No, actually. It clearly says that 'no ransom will be made.' It's signed 'B.D.' I don't recognize the handwriting."

I heard a little cough come from under the bed. We all turned to see Total the little black dog crawl out.

I rolled my eyes and groaned. "Oh, great. Aunt Ariel's kidnapper left the weirdo dog in the sweater behind." Beth giggled at my remark as I turned away from the dog to speak to the others when a voice behind me boomed,

"How dare you! I probably have better manners and more smarts than the four of you put together!"

Startled, I spun around. Total the weird little dog was glaring swords and daggers at me. I could practically feel the ice in his stare and the looks of awe on everyone else's faces. My eyes got as big as volleyballs and I swear I could feel the soft carpet under my chin.

"D-did the dog just yell at me?" I asked the air

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did just yell at you, and I can do a hell of a lot more than yell. Any other questions?" This time, I couldn't deny it; I saw the dog's mouth move with his words.

Gisli cleared his throat. "Uh, um, does anyone else know that you can, uh…"

"Talk? Of course! Angel and Max and Fang and Iggy and Nudge and Gazzy and Ella and a few others know. They've known for a loooooong time."

"Exactly how old are you?" Hawk squeaked.

Total smiled. "Ah. Older than you guys, that's for sure. And your parents. I do believe that I am…fifty years old, give or take."

"That's in dog years, right?" Beth whispered, still in a bit of shock, though her face was as guarded as ever.

Total chuckled. "Nope, kiddo. That's in human years."

I tried unsuccessfully to hide my shock. Behitha politely raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"What's with all our parents' weird nicknames?"

Total chortled again. This dog obviously had a strange sense of humor. His tail wagged ferociously as he sat down. "First of all, they aren't nicknames. Now, before I go any further, you guys might wanna sit down, too."

Obediently, the four of us plopped down on the carpet. That's what you do, you know, when you discover that your aunt's dog can talk: You obey and believe every word that exits his furry mug.

"Geez, I told your parents to tell you ages ago, but, of course, I end up doing it," Total grumbled. Then, his eyes brightened. "Okay, I think I know how to do this. Now, you four have lived your lives in secrecy. And it's about time you guys revealed your secrets. To each other. Right now. Go." He looked at us expectantly. Then, Gisli stood up. Leave it to the hot one, I guess.

"Um, well, my parents told me to never tell, but this is an emergency, so…" Slowly, almost cautiously, Gisli peeled off his shirt. His beautifully sculpted muscles had me wiping drool from the corner of my mouth, but nothing could've prepared me for what happened next. In one split moment, he went from standing there, bare-chested, and then he closed his eyes and the most amazing, gorgeous, outstandingly beautiful wings I've ever seen revealed themselves from his back.

He was it. He was the boy with the wings.

At that moment, the world didn't matter. I forgot my kidnapped parents, I forgot the talking dog, I forgot any danger I was in. At that moment, in that room, I was flying higher and faster than ever before. At that moment, I knew I was in love with Gisli Griffiths.

His wings were pure sunshine, bound in feathers and molded into wings. So bright and warm, it took everything in me to not throw myself into his arms.

I vaguely noticed that Beth was looking at me curiously. I felt her finger brush my cheek and realized I was crying.

"Mab, are you okay?" the angel asked with concern.

Quickly, I regained my composure. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Just got something stuck in my eyes."

Gisli rolled his eyes at my pathetic excuse. "Well, yeah. My parents told me to never show anyone my…wings."

"That's what our parents told us, too," I blurted, speaking for both Behitha and I.

Gisli's eyes sparked. "Really?"

Beth nodded soberly.

"I really do understand you, Gisli," I whispered.

He smiled.

"But I'm not gonna take anything off to prove it," I joked.

Beth understood what I meant and got out her pocket knife. She crawled behind me and carefully cut to slits into the back of my shirt. She handed me the knife and I did the same with her shirt. Then, we unsheathed our wings.

Gisli was entranced, I could tell, by my wings, looking as if darkness itself had swallowed them whole. The light from the window shone a bit on them, exposing purple streaks.

Total smiled. "You two look just like your parents."

Hawk coughed and we all turned to look at him.

"Um, I have wings and all, but you see…" Shamefully, he pulled at the back of his shirt. There, right in the middle of his back, were two tiny wings, feebly quivering. They were no bigger than a pigeon's.

Total slapped what I supposed to be his forehead with a paw. "I was afraid of something like this."

We all turned back to him. "You might wanna close the door, before someone sees you, Mab," Total whispered. I did as he said.

"Okay, Mr. Expert. Tell us what's going on, since you seem to know everything from infinity to beyond."

Total sighed. "I guess I can't put this off any longer.

"Where to begin, where to begin… Oh, wait, if I'm going to tell all, you guys aren't allowed to interrupt. No exceptions. Agreed?" We all nodded in unison. "Okay, I guess I'll start at the beginning.

"So, I'm sure you guys have wondered more than once what's up with the wings. You see, when your parents were still infants, they were taken by an organization called the School. The scientists ran multiple genetic tests on them, screwing around with this and that. And voila! They had wings. They were never given proper names, just little names that were easy to remember. There was Maximum, or Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, or Gazzy, and Angel.

"They managed to escape the School, eventually, and four years later, Max learned she was supposed to save the world. Long story short, she finally did, when she was fourteen. Then, we all split, had a reunion ten years later, Fang and Max—finally—realized they were in love with each other and they had you two." Total pointed his paw at Beth and me. "Iggy and Nudge ran off together, hence Gisli. And Ella and the Gasman became properly acquainted, yada, yada, yada.

"Now, here we all are, fifteen years later. And I've just taken your parents' job."

I was, for once, speechless. Behitha's face showed no emotion. Gisli's eyes were wide, his glasses slipping down his nose. He still hadn't put his shirt back on. Hawk looked unsatisfied.

"But why do I have tiny wings when the others don't?"

"Well, my guess is that while Beth, Mab, and Gisli are two percent avian, you're only one percent."

"Why is that?"

"Both Max and Fang are two percent avian, first generations. It was only logical for Mab and Behitha to also be two percent bird, except they're second generation.

"Nudge and Iggy are also first generation, two percenters. So Gisli is also two percent.

"But you mother Ella is fully human. Your father passed on to you one percent of his avian genetics, but your mother had none to pass down. So you're only one percent."

"Oh. I get it. I think," Hawk said.

"Anyways, I think that's enough storytelling for one day. Now, I do believe you guys need a plan, and you better plan to travel light and fly far."

"But what about you? And Hawk?" Gisli asked.

"I think Hawk has more birdie qualities than meets the eye. He's probably lighter than any of you guys. As for me, will someone please take off this wretched sweater?"

Beth crept forward. She had yet to speak after Total's story. She carefully grabbed hold of the purple material and peeled it off. Total shook it away impatiently. "Thank you, Beth. As you can see, I have my own method of transportation built in."

And he did. Stuck onto the dog's back were two miniature wings, but they seemed just the right size to accommodate his weight.

"Well, wait are you waiting for? Start planning!"

AN: Ya gotta love Total. :D AGAIN, IF YOU KNOW (OR THINK YOU KNOW) WHO THE SCARY LADY IS, DON'T SAY IN A REVIEW! DON'T SPOIL IT FOR ANYONE! However, if you are in desperate need of telling, PM me. But just because you ask me, doesn't mean I'll tell you if you're right or wrong.

WAIT! I have some news. Do you want the good news first, or the bad? I'll just start with the bad: I have started school. My summer is over, and so is a lot of my free time. What can I say? When you're still in high school but stuck in a college Pre-Cal class, things get pretty hectic. Homework. Drama. Friends. Projects. Clubs. (Speaking of clubs, I actually decided to join a few, like Yearbook, Literary Journal, and Theatre.) Well, what about FanFiction?
Thankfully, that's where the good news comes in. As of now, I am nearly done writing the story. :D All that leaves then is writing up ANs that you guys probably don't always read, and finding the time to post. Last year, I was able to update at school a lot of Fridays, so I might be able to again this year.

Ideas, ideas, ideas! For those Thief Lord fans out there, I'll try to update The Greatest Joy soon and finish writing the story. That way I can start on this other MR idea I have that I really like.

OMtothefrickinG! Are any of you guys fans of The Hunger Games? THE SECOND BOOK CAME OUT TUESDAY! AHHH!!

Okay, now I'm just rambling unimportantly.

Riddles are fun, don't you think? Here's another one to bite at your brain cells and get you ready for school:

Ah, such sweet power
Always at my fingertips
Oh, what great power
Making what is not
It's a prime position
Working with the imaginary
To negogiate for reality
But who wants reality?
When they can have
All that is mine
My works, my fruits
All so astoundingly fine
Come forward, my children
Indulge yourselves, as long
As you know me
Try to succeed me
I am so many
You can be me
Who am I? I
Am a ____ ____

Twenty lines, four words per. Two word answer. Anyone wanna take a whack at it? For a chapter dedication? Good luck! REVIEW!