WARNING: SUPER LONG AUTHORS NOTE + FAQ LIST.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO ABSORB ALL THE JUNK THAT I SPEW, IT IS ADVISED THAT YOU SKIP THE FIRST PART AND START READING CHAPTER 8 OF RAC BEFORE SCROLLING BACK UP TO READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY.
Oh, and review. I have cookies.
I have had some feedback that the previous chapter was confusing, and that, in layman's term, there are many, many loopholes that I have left and apparently forgotten. All will be explained in due time.. patience, my friends. I have not forgotten, I just like messing with your heads. (Whoops, did that slip out?)
I have created a FAQ list below, starting with the one that is the most frequently asked. You see, I like to keep people like you in suspense, and let you think whatever you want. Then, at the ending, -BAM!- what you expect is totally different. At least, I'm aiming for that effect.. Whether I'm successful or not is another matter entirely. Anyway, do take a look at the list to see if it quenches your thirst about several matters, and thank you for reading and/or reviewing! :D
FAQ: *Note: I .. paraphrased.
Fang's really hyper and talks a lot, doesn't he? (Beginning chapters)
I got this a LOT when I started this story. Well, you just have to understand; he was ten. People can change over time. As you can see, I already had an explanation for that added to the story, right? Anyway, just for some unhappy readers, yes, he has changed. Max leaving him (sounds like she's dumping him, haha) made him sort of emotionally scarred, and because he realises that the reason she had left was because of his raged outburst, he is more careful with his emotions and keeps them in check.
What about Angel, Nudge and the rest of the flock? -pouts-
This is for you, gypsyprincess94 and other concerned readers. I assure you, they will come in later. Now I'm kind of concentrating more on Max's relationship with Fang first, because Fang is her sort of "link" to the other flock members - after all, she was new to the orphanage and Fang was the one who introduced her to others. So if no link with Fang, no link with others. Patience, my friends.
Is this an all-human fic or something? You mentioned the School.. now I'm confused. -scratches head-
Read the previous chapter. However, as for the rest of the flock who are in the story.. I won't say just yet. Heh. Just, speculate and think whatever you think it is, and at the end when I explain bit by bit, let's see if the weird things I come up with matches yours, eh?
Didn't Fang overreact a wee bit too much? (Chp 6)
Yes, he did, but to quote NothingButTrouble, "I think Fang overreacted a bit when he heard the news, but who wouldn't jump to conclusions?" (Okay, I admit, I didn't quote her directly. I just changed a full stop to a question mark!) Anyway, just put yourself in his shoes, if you can. I, for one, would certainly have jumped to conclusions. But, to quote Fuzzylogic11 (or her dad), "When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me." Well, Fang certainly did pay the price..
Oh jeez, what if Dr. Phil was evil and stuff like Anne in the real books?
Well, looks like Max scraped through four years living with Dr. Phil without any ..problems, if that's the word. Evil guardians, mental people, sort of problems, you could say. She's still alive and going to school, isn't she? But.. who knows?
Was the Voice the one that said, "So says Maximum Ride"? (Chp 3)
All will be revealed in due time, my dear friends. (Have I been saying that a lot?)
I wonder what Ari is going to do to Max when she declines his offer to join the "gang"..? (Chp 3)
Okay got this from Mo- The Reviewer's review which was waaayyy, waaayyyy back. Well, looks like she didn't have to answer, after all, eh? I'm not going to tell you because -hint- he's going to make another appearance.. Oh joy..
Why are all the bullies in the orphanage?
I certainly hope that I interpreted this question correctly. I'll reply by asking you something -- why are there bullies in school?
Is this like a fastforward over the years to 14 years of age? (Chp 7)
Read on to find out, yeah? But, alright.. yes it is. :D
Well, I hope that that answered some of your questions. Maybe I raised more. Heh. Now, I certainly hope that this story isn't beginning to sound like the typical "Flock kicks Max out" or "Max leaves the flock" type of the story, 'cause I don't read those. The past few chapters have been.. angsty, maybe, but now I'm aiming for more light-hearted chapters.
Note: I created community, a place for all the brilliant, amazing, non-cliched, fantastic stories that don't get enough reviews and attention. If you have suggestions for stories, or want to be a staff, do leave me a PM. I don't bite. (Staff needed: Unbiased people, who actually know and can differentiate between cliched and non-cliched. I must admit, 38DC was rather cliched. Heh. :/ Well, it was an experience. Every writer is entitled to writing at least one.. Heh.. Now I try not to write cliches, though. And I just found out the meaning to OMEC.. Oh My Edward Cullen, and I was like -.- Seriously.. Obsession, people. And for some weird, unfathomable reason, I feel very tempted to start an OC fic. However, I doubt that that would go well, since I have two stories to manage at the moment. :/ Okay, enough rambling.)
By the way, I am really sorry if Max sounded a little Brit.. Have been reading and writing too much Harry Potter.. Bleh. :/
Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any other characters associated with the story.
It had been four years.
Four years since I left the orphanage.
Four years since Dr. Phil and his wife adopted me.
Four years since I last saw Fang. And Gazzy, Iggy, and the rest of the children in the orphanage.
Four years was a very, very, very long time.
I have to admit - Dr. Phil and Judy, his wife, were the bomb. They were the loving parents I never had, the caring friends I had been so deprived of, the constant companions I could always rely on, and the shelter and protection I had never gotten from any other person.
They gave me a new life.
No matter how cheesy that sounded, yes, they did. I had been a wreck when I first arrived with them. The last time I had seen Fang was when he stormed out of my ward in the hospital, and after that I hadn't dared to return to the orphanage myself to collect my stuff. Dr. Phil had done it for me, on my request. I could still remember the curious look he shot me, but he didn't ask any questions.
That was what I liked most about them, really. They didn't prod.
Our relationship was kind of simple, actually. They trusted me and know I have a conscience, I know they trust me and know that I have a conscience, and my conscience just had to be too good. I was actually a very well-behaved kid for the past few years, I must admit. Except for that time I put slugs in Vernon's meal, maybe. Or that time when I pulled the emergency fire thing. But that was way before my conscience decided to get a conscience. Now tell me if that made sense.
Judy worked as the manager of a supermarket - now don't you go hold your nose and look down on her. By golly, she earns quite a hefty sum of money there, sometimes even surpassing Dr. Phil's salary; which, might I add, was very high due to his profession and years working in it. But don't let that fool you - Dr. Phil and Judy only spent on what was necessary, and only very rarely they overindulged. But I still led a rather relaxed and comfortable life. It's a wonder I wasn't spoiled already.
Now, where was I? Oh right, they gave me new life.
I had been such a wreck when I arrived. Reality hadn't seemed to set in until the night I moved in, and I remember sobbing my eyes out. Judy had comforted me and made me sleep with her and her husband - really, now I blush at the very thought. They had convinced me to go to school - I did. But I didn't talk, didn't do anything really. Just.. lived.
The first few weeks of school had been horror. Learning with a bunch of ten-year-olds - I shudder at the very thought. Because of the fact that I had joined late, naturally I was rather outcasted, and just did things alone. That was until one day, when I tripped and fell, Tim held out a hand.
And after that, I had a bunch of new friends. It was like the orphanage relived all over again, just with different people and different situations. Fang held out a hand to me, and so did Tim. Fang introduced me to several other friends, and so did Tim. But Tim would never be Fang.
Tim was a nerd, even though he didn't look like it. He was your avid bookworm - always talking about Harry Potter and all that. Nathan, on the other hand, was a rather weird creature to explain. He was a computer geek who was an extraordinarily good football player. Now what do you call that? Though most people actually see him as a nerd, because of his spectacles. And, well, Terrence was the worst of the lot. To sum it all - big-headed, arrogant freak, who, gladly, had toned down after a severe ..yelling session with me. Sometimes he just acts like a snub, but he's cool.
Well, we made a sort of group name - TMNT. Like, y'know, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Tim Max Nathan Terrence. That's ten-year-olds for you. Ridiculous. To wonder I had been one.. But after that we were sort of the closet friends anyone could ever imagine.
But nobody got as close to me as Fang.
It's weird, how much he could affect me. I had known him less than a week and the other guys more than three years, yet Fang was the one who surpassed them in my books.
I'm just way too freaking pathetic.
Every freaking night I think about him, even when I try to force him out of my mind. I always replayed the first time we met - he held out his hand, holding that photo of my family to me. Us snapping a polaroid together. Him telling me about the bullies.
Well, at least one good thing I got out of moving out of the orphanage was not having to answer those bullies. Though I'd certainly like to meet Ari now and see if he's still the ugly cocky moron of a guy he had been in the past. He had probably turned out as some fat pig anyway. And what had been with that wolf thing, man?
But, well, reminiscing about the past won't do anything at all, except for looking for things to express regret for and the hurt, of thinking what might have been.
I had considered the idea of going back to the orphanage, but hadn't had the guts to do so. The 'what ifs' danced in my mind - What if Fang had another family already? What if the Gasman killed some random people with that ability of his and had been sent to a detention centre? (Highly unlikely but still possible..) What if Iggy had gotten his eyesight back? What if Ari was still there? What if nobody remembered me?
The good ones and the bad ones.. I had heard of the saying, "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever."
Looks like I'll remain a fool forever, then. How nice to know.
"Yo, Maaaaxxxx? Max? Maaax? Are you even listening?" Terrence's annoyed voice broke me from my rather long train of thoughts. I blinked.
"Dude, I think she just spaced out," Nathan laughed, and I rolled my eyes in response.
"What did I miss?" I asked. We were in my room, and were seated at our favourite places. The guys usually hung out here, for some unfathomable reason. I was lying on my bed, and had apparently been 'spacing out', if that's the term.
"Nothing much, really. Terry was going on about how he swooned this girl in school." Tim sniffed. He shifted around on the baby-blue coloured beanbag. "Really, I don't give a damn."
"Tim!" protested his friend. "She had the biggest - "
"AHEM," I coughed.
"Right, you have the biggest -"
"Oh really, Terry. Grow up," I snorted.
"I think this is as far as he can get," Nathan whispered loudly, slowly nodding his head with his eyes wide. Tim threw a crushed ball of paper at his head and I laughed.
Just then, the doorbell rang loudly throughout the house. Nathan winced.
"Wonder who could that be," I mused, running a list of possible people, and ending up at a blank. Who would visit at such a time? "Probably some visitor Dr. Phil has," I concluded, "better tone down, yeah."
"Sure. Now, do you want to know how I swooned that girl or not?" Terry looked at me expectantly, as if expecting me to say yes. Before I had time to burst his little bubble of happiness, however, someone knocked on the door and interrupted us. The door opened a crack and Judy's head poked through.
"Max? Can you come outside for a moment? The guys can stay in there," she called.
"O..kay?" I said, ending off with a question mark. I looked at my friends, exchanging puzzled looks. I shrugged, and followed Judy outside into the hallway. The door shut with an audible click. She started walking, and I followed.
"Now, do you know a little boy by the name of Zephyr?" she asked me, as we went down the stairs at a not-too-slow pace.
"No?" I replied. "How would I know someone younger than me, anyway?" I rarely even talked to other people except for those in my year.
"I don't know, but he claims to know you. Just have a look and see if you recognise him or something, alright?" We had reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, and Judy headed towards the kitchen. "I'll be in the kitchen. Just give me a holler."
"Sure," I said, and walked towards the living room.
A little boy, who was probably eight or nine, was sitting on the couch quietly looking at a photo of Dr. Phil, Judy and I that was placed on the coffee table facing the couch. He had blonde hair, and his form rang a bell, though I could not place a finger to it.
"Um, hello?" I started uncertainly. The boy looked up, and I met startling blue eyes.
Blue eyes.
No, it can't be.
"Hi, Max," the boy said, and stood up. He took a few tentative steps forward, and held out a hand.
It couldn't be at all.
"H-how do you know my name?" I asked, unconsciously taking a step back and ignoring his hand. "Do I know you?"
The boy returned his hand to his side when he realised that I wasn't going to shake it, and he sighed audibly. He looked at me intensely, and his gaze was penetrating and mature for one so young.
"I believe so."
"Nick."
Fang gave a non-committal jerk of his head, as if asking the person to say what he wanted to say. He was sitting on his bed and staring out the window at the younger children playing happily at the mini-playground located at the back of the orphanage. He remembered seeing a photo frame fly out of the window of the very room he was in land onto the ground, the glass shattering. He had tentatively picked it up, hoping that some other random flying object wouldn't appear and hit him on the head. He had brushed the shattered glass aside, and looked at the picture of a family to three.
"Nick, I need to talk to you."
"Then talk, Batchelder," Fang said, switching his gaze to the older man who was standing by the frame of the door. Jeb Batchelder hadn't been any better from Anne, really. Or maybe they were different, but Fang didn't care. Either way, yeah, he didn't care at all. He also did not hold much respect for Jeb.
Jeb walked in and Fang looked outside again, watching the children play a game of tag. The bed creaked and Fang felt a weight on the other end as Jeb sat down. Fang sighed and gave Jeb his full attention.
"I don't know how to say this, but, well, you've really got to move on," Jeb started. "Look, they're many other girls here, Nick. I still don't get why you're pining over Maxine, after so many years. She has moved on, and it's time you do."
Fang stared at Jeb, and his gaze was so cold that Jeb broke the eye contact to look at his own hands.
"Who's Maxine?" Fang finally said emotionlessly.
"Oh, you very well know who she is," Jeb said, betraying a hint of impatience.
"I don't know anybody called Maxine," Fang ended, and turned his head to look out the window again. One of the younger kids had fallen down, and was sobbing miserably.
"Fine then, Maximum Ride. Name sounds familiar, Fang?" Jeb asked, a trace of contempt in his voice. Fang snapped at the provocation turned his head towards Jeb.
"Shut up," Fang hissed. "Don't you ever call me that."
"Why not?" Jeb continued prodding.
"CAN YOU JUST SHUT THE FREAK UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? HUH?" Fang was on his feet, and was breathing heavily. He shut his eyes, turned away from Jeb, and held the bridge of his nose between his thumb and third finger. No emotions, no emotions.
They lapsed into short silence after Fang's outburst, and stayed at the current position they were at. Jeb made no move to leave, and Fang made no move to move either.
After Max left, Fang hadn't allowed anyone to call him by that name ever again. Everytime they said it, he only remembered the way Max said his name. He liked the sound of his voice when she said it. Max, Max, Max.
Max.
SHUT UP.
STUPID BRAIN.
STOP THINKING ABOUT HER.
STOP IT.
STUPID BRAIN.
STUPID MAX.
WHY DID YOU EVEN ENTER MY LIFE IN THE FIRST PLACE?
HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE WITHOUT EVEN SAYING GOODBYE?
I'M .. sorry.
Sorry for shouting at you.
Sorry for walking out on you.
Sorry for making you cry.
DAMN IT MAX, I'M SO SORRY.
So, so sorry.
I wish I could tell you that.
But I'm so afraid..
Afraid that you'll just push me away.
Max, Max, Max.
OH SHUT UP!
Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutthehellup!
STOP THINKING ABOUT HER, DAMMIT!
"I heard everyone called you that in the past," Jeb said quietly and looked over at Fang's stiff body as he stopped his train of thoughts.
Fang paused, and let his hand fall to his side.
"This isn't the past anymore," he said stiffly, still facing the opposite wall. But I can't forget... Jeb's response served as a surprise to him.
"Exactly my point," Jeb uttered earnestly. "Nick, this isn't the past anymore. Stop dwelling on it."
"What's it to you anyway?" Fang snapped. "It's none of your business."
"Oh yes it is," Jeb remarked vaguely.
"Whatever," Fang muttered, and turned towards the door. "I don't care if you're done or not, bye."
And with that, he turned on his back and walked briskly out of the room towards the third floor, Jeb making no attempt to stop him. If he had followed, he would have seen Fang making his way to the top floor of the orphanage. He stood behind the large window at the end of the hallway and looked out, watching the trees sway. This window faced the front of the orphanage, and he could only see the empty lawn and path leading towards the door. Fang shrugged off his sweater, climbed onto the rather large window sill, and jumped.
It had been hard, getting here. He had had to sneak into the car without being caught by Fang and Mr. B, and subsequently out without being caught. Oh, it had been hard, but he had thankfully managed to do that with the aid of a few strokes of luck on his side. But now that he was here, not exactly facing her, but going to, his mind was blank and everything that he had planned to say before had traitorously deserted him.
He missed Max terribly. Fang definitely missed her too, and it was rather obvious, really. Zephyr still could remember that day when he stormed back to the orphanage with the new manager, Jeb Batchelder in a rage. He had been with Iggy, and remembered him asking Fang if he was alright.
Fang had answered with a short 'no'. The next day, Mr. B had told Fang that Max had been adopted by the doctor at the hospital, and added on that she said that she never wanted to see him ever again. The next day, the doctor came to collect her stuff and after that, Fang was never the same again.
Zephyr gazed absently at a picture on the coffee table. Max looked.. older. And more matured. More like a mother, really. She had a real smile on her face, like the time when she had talked to him about "Winnie the Poohs" before carrying him up to her room.
That was so long ago, yet he could remember it all so clearly.
Zephyr hated growing up. But he had to, ever since Mr. B showed favouritism towards Ari and his gang, and they started doing whatever they liked which included beating younger people up.
For some reason or another, Zephyr had taken it as his duty to protect the younger children from them.
Maybe it had been the arrival of his sister. Maybe it had been because of Max hurting herself to protect him and he wanted to do that for others. Maybe because he had the sense to do something to stand up against the bully. Whatever reason it was, he took it as his responsibility to do so. Iggy had only been interested in his bombs lately, and Fang was just.. a living zombie. Nudge wasn't much of a help, really.
"Um, hello?" Those words coming from a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, and Zephyr looked up from the frame to see Max. Her long, dirty-blonde hair was tied up in a messy ponytail and she was dressed in a shirt with jeans. Nothing too girly.
"Hi, Max," he said, and stood up, wanting to shake her hand. He held his hand out - it was trembling slightly; he mentally winced and hoped that Max wouldn't notice. He had the urge to run up to her and hug her and cry, "Mommy", but Zephyr didn't think that that would go very well. Not at all.
"H-how do you know my name?" Her eyes went wide and she looked him up and down, before taking a step back. Zephyr felt his heart sink - had she really forgotten? "Do I know you?"
Zephyr realised that she was too shaken to take his hand, so he let it fall limply to his side. He sighed, wondering if this was a lost cause, and met her eyes, willing her to remember.
"I believe so," he said, and her eyes went wide as she took another step back.
"G-Gazzy." The word was a rasped whisper. Zephyr smiled, his heart filled with sudden hope.
"No one has called me that for a long time," he told her and she tried to smile - tried being the operative word; she looked as if she merely had a bad toothache. "I'm not stopping you, though," he added as an afterthought.
A strange sound escaped from her mouth.
"Are you alright?" Zephyr asked worriedly, walking to her side. "You don't seem well."
"I think she's just in shock." He turned around to see the woman who had opened the door to him smile kindly. He also recognised her from the photo that he had examined earlier.
"Um."
"It's okay," she said. "I would have been, too. Come on, Max." She led Max back to the sofa, and sat her down before bringing out two steaming glasses of hot Milo. "Here, drink up," she told Max, who was staring at the wall opposite her, her face rather pale. "You too," she addressed Zephyr. He nodded in thanks and sipped the drink - it was nice after having nothing to drink at all for the past two hours cooped up in the car.
"So, while Max has time to absorb your sudden appearance, why are you here?" the person asked. "Oh, I'm Judy, by the way." Zephyr put his hot cup of Milo down onto the coffee table.
"I'm here just to visit," he said softly and earnestly, glancing at Max. "It has been such a long time. The last time I saw her was when I was four years old. I vaguely remember calling her 'Mommy' though." He laughed, but Judy could see that it did not reach his eyes.
"That's.. nice. She hasn't had anyone come visit, really. So how's the orphanage?"
"It's fine. Mr. B isn't that good, but at least he doesn't throw objects at people." Judy seemed bewildered by his statement, but merely blinked and smiled politely.
"Gazzy, why did you come?" Max rasped from her seat. Judy's and Zephyr's eyes flicked to her instantly. He paused momentarily, as if choosing his words carefully.
"Because.. I wanted to ask you for a favour. I know it's a lot to ask, since you saved my life and all, but it's really important," Zephyr said earnestly.
"And?" Max continued. Zephyr took a deep breath and exhaled slowly - he was probably going to tread on thin ice, if that was how she reacted to him.
"Is it okay if you make a visit to the orphanage?" he asked. "To, you know, talk to old friends and all."
Max looked at him oddly, as if wondering if they were still there at all.
"Do you remember Nick?" he asked. She stared at him, confused.
"Nick? From the orphanage? No..?" She scratched her head, trying to recall. Zephyr looked at her, confused. Nick.. Oh.
"Fang," he corrected himself. Max, who was reaching for her hot Milo that she had put down on the coffee table previously, froze.
"You remember?" the eight-year-old asked. Max jerked her head up in response, and Zephyr took that as a yes.
"He.. he's been a wreck ever since you left," he said quietly. "He actually came to see you just now."
"H-h-h-he did?" she squeaked. Judy watched as the two exchanged words, it was as if they had forgotten her. She didn't mind, but worried for her foster daughter, who was acting very out of character.
"And he left after seeing you walk home with some guys." Max's face suddenly looked constipated. And Terry was hugging me..
"Um, you know what, they guys are probably bored upstairs, gotta go now bye," Max uttered in a rush, stood up and ran up the stairs two steps at a time. She stood at the hallway right beside the door to her room, and pressed herself against the wall, closing her eyes.
Fang had come to see her..
Downstairs, Zephyr was staring at the flight of stairs helplessly.
"I.. Well, I think I'd better be going then," he said sadly. Judy's heart went out for the boy.
"I'll try my best to persuade her, how about that?" she said. He smiled, but it didn't reach his blue eyes.
"Thanks," he said and they walked towards the door.
"How are you going to get back? Is anyone fetching you?" she asked kindly as she opened the door.
"Oh crap."
"You know, we won't be able to keep this up any longer, right?" Nathan remarked. It was a sort of rhetorical question, and the way he said it was in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well, you all are pretty good candidates too," Tim said. "I don't know what the chances are for me, but really, Terry, I doubt she'll choose you." The blonde looked at his fellow companion and long-time friend, and smiled a small smile.
"Who knows?" For once, the guys nodded in agreement as they thought about those two words. Maximum Ride was an unpredictable girl - they had learned that from the past years together. Whenever you expected her to do something, she doesn't. It was better to expect her to do the unexpected, really.
"But, whatever it is, fight fair and no hurting Max," Tim said. "We're all respectable young men, and should stay ourselves and not put up some false front just for Max."
"You sound like Pruitt," Terrence commented, and wrinkled his nose.
"At least he doesn't go purple all the time," Nathan said snidely, and the tension eased as the boys laughed.
Little did they know that the girl of their affections had been outside, listening to their every word, and had subsequently sunken to the floor, burying her face in her hands, wondering if it was just her or whether life was just bloody unfair.
Coming soon: Max makes a long overdue visit to the orphanage.
I know that several readers are not happy with the current developments; I am sorry about that. Maybe I'll lose a few readers, maybe all, but just to let you know, I am going to write for myself so I'm really sorry if you don't like it.
Reviews would certainly be loved.
