So, yea, after a month I UPDATE AGAIN~
To see what I've been working on instead, A) go to my tumblr (also 99terminater, like everything else) and search for the tags "maximum ride," "art," "drabble," "sketch," and "ask," (by the way, feel free to send ME questions if they're not BoaF-related; also, just FYI but JP started following me :DDD) or B) Go to my profile and read the other stories I've posted, which, like BoaF, can be read without prior knowledge of the series they're written for. Also, because of the aforementioned stories, updates will be slower, as I'll be updated my stories in the order of BoaF-Steps-Connections-BoaF etc.
Also, if mrboaf (the BoaF tumblr) continues to remain inactive in regards to viewers, I will take it down again. As a little more incentive, you can send in story ideas (whether they be for BoaF canon or spin-off drabbles that won't/can't show up in the story and will be posted on the tumblr [and possible collected into a side-story here on ff if I get enough]), theories, feedback, or anything else to show support and/or get a conversation going with your beloved authoress. XD
And as a quick question, should I or should I not post the chapters on tumblr? 'Cause BoaF has a REALLY fricking small viewer pool, and I want it to get its own sub-fandom (like any good fanfic), in the way it seems Connections will seem to get a huge fanbase with how many views I've gotten for it already. So, basically, try and get the word out!
SilverStar121: Ahaha~ Go ahead! I was just trying to get it into people's heads that they really ARE just friends being, well, friendly! It's kinda a pet peeve of mine when people automatically assume any VAGUELY nice actions between characters must be because at least one of them is romantically interested in the other. ^_^;;;;
Tusu: D'aww, thanks you wonderful guest you! I hardly ever hear people praise Violet herself, let alone the ACTUAL writing/story, as opposed to specific parts. Though, seeing as how I leave wall o' text responses on stuff I like (check the latest pages of FireWire by SareSai/SaiReba), I'm probably just expecting too much, especially with the teeny-tiny fandom BoaF has. ^_^;;;
1: Well, there's no definite schedule, so your best bet would be to bookmark the latest chapter and check in every so often to see when the Next button is there (t'is what I do!) :D
The Maximum Ride series rightfully belongs to its creator James Patterson. I only own all original content present within the Birds of a Feather story.
It was unbelievable how fast I was able to adjust.
One day I nearly have a panic attack just going into the building, and the next it's like I've been doing it for years.
If she were here, I knew she'd say it was because I was so young. Then she'd smile at me, wrap me in a big hug, and place a kiss on my forehead.
If it was Ari, he'd grin cheekily and say it was because I was me, which meant I was awesome. And that I could do anything and everything I wanted to do perfectly, the first time I tried, because I was that cool.
I laughed to myself, feeling tears gather in my eyes from the empty ache in my chest. I swallowed and rubbed my hand across my eyes before finishing the rest of my coffee in one gulp.
As disapproving as Anne could be, she understood that I still had a hard time sleeping for extended periods of time. Especially if I had to not only go to bed relatively early, but wake up at a specific time.
I dropped my mug in the sink before heading out with the others towards the car. In all honesty, I wasn't sure what bothered everyone more – the fact that I was able to handle such a small space after only a few days, or the fact that it was because I was getting re-used to being stuck in a cramped space.
And that was a scary thought in and of itself – being able to ignore your claustrophobia because you'd been stuck in a dog cage for fourteen years.
But as horrifying as it was, it paid off. Now the only reason I avoided the crowds was because I didn't want anyone touching me.
The flock or Anne? They were my friends –even Max, though she still refused to admit it– and after a while I got used to the whole touchy-thing. It helped that both she and Ari had been more than affectionate, to say the least.
But someone I didn't know? They might as well have been a whitecoat, as far as I was concerned. In fact, my staying away from people was more for their sakes than mine. I didn't think anyone would appreciate a black eye or worse because they'd accidentally touched me.
Plus, Max would be far from happy with me. Anne, too, but she was Anne.
I sighed and re-read the chapter in my Algebra book again. I knew the information wasn't wrong, it was just that I didn't know what it meant. I'd paid attention in class, but the teacher could've been speaking Ancient Greek and I wouldn't have understood any less.
I had the two and two, but whenever I tried to add them together I only got pomegranate. And no, not even fourpomegranates.
I groaned and dropped my head into my hands, wondering if I'd be able to save my grade after flunking an entire section.
There was a movement out of the corner of my eyes, and a loud thud as books were dropped onto the table. I dropped my hands and turned to blink at the brunette who'd sat himself down in the seat next to mine.
It was study hall, which was basically a free-period held in the library. Unlike most of the other kids, I'd spend the time finishing my homework so I wouldn't waste time at home doing it.
And there had yet to be a time, in any of my classes, where anyone tried to talk to me. Or be near me general.
Until now, apparently.
"So," the brunette twisted around in his chair to grin at me, placing his elbow on the table and resting his cheek in his palm. "It's Sarah, right?"
I felt my eyebrow rise, not even bothering to be weirded out about how someone I hadn't even seen before knew my name. "Yeah," I said, frowning at how disarming his charismatic behavior was.
I was willing to bet it had to do with how cute he was, but—
Wait.
I blinked rapidly, nearly starting to sputter nonsense as heat suddenly flared in my face. I did not just think he was cute. And not even puppy-cute, cute-cute.
But…
I watched his grin widen, eyes sparkling before he scooted closer and began explaining the problems that I'd had so much trouble trying to figure out. He scribbled out the work, and I could only nod dumbly when he occasionally paused to make sure I was getting it.
After he finished he handed my pencil –which I just realized he'd borrowed– back, and I started working on the homework problems.
"No, no, no," he tutted, plucking the pencil from my grasp. He quickly scribbled out my recent work before adding on to it, telling me what I'd done wrong and what I was supposed to do.
"See?" he said, flipping to the answer key in the back of book, pointing to the answer for the question.
My answer was wrong, just like before. His? Not so much.
I swallowed and nodded, carefully taking the pencil out of his hand before starting on the next question.
I'd just finished writing down the last answer when a laugh rang out.
I froze, face heating up again as I nervously looked over at him. I hadn't done it wrong again, had I?
He only smiled, the heat in my face increasing as he unceremoniously closed the Algebra book. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
I only stared at him a second, before pulling the corner of my mouth up. "…No," I said, the urge to laugh with him forming in my chest. "Not really."
Then the bell rang, and I felt my face fall.
"Hey,"
I looked at him as I picked up my books, silently grateful that my face wasn't going warm again. Not having my heart speed up would've been nice, though.
"It's Dan," he grinned at me one last time before nodding and disappearing into the crowds.
I let out a quiet laugh before heading off to my next class, feeling like I weighed as much as a feather.
…I couldn't say it wasn't true.
I resisted the urge to tap my foot in annoyance at the sudden traffic in the lunch line. I sighed and leaned back, stiffening when a green apple was plopped onto my tray.
I turned around, jerking back when I saw a familiar figure.
"Fancy meeting you here," Dan said, wiggling his eyebrows as he grinned at me.
"Yuh-huh," I said in amusement, smirking.
I rolled my eyes when he laughed, snatching a pudding as the line finally decided to move on. As odd as it being banana flavored was, food was food and now that I'd gotten used to be able to eat without feeling sick, I couldn't get enough.
I jumped when someone nudged me, nearly running like a scared cat. Dan motioned with his head for me to follow him before he walked off, and I wasn't sure how to feel when I found myself trailing after him.
I almost stared when we sat at an empty table – with how outgoing and cheerful he was, shouldn't he have been surrounded by people?
"So, just how many of you are there, again? Eight?" Dan questioned, shoving a spork-full of food into his mouth.
I was silent for a second, before I realized he was talking about siblings. Anne had entered us all into the school using her last name, though it was still pretty obvious most of us weren't related.
"Er, including me?" I said, pausing to shovel some food into my mouth. After swallowing, I quickly continued. "Seven. But if you count Anne, then yes, eight."
He blinked at me, before his expression became puzzled. "Anne?" he questioned, brilliant green eyes squinting slightly at me.
"Yeah," I said, frowning a bit. "We're living with her while our parents are working overseas. She's our aunt."
It was a pretty stupid lie, but it at least explained why we had to move in with her. And why we all had her last name.
"Sorry," he said, locking eyes with me as he frowned, as if to make sure I knew he was being honest.
"It's fine," my eyes darted away from his, and I tried to ignore how I could feel my heart beat faster.
His frown deepened, and instead of responding Dan went back to his food. So did I, and for the first time we were left in a silence.
It was tense, and more than a few times I caught one of us glancing at the other. Like that would somehow give them the courage to start talking again, or at least get the other to.
Lunch ended, and even by then it hadn't become comfortable. It wasn't like when I quietly watched Gazzy and Iggy work on a bomb, or when Angel or Anne would give me company just because. That was comfortable, but this?
When we parted ways again, the nervous smile he sent me didn't change anything. I didn't say a word, and even though he didn't either the invisible weight didn't leave my shoulders.
I still felt like it was my fault.
As I walked out of the school, I couldn't help it when my eyes kept darting around. I knew Dan would probably come talk to me again tomorrow, but a part of me still hoped that he'd try and do it now.
I sighed, and resisted the urge to bang my head against a wall at how I was acting. I'd only known him for a few hours, for Pete's sake!
A tell-tale giggle reached my ears, and I glanced at Angel as she started walking next to me.
"You have got to stop doing that," I said in annoyance, unable to count how many times she'd seem to pop out of nowhere.
"Nope," she said bluntly, before grinning. "You're good at changing subjects, by the way."
I sputtered, feeling my face heat up at the fact that, for once, the one time I didn't want her poking around my thoughts, she did. I was just glad Dan wasn't—
A hand brushed my shoulder, and I instinctively whirled around and jumped back, heart thudding away in my ears. Before the urge to run like Forrest Gump reached my legs, I noticed worried green eyes and unkempt brown hair.
"Sorry," I said, grimacing as I looked away from him. "Just a little jumpy is all."
"Uh, sure," Dan's brow furrowed for a second, then he noticed Angel, and he beamed. "Hello," he said, holding out a hand.
"Hi," Angel grinned, shaking his hand and making his grin widened.
"Aww," he cooed. "Sarah, your sister is so cute."
I snorted, and couldn't help it when a smirk crawled its way up my face. "Really?" I said dryly, raising an eyebrow. "I hadn't noticed."
"Yep!" Dan smiled wildly and bobbed his head up and down in a nod. "She's almost as cute as you!"
I froze, gaping at him as felt I suddenly felt like I was in a sauna. My heart stuttered, and I couldn't quite grasp any thought for longer than a fraction of a second.
Well, if you didn't count what Dan said being on re-run in my head like a broken record.
Everyone knew Angel was cute, if not one of the cutest kids ever. And then, there he went, saying I was cuter than her!
I felt like a pile of goo. A sweaty, self-conscious pile of goo that wanted nothing more than to act like an ostrich and hide.
Dan burst out laughing, and for some reason I found my feet very interesting as I felt the temperature rise even more.
"Well, see you later Sare!" he waved and walked off, and I could only blink rapidly as he melded into the crowd.
What.
What.
There was a giggle, and I stumbled after Angel as she pulled me along by my sleeve. I nearly ran into a wall or two, but luckily not one of the other kids. Though, even if I had, I was sure I wouldn't have noticed.
As soon as the sun hit my eyes, the daze I was in disappeared. I blinked rapidly and quickly snatched my arm back as we met up with the rest of the flock.
All of their gazes landed on us, and immediately mine dove to the floor as I managed to keep the heat out of my face.
I saw Max raise her eyebrows for a second. "You guys ready?" she asked.
"Yep!" Angel chirped, skipping ahead.
As we started walking home and I took my place by Gazzy and Iggy, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.
This was so going to come back and bite me in the ass.
Hard.
I sighed and tried to pay attention as Gazzy tried to explain how another explosive worked. While both he and Iggy had attempted more than a few times to get me in on their schemes, it was pretty hard when I had no idea what they were talking about.
And even when they tried to solve that problem, I wound up forgetting what they told me, mixing it up with something else, or not understanding what they'd said in the first place.
"So, really, all it is is—"
He was cut of when the sound of tires filled the air, and all at once we whipped around. Two vans were rolling up behind us, but that wasn't the scary part.
Leaning outside the passenger window of the car in the front, was a man who looked like a supermodel.
AKA an un-morphed Eraser.
"Want a ride, kids?" he asked, and I felt a shudder of disgust roll down my spine at the sickeningly-smooth way he spoke. The same way all of the Erasers spoke.
"What, no candy?" Max practically snarled, before falling eerily silent.
A laugh rang out, and my eyes snapped to the Eraser in the driver's seat as he slammed on the brakes.
Holy—
It was him. The Eraser from the beach, the one who'd ripped up my back. He was here, and somehow he knew the flock.
"Showtime, folks!" he shouted, sounding exactly the same as before. "Max is mine!"
My head whipped around, and I felt my eyes widen as I stared at her.
What the hell had she done?
Then the storming of feet took my attention, and I could've sworn when Max lunged at one of the Erasers.
Taking all of them on by myself? Sure, no problem.
Taking them on when my friends were also fighting? Talk about a problem. Not only could I not do whatever the hell I wanted, but I had to keep an eye out to make sure they stayed safe.
Because, in all honesty, I doubted the younger kids would be able to fight without their fight-or-flight instinct making them forget how.
And believe me, that would happen a lot – it had taken me weeks to actually start fighting instead of trying and failing to run away.
I quickly grabbed Gazzy's shoulder and yanked him backwards, giving him a warning look before running at one of the Erasers.
Then another lunged at me, and while I jumped back the other aimed a fist at my face. I didn't even have time to react before my head snapped to the side and a metallic taste filled my mouth.
His other hand was already aiming towards my throat, and I ducked down and slammed my foot into his knee cap. The loud crack was followed by a howl of pain as the Eraser crumpled to the ground.
There was a snarl, and I whipped around in time for an Eraser to slam into me. I stumbled back while my elbow was grabbed, the Eraser's claws biting into my skin.
He growled, free hand clamping onto my shoulder.
"You're not going anywhere, freak," he growled, breath fanning into my face.
"I'm not the one with a muzzle," I instinctively shot back, tearing myself out of his grasp. There was a rip of fabric before a faint burning pain erupted on my shoulder and lower arm.
I ground my teeth and slammed the heel of my foot onto the top of his. He jerked up in pain before I jammed the side of my hand into his throat. A gurgling sound escaped his throat as he fell to his knees, struggling to breathe.
Then I felt my hair twist, accidentally biting my tongue as I was thrown onto the ground. I scrambled to my feet, only for a different Eraser to grab my arms and twist them behind my back.
I let out a cry of pain and tried in vain to get my arms free. The Eraser who'd thrown me down stalked up to me, clawed hand grasping my jaw. He leaned down to my level, and I could already feel myself shaking.
I was better than this. I should've taken these Erasers down by now.
I should've taken all the Erasers down by now.
"Not so lucky now, are you?" he said, the grip on his hand tightening. His claws dug into my skin, and I felt blood dribble down from the wounds.
All at once I felt my blood turn to ice, as the situation sunk in. I was stuck, I was trapped, I was everything someone on the run should neverbe.
And if I didn't get out of this situation now, I wouldn't be on the run anymore – I probably never would be again.
I sucked in a breath before slamming my head back, stars dancing in my vision as the Eraser swore and let go of my arms. I dropped to the ground, only for the other Eraser to grab the front of my shirt and yank me off of my feet.
His other arm was already cocked back and ready to punch me in my face, but before he could I swung my foot up between his legs as hard as I could.
A strange, almost whine-like sound came out of his mouth as he dropped me. While I'd quickly gotten to my feet, the Eraser had curled into a ball on the ground.
I took a quick look around, just in time to notice Fang lead the younger kids into the woods for a take off. Max and the head Eraser were fighting, but I knew better than to butt in.
Besides, is she were to need help, it wouldn't take long to reach her.
"Come on!" Iggy ran past me through the tree line after the others, and I only paused for a second to dash after him.
The second we were in the air, I felt everyone staring at me.
"Are you okay?" Nudge piped up, eyes nervously darting between the various claw marks.
I sighed and shook my head, looking away from them. "I'm fine," I said, managing not to freak out about how I'd almost gotten taken.
"No, you're not," Gazzy said stubbornly, sounding almost hurt over the fact that Iwas.
"I'm fine," I insisted, frowning at him.
"No, you're not." He repeated, only more upset.
Before we could argue more, Max flew up and took a quick glance around. Her frown deepened when she noticed me –in a far worse state than the others, ironically– but didn't say anything.
"Let's go," she said, heading off towards the house.
"What happened to you?" Anne cried.
I trailed inside after the others, unable to hang my jacket up since I hadn't even worn one. While the whitecoats had never bothered with heating or air conditioning for the experiments unless it was dangerous, it had gotten me a pretty high tolerance for the cold.
On the bright side, I didn't rip up my new jacket. On the down side, I was still ripped up, even if the cuts weren't that deep.
Total came up and trotted around our feet, sniffing while he growled. Angel reached down and hugged him, talking gently, and I was pretty sure I heard Total call the Erasers wankers.
"Erasers," Gazzy said. I walked passed Anne on my way to the bathroom, and I felt my stomach twist when her face paled. "I'm hungry. Is there a snack?"
"What are Erasers?" Anne's voice became muffled when I closed the door, but it was pretty obvious how confused she sounded. And, more than that, how scared she sounded.
I sighed and opened the cabinet, pulling out some bandages and gauze from the first-aid kit. The only thing really frustrating about arm wounds was trying to keep the bandages in place while you wrapped the gauze on.
One minute and many curses later, my forearm was dressed and the stinging started to dissipate. I stuck an adhesive bandage on my shoulder, and even though there was a chance it would come off, it was way easier than wrapping up my entire torso.
My cheek received the same treatment, but unfortunately there wasn't anything I could do for the bruises.
For a second I thought of getting another shirt, but once the smell of food hit my nose I decided to wait until later.
Just one step into the kitchen was all it took to make me wish I hadn't. I tried to ignore the stares, sitting at the counter and awkwardly tossing some popcorn into my mouth.
"So," I said, eyes darting around as everyone didn't go back to doing their business. My gaze locked on Max, and I remembered something. "How'd you know him?"
"Know who, exactly?" Max frowned in confusion, while I nearly burst out laughing at the idea of saying "the Doctor."
The wording wasn't right, true, but it was pretty hard to forget the running gag when it was the title of the show.
"That Eraser," I said simply, popping more popcorn into my mouth before swallowing. "I mean, what did you do to get him so mad at you? Sell him to the whitecoats?"
I was trying to make a joke out of it, but with how tense the atmosphere became my face quickly dropped.
"He's Jeb's son," she sighed after a moment, rubbing her temples as her shoulders slumped.
"Jeb has a son?" I blurted out, raising my eyebrows. "One who wants to kill you?"
Immediately my gaze snapped to Angel, and she not-so-subtly kept her eyes on the table. There was a sinking feeling of dread in my chest, only made worse because I knew she would've told me if it wouldn't make things worse.
I looked back at Max, feeling the faint hope in my heart crumble at how silent everyone else was. Anne, when I hadn't noticed, had even left the room at some point.
"Yeah," she grumbled, leaning back in her chair. "His name's Ari."
I couldn't describe what I felt, right then. It was like time stopped as my thoughts did, and for a few seconds nothing hurt – because I didn't even feel anything.
Then I remembered.
Ari, smiling and babbling and hugging me every chance he got. Ari, insisting that she bandage up my wounds, and insisting to help when she did. Ari, sweet-talking whitecoats into putting off their experiments.
Ari, eyes filled with bloodlust and grim excitement. Ari, claws dripping with my blood as he talked of my death. Ari, eager to kill the girl he'd looked up to so much.
Tears burned down my eyes before slipping down my face, and I felt my mouth turn down while my lips wouldn't stop shaking.
Ari.
My little brother.
An Eraser.
The world lurched forward, and without realizing what was happening I'd stumbled into a bathroom and was emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet.
No…
My legs buckled underneath me, but I didn't even notice when my knees slammed against the tile with bruising force. I was so lightheaded that not toppling over, let along not fainting, was odd.
No.
I kept gagging and spitting even after my mouth went dry, like the ache in my throat would let me forget for a second.
No. He can't. Ari— there's no way he's—
But… he was.
There was a hand on my shoulder, and suddenly I was aware that I was hyperventilating. My chest felt like it was being sucked inward, and the edge of my vision was black.
No. NononoNONONONO! He can't! He can't— He can't— He— He— He can't be. It's Ari. There's no way.
There's no way. He can't he can't he can't—
Anne wrapped my in a hug and started murmuring soothingly into my ear. She rocked back and forth, and the words I'd been mumbling to myself morphed into a high keening sound.
I gasped, air suddenly filling my lungs as fresh tears ran down my face. My chest heaved up and down for a second as thoughts sped through my head –hecan'thecan'tbutheisheisheis– before I let my head drop onto Anne's shoulder.
I sobbed. One second I was trying to be calm, and the next I was clinging to Anne and whining through my gasps for air.
I felt like screaming, like beating the crap out of something until my limbs were raw and bleeding. I felt like being beaten into a bloody pulp. Anything to fill the empty hole ripped into my heart.
Anything to make the pain go away, make it less. Anything to make it small enough so it wouldn't kill me inside-out.
Anything…
Anne wrapped her arm around my shoulder and didn't say a word as I gasped into her shoulder and clung to her shirt, not having enough air to make a sound but enough to sob dryly.
Anything…
She hummed an absentminded tune, and in the back of my mind I heard Angel talking to the flock.
I chocked on air and pulled away from Anne, curling into a ball and letting my forehead press against the cold tile. I was hiccupping, shaking like a leaf as I refused to let myself stop crying, stop breaking into even smaller pieces.
Anything to make it not true.
