Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. I do however own Carolynne, Nick, Derek, Harshad, Tabitha, Raina, and Avel.

Chapter 6: Truth be told


Iggy

I really had to go, okay?

I was down there for quite a while. I know Fang must think I'm retarded. Why go to the bathroom at a time like this? We are running from a crazy band of psychics for chrissakes! I'm good now so, I say, "I'm good to go."

I swear I could hear him mentally sigh. I wonder if he rolled his eyes? Max told me once that he tends to. We headed to the window to get away. The only thing was that I heard the door open and Tabitha waltzed in. I think I just doomed us both. Why did I have to pee? I acted like I didn't see her or know that she was standing outside the bathroom door. I acted like I didn't even know she existed. I opened the balcony door and as soon as I walked in and made sure I closed it so she couldn't see us but she was right behind me. When I closed the door I could feel the heat from her face radiating onto mine. We were on the balcony and I was in a hurry to leave. "Make us disappear," I whispered. I didn't want her to hear me.

He touched my shoulder and I disappeared. That is so cool, I wish I could do that! "I know you're in here." Tabitha said. She sounded farther away, much more distant. What was she doing?

I push Fang towards the window, wanting to really get out of there. He started to open it, while making no noise. Creak! Fang, dude what happened to your stealth? Mr. Dark &Quiet can't go around making noise. Tabitha must have come back because her footstep got louder. She was coming for us! I pushed Fang out of the way and opened the window. It didn't make a sound. I smirked at him and jumped out of the window.

He followed me and we were smoothly sailing from there. By the time that girl came she was puzzled. Where are we? Did we just commit suicide? Are we scaling the building? No way. We are flying through the skies. Our only problem now was where is Max?

"Do you know where the flock is?" I asked. She surely must have told him where we were going? He nodded and this time I had a mental sigh of relief. I did not want to be stuck with Fang for a day or two. Max was okay because at least she talks. Fang is so anti-social it hurt. He only talks to Max. I think he'll be quiet for a few days. I don't think he wants to talk to Max right now. I mean she was all over me. How'd that even happen? I don't remember a thing. Except late in the night, I think someone was touching me. I got up and they told me to go back to sleep. I was half-awake so I listened. Was that Max? Maybe. She was the one sleeping next to me after all.

After a few minutes, Fang landed on top of a building. The flock doesn't meet in places like this. Oh, no this is even worse. What if he wants to talk about Max? I don't like all of that pressure. I landed a few feet away from him. "Uh, the flock isn't here."

"I know; I just wanted to talk." I was right. I'll just make him feel better about himself. I am not supposed to like Max at all. We are in a fake-fight right now.

"What about?" Like I didn't know.

"Max."

"What about her?"

"What happened when you guys were gone?" I had hoped he wouldn't ask that.

"Everything?" He nodded. "When we fell of the clearing. I caught myself but something hit Max, hard and she fell into the water." He didn't seem mad. Yet. "I was able to save her because I hears her when she got all weird and started talking about Ari. I landed on shore and contacted Angel. After that Max started asking me questions like 'who are you?' and 'why do you have wings'. It was clear she couldn't remember anything." He nodded again in understanding. This was going all right.

"Then she passed out. She had a head injury. I fixed it and woke her up. She gave me a hug and we left." I think he may start to get angry now. "Then we went to a grocery store to ask for directions. The lady thought we were a couple going there to- " I paused. "Do couple things, so she let us stay at her house that night. Before bed I went into her room to try and jog her memory. I only helped her remember Angel at first. She thanked me and then she…"

"What did she do?" Fang asked. I could tell he wanted to know.

"Then she kissed me."

"Did you kiss her back?" His voice was oddly calm but he was angry.

"Yes." I knew it was coming sooner or later. He punched me in the face.

"What the heck were you thinking?" What was I thinking?

"It only lasted for a second. I stopped myself." I said quietly as I rubbed my cheek.

He started to calm down and told me to continue. "I left her in her room. The next morning she waited for me on the porch. When I came out the neighbor was kissing her. She was trying to get away but he was holding her by the waist. I punched the guy in the face and he said he was going to call people to shoot me or something." I took a breath. "So we left and took off in an alley. We landed a few blocks away from the inn. Then we stopped for lunch. We didn't even get to order because Lynne, she works at the café, told us we were too loud. Then he pupils grew and Max's did too. I had to shake her to stop it. She was in her trance."

"We didn't even get to order because she went 'who do you work for?' Max was stubborn as she always is and left. They followed us and we got into the fight." The end. Story over.

"Then why were you mad at her?" Oh, um I'm not. We worked everything out.

"While we were crying her face was red. I asked her why she was crying so; she started flying so fast and when she stopped she almost killed herself in the process. I ask her anything serious and she dodges the question. It is so irritating!" I am sure to add that special Iggy charm. You can't get it anywhere else. Wink.

"Why was she crying?" he looked very concerned.

"I think because of that Sam guy but I'm not so sure; her face was red before that too."

"What about this morning? What happened then?" Oh, that question. I am not so sure myself.

"I don't know. She was just like that I guess. I don't remember much from last night. I was restless so I'm not sure." I'm not sure he liked that answer but I really don't know what did happen. He was quiet for a few minutes, probably thinking. I started to think too. How come I can't remember anything? This really is frustrating. I'll ask Max later. Right now I needed to resolve the Max issue with Fang.

"Are we cool now?"

"Yeah." We shook hands. Now all we have to do is get back to the flock.


Max

I sat patiently on a swing. Yeah, I'm sitting on a swing. We were currently at the park that Iggy and I came to. Angel and Gazzy were on the playground and Nudge was sitting on the one next to me, just blabbing away. At first I was listening but I think I am tuning her out. What's taking them so long? Did they get captured? I knew I should have gone myself. I think Fang is getting better with the flock. Gazzy and Angel seem to like him better. I am not so sure about Nudge. She seems to like him less. "Nudge, how do you feel about Fang nowadays?"

"He's alright but he needs to trust us more." That is such a mature way to look at things.

"What do you mean?" I think I have an idea of what she means.

"Did you notice his arm?" She paused to see my answer, and I nodded. It was really stiff. "He doesn't move it at all. That arm got hurt in that bomb. When we got to the hotel he tried to fix it and nearly killed himself." There was a tear pooling in her eye.

"He didn't even ask for our help. If it wasn't for us he could've…" A single tear streams down her cheek. I wiped it away. "He didn't even thank us either."

"Don't cry sweetie. I am sure he is very thankful. It's not like everyone could have someone as wonderful as you. You are important to this flock and don't forget it. We all are. I am sure he wanted to but just doesn't know the words." I gave her a hug and saw that I was crying too. I've never been this in touch with my emotions. I was always being strong for the flock. Maybe I could be a strong leader and caring mother. I need to be there to pick up the pieces when a member breaks down and I need to be there to keep their heads up high as a mother figure. This flock needs me; Nudge needs me.

She nodded, and then smiled at me. I smiled` back. "Now wipe your eyes. We need to get going because the boys are back." Ig and Fang landed a few feet away from us.

I took Nudge's hand and led her to Angel and Gazzy. They were still on the jungle gym. I told them we were about to leave. They got off and we met Iggy and Fang. Iggy had a purpling bruise on his face. I let go of Nudge's hand and used it to touch his face. "Iggy, what happened?"

He rubbed his cheek and looked at Fang. "Long story."

I shot Fang an accusing glance. "You can tell us about what happened later. Right now we need to figure out where to go next. Any ideas?"

For the moment, the flocks place is here.

Here? This is about the worst place to be. I was thinking about going to Arizona to see my mom and get expert help for Fangs arm. Besides, if I stay here I am afraid we won't be able to escape Lynne's merry band of psychics. Plus, I definitely don't want to run into Sam again.

You can't run away from your problems. These psychics are good people. Go to them and make peace. You will see that it is for the better.

Make peace with them? Become friends? These people have tried to kill us and they're becoming as annoying as Erasers. What else can I do? These people are hardcore psychics and will stop at nothing to find out about us. I can't even be sure that we can trust them. Sometimes the Voice is right but sometimes it is wrong. Sometimes it's judgment is guided by Itex. Sometimes it sounds like Jeb. How can I be sure? I never could be.

You know how to trust your flock but you need to learn how to trust me. I am not Jeb and I am not Itex. I am your Voice and I am here to help you save the world.

Maybe I do need to trust him. I don't want to end up like my buddy Fang all emotionless. I need to be trusting and welcome all ideas. I need to help my flock and if trusting those crazy psychics is part of the plan then that is what we'll do. There may be bumps along the road but I am more confident now. I need to be more open and I need to be a little more like Angel. (of course minus the creepy)


Tabitha

Where are they? Car (Carolynne pronounced "care") told me they were in this room. I heard a toilet flush. They are so stupid! Why are they going to the bathroom at a time like this? I headed to the bathroom to quietly wait for him to come out. They were all going to be so happy! Car had been having visions about these guys for weeks and I would get them. Beating people up is fun. The sound of flushing and hand washing stopped. The door creaked open and a tall blonde guy came out. Why were they all so tall? They are such weirdos.

"I know you're in there!" I said. My voice came out small and raspy.

I braced myself for fighting but he didn't even see me. I bet he didn't even hear me. He walked right past me and right to the balcony. Why would he be going there? I quietly tiptoed behind him. He closed the door in my face. Did he see me? My face was just inches from his. How could he not see me? Maybe he is just that absorbed in getting away? No, that cant be it.

I pressed myself against the door. Ugh, these thick walls. I can barely hear a thing. He was talking to someone. It was probably that guy, Nick. I can't believe he has the same name as our Nick. That's cool. Too bad they don't have another Tabitha; that would be fine. I could only heard the word 'disappear'. Oh, no maybe they had powers too. I know that Anne does. She can run really fast. That girl almost suffocated us running around like that. That bastard. Maybe next time I could do the same. My muscles felt restless and tense. I wanted to move around. That fight was so much fun; I haven't done anything like in a while. I was a little rusty and needed to flex my powers. It's like stretching before you go on a jog. Maybe Nick can make things disappear and maybe he did this with our skin. I can hear them opening something. What could that be? There are no other doors except this one. They are trying to escape! That is enough I am coming in there! I want to fight them and feel the confidence of their capture.

I burst through the door to feel a cool breeze hit my face. Man, Michigan is way colder than what I am used to. I felt myself shiver. Where are they? Did they just jump out of the window, or are they scaling the building? I stuck my head out and no one was there. I could feel my fingers freezing. This is ridiculous; it's only the beginning of fall. My cheek was pinking where the wind hit it. I peered below. No one was scaling the building. No one was splat on the ground. No one was here, but faint in the distance I noticed a dark bird flying. I don't know much about here but it looked greatly out of place but not as much as the bird flying next to it. That one was a very light and pretty bird. It was larger than the dark one.

Just seeing them fly was enough to drain the fight from my body. It was so peaceful and beautiful. I could feel the restlessness dissolving from my form. I exhaled deeply, leaned out to get a better look at them and next thing I know I am hanging from the edge. My heart my heart beating wildly in my chest. That was the feeling I longed for. I loved when I am in danger. It is the one of the few times I feel alive in my life. Instead of screaming and attracting attention to myself I try to use my shoes to grip the side of the building. I felt like screaming though. Car is always right. Don't wear flats, always wear griped tennis shoes or combat boots. She sounds like my mom. Exhale. It's okay. Be positive, you're only angry and full of adrenaline.

I let go of the window and let myself float to the ground. I am getting better at using my powers (telekinesis). When my black, strappy ballet flats hit the ground I go report to Carolynne. The boys have left the building.


Angel

It's about time. The Voice has needed to give Max a little talking to for a while now. In the past she has been stubborn and rude (with a little touch of crazy and I thought the pressure was getting to her). She needs to open her mind to the possibilities and I don't mind that she wants to be a little like me. It's actually a pretty flattering. I thought Max didn't love me as much anymore when I was rescued from the School. Her thoughts described me as different and not like the old Angel at all. Although it was true, a girl still has feelings and it hurt. Max still loves me but I think it is for the better. Now she can clearly focus on all of us, not just me. This flock is really starting to grow into it's full potential. The only remaining problem is that there are too many secrets. We aren't as willing to talk to each other anymore.

I am starting to like her voice a little more. I don't agree to everything it says but lately it is more practical. Once Max was done thinking over what the voice said, she started to speak. "I have an idea." Almost immediately, everyone looked at her and I joined all of their gazes. I already knew what she was going to say but I still acted the part.

"We're going to stay here," she breathed.

Everyone started talking. I heard many 'why's and things like 'what about those crazy psychics?' Fang and I remained quiet. I, because I understood what Max was trying to do. I think Fang because he was just being emotionless. I decided to read his mind. I picked up on things like: "Those psychos burnt me!" and a long string of bad words and insults. He needs to show what he's feeling and stop hiding everything. He is a smart person but he needs to drop those barriers and let us in. We all are here for him and we need to let him know that. That is why I am going to join Gazzy on his project. Fang needs love and we will all should give that to him, not just Max.

Max told everyone to be quiet so we could hear her out. "The Voice told me we need to talk to them, that they mean no harm, and that they're just like us and are scared of being trapped again. I'm going to listen to him this time."

Gazzy spoke up. "Since when do you listen to that thing?"

This is something that will show that she knows how to use her leadership, if she understands how to speak and communicate with us. "Since now. I am trying to end this. They will continue to hunt us down and I don't want it to get to the point where we are enemies. I don't want a situation where they have you and you can't get away. There will be a time like that if you don't listen what I am saying now. We need to at least talk to them, and get to understand what they are and what they want. They could be just like us and we can only find out if we try. Now, they obviously aren't successful avian hybrids like us but what if they are another successful hybrid group? You can just tell; they have members even older than us! They have a member who is seventeen. They could tell us information concerning our expiration dates. They could help us to settle down in one place and not be on the run. Look at their café. It is successful and a permanent place. They could very well be nice people. If we get to know their deal then maybe we could have one less enemy. Wouldn't you like to know them and create an ally, a group of friends in saving the world?"

Iggy gave a small, slow clap and walked to her side. With his arm round her shoulder he complements her. "Way to go Max. Who knew you were good at speeches? Let's do this."

Max smiles at Iggy and turns to look at us. "Are you guys with me?"

They all stare at Max skeptically. Do they approve of her leadership? I always thought I should step in but I think she is starting to get her priorities straight. I want to see what happens. Nudge walks to Max's side and Max drapes he other arm around her shoulder. "I am." I stand next to Nudge and say my "I am!" I hold Nudge's hand and stare at them. Who I really want to see is Fang. Does he really approve? Gazzy comes next and then Fang does too. In his mind he still isn't sure. I guess he only did it because everyone else did. That's interesting. These next few days are bound to be. Will the rest of the flock come out of their shells and reveal their secrets? I know them all but I don't want to say anything. I want to see if they trust me, if they trust the flock and over the next few days I will find out just that.


A/N: Tabitha's character is a little out of it. (just to let you know) Oh, and how about that speech guys?