Disclaimer: Maximum Ride+ owner being me= does not exist. There is no way.

Max POV:

Fresh air feels great when you're flying. I mean, with the wings. Not the planes and helicopters that people normally get in to fly around the world. This is feels so much better. If only the psycho scientists, stong mutants, annoying voices in the head, adn incredibly determined boy saying he's your perfect half wasn't involved. The whole wing thing could be so easy to get used to.

It's you, Max.

Oh, that's my good ol buddy, the Voice. The wonderful fortune teller that for some reason reappeard after its long disapperance.

Say, what's up? How you been doing? Where'd you go? I missed you.

Get serious, Max.

I am serious. Do you not see how nice and considerate I'm being? Normally, I wouldv'e said a few colorful words about you coming back.

Watch Dylan. I look back and find Dylan looking ahead with a blank look in his eyes. Or he's really concentrating.

He had to have realized I was looking at him because he turns to me and smiles.

" Hi." That was a little too happy for me. He waved and even flew down to me.
" Did you need anything?"

Listen. He is made for you. And now Voice says I should go with the obsessive bird kid with a model exterior.

' No. I'm fine."

" Okay." He backs away and goes back to the freaky dead looking thing. Weird.

Well, for those of you just tuning in to our Wonderful World of the Winged we're on our next mission: to find out who was the one that supposedly shot at us and put a dead body in our hotel room. It had to have been a message because you rarely see a dead body with a sword put into it. I mean, who even makes swords anymore? Except Japan, maybe.

And the guys from before. One had a sword.

Yeah, Right Angel. Back when Fang and I went on a date, there was another confrontaion with the flock. These guys came out of nowhere and , well, Angel and Dylan got shot at and we came to the hotel. I got the "talk", and just this morning we got shot at. I hope that's enough to sum up.

But- we've been flying for two hours, I think, and that's gotten us nowhere. Not a sign or a brief set of guidance from the Voice.

" Max, do you have a minute?" said Iggy.

" Yeah. Go ahead." He came beside me and lowered his voice to a point that I could barely hear it.

" I think something's wrong with Dylan. He looks kind of funny." Again. Iggy's blind. I don't get it. " Do you think it has something to do with the guys that attacked us at the hotel? Or from earlier?"

" No." I lowered my voice too. " But who knows? This is Dylan we're talking about."

" Are you saying it might be you? Fang won't be happy about that." Iggy smiled and went back to fly beside Gazzy. If only I could get a dagger glare to work on him.

" Max, I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?" Angel said softly.

" I'll see, sweetie." Now if Fang has some left over money, we could get a burger or something. Just enough to get us through the day. ' Fang, do you have any money left?" He shakes his head.

" Not enough to feed all of us. That hotel took more out of it than I thought." Great. Now I have to find some way to feed my hungry flock. I could steal someone's ATM card and use it again.

Or you can fake pregnant and get put on wellfare.

Not funny. I look back to Angel and see her smiling. So not the angel anymore.

" Hey! Let's go down there!" Gazzy points down to a fair or whatever and smiles. " They're performing and getting money!"

" Wow! Look they even have animals!" Nudge smiled and her eyes got big when she spotted the tiger. That can't be a fair, right?

" Please, Max! Please!" Both of them were pleading and now Iggy was even joining in. He can't even see!

" Fine."

" Yeah!" The next thing I know the entire flock except Fang and Dyaln left.

" You're getting soft, Max." I give Fang a sad look.

" Well, the least I can do is make them a little happy. We've gone through a lot. Now come on." I grab his hand and fold in my wings. We both start falling at amazing speeds and- it feels great. Maybe this little detour could be worth it.

When we get to the bottom and fold in our wings, the place is crowded. There are people everywhere at just about every attraction. Juggling, animal taming, man on fire, how long these people can sit underwater, a motorcycle race, and even an air show. With people in hot air balloons and planes showing off.

" So where t-?"

" I'm going for the air show!" Gazzy and Iggy both went to planes. Please tell me they don't do what I think they're going to do.

"To the animal training!" Angel left with Total.

"Man on fire!" Nudge left with Dylan and it was silent.

" So, what are you going to do?" Fang's breath sent a chill down my spine.

" I'm not sure." I'm blushing. I know it.

" Well, I'll see you. I'm hungry too."

" Okay." Once Fang's gone I realize how quiet it is. I have to find something because my stomach's ready to growl.

I wander around a while and find myself at the water tank.

" Step right up! Step right up! Whoever can break the record of five minutes under the water will be given a prize."

" Excuse me, what's the prize?" I sounded a little too eager.

" Well, it varies. The longer you stay under the more you get. Ten dollars every minute. " Well, that's good.

" Put me in." The man smiled and pointed to the tank. " If you can beat this young man, you'll be the one with the record."

" Sounds easy enough." I went to the bright yellow ladder and started climbing. Oh man. Guess who was at the top? Come on. Guess. Dylan was sitting at the top with that blank look in his eyes. And- that model look. Just bored or just really , what am I thinking?

" Dylan?" He looked at me and it took him a moment to smile.

" Hey, Max. Are you in, too?" I nod. " That's good. Now I'll have some competition. Say. I think I have enough to get one of us something to fill us up." He brings out a fifty dollar bill. Well, someone's been working. "This good?"

"Yeah." I sit down and look down at the crowd. Everyone looked like ants."So, when do we start?"

" They'll tell us. Oh, you need to put this on. It'll help when you're ready to come up." A cord was hanging beside me. " I won't need it." At first Dylan looks surprised, but he quickly gets over it.

" Max, we don't need them to know you have gills. We're normal." I look to him with just enough time to see him putting the cord around my foot. " At least, to them. For today." The look on Dylan's face looks sad. Not good.

"Ready?" We both look down at the man.

" Yeah!"

"Then go!" We look to the water and I remember to take off my shoes. Now I'm barefooted.

" Don't cheat too much, Max." I give him a smile before we both jump. The second my gills kick in I look to Dylan. His eyes are closed and he almost looks sleep. Enough to make you think he's dead. It's a minute according to the clock at the bottom of the tank. A minute and thirty. Two minutes. Two and thirty. How is he hanging on? He hasn't moved or changed his facial expression ever since we came in. Now it's three minutes. A crowd's coming. Four mintues. That's ninety dollars already.

Five minutes. Now what? How is Dylan still in? I think it's almost done he reaches out to me and squeezes my hand. Huh?

Five and thirty. His grip gets stronger and his eyes get tight. What is he doing? Trying to commit suicide?

" Dylan." The bubbles come out and his eyes loosen up."Let's just stop." His fingers intertwine with mine and he pulls on the cord. Soon we're both getting pulled up at a high speed. It was a rush.

When we got to the top everything was so slow. His hand was still in mine and my hair hung in my face.

" Here you go." A soft towel was over me and then Dylan had his arm around me. " That better?" What's going on? Why am I so hot? My cheeks are burning up.

" I'm fine. Let's just go get everyone." He looks confused, but he gently helps me up.

" Thanks for not cheating." He smiles and we go down the ladder. Really. What's going on? He's still holding on to my hand. It's so warm.

" Congratulations! Here you are!" The man hands us the money. It was a total of sixty. It was a round off. Now we have a hundred and ten.

" Great! Let's go , Max!" Dylan throws our towels in the bin and pulls me forward. " Let's get everyone."

Why am I so weird? Why are my cheeks burning up? And why is my heart beating so fast? Is it Dylan? It can't be. But- still why am I so...happy? I need a doctor.

And the end of another fabulous chapter. Thanks for reading. I plan on having the second part up soon. And Max is reaching the confusion of who she wants.

Max: I want Fang.

Don't hurt yourself. Anyway. Please reveiw if you can and till then. Fang is going to bewilder everyone.

Max: How?

You'll see. It's not that special.