Me: Wow, I haven't updated this in aaaagggggeeeesssss
Iggy: Whish is why you're doing it now, thank goodness!
Me: yeah, I know. I'm sorry guys but things have been a bit hectic at the moment. If you want to know why I haven't updated in a while, then check out 'Iggy Ramblings :D,' the chapter called: Blogging and Pocky. That sould explain the reason for my absence
Iggy: Or, your readers can continue to hate you for not updating and find where you live, hunt you down and or kill you.
Me: Thanks for the support!
Iggy: No problem ;)
Me: -sighs- Okay, so anyway, in this chapter, I have a feeling that after you read the ending, you're gonna kill me
Iggy: You have a feeling? I think that they most likely will kill you.....
Me: Okay, shut up before I cancel the whole sleepover idea with Fang
Iggy:...................................................
Me: Good, now where was I......oh, right, the killing thing. Okay, read the A/N at the bottom for my explanation so that I don't get murdered my MR fans
Iggy: Good, can we start the story now
Me: okay :)
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Total and I took Angels directions and found the exit easily. I hung my white visitors coat on the hook near the door, scooped Total up in my arms, and took to the air.
So, that only left Gazzy.
He was my last hope.
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I walked calmly into my room before slamming the door shut behind me and sitting on my bed, silent tears leaking down my cheeks.
"What happened to maximum Ride?"
The sad thing was, I knew the answer to that question. She was gone. She was taken piece by piece after the Flock left. Maximum Ride now ceased to exist.
"Everybody 'exists,'" the voice chimed in. "You are who you are, Maximum. You will always be Maximum Ride." The real you is still there, deep down inside yourself. Now all you have to do is find it."
"But how?" I asked quietly aloud, speaking for the fifth time that day. That must be a record for me in the past six years. Wow, I was becoming talkative........
"But why?" The voice asked me.
"Excuse me?" I asked bitterly feeling the old me seeping into my subconscious again.
"Why are you being so talkative? What gave you the sudden urge to speak up?"
"Nudge?" I whispered.
Silence.
No surprise there.
"Is that it v-voice?" I shouted loudly, stumbling over the words because of my lack of speech over time.
"You must figure it out for yourself, Maximum. You are the Great Maximum Ride, and you will always be maximum Ride. But........."
I waited rather impatiently for it to continue.
"......what makes you who you are?" The voice echoed through my head for a minute, causing me to shut my eyes tightly. When it stopped, there was quiet once again.
I thought about this for a while. Trying to make sense of what the voice was trying to tell me.
In the end, there was only one question that continued to circulate through my head and all through my body....
What makes you who you are?
This one had me confused. What made me Maximum Ride?
Suddenly, a burst of pain erupted in my skull, and I held my head in my hands, closing my eyes tight.
It was like a movie playing out in my mind, something that I hadn't experienced for six years.
In front of me, stood Nudge. We were outside Mom's house together.
"N-nudge," I stuttered.
More pain filled my aching head and another scene played out in front of me.
Seven year old Angel, my baby, and her nine year old brother were standing together. Both their eyes were red and puffy and their faces, tearstained.
"We're leaving now Max. Goodbye," Gazzy said quietly before taking to the sky, Total close in tow.
Every fibre of my being was screaming at me to go after them, but I couldn't move.
"You can't change history....." The voice said.
I moaned as more pain came and Iggy appeared in front of me. Except, this time, I was watching him from above, as if I was looking through a camera, or on TV.
He was walking along a busy street, looking confused and not sure where to go. He was muttering to himself the whole way.
Then, the biggest surge of pain rattled my head and then I saw a pair of sad, dark eyes looking into mine.
Fang.
"Max, we just can't do this anymore!" He said quietly, but angrily all the same. "I need to leave too. Being here just reminds me of how broken we are.........We don't belong together anymore, and you know it. We all know it, even Nudge did....." he trailed off. "Everything is so messed up! This isn't how things are meant to be, but we have no choice. This is the end. Goodbye, Max."
"NO!!!" I screamed as he took off into the sky.
A flash of light abruptly brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes and felt fresh tears soaking my red face. I then dropped my head into my hands and sobbed my heart out.
I understood what the voice meant now, and I wished that I'd realised it sooner.
"My Family!" I shouted at the voice in between my sobs.
"My family is what makes me who I am!"
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I landed in the cave that I'd stopped in the night before and decided to spend another night there.
I gently put Total on the ground and he collapsed in a heap on the rocky floor of the cave. I bent down and stroked him softly, feeling his chest rise and fall slowly.
Slower than usual.
"Total, are you okay?" I whispered, placing my hand on his stomach and stroking his fur gently.
He let out a low whine that sounded like air running along his broken vocal chords, before looking at me sadly.
"D-did they do something to you?" I asked feeling worried. Whatever was going on, I knew that it wasn't good.
He nodded his head slowly.
Crap. Back at the school, they used to inject us with all kinds of things that made us feel sick and extremely unhealthy.
And sometimes, those things even killed experiments like us...........
I felt his chest start to slow down and his hearts rate drop.
"NO!" I shouted as I lifted him into my arms and hugged him softly. "Total, you'll be okay. Don't give up so easily! We always make it through these things together, and we still can! I'm not giving up on the Flock, or on you, and you can't give up on us! We're a family, Total! Remember what it was like six years ago when we were together! Stay with me, please don't leave me........" I told him in between my sobs. I saw teardrops appear on his dark fur and I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "I need you, Total. I can't do this by myself."
His eyes met mine and he nodded slowly, as if he was saying that he'd still put up a fight.
I slowly stood up and made my way over to the wall. I sat down and cradled him in my arms until the two of us fell asleep.
The next morning, I knew that Total had put up a strong fight, but he obviously wasn't strong enough to win.......
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Me: Anyone getting their pitchforks ready yet?
Iggy: -sighs- You'd better explain before they make it out the door....
Me: Well, I have written most of this story now, and I think that Total would just get in the way of where it's going. And Nudge needs to be sad for the next chapter. So, I'm sorry if you're angry because I killed Total, but I DID cry when I killed him off........
Iggy: Which is weird. who cry's at their own story?
Me: -glares- But, now that Max has sorted out her issues, things start to get better from here on out. I don't think that there will be much more dpressing things after this.....
Iggy: There better not be. Even I'M getting sick of your depressed mood!
Me: -whacks- okay. For those of you that are still reading this story. Thankyou for sticking with me and Ig for so long ;) You're awesome.
R&R!?!?!?!?
Bell and Ig