Chapter Ten

Max's POV

That afternoon, well after lunch was over and dinner had yet to be served, Edward dragged the Flock, their wolves, Nessie, and the 'vampires' outside.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jasper asked, eyeing the Flock warily. "The leader probably won't believe you no matter what you do, so lets just stop this."

"For the record, I believe you." Angel spoke up from on Seth's back. He was carrying her piggyback style even though she was much too old for that. Then again, Seth would do whatever she wanted regardless due to that werewolf thing.

"But you can read our minds," Nessie pointed out.

"Besides," Ella stated, "if you plan on staying here, which considering you can't travel with the wolves most of you will be, then I want there to be no doubts. You are my family…all of you."

Suddenly, Edward started walking further into the yard, off the porch where the rest of us were standing. Jake rolled his eyes. "Always dramatic, huh, Eddie?"

"I remember a certain wolf outing himself to Charlie not long back. And you call me dramatic." Edward teased back, finally stopping just below a breaking away cloud.

He looked to Alice and she replied with a time. "Six seconds."

One…two…three…four…five…six.

The clouds broke apart, sunlight streaming down on Edward. Wait, why didn't he have his shirt on! Ewww…I did not want to see anyone like that other than Fang; especially not Ella's husband.

I looked closer at Edward's skin and did a double take. Was he sparkling?

"Now you see. We can't go in the sunlight because we aren't like you. It has nothing to do with the sun destroying us." Edward explained and the Flock nodded as if this made perfect sense.

'Had they gone crazy too?' I wondered as Edward put his shirt back on and returned to the porch.

"So you sparkle? Big deal." I said and I could feel the Flock, wolves, and Sparklers getting upset. "I've seen weirder things in LA. That proves nothing."

"What about our speed? Our ages? Or the fact that Jasper attacked Iggy?" Edward asked, clearly running out of things to prove they were what they said they were.

"We're fast too. We look older, you look younger, so? And half the time, I myself want to beat Iggy up." I said rationally.

Suddenly, images flooded my mind. It was like a brain attack but not at the same time.

Ella, a few years after she left our mom's house to come live with Charlie, still the same as I knew her-warm brown eyes and dull pretty look, her arms wrapped around Edward, who looked the exact same as he does now. They were in a meadow, his shirt off and the sunlight glittering off of his skin.

Then another one of him biting her arm and spitting out blood, again and again. There were mirrors surrounding them, each reflecting their images over and over. Then a piercing scream heard behind them and the smell of smoke tinged my nose.

Ella in the hospital in Florida; Mom taking time off CSM to come visit her. Edward asleep on the chair next to her, yet I could tell that he was protecting her even in his sleep. Ella looked so fragile in that image, not like now. Now she could protect herself if need be.

Birthday candles and pink everywhere; Ella opening a silver package and getting a paper cut. Jasper, once again, pouncing on someone, this time my sister. Edward knocking her out of the way and her landing in glass. (real smart move by the way, Mr. Vampire)

Ella, pregnant as pregnant gets, just after her honeymoon, calling mom to let her know that she was ill. Her eyes still very much human, even though her skin looked stretched to the max and she looked almost dead. Jacob by her side and Edward on the other, each comforting her in their own ways.

Renesme's birth, the small girl clawing her way out of Ella and into a blonde, twenty-ish man's hands. He looked like the rest of them, gold eyes, flawless skin, etc. Nessie being placed on Ella's chest before she died…then Edward injecting Ella with syringe after syringe until her heart beat again.

Seen enough, Max? A voice asked in my head. You need to believe your sister if you are to help take down the Volturi. They are the only thing stopping the world from being safe.

"Make it stop." I pleaded, my hands gripping my skull as the brain attack ended. Fang had his arms wrapped around me and everyone was staring at me.

"I believe you, I believe you." I muttered into Fang's chest, ashamed for looking so weak in front of the Flock and everyone else.

"What just happened?" Nessie asked, and I flinched when I remembered her birth.

"Max gets these brain attacks from the Voice in her head." Fang explained, practically growling when he mentioned the attacks. "It shows her images of things that haven't happened ye--"

I cut him off. "This time, it was memories. Like someone was watching from outside the moment and recording it."

"What did you see?" Jake asked.

I retold everything, not leaving out any details. Renesme looked like she was about to be sick when I mentioned her birth, but other than that, no one seemed that concerned about the scenes. I was careful to say the Volturi word correctly since the Voice made it seem like it was an important thing.

Edward and most of the vampires stiffened when I mentioned the Volturi.

"Seems like you'll be sticking around after all." Ella commented. "After all, taking down the royal vampire trio isn't something we can rush into."

Jacob stared at her. "Don't tell me you are seriously considering taking down the Volturi, Bells. We got off easy last time, but I don't think they'll make that mistake twice."

"The Voice isn't ever wrong." Angel spoke up.

My heart tightened. I had finally gotten my family back together and now I had a new villain to fight. After all, I was Maximum Ride, meant to save the world, and nothing would stop me from fulfilling that mission. Especially now that I had so many more people(ish) to fight for.

AN: Thank you for all my lovely reviewers. This story is over, alas, but that doesn't mean that reviews aren't still welcome. Let me know how you loved/hated/merely tolerated it. :)