Sooo sorry it took so long to get this up. My computer died on me and I just got it back. Anyway, I'm going to try to get chapters up as soon as I can but I have like an hour everyday free and that's pretty much it. I really need a vacation.
Max:
So far, this is what I've gathered from life on the ground- completely on the ground, as in your feet never leave it unless you jump.
(A) Always watch where you step- your shoe may get covered in something totally unpleasant.
(B)Wear comfortable shoes(read A again). Ouch.
(C)Keep away from the curb when a large truck drives by- It took hours for my shirt to dry off.
(D)And last but definitely not least, do not try to swipe a pretzel off a street vendor. They have eyes like a hawk.
Which brings us to our current situation.
"Max…" Here it comes. "I'm hungry" As always, Nudge was the one to bring up the food issue. Which just spurred everyone to rally behind her.
"Yeah… can we get some… burgers and milk shakes and maybe some pie! Oh-"
"And some of those donuts with the swirls"
"Maybe a hero or two?"
We were hanging around Central Park, lounging on the benches even though it was less than 30 degrees out. It wasn't a weird site though, there were kids everywhere. There was an ice skating rink- made from a real frozen lake, like in those picturesque movies- and laughter was everywhere. For once, we actually sort of belonged. Blended perfectly.
I sighed and reached into my coat pocket. There was still money left over in my wallet from when I was Liv, not Max. 50 dollars actually. Of course, that flew out the window in two days, but I had a little bit left.
"Alright… I've got $11.50 left. What can we get with that here?" I asked. Compared to how we used to get by, dumpster diving and scavenging, having 11 dollars was high rolling. We could get food to last a month with that.
We're mighty resourceful avian-hybrids.
Turns out those deli specials really pay off. We got four pounds of ham and cheese, three loaves of bread and still had almost three dollars left over. And much to Angel's dismay, three dollars was not enough for some New York cheesecake.
"So. What do we do now?" Iggy asked before biting into a pretty delicious sandwich made by Maximum Ride herself. I may not be able to bake, but I sure can make a mean ham sandwich.
"We eat!" Gazzy said, his mouth full.
"No, stupid… I mean… now that we're all together again and stuff… what do we do? Like, not having wings is the worst thing that can happen to us, but it's sort of an opportunity right?" Fang and I exchanged glances. I guess he had thought about that too, as I had.
"Opportunity to what?" Angel asked, her blue eyes wide and curious. I just can not get over how adorable that little girl is, she makes kittens look like monsters under the bed.
"To start over" Nudge answered.
So we were all thinking it. As much as we hated to admit it, there was a chance that the White Coats taking away our wings would work out… well? A lump the size of a softball caught in my throat. The only thing I had ever really wanted for the Flock was a normal life and now that it was standing right in front of us… I don't think any of us wanted to take it.
So where did that leave us?
The key to the future lies in the past, Max.
"What?" I asked, looking at Fang who paused mid bite. His dark eyes darted away from mine then back and he lowered the sandwich as his eyebrow rose in question.
"Didn't you just say something?" He shook his head, silent as usual. Of course he didn't say anything, that would be like asking Jesus not to be holy.
Don't assume.
"Iggy?" I turned to him but I could tell by look in his face he hadn't said a word. I felt like it was April Fool's day and I was the fool.
"Gazzy, if that's you, I swear-"
"I didn't say anything, Max! None of us did" He stuck up his hands like a criminal and I noticed for a second that he really needed some soap.
Great, now they were all looking at me like I was some lunatic. Maybe I had imagined it, just my conscious sneaking up into my thoughts. That would make more sense- and make me feel better- than believing that I was hearing things. Shrugging I took a big bite.
You should learn to embrace the truth, not shy away from it, Maximum. That is a sign of maturity.
"Okay… this...this isn't f-funny anymore…" Feeling dizzy, I shook my head. I couldn't feel the ground under me, colors were blurring and sounds just became jumbled background noise.
What is wrong with me? I thought. Food poisoning? I'd kill that deli guy, but I had this numbing feeling that wasn't it. My stomach was churning and I could feel my hands start to shake.
I'm just giving you a push in the right direction. Some incentive for the future. Don't thank me yet though. I couldn't tell if it was male or female, old or young, real or a machine. It just sort of echoed in my mind.
That was before the blinding pain.
Fang:
Max didn't look too good. Actually, she looked like she was about to pass out. She swayed and her hands shook, her face was ten shades paler. I was at her side in seconds, my arm around her shoulders, helping her stay upright.
The kids looked on with wide worried eyes- well, all except Ig who listened. This was getting weirder by the second. I vaguely remembered something like this happening a long time ago… but at the same point in the memory, it stopped. Skipped over. It was at the tip of my tongue but I couldn't fully grasp it.
"Max?...Max can you hear me?" I asked, giving her a gentle shake. Suddenly, she gasped and doubled over in pain. She clutched her head with both hands and groaned.
Whatever was happening, it was all in her head- literally. Max was fighting a battle that only she could hear or see. I didn't quite know what to do, so I just held her, ignoring the looks of the Flock.
They could joke all they wanted later, but right then all I knew was that Max was in pain. I looked down at her face and saw her eyes brimmed with tears and my heart sped up. The sight of her on the verge of crying terrified me- not that I'll admit that ever again.
Finally, there was something Max couldn't handle. What if this happened to all of us? If this is how Max took it, how would the younger kids? With one final cry, Max went limp in my arms.
"Is… is she okay?... Fang?" Nudge knelt beside me and reached out her hand to hold Max's. I looked at the Flock. Angel was crying, scared beyond belief, The Gasman's arm around her shoulders. Iggy's face was set in a mask of confusion and worry.
"I don't know" I said because I really did not know. She was alive, that was for sure, but I had no clue what had just happened. I was confused and lost. Was this something that happened because of the school? Anger flared in me.
"Um… Fang?"
"What?" I snapped and bit my tongue. Gazzy didn't deserve the spur of anger but when I looked at him, he hardly seemed to have noticed. His eyes were fixed to a spot over my head.
Slowly turning my head, my body tensed on its own. We were still in the Park, out of the view of most people but still out in the middle of the day so I doubted Ari would show up. And the Flock didn't look to be fight mode… just really, really confused.
"Do not worry. We're not here to hurt you" My eyebrows shot way up and my eyes widened larger than they ever had in my life. Too bad Max wasn't conscious to see my face. "We're here to help. The White Coats had there way with us as well- obviously- so we know what it's like. You can trust us"
