There are a few mild curses in the beginning of this chapter.

The theme song for this chapter is "First Time" by Lifehouse.

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Incredible

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Rated T for language and violence.

She could no longer hear the voices. He ceased to repeat them. Her abundant voice lost all meaning. He didn't know what to listen for anymore. She was beaten of her will, her Voice having left her for dead. His voice was lost forever to the violent wind.

But the ones who created them made a crucial mistake when taking apart their miraculous creation. Now their experiments are getting minds of their own, and they're pushing at the time-weakened, crumbling walls. How much longer will they stay standing?

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Chapter Eleven: Slip Stream

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Riley could fly with him…

…if he was real, and not just some boy that haunted her dreams.

If only.

Saturday, November 20th, 2010

"C'mon, hermanita!" Rachel climbed into the driver's seat of the Sedan, using the Spanish word for little sister to call her not-so-little sister out of the house. Their parents had taken a taxi to the airport around five that morning, and the girls were heading out two hours later.

"I'm coming!" Riley stumbled out of the house, lugging her duffle bag over her shoulder, despite the pain shooting up her spine. She dumped her bag into the trunk and slammed the silver hatch shut, scrambling into the passenger seat.

"Is the house locked up?" the elder sister asked, sticking the keys into the ignition and starting the car, grinning when the engine rumbled to life.

"Yes." Riley rolled her eyes, reclining against the leather seat.

"All righty!" Rachel grinned, gunning the engine. She didn't seem like it, but she was really a cautious driver. She just had a need for speed. "Buckle up, Riles."

Damn nickname.

Riley bit her tongue, refraining from hissing "I know" as she clicked her seatbelt. She hated that condescending tone. She hated being the baby sister. And she was always, always the baby sister.

"So, Mom says school's been tough for ya," Rachel began, pulling out of the driveway.

"It's none of your business, Rachel," the younger woman muttered, crossing her arms protectively across her chest.

"It is my business, Riley. Believe it or not, you're my sister and I actually love you. So when kids give you a hard time, they give me a hard time, too."

"No one's giving me a hard time."

Rachel's hands clenched the steering wheel, but she didn't glance at her sister. "That's a bunch of BS, and you know it. Riles, you can't let these kids get to you. You may not have a place in high school, but that will as sure as hell change. In fifteen years, neither those jerks nor what they thought of you will matter. What will matter in fifteen years is what you think of yourself. Don't let those kids get under your skin, okay? Because you are pretty awesome, no matter what anyone else says." She tossed a quick grin to Riley as they pulled onto the interstate.

Riley bit her lip. If only it were that simple. It was hard to live in a shadow, especially three shadows each a mile long. "Okay," she muttered, reaching out and clicking on the radio.

As music filled the blaring silence, the two sisters sank into their own thoughts. Rachel's mind drifted over to her younger sister, and to the kind of person she would be in fifteen years.

Riley's thoughts were darker than that. As she hummed along to the radio, her train of thought took a pessimistic turn. Will there even be a world in fifteen years?

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"Rachel."

"Hmm?"

"Can we stop?"

Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but froze when she saw her sister's face. She turned back to the road, glancing at the signs. "There's an exit in twenty-five miles. Can you wait that long?"

"I think so." Riley's voice came out shaky. "Can we open the windows?"

"Sure." Rachel flicked the switch, opening the two windows as far down as they would go. As the breeze slapped at her face, she was silently thankful that she had pulled her hair up that morning.

Strangely, Riley wasn't bothered by the wind buffeting her face and tossing her hair around as if in a blender. She lay back against the seat, her face as white as a sheet or paper and tinged with green, eyes closed, and mouth turned up in a barely-perceptible smile.

She just couldn't handle it any longer, the tiny metal box that was the Sedan. She didn't do well with tiny spaces. Elevators, trains, cars. They were enough to make her hysterical, and nauseous on top of it.

If it weren't for the breeze, she'd explode into a thousand pieces. The breeze…

The calming, lulling, oddly reminiscent breeze. She could almost picture herself lifting off the ground; strong, weightless. Soaring over the sky…

She yawned, her eyes flickering open and closed in an attempt to fight off sleep. When had she ever grown tired in a car? She never slept during car rides. Ever.

But… there was something… soothing about the whistling of the wind and the hum of the engine and the drone of the ballad on the radio. As hard as she tried to fight it, Riley felt herself slipping… slipping…

Falling…

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There he was.

Fang.

Finally.

He had come back. After all this time. He was back. He was here. For her.

He hadn't changed. Penetrating obsidian eyes, thick black hair, tough olive skin. Rumpled black tee, muddied jeans, worn-out sneakers.

"Max," he whispered.

Hot tears blurred her vision. She wanted to run forward, to embrace him, kiss him. Make sure he was real. That he wasn't a dream. She took a step forward, but that was it. What if he had changed? What if he didn't love her like he used to? What if he had moved on? Found someone else? Replaced her?

"Max," he said again, a new pain in his usually emotionless eyes. He glanced down at his feet, and she saw how his shoulders shook. When he looked up his eyes were red, glistening with tears. "I'm sorry." His breath hitched in his throat.

And just like that, they were sprinting forward, crashing together, squeezing hard. They sobbed into each other, relishing in the firm, solid hold.

He squeezed her close, smoothing down her hair and planting kisses on her cheeks. "I am so sorry." His voice came out husky, pained.

"Don't be," she found herself saying, despite everything that had happened between then and now. "It wasn't your fault." Though it was. It had all been his fault. Hadn't it? "Don't leave me ever again. I couldn't… we couldn't… we wouldn't be able to handle it again. We can't break like that again." She drew her arms tight around his waist, pressing herself close. Her heart stumbled in her chest.

He tilted her head up, revealing eyes blazing with emotion. With quiet determination, he said, "I promise I will never, ever leave again, Maximum Ride. I swear it, on my life, on your life, and on the lives of the flock. I will stay with you until the day I die."

Her mouth turned up in a smile as she pressed her lips to his.

This was it. What she had been searching for. This is what it felt like to love, and be loved in return. Heart swelling, fears slipping away, smiling so much it hurt; yet completely unable to stop. Feeling safe, for the first time in her short life.

How amazing is this?

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"Riley."

Pause.

"Riley, wake up."

Hand met shoulder, and the younger Kimmel lunged forward, fists clenching. Ready to tear apart anyone who dared to lay a hand on her or her flo—

"We're here, Riles," Rachel announced, patted her sister's back as she slipped out of the car.

Max, she thought to herself, unbuckling. He had called her Max; Maximum. That was the name of a girl who went places. It was a strong, brave, take-no-prisoners name. Wasn't it her name?

Riley stepped out of the Sedan and slammed the door shut, jogging to catch up with her sister. She reached up to brush a loose strand of hair away, and was startled to find moisture. Her cheeks were wet—like she'd been crying. She swiped under her eyes, wiping away the trails of tears and the feelings that came with them.

As they stepped inside the chain restaurant, Rachel asked quietly, "Are you okay? You were muttering to yourself back there. Who's Fang?"

Riley stiffened, but didn't let her shock show on her face. As the pair approached the counter, she admitted, "I don't know."

Because she didn't know. Who was this Fang, anyway? Merely a figment of her heavily-medicated imagination? But… she could almost picture him standing next to her, tense and eyeing everyone with an air of cool distrust. He'd have a hand on her shoulder, keeping her steady, keeping her focused on their mission. He'd have her back. He'd take a bullet for her, and she for him.

"Riles, what do you want?" Her elder sister's words snapped the youngest Kimmel back to the present. Her eyes scanned the menu, then she stepped forward and said to the cashier,

"I'll take three double deluxe cheeseburgers, two large fries, a large milkshake, and a large drink."

Rachel winced as she drew out her credit card. While the Kimmel's were all used to their youngest member's… unusual dietary habits, their pocketbooks tended to suffer for it. The stunned cashier handed over the barrel of a soda cup, and Riley snatched it and went over to the soda fountain to fill it up.

Rachel watched her little sister as she paid for their lunch. Little Riley Elizabeth. With her shoulders back, eyes alert, chin up, back straight for the first time in a long, long while. What had that dream been about, for the resulting Riley to show such uncommon confidence?

Rachel had been very worried for her sister while she was asleep, because, during that time, tears were streaming down her face. And Riley never, ever cried in her sleep. Not even when she was an infant.

What could have possibly affected her sister like that? For, whatever it was, Rachel had the sinking feeling that this wasn't the end of it.

Not by a long shot.

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A/N: So, what do you think of this chapter? I haven't added much to it, merely switched around a few words here or there to they flowed smoothly. But I really like it. (Though the next one is one of my favorites.) Haha, it will take our favorite feathered couple quite a while until… well, I just can't tell you, now can I? But I can assure you that there IS a tiny bit (a really tiny bit) of Fax in this story. Also, in one of the future chapters Max loses her head and goes all ape-s*** crazy on Fang. It's awesome. :D

What's your fist impression of Rachel? She won't be so totally prominent throughout the whole story, but she's still Riley's family.

And I know I'll be getting grief for how very un-Max-like Riley is. I know, I know, people. But she's supposed to be that way. Don't worry, you'll have your Max back by the end of the story. I actually worked really hard to pull it off, but I'm very proud of how the last chapter turned out.

So, got any questions for me, yet? If you're still wondering about Angel/Izzy, Gazzy/Mike, and Iggy/Aiden, they'll be back in Chapter 13. Once again, I recommend you read these in order because there is a lot that happens in the second half of this story. Any comments? Wish I would just shut up with this questions/comments spiel? Reviews are wonderful places to say so. ;)

Your faithful author,

Lea