ASH POV
I sigh contently. Soft light filters through the walls of the tent, creating a pale orange glow. I stretch out, and roll over. I look at my mother, who still lays soundly asleep. Her face is serene, and peaceful. You can't tell that this is the face of the woman who ran away from all those who loved her, or who had the blood of her best friend splatter across her was murdered before her very eyes. This Max has never seen any violence. She is innocent, and unaware.
However, even in the midst of everything, she has something which I don't; her children. It's horrible to want want something so badly that you feel jealous of your own mother. It's even far worse to have all her sacrifices weigh on your mind. To know that she gave up her entire life so that you could life as normally as possible is irreprehensible . Such things are unforgivable.
Her face crinkles slightly, and her eyes move beneath her closed lids. She must be dreaming. I silently throw back my sleeping bag, and slip out of the tent. The air outside is noticeably clearer, and easier to breath. I spot Fang sitting at the base of the tree, in front of the campfire. I pop back into the tent, and grab my sleeping bag. I silently approach him, and wrap the sleeping bag around his shoulders. He shifts slightly. His eyes flutter open.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
"It's okay," he groans, using the tree to pull himself up.
"What were doing out here anyways?" I ask.
"Keeping watch," he coughs, as the wind causes a cloud of smoke to blow towards us.
"Why were you keeping watch?"
"Old habits, I suppose," he laughs, picking up a stick, and poking the fire with it.
"Um, okay, I guess," I mumble.
He laughs. I see the skin by his eyes crinkle a little bit. For some reason, the years seem to have been kinder to my mother. You can't see any wrinkles on her face, unless you stare intently for a while. Then again, those wrinkles could be fabricated by the imagination. My mother has also had a comparatively more peaceful existence over the last twenty years. She only had to focus on me, while he has had to raise two girls, and deal with the pressure from the public. He also has had his younger sister in a coma for the past few months. While they have both lived trying lives, I can't help but feel that my mother got the better end of things.
"You have clearly not been trained in the ways of a Flock member," he states matter-of-factly.
"If you mean that I didn't grow up in the woods then yes," I say.
"How did you grow up?" he asks, sitting down on a log.
"You want me to tell you the story?"
He nods. Something in his dark eyes flashes. Perhaps it's guilt, or perhaps it's just a passing curiosity. I sigh, and sit down next to him. My eyes focus on the bright orange of the fire. I let myself slip into reminiscent thought. There are so many things that he wasn't there for, so many times that I needed him.
"After my mom left the Flock, she planned to travel to New York, but she got sick before she could make it. She was so close to dying. I almost killed her, but my Aunt Sophie found her. I was born a few months later. There isn't much to that part of my life. In fact, there isn't much to my life. Aside from the fact that my mom was kidnapped, my aunt was murdered, and that I raised myself, you could say that I had a fairly normal childhood."
I leave out the part about Aunt Ella. That's her secret, not mine. I remember how I didn't understand what happened when I was little. It didn't make sense why Aunt Ella was supposed to have a baby and didn't. That day replays in my mind as if it were fresh. I swear I can still hear Ella's screams filling the house the day that she gave birth. I've only ever seen my mother cry once, and that was it. After everything was over, she came to my room with blood smeared across her forehead, and tears in her eyes, and held me.
"Normal," Fang scoffs," None of us have had a normal childhood."
"Well, mine was normal compared to yours"
"True," he whispers.
"After Sophie was killed, we moved to Wyoming for a few years, and then when I was about nine we moved to Texas. When mom was taken I moved to Florida, and after that I moved to Los Angeles, when I was thirteen. After I graduated I got a job at Disneyland, which was like a nightmare in a dream. And then, you know, the last few months happened, and that's pretty much it," I tell him.
"Wow, you've been on your own a lot," he remarks.
"I guess," I shrug.
"That must have been hard," he says," Always lying about things like parents."
"Not really," I tell him," It was only a little bit more difficult before the Distinguished Emancipation law passed."
"The what?" he asks, confused.
"I guess you never really had to worry about it. Why would two girls want to be emancipated from their billionaire brother?," I laugh," Anyways, it was a law that allowed kids with a 3.7 GPA or higher to become emancipated without a big hassle. The government figured that since kids with high GPAs were the future leaders, which in my opinion is complete bullshit, they should become emancipated, so that they would become independent, and they would be prepared earlier," I explain.
"You're right," he admits," That is shit, interesting, but still shit."
"Yeah, that today's government for you," I chuckle.
"And Ian?" he asks.
"What about him?"
"Your relationship with him," he says," What do you see in him?"
"Being fatherly are we?" I laugh, before I can stop myself.
It was wrong to say, and I know it. I said it as if I blame him for not being there for me. I've always known that it was never his fault, so I don't understand how I could have said something so insensitive. Guilt spreads through me.
"I- I didn't mean it," I stammer.
"I know," he mutters, standing up.
He crosses his arms over his chest, and walls back over to the tree. He brings up one palm and rests it firmly against the bark. His chest heaves as he pants angrily. Moments later I watch in horror as he punches the tree with an astounding force. The noise of the tree being torn apart is ear shattering. He punches the tree over, and over again.
"Stop!" I cry.
He makes no move to listen to me. I rush forward, and throw my arms around his waist, knocking him to the ground. Still angered, and shaken, he rolls over on top of me. His hands pin my arms to the ground. I let out a small gasp. His face has turned red from his lack of breath. We stay this way for far too long, the both of us trying to figure out what just happened. After what seems like forever, he rolls off of me, and stands up. I stay laying on the ground, in the dirt. I eventually push myself off the ground, and brush the dirt off of my body. My mind continues to attempt to process what just happened.
He leans with his forehead pressed against the tree. I walk over, place a hand on his shoulder. He slowly turns around, and looks down at me. I wrap my arms around his waist. He steps back in surprise, but moments letter he lets his arms envelope me, in a warm embrace. I feel as he leans down and gives me a kiss on the top of my head. I lean into him more. In this moment I don't care if he wasn't the there when I was a child. Right now it's as if he's always been there. I feel as if he knows everything about me, even things that no one else knows.
"I need your help," I whisper.
"With what?" he asks, petting my hair.
I take in a deep, collective breath, and then I tell him.
"Hey, honey," I greet Ian, handing him a cup of coffee.
"Where did you get this?!" he cries, eagerly taking the cup from me, and sipping it, before I can warn him that it's hot.
"Oh, god," I laugh, as he spits the coffee out,"I assumed that you would know that it was hot."
"Why would I, since I assumed that it was cold?" he pants, trying to cool his burnt tongue.
"Anyways," I smirk," Fang, and I, went into the nearest town, and got coffee, along with some bacon, and eggs from a local diner."
"Bacon?" he smiles.
"Yes," I roll my eyes.
"Where is it?" he asks, anxiously.
"In the car," I tell him," We only got back just now."
He hands me his coffee, and sprints towards the car. It's truly amazing what people will do for bacon. I laugh. I don't think that I've ever seen anybody mo e that fast. Within seconds he is out of sight.
"He doesn't know?" Fang asks, coming up behind me.
"No," I say, glancing back at him.
"And Max?"
"I haven't told anyone," I admit.
"Anyone but me," he whispers.
Before we can talk anymore Ian is walking back towards us, with a childish grin on his face. He gives me a quick peck on the cheek, skips off, happily munching on a piece of bacon.
"Well," Fang coughs," I can, um, see why you didn't, um, tell him."
"I think you underestimate him," I say," And it's not that I don't think he could handle, it's that I don't think that he would understand. I don't think anybody other than you would, for that matter."
"Good morning," I yawn, rolling over.
I look over st my mom. She lays on her back staring at the ceiling of the tent. I can tell that I've startled her, from the way that she has one hand resting on her chest. She takes a moment to recompose herself, and then she looks over at me.
"What's wrong?" I ask, with the concern clear in my voice.
"The other night," she says," I don't want Fang to know."
"Of course not," I tell her," That's your your thing. It isn't my place to go around telling everybody. We all have those things."
"I suppose you have them too," she chokes.
"Mom, what's really wrong?" I ask," What aren't you telling me?"
"It's the baby," she informs me.
"What about the baby? Are you okay?"
"It's nothing like that," she assures me.
"Then what is it?" I inquire, again.
"It's just that I don't feel like this baby is mine," my mother says," With you I knew that you were mine. I knew that you were Fang's. You are us. But with this baby I don't feel anything. It's as if I have something alien inside me, which I can feel, and touch, but I can't know. It doesn't feel like me. And yet, I don't feel it connected to Dylan either. It's as if it's the last thing that keeps me connected to her. The problem is that I don't want to be her, and I'm not her. I was once, but now I'm not. She died when Henry, Anika, and Lewis died. What you saw was the anger, but that wasn't her. I don't know what's happening to me. I do know that whatever it is it has to do with this baby."
"Oh, mom," I whisper.
"I'm sorry that I told you that, I shouldn't have," she tells me.
"No!" I exclaim," I want you to. I want you to tell me everything."
"I will," she promises," But right now we need to get up. The Flock will be here soon, and I don't want them to see like this."
Ian and I sit at the mouth of the cave. Everything is peaceful. I can feel the last bits of warm sun on my skin, as I rest my head against his chest. We silently watch the rest of the Flock, as they fly around in the sky above us. My mom sits at the edge of the cliff, with her lags dangling over the edge. After a few minutes, Fang descends, and lands next to her. My mom stands up, and pulls him into a kiss. This is the first evidence that I have seen that things are going to be okay between them.
It's almost as if things will go they way they were always supposed to be. Because, while their lives have changed over the years, their love never has. Another thing is that they have me. In a way I'm the proof of their love. I'm them, and they're me. And for the first time it strikes me. This is my family. This is what I was missing all along. I finally know why there was always a feeling of something mussing deep down inside of me. This is it.
"They really love each other, don't they?" Ian asks," After all this time."
"Yes," I whisper, shutting my eyes so that the image of the two of them in each others arms doesn't fade.
He takes my hands into his. His fingers run across the surface of my palms. My eyes open. I let out a small gasp as he pulls me onto his lap. He looks down at me, and gives me a smile. I see a slight twinkle in his eyes. I watch with curiousness, as he slips a hand behind his back.
"Close your eyes, again," he instructs me.
I do as he says. His warm arms slip around me, and slid down to my waist. I feel my wondering grow more intense, but I continue to keep my eyes firmly shut.
"I know that these last months have been difficult for you, and for that I am very sorry. I know that I haven't helped-," he says.
"Ian, you-" I protest.
"No, Ash," he interrupts," It's true, and you know it. I didn't believe you. I should have. When have you ever told me anything but the truth? I know that our first few years together weren't the most honest, but we had our reasons. There were things which couldn't tell each other, for the sake of our safety. And now more than ever I am thankful for that. It makes me believe that we have always been meant to be together, because there is no explanation for how we managed to find each other. I think, no, I know that it was planned. Something in the universe brought us together. While I know that it most definitely wasn't the scientists, I know that it was something, and for that I am more grateful than you'll ever know. I love you, Ash, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, no matter how long that is, or who stands in my way. I'm going to prove it to you."
I him take my hand, and slip something cold into it. I open my eyes, and look down. In the palm of my hands lays a silver, floral wedding band. I gasp. It's so perfect, and delicate. I look up at him.
"We never gave your family a chance to see you married. And besides, I think you always had something different in mind than how we were married. So, Ash, will you do me the great honor of becoming me wife? Again?" he asks.
I nod, just as I feel the tears start to run down my cheeks. He slips the small ring onto my finger. I lean up, and kiss him. His arms are around me, pulling me closer to him.
When I was younger, I never thought that I would be happy, and now I can see that I was wrong all those years. Nothing could make me happier than starting my life in front of everyone that I love. My family.
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Shout out to: 3ThingsWithWings, Heather, PurplePeyton, Heart Breaking 101, Skatzaa, LovePercabeth4eva, Save The Manatee, FlyOnMax, Emsadeum, Amy Shaar, PianoGirl1119, FnickRide03, Iris Hanson, AkitaNeruVocaloid, Idklove3, UnicornPrincess21, xxVampireGirl818xx, StarShineStarLight, fangsallmine1123, Fan Of Show, and CrazyPeanutAttack
The past two years have been leading up to this moment, and although there were times I doubted myself I made it. We all made it. I never thought I would finish. Even with all the encouragement it was still a stretch sometimes. But honestly, if you don't have to work hard and you don't struggle then what's the point? Where's the fun in that? All the hard work makes me proud. This has really helped me progress in my writing. If you look back to two years ago it is really visible how crappy it is. And while today's writing is probably crap too, at least I know that it's finished crap. So, if you look back and you wonder why I haven't revised a whole lot you should know that it's because my writing is so horrible that I can't even read it without having to recompose myself, cover my face in pure shame and embarrassment, and want to slap myself. A year from now I probably won't be willing to read this either, but that's just me. Now that I've told you that, let's move on to the more exciting stuff.
I am happy to announce that there will be a sequel to Ash: A Maximum Ride Novel. Now it may take a few months for me to outline and solidify the plot, but it will happen. I have started the prologue and the first chapter, and they should be done soon. I've learned from writing Ash that I really need to outline the whole thing first and then write, because if you don't you feel as if you're writing in the dark most of the time. So, if you're interested make sure that you check to see if I've posted anything, or follow me so you get updates. I will be writing for my other stories, so there is no telling how long it will take. Quit honestly, it could take less than a month, and it could take up to three months. Who knows. Just as a teaser I have a little line for you that fits the plot so far:
Things were supposed to get better, we were supposed to be happy. So, how did we get here?
I will be taking name suggestions for the sequel, so, let's see what you guys can come up with! What title do you think fits that line? Or should it just be a name like Ash, Fang, or Max. If you think the title should be a name whose do you think it should be? A better question is what should it be about?
Anyways, I thank you for reading. And I apologize that this wasn't the most epic of conclusions. I love you all, and please review. It has been amazing to work with you guys.
Life is made up of a series of moments, and while this may have no particular impact, I hope that somewhere out there someone got to feel the same satisfaction, and sadness that I feel now.
Love,
Lillie Katerina Ride