Update as of June 2022: I've said that it's just a reedit until I read through it and I decide to completely redo it. I don't know what I was thinking writing it the first time around because my writing is shit and the amount of mistakes I've found make me cringe.

Summary: Max never seems to stop running. First, it was with the Flock but this time, she's on her own. The past few months have been really rough, painful headaches, losing consciousness and sudden, violent changes in emotion. Max doesn't know what is happening until one day, she is in her room trying to study for the big final coming up. The stress builds and builds until she can't contain it anymore. Fire erupts from her hands, setting her homework and bed on fire. And as the smoke alarm goes off and the Flock puts out the fire, the Voice decides to pay Max a visit. She isn't safe anymore and even though it means leaving the Flock, Max listens to the Voice. Her new powers are out of control and the only way to maintain it is to leave. What hurts the most though, is that she doesn't say goodbye to the Flock, fearing that something else will happen. She doesn't want to harm the Flock. But as she flies away, following the Voice's directions, her brain takes over. Will she ever see the Flock again? What will happen when they discover she is gone? What happens when she gets control over her new powers?

I guess we'll find out in this Maximum Ride fanfiction.

Here are the first two chapters of New Powers and Goodbyes. New/updated chapters will be posted every Thursday. Also be on the look out for a name change because the title for this story is shit.

-Kath

Chapter One: Panic and Burning Hands

MAX'S POV

Sometimes I miss the days on the run only because then, we didn't have to worry about homework or failing school. While it was my main concern a year ago, it isn't anymore. The last few months have been complete hell. My mom says it's just stress but I don't think so. Violent headaches that make me throw up, blinking in and out of consciousness at random times during the day and fierce mood swings where one time I'm laughing and the next I want to murder someone. Still, I refuse to see a doctor.

My eyes skim my notes as my hand rubs my forehead. I feel another headache coming on but like all the ones the past few months, ibuprofen doesn't do shit. Giving up, I close my laptop and take a large sip of water from my bottle. I feel a panic bubble in the pit of my stomach. The feeling, I have come to know as stress. It never seems to leave me these days, always simmering until it overflows. Everything goes to hell when it reaches that tipping point.

I take several deep breaths, trying to calm the rising panic before it's too late. I take another sip of water, letting the fluids cool me. It seems to work because the panic subsides. My hands are hot to the touch, one of the side effects of the headaches and stress. I place them over my lukewarm water and wait until they cool down.

When I was doing research on stress and panic, nothing came up about hot hands. At first, I just thought that maybe it was one of the lesser known side effects until literal sparks came flying out during one of my worst mood swings. I was angry because I failed my history test and Fang got a better score. He teased me about it until I felt the panic build and I turned angry. My hands had become fists and the next thing I know, my test paper was a pile of ashes. That was when I knew the hot hands weren't from stress.

Luckily, I haven't had an accident like that in months. I've been able to calm myself before I completely spiral. Next time, someone could get hurt worse than my test did.

I take my hands off my water bottle. They are still slightly warm but no longer burning. I smile, glad that the panic is gone and nothing happened. I get up, walking over to my journal sitting on my desk. Since the first accident, I have been recording all of my symptoms of the day, how bad they were and what might have caused them.

Friday, June 17. Was studying for an upcoming science test. Headache causing zero focus followed by rising panic and burning hands. Was able to calm down and cool off my hands before any sparks or anything set on fire. Day 50 since the last accident.

A knock sounds at the door and I quickly put the notebook away. I take a deep breath before walking to the door and opening it slightly. Nudge is standing on the other side, smiling sadly and holding her history notebook out in front of her.

I sigh, leaning my head against the door. "Max? I need help studying for my history test tomorrow. I already asked everyone else. They are all busy working on their own homework. I would have asked earlier but I know the amount of stress you have been in lately and I thought it'd be best to ask the others first."

I smile, softly. "Of course, I understand. Plus, I'm not the best student." We both laugh, lightly, and she walks in. We both sit on the bed and she hands me her notebook, opening up to a page filled with drawings and dates.

Oh, boy. "Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to read the description for each drawing and I'll give the name."

I nod, looking down at all the pictures and writing. Nudge's handwriting is amazing. "Okay. An ancient Egyptian Pharaoh whose reign lasted a total of sixty-six years."

"Ramses the Great." I nod, reading off description after description. Each time, Nudge says the correct answer and I give my praise.

"Excellent, Nudge. All correct." She beams, taking her notebook and closing it. She surveys the room until her eyes land on my disregarded study notes. She picks them up, examining my messy handwriting.

"Do you need any help studying?"

I sigh, nodding my head. A little help can't hurt. After all, I desperately need it. Nudge smiles, opening up my laptop to the textbook. She sets my notes on top of the keyboard. She reads for a minute before looking up at me.

"Okay, where do you want to start?"

"With the vocab, please."

She nods. "Okay, let's see here. Oh, what are the three types of plate boundaries and what do each of them do? Oh wait, that's not vocab. Okay. . . This is a type of plate boundary that causes mountains and volcanoes to form."

I bounce my knee, feeling the panic start to form. I should know this since it's one of the easier parts of the unit. "Uh. . ." I take a deep breath, the headache increases in pain. I can do this.

"A convergent boundary?"

"Correct."

I smile, feeling slightly calmer. The panic doesn't go away this time because my stress is higher than when I wasn't studying.

"This is a type of plate boundary that creates earthquakes."

The panic rises before sinking again and my head is pounding. I take another deep breath, my hands rubbing my forehead. I hiss in pain, though, removing my hands quickly. They're hot again, increasing in temperature. I hurriedly grab my water bottle, squeezing my hands against it. Nudge is looking at me with concern but I'm too worried that something will happen. I've barely scratched the surface of my study notes and I'm already panicking again. I really can't be doing this in front of Nudge.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "Are you alright?"

I look at Nudge, trying to seem fine when I know that I'm not. I don't understand why the panic spread so quickly or the heat in my hands rose so much in the short amount of time since I started studying again but I know it can't be good. I feel a tingling in my hands and I look down to see them a shiny bright red. The metal of the water bottle starts to sizzle and I throw it down on my bed, leaping up and running to the bathroom. I run my hands under cool water and I sigh in relief. It feels amazing. My panic has gone back down and the headache has subsided a bit.

I hear a knock on the door and look up in the mirror to see Nudge standing there, holding my notebook close. She is concerned, probably wanting to know what just happened. I turn the water off, rubbing my hands on a towel before walking back to my bed. Nudge follows in silence, sitting at the edge of the bed. She stares at me, waiting to hear an explanation.

I rub my hands together. They are tinted pink and slightly warm to the touch but they're no longer burning. I take another deep breath, the only thing that seems to help calm me down. I feel the panic in my stomach and my head is throbbing but I'm only focused on trying to form words to explain what just happened.

Nothing comes and I stay silent. I smile sheepishly, looking around the room.

"Are you alright?" Nudge says, trying to start the conversation.

"Yes?" I squeak out, unsure of myself. The truth is, I don't know if I'm alright. This is the quickest the panic, headache and heat has risen and it scares me. What if I didn't catch it in time and sparks came flying out of my burning hands?

She looks at me skeptically. She doesn't believe me but she doesn't press the issue. Even though she's still young, she's super bright and perceptive. She nods, putting my notebook down and closing my laptop. She seems to have silently concluded that this study session is over. I'm alright with that. The panic and headache haven't gone away so trying to continue studying is a bad idea.

She gets up, walking over to my desk. Her hand skims over my journal and panic shouts through my body. I jump up, pushing her out of the way. She yelps, face twisted up in pain as she grabs her arm. I stare in disbelief. Her arm is bright red with the imprint of my hand. I look down to see it bright red. I lightly touch my finger to the burning hand before pulling it away in pain.

I look up at Nudge, eyes wide as hers start to water. I accidentally burned her in my panic to protect my stupid journal. I don't see anything as I push her in the direction of the bathroom with my non-burning hand. I run her arm under cool water with my hand under the other faucet.

"I'm sorry, Nudge." She only nods, fighting back tears. My hands are back to tingling and I look at them. Despite being under cool water, they are bright red. I turn off the water, the metal of the hand hissing. I pull my hands away, leaving them out in front of me. Nudge and I can only stare as they continue getting redder.

The tingling has turned into sharp needle points and the panic in my stomach is making me dizzy. I lean against the sink, trying to stay conscious as my hands start to shake. Nudge has turned off the water but she's staring in awe with her hand against her arm.

I blink a few times against the pain until I collapse. Nudge's eyes turn wide in panic and she comes to kneel in front of me. She says something but my vision blurs and my ears muffle out her words.

My breathing turns shallow. I can feel the panic everywhere along with the pain in my hands.

Max. I hear a voice in my head and suddenly, my vision corrects as my hands start violently shaking. Nudge moves out of the way, making sure not to get burned again. My hands turn a blindly reddish, orange and I have to squint against the brightness. The lights overhead burst, sparks flying everywhere. Nudge yelps and I scream as a blast shouts out of my hands.

I'm breathing heavily but the panic and headache have vanished. I look up, only able to make out Nudge's form in the dark room. In the corner, where the door is, is a subtle glow. Nudge moves forward and I'm able to see her face. She is staring at me in horror then points with a shaky finger at the door.

I look over and my eyes go wide. The subtle glow I noticed was coming from my door. It's a fire, slowly growing. We watch, unable to move as it reaches the ceiling and causing the fire alarm to go off.

Nudge jumps, having been mesmerized by the beautiful flame. She rushes out of the door, calling for the Flock. I haven't moved from my position on the floor. I can only watch as the flame spreads from the door to the wall and to the towel rack. I look down at my hands. They are still red but no longer burning to the touch.

As I hear shouts ring out through the house, the Flock comes bursting in with fire extinguishers. Fang lifts me up, moving me out of the way as Iggy and Gazzy put out the fire. I sit on my bed, my mom and the others asking a million questions. Neither Nudge or I respond. We only stare at each other, her scared and me confused.

What the hell did I just do?