EDIT: I am sorry to anyone who is following this story, but it has temporarily been put on hiatus. My life has become too hectic and I can't keep up with my writing, so, unfortunately, I will not be able to update as often as I want to. I will continue this story, I just don't know how soon, so don't expect any updates in the near future. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Authors note: Eek! Sorry for taking so long to update! I had meant to have this chapter out yesterday night, but (as usual) my life got crazy and my writing was put on the back burner. So, here it is!

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, or any of its wonderful characters. It all belongs to the brilliant, James Patterson.

Chapter two: Rumors

It seemed like the afternoon had gone on forever. Iggy hadn't had the chance to sit still. There was so much to do, chasing kids, making sure cookies didn't burn, helping Dr. M with dinner, the list went on.

I'm exhausted, Iggy thought as he flopped down onto his bed, this is the first chance I've gotten to actually think about stuff.

Think about stuff… Yes, he had a lot to think about. Like what had happened earlier.

What had happened earlier? And why did he feel so… odd. No, odd wasn't the right word, he just felt… this indescribable feeling. It was like he was happy and nervous at the same time. He had been able to fake a cool attitude all day, but now he was sort of freaking out.

"Ug," he groaned and rolled over. He had never been hugged by a girl before, was this how he was supposed to feel; this strange mixture of happiness and complete and utter terror?

He closed his eyes and tried to remember what it had felt like exactly. He smiled slightly as he remembered how warm she had been, and how good she had smelled. At that moment, he had felt completely calm, as if everything was right in the world. He had felt like he wanted to stay like that forever, with her in his arms forever.

He sucked in a sharp breath as a thought occurred to him. Could he have feelings for Ella? Could he be… he cut that thought short. It wasn't possible, it couldn't be. He had had little crushes on girls, and laughed with Fang over girls, but could he actually be seriously interested in one? In Ella? That didn't seem possible.

But… what if it was? What if he was interested in her? Romantically?

"Arg! That's not possible!" He yelled while messing up his hair with his hands, and twisting dramatically on the bed.

"What's not possible?" Fang's monotone voice asked from the door.

Iggy sat up quickly, his head turning in Fang's directions. How could he have not heard him coming? Had he really been that deep in thought?

"Uh, nothing. What do you want?" Iggy glared at Fang, wishing he would go away and let him think. Oh, how he hated sharing a room.

"Max wants everyone downstairs, we're having a meeting." Iggy heard Fang shift from leaning against the door. "Come on, let's go."

"What?" Iggy asked, scrambling off the bed. "What's it about? We're not leaving are we?" For some reason the thought of leaving made Iggy's chest squeeze painfully. Was it the thought of leaving Ella?

Erg, don't think about that, he squashed down the train of thought as hard as he could.

"No, I don't think we're leaving. I'm not sure what it's about."

I'll just have to think later, he mused as he followed Fang downstairs. For now, he would just stay on guard and watch how he felt around her.

"Good, you guys are here," Max's voice came from the far end of the table. "Here, sit next to Ella," she tapped the table between her and where Ella must be sitting, letting him know where to go.

Ella was there? Why? Why would she be included in a meeting between the flock?

"So, obviously we've been staying here for the last few weeks," Max started.

"And I've loved having you," Doctor Martinez's voice broke in, She sounded like she was sitting on the other side of Ella.

"Right, but we all knew it wouldn't be permanent, we are trying to save the world and all that stuff." Uh-oh, here it comes, 'we're leaving.' Iggy's heart sank, He would once again leave his home, going off to find some new, un-memorized territory.

"But," Max paused, "a few of you have expressed a desire to stay longer than just a few weeks. So, we're taking a vote, all in favor of staying?" It sounded like every member of the flock raised their hand.

Max chucked slightly, "That's what I thought you'd say. In that case, we're staying for as long as we can, welcome to your new home!" Everyone clapped, and Angel and Gazzy squealed loudly.

"Okay, okay, quiet down," Max said, but she sounded like she was smiling. "Now, with privileges also comes responsibility, meaning we're going to be enrolling in school." Gazzy groaned, but everyone else sounded excited.

"Fang, Iggy and I will be going to the same school as Ella, Everyone else will be going to the middle and elementary school here, okay?" Everyone must have nodded, because Max continued, "Okay, so we'll be starting on Monday, which is the day after tomorrow. We're going to go get school supplies tomorrow, so make sure you get a good night sleep tonight, no more sleeping in." The younger members of the flock all sighed dramatically, and Max moved on to answering questions from them, with some help from Dr. M. So Iggy had some time to think.

School: also known as Hell on Earth.

Iggy shuddered at the thought of going to school, with all of its tiny rooms, and books he couldn't read, not to mention how loud it was, kids running all over the place, metal lockers banging open and shut. Iggy could barely hear himself think in a school. He didn't want to go back to one, not ever. But Max's word was law, so it looked like to Hell he was going, whether he liked it or not.

"Iggy?" Ella's small voice made him jump, he hadn't been paying attention.

"Iggy isn't this exciting?" He heard her hands smack together in excitement. "We get to go to school together, this is so exciting!" The rest of the Flock was either talking animatedly, or in the kitchen in search of cookies. He hadn't even noticed that they had left.

"Uh," he said, not sure how to respond.

Ella didn't seem to notice since she went on talking, "Oh, I can't wait to introduce you to all of my friends, you're just going to love them, I know you are. Oh, I was really, really hoping everyone would be able to stay, and they can!" She was squirming in her seat, as if she was too excited to sit still.

"I wish you could see me smiling Iggy, because I am smiling, I'm so happy we can go to school together." He could almost picture her in his head, hands clasped tightly, smiling up at him.

"Y-yeah," he tried to hide the slight blush that had come to his cheeks by looking down slightly, his hair covering his eyes.

He heard her giggle.

Well, he thought, I guess I was right, there's definitely something going on. Because, all I know is that when I'm with Ella nothing seems to matter anymore. Not being blind, or having wings, or going to school, all that matters is her. I feel like I would do anything for her, even go to Hell and back.

-Intermission-

Want a drink? Need a snack? Well, go fast! Because I can only have writers block for so long!

The next day seemed to fly by. You would be surprised at how tiring it is just to try and find the right school supplies.

Before Iggy knew it he was sitting on his bed, listening to Fang get dressed. This school did sound a little better than their old school, at least they wouldn't have to wear uniforms. Of course, now Iggy actually had to think about what he was going to wear, which was a bit of a pain, especially when you're blind. A lot of conversations went along the lines of:

"Hey, Fang? What color is this?"

"Green."

"Does green look good on me?"

"…"

Iggy smirked as he thought of how Fang must have looked this morning, when Iggy had probably asked him the style and color of his entire wardrobe.

"Jeez, Fang, what's taking you so long?" Iggy asked, just to add fuel to the fire.

Fang stopped buttoning his shirt and stood still, Iggy got the intense impression that he was glaring at him.

"Why Fang?" Iggy said in a mock hurt voice, "why do I get the feeling you're glaring at me? That's not very nice."

Fang grunted, and turned back to his dresser, he rustled around until he found what he was looking for and then sat down to put on what Iggy guessed was a pair of socks.

Iggy pouted at him, "You're not going to play with me?"

"No," Fang said icily, "I am not going to play your crazy mind games today Iggy, I'm too tired."

"Fine," Iggy said, "I'll give you a break today since we have to go to school, but don't expect one tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah," Fang got up and stretched, "I know you only do it to make yourself feel better because really you have very low self-esteem."

God, I hate it when he psychoanalyzes me, Iggy thought to himself.

"Fang?"

"Yes?"

"I hate you."

"I know," Fang said in a sing song voice, and Iggy was almost positive that he was smirking quite deviously.

Iggy followed Fang downstairs, walking as slow as possible.

Ella's POV

"Hi Iggy! You ready to go?" I asked as he came downstairs. To say that I was excited was a bit of an understatement. I just couldn't wait to have the Flock at my school. School days had been so boring ever since Max and the others had gotten here, but now I could see them all the time.

Iggy grunted slightly, not looking happy at all.

"Is something wrong?" I had never thought that he might not want to go, but, maybe he didn't, I suppose school isn't their idea of fun.

"Oh, not really, I'm just… a little apprehensive about going back to school." Now that I was paying attention, Iggy didn't look well at all, his face was pale, and his forehead looked slightly clammy.

"You've gone to school before?" I was slightly surprised. I had thought that they had been on the run, when did they find time to go to school?

"Long story," Max said with a sigh, taking a big gulp of her morning coffee. Hmm, I would have to ask her about that later.

But, if Iggy had gone to school before maybe he had had a bad experience, like the kids teasing him or something? My eyes widened in realization. Of course, Iggy was blind, so he has a harder time then anyone at a new school. He has to memorize the whole place, and it's so noisy and crazy, kids shouting everywhere.

"Don't worry Iggy," I said enthusiastically, "I'll make sure you feel right at home at my school. My friends are really nice, and I'll show you everything, so it will be super easy to memorize. I know that once you get used to it you'll just love school!"

Iggy, and everyone else, seemed slightly surprised at my sudden outburst. I suppose it had come out of nowhere.

Iggy chuckled slightly, "Jeez Ella, you sure are energetic this morning." He patted me on the head casually as he walked into the kitchen.

"Oh," I blushed slightly, "I know, I just want to make sure everyone has a good time."

"I'm sure it'll go fine, relax, I'm a big boy," he seemed as if he didn't have a care in the world as he popped open his box of cereal, as if school was no big thing.

But, Ella thought to herself, he seems so tense, so tight.

Well, she reasoned, I suppose I'll just have to make sure he feels comfortable, I'll do everything I can to make sure he enjoys school! Yeah, that's the spirit.

"What are you looking so motivated about?" Iggy raised an eyebrow at me.

I giggled. "Oh, nothing."

Iggys POV

The morning flew by, and before Iggy knew it, it was lunch.

School hadn't gone as bad as it could have. No one morphed into Erasers, and the teachers seemed to be pretty much sane, and of course, he hadn't seen any tazers yet, which is always a good sign.

But mostly, the reason he felt so calm was because of Ella. She never left his side, she sat next to him in classes, helping him with little things that would have been hard to do on his own, or she was in the halls, making sure he didn't bump in to anyone. She would hold his hand to make sure he knew where he was going, it was like she read his mind and knew exactly what he needed. Usually the Gasman would help him with stuff like this when they were in public areas, but he wasn't there, and Max and Fang were too busy getting used to the school themselves to help him with everything.

There was only one thing that Ella couldn't help: gossip.

Of course, the new blind kid got plenty of gossip. And for some reason people seemed to automatically assume that if one was blind, one was also deaf. Which, obviously, Iggy was not, so he could hear everything they said about him, even things Ella didn't hear.

"Just ignore them," Ella told him. "They're all dorks anyway, trust me, you don't care what they think."

"Right," Iggy said. His voice sounded completely calm, cool, and relaxed, and it's not like he really did care what they thought. But still, he felt like he was surrounded by hyenas just waiting for a juicy tidbit of gossip.

"Okay, so here is the cafeteria," Ella announced as they entered a room that felt huge to him. Voices bounced off the walls, and he could hear much moving of bodies, and shuffling of feet.

"There are twenty-six tables, each three feet apart, with a little bit of a larger gap on the outside of the room…" Ella went on to explain where to get the lunch trays, and which foods were what. Iggy found himself thinking that Ella must be an angel, because she sure was a godsend.

"And here's our table!" Ella seemed to be extremely excited about something and for some strange reason Iggy started feeling apprehensive.

"And, well, these are my friends, you don't mind sitting with them do you?" Iggy could hear Ella's hands twist as she worried them.

"Huh? Oh, uh, no." Now Iggy knew what he felt apprehensive about. A table full of unknown girls, the possibilities of pain was limitless, both physically and mentally.

He sat down awkwardly, feeling extremely out of place. Ella introduced her three friends and they all chorused a hello, their voices high and girly. He could hear them whispering and giggling.

"Guys, cut that out," Ella whispered fiercely, and Iggy heard her slap one of her friends lightly.

Iggy cleared his throat slightly, and prepared his act.

"So," he made his voice a higher pitch then it usually was, "I just have to know, how did you four become BFFs?" Iggy put his hands underneath his chin, and widened his eyes, the spitting image of curiosity.

He could hear Ella's startled little squeak at his new demeanor, but it was soon drowned out by the three girls trying to all tell him the story at once, chattering over each other.

Iggy put in the right amount of 'oohs' and 'ahs,' and asked all of the right questions. Before he could say 'Prada' he was one of the girls. They told him everything, things he didn't even want to know.

But it was worth it. It was all worth the smile he was sure Ella had on her face, and the "Thank you Iggy, you're amazing!" he got as they left lunch. That made it worth it all.

The afternoon went by as fast as the morning had. And he was just about to leave when he remembered his jacket. He had left it in the classroom. He told Ella he would be right back, and ran to the classroom. She offered to go with him, but he said it was fine; he was pretty used to the school by now.

He was almost to the classroom when he heard a few voices.

"God, did you hear about that blind kid?" Iggy heard a male voice say. He stopped right outside the door, listening.

They must be cleaning up the classroom, Iggy thought to himself.

"Huh? No, what blind kid?" Another voice said. He was also a guy, but this voice didn't sound so deep.

The first guy laughed, "He just transferred today. I heard he walked into a wall, how sad is that?"

The second boy started laughing too, "Really? A wall? Jeez…"

Iggy scowled, he most certainly did not walk into a wall. Man, he hated rumors.

"Come on, cut it out," another voice, a girl this time, "it's mean to talk about someone behind their back."

"Oh, relax," the first guy said.

"Yeah, it's not like he would say anything anyway. I mean, he's blind, what could he do?"

"I guess…" the girl didn't seem so sure.

"Ahem," Iggy coughed slightly as he walked in. He casually grabbed his jacket off of the table as the girl made sputtering noises, obviously embarrassed.

Good, she should be, Iggy thought to himself, but said nothing.

He closed the door behind him, and paused slightly, listening.

"Oh my god!" The girl squealed, "Do you think he heard us?"

"Who cares?" The first guy said.

"Yeah," the second one guffawed. "It's like…"

Iggy turned away from the door; he didn't need to hear any more.

This was what he had been afraid of, and he had sort of been expecting it, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

He didn't like to think of himself as handicapped, but the truth was, was that, to most of the world, he was handicapped. He was blind, he couldn't do certain things as well as other people could, he wasn't as good. So, what argument did he really have?

"Is something wrong?" Ella asked as he walked out of the school.

"No," he lied smoothly, mentally kicking himself for not remembering to compose his face before he came out.

"Oh, you looked kind of odd there for a minute, you sure?" Ella grabbed his hand, showing him the path to take to walk back to their house.

"Of course, I'm fine," he smiled down at her.

And he would be, he would be fine. He just had to except that he was never going to fit in. He was never going to be just like any other kid. He was different, he was odd. That was just the way it was, and he just had to put up with those guys, he just had to endure it.

He would endure it.

Authors note: Hmm, I don't really like how the second half of this chapter came out. I wrote them at two different times, and I sort of had writers block while writing it. I know, another sad part, sorry! It will get better in the next chapter! Which I should have out somewhat soon.

Oh, also, all the stuff about how Iggy is putting himself down is just what Iggy's thinking, not how I actually think of him! It was so hard to write that part, I was all 'No Iggy! That's not true, you're awesome!'

Oh yeah, and the reason why Iggy is just walking home with Ella is because Max goes to get the younger kids to walk home with, so she takes a different route. But she said Iggy didn't have to come if he didn't want to, she told him he could just walk home with Ella. And the reason why doctor M doesn't pick them up is because she works late.

If you have any other questions, or if something doesn't make sense (like if I accidently make it sound like Iggy sees something) don't hesitate to point it out!

My beta hasn't had a chance to look at this yet, so it may be a little messy, although I think I worked out most of the kinks (I hope!). But if you do see any grammar or spelling mistakes don't hesitate to point them out! (Just please tell me the exact place! Don't just say, 'I think there was one place where you did *fill in the blank* when you were supposed to do *fill in the blank*' Tell me the exact place please! Thank you!)

Oh, also, what do you think of the name? I know it doesn't fit at all, but I couldn't think of anything else when I first posted this. I mean, they're not really drabbles, so the name doesn't really work. Any ideas?

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! (And if you didn't like it please tell me why, I always love getting constructive critiques)