MAX

I was munching on the leftovers of a burger someone had left out on the patio of one of those fancy restaurants. I had just casually walked by and swiped the burger, done and done. It tasted like someone had just shoved the meaning of life into my mouth; delish to a t.

As I walked and ate I watched the other people moving by on the sidewalks. There weren't many of them and they all seemed to be mostly teenaged. Not many people noticed me but when they did I got a full serving of staring. I think I was right about looking like a delinquent.

I suddenly got an itch on my back and I reached back to scratch it. That…was not skin. I felt my heart began to pound, which made my head ache. I have wings. What did this mean? How did I get them? Could I—fly? It was weird to think that I only just noticed them, but it's not like you feel your arm's constant presence. They've always been there, so you forget about them.

I continued to walk as normally as I could. Truthfully, I wanted to sprint until I was far away from everyone and anything and see if I actually could fly. Maybe then I could find the place I needed to be? I tried hard to think of what I am actually seeking but my headache just got worse and I couldn't concentrate surrounded by so much noise.

I need quiet. What's a quiet place? A library, but there isn't one near here. Nature is quiet but the only thing I could see was empty lots waiting to be filled by buildings. A sign up ahead caught my attention.

A park? That would be perfect.

ARI

I slammed my shoe into a jagged pane of glass so hard that it shattered, spilling its guts across the floor. I took a step back from the edge of the building and heard the satisfying crunch of the glass being grinded against the bottom of my shoe. I'm a few stories up on a shitty, long time abandoned building and I'm not exactly in the mood to be hurtling to my death.

I am in the mood to smash someone's face in though.

I finally—after years of wishing—got my chance with Erin Suster and it was all thrown away. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to her, to anyone. Now I'm stuck with a guy I hate—who is my sister's butt buddy, ick—and Max, who is a POW for all I know. Or dead.

I could just… fly home. But those two freaks, Blondie and Blackie, snapped Jane's neck. No, they slaughtered her. I can't go back. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I caused my friend's death, no joke. I can barely live with myself now.

Ha.

I crouched down and slowly rolled up my long sleeved shirt. I carefully selected a chunk of glass from the floor and dragged the tip across my forearm. My skin tore with beautiful precision and ease, adding another long line to the gallery of scars on the underside of my arm, another line of things I don't wish to feel. I kept my eyes locked on my arm until I was satisfied. Then I wiped up the blood.

I might be late to our little book club meeting, I hope Iggy doesn't mind.

MAX

The soft grass tickling my toes opposed to the concrete was a great transition. The park was an awesome idea. It was mostly empty, younger kid's parents were probably still at work. Eventually I sat on a park bench and brought my knees up to my chin. Now I can think.

I heard a voice and felt my entire body paralyze. My heart started pounding so hard in my chest that I could barely hear. Where did I recognize the voice from? Why… why can't I remember? My fists clenched and I turned to see who the voices were coming from.

Near a fence behind my bench there were three people standing. One guy was a lot taller than the others, he was slightly pale with strawberry blonde hair. He was surrounded by the other two and had a strange expression on his face. The other two were a guy and a girl, one had toffee skin and dark wavy hair concealed under a baseball cap and the other had blonde hair. The guy and her looked maybe a year younger than me the girl was a few inches shorter than me, but the blonde one was maybe an inch taller.

I couldn't see the blonde guy's face from where I was standing but it was his voice that forced me to feel fearful, although I had no idea who he was or why I was afraid. The taller guy turned to look at the girl and the blonde guy started to pull something out of his bag.

The tall one was in danger.

I jumped over the back of the bench and sprinted towards the blonde guy, tackling him to the ground and grabbed his arms, pinning them down. Everyone stopped for a moment, shocked.

"Max?" The taller guy said aloud.

The darker girl shoved me off her friend and wrapped her legs around me, shoving me into the dirt. I struggled until she hit me on the head with something hard. Everything nearly went dark but I held onto consciousness with all my might.

Suddenly, the weight was lifted off me and I glanced around the sky aimlessly until everything came to a focus again. I slowly propped myself up and tried to figure out what happened.

There was a new guy. He looked oddly familiar but I couldn't figure out how. The new guy had literally fallen from the sky and tackled the toffee girl. He was holding down the toffee girl who was thrashing about as if her life depended on it. The tallest guy crouched down in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Max, are you alright?" He asked me, looking directly into my eyes.

I felt my eyebrows scrunch up. Who was… Max? That couldn't be my name could it? He seemed to register my confusion. He took in the bandage on my head and raised a tentative hand to my newest head injury, which was burning slightly.

"Did you forget?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know who you are." I replied as I scooted back a little.

I thought I should be a little more creeped out by some random guy all over me, but for some reason I wasn't.

"What happened?" He asked, gesturing towards my bandage.

"I don't know." I whispered.

He said nothing. His face went blank and he stood, turning towards the blonde one. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him off the ground. The blonde guy was still unconscious. The tall one smacked him so hard that his eyes opened.

"You know don't you."

"What'dya mean?" The blonde one stammered as he grabbed at his own shirt, uncomfortably.

The taller one gestured towards me and the blonde one's eyes widened.

"Hey man, look, I didn't know she was your bud. We thought she was one of them. We were just looking out for ourselves, honest mistake!" He scrambled to explain.

"She doesn't even know her own name." The tall one said coolly.

I felt my gut drop. This was the calm before the storm.

"Iggy?" The other guy asked after he effectively tied up the toffee colored girl using his jacket.

The tall one—Iggy—threw open two huge wings and pushed himself up into the air. He was dozens of feet up in a matter of seconds. I had been suspecting that those two were like me, winged, and I guess I was right after all. After a moment I couldn't see Iggy, he'd become one with the clouds.

My gut was still flip-flopping uncomfortably in my stomach and my head was aching.

Look alive Max.

I looked around in confusion. That voice… was in my head? I nearly fell over, even though I was sitting. Iggy's friend launched himself into the air, all sixteen feet of his wings coming down in a gush, nearly hitting the ground. I looked to the skies to try and see why he was acting so urgently.

Someone was tearing through the air, falling towards the ground. I gasped and rose to my feet. The blonde boys was about to smash into the grassy park ground.

It would be a shame if he died, wouldn't it.