Max POV

I gasped and tentatively reached up to brush fingers over my face, and then through my hair. My blonde hair shown brilliantly and was layered. It also had red streaks. Not Iggy's natural color red, we're talking Rudolf red here.

My eyelashes looked very full, and liner extended to the corner of my eyes. The overall affect was stunning. My eyes were a lot more noticeable, and they really stuck out.

She laughed and said, "You like?"

"I love!" I thanked her and walked over to where Angel and Nudge were just finishing up. They looked at me and started to blink rapidly. Ok, they didn't have to be insulting. Was the change really that drastic?

"Very drastic! But don't worry Max you were always beautiful." Angel told me. I ground my teeth together, trying to disguise my embarrassment at her reading my thoughts, with anger. "Angel," I said. "Stay out of my head, please."

"Sorry Max." She said, not really sounding very repentive.

Nudge, speechless for the second time in her life, (and all in one day) seemed to be building up for an explosion. Here it comes...

"Max!! Oh my gosh! You look so beautiful! I mean you were always pretty, but now you look amazing! Why don't you wear make up all the time! You look seventeen! I love the red, it showed up so well on your blonde hair! But I'm glad you didn't cut your hair much, it was so pretty! "

I looked down at Angel and she nodded at me, smiling. I glanced from her to Nudge. They looked gorgeous, as always, but they each had pink streaks here and there in their hair.

"Well you guys look awesome, too. How'd I know that you two would get matching pink highlights?" I watched as they turned to face each other, and giggled, each touching the others' pink streaked hair. I smiled and took their hands as we walked to the register. We paid for our expenses, and made appointments for the guys.

As we walked past the salon and headed over to find them, Nudge said, "Ooh! I can't wait to see what Fang-"

Since Iggy was with the guys, I did the honor of silencing Nudge.

Angel smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling, "Oh I can't wait to see that either." I shot her a death glare and she dropped it. I couldn't stop the stab of anxiousness that shot to my stomach. Me?! Maximum Ride, anxious? What the heck did I have to be anxious about? No way, not me. My confidence renewed, the feeling subsided and then I noticed an underlying emotion. I felt excited, and happy. I also couldn't wait to see Fang's reaction to my improved appearance. Making sure the girls weren't looking, I allowed my lips to curve upward in a tiny smile.

Fang POV

I put the shirt back on the rack, shaking my head slightly. I began to look through the other rack. We were in a store I had made Gazzy and Iggy come to with me.

It was called Hot Topic, and the majority of their clothes were black. I was really starting to have fun. It was like this store was made for me. "Fa-ang." Gazzy whined. He had been complaining the past twenty minutes about being hungry.

"Hold on Gazzy." He wouldn't have acted this way with Max. He was always trying to look brave for her.

Iggy, on the other hand, did not want to leave yet. He was over by the register, talking with a tall redhead about a Hello Kitty messenger bag. She was chatting away excitedly describing the bag to him, and pointing things out with frantic hands, absolutely gushing. Silly girl. Yeah point to something, because, ya know he's blind.

Iggy and Gazzy had already gotten their clothes, Gazzy picking out clothes that were mini-replicas of Iggy's. This place was the last stop, and I had an armful of clothes, already. I spotted a black hoody in the back of the store and headed that way.

"Fang! You already have enough!" Gazzy said, still whining a little. He really didn't like shopping of any kind, unless it was for food. And he didn't like that much either.

"Aw Gazzy c'mon. Even a snappy dresser such as myself, has to renew his resources once in a while. " He just rolled his eyes, and started muttering. I grabbed the hoody and began to walk over to pull Iggy away from his current distraction and check out. That's when I saw them. Angel and Nudge were walking in with a gorgeous blond with dark brown eyes...Max? I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and keep walking.

Max POV

We found them in a store that I knew Fang had drug them to. Iggy was by the cash register talking with a pretty redhead about sixteen. Fang was on his way over to him arms full of clothes, with Gazzy trailing behind, arms also full of dark apparel that I assumed was Fang's.

They both stopped short when they saw me. Fang's eyes, unashamed, took in every inch of me, and I began to get uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

Gazzy's mouth had formed a perfect o, and for a second he stared, but then ran over to Iggy and reached up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. I guessed that he was describing me, since he kept looking over at me. Iggy listened intently the whole time, only asking Gazzy something when he had finished talking. Whatever it was must have been funny, 'cause Gazzy giggled and looked over at Fang. Angel also giggled. Nudge and I looked at her quizzically but her attention was elsewhere. Gazzy had begun to talk in hushed tones to Iggy again, only this time, casting glances at Fang. Iggy chuckled then, and they all walked over to me and the girls.

"You look good Max." Gazzy said nonchalantly, as if nothing else had transpired. I smiled at him tightly, not looking at Fang, and barked out orders.

"Ok guys go get your hair taken care of, after you pay for those," I said gesturing at the bundle Fang and Gazzy still held. "while we go get our clothes. Afterwards we'll meet up and eat something."

"Okay Max." Iggy said, smiling hugely. He had to tug Fang forward by his shirt. "C'mon Fnick." He said smugly. Angel described to him where the salon was and explained that they all had prepaid appointments. He nodded and we parted once again.

Angel POV

The guy's reactions were hilarious. Especially Fang's. He had seemed to actually see Max for the first time. The way the sheen in her hair caught the light. How smooth her skin looked, and how long her eyelashes were.

Gazzy hadn't even recognized her right away. And then, so Iggy could be in on it, he had interrupted his conversation with that girl, and described Max. Iggy had been surprised too, but if only he could see Max. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly and seemed to capture your attention. She looked a lot older and I saw guys who wouldn't normally notice Max, turn their heads to look at her as we walked by.

I was zapped back to the present by Nudge's squeal, and I jerked my head around. I relaxed as she ran over to us holding up a purple purse. We were in a department store. I followed her over to the girls section after promising Max to stay close.

Max POV

I let the girls go off and have fun. I walked over to the juniors section and immediately found a whole rack of shorts and tees that I loved. I actually enjoyed it and picked out a pretty good sized pile. I was grabbing a new two piece bathing suite, when my backpack started moving.

"Behave Total!" I half whispered and turned to find a woman staring at me like I was a freak. Well I was...in a way. She sneered at me and left. Good riddance. Total started squirming again, and then he whimpered.

"Ughh." I walked over to the dressing room and closed the door behind me. "Alright Total. You can come out but be quiet." I told him sternly, as I unzipped my book sack. "Finally." He muttered, pouting a little. "You wouldn't like it much if I stuck you in a backpack all day." He said eyes upset, but then pleading.I sighed. "All right. When we meet back up with Iggy you can ask him if he wants to walk you." I still had Total's seeing eye dog vest in my bag.

"Ok Total, stay right here." I told him and walked one dressing room over. I tried on the bikini and a few other things to make sure they fit. They did and I walked back to where Total was still stretching his legs.

"In you go." I held open the bag for him. He groaned and very slowly walked over to me. When he was efficiently hidden I went to go find Angel and Nudge. They were just finishing up, and from the looks of the stack they carried, they had found the entire girls' section to their liking. We paid for our clothes and left the store. There was a fountain in what looked to be the center of the whole mall. The bottom was littered with pennies and other loose change.

"Why do people throw in money in there? What's the point anyway? It seems like a waste to me." Nudge stepped up on the ledge and, holding onto the rail, gazed down into the water. Angel did the same.

"You throw a piece of change in and make a wish." I explained, leaning against the railing beside them. "Oh." They said at the same time.

"I think I have some." Nudge said and fished around in her pocket. She pulled out two pennies, that I had no idea where she found. "Sorry Max I only have two."

"It's fine, Nudge." I said smiling at her. "Thanks anyway." She gave one to Angel, who immediately tossed hers in. "I wish I had another white bear. Like Celeste. Because I really miss her." Angel looked so heartbroken it made me feel sorry for her. Looking back, I hated having to leave her bear, but I had no choice. I would not have compromised her safety for a stuffed animal.

"Well I'm not telling you mine." Nudge said, as she tossed the penny in with a plop. She closed her eyes tightly, concentrating on her wish.

"I could figure out anyway." Angel told her, smiling. "But I won't. Only if you want to tell me."

Nudge looked at her a moment before sighing and whispering in her ear, glancing at me warily.

"C'mon guys. Let's go find the buys." I told them and we walked over to the salon for the second time today.

When we walked in, I could see Fang. He was just standing up and pulling the towel off his shoulders. His hair was shorter, but not much. It still came over and swished in front of his eyes. But instead of just ebony, his bangs had white tips, that brushed along his cheek bones. It looked great and I caught myself staring. Before I could look away he saw me, and flashed me his brilliant smile. I smiled back and was brought back from gah-gah land by Nudge's giggle. She was staring at us, so I averted my gaze from Fang, and looked over to where Iggy and Gazzy were also finished.

Gazzy had his blonde hair short and spiked with black tips. Looking over at Iggy's red hair spiked up, short, and black tipped, it was easy to see where his inspiration came from. But Iggy didn't seem to mind. It looked good on both of them, and I smiled as they walked up to us.

"Can we eat now Max?" Gazzy asked me hopefully, and I couldn't help but laugh at his sincerity. "Sure Gazzy." I ruffled his hair, and he backed away hurriedly.

"Don't mess it up!" Everyone stared at the Gasman who had never before been concerned about his appearance. Then he laughed and everyone joined in, even Fang.

---------Next chapter-----------

We walked over to the food court.

Gazzy, Iggy, and Nudge walked over to a fried chicken place while Fang, Angel, and I went a few yards over to get pizza. We each ordered one extra large and the girl behind the counter handed us our drinks, and we paid, but we had to wait for them to cook the pizza. We went over to an empty section of small tables and pushed them together, to form one big one. Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy also had to wait, and came over to sit.

I very smoothly unzipped my bag and had Total out, his vest and leash on, and in Iggy's arms, before anyone noticed.

That's when our food was ready, and we went to get it while Angel stayed with Total. We all sat and dug into our food, practically inhaling it.

Angel turned to Iggy's lap and asked, around bites of pizza, "What do you want, Total?" He glanced around at the selection of food places, and sighed debating.

"Hurry Total, I'm ready to stretch my wings. " Gazzy told him quietly, almost finished with his chicken.

"You! You didn't have to be shoved in a backpack all morning!" But then he turned to Angel and told her to get him a small sausage pizza. I handed her the credit card and she skipped off to order Total's pizza. I watched her closely, out of habit mostly. Living with evil scientists until you were twelve, could make anyone a little paranoid. She didn't have to wait and soon was back and set it in front of Total's hungry, black eyes. He literally woofed it down and then sat, content. We all finished up our pizza and threw our trash away.

Angel laced her fingers in mine and I led her forward, the others following behind us, all laden with shopping bags. I looked at a store as we passed it called Build A Bear Workshop. Inside were all kinds of stuffed animals. I stopped walking when I saw a white bear. I remembered how sad Angel had been earlier, talking about Celeste.

"Max?" Angel's sea glass blue eyes looked up at me confused. I smiled down at her.

"C'mon, Angel." She still looked confused, but followed me into the store anyway. Then she saw the bear. She turned to me, her face lit up and she tackled me.

"Oh Max thank you so much!" She ran off, excited and Nudge soon followed.

I turned to the others smiling. They were smiling too, happy to see Angel so happy. She picked out a white bear, like the one on display, and a nice lady led her over to get stuffing put in it. Once the bear was done, Angel was brought over to a vast wall of mini clothing. She looked overwhelmed at first, but then she saw something she liked. I saw her point at something up high and the woman got a ladder to retrieve it. It was a pink zip up jacket with sparkly, white wings attached to the back. She put it on her bear and ran over to show me. I smiled at her and silently handed her my credit card.

She rushed over to pay for it, and as we left the store she thanked me about a million times. We all laughed and walked into a shoe store that also sold backpacks and duffels.

Have you ever tried to fly at eighty miles an hour holding a plastic shopping bag? Not a good idea. We bought a few duffels and Fang got a black messenger bag that he liked.

We all walked through the back doors hurriedly, eager to be outside. On the sidewalk, next to a dumpster sat three older guys. Punk-looking guys. I just ignored them and kept walking right past. One whistled at me and stood up, taking a few advancing steps. I pushed Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy behind me, as I turned to face him. "Hey babe. What are you doing hanging around with losers like this?" He said gesturing widely, but looking pointedly at Fang.

I got right up in his face and said incredulously, "Excuse me? Who do you think you are?"

"Somebody who could appreciate your….assets." He said, and looked my body up and down. I was so angry I was seeing red and I pulled my arm back to really hurt this loser.

Fang POV

This major loser had basically just asked Max why she hung out with me. Inside I was fuming. I could feel my temperature accelerate and I literally saw red. But Max would be mad if I stepped in to punch this idiot and ruined her chance of beating his face in.

So I watched, amused as she waltzed over to him, got right in his face and practically growled, "Excuse me? Who do you think you are?"

Then he smiled and said something unthinkable. "Somebody who could appreciate your….assets", and then he Max up and down like a piece of meat. I was way past fuming and I walked up to them and interceded Max, as she pulled back to punch him, catching her fist. "Fang, what the-"

But I didn't hear anything else she said. I dropped her hand and shoved that freak with enough force that his feet were completely knocked off the ground. It looked like something straight out of a martial arts movie, and if I hadn't been raging inside, I might have laughed.

But then something totally unexpected happened. I burst into flames. Literally. I heard Max scream and then Angel assuring her. I blocked them out and concentrated on finding out if I was in danger of burning to death. I felt hot, but not the painful type of hot. It was as if me being on fire, didn't bother my body. Oh you idiot! It's a new power! Laughing, I advanced toward him where he was sprawled on the concrete. He looked up at me and screamed, and I imagined I must look like the devil himself, all lit in flame, dressed in black, and laughing maniacally. He screamed again, and he sounded just like a little girl. What a weasel.

He sprung up and ran across the lot and his friends, previously frozen in horror, started running with the speed of an Olympic track runner.

Smiling, I turned to face my family, and then felt my face fall. They were all looking at me in horror except Angel. Could they really think I would hurt them? I asked myself, hurt.

Don't worry, Fang. I heard Angel's voice in my head. They're scared for you not of you. They're still not listening to me when I say that you're ok.

"I'm fine guys." I told them and waited for a reaction, but didn't get one. "It's just a new power." I explained and then they all relaxed and everyone exploded in excited conversation.

I was about to let the flames subside, when Angel said, "No Fang! Stop!" I froze, and so did everyone else. "What Angel?"

"Well, Fang….um, well…your clothes burn whenever you do that, so if you stop now, you'll, well…you'll be naked." She muttered a little embarrassed. Iggy laughed loudly and everyone joined in except for Max, who turned beat red, and me.

"Well what are we going to do? We're standing in public here." Max said trying to figure out what to do with my soon-to-be-naked self.

"I'll just go in the woods. You guys wait here." The girls, especially Max, looked extremely relieved. I grabbed my bag and walked off to get dressed, feeling a new meaning to the word 'thankful' to these woods.

(A/N) HEHE!! FANG HAS A NEW POWER! hope you like the story. I know I started off a bit slow, but stay with me, it's giong to get better! And I'm sorry if this got to in peices. My computer does funny things, so I labeled the part where the next chapter started just in case.

Please R&R!!

chelsea