Maximum Ride

Travelling was one of the activities that I enjoyed, the way my wings brushed the clouds, a cool, refreshing system to get from one city to the next. We could spot everything from the sky, as if we were the ones in control, able to monitor what our country was doing.

I felt free, wind rushing through my hair, my mind focused on the trajectory ahead. Nothing disturbed my peaceful thoughts, the way I soared like a graceful bird, no on in my path.

I helped me forget reality, the crushing weight bearing down on my shoulders, the responsability of leading my flock. I could concentrate, undisturbed, worries left far behind at my feet.

Flying was incredible, an amazing expierience, an ability that I held on to with my life. It changed my emotions, changed everyone's emotions, providing a safety that no one else had.

But how could I be so grateful for our wings? They were a piece of the horrible experiments that had been done, cruel tests aimed at mere infants, the worst scenarios of our lives. It had been horrific, caged, trapped in the School, having no choice over anything.

Yes as destructive as the mutations had been, they weren't the only memories I was reminded of. There was much more to the story.

We had escaped. All of us. Survived. We had ditched those crazy scientists and run from the complicated, gruesome laboratories. We had beaten their tricky games, outsmarted the most intelligent, fought with their henchmen. We had left the School behind.

So what did it matter? I would always remember the fear in our eyes, the cold, metal cages, the bare, white walls.

But I would also remember something else, something luminous, something significant. We had won.

Our wings represented victory.

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"How much farther?" Gazzy whined, flapping up and down like an unsturdy bird. He was pretty graceful, for an eight year old, but agitation made him jumpy. "We've been flying for hours!"

Nudge dropped down next to him, a playful scowl clouding her face. "What's wrong with flying?" She questionned, cocking an eyebrow. Doing a quick loop, she sprung high into the air. "It's wonderful!"

I laughed, pointing ahead. Rhode Island was lurking in the foggy distance, our destination for now, it's large mass of land easy to spot. "Check it out."

The flock's eyes turned towards the city, expression's brightening. We had been on the move for a while, and it was apparent that the younger kids needed a break. They were quite tough, rarely shedding a single tear, but everyone deserved a well earned rest.

"Think Rhode Island has a Burger King?" Iggy asked from behind, sounding incredibly eager. "I know we ate this morning, but I'm starving!"

"You can count on it." I grinned, feeling a little hungry myself. Us bird kids tended to eat more than the average human, despite the fact that at times, some of us were downright piggish.

Gradually rounding the south west coast, we started to notice the lush, sandy beaches covering the area, neatly paved roads farther back. It resembled any other town, innocent, though one could never be to sure.

"Don't see any Erasers," Angel studied the shore, eyeing the ginormous, crashing waves exitedly. "Does that mean we can go swimming?"

I glanced around warily, finding nothing potentially harmful. "Um... sure, sweetie. Just wait until we land, okay?"

Angel gave a slight nod, her blond curls bouncing with the wind.

We flew a little farther, gliding around one of the rocky corners, a chilled breeze kocking us backwards. It was quite frigid for summer.

"Woah, check out that water!" Nudge cried, flapping with enthusiasm. She swooped lower, waving her arms. "Max, look!"

I followed her eyes, checking out the rugged sea below. Colors of black and blue swirled with high intensity, jerkind over large rocks, waves crashing on the delicate, sandy beach. Strong winds produced towering ice caps, sun reflecting, whirl winds of pure fury.

My eyes widened, staring at Angel with uncertainty. "Sweetie?"

"Yeah?" Angel glanced at me, innocent.

"You, uh, want to swim in that?" I snuck another look at the rapid moving currents, shivering.

"Of course!" She grinned, teeth sparkling. "I've always wanted to swim in the waves! You know, like...?"

"Surfers?" Gazzy provided, giving me a devious smirk.

Angel nodded, a warm glow radiating from her skin. "I want to surf!"

I sent Fang a silent plea, hoping that he'd set her straight. There was no way my flock was swimming in that death trap.

Fang tucked in his wings, dropping a few feet, arriving next to Angel. "Hey,"

"Hi, Fang." Angel waved, motionning towards the deadly sea. She eyes the enormous waves with anticipation. "You coming surfing with me?"

Fang shook his head, regretful. "Look, Angel, I know you really wanted to go surfing..." He spoke seriously, expression sympathetic. "But I don't think that that would be the best idea. The waves are pretty high, and we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

I gave her a stern look, as well. Thanks to her excitement, horrid images of mangled bodies now swayed in my mind, wings ripped, floating, disattached from their owners. Red, discolored water, cries of terror, waves slamming my flock up against the firm, jagged rocks, again and again.

Shaking my head, I caught the last bit of their conversation, utterly relieved.

"But, Fang-"

"No." He interrupted, face weary. "No way."

"I won't drown!" Angel begged, folding her arms across her chest. "Please!"

"Sorry, but no."

She dropped her head, discouraged, finally accepting defeat. Letting her wings slide open, she drifted farther back, away from the rest of us.

"Aw..." Iggy pouted, kicking the air. "I was really looking forward to it. You know how high you can get in a board?"

"Yes, in fact, I do." I raised my eyebrows, frowning. "And you know how much it'll hurt when you come crashing down?"

Iggy just shrugged, rolling his sightless eyes.

Soon we reached the vast shore, toes making contact with the soft sand, wings outstretched.