(A/N: Here's a little tip: Listen to Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus while you're reading this chapter. I liked it, and thought it went really well with the chapter.)

Max's POV:

Dying…dead…death…die…they're all the same thing. Some are in different tenses then others but sooner or later you'll end up in the past tense.

Dead.

Like me.

I got shot in the head with a bullet.

Oh, the irony. I just never thought I would be killed with a ball of metal. Just the opposite, in fact. I would kill THEM with a ball of metal.

Stupid white coats.

I didn't even get to say goodbye.

That reminds me.

How the heck am I still thinking if I'm Dead?

Is this the afterlife? Or just cruel messed up game that God's playing?

Or is it the Devil?

Everything around me was black so I was leaning towards the Devil. Great. This is just what I needed, to deal with another evil dude with a big ego. I guess it's just another test. Kill this dude and I'll be invincible.

In a way.

I'll still be dead. I wouldn't be the same person as I was before when I was living.

"Maximum Ride," A voice rang through the empty black space. I tried to turn my head to look for the person but I couldn't move at all. It was like I was inside my head with someone else there along with me. Did they die too? "You're not completely dead Max. When you got shot in the head you're physic connection with Matt protected you-to an extent. So when the bullet hit you your body is dead but your mind is not. Does that make any sense?"

"It doesn't." I thought back at him or her. If this guy knew how I was thinking then I should just be able to talk to him/her in my mind.

"Well. You know that physic connection you have with Matt?" It asked.

"Yeah?" I thought back.

"Well, when you got shot in the head it the bullet went through your brain-" I cut him/her off with a scoff.

"Well, duh, I wouldn't be dead if that wasn't true."

"First, Maximum, there are more then one ways to kill a person with a single shot from a bullet and second, you shouldn't interrupt me when I'm talking."

"Technically you're not talking. In my case you're thinking. Geez, and I thought I was the idiot around here." I thought smugly back at him/her.

"Maximum!" It yelled back at me. I laughed inside my head hoping it could hear it. It did, I could tell from this irritated vibe coming from somewhere inside my mind. "Now. Like I was saying-"

"Thinking." I cut it off teasingly.

"Whatever," Ha-ha, it was about as childish as me. "Like I was thinking, when the bullet hit your brain your physic connection with Matt was lost. It's a painful process so if my theory is correct then he should be unconscious for another three minutes or so. I'm not entirely sure with the fast healing and such. He's probably waking up right now. Anyway, he didn't die. You on the other hand…."

"What?" I asked warily. "What happened to me? I thought you said I wasn't dead."

"No. I said you weren't completely dead. Your body died but your soul wasn't lost, so you can't fully be dead but you can't fully be alive."

"So does that mean I'm a ghost?"

"Kind of. You can still touch things but when your touching something living it's kind of like a mist: there but not solid."

"That's pretty cool, except for one thing."

"What would that be?"

"MY LIFE! Hello? I don't WANT to be a freaking ghost! I want to be alive and happy and be able to kick all the white coat's butts…I don't want this." I heard the voice sigh in my head and suddenly I'm in a white room…

But this room's different.

It has my family in it…crying…while looking at my dead body…

"Let me guess? They can't see me?" I asked annoyed in my head.

"No, they can't. They have no clue that you're here." The voice replied.

"So I can do whatever I want?" I asked.

"Correct." With that I felt the voice leave… I FELT it leave…creepy.

I wanted to go to Ella. She was crying into Ari's should while he smothered his face in her hair. I wanted to comfort her, but I knew I couldn't. The voice said it would be like mist: there but not solid. She would freak out and probably have a break down. I don't want that to happen. Especially when I'm the cause of it.

I looked around the room taking in everything. Mom was in a corner crying her eye's out and sadness pelted my heart, as I know that she's crying over the loss of her newfound daughter Iggy was trying so hard not to cry and comforting Mom. Nudge was also crying along with mom but Kyle was holding onto her like Ari was doing to Ella. Kyle had his head on top of Nudge's while hers was on his chest soaking up his shirt. Fang…he was just sitting next to me, stroking my cheek with the saddest look I ever seen. No one noticed him doing that, they were wrapped up in they're own little worlds. The only other person that would see him…would be Matt.

Matt…I'm so sorry. If you can hear me right now, I'm so sorry. If I weren't weak I wouldn't be in this state…wait…the voice said he'd be waking up any minute.

I looked more closely at Matt's face…he WAS awake. This news didn't really affect me much since I knew this was going to happen, but nobody else knew that.

Yeah…that will go over like a bottle of cheese-I mean go over well. (Random much?)

Note sarcasm.

Matt was looking, no GLARRING, at Fang who was too busy starring at my face to notice.

That is until Ella turned around.

Her eye's widened so much I thought they would pop out of her face like the cartoons. She then let out a terrified scream and tried to move as far away from Matt as possible. Something inside me cracked. It just broke in half. She was running away from Matt…would she do the same if that was me? Would she scream at me and try and get as far away from me as possible?

"Ella! What is it?" Ari asked frantically. He didn't look up from Ella's face so he didn't know what happened. He looked up to see Matt sitting up dusting himself off while glaring at the now emotionless Fang who had the decency to take his hands off my face. "Holy sh-"

I let the best of me get the better of me if that makes any sense: I shouted, "Language!" before he could finish that sentence. I didn't really think that he would really hear me I just shouted at him annoyed that he would even use that type of language.

But he did hear me.

They ALL heard me.

Everything seemed to stop as everyone went quiet. You probably could hear a pin drop on the floor right now. I would have laughed in this situation where everyone's awkward-ness but I didn't because I'm the one who caused it.

"Did you hear that?" I heard Ari whispered scared obviously. Nudge nodded and mom looked a little tiny bit hopeful. She probably thought I wasn't dead.

"Yeah. That was weird. Do you think it was the school?" Kyle asked holding on to Nudge tighter. Nudge seemed kind of terrified. I would too- I mean how would YOU feel if you started hearing the voice of your recently dead friend? Really freaked out, I'm guessing.

Anyway back to the point…

"Max?" I heard Matt ask out loud. I walked over to him, I'm pretty sure I forgot to tell you this but I was on the ground, apparently I can't fly, how messed up is that? I thought ghosts flew. Anyway…

I walked over to him and stepped in front of him. I knew he couldn't see me, but it made me feel weird how he stared right at me.

"Hello, Matt. Miss me? I did. The afterlife isn't all what it's cracked up to be. It's so dark." I said casually even though his intense gaze turned a little scared. Oh yeah…I said it was dark. He probably thought I was in hell or something. Huh…maybe I was. I never really did find out.

"So you are dead." He stated sadly looking at the ground. Everyone's faces turned to sadness, and even though Fang didn't show it I saw the sadness and pain in his black, obsidian eyes. I looked at him sadly and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not so sure. I'm talking to you aren't I?" At that he seemed a little hopeful but not by much. "Anyway, I came because I wanted to say a proper goodbye. I didn't really get that chance." I said sadly, hoping that they would hear it. Mom started making silent tears along with Nudge. Kyle looked beyond depressed with Ari…and Ella.

Ella…I'm so sorry, Ella. I didn't mean to die. It all happened so suddenly that I didn't even know what happened.

It makes me wonder if it even happened.

Ella had a tear rolling down her face as she tried looking around for me, as if to look at me one more time.

I started with her first. She needed to be comforted more then anyone else.

I walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shivered a bit but tried to put it aside.

"Ari, can you move a bit? I want to hug her one last time before I go." I said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear me. He looked at me, as if knowing I was there. He made a short nod and let go of Ella. He only moved a little ways away but far enough away.

I kneeled down next to her, I so badly wanted her to see me.

"Voice? Can you let her see me? One last time?" I asked the voice with all my heart. I wondered if he or she was even there, or heard me.

But it did.

One second I was seen only to me and now…

Ella's eyes went wide and tears formed in her eyes, as she looked at me directly in the eyes. She gasped and blinked and rubbed her eyes, causing some of the unshed tears to fall, trying to make sure that what she was seeing was real.

It was real all right.

My arms wrapped around her in a small and sad hug. It felt like she knew this was the last hug ever, and the tears began to fall.

"Don't cry, Ella. Crying does nothing to help you. Use your weakness as an advantage." I whispered softly to her. I felt her nod and try and hold in her tears. "I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Ella. It just happened so fast. One second I'm there, alive and breathing, and then the next I'm dead. It makes you wonder if I'm really dead." She tried to squeeze me harder and it worked…what's going on? I thought I would be like mist.

"Then maybe you're not dead, Max. Maybe this is all just a game. Maybe it's just a test set up by the school. You probably won't even be able to walk out those doors." She said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself along with me.

"Maybe, maybe…but even so, I want to be safe. I want to give my goodbye's first just in case this isn't just a dream or trick, is that okay?" I said squeezing her back a little.

"It's alright…as long as you promise me it's all just a trick." Her voice cracked because she knew as well as I, that this might not be a trick. That this was real and this was our last and final goodbye.

"Oh, Ella…You know I can't promise that."

Ella pulled out of my hold and withdrew her arms and crossed them over her chest in that determined way.

"Then this is not our final goodbye. Our final goodbye comes when we're both old and wrinkly and too weak to lift our feet. That's when our final goodbye comes and I'm not saying goodbye till that comes." She said sticking her head up in that way that I always used to do when we were together back at the orphanage.

I tired not to look hurt but I couldn't help it. I had the saddest expression on my face even though I tried to hide it,

"Very well then, Ella. But that will not make me not say goodbye…Goodbye Ella. I hope to see you again, you know, back in heaven or hell or whatever. I'm not really sure which one, but I do hope you go to heaven. Eventually." I said sadly. I put a hand on her should but she shrugged it off.

"I'm not going to let you treat me like this is the last time we'll meet. You will come back Max. Do you hear me? This is all just a trick. Nothing more, nothing less." Ella said, sounding more determined but her voice cracked a bit in the middle of her little speech.

"Okay, Ella. If that's what you wish, I won't treat you like it." My voice was soft and sad. "But that doesn't mean I'll treat everyone else the same."

Ella looked away from me, and I knew that she could still see me. I knew that she didn't want to hurt me but I couldn't help but feel like that. She was my best friend and yet she won't say goodbye to me.

Did she not care, or did she not want to accept the fact that I'm dead?

Director's POV:

Yes. The plan is going perfectly. The machine is in its finest condition and is giving off the world's most life-like projection of the infamous Maximum Ride. Right now through the window of the room, I can see everything that is happening in the room that the experiments and family members in and they can't see me.

Right now the Maximum Ride projection is on the floor with a bullet hole in the head but no one knows it's a projection. Not even that young man who was stroking her cheek. That's because the machine projects the solid surface as well as the picture. Genius.

Right now the "ghost" of Max is saying goodbye to her family one last time. This makes the plan a lot easier. If she truly believes that she's dead then she would believe that she doesn't have any reason to stay on this world.

That means taking away her memory would be all that more easier.

And that will make turning her into a weapon for Itex and putting the By-Half plan into action easier as well.

I'm glad I came up with this plan. We'll be eliminating our biggest threat- sad but true- and reducing the world's population by half, only letting the strong survive. I'm a genius!

(A/N: Sorry, my sister just had to have something kinda-sorta funny in there :P I never thought an evil scientist would boast about herself like that ha-ha, she's so conceited! Moving on… R&R? Pleeeeeaaaaassssseeeeee?)