Sorry for the wait. I have pink eye, but apparently its not contagious. But I didn't go to school today, so I decided to update. YAY!
Wow, apparently I have had 287 hits and 149 visitors on all of my stories! And considering that this is my only one (so far), that's a pretty big deal! For me, anyway. So thank you!!!!
As always, if you can, review. Comments, critisim, cookies. ANYTHING! But, even if you can't, enjoy!
I woke up with my head against Fang's shoulder. His wings were wrapped around both of us protectively, keeping me warm. I turned toward his face and his eyes snapped open, only relaxing when he saw that it was me who had woke him up. I stood up and stretched my wings. Suddenly, the memories of last night's conversation with Jeb flooded back, and I fell to the ground, shocked and afraid.
"Max?" Fang's concerned voice came from above, and his face came into my view. "Are you okay?" He pulled me up onto his lap and stroked my hair from my face, which was rapidly getting wetter as tears erupted from my eyes.
"I was hoping that last night was just a dream," I whispered, almost to myself. But he heard me and pulled me tighter against his chest. We stayed like that for a while, not speaking or moving. It was almost…calming. But I knew it was too good to be true.
"Wakey wakey, birdies! You know the saying; the early bird gets the worm!" a cruel voice shouted as the doors swished open and five Erasers loomed. Fang and I immediately jumped into a fighting stance, but soon relaxed as the Erasers raised their guns and pointed them at us. "You two aren't escaping if we have anything to say about it," the head Eraser said snidely. He then clapped his hands and the four minions descended upon us.
Two of them took a hold of me after I put up a slight struggle, and as I glanced over at Fang, I saw that he was captured too. They hoisted us up, as if we weighed nothing (actually, maybe to them, we did), and dragged us around the lab. We were oblivious to where we were going. I looked at Fang with my "Why aren't we trying to escape?" face, and he countered with his "Pay attention to where they're taking us so we can escape later and find the flock," look. I sighed, knowing he was right, and began memorizing the trail that was soon evolving into a maze.
Suddenly, I squinted as a beam of light shone directly into my eyes. We were thrust through the door that the Eraser minions had previously opened, and I was startled to see that we were…outside? Why would these scientists risk our escape? I soon got my answer.
"Don't bother flying away, chickies. While you were sleeping, we put some shock collars on you two." I looked down and was appalled to see a slim collar blinking back at me. "If you so much as stick a toe, oh sorry, feather, out of line, these babies have enough voltage to turn you into fried chicken!" He glowered in triumph, and I wondered whether he had any more bird puns to unleash on us.
He continued with his little speech, "You two lovebirds are gonna be pitted against each other in some events. Like the Olympics, only deadlier." He grinned at this, and then added, "What can I say? Love is a battlefield."
Fang took my hand in mine, and I was at once comforted and distressed. How could I live without him? Maybe I couldn't. But I couldn't consider that thought right now. I squeezed his hand, and a slight smile appeared on his face. He gave me a peck on the cheek, which was enough to make my face burn with pleasure, and then turned to the speaker system.
The emcee's voice roared over the loudspeaker. "Okay, folks, take your seats! This is the show of the century!" The Flock shuffled in, and I was overjoyed to see that they were not harmed. At least Jeb had kept his word. Unfortunately, all Fang and I could do was smile and wave, as we were completely surrounded by Erasers.
"The first test will be speed and endurance. The contestants will have to race through this predesigned course. The first leg will be on foot, and only in the second leg will the contestants be permitted to fly." I couldn't believe this! This emcee was treating this as if this were simply a school sport! Maybe he had no idea what the steaks were, but Fang and I did, and we tensed up as the race was announced.
"Will the contestants please move to their stations?" the voice boomed, and Fang and I were immediately grabbed by gangs of Erasers and thrust in different directions. I fought my hardest and got just a glimpse of him; he was staring at me intently. His eyes were easy to read-he was scared, determined, nervous. I could tell that he wanted to win and that his competitive side was kicking in. But I could also see that he also wanted me to win, because he only wanted me to be happy. That's funny; I was just thinking the same thing about him.
The Erasers pushed me to a walled area. "Hey, stop pushing, this is precious cargo!" I screamed at their retreating backs. I glanced at my surroundings and I soon realized that this was the course. My heart sank as I realized that I would not be able to see Fang as we raced. The Flock was dead silent-they didn't want either of us to lose. Then a whistle blew shrilly somewhere to my left, and I was off.
I ran as fast as I could. I dashed around corners and darted through obstacles. As the minutes turned into hours, my endurance began waning. How long is this course? I thought to myself. Finally, a marker came up. "Leg Two," it read, "you may use your wings at this point." Panting heavily, I whipped out my wings and soared into the air.
Dismayed, I saw the tip of Fang's feathers above the walls and realized that he was flying sideways. The walls were too tight to fly normally, which kind of put a damper on my super-speed. I turned my body horizontally and tried to go into hyper-drive, but I could only go a few mph faster than I had normally. At least this leg is straight, I mused as I saw a dot of light at the end. I was so close. I upped my speed and flew out into the light.
"Aaaaaaaaand we have ourselves a winner! Maximum Ride has won the race!" the emcee's jubilant echoed above me. I saw Fang's dark form retreat from the maze just minutes later, and he ran over to me. I had already collapsed on the ground, too tired to even speak. How could he possibly have the energy to run?
"Max? Max, are you alright? You don't look too good…" Fang's voice drifted off into nothingness as I closed my eyes. I heard footsteps of Erasers coming to get me, and Fang's growl of "Stay AWAY from her!" His arms lifted me up, and I felt his ragged breath on my neck.
I felt so…weak. I had won the race, yet he was the one holding me up? He carried me back into the icy coolness of our cell, and he set my head on his lap. I fell asleep to the sound of his breathing.