Disclaimer: I do not own maximum ride or any related logos, songs, authors, characters….yeah

Golden POV

It was late, probably just after midnight. I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about everything that had happened in the last few days. My life was gone, or at least my old life. In its place was an opportunity, but an unfamiliar, dangerous opportunity. It was still an opportunity I could take. I could see wounds, almost like I had x-ray vision. Ha ha. I could also kind of see the hierarchies of where people fell, how they were related, their friends and enemies. I also felt ten times better about life. I was here, I had come pretty far. Why not go a little further?

I was bored of trying to sleep. I got up and unfolded my wings, stretching them out. I sat down on a rock and watched the stars. There were so many stars, each one ever so slightly different than the next. I started humming a song, half singing, half humming.

"Caught in a cold sweat,

Start splitting hairs,

Drinking too much

I'm on my way to second hell,

Fall asleep with the pressure of everyone

Watching and waiting

They're yours for the taking

But I still have my doubts,

I said before you ask which way to go,

Remember where you've been

Stay awake

Get a grip and get out

You're safe

From the weight of the world just take

A second to set things straight

I'll be fine

Even though I'm not always right,

I can count on the sun to shine

This dedication takes a lifetime

But dreams only last for a night

Well figure it out boy

You're slipping

So pull yourself together

Or you'll wash up like the rest

Cause this ship is sinking

I'm thinking I'm done for

Watch as the sails disappear underwater

Cause I'm no captain yet"

(A/N: that's stay awake (dreams only last for a night) by all time low)

"Nice song. Can't sleep?" Iggy startled me out of my reverie. He was so quiet; I'd forgotten he was on watch.

"No…it's just a lot to think about. I had this whole normal life set out before me; go to high school, maybe college, get a job, maybe get married, die… you know? And then in about 48 hours, it's ripped away. Poof, it's gone. I can't say I don't like it. Human life is only for 98% of me," I said.

"Yeah, I get it. I mean, I've grown to live with it, but when I was 7, they "experimented" on me at the school. I'm now permanently blind. But I totally remember that feeling, like you're being ripped away from something you're stuck to…" he trailed off. "Well, what you think of the flock so far?" he asked. Haha, trying to make small talk. Deep conversations tend to end that way.

"I like it. You guys kind of remind me of my friends back home. Max is clearly the leader. She seems kind of annoyingly full of it, but it can only be expected. Angel honestly scares me somewhat. Has she ever shown a penchant for world domination? Or bombs?" I asked, half joking.

"Luckily, no. We keep a close eye on her. You're spot on about Max. As for the bombs, well, we're lucky she hasn't found our stash,"

"'We' as in you and the Gasman?"

"Hehe… yeah. What can I say? Pyromania is wonderful. Hey, that could be a bumper sticker!" I smiled dryly. I remembered my happy times as a juvenile pyromaniac.

"Well, Nudge is, well, a motormouth. I wonder how long she could talk without stopping…and Gazzy seems like a genuinely sweet kid with a soft spot for bombs and hazardous materials. Fang seems like that 'angsty, emo type' that all girls want but won't date. Kind of like Mr. Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice…and what's with him and Max? They obviously like each other a lot,"

"I know…they seem to think that it would mess up the flock. I guess romance just seems futile, when we're running from death half the time," he let this sink in. "Did you ever want to find your parents?"he asked, changing the subject.

"When I was younger, there was nothing I wanted more. But then, well I put things into perspective. I looked at how many cruel people there were in the world and how likely it was that my parents were among them. You?

"Yeah, and I found them. It felt like a dream come true…at first. But they wanted money. And I could be the source for that money. It was kind of a genius plan, I guess," I understood. My foster parents had tried that, but they'd gotten a little hehe, surprise, per se. I laid my head against his shoulder. His hair, which was almost exactly the same color as mine, fell across my head. I started singing again

I said before you ask which way to go,

Remember where you've been,

Stay awake

Get a grip and get out

You're safe

From the weight of the world

Just take

A second to set things straight

I'll be fine

Even though I'm not always right

Dedication takes a lifetime

But dreams only last for a night

Believe you me

I'll give them everything

I'd tell them anything,

To show them everything

Believe you me

I'll give them everything

I'd tell them anything,

To show them everything

You aint the only ones who wanna live it up,

You aint the only ones,

You aint the only ones who wanna live it up

You aint the only ones

Stay awake

Get a grip and get out

You're safe

From the weight of the world

Just take

A second to set things straight

I'll be fine

Even though I'm not always right

Dedication takes a lifetime

But dreams only last for a night