I didn't know where we were going, but I really hoped it was somewhere nice. Iggy was seated next to me. I put my hand on top of his. I saw him just barely blush. Max saw it and winked at me. I smiled back, very cheekily though. I focused on the landscape outside the van. I saw tree after tree. It was so silent in the van, so I said something, "Awkward silence!" Everyone laughed.

"It's not awkward till you say it!" they all answered. I started to sing. I sang one of the only songs I knew, Blessings by Laura Story. It was a Christian song that I heard the only time I went to church, when I blindly professed my faith.

'We pray for blessings, we pray for peace, comfort for family, protection while we sleep, we pray for healing, for prosperity, we pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering, and all the while, you hear each spoken need, yet love us way too much to give us lesser things. 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops, what if your healing comes through tears, what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near, what if trials of this life are mercies in disguise?'

I got through the first verse and chorus before I was interrupted by Nudge, "What's that song called?"

"Blessings, it's by Laura Story. It's a Christian song," I explained. The man spoke also.

"You have a beautiful voice. I wouldn't be surprised if you had songbird DNA in you," he said. The joy of traveling with a scientist, "We're almost there," the younger kids all cheered. It was a bit cramped in the van.

We were greeted by a young girl who immediately looked at Iggy. She blushed and invited us all in. I grabbed his hand and walked inside.

"Max!" a young woman said. She hugged her, "I thought there was only six of you," she said, pointing at me.

"There were. Fang found her on the beach in California and took her in," Max explained, "Anyways, we're all hungry, can I help you make supper?"

A little while later, we were all fed, and I was fed up with Ella staring at Iggy. I kept my annoyance bottled up though. I didn't want to be kicked out of the Flock. I would fare as well as a china plate in a bull pen. The man, named Jeb as I was told later, left an hour ago. Ella led Max and I up to her room.

"So, Verity, did the boys really find you on the beach?" Max asked me.

"More like me dive-bombing into them," I answered. I smiled. I had to do that a lot lately.

"You need a Flock name, something that reflects your personality and appearance," said Ella. I was impressed, though she had known Max a lot longer than I had.

"Yeah, I agree," said Max, "How about, Sunny?" I widened my eyes and shook my head. She definitely didn't know about my attitude. I just smiled like a ninny around Iggy, "You think we could see your wings?" I nodded and checked the size of the room, fifteen feet across, plenty of room for my wings. I removed my jacket and spread them out wide.

"They look like a song sparrow's," Ella observed. I hadn't noticed it before, but it made sense since I apparently had a SUPERB voice. I thought I was terrible at singing.

"Your wings are kind of diminutive compared to ours," Max said jokingly, "We could call you Tiny," I stuck my tongue out at her and folded my wings neatly against my back. They were only one foot shorter than hers.

"You're kind of silent aren't you?" Ella asked. I nodded.

"Not as much as Fang," Max countered, "Maybe, um, Lea?" I liked that name. I tried it out again and again in my head. Lea, Lea, Lea. I smiled and nodded.

"I like it," I simply said. And that's how we all became friends.

I don't own Blessings, or Maximum Ride characters. I only own Verity Lea. Anyways, please review. Marie