I don't own anything.

TLM ~ Chapter 2 – The Plan – One Month Later

~Max POV~

Angel and Nudge didn't show up for lunch today, and it's really freaking me out. I haven't seen them since breakfast. After the guards came for us and brought us to the labs, they were taken into separate rooms and haven't come out yet. I'm not one to worry about others, but Nudge, Angel, and I had grown close in the month that they've been here. They liked to tell me what living in the real world was like and what their lives were like before they came here and I would tell them everything I remember from my old life, not like I had much to remember though, I was only three.

Anyway, I was going to find out what was happening in there.

So, when the guards came to take us all back to our rooms, I created an issue with Bryan, one of the guards.

"But I reeeeaaally have to go!" I whined.

"No, Miss Ride, you had the opportunity to use the lavatory at your lunch break. You are going back to your room now and you'll have to wait until dinner." He said, agitatedly.

"I can't wait that long, I have to go now!"

"Maximum, calm down, you will have to wait-"

"No! NOW!"

He sighed. "Fine, Miss Ride, but be quick!"

I mentally smiled, things were working perfectly and I got to make someone angry.

He led me down the hallway and past the labs. I almost forgot what I was doing and ran to the door right then, but I stopped myself.

When we got to the bathrooms he ushered me towards the door.

"Go in and hurry up!"

I walked in, feeling relieved that things were working out. I leaned against the bathroom door and counted to thirty. Now, he should've let down his guard enough for me to take him by surprise, I thought. I turned on the sink and let the water run. Then, I approached the door and peeked out as carefully as I could. I saw Bryan leaning against the wall casually. I made my move.

I ran out the door and cornered him against the wall.

"Maximum? What - " But I guess we'll never know what Bryan meant to say because I punched him in the gut and as he bent over, clutching his stomach, I kneed him in the head and he fell over, unconscious. I yanked the identification card and pass key from around his neck and ran down the hallway.

But I guess we'll never know what I was going to do because as turned the corner and neared the labs, two more security guards, Todd and Bill, stopped me, took the card from my hands, and held me by my arms. I tried to take them down, but there were two of them and they were much stronger and smarter than Bryan. No offense, Bryan.

They started talking on their communication–thingies, but I couldn't understand them with all their codes and stuff. When they were done with their conversations were over, they started dragging me through the hallway.

"Wrong way," I told them, "My room is the other way."

"You're not going to your room, Girly." Todd said with an dark grin. What a creep.

They walked me down hallways I had never seen in my thirteen years here. Not that I had ever really had that much time to roam.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, we came to a steel door with quite a few locks on it and a sign that read:

Solitary Confinement

I had no idea what that meant, but I knew it was bad. Todd and Bill practically threw me into the shadowed and lightless room.

"This should teach you not to try something like that again." Todd said, and as he shut the door, added "Girly."

As it turns out, solitary confinement is a lot worse than I thought it would be, and trust me, I was expecting pretty bad.

I was in a completely dark room, there were no windows and even the spaces in between the door and the wall and floor had been blocked off. In the room there was a small bed with a metal frame and an even harder and lumpier bed than the one in my room. There was a small toilet against the wall opposite the bed.

The room was so small that you couldn't even take two steps into it without hitting the bed or walking into the toilet.

It also stunk. Really bad.

I've been in here for five days, just sitting in the darkness. And they only give me one repulsive bowl of mush for me to eat every two days. This had to be against the law. Well, then again, pretty much the whole place was against the law, so I don't think they really cared.

It was bad.

After ten days in Solitary Confinement, they finally let me out. It felt so good to breathe clean air again, the guards who came to get me, Frank and Pierre, must've thought I actually was insane because of how I was breathing. I felt like a fish, and probably looked like one too.

When I got back to my room, it was late and I was exhausted so I went to bed and slept past breakfast. When I realized that part I was very mad so I sat at my little gray desk and swore at myself until lunch.

Not only because I'm hungry, because I am starving, but because I realized Angel and Nudge could've been at breakfast and I missed them and I was still freaked out about that.

When it was time for lunch, Todd came to get me. Gross. I was still ecstatic on the inside, though. I practically ran to the cafeteria and when I saw Angel and Nudge sitting at our usual table, I think I squealed. Pause. Rewind. Delete. I do NOT squeal.

Angel and Nudge squealed, though. I didn't. I sat down without getting my food.

"MAX! We heard what happened! Tell us EVERYTHING!" Nudge screamed.

"Me? What happened to you guys? You weren't at lunch and I got all freaked out and tried to find you but they caught me and took me to Solitary and it was gross and dark but all I could think about was what happened to you, so tell me!" Oh great. Now I sound like Nudge.

"Jeez, Max, calm down!" Angel told me. "We're fine, but they did do something to us." She looked really upset as she said this.

"I'll tell you," Nudge interrupted, "They gave us wings! WINGS! Can you imagine that? It hurt so bad that couldn't move for two days! After that, they taught us how to fly! Me, flying! I can't even believe it! The flying part is amazing though, it was totally worth the pain to even fly with my own wings for just a minute! I psdkog sdf jdkj ksdkhgd" Angel put her hand over Nudge's mouth, interrupting the endless monologue.

It took me a while to grasp what Nudge had just said.

"That UGH! I can't believe he would do that to you!"

"What are you talking about, Max?" Angel asked, her hand still tightly pressed against Nudge's face.

I hesitated. "Well, when I was four, Jeb did the same thing to me. I hated him so much then, but now, how can someone do that to people?" Angel dropped her hand.

"Max, why didn't you tell us?" Nudge asked, looking a little hurt.

"Well, I didn't want you guys to think I was freak. You guys are the only friends I have and have ever had." Wow, that was deep. For me, at least, I'm not big on emotion.

"Aww, Max, we could never think that. You're our friend, too, and now we can all be freaks together!" Nudge chirped, all the sadness gone.

"Whatever you say, Nudge." Angel told her, and she just smiled.

"Guys, I think we need to get out of here." I declared.

"Yeah, lunch is almost over." Nudge said back.

"No, I mean like actually get out of here, as in escape."

"Oh. How would we do that? Do you know how well secured this place is? After what they did to you for looking for us, they'd probably kill us for trying to escape." Angel said.

"Actually, I have a plan."

"You do?" Nudge asked, curiously.

"I was sitting in darkness for ten days! I didn't sit there and think about how I would wear my hair for 240 hours!"

"Oh. Sorry. What is it?"

Guess I won't get to eat for a while.

Hey Guys! Sorry for the long wait, we just started school and I've been really busy!

I hope you liked it, please tell me what you think! I really want to know your thoughts! (Not in a creepy way….)

Thank you to all that have reviewed so far! It means a lot to that you took the time to read it!

~YAB