A.N. GUYS! GUYS! I just found out some news, that I'm pretty sure you have already heard about, but I just have to acknowledge it!

There's going to be a NEW Maximum Ride book!

A new ending to the ending of the series. Like a post-ending, ending.

Honestly, I was kind of a bit mad about hearing that there was going to be a new one for reasons that I can't completely understand. But it's just like, JP had already written an ending, and I was prepared for the series to be over, and it did end. And now there's going to be a new ending, so it's not over, but apparently this one is the real ending of the ending, and I'm just really confused about it.

I'm not sure how you guys felt about Nevermore, but personally, I didn't like it. I felt like there were so many plot holes that went unanswered in the series that didn't get answered in Nevermore, and I didn't think that the characters seemed like themselves, and GAH! I was so upset!

But maybe the new ending will address some of those plot holes that weren't covered in the old ending. (Plus there will be even MORE Faxness, so I'm glad about that!)

But it's already available for pre-order on Barnes & Nobles' website, and it's called Maximum Ride Forever.

the synopsis:

"THE NINTH AND ULTIMATE MAXIMUM RIDE STORY IS HERE! Legions of Max fans won't be disappointed by this encore episode in the beloved series about the incredible adventures of a teenage girl who can fly. As Maximum Ride boldly navigates a post-apocalyptic world, she and her broken flock are roaming the earth, searching for answers to what happened. All will be revealed in this last spectacular "ride"- a brand-new grand finale featuring all of the nonstop action, twists and turns that readers can rely on in a blockbuster Patterson page turner!"

Yeah, okay:
It looks interesting- I love post-apocalyptic survival, and I think it will be fun to read. But don't we already know what happened to the world? The scientists had their virus plan to rid the world of 'impurities' (a.k.a. weak humans), but the world kind of went all apocalypse on itself. The sky fell from comets, probably from global warming or whatever, but I highly doubt that the scientists would be able to cause the world to collapse on itself the way that it had.
Unless, of course, they had a scientist akin to Dr. Evil, who was like, "Fire the laser!" at the sky, setting off a comet storm and destroying the Earth.
Okay, maybe that would never happen.
But I'm curious to find out what JP is going to write about the world ending.
And the flock's American exploration poses another question: What about the island?
Isn't Max supposed to lead them?
Is it in the FUTURE?! Where island society is already functioning, and Max and the flock go to America, years after it happened?
So many questions.

But the more I think about it, the more I get excited about it. At least we'll get to have one more adventure with the flock! (Aside from Fanfiction, of course! ;D )

But yeah, I'll probably pre-order it and read it the first day it comes out. Like I have with all the other ones, because no matter how much I get upset with the books, they still keep me hooked.

******AND ONE MORE THING!******

You know how they were going to make a Maximum Ride movie?

Well, rumor is that that is a no-go.

Instead, they are going to have a youtube web series.

WHHHAAATTTT?! Yeah, that's what.

The New York Times posted an article on July 9th about it, and I just read it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't let me post the link, but just google "Maximum Ride web series", and it should pop up. But you should really check it out- it gives some information about it. Like, it's not scheduled to air until spring 2015. (It's by Alexandra Alter, if it helps make the search easier.)

So, I really didn't see this one coming, and again, I have mixed feelings about it. Apparently, they are planning on having some famous youtube personalities play some major roles on the film, so I'm a bit curious. Do you guys know any youtubers who could play Fang? (I was kind of gunning for Avan Jogia to play him, but I guess now that dream just cannot be! *sings in a Les Miserables voice*) Or any of the flock members? I can't really think of anyone off the top of my head, but idk.

You guys probably know all about these two things, but I would love to hear you guys' opinions on these bombshells! Do you have mixed feelings like I do? Are you excited? Scared? Angry? Indifferent? Disappointed? Ecstatic? Any other adjectives you can think of?

Let me know!

And thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorite/followed this story!

I also want to give a shout out to The AngelLove for that awesome review! THANK YOU! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANKY YOU! You don't know how happy your review made me, and I'm SO glad that you like the story that much! It was definitely a HUGE compliment, and it made me feel awesome! :D

And to MaximumRider999 (the Dylan dying comment made me laugh! I'm not a Dylan fan either, but I'm trying to mold him from a Max obsessed puppy to a strong independent man who don't need no woman! Jk, I have plans for him (just not with Max))

To HowlingRain (Yeah, the medical stuff took AGES! And there might be some minor character deaths later on- you'll just have to wait! And Lilia and Victoria, as well as Mason, Logan, and Jaxon are my own characters, so I get to evolve them anyway I want! I'VE GOT THE POWER! (song from Candi Milo))

And to the Guest(s) (who has reviewed for every chapter, and I LOVELOVELOVE reading your comments! And I already have a few off-island exploration expeditions planned for some of the flock members, so just you wait! Exciting things are in store!)

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH! I will address the Voice, and I know that some people think that it was possible for Angel to be the Voice, and I'll admit that it isn't the most unrealistic thing that could happen in the series, but I don't think it made the most sense. But I have an idea of how I'm going to play the Voice out in this story, so hang tight, guys!

And I loved your suggestions on what you want to happen! Keep them coming- it helps me adapt my story, so please keep sending me ideas!

Whew! Okay, HUGE rant over! (Sorry for the word vomit!) Here is chapter 6!

recap:

"If you do surgery, you'll kill him."

Mom stepped forward, her tone hard. "Then what do you propose we do?"

Victoria swallowed thickly, as if she held the answers that would save Dylan, but would end her life or something. She squeezed her little sister's hand, and regretfully spoke out the words:

Lilia can save him.

Chapter 6: Lilia

"Come on, Lilia. You can do it. I'm right here with you." Lilia's eyes shifted nervously between her sister and Dylan, then to me and back to Victoria.

We were all huddled around Dylan's gurney, with Lilia and Victoria on the side closest to the EKG monitor. Fang was right behind me, and Angel held my hand as we all waited with baited breaths for Lilia to do something.

She signaled something to Victoria in sign language. Victoria smiled at her, nodding her head. "Yes, I'll hold your hand, silly," She said, gently taking the small girl's hand in her own.

She had said that having surgery would kill Dylan. That Lilia could save him. But I wasn't sure what Lilia could do to make this outcome any better.

"Get him on the floor," Victoria ordered, and Mom opened her mouth to protest, a confused look on her face. "So she can reach him," she elaborated. Nodding her head, Mom waved at Jeb and Jon, and they gently folded in the legs of the gurney and slowly lowered it to the ground.

Lilia looked back at Dylan with wide hazel eyes, settling onto her knees beside him. Victoria crouched down beside her, seeming to comfort Lilia with encouraging smiles and a calm façade.

The more I watched the two girls, the more it reminded me of Angel and I. When we were back in the School, Angel and I used to hold hands through the bars of our cage. And when we were in the E-house, the first few weeks after Jeb left, Angel would sleep cuddled up to next to me on the couch, so I could keep her bad dreams at bay. I had always tried my best to comfort her. To comfort all of the flock.

I wondered how Lilia came to rely on Victoria so much. How Victoria became the parent-figure to her sister. And unfortunately, I recognized Victoria's expression all too well- it's one that I used in extremely tight situations. Victoria was freaking out on the inside, and was trying to do her best to cover it up.

She was scared. Of losing Dylan? Of having Lilia fail? Was she scared for her sister? I wasn't so sure. But something told me that we were about to find out.

'Let's hope we don't,' a small voice sounded in my head. I jumped a little at the sudden intrusion, looking down to see Angel peering up at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. 'Why is that, Sweetie?' I thought back. But she only shook her head with wide eyes, looking back at Lilia again.

"Are you ready?" Victoria asked, and Lilia nodded, signing something more to her sister. "Okay. I'm right here. Go ahead."

We all watched anxiously, our hearts leaping in our chests, as Lilia raised a tiny hand over Dylan's body. She hovered her hand just an inch away from him, closing her eyes. Victoria shuffled beside her, swallowing thickly in anticipation. Seconds passed by. The EKG continued with its rapid alarm. Nothing happened...

And then the lights began to flicker.

The generator kicked, fluctuating in power, the EKG suddenly turning off, then back on. My eyes widened, and Angel clenched my hand tighter. I could feel Fang step closer, watching the scene from over my shoulder.

It was eerie, standing here in a hospital room with the lights wavering. Vaguely I was reminded of being back at the School again. When we had escaped, just moments before we had been smuggled out by Jeb, the alarms had went off. I still remembered those flickering red lights- the ones that had magnified the fear of being caught, like they had been signaling our impending capture. They had plagued my bad dreams for months after our escape.

Suddenly, a glowing golden light billowed out of Lilia's palm, settling over Dylan's body.

"Whoa!" Mason exclaimed. "Holy crap!"

"What the..." I muttered. The light radiating from her palm made her look like some kind of angel. Her curly brown hair glowed around her head like a halo. Victoria smiled down at her, although there was still a tinge of nervousness to it.

Lilia closed her eyes again after she saw that whatever she was doing was working. She took a deep breath. And then she placed her hand over Dylan's heart.

Like a pulse of lightning, the light shot through his body, starting at his chest and spreading rapidly through his veins. Mom gasped, and Logan yelped in surprise, scrambling away from the pair. I gripped Fang's arm tightly, and I glanced at him. He wasn't even bothering to hide his surprise.

"What the hell?" Fang breathed next to me, and I was too awestruck to reprimand him for his choice words.

But Lilia stayed concentrated, beginning to hover her hand across Dylan's body. In random places, she would place her palm back down on his skin, and the golden lights would pulse through him once more. The rhythmic lights illuminated the room, bouncing off the walls, the metal cabinets, the bottles of medicine and the glass utensils. I looked up at the ceiling, seeing the lights project onto the shadowed plaster above in random patterns.

It was impossible, otherworldly, and terrifying all at the same time. But it was… Amazing.

A awestruck smile slipped onto my lips as I watched the lights bounce around the room. It was beautiful. Angel grinned at me, then looked at the ceiling too. I snuck a look at Fang beside me to see him gazing around the room as well, a child-like wonder on his handsome face.

'Max, look at Dylan!' Angel exclaimed in my head again, and I did.

In complete disbelief, I realized that Dylan's body was healing before my eyes with every light that passed through him. The wounds in his chest began to knit together, until there was nothing but smooth, tan skin under the flickering lights.

Dylan's broken bones realigned, and his bruises began to fade. The blood on his skin dried, and I knew that his internal damage was patching itself up as well. The tubes and needles attached to his body began to fall out by themselves as his skin healed under them.

I felt relief spread through my body, threatening to overwhelm me again. The EKG machine began to gradually transform from rapid peaked heart beats, to slow, steady, strong ones. Dylan wasn't dying. He was going to be okay!

And within moments, the normal, gorgeous and healthy Dylan lied there, looking like he had just been sleeping. Like his accident had only been a nightmare. His chest began rising and falling in rhythm, in tune to how us avian-humans were supposed breath. His lungs had healed. His wounds had healed. The steady strokes of the monitor were proof that his heart was working perfectly.

Dylan was going to be okay!

"Lilia?" Victoria called, panic laced within her tone.

Her voice brought me out of my internal celebration. I flicked my eyes away from Dylan's body and to Lilia, who had her brows furrowed as she tried to hold on to her power. I hadn't noticed that she had begun to shake, and now it looked like she was having a major seizure.

Victoria squeezed Lilia's hand that she hadn't let go of this whole time. "Lilia, it's okay! Dylan's okay. You can stop now." But Lilia held on, beginning to shake so much that her eyes started to flutter, dark trails of blood beginning to drip from her nose.

Dread filled my heart, and I looked to Jeb, who was frantically riffling for something in the shelves across the room.

Oh God. This must be why Victoria didn't want her to heal Dylan.

"Lilia! STOP!" Victoria screamed, "You're giving too much!" Victoria yanked on Lilia's hand desperately, trying to get her away from Dylan, but it was as if Lilia was rooted to the spot.

"Max!" Angel called, tears in her eyes. I held her close to me, my stomach dropping as Lilia's power became unstable. "She's dying!"

"Mom, do something!" I yelled, but Mom was already scrambling for something on one of the cabinets. The light began to get brighter, and it became hard to look at. Fang gathered Angel and I to him, and I squinted into the light, trying to make out what was happening.

"I've got it," Jeb exclaimed to Mom. And then Jeb was running towards Lilia, the light glinting off an object in his hand.

"Wait, what is that?" Victoria exclaimed, but she wasn't fast enough. My eyes caught the tip of a needle right before Jeb stuck it into Lilia's arm, injecting her with more clear liquid.

"What did you just do!?" Victoria ordered, her voice cracking, tears dripping down her face.

For a second, nothing happened. And then the bright lights began to fade. Lilia's jerky movements began to weaken, and slowly she stopped shaking. The light disappeared from her hand, and her eyes rolled back in her head.

"Lilia!" Victoria caught her limp form as she collapsed, unconscious. Mom crouched down beside her, taking her pulse.

"What did he give her?" Victoria repeated angrily through broken sobs as she rocked her sister.

"An anesthetic," Mom rushed, standing up. "Jeb, get her hooked up. I'll check Dylan." Jeb nodded, and then Jeb was lifting Lilia up onto a gurney beside Dylan's that Mason had wheeled up from across the room.

"Max, I can't hear Lilia's thoughts," Angel whispered from beside me, wiping away some tears that tracked down her face. "You don't think that she's..."

"No, I don't." I murmured, stroking her hair. She sniffled, observing Jeb as he stuck her with an IV bag, getting her hooked up to a electrocardiogram machine of her own. "Mom gave her an anesthetic, Angel. She's just unconscious."

Angel bit her lip, trying to keep from crying. Fang put a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. "She can recuperate better when she's not awake. It'll give her body time to heal." Fang reassured, and I nodded beside him.

A soft beeping filled the room, and I immediately recognized it as Lilia's EKG monitor. I let out a breath of relief, hearing the non rapid sound of her heartbeat.

"Fang's right, Ange."

"Jeb!" Mom's excited voice drew our attention. "Jeb, Dylan is... well, he's fine! Perfectly healthy, with no traces of internal or external trauma. How is that possible?"

"It's impossible," Jeb shook his head, a wide grin on his lips, "And yet, it's not. He's really alright?"

"Completely," Mom breathed, drawing some blood from the veins in his elbow. "I'll analyze his blood content to confirm it, but I'm 99% sure that he's made a complete recovery!"

"So he'll wake up?" I asked, my voice sounding small even to my own ears.

Mom smiled at me. "He should. But give it some time, Max. He's still recovering." I nodded, but then tensed up again when Jeb swore.

"Valancia," He began, "Get me the morphine. Logan, I need you to place your hands on Lilia's stomach and her head- the bleeding is coming from somewhere, and I need to know where it is. Mason, I might need you too."

Victoria's face dropped, and she grabbed Jeb's arm. "What's happening to her?" She whispered, tears in her eyes. I noticed the blood still dripping from Lilia's nose, and held Angel tighter to me.

Jeb placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Victoria tried so hard to stay composed. "We're going to find out."

Logan placed a hand over Lilia where Jeb had instructed him to, closing his eyes. Mom came up with a few morphine injections, handing them to Jeb.

I looked at Fang, searching his eyes. His solemn look mirrored my own.

This was bad.

Logan blinked open his eyes. "Um..." Logan swallowed, looking up at Jeb.

"What is it?" Jeb asked softly.

Logan looked back down at Lilia then up to Victoria's fragile face and back to Jeb.

"Her brain," He whispered, swallowing again. "It's her brain."

"So he's okay, then?" Iggy asked, leaning back on his arms.

I nodded, thanking another boy who wrote his name on one of the pieces of paper in front of me.

I was surprised by how fast news travelled on the island. Almost everyone knew about Dylan's accident by now, and Lilia's hospitalization.

"Yeah. Dylan's fine. Jeb says he's going to make a full recovery."

Iggy and I were stationed on the big platform that I had given my speech on yesterday, collecting everyone's information. It was a long job, and even though we had already taken down almost twenty pages of names, we still hadn't recorded everyone yet.

When I had flown back from the caves after an hour or two of waiting, hoping for some updates on Dylan and Lilia, I had given an announcement to the islanders, letting the know that we would be taking their names, and that they should check in before it got dark. I guesstimated that it was about 3:30 now, but I felt drained. It didn't seem possible that it was still so early in the afternoon.

Before I left the caves, Dylan had still been resting. And although Mom said he could wake up any moment, she doubted that he would today. Lilia was still in the same condition as she had been in, although her nosebleed had stopped. Jeb hadn't had any information to give out on her status yet.

He said that all I could do was wait until the tests come back, and see what the results show. All you can do is wait, Max. All you can do is wait, repeated in my head. It seems like I've been told that a lot today.

"And the little girl's sister? How's she?"

Iggy glanced my way, his blue eyes looking at a spot just above my forehead.

"Pretty torn up, Ig." I sighed, "I don't blame her. I mean, Lilia just saved Dylan's life. He would have been dead if she hadn't helped him. And now... Lilia might be the one who... y'know."

I felt horrible for Victoria. She never once left Lilia's side the whole time, only giving blunt answers through teary eyes while her sister lay in a mysterious state beside her, almost like she was comatose.

Iggy nodded, looking down. "That's... A tricky situation."

"Yeah. Tell me about it," I murmured, tucking some hair behind my ear.

A few more teens walked up, writing their names and their skills in our ledger before wandering back to the campsite, just out of the thin collection of tropical trees we were stationed in.

"Thanks, guys," I expressed after them, smiling in what I hoped was in a convincing way.

Total trotted up through the trees, passing the group of boys who walked by, the light breeze ruffling his black fur. "Good afternoon," He wished them, grinning his toothy dog smile in greeting. Almost all of their eyes bugged out. You think that having them live on an island full of mutants, they should probably be unsurprised by seeing a talking dog.

"What the hell, man?" One of them whispered to his friend before laughing, and Total rolled his eyes, as much as a dog could do.

"Homosapiens," Total grumbled, jumping up on the platform and scampering towards Ig and I.

"What are you up to, dog breath?" I greeted, scratching behind his ear as he plopped down beside me.

"Mmm," Total hummed, "I'm going for a stroll, actually. But I wanted to come down and see how you were doing." He looked up at me expectantly.

Sighing, I looked back over the papers. "I'm okay, honestly." I answered, forcing my tone to stay light.

And truthfully? I had been so relieved when Dylan was okay. Like, the guilt had went away a bit, knowing that he wasn't hurt, and that he wasn't going to die. That we would get time to talk everything out, and hopefully dispel some of the negative tension between us.

But after he had been healed? Lilia, a little kid, might have extensive brain damage because of what happened. Because I made a mess, and an eight-year old girl had to take charge and clean it up.

"You don't sound that honest." Total reasoned, and I groaned, wiping tiredly at my eyes.

"Just drop it," I ordered, avoiding Total's scrutinizing gaze. "Dylan's alright. He's going to be okay. Just... drop it."

Iggy shook his head. "Yeah, but you're not alright." My glare was wasted on him.

"Maybe you need some rest," Total supplied. "I can take over your job, and you go get some sleep."

"I'll be fine," I snapped. "Stop worrying about me." It was my job to worry about them, not the other way around.

Iggy reached out to touch my shoulder."Max, you can't keep holding this stuff in. Just let it out for once. We're here to listen."

"Who are you, Dr. Phil?" I replied angrily, my agitation growing by the second.

"Wait- who's Dr. Phil?" Ella asked, settling down beside Iggy. I hadn't even noticed her walk up.

Iggy grinned at her, leaning over to peck her on the cheek. "Hey, Els." Blushing, Ella giggled, holding her offending sparkly pink notebook close to her chest. Nudge plopped down by Total, sandwiching him in-between her and I.

"I bet Total is Dr. Phil," Nudge guessed, ruffling the fur on the top of his head. Total growled, stretching slightly.

"No," I elaborated. "Iggy is Dr. Phil. Total is Maury Povich."

"You are NOT the father," Total exclaimed, trying to impersonate Maury. Ella laughed, and I chuckled with her.

"Soo," I began, looking at the two girls. "What have you two been up to? Soakin' up some rays?"

"Actually," Ella began, grinning at me, "we just got back from checking on Fang's team. They have some pretty good materials stocked up. And I have it all written down in here," she shook her notebook in the air proudly.

"Max, you've got to check this out! This is sososo awesome," Nudge gushed, pulling some grungy, but colorful strips out of the torn side bag she had slung over her shoulder. "Look what Fang found for me! It's fabric, Max! And I could start coming up with designs and I could finally make some clothes! Although, I think we're going to need a lot more fabric. But maybe there's a way we could make them out of leaves or something instead of fabric, and then I wouldn't run out of materials so fast. Of course, I might need some sewing needles and string, but all in good time. Isn't it just awesome, though? And they're such pretty patterns, too!"

She drew in a huge breath, beaming at me. It always amazed me how she could talk so much without breathing.

"That's great, Nudge!" I was ignoring Iggy's look- I knew he still wanted to talk about my feelings, but I really didn't want to deal with it right now. Today had been such an emotional rollercoaster that I could use a bit of light conversation. "Pretty soon, you'll be able to open up your own clothing shop!"

She giggled, nodding happily. Her wildly tangled hair bounced with her head, and I wondered if Mom knew if there were any brushes left on the island.

"Yeah, totally!" Ella agreed, "Maybe it could be a Tj-Max's."

"Or a Tj-Maximum's!" They both started laughing, and I looked at Total, not getting their joke.

He laughed, shaking his furry head. "Tj-Max was a clothing shop, Max. Before the Fracture."

"Ah."

A group of four or so girls walked up to check in, and I moved the papers towards them.

"Do you just want our names?" A pretty redhead asked, pausing in front of the paper.

"And any mentionable skills you have," I answered, smiling at her. She grinned back, picking up the pen. I was just about to ask Ella what area of the island Fang's scavenging team was in, when the redhead decided to initiate a conversation.

"Sooo, Fang's your boyfriend, right?"

I blinked, surprised. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

She giggled, shrugging her shoulders. "He's way hot." The other girls giggled around her, like some kind of annoying pack of girly hyenas.

"I guess," I agreed, wondering why they were telling me this. My temper was flaring, and I vaguely realized that jealousy was beginning to set in. Shouldn't they, you know, not be telling this to his girlfriend? Is this how normal girls conversed about other people's boyfriends? Because I didn't like it.

"How big are his wings?" She gushed, her friends giggling again as they each took their turns writing on the paper.

I knew for a fact that his wingspan was over 15 and a half feet, but it's not like I was ever going to tell her that. "I don't know. Why does it matter?" I was starting to get really ticked off.

She shrugged again. "No reason. Just a little... curious." She said it nonchalantly, but I swore I could detect a bit of suggestion in her tone.

I started to see red. "Yes, well, aren't all the ladies?" I commented smoothly. "Too bad he's taken. Now, if you don't mind, you're holding up the line." Plastering a sweet smile on my face, I got a tiny bit of satisfaction when she looked a little embarrassed.

Iggy snickered beside me, and I resisted the urge to punch him.

"Right," She said, giving a little cough. "Well, I was just wondering, that's all. It would be really cool to have wings." But somehow I knew what she really wanted to say: 'It would be really cool to have Fang.'

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." I admitted, trying to keep my leader face on, addressing both her question and her unspoken one, whether she knew it or not. "It's awesome. Better than anything."

The redhead nodded. "I thought so." then giving me a fake smile, she turned back towards her gal-pals. "Well, it was nice meeting you!" She called over her shoulder.

"Oh, it was the cherry on top of my freaking perfect day," I grumbled, out of earshot of her and her friends.

And after they had completely disappeared from the clearing, Iggy and Nudge burst out laughing beside me, Ella giggling through her attempts to remain neutral.

I groaned, putting my head in my hands. Would this day ever end?

A.N. Alright! So this has been an intense last couple of chapters! And the next chapter has lots of FAX and cuteness!

PLEASE REVIEW! :D

And thanks for the awesome reviews so far! Keep 'em coming!

Also, if you have any predictions for the new Maximum Ride book, let me know!
I personally think that Fang's going to find his gang again in the States, because I don't think JP will have had them just die and then have them not be involved in the flock's expedition of apocalyptic America.