Random Musings of a Bored Teenager

[Roxie !]

Yeah, I've been in a writing mood lately, so here's a story for y'all.

Chappeh 1

It’s dark. Not a huge surprise, considering we’re in the treetops of a forest in the middle of the night. I sat on a high tree branch, my back to its bark. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried, but sleeping in a tree isn’t the most comfortable way to catch some Z’s. Not that we haven’t done it before. Yeah, we. There’s Angel, who’s six, and her brother, the Gasman. He’s eight. Then there’s Nudge, eleven, and two others Iggy, who’s blind, and Fang. Fang is…well, he’s Fang. There’s not a lot of ways you can describe someone like him. Like any of us, really. Anyway, Iggy and Fang are both fourteen—like me. I’m Max, by the way, if you didn’t know. If that’s the case, well, then you’ve got some catching up to do. But that’ll have to wait.

The others’ soft breathing calmed my nerves a little. I was just beginning to realize how tense I was. Well, yeah, my life isn’t exactly a walk in the park. See, I’m the leader of this little group. It’s my job to protect them, and it’s harder then you’d think. They’re more then just my friends, they’re my family. The only family I’ve got, and the only family I’ll ever need. We’ve been on the run for awhile now. Why? Well, we’re six kids, alone in the world. There are people out there—people who want us dead, or worse. Oh yeah…did I mention that we’re winged mutant freaks? For lack of a better term.

Sudden movement caught my attention. In a blink of an eye, I turned my every sense alert and ready for action. A second later, I relaxed. It was only Fang, stirring on his branch a few feet away. He stretched, his dark wings unfolding briefly before tightening against his back once again. Even through the darkness, I could see his intense stare.

“Everything okay?” He asked quietly.

I blinked. “Fine,” I answered briskly, my own voice lowered so I didn’t wake the kids. I had just gotten Angel to sleep a few minutes ago, and I wasn’t up to repeating the process. Fang’s voice is always quiet, though. It’s just how he is.

“You seem tense.”

“Just keeping an eye out. Someone’s gotta be ready to save your butts while you guys are snoring.”

Fang smiled. Well, almost. He really isn’t the smiling type of guy. “I can watch for awhile. You should get some sleep.” He told me.

I rolled my eyes, doubting that he’d see me.

He’s right, Max. Rest, you’ll need it.

I grimaced. Here we go again.

I am glad to see that I’m appreciated.

Yeah, that’s me. Maximum Ride, your not-so-average teenage girl; more like a genetic experiment gone wrong. Because as an added bonus, I have a voice in my head besides my own. You think that’s crazy? Well, get used to it, ‘cause you ain’t seen nothing yet.

See, me and my flock, as I call them, came from a place called the School. If you haven’t heard of it, trust me, you don’t want to. It’s a lab—well, that’s the understatement of the year. It’s a genetic experiment lab, where scientists were doing illegal experimenting on human children. That’s where we came from. It’s where we got our wings, among our other mutant-like powers. But we escaped. And long story short, the School wants us back…badly. Bad enough to send huge, mutant, blood-thirsty creatures to track us. We call them ‘Erasers’. They look normal, but they have the ability to morph into huge, wolf-like…things. They’re our worst enemy, and not a pretty sight.

“Max?” Fang questioned after a moment, and I looked up, realizing that I had gotten lost in my own thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I assured him. “Forget it, go back to sleep. I can’t sleep anyway.”

Fang considered me for a moment, in that silent, cool way he has of doing. Truth be told, I was exhausted by now, but did that mean I was going to let the flock down because of it? Forget about it. They depend on me. Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge, being the youngest of all of us, practically think of me as a mom. So even if I was about to drop dead, I wouldn’t fall asleep on them. Fang, however, wasn’t buying it.

“Max, you need sleep.” He told me firmly. “At the first sign of anything weird, I’ll wake you up. I promise.”

I was still reluctant, and not about to hide it, either. I opened my mouth to protest, but before the words could leave my mouth, a gentle prodding touched my mind, one that I had become all-too familiar with lately.

Sleep, Maximum. You can trust Fang.


Well, no duh. It’s not trust that’s the problem. It’s the fact that Erasers could be anywhere, anyone, any place.

I could still feel Fang’s dark gaze burning a hole in the side of my head, and I sighed. So much for being a stubborn, fearless leader. Stifling a yawn, I leaned back against the tree and the warmth of my large wings, my eye-lids fluttering. Maybe just a few minutes wouldn’t hurt…




Well, turns out those few minutes I had planned turned into something a lot longer. The next thing I knew, Fang’s voice was calling my name urgently. I jerked awake, only to realize that the first rays of the rising sun were beginning to peak into the forest. Swearing softly, I sat up, glancing around the tree tops, searching for signs of Fang and the rest of the flock.

Max! Get up, Now!
Wham!

‘Next thing I knew, I heard a sickening crunch as a huge hairy fist collided with my face. I felt a rush of blood and a whirl of pain, and next thing I knew, I was free-falling from the gigantic tree towards the forest floor…

[Roxie !]

Chappeh 2

I didn't stop to think about what had happened, didn't hesitate or freeze in pain even though bright blood now streamed down the side of my cheek. It's that kind of thing, wasting time, that gets you killed.

I twisted in mid-air, my speckled wings unfurling. By now, it's second instinct. But believe me, it still ain't easy. My wingspan is like, 13 feet, give or take, and this forest is dense. As in, trees all over the place, only a few feet away from each other. I made some pretty close squeezes, twisting and turning to flick through the branches and back up to...whatever it was that was going on. My first guess: we'd been found...again. Big surprise.

Being reckless will get you killed too, Max. The Voice felt the need to scold me. You have to use your head.

I wanted to retort, but now wasn't the best time to start an argument. Because when I reached the Flock's position, sure enough, Erasers had the place swarmed already, and they weren't wasting time in human form. These guys were all business. They had come upon us already in killer-mutant wolf form. I suppressed an inward groan. They found us already? It seemed like only moments had passed since the last time these guys had been hot on our sorry butts. How'd they even get up here? Wait, did I even want to know? They had wings, sure, but see, wings and Erasers don't mix. At least, they don't mix well. The wings are huge and painful looking, as if someone sewed them on at the last minute, and god are they clumsy flyers! I might have found it funny if I weren't so busy trying not to be killed.

Anyway, I glared at the Eraser who had knocked me off the branch, my fists clenched. He was glaring back through blood-thirsty red eyes, grinning a huge, yellow-fanged smile. I was glad he found this all so funny. Geez...

Wait. Within a few seconds, my spine tightened in angry recognition. The Eraser noticed, and he laughed.

"Yeah, hey Max. Long time, no punch."

"Ari!" I spat through clenched teeth. Everyone has their best friends. Everyone has their worst enemies. Ari just happens to be mine--well, most of the time. It's complicated. I'll spare you the details.

"Poor ol' Maxy. You can't seem to get a wink of sleep these days, can you?" He taunted.

I hovered uncertainly, my eyes narrowed. "Because of you and your freakish friends, wolf-boy," I told him, knowing that his temper wouldn't last for long. Sure enough, Ari's twisted lupine features darkened.

"Sorry, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again...as long as you stay in your place."

I gritted my teeth, glancing around at the fighting children around me. Fang and Nudge were holding their own against two Erasers, while Iggy, being blind, was swerving through the trees. The Eraser with his big, goofy wings was struggling to keep up, and Iggy was starting to taunt him now. Good ol' Ig. The Gasman and Angel were faced off with another Eraser, and I watched for a moment as the wolf-man's wings suddenly snapped painfully against his sides. A look of confusion crossed his face, and next thing I knew, he had leapt off the branch and sent himself hurtling toward his own death. Yeah, in case you didn't know, Angel can control people...with her mind.

Momentary pride swelled in me, the Flock was holding out pretty well. But more Erasers were swarming in from below. We were going to be outnumbered, and I knew I had to end his soon. I turned back to Ari.

"My place is with my Flock." I snarled at him defiantly.

"Yeah, and you're Flock's place is in a test tube at the School."

I wanted to punch the heck out of him right then and there, but I knew that we weren't going to hold out much longer. So, a smirk would have to suffice. Without a word, I flew full-speed toward him. I saw Ari's eyes widen in confusion and surprise, but before he could even move, I had hit him full-force. I swung upward as he stumbled and fell from his branch, my wings beating hard.

You shouldn't have done that, you could have gotten hurt! The Voice rebuked me.

I couldn't resist. Grinning a little, I stopped to hover above the rest of the flock.

"Guys, c'mon, we're out of here!" I called down to them. A very relieved and tired looking Angel and Gasman flew upward toward me, Angel refusing to leave behind her dog, Total, and her little teddy bear, whom she had named Celeste. Iggy was next to follow. Below us, Fang made his way over to Nudge.

"Let's bail!" He hissed to the eleven-year-old, and they took off.

I led the way up, up, up to the leafy tops of the trees, and suddenly, I had burst through them. Sunlight poured down into my face, warming my pale, cold body. I had to say, it was a welcome change. There's only so much dreary darkness a girl can handle.

I only stopped to glance back and take a quick mental roll-call. As always, the Flock were right behind me. Without a word, they soared around me, and I was with them. In the forest, I could vaguely hear Ari's outraged howl.

"Find them! Don't let them escape!" He snarled at his companions.

Too late! I thought in satisfaction. We were free, but as always, it wouldn't be for long.

"Max?" Nudge asked me as we soared over the treetops, and I glanced at her.

"What now?"

I sighed, and for once , I was unable to answer her question.

Okay, Voice, I thought evenly. Good question. What now?

And for once, he...she...it...answered me.

Save the world, Max.


Here we go again.

[nightsky]

This is different...cool! So these are based on those Maximum Ride books? Looks interesting...So they are like mutant angel things? I am confused. Max is a girl right? Or a boy?

[Roxie !]

Thank you! Just stuff I'm doing in my spare time. And yep, this is Maximum Ride fanfiction...those books are Incredible! I can't wait for the third one, AND the movie -Squee- You haveta read em. I'm almost done with the second one, but you can borrow my copy of the first one if you want.

Nooot exactly 'angels', by the way. They were geneticly experimented on, so they have both human and avian DNA. Which is basicly human, with a bit of bird, hence the wings.
And yes, to clear that up if you haven't already figured it out:

Max,Nudge,Angel=Girls
Fang,Iggy, the Gasman,Ari=Boys
Total=The Flock's talking doggeh.
Celeste=Angel's little stuffed bear

[nightsky]

*Nods* K, Im good now, thanks!
And sure! Who are they by?

[Roxie !]

AHHHHH Just finished Book two! T'was AWESOME!! You must read these so I can rant wif ya!
Max and Fang just HAVE to admit their feelings for each other in the next book. They are sooo perfect x333
They're by James Patterson btw.
I swear I either need to find or make(Preferabley the first one) an RPG on these books.

[le Dawnz]

OMGosh JAMES PATTERSON!?!?!?!?!?!? Me mama LOVES his murder mystery books. And OMGosh don't you just HATE IT when peeps so OBVIOUSLY like each other but won't admit it? and I soooo need to read these books now! And YEAH that'd be so kewl! No, not cool, kewl!!

[Roxie !]

-Nods- My mom luffs some of his books too, apparantly this series is his first one directed toward young adult readers or somethin'. Thats why she got the first one for me one day, and I got HOOKED!
And I KNOW!! -Pulls out hair in frustration- They just can never make it easy >.> And Maxeh and Fang-y are just too dang proud to admit it.
And YEAHZZ!! You have to!! They ish soo awesome ^^

-Sighs- Drattyness, I found one today, but it was in M.M.

[Roxie !]

Chappeh 3

A few hours later, I definately wasn't in a 'saving the world' mood.

"We should find a place to land. Somewhere where we can figure this all out. " I decided at last, breaking the silence that had fallen over us all like a thundercloud. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and tried to look confident, like I had a plan.

By now, it was past mid-day. We’d flown for awhile now, and I knew some of the younger kids weren’t going to make it much longer. Even my wings were aching a little.

"Where? Where ever we go, they just end up finding us again and again." Iggy pointed out bitterly, and I shot him a sharp glance that of course, he couldn't see. But the last thing I wanted to do right now was get the younger kids' spirits down.

As it turned out, it was a bit too late. Angel turned to look at me, clutching her bear tightly. Total was about half her weight, so the rest of us took shifts holding him. I hoped desperately that she wasn't reading my mind right now; that she didn't know that I had absolutely no clue of where to go or what to do next.

"I'm tired, Max." She told me softly, and the fear and weariness that edged her voice nearly broke my heart. I suddenly felt guilty and angry. It was my job to protect everyone, but I haven’t been doing a very good job. Some leader I was. For the umpteenth time, I was wishing that the School would just give up, just…let us go. And, also for the umpteenth time, I realized that the chances of that ever happening were about as good as Fang deciding to dye his wings pink.

“I know, sweetie,” I told Angel wearily. “We all are. But we’re gonna find another place to land real soon, okay?”

“Maybe, we could like, find a crowded place.” Suggested the Gasman. “You know, where we could…blend?” He sounded hopeful, and I gave him a quick smile. On my other side, Nudge brightened.

“Oh, could we, Max?! It’s worked before! Remember when we went to the New York zoo and saw all the animals? The Erasers couldn’t find us there! And Disney World? Remember Disney World?! That was totally awesome! We got to ride Splash Mountain! And Ari never even spotted us there! Maybe we could find a city? There’d be, like, museums and stuff. Is it true that they actually keep real dinosaur bones in museums?”

“Some of them,” Iggy grunted.

Nudge grinned. “How cool would that be? I bet they’re huge! Or maybe we could go to a movie theatre? I—“

“Whoa, easy,” I held up my hands to cut her off before my head started spinning. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love Nudge, but sometimes, I swear, she could talk anyone to death. She paused, looking abashed, although her grin was still in place.

I turned my gaze forward again, my wings catching a gust of warm air so that I was able to glide almost effortlessly through the air. I don’t care what anyone says; there’s nothing in the world that can compare to flying like this. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that whoever is reading this isn’t a part-avian winged mutant, so I can’t even begin to explain what flying is like. It just…feels free. And it was certainly relaxing, too. I closed my eyes briefly and began to clear my mind, when Fang’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“Nudge is right,” He pointed out quietly. “We’ve had better luck finding cover in a crowd then in some random, deserted area. The Erasers are obviously able to track us somehow,” At this point, he turned his dark, piercing gaze toward me, and I nodded grimly. The whole Flock knows about the chip embedded in my arm, but nobody knows what it does. Still, I’ve made some pretty good guesses about it, and Fang is the only one who knows about them.

“So it’ll be harder to pick us out of a bunch of people.” He finished.

The whole Flock turned to stare at him. Coming from Fang, who was usually darkly silent, saying that much at one time was like any other, average person, reciting the Gettysburg Address.

“Unless some random civilian who turns out to be an Eraser spots us, and it turns into a fight or flight situation. Then our cover is blown, and we’re put smack-dab on the front page of the local newspaper.” I pointed out dryly. Even so, I knew they had a point. Besides, I was running out of options.

“What’s that?” Gazzy’s voice and pointing finger directed my attention to a small, bright patch of wildly colored lights that was looming below us. Even in the afternoon lighting, they still seemed bright. I tilted my head, my eyes narrowing.

“I dunno, it’s hard to tell from up here.”

Angel was beginning to look excited. “Could we go down and see? Please?” She asked.

I frowned doubtfully. “Guys, we don’t even know what’s down there.”

“Maybe we could stay there! It doesn’t hurt to at least check…” Said Nudge, trying to sound sensible.

I thought for a moment, and then made a decision I hoped I wouldn’t regret later. “Alright, let’s check it out, but be careful. Land in the shadows, fold your wings, and put on your sweatshirts. Don’t go too far until we know exactly what we’re dealing with here.”

Gazzy and Angel cheered, while Nudge grinned. Even Iggy looked relieved at the idea of rest and some food, although Fang’s only response was to shoot me a wary glance. Slowly, gently, we all lowered toward the ground, heading for the nearby trees that would prove as cover for our landing. As we got closer, Iggy, whose hearing is about two times sharper than any human’s or even any of ours, spoke up.

“I hear music!”


I shot him a confused glance, then swooped about ten feet lower, concentrating on the sight below. It turned out that Iggy was right; I could distinctly hear warm, happy organ music playing in the background of...whatever was going on. By now, everything was sort of becoming clearer. I could make out little tents and striped stands. Tiny specks showed various people moving around excitedly. But the one thing that caught my attention was the huge, round...Farris wheel.

Fang raised his eyebrows. "It's a...carnival?"

It would have to do.

[nightsky]

And, also for the umpteenth time, I realized that the chances of that ever happening were about as good as Fang deciding to dye his wings pink.

LOL!

“Oh, could we, Max?! It’s worked before! Remember when we went to the New York zoo and saw all the animals? The Erasers couldn’t find us there! And Disney World? Remember Disney World?! That was totally awesome! We got to ride Splash Mountain! And Ari never even spotted us there! Maybe we could find a city? There’d be, like, museums and stuff. Is it true that they actually keep real dinosaur bones in museums?”

and

I love Nudge, but sometimes, I swear, she could talk anyone to death.

Nudge scares me lol!!!


Nice update, I like how this one was all about the dialogue and how it introduced the charras personalitys and stuff.

Never heard of James Patterson

That sux. Well, you obviously wanna join one, and I'd join, and Dawny seemed interested...maybe we COULD make one. Itd be kinda hard but yea..

[Roxie !]

Once again, thanks Tess. ^^ And zomg I LOOOOVE Nudge! She's so hyper!
And yeah, the books are supposed to be, like, best-sellers, so we could probably get some interest -shrugs-

[le Dawnz]

What? No more in the 5 days I was gone? GET TO WORK GIRLIE!!