Forevermore

1: The Beginning of the End

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, and lean forward. I fall off the cliff. I feel my feet leave the ground, and unfurl my wings. I gasp slightly. I haven't flown in so long. I hadn't flown since the Split, not knowing whether I could trust my hurt wing or not. But now, I know I can. I soar across the sky, thinking about everything, even though I didn't know much about what had been happening.

My name is Maximum.

I am 19 years old.

4 years ago, I had "saved the world." But I don't really think I saved it. Heck, I know I didn't save it. If I had saved it, there would still be other humans, besides the others that lives on the island with us.

I unfurl my wings more, swooping across the sky. I felt at home, up here in the air, with nothing but my wings to comfort me.

I look down and see the small tree houses that dotted the trees below me. I knew that 6 of them housed my flock, my family.

Me, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman, and Angel. There's also Dylan, but I don't really consider him "family."

But I do know one thing. I'm grateful for him. I'm grateful that he saved my flock from the giant waves that swallowed Fang and me up, those 4 long years ago. I'm grateful he's been here for me - for us - all these years.

✄ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I fly over the island for a few more minutes, enjoying the beautiful view.

After the split, the Gen 77 kids that were living on the island with us voted, and elected me as their leader. I laughed before saying, "Oh, you're serious?"

They also made a system to help me "lead them" and stuff. It's called the IPP or "the Island Protection Program." I still laugh at the name sometimes. Wow, I can be immature.

I make a large circle to turn around, and head back towards our houses. That's when I hear a familiar sound.

Whup, whup, whup.

I look up and see a chopper. My heart starts pumping. I fly higher until I'm even with it. I look inside and my heart stops.

Four men in whitecoats are in the front and a lot of crates are stacked in the back.

That's when one of them looks over and lock eyes with me. I dive down towards the water and fly into the trees so that they conceal me. I tuck in my wings and run to my tree house.

I climb up the ladder that lead up to my tree house, not wanting to attract attention. I get inside and shut all my windows and doors. I carefully cross the branch that commented my home with Fang's. I barge inside.

I find him inside sitting on the couch in the living room. He stands, seeing the bewildered look on my face. He comes over to me and takes my hand, the one with the ring on it.

Yes, THE ring. He took the ring that he gave me on my 15th birthday, [the ring that Fang gave Max on their 15th birthday in the book "Fang"] said he had to fix something on it. He came back and proposed to me with the same ring, except for he removed my birthstone and put in an actual diamond. Don't ask me where he got it, because I don't know.

But anyways, he takes my hand and asks "What is it?"

I look down a little. "The whitecoats... They're back."