Maximum Ride: ENEMIES AND FRIENDS

Breathing Only on Flames and Other Things Not Good(Max)

 "Run!" I say, not thinking.

 "You mean fly, Max?" Gazzy says, flapping his wings a little faster so that he can catch up with the rest of us after getting a last flystart.

"We cannot let her get to us, Max, or else." Angel warns, using her voice,knowing that if told the other ones, some of them may panic.

  Patrly, I don't have any idea what is going on, but I continue flying. Who knows how far she is, but apparently my sister is not just Jesse, and who she was before is gone.

  Swallowing hard, I try my best to tie my hair into a blonde messy ponytail before swooping under Fang to take up the lead. I don't dare look at him, I know that he is mourning. He may have chosen me, but he still loves her, and I don't think I can take it if I see Fang crying right now. 

  Suddenly, my eyes grow wide, screaming as a half-dead mutant crosses in the air, his blood spraying both Fang, me, and Angel's face. I don't have to even command them for all of us to halt. They already know.

  "She's coming!" Nudge cries, staring in horror as the poor mutant from earlier falls to the ground with a loud thud. "Where do we go, Max? I don't want to die. We have come this far, certainly-"

  Thankfully, she is cut short by Iggy. "Shut up, Nudge. We're trying to figure out now."

  "Does anyone remember the layout of the School?" I sigh, trying to keep on a calm mask but I know that they all know that I am screaming on the inside.

  "I chose to forget." Gazzy says.

  Total just climbs into Nudge's arms, staring at me with black beady eyes.

 "It was back that way." Angel says, pointing to where we can hear the screams of the less fortunate mutants that didn't get the warning ahead of time, whether they had wings or not. "Back where Jesse is."

  "Damn it." I curse, looking straight ahead where blood splurts across the wall not five hundred feet away from us. "Angel, you were able to prevent her from killing us once, right?"

  "No. It she had the will to kill us then, but she didn't. I could only make her think besides her shadows, and nothing else. But that was then. What do we do now?" Angel replies.

  "We're doomed." Gazzy adds, holding his hands to his head.

  Fang is the only one who still has not set a word, and now I really do look at his face. Expecting to see the calm face that I have always seen all these years, I see a red tear stained face. Flying over to him quickly, I grab his hand and kiss him hard on his lips. Thankfully, he returns the favor, moving to my ear and kissing me there as well. Breathing a little harder than before, he says, "Max, I love you. I would do anything for her. More than her. Do know that."

  "I love you, too." I reply, not truly getting why he's telling me this now. "But, what do you mean?" I laugh nervously.

  To my horror, he gives me one last smile, kissing my forehead and looking at the others with the saddest smile I have ever seen. Even sadder than the guys from one of Nudge's sappy romance movies. "It means exactly as it means." he says, then spreading his wings wider and away from us before I can even protest. Back to where a walking girl walks below, her hair flowing as if being lifted by the wind, and black matter flying behind her.

  "Fang, NO!" I scream just as blood hits my face as if being placed in front of a fan.

  Nooo...