Jumping over the rocks, her hair flew behind her.
Lies. All lies.
Every single thing that they'd told her was lies.
Her past, her present, and some of future. None of it was true.
"Kade!" Someone called for her, their voice too far away, the way she was hoping it would be.
They wouldn't catch up to her. Which was exactly what she was wishing. That they would never catch up to her.
She ran farther, blinking tears away from her eyes, scraping her bare arm against a tree trunk.
"Kadence!" The voice called again, so distant it seemed over the ocean.
She didn't respond, knowing that if she did, they would still know she was alive.
Her left arm hurt like hell, but she ignored it, gripping onto another ledge to hoist herself up to the top of the mountain.
Standing at the top, she could see the search parties scrambling a couple miles away.
She smirked, knowing it would take them at least an hour to reach this point, when it had only taken her twenty minutes.
A sudden snap of a twig registered her attention back to Earth, where her feet picked up swiftly through the undergrowth.
And just like that, she was running again.
From what exactly, she didn't know for sure. Something told her to leave. To leave and never come back.
As she ran, stumbling over the tree roots and overgrown paths, she tried to figure out what that something was.
Could it have been the sheer fact of surprise when they had told her of her destiny?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Something else still tugged at her mind, something from long ago. Maybe a word- a sentence- that meant nothing yesterday, but today meant so much more.
As she replayed them in her mind, the thoughts haunted her like an unwanted ghost.
Her head spun wildly, searching for them, thinking they would pop up right here and now.
Finally, she came across a road, leading downtown, where she was sure she could catch a bus and get out of this town for good.
Unleashing her wings, she flew up and towards the city lights, watching cars pass underneath her.
What little, unimportant lives they led, those people down there.
Get up, go to work, get paid, come back home, and sit down with the family.
If only she had had that kind of experience. If only she had grown up in a normal household.
But she hadn't, and that was why she was running- or flying- now.
The Kat Bus circled the corner of Washington Pike and Heiskell Road, where it stopped to pick up a couple of drunk college girls from outside Tonic- a popular night club.
She dove down, streaking towards the tiny alley beside the bus stop. Folding up her wings, she led herself out of the dark abyss and into the nightlife, stepping onto the bus.
Dropping two quarters into the bucket, she walked towards the very back, crashing onto the very last seat.
There weren't many people on the bus tonight, surprisingly.
The usual businessmen must have driven their Mercedes home tonight, since it was Friday.
Her eyes closed, finally resting, after all this time.
She was about to think up another plan, once she got out of the city, but the kids in front of her stopped it.
"Max?" A voice hissed out, an unbelieving tone in its voice.
She cracked her eyes open, confused.
"Who are you?" She eyed the boy up and down, who seemed to be about her age, same height, with darker skin and brown hair.
The boy opened his mouth to answer, but the rattling of the bus stopped him.
She toppled over, falling into the floor with the rest of the occupants in the vehicle.
Lights flashed everywhere, red beams searching the inside of the bus.
"Shit!" She cursed, her eyes swelling in frustration.
"Let's go!" The boy waved his hand, three kids and a blonde dude following after him.
Well, she hoped they would make it out okay, even though she didn't really see any sign of how to-
"I said let's go! Don't tell me you've lost your leader skills already!" The boy grinned her as he nodded his head, ushering her to follow them.
Well, what else could she do? Stay here?
The bus rocked again, proving that the first decision was the best.
She gritted her teeth, grabbing a hold of his outstretched hand, as they kicked out a couple windows.
Agents started swarming in, guns pointed.
"Up and away?" The boy turned to her and she just raised her eyebrow.
He rolled his eyes, unleashing his thick black wings, as he nodded toward the rest of the kids.
She flashed hers out, sliding through the emergency exit at the top of the bus.
And as soon as it started, it was over, the six of the complete strangers to her flying off into the distance.
"Welcome back, Max," The boy grinned.
Then he did something unforeseen.
He leaned in and kissed her.
AN: WAHOO!! FOUR PAGES!!!!Yeah, well, go me!!!
I actually have an alternate to this story, but it's not about Maximum Ride, so I'm sure you won't want to read it.
Anyway, review and tell me what you think.
I think it's pretty good but… I dunno.
I'm hoping to make this more of a mystery / action more than "oh, Fang!"
But there still will be FAXNESS (cause we can't live without it!!!).
So… yeah…
REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!
Peas?