Maximum Ride All Over Again

Chapter 60

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.

With a groan, Max took the book from Total. "Why did I even put an Epilogue in this thing?" She muttered.

Epilogue:

There's nothing in the whole wide world like flying in the early morning, say around sixish. "Except sleeping," Nudge said. "Nothing's better than sleep."

"Even flying?" Angel asked her 'older sister.' Fang snickered.

"If I remember right," he said, "you fell asleep flying a number of times." That caused everyone to laugh.

"I didn't even know that was possible!" Ella said with a laugh.

"Well, somehow, she manages to do it," Max said laughing along.

At fifteen thousand feet, I could still make out the colors of cars inching along the New Jersey Turnpike below us. It felt fabulous to be wheeling in the air again, stretching my wings out fully, working out the soreness. We were flying in loose formation, coasting in one another's air wakes, smiling at nothing. We were happy to be together in the sky, way above the world that held our mysteries and our pain. "Please let this calm last you a little longer," Ella said. "You need rest." Nudge and the Gasman and Angel were thinking about what would happen just a couple days from this, and shivered. The rest does come, but now how they would've wanted it.

Total seemed to like the wind whistling through his fur, and the altitude didn't seem to be bothering his breathing yet. "Nope," Total said with a little puppy dog chuckle. I knew the others were excited about finding their parents, and I knew that I was going down that road with them, to the end of the line.

Fang glanced over at me, his face smooth and impassive, though I could almost feel the anticipation rolling off his feathers. I smiled at him, and his dark eyes lit.

Fang. I had to do something about him. "Like marry me?" he asked so only she could hear. Max smiled at that.

Me. I had to something about me too. Everyone laughed at the two of them.

When we got to Washington DC, it would be either incredibly great or a totally heartbreaking disaster. Iggy thought that meeting their parents would be our ticket to safety and freedom and happiness. I wasn't that naïve. "This daily reality check is sponsored by Maximum Ride," the Gasman muttered in one of his deep announcer voices.

Knowledge is a terrible burden, Max, said my Voice. I sighed. Still with us.

It's a two-edged sword, the Voice went on. It might help you, but it might put you in danger far greater than anything you've faced so far. "No wonder you were grumpy a lot," the Gasman muttered.

"Yeah," Nudge nodded. "Your Voice is really annoying."

Gotcha. But I had to do it anyway.

Max – you have a bigger mission than finding the flock's parents. Focus on helping the whole world, not just your friends. "That's not going to fly over well," Ella muttered.

I held my wings steady, coasting for a long, long way on a warm updraft. It was like floating on a cloud, the best feeling you can imagine. I wish you could try it with me. Maybe next time. "I'll take you up sometime," Iggy whispered to Ella and she giggled.

You know, Voice, I thought finally, my friends, are my world. "That's my girl," Fang said as Max dropped the book to the ground.

"That's the end," she said. "The end of the first book." She stood on her branch as the others stood up too, all but Dr. M and Jeb. "Now then, who's ready for dinner?" The flock cheered and the Gasman dutifully flew over to Iggy to help get Ella down easily.

Fang and Max got Doctor Martinez and Jeb down safely and they went inside to eat.

Iggy fixed a marvelous meal and Doctor Martinez fixed her chocolate chip cookies for desert. As they sat around the living room, with Max devouring every cookie placed in front of her, the flock got to enjoy another night of relaxation. But before long, Max stood up, wiping the cookie crumbs off of her chin and shirt.

"Okay, gang," she started out with a smirk, and Fang stood beside her, obviously in line with her next thought.

"We can't stay here forever," Fang said. Everyone but Doctor Martinez and Jeb protested. He held up a hand.

"He's right, we can't stay here forever," Max repeated, "but that doesn't mean we'll be back on the run. In fact, we won't be going that far." Everyone was confused.

"In fact," Fang said. "Everyone's still staying together, but this time, we'll be the one's hosting the company." Now they were even more confused.

"What, are we going to host them to another wonderful night at Camp Bummer – for Wayward Mutants . . . and friends?" Iggy asked.

Max laughed. "No! We'll be hosting them at a home of our own. Think about it. Your own room. Your own bed. Away from the majority of the madness. And just a short flight away from Mom and El." Max grinned at her mom and sister.

"That brings up another topic," Doctor Martinez said. "Regarding what happens next. . . I'll need to take some time off work to be able to stay with you." She trailed off a little. Max nodded, and thought for a second.

"We should be able to get through the second one in a couple days. Maybe three for the third. The fourth one could probably be done in one day, and the fifth one about the same." Angel said, holding each book up.

Doctor Martinez nodded. "Well then, why don't you rest here for the night? Then tomorrow we can all go to your new house in the morning." Max shook her head.

"We should really go tonight. Fang and I will meet you here in the morning and you can have breakfast with us, sound good? Mom? Ella? Jeb?" Jeb shrugged but smiled.

"It's going to be so quiet tonight though," Ella said, sadly. "Do you really have to leave tonight?"

Max looked around at her flock and smiled sweetly at Ella. "Yeah, El. We really do. We'll see you in the morning, okay?"

The end.

AN:

You can find MRAOA: SO-F off of my Author page. :) I just wanna throw a huge thank you to EVERY one of my readers. You guys don't know how excited I get when I realize that my story is actually being read. AND THE REVIEWS. Holy Hera the reviews.

I can't wait for your reactions to part 2.

Please. Keep a look out for any of my works okay?

Signing out for the last time on this story,

Jezabel Raewin