A/N: Hey there guys. So anyways...just have to clear a few things up before we begin this lovely story. This is a request story. A wonderful gal by the username Shayna-18 had an outline floating around in her head, so she graciously typed up the outline for me and asked if I could write it. She wanted to get it out there. Now how could I say no to that? LOL...so yes...the credit for the idea behind this story goes to her, I'm just writing it. :D I'm hoping it turns out the way I want it to. I would hate to make something terrible out of her loverly outline. It has an interesting plot.

Also...this story is all human. Max has never been, nor will she ever be in this story, part bird. Same with all the other members of the flock. Jeb never betrayed them, Ari was never evil. Basically, they are all living normal lives. Seperate, but normal. Well...not really normal, but normalER. Warning! Max is OOC!

Disclaimer: The rights to these characters (with the exception of occasional characters that I make up in my noggin) belong to James Patterson, a wonderful writer, and the man behind more than half of my fanfictions on here. Long live James Patterson, I guess. Unless...the rights would magically be turned over to me and I would be credited for Maximum Ride. In which case... DIE PATTERSON, DIE! No really... And also any brand names or companies mentioned, are not mine unless I'm feeling unusually imaginative. Thanks!

Chapter 1: Rebel Without A Cause

Max's POV

I listened to the crunch of gravel under my feet as I walked the familiar path that led to The Meeting House. It was starting to get dark out, but there was no moon out tonight. It was burried under a thick swath of clouds. My mood was particularily sour. Induced by my meddling father. God, I wish he could just keep his nose out of my business. But no...he was always ragging on me about one thing or another. "Max, you can't go out tonight, it's way too late." or "Max, you need to get a handle on your school work, or you're going to fail. You can't go out until you finish that paper due tomorrow.". It was one thing after another, and nothing I ever did was good enough for his highhness.

The argument tonight was that I was too much of a trouble-maker for my own good. His words "Maximum Ride, I just don't know what to do with you anymore..." were still ringing in my ears. I didn't stay to hear anything after that. I was running late enough as it was. Glancing at my watch, I realized I was supposed to be at The Meeting House five minutes ago. I was still ten minutes away from getting there. I cursed under my breath, blaming my stupid father for this. I was really going to get it this time. It was the second time this week I was late.

"Thanks alot, Jeb...Now I'm going to get stuck doing all the dirty work tonight..." I'd recently gotten into the habit of calling my father by his real name. The word DAD really just didn't seem to suit him. I wasn't the family type anyways. I hadn't been since before I can remember, but then again...I didn't exactly have the best childhood. After my over-controlling father had divorced the mystery woman that gave birth to me, we'd moved to some bum-town in God know's where. It was there, that my father met mystery woman number two, and where she gave birth to my half-brother, Ari.

Then things took a turn for the worse, and she ran off, and we moved to the little shit hole town we're in now. So...now I'm stuck in this place with nowhere to go, and an annoying little stepbrother. The happiest memory from my childhood was running away from home at the age of ten and hiding out in a Target until after it had closed. The manager came in the next morning and found me watching a flat-screen television and eating a bag of potato chips. Let's just say that neither him nor my father was very pleased with my behavior. I could see The Meeting House of a bit down the road and broke out into a run, my lungs hardly even aching because I ran so often from one thing or another.

The Meeting House was an old, abandoned farmhouse way out in the country. It really did look like something out of a cliche horror movie. Most of the wood it consisted of was molding away, and there were stray patches in it's battered green roof. The windows were nothing more than dilapidated holes in the sides of the house with shards of razor sharp glass poking out from the rims. Even the door looked like someone had taken an ax to it. But we made it work. The lanterns we strung up on the inside made it a little less creepy, and we had managed to patch up most of the major holes in the roof. It still looked like shit, but it was shit with a few perks.

For one, it was convieniently located. Sort of a middle ground between mine and the rest of the group's houses. It was also isolated so we weren't concerned about any cops dropping by and deciding to raid the place. It also had a huge haunted quality to it. No kids wanted anywhere near this place, so we were free to take control of the place without any disturbances. I hurried up to the heavily abused door and shoved my way in. The handle had a tendency to stick, so every time you wanted to get in, you practically had to ram your way through. Walking right in, it appeared that the whole house was pitch black.

Even though there was hardly any chance that a cop would drive by the house, that didn't mean we didn't take precautions. We left all the lights off in the house downstairs (not that the electricity worked or anything), and we held our meetings in an upstairs room towards the back of the house so no light could be seen from the front. I could see the glow of the lanterns upstairs, and hear the soft hum of voices. I stepped forward hurriedly, not wanting to startle anyone, but in hurry. Our symbol was spray-painted in the entrance room on a wall. Now you may be wondering what the heck I mean by symbol. Relax, I'm not in any funny cults, nor am I participating in any weird satanic rituals. No...nothing that dark.

I'm in a gang. Now hold on. When people think gangs, they think ghetto people hanging out in alleyways and mugging any passerbys. They think black baggy sweatshirts and lots of drugs and weird slang. That's not what we are at all. What we are is just a couple people that banded together to make it through this society. I don't see where the wrong is in it, but apparently other people do. We have to do what we have to do, and if that means stealing a little here and there, or vandalising a couple scarce things...then so be it. I don't see the wrong, but we've been cast out. And now all we have is eachother.

As my feet hammered up the stairs, I heard the voices die in the room ahead. The light flicked off and there was complete silence. "Relax you guys, it's just me!" I called, flying up the remaining steps and dashing around the corner. The light flicked back on, and suddenly there were four people waiting in the doorway to greet me. Three out of the four looked pleased, but the other looked quite the opposite.

"So you finally made it, huh?" Caden leaned in the doorway with that smug little grin of his. His pale blue eye were sunken into his weathered face because of the odd lighting. He brushed his dirty-blonde hair out of his eyes and rose his eyebrows. His lip ring flashed in the change of light as he shifted. I brushed the comment off and apologized for being late again.

"Sorry, my stupid father wouldn't stop yelling at me. It took me FOREVER to get out of the house, and even then he was still bitching me out." I pushed past the group of them and into the dimly lit room. Everyone followed.

"Ugh...parents..." said Mousey, following me closely and plopping down next to where I sat. Her real name was Anna, but we had christened her Mousey because of her small, rodent-like features. She was extremely petite with unruly light brown hair and pale skin. Her eyes were small and she was just a little bit buck-toothed. The resemblence was remarkable. Though most people would've thought her geeky, I'd always thought she was more cute than anything. I think she felt a bit intimidated by the others because she stuck to me like glue whenever I was around. A usefull little thing too, being able to fit into small places and such. Defintely came in handy if we needed someone to crawl through windows to unlock doors.

I cracked my knuckles absentmindedly and stared up at the boy who now towered in front of me. He looked more man-like than boyish though, if you ask me. He was only seventeen but already he stood at 6'6", his body rock hard and flexing as he stared down at me with his fierce gray eyes. His square jaw was clenched down tightly. This was Sean's angry face. He was obviously not pleased with my tardiness. "What's 'a matter, Sean?" I teased, grinning. "You got PMS again? Need to borrow some pads or something?"

"You're late." was his curt response. "Again." I gave a short laugh, not nearly as intimidated by him as he wanted me to be.

"Aww...does little Sean have confidence issues? You're putting on quite a show. Tell me...were you abused as a child or something, because-" I didn't get to finish my sentence. It was interrupted by Sean's massive, calloused hand slapping me clean across the face. My neck jerked to the side, not expecting the impact, and I froze where I was, speechless along with everybody else. And then Carson stepped in.

"Sean...come on. Take it easy on her." He was tall just like his brother, perhaps an inch or two shorter. Looked just like him too, except that his face held none of the sourness that Sean's did. He looked less hardened and strict, more goofy and careless. But Sean silenced him with just a look. Obviously, you could tell who was the leader here. And unfortunately, I don't mean me. Though I would jump at the chance, Sean was the one who had started the gang in the first place. Therefore, he obtained the rights to lead it. Not that I was particularily happy with it. I'd never cared much for Sean as a person, though he was an excellent addition to the team. He definitely knew his way around town and how to get us where we needed to be. A good leader, but not a very good friend.

"You watch your mouth...I only take so much bullshit from people." he said, leaning back against the wall casually, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I ignored his carelessness and massaged my cheek while looking at the others. We were used to being told off by Sean on most occasions. It was only rarely that he lashed out like that, though. Especially on one of the girls. Mousey tried to brush off the shock as well by jumping into why we were really here in the first place. And unfortunately, no...It was not to make fun of Sean's masculinity issues.

"So...what's on the agenda for today? Please tell me we don't have to rob another gas station. It gets so boring after awhile, and there's really not even that much money in the end anyways." Mousey had always been one to whine and complain about things we made her do. She always had to know a reason why, and she had to be practically forced to do it. But on the job she was quiet, small, and swift. So we kept her around. Everyone else turned to Sean, whose face was sliding into a sly expression.

"Well, since Max was late again, it's her turn to do all the dirty work. And boy, oh boy, Max...did you pick the wrong day to be late." Some of my carefree attitude was smothered by this statement. I didn't like the look in his eye, nor was I very fond of his tone of voice. I braced myself for the worst possible scenario, and tried desperately to remain calm and collected. Because that was how I rolled. No time for freaking out or fretting about every little thing. If I had a job to do, I got it done, no questions asked.

"What do I have to do, Seanny boy?" I teased him a little bit to hide my growing sense of self-endangerment. He ignored my smite and grinned widely, baring all of his menacing teeth like a bloodthirsty hound.

"Tonight we're breaking into the Watson's." A collective gasp rushed through the group.

"Did you hit your head on the way here?" Carson asked incredulously, studying his brother with curious eyes.

"Yeah, are you crazy? You are talking about THE Watsons right? As in...the same Watsons that own the huge mansion and take vacations to Jamaica annually?" Caden was just as shocked about the news as I was. The Watsons were an extremely rich family that had earned their fortune through the current owner's grandfather's discoveries in the field of medical science. Nobody was sure exactly what he had done, but whatever it did got him some dough, becuase now his grandson and the wife were rolling in it.

"Those would be the ones." Sean said heartlessly, standing up straight from his slouch on the wall. "You're not chicken, are you, Caden?" Caden looked tentative for a minute, before puffing up his chest bravely so as to defend his male status.

"Of course not. I just...don't wanna get caught, that's all." Sean laughed coldly.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that, now will you? Not with Max doing all the dirty work." He turned to me and I felt my eyes go wide.

"Wait! You're gonna make me break in there by myself? Do you know how many alarm systems they probably have? How many security cameras? Hell, they probably have freaking guard dogs like in the movies! Come on, you're just doing this to mess with me." I protested. Normally, I would keep my objections to myself, but the fact that Sean was gonna throw me out on the hook as bait was just plain pissing me off.

"Yeah, Sean...come on. Why does it have to be the Watson's place? I mean really...I'd rather rob another gas station." I was happy that Mousey seemed to be siding with me, but I knew that her whining could only be frustrating Sean. And we really didn't need that right now. I was going to step in to shut her up, but Sean beat me to the punch.

"Listen...you're either going to listen to me and get this over with, or we're going to sit here and argue about it for half an hour." He bent forward so that his face loomed right in front of Mousey's. "Who do you wanna bet will win the argument?" She gulped quietly, and turned her eyes away from his in a sort of surrender. He looked momentarily pleased and then stood up, his expression stone cold again. "Okay...now, I have a friend who gave me a little job to do." My curiosity was piqued now, and not just about the fact that Sean even had friends. I leaned forward imperceptively so that he didn't think I was hanging on his every word in interest. I had a reputation to maintain.

"He's looking for some certain somethings, and I just happened to know where we could find some of these somethings. So I told him we could do the dirty work for him if he agreed to compensate for our troubles. And let me tell you...he's willing to compensate graciously in return for these items." Everyone was dead silent, and then Mousey piped up again, notorious for her big mouth.

"What sort of stuff does he want us to get?" Sean didn't answer, but pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her with just a touch of impatience. I peeked over her shoulder to read it.

Original copy of 'And Then There Were None' by Agatha Christie
Mrs. Watson's Taaffeite necklace

"Mrs. Watson's Taa-what necklace?" I asked in confusion, wondering if Sean had misspelled something on the the paper.

"It's pronounced 'tar-fite', and its extremely rare. Only like ten specimens of a certain kind of it, and it's almost a million times scarcer than diamonds, therefore far more valuable. And that old bitch has got a whole necklace full of them up there in her little hidy hole. Do you know how much my friend is willing to pay us for that?" I rose my eyebrows, but Mousey looked interested in the other thing listed on the sheet of paper.

"What does he want an original copy of?" I, too, was a bit confused at this one, and turned to look at Sean.

"It's a book. Really famous. You've never heard of Agatha Christie? Anyways...this friend of mine found some crazy old guy that's willing to pay up so he can give it to his wife for her birthday or something like that. Ridiculous, but I don't frankly care as long as we get paid." I grabbed the list from Mousey and studied it over again.

"Okay, and you really think that I can get this shit by myself? If these things are really as rare as you say they are, they'll probably have them locked away in some safe with laserbeams around it. There's no way I'll make it out without getting caught. Or deep fried in some security trap they've set up." I couldn't believe the idea had even crossed Sean's mind.

"Well, you should've thought of that before you decided to be late again, Maximum." I growled when he used my full name, which I didn't particularily care for.

"Okay...first of all, I didn't DECIDE to be late. I told you...my stupid bastard of a father kept bitching at me. Second of all, if you really want all this stuff, you're gonna have to give me a little help. Sending me in there alone will only hurt your chances of getting the money. You wanna rethink your little proclamation now?" I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes to stubborn slits, knowing that even if he was the 'official' leader, that I could fight arguments better. It was one of my best talents, and I was very proud of that fact. But Sean glowered at me like a king who had just been defied by his servant.

"Yeah, Sean, really...Going in there alone would be way too hard. Even for you. The only thing you'd accomplish by doing that would be losing us a team member, and leaving us empty handed." Carson bravely stood up to his brother, but I could tell that Sean still frightened him just a bit. The fact that he knew him better than any of us gave him an upper hand in changing his mind, though. The others, inspired by Carson's protests, stepped in with a few of their own. Sean silenced everyone with a death glare. I waited impatiently for his verdict. Staring down at all of us, with our pleading and uncompremisable faces, he finally gave a sigh more reminiscent of an angry puff.

"Allright fine." Everyone cheered quietly at their victory against the 'big man'. "But, you have to listen carefully to me if this is going to go well. And, Max... I'm still going to make you do most of the dirty work." I grinned though, despite this threat.

"Oh, trust me...I'm up for it." And I was back to being my usual take-on-anything self again. I saw Sean roll his eyes, and my smirk grew wider at the thought that I was annoying him. Sean immediately stepped back into his leader shoes, afraid of anyone gettting the idea that they could overthrow him regularily, and started dishing out instructions. I was too interested in this mission to pose an argument. Even Mousey was silent throughout, not a single complaint.

"Okay, listen...I want everyone to change into their spare pair of dark clothes, got it? When you're finished doing that, I want Mousey to pack the bags. We'll need rope for hopping the fence and two flashlights. I'm going to split us up into two groups when we get to the mansion. One group will go get the necklace, and the other will grab the book. I'll explain everything in detail when we get there, but go on already and get dressed. It's going to be a long walk over there."

The Watson Mansion was more extravagant than I had imagined. Never having seen it before, I almost gasped when it came into view. Large and statuesque, it was perched ontop of a gently sloping hill with a cement path making a driveway/walkway up to it. The path rolled down to an abrupt halt at a large wrought-iron gate that protected the premises from people like us. And the mansion itself was breathtaking. The building was made up of pale, sand color bricks, and the roof was a sleek gray-brown shade. A dark forest green trimmed everthing, including the large, curtained windows. The front door was shrouded by a dark green archway that extended outwards, resembling that of one you would expect to see at a five-star restaurant.

Beautiful pillars held up the house on the porch, and the tallest tower had a set of french doors that opened onto a petite balcony. Beautiful hedges and an array of flowers bordered the house and the pathway leading up to it. My eyebrows were about ready to shoot off my forehead, it was so intimidating. I began to second guess my former thoughts that we would be able to get away with this no problem. We had robbed countless other places, mostly for money we needed for supplies and other nescessities, but never a place like this. Never for anything seriously valuable. As we took in all the splendor, Sean crouched down by the gate and started to unpack the bag he'd brought along.

"Allright..." he said solemnly as he unwound several feet of rope, "I'm splitting us up into two groups. The first: Me, Carson, and Caden. We'll go get the book. Max and Mousey are after the necklace." I was puzzled. Why on earth was he sending us two girls after the necklace? I didn't object, but normally he was all "male power" and stuff.

"Why do I have to go get that stupid necklace? It'd be so much easier to grab the book! Not to mention, there's probably a shit-ton more security on it than some stupid wad of paper stapled together." Mousey was pouting again, looking spiteful at Sean's decision. He ignored her completely, tossing the rope over the fence and lowering it until it hit the grassy ground. He instructed Carson to slip his hands through the spaces in the gate, and tie the rope around a bar. Finally, Sean answered in a delayed response.

"Because...you guys are smaller, and probably quicker. You'll be able to get in and out of wherever it's stashed faster than any of us would. Trust me..." But something told me there was an alterior motive for this sudden change in opinion about who could do the job better. Everyone knew that whenever something even small went on, the girls in the group were always given the easiest, most fool-proof jobs. And all the sudden, something big rolls around and we get set on the most difficult task. And probably the most dangerous in regards to not being caught. And then it clicked. He was still punishing me. If I got caught, what did it matter to him? It just meant that I would be out of his hair. I barred my teeth in disgust.

If there was one thing I knew about Sean, it was his complete inability to truly care about someone. The closest he came was towards his brother, and even that relationship was strained. No...Sean didn't give a rat's ass about me, or Mousey. And that was just something I'd have to accept, because I wasn't prepared to complain about it like my designated partner in crime would. I would show him...I would show him real good. As Sean reached out to start climbing the rope, I stepped in front of him and grasped it in my own hands. Grinning, I began to hoist myself up inch by inch. It was no big deal. I'd climbed higher fences in the past, sometimes without even the pleasure of rope to do it with.

"Where's this weird necklace kept anyways?" I said, sounding slightly out of breath from the exertion of continually straining my body to climb higher. "Do they like...have a safe or something?" My hand slipped a little on the rope, and I slid down slightly. Inhaling deeply to remain calm, I regained a tight hold and pushed onward and upward.

"Not sure..." Sean replied casually, though I could tell he was a bit put off that I had taken over the role of the big hero who climbs the fence and lets everybody else in on the other side. No doubt we would have to use some weird tactic to get into the house, though with a mansion of this prominence, you'd expect every security measure imaginable to be taken. We'd have a hard enough time just setting foot on the lawn without some sort of alarm being triggered, let alone busting through the window or something of that nature. And of course...Sean had absolutely no idea where anything was. We'd be wandering around aimlessly in the dark for half an hour.

"You're kidding me, right? You didn't even think up a plan, oh great one? We're just gonna barge in there and the necklace is going to be conveniently placed on a pedestal next to the book, is that what you're hoping? The butler's just gonna let us in and hang up our coats for us?" I liked to take every opportunity I could get to point out any flaws in Sean's plans. Usually, there weren't many, but tonight there was a shit-ton of tiny cracks, and I was going to relish in his humiliation, calling them out to the whole group. But Sean was quick to brush the matter off like he always does.

"Max, are you going to sit on that fence all night and bitch about what we've got to do, or are you going to do something productive and open the damn gate for us?" I just grinned. I was born to lead, and Sean knew it. That's the only reason he tried so hard to shut me up when I gave even the slightest notion of taking control of the situation. Because he was afraid that I could do the job better than he could. And I could. I pulled myself fiercly over the top of the fence, careful not to catch myself on any of the bars that protruded from the top, and then I shimmied down the other side until my feet made contact with the cement. Wiping my hands, which had started to sting from rope burn, on my pants, I began to meddle around for a way to open the gate from the inside.

I spotted a small metal box in one of the cement pillars connected to the gate, and hurried over to it. It was partially concealed by a thickly green bush, so I guessed that it must be important if nobody wanted it to be seen. Flipping it open, I discovered a bunch of cross-connecting wires tangled inside. I sighed heavily. Wires were so easy...I'd been expecting something more challenging. "Hey, Mousey! Toss me a flashlight!" A flashlight suddenly thumped to the ground in front of me. She had chucked it over the fence. I switched it on and saw that there were a number of colors for the wires, ranging from blue to orange. "Sucks for the repairman..." I muttered, pulling out two blue wires. I'd seen this kind of gate mechanism before, so it was nothing new to disable it. Immediately, I heard a metallic clicking sound and knew that the gate was no longer locked.

"Cheapskates...they can afford a mansion, and yet they won't buy a good security system." I muttered to myself, heavily satisfied with my mechanical skill, but slightly bored with the ease of the job. "'Kay, guys!" I called quietly, "We are open for business." The gate creaked towards me, shuddering from the rather shaky push. Sean appeared first, tailed by the rest of the team. He still looked a little miffed that I had taken over lead for him. I just grinned and went to follow him like everyone else. Mousey high-fived me, giving a quiet laugh at Sean's expression. We were silently walking up the path when Carson, directly in front of me, came to a halt. I bumped into him and almost stumbled backwards from the rebound. "Um...green light?" I said impatiently, hoping he would take the hint. And then I saw that it was Sean who had stopped the group from progressing. He had that lecture look in his eye, and I knew we were about to get it. Fortunately, it wasn't as long as I'd expected it to be. For once, it was brief and to the point.

"Okay...Here's how this is going to go down. Mousey's heading in first through the window. She'll open the front door for the rest of us. Now...I'm pretty sure that the necklace is on the second story, and that the book is on display in the library on the first floor." He looked directly at me and Mousey. I could feel her flinch just a little bit away as he narrowed his eyes. "You and Mousey'll head immediately upstairs." He held up his hands as Mousey started to protest. "Hold on! You can relax a little bit...the people sleep on the third floor." I stared at him quizzically.

"And you know all of this, how? I was under the impression that you had no idea what you were doing." Caden snorted, but covered it up as a loud hacking cough. Sean looked livid. I knew I was pressing too many of his buttons to possibly be good for me, but his anger only made it funnier.

"Just do what I've told you to, and I promise you...nothing will go wrong." Sean looked at all of us with terribly solemn eyes. "You know how much we need this money...Without it, we're totally broke. So don't mess this up, or I'll kick your asses. Trust me, if you screw us over, you're going to be hoping and praying that the cops show up before I can get my hands on you." I couldn't help but feel like he was talking about me. Aw, who am I kidding? There was no doubt in my mind that he was talking about me. But, like I said before...I would show him. He gave us one more piercing look, and then beckoned for us to get a move on.

It was pitch dark by now; the path we were taking was hardly visible. Sean had forbidden us from using the flashlights in case they had a guard, or anyone was up and looking out the window. So I walked next to Mousey in silence, occasionally slipping up to slink by Caden. Mousey kept stopping to pick up rocks periodically. But, though she was spacey, it had no effect on her gracefully swift movements, and quick reflexes. The fact that she had her head so far up in the clouds had her that much more on her toes to reach them. She was out of it, but yet alert at the same time. A strange combination that I'd never seen in anybody else before.

We finally stopped in front of a large window in the right side of the house, just off the path. Since it was a refreshingly warm night out, the windows had been left thrown open to let in some wind. Boy, oh boy...were we lucky. "Stupid rich people..." Caden muttered, passing Sean a pocketknife from one of the packs. He slit the window screen vertically, and then ripped the rest away with his hands like he was tearing paper. Mousey was given a boost, and she soon dissappeared into the darkness of the house. We hurried around to wait by the front door. It felt like ages before our little nut-job unlocked the door.

"Sorry," she apologized lightly as we all stepped inside, "I got distracted by a painting." I could tell Sean was about to scold her for doing so, but the inside of the mansion was more stunning than its exterior. An oriental rug was under our feet, the rest of the entrance inlaid with cream colored tiles. One staircase in front of us spiraled upward, and one slightly to the right of it went down to what I presumed would be the basement of sorts. To the left, a long hallway led to a sitting room. I could still see the embers from a nonexistant fire in the fireplace. All sorts of abstract art hung on the walls, and little sculptures were propped up randomly on dainty little tables. I cringed. This house was very much not my type to the extreme. I felt like I was in a store, not in someone's home. A "you break it, you buy it" kind of place.

Sean didn't even really say anything, just pointed me and Mousey up the stairs. I played cooperative for once, interested in the necklace just a smidge, and started to climb the steps. The boys veered off to the right, probably in search of the library. "So, do you buy this bullcrap about us being faster and quicker?" I asked my companion as we hiked on. "'Cause I don't. He knows there'll be more security on the necklace than that stupid book. He just told us to go get it, so that if something goes wrong, he still has a chance of getting out. Well that's Sean for you. Always saving his own ass before other's."

"I'm sorry, what? I was counting steps." I groaned heavily and rolled my eyes. We reached the landing, and the hallway we stood in now looked like an exact copy of the one below us, except for different paintings hung on the walls, and there were doors.

"What does he want us to do? Just pick a room and hope the necklace is in there, or something?" I asked incredulously, for the hallway had to have at least twelve different rooms in it. "I mean...he's not even sure it's on this friggen floor." I was peeved with Sean's lack of planning, but there was nothing I could do about it now. Mousey had already rushed forward and started opening doors. As we discovered, most of them only concealed guestrooms, or quaint little sitting rooms. But nothing that resembled a room where someone would keep a highly valuable piece of jewlery. "What does taaffeite even look like?"

Mousey shrugged, and pulled open another door. She gasped in delight, and I had to hurriedly shush her. "Max, I think I've found it!" She squealed. I almost facepalmed. She could be quiet...but only if she was calm.

"Mousey, shhh! We're robbing them, remember? We can't just go shouting all through the house. You heard Sean. If we get caught, he'll skin us alive." Mousey looked very remorsefull, clapping a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Sorry..." she hissed. I rolled my eyes, and poked my head into the room she'd been so thrilled to find. It was totally empty except for a few stray pieces of furniture covered in white sheets. It looked more like a storage room for unused decor than anything. I was about to tell her off for jumping to conclusions, when I saw that part of the wall was darker than the rest. There was a safe embedded in the wall!

"Oh my god...How dumb are these people?" I said in amazement, stunned that I could actually casually stroll right into the very room the necklace occupied. I touched the safe lightly, bracing myself for some weird alarm to go off. But it never came.

"Maybe they figured they were being so obvious and simple, that no one would possibly think they could be keeping anything valuable in here." Mousey guessed. It was a possibility, but it seemed like such a foolish gamble. There were so many maybes in the plan, and I didn't like maybes one bit. Everything needed to be concrete, or it was no go.

"Either way, I guess it's their fault then, that it got stolen." I shrugged and started to jiggle with the roll lock a little. To my immense surprise, I found that it was already open. "Jesus Christ, what else is going to happen? Is there gonna be a thank you note, or something?" Something about this whole thing didn't seem right. I was about to open in wider, when a lone picture on the wall caught my eye. It was an elderly couple, grinning into the camera. The name plaque attached to it read Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Watson. The owners of the house. I stared at it for a long time. They looked so immensly happy together. That was when I started to have second thoughts about taking the necklace.

I mean...I'd robbed countless gas stations before, but that was just for money that meant absolutely nothing to anybody, and cheap little snacks full of saturated fat that weren't really even that good. But this...this necklace...it had sentimental value to someone. It had probably been passed down through generations. It meant something to someone. Now who was I to just take that away? "Mousey, you need to go warn the others." I said suddenly.

"What! Why?" She was positively stunned at my suggestion. "You haven't even opened it yet!" I shushed her again, and then continued.

"Trust me, I'm doing you a favor. This whole thing seems too easy. It has to be a trap. You need to...to get everyone else out as quickly as possible." I quickly made up a cover story to get her out of the room. I didn't want her to see me second guess myself. It would make me seem cowardly or something. Ruin my reputation as the bad ass who didn't give a shit. The rebel without a cause. Not the one who got weak in the knees at the thought of stealing from some elderly couple.

"What are you talking about? Let's just get the stupid necklace and go. We're so close, I can taste it." She had a hungry look in her eye.

"Look, I have a feeling in my gut. Something is telling me that you should get out of here, or you'll get caught. I mean...if you wanna go to jail, then by all means, stick around. Your funeral." I waited patiently. She looked mortified at the thought of leaving, but equally mortified at the thought of getting caught. I raised my eyebrows, warning her that she'd better make a decision quick. "Go find the others. Like Sean said...It's my turn to go through all the trouble 'cause I've been late these last few times. This is what Sean wanted. Us to get caught in place of him." She looked totally torn. "Please go, Mousey...I'm begging you." She sighed.

"Max, sometimes I wonder if you're okay in the head, or if you're extremely paranoid and should be locked in an institution. But...I trust you, so...I'll go find the others." Oh thank God she looked up to me! I nodded at her like she was a good little girl for obeying the rules, and watched as she retreated to the door to go find everybody else. She mouthed one last "good luck" to me, and then slipped out of sight. I let out a breath of relief, and pushed the door to the safe open. There, around a mannequin neck, sat a beautiful silver necklace inlaid with shimmering plum gems. It was under a glass box. I cautiously pushed the separation back, and removed the necklace from its home on the neck. I just wanted to touch it for a minute. Even I thought it was marvelous, and I'd never liked anything to do with jewlery of any sort.

Suddenly, the light flicked on. I whirled around, almost dropping the necklace in the process. I was left speechless by who was standing in the doorway. The man from the picture on the wall. Mr. Watson himself. His hair was a frothy white, and he wore it both perched on his head in wispy strands, and on his chin in a haphazzard beard. His face was well lined, and a pair of round, wire-rimmed glasses was perched on his small nose. He was still clad in his pajamas. "Umm...I-I..." I was stuttering now. You would be too if someone walked in on you while you were robbing their house. "I wasn't really going to-I just wanted to..."

"I saw you kids at the gate. I've got sharp ears, and I thought I heard something, so I peeked out the window. You shouldn't have used the flashlights. I might not have spotted you." He spoke in a completely calm voice, and strolled into the room, taking his place in leaning against a piece of the covered furniture that resembled a dresser. I was still in shock, and couldn't find words to respond with. "I see you've found my necklace. Your friends are probably looking for that book, huh?" I stared at him in openmouthed horror. What was I supposed to say? Yes...we're robbing your house, so if you could just sit tight, we'll be out in no time?

"Um...I wasn't really stealing this...I just-Well, I was in the first place, but..." I had to stop. He was looking at me with oddly piercing eyes.

"What's a girl like you doing running around with people like this? You don't really seem the type to steal and get yourself wrapped up in all this hate. How'd you end up where you are?" I was speechless for a moment again, but then I managed to get my vocal cords going.

"I'm not all soft. I just...I don't steal from the elderly, that's all. Personal rule. Trust me buddy, if you were under the age of fifty, this necklace would be halfway to China by now." I tried to up my appearance of importance. I wanted to scare him just a little bit. At least show him that I wasn't some kid mixed up in adult business. That I could actually do it if I wanted to. But he just chuckled.

"Oh, no...I think there's more to it than that. You've got something inside of you that you're friends don't. I can feel it." I was a bit offended that he thought he could read me so easily.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" I challenged. He smiled.

"Compassion for other human beings besides yourself." He stated it simply, but the words hung in the air like a ten pound weight. Our whole conversation sounded like something out of the ending scenes of a movie, where the bad guy gets confronted by the good guy and changes his ways. I cleared my throat. "You can have that if you want it." He said, pointing to my hands. The necklace was still clutched tightly in them, my knuckles turning white with the tension of my muscles.

"I...I...I don't really...wanna steal it." I said in a resigned tone, holding the necklace out to him. What was the point? The guy had probably already called the police anyways. He smiled widely.

"I know. That's why I'm letting you take it. Because I know you need it." I was extremely puzzled by his kindness towards the girl who had just tried to steal one of his valuable possesions.

"But...doesn't it...mean something to you?" I asked, lowering the necklace. He pondered what I'd said for a minute.

"Yes and no. I gave that to my late wife twenty years ago for her birthday. She never wore it, just locked it up in that safe and showed it to all her friends. It was more of an object to induce the jealousy of her associates than any sign of affection, at least to her. And I have no use for it. I'm tired of bearing the burden of having such an expensive object in my house. Living in fear that someone will take it from me. And it means next to nothing to me." Then something dawned on me.

"You opened the safe for us, didn't you?" I said, surprised that he would go to such lengths to get it off his hands.

"Hahaha...you catch on a quickly. You have a sharp wit. You should put it to other uses." I frowned. This was beginning to feel scripted. And I hated that feeling. I hastily moved to switch up the situation to one that I would rather be in.

"Look, I appreciate your little pep-talk and everything, but if you're going to have me arrested, can you just hurry up and get it over with? This is getting too cliche."

"Oh, I'm not calling the cops." he stated simply, smiling from where he stood. I gaped at him in pure amazement.

"Um, we just broke into your house, gramps. You're not even going to report the crime?" His smile turned sly as he studied the necklace.

"What crime? I don't recall there being a crime here. The only thing I did tonight was make myself a cup of tea and lend a necklace to a friend." He winked at me, and stood up. "Now...I think that glass of tea is waiting for me in my room. Perhaps my friend can show herself and her companions out of the house?" He started to walk slowly towards the door. I stood where I was, not sure what to say or do, so I settled with remaining silent. "And my friend should be careful not to let that necklace fall into the wrong hands, or to be used for the wrong reasons. It was a gift, afterall. I was hoping that she might be able to put it to better uses than I did. It's a beautiful necklace. And I'm sure it would mean the world to anyone other than me." And with that, he left the room.

I stood still for another minute, and then dashed to the door. Poking my head into the hall, I yelled after him, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Are you crazy, old man? Do you know how much this is worth? I can't just walk around with it in my pocket!" But there came no response. Great...so now I had a priceless necklace in my hands, and I was in a strange house with no idea where anybody was, or if they had gotten out or not. Tonight had proven to be a ridiculous night, at the very least. All I knew was that what that old man had said seemed to resonate with me. Something in me wanted to keep the necklace away from everybody else. And that...could prove to be a VERY bad thing.

I jumped the last three steps, hellbent on getting out as fast as I could. But then the rest of the gang came into view. It looked like Mousey and Sean were arguing about something at the front door. They caught sight of me and stopped. I could see the book stashed away under his arm. Mousey almost jumped out of her skin when I came to a stop. "Oh thank God, Max! You're okay! Did you get the necklace?" I could feel the weight of it in my pocket. It simply begged to be presented. I wanted to flaunt it. That I, the one and only Maximum Ride, had acheived the unthinkable, and gotten away with a priceless necklace without a scratch on me.

"No, and you have to hurry! He saw me and he's coming downstairs right this minute! I only just got away! I think he's got a gun." Everyone's eyes grew as wide as saucers when I shared the news. Caden shoved past Carson and Mousey and immediately started to run. Everyone else followed suit. But before Mousey took off, she gave me the oddest look. Almost like she knew something. Of course, Sean gave me the same look. They were probably just dissappointed that I "hadn't gotten the necklace". Note quotations, please.

We ran all the way down the driveway, and out past the gate, which was still propped open from my little game of electrician. We ran as far and as fast as we possibly could down the road that had lead up to the beginning of the mansion. Though, I had different reasons to want to get away than they did. Finally, we skidded to a stop by a large oak tree on the side of the road we all recognized. We weren't far from the Meeting House now. We were already about three quarters of the way there. We huffed and puffed for a few minutes, and then everyone started to get their ability to speak back.

"What happened?"

"Why didn't you get the necklace?"

"He didn't see who you were, did he?"

I held up my hands to stop the bombardment of questions flying at me from all directions. "I don't know...I got the feeling that he'd set a trap, so I made Mousey go warn you guys. I was right. He was waiting for us the whole time. He...He came in and tried to tackle me. I...I didn't have time to grab the necklace, I just tried to get out as fast as possible and warn everyone." I was still out of breath, and I bent over, trying to support myself by leaning my hands on my knees. They all stared at me in awe. Except Sean, who looked extremely displeased. "At least you got the book." I said halfheartedly.

"Do you know how much money that necklace would've gotten us?" he exploded. Everyone backed off a little bit. Except me...I was ready for this erruption. "We could've had it made! And you couldn't get the friggin necklace!"

"Hey!" I interrupted, "Whose idea was it to send me up there all by my lonesome, huh? If I recall correctly, it was your idea that I handle the necklace, Sean. If you wanted it so badly, then why didn't you just go up there and get it yourself instead of bitching me out for being late. So I messed up! Big deal! You wanna go back there and get it? I did what I could to warn you guys to get out of there, and I'm sorry it didn't work out EXACTLY the way you wanted it to! But why don't you just quit whining for a minute, and be greatfull that we got anything out of that stupid break-in at all!" I was practically spitting with pure, biting anger. All Sean could seem to do was pick out MY mistakes. It's like everything that went wrong in the world was all the result of something I did.

Everyone stood there in stunned silence, not sure what to say. I shut my eyes and counted to ten, feeling like a child with anger-management issues. "Now..." I said, sounding significantly more calm than before, "I'm starving, and I just want to sleep. I don't know who's with me, but I am going back to my house. Goodnight." I started to walk away.

"Hold on." Sean's voice came hard and fast in my direction. I gulped. Did he know that I had the necklace? My palms started to moisten, but I turned like I had not a concern in the world. I braced myself for a tongue-lashing for keeping it from him, but all he said was that I'd left my stuff back at the Meeting House.

"I'll get it tomorrow!" I yelled, thouroughly irritated with the way people had been pestering me about every little detail lately. I started to run in the opposite direction of everyone else, eager as hell to get away from the stress. I felt like they all knew I was keeping something from them, and I couldn't stand that feeling. Tonight had been, by far, the weirdest night of my life. I still couldn't comprehend the value and the burden of the object I was carrying in my pocket. The weight of it was growing heavier by the second. Mr. Watson had said not to let it fall into the wrong hands. And what did he mean by telling me I should "put it to better uses"? That it would be worth something to anyone other than him?

I hurried back towards my house, a priceless gem necklace worth thousands and thousands of dollars, shoved into my grimy jeans pocket right next to my gum and a deposite of lint burried in the corner. Classy...

A/N: Holy shit, that took a long time to write! Apologies, apologies to Shayna-18. I know you've been waiting for this for forever. Tell me what you thought of this story, peeps. Clickety click that review button. It's been a long day, and I really just feel like kicking back and relaxing. Hope I did your idea justice, Shayna. If not, I'm sure you'll bitch me out for it later, LOL. :D