Maximum Ride (Me and Rara!) closed.

[StartingOver]

Claire was unafaird of her brother or his stares at her. The young girls eyes could get just as chilly.


"The parents aren't capatured." She said in a low tone. She walked past Tate going to check on Jess.


"Don't you ever say that in till we have proof!" Claire pushed open the door to her room and began to pack.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Tate looked at the other male, who's face had been turned down, a small layer of sadness lacing his features. "Do you think they're...dead?" He whispered, the words getting caught in his throat.


Tate let his puzzlement be shown, his chest feeling tight at the sound of the word in the other fledgling's mouth. "No." He said simply, standing to his feet and ruffling the younger teen's hair. "They're fine." He said with a weak smile, and sauntered into his room, grabbing only the essentials. He packed a picture of his father, the other half of it torn out of place. It use to be a photograph of their parents together, but as soon as his mother had given birth to a bird-child she fled. It seemed that the odds of their previous hopes of birthing normal children had been lower then she'd hoped, leaving them along with a single parent. He folded the page and slipped into his back pocket, grabbing a black wife-beater and sliding it over his head. He then pulled on a pair of socks, and stuffed a wad of cash he'd been saving for this precise reason, into his combat-boot. Tate didn't bother packing an extra change, onlu grabbing his windbreaker and tying it around his waist.


He glanced over at Gage who had sunk into his small nest, his wings spread across the trampoline. "Where will we go?"


Tate paused, not having thought of that yet. He mentally counted the thick wad he'd saved, and turned towards Max's old room. "I'll take care of it."


He shuffled in, passing his sister who was packing quietly as Jess snoozed on the bed. He opened her parents' closet door, shifting things around before the safe was in his site. He placed his ear to the side of the metal surface, his intensely sensitive hearing tuning in on the sound of the chambers as he rotated the dial.

 

[StartingOver]

Claire didn't say a word to him as she moved and began to pack for Jess. She hopped she would get everything the girl wanted.


Finally she broke her silence.


"She won't be pleased you know." Claire's voice still low.


"Jess will be pretty mad at you for this."

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Tate ignored his sister, waving a hand at her from inside the closet, as if to brush her off. He focused sorely on the soft click of the combination releasing the tumblers and...


tink!


He swung the small hand-safe open, a large stack of bill staring him in the face. He quickly began to fill his pockets and boots. "That's why Jess won't find out until she wakes up." He said in a hushed tone, finally speaking to his sister as he returned with a large stack of bills in both hands. "Open your bag." He ordered softly, eyes making quick glances at the soundly sleeping girl under the covers. "You don't need most of that crap, we're running, not camping."

 

[StartingOver]

"Shut it." Claire said sternly helping place the money in the bag.


"You have no clue what means the most to her do you?" Claire's eyes grew icy as her stare found her brothers.


"This place is her only connection to her mom and dad, if we have to leave I'm going to bring things she holds most dear got it Tate!" It wasn't a question. Claire never called Tate by his name unless she was seething at him.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Tate ripped the bag from her hands. Staring into the contents. He let a soft sigh escape his lips, a photograph of a brightly smiling girl, her hair blond as Jess, eyes like two chocolate saucers. On the left was a man with inky black hair, and the rough glaring eyes that Tate had always loved on Jess's soft features. He didn't say anything to Clarie as she yelled, only placed a hand atop her head, and motioned her to look at the sleeping girl on the bed. He placed a finger to his lips as if to tell her to be silent. He then walked slowly to the edge of the bed, his light blue eyes showing a pang of guilt. He felt awful for ripping Jess away from her home, but if they were going to find their parents, they'd have to leave now.


"Make sure Gage is ready in five minutes." He ordered, not looking back at his sister as he lightly brushed a strand of hair form the sleeping girl's neck. He watched the blankets rise and fall with her breath and picked her up slowly, cradling her to his chest, the sheets still wrapped around her still body.

 

[StartingOver]

Jess like most of the flock could handle sedatives pretty well, they wouldn't keep them down for long, but her level of exhaustion mixed with a over dose kept her firmly in a deep sleep. She didn't move or react when touched our moved. She just snored softly her head buried in Tate's chest.


Claire's own eyes softened as she walked into Gage's room.


"Almost ready buddy?" She asked trying to hide her anger.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Gage looked up at the young girl with sat goldenrod eyes, his stance not moving since he'd fallen on the bed. Lightly speckled feathers were strewn around him, his golden hair spiked and disheveled. "No." He muttered, grabbing a pillow from behind his head and grasping it to his chest. "I'm not leaving." He said harshly, his words muffled by the cream pillow-case covering his mouth and nose. He breathed a sigh into the soft down, his hair slightly ruffling from the recoil of his hot breath. "You can't make me leave."

 

[StartingOver]

"Gage you care about Jess right?" Claire said softly sitting next to him. "You care about me right?" She gently lay her head on his shoulder.


"I'm feeling very faint Gage." Claire yawned and wrapped a arm around him.


"I need someone to protect me and carry me."

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

He looked up at her with confusion in his eyes. "Well yeah." He said blatantly. They'd all grown up together, learned how to fly together, fought with parents, ate icecream, watched the sun rise... they were his family. His unconnected blood-line. Sitting upright as she took a place next to him, he let her place her head on his shoulder, his body relaxing slightly. "Well aren't we suppose to leave? You can't just..." He paused, her closeness and the way she spoke made his cheeks flush a bright red. "I...uh." He puffed out his chest. "Of course I can." suddenly his demeanor shifted, the dramatic sulk becoming a dramatic sense of dignifying strength. He picked her up in his arms, his size puzzling in the fact that he could lift the girl. They were almost the same height, 'I'm a late bloomer' being his normal reaction to being called squirt, tiny, twerp, and his least favorite; short. He clutched her close, a new air of Independence washing over his whole aura.

 

[StartingOver]

Claire giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.


"My hero!" She kissed his cheek.


"I think I'll be okay though." How about you just stay close to me in the air." She offered him a compromise.


"I'll even help you pack!"

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

When she clasped her arms around him the blush had returned quickly. "I suppose." he said quietly, not prepared for the kiss on his right cheek. He froze in place, slightly set aback by the sudden affection. A smile broke across his face in a second after. Confusion wrapped around his mind as he set her down. "I don't need much." he said quietly, grabbing his thick hemp sweater. It was easy to conceal his wide-set wings, and the feeling of the rough fabric on his wings felt good. He placed it in a small gym bag, along with his mother's perfume. His ears burned red as he slid it in the bag, slightly embarrassed that Claire was watching him pick these things out of his 'nest'. He then slid his hand under a pile of old clothes. A blue hat was produced from the mound of fabric. Sliding it on his head so the brim was in the back, he pulled taught on the string of the bag and shouldered the straps. Gage fit the straps between his light wings, and stretched then slightly. He felt fidgety now, excited to be airborne.


"You ready?" He asked before walking out of the room to meet Tate.

 

[StartingOver]

Claire gave a nod and grinned looking at him. She giggled as he rummaged through his nest to find everything he needed.


"Take all you need Gagey." She smiled. She lightly brushed her hair out of her eyes and patted his back as she walked out to grab her bag from her and Jess's room.


"Ready Brother." She called walking out into the kitchen.


"Is Jess still snoring?" Claire said with a childish giggle.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Tate had been sitting on the plaid couch, Jess' head resting gently against his shoulder. His eyes were closed momentarily, resting them while he waited for the others to return. He looked up as they wandered into the kitchen, their previous conversation still fresh in his mind. He glanced at them both, Gage's stance had shifted suddenly. "Yeah, I'm ready." He glanced down at the softly snoring girl, holding her gently as he stood. He brought them out the front door, leaving the house empty.


The lawn was large, spanning a few yards in every direction. The slits in the back of his dark wife-beater allowed his grey wings to breath. As soon as the fresh air hit his face the muscles in his back loosened, allowing his wings to stretch over a 14foot span from tip-to-tip. He let out a soft sigh as he stretched them as far as they could reach, kicking up dust as he flapped them several times to shake out his feathers.


He glanced back at Gage, who's lightly speckled wings were ruffled and unkempt. The younger boy shook out his own pair, allowing the feathers to align themselves once more.


Tate was the first to take off, his legs working hard, boots slamming against the ground as he ran, simultaneously flapping his wings with force. The wind that trailed behind him whipped dust into the younger fledgling's faces, making Gage lift his arms in front of his eyes to shield himself from irritation. "You think Jess will stay asleep in the air?" He asked the small red-headed girl, before taking off in a sprint until he was airborne, joining Tate on his left flank.

 

[StartingOver]

Claire twisted her torso and gave a happy sigh hearing her back crack. Before she stretched out her grey wings. She rotated them and stretched them out giveing another sigh. She took a running start and jumped into the air.


Flying is pretty much the best thing ever. Claire caught a thermal and shot up into the clouds at a faster pace then the males. She was a bit lighter then them and it made a difference in the air.


"Yay!" Claire did a flip before finally falling in line with the others.


"Nah Jess is pretty much in a coma at this point." She gave a giggle.


Claire wasn't far off.


Jess was dead to the world. Her blonde hair cover her face like a veil leaving only her mouth visible. Her lips had parted enough to see her teeth and a thin line of drool was forming. This all from a prideful leader. Jess was beyond doubt down for the count.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Gage glanced sideways at Claire, watching her hair billow as the wind rushed over them. They leveled their V formation parallel with the white puffs below them, the condensation from the clouds forming small droplets of water on Tate's features. He cast an icy glance down below, the treetops barely visible through the clouds. They were safe, for now.


They continued on, hours of flight finally coming to an end once Gage finally opened his mouth to speak. "I'm hungry and tired." He groaned tilting himself so he flew almost tip to tip with Tate.


"We all are." The eldest muttered but took this as an opportunity to land and stretch their legs.


He brought them down to the outskirts of a small town, landing softly on the highest branch of a tree. He tucked his wings in tightly against his back, Jess still held tightly to his chest.


"What we doing?" Gage asked, picking a few dead leaves from his hair and wiping water from his face. "I'm not spending the night in a tree."


"You won't be. Just follow my lead and make sure Claire is just behind." He took his windbreaker from around his waist and pulled it over his back to hide the grey feathers from the world. Gage had pulled his own jacket on, the sleeves denim and patched with baseball and basketball emblems.

 

[StartingOver]

"Mmmmm." Jess moaned. She struggled to open her eyes. While that was going on she noticed she was damp... And being held. "Where am I?" She opened her eyes which were normally cold and periceing now dull and confused.


Claire hopped over to sit next to them.


"Hey sleepy head!" Her voice different then before. More calming and soft. She was hoping to soothe Jess before she got worked up. "You've been out for hours." She gently patted Jess's head. Claire smiled when she heard a relaxed sigh escape Jess's lips.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Jess had started to stir, making Tate's eyes go wide slightly. He felt his tongue go dry, nerves on edge. If she had any idea they'd plotted a course of action without consulting her, she'd probably explode. Tate stared down at her soft features a small flicker of anxiety traveling across his brow. There was no use in lying to her, she was smart and would figure it out in a manner of seconds. Maybe even less.


"We're just on the outskirts of Westville." He breathed, leaping off the branch before she had a chance to wriggle from his grasp. As soon as he landed on the grass, his heavy boots making imprints in the mud, he braced for the nuclear bomb.


Gage saw his opportunity and grasped Claire in his arms. Instead of meeting the older fledglings on the ground, he sprung higher into the tree trying hard to stifle a laugh. As well as trying to escape the mushroom cloud that was about to consume them.

 

[StartingOver]

"Hey wait no I have to help brother." Claire tried to wiggle away from Gage but to no avial. She sighed as they went higher in the trees. "She's going to kill him you know." Claire said softly leaning her head back into Gage letting him take her.


Jess opened her eyes and looked around now more aware.


"So we left I see." She said plainly.


"We left the only home I've ever know and the place that has kept us safe for months !" Jess could feel herself losing a grip on her anger already. Her eyes going very cold and sharp like knifes. "For what Tate, why would you just do that while I was knocked out... Does my opinion even fucking matter?" Jess pushed off out of he's grasp and fell to the ground, her legs stil rubber. She sat up and looked at a tree to angry to even look at Tate.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

Tate didn't fight back when she had begun to raise her voice, only winced as she bore daggers into his face. He looked straight in her eyes as she fell to the ground, quiet and still as a stone. After a few long moments the birds had begun to settle, the sun slowly setting around them. Crickets broke the silence after a few moments, chirping lullabies to the world.


"They would have found us in days." He whispered. His mind split in half. One part felt guilt and heartbreak for ripping Jess from her home, from their peace. But the other angrily screamed at him to keep moving, because who knew how far whoeveritwas that took their patents were behind them.


"They found your mom and dad, didn't they? Found Iggy, and Gazzy. I bet Nudge was taken too. " his voice wavered slightly, but he refused to break. He wouldn't let himself feel sore for something he knew was right.


"You want to go back and stay there, fine. You want to sit here and pout about stupid shit that can get us killed, fine by fucking me! I did what was right. I'm going to find our parents instead of sitting on my ass like prey." He glanced up the tree they had been standing in previously, his feathers ruffled. "Claire, Gage, let's go."

 

[StartingOver]

"You have no clue!" Jess erupted again. She was up and in his face within a second.


"They haven't found us in months what makes you so sure... Oh wait you aren't again you have no fucking clue!" Jess could feel her fist ball.


"If you take them I'll show you what prey is..." Her voice was low and menacing. "You won't have to worry about erasers. I'll kill you myself, I swear to god." Her voice full of venom her body tense as coiled like a snake ready to strike.It was a sharpe contrast to her peaceful,soft defenseless state she was in a few moments ago.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

"You really want to do that, Jess?" He questioned, his stance being more then a head taller then her own. He stared down at her, icy eyes taking in her harshed features. Anger was obvious in her black eyes, and the venom in her voice was foreign. "Give them a reason to hate you." He growled, red hair falling over his eyes as he glanced down at her, her scent rolling into his nostrils sending another tendril of that confusing emotion harboring through his ribs. "Do it." He egged her on, pressing his face in close. The normal crystal-like shimmer going dark as the deepest depths of the ocean.


Gage had sensed the wave of malice that settled between the two older fledglings and acted. He leaped from his perch, leaving Claire at the top as he rushed to the pair. "Enough!" He yelled before a physical fight broke out. Knowing Jess...and Tate... they wouldn't leave each other with less then a few broken bones. "What Tate did was... stupid." He piped up, shoving himself between the two.


"But he's right." He added, turning towards Jess with soft eyes. "We were sitting ducks." He repeated what Tate had spoken about earlier that morning, "If we stayed any longer..." he trailed off not wanting to think about what could of happened. They could have been brought to a School... or even shot on sight.


"He's not taking your place, Jess. He's just looking out for all of us."

 

[StartingOver]

"Brother what exactly is the matter with you?" Claire called as she landed a few feet away. Her own bright eyes filled with sadness and shock of what her two role models were about to do.She had to attack this situation with the one who was more likely to listen to her. "Tate Jess just had a breakdown on the scale we have never seen before two hours ago." She got in between them along with Gage. She wasn't sure of Jess's stability right now, but she was banking on the girl not wanting to harm them. "She's been out cold for most of the day and you wait what, five minutes after she comes around to pick a fight?" Claire turned on her heel to Jess.


"Jessie... please stop, I know you aren't all there right now but you can't start being this way." Claire took a few steps closer but she advanced very slowly as if she was walking up to a snake that was ready to strike. "Please just calm down and lets us all talk."


"You all feel this way!" Jess said. Her voice sounded raspy as if she was getting choked up... "You feel like I can't protect you anymore?" Her eyes went from Tate to Gage and then finally on Claire. Something about the way Claire walked towards her cut Jess deep to her core. "You're sacred of me...." her fists opened and her entire body relaxed and sagged. "I... I'm sorry.. I just don't know what to do..." her body sank to it's knees.

 

[-.-.Lucifer.-.-]

The sudden shift in their leader's emotions almost puzzled Tate. He ignored his sister, forgot Gage was even there, and kneeled down in front of the blond fledgling. He let his hand brush against her cheek, the touch bringing a sense of calm to them all. He had somehow managed to shatter the anger inside his mind and force the fragments to be expelled from the group, leaving them all hushed. Mud sunk into his jeans, and the clouds above their heads had begun to sag, threatening a storm. "We're all scared and tired." He breathed, positioning his thumb and forefinger to grasp her chin and pull her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Hungry and cold." He continued, and pulled a stray lock of curly hair behind her ear. Naturally, all of the fledglings were gorgeous beyond even model comprehension. However, the wat Jess looked in this broken state... he couldn't help but drink in her features from the short distance away. "What I did was wrong." He glanced away from her, eyes landing on the black sneakers of Gage who was standing five paces away with hid arms crossed over his chest, denim collar turned up to cover his ears. It was growing bitter out, and the rumbling in the distance plus the smell of rain only furthered his anticipation to get going. "We can talk about that later... okay? You can hate me later." He sighed, meeting her eyes once more. "We need to find shelter for now, and you need to eat."

 

[StartingOver]

Jess looked about ready to collapse into him and just sleep. She had learned only a few moments ago from Claire that she was out most of the day but that didn't stop her from being tired. Something was wrong, she felt it in her mind hiding there, weaking her to this state. She couldn't however remember what this event was or when it happened. She looked up to Tate with weak almost defeated eyes and nodded. "I just want to do what's right Tate..." She sighed and tried to regain some resolve. She paused there closeing her eyes before finally they opened reveling the stone cold eyes that they all had grown used to seeing.


She stood clearly weakened but looked at them. "I'm sorry everybody... I'm just not okay now, but I would never hurt any of you. Thank you Claire for trusting in me and Gage for not letting me do something I'd regret. " she pulled them both into hugs. "Tate lead the way." She gave a weak but genuine smile. "Take care of us."