Wings by Illa Scriptor

1. Waking Up

Hey guys! I post once again. This is literally MY POV. Like, I wrote it as if it actually happened to me. So, R and R!

Disclaimer: I don't even know James Patterson, let alone own his characters. I suppose I own myself, though.

Was I having some crazy dreams.

My family stopped at a gas station in West Virginia. Across the parking lot was the Flock. If you're into the books Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment & School's Out Forever, you know who I mean.

One by one I greeted them. When I hugged Max, I looked up at... me. She was in my body and I in hers.

Waving goodbye, I took off into the wind and she got into the car with my family. They were headed back to my home in South Carolina. And me? I was headed back to New York with the Flock.

I've always wanted to fly with real wings. Now I was experiencing it. Wind rushing through my hair and under my wings. Flying with incredibly awesome people. It's such an amazing sense of freedom- you should try it some time.

I hear the sound of one hand clapping.

Anyway, I remember thinking, "I wish this were real. But I know it's a dream because the Flock is fictitious... Maximum Ride is just a book..."

I couldn't help wishing it was more than a book, even in my dream.

I woke up and froze.

Instead of being in my bunkbed, I was in a twin bed with a scratchy blanket. I exhaled softly. Someone was snoring to my left.

I turned to look. All I saw was a form in another twin bed before short hair fell over my eyes. I put up my hand to push it back, and froze again, my eyes dilated.

I don't have short hair.

Before I started hyperventilating, a sudden thought struck me. Could this have anything to do with my wacked dream? Only one way to find out.

I sat up slowly, catching my breath when the bed creaked. The person beside me didn't move. I peered behind me in the semi-darkness as I mentally commanded any muscles in my back to move. They did.

And I slightly unfurled a pair of wings.

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Ooh! Cliffie! (Kinda) What do you think?

2. My Introduction to the Flock

Hey peoples! Me again. In case you want to know, yes my name is Rachel, and yes I did live in SC. Notice the did. I wrote this before I moved to the great state of (clapclapclap) TEXAS! (that's from the three stooges in case you didn't know.) Anyhu, read and review! (lol that rhymed! heeheeheeheehee! ok enough with randomness, to the story we go!)

Disclaimer: Don't own the Flock, don't own the Voice, don't own myself- I belong to God! Don't own the bed I woke up on either- I think it's Max's.

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I sighed and flopped back down on the bed. What the heck! I reached back and felt them- wings, real wings, feathers and all.

I am in Max Ride's body. And this time it's real.

Suddenly I heard someone talking to me. I knew exactly who it was.

Hello, Rachel. Welcome.

"So you're the infamous Voice?" I whispered.

It chuckled. Infamous? I wouldn't go that far. But when Max hears from me, it usually precedes a brain attack of some sort.

"Ya know, that's really mean."

Mean? No. Mostly it's to help her save the world. But partially it's to drive her closer to Fang. She doesn't fully realize it yet, but she loves him. And he loves her. Every time she has an attack, it awakens something in him that he put to sleep a long time ago. It's all a test, all a part of the plan... and you are a part of the plan, Rachel.

"Feeling chatty, I see. And where do I come in?"

It ignored me. Of course, you cannot share with her any of what I just told you. But what you are about to learn... she needs to know.

The pain came all at once. Knives in my head, then icicles, then a nuclear bomb. Although the attacks came so frequently to Max in the book they are almost passed off as something minor, let me tell you, this is SO not minor. Although keeping my mouth clamped tightly shut, I was moaning and thrashing about on the bed.

The pictures in my head were mostly numbers, statistics... but I saw churches. And Bibles, crosses, et cetera. Then I saw the church I attended for a long time while the pain grew harsher. A dark spot in the image got bigger until all I could see was black. My eyes flew open and someone was standing over me. I gasped.

"Easy, easy," the person said. "Was it your head? Are you okay?"

I sighed and relaxed, taking a critical look at him. Dark hair, dark eyes. Fang.

"I- I'm okay. Now," I replied cautiously. "Fang?"

"Max?"

"I need to tell you something. I don't think you're going to believe me," I said as I sat up.

He sat down on my- Max's- bed. "Try me."

"No, really. You're going to think I'm crazy, or that the attack damaged me or something."

"Come on, Max."

"That's exactly it. I'm not Max."

He looked at me condescendingly. "And I'm not Fang."

"I'm serious! My name's Rachel, and I live in South Carolina, and I don't know how I got in Max's body but..."

Fang cut me off. "Maybe you ought to get back to sleep."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"It's seven. I'll get the rest of the guys up and we'll decide what to do, Max."

I sighed. Now what, Voice?

No answer.

Like I expected one.

I followed Fang and sat down at their table, waiting.

First a very tall guy near my age came in. He had spiked hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Iggy. Then a girl with layered hair- talking from the moment she arrived. Nudge. Behind her was little Angel, eyes wide. Lastly, Fang came in toting a cute little kid that looked exactly like his sister. Gazzy.

Once everyone was seated, they all- with the exception of Iggy- looked at Fang and I expectantly.

"Well?" Nudge prodded.

Fang looked at me, took a deep breath, and started. "This morning, Max had another brain attack. Then she started insisting she's some girl from South Dakota."

"South Carolina," I corrected. "My name is Rachel and I'm almost 15 and I live in C----. I had read your book but didn't think you guys were real." I started speaking more urgently. "Please, please believe me. I don't know how I got here or anything, but I suspect that Max is in my body, which means she'll be waking up soon, and... that could be bad."

Everyone just stared at me for a loooooong time. Angel's face was screwed up as if she was listening really hard to something. I remembered she could read minds. Maybe that will help convince them. Finally Iggy broke the silence.

"I think she's telling the truth. She uses some words- like 'suspect'- that Max probably wouldn't use. Plus, she pronounces some words differently. You guys wouldn't notice, 'cause you see Max and hear her voice. But I can hear the differences, and she sounds almost like a completely different person."

I wanted to hug him.

Angel then spoke. "She's telling the truth. Her thoughts sound like... a different person's voice."

Fang sighed. "Okay, Rachel, we'll believe you."

Nudge started chattering. "But... um... Rachel? What do we do now? I mean, if you're Rachel then where's Max? And if she's in your body, then when she wakes up she is totally gonna flip, 'cause..."

Fang glared at her. "You can use our phone."

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Oh yeah, I forgot to say... this takes place somewhere in between TAE and SOF. Review please!

3. The Call

beepbeepbeep. beepbeepbeep. beepbeepbeepbeep

rrrrrrrring. rrrrrrrrrrrring.

"Hello, S---- residence."

It was my dad. I so badly wanted to shout, "Hi, Dad! I love you! Maximum Ride is real, and I am in Max's body! Cool, huh? Can I speak to whom you currently think is your daughter? That's actually Max." But of course I couldn't, because he would (rightly) think I was some lunatic. So instead I gathered my composure and said, "Good morning, Mr. S----. May I speak to... uh... Rachel, please?"

"I'm sorry. We're about to leave for church. Can I tell her to call you back?"

"No, D... Mr. S----. This is extremely important. I need to talk to her right away, please."

"Okay. May I tell her who's calling?"

"Just a friend."

I heard the receiver being passed to Max.

"Hello? Who are you?" It was my voice. I was so happy I wanted to cry.

"Hi, Max, this is Rachel, the girl whose body you are in? How are you doing?" Yeah, it was a really lame way to introduce myself, but I couldn't think of anything else. There was such a long silence I thought maybe my hunch was wrong.

"Hello?"

"Oh my gosh."

"Yeah."

"So I'm not dreaming?"

"Nope."

I heard her flop down on my futon. Then a couple of words I won't write down. Then she asked weakly, "So what now? Is everybody with you?" I looked around at the Flock.

"Yep."

"Do they believe you?"

"Yep. Listen, Max, just keep pretending it's a dream. Go to church with my family. Answer to Rachel. Don't say anything you wouldn't want Angel to hear, keep your mouth and actions clean. Don't mention anything to anyone. Okay?"

"Okay."

"We'll be there as soon as possible, and we'll call you when we can."

"But what if..."

"RAAAAACHEL! Get off the phone! It's time to go, we're going to be late!" My mum.

"Oh, and call them Mum and Dad. And my little brother..."

"...is Shane. Right. Gotta go, tell everyone I love them."

Click.

I turned around, looking at five expectant faces. "She sends her love. She had to go cuz she's going to church with my family."

Nudge's eyes got real big. "You go to church? A lot or a little? We went to church once, and we prayed, and it felt good. Do you believe there's a God? I think I do, but I'm not sure. Do you believe in Jesus, or are you Jewish? Does..."

Fang cut her off again. "Later, Nudge. But we gotta leave. Now."

Angel asked, "What about Total?" I looked at the little dog. "Yeah, what about me?" he chimed in.

I sighed. Time to demonstrate my authority. "Listen, Total, I know you'd like to come, but you can't fly, and my dad's allergic to dogs."

"What about genetically mutated ones?"

"Sorry, Total, but you can't come."

"Please. This is so pathetic. What am I supposed to do? What happens if..."

I interrupted him. "You can find food, right? And you love chasing small animals, right? We'll leave some food out, and you can figure out how to get out. Watch some TV or something, okay?" I bent down to his level. "Sorry, little guy."

He and Angel both pouted, but he stayed put. Fang looked at me gratefully; I knew he usually carried him. Gasman looked up at me hopefully. "I'm hungry. Can we eat first?"

I spoke without even really thinking. "Of course! We need to fuel up before a long flight. Where do you guys want to eat?"

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Hey guys! I hadn't really thought about Total when I wrote this a loooong time ago, and then it turned out that he talks... you probably noticed how added-in that bit about him seems. REVIEW! Reviewers shall get... um... ah yes! Reviewers shall receive a knish. Pronounced Ka-nish.

4. My First Fight and Flight

Oops. Forgot the disclaimer the last chappie, so I'll put it here.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the Flock. Don't sue me. I have never owned James Patterson's characters, and will never. Okay?

Half an hour later, we exited a local restaurant, full and ready to fly. I was excited. I mean, I've never flown except in airplanes and in dreams...

I continued thinking as we turned down an abandoned road that presumably lead to a large clearing of some sort. Fang stiffened beside me. "Can you fight?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Them."

I looked in front of me. Erasers, about fifty feet from us.

"Crackers. Maybe I'll be able to since Max can fight them..."

"No. U and A with the younger ones ASAP."

Iggy asked, "Erasers?"

"Yeah."

He sighed. "Alright, here we go."

By that time we had met them, and a full-fledged fight ensued. Iggy and Fang kept telling me to fly, but I wouldn't listen. Nudge was holding her own against a smaller Eraser, and Gasman and Angel were already gone. One was headed straight toward me, growling.

I let him get real close, then ducked as he swiped for my neck. I came up with my fist to the underside of his chin. As he recoiled, I kicked his stomach, but he grabbed my leg and twisted it. I fell on purpose, and when he let go of my leg to stand over me, I rolled out of the way. He tripped over my legs and also fell, his arms flailing. I saw Nudge take of before his claws raked across my face. Iggy heard the fall and my gasp. He turned to me. "Rachel, what's... FANG! She's got an Eraser on top of her!" He kicked the monster in the back of the neck, then rolled him off of me.

He extended a hand, which I could barely see, and I grabbed it gratefully. He pulled me up just as an Eraser clawed him in the back. His face went pale and he staggered. "Ooooh..."

On instinct, I caught him and ran as fast as I could, away. "Fang! Come on!" I shouted. He saw me and tore himself away from combat with two of the beasts. We both took off, me still carrying Iggy.

We caught up with the others in the air. Without a word, I turned south. Everyone followed me.

After about five minutes, Iggy regained conciousness. "Uhhh... Fang?" he asked. "It's Rachel," I replied, "at your service, sir."

He grinned weakly. "Thanks. For everything. Can we stop anytime soon? My back is killing me."

"Yeah, soon. We gotta find a place to land first."

Fang pointed to an island in the middle of the lake we were traveling over. "That'll work."

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LE GASP! What's going to happen to Iggy? Is he mortally wounded? #laughs# I know I'm being dramatic. But review, and I'll update.

5. Healing and Salvation

HAHAHA! I update again! Hope you like. Review, people!

Random thought: If you try to fail and succeed, what have you done?

Oh yeah. I am a Christian and not ashamed. This story, starting now, is about the flock getting saved. If that offends you, don't read it. But I think anyone of any faith should be able to read and be okay with it... If you think I could have handled their "salvations" better tell me, but please no flames.

Disclaimer: Don't own JP, don't own flock, don't own Fang's backpack, don't own a car...

I dressed and bandaged Iggy's wounds with stuff Fang pulled out of his backpack while the Flock watched in admiration- with the exception of Iggy and Fang, of course. "How did you learn to do that?" Gazzy asked.

I shrugged. "Simple first aid. Now, did anyone else get scratched up?"

Nudge and Fang both had cuts, but they turned my offer of help aside. "Go wash your face. You're way worse off than we are," Nudge told me.

When I came back from the lakeside, they were already bandaged up. Fang directed my to lie down as Nudge hopped to my side.

"He's really good at this, he's really gentle," she started. "You wouldn't think Fang would be that good at something like this, but he is, so we decided to let him bandage your face. It looks really bad. Does it hurt? What's going to happen to Iggy?" She paused.

"I don't know, Nudge. We'll have to pray for the best. Now, could you give Fang some quiet so he could concentrate? Maybe you could play a game with Angel and Gasman." She nodded and skipped away. Fang didn't smile, but I could see it in his eyes.

As he carefully worked on my face, he asked in a low voice, "Did you mean that? About praying?"

"Yes, of course! If God doesn't help us with Iggy's back, he won't be able to fly for a long time," I replied in a whisper.

"So you do believe in God?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Why?"

So then and there I explained it to him. How mankind is doomed to die because of sin, but instead of letting us go to hell for eternity, God sent His only Son to die a horrible death. Now we can accept Him and believe in Him and go to heaven when we die. Fang finished with my face and sat there, listening quietly.

"I think you're crazy. You can't prove there's a God."

"Neither can I prove that I'm Rachel, but you believe me. Nature just screams that there is a Creator. Can't you see the obvious design around you?"

"Yeah, I think I do. But if your God is so loving and all that, then why did any of this happen?"

"There's sin in the world, Fang. But everything happens for a reason. God works everything out for those who love Him. In the end, He will prevail and make all things right. People who didn't choose Him will burn forever, along with the traitor who started it all, Satan."

"Why? Can't He just make everyone believe, if He loves them so much?"

"It's love that prevents Him from doing that. Don't you see? If He did that, we'd just be robots! He wants us to be able to have free will of choice."

"I don't get it. How can you love a God who let that happen to your face? Who let that happen to Iggy?"

I took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes, which met mine steadily. I was about to start treading some dangerous ground, and hoped he wasn't going to kick my butt for it. "Well, it's like this. You know how you love Max?" He tensed. "Even when she does stuff that hurts you, or you don't understand? But in the end, things kind of work out, don't they? God is like that, only better. We're only looking at the here and now, but He sees the big picture."

"Whatever. I still don't get it." With that, he turned and walked away. As I sat up, I saw through the holes in my bandages that everyone was there, watching me. I wondered how much they had heard. Dear Lord, help me to be a witness to these kids. They scurried away as they saw me get up. I went over to Iggy and knelt beside him.

Placing my hands lightly on his back, I prayed. Hard. God, I know you haven't ever used me for healing before. But if it's Your will, we need a miracle, soon. We won't be able to go very far with Iggy's back like this. And these kids need a miracle. Help them believe. And whatever happens, let Your Name be glorified. Amen.

The Voice talked to me again. Because of your faith, Rachel. Check his back. Hm. Interesting. So I did.

There was no trace of his injury.

"I-Iggy?" I stammered.

"Yeah? What's going on? I felt your hands on my back."

"Your back- does it hurt?"

"No. Why?"

"Be- because your gashes are- are gone."

"WHAT?"

He jumped up from his lying-down position and felt his back excitedly. "Holy- it's gone! It's gone!" he shouted joyously. Hearing the racket, everyone rushed into the clearing as he threw on his now-washed t-shirt and tested his wings. I discovered my face was also healing, and was fervently thanking God. Everyone else was excited, and Nudge was singing and dancing. Then, all at once, they stopped and looked at me.

"How did you do that?" Iggy whispered in awe.

"I didn't. God did."

"Really? Did you pray?"

"Yep. Did you hear me talking to Fang?" Suddenly the rest of the Flock disappeared.

"Yeah."

"Want to talk about it?"

And right then, I showed him to Jesus. He asked my to pray with him. Both of us were crying unabashedly and I was so happy I felt I could burst. By then it was dark, and we had a fire going. Then Nudge crept out of the shadows and asked some questions. Then Gazzy and even Angel. All four got saved that Sunday night. As we all hugged each other, I saw someone on the very edge of the circle of light.

I disentangled myself from the Flock and walked over to him. "What's the matter?"

He shook his head. "It's just... weird. Seeing you like this."

"You miss Max."

"I won't deny it. What you said earlier... was true." He sighed deeply.

"Say it, Fang. You need to."

"No."

"You need it."

"Heck no."

"Let it out. Remember, you're not talking to Max, you're talking to Rachel."

"Alright, alright. I love Max. You happy now?"

I smiled. "Now. Wanna join us?"

"Nah. Give me time."

"'Kay. I understand."

I visited a pay phone that night. Max was fine, no one suspected anything, and she was really interested in my church. She said everyone was really nice. She asked me a couple of questions, and I told her most of the Flock had gotten saved. She was happy for them, but said she'd have to think awhile.

The rest of the night I spent telling fascinated kids Bible stories.

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Okay, that was it for now. Review a lot and I shall update. :)

6. Discussion and Pepper Spray

Know what we should do? We, the MR ff writers, should have like, a national convention. Meet somewhere central and discuss fanfic and MR and MR fanfic. Cuz nobody where I live has ever heard of MR, much less read it, much less like it, much less write about it. Ooh! And... we could have seminars! I vote R-Starcat to lecture on Mary-Sues!

Still my POV. Fang's gonna be slightly OOC in this chappie, but, ya know, he has to talk sometimes. And... the me/Iggy comes in! Fluff! Hurray! Fluff is good!

I am so pathetic.

Anyhu, here's the chapter...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even the pepper spray. (you'll see.)

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Early in the morning I visited a local bookstore and used Max's card. Cheerfully I woke up the less-than-cheerful flock and took them to eat. Then we took off, flying south, a backpack over my wings.

I watched Iggy. His wings were gorgeous, he flew with such confidence. His eyes, though curtained, showed his emotions so clearly.

Tsk, tsk, Rachel. Forming an attachment?

Even the Voice couldn't put a damper on my spirits. "Maybe. So what?"

You've already accomplished part of your purpose. But Fang is still resistant. So here's a little something to jolt him a bit.

Huh? Oh yeah...

My wings folded and I started dropping, unable to do anything but hold my head. "Rachel!" I heard Nudge scream. Then I felt arms around me, and the pain vanished. I looked up into the dark, concerned eyes of Fang. "Can you fly now?" I nodded, and he let me go. As I started flying again, I heard him clear his throat self-consciously and say, "Uh, Rachel? Can we talk for a second?"

"Sure." So we zoomed up to a higher altitude so the rest couldn't hear us. And he poured out everything. It's hard being the strong and silent type. He talked about his mom, Max, the Flock, God, everything. Fang was finally able to release what he had bottled up all his fourteen and a half years. I just listened compassionately.

After about fifteen minutes, he fell silent. I looked over at him. Tension and worry had almost- but not quite- vanished from his face. He sighed deeply, met my gaze, and smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime. You know," I added thoughtfully, "you ought to do this more often. I do it all the time."

"To whom? Friends."

"Yeah, but mainly God. I can pour out everything to Him and know He still loves me."

"Listen, Rachel, I have really given it serious thought. But I'm not quite there yet. Okay?"

"Of course."

Fang grinned mischievously. "Oh, and by the way- good luck with Iggy." I gaped at him as he flew down to join the Flock, then followed him.

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Predictably, the first thing Nudge said was, "I'M HUNGRY!" Gasman, Angel, and Iggy chimed in. As a matter of fact, my stomach was rumbling. So I scanned the land below me. We were in rural mountains, but I spotted a "BBQ All-You-Can-Eat Buffet" and grinned.

"We'll eat there," I said as I pointed.

We ate all we could for eight dollars a person. Angel, Gasman, and Nudge were only five dollars apiece. The manager was somewhat disgruntled by our appetites but hey, we paid! Just as I got my receipt Nudge pulled on my hand and pointed. Headed toward us from across the restaurant was an Eraser, already half morphed. No one seemed to notice it. Fang stiffened beside me.

"Ready... on count of three." Which, of course, meant on count of one.

"No, wait!" I hissed. "Let's try a different tactic." I turned to the hostess and quickly said, "Please, ma'am, do you have any pepper spray? It's really, really important."

"A course ah dew," she drawled. "Ah always carry hit..."

I interrupted her. "May I borrow it?" The Eraser was getting closer, and he looked bloodthirsty. The woman handed me the pepper spray, puzzled. Closer, closer... she screamed as she finally saw it and I wielded the spray.

"Hey, what's going on?" I heard the loud, obnoxious voice of the manager and turned to him. "Sir," I explained with wide, innocent eyes, "I was just paying and there was this," I turned back to the Eraser.

In front of me was a handsome man rubbing his eyes.

"... this... this..."

"...this man and you SPRAYED HIM WITH PEPPER SPRAY?" The manager was mad. No, not mad. Outraged. I looked at the Flock. They were just as wide-eyed and speechless as me.

"Umm..."

"Young lady, you WILL be paying for this man's hospital bills." He grabbed me by the collar of my jacket. With a quick move I broke his grip, turned tail, and ran after the Flock, tossing the spray behind me. We were stampeded after by half the restaurant. Once we got to the parking lot, we threw off our windbreakers and practically leapt into the air.

The looks on those people's faces...

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So? What do you think? Do I have to make you review? Okay. If you read this and don't review, your hair will fall out, your house will fall down, you will never be able to eat your favorite food again, and I shall sic my swarm of Erasers on you! So there! Wouldn't you rather review and get a cookie? (wow. cookies are really common in this fandom. how about a... um... a bon-bon! that's it! no, doesn't have quite the attraction a homeade chocolate chip cookie does...) #sigh#

7. My House

You told me to update- and I update! Voila!

Disclaimer: DON'T OWN IT.

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The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful. We stopped for dinner without incident, and I called Max. She told me everything was fine, except for the fact that she had done really badly in my schoolwork (I'm homeschooled) and my mum was mad at her. I let her know we'd be there in a couple of hours.

Finally! Below me I could see the small town of C-----, where I lived. I contemplated possible landing spots, then pointed to a huge field.

"The C----- Airport. It's close to my house."

After landing, we walked down the familiar streets, each lost in our own thoughts. Except for Nudge. She was lost in talking about her thoughts. We walked up the stairs to my home and I rang the doorbell. My family had just finished dinner.

It was the weirdest feeling in the world as I saw myself open the door. Max just stared at me, then squeaked and hugged me.

"You guys made it! You're here!"

She hugged everyone as they looked at her. Gasman said to me, "So that's what you look like." I smiled and ruffled his hair. "Rachel?" I heard Shane, my brother, call. "Who are those people?" Max smiled at us and told us to come in.

Once we sat down, Angel looked at my mum, then at Max. "Rachel's mum is mad at you for bringing us in without letting her know."

My mum blinked and sat down.

"Mum, this is Angel, Gasman, Nudge, Fang, Iggy, and... Max's body," Max explained. "Yes, the actual characters from Maximum Ride."

Eyebrows were raised. Shane and Mum's mouths dropped open and Dad slumped in his chair. "Prove it. Those kids have wings. Yes, they look like the descriptions of the kids but I don't see any wings."

We all spread our wings for their benefit. "Now you do." Eyebrows went up higher and eyes widened considerably. "Now, I'm going to ask you to trust me on this," I said. "I'm telling the truth just like she did," I gestured to Max.

"That's not really Rachel. That's Maximum Ride. And I'm Rachel. I don't know how we switched bodies, but it happened sometime early Sunday morning."

Angel looked up at me. "They want to believe you, but don't know if they can. They're very confused."

Complete silence.

Well, Rachel, you're getting there. Now only Fang and Max remain, and your mission will be done. But of course, you've got to convince your parents. So, here you go...

I fell off my chair and started writhing on the floor, pain resounding in my head. Everyone rushed to group around me. Surprisingly, it was Iggy who held me, stroking my hair and telling me it would be okay...

The pain cleared and I stood up, wobbling slightly.

"So it's giving you brain attacks too, huh?" Max was mad. "That Voice! Aargh! I'm sorry!"

Mum, Dad, and Shane looked at her, then at me. "Okay, we'll believe you." Dad spoke to the whole Flock. "Do you guys want to spend the night here?"

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Okay, okay, it was a short chappie. You'll get more next week. (I'm allowed one day a week) Review for me, please!

8. Mission Accomplished

Okay, this is the penultimate chapter... review more, peas. I had really hoped to get more reviews on this story. Anyway, here ya go...

Disclaimer: Don't own, yada yada yada.. #sigh#

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That night was like a giant sleepover- for the girls, at least. The guys were upstairs, so who knows what they were doing all night. Probably sleeping. But it turns out it was a good thing we didn't.

We giggled and talked a long time- even Max. I could see that in my body and not being around the guys she didn't have to retreat behind a shell. She just had fun being a girl.

Around 1:30 AM, talk turned to serious matters. Angel, Nudge, and I all shared how Jesus had changed us. I got out my Bible and shared a few verses with her. Tears filled her eyes. She tried to hide her emotion, but I told her, "Don't be afraid to be human." She smiled wryly.

"Are you serious about all you've said?"

"Dead serious."

She thought for a minute, then replied, "And I believe it. What do I need to do?"

I told her, "Just say what you want to say to God, ask forgiveness of your sins and invite Him into your life." So Max squinted her eyes shut and said, "Jesus, I believe in You. I believe God created the world, and loved us so much He sent You to die. But You lived again so I could go to heaven. Please forgive me for the wrong things I've done. Please live in my heart and help me do the right thing while saving the world and taking care of my Flock. Thanks. Uhh... Amen." She opened her eyes and smiled tentatively. Everyone was beaming, myself included. "I... I feel clean," she managed.

We all started crying from happiness and laughed through our tears. I threw my arms around her and hugged her tight.

Thank you, Rachel. Mission accomplished.

I looked up at... Max.

Both our mouths dropped open and our eyes were the size of saucers. We were silent for a second, but then we squeaked, stood up, and jumped around the room like idiots. Nudge and Angel watched in silence until Angel gasped and stood up. "Nudge," she explained happily, "They're back!"

We all made enough noise to wake everyone up. As the two younger ones rushed out of my room, I turned to Max again. "Max," I said, "About Fang... he's still not saved, but he does..."

"... love me." Max nodded. "That's the first thing I heard when I got back." She tapped her head and I nodded.

Hugs all around. Careful inspection to make sure we were in our right minds. Then another round of hugs. When I hugged Iggy again, he whispered, "Is that really you, Rachel?"

"Mmhmm!"

"May I do something? It's how I know what you look like."

"Sure."

He lifted his delicate fingers to my face. I closed my eyes as he felt the contours of my features. Across my forehead, over my eyelids, down my nose, under my jawline; his cool fingers touched me gently as a feather. My lips curved into a smile as he ran his fingers across them.

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, we heard a loud "EEW!" coming from Gazzy. He ran to me and whispered in my ear, "Fang just kissed Max on the cheek!" I looked up and saw the just-mentioned couple coming my way. Fang's eyes were shiny as he said, "I believe. Show me how."

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Wow. I just realized how short this chapter is. Sorry, peeps! The end will be up next week! Now review and make my day.

9. Wings

TADA! Here tis! The end. :P Annie Lennox crooning in background "Don't saaaayyy... we have come now to the ennnnnddd..." kicks cd player Shh! I hope you like it. turns into Emiliana Torrini "Don't saayyy goodbyyyyyyeee..." kicks cd player SHUT UP!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything- not even the house. We moved. Oh- and the song is a mixed up version that still belongs to Hawk Nelson.

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Several days later, I woke up early and smiled at the sleeping faces around me. Iggy and I had been doing a lot of talking, as had Max and Fang. They all loved our church, and they loved their new "parents." Nudge had fallen head over heels for my brother, although he, of course, was oblivious. They're both big talkers.

But Angel was starting to get worried about Total. And the Flock had huge appetites- bigger than Shane's. So today was the day they had to leave.

At the breakfast table, all was noisy- as usual. Gasman was living up to his name and Shane was trying to imitate him. They had become fast friends. Angel was talking to Celeste. Nudge was just talking- and batting her eyes at Shane, who didn't notice. We four older ones simply tried to converse with each other above the din. My parents had found out within the first two meals that to keep their sanity they needed to eat in another room.

I walked them to the airport and pulled a stack of Bibles out of the backpack I was carrying. "One for each of you." They took them gratefully. Angel's had a picture of an angel on the front, and inside was written John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Gazzy's was a "cool camo" Bible, with 1 Timothy 4:12: "Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in faith, in speech, in life, and in purity."

Nudge's was purple, her favorite color, and I had written within Ephesians 4:32: "Be kind to one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another; even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Iggy's was special. It was a Braille Bible. I had paid for 2 Corinthians 3:17 to be imprinted in Braille on the inside: "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Fang's was black, his color. I had put in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."

Max's was a neat blue design. I had enclosed money to pay for the Bibles and had written Esther 4:14b: "And who knows but that you have come to this position for such a time as this?"

We hugged all around one last time. My eyes filled with tears as I looked at the people who had become so dear to me... especially Iggy.

"Be careful, you guys!" I managed to choke out. "Call me when you get back. I'll miss you!"

One by one, they all took off. Except Iggy. He walked toward me. "May I?" he asked. "Yeah."

Once again his sensitive fingers ran gently across my face. When he reached my lips, he cupped his hand under my chin. His beautiful eyes were also filled with tears. I stopped him with two fingers to his lips.

"I'm saving my lips for my wedding day. I hope you understand." He nodded. I took his hand and brushed it against my cheek, which was wet with tears. Iggy understood the gesture and kissed my cheek.

Then he drew me into his arms and held me tight. His wings enveloped us. It was a truly magical moment. Wings... I once had wings. Now they were gone, but I could still fly... Iggy made me fly.

"Goodbye, Iggy. I love you."

"I love you too, Rachel. Thank you for everything."

He turned and ran into the wind, taking off, getting a feel for the air. I gave a wobbly smile and waved as they flew out of sight. With God and the Voice's help, the entire Flock was saved. I would miss them terribly...

And oh, how I would miss flying. An exhilarating sense of freedom, now gone. Always I had dreamed of having wings... and my wish had been granted, if only temporarily.

Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, Angel. All such incredible kids. And all helpless until Jesus had been shown to them. Thank you, God, for using me. I would miss them so much... but they promised to try to visit.

As I turned to walk home, I started singing.

He's got every little thing I wanted

And it still feels just like the day it started

I'll say good-bye to the broken-hearted

There's just no way

To express the way I felt before today

He's not an ordinary boy

You can see it in his eyes

I'm just an ordinary girl

God must have heard my prayers last night

And I smiled down at my hand, on which was written a phone number. Iggy's phone number. A phone number for kids... with wings.

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AWWWWWW! If I may say so myself. I really like how I finished this up. The question is... do you like it? REVIEW! Please. If writing fan fic is like breathing, reviews are my oxygen. (okay that was really corny. But still.)