A/N: The story of the Lost School continues. I rewrote this chapter about four times. I sorta had writer's block, but it wasn't that I couldn't come up with anything, but I came up with a new idea each day, trashing all of my work and starting all over again. I'm sticking with this one.

No action here, sorry, but there are a few things for Kaede and Talon to work out, liek clothes and other stuff. Hope you guys like this.

Disclaimer: I totally own Kaede and Talon. Max, and the Flock are JP's. Would I like to own Max and the flock? Hells yes. But do I? sigh...no.

Chapter 1

Complications

Prologue: This was it. The death of Maximum Ride. Oh god, this is too soon…too soon…. All I wanted to do is fly away, but my wings…all the feathers were ripped out. I shut my eyes, and waited for that last fatal blow. I tried to remember a happier time. I found a memory quickly. We just got out of School 4, and were staying in a hotel, and…

One Month Earlier (A/N: for the next ten chapters or so, it’s going to be one big flashback that eventually leads up to the paragraphs above. In other words, keep tabs on this story!)

I was awake, but I was pretending to be asleep. If he knew I was awake, he would wake up, and then he wouldn’t look so peaceful.

When I say “he” I mean Fang. Don’t jump to conclusions here, the Flock only could get two rooms in the hotel, and we had eight people. Everyone was sharing a bed with someone, I just happened to share with Fang.

I was resting my head on his shoulder, and he had one arm around me. We weren’t really alone. Talon and Kaede were hanging from the ceiling fan, a few feet away from us.

With two extra people, we had to get creative so everyone could sleep. In fact, we had to get creative for a lot of things. What I mean is that, with the twins, there were some…complications.

Complication #1: After about five minutes of flying, we discovered that Talon and Kaede were blind in the sunlight. All those years in the dark made their eyes really light sensitive, and flying in the sky, completely exposed to the sun, hurt their eyes.

Complication #2: Talon and Kaede were dressed in rags, and they had no shoes. We were heading to New York, where nearly anyone can blend in, but they couldn’t even be passed for homeless people--like the rest of us could. They had no place to hide their wings, and their feet had talons. One of Talon’s hands had talons. And they had bright yellow eyes. And Kaede was about the most gorgeous creature alive right now. No way would they blend in.

Complication #3: Talon and Kaede knew absolutely nothing about the outside. This is a complication because I am not the most patient person in the world. It’s easy to forget where they grew up.

So, as said before, we got creative. For Complication #1, Angel “persuaded” an optometrist to give them special contacts for light sensitive eyes. They were also colored, so their eyes were a normal brown sometimes.

For clothing, Fang, Iggy, and I donated some of our clothes. We would buy Kaede and Talon their own clothes later. Shoes we bought right away. Because of their talons, we got them big boots. For Talon, we got him a pair of huge leather gloves. He threw away one and kept the other. Complication #2 solved.

The two looked much more presentable than before. Talon was wearing a dark red hoody, and some black cargo pants. It was like half Iggy, half Fang. Kaede also went for a red look, wearing one of my red windbreakers, and some jeans. My favorite pair of jeans. I didn’t recognize them at first, because they looked so much better on her than on me.

We had spent the night in a hotel, Talon and Kaede’s first night ever in a hotel room. I began to plot how to reclaim my jeans again.

I would buy her some new jeans, and then they would be mine again. But I couldn’t buy her shorts, not when she had those legs to show off. I would buy the most unflattering, ugliest pair of jeans ever, and then…

I sighed, satisfied with my plan. Bad move. This wasn’t the type of breathing for someone who is asleep, and Fang noticed.

“You’re awake.” Fang said. It wasn’t a question.

“Maybe” I replied coyly.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“She stole my jeans. I want them back.”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s like she’s wearing part of my identity.” I said, narrowing my eyes at sleeping Kaede. She was my friend and everything, but it really bothered me that she was wearing my favorite pair of jeans.

“Uh…huh…” Fang said uncertainly.

I was about to explain why it was so important to me when I heard gleeful shrieks.

Angel, Nudge and Gazzy skipped into the room. Kaede and Talon awoke, and Kaede got down from her perch to embrace the little kids. The kids loved her already. Iggy shyly approached her, giving her a little wave.

Talon got down himself, stretching out his colossal bat wings. In a flash, they were gone. Because they had no feathers, the bat mutants had an easier time hiding their wings. Their wings were more compact, and they could wear tighter clothing than the rest of us could.

“What are we doing today?” Gaz asked excited.

“We should go shopping.” Angel suggested. “Max wants her clothes back.”

“Omigosh, I’d love to take Kaede shopping!” squealed Nudge. “She’s just so pretty, and she looks so good in red and purple and orange and yellow and green and blue and…”

“Ok, ok, shopping it is.” I sighed. I went over to the twins and showed them my credit card.

“See this? This is my super power: the power to get anything I want without stealing it.” I said, waving it in front of their faces.

The two stared at it in awe. They were probably wondering how such a small card could get us anything. I just winked, and put in into my pocket. Shopping was going to be an exciting experience for them.

“Now we’re going to buy you two some of your own clothing,” I said. “There was a mall around here, so everyone just stick together. We are now off…to Kohl’s!”

“To Kohl’s!” all of us mutant bird kids chanted, raising their fists into the air. Talon and Kaede looked really excited, ready to jump out of the window to go to Kohl’s.

You shouldn’t take them out. Not yet. the Voice said. The culture shock would be too much for them.

Hush you. I must reclaim my jeans. Unless you have something important to say, GO AWAY!

Isn’t saving the world important?

How about this: unless you have something to say that isn’t completely vague, go away.

“Voice again?” asked Fang.

“Yea, how’d you know?” I replied.

“You went from happy to annoyed really fast. Faster than normal anyway.” Fang said, suppressing a smile.

“Let’s not just stand around everyone!” I said, focusing on the flock instead of on Fang. “Open that window, and let’s U and A!”

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