“Oh,” I said, and I got wearily to my feet, feeling old and hollow and like I would never be happy again. I don’t even know what I was expecting, but Fang and I sort of came together in a brief, awkward hug. I clung to him, relishing the milliseconds in his arms like they were hours, then I stepped back.
“So I guess this is it,” I said almost incoherently.
“Yeah,” Fang agreed, and my heart sank. I’d actually hoped he’d just say for now. “Be safe,” he said. Then he looked meaningfully at Dylan, as if to say, “That’s your job now—take care of her.”
Maya waited with the gang, and I knew I owed her. I went and stood in front of her, watching as her eyes met mine.
“Thanks,” I told her.
She nodded. And that was it—we were too alike to need anything more.
“Take care, guys,” said Fang to the rest of the flock. “I’ll post anything I find out on my blog.”
More tearful good-byes, and then they were gone. I blinked uncomfortably, feeling grit in my eyes, then turned to the flock. I swallowed hard. “I need to find Ella,” I told them. “And my mom. And maybe even Jeb.”
Slowly, one by one, they nodded. I let out a deep breath, wondering if I could even get myself airborne.
Dylan came up to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and took one of my hands in his. His hand was large, warm, and comforting. I looked down at it, and again, hot tears pricked the backs of my eyes, then ran down my face, making tracks through the sweat and the blood. I let them fall.
I looked up at him and nodded, and then we got ready to fly.
EPILOGUE
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“You’re very superior, Angel,” said a voice.
Angel heard the voice, heard other muffled sounds, but she couldn’t open her eyes. She couldn’t move a muscle. She tried to still her panic, tried to calm down enough to figure out where she was, what was happening.
Her head was killing her, and she could tell some of her hair was matted with blood. Her feet were bare and cold. She had electrodes taped to her, all over, and as she realized this, panic washed through her. She heard a machine start beeping as her heart beat faster. Not again. She couldn’t go through this again.
“It’s okay, Angel,” said the voice. Angel couldn’t tell if a man or a woman was speaking. It sounded like it was coming at her through many layers of cotton. “You’re among friends. Even admirers. We’re going to take care of you.”
Angel tried to speak but couldn’t make a single sound. Was she even breathing? She thought so. She realized that her wrist stung—she must have an IV there. It was all nauseatingly familiar: the feeling of helplessness, the smell of disinfectant, the hushed hums and chirps of medical machines tracking every bodily function.
With all of her heart, she wished that she was home with Max and the others, wished she could curl up with Max and watch TV, wished she could watch Ella and Iggy bake cookies. She was just a little kid…
“You see, Angel,” the voice continued, “it’s important that you recognize your superiority. It’s part of your destiny. You have to take strength from that knowledge.”
An icy liquid seeped into her hair, and Angel wondered if they were cleaning the blood off.
“When you truly understand your superiority, you’ll be able to leave your humanity behind, once and for all. Humans aren’t needed for the New World. But superhumans are. Beings that are more than human, better than human. You’ll see.”
Angel tried sending her thoughts out, tried to get into the heads of whomever was around her. But it was like she was encased in plastic, with no thoughts entering or leaving. She’d never felt more alone. Where was Max? Was she worried? The flock must be going crazy, trying to find her…
She swallowed uncomfortably, aware that a tube was going down her throat.
That was when everything crashed in on her: The bombs, running after Gazzy in the tunnel, the huge explosion. She remembered nothing after that, until just now. She didn’t know if Gazzy and Fang had made it out alive. She didn’t know if they had saved thousands of people. She didn’t even know if she still had a flock.
She thought about the people, so many people, that might be dead right now, because she and Gazzy had failed. This is my fault, Angel thought. All of this is my fault.
Oh, Max, she thought, sure that Max couldn’t hear her. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.
Very slowly, a single tear welled up in her closed eye and seeped out from beneath her heavy lid. It rolled down her cheek, past her ear.
“Don’t worry, Angel,” came the voice again. “You’re very special. We’re going to take good care of you.”
But at least Angel was still human enough to cry.
In the Maximum Ride Battle of the Schools, schools around the country competed to be crowned the biggest fan of the Maximum Ride series. Congratulations to the following top-ranking schools:
Alton Middle School, Alton, Illinois
Amy Biehl High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Berrien Springs Middle School, Berrien Springs, Michigan
Bolivar Middle School, Bolivar, Missouri
Bondy Intermediate, Pasadena, Texas
Brownsville Elementary, Bremerton, Washington
Buffalo Island Central West Elementary, Monette, Arkansas
Cabot School, Cabot, Vermont
Caprock Elementary School, Keller, Texas
Carmel Middle School, Carmel, California
Central Tech, Erie, Pennsylvania
Centralia High School, Centralia, Missouri
Chain of Lakes Middle School, Orlando, Florida
Challenger High School, Hickory, North Carolina
Chester County High School, Henderson, Tennesee
Chicopee High School, Chicopee, Massachusetts
Clayton Valley High School, Concord, California
Cook Secondary School, Cook, Minnesota
Crone Middle School, Naperville, Illinois
Dalton Middle School, Dalton, Georgia
Decatur Central High School, Indianapolis, Indiana
Desert Mountain School, Phoenix, Arizona
Dundee Central School, Dundee, New York
East Middle School, Traverse City, Michigan
Edgewood Middle School, Mounds View, Minnesota
Explorer Middle School, Everett, Washington
Fall Creek Intermediate, Fishers, Indiana
Fern Creek Traditional High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Fort King Middle School, Ocala, Florida
Glen Alpine Elementary, Morganton, North Carolina
Goldie Maple Academy, Queens, New York
Great Neck Middle School, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Greenback School, Greenback, Tennessee
Hillcrest Christian School, Granada Hills, California
Holly Ridge Middle School, Holly Springs, North Carolina
Holy Angels, Arcadia, California
Holy Nativity Episcopal School, Panama City, Florida