Book 1: Missing Angel; Part 2

Edited as of 10/27/25

All he heard was air rushing past his ears, and suddenly, instinct took over. His wings unfurled at his back, catching the air. His muscles ached with the strain of first use, but they cooperated. He flapped them, slowing his descent to the ground.

It was rough, at first. His wings were large, almost thirteen feet across, not quite proportional with his body. He was smaller, compared to the rest of the flock, standing at five feet and an inch. He still landed roughly in the woods.

He didn’t know where he was, and had no clue what to do now. Luckily, he hadn’t dropped his duffel bag, and maybe it had something useful.

Inside the bag were two sets of clothes, real clothes, like from outside, in his perfect size. Digi also found a card, with the name ‘Maximum Ride’ on it, whoever that was. He also found food, enough to last him days. Cans, snacks, drinks, candy… It took up the majority of the space.

He looked at his ragged clothes, and decided to change into his new outfit. He wrestled off the thick safety gloves, tossing them to the side. He didn’t know why he needed them anyways.

Since it was warmer out, he put on the shorter clothes. Somehow his new outfit wasn’t that itchy plastic made clothes, but everything was nice and soft and cotton, he hated plastic clothes. Digi looked at himself and flushed. Who the hell had chosen these? He looked like a hooker!

He had on a black sleeveless leotard, but luckily he also had on a pair of shorts. Unfortunately, they didn’t come up all the way to his hips, and were extra short, leaving a sliver of his hips still visible. He had on a pair of grey thigh highs, with plain black shoes, and new fingerless leather gloves. He fished the grey jacket out from the bag, and quickly put it on. Hoping to cover his body.

As he was looking, he also found a map, where a red dot was there. ‘YOU ARE HERE’, and there was a highlighted path leading him out of the woods. Despite how dark it was, he saw a clear path ahead, likely for hiking. His eyes slowly adjusted, and he began to follow the map out of the forest.

---

“What do you mean sweetie?” Max asked slowly. Angel had just told her she had seen stuff about their origins… their parents.

“I heard stuff.”

“Stuff people said or stuff people thought?” She asked.

“Stuff people thought,” Angel responded. I noticed how tired she looked. Maybe this should wait till tomorrow.

“No, I want to tell you now,” she said, obviously reading my thoughts. “I mean, it’s just stuff I sort of heard. I didn’t understand all of it—chunks were missing. And it was from a couple different people. Not from Jeb though… I couldn’t hear anything from him. It was like he was dead.”

Fang and Nudge looked at each other, worried.

“I found out another place has information on us, like where they got our DNA.”

“Well spill it!” Iggy said, sitting up.

“They have files on us, like the main ones at a place called the Institute.”

Max clicked her teeth.

“There’s more,” Angel paused, voice wavering. “You know how we always talk about our parents but didn’t really know if we were made in test tubes?”

“I saw my name in Jeb’s old files,” Nudge spoke up. “I really did.”

“I know, Nudge,” Max replied. “Listen to Angel for a minute.”

“Nudge is right,” Angel blurted. “We did have parents—real parents. We weren’t made in test tubes. We were born, like real babies. We were born from human mothers.”

It was dead silent in their little camp.

“You’ve sat on this since yesterday?” Iggy sounded outraged. “What’s the matter with you? Just because you’re the youngest doesn’t mean you have to be the dumbest.”

“Iggy! Look… let’s calm down and let Angel talk.” Max turned towards her. “Can you tell us everything you heard?”

Angel hesitated, before starting to speak. “It sounded like they got us from different places, different hospitals. But they got us after we were born. We weren’t test tube babies. I heard they told Nudge’s mom and dad that she had died, and that Iggy’s mom…”

Iggy inhaled sharply.

“Iggy’s mom died when he was born. Fang’s mom was a teenager, so they don’t know who your dad is… And I didn’t hear anything about Max.”

“What about us Angel? How’d they get us?” Gazzy said, voice shaky.

At that, Angel burst into tears. “Our parents gave us to the School themselves.”

“What?”

“They wanted to help the school! They gave us up for money!”

Gazzy sniffled, trying to act brave, but ultimately failing. He buried his head into Max’s shirt, crying.

They all sat there, shell shocked by the revelations. They’d all wondered for so long, and now that they had an answer they wished they never knew at all. After a while of grieving the lives they could have had, most of them went to bed.

As Max made sure everyone else was asleep and comfortable, Fang approached her.

“So… Maybe you were hatched after all.” He was trying to boost her mood, just a little.

Max gave a half hearted smile. “Maybe they found me in a cabbage patch.”

“In a way, I guess you’re lucky.” He said quietly, eyes downcast. “Not knowing is better.”

“I guess… But there’s something that’s bothering me… Promise you won’t tell them?”

Fang looked at her curiously, it must be serious.

“Jeb told me… that there’s a seventh member of the flock. Someone our age. He told me I had to find them.”

“Another flock member?” Fang said, contemplating this information. “Where have they been?”

“I don't know. He didn’t say anything else, just told me to find them.” Max sighed. “I’m starting to think he was messing with me.”

“Maybe… But if there is another birdkid like us… then we have to be careful. They could be brainwashed, or aggressive.”

That’s what Max liked about Fang, he always thought reasonably. She then yawned. “I’ll think about this more in the morning. I think we all need to rest after everything that’s happened.”

Fang didn’t say anything else. Only nodding, before laying down himself.

Max waited, and went to bed herself.

---

Digi found himself in the bustling city called New York, aka the big apple. The city that never sleeps. He wandered around, taking in all the sights. He had never seen so many normal people in one place before. He ate one of the candy bars in his bag, and he was sure chocolate was his new favorite food. Much Better than the g’nola bars provided in his rations.

He had spent the first night sleeping under a bench, and then spent the next day walking. It was the first time in his life that he didn’t have a schedule. Nothing to do every hour of the day. Was this freedom?

He wandered into a toy store, eyes bright. Technically, he had money. The card. But he didn’t have a passcode, after all, he had tried it already.

So he looked around, wondering what it would have been like to grow up with his parents. The researchers often talked about them. They had given him up willingly to the School. He even knew his ‘real name’, but it was for a girl, and he was not a girl.

But that life wasn’t for him. He was not destined to be normal. Not with the giant wings curled against his back, only barely covered by his jacket.

Digi picked up a pretty looking bear. Soft and plush.

“Hello.” Said a short, little, very familiar girl. “I remember you. You wanted to free me.” She was holding an angel bear.

“…I did.” He replied, voice shaking. He felt like she was scratching against his mind, but he blinked and shook off whatever feeling it was. She frowned for a moment, before smiling again.

“But you liked the school, you didn’t want to leave.” She clutched the bear closer. “I understand though. Why don’t you come with us?”

“The flock?”

She smiled even brighter, hand extended. “Mhm! I promise, it’ll be fine! They’ll understand.”

He tentatively took her hand, and he was led over to a group of kids. The kids he’d seen through the vents. His flock.

“Max… Can I have this bear?” Said the girl, to a taller blonde. “Oh, and can my new friend come with us?”

“Angel! That bear is… almost fifty bucks.” Max said, slowly. “Who is that?”

“My new friend! He’s like us.” Angel smiled.

A tall, black haired boy walked up, and instinctively Digi backed away. He glared, eyes dark and intense. “What do you mean like us?”

“He’s like us. From the school.”

Digi said nothing, tongue like a lead weight in his mouth. He was terrified. The group was staring at him like he was a dangerous, feral creature. And he felt ready to run like one. But he couldn’t, because despite Angel’s size, her grip on his hand was iron clad.

“Let’s not talk here.” Max said suddenly. And all seven of them headed out. In the alley way, Max pressed him against the wall. “Who are you? Are you an eraser? With the school?”

“No! I’m not an eraser! I don’t know where I am. The glasses man, he tossed me out a helicopter. He told me he had a task for me.” Digi said, words tumbling out. “I swear! I’m not bad! Please don’t hurt me—“

Max’s face softened, then her eyes widened with realization. “It’s you. You’re the missing one.”

“What are you talking about Max?” Said the tallest of them, a guy with strawberry blonde hair.

“Jeb told me that we were missing a flock member. It must be you.”

A dark skinned girl, with long curls, gasped. “We were missing one?!”

Max backed away. “Yeah. Now talk, what’s your story?”

Digi wrung his hands together. “Okay.” And he talked. About everything, the vent space, the testing, the weird words. “And there’s this.” He held out a card. “It’s for someone named Maximum Ride… I don’t know what the pin is.”

“It’s… for me?” Max took it, examining it closely. “Then I guess you’re really one of us.”

“You can’t be serious… This is too convenient. We don’t even know if this guy actually has wings!” Said the dark haired one.

“I have wings but… I have only used them once.” Then Digi unzipped his jacket, and unfolded his wide black wings. He shivered.

“Woah…” Said a little boy.

“I promise I’m telling you the truth. Please, I don’t mean harm.” He pleaded, before putting his jacket back on. “I don’t know what’s going on and I’m scared.”

“He’s telling the truth.” Said Angel. “He really doesn’t know anything.”

“Alright. You come with us, but someone will watch you at all times, got it?” Max said, arms crossed. “I can’t trust you quite yet, but I believe you.”

“Seriously? We’re taking this stranger with us? Obviously, they’re gonna use him against us!” Said the tallest boy, the dark haired one nodded.

“So what? This guy had a card with my name on it, and we need money. The voice said we can use it, so long as we figure out what the pin is.”

Digi coughed. “Uh… So why are we on the run?”

“The School wants to dissect us! Use us for cruel experiments, you don’t remember that?” Said the curly haired girl.

“No,” he replied. “They never treated me like that. They were always nice to me. They’re bad guys?”

“Yes. Remember that. The School is bad.” Said the dark haired boy. They walked next to each other, awkwardly. Then he leaned down and talked quietly. “What’s your name?”

“Digi.”

“I’m Fang.”

He nodded slowly, before scrambling to keep up.

“We’re gonna try the card. Any ideas on what the pin is?” Max said, looking towards him.

Digi shook his head. “It was just in the duffel bag the glasses man gave me.”

“Jeb. His name is Jeb.”

“Yeah, he took you guys right?”

“He saved us! And then…” Said the curly haired girl. “And then he betrayed us.”

“Oh.” Digi looked down.

“So you said that they didn’t do anything to you?”

“I mean. They did tests on me. But other than that, they left me alone. I think… my memories are all.. fuzzy.” He said, remembering wistfully. “I’ve never flown before though… I’ve seen you guys fly.”

“That’s right! When I looked into your mind, I saw that you remembered how cool we were. You wanted to join us. You wanted to escape, but you were too scared.” Angel said, recalling.

Fang looked at him, watching as the newest member of the flock curled in on himself. Something in him twanged. He stepped a little closer. “I’ll help you learn.”

The tall one raised a brow, but didn’t look towards them. “Wow, Fang being nice for once? Especially to the new mysterious guy? Weird.”

“Shut up. If he’s with us, he’s gotta learn how to.”

Digi said nothing, letting them talk as they went to ATM after ATM, trying to figure out what the pin was. Eventually, Angel spoke up again.

And suddenly money was in Max’s hands. She looked concerned. “Let’s go back to central park.”