Sunday, October 3, 2010

Acting

Tuesday was the first day of fall play auditions. I had signed up for them, and of course I was going.

After school, I headed to the auditorium. I wasn't feeling too nervous yet, but that feeling would come soon. I sat down four or five rows from the stage and pulled out some homework while we all waited for whatever was coming next. Everyone got a piece of paper and we all answered the questions that were on it before we gave it back to the directors of the play. After that, the auditions began.

We were called up in groups ranging from three to six and we were told what characters to read and off of what pages of the script. I read the blond (the same two lines) twice, getting some good laughter from the audience the second time. My nerves had, by this time, started up, but I didn't let it show in my voice. My hands were shaking, but I didn't know if that was obvious or not.

I got off of the stage and a few people on the ends of the aisles told me I had done a good job. I smiled and gave them a theatrical bow, saying a quick "thank you" as I did. I was feeling good. Those lines were the only ones I read that day, but I felt good about my performance.

Wednesday was the second day of auditions, and it was also the day that the callbacks were supposed to be posted. That morning, I checked the choir room door and saw the list. There was my name, printed on the list. I was one hop short of giddy as I walked off to my first class.

That day, though, I realized I had caught a cold from my brother. I had all of the symptoms of his cold, and I hoped that it wouldn't make me miss school the next day.

Thursday came, and I didn't realize it at the time, but I was probably fevering on and off all day. I was hot then cold then hot again, and my hands were clammy all day. By the end of sixth hour, I felt miserable. My head was throbbing, my voice was growly, and I wanted to go home and take a nap; but it was the day of callbacks, and I wanted to be in the school play more than I wanted a nap.

After sixth hour, I went to the auditorium. I sat in about the same place that I had sat before and two of the girls in front of me turned around and invited me to sit with them. I declined for multiple reasons (my cold, my backpack was already sitting beside me, I didn't know them, and I just didn't want to get up if I didn't have to). They realized that I had been at auditions on the first day and complimented me on how I had delivered my two lines. I smiled again and croaked a thank you.

We began the callbacks with the directors telling us that there were twenty-two of us there and only thirteen roles. I wondered why they had picked a play with such a small cast, but I wasn't worried about it. I was sure that I would get a part. They also told us that some of us would go up twice and some of us would go up four times, but that didn't mean some of us were worse than others. They're thought behind it was that they knew more of what some people could do as opposed to others, so I figured I'd get to go up quite a few times, since they'd never seen me act before.

I was called up and was told to read the part of a retired actress, so of course I turned on the drama. Again, my lines got some good laughs from the audience, but one of the directors told me that she couldn't hear the ends of my lines. My cold may have had something to do with that, and my mother told me that it's just natural that our voices get softer as we finish our sentences. It was an easy fix, and the in next two lines I read I thought I had remedied the problem.

Those were all of the lines I got to read, and I definitely didn't read as many lines as some people. I thought this was interesting, but I got a few more compliments from other people who auditioned and I left the callbacks happy. We were told that the list of cast members would be posted on the choir room door the next day, sometime after lunch. I felt miserable, but I was looking forward to the next day.

Friday morning I checked the choir room door. There was no list posted yet, but I didn't think much about that, because they had said that it wouldn't be posted until after lunch. I went through my day like it was just another normal day (even though I wasn't feeling one hundred percent healthy because of my cold). After lunch, I walked past the choir room door on my way to my fifth hour class. I glanced over at the door and saw the list. I stopped for a moment and scanned it quickly.

My name wasn't on it.

I turned and began walking down the hallway. There was only a five minute break between classes, so I hadn't looked over the list very carefully, and I might have missed my name, but I felt my eyes sting a little. I took a deep breath and blinked quickly. I shouldn't have checked the list... I thought to myself. No, my name is on it. I just missed it. I walked into my fifth hour class and pushed the list out of my mind. I'd check it again before choir.

Sixth hour came and I walked to the choir room. I stared at the list, going through all of the names...

My name wasn't on it.

I swallowed hard and quickly ducked into the choir room. I flopped my backpack down on a chair and took a deep breath. I got my folder of music out of the cupboard and set it on my chair by my backpack. My eyes were stinging, but I wasn't going to let myself cry. Not here, not in school. I took a drink of water from my water bottle and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, clearing my mind of thoughts. I blinked a few more times, took another deep breath, and forgot about the list until choir had finished. I pretended like I was fine, like I wasn't breaking down inside, like I wasn't confused. The directors knew that I needed to be in that play so that I could meet people. They both knew I was new. I knew I had done well, because people had told me so.

But I didn't think about that. I didn't talk about it, and I didn't let it show on my face. I put on a blank expression, pulled out my choir music, and sang. Not even my friend noticed my sadness enough to say something about it.

I knew for a fact that day that I was a good little actress.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Beauty

If you look outside, you'll probably notice that the leaves on the trees are starting to change colors. Their morphing from shades of green to shades of red, orange, and yellow, just like a caterpillar in it's chrysalis. An interesting thought that I had never considered was pointed out to me earlier today, though; the leaves are nothing like the caterpillars in their chrysalis's', and for more than just the obvious reasons. While a caterpillar is changing into it's next stage in life, the leaves aren't. The leaves are only so beautiful because they're dying.

That's kind of how it is with us as humans. Now, when I say this, I don't mean literally. Most of us don't look very fabulous when we're dying--at least, not when we're physically dying. I'm not talking physically, though; I'm talking spiritually.

As a Christian, I have two "selfs" in me. I have my "old self" (which is the side of me that does all of the bad things) and I have my "new self" (the "self" that has been redeemed by Jesus Christ and isn't really me anymore, because me by myself is just the old self). These two "selfs" are at war with each other, always trying to get my attention. The old self wants me to go back to my sinful ways, but my new self wants me to follow God's Word. What am I to do?

To put it bluntly: Part of me has to die. Again, I'm not speaking in a physical sense, I'm speaking in a spiritual sense. I have to do something about that old self, and that "something" is to get rid of it. I have to "die" to the world, which means that I can't be doing all of the evil and wrong things that the world around me is doing; I have to be "transformed by the renewing of my mind". I have to put good things in to get good things out; I can't just be filling my brain up with all of the junk that the world is throwing at me.

To really change and be a beautiful person on the inside, I have to fill myself up with God. I have to cling to what His Word says. I have to trust Him and have faith in Him. I have to stop listening to the world and start listening to Him.

That doesn't mean that I can't have friends that aren't Christians or I can't associate with people who don't know Jesus Christ as their savior. It just means that I can't be like them. I have to stand out. I have to be different.

I have to be "beautiful."

Just like the leaves that die and become beautiful, my sinful self has to die so that I can become truly beautiful from the inside out.

Just think about how lovely our world would be if everyone did that.

Friday, September 3, 2010

MR Fanfic (TPPOV) Chapter 48

"I don't understand it..." the scientist muttered to his female partner. "How did he escape without anyone noticing?"

"Have you checked the cameras?" she asked, looking over his shoulder. He nodded and clicked a few things on the computer, bringing up the video for that day. The two of them watched the footage go at double speed until it all suddenly went black.

"Whoa, what's that?" the woman asked, backing up a bit. The man sighed.

"I don't know. It seems as if the cameras shut down for about thirty minutes." he replied, glancing over his shoulder at the contemplative woman.

"That would give anyone ample time to escape..." she mumbled, more to herself than to her partner. "But how is it that no one saw him?" she thought for a few minutes before looking back up at the man.

"You'll have to tell--"

"No!" he exclaimed, cutting her off and jumping up out of his chair. "If I tell him, he'll kill me! He hates hearing bad news, and this is some of the worst news he could hear!" the scientist said, wringing his hands nervously.

"He has to know!"

"Not from me, he doesn't!"

"You were the one in charge of the experiment, so you have to tell him!"

"I was only recently put in charge, and I was only given a short sheet of facts about him! Nothing I read said anything about this!" the man motioned towards the computer monitor, which was still playing black video footage. The woman gave him a stern glare and he finally sighed. He was going to have to play a card he'd rather not use, but desperate times call for desperate measures...

"Fine, but if I go, you have to come to." the scientist said, pointing at the shocked woman across from him.

"What? Why do I have to go? Do you need someone to hold your hand?" she retorted, quickly getting over her surprise.

"No, you have to come because you're my partner, and that means you were in charge of the experiment, too. Besides," the man paused and took a deep breath. "I'd like you to be witness to my demise." the two stared at each other for a few moments before the woman nodded.

"All right," she said softly, "I'll go with you." the man smiled and held out his hand. His partner gave him a small smile in return as she took his hand and the two walked out into the hallway.

Knock, knock, knock. The man hit the door as softly as he could in hopes that perhaps the person inside the room wouldn't hear.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice called from inside.

"D-Doctor Alexander and Doctor Falicia, sir." the man stuttered, gaining control of his voice halfway through his sentence.

"Come in." the voice commanded quickly. Dr. Alexander opened the door and peeked inside. The room was furnished like the office of a CEO for an important company with a large desk in the middle of the room and an enormous chair behind the desk. The chair was turned so that the back was to the two scientists as they entered the room.

"I hope you have good news for me, Doctors." the man in the chair said softly. Dr. Alexander cleared his throat.

"Actually, sir, w-we don't. I wish we did, but-"

"Get on with it, Alexander! I don't have all day to listen to you stutter about your problems." the voice barked and Alexander and Falicia both flinched.

"Y-yes, sir," Alexander began once more and cleared his throat. "We're here about Experiment N1C01_43." the male scientist paused, waiting for a response from the man in the chair.

"Did he expire?" there was a bit of worry in his voice as he asked the question.

"Oh, no, sir," Alexander said quickly. "At least...not that we know of..." he finished hesitantly. There was another long pause as the two scientists looked at each other with worried expressions.

"He...escaped?" came the slow and soft reply.

"Yes, sir..." Alexander said with a nod, not that the other man could see it.

"Well, then, find him." Alexander and Falicia shared another worried look.

"Sir?" Falicia asked, almost as if she hadn't understood the command.

"Find him and bring him back here." the man in the chair said in a much sterner tone.

"But, sir, how?" Alexander asked quickly.

"You two were put in charge of him, figure it out!" the other man roared. Falicia and Alexander jumped. "You have two weeks to have him back here, or the two of you are out. And by out, I mean out." The two scientists gulped and nodded, and they had a feeling that even though he wasn't looking at them, the man in the chair could see them.

"Y-yes, sir," Alexander fumbled with his words once more.

"Use any means necessary. I want that experiment back here."

"Y-yes, sir,"

"Good. Now, get out!" the man bellowed and Falicia sprinted to the door, Alexander close behind. The two of them left the room and closed the door gently before they made their way back down the hallway.

"How are we going to find N1C01_43?" Falicia asked Alexander in a worried tone. Alexander took a deep breath before he opened the door to their lab. He sat down at his computer and began pounding away at it.

"We use any means necessary." he replied simply, bringing up a screen with a map on it. There, on the map, was a small blinking dot in the color red.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Help?

I was just looking back at the comments on my blog and saw that on my "Do you want to see something cute?" blog post there was another comment. So, I looked at it and it was someone asking if I would be interested in drawing some pictures for their blog. They said that if I was interested I should send them a message.

One question: How?

If any of you know, I would be very happy if you would inform me of how to do such things.

Now, on to much more serious news. My great uncle passed away last night. =( Please keep my family in your prayers, guys and girls.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Yet another thing that makes me different from other people...

There are a lot of things about me that some people wouldn't consider "normal". I won't go into the whole list, and whether or not you think I'm weird depends upon your definition of the word "normal". The following, though, is a little out of the ordinary for someone my age.

While surfing the Internet yesterday, I came across a blog post that had information on a certain contest. The U Rock music video contest (held by Disney.com) is basically you submitting a video that involves a short clip of music (apparently making the video a "music video"). The main rules are that the video can't be over forty seconds long, it can't have any music but that which the contest provides, and it has to be clean and with no logos, etc. There are four different songs you can pick from, each coming with a different prize for the big winner.

The first song is "Dance Forever" by Allstar Weekend. The prize is that you get to hang with the band. Sound cool? Yeah, I guess so.

The next song is "It's On" from Camp Rock 2, and the prize for that one is that you get to go see a Camp Rock 2 concert or whatever. (Something along those lines, I honestly didn't pay that much attention to it. I was too interested in what came after this one.)

The third song is (taken out of order, because this is more dramatic) "L.A. Baby" by the Jonas Brothers. The prize is getting to tour L.A. and/or meet the Jonas Brothers, I can't remember which. Once again, I didn't pay that much attention because I wanted to get past this one to the final song.

Last but not least, the fourth song is "Backyard Beach" by... Ferb Fletcher from Phineas and Ferb. (For those of you who don't know, Phineas and Ferb is a cartoon made of PURE AWESOME.) The prize for this song is that you get to meet the creators of Phineas and Ferb and you get a behind the scenes look at the show.

So, which one was I most excited about? Most definitely Phineas and Ferb.

Now, hanging out with Allstar Weekend would probably be cool, and seeing a Camp Rock 2 concert would be fun, and touring L.A and/or meeting the Jonas Brothers would probably be a blast, too, but meeting the creators of one of my (entire family's) new favorite TV shows would just be...amazing. This is how I see it: I'm interesting in writing of all kinds, including writing scripts and screenplay and things along those lines. I'm also into voice acting (for those of you who don't know, I'm in a podcast as the narrator and I'm the voice of a character in an online animated show...not to toot my own horn or anything...), so to go behind the scenes of an animated TV show would be something right up my alley.

Don't you think meeting the creators and going behind the scenes of Phineas and Ferb would be cool?

Well, here comes the sad part: the contest closes in less than twenty-four hours, and none of the videos that my brothers and I made are very good (well, I don't really like them, anyways). So, I don't think I'm going to be entering it. Maybe if I had learned about the contest sooner or didn't expect so much of myself I'd feel better about the videos...

I'm not sure why I wanted to tell all of you about this, but I guess this is more what a blog is for than what I've been using it for with fanfictions and whatnot...

Friday, August 20, 2010

MR Fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 47

"Run!" I yelled, acting on my instincts. We all turned and darted back down the street in the direction we had come from. I glanced over my shoulder at the van and saw that it had sped up. We needed to take to the sky, but we couldn't just leave Jazz here.

"Why are we running?" Jazz asked as I ran up beside her.

"Um, hello! Big black van coming down the road towards us!" I said quickly. I counted heads and stopped in my tracks as I realized Angel wasn't with us anymore. I spun around and saw Angel staring at us all with a confused expression on her face.

"Angel, come on!" I called, the others stopping ahead of us a little ways. I gasped as the black van neared her. I dashed forward and got to her just in time, pulling her away from the road as...

The black van passed us. I watched as it passed the others, too. I let go of Angel and stared after the vehicle.

"Max, are you okay?" Angel asked slowly.

"I thought for sure..." I mumbled, my voice trailing off at the end of my sentence. The others began walking towards me. A blush lit up my face like a campfire lights up the darkness. When he reached me, Fang raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What just happened?" Kalie asked from the back of the group. I thought for a moment before I shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"Better safe than sorry?" I offered as a reply. Fang let out a sigh but he was smiling while he did it. He shook his head then took my hand again.

"Ya know, Max, things like this wouldn't happen if you'd take advantage of my full powers." Angel said suddenly.

Here we go again... I thought to myself with a sigh and an eye roll.

"I mean, if you would let me read your thoughts all of the time, we wouldn't have grabbed Jasmine back at the mall instead of you. And if you payed more attention to me, I could have told you that the people in that van were just some tourists on their way home. They seemed to be really lost, though..." Angel continued.

"Yes, but how much fun would that all be? I mean, if you guys hadn't grabbed Jasmine, we never would have met her or Sam or Kalie or Thing 1 and Thing 2. And besides, that little sprint was good for us. It kept us on our toes!" I said, faking enthusiasm here. I heard a few giggles from behind me and Angel frowned.

"I'm being serious, Max," she said in a completely serious tone. I sighed.

"Angel, I don't want you inside my head, and that's that, okay?" I said quickly. Angel's shoulders dropped a little and she looked ahead again.

"Fine," she mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. We all walked in silence for a few minutes before Gazzy spoke up.

"So, where are we going?" he asked.

"North, in the hopes of finding Jazz's mom." I replied matter-of-factly. That was all the answer I gave because beyond that, I didn't have a clue as to where we were going.

"How will we know when we find Jazz's mom?" Nudge asked from behind me.

"Well, Jazz knows what her mom looks like, and she knows her address, so it shouldn't be THAT hard..." I said with a shrug. Fang gave me a skeptical look and I shrugged again.

"Are we gonna walk the whole way there?" Gazzy asked incredulously.

"What do you want to do? Hitchhike?" I asked, turning around to see him. A smile crossed over his face.

"Yeah!" he said, running out in front of us. I rolled my eyes as he began walking in front of us with his thumb in the air.

"Gazzy..." I said his name in a whiny voice, making both syllables obvious. He completely ignored me and went on wagging his thumb in the air with a smile on his face.

"Who knows? Maybe his cuteness will actually catch us a ride." Jazz said with a smile. A few of the others laughed and I couldn't help but smile. He was pretty cute up there...

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Do You Want to See Something Cute?

If not, then avert your eyes! (Okay, these things totally uploaded in the wrong order and I don't know how to move them around, but whatever. We'll all live, right?)

Okay, this first little guy is an original character, so no taking him and calling him your own. I was bored one day while doing math and doodled him in my math notebook and thought he was adorable, so I decided to draw him in my actual sketch book. Isn't he cute when he's sad?

And here he is happier. =) But still just as cute.

And here's the whole page that I drew his little character sketches on. (That blank space at the bottom of the page is where I'll write his name in...once I figure out a name for him... =/ Why does the name Wilbur keep popping into my head?? I don't think I want a duck named Wilbur!)Okay, again, they uploaded in the wrong order. This one was actually supposed to come last, but whatever. For those of you who don't know, the following characters are chibbis. A chibbi is a little cartoon figure with a head that's too big for it's body but is cute because of it. This little guy isn't totally done yet because I lost my silver colored pencil. =( So all of is armor is white instead of silver. Poor Octavius... For those of you who don't know, this is (supposed to be) Octavius from Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. I drew Jedediah and showed him to my brother and my brother asked if I was going to draw Octavius, so I decided I would.
This little lady is also from Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. She's supposed to be Amelia Earhart. (I actually drew her after I drew Jed and Octavius because I had some space left in between them and had to fill it in somehow. She seemed like the best way to fill it.=) ) I didn't get her hair quite right, but it still looks nice. In my defense, curly hair is really hard to draw. I think I did pretty good on everything else, though. (She was one of my favorite characters in the movie, and I've read a bit about her and have come to realize she was pretty cool in real life, too. And not just because she was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic on her own.)

This next guy is Jedediah Smith (from Night at the Museum and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.). Isn't he just so adorable?? I just want to give him a hug! And look! His hat actually looks like a hat and not just a blob on his head! I think I did pretty good with the shading on him, too. I'm very happy with how he turned out, even though there are a couple mistakes (and his gun looks totally wrong, but I've never really drawn a gun before, and I didn't have any refference pictures for it, so it's not totally my fault... Wait, that excuse makes no sense...). But you have to agree that he does look cute, doesn't he? =)

And here's the group picture! All three of them, ready for action! (Ya know, no matter how many times I tell them they're cute, Jed and Octavius just give me this glare. Even when I was taking their picture, they glared at me! They couldn't even manage a smile! How rude.)




This is kind of a sneak peek at something I have in the works. (We'll see if I actually do it or if I get bored and decide to not do it...) Danny Fenton in Butch Hartman style! Whoo! He looks so happy and carefree... Weird. O.o

And Danny Phantom in Butch Hartman style! Looking a little more worried but smiling none the less. I think I did really well with the side profile of his body, but that's just me.



Okay, these guys are original characters that I've had for a year or so now, so if you steal them I will be forced to bring them to life and make them stalk you for the rest of your existence. So there. For those of you who haven't been around long enough to know who they are, C.J. is the Fire one, Charlie is the Air one, and Sammy is the Earth one. This is kind of like concept art for a comic idea I have for them. (That's kind of why they were originally created, but I haven't really gotten around to drawing much of the comic... I need to, though, because it's a really fun idea.) Go ahead, tell me which one you like best and why. I'd like to know your opinions. =)


Well, I guess that wraps it up. (I totally just deleted one of the pictures of my original characters... Oops... >.>) So, yeah, enjoy. =)
Danny Phantom/Fenton belongs to Butch Hartman but the artwork is mine. I'm not sure if the chibbis belong to anybody, soooo...yeah... =)

Saturday, July 10, 2010

MR Fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 46

"Okay, what's up?" I asked Fang when I was sure no one else was near enough to hear us. He shrugged and I hit him on the shoulder. He sighed and rolled his eyes then began speaking.

"I'm just kind of...stressed." he said slowly.

"Okay, about what?" I asked.

"Seeing Jazz read the book where I decided to go and find my own Flock reminded me that I had kind of ditched that mission... And the Flock that I had found..." Fang mumbled. "Plus, Kalie kinda freaked me out earlier." he said, glancing around to make sure she wasn't near us.

"Yeah, that was kind of freaky. Wait, you found a Flock?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Fang. He shrugged again.

"Just a group of wayward mutants..." his voice trailed off as he looked down at the floor and scuffed his feet against the carpet.

"Where are they now?" Fang looked around again before answering.

"Reading books, I think." he said, managing a small smile. I stared at him with my mouth hanging open.

"What?" I whispered hoarsely.

"After I left you and went on that search for more mutants, I found Sam and the others one day while I was flying. I asked if I could hang with them, and I did for a while, but then something told me I needed to come back to you. So I left them after telling them what was up and somehow found you. I'm not even sure how I found you... Something just kept telling me where to go... And then when I found you guys, I learned that Dylan was gone and decided to just stay with you. I didn't think I'd ever meet up with Sam, Kalie or Thing 1 and 2 again." Fang explained quietly, and I could tell he was using as few words as possible.

"Did Kalie ever go crazy when you were with them?" I asked quickly.

"Nope,"

"That is so weird... You met them then ditched them then I met them and they've kind of become a part of our Flock... Maybe that's what you were supposed to do in the first place. Just find more mutant kids and bring them to us to make our group bigger until we've got, like, an entire army to take down the bad guys. Whoever the bad guys are, now..." I said, getting a little more excited as I spoke.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Max, slow down." Fang said, holding up his hands and bringing me back into to reality. "How about we just figure out what's up with Kalie and the others before we get all crazy and go attack the bad guys. Like you said, we don't even know who the bad guys are anymore." I pondered this for a moment than nodded.

"Yeah, you're right... So, everything is okay?" I asked Fang quietly. He gave me a small smile and nodded. I smiled back and gave him a hug, and I was very happy when he returned it.

"Sorry if I was a jerk back there," Fang whispered into my ear.

"You were a jerk back there, but I forgive you anyways." I whispered back with an even wider smile. "Come on, let's go see if the others are ready to go now." I said as I released Fang from the hug and took his hand instead. As we walked back to round up the others, I thought about what Fang had said about finding me.

It was you, wasn't it, Nicolae? I thought to the Voice, pretty certain that it was him. I didn't get a response, but I didn't need one. How else would Fang have found me and the Flock? Well... Thanks for leading him back. That's one thing you've done right. I thought to the Voice, hoping he realized how happy having Fang back made me.

A few minutes later, all of us were back on the street, walking and talking and seeming fine. Fang and I were still holding hands, Iggy and Jazz were having a nice conversation with Kalie and Sam, and the younger kids were all laughing at their own jokes and things they had seen in the bookstore. Maybe today wasn't going to be so weird after all...

And of course the next thing I saw was a big black van barreling straight down the road towards us.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Mr Fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 45

Sometimes, I understand my life and the people I'm around. Sometimes, I don't understand anything at all.

Gazzy wanted to listen to a little kids story more than he wanted to find food. What was up with that?

Nudge wanted to read a little kids story to the kids who I thought were too big for such a thing. Weird much?

Angel actually represented her name and wasn't being a tiny terror. How often had that happened recently?

Fang was ticked off at me for some reason, but wasn't going to tell me why. Did I do something wrong to make him mad?

I didn't even understand what I was feeling as I stood there in the bookstore, staring ahead blankly. I had been feeling mad at Jazz then weirded out by the Voice (or Nicolae, what ever you want to call him) then happy at seeing the kids happy for once then confused because Fang had just brushed past me like that. Why couldn't my life ever be simple for once??

Nothing is ever as simple as it first seems, but people always tend to make it harder than it needs to be. The Voice suddenly rang into my brain. Before blowing up at him, I decided to think through the statement. Today, I had thought my relationship with Fang was going to be simple enough, but I had been wrong about that. So, what could I do to make it so that our relationship wasn't any harder than it needed to be...?

Very good, Maximum. You're learning quickly, now. The Voice said, and I could tell he was smiling.

Was that a compliment? I thought as my brow furrowed. What was going on with me? I was thinking before I was yelling? What was next, Fang being talkative? I sighed then turned around, heading over towards the graphic novels to find Iggy. I figured that where Iggy was, Fang wouldn't be far behind. After all, they both seemed to share a deep hatred for books.

"Hey, Ig," I said softly as I walked up behind Iggy.

"Hey, Max," Iggy returned my greeting in a soft tone, but he didn't turn around.

"Sorry we're taking so long here... I didn't realize Jazz was going to want to read the whole book and then storm out and then the kids were going to want to read another book..." my voice trailed off as I ran out of excuses. I sighed and stepped up next to him.

"It's okay, Max. I'm just kinda bored..." Iggy mumbled, moving his sightless eyes around the store.

"You could go over by the kids and see what they're reading." I suggested slowly. Iggy shook his head.

"Picture books aren't a lot of fun when you can't see the pictures."

"Then why are you over here by the comic books?" I glanced up at Iggy as his unseeing eyes became a little sadder.

"I was hoping that I'd be able to tell the colors and shapes well enough to be able to kind of read them. I already tried reading a regular book like that, but it all kind of ran together weirdly..." he replied with a sigh.

"Oh..." was all I could manage to say. We stood there for a few minutes in silence before Fang appeared with a few books in his arms.

"Iggy, I found some books you might--" he stopped speaking as he saw me and I managed a small smile.

"Fang, I think we need to talk," I said softly.

"Do we have to talk now?" he asked tensely.

"Yes, yes we do." I replied as I walked over to him.

"It's okay, Fang. I'll head over by the others and just listen to what they're doing." Iggy said, as if him being all right was what was keeping Fang back. Fang sighed and I took his arm, leading him away into another part of the bookstore. What it was we were going to talk about, I wasn't sure. I just knew there was something on his mind and it needed to be on my mind, too.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 44

Jazz and I walked back to the bookstore in silence, both of us obviously thinking about different things. I was still trying to process what the Voice had told me and if it was just a bunch of lies that I would be stupid to believe or if he really was some kind of super-mutant who wanted to help me. I didn't know what Jazz what thinking about, but I assumed it had something to do with whatever had happened up on the roof after I had left.

When we came to the bookstore, we began to quietly round up the others. I heard Nudge's voice near the children's books and walked over there as Jazz went over to the romance novels to get Kalie. I poked my head around a corner and saw Nudge sitting on a bench with Gazzy, Angel, Thing 1, and Thing 2 sitting cross-legged in front of her. She had a picture book in her hands with the pictures facing out towards the others, making it so she had to read upside-down. She was doing a pretty good job at it, though.

"'If I ran the zoo,' said young Gerald McGrew, 'I'd make a few changes, that's just what I'd do.'" I glanced at the other's faces while Nudge read. They all looked so young. Gazzy's eyes were glued to the pictures and his mouth was hanging open a little. Angel had a small smile on her face as her wide eyes looked over the words and the pictures. Thing 1 and Thing 2 just sat there, looking mesmerized by it all. A smile crossed my lips as Nudge continued to read. It was the cutest little picture I had ever seen, and I kind of wished it could have just gone on like that forever. But, alas, even the most beautiful things must come to an end... Like the fleeting sunset and--okay, forget the mushy metaphors. You get the idea.

I walked over to them, trying to be as quiet as possible. Nudge glanced up in the middle of a sentence and blushed. "Oh, hi, Max..." she said slowly. The others turned to look at me and their smiles disappeared.

"Hey, guys," I said softly. "Whatcha' readin'?" Nudge turned back to the book and I could tell she was embarrassed, even though I didn't know why.

"'If I Ran the Zoo', but Dr. Suess." Gazzy supplied quickly. "Can we finish the story? Please?" he asked, his eyes begging. I sighed.

"I dunno... Aren't you hungry?" I asked, remembering that we hadn't had breakfast yet today. Gazzy thought for a moment then replied.

"Yeah, but I want to hear the rest of the story." he finally answered. I raised an eyebrow. I have to admit that I hadn't been expecting that...

"Okay, I guess if you want to hear it that badly..." I said with a shrug. Their faces lit up again and they all turned back to the story.

"Thanks, Max!" Gazzy called as I walked away from them, towards the mystery section to find Fang.

"Hey," he said when I got there. He didn't even look up from the book in his hands.

"Hey," I mumbled in reply. I stopped next to him and looked over all of the books. "Did you see the younger kids over there?" I asked him.

"Yeah," Fang said simply. I gave him a look.

"Didn't you think they were cute?" I prodded as he continued to look at his book.

"Yeah,"

"And that's all you have to say?" I asked, getting a little annoyed by the one syllable responses. He thought for a minute.

"Yeah." he said as he closed the book. I expected to see a smile on his face, telling me that he was joking, but there wasn't one. His face looked as serious as usual, and I could tell there was something on his mind. I sighed and figured that if he wanted to talk to me about it, he would...eventually.

"So, where's Iggy?" I asked.

"I think he was over by the graphic novels. Ya know, a bookstore is probably his least favorite place to be..." Fang replied in a full sentence this time.

"I know, but I didn't think we'd be here for that long..." I replied softly.

"He can't even read braille." Fang mumbled and I rolled my eyes.

"I get it, Fang, you both want to leave. I told the kids we could stay for them to finish their story, though, so you're both gonna have to deal for a little longer." I said, getting a little irritated. This day hadn't been going so well for me.

"Fine, then," Fang snapped, closing his book and pushing it back into the shelf. "I'm gonna go find Iggy." he mumbled then brushed past me without the slightest care. I stared ahead with a look of disbelief on my face. What was up with people today?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

New Blog Layout!

So, what do you guys think? As you can see, I've totally changed the layout of my blog. New background, new fonts, new side for the sidebar, all that jazz. I've added a few new things and removed a few things, too. Let me know what you think!



P.S. I was thinking of Reesie as I added the "Search This Blog" thing down at the very bottom of the screen... Enjoy it, Reesie.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

MR Fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 43

Jazz glanced up at me and raised an eyebrow. "I thought we had determined that Jeb was the Voice but then he wasn't?" she said as more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah, but did you ever think about who the Voice really was?" I pressed, trying to get her to see the point.

"Um...kinda...but I never got that far with it..." she responded slowly.

"Well, apparently, he's a mutant." I said with a small smile. She looked at me, confused.

"How do you know?"

"Because I just got done talking with him." I said, my smile growing. The look of shock on her face was brilliant. I wish you could have seen it. Her mouth dropped open to form this big "O" and her eyes practically popped out of her head. It was the best shocked face I had ever seen.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me!!" she said excitedly. I told her about our conversation and the questions he had answered. She listened, wide-eyed and hanging on every word. When I had finished, her brow creased and she thought for a minute before saying anything.

"What did you say his name was, again?" she asked. I thought it was odd that she would ask me what his name was, since I thought there were much better questions to ask.

"N1C01_43," I replied, making sure I could get it right. "Why do you ask?" I glanced over at her and saw that she was writing down the combination of letters and numbers on the top of the roof with a piece of charcoal.

"Where did you get that?" I asked. She shrugged.

"You'd be amazed as to what people leave on old roof tops." she replied simply. I raised an eyebrow as she finished writing 'N1C01_43' on the roof. She thought for a minute then wrote another 'N' beneath the first one.

"What are you doing?" I really had no clue what was going through her brain, but it had something to do with his name.

"Do you know what leet speak is?" she asked, turning to face me.

"Um, no," I replied, really baffled. I wondered if it was some sort of language where you could swear and get away with it.

"Leet speak is this type of chat that some people use online. It's kind of like text talk, only they replace the majority of the letters in the alphabet with symbols and numbers. Like, instead of spelling 'leet' like L-E-E-T, they spell it L-Three-Three-T." Jazz explained. I gave her my signature "What?" look. She shrugged and looked back at her writing.

"So, how would you spell 'Max' in leet speak?" I asked suddenly.

"Leet speak is not something I'm fluent in, but I'm guessing it might involve the number four and some slashes or something." Jazz replied absentmindedly. She suddenly wrote the letter "I" underneath her number one then put the letter "C" after that. She then made an "O".

"'Nico'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not done yet, okay?" she said, writing an "L" underneath the "1_". Next, she wrote an "A", then finished off her word with an "E". I tilted my head, looking at the two words. I kind of got how some of them would work, but leet speak wasn't a language I was going to start using any time soon.

"Nicolae..." I mumbled, saying the name out loud. "N1C01_43..." I contemplated the two combinations side-by-side and decided that Jazz was pretty smart. "Nicolae is a pretty cool name." I said, nodding at Jazz. She shrugged, and even though her face was turned from me, I knew she was smiling.

"So, are you going to call him Nicolae or the Voice?" Jazz asked as she sat up to look at me.

"I dunno, I've gotten so used to just the Voice that he'll probably stay that in my brain." I replied with a shrug of my own.

"Well, I think I'm gonna call him Nicolae. It makes him seem more...real, ya know?" she said with a small smile. I thought for a moment.

"If you say so," I replied simply then stood up. "Come on, let's head back to the others." Jazz stood up beside me and I began walking towards the box poking up out of the roof that lead to the stairs. When I got there, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jazz staring down at the words she had drawn on the roof. "Are you coming?" I called to her. Her head snapped up and she jumped a bit, acting as if I had surprised her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming," she said as she began walking towards me. I opened the door then walked down the stairs. After reaching the bottom floor of the building, I walked to the door and waited for Jazz. I'm pretty sure I stood there for a good five minutes before she was by my side. So, the question that lingered in my brain as we left was... What was she doing up there for five minutes?

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Colored Version and the Winners!

First... The winner!! In my hand is the envelope holding the name of the winner of the "Guess Those People" contest! *holds up envelope* Now, the winner is... *drum roll* *dramatic pause* 

*opens envelope*

*gasp!*

I don't believe it (actually, I do believe it)! We have a tie! The first person to answer correctly was Liv--I mean, Anonymous! Congrats, Anonymous, you've won yourself FIVE MII POINTS*!! The next winner is only because I'm feeling generous. My Friendly Stalker, even though you cheated, you at least tried, so I'm giving you two and a half Mii points. Congrats, Stalker. Now, our third winner is Booklover181! Booklover181, you've won five Mii points! Congratulations, one and all, and thanks for playing! Be sure to tune in next time and you too could win big! Take us away, Bill!

*theme music plays and audience cheers as the show comes to a close*

Okay, now that that's done... Onto the real fun! Here's the colored version! 

This, my friends, is history. It's my first time ever coloring a hand-drawn picture on the computer. The shading is kind of iffy in parts, but I really like them.

Tucker looks stinkin' adorable, as does Danny (although I think he looks a bit young...). I tried to draw Tucker with an expression kind of like Sam's, but I thought it just didn't look right on him. So he got a big happy smile instead. =P (But did I mention he looks stinkin' adorable??) Oh, and I want Sam's skirt. And leggings. And boots. And ponytail. Okay, I basically want her outfit...just with a longer shirt. =P (My dad saw Sam and he was like "She has a bellybutton." and I was like "Yes, yes she does." and my brother said something along the lines of "Everyone has a bellybutton..." and my dad went on to say something like "But you're such a modest girl..." and I said "Dad, that's the outfit she wears in the show." and then he's like "Oh, okay." =P I love my father. =) ) 

The outlining was tedious, but not that hard, and coloring was super easy (Ya know, after I figured out the right color...) It was really hard to get the right shades for Tucker's clothes and skin. You really wouldn't think it's that hard, but brown is really hard to find. O.o The other colors were all fairly easy to find, though. Then came the background... >.<>

Lots of thanks to my brother for his help with this. He's the one that does the coloring on the computer, so he told me how to do it and stuff. Plus he was very helpful with the shading, so thanks to him for that as well. =)

Okay, well, I've rambled on for long enough about this. Now you must comment and tell me what you like and what could use improvement. But be gentle, I really do like this...




*Mii points are not remembered or counted by Mii Maker and are not valid for exchange for any legal tender. Mii points are also not valid in the state of Utah. Sorry, Utah.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Guess Those People!

*announcer* That's right, folks! It's time for your favorite game once more! Say it with me! *audience* Guess! Those! People! *announcer* And now, here's your host, Mii Maker!

*Mii walks onto stage and waves to crowd* Thank you, Bill! Now, let's get to the game, shall we? Today, we'll be looking at a few different pictures of three people. What you have to do is correctly tell me who they are, and you'll win a prize! Tell 'em what their prize is, Bill!

*announcer* You got it, Mii! Today's winners will win FIVE Mii points*!

*Mii* Wow! Five Mii points*? What a deal! Now, everyone is eligible for this contest and there can be multiple winners. However, if you're suspected of cheating, you will be disqualified! I'm really not sure how you would cheat on something like this, but I'm sure you guys could figure that out... All right, I'm going to show you the pictures then give you a few brief descriptions to help you figure our who these people are. On with the show!

These first few pictures are pictures of the individual people. The group pictures are after these.




At first, this kid appears normal, but he's got a secret identity as his town's protector and renowned ghostboy!




The humor and tech-geek of the business, this teenager helps his friends fight ghosts, but never knows when to keep his mouth shut...


This goth girl is witty, smart, and has a secret crush on one of her friends... Her family is also stinking rich, even though few people actually know that.







Together, these three friends keep the ghosts that haunt their town in check while making sure that no one finds out about one of their secrets... DUN DUN DUN!
All right, now, submit those answers, people! A colored version will be coming soon!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV AND TPPOV!) Chapter 42

Maximum Ride walked out the door and N1C01_43 breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't seen him, but she had listened to him. She was confused, but she believed at least some of what he had said. He sat down on the dirty floor of the building and rested his head on his knees.

Maximum Ride had been in the same room as him. Maximum Ride had been within inches of him. Maximum Ride had unknowingly touched him on her way out. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry, be overjoyed or so disconsolate that nothing could cheer him up. He decided to smile. Maximum Ride no longer loathed him. She no longer thought of him as scum, or worse, a whitecoat. She no longer knew what she thought of him, but she no longer hated him. And that made him happy.

He decided that he was still in love with Maximum Ride.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After walking outside, I looked around to make sure no one was watching me then flew up to the roof. I saw Jasmine laying on her back, staring up at the blue sky. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the great Maximum Ride..." she muttered, not looking at me. I sighed then landed on the roof and folded my wings in.

"Why are you upset with me, Jasmine?" I asked, walking towards her. She didn't answer until I had sat down next to her. Her arms were folded beneath her head like a pillow.

"I guess... I'm not as upset with you as I am with my situation. I mean, I was kind of ticked at you and Fang and Angel after finishing the book, but I'm also kind of..." she paused and I noted that the whole time she spoke she didn't look at me. "I miss my mom." the way she said it, sounding so much like a pathetic lost kitten, made my whole defensive posture melt away. I had come up here expecting to argue with her, but instead she was here wiping away tears.

"I know how you feel," I said softly. Jazz sniffled and wiped at her eyes again.

"No, you don't! You have your Flock, which is like your big family, and I don't. I mean, I don't fit in with you guys because I'm not a mutant bird freak, I don't work on the same schedule as you guys, and I just kind of feel like I'm a useless slug who doesn't do anything except slow you guys down." Jazz's body shook and she broke down into tears. "I miss my mom and my dad and my brothers and I want to go home!" she sat up and put her hands to her face as she finished.

"Oh, Jazz..." I said softly as my motherly instincts kicked in and I wrapped my arms around her. She leaned towards me and continued to cry, letting out occasional sobs but being fairly quiet. Her body shook, and I did know how she was feeling, though not exactly. I knew what it was like to miss my mom, but I did always have the rest of my family with me. I had everyone around me to love me, depend on me, make me feel like I was needed and there for a reason. Jazz was right... She didn't have that. She was just the extra tire that nobody needed but was kept around, just in case.

She sat there, crying, for a good five minutes. I sat there, trying to think of what to say to her when she stopped crying. When the time finally came around, the only thing I had thought of was--

"I'm sorry."

Jazz sat up again and wiped her eyes. She sniffled again and stared ahead for a minute before responding. "Apology accepted." she said simply. We sat there for a few more minutes in silence as a few lonely clouds drifted overhead. I glanced over at Jazz once more and decided I wanted to tell her about the Voice and the conversation I had just had with him.

"Hey, Jazz, did you ever really think about who the Voice was while you read the books?"

Saturday, May 22, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 41

"Yes, those headaches were because of me. If it is any consolation, they caused me more pain than they caused you." he said softly.

"Oh, right. I'm sure that the monster headaches that made me think my head was going to EXPLODE caused you more pain than they did me." I retorted sarcastically. I folded my arms in front of my chest and shook my head.

"You may not understand what I mean, but that is beside the point. The point is that after a few attempts, I was able to get inside your head and see what you saw and hear what you heard without causing you pain."

"Wait, what about all of those weird pictures? And that kid's computer? And the TV's?" I asked quickly.

"Those images were my first attempt at telling you to save the world. They actually appeared on the computer screen by accident, but after I found out that I could do that, I purposely projected them onto the televisions. As it turns out I'm a technopath as well as an incredibly gifted telepath."

"Okay, a couple more questions. One, what about the Ouija board? Two, what's a technopath? And three, is telepath a real word?"

"When I saw that you weren't taking me seriously, I thought you might need a little more visual aid to convince you of my legitimacy. By seeing what you were seeing, I was able to use telekenisis--the ability to move things with one's mind--to make the board say what I wanted it to say. I have a great many powers, Maximum. All of them have to do with great mental ability.

"To answer your other questions, a technopath is someone who can control technology with their mind and telepath may or may not be a word used by the general public, but who's to say that's what makes it a real word or not?" There was a smile in his voice as he said this last statement.

"So, you can see everything I see, then...?" I asked slowly, just to make sure I was understanding this right.

"Yes, Maximum, I can see everything you see."

"So...when I, um...go to the--" I began but was interrupted by The Voice.

"Oh, Maximum! No! I would never do something like that! Why would you even think that? Ugh, no, never, Maximum!" he exclaimed suddenly. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey, since I have you here, how about a more serious question. How am I supposed to save the world? I mean, I've been doing a lot to raise awareness about Global Warming, but I don't think I can really stop that..." I said while looking around for him again. I heard a soft chuckle coming from behind me and spun around, just to see that he wasn't there.

"Global Warming is not what you are supposed to be stopping, Maximum. It is merely a distraction, created to keep you occupied while things more sinister are going on behind the scenes." I shuddered at the new found darkness of his voice.

"Okay, so what am I supposed to be stopping?" I asked, confused.

"Them." A chill crept down my spine as images of whitecoats and the school were projected into my brain accompanied by that simple proclamation.

"But I already stopped them! Don't you remember book three?" I asked, pushing the pictures out of my mind.

"Who is to say that they can't reform, Maximum? Who is to say that there's not a new plot to take over the world? These people are mad, Maximum, and they will stop at nothing until they have achieved their goals." his voice was rising slowly as he spoke but dropped suddenly towards the end of his last sentence. "Only you can stop them. Only people like you can stop them. Do not think you can do this on your own. You're going to need all of the help you can get. Itex is growing again in the shadows, coming back to life, and you have to stop them."

"What's the point of stopping them if they just keep coming back?" I asked loudly, my voice echoing off of the walls of the building.

"The point is saving the world, Maximum. Saving the world before it's too late. Before they control everything." I swallowed hard and looked around again.

That's all I can say for now, Maximum. This time, The Voice was in my head, and it was The Voice's regular voice, not his real voice. Jasmine is up on the roof. I stood there for a moment more, looking around for him, before I turned and walked outside. As I walked towards the door, though, I could have sworn something touched me...

Friday, May 7, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 40

"I was created, just as you were, by scientists. I was raised, just as you were, in a lab, living in a cage, just like you did. Unlike you, no one bothered to save me. No one bothered to free me from my prison. In order to survive, I was forced to do what the scientists wanted. I trained my mental abilities, listening in on the thoughts of the scientists and other mutants. One day, quite by accident, I spoke to a scientist in his mind. The others soon learned of it and found out about my abilities, forcing me to train myself more vigorously and tracking my progress.


"I heard much about you during that time, Maximum Ride. You were the most thought about experiment -- especially after you and your friends escaped. The scientists told me to find you, and after a while of searching, I found you." he paused and I thought I heard him swallow.


"And you ratted us out? You're the reason Angel got kidnapped, aren't you?" I asked, my voice rising again.


"No, I found you before that. I'm the reason Jeb left you." he said calmly. "But that's another story for another time A story for Jeb to tell you, not me." I heard him take a deep breath and I wondered when I'd see Jeb again to ask him about this fresh piece of information.

"Anyways, I was assigned to keep track of you and find your exact location. I had been telling them that I couldn't find the address of your home, but they had assumed that there wouldn't be one. What they wanted was a latitude and longitude location, not an address." I was half tempted to ask him about latitude and longitude, but I was too interested in this story to interrupt it. "After a very long while of putting them off, I was forced to either tell them what they wanted to hear or try to outrun the Erasers. I knew I wasn't as fast as an Eraser, so I did what I thought to be the sensible thing and told them where you were. In retrospect, I now think it would have been wiser to have kept my tongue from betraying you.

"They left me alone after that, but I kept reading your thoughts. I stayed with you, even though I wasn't told to. I had grown a bit attached to you, I am embarrassed to admit..." he gave a bit of a nervous cough and I felt my cheeks flush.

"After a week of telling them about you, I was aware that there was a new mutant in the facility somewhere. After reading her mind, I found out that it was none other than Angel. I was ashamed of myself, because I knew I was the reason she was there. I knew that because I had given them what they wanted, she was going through torture. I hated myself, Maximum." he paused again and I heard him take another long breath.

"You should hate yourself..." I muttered. It was because of him that our semi-normal lives had been disrupted.

"I know I made terrible decisions, but if you had been in my position, what would you have done? Think about that and answer it honestly, but not now, because there is more to the story." he said quickly before beginning again. "I focused more on the minds of the scientists and Angel after that, trying to find out how she was and what they were thinking about her. I still listened to what you were thinking and wished I could have talked to you regarding Angel. I was so angry at myself and so...afraid of what would happen because of what I did that I made myself sick. The scarce meals I was fed I refused to eat, causing a few of the scientists to worry. They thought that something was going wrong with my organs and were worried that they were going to lose one of their most 'brilliant' experiments. I was worried something bad was going to happen to you. And then...something did." there was a long pause where the only thing I could hear was my breathing. I held my breath at one point to try to hear him and found that the reason I couldn't hear him was because he was inhaling and exhaling at the same time I was.

"They caught you, Maximum. You and your two friends. They brought you to the same place we were and locked you in a cage in the same room as Angel. The room right next to mine. You don't know how many times I put my fingers through the bars of my cage and touched the wall separating us, trying to feel your presence...wishing I could just phase through those bars and come to your rescue... I realize now that I had become a bit obsessed with you and maybe even...fallen in love with you." My jaw dropped and I stared ahead blankly. The Voice had fallen in love with me before he had even become The Voice. I decided that that was flattering and creepy at the same time. "I continued to listen to your thoughts and the thoughts of the scientists. When they brought you out onto that field I was shaking with fear. I thought you were going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it. But then you escaped, and I had to stop myself from yelling with joy. The scientists thought I was going mad, because they'd never seen an experiment smile like that before.

"After they lost you, I was instructed to tell them where you were going, but I didn't want to. I told them I wouldn't, and they told me they'd kill me. I told them I didn't care, and I knew that they wouldn't do that, because I meant to much to them. I won't tell you what they did to me, Maximum, because the memories are too painful for me to relive. Finally, though, I was broken. I had been practicing a new technique on the scientists, and decided to practice it on you. It was where I would force myself into someone's mind to see and hear what they saw and heard while still listening to their thoughts. Unfortunately, that technique had very bad effects on the person I was using it on, and I think you had a name for that..." he paused and I remembered flying through the air when a monster headache had struck.

"The brain-blasts..." I muttered, starting to put the pieces together. This was turning out to be the most interesting story I had ever heard...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If this chapter sounds weird and kind of choppy, I apologize. If it doesn't totally go with the book, then in my defense, it's been a while since I read book one. >.> I hope you enjoyed it anyways.

P.S. There is a certain Person Who Must Really Like My Blog (also known as a "follower") who has a rather inappropriate avatar picture thing. You know who you are, PWMRLMB. I would greatly appreciate it if said person would be kind enough to change their picture, because I would hate for my rather child-friendly blog to be made un-child-friendly by a PWMRLMB. I regret to say that if said PWMRLMB doesn't change their picture soon, I shall be forced to block them, because I don't know how else to get that off of my blog... Many apologies, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from. =/

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

MR Fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 39

I looked around frantically for whoever it was that was talking to me. I determined that the voice was either a boy or a really boyish sounding girl, so it definitely wasn't Jasmine. (Unless she could make her voice sound way different than it was...) Plus, I thought I detected a slight lisp.

"Who's there?" I called out into the darkness. I thought I was facing the direction where the voice had come from, but I didn't know for sure.

"I can assure you I'm not your enemy, Maximum." he said, sounding like he was behind me.

"And how can I be so sure? For all I know, everyone's my enemy." I said defiantly.

"You and I both know you don't believe that, Maximum. While there are people who would prefer your existence to be a short one, there are people who love you very much and would do anything to protect you." his voice was calm, light, and his way of talking was waaaaay different than anyone else's I had ever met. So, basically, I had no idea who he was.

"Who are you?" I asked, stopping short of a yell.

"Calm down, Maximum. I only wish to speak with you." his sounding so calm made me want to strangle him, whoever he was.

"Who are you?" I repeated, yelling this time.

"You don't recognize me? I'm hurt."

"Trust me, when I'm done with ya, you will be hurting." I growled. I heard him chuckle. There was a moment of silence where I scanned the dim building, trying to see him. It was like he was invisible or something, because no matter how hard I looked, he wasn't there. "Who are you?" I screamed, hoping my persistence would pay off.

"I'm known as N1C01_43 to the scientists, but you call me by many names." he paused as I tried to figure out who it was. It didn't sound like Jeb or Fang or Iggy or...well, I guess it could have been Gazzy playing a trick on me, but I never remembered anyone calling him N1C01_43... "The most common name you use when referring to me is 'The Voice'," my breath caught in my lungs. If this was Gazzy playing a trick on me, I was going to pound him to within twelve inches of his life. I heard him chuckle again and regained my composure.

"No, Maximum Ride, I am not the Gassman." Okay, so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised when he read my mind, since if he was The Voice, he did it all the time. I took a deep breath then began speaking.

"You have 3 seconds to explain a lot of things," I said, still trying to find him. If this was what he really sounded like, I had to know what he really looked like.

"I shall answer all the questions I can, Maximum." he said. It sounded like he was on surround sound so I didn't know where to look for him.

"Is that how you really sound?" Yes, that was my first question. Why? Don't ask.

"Yes, Maximum Ride, this is my true voice." he replied with yet another chuckle.

"Then why don't you sound like that in my head?"

"Because I didn't want you to know how I really sound until we spoke in person."

"How come Jeb can do The Voice voice?" I wondered if that question made any sense.

"Jeb has always been able to use the same voice I used when speaking to you telepathically."

"Then why did you sound that way in my head?"

"I thought using his voice would make you feel less apprehensive about it. Apparently you didn't know about Jeb's other voice at that time, though, so the effort was a bit in vain, I suppose." I was wishing he would talk normally, because all of those large words were making my brain work too hard when it was already reeling.

"Why have you been in my head?" I asked probably the biggest question yet as loud as I could. There was a pause before he answered.

"That question has a much longer answer than the others, Maximum." he said softly.

"I have time." I folded my arms over my chest and glared around the room. Whether that was a lie or not I wasn't sure, but I really wanted the answer to this question, and I was going to get it. One way or another.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter is not just about the candy, people

Maggie looked around in awe. She didn't think it would actually work, but it had. "Jon? Stephanie? Hannah?" she called out, trying to see through the crowd. No one answered, and that fact troubled her. She took a deep breath and took in her surroundings a bit more. She was on a busy road with people and animals all around her. The air smelled like a farm with too many people working on it mixed with a sweet smell she couldn't identify. Upon further inspection, she realized she was in an outdoor market of sorts.

"Out of the way, child!" a woman yelled, pushing Maggie towards a stand with some sort of pastry being sold on it. It was then that Maggie realized she was hardly dressed for the time and place she was at. She was wearing her t-shirt, shorts, and Crocs, while everyone here wore a long coat over what she thought to be a very boring dress. She knew where she was, she just hadn't expected to be there.

"Baklava, child?" a voice asked her from behind. Maggie turned around to look and realized the speaker was a rather round man with a beard and hair that shrouded his whole face. Maggie glanced down at the pastry he was holding out to her and shook her head.

"No, thank you," she said softly. She began moving down the street, keeping an eye out for her friends. Eventually, she walked far enough to come to a quieter part of the city. She stopped and sighed, thinking about how hot and thirsty she was here. There were trees here and there, but mostly the surroundings consisted of brick houses (and not the type of brick she was accustomed to) and sand.

"So, this is Israel, huh?" Maggie murmured to herself, looking around again. Suddenly, two women came running down the road towards her. Following them a little ways was a young girl...wearing a pink tank-top and shorts. "Hannah!" Maggie yelled, running past the two woman and up to Hannah.

"Maggie, I just saw the COOLEST thing EVER!!" Hannah exclaimed. She was easily excited, so Maggie didn't think whatever it was could possibly be that spectacular.

"Yeah, what was that?" Maggie asked as the two continued walking in the direction Hannah had been running.

"An angel! A real, live angel!" Hannah exclaimed and Maggie stopped right in the middle of the road.

"What?" she asked, unable to comprehend this piece of information.

"I was just at the tomb, and the stone was all rolled away, and there was an angel there that told the women to go and tell the disciples that He's risen, just like He said!" Hannah was practically bouncing with excitement, now. "We have to keep going, come on!" Maggie began running along side her friend, wishing she had been there to see such a thing.

"Hey, have you seen Jon or Stephanie?" Maggie asked, panting, as they turned a corner.

"Stephanie stayed behind with the other Mary, but I haven't seen Jon." Hannah replied quickly. They caught sight of the two women just as they entered one of the many stone buildings. They ran up to one of the windows and crouched outside of it.

"The stone was rolled away, and an angel was there, telling us that He's risen!" one of the women said.

"What?" the voice of a man asked in disbelief.

"I saw it too, I did!" the other woman exclaimed. There was the sound of people and things moving around before the door burst open again. A man ran out and down the street where the women had just come from, followed shortly by another man, who was followed by a boy in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Jon!" Maggie gasped. "Come on!" she said, chasing after them. She and Hannah followed the two men until they came to a stop in front of a cave with an enormous stone next to it. Jon stood behind the two men, staring up at the tomb. Maggie couldn't help but stare as well. Hannah bent down to the ground and picked up a small rock. She threw the rock at Jon's back, hitting him.

"Ow!" the two girls heard him say as he spun around. Jon saw Maggie and Hannah and ran over to them without the men noticing. They were going into the tomb, anyways.

"I wondered where you two were..." Jon said, frowning at them.

"I was thinking the same thing, big brother." Maggie said with a smile. "Now all we need to find is-"

"Psst!" the three kids turned to see another girl standing behind a tree a ways away. Their faces lit up as they dashed towards her.

"Stephanie!" Hannah said, hugging her older sister.

"Yeah, nice to see you too," Stephanie said, untangling herself from the hug. "You are not going to believe what I saw!"

"An angel?" Maggie asked.

"Who said Jesus had risen from the dead?" Jon finished. Stephanie's happy expression faded for a moment.

"Guess what else I saw..." she said, lowering her voice. The three other kids leaned in a little closer. "I saw Him! Jesus!" she whispered excitedly.

"No. Way." Hannah said, her eyes widening. Stephanie nodded so hard it looked like her head just might fall off of her shoulders.

"He is risen..." Jon breathed. Maggie's mind spun. She wanted to see the angel, the look on the disciple's faces when they heard the news, but most of all...she wanted to see Jesus. Instead, she had been saying no to baklava, whatever that was... She blinked her eyes a few times to hold back the tears she suddenly felt there.

"Are you okay, Maggie?" Hannah asked. Maggie nodded quickly, looking away. The two men were now exiting the tomb and running back to the city from where they had come.

"Should we go back with them?" Jon asked.

"I guess so," Stephanie said in reply. The group began following after the two men, but Maggie lagged behind. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed. Why did she always miss the exciting things?

"Worry not, child," Maggie heard a voice behind her for the second time today and wondered if she was about to be offered more baklava. "You are blessed, because even though you do not see me, you still believe I am here." Maggie's eyes widened and she spun around. No one was there. She glanced down and saw, on the ground, a square of baklava sitting on a small piece of paper. She picked up the two things and put the paper in her pocket, then proceeded to put the baklava in her mouth. As she began tracing the footsteps of her friends, she decided she liked baklava...

And she most certainly liked finding out that He had, indeed, risen from the grave.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 38

I stood out on the sidewalk and looked around for Jazz. Apparently she was faster than I had given her credit for, because I didn't seen any sign of her. "Great..." I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. "What am I supposed to do now, Voice?"

Follow the signs, Max. I was a little surprised that I actually got an answer from the Voice to a question I asked it.

What signs? I thought back, less annoyed than before. I looked straight ahead and saw a green road sign that I hadn't seen before that said simply, "TURN LEFT" I turned left and saw a four-way intersection. I walked quickly to the intersection and sighed.

What now? I thought.

Maybe you should try the road less taken. The Voice replied with what sounded like a small smile. (I may have been imagining that, though.) I thought for a minute then wondered if the "TURN LEFT" sign would apply here, too. So, I turned left again. On the road that led left there was a yellow diamond sign that had "Dead End" written on it in black letters. It didn't look very traveled to me. I marched towards the dead end and came to an old run down building that looked like it hadn't been used in years. "Road less taken..." I mumbled to myself and jogged towards the door. I smiled a little as I thought about how good I was getting at solving the Voice's riddles. Then I got a little worried about starting to understand the voice in my head...

The door was half-open, so I was able to slip in without opening it anymore. The building was dark with only a little bit of light coming in from the windows. It was a couple stories tall with two staircases. One that ran up one end and another that ran up the opposite end of the building. Now, even though the building was tall, it didn't have floors. Just partial ones. But it looked like it was built that way. I couldn't tell what it had been used for, but there were things hanging from the ceiling that looked like they could be pretty good weapons in a fight.

Suddenly, I got that feeling that I always got when I was being watched. I spun around and peered into the darkness. My eyes can see better than the average human because, well, I'm not the average human. "Hello?" I called out into the open (but stale) air. I was hoping it was just Jasmine sitting up there somewhere.

"Hello, Maximum Ride," I was greeted by a voice I couldn't remember hearing before but sounded oddly familiar. It was calm, soft, and seemed to float through the air like a feather caught on an updraft. "I've been expecting you."

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

MR Fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 37

We were walking down the street some more when suddenly, Jazz was no longer in our group. I turned around and saw her standing in front of the window of a store. If she was looking at clothes, I was gonna have to slap her upside the head, because then Nudge would be all like "Max, can I get it, please?" and it would be something with a skirt that we couldn't afford and I'd have to convince her that it wasn't practical or anything...


"Come on, Jazz," I said, walking over to her.


"Must. Go. Into. Bookstore." she said in a monotone voice.


"Why?" I asked as I turned to look in the window. She pointed at one particular book, and I got it. The title was Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel.



A couple hours later, I was standing in front of Jazz, hands on my hips. "Okay, can we go-" Jazz held up her hand to silence me as she finished reading the last page. Apparently she was a bit of a speed reader or something. The others were all nearby in the bookstore in pairs of two to four. Jazz suddenly closed the book and looked up at me, her eyes calculating.


"So, how long ago was this collection of experiences?" she asked.


"Long enough ago for the book to be written, edited, printed, then shipped all over the world." I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. The way she was looking at me made me want to get all defensive. She was kinda freaking me out.


"Where's Dylan?"


"Guess you'll find out in the next book."


"He's not dead, is he?" Jazz asked hesitantly.


"Dunno. Woke up one morning and he was gone." I said with a shrug of my shoulders. Jazz raised an eyebrow. We stared at each other for a moment then she stood up.


"So, are all of you total stupid-heads or is it just you, Fang, and Angel?" she asked bluntly. I was so shocked I forgot to answer for a minute.

"Excuse me?" I asked, too dumbfounded to say anything else.

"Angel was a stupid-head for obvious reasons, and you and Fang were stupid-heads by being so focused on each other you were blind to everyone else." she said, standing up. I stared at her, my mouth hanging open.

"Who gave you the right to judge me?" I asked, trying hard not to yell. She held up the book and stared at me for a moment before answering.

"You did." she dropped the book on the chair behind her then quickly turned and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I called after her.

"To get some air!" she hollered back, not looking over her shoulder.

"Well, don't blame me if an Eraser jumps out of the bushes and carries you away!" I screamed as she got to the door. She opened it then turned to look at me for a brief moment as she pushed the door open.

"I won't!" the door slammed behind her and I wanted to kick something...hard. I half-wished M-Geeks would storm into the bookstore so I'd have a good reason to beat something up.

Max, remember what you promised her mother. The Voice said as I paced angrily by the now vacant chair. I clenched my fists and took a deep breath, trying very hard not to swear at the Voice.

Fine. I finally thought back to the Voice then stormed towards the door to the outside world. Fang was standing by the door, his eyebrow raised.

"You're in charge until I get back." I said, trying not to sound snappy. He nodded his head slowly, and even though I didn't see his eyes following me, I knew he was watching me closely.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 36

"Max, I'm hungry..." Gazzy said from behind me. We were walking along the sidewalk now, and this was the fourth time he had said that in the past two minutes. I sighed and bit mu tongue. I took a deep breath then spoke in the most loving tone I could muster.

"I know, Gazzy. If you see a place to eat, let me know."

"Um, we just passed a place." Nudge said, jogging a few steps so she was walking next to me. Angel was on the other side of me, holding my hand. We were walking in the downtown area now, which wasn't as busy as where we were when Kalie went all Killer on us.

"Nudge, that place was closed and probably cost more to feed one of us than we have." I said, my patience wearing thinner.

"Then where are we gonna eat?" Gazzy asked--I mean, WHINED. I stopped where I was and looked around. There was a rather normal looking car coming towards us and a few people on the opposite side of the street not paying attention to us. I waited for the car to pass then turned to our large group.

"Okay, as soon as those people get a little bit farther down the street, we're gonna fly over this building and land behind it. There's probably a dumpster back there somewhere with food in it." I said in a low tone to all of them.

"Yeah, like behind that restaurant we passed!" Nudge said, sounding much to excited to eat out of a dumpster.

"Um, I can't fly." Jasmine piped up while raising her hand.

"I'm sure a couple of us can grab you and carry you up and over." I said, positive me and Fang could. I saw her face, though, and it looked a bad color of pale. I guessed she'd never gone dumpster diving for food... Well, there's a first time for everything! I glanced down the street and saw the people were much farther away now, so we were probably safe to fly over the building now. I opened my wings and grabbed one of Jazz's arms.

"We're gonna take a running start, okay?" I said to Jazz. Iggy came forward and took Jazz's other arm. I thought that was a little odd but was a little bit happier that he was more willing to help her than Fang was. Jazz nodded and we began an slight jog across the street. Iggy and I began to flap our wings in unison so we wouldn't whap each other. In a matter of moments we were up in the air and the rest of the group was following after us. Jazz was as tense as could be, but I could understand that. I mean, if I were in her position I'd probably be freaking out that I was going to be dropped. But that was just me.

We were over the building and on the other side if it in no time flat, which was good. I didn't want us to take forever. We landed and I'm sure if we would have landed some place grassy, Jazz would have hugged the ground. But the earth back here was filthy and covered in who knows (or really wants to know) what, so it was probably best that she didn't.

"Dumpster over there!" Nudge called, pointing back the way we we had come from. We were in a small alley that was just big enough for a garbage truck to drive down. On either side of us were the backs of buildings. We walked down to the dumpster and began rummaging for food that still looked and smelled like food.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Gazzy gives a whole new meaning to dumpster diving. Most people don't actually dive into the dumpster, but he does. Sometimes he goes head first, other times he does a cannonball. Today was a headfirst day. Jazz stood a few feet away from the rest of the group and watched with a look that was a mix of horror and wonder.

"Hey, I found half of a cake!" Gazzy called from in the dumpster.

"Oh! What kind?" Thing 1 asked excitedly.

"Chocolate...I think..." Gazzy replied as he emerged. He held up a cake that was mostly intact and held it out for everyone.

"Want some, Jazzy?" I asked her. She shook her head, looking a little less pale and a little more green.

"No thanks. I had a big dinner." she said softly. She, of course, was lying. I mean, that dinner may have been big for her, but I would still have been starving after it...

"Your choice." I said with a shrug. I took a bite of the cake then quickly spit it out. "Okay, no cake. There is somethin' funky in there..." I said. Gazzy frowned and let the cake fall to the ground and splatter all over. Maybe Jazz's choice was the right one...

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Do I need this? No. Do I get this? Yes.

Okay, this post is going out to EVERYONE. (Yes, Chris is included.) I came on here today expecting everyone to be all chill and blah, but no, you people are all bickering over what I said in a comment. So here's the deal. You people can comment, but I'd really appreciate it if you didn't fight over stupid things. I'm really tired today, so my judgement may be slightly impaired, but with my life being a little crazy with packing and stuff, I don't need my BLOG being hectic. I'm glad you guys read my blog, I just don't want you to be angry at other users or me or whatever. So please, please, PLEASE think about what you're saying before you post and try not to hurt people's feelings.

I thank you all for taking the time to read this message. I apologize if any feelings were hurt by what I said, I just really don't want to have to deal with people fighting over something stupid I've posted.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

MR Fanfic (TPPOV) Chapter 36

He walked quickly and quietly down the sterile hall, past doors that were open and doors that were closed. He glanced through an open door and his heart broke a little more inside. He wished he could save them all, but that wasn't his job. He looked up and saw a female scientist up ahead, but he didn't duck to the side like someone else would. Instead, he just walked by the scientist. The scientist stared ahead, a baffled expression on her face. A smile almost crossed his lips as he rounded the corner and the scientist's vision cleared up. Perhaps it was all a bit too easy... No, not for someone like him.

He took a deep breath when he saw the large double doors ahead of him. He glanced around, making sure he wasn't being followed. He reached the door and looked down at the keypad on the wall next to it. He knew the code, but did he dare type it in? The scientists would know someone opened it if he did it that way... There was a sort of electronic log-book for these sorts of things. The cameras were already down, but how long would they stay that way? He knew he had to do something quickly... But what? Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching the end of the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder then looked back at the keyboard. Suddenly, the door opened without him seeming to have to do a thing. He ran out the doors and they closed behind him, just as the female scientist rounded the corner.

He ran to the large boulder that was about thirty yards from the entrance of the building. When he reached the boulder, he crouched down behind it to gather his thoughts. He was out, so what was he to do now? He took a few deep breaths as he thought.

You must go and find her, a voice suddenly piped up and helped him decide. He nodded then closed his eyes and leaned back against the boulder. He saw buildings on either side and a road in front. He was in an alleyway. Suddenly, the picture moved to out on the street. It was a clear morning, but chilly. A street sign appeared and he studied it, memorizing it quickly. He stood up and brushed himself off, then took off running northward.

All will be explained soon enough, Maximum Ride...

Monday, February 1, 2010

MR fanfic (MPOV) Chapter 35

Sam led us down the road a ways then ducked into a narrow alleyway with Kalie in his arms and Thing 1 and Thing 2 right on his heels. I turned the corner and saw him laying Kalie down on the ground behind some stacked-up boxes. I took a deep breath, stood up tall, and walked over to Sam. The others stayed a few feet behind me as Sam turned around to face me.

"Okay, spill." I said, staring him right in the eyes. I had to look up a bit, because he was taller than I was by a few inches. Not as tall as Fang or Iggy, but I did notice then that he was a bit wider than they were. Sam sighed and ran his hand through his hair. During this pause, I heard someone's stomach growl behind me, and I chose to ignore it.

"We all got out of the School at the same time and have been together ever since. It was a few years ago that we escaped, and we all kind of knew each other while in the School, but not totally. We just knew that if we were ever to escape, we'd all be going at once." Sam paused and glanced over his shoulder at the pile of boxes. "We grew really close, like a family, like you guys, and managed to stay well under the radar. For a while. Kalie and the girls ended up getting caught one day while I was getting some food and I had to find them. But you guys found them first..." I tilted my head and gave Sam a questioning look.

"Remember New York?" he asked simply.

"Kalie was the bird-girl in the big cage?" I asked in disbelief. Thing 1 nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, and we were there, too!" she said, even though I didn't really remember them. Well, I hadn't remembered Kalie either...but I thought all of those mutants had either died or been killed off. Guess I was wrong. Surprisingly enough, though, I wasn't too sad about that.

"After you found them and set them free again, our paths magically crossed. I don't know how it happened, but we just sorta bumped into each other again." Sam said, his voice getting softer.

"Wow. That's a pretty big coincidence..." I mumbled.

Max, the Voice piped up, there's no such thing as coincidences. I rolled my eyes and tried not to look too annoyed on the outside.

"Anyways, a few days after we all got back together, Kalie went into one of those attacks. I didn't have a clue what was going on, but she went after one of the Twins, so I had to stop her. After a couple minutes, she passed out like she did today. When she woke up, she had no idea what happened. I told her she had tried to kill all of us and she couldn't believe it. She flew off, crying, and it was hours until she came back. When she did, Thing 1 and Thing 2 were already asleep..." Sam stopped talking and glanced over at the two girls. I was guessing he hadn't told them the rest yet. My guess was confirmed when he took a step towards me, leaned forward and whispered in my ear.

"She told me that I had to do everything to protect the girls. Even if it meant killing her in one of the attacks. I told her I'd protect them, but I wouldn't kill her. She doesn't know what happens in those things and doesn't remember them. Please, don't be mad at her." he finished and looked earnestly into my eyes.

"She's not a robot, is she?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Sam shook his head.

"Do robots bleed when they get cut?" Sam asked in return. I shrugged but was guessing the answer was "no"... I thought for a moment then leaned towards Sam and whispered.

"You may not be willing to kill her, but if she's hurting one of my Flock or one of the Twins, I won't hesitate to hurt her." I looked steadily into Sam's eyes and he swallowed hard then nodded.

"Fair enough." was his simple reply. I heard a groan from behind the pile of boxes and all of us turned to look. Kalie stood up shakily and rubbed her head. She looked around, confused.

"What are you all looking at?" she mumbled, wincing as she walked around the boxes. Sam cleared his throat.

"You had another one." he said to her. Kalie looked confused.

"Another one what?"

"Another attack." Kalie's shoulders fell as Sam answered her question.

"Oh..." she said slowly. She looked away for a moment and wrung her hands nervously. "Is everyone okay?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"Yeah, we're fine." Sam replied. We all stood in awkward silence for a while before Kalie spoke up again.

"I'm sorry." she said, sounding close to tears.

"Don't be, it's not your fault." Iggy said. We all turned to look at him and I wondered where that had come from. I guess he had more of a heart than I did, because in my mind, it was totally her fault.

Why is it her fault, Max? The Voice suddenly asked me.

Um, if I remember correctly, no one was making her try to kill us. I retorted mentally.

No one was making the wheel spin, either, then? The Voice asked another question and I wanted to smack him. Er, it?

When did we suddenly start talking about wheels?? I wondered as I turned my back to everyone. They had all started talking now, but I didn't know what they were saying because I had someone in my HEAD talking to me. But, as usual, the Voice didn't respond after that, and I was left to wonder what in the world it was talking about. I sighed and turned back to the others, wondering what we would do next. I knew I'd be keeping a much closer eye on Kalie from now on, that was for sure.