Background Image

...

I Couldn’t Leave Total Behind.” “total?” Iggy Asked. “that’s What His Card Said,” Angel Explained. “totally A Mutant Dog Who Will Probably Turn On Us And Kill Us In Our Sleep,” Fang Said.

-James Patterson

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

I Couldn’t Leave Total

James Patterson

...

I Couldn’t Leave Total Behind.” “total?” Iggy Asked. “that’s What His Card Said,” Angel Explained. “totally A Mutant Dog Who Will Probably Turn On Us And Kill Us In Our Sleep,” Fang Said.

Views: 6

Topic

More From James Patterson

Here's What I Was Thinking About:1.who The New Threat Was 2.the Air Show In Mexico City 3.how To Get Total To Quit Milking His Injury, Because Enough Was Enough 4. My Mom And Half Sister Ella 5.fang 6.fang 7.fang

Walking Over To Iggy, He Poked Him With His Shoe. "does Anysing On You Vork Properly?" Iggy Rubbed His Forehead With One Hand. "well, I Have A Highly Developed Sense Of Irony." Ter Borcht Tsked. "you Are A Liability To Your Group. I Assume You Alvays Hold Onto Someone's Shirt, Yes? Following Dem Closely?" "only When I'm Trying To Steal Their Dessert," Iggy Said Truthfully.

I Offered To Pee On Him, But They Said No

You Can Call Me Agent Mickelson,' He Told Me With A Smile. 'what About You? Is Max Short For Something? Maxine?' 'no, Dean. It's Just Max.

I Shot Him The Bird. (get It? I Shot Him The—never Mind.)

I Looked Around. As Flock Leader, Everyone Was Expecting Me To Make A Decision. Jeb's Presence Here Would Bring Uncertainty, Chaos, Probably Danger. It Would Perk Up My Day.

Bad Stuff Happens. Sometimes It Makes No Sense At All. Sometimes Its Unfair. Sometimes, It Just Plain Sucks. Bad Stuff Happens Sometimes. Always Remember That, But Remember That You Have To Move On Somehow. You Just Pick Your Head Up And Stare At Something Beautiful Like The Sky, Or The Ocean, And You Move The Hell On.

Unfortunately, Every Time Someone Said “debriefing,” The Entire Flock Had One Image: Someone’s Tighty-whities Disappearing In A Flash. We Were Smothering Our Giggles, But It Was Getting Harder. Coupled With The Whole “naval This, And Naval That,” With Its Undeniable Belly-button Connotations, We Were Essentially Turning Into A Sugar-jacked, Sleep-deprived Flock Of Incoherent, Silly, Recombinant-dna Goofballs. This Was Not Going To End Well.

So Fnick, Can I Change Channel?" Iggy Asked. "there's A Game On." "make Yourself At Home, Figgy." Fang Said.

Fang Swerved Closer To Me, Big And Supremely Graceful, Like A Black Panther With Wings. Oh, God. I'm So Stupid. Forget I Just Said That. "he Needs A Band-aid," I Said. A Look Passed Between Me And Fang, Full Of Suppressed Humor, Relief, Understanding,love — Forget I Said That Too. I Don't Know What's Wrong With Me.

In Case You Guys Didn't Catch Last Week's Episode, I'm Out Of The Flock," I Informed Them. "angel Has No Allegiance To Me. She's Wanted Me Gone For A Long Time. And In Case You Didn't Catch All The Episodes From The Past Year, Angel Is... Unbalanced." "untrustworthy," Fang Seconded. "unpredictable," Jeb Added. "dangerous," Dylan Chimed In.

Why Was The Blind Guy Playing With Matches, You Ask? Because He's Good At It. Anything To Do With Fire, Igniting Things, Exploding Things, Things With Fuses, Wicks, Accelerants . . . Iggy's Your Man. It's One Of Those Good/bad Things.

Steve Turned To Us Again, Looking So Dang Enthusastic That I Wondered How Much Coffee He'd Had This Morning. "so, You Kids Want To Be Big Stars, Eh?" God, No!" I Said Spewing Crumbs. "no Way!" Oddly, This Seemed To Throw A Petite Wrench Into The Convo.

What Was Fang Going To Do Blog About Max Throwing Herself Into Space So She Wouldn't Have To Kiss Him Again? No Instead He Smashed His Fist Against The Cave Wall Then Grimaced At The Pain And Stupidity Seeing His Bloodied Knuckles

Life Can Be Like Walking On A High Wire. Falling Seems A Tiny Misstep Away.

I Didn't Care For Most Of The Books I Was Being Asked To Read In School. I Started Reading Like Crazy Right After High School When I Got A Job In A Mental Hospital. I Was Working My Way Through College, And I Did A Lot Of Night Shifts, And There Was Nothing To Do. So I Read Like Crazy, Serious Stuff, All The Classics.

Even Needing To Get To Angel, We Couldn’t Forget The Basic Necessity Of Eating.

Every Other Person In The World Would Have Looked At It And Thought, Max Would Hate This. It Was Girly. It Was Beautiful. It Wasn't Made Of Titanium And Black Leather With Spikes On It. But It Seemed Exactly Right, In A Weird, Heart-fluttery Kind Of Way. And I Really Loved It.

I Love Nudge, Nudge Is A Great Kid, But That Motormouth Of Hers Could Have Turned Mother Teresa Into An Ax Murderer.

I Want To Be A Scientist Who Studies The Ocean When I Grow Up. I Would Go Out To Sea, And Scuba Dive, And Find New Things, And National Geographic Will Hire Me.” Sure, Nudge. Probably Around The Time I Become President.

And Max, I've Put Some Scraps In A Bowl For Your Dog," Mom Said. "it's On The Floor, By The Back Door." The Flock And I Went Still. Uh-oh, I Thought. Total Stomped Up To Me, His Glare Accusing. "a Bowl On The Floor!" He Seethed. "why Don't You Just Chain Me To A Stake In The Yard And Throw Me A Bone!

I Don't Know Why, But Life Is Usually More Complicated Than The Plans That We Make.

Men Suck, Even Imaginary Ones

At That Moment I Had No Mind To Change, Or Not Change, Or Throw Against The Nearest Wall.

Hollywood Is A Peculiar Beast - People In Hollywood Are Nuts.

Iggy: "now What? Who You Gonna Call?" A Quiet Voice In The Hallway Outside: "ghostbusters!" (captain Perry And John Groan) John: "that Phrase Is Ruined Forever.

Half The Time When Brothers Wrestle, It's Just An Excuse To Hug Each Other.

Ari Felt Like, Hellooo, I Have Wings! I Turn Into A Wolf! Blending Is Out Is Out Of The Question!

You Could Lock The Gasman In A Padded Cell With Some Dental Floss And A Bowl Of Jell-o, And He'd Find A Way To Make Something To Explode.

You Know Things Have Gone Bad When Military Marches Pass For Pop Music.

You're Lucky If You Find Something You Like To Do, And It's A Miracle If Somebody Will Pay You To Do It.

Angel: What's Sauerkraut? Max: You Don't Want It. Trust Me.

You Plan To Fail If You Fail To Plan

Gazzy Called Over To Me "i Can't See Anything!" "i Can't See Anything Either," Iggy Complained. "i'm Rolling My Eyes, Ig." I Had To Tell Him That Because He Couldn't See Me Do It, What With His Blindness And All.

My Name Is Daniel, And This Is The First Volume Of My Life Story, Which, Hopefully, Will Be A Very Long And Distinguished One. Who Should You Read It? Very Good Question. Maybe Because This Is Your Planet, And You Have A Right To Know What's Actually Happening On It.

Because What’s Worse Than Knowing You Want Something, Besides Knowing You Can Never Have It?

Unrequited Love

Please, I Begged Silently, Please Do Not Let My Last Moments On Earth Be Me Crammed Into A Tiny Boat In The Dark, Surrounded By Mechanical Singing Pirates.

I Don't Damsel Well. Distress, I Can Do. Damseling? Not So Much.

What Was Premeditated Murder If Not Calculated Leverage?

What I Said Yesterday Didn't Mean Anything! I Love Everyone In The Flock! Plus, It Was The Valium Talking!" "uh-huh. You Just Keep Telling Yourself That. You Looove Me." Max: (tries To Punch Him) "pick A Tree. I'll Go Carve Our Initials In It." Max: (screams And Runs Into Bathroom)

Who, Last Time I'd Checked, Was Still On Our Official Archenemy List. (yes, We Have To Keep A List. It's Kind Of Sad.)

It Was The Building From The Drawing In My Brain. And If You Don’t Think That’s A Weird Sentence, Maybe You Should Reread It.

We Try Not To Encourage Demonstrations Of His Mastery Of The Gaseous Arts.

To Be Without Love Is To Be Without Grace, What Matters Most In Life. We Is So Much Better Than I.

Did You Know That Wasn’t Me, The Other Max?” I Asked. “yeah.” “when?” “right Away.” “how?” I Persisted. “we Look Identical. She Even Had Identical Scars And Scratches. She Was Wearing My Clothes. How Could You Tell Us Apart?” He Turned To Me And Grinned, Making My World Brighter. “she Offered To Cook Breakfast.

Fang! Angel?" I Yelled, Not Even Trying For Stealth. I Was Storming The Castle, Not Stealing The Jewels.

Your Mind Creates Your Reality. If You Expect Nothing, You Open Up The Universe To Give You Options. If You Expect The Worst, You Usually Get It.

Everything I Loved Was Taken Away From Me, And I Did Not Die.

You Know, I Guess I Just Don't Like To Talk A Lot About Sad Things. Now You Know My Flaw. What Good Does It Do To Talk About Sad Things In The Past?

You're Lying Through Your Fangs," Iggy Accused. Fang Tried To Play Innocent--but "innocent Fang" Is An Oxymoron, So It Didn't Work.

Oh Great. Yoda Captured Us.

I Read Some, And Then Visited With People Involved In This Curious, Exciting And Somewhat Misunderstood Sub-culture. I Met With A Fang Maker, Who Offered To Fit Me For An Exquisite Pair.

Can You Giggle While Racing For Your Life And Protecting A Six-year-old? I Can.

How Did You Become Blind, Uh, Jeff Is It?" Yeah, Jeff. Well, I Looked Directly At The Sun, You Know, The Way They Always Tell You Not To. If Only I Had Listened.

Have You Ever Been To Colorado?" I Frowned. "is That One Of Those Square Ones, In The Middle?

This Time I Wouldn't Forget Him, Because I Couldn't Ever Forgive Him - For Breaking My Heart Twice.

I Think E-books Are Terrific In Their Own Right. I Love Being Able To Get On A Plane And Basically Carry Around Seven Books And It Weigh 10 Ounces.

I Don't Smile As Much As I Should, Even Though I Smile Inside A Lot.

Angel Wanted Them All To Burn In H-e- Double Toothpicks Forever.

I Took A Bite Of Cookie And Chewed. “hmmm,” I Said, Trying Not To Spit Crumbs. “clear Vanilla Notes, Too-sweet Chocolate Chips, Distinct Flavor Of Brown Sugar. A Decent Cookie, Not Spectacular. Still, A Good-hearted Cookie, Not Pretentious.” I Turned To Fang. “what Say You?” “it’s Fine.” Some People Just Don’t Have What It Takes To Appreciate A Cookie.

He Landed 10 Feet Below With A Sickening Crunch-i'm Guessing His Enhancements Didn't Allow Him To Bounce Back Up Like A Ball. We Call That A Design Flaw.

I Led The Way Toward The Crowd, Trying To Look Casual, Like, Fly? Me? Nah.

The Funny Thing About Facing Imminent Death Is That It Really Snaps Everything Else Into Perspective.

Meaning What? We're Going To Pretend Nothing's Going On? That's Stupid. The Only Way To Deal With Any Of This Is To Get It Out In The Open." Have You Been Watching Oprah Again?

Okay, So, Flying,” I Started, Taking A Deep Breath And Focusing On The Thing I Loved Most In The World. “flying Is … Great. It Feels Great When You’re Doing It. It’s Fun. Pure Freedom. There’s Nothing Better.” Dylan Smiled, A Slow, Easy Smile That Seemed To Light Up His Whole Face. “so The First Thing We’re Going To Do,” I Told Him, “is Push You Off The Roof.

I Dropped My Voice And Stared Into Her Eyes. I Could Tell She Was Trying Hard Not To Look Away. I Was So Furious I Could Have Cheerfully Ripped Her Head Off. "but You're Going To Find Out, Mom,' I Said Very Softly."and It's Gonna Give You Nightmares For The Rest Of Your Wasted Life." Oh, My God, I Was So Badass. It Was All I Could Do To Not Give A Mwa Ha Ha!

I Have An Idea. It’s Risky, And Max Will Kill Us When She Finds Out.” Iggy Raised His Head. “sounds Like My Kind Of Idea.

My, G**, He Was As Strong As A Team Of Oxen. That Would Be Strong Right?

Fang? Are You- Like Max?" Asked Dr. Martinez. "nope,"he Said, Sounding Bored. "i'm The Smart One." I Resisted The Urge To Kick Him In The Shin.

How Could You Stop Loving Me?

Well, That's An Evil Smile.

It's So Strange. Everything Can Be Going Alone Just Great, And Then One Day, Whack, You're Blindsided-- A Lousy, Crammy Blow You Didn't See Coming.

My Style Is Colloquial Storytelling. It's The Way We Tell Stories To One Another - It's Not Writerly, It's Not Overdone.

I Had To Give Him Props, But How Annoying Of Him To Be A Hero When I Was Trying So Hard To Dislike Him. It Was Downright Selfish.

You...are...a...fridge...with Wings,' Fang Ground Out, Punching An Eraser Hard With Every Word. 'we're...freaking...ballet...dancers.

That Was The Funniest Thing I'd Heard In Days. You're Kidding, Right? Please Tell Me You Have A Stronger Motive For Me Than 'fair Is Fair.' Life Isn't Fair, Dean....nothing Is Fair, Ever. That's The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard. I Need To Help You Because Fair Is Fair? Try, 'i Need You To Help Me So I Won't Rip Out Your Spine And Beat You With It.' I Might Respond To That. Maybe.

When Its True, When It's Right, Love Can Give You The Kind Of Joy That You Can't Get From Any Other Experience.

"disappear Where?" You Know What They Say: Curiosity Killed The Mutant Bird Kid. But I Couldn't Help Myself.

What I'm Really Addicted To Is Getting People To Understand That If Their Kids Aren't Competent Readers Coming Out Of Middle School, It's Really Going To Be Hard For Them In High School.

Be Calm. Be Zen. You Are Buddha.

Um, There's A Girl Meeting Her Friend,' He Went On. 'her Friend Is Giving Her An Ice-cream Cone. Oh-it's Dripping. Huh. It, Uh, Dripped On Her...chest.' Iggy Drew In A Hissing Breath. It's Gonna Stain For Sure,' The Gasman Said. 'that's Chocolate.' Hmm,' Fang Said, Watching, The Girl Dab At Her Chest With A Paper Napkin.

I Remembered Something My First Partner Had Told Me. Never Wrestle With A Pig, Lindsay. You Both Get Dirty. The Pig Likes It.

It's Okay, Ig." Said Fang. "just Give It Your Best Shot." Sometimes The Fangster Is Incredibly Supportive, Just Not With Me.

Cats Are Like Baptists. You Know They Raise Hell, But You Can Never Catch Them At It.

My Invite Must Have Gotten Lost In The Mail," She Said Venomously. "but I Don't Mind Crashing This Party. -maximum Ride Talking To Max Ii

Gazzy: "captain, Like The Captain Of A Ship. And Then Terror, You Know, T-e-r-o-r.

Love Hurts." Oh, Shut Up!" - Pg 123

I'm Going To Turn Fifteen Tomorrow," I Said, Warming To The Idea. "it's High Time. I Can't Remember When I Turned Fourteen." (said By Max) If You Get To Be Fifteen, Then I Get To Be Fifteen!" Iggy Sounded Indignant. I Looked At Fang. "wanna Be Fifteen?" His Smile Melted Me. "yeah.

I Write Larger Than Life. It's What I Do.

Larger Than Life

I Don't Believe In Lecturing People. It's Much More Effective To Present Reading As A Fun, Rewarding Pastime.

Sometimes When You're At Your Most Certain, That's When Everything You Know Is Wrong.

Don’t Be Afraid.” “i Hear Voices,” Iggy Said. “be Very Afraid.

We're Famous" Iggy Whispered So Low That Fang Could Barely Hear Him. "so's Swine Flu" Fang Whispered Back.

Well, It's Like I Have A Gps Inside Me," I Told Them. "one Of The Talking Ones. I Tell It Where I Want To Go, And It Tells Me, Go Twenty Miles, Turn Left, Take Exit Ninety-fourm And So One. It Can Be Pretty Bossy, Frankly. Their Eyes Widened. "really?" Said One. No You Idiot," I Said In Disgust. "i Don't Know How It Works. I Just Know It Has An Unfailing Ability To Point Me In The Opposite Direction Of A Bunch Of Boneheads.

I'd Been Told That He Had Been Created-literally Created-just For Me,as My "perfect Other Half." Let Me Tell You-if Dylan Was My Perfect Other Half, Then I Needed To Give My First Half A Seriouis Look-see.

I'm A Girl Of Extremes. When I Love Something, I'm Like A Puppy Dog (without All The Licking). When I'm Cranky, I'm A Wasp (like A Whole Hive Of 'em). And When I'm Angry, I'm A Mother Bear With A Predator After Her Cubs: Dangerous.

I'm Very Emotional. I Do Feel Stuff, For Better Or Worse.

I Vill Eat Nine Snikuhs Bahs Visout Bahfing

I Didn't Think He Was A Robot...but I Did Wonder If His Emotions Had Been Designed Out Of Him. Of Course, With A Guy, How Could I Tell? Ha Ha!

There's A Saying I Remember From My Grandmother: One Today Is Worth Two Tomorrows.

Jeb Climbed The Ladder Fang Had Just Lowered And I Indulged In A Moments Fantasy About Someone Slamming The Trapdoor On His Head.”-max

Assume Nothing, Question Everything.

We Probably Looked Like Starving Orphan Children. Hey! We Were Starving Orphan Children.

"yeah Sure, Why Not?" I Said, Making A Mental Note To Get A Good Look At His Wings. For All I Knew, They Were Remote-controlled And Duct Taped To His Back.

I Knew My Transformation Was Complete When Dr.keyes Asked, "how Are You Feeling Today, Tandy?" And I Responded "i'm Not

Blood City Iii: The Massacre. I'd Read The Summary Of It Online, And Frankly, It Sounded Like The Directors Had Just Decided To Film My Life.

You'll See, Jαne,' He Promised Her. 'you'll Forget Me, αnd It Won't Hurt Tomorrow. Besides, You Sαid It Yourself: Love Meαns You Cαn Never Be αpαrt. So We'll Never Be αpαrt, Jαne, Becαuse I Love You So Much. I'll αlwαys, αlwαys Love You.

Fang Snorted In Disbelief. "on One Hand, We Have A Mythical Nice Family That Wants To Adopt Me. On The Other, We Have A Gang Of Insane Scientists Desperate To Do Genetic Experiments On Innocent Children. Guess Which Hand I Get Dealt?

I Don't Believe In Making War With Food. Food Is Not The Enemy. Said By Claire In The 5th Horseman

Jackpot, Max! Jackpot!" It Was Fang And He Was Giggling Hysterically. For Those Of You Just Joining Us, Fang Doesn't Giggle, Esspecially Hysterically.

Huh - Why Is Max In The Kitchen?" Dr.martinez: "we're Cooking." Gazzy: "she's Just Keeping You Company, Right?" Dr.martinez: "no, She's Cooking." Nudge: "cooking...food?" Max: "yes, I'm Cooking Food, And It's Great, And You're Going To Eat It, You Twerps!

We Is Always So Much Better Than I.

Plus Her Mom Was So Awesome. She Was Strict About Some Things—don’t Leave Your Socks Lying Around—but So Not Strict About Other Things, Like Calling The Cops About My Bullet Wound.

Dreams Die Hard. And Sometimes They Don't Have To Die At All.

I Guess I Write Four Or Five Hours A Day, But I Do It Seven Days A Week. It's Very Disciplined, Yes, But It's Joy For Me.

Fang," I Said, My Voice Breaking. "just Live, Okay? Live And Be Okay." With No Warning, I Leaned Down And Kissed His Mouth, Just Like That. "ow," He Said, Touching His Split Lip, Then He And I Stared At Each Other In Shock.

Louisiana, The State Road Maintenance Forgot.

She Had A Lot Of Hugs To Give, But Not Enough People To Give Them To.

If The White House Could Do More To Tell Parents That Getting Children Reading Is Their Business Too, We'd See A Big Difference. Hollywood And The Nba Or Nfl Could Step In, Too. In England They Have An Event Called Book Day, Where Every Child Receives A Pound To Use At Any Bookstore.

An Unbearable Smug Look Came Over His Usually Impassive Face."uh-huh. You Just Keep Telling Youself That. You Looove Me." I Took A Swing At Him, But He Jumped Back Nimbly, And All I Did Was Jar My Left Arm, Making It Hurt. He Laughed At Me, Then Pointed At The Woods Ouside The Window."pick A Tree. I'll Go Carve Our Initials In It.

Max, You're Acting Like A Child, The Voice Said. You're Above Rebelling Against Your Fate Just To Rebel. You've Got A Date With Destiny. Don't Be Late." I Brushed Some Hair Out Of My Eyes. Is That A Movie Quote? Or Is It An Actual Date? I Don't Remember Destiny Asking Me. I Never Even Gave Destiny My Phone Number.

I Do 30 To 40 Books A Year, So It's A Fair Amount Of Reading. Back And Forth Between Nonfiction And Fiction. I Usually Have Three Or Four Things That Are Open On My Desk, On My Bed, On Audiobook In The Car.

Angel Screeched With Fury And Despair To The Empty Walls Around Her. "i'm Human, Do You Hear Me? It Hurts!

I Don't Know About The Rest Of You Who Have Little Voices, But Something About Mine Made Me Feel Completely Compelled To Listen To It.

I'm Pretty Sure That If You Looked Up The Word "nuts" In The Dictionary, You'll Find My Picture. Just Another Fun Feature Of My Mutant-birdkid-freak Package.

It Was Like Meeting Someone Out Of Your Dreams, Or Fantasies, Or A Beloved Character From A Favorite Book.

We’ll Be Back!” He Snarled. It Was Really Ari’s Voice. Boy, You Just Can’t Kill People Like You Used To,” Said Fang

Pain Fades,” I Said Slowly. “but Being A Nutcase Seems To Stick Around. Guess Who Got The Better Deal Here?” The Last Thing I Remember Is Mr. Chu’s Face Blazing With Fury.

The Writing In Mission To Paris, Sentence After Sentence, Page After Page, Is Dazzling. If You Are A John Le Carr Fan, This Is Definitely A Novel For You.

Fang, Fang. I Love You. I Looooove You. I Love You Thiiiiiiiiiis Much!

Advice: Don’t Wait Until Someone You Have Issues With — Especially Someone You’re Related To — Gets Shot Before You Work It Out.

What Are They Teaching These Thugs? -why Are There So Many Of Them? -what Is The Institute For Higher Aeronautics? -how Many Of The Are There? There Are Only Six Of Us! Why? -why Is Dc Public Transportation So Weird? -why Don't We Mug Those Eraser Goons For Money More Often? -fang's Blog

Max?” Said The Gasman. “are Those, Um, Rats?” Lovely. “yes, Those Do Appear To Be Either Rats Or Mice On Steroids,” I Said Briskly, Trying Not To Shriek And Climb The Walls Like A Girly-girl.

People Always Come Up To Me And Say, 'you Should Do Standup.' It's Nice To Discover Things About Yourself. That Keeps Everything Lively And Fun.

We All Love Each Other, Ange," I Said Impatiently, Hating This Whole Conversation. "no, Not Like This," She Went On Relentlessly. "fang Loves You."......my Mouth Dropped Open. How Does She Know This Stuff? "forget It! No One's Getting Married!" I Hissed. "not In New Hampshire Or Anywhere Else! Not In A Box, Not With A Fox! Now Go To Sleep, Before I Kill You! Oh Yeah, Like I Got Any Sleep After That. - Pg 35

His Face Flushed, And I Felt Like Cheering. "yes," He Said Stiffly. "besides De Vings." "hmm. Besides De Vings." Nudge Tapped One Finger Against Her Chin. "um..." Her Face Brightened. "i Once Ate Nine Snickers Bars In One Sitting. Without Barfing. That Was A Record!" "hardly A Special Talent," Ter Borcht Said Witheringly. Nudge Was Offended. "yeah? Let's See You Do It." ... ... "i Vill Now Eat Nine Snickers Bars," Gazzy Said In A Perfect, Creepy Imitation Of Ter Borcht's Voice, "visout Bahfing."

Fang Was Going To Kill Me. And After I Was Dead, He Would Kill Me Again.

There You Have It: Our Lives In A Nutshell. Emphasis On Nut.

Why Aren't Crazy People Content To Take Over, Like, One Town? It Always Has To Be The Whole Word. They Can't Just Control Maybe Twenty People. The Have To Control Everyone. The Can't Just Be Stinking Rich. The Can't Just Do Genetic Experiments On A Couple Unlucky Few. They Have To Put Something In The Water. In The Air. To Get Everyone. I Was Tired Of All Of It.

Some Kids Get Called "bundles Of Joy" Or "slices Of Heaven" Or "dreams Come True." We Got "the Fifty-fourth Generation Of Dna Experiments." Doesn't Have The Same Warm And Fuzzy Feel. But Maybe I'm Oversensitive.

I Never Miss A Good Chance To Shut Up

Have You Guys Been Playing In Toxic Waste Again?" Fang Asked Severely, Putting His Hands On His Hips. Nudge Giggled. "no." "been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider?" Fang Went On. "struck By Lightning? Drink A Super-soldier Serum?" "no, No, No," Said Iggy. He Started Reaching For Things Around The Table, And His Hand Landed On Total. "you're Black." "i Prefer Canine-american." Said Total. "when's That Pie Coming? I'm Starving.

I Had A Question. "why Does The Name Pearl Harbor Sound So Familiar?" The Lieutenant Colonel's Eyes Narrowed. "pearl Harbor Is The Most Famous U.s. Military Base In The World," He Said Crisply. "it's The Only Place On U.s. Soil That Has Been Attacked In A Wars, Since The Revolutionary War." None Of This Was Ringing A Bell, But You Already Know I'm Totally Uneducated. Gazzy Leaned Over To Whisper, "it Was A Movie With Ben Affleck." Ah. Now I Remembered.

Hey. Not Sure What’s Going On-gonna Go Find Out. Be Careful And Don’t Do Anything Stupid. Don’t Come After Me-your Better On Your Own. See You. F I Sat On The Edge Of The Bed, Holding The Note. Okay, So Fang Had Looked Up Vague In The Dictionary And This Was What It Had Said To Write.

Yes, I Sounded Like A Pathetic Weenie. I Prefer To Think Of It As Showing My Softer Side.

Pain Is A Message, And You Can Choose To Ignore That Message.

Every Once In A While, I'll Have A 'do You Know Who I Am?' Moment, At Least In My Head. I Hate That.

I Was Breathless, Talking As Fast As I Could. I Was Afraid If I Stopped Talking, Even For A Second, I’d Start Sobbing Again. “whoa, There.” Fang Smiled And Reached Up, Tracing A Hand Down The Side Of My Face, Winding Strands Of My Hair Around His Fingers. “stop Talking And Let Me Just Tell You How Great It Is To Wake Up Staring At Your Face. Okay?

Some Poeple Just Don't Have What It Takes To Appreciate A Cookie.

Please, Sit Down," Sharon Said With Another Hair Toss. I Made A Mental Note To Practice Doing That In A Mirror The Next Time I Saw One. It Seemed A Useful Skill, Right Up There With Roundhouse Kicks.

Reading Is Not Work, Not A Chore, Not A Drudgery; Reading Is The Most Joyful Thing, Yet, In The World.

I'm Gonna Barf," I Whispered To Fang,wiping My Sweaty Hands On My Jeans. You'll Be Fine," He Whipered Back. "you Always Are. I'm Gonna Die," I Moaned. You Can't Die," He Said A Hint Of A Smile In His Voice."you're The Indesructible Max.

Ari Smiled. The Sun Was Shining, The Weather Was Great, He Was Eating Ice Cream, And All His Dreams Were About To Come True.

Six Seconds Should Be Rick Mofina's Breakout Thriller. It Moves Like A Tornado.

Love Means Never Having To Be Apart

Do You Know How Fast You Were Going?" Fang Looked At The Speedometer..."no," He Said Truthfully. I Tagged You At Seventy Miles Per Hour,"she Said, Pulling Out A Clipboard. I Let Out An Impressed Whistle. "excellent! I Never Thought We'd Be That Fast." Fang Shot Me A Look And I Put My Hand Over My Mouth.

Yes. I Owed My Life, Angel's Life, And My Mother's Life To A Mutant's Ability To Create Industrial-strength Snot.

When You Go Out To Hollywood, It's Like, "here's The Book. It Is What It Is. It'll Always Stay The Same."

It Is What It Is

There Was Something I Needed To Say. “sorry. About Before.” Fang Shot A Sideways Glance At Me, His Eyes Dark And Inscrutable, As Always. He Looked Back Out At The Water. I Didn’t Expect Any More Acknowledgment Than That. Fang Never- “you Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack,” He Said Quietly. “when I Saw You, And All That Blood . . .” He Threw A Small Rock As Hard As He Could Down The Beach. “i’m Sorry.” “don’t Do It Again,” He Said. I Swallowed Hard. “i Won’t.” Something Changed Right Then, But I Didn’t Know What.

The Weird, Weird Thing About Devastating Loss Is Tha Life Actually Goes On.

Fang. I Had To Do Some Thinking About Him. Me. I Had Some Thinking To Do About Me Too.

Does Anything On You Work Properly?" Asked Ter Borcht. "well, I Do Have A Highly Developed Sense Of Irony." Replied Iggy.

When I Write I Pretend I'm Telling A Story To Someone In The Room And I Don't Want Them To Get Up Until I'm Finished.

It Was A Pretty Complete List. The Kind Of List One Makes When One Cannot Fall Asleep Because One's Thoughts Keep Swirling Through One's Brain Like A Bunch Of Sparrows On Crack.

I Wouldn’t Trust You If You Were The Last Life Raft Leaving The Titanic.”-max

He Could Totally Be Your Boyfriend," [angel] Went On With Annoying Persistence. "you Guys Could Get Married. I Could Be Like A Junior Bridesmaid. Total Could Be Your Flower Dog.

What Happened To Your Tan?"--fang "it Was Dirt." --max

Actually, I'd Already Briefed Him, Early This Morning. Since We Were Up At Six. Since, At Six, The Nurse Had Been Overcome With The Overwhelming Compulsion To Take Fang's Temperature Right Then.

Nudge: "i Look Like Prep School Barbie. (looks At Max) Actually, You Look Like Prep School Barbie. I'm Just Barbie's Friend.

What Are You Doing In There, Waxing Your Mustache?” Iggy Yelled, Pounding On The Bathroom Door. I Yanked The Door Open And Pushed Him Backward Hard, Making Him Stagger. “i Don’t Have A Mustache, You Idiot!” Iggy Giggled And Put His Arms Up To Protect Himself In Case I Punched Him. “and You Know What?” I Added. “you Don’t Have One Either. Well, Maybe In A Couple Years. You Can Always Hope.” I Left Him In The Hallway, Anxiously Fingering His Upper Lip.

The Hardest Mysteries To Solve Are The Ones You Come To Near The End, Because There Isn't Enough Evidence, Not Enough To Unravel, Unless Somehow You Can Go All The Way Back To The Beginning - Rewind And Replay Everything.

I Still Felt Like I Might Hurl, And I Thought About How Awful That Would Be In Midair.

You Stand Out Like A Fart In A Church.

Max, If You Survive Your Final Test, Can You Steal Me One Of Those Magic Outfits For Me?" I'll Try To Get One For Each Of Us. Hey! 'if'?

It’s Wherever You Are. If It’s Tapped Into Any Of Your Senses, It Knows Where You Are And What You’re Doing.” Oh No, I Thought, My Spirits Sinking. I Hadn’t Considered That. Did That Mean Nothing I Did Was Ever Anymore? “even In The Bathroom?” The Gasman’s Eyes Widened With Surprise.

Dead Max Was The Biggest Oxymoron In History.

Noooo!" On The Screen, A Woman's Eyes Bugged Almost Out Of Her Head, And I Tried Not To Scream. Tried Not To Scream In Exasperation, I Mean. The Serial Killer Was Right In Front Of Her, Wide Open! Clearly, Instead Of Weeping Like A Moron, She Could Be Lunging Forward And Administering A Swift Uppercut To The Chin. Then This Entire Pointless Ordeal Would Be Over With, And I Could Go Home.

I Love You Max,"fang Said..."god, Max I Love You So Much." I Know. I Thought. I've Always Known

Now That We Were Alone,i Was Self-conscious And Cranky Again.why Had I Wanted To Stay?if I Had Been Programmed To Want To Be With Dylan,heads Were Gonna Roll,i Promise You That.

It's For Upset Stomachs,' Dylan Said, Trying To Hide A Smile. He Pointed To The Words In The Box. 'it's To Reduce Gas In Your Digestive System, Not To Create More Gas To Make Explosions.' Gazzy's Face Fell As Iggy Said. 'really? Gazzy Take It! Take The Whole Box!' 'i Second That Emotion!' Said Total.

There Are Terrific Models For Success With Reluctant Readers, But Many School Systems And State Governments Need To Set Aside Their 'not Invented Here' And 'we Have More Important Problems Than Education' Attitudes.

Besides My Great Fashion Sense? I Play A Mean Harmonica.

There's No Such Thing As A Kid Who Hates Reading. There Are Kids Who Love Reading, And Kids Who Are Reading The Wrong Books.

The Best Way To Get Kids Reading More Is To Give Them Books That They'll Gobble Up - And That Will Make Them Ask For Another.

It's Funny How Different People Are. If I'd Been This Kid And Someone Was Snarling "ordering A Pizza?" At Me, Without Even Thinking, I Would Have Snarled Back "yeah. You Want Pepperoni?" -maximum Ride

"i Feel Like, Like Pudding," Iggy Groaned. "pudding With Nerve Endings. Pudding In Great Pain."

I Vill Destroy De Snickers Bar!" Gazzy(the Gas Man)

I Grew Up In A House Full Of Women: My Mother, Grandmother, Three Sisters, And Two Female Cats. And I Still Have The Buzz Of Their Conversations In My Head. As An Adult, I Have More Female Friends Than Male Ones: I Just Love The Way That Women Talk.

Right There, In Front Of Everyone, I Threw My Arms Arond His Neck And Mashed My Mouth Against His. He Was Startled For A Second, Then His Strong Arms Wraped Around Me So Tightly I Could Hardly Breathe. "zomg," I Heard Nudge Whisper.

Seize What's Been Handed You. Make Smart Decisions. Make Decisions Because Life Is A Temporary Situation.

If It's Commercial Fiction That You Want To Write, It's Story, Story, Story. You've Got To Get A Story Where If You Tell It To Somebody In A Paragraph, They'll Go, "tell Me More." And Then When You Start To Write It, They Continue To Want To Read More. And If You Don't, It Won't Work.

I Knew How Good Love Could Be -- I Knew It Was The Best Thing I'd Ever Done In My Life -- And Yet Here I Was Alone. I Was Taking Chances With My Life. I Kept Telling Everybody That I Was All Right, But I Wasn't.

Are You Fangalicious? -jess, A Random Blogger I Could Never Be As Fangalicious As You'd Want Me To Be.-fang

Time To Die. -evil Angel

I Feel Like I'm Going To Hurl. Which, Even If I Wanted To Do, I Couldn't Do, Because I Haven't Eaten. I Can't Even Drag Myself Out Of My Room. And While I'd Be Able To Muster The Strength To Roundhouse Fang Until He Begged For Mercy, I'de Be Mush Around An Eraser.

Just Because Life Is Hard, And Always Ends In A Bad Way, Doesn't Mean That All Stories Have To, Even If That's What They Tell Us In School And In The New York Times Review. In Fact, It's A Good Thing That Stories Are As Different As We Are, One From Another.

I Stood My Ground. "you Evil Scientist Are All The Same--evil. Count Me Out." Fang And I Brushed Past Mr. God And Walked Quickly But Smoothly To The Exit. It Was Barely Noon, And I'd Already Made A Huge Enemy. Dang, I'm Good.

Once A Bird Kid, Always A Bird Kid. - Maximum Ride Series

Listen Up,” I Said Urgently. “it’s Time To Round Up Your Gear. I’m Gonna Check In With Patrick, And Then We’re Getting The Flock Out Of Here.” Ha-ha.

Excellent. They Were Flammable.

Trending Author

Michael P. Anderson

Category