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I Saw The First Episode Of "the Walking Dead," And That's All I've Seen. I Thought It Was Good. I Used To Love Zombies When I Was Little, But I Don't Like Them The Way I Used To. I'm Not Knocking The Show.

-James Patterson

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I Saw The First

James Patterson

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I Saw The First Episode Of "the Walking Dead," And That's All I've Seen. I Thought It Was Good. I Used To Love Zombies When I Was Little, But I Don't Like Them The Way I Used To. I'm Not Knocking The Show.

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Nowhere Will You Meet More Interesting People Than In Books.

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.

The Hardest Part About Parenting Is When I Have To Be The Dad--aka The Fun-sucker--as Opposed To Being A Friend.

I Recommend You Stick To Your Own Species, Shy Babe." P. 155

Here's A Freebie: Don't Play Poker With A Kid Who Can Read Minds.

On The Other Hand, Even A Big, '80s Love Van Was Less Noticeable Than Six Flying Kids And Their Talking Dog. So There You Go.

"hello, Max," He Said Quietly, Searching My Face. "how Do You Feel?" Which Was A Ten On The 'imbecilic Question' Scale Of One To Ten. "why, I Feel Fine, Jeb," I Said Brightly. "how About You?" "any Nausea? Headache?" "yep. And It's Standing Here Talking To Me."

I Love Movies And I Like A Lot Of Good Television. At The End Of The Project, I Don't Care If They Changed [it From The Book], I Just Want To Look At It And Go, "i Loved That. That Really Turned Out Well."

In This Family, We Always Celebrate Each Other's Birthdays. I Don't Care If You're Four Or Fourteen Or Forty And Scattered Around The World. We Gotta Stick By Each Other, Okay? And Meals- As Long As You Live Under The Same Roof, You Have At Least One Meal A Day Together. I Don't Care If It's A Dreaded Hot Dog In Front Of The Dastardly Tv As Long As You're All There. -maeve Bennett

Why Can't You Just Get Out Of Here And Leave Me Alone?"i Bellowed. "i Can't!" Dylan Shouted Back,his Face Twisted With An Anger I'd Never Seen From Him. "you Can,"i Said Through Gritted Teeth."just Point Your Wings That Way And Flap!

Let's Face It: Most Of Us Don't Realize It, But We Are Failing Our Kids As Reading Role Models. The Best Role Models Are In The Home: Brothers, Fathers, Grandfathers; Mothers, Sisters, Grandmothers. Moms And Dads, It's Important That Your Kids See You Reading. Not Just Books - Reading The Newspaper Is Good, Too.

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.

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

Living Life Was Like Putting The Beach Into A Jar. The Point Wasn’t To Fit Everything In; It Was To Attend To The Most Important Things First—the Big, Beautiful Rocks—the Most Valuable People And Experiences—and Fit The Lesser Things In Around Them. Otherwise, The Best Things Might Get Left Out

My Choices Were To Either Give In And Let Them Kill All Of Us Or Fight Back With Everything I Had. I Chose The Second One, ’cause I’m Just Funny That Way.

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.

Iggy: "i'll Grab A Zebra; Gaz, You Fill All The Bubbles With Your Trademark Scent. So People Are Choking And Gagging; And Let's Throw Beef Jerky In Their Eyes! Now, That's A Plan!

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.

Well, I Don’t Know. Mostly I Just Suck Up What Life Throws My Way, Stomp On It, And Then Keep Going. I Don’t Dwell Much On What I Am Or How I Got This Way. It Just Is. I Just Am. I’m Max, And Whatever Form I Take, It’s Good Enough For Me.

I'm Not A Writer's Writer. I'm Not A Craftsman. I Could Be, And That Would Be A One-book-a-year Operation.

I'm A Girl Who Has Been Tamping Down Her Emotions And Keeping Them Tightly Guarded Her Whole Life. And That Works Really Well For Me. [...] And Now I Felt Like My Shell Had A Dangerous Crack In It. Without Much More Effort On His Part, It Would Split Wide Open And My Enormous River Of Emotions Would Gush Out - The Bad And The Good. It Was Pretty Much The Scariest Thing I'd Ever Thought Of.

I Don't Get A Chance To Be Funny With The Thrillers. I Like To Be Funny, And I Think I Am Really Funny. So With 'middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life', It Was Fun To Let Loose.

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

Warning If You Dare To Read This Story, You Become Part Of The Experiment

This Is My Brain: O This Is My Brain After Making Out With Fang: * It's Very Sad.

And Flock Rule Number Two Is, Don't Argue With Max Or You'll Live To Regret It." I Spun And Stomped Out To The Clearing, Turning Back For One Last Jab At Dylan. "and By The Way, You Clearly Don't Know Me Better Than Fang Does. Do You See Fang Arguing With Me? No, You Do Not." Fang Rolled His Eyes.

A Vet! I Started Laughing Weakly And Had To Sit On The Edge Of The Tub. A Vet. Wait Till They Found Out How Appropriate That Was.

Why Would You Let [the Tv Audiences] Build A Habit Of Going To The Cable Networks? So I Think They've Obviously Smartened Up Now, And They're Not Giving The Summer To Cable Anymore.

Glaring At The Gasman, Ter Borcht Said, “your Time Is Coming To An End, You Pathetic Failure Of An Experiment. Vhat You Say Now Is How You Vill Be Remembered.” Gazzy’s Blue Eyes Flashed. “then You Can Remember Me Telling You To Kiss My-” “enough!” Ter Borcht Said.

I Stood There Watching Phoebe Arrange The Pillows And The Sheets. She Isn't Thinking That I... I Mean, She Doesn't Think That She And I Would... What?

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.

Keep This In Mind: There Are No Coincidences.

Ultimately, A Great Thriller Is A Roller Coaster Ride. I Like To Think That's A Promise I Have Never Failed To Keep, And One That I'd Say Has Served My Books Well.

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.

It Was A Little Weird That They Were Friends. But Then, Maybe Freaks Just Tended To Find Each Other.

Bombs Are Good. I Love Bombs."--iggy

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!

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

Part 3 Back To School (the Normal Kind)

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

Angel Is Right,"said Dr. G-h Quickly. "this Is My Clumsy Way Of Demonstrating." "demonstrating What?" I Was Barely Able To Keep A Snarl Out Of My Voice. "how To Get Yourself Beat Up In One Easy Step?

Don’t Ever Leave Me Again,” I Said In A Tiny Voice. I Won’t,” He Promised Into My Hair, Sounding Most Un-fang-like. “i Won’t. Not Ever.” And Just Like That, A Cold Shard Of Ice That Had Been Inside My Chest Ever Since We’d Split Up-well, It Just Disappeared. I Felt Myself Relax For The First Time In I Don’t Known How Long. The Wind Was Chilly, But The Sun Was Bright, And My Whole Flock Was Together. Fang And I Were Together. Excuse Me? I’m Alive Too.” Iggy’s Plaintive Voice Made Me Pull Back.

Sometimes Being A Leader Isn’t About Winning. Sometimes It’s About Doing What’s Right, Instead Of What’s Powerful.

What, Ebay Isn't Good Enough For Us?

Dogs, Dogs, Go Away, Let Me Live Another Day.

Gazzy: (hugging Himself And Jumping Up And Down) "i'm Brilliant! I'm A Genius! I Can Blow Up The World!" Max: (raises Her Eyebrows) Gazzy: "not That I Would Want To, Of Course," (coughs)

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."

And Now I Was Trying To Brush My Hair,you Know,when I Thought About It,and Looking At Myself In Mirrors,wondering If I Was Pretty.pretty! A Year Ago,when My Haair Got In My Eyes I Hacked It Off With A Knife.the Only Thing Important About My Clothes Was Whether They Were To Stiff To Move Fast In Battle. And Fang Had Been My Best Friend And An Excellent Fighter.

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.

For Many Years I Had Heard About An Underworld Consisting Of People Who Act Out A Vampire Fantasy While I Was Living In New York. Fortunately For Me There Are Also Several Books On The Phenomena.

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

I Never Miss A Good Chance To Shut Up

Bizarre! That's The Only Word I Can Use To Describe Life Sometimes. Just Freaking Bizarre.

He Nuzzled My Neck, Inhaling Deeply. “mmm. You Smell So Good.” “oh, Yeah,” I Said, Smirking. “i Call This New Perfume ‘le Jungle Grime Et Tropical Bo.’ ” “dirt And Sweat. Very Sexy.

Choose Now," He Spat, His Eyes Practically Shooing Sparks. "me Or Him." Gosh,fang, You Romantic Fool," I Said Sarcastically."howw Incredibly Sexist Pig Of You.

Tears Were Dripping Onto My Dress, But I Wasn't Making Any Sound. There Was No Sound To Express Thid Kind Of Pain. I Didn't Want To Move, Didn't Want To Do Anything. Fang Was Not Waiting For Me Out In The Living Room. Tomorrow Morning, When I Woke Up, Fang Would Still Be Gone.

Once I Was Seated, I Couldn't Help People-watching. I'll Admit It, I'm An Addict From Way Back.

I Have A Number Of Writers I Work With Regularly. I Write An Outline For A Book. The Outlines Are Very Specific About What Each Scene Is Supposed To Accomplish.

I Hate You!” I Screamed At Fang. Tucking My Wings In, I Aimed Downward, Diving Toward The Ground At More Than Two Hundred Miles An Hour. “no You Dooonnn’t!” Fang’s Voice Spiraled Away Into Nothingness, Far Above Me. Inside My Head, Almost Drowned Out By The Roar Of Wind Rushing By My Ears, I Heard The Voice Make A Tsking Sound. You Guys Are Crazy About Each Other, It Said.

I Love To Tell Stories. It's A Delight For Me.

I Didn't Know A Van Could Go Up On Two Wheels Like That, For So Long." -nudge

Happy All Life For Ever

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

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.

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.

If You're Not Reading - With Your Heart As Well As Your Brain - You Will Be One Stupid Grown Up. Even Worst, You'll Be Missing Out On One Of The Best Experiences You Can Possibly Have. Nowhere Will You Meet More Interesting People Than In Books.

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.

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)

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.

Men Suck, Even Imaginary Ones

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.

I Mean,he Decided We'd Be Better Apart,you Know?it Wasn't A Joint Decision.like, If Your Gonna Make A Decision About Me And My Life Without Consulting Me,i'd Better Be Dying And Unconscious And You'd Better Be Following Carefully Written Instructions.

There's Nothing More Dangerous Than Than Someone Trying To Act For The Greater Good.

It Is My Time. The Time Of Maximum Ride.

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

That'd Be Just What I Need: A Rash Of Car Thefts Across America, Committed By Dedicated Readers.

...drifting Downstream In A Row Boat Doesn't Count Against Your Life Span.

You Love Him So Much It Feels Like You Can't Go On Without Him. You Feel Like You Might Die Without Him.

I Gave Him A Kick And He Stepped Back Onto The Third Rail. Exploding, Flaming Eraser! This Is Why Moms Tell You To Stay Away From The Third Rail, But It Sure Came In Handy This Time.

Life Is Hard, And A Lot Of People Come Home Tired From Work. If They're Gonna Spend Half An Hour Reading, They Want Some Entertainment And A Sense Of Achievement. So That's What I Give Them. That's All I'm Trying To Do. Is That Really So Wrong?

Fang: "have You Guys Been Playing In The Toxic Waste Again? Been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider? Struck By Lightning? Drink A Super-soldier Serum?"

Lots Of Women Are Gifting Themselves With Diamonds For Their Right Hand.

Sometimes A Happy Delusion Is Better Than Grim Reality.

"so You Have Your Price."... "your Soul For A Cookie."

Did I Want A Dog? No. Did I Need A Dog? Also No. We Were Six Kids Running For Our Lives, Not Knowing Where Our Next Meal Was Coming From. Could We Afford To Feed A Dog? Wait For It—no.

Awwww, Lame, We're Not Going To Disneyworld. (said By The Amazing Talking Dog, Total)

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

You Mean Other Than The Wings? I Once Ate Nine Snicker Bars In A Row Without Barfing. It Was A Record.

The Trick To Having Obedient, Unquestioning Children Was To Have Death Be The Other Option

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.

When My Son, Jack, Was Four, I Had To Make A Trip To Los Angeles. I Asked Him If He Was Going To Miss Me. 'not So Much,' Jack Told Me. 'you're Not Going To Miss Me?' I Said. Jack Shook His Head, And He Said, 'love Means You Can Never Be Apart.

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!

Love Between Two People Can Last A Long Time If The People Love Themselves Some, And Are Ready To Give Love To Another Person.

Iggy. This Is Not A Democracy," I Said,(...)"it's A Maxocracy.

Sighing, She Gave A Brief Nod. “i Was Supposed To Win. I Was Supposed To Finish You Off. They Never Counted On You Winning. And Then You Didn’t Kill Me. It Was Awful.” “you’re Welcome,” I Said, Feeling Fresh Anger Ignite. “i’ll Try Not To Humiliate You By Letting You Live Next Time.” (max Ii To Max)

You're Children. Don't You Want A Home, A Family?" "with, Like, Vitamin-fortified Cereal And Educational Television?

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.

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

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.

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

Sometimes He Seems Like A Droid--or A Drone. Fang Of Nine. Fang2-d2.

It’s, Like, A Safety Bomb.” -iggy

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

It Gets So Tiring, This Strong-picking-on-the-weak Stuff. It Was The Story Of My Life -literally- And It Seemed To Be A Big Part Of The Outside World Too. I Was Sick Of It, Sick Of Guys Like These, Stupid And Bullying.

Holy [insert Your Choice Of A Swear Word Here]," Said Fang Stunned.

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.

She Didn't Flirt With Him, But They Hung Out Together A Lot, And Every Time I Saw Their Heads Bent Over A Computer Screen Or Map, It Made My Stomach Clench. And My Teeth. And My Fists.

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.

I Vill Eat Nine Snikuhs Bahs Visout Bahfing

Disney World?” Ari Felt Like His Head Was About To Explode. “disney World?” His Gravelly Voice Rose Into A Harsh Shriek. “they’re Not On Vacation! They’re On The Run! They’re Running For Their Lives! Death Is Following Them Like A Bullet, And They’re On The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?

Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt.

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

I Think Sometimes We Give People A Lot Of Credit Just Because They're Writing Nice Sentences Even If It Isn't Adding Up To Much.

How Could You Stop Loving Me?

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.

"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.

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

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.

Sitting Tight? Holing Up? Waiting For Answers? Those Are Things I'm Not Good At. Planning A Massive Attack Against Mechanical Geeky-like Things When I Was Already Furious And Itching To Kill Something? Piece O'cake

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

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

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

"uh-huh," I Said. "because All You Mad, Evil Scientists Sit Around Whipping Up Batches Of Pillsbury's Finest During Your Coffee Breaks. I Mean, This Is Pathetic."

I'm Not Stubborn; I'm Right!

The Vampire Underworld Is Much Larger Than Most People Could Imagine. It Exists In All The Cities Mentioned In The Book, But Also In Many, Many More. Teenagers, Especially, Seem To Like To Act Out Vampire Fantasies.

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

You...are...a...frige...with...wings...we...are...freaking...ballet...dancers!

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.

I Hung My Head, And I Felt Someone, Fang, Gather Me Gently To Him. My Cheek Rested On His Shoulder, And My Silent Tears Soaked His Torn Shirt.he Felt Warm And Strong And Heartbreakingly Familiar. And At That Moment, Not A Single Thing In My Life Was Certain, Strong, Or Whole. Nothing. Least Of All Fang.

Look, I Guess It's Natural, You're Teenagers, Its Springtime,everyone's Thoughts Are Turning To Birds And Bees And Caterpillars And Moths..... - Iggy

In The Dictionary, Next To The Word Stress, There Is A Picture Of A Midsize Mutant Stuck Inside A Dog Crate, Wondering If Her Destiny Is To Be Killed Or To Save The World. Okay, Not Really. But There Should Be.

I Blame Jeb For Letting You Be Such A Smart Aleck.” I Stared At Her. “i Blame You For Altering My Dna! I Mean, I Have Wings, Lady! What Were You Thinking?

If My Life Were A Corny Horror Movie, And The Heroine Was Lost And Alone, Trapped In An Underwater Cave, What Would Happen Next? If You Guessed, “she Drops Her Flashlight, And It Hits A Rock And Breaks, Leaving Her In Utter Darkness,” You Would Be Right. But I Bet You Didn’t Guess The Part About An Attack By A Giant Octopus.

Better Readers Are Better Thinkers.

Max, You're The Last Of The Hybrids Who Still Has...a Soul.' ... 'she Doesn't Have Soul,' Gazzy Scoffed. 'have You Ever Seen Her Dance?

Part 5 The Voice- Make That My Voice

Home Is Wherever We All Are Together.

I’m Not Comfortable In This Stadium,” I Explained, Trying To Look Calm. “i Know. And You Hate Fang Looking At Those Girls. But We’re Still Having Fun, And Fang Still Loves You, And You’ll Still Save The World. Okay?

They Turned To Angel. "we Will Call You Little One," The Leader Said, Obviously Deciding To Dispense With The Whole Confusing Name Thing. "okay," Said Angel Agreeably. "i'll Call You Guy In A White Lab Coat." He Frowned. "that Can Be His Indian Name," I Suggested.

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

I Looked Into Her Eyes. "mom, Who Do You Pray To?" I Just Pray, Daniel. That's All.

Fang Will Be The First To Die

My Favorite Books Are Actually Very Complicated - 'one Hundred Years Of Solitude', 'ulysses'.

They Call Me, The Sharkalator

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

Max-i'm Not Going To Die Today.

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?

The Act Of Laughing Releases Some Nice Chemical Into Your Brain, You Feel Good And It's Free.

I Moved To Leave, And Dylan Actually Grabbed My Shoulders. I Was So Surprised That I Forgot To Karate-chop His Elbows And Break His Arms.' “i Don’t Want Anything To Happen To You,” He Said Urgently. “what You Want Does Not Matter Here,” I Said Slowly And Carefully. I Hoped Dylan Was Sensitive Enough To Read Between The Lines, To The Subtext Of: Let Go Of Me Or I’ll Kill You.

Read Between The Lines

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

Don't Depend On Others To Give You Strength....find It Within Yourself

The House Was On Fire," I Greeted Them Tersely. "in Case You're Interested." They Both Glanced Up Overhead As If To Make Sure The House Was Still Standing. Fang Sniffed, Smelling The Smoke. It's Out, Right?" He Said

Yeah,” Said Iggy. “but What Now? Let’s Do Something Fun.” I Guess Being On The Run From Bloodthirsty Erasers And Insane Scientists Wasn’t Enough Fun For Him. Kids Today Are So Spoiled.

What Are We But Our Stories?

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.

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.

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

What Was Premeditated Murder If Not Calculated Leverage?

That's More Than Three Questions, Max. And Sometimes Whether Someone Is Your Friend Or Enemy Is All In How You Look At It. But If You Must Know, I Consider Myself Your Friend, A Good Friend Who Loves You Very Much. No One Loves You More Than I Do, Maximum. Now Listen. I Ask The Questions, Not You. You're Just Here... For The Ride. For The Incredible, Indescribable Maximum Ride.

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.

You Can Help Each Other, Max, Said The Unwelcome Voice. You're Perfect Complements To Each Other. "shut Up!" I Hissed Under My Breath, And Dylan Looked Startled. "i Didn't Say Anything." Gritting My Teeth, I Nodded. "no, I Know. It's Just-" I Decided To Take A Risk And Stare Him Down. "i Hear Voices, Okay? If You're Gonna Be Here, Get Used To It. Or Else Keep Your Distance.

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.

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

Fang And I Searched In Every Way We Could Think Of And Found A Million Institutes Of One Kind Or Another, In Manhattan And Throughout New York State, But None Of Them Seemed Promising. My Favorite? The Institute For Realizing Your Pet's Inner Potential. Anyone Who Can Explain That To Me, Drop A Line.

Like A Good Song, Life Has Verses, The Goliards Had Taught Me. Each Verse Has To Be Sung. It Takes All Of Them To Make A Song. It Is The Entire Chanson You Name, But When You Think Of It, When You Smile, It Is A Favorite Verse That Delights Your Ears.

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

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

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

Where Was The Catch? 'cause I Knew One Was Coming.

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

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've Been Looking For You A Long Time, I Just Didn't Know It. But Now I Do.

Our Parents Were A Test Tube And A Turkey Baster.

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.

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

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

If Fang Is In Any Way Harmed While I'm Gone-if He Gets A Hangnail-you Won't See Another Morning. Are We Clear On That?

I Mean, Who Cares About Spongebob Squarepants? I'm Sitting Here With Wolverine! -random Kid Talking To Ari

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

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

Larger Than Life

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.

Fang: When Do I Get Out Of Here? Max: They Say A Week. Fang: So, Like, Tomorrow? Max: That's What I'm Thinking.

People Always Remember The Worst Day Of Their Lifes. It Becomes A Part Of Them Forever.

They're Afraid Of Change, And We Must Change. They're Afraid Of The Young, And We Are The Young. They're Afraid Of Music, And Music Is Our Life. They're Afraid Of Books, And Knowledge, And Ideas. They're Most Afraid Of Our Magic.

Dr. Martinez: "i Take It You Don't Want Me To Call Your Parent?" Max: "uh, No." Hello, Lab? May I Speak To The Test Tube Please?

I Fell Into A Deep Sleep Tucked In That Little Cocoon, A Deeper Sleep Than I Might Of Had In Years. Right Up Until Someone Kicked Me And Said "gotcha!

When Did They Start Coming After You?” “was It—was It After The Oil- Slick Hummer Crash?” The Gasman Asked Iggy Tentatively. My Eyes Widened. Oil-slick Hummer Crash? Iggy Rubbed His Chin, Thinking. “or Maybe It Was More---after The Bomb,” The Gasman Said In A Low Voice, Looking Down. “i Think It Was The Bomb,” Iggy Agreed. “that Definitely Seemed To Tick Them Off.” “bomb?” I Asked Incredulously.

Do You Want To Know The Closest Thing To Feeling The Most Powerful You Can Feel ? Flying Alone At Night.risky.nothing But You And The Wind Soaring Way Above Everything , Slicing Through The Air Like A Sword. Up And Up Until You Feel Like You Can Grab A Star And Hold It To Your Chest Like A Burning, Spiky Thing

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.

Then I Went To Bed And Cried Into My Pillow. I Wasn't Sad, Not At All. It Was Just So Beautiful To Have An Intense Feeling And The Right Words At The Same Time. What Are We But Our Stories?

Fang Looked At The Newest Bird Kid. Dylan Was An Inch Or Two Taller Than He Was, And Somewhat Heavier Built, Though He Still Had The Long, Lean Look Of A Human-avian Hybrid-you Couldn't Make Bricks Fly.

Max - You Have A Bigger Mission Than Finding The Flock's Parents. Focus On Helping The Whole World, Not Just Your Friends. I Held My Wings Steady, Coasting For A Long, Long Way On A Warm Updraft. It Was Like Floating On A Cloud, The Best Feeling You Can Imagine. I Wish You Could Try It With Me. Maybe Next Time. You Know, Voice, I Thought Finally, My Friends Are My World.

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 Saw The First Episode Of "the Walking Dead," And That's All I've Seen. I Thought It Was Good. I Used To Love Zombies When I Was Little, But I Don't Like Them The Way I Used To. I'm Not Knocking The Show.

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.

It's Been Said That Love Finds You When You're Ready.

My Life Would Never Contain A Convenient, Pain-saving Plan When It Could Stretch A Problem Out Into An Endless Agony Of Uncertainty And Torture.

I Did Know That The Book Would End With A Mind-boggling Trial, But I Didn't Know Exactly How It Would Turn Out. I Like A Little Suspense When I Am Writing, Too.

The Idea For Maximum Ride Come From The Earlier Books Of Mine Called When The Wind Blows And The Lake House, Which Also Feature A Character Named Max Who Escapes From A Quiet Despicable School. Most Of The Similarities End There. Max And The Other Kids In Maximum Ride Are Not The Same Max And Kids Featured In Those Two Books. Nor Do Frannie And Kit Play Any Part In Maximum Ride. I Hope You Enjoy The Ride Anyways.

When Are You Going To Trust Me Max?" Asked Fang. "when I Go Completely Bonkers," I Laughed.

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Diane Von Furstenberg

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