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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!

-James Patterson

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Why Can't You Just

James Patterson

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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!

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Homework Is A Term That Means Grown Up Imposed Yet Self-afflicting Torture.

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

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.

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

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.

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

As A Maternal Figure, I Always Try To Keep The Flock Safe, Of Course. But I Admit, It Did My Heart Proud To See The Instant Blood-lust Pop Into Gazzy’s Blue Eyes And To See Little Angel Automatically Tense Up And Get Into Fighting Stance, Ready To Rip Someone’s Head Off. They Were Just So — So Dang Adorable, Sometimes.

I Learnt To Love Reading. And Then I Started Scribbling Stories, And I Liked That Even More.

Love Of Reading

Do We Have Any Chlorine? It Seems To Be Kind Of Explosive When Mixed With Other Stuff." "like What, Your Socks? No, We Don't Have Chlorine. No Swimming Pool.

For A Long Time It Had Seemed To Me That Life Was About To Begin -- Real Life. But There Was Always Some Obstacle In The Way, Something To Be Gotten Through First, Some Unfinished Business, Time Still To Be Served, A Debt To Be Paid. Then Life Would Begin. At Last It Dawned On Me That These Obstacles Were My Life.

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.

They Call Me, The Sharkalator

What Are We But Our Stories?

Then I Found It: The Source Of The Blood, The Place Where He'd Been Shot. 'total?' I Said, And I Got A Slight Whimper. 'you Have A Boo-boo On Your Tail.

Max: "okay Guys, I Had A Couple Thoughts I Wanted To Go Over With You." Iggy: (pretends To Snore Loudy) Max: (throws Another Pinecone At Him) Iggy: "quit Throwing Things At Me!" Max: "glad You Could Join Us.

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

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

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.

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

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 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.

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

Love Means You Can Never Be Apart.

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.

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.

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?"

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

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.

Iggy’s Spine Tightened, His Face Like Ice. When He’d Been At The School, They’d Tried To Surgically Enhance His Night Vision. Now He Was Blind Forever. Oops.

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

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

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

I Play A Mean Harmonica

Be Calm. Be Zen. You Are Buddha.

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

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

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.

Okay, If This Is What Falling In Love Feels Like, Someone Please Kill Me Now. (not Literally, Overzealous Readers.) But It Was All Too Much - Too Much Emotion, Too Much Happiness, Too Much Longing, Perhaps Too Much Ice Cream.

Falling In Love

It Is My Time. The Time Of Maximum Ride.

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

You're Just Here For The Ride. For The Incredible, Indescribable Maximum Ride. --max's Voice

It Sucked, But It Was Way Cool At The Same Time," Gazzy Said. "i Felt Like The Blue Angels!" "yeah, Except The Blue Angels Are An Extremely Well Funded, Well Equipped, Well Trained, Well Fed, And No Doubt Squeaky-clean Group Of Crack Navy Pilots," I Said. "and We're A Bunch Of Unfunded, Unequipped, Semitrained, Not Nearly Well Fed Enough, And Filthy Mongrel Avian-human Hybrids. But Other Than That, It's Exactly The Same.

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

I'm A Very Good Storyteller; I Have A Lot Of Compassion For People. That's Very Useful For A Novelist. A Lot Of Novelists Are Snots. They're Just Mean People. I'm Not A Terribly Skilled Stylist, Nor Do I Want To Be. I Want A Lot Of People To Read One Of My Stories And Go, 'that Was Pretty Cool.'

Imagine Life Is A Game In Which You Are Juggling Five Balls. The Balls Are Called Work, Family, Health, Friends, And Integrity. And You're Keeping All Of Them In The Air. But One Day You Finally Come To Understand That Work Is A Rubber Ball. If You Drop It, It Will Bounce Back. The Other Four Balls...are Made Of Glass. If You Drop One Of These, It Will Be Irrevocably Scuffed, Nicked, Perhaps Even Shattered.

Stop Trying To Write Sentences And Start Trying To Write Stories.

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.

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.

I'll Just Ask Now: What Is It About My Persona That Draws Every Insane, Power-hungry Nutcase To Me Like A Magnet?

Life Is Such A Miracle, A Series Of Small Miracles.it Really Is, If You Learn How To Look At It With The Right Perspective.

Total?" I Called. He Looked Up Alertly, Then Ran Over To Me, Small Pink Tongue Hanging Out. Total?" I Said When He Was Close. "can You Talk?" He Flopped Down On The Grass, Panting Slightly. "yeah. So?" Jeezum. I Mean, Mutant Weirdos Are Nothing New To Me, You Know? But A Talking Dog?

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.

You Looove Me. You Love Me This Much.

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.

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.

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.

After All, Fnick Is Superman," Said Iggy. "shut Up, Jeff," I Said, But I Was Smiling. I Lifted Iggy's Fingers To My Face So That He Knew.

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.

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

Always Expect The Unexpected. Right Around Thanksgiving, When The New Alex Cross Will Be Out. It's Called Four Blind Mice And It's A Pretty Amazing Story About Several Murders Inside The Military.

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

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

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.

I Hate This Guy,” Ari Muttered, Keeping His Head Down “there’s A Club,” I Told Him. “the Haters Of Ter Borcht Club. Have You Gotten Your Badge Yet?

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

You Could Have Gotten A Car With Gps," Total Said Helpfully. Yes," I Said "or We Could Have Brought Along A Dog That Doesn't Talk." I Gave Angel A Pointed Look, And She Smiled, Well, Angelically, At Me. Total Huffed, Offended At Me And Climbed Into Her Lap.

I'm Going To Introduce Bookshots, Which Are These Under-150-page Books That I'm Launching, And They're Under $5. They Just Launched In Australia. I Already Had A Ton Of Content, But Now Add 50 Books A Year Of Content.

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.

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.

Excuse Me? I'm Alive Too.

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

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.

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

Larger Than Life

Being The Leader Means You Have To Make Life Or Death Decisions Sometimes.

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

I’ve Been Listening To How The Roman Empire Fell And All I Can Say Is, It Didn’t Fall Nearly Fast Enough!”-iggy

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

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

Look, We're Trying To Explore Other Options To Your Retirement," The Whitecoat Said. "you Might Be Useful To Us In Other Ways." Because We're Not That Useful Dead,"nudge Said Thoughtfully. No," I Agreed. "well, Maybe As Doorstops." The Whitecat Made An "eew" Expression. Or Those Things In A Parking Lot That Show Where The Cars Should Stop," Suggested Iggy. He Closed His Eyes And Went Stiff, To Demonstrate What It Would Look Like. Also An Option.

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!

One Of The Nice Things About Books As Opposed To Television And Movies To Some Extent Is It's Not A Passive Entertainment. People Really Do Get Involved, And They Do Create, And They Do Have Their Own Visions Of What Different Characters Look Like And What Should Happen. It's Great - It Means Their Brains Are Working.

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

I Want To Know About My Mom. And Other Stuff. I Want To Know The Whole Story, Good Or Bad.” “me, Too,” Said Gazzy. “i Want To Find My Parents So I Can Tell’m What Total Scuzzes They Are. Like, ‘hi, Mom And Dad, You’re Such Scum!

When Your Own Romantic Life Is Falling Apart, Everyone Else's Looks Fabulous.

Maybe He Was A Good A Good Whitecoat—like Jeb. And Maybe The Moon Was Made Of Cream Cheese.

What Was Premeditated Murder If Not Calculated Leverage?

Oh No! Don't Drag Us Away From Antartica And Take Us To The Playground Of The Rich And Famous! Not That Briar Patch! -max

Later," Fang Said To Ella And Dr. Martinez In That Gushy, Hyperemotional, Overdramatic Way He Has.

Witihin Seconds The Headhunter Had Lost Control Of His Car And It Squealed, Sliding Sideways Right Into Several Other Cars. Cool!' Said The Gasman.

What, Ebay Isn't Good Enough For Us?

And Then As Always, I Saw The Prayer Coming At Me. And, As Always, Number 1 Killed Me! Set Me On Fire, Cooked Me To Medium Rare And Then Ate Me! I Really, Really, Really Hope I Haven't Just Given Away The Ending Of This Story.

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?

"there Is One Bright Side To This," Said Fang. "yeah? What's That?" The New And Improved Erasers Would Mutilate Us Before They Killed Us? He Grinned At Me So Unexpectedly I Gorgot To Flap For A Second And Dropped Several Feet. "you Looove Me," He Crooned Smugly. Holding His Arms Out Wide, He Added, "you Love Me This Much." My Shriek Of Appalled Rage Could Probably Be Heard In California, Or Maybe Hawaii.

Is It Important To Be Right Or Is It Important To Do What's Right? That's One Of The Hardest Lessons To Learn.

"jeez, Was That A Lion? Please Tell Me It’s Behind Bars." "it’s A Zoo, Iggy,” Nudge Said, Taking His Arms And Leading Him. "everything’s Behind Bars."

He's Gonna Be Fine," I Confirmed. Can We See Him?" Iggy Asked. Ig, I Hate To Break It To You, But You're Blind.

If You're Ever Feeling A Lack Of Middle-aged White Men, Just Pop Into The Capitol. Not So Much The House Of Representatives, Which Has A Bit More Color And Texture, But The Senate -- Jeez. Yes, Let's Have More Testosterone Running The Country. Maximum Ride, School's Out--forever

Time To Die. -evil Angel

Honesty Is Always Good, Except When It's Better To Lie.

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

Time For Bed.” I Held My Fist Out. One By One, My Flock Stacked Theirs On Top, And Then We Headed Up Into The Trees To Sleep The Sleep Of The Innocent. Well, Okay, Maybe Not So Innocent. But The Sleep Of The Much Less Guilty Than Others, For Sure.

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

You Are An Endless Project...changing, Evolving, Surprising.

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

Excellent. They Were Flammable.

Gazzy Sniffed The Air. "that's Explosives. It Smells Like Christmas!" Okay, So We've Had Somewhat Untraditional Christmases. With Explosives.

Home Is Wherever We All Are Together.

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

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

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

How Is San Francisco, Alex? Lovely City. Will You Leave Your Heart There? Do You Think It's A Good Place To Die?

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.

Just For Fun I Flew In Huge Banking Arcs, Taking Deep Breaths, Enjoying The Feel Of My Newly Weightless Hair. The Stylist Had Called It “wind Tossed.” If Only She Knew.

Max: "fang! This Is A Huge Break! Of Course We Should Go Check It Out!" Fang: "but We're Grounded." Max And Fang: (stare At Each Other For A Second And Burst Out Laughing)

Do You Like To Eat Things? -i Love Eating. I List It As A Hobby.

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.

This Is Not A Democracy," I Said, Understanding He Fear But Unable To Do Anything About It. "it's A Maxocracy.

And I Think That Everything In Life Is Kind Of Unreal, Isn't It?

I Flipped Down The Visor So I Could Check Myself In The Mirror, And Something Small And Heavy Dropped Into My Lap. I Froze, My Breath Stuck In My Throat. What—? Gingerly, I Looked Down. It Wasn’t A Grenade. It Was A Key Ring. One Key Was For This Van. I Looked At It Blankly. “well, That’ll Simplify Things,” Fang Said.

You Have A Memory Chip That Small Implanted In You,” He Verified. I Nodded, Guessing This Was Somewhat Worse Than Having Cooties.

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

What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love, And World Destruction?

World Destruction

Lost In Translation

A Boy And A Girl, Fated To Rule All. Two Will Rise, And One Will Fall.

Gazzy, Man, Jeezum!" Fang Exclaimed. "what The Heck Have You Been Eating For God's Sake?" That Was A Smoke Bomb!" Gazzy Defended Himself. "not Even I Could Fill This Whole Flippin' House!

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

I Won’t Lie To You—it Was Hilarious. Yes, We Were In Trouble, Yes, This Was A Disaster, And So One And So Forth, But I Have To Say, Seeing Those Upturned Faces, The Looks, Was Bout The Best Thing That Happened To Us Since We’d Come To New York.

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

He [iggy] Started Reaching For Things Around The Table, And His Hand Landed On Total. “you’re Black.” “i Prefer Canine-american,” Said Total.

"i Can Talk To Fish!" Angel Said Happily, Water Dripping Off Her Long, Skinny Body. "ask One Over For Dinner," Fang Said, Joining Us.

Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt.

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'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.

A Classroom . People Trying To Stick Me In Classrooms Was Becoming As Predictable And Annoying As People Trying To Kill Me, But With Less-fun Results.

Have You Been Playing In Toxic Waste Lately?

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

I Whirled Around And Saw No One. No Psychotic Mad Scientists, Anyway. "jackpot, Max! Jackpot!" It Was Was Fang, And He Was Giggling Hysterically. For Those Of You Just Joining Us, Fang Doesn't Giggle. Especially Hysterically. So For A Second, This Seemed Like One Of The Weirder Dreams Of Recent Days.

Is That Clear?" Said Borcht "as Clear As Pea Soup" I Said

Nudge Threw Her Arms Around My Neck. 'i Love You Max! I Love All Of Us Too!' Yeah, Me Too,' Said The Gasman. 'i Don't Care If We Have Our House, Or A Cliff Ledge, Or A Cardboard Box. Home Is Wherever We All Are, Together.

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

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

I Stared At Her In Amazement. "how Do You Even Live With Yourself?"..."you're Willing To Sell Children To A Foreign Government So They Can Be Used As Weapons, Possibly Against Other Americans. I Don't Get It. Were You Hiding Behind A Door On Morals And Ethics Day?...you Couldn't Mother Someone If They Shot Five Gallons Of Estrogen Into Your Veins.

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.

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

No One Looks Like Fang-dark And Still And Dangerous, Like He's Daring You To Set Him Off. But I'd Seen Him Rocking Angel When She'd Hurt Herself; I'd Seen Him Smile In His Sleep; I'd Seen The Deep, Darkl Ight In His Eyes As He Leaned Over Me... ~max; "max"; Page 24

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

Iggy Nodded. “i’m Bummed We Couldn’t Use Big Boy,” He Said. “but I Don’t Want To Waste It. We Have To Actually See Them First. I Mean, You Do.” “maybe Tomorrow,” The Gasman Said Encouragingly. “we’ll Go See What Havoc We’ve Wreaked.” “wrought.

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

I Just Wish I Could Walk Into My Senator’s Office And Say, “senator Dude, Um, We Have A Problem With These Sicko Scientists…” But Then Again, I Don’t Think We Have A Senator, Do We? Is There A State Where Mutant Freaks Are Represented? If So, Let Me Know.

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.

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.

Good Memories Are Like Charms...each Is Special. You Collect Them, One By One, Until One Day You Look Back And Discover They Make A Long, Colorful Bracelet.

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.

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.

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 Believe We Should Spend Less Time Worrying About The Quantity Of Books Children Read And More Time Introducing Them To Quality Books That Will Turn Them On To The Joy Of Reading And Turn Them Into Lifelong Readers.

Do I Open It? Do I Open It? Of Course I Freaking Open It!

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

Hi, Max," She Said, Pushing Her Shades Up Onto Her Curls. "i Hope Your Wearing Sunscreen," I Said, “your Gonna Have Hella Wrinkles By The Time Your Ten.” “want Some Daiquiri?” She Offered, Pointing At A Blender. “is It Traitor Flavored?” I Asked.

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

Why, The Little Voice Inside My Head, Of Course. You Mean You Don't Have One? I Did.

Well, That's An Evil Smile.

Beware The Anger Of A Patient Man.

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.

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.

We Will Destroy You,” The Flyboys Droned. “you Have No Escape.” That Was The Most Imaginative, Threatening Thing The Whitecoats Had Programmed These ’droids To Say? “talk About Lame,” Fang Muttered.

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

Unrequited Love

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

So You Have You Price," I Said With A Mouthful Of Crumbs. "your Soul For A Cookie." Fang Made Sure Dr. Martinez Wasn't Looking And Then Shot Me The Bird.

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

Well, I Get Under People's Skins. It's A Gift I Have, What Can I Say?

Man, You Weigh A Freaking Ton," He Told Me. "what've You Been Eating, Rocks?" "why, Is Your Head Missing Some?" I Croaked. His Mouth Almost Quirked In A Smile, And That's When I Knew How Upset He'd Been

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.

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.

One Of The Interesting Things About Ya Books - I Don't Know About Percy Jackson, But I Do Know About 'twilight' And 'maximum Ride': There Are A Lot Of Adult Readers. In Fact, We Released 'maximum Ride' Both As A Paperback For Kids And As A Mass Release For Adults.

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.

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.

Fang Will Be The First To Die

Why Do Things This Beautiful Make Me Want To Cry?" I Asked Michael As I Leaned Into Him. It Was An Unguarded Question, One I'd Never Have Asked Of Hugh. "i Don't Know," Said Michael. "maybe Beauty, True Beauty, Is So Overwhelming, It Goes Straight To Our Hearts. Maybe It Makes Us Feel Emotions That Are Locked Away Inside.

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.

Men Suck, Even Imaginary Ones

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.

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

Happy All Life For Ever

You Love Me This Much.

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

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

In My Office In Florida I Have, I Think, 30 Manuscript Piles Around The Room. Some Are Screenplays Or Comic Books Or Graphic Novels. Some Are Almost Done. Some I'm Rewriting. If I'm Working With A Co-writer, They'll Usually Write The First Draft. And Then I Write Subsequent Drafts.

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.

Okay, Okay, Okay. I Understood That Pushing The Elevator Button Over And Over Again Would Not Make The Elevator Appear Sooner. But I Couldn't Help Myself

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

Right Now, America Looks Like A Fatheaded, Shortsighted, Gas-guzzling Arrogant Blowhard To The Rest Of The World.

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

Great, They Give Blind Kids Guns," I Said, Trying To Lessen His Horror. "i Don't Even Let Iggy Have A Gun. Usually.

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."

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

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.

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.

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.)

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

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

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