The Ultimate, Cielo [the top 100 crime novels of all time TXT] 📗

saw a...well, I still don't know what it was. It looked like a little girl, around six or seven years old. But then, as if feeling my gaze on her, she looked up, and my eyes met hers. Her eyes were like bottomless pits. Black, that was all I saw, and for a moment, I felt as if I was drowning in it, drowning in the dark sea that was her eyes.
I couldn't tear my gaze from her, no matter how hard I tried. Then Nudge said, "Max? What are you staring at?" As she was turning her head to look at the little girl, the girl...disappeared.
"Nothing." I said quickly as the spell the girls eyes had on me was lifted with her disappearence.
Nudge looked like she didn't quite believe me, but with no other evidence, she let it drop. Thank god, because I don't know what I would have done, or said if she had started interrogating me. I like to think I'd have lied, but I kno that I was too freaked not to tell her, and if she'd have asked, I would have told her.
But, she didn't and I was saved. Yet, I still don't know who that girl was, and why her eyes had chilled me to the core. I didn't dare look out of my car windows as I drove, hoping I wouldn't see any other strange...things. But now I'm afraid.
I don't even know of what, and that scares me more. There's something going on, and I have a feeling I'm going to find out what it is weather I want to or not. I don't but I honestly don't think I have a choice.

Chapter 6

After we got back to my house, I tried not to dwell on what had happened in the parking lot. But that proved to be harder than I expected. It was just so weird. And the girl just vanished! Do you know anyone who just vanishes? If you do, then maybe I'm not completely crazy, but I don't think you, so I must be completely crazy!
Unfortunatly at lunch, my mom noticed something was wrong with me. "Is everything ok, Max?" she asked me, causing Nudge and Iggy to also look up from their plates and see what was wrong.
"Huh?" I said, coming out of my thoughts, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to bed early." I said, and stood and dashed up to my room. Well if they had doubts about if anything was on my mind, I think I have now elimenated them, but I couldn't sit there any longer, getting stared at, and having them worry over me or my sanity. Because no matter how many times I have mentally worried about it, I knew I wasn't crazy. What exactly was I? I had no idea, but scratching crazy off my list, I went to sleep. Then the dream began.

It wasn't really a dream, more like a lot of pictures flashing behind me closed eyelids. I had no idea what they meant, but they were very real-looking, and very creepy:
I was looking up into the sky, and an...angel, was there. He was cloaked in white, with great white wings behind him, and he was incredably beautiful. He had fine chisled features, and eyes that were so open, you could almost see his soul in the depths. And next to him was another angel. This one was the exact opposite. Everything about him screamed BLACK! He was wearing the color from head to toe, and even his wings were black. When I moved my eyes to his face I saw Fang. Then the white angel spoke. "One day you will have to choose a side. The side of love, or the side of good? Pick right."
Then the sene changed. Nudge was in the middle of a huge room, and she was crying. I imediantly ran up to her, and said, "Nudge, sweetie, what is it?" but when she looked up, her eyes were pitch black. I screamed, and I was somewhere else.
Fang was with me, and there was fear in his eyes. The first emotion I've seen in his eyes awake, or asleep. He turned his fear filled eyes on me, and said, "Run." then great black wings spread out from his back, and he flew off. From above, a great shadow fell on me. I instinctivly knew this wasn't Fang, but something else, something sinsester, so I ran.
The next thing was the most terrible of all: I was in a meadow, and it was beautiful, with flowers everywhere, and for a moment I was captured in the beauty of the place. Then, from the center of the meadow, I heard a grunt, and looked over. I saw Fang fall, his now lifeless body hitting the ground with a thud that I shouldn't have been able to hear, but I did, and the noise echoed in my ears. Standing over him was Dylan, a knife in his hand, but he was dressed like the white angel. He looked at me, "Or I will choose for you."

I woke up gasping in my bed. I had no idea what any of it meant, but I knew for a fact that the last one was the most horrible. But, why would it be? Wouldn't the one about Nudge be the worst? I don't even like Fang, do I?
Then with a growing horror, I realized I did. At least a little. From the first time I looked into his eyes, I had liked him, like a best friend, and I hadn't even met him. But then why did he constantly annoy me? Why did I sometimes fell like I hate him? Maybe because you're trying to deny what's right in front of you. Said a voice.
A voice. It wasn't mine. Or at least, I didn't think it had been. But what else could it have been?
I climbed out of my bed, questions still spinning in my head, and got dressed in a simple black dress. No, I wasn't above wearing dresses, but they had to be black. I put my black converses on-yes, I am above wearing heels, and walked down to the kitchen where I already heard the rest of my family up and about.
I saw Nudge with her back to me by the toaster waiting for her toast to pop out. I quickly ran up to her, and spun her around, taking a good look at her eyes. They were the same warm chocolate brown that they always were. I let out a breath of relief.
"Max?" Nudge said, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." I said, letting her go, "I just thought I saw something." I quickly turned, and got some cereal. It was going to be a long day.

Fang POV:

I slep horribly. With dreams of death and destruction:

I was on a high cliff, overlooking the horizon. When I looked down, I saw a crumpled body at the base of the cliff. A closer look showed me it was Max. I had pushed her. I don't know how I knew it, but I knew it as sure as I knew that I had wings on my back. Wait, wings? I turned my head and saw great black wings behind me, attatched to me.
Then I saw an angel appear. It was covered in white, and said, "You killed her. It's your fault she's dead." the angel said this with such sadness, I almost cried-I never cry.
Next thing I knew, I was in the middle of what looked like New York. If New York was full of huge buildings tumbling to the ground, and burning. When I looked to my side, I saw Angel, my little sister, with merciless black eyes. "Angel-" I started, then was awoken by the sound of my alarm clock.

I sat up in bed, covered in cold sweat. Before I even knew what I was doing, I ran to Angel's room, waking her up. I looked into her eyes, and let out a breath of releif. "Fang? What are you doing?" she asked.
"Nothing." I said, "Just making sure you didn't turn into a germ in your sleep."
She smiled, sometimes it was too easy to make Angel laugh.
I left her room, and went back to mine and got dressed in my usual black attire. But the image of Max, crumpled at the base of that cliff, was etched in my mind. In the dream, I had been absolutely sure that I had pushed her. But now that I was awake, I thought, why though? Max and I weren't exactly 'BFFs' but I wouldn't kill her. Would I? No, I knew that for sure. From the moment our eyes met in the cafeteria, I knew I would do anything to keep her safe. It had bugged the hell out of me, and I made sure that she was as annoyed as I was. I think I succeded when she got up from the table and left to who knows where.
But, I couldn't let her know that. Maybe instead I would be her best friend. Or I could keep away from her, in case what I dreamed was prophocy instead of a dream. Hurting her was out of the question.

Chapter 7

Max POV:

When I got to school, I decided to do everything in my power to stay away from Fang. Yes, it was a dream, but it really freaked my out. Yes, I, Maximum Ride, am scared. Strange things-the dream, the little girl with the creepy eyes-are happening, and I don't know why. Fang really could be a danger to me, and I won't let him get the chance to prove he is.
One day you will have to choose a side. The side of love, or the side of good? Pick right.

That's what the angel said. But love? I'm not in love, I don't even have a boyfriend. This is evidence that my dream could just be that; a dream.
But how can I be sure? Everything's just too confusing. I think maybe I should tell someone but...what if they think I'm crazy?

Fang POV:

So I've decided to make myself Max's best friend. How? Not sure yet, escpecially since she's making it really hard: I think she's avoiding me. Why would she do that? Yesterday she wanted to talk, and now she treats me like a virus she has to stay away from.
And why? I mean, what have I even done to her? So I didn't talk to her-once-does it make me that bad? Wait, wait, wait, why do I even care? I'll just follow from a distance in tha shadows, like a gardian angel of the night.
Forget I what I just said.

Max POV:

Fang's been following me all day, and, quite frankly, it's getting annoying. I mean, yesterday he would barly tell me his name, now he won't let me out of his sight.
I'd decided to confront him at lunch about it, but before I could make it to his table, Dylan moved, and blocked my way.
"Dylan, move," I said with a forced patience-I think he could tell.
"Max, just listen for a minute," he paused as if he expected me to say something, and since he expected it, I said nothing. "I'm really sorry about yesterday," he continued, "But just because we're not in the same world anymore, doesn't mean we can't still be friends."
"Uh, yes it does." I said in a you're stupid tone of voice.
"Max, think about it," Dylan persisted. "Maybe we can't hang out at school, does that mean we