I woke up the way I usually do. I got out of bed, got dressed, and jumped out the window and off the cliff.
You probably think I'm totally insane, but Mom decided she wanted to live at the top of a cliff, so we have to jump off to get breakfast.
I flew to the town square, which is pretty much right under my cliff. I went to Iggy's shop and bought a plate of pancakes with plenty of syrup.
"Good morning, Phoenix," Iggy greeted. He's almost like an uncle to me, and I love him.
"Hi, Iggy. How's your day going?" I asked. Suddenly his face turned dark.
"Have you seen your mother today? No one has seen her this morning," Iggy informed me.
I shivered. "What do you mean?" I asked. Even though I'm only six years old, this didn't sound very good to me.
"She's probably run off to do something," Iggy admitted. He didn't look any more relaxed.
"I'll go ask Dad," I said, flying off to find him.
What happened to Mom anyway? I thought as the wind whipped through my black hair. It seemed impossible that anything could happen to her. Maximum Ride was the stuff of legends, the invincible leader that saved the world. Okay, I'll admit that that is mostly legend, and I'm sure Mom didn't do half the things the boys tell me, but she couldn't get hurt, could she?
It suddenly started raining. I looked around, realizing that dark clouds had covered my field of vision, and I had no idea where I was.
Then I heard the voice of a younger girl from behind me.
"Please Phoenix, help me. Don't let them find me, please. My life depends on this."
ns 18.68.41.148da2
