AN: Okay, people, before we start on our… adventure, I'd like to say one thing that wasn't mentioned in the summary: This is a parallel universe. It's the Hunger Games universe, with a couple tweaks here and there.

This is my formula for this crossover- Maximum Ride characters (humanized) + Hunger Games concept = this story.

Nope, Katniss and Peeta and all of those friends will not be here. I think I've answered any questions. Oh, except for the ones you might have about the differences between this world and the Hunger Games one.

They'll be explained as we go along. Now, ready? Let the (insert random number here) Hunger Games begin!

Grass and dust. I'm in a field… it's beautiful… just a wide open field, with gently rolling hills… exactly like the land I'm used too…

Dust motes float in the air, catching the sunlight. They look like glowing balls of light… Occasionally, maybe once or twice a year, this happened. It was always in the fall, after we'd harvested the wheat and the leftover dust and scraps of the plant floated around when a breeze stirred them up.

Overhead, the sky is clear and blue… perfect. I inhale a deep breath, spreading my arms like a bird's wings. I wish I could fly, to soar above the grassy plain… I'd be a hawk if I were a bird, strong, fierce, and beautiful. The maximum. Like my name… Maximum Ride.

"Max…" a familiar voice calls, "Max…"

I stare around, confused. There's no one else in this grassland. Who could be calling me? And from where?

"Max… wake up…"

My eyes snap open, staring into a pair of brown eyes that were almost identical to mine. My little sister, Ella.

"Whhhyyyy…" I moan, rolling on my side as a wave of tiredness hits me.

She let out a gusty sigh. "Reaping day, silly. Your last one. I still have another two years before I'm free…" she adds ruefully.

"Ugh," I mutter oh-so-coherently. I want my dream back… It's the middle of summer now. Not post-harvest. No floating orbs for Max.

Ella sighs. "You aren't getting up, are you?"

"Nope."

She stares down at me. "Fine. Be that way. I have reinforcements. Or a reinforcement, for that matter."

Ella's eyes gleam with mischief. I glare back. "Don't bring Ari's friend in here. Please no," I plead.

Ari and Ella were both my half siblings. Ella had the same mom as me, Valencia Martinez, and Ari had my Dad, Jeb Batchelder. Ella's dad died before she was born… she was an accident. Ari's mom had died as well… I had known her. Sweet Arianna. Shy and trusting, she had resembled Ari a lot.

She had died giving birth to him, and Jeb had named Ari after her. I'll admit, I don't like my dad much, but this was one of the things that makes him acceptable. My family relations were complicated, to say the least. I mean, for example, my mom wanted me to have her last name, and my dad wanted his on the birth certificate, seeing as I, too, was an accident like Ella. They were never married…

The doctor had gotten exasperated and put down a random last name while they were fighting: Ride. So… here I am, with the name Maximum Ride.

But enough about that. My sanity and possibly my life were on the line when it concerned Ari's best friend…

"Alright, I'll get up," I mumble, staggering out of bed.

My little half-sister skips over to my closet, opening it easily. "Now, what for you to wear…" she wonders.

"I can pick that out myself," I say, pushing her out of the way. Contrary to my words, I stare blankly into the closet, clueless as to what to pick.

Ella's too fussy about this sort of thing. She loves clothes and fluff and frills and ugh… It makes my head hurt thinking about it.

I content her by choosing a pair of simple brown pants ("Max, there're too plain!) and a nice white and blue shirt ("Max, you should've gone with the gold one!"). Yup. That's the extent of my fashion abilities. Or wants…

I just pull my sun-streaked hair in a ponytail. I don't care about anything more complex. I don't need it, it's just in my way. Stretching again, I head into the kitchen.

My mom's sitting there, eating a piece of bread and staring out the window. At the sight of me, she stands up, padding over to me and looking me over. "Good morning, Max," she says softly, "I hope you're ready for today."

"I'm always ready," I reply, still a little irritated from my awakening, "And besides, my chances of getting picked are very low."

"Of course." She nods. "You're free for the morning. No one needs to hunt, and the plants will be fine for a day."

Yeah, hunting. It's the only way to survive out here. Thanks to a combination of natural disasters and the enhanced UV radiation, human life had changed dramatically. Out of each of the eight districts, each had its own unique wildlife that resembled that of before the huge disastrous times…

Technology? Almost completely gone, reduced to before the Stone Age in a lot of places. Only the Capitol continued with advancements.

Humans without mutations? Forget it. Everyone had them, based on where you lived… The radiation had sped up the evolution process. Those that lived in the fields of District Three have long legs and plenty o' stamina. Another example would be that the tree-hoppers of Six and Eight are very small and lightweight, with short, powerful legs.

Welcome to my life.

When I step out of the house, I'm immediately met by Ari's friend… Trix.

Bellatrix Myers. Fourteen years old as opposed to my eighteen, she's intelligent, beautiful, and loves power. Her reddish hair connects back to her Irish roots, as she'll proudly tell anyone, and it is, ah, indicative of her short, fiery temper. Seeing as I like to be in charge, and she prefers to be the "Alpha" of sorts, we don't get along that well…

"Oh. You," she states with disdain at the sight of me.

"Well duh. This is my house. I'm allowed to stay in it," I reply coldly.

Trix steps back, tossing her shimmering curtain of hair proudly. "I was just coming to see if Ari was there. Is he?"

I shake my head at the mention of my thirteen year-old brother. "Not here. No idea where he is."

She looks a bit disappointed at this. "Oh well. I'll have to find him myself. He better not be sleeping in…" she mutters, glancing around.

I shudder. I've heard how Trix wakes people up… it can involve water, her jumping on you, or a variety of other tactics. Yet another skill for her to boast about (a lot).

Almost as if he had been called, Ari pops his head around the corner of my house. "Hi, Trix!" he says enthusiastically.

Her face lights up at the sight of my blond haired little brother. "Hey, Ari," she replies, skipping over to him. "Excited for the reaping?"

"As long as I'm not chosen…"

Trix laughs. "Of course."

I watch them walk away, talking happily. They've been friends for a very long time… Their differences were startling, though. Trix is… bold, to say the least, and Ari's on the shyer side of things. Opposites attract, I guess. Either way, they made a cute couple… not that I'd say that around them.

I look up, examining the sky. Perfect and cloudless, just like my dream. It nice and bright on my city…

It was more of a large village, I suppose. The only on in Three. Yeah, yeah, it's a big place, but here's the thing- we don't use most of the land. We only patrol our borders, make sure no annoying tree-hoppers or Vulcans (people from the volcanic fields of District One) got our land. Besides, more land to hunt. More land means more food. Simple.

Yawning, I look around. People are starting to head to the square for the reaping…

The Capitol made the Hunger Games to let us get out anger that we have over border disputes and things like that. I heard that it previous times, maybe the approximate five hundred years ago before the great disaster, it wasn't this bad. The extreme loyalty to a District and hatred of all others didn't exist.

I cannot imagine a world like that…

Before heading to the center of town for the reaping, I walk to the edge of the village. Lucky my house is close to that. With a few quick, practiced climbing strokes, I'm at the top of the tall wall that separated the town from the great outdoors.

Outside, the hills flutter with grain and grass from the wind. It's relatively flat, actually… the hills are low and few.

I glance around more carefully, searching for any signs of grass wolves. Nothing. Good.

I jump from the wall easily, absorbing the impact with my long legs. The evolved humans of District Three have legs that can absorb much more impact than the humans of the past, from the shock of running for long periods of time.

Walking towards where the reaping will take place, I note the appearance of the average Three citizen. Long legs, tall stature, brown or blond hair, and brown or green eyes. Trix really stands out.

"Max!" my mom calls out, rushing towards me with Ella by her side. "You were supposed to come to the square with us!"

"Sorry," I mumble, ducking my head. "I was just around… and besides, we can keep going, right?"

She lets out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I guess we can…"

Taking my hand, she leads me and my sister towards whatever awaits us at this reaping…

AN: Any good?

Yeah, this chapter was a bit filler-ish, but I hope you got a nice start of the, ah, changes I've wrecked upon the world. Mass destruction and chaos, human evolution starting to take place, my mind… yup. We're covered.

Let's set out a challenge for me… can LittleSpark keep up two stories at the same time? Let's find out!

So… reviews, please?