Summary: Fifteen year old Maximum Ride is not like other girls. Max is left feeling alone in the world after a tragic accident where she loses her sister, the only person who she ever opened up to. After the accident her parent's fights get worse and her father leaves. Max is left to deal with her dads' absents, the drama of high school, and the loss of her sister. But what happens when she finally meets someone who cares about her? Will she push him away like she does everyone else? Join Maximum as she learns the truths about life in the suspenseful, drama filled, romance novel, Half Broken.

Chapter 1:

Its sometime past midnight and their shouts don't lessen. They blast loud music to cover their shouts, but after years of hearing they fight you can still make it out. I'm in my room with my brothers by my side. Iggy is thirteen years old with short curly brown hair and choc let brown eyes. Gazzy is seven with short straight black hair and dark brown eyes. My name is Maximum Ride but I go by Max. I'm fifteen with long curly black hair and plain black eyes.

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Iggy's nervous about his first day of 8th grade while Gazzy is excited for second grade. For me it didn't matter what I was. My life was my brothers. That was my first priority.

My mother had been working every day of summer, all day long. We never saw her anymore. She was either locked up in her room or working. My Father worked every day, but weekends.

I remember when everything was good or at least better than this. It was about a year ago from now. My parents still fought over money, but at least back then our family was still whole.

It was winter break and life was good. My parents didn't fight, I got to hang out with my friends and there were no worries. We had decided to spend the holidays at home instead of going to visit family. It was Christmas Eve; my parents had gone out to do last minute shopping late at night. I was left alone with my siblings Angel, Iggy, and Gazzy.

Not an hour later there was a burst of flames coming out of the heater. It was spreading fast. All that ran through my head that fearful night was to save my siblings. I shoved Iggy and Gazzy out the window first, but when I turned for Angel she was gone. She had gone to save our dog from the fire. I ran behind her trying to get her out, but was carried out by a fireman before I could reach her. She passed away that night from inhaling too much gas.

Since that day on things haven't been the same. Quickly after my parents had another fight and my dad left. My mother became depressed, but there was nothing I could do. I tried to fill in for my dad as best as I could but it wasn't much...at least to my mother and I. Anyone else would have you believe I did pretty well, and I pretty much did. But we need my dad as much as I need my sister by my side.

We had a routine down for weekdays. I awoke early for school, and then before leaving I would wake the boys. After school my mother would go to work until morning so I would spend my day taking care of my brothers. If you looked at us you'd think we're doing fine, but if you looked closely you could see flaws, cracks in our wall of life.

I know I'm not the same person after my sister's death. I never saw my friends anymore, I put space between me and people, and I became depressed, but you couldn't tell. I've had years of masking my emotions, that my mask was perfect. Plus I could never cry in front of more than one person. But I remember silently crying myself to sleep as the memories of the accident came flooding in, or when the guilt was too much to bear.

My parents taught me how to lie with a straight face, how not to trust, and that love only happens in fairy tales, but my sister taught me how to smile even when times were bad, how to ignore the fights and live my life. She taught me how to really laugh, to keep my mind out of the dark.

No matter what happens I'll always keep what my sister taught me close to my heart. The day I remembered what she had told me I promised always to keep myself hanging on to that rope of hope, even when the rope turns to string.

When I lost my sister my brothers made me strong. I felt like giving up, chugging down some pills and ending it all, but when I saw tears fill their eyes I knew I had to be there for them.

So here I was at a little past midnight comforting my brothers. My dad always came home on the weekends to "spend time with his kids", but all that he would do was fight with my mother. Iggy, Gazzy, and I would end up hiding in my room, trying to stay out of the way all weekend long.

Alight snore filled my ears and I turn to Gazzy. He had fallen asleep on my lap and I placed him on my bed. I tell Iggy to go to sleep with Gazzy. I would take the floor. I check the time, 2:28 A.M. I find my IPod and blast my rock music like I always did. The music drowned out the fighting, as I drifted into sleep.