Hey! Welcome to my story! A little stuff to get out of the way before I begin.

This takes place sometime before the end of Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports. There is NO Total the talking dog. He never existed. Ari did not expire at the castle fight, but he did "die". And, most importantly, Dylan "Max's perfect match" is not in my story. I had the idea for this story before Dylan was introduced in the MR books. I don't want to change his name because I am used to associating it with my Dylan, not JP's.

Now, for the full summery: Maximum Ride is a nineteen-year-old avian-human hybrid. She has a simple mission. Save the World. She, along with the help of her Flock, took on this challenge five years ago. But they were unsuccessful and the Flock voted to send Max away so they could leave in peace. Now, half a decade later, Max is back. She has to escape from the School with six other avian-human hybrids. But this time the School won't just let them go. These six new experiments are the prodigies of the School. They are perfect in every way, except for their desire to leave. And leaving is impossible. Thanks to Angel's newest power, she might be the one who can rescue them. But Max is different now. In order to save the world, Max must be saved from herself.

This story is M. There will be flashbacks/memories/instances of abuse, self-mutilation, death, wanting to die, violence, adult themes, and other dark themes. I will not be posting lemons. Ever, so don't bother asking. I may hint at stuff like that, but you won't get any.

Now, onto the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, nor the Flock, School, etc. Only James Patterson does, because he's cool like that.

Claimer: All characters not found in a MR book is mine. The plot is also mine.

Max mutely watched as her flock cleaned up their latest dinner remains. Iggy and Gazzy were getting rid of all evidence of their campfire. Nudge was dumping leftover bones over the side of the cliff, a mile or so away. Fang and Angel were having an inaudible conversation right inside the cave, our home for the night. Fang kept glancing over at Max, not realizing she noticed. But, knowing Fang as well as she did, she assumed it was nothing. He just liked looking at her, after all.

After a short while Max turned around. She folded her arms over her chest and shivered slightly. The desert was cold at night, and she had given her only jacket to little Angel since hers was ruined from a recent attack. Max looked out over the sandy expanse, wondering what to do next. She had no plan. She hadn't heard from the Voice in a while, so she had no direction. It was... weird.

Fang silently stepped over to Max. He copied her form and looked up into the night sky. About half the stars were out. The moon was full. They were so far away from any signs of civilization that there was not even any light pollution. He loved the peace he felt here. Only one thing was wrong...

"Max," Fang whispered, his voice hard and dark. It was actually very un-Fang like. Max turned her head slightly, shivering slightly at his darkness. Fang refused to look at her. "We think you should leave."

"What?" Max asked, shocked. "Why?"

"The kids want to go to school," Fang breathed. "And Iggy and I... We don't want to run anymore."

"I still have to save the world, Fang," Max sighed, clearly hurt. "And I need all your help to do that!"

"I'm sorry, Max," Fang replied, his voice now dead, emotionless, stoic. "We don't want to. So you should just go."

Max turned to the rest of the Flock. They had come over to stand behind Fang. "Well?" their leader demanded, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

"I agree with Fang," Angel announced without a second thought. Her young voice was confident, sure, and slightly angry. Max winced at this. "I want to go to school and make friends, like a normal kid! I'm tired of running."

"We will never be normal, Ange," Max whispered, choking down sobs that threatened to expose themselves. "Wings, remember?

"I want to settle somewhere," Iggy admitted. "I'm sick of going places I can't navigate and, just when I start to feel comfortable, up and leaving again!"

Max cringed at this. These guys knew to hit where it hurt. She had taught them herself, after all.

"I'm with Angel," Gazzy mumbled, unable to look at the closest thing to a mom he'd ever had. And would ever have. "I don't like being scared all the time."

Nudge was shaking, tears streaming down her face as she looked Max in the eye. "Me... me too," she choked out. Iggy hugged her.

Hurt flashed in Max's eyes, but she quickly hid it. "Well, if that's what you want."

Max jumped over the cannon and, after a hundred yards of free-falling, snapped out her wings. In three pushes she was level with her flock. Fang was the only one to meet her eyes. Within seconds she was high enough that they couldn't see her, but she could still see them.

Max watched as the Flock stacked their hands together. Her heart ripped in two as they tapped each others' hands like they did every night before bed. Like nothing was wrong. The kids all made their way into the cave for the night. Fang looked up at the sky one more time, a lone tear escaping from his dark eyes, before wiping it away and retreating into the cave with everyone else.

Max turned and poured on the speed. Tears blinded her eyes as she flew north, to a new life. Without her flock.

"Subject A101, you may return to your cell now."

I mentally groaned. Today had been particularly painful. I was silent on the outside as I was escorted down a few halls to my cell, holding my broken arm tight against my side. I was lucky that this was the worst I got. My escort unlocked the heavy metal door, pushed me in, and slammed the door shut. I made my way to the others. Dylan was the only one awake at this hour.

Bad day? Dylan mentally asked me.

Could'a been worse, I answered, examining him. His face was paler than normal and I could tell he just recently managed to stop some major bleeding. You?

Same.

I rolled my eyes. Dylan is sixteen. He is like Angel, but older, stronger, wiser, and, well, better. I actually think the scientists had forgotten about her after he came along. Forgotten all of the Flock, for that matter.

Don't think about them, I scolded myself. Dylan smirked a little. He is the only one who knows about the others, and that's only because he can see through mental barriers. Like mental x-ray vision.

Of course, he'd gotten a punishment from me for that. Initially. But whatever.

Mental x-ray vision? Dylan scoffed.

Ugh, stop reading my mind, I replied.

Dylan sighed silently. Like I could.

I looked down at the five kids asleep on the hard floor. The oldest was Breeze, or Bree as she preferred to be called. She moved\s silently and quickly, leaving only little breezes in her wake. Plus when she talks it is always soft and breathy. She is always calm and always willing to help Dylan and I. And she is only ten. Her dark brown hair was knotted up and greasy, not very different from usual. Her eyes were the same shade as her hair, but are always shining with life. She hasn't had a bath in her whole life. I wasn't even sure she knew what running water was. But, somehow, she doesn't smell bad like normal people do when they don't bathe.

Illuminate was next. We call her Lumi. She can make light appear from nowhere. We had discovered this during the first blackout we had that she had been awake for. She was petrified of the dark and willed light to appear. She is eight years old, and follows Bree around like a little sister would, even though they're not related at all. She has long golden hair that I put into a tight braid every few days for her and light blue eyes that want to question everything. Like Bree, she's never had a bath, but she doesn't smell bad.

Jason is next. He is Dylan's little brother. At five, Jay has a hard time understanding what happened to us. He has no powers that I'm aware of yet. He has light brown hair and trusting brown eyes. He and Dylan have a very interesting story.

Dylan is my second-in-command here at the school. Like I said, he's sixteen. He can read minds. He basically has complete telepathy and telekinesis. His powers far outshine Angel's. He is terrified of them, though. See, he and Jay were not born with wings. They got them two years ago, after being sold to the school for five hundred dollars and ten cases of beer (and not even the expensive kind, either). Dylan clearly remembers the day he was sold and the weeks of pain that followed thanks to his constant nightmares. Because of his pain, his light green eyes have turned nearly black. His jet-black hair reaches past his shoulders, making him look almost feminine. He hates it, but the school refuses to cut it.

My attention shifted to the two other kids. My heart melts every time I see them. They are my children. I, at nineteen, am the mother of two kids. Three actually, but the School killed one of them, the oldest, shortly after his birth. Which I will never, ever forgive them for. Ever.

Vanish is three. He has black hair and blue eyes. He is a very silent child, and only speaks to Dylan or myself, if he speaks at all. He can go invisible at will, and stay invisible even when moving. And Vani is very protective of his baby sister, Tyler. She can speak to anyone through touch. And she is smart. Incredibly smart for an infant that can't talk, or even walk, yet. She remembers everything, too. Everything from the day she was born.

What are you thinking about? Dylan asked me. I rolled my eyes. Like he needed to ask.

Frowning, I actually replied: Just... Everything.

Dylan nodded. I leaned against his shoulder. We didn't have anything romantic going on or anything. Because that would technically be illegal, if we did. But we trusted each other with everything we had. I trusted him because he knew everything about me. And I mean everything. Whether or not he wants to. And he trusts me because I had been there the day they first experimented on him, giving him wings and his powers. Because the scientists here are completely cruel and sadists, they refused to give him any painkillers. Originally I was there just to watch. Twisted, right? I ended up talking to him throughout the whole process, reassuring him he'd come out alive and it would all be ok. Which it wasn't. But at least he's alive. Somewhat.

Is it weird? Dylan suddenly asked me. I miss home so much. But, I mean, my father sold me and Jay. But I still miss it.

I know what you mean, I answered. And no, I guess not. I mean, if he was abusive or something, then maybe. But he was just a crazy man who needed money and beer, right?

Dylan was silent. He wouldn't look me in the eye.

Dylan? I wondered. Um, was your father abusive?

The boy nodded his head once, a barely noticeable motion. I tensed, ready to kill someone. That was just not right.

It is not like I did not deserve it, Max, Dylan hurriedly told me. I mean, I was always in the way, and constantly disappointing him, and...

Shut up, I ordered. No one ever deserves to be abused. Not by evil scientists and certainly not by the people that gave birth to them!

Well. That sure explains a lot. The bruises that he had which clearly happened before he arrived here. The jumpiness whenever someone touched him. His extreme fear of the men who work here. I mean, he's afraid of the female scientists, too, but clearly not as much as the male ones.

I didn't tell him that I was sorry. I was. But sorry is an empty word at the School. There was nothing I could have done to prevented it. Heck, I didn't even know him until he showed up here. And I know that there was nothing he could have done, either. Just like there was nothing anyone could have done for me, having been abused my whole life as well. Just in a slightly different way.

You know, we are not all that different, Dylan told me after a few minutes of thought. Both our fathers abused us our whole lives. We both ended up here, pawns of the School, training to do whatever it is they plan for us to do.

He is right. Jeb, my birth father, was the one in charge of this whole experiment. He ruined my life. Who knows what I could have done outside these walls? Or the walls of my childhood?

I miss fresh air, I thought regretfully, mostly to myself. Flying, freedom.

You know we cannot escape here, Dylan warned me. Not only is it impossible, but against the rules.

I gave Dylan a small smile. I know you've only known me for a couple years. But I never follow rules, if I can help it. If it weren't for my desire to protect you six, I'd have been gone long ago. That, and I have nowhere to go anyway. I'd just end up back here again.

What if the Flock came back to save you? Dylan asked. Would you go then?

I shrugged. I knew that they were never coming to get me, so I didn't bother to think of that possibility.

I yawned heavily. Dylan's light eyes filled with regret. I have kept you up, he thought. I am sorry, Max. Get some sleep.

It's ok, I reassured him. Honestly, I didn't mind staying up with him. He couldn't sleep at all. He hadn't slept once in the three years he'd been at the School. Why? He had a perfect memory. He remembered everything he heard and saw. He's been forced to watch and listen to the thoughts of dying experiments during most of his testing hours. As a "side effect" to some drug the Whitecoats forced into his system, he could feel emotions as well. So not only did he hear the audible and inaudible screams of death, but he could feel pain, fear, hate, and just about everything else that went with it. And at night, when everything was calm and quiet, all his horrors would replay themselves. Closing his eyes meant he saw how they were killed, too. So he didn't sleep.

No, Max, Dylan insisted. Sleep. They have even harder tests for us tomorrow. Rest.

I nodded once and laid down. Of course they would have harder tests.

Listening to the even breathing of the kids around me, I finally managed to succumb to sleep. I didn't need to stay up here. Whether I was awake or not, we'd be put through hell. That was one of the rules of the School.

A blonde head shot up from underneath a thick quilt, screaming bloody murder. Tears fell down Angel's face as she gasped, her eyes opening and seeing her dark room.

Fang was the first one into her room. She jumped into his arms and cried against his chest. Fang just ran a hand through her hair.

When the girl calmed down, she realized she had an audience. She looked up at Fang. Make them go away please? I want to tell you something.

Fang nodded. He turned to the others. "Go back to bed, guys. She's ok."

Iggy and Nudge left. Gazzy wasn't so sure. "Ange?"

"I'm... ok..." Angel gasped out. Gazzy sighed, then left.

"What's wrong?" Fang asked softly. Angel untangled herself from him and sat back on her soft bed.

"I... I saw Max," she whispered. "In my dream. Except I don't think I was asleep yet. But anyways, I saw Max."

Fang blinked. Max? He'd refused to think about her for the last few years. His guilt for sending her away was too much. "What about her?"

"She's... alive," Angel stated vaguely. "But... Barely? I guess? I don't know. She's at a lab. Don't even ask where, I have no clue. But I saw her there. With other kids, like us. Younger, though. Except for one. He's older. And I saw her, um, getting tested on. Worse than when we little. She screams. A lot. And I saw the boy, too. But he doesn't make a sound, even though it looks like he's getting worse than Max. I don't know if he's in pain even. But Max is."

Fang bit his lower lip and thought over everything Angel had just told him. They had to be painful tests for Max to scream. And the boy... He didn't like the idea of Max being with an older boy. He still loved her, after all.

"Have you had any other dreams like this?" Fang wondered.

"Sometimes," Angel admitted. "But I usually forget them. I just saw Max when I did. And she was never in pain. Well, not this much. I thought it was just because I missed her, but this was too real. Plus I have no idea who the others are, and people in dreams are people you have met before. I know I've never met these people before."

"So, you're seeing the future?" Fang wondered.

Angel nodded. "I think so."

"But this could be any time in the future, right?" Fang asked.

"I guess," Angel sighed. "But it's got to be soon. 'Cuz it's so concrete. When I've seen the future before, it changes unless someone is very sure of their actions."

Fang nodded. Then he narrowed his eyes at Angel. "You've seen the future before?"

The girl took her turn to nod. "Yeah," she admitted. "But... it's always been dumb stuff. Like, when Nudge is going on a date, or what Iggy's gonna cook for dinner. Or what people will say about my outfit each day."

Fang smirked a little at this. "Well, you have a new power. And I guess it's getting stronger. We need to tell the others later."

Angel nodded. "And maybe... maybe we can save Max?" she offered.

"Maybe we can," Fang replied. "Maybe."

Please review! I need to know how this is. I haven't written FF in years, so I'm a bit rusty. Also, I know I have tense issues. Tense just doesn't agree with me. Please, give me all the constructive criticism you have. But no flames. If you don't like it, don't read it. I would never flame anybody, and I would like similar respect. If you really have a problem with something I write, PM me.

Here is everyone's ages:

Max, Fang, Iggy - 19

Dylan, Nudge - 16

Gazzy - 13

Angel - 11

Bree - 10

Lumi - 8

Jason - 5

Vanish - 3

Tyler - 6m

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Have a wonderful day/night!

~Krisuvial~