Chapter 1: Birthday Surprises

"Shut up and get your ass in the cage." HE yelled as he threw me into a crate. "Now shut up, and be quiet. I'm going to take a nap."

"No! Let me out of here!" I screamed at him as he walked out of the room, laughing at my anguish. I gripped the bars hard, struggling to break them and get free. Finally, after tiring myself out, I stopped and cried. Instinctively, I put my hand on the sliver necklace I around my neck, remembering how I got here in the first place…

It was a bright summer day in Arizona. I had just woken up to the wonderful smell of breakfast coming Dr. Martinez's kitchen, when I remembered what today was: My 18th Birthday. I was so excited, but also sad. My stupid older brother, the Gasman, and I live with Dr. Martinez now. Max and Fang moved to another town somewhere in Arizona, but it's really far away. Nudge moved to Hollywood cause she got offered a job as a talk show host with her own show. I watch it every day of course. Ella moved in with Iggy, and now they live about twenty minutes away from us. I was sad because when I talked to everyone, they said that they weren't sure if they were going to be able to see me. I hope that they can.

I sat up in bed, and stretched out my snow white wings, as a feeling out pure joy spread through my entire body. "Yes! Finally!" I cheered to myself. I took a quick look around my pink and white room for my dog, Total, but found no sign of him. "Total? Where are you?"

"I'm right here." He said sleepily as he walked through the door. "I just went outside for a quick bathroom break."

"Total!" I said happily.

"Well I can see you're in a good mood this morning." He said, flapping his little wings and lifting himself up onto my bed.

"Well why wouldn't I be? You do remember what today is, don't you?"

He sat in front of me, thinking about it for a moment before answering, "Saturday?"

"Total!" I gasped at him.

He chuckled before happily licking my face. "Of course I remember. You've been talking about it all week. Happy 18th Birthday Angel."

"Thank you Total." I said, giving him a small hug so as not to crush him. "I'm going to get ready." I said, scratching him behind the ear, and running, literally, down the hall to the bathroom. Now you're probably asking yourself why I'm running down the hall. Well every morning, Gazzy and I have to race to the bathroom. He claims that I take too long in the bathroom. Whatever. Looking good is a lot harder for girls then it us for guys, so excuse me for trying to look good.

As I ran past his room, he came running out after me. You're not going to win, you know that right? He thought to me.

Oh yeah? I thought back. I shoved him into the nearest wall, nearly knocking down a framed picture of our family. Unfortunately for me, it didn't work. He wrapped his right arm around my waist, and yanked me backwards, knocking me onto the carpeted floor, flat on my butt. "Ow!" I said, standing up and rubbing my soon to be bruised tail bone. "Jerk." I said, shoving him.

"Whatever. You're just mad that I won, again." He said victoriously as he leaned against the doorway of the bathroom.

"Whatever…" I grumbled.

"Oh quit being such a baby." He said rolling his eyes.

"I'm not being a baby…" I grumbled, pouting a little.

"You sure pout like a baby." He said, laughing as I started to blush a little. "Here." He said, stepping out of the way and heading downstairs toward the kitchen. "Happy Birthday squirt." He said with a laugh as he used the nickname he gave me when we were younger, knowing I hated it.

"Don't call me squirt!" I called after him.

"Whatever you say…squirt!"

I growled and slammed the door shut. After a quick shower, I headed back to my room in nothing but my towel. When I walked over to my bed, I was surprised to find a box sitting on my bed. It was wrapped in a beautiful red wrapping paper, and had a white bow on it with a card on top. I picked up the card and read it.

Happy Birthday Angel.

Hope You Like It!

With Love,

Nudge, Devin, and Crystal

I placed the card down, and quickly began to open the present. Inside was a beautiful strapless navy blue evening gown. I recognized it instantly as the exact same dress that Nudge and I saw two months ago when she was up here for Christmas, and we went shopping. I told her how I wished I could have it, but it cost $800.00, and seeing as I'm still in high school and don't have a job, it was definitely out of my reach.

"Oh my god…" I breathed. "she actually got me the dress. I can't imagine how much must have set her back." Nudge is supposed to be getting married in December to her high school sweetheart, Devin. He knows about the wings, and about us, and all that. In fact, when he found out, he was even more excited.

"Not much." I gasped as I turned around to see Nudge standing in the doorway of my room with her arms over each other.

"Nudge!" I said, hugging her. "Jeez, you scared the living crap out of me. And you know you didn't have to get me the dress. I mean not that I'm not grateful, but you're getting married at the end of the year. You should have saved it."

"Angel, I live in Hollywood with my fiancé who's the producer of my show. We have plenty of money." She said, laughing. "And besides, you're my little sister, best friend, and number one fan. You know I'd do anything for you."

"Aw, thanks."

"Happy Birfday Auntie Angel." Crystal said, running up to me.

"Thank you sweetie." I said, picking her up and hugging her.

"Crystal, why don't you go see what Grandma Valie is doing?" Nudge said as I set her down.

"Oh a Mommy!" she said, energetically as she ran down the hall. Like she can do it any other way. I should explain about Crystal, right? So about two years ago, when Nudge was offered her own show and they moved to Hollywood, they were so excited, they decided to um…celebrate, if you get what I'm saying. Anyway, six months later, Crystal Monique Stratford was born with carmel colored skin, light brown hair, hazel eyes, and pink wings like a flamingo. Now, she one and a half, and an absolute sweetheart. But let me tell you, Max was not too happy about Nudge being pregnant at twenty-one. But we all love Crystal to death.

"Crystal, stop running in the house." Nudge yelled after her daughter.

"Oh a Mommy." She said, slowly descending the stairs. As she made it to the bottom of the stairs, she took off running again.

Nudge rolled her eyes, and shook her head. "I'll see you downstairs." She said, turning and making her way down the stairs as well. "Crystal! What did say about running in the house!"

I laughed and smiled at how she hasn't changed one bit. I was glad to see both of them especially since I almost had to make an appointment to speak with her. After getting dressed in a nice t-shirt and jeans, I headed downstairs. As I come to the bottom of the steps, I could hear someone's thought from the living room. They were repeatedly thinking Come into the living room. Come into the living room. So what do you think I did? Walked into the living room.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" I asked as I walked into an empty room. I was about to walk out of the room, when I was suddenly embraced by an invisible force. I was lifted and spun through the air as a familiar voice shouted out "Happy Birthday Kid." I recognized it instantly and the owner of the voice came into site.

"Fang!" I chuckled happily as I hugged him while he slowed his spinning pace to a stop and put me down. "When did you get here!?"

"Last night." An even more familiar voice said from behind me. I turned around to see hero, friend, and motherly figure, Maximum Ride, standing in the doorway, hold my nephew, Nick.

"Max!" I cheered, running up to her and embracing her in a tight hug. "How are you?"

She laughed and replied, "I'm fine. You seem a little hyper today."

"Of course I am. I'm finally 18!"

"Oh my God." She said, looking over my shoulder and at Fang. "We forgot her gift in the car."

"That's ok." I said, tickling Nick as he squirmed in my arms. "I can get it later. And how are you?"

"I's good Auntie Angel." He said in his high pitched three year old voice. "Mommy says that you's is gonna like you's pesant."

"She did?" I asked, moving some of his dirty blonde and black bangs out of his face. Now before you ask, no, Max and Fang did not dye is hair. When he was born, we were all pretty astonished. He had light brown eyes, jet black wings with brown tips, and sandy blonde hair with black on the ends. Yes, you read right. He has sandy blonde hair with black at the ends of every tip. When we asked Dr. Martinez about it, she said that it could be a mutation in his D.N.A, but it personally, I think it's absolutely gorgeous.

"Oh, you definitely will." Fang said with a smug smirk on his face. "And if you don't, well too bad cause we can't take it back."

"What is it?" I asked, trying to read their minds, but coming up blank.

"Go see." Max said with a smile.

I walked to the door, turning back to look at them one last time, before walking outside to find a white Chrysler CX6 sitting in the driveway. I turned to see Max and Fang laughing at my bewildered expression. "You got me a car!" I screamed in pure excitement.

Max laughed as she came, and hugged me from behind. "Yes. Mom said you and Gazzy were always fighting over who got to use the car that you were supposed to be sharing, and that you were begging her to buy you your own. I forbid her from doing so, and told her we would get you one for your birthday."

"Oh. My. God! Thank you guys so much!"

"You're welcome. Now let's go inside and eat." Fang said as he and Nick started for the kitchen. Max and I followed, where I was greeted with another round of 'Happy Birthday's from everyone.

"Thank you everyone." I said sitting between Max and Gazzy.

"Happy Birthday Angel." Dr. Martinez said as she hugged me and handed me an envelope. I opened it to find two tickets for a round trip to Florida and back. When I looked up from the tickets and back at her, she smiled a warm, loving smile. "Well you did say you wanted something to do with winter for vacation, so your brother and I chipped in and bought the tickets for you two to use."

"Oh my god." I said, looking back at the tickets. "Thank you both so much."

"Oh course sweetie."

"No problem squirt." Gazzy said with a grin on his face.

"Don't call me-" but I was cut short by the sound of the doorbell ringing. "I got it." I said, getting up and running to the door. I flung it open to find the last two members of my family standing there. "Iggy! Ella!" I shouted, hugging them. "I missed you guys so much!"

"And we missed you Angel." Iggy hugging me.

"I can't believe you guys are here. Gazzy told me that you guys had to go out of town for Ella's Fashion show." Ella got a job as a fashion model and Iggy get paid to be her personal chef. In more ways than one if you get what I'm saying.

"I know. We told him to keep quiet so we could surprise you." Ella said. "Oh, and happy 18th birthday."

"Thank you."

"And here's your gift featherhead." Iggy said, handing me a small box and using my baby nickname.

"Iggy!" I said, blushing from embarrassment. Him, Max, and Fang used to call me that because when I like two, I was given my own bed, instead of a crib. I rolled around on the pillows, and beat them up because of the nightmares I would have, that the feathers came flying out of them, and covered my entire head. Of course a couple where mine, but ever since then, I've been known as baby featherhead.

He started laughing his head off. "Alright. Enough laughing at the birthday girl. Let's get this party started!"

And with that, I had the greatest birthday of my short, 18 year old life. And the night was only going to get better as I had a date with my boyfriend, Aaron. I put on the dress that Nudge had given me, and the beautiful sliver necklace with a heart locket. On the left side was a picture of the Flock and the other had an engraving that read: You will always be our little Angel. I almost cried when I read it. Iggy told me Max came up with the saying, which didn't surprise me since she always considered me her baby.

I met up with Aaron at the Olive Garden near our school and got a nice table out in front of the restaurant. He apparently knew the owner of this one, and got the section reserved for us.

"Happy Birthday Babe." He said kissing me on the cheek and sitting in his seat.

"Thank you." I said, admiring his new black suit and tie. "I love your new hair cut by the way." I said, eyeing his sandy blonde hair. His bangs were hanging in his eyes, but it was short in the back. He looked like he should be in a boy band, whereas before he looked like a punk rocker before when it was shoulder length.

"Thanks. But I wish I had kept it a bit longer, but my sister said that it would look better shorter."

"I agree." I said, seductively.

"By the way, that dress looks beautiful on you. Especially with that necklace."

I blushed as I played with the necklace. "Thanks. My brother and sister gave it to me. And one of my other sisters and her fiancé gave me the dress."

"Well they have good taste." He said, smiling at me as the waiter brought us our drinks. I took a sip of my soda, and continued our conversation. But about ten minutes later or so, I started feeling dizzy.

"Aaron…I don't feel so good." I said, holding my head.

"I know Angel. And don't worry. You won't have to worry about a thing." He said, smiling and standing to his feet. I looked up at him as my vision started to blur. And then, right before my eyes, he morphed into an Eraser. I tried to stand up, and get away, but only ended up falling to the ground and blacking out.

When I woke up, the smell of antiseptic and chemicals filled my lungs. I quickly surveyed my surroundings to find that I was in a small room and chained to a bed, naked. I struggled to break the chains, but to no avail.

Then the door opened, and Aaron walked in, smiling deviously at me. He walked over to the bed, and started touching me. "You know Angel, I never did give you your birthday gift."

"Don't you touch me you sick bastard!" I screamed, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Now don't be like that. I promise, this will only hurt for a second." He said kissing me roughly. I started to panic as I could hear what he planned to do. I continuously tried to gain control over his mind, but was having no luck. I started to cry as I realized I was completely helpless under him and that this was actually going to happen to me.

When he was done, he stood over me and laughed as I laid there, not struggling, not moving, just crying continuously as the whole incident replayed through my head. I had just been raped by someone I trusted and cared about. He was an agent for the School and I let my guard down. I was stupid and carless. This was my fault.

…That was 7 months ago…

I've given up on trying to escape. I've tried many times before, and been punished by HIM for it. He says that I'm his property, and that I don't have any free will. He says that I have to do what he says. He says that he's the only person who will love me and that if I left him, I'd be even more worthless them I am now. I don't want to believe him, but it's hard not to when you've been broken like I've been.

Max…where are you? I thought as I cried my eyes out on the floor of my cage. The only thing that ran through my mind was my family and the fact that they probably didn't want me. Not after all that's happened.

I sat there with my legs to my chest, crying and wishing I would just die and never have to worry about this again, when the door opened. I quickly panicked, and backed up against the cage wall. My heart rate started to race as I feared that HE was back.

"Angel?"

I looked up to see the absolute LAST person I thought I'd ever see again. "M-Ma-Max?" I whispered as tears streamed down my face.

"Oh Angel." She said, tears running down her face as she opened the door to my cage. I quickly backed up against the back of the cage again, afraid of what would happen if I disobeyed him again. Max slowly crawled into the cage and hugged me. "I'm so glad we finally found you. We've been worried sick about you. We've been searching for months."

I stiffened up for a moment, but broke down just as quickly as all the memories of Max holding me and treating me like her baby girl flooded back into my mind. As she held me, I cried my eyes out into her shirt. "Oh Max…it was so horrible. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Why would you ever think that? You know I would never stop breathing until I found you and got you some where safe." She whispered as she held me tight against her. "What happened Angel? What did those bastards do to you?" she asked angrily as she looked over my broken form in front of her.

I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped as all the painful memories came flooding back into my mind. I sobbed even harder into Max's shirt as she held me tighter and stroked my messy hair. "Oh Angel…" she said as the tears continued to fall from her face. We sat like that for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was probably only a couple of minutes.

"Aaron…" I whispered as my tears started to dry up.

"What about him?" she asked, looking down at me. I closed my eyes and projected everything. Every single memory, every single tear shed, every beating that was given to me by that bastard. Afterwards, Max held me and cried into my hair. "Oh Angel. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok…" I whispered.

"What!?" she nearly yelled. "No, it is not ok! We should have found you sooner, protected you better…something." She cried the last part.

"It's not your fault." I said.

"Come on. We're gettin the hell out of here. We're finding the Flock and when we get outside, we're blowing this place sky high."

"Ok." I whispered, though I really didn't like the idea. I was more afraid of what Aaron would do when he found out I was gone. He would punish me for it. I just know it. She placed her jacket on my shoulders, which I clutched to for dear life, and started to lead me out of the room. I took cautious, slow steps, praying the he wouldn't choose now to wake up from his nap and catch me trying to leave.

We walked down the hall, seeing no one, which must have been because of the break in that was taking place by the flock to save me, though it was probably useless. Aaron was just going to come looking for me. He won't stop until he finds me and brings me back.

"Come on. We're almost to the exit." Max said as we rounded a corner.

That's when a thought hit me. "Max…we can't go…" I whispered, looking back down the hall we had just come from.

"What? Angel, what are you talking about? We need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

"No. you don't understand. There are others here who we have to save."

"Angel, we don't have time for this. I know you want to free the other experiments, but we can't save them all, and getting you out of here is what's important right now."

"I won't leave without them!" I shouted at her. "And why does it matter if I get out or not? Aaron's just going to find me and bring me back anyway."

"No he isn't! I won't let him, and neither will the rest of the Flock. And who the hell is so goddamned important that you have to risk your freedom and safety for!?"

Angry tears stung my eyes as I looked at her. "My babies…" I whispered.

Ok. So this is just the first chapter. Not all the chapters will be this long. I just needed to get all this down so that everyone who reads it will get the basic concept of the story. I was actually really worried bout how people would react to this when I was originally writing it, but I figured I'd take a risk, and see what happens. So please review and tell me what you think.

Remember: Keep reading, writing, and reviewing!

Later!

-Dt2009 with Dark Blue Wings