Here's my new story. It's all about a government haven for mutants, scientists and their families. Cut off from the outside world, mutants train for missions to save others and possibly the world. Maybe Fax and Eggy? I suck at romance so don't get your hopes up.

Ages:

Max, 17. Iggy, 17. Fang, 17. Ella, 15. Nudge, 14. Gazzy, 11. Angel, 9.

DISCLAIMER:

Angel: You have to!

Max: Fine. I don't own Maximum Ride.

Fang: Oh thank God!

Max: HEY!

Angel: I don't own it either, all I own is a bag of

On with the story!

~Max

MAX POV

I round the corner of the long running track. The whitecoats are timing me, measuring my heart rate after each lap, seeing how far I can go. I don't mind, it's their job. Running is exhilarating, and it helps me let go of my feelings. It's almost as wonderful as soaring through the clear skies above our 'haven'.

You're probably wondering who I am, and what in the world I'm talking about. Flying, you ask? Let me explain. This may take a while, so I'll try to keep it snappy.

Science has advanced, much more than you might think. Institutes around the world have tried to combine animal and human DNA to create superhuman hybrids. Some have been very successful. Some have failed miserably. The scientists who created those hybrids want to study them, often in horrific conditions that overwork even the strongest of hybrids. They don't care. They don't realize that although those creatures were born artificially, although they are the result of an experiment, they don't realize that they are people. They have feelings.

The US government outlaws these cruel tests and experimentation, but it happens anyways. So they created this haven, this utopia, for hybrids, government scientists and their families. I'm one of the greatest successes of an institute called The School. Many of us came from there. I escaped by myself, using my avian DNA. I'm 98% person, 2% bird. And those 2% have a huge impact, in the form of wings. I literally flew out of there as fast as I could. I lived on the streets, but the government found me. They took me here, to The Haven, and I've lived here ever since. It's great!

I live with an adoptive mother, Dr. Valencia Martinez. She has a biological daughter, Ella, who's two years younger than me. She's fifteen, I'm seventeen. I also have an adoptive sister, Nudge. She's a human-avian hybrid like me. You would not believe how fast that kid can talk! On our street, we have two immediate neighbors. To our left is the scientist Jeb's house. He lives with an avian son, Iggy. Like me and Nudge, he named himself. Iggy's blind and my age. He's a bit of a pyro. To our right, Dr. Abate lives with two avian kids. The kids are actually related. Their names are Adelaide and Zephyr. They're 9 and 11, respectively, but prefer the names Angel and Gazzy.

We each have special abilities (besides the wings). Iggy can feel colors and see white, so, naturally, his favorite animal is a polar bear. Nudge can attract metal and hack any computer. Gazzy can imitate any voice perfectly and let loose what I'll just call a 'natural stink bomb'. Angel probably has the most impressive set of powers of all: she can read minds and communicate through them. She can also talk to fish, which is where she learned her first swear words.

Some scientists think that she can actually control minds, but that she hasn't developed that power very much yet, so it wouldn't work well. The feds always get a little nervous when someone mentions her. She would be a pretty big threat to national security, or a really big weapon for the USA. They don't want to know which she would end up as.

So, what do us mutant freaks do? Well, we go to school for one thing. Scientists and other teachers hired by the government give us our lessons at a big K-12 school. We kind of have a one-way connection with the universe, so to speak. Information gets in, but nothing gets out. So yes, we watch TV and listen to music. We read books and get news. At school, our lives are pretty normal. Humans go to our school, too. They're the families of the scientists and teachers here.

We do normal school things, although it's much more advanced. The assigned reading list for Angel's class includes some classic books that you might read in your high school English class. The human kids have to try to keep up with the curriculum, but you'd be surprised at how much they can learn. We learn science (no, really?), math, English, social studies, and all that crap.

The only thing that's really different is our gym class (although, the humans have a regular gym class). You call it Phys. Ed., for us it's Advanced Training. You see, our mission (of course we have a mission! Did you honestly think that the government would spend all that money for nothing?) is to save other mutants, destroy institutes like The School, and maybe save the world while we're at it. No biggie, right?

So, we train hard based on a personalized training program. I specialize in aerial combat and terrain combat. I'm also a long-distance runner. My training includes martial arts, running exercise, weight lifting and aerial stunts. One of the wonderful things about The Haven is that it's a governmentally restricted air zone, meaning we don't have to worry about planes, helicopters, etc.. We can just fly!

You're probably wondering, who is this chick? Well, here it is. My name is Maximum Ride. This is my life.

FANG POV

I ducked into the nearest store that wasn't for 5-year olds. I looked around. It's some store that's all about Minnesota, which is my current location. I'm constantly on the run from The School, this crazy laboratory place that made me. Let me explain: I'm a human-avian hybrid. I was created by a School, and they did horrible tests of strength and stamina on me. I escaped three years ago, when I was fourteen. I'm seventeen now, still on the run from human-lupine hybrids called Erasers. They want to bring me back to that dreadful place at all costs. I've tried my hardest to keep moving and stay hidden from them, but they always manage to find me. Right now, I've found myself in some huge shopping mall in Minnesota. I think it's called The Mall of America. It is freaking amazing, and this is coming from a guy who hasn't been shopping in his entire life. There's an entire theme park with roller coasters and rides inside the building!

I really needed to get out of this store. With my black clothes and overall 'non- normal teenager'ish appearance, in this place I stuck out like a sore thumb. I needed to find a store where I could blend in better. I decided to make dash for the door. I scanned the surroundings. The upside and downside of a mall was the crowd. You could blend in easily, but so could the Erasers (in their human form they look like models in their 20s). I didn't see any, so I stepped out and followed the river of humans. I tried to avoid clothing stores because they were always pestering you to try stuff on, and I didn't know how well I could hide my wings under some of the clothes they shove at you. I made a plan to just walk in circles around the mall and switch floors often. That way, I could keep the Erasers off my trail. I had found earlier a great place to spend the night: The Sleep Number store. That place seriously rocked! I figured I'd just hide out somewhere in there, maybe under a bed when nobody was watching, and leave when they closed up shop.

I was getting onto an escalator when I heard a gruff voice a few yards behind me. "That's the kid! Get him!"

Crap. Erasers. Just another day in the life of Fang. Oh yeah, that's my name- Fang. I got it as a nickname from a kid who shared my cage back when I was little. She called me that because I used to bite the scientists if they wanted to run tests on me. We got separated when I was ten. I don't know what happened to her, if she ever escaped or if she's even alive. I really do hope that she's alright.

I remember everything about her: her brown sun-streaked hair, her big brown eyes, her sarcastic personality, and her name that she gave herself.

She called herself Maximum. Maximum Ride.

Like it? Review it! Don't like it? Review it anyways! I would love to hear your advice, comments, or suggestions about the story.

Read on, all you Avian-Americans!

~Max and Angel

MaximumAngel1