Max

Another park. Another tree bed. Another day of hiding. This was not the kind of life for Gazzy or Iggy. But they were as stuck in this life as I was. No way out, no permanent home, and no parents.

I shook the depressing thoughts away. There was no point indulging in self-pity. I had two boys to take care of, to provide for, to protect. Iggy and the Gasman were my whole world, the only people in my life that I trusted and loved. They were the only two survivors I had found before the lab blew up. It still hurt me to think of the three that didn't get out…

Wait, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Let me start from the beginning.

My first memory was waking up in a dog cage. The smell was totally disgusting, chemicals everywhere and what was probably dried blood. It was dark, but I could see the five other cages surrounding me. Shapeless bundles lay at the bottom of each, but the smallest seemed to be shaking violently. I could hear five different sets of breathing, and I realized with relief that they were still alive.

"Hello?" I had called out, hesitant. The bundle, I mean, the person closest to my prison moved at the sound of my voice. It sat up and turned towards me and that was when I got my first glance of him.

Fang. That was the name he chose for himself in the days following. With dark hair and eyes like the night sky, he was so proud and tough. The rock that I had stood on when I thought escape would be impossible. He was my soul mate, both genetically and in my heart. And I had killed him.

Our captors, the scientists, were working on us, altering our genes to make us different, non-human. You see, they had taken DNA from a bird, and human DNA and created…well, us. Bird kids. Avian Americans. Mutant freaks. Whatever you want to call us. We could see farther, hear better, and fly. Yes, you read correctly, fly. An unforeseen physical alteration, all six bird kids grew wings, perfectly proportional to our body length.

They tortured us, having us run until we couldn't move, electrocuting us to see how our nerve endings worked, emotionally testing our connection with each other. It was terrible for all of us.

The escape plan was my idea, and it will possibly haunt me for the rest of my extended lifetime. Fang and I planned a distraction, something to divert the scientists long enough for us to escape. An explosion was supposed to occur in a lab neighboring ours…but it went horribly wrong. I wont bore you with all the chemical stuff, but the 'distraction' went off faster than we anticipated. I had gotten Iggy and Gazzy out of the lab and to a cliff far enough away to be safe. Fang had gone back to get the girls, Nudge and Angel. I was on my way back to help when the building blew. I was thrown back hundreds of feet and knocked unconscious. When I woke up, Iggy and Gazzy were next to me…but Fang and the girls were no where to be found.

The loss of half of our family devastated all of us, but I felt the grief like a dagger in my heart. My Fang was gone. I had killed him. To this day, that thought brought tears to my eyes. Sweet little Angel and Nudge would never know the freedom that we now enjoyed. It was my fault.

"Max?" The sound of my name jerked me from my thoughts. I looked down from my tree and saw Gazzy looking up at me, bright blue eyes wide and scared.

"What's wrong?" I asked, alert and watching for a threat. Iggy still slept peacefully on the limb below me, hidden by the shadows of the branches. The night seemed as calm as any other.

I hopped down and squatted down to the Gasman's level. At seven, he was about half my height. He had grown so much since we had escaped three years ago.

"I had a nightmare. Again. They kept saying they were going to hurt Angel." His eyes overflowed. A pang went through me for this little boy who had lost his sister at such a young age. Gazzy and Angel were biological siblings, and the bond of blood was enough to make him miss her more than any other.

I hugged him, caressing the back of his blond head. Say what you want about me, but my boys were all I had left. Forget lemon juice. To see them cry was like pure acid in a paper cut.

I sat with Gazzy and muttered some reassuring words as he snuggled into my side and fell back asleep. Dawn was coming soon, and we needed to head off, but I couldn't resist letting them both enjoy a little more peace before shoving them back into our harsh reality.

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the bark of the tree. I would give anything for these boys to be safe and happy. To take their grief from them and see them really smile. A tear ran down my cheek. God, I wanted Fang back.

Fang

"Angel, time to get up."

"No, I don't wanna."

"Get up and come get your breakfast. You got a math lesson this morning."

I smiled as the six year old rolled over and moaned before sitting up. Closing the door to give her some privacy, I checked to make sure Nudge as up and moving too. Of course, the little chatter box was running ninety to nothing around her room getting ready. I left and started to set the table for the girls' breakfast.

When I had finished, I sat at the table, staring at the table top. As usual when I was alone and not busy, my thoughts drifted to her.

Maximum. Max. My beautiful girl that was dead. My throat closed at the thought. I missed her. God, I missed her so much it hurt. If I had been quicker, the boys and her would be stumbling around getting ready in this house as well. If I hadn't let her go back by herself, I could go to sleep every night with my arms wrapped around her.

It was all my fault. I had wanted to escape the lab. To make a life for Max and our little family. We planned a bomb to go off after we had successfully escaped. It detonated too quickly…

Max and I had tucked Angel and Nudge at a safe distance, in a secluded cave where they wouldn't feel the explosion's aftereffects. I had stayed to protect the girls after Max insisted on going back to get the boys by herself. After a few minutes, I couldn't stand the thought of her in danger.

Leaving the girls, promising to return soon, I had flown back to the lab, just in time to see it explode with Max and the boys still trapped inside. The aftereffects blew me back many yards and I lost consciousness.

Angel and Nudge found me like that, and we never saw the other half of our family again. We set up a life in a little town called Bakersville and have been there ever since. The pain in my heart was enough to kill me if it weren't for the girls. They kept me going, kept me breathing every day, even though my better half, my soul mate, was dead.

I came back to the present as ten year old Nudge bounded in and began shoveling pancakes in her mouth. Angel followed at a slower pace, still kind of grumpy. I smiled at them both. They were everything to me.

After breakfast was gone, I collected the dishes and got the girls math books down from the counter. It wasn't possible for them to attend a real school, but I wanted them to know as much as they possibly could in case something happened to me.

They got to work on fractions as I did the dishes, answering any question they tossed my way as they worked their way through the assignment. I wondered if Max would think my education idea was smart or worthless. Gritting my teeth, I forced my thoughts away from her. I had to accept she wasn't coming back. This hope was only making it hurt worse.

I had to let go.

If only that were possible…

Is it just me, or do their stories not match up? Mmm...interesting. Well, second chapter should be up sometime today. So review quickly!