Family

Authors note: My first fan fiction, hooray for me. I'm just putting a bunch of junk here that I want to get out of the way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, her flock, her personality, or anything else about her. I do, however, own this plot, Jess, and any new characters I may or may not include in this story, so no stealing.

The story beyond the first chapter is set in TAE, just before Max and the Flock get to New York. The first chapter is set approximately 6 months before the flock gets to New York.

Jess POV

I hated ballet. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I had just survived "The Nutcracker" and with my attitude towards the arts, I'm surprised I still took my sister to her recitals, although I don't really have a choice, being in the New York slums.

I look over to her and it still surprises me why people tend to avoid her. She's 12 right now, and her name is Robin. She was an extremely happy and cheerful person, so when she was sad, you knew right away something was wrong. She had dark brown hair and fair skin, so she was, I suppose, beautiful.

I, at 14, was a redhead with slightly tanned skin, and I have, or rather, had a lifelong dream, to fly. Not in an airplane, but to really fly, with wings. I knew this is impossible, however, so I mainly read about flying.

Anyway, I was waiting for her outside the back door of the dance hall. She came out, happy with her performance. I sighed, knowing that as soon as I got home, she wouldn't stop talking about it.

She finally broke the silence about halfway home, about 5 minutes away. "You know, Jess, you don't have to take me to my recitals if you don't want to." Crap, she'd seen right through me, like she always does. I thought of whether I should tell her the real reason why I kept coming, or make up a lie. Um…I got nothing, and i really don't want to tell her the real reason.

I decided to play the truth card, which is so unlike me, and she probobly wasn't ready for it, but she still needed to know. "You can't walk through the slums of New York when you're this age, and a girl." She started pouting and was probably running through her head for a name, most likely "sexist".

"Don't go getting mad at me, either, it's a simple fact, there are bad people who will snatch you of the street. She seemed to get the picture and shut up, and seemed just a little scared.

I looked behind me out of habit, checking for stalkers, and nearly fainted. Behind me was the man who sat next to me at the ballet recital. He had seemed overly interest in me and my sister, almost as if he knew us from somewhere.

I whispered to my sister "Don't look behind you, but we're being followed". Her eyes went big, and then she looked normally to me, and said, "Yeah right, you're just trying to scare me". Double crap, now she won't listen to me, I knew I should have shut my trap.

I looked back again. The guy looked about in his early 20's, with dark hair. He creeped me out, I don't know why, he just had an aura of wildness, and he just didn't look right. He increased his speed, and I knew he was coming for us. I shouted to my sister, "RUN" before pushing her into a run.

I turned around to face him, and I swear, he could be a male model, if he wasn't so creepy.

I got into a fighting stance, I was trained in karate, so I knew how to defend myself, and I thought I could take him. After all, I am already a blue belt, not to mention that i could wield a sword, and he's probably just an uncommonly good-looking bum. Never in my life had I been so terribly wrong.

I lashed out with a lightning fast kick and yelled "who are you and what do you w-uooff". I had stopped talking because a fist had met with my stomach. Naturally I doubled over, but something was defiantly wrong. The punch was with unnatural strength, and I felt myself fading as I dropped. "The Hospital shouldn't have let you go, subject five" A few seconds later, I heard my sister scream. Then all went black.

The Hospital, why did the name seem so familiar, I had never been to a hospital in my life. Well, except that one time I can remember. I only remember back to my 3rd birthday. It's a day I will never forget.

I was happy that day, surrounded by presents and about to dig into my cake in the park across from my house. My mother went across the street to go get the knife to cut the cake, and I was watching her. All of the sudden, a black van turned the corner and rammed my mother. I, naturally, screamed and ran to my mother. She was covered in blood, and her last words to me were "Take care…my little Jet.

This confused me, and i was already reeling from seeing my mother getting hit and almost dead.

Now, a lot of what happened next I was told by my grandma, but still, she was oblivious to what was really going on.

My grandma called 911, and an ambulance quickly arrived. They wanted me to come along so I could donate blood, along with my grandma. I went with my mother to a hospital (The Hospital, as i now know), and they tried to save her, but they couldn't, even with the blood we donated. It was the saddest day of my life.

I woke up from that horrible nightmare. Damn, how many times was I going to have this nightmare, first my capture, then back to when my mother was killed?

I was at The Hospital, crammed in a dog crate, awaiting another surgery. Joy, as if they hadn't done enough to me, they'd modified my body structure so now I can run extremely fast and enhance physical attributes, strength, sight, things like that, as well as manipulate fire, ice, wind, and earth, but only on my fists or on something i was holding. Not much use though if I didn't escape. I had a plan though.

I could run at 90 mph without breaking a sweat, and i could sprint at 130 mph. This was good on it's own, but there was an additional ability that the whitecoats havn't discovered. I could warp at 126 mph, and i only knew this because of their test. They had me running on a treadmill, and when i hit 126 mph, i saw a blue light engulf me and showed me the place i was thinking of. I almost got away, but they shocked me into unconsousness before i could leave.

I couldn't help wondering about my sister, what horrors had been committed against her, what abilities she would undoubtably have. I thought back to the night we were taken. So many things made sense now.

Almost 6 months had passed since that fateful night. I now know that the man who attacked me was part wolf, and is called an Eraser. I know that they didn't actually give my blood to my mother, instead, they experimented with it, which is why they came after me. And, I also know…that The Hospital killed my mother.

A.N/Any good for a first fan fiction, first chapter, I want reviews, constructive critisism is appretiated, flaming is ignored. Ideas for where this could go are nice, although i have a basic idea of where the story is going.