Hey y'all! I've had this idea for a while and since I've gotten back into Maximum Ride again thanks to Xx-Erin-xX-AthrunxCagallifan (thanx Erin! Ur awesome!) I finally decided to type it up. Hope y'all like it! I do not own Maximum Ride (see other Max story for rant) James Patterson does. Please read and review. By the way italics means thoughts. Unless it's just one word then it's just emphasis. Just lettin you know.

Max Pov

Why are we in Texas again? I thought to myself as the Flock and I walked down a Dallas street. Gazzy, Nudge and Angel were gawking at everything like they had never seen people before. Oh that's right, I thought, glancing at The Bane of My Existence who was holding my hand, Fang and Iggy wanted to see the Super bowl.

Fang looked back at me as if he could read my mind and smiled that Fang smile that just lights up the entire world. Easy Max, I thought, just cuz me and Fang are dating now doesn't mean that I need to be going all mushy.

Suddenly, Angel took off running.

Angel Pov

We were walking back from the Super bowl game and Nudge and Gazzy and I were having fun looking around at everything. Wow! Dallas is even cooler than New York! I sent the thought to Nudge. She grinned back at me and nodded in agreement.

All of a sudden I heard a new thought: I finally got away.... The thought sounded like it was panted like the thinker was exhausted. Was it possible to pant a thought? Angel listened closer.

Ow... everything hurts. Why don't they leave me alone? It hurts so badly.... but at least I finally got away.

Angel could feel the pain that the person was in. Angel focused and figured out where they were and she bolted towards the thoughts.

I have to help whoever this is....

Max Pov

"Angel! Wait! Where do you think you're going?!"

"I have to help them!" she yelled back, not slowing her pace.

Help them? "Help who?!"

Angel didn't answer, she just kept running. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and I just kept running after her.

She turned into an alley and we followed her.... and then almost ran into her because she had stopped just around the corner. She was looking intensely at a shadow against the alley wall. No, not a shadow, a person.

A person that my baby was now walking towards.

"Angel, sweetie," I said, trying to pull her back, "stay away from that person, you don't know what will happen."

Angel shoved off my hand and ran up to whoever it was. I was tense, ready to grab Angel should anything happen.

"Hi," she said gently.

The figures head shot up and I saw that it was a girl, probably around my age. She cowered away from Angel and whimpered, "Please, please don't hurt me! You already beat me up today! Just leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you! Go away!" The girl was crying and holding up her arms to protect herself. I looked closer with my raptor vision saw that she was indeed beaten up pretty badly; her face was a mass of blood and bruises.

"It's okay," Angel said soothingly, "we're not going to hurt you."

The girl looked up at her and appeared to see that it was just a little girl. Then she looked past her and saw the rest of us. "No!" she yelled, "you brought more! You said you wouldn't hurt me!"

She stumbled to her feet, which were bare, her clothes ragged. We all tensed, expecting the girl, who was clearly half out of her mind with fear, but she just ran right past us.

"Wait!" Angel tried to run after her, but I grabbed her before she could follow the strange girl.

"Stop, Angel," I said firmly, "you can't go after her. I don't know what was wrong with her, but whatever it is you can't help her."

Angel Pov

I tried to follow the girl but Max grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

I didn't know why but I felt like she needed us. Maybe it was a new power developing and maybe not but I knew that she needed us.

The others didn't know it but Angel had found out one more thing about the girl. Her name.

Asha

So what did y'all think of my new story? Hope you liked it! Please press that lovely little button over there and review but I warn you, all flames and flamers will be put out with a fire extinguisher. By the way, how do y'all like the name? Any better suggestions? If I like it I may use it! (does hopeful face). Ja!

Warrior Goddess of Flames