Disclaimer- I don't own Maximum Ride :(

Author Note- Hey! December-Apples here :) So this takes place I really don't know. Somewhere after Max gets the voice (which btw, is italicized) I will try my best to do Max and the flock justice but her, I'm not the real writer. The flock will come in. The first chapter is just like an intro to why Max isn't with Fang and the crew. Please review! :)

Chapter 1

Maxine Ride grinned across the table at her best friend, Jamie. They had been sharing a water bottle of pink lemonade for almost the whole study hall and had yet to be caught by Mr. Jones, the study hall teacher, or Ms. Vanderbout, the snobby librarian. Max turned to her essay on Irish immigration. She was so sick of writing it. They had been working for a week in these essays, picking them apart and rewording and rewriting them. She glanced up as a pencil wacked her notebook. Jamie sat there grinning broadly, motioning to Max's backpack. Clearly the Nazi librarian had left and Mr. Jones was running an errand in the office. Max's slender, tan hand darted into her olive green backpack and retrieved the ice cold bottle. Taking a swing, she tossed it to her friend, who chugged the last and passed the bottle back to Max. As it was about to be safely concealed in her pack, a gnarled hand grabbed it. Max slowly looked up to find Ms. Vanderbout glaring down at her.

"A drink in the library!" she wailed, her screeching voice grating on Max's nerves "And by the computers! Oh you are so coming to the office Miss. Ride! Right now!" Max leapt up and was dragged halfway out of the library when she caught Jamie's snickering face, and motioned that she would get Max's stuff and save her work.

xXxXxXxXx

Max sat in a chair outside the office. The principal, Mr. Flutey, was with another student and had requested she wait. Not like she had a choice anyway. Max glared at the wall. This was totally unfair. Principal's office just for drinking in the library.

Well Max, they did warn you.

Max sighed. They had said, when she first joined, eating and drink in the library was forbidden. But, Max was never good at being told what to do. So naturally, neither did her friends. Jamie, Nate, Ben…Fang. Max stopped. The thought had come unbidden to her mind. She hadn't thought about her flock since they had split 2 years ago. They had thought that she was outta control, losing it. She disagreed. In the heat of the moment, they had split. She had regretted it the next morning, but it was too late. She couldn't go back. She only hoped they felt the same and would come find her. They never had. So Max changed her name to Maxine, schools didn't think Maximum was a real name for some reason. She joined a school, got a best friend or three, and tried to move on. Jamie was without a doubt her best friend who she trusted with everything. Jamie even knew about the wings. She didn't pry or press, just accepted them with a nod, a grin, and a joke, and then moved on. She never asked for demonstrations or for Max to get something from a high shelf. She and Jamie slept over a lot so Max wouldn't have to spend a lot of time at the orphanage. Nate and Ben were brilliant and total opposites, even though they were twins. Nate was super smart, moderately serious, and good at telling what she was really feeling. Ben on the other hand, not the sharpest tool in the shed, always cracking jokes, and knew how to make Max smile. Secretly, Max hoped Ben liked her. It was a silly thing to hope for when you were a bird mutant kid, but she did. He had a great sense of humor and was very cute. Dimples, short blonde hair, and about her height, she thought he was perfect. The opening of an office door snapped her back to reality and out of her daydream about Ben. Principal Flutey came out, practically dragging Ben by the scruff of his shirt. Ben grinned at her. "Well hey there Max!" Ben called cheerfully "I'm off to class again."

"Like you were ever there Ben!" Max joked playfully.

"Get in there Miss. Ride and I'll be right back after I escort Mr. Verti back to class." He growled

Max smiled innocently. "Right away Principal Flutey."

xXxXxXxXx

Max slid down into the hard, plastic chair. "Oh hell." She muttered and got up and began wandering the office. Max stopped when she saw her name on a file on Flutey's desk. Not Max or Maxine, but Maximum. Maximum Ride. Grabbing the file, she flipped it open and nearly collapsed with the weight of the memories she had boxed up. It was a whitecoat file. Flutey was a white coat. Shoving other papers off the desk, she continued to rifle through the belongings on his desk. Max nearly cried when she saw a picture of her and her flock, staple to a sheet that had words… in French. "Great." Max hissed, and then swore violently. She didn't know French.

But you know people that do!

"Thanks voice. You're so helpful." Then Max stopped. "Oh man. You are! Jamie speaks French!"

XxXxXxXx

The bell was chiming for lunch when Max slipped out of the office. Nearly sprinting down the corridor, she skidded to a halt outside of the library where Jamie was exiting. "Max?" Jamie hissed "You're supposed to be in the office…oh god. What the hell happened? Your mascara is all over the place!"

"Not now Jamie!" Max breathed and dragged her into the bathroom. Handing her the sheet, Max whispered "Translate please?" Jamie's mouth opened, as if to protest, but her eyes fell on the picture of the flock and she closed it. Nodding, she sat down and began writing the translation in her notebook. Max turned to face the mirror. Her auburn hair was hanging in messy ringlets and happy blue eyes were circled by mascara and pink eye shadow. The pink eye shadow matched my skintight long sleeved Underarmor, which was contrasting beautifully with the ripped black boot cut jeans.

"I got it! Jamie called. Max grabbed it out of her hand, but had no chance to read it because the announcement speakers crackled to life spewing just one word.

"Lockdown."

But it wasn't the word that terrified me. It was the voice that spoke it.

XxXxX

Hey :) so this is my first time writing a Maximum Ride Fan Fiction, so please please review? Good? Bad? Suggestions? Please Review!