"Get it over here, fast."

This woman was referring to me as an "it." However, she could do whatever she wanted; she was the Director of Itex.

One of the men in a painfully white lab coat grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the dark cage. The brightness of the glaring lights above burned my eyes and skin. Being in a dog crate for over a week can really do that to you. I squinted against the luminous lights and saw the Director standing in front of me with a matching lab coat on. She toyed with some papers on her desk and pulled out a manila folder labeled, "Avian". She pulled out a piece of paper and skimmed through it.

"Maximum Ride…" My name sounded like poison on her tongue. "I see you're 15?"

I didn't respond, which was my first mistake. The guy who had my arm had tightened his grip, seconds away from snapping it. I meekly nodded my head, not even meeting her vicious green eyes.

"And of the avian variety," She looked at the man beside her. "She'll be perfect for the experiment."

My breath hitched in my throat. "Experiment" was kind of a sensitive word for me, along with "test", "examination", and "procedure." I had spent the last 6 years at Itex, being used as an exhibit for scientists to test and gawk at. I've had wings since the day I was born, but I had never had to deal with people constantly analyzing my every move. So six years ago, Itex had captured me and taken me to their lab. I don't have parents anymore because Itex killed them in a "car accident." Although I've tried to escape before, I've realized that staying is my last resort.

And then I spoke, "What experiment?" This was my second mistake. The guy twisted my arm around, both breaking it and flipping me onto my face on the cold stone floor. I looked up from where I was laying and saw the Director hovering over my near-unconscious body. I had been deprived of food and movement so I was pretty much as weak as I could be.

"His name is Fang," She growled. "We don't know his last name. But we do know that he is an avian hybrid and that he lives in New York City, U.S.A. We need you to pose as a normal teenager and capture him for us."

"I-I-…" I stuttered. However, my broken arm was a constant reminder to not speak.

"You will be sent off in the morning. Ilene already has everything in order—your clothes, cell phone, enrollment, everything." She nodded to the guy who was still holding me and he dragged me back into the cage.

I didn't expect this to go very well.