IMPORTANT AN: This is set (sort of) after the third book, but with these changes/truths:

The only person that has powers is Angel, and that is limited to reading minds. No sending thoughts or mind controlling, and I'm only permitting this because that power was there since the beginning. It is almost part of Angel's character.

The Flock has permanently defeated The School/Itex. I will NOT be bringing them back. This is a story about what adjusting to a normal life might be like.

A lot of MR fanfiction writers seem to have the Flock's wings retract into their bodies, which is fine, but James Patterson specifically has the flock wear windbreakers in public and mentions in other places that the Flock's wings actually fold up outside of their bodies, like a bird's. That is the way their wings work in this story.

The public does not know about the Flock's wings

Max doesn't have The Voice

Max and Fang are together

The Flock lives with Dr. Martinez and Ella

Ages: (they're probably wrong, sorry)

Max/Fang/Iggy are fifteen

Ella is thirteen

Nudge is twelve

Gazzy is nine

Angel is seven

Thanks for reading this AN! :)

I don't own Maximum Ride. If I did, the series would have stopped after the third book because trilogiesrule!

Chapter One (Max POV)

"MAX!" Nudge screeched from downstairs. I groaned, rolling over on my bed. What was it now? "Gazzy just farted! Like, in my FACE! Right as I was coming down the stairs to eat breakfast, too. I'm not hungry anymore 'cause it stinks and Gazzy is just so gross, and…" Nudge didn't stop talking, so I tuned her out. I slid off of my bed and rubbed the heel of my hand into my face as I yawned. As I walked downstairs, I heard Nudge's monologue more clearly.

"...you that if you did that again I would beat you up! And what did you do? You FARTED in my FACE again! Don't go crying to Max because of your bloody nose-" I walked into the kiten to see Nudge standing over a cowering Gasman with blood gushing from his nose and dripping onto the floor.

"NUDGE!" I shouted. "Shut up!" Silence, apart from Gazzy's sobs. "What the heck? That was extremely uncalled for. And Gazzy," I added, knowing that his broken nose wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him provoking Nudge, "when Nudge asks you to stop, you stop." When they stayed silent, I added "Clean this up. NOW! Gazzy, you can deal with your nose once this is finished." Gazzy jumped up and ran to stuff a paper towel in his nostrils while Nudge pushed him to the side to put water on the paper towel she grabbed. Gazzy glanced over at me nervously as Nudge shoved half of the wet paper towels into his hand. I glared at him and he looked down quickly.

As the were scrubbing, I heard Nudge mutter, "What is with Max today? We give each other broken noses all the time! Plus, we heal fast enough it hardly matters."

"Must be her time of month," came a voice from the stairs. I whipped around.

"What does that mean?" Gazzy asked sweetly while Nudge made barfing sounds.

"Iggy!" I shouted. "It means Iggy's a moron," I told Gazzy. "And, for your information, it's not." I stormed upstairs, only to collide with Fang. I staggered back. Fang looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter," I muttered. Fang jerked his head toward the stairs, telling me to go downstairs. "I'm going to wake Angel up."

"I'm already up," came a voice from down the hall.

"Of course you are," I muttered.

"You know, Max, you should just tell them that you want us to act more behaved in your mom's house." I sighed.

"Is that it?" Iggy snarked from downstairs. Curse his enhanced hearing. "You want us to be good little birdies?"

"Come on, guys," I ordered Angel and Fang. "Let's go downstairs. I need to talk to the Flock." We walked downstairs, where Iggy now had started making breakfast while Nudge and Gazzy sat at the table. I noticed that Gazzy was holding his nose straight with one hand and holding a fresh bundle of paper towels to the bottom of his nose in the other hand. It would probably stop bleeding in a few minutes and the bone would probably heal within a few hours, thanks to our enhanced ability to heal given to us by the same scientists that gave us our wings.

Once everyone was in the kitchen, I decided to launch into my monologue. Now was a perfect time to do it, too, seeing that Mom and Ella were out buying clothes.

"Listen, everyone," I began, unsure of how they would take this, "things have changed. We don't have to be mutant freaks always on the run anymore." A few bird kids flinched. "Now is the time to...try to have a, uh, normal life." Silence. "Let's behave a little nicer, for starters. No breaking bones or fighting. Iggy and Gazzy, no bombs. I mean it.

"Lastly," I added, knowing the Flock wouldn't like what I was going to say next, "this is my mom's house. We will be following her rules. My orders." The room erupted into arguments.

"No way!" Iggy shouted. "She's gonna make us do stuff like go to school and shopping and limit our TV!"

"And we'll never be able to even get materials for bombs to build outside!" Gazzy protested.

"OMG!" Nudge yelled. "What if she doesn't let me wear my pink converse and she makes me wear my hair in certain ways and what if..."

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" I screamed. The Flock stared at me, surprised at my sudden outburst. "How many times have we wished we were just normal kids? How many times did I wish it?"

"Umm..." Angel thought out loud, "at least twenty. Probably more, but I can't count past twenty." I grinned, despite myself.

"Listen, guys. We can pick our own futures now."

"And always carry the burden of our wings," Iggy snapped, still focused on breakfast. "Every time I open my eyes I am reminded of what I am from my lack of sight. Every time I close my eyes I remember what I am when memories flash across my mind. We're not normal, Max. We will never be normal. We will still have wings, air sacs, and red blood cells with nuclei. We can pretend to be something, but we can't change our DNA." I heard a sob and saw a tear fall from Nudge's eye. I sent Iggy a death glare, which he somehow felt and shifted uncomfortably under. I walked over to Nudge and hugged her.

"Oh, Max," she sobbed, "it's just that Iggy's right and we can never be normal and even if The School is gone what if there are still whitecoats out there who want to find us and hurt us and what if they get to Ella and Dr. Martinez and-" I clamped a hand over her mouth and looked her in the eye.

"Nudge, we don't have to be human to be normal kids," I said softly. "We can wear pink converse and our hair in cute ways. We can have fun and act like any other person. Not to mention, the School is gone." Nudge sniffed and looked up.

"You really know so?" she asked.

"Yes," I said confidently. "And by the way, Iggy and Gazzy," I said, looking up at the two of them, "Mom won't do that. We won't have to go to school, and I'm sure you can build small bombs outside."

"Right," Iggy snorted. "Breakfast is ready," he added. There were whoops of excitement as everyone ran to the cupboard to grab plates. We all lined up by the stove. When it was my turn to serve myself food, I heaped eggs and bacon onto my plate. By the time we were all on thirds, we heard the door open and I turned my head to see Mom and Ella walk in through the door with bags of clothes from various stores.

"Hey guys," Ella called. Hellos chorused out from the table.

"Hey, Max, can I talk with you?" Mom asked.

"Um, sure," I muttered. I ran over to the sink and put my plate down.

"Put it in the dishwasher, Max," Mom ordered. I bristled at the order and hesitated. I felt the Flock's eyes boring into me, testing me. Slowly, I picked my plate back up and rinsed it off. I slipped it into the dishwasher and stood up. "Over here," my mom said, gesturing towards her room. She shut the door.

"Max, I uh, I've noticed that you, um...you don't really wear a bra, do you?" she said without looking at me. I froze.

"In case you haven't noticed," I snapped, "I have wings. When I was old enough to wear...bras, Jeb bought some for me, but we couldn't figure out how I could wear them with my wings. He didn't know how to sew, so he couldn't make something that worked." Mom exhaled.

"Well... I've been thinking of a design that I could probably make work," she said. "It would make flying a lot more comfortable." I just stared at her.

"Sure," I said finally. After she measured me, I quickly walked out of there to find Fang doing the dishes.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Upstairs," he answered. I nodded and went up the stairs to get more sleep.