A/N: NEW STORY! WHAAAAT!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a cross-sequel between Typical Mutant and Please Forgive Me. Meaning, if you haven't read both of those stories, you may be a tad bit confused. So I suggest you go and read both of those stories and then return. K?

Ok, and now, time to get to the story. :D I am so excited for this.. I wrote the first chapter to this probably at least a year ago, if not more. I've had this waiting for soooo long.

Disclaimer: This is the only time I'm going to say it. I don't own Maximum Ride – never have, never will. This covers every chapter, okay? Thank you.

Nick POV

Hey, hey. It's Nikola Ride. Call me that and I will do my best to send you back to your

Okay, not even gonna finish that. It'd be a total waste of time. Speaking of wastes of time, this whole thing is a waste of time. Mark my words, I'm only doing this because

God! I'm having extreme difficulty finishing anything that

Okay. Let me just type the word.

Just...give me a moment.

...

...

...

M

Aaaaarg!

This is impossible!

Why am I not able to get over this? It's been a whole week since

Oh My Gooooooooddddd! I swear I am going to kill someone!

Okay. Pilates time, everyone. No, I am totally just screwing with ya. Do I seem like a Pilates kind of girl? The correct answer is no. Not even my

Why does it keep coming back to this? Okay, I need to get totally off subject. Bacon!

...No, that reminds me too much of

Holy - There must be something. What about...Government Banan

See, I'm hopeless. Even the most random things keep circling back to

You know, maybe I should just...explain. You have the right to know everything about

-steam comes out of ears-

Okay. Really. This time it'll work. Let's just get started.

So I really don't actually know how to explain this. I guess I'll just show you a flashback, since I'm kind of new at this and I seem incapable of just typing out four letters.

We'd finished training for the day. Already I could knock Angel down in three seconds flat. And she was eleven years older than me! Gaz was a bit more tricky - it took me at least three minutes before I could pin him down, if he didn't get me first. It was about 50/50. Nudge, the same. Uncle Ig and I were pretty evenly matched. He was getting old - 31. Same as Mama and Dad.

But Mama and Dad were a whole 'nother story. Dad could knock me flat in about ten seconds. Mama was a bit more gentle, usually cheering me on from the sidelines and then tussling with Dad afterwards. Dad was real gentle with her, and most of their fights ended with them kissing on the grass. It just goes to show how much Angel, Gaz, and Nudge have changed when they cover their eyes and start screaming at the top of their voices when Mama and Dad do this. Uncle Ig and I just look at each other - well, I look at him, seeing as he's been blind for 24 years, and he stares at a spot around my right ear - and we both roll our eyes exaggeratedly.

Anyway, Mama was about eight months pregnant on this particular day, with my new baby sibling. And I'll tell you right now that I was excited as hell for baby Ride to arrive. Not that I was admitting it to anyone. But whenever I looked at Mama's swollen belly, an excitedly panicked feeling rose in my chest. You know the one.

Since Mama and Dad had been only seventeen when I'd been conceived and born, I was more of a trial run, and this baby was like the real thing. But I didn't mind. I loved my life - I'd been the baby for so long, and even though I didn't turn out exactly how they'd planned, well, I'd had hormonal teenagers raising me. You can't blame me. This baby would be more normal, if you could call it that.

Anyway, Dad was making Mama sit these sessions out, and she didn't really seem to mind. She sat back, her maroon and purple striped shirt bulging, and shaded her eyes with one hand. Her hair, which was curly from the pregnancy hormones, frizzed down her back. It would straighten back out after the hormones were gone.

Dad and Uncle Ig tussled on the grass in front of us, while Gaz and Nudge cheered them on. I lay back next to Mama and spread my wings out. They were black, like Dad's, but they had shining gold streaks in them. When they caught the sunlight, the gold flashed like wire. I had long bangs to my shoulders, the rest shorter than most boys'. It was black with gold streaks like my wings, and so were my eyes. I had sharp, angular features like my dad, and his skin tone. But I was built a little more like my mama - lithe, thin, fast reflexes. And I sure as hell had her temper.

Anyway, we were all just relaxing, when suddenly Dad froze. Uncle Ig rained blows down on him, but Dad just lay there, not moving.

"What's wrong, Fang?" Uncle Ig sneered. "You finally accepting my superiority?"

Dad grabbed Uncle Ig's wrists, freezing his movement. With one movement, he flipped Uncle Ig over and sat on his back, pinning his arms underneath him.

"Fang!" Uncle Ig howled, getting a mouthful of dirt. "No fair!"

Dad didn't move. Mama tensed next to me.

"What is it, Fang?" she murmured.

Dad reached forward and brushed the hair off of the back of Uncle Ig's neck. Mama sucked in a breath, and I sat up to see what the fuss was about.

There was something tattooed on the back of Uncle Ig's neck, something that his long, shaggy hair has been hiding. It looked kind of like a date.

"When did you get that done, Uncle Ig?" I asked curiously, not getting it.

Without warning, Nudge burst out crying. Everything else seemed frozen. Gaz and Angel's eyes were wide with terror. Mama and Dad were both staring in shock at the back of Uncle Ig's neck. And horror rose on Uncle Ig's face as he realized what was going on.

Well, that put him one step ahead of me. I had absolutely no idea what was happening.

"What?" My voice rose and cracked. "What's going on, guys?"

"Check everyone." Mama's voice sounded hoarse. "Now."

They all started crawling around and checking each other's necks. My eyes widened when Mama grabbed my shoulders and bent my head forward painfully. "Wait!" I shouted, wrenching myself out of her grip. I noticed her close her eyes and sigh with relief. "What the hell is happening?"

Nudge was facedown in the grass, her shoulders shaking. Her hair had been pulled aside to reveal an inky tattoo on her neck. Gaz had drawn his sister into his arms and they were sobbing into each other, just like they were little kids again. And Uncle Ig was frozen, still lying in the grass, his mouth slightly open.

"IGGY!"

Mama's shrill scream keened out across the open air, just as Dad fell forward. Mama lunged forward and caught him in her arms. He sagged against her ballooned belly.

"FANG!"

That single word ripped my heart to shreds. I opened my mouth and screamed as Mama's eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed backward, her arms still around Dad. Nudge's shoulders were still. Gaz and Angel were slumped in the grass, their arms still around each other.

"Mama - no -"

I rolled Mama over. Her chest wasn't moving. Her eyes were open, staring up at the sky. Dad rolled off her chest, his arms flopping lifelessly.

"NOOOOO!" I screamed, tears poured down my face. I scrambled around, checking each Flock member. I shook Angel. Nudge's tears hadn't yet dried off her face. Gaz's big blue eyes were still full of terror.

I crawled over to Uncle Ig. My eyes were streaming with tears.

"Uncle...Ig..." I wailed.

"...Nick..."

I froze, then flipped over Uncle Ig. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes were closed. With effort, he forced them open. They were clear.

His blue eyes landed on mine. One of my tears landed on his face.

"I...can see you...Nikola..." Ig breathed. His smile stretched across his lips; wavered, and then stretched again. One of his pale, thin hands reached up to touch my face. "You're...so beautiful," he managed. "Maximum...was right...about you, Nikola."

"Uncle Ig," I choked. "You can't die! You can't leave me!"

"It's...my time," he choked. "My last adventure ...begins..."

He smiled again before he lost control.

"You're...so beautiful..." he said again. "I...love you, Nikola."

His hand fell from my face. He was gone.

"NOOO!" I sobbed. I fell forward onto his chest.

I didn't move until long after he'd gone cold.

I rested my chin on the handle of the shovel. Sweat poured down my face, and stuck my shirt to my back and stomach. My jaw trembled as I thought of my flock, my family, now lying in their final resting places.

I laid down the shovel and trudged back into the house where we were living. Heading straight for the phone, I paused. I looked down at the numbers, inserting one nail into my mouth and chewing furiously. There was a small sheet of paper next to the phone with two numbers I'd never called in my life.

I made my decision and picked up the phone, dialing and then sticking it next to my ear. It rang and rang before going to voicemail. I hung up and dialed the other one.

Unfortunately, this one was answered.

"Dr. Martinez speaking, how can I help you." It wasn't a question.

"Hello. This is...Nick."

"Nick?" Dr. Martinez sounded confused.

"Nikola. I'm..."

"Are you selling something?" Dr. Martinez asked suspiciously. "I thought I unsubscribed to all of Ella's magazines a long time ago."

"No...I'm your granddaughter."

Five hours later, I was climbing out of a taxicab in front of the Martinez home. I gripped the straps of my backpack nervously, my bottom lip trembling again. A tear rolled down my cheek as the taxi drove away. I swiped it away angrily and strode up to the front door, ringing the doorbell.

Dr. Martinez answered right away. Her hair was all gray now, and she had a toddler on her hip. She stared at me for a moment before crying out and setting down the toddler, who pattered away back into the house.

"Oh, my goodness," she said. "You look just like your father."

At the mention of "your father," I started bawling. She wrapped me up in a hug and I sobbed into her apron.

"Come in, honey," she said, taking me into the house.

In the kitchen, there was a young woman leaning back on the back two legs of a chair. She was a beautiful Hispanic woman, with glossy black hair cut in a bob, her large brown eyes wide with curiosity. When she saw me, her chair flew down with a thump. She gave a little cry.

"Holy crap," she said. "Ho-ly crap."

I gave another sob. My eyes were stinging.

"Ssh, ssh," Dr. Martinez soothed. "What's the matter, Nikola, honey?"

I opened my mouth.

"They're dead," I wailed.

The woman froze. Dr. Martinez stiffened. Her arms clutched my back, panicked.

"Mama and Dad and Uncle Ig," I sobbed, "and Nudge and Gaz and Angel. They're de-" I stopped and swallowed. "Dead," I sobbed.

Dr. Martinez's arms went limp, and she fainted on the floor. I sank to my knees, but in a flash, the woman was there.

"I'm Ella," she murmured, "your aunt. You must be Max and Fang's little girl."

I sobbed into her blouse. She wrapped her arms around me and shouted a name into the house. Strong arms lifted me up and carried me away into blackness.

I didn't eat, speak, or come out of my room for three days. I sat on my bed with my arms wrapped around my legs and stared out of the window with dry eyes. Dr. Martinez, Ella, and her husband, Gage, came in occasionally, often accompanied by Ella and Gage's son, James, and their baby daughter, Monica. James was the toddler I'd seen earlier, and Monica was about seven months. I guess they were my cousins.

I finally came downstairs after three days, plodding down after a hot shower. My hair hung wet and limp around my face, but at least I no longer smelled of Death.

I sat at the kitchen table. Dr. Martinez turned around, surprised to find me sitting there. She handed me her mug of freshly made coffee and I held it between my hands, letting the warmth seep into me. She made herself another cup and then sat next to me. Her eyes were also rimmed with red, and every time she looked at me, they brimmed with tears again.

When I didn't say anything, she offered her words first.

"When Max was...seventeen," she said, counting back years, "we had a disagreement. I don't even remember what it was about now. But it's the last time she spoke to either me or Ella."

I didn't say anything.

"When Gage and Ella got married, we hoped that Max would hear about it somehow and show up, but she didn't. That was six years ago. I guess she was too busy with you, but I wasn't to know that. I didn't even know you existed!"

Her voice sounded all full of agony for a moment. She wrapped her arms around her waist and closed her eyes. A tear seeped out from under her lids.

"How did it happen?" she finally croaked out.

"These...tattoo things. Dates. On the backs of their necks." Each word weighed a hundred pounds on the tip of my tongue. My mouth felt swollen.

Dr. Martinez exhaled slowly. "Expiration dates. I was afraid that would happen."

"Expiration dates?"

"All the experiments at the School had one. They show up when you're about to die. Actually, I'm surprised it took so long."

I swallowed. Mama's swollen belly appeared behind my eyelids. Uncle Ig had told us it was a boy, and I used to spend hours dreaming up names. Micah? Logan? Dean? I don't know. I must have come up with hundreds. I had a little notebook that I wrote them all down in.

"Will I have one?" I asked Dr. Martinez.

She frowned. "I honestly have no idea. You're offspring from direct experiments. None of them ever lived long enough to breed before. I expect they'll want to collect you for testing."

I froze.

"And if you want to stay safe," she said, looking right in my eyes, "there's only one place I can send you."

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