I do not own Maximum Ride, James Patterson does. Enjoy!
I'm ten years old and I can't remember a time when I didn't live in a cage. Kinda sad if you ask me, not that anyone ever does. See, I live in a place called the Institute. Why? You might ask. Well it might have something to do with the fact that I have a giant pair of wings on my back, but it could be something else. So, for longer than I can remember I have lived in a cage being tested on by whack job scientists called whitecoats. Although I am pleased to inform you that I have recently been upgraded to a large cage rather than the medium one I've been living for the last five years. On the downside, I have also just been moved to what we experiments (yes, there are more of us) like to call the reject room. Being moved to the reject room means the whitecoats are done testing on me. So that's good, right. Wrong. It means that they are going to set us free in a courtyard and let the new batch of Erasers (a human-lupine combination) use us as hunting practice. That we don't survive.
Actually I was just moved to the reject room yesterday. It was the first time I had ever actually seen it, and it was even worse than I imagined. The first room I entered was filled with desks and computers and file cabinets. Then I noticed a huge black curtain sectioning off a rather large part of the room. And behind that curtain was a giant glass wall and about 50 or 60 experiments, including my four year old sister Ava. She had been taken about a week ago and there she was curled up asleep covered on her long light brown hair with her tawny wings stretched out as far as possible behind her. All the other cages were squished together as tightly as possible. And then I saw one empty large cage. I am now sitting in that empty large cage trying to rest.
Then I hear the big door that I know is across the room creak open. Odd, only the four or five whitecoats that work the night shift come in here and I know it's not night yet because there is a digital clock by the exit. Now me being the awesome mutant that I am use my enhanced hearing to listen to the voices, but they are drowned out by the computer that has just suddenly whirred to life. I sit up and grip the bars of my cage as I strain to hear. Just then the curtain is slowly pulled open and six other mutants stand there staring and the rest of us reject room residents begin to wake up. I look over and see Ava still asleep as the youngest of the six strangers approaches a cage holding a dog about 30 feet away.
"Hi doggie," she coos, "Hi little doggie. You look like Toto from The Wizard of Oz."
What in the world is The Wizard of Oz? Then I saw the other two girls standing by Ava, who was still asleep, staring at her wings. One of the boys, who I at first didn't even notice was there because he looked so much like a shadow, walked over to the two girls and whispered, "You know, you can't save them all."
"I'm supposed to save the whole world, remember?" The older of the two whispered back, "Well I'm gonna start with these guys."
Another boy had walked up behind them and it appeared he was blind! "Start popping latches," she whispered to him who passed it on to a boy younger than me and both kids started doing exactly that, soon followed by the rest of the kids.
To my sister the girl whispered, "Get ready to run. We're getting you out of here." Then she scooped up my tiny sister before starting to open more cages.
When the girl got to my cage she seemed to notice my midnight blue wings tucked against my body, she stared for a moment before unlocking my cage. She jumped slightly at the sound of my voice.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" I asked her.
She looked me in the eyes and softly said, "Kids don't belong in cages." Then she called out in a loud voice, "Okay, let's blow this joint!"
I got out of my cage and joined the big group of mutants that was following a girl who looked a little bit older than me, "This way! Don't be afraid," she encouraged.
"I hear voices. Be very afraid." The blind guy said. Way to be encouraging. But then I heard them too. Voices. My heart clenched in fear as the voices started to grow closer.
"Nudge! Fang! Angel! Out! Out! Out!" Shouted the girl carrying my baby sister and the two other girls and the oldest looking boy zoomed over the rest of on their own wings, all the while shouting encouraging words down to us.
"Where are we?" I asked the oldest girl who seemed to be the leader.
"Sewer system, under a big city. On our way to fresh air and sunlight." I can't believe it! I'm going to see the sun shine for the first time in my life! And I still have Ava with me.
"But not just yet," I turned to see one of the biggest Erasers I have ever seen hissed. "First we need to chat, Maximum. You and I. For old times' sake."
Maximum handed me Ava and the baby curled up into my arms. Maximum turned back towards the Eraser and began to make "run" motion with her hands. I took the hint and began to run with Ava hanging onto my arm. I soon caught up with the rest of the escaping mutants and started to help herd them out into the sewer.
"I'm gonna take them with me," I told the oldest guy when he tried to help show me where to hide.
"What?" he asked shockingly.
"Most of these kids aren't going to make it until morning, and they could get you caught. You helped us escape and I don't wanna repay you by getting you caught," I explained.
"Are you…"
"Yes," I cut him off. And with that I started off with about 50 kids following me.
Well I hope you enjoyed and please leave reviews!