bazinga101: Feliz navidad, amigos!

Iggy: Huh?

bazinga101: Merry Christmas! Geez, you really are uneducated.

Iggy: Sorry! I don't know French!

bazinga101: O.O,

Lily's POV

I felt like a mistake. I'm light, yet heavy ... agile, yet clumsy ... smart, yet a total moron. Huge round wings were on my back, uncomfortably weighing me backwards. My fangs made it hard to talk, hard to eat. Nothing about myself felt natural. I'm a fifteen year old girl with a constant problem of facial hair. Maybe not quite hair but whiskers and patches of striped fur. In the winter my auburn hair spreads to the sides of my face, making it nearly impossible to appear normal. Strike that, it's completely impossible for me to appear normal. I had to learn to shave at age eight so I could blend in and avoid capture.

At the School, I was born with bengal tiger DNA but my success as a long-lasting recombinant didn't seem to satisfy them. The whitecoats gave me barn owl's wings at age five. Since then I've been at war with myself, trying to keep my feline and avian instincts at bay. Flying is nearly impossible for me, for my natural domain is land.

What's worse is now I'm stuck in New York after the end of the world, scavenging for food that hasn't already been swept away by the freak tsunami that had taken everyone in the city. Between my appetite and my metabolism, hunger has become a regular part of my twisted life.

I was roaming my broken kingdom, trying to satisfy my ever-growing hunger with bits of hotdog and cookie crumbs.

It was weird, getting to walk around with my orange and black tail trailing behind me, not having to wear a hat to cover my pointed ears. Not that my ears are any use. At age eleven they had been permanently damaged in an eraser attack. By then nothing mattered except survival and I still would go to any lengths to do so.

I inhaled, trying to detect any smells of meat over the stench of mud and rubble. I opened my eyes, catching the faint aroma of a cheeseburger. I dropped onto all fours, sliding out my claws. I've missed this. The hunt, the feeling of power and grace despite my unnatural wings. Twisting and slinking around fallen buildings, I found it. Sitting next to a cash register, the cheeseburger was literally shining under a beam of flourescent light. Though cold and hard the meat was heaven to my dry tongue. Licking the wax paper clean, I surveyed the building.

Clothes were strewn everywhere, covering silver racks and broken mirrors. I knelt and picked up a wrinkled shirt. I glanced down at my outfit. Hospital gowns aren't exactly 'in' right now.

A sudden wave of happiness struck me. I could be normal! All I need is some normal clothes, a normal hair cut, and normal shoes.

I dashed about the store, prancing and grabbing hangers. Some of this, some of that, ew, not that. I imagined myself begging a parent to come here with friends. I'd spend the day here, burning my allowance of five dollars a week. For a moment, I felt as if my fantasy was real, actually dreading the return of school on Monday. But I tripped over my tail and remembered the awful truth.

Finally, I decided on a shoulder shirt and skinny jeans and began searching for shoes. This was something I desperately needed. I've been running around the city bare foot, more than once stepping on shards of glass.

I decided on a plain pair of Converse, seeing as UGGs were not the easiest to run in.

I checked myself in the mirror. My patches of fur were gone, replaced by a cluster of freckles I didn't know I had. I extended my wings, for once in my life proud of their powerful beauty.

I felt like a mistake. A wonderful, perfect mistake.

Fang's POV

Maybe Iggy's right.

The thought appeared out of nowhere, startling me. Don't think like that, I thought, Max isn't selfish.

You're just saying that, said the other part of me, you're just saying that because Max is your girlfriend.

I shook my head. I need to concentrate. Max needs me to help with reassuring the mutants. I can't start doubting her now.

I glanced around the treehouse village. Everything looked fine. Everything except.. I squinted trying to make out a distant shape.

There were at least twenty mutants heading for the village and none of them looked friendly.

bazinga101: Sorry the chapter's so short, Iggy was mad at me because it hardly mentions him.

Iggy: Seriously! I'm ignored enough as it is!

bazinga101: Right... And thanks a bunch Aesanna for being the first reviewer! Oh, and I don't do PM for security sake. Sorry.

Iggy: So paranoid.

bazingha101: You betcha! And don't forget to visit my poll. R&R to help Iggy feel less lonely!