Yay! I lived up to my promise! Two weeks and two days with 2108 words (not including my blurb)! OOH MORE ABOUT MAX'S PAST! Ahem. I keep having to remind myself that you guys are all in the dark about what happened to her. Hehehe. ANYWAYS! You know what sucks? English class. My teacher is INSANE! I have a theory that she is an under cover rogue British spy. Cause it sound slike she's trying to cover up a british accent, she's kind of secretiveish and did I mention she's insane? Well if my writing becomes bad because of her bogus grammar lessons its not my fault. Enough about me. Enjoy and Review!

-Lil Q

Chapter thirteen:

I don't handle biology well. Hell, science in general gives me goose bumps. My Dad had homeschooled me for a decent part of my life. He did touch upon sciences, because he was a scientist himself, but we never delved deeply into the subject. I understood most sciences in principle, I knew what the formulas for chemicals were (though even looking at a beaker freaked me out), I understood water systems, physics, but I could never get in the right frame of mind for biology.

All the stuff to do with organs and DNA and the way bodies work and stuff... It brings me back to a dark place.

I couldn't even stand the sight of the school nurse putting a stethoscope to some kids back. So imagine my dismay when Iggy and I go into science class in a companionable silence and this happens:

Mr. McGill walked into the room in his lab coat that still freaked me out. He was fairly tall and faintly resembled Bill Nye the Science Guy. His seemed like an alright human being, and was a fairly good teacher.

But my positive opinion of him changed drastically when he said "Class today I have a special treat for you. It's dissection day!"

Looking around the classroom I saw several girls wrinkle their noses in disgust. More than a few pairs of boys high-fived. One look at Iggy showed that he was uninterested. But no one had the same reaction of pure terror I did.

So when he passed out the scalpels I started to panic. "Doesn't there need to be parental permission for something like this?" I hissed at Iggy.

He glanced over at me with a surprised look on his face. "No, not for seniors... Freshmen and sophomores maybe but no, not seniors." He grinned. "Why does poor Maxie get squeamish around icky things?"

I knew he was just joking. But I couldn't help but despise him slightly after saying that. "It's not funny Iggy." I said, my voice barely above a whisper, while glaring at him.

His eye brows drew together confusedly. "Are you really freaked out?" He asked, all joking gone.

I sighed. "I have... issues with stuff like this."

His eyes seemed to soften with sympathy. "Alright, then I'll do the actual... dissecting, and you'll take notes okay?"

I was struck by the thoughtfulness of this gesture. Iggy was being... really nice. After all the times I had shunned him and acted borderline rudely he was still being nice to me.

"Thanks Iggy." I said with what I hoped looked like mucho-gratitude, rather than my usual apathetic self.

I thought if I didn't actually do any of the... um... dissecting, then I would be fine.

Of course not. Cause that would be too easy right? So when Iggy dragged the scalpel across the dead frog's stomach, I almost broke down then and there.

But instead I threw my hand over my mouth to prevent the shriek that was pushing its way out.

Being me, and not being able to fit in, when Iggy turned to me and said "Max?" all I could do was grab my bag and run out of the classroom with everyone staring after me.

I ran out to the back wall where I had sat with Iggy earlier, but on the inside I was much farther away.

Flashback:

I was eight years old again. I had been on the school for about a year. Every day the whitecoats had brought on a fresh hell. It was all different; obstacle courses, memory testing, seeing what chemicals I could withstand in my bloodstream and which ones I couldn't. You know the usual stuff.

But a few scientists had gone... well... rogue.

Don't get me wrong, all the whitecoats were maniacs, but they followed orders of their superiors. These two, they had gone off the wire.

I was the only successful recombinant DNA life form so I was somewhat of a special project around here.

Only the best of the best were allowed to work on me, and to test me. All the other scientists could do was watch.

Apparently these two scientists were tired of watching and see what I could do. They wanted to see what I was.

So in the middle of the night they took eight-year-old me out of my cage where I was trying to get some well deserved shut eye. At first I thought it was just another test, like to see if I could operate while half asleep. But when I didn't recognize them and they took me into one of the really private operating rooms I knew that wasn't the case.

Like the others times I was operated on, they didn't give anything to ease the pain or put me under, they only gave me something that would stop my ability to move.

I heard their horrible voices, so critical and formal, like this was a science experiment and not murder.

"It will be interesting to see how different the nerve endings in the brain are, they were modified."

The other whitecoat nodded in approval. "Yes, but we must do the innards first, I want to see how long it survives."

I steeled myself. Even as an eight year old I was strong. I would survive this. I could survive anything. I was Max Batcheldar, and I would do my father proud. I couldn't die yet, not without meeting my mother, not without showing the little boy I had met the sky like I promised.

They sharpened the scalpel. I watched in horror as they dragged it slowly, deeply, and painfully across my stomach. They were going to take me apart.

Through the pain I heard the snap of rubber gloves being put on, they were going to bring out everything that was inside me. They were literally going to kill me piece by piece.

I'm pretty sure that's when I passed out. All I remember after that was the door bursting open and shouting voice, after that, nothing. Just waking up in my crate with gauze wrapped around my half healed stomach.

"Max?" I heard. Huh? It wasn't lunch, why was anyone out here?

My eyelids slid open. I had my head between my knees in the fetal position.

Then all I could see were a pair of black eyes. "Max, are you alright?" he asked, while having his hand on my forehead as if to check my temperature.

Startled by his sudden appearance, I scrambled down the wall as fast as I could and went into a fighting stance.

"Max?" he questioned. But I was too far gone. I wouldn't be able to calm down with anyone right there. Fang raised his hands up in the 'I surrender' position and slowly approached me. "Max, you have a fever, why don't you let me just take you to the nurse's office." Of course I had a fever. My temperature is normal at about 104˚ but Fang didn't know that.

Max. You're coming off as insane. Calm down. I tried a few deep breaths. Nope. CALM DOWN MAX!

What relaxed me? Singing, for one. Guitar, piano, flying. But all those things were useless right now.

Poetry. Bingo.

I closed my eyes and whispered my favourite poem under my breath.

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

My eyelids slid open and I realized my position. I was standing half crouched; ready to spring, and had my hands clenched into lethal fists.

Fang was still there, hands raised, trying to coax me over. I immediately relaxed my hands and posture.

"Sorry. You caught me at a bad time." I uttered. Fang's eyes seemed to calm down slightly. He had been scared of me.

He may have been smarter than I had pegged him for.

"Do I ever catch you at a good time?" He inquired. I snorted. When he was around it became a bad time. He took a step towards me, but cautiously. We were about two feet apart. "I should get you to the nurse."

I had internal walls. There was an entrance to them, but only I had the key and I didn't let many people in.

But Ella, Valencia, Iggy, Nudge, Angel and even Gazzy had been slowly chipping at them away. And I hadn't noticed.

Well I have now. So I lifted my chin, reinforced my walls and replied "I'm fine."

*-*-8_8_

"Alright. Today we are starting soccer." Jefferson said. Yeah he was still working here. But the principal insisted that if he took one more step out of line he would be fired. "I'm going to partner you up and each team will go to an assigned net and try to get the ball past the other player."

He droned on about how to keep your eye on the ball and to try your hardest or you would fail. Then he started to call out names. I noticed Fang was paired with Lisa and I snickered internally. I pegged her as a person who hated sports when I first saw her. She was complete rubbish it was hilarious.

"Maximum Ride!" was called.

I had serious attention span issues "Mm?" I responded.

The gym teacher's face was already an unattractive tomato red. "You will be partnered with Dylan Skye. Proceed to your assigned net." All the other students were waiting with anticipation for my response.

I just shrugged and walked over to one of the several half sized nets placed on the field.

As Dylan passed Jefferson I heard Jefferson mutter "Whip her ass."

Oh so it was like that was it? Hadn't I creamed Dylan in running anyway?

Then I remembered something Ella had told me. "He never gets into big trouble because he's captain of the soccer team." She had said with a look of annoyance on her face.

So I decided to play a game. "Dylan?" I prompted in my best innocent voice.

"Yeah?" he asked surprised voice in regards to my new timid attitude.

"Well, I've never really been on a soccer team or anything so would you mind going easy on me?"

He gave me a smug smirk. "I don't know if it'll help, but sure sweetheart."

I tried to smile. But it came out as more of a grimace. There was only one person I permitted to call me sweetheart. It wasn't him.

"Should I kick first or you?" he asked holding the soccer ball.

"I guess I'll get it over with..." I sighed. Fang, who had was in the net next to me looked over with confusion.

I took the ball and headed over to the line Jefferson had put to indicated where the person kicking should stand. Dylan went into net.

I drew my leg back awkwardly and made it look I was putting all the force I possessed into kicking it. It barely made it to the net.

"See?" I called to Dylan.

He had that smug look on his face again. "I could kick now if you want."

"No I should do all five." I replied mock sullenly.

I made two more crappy kicks just to throw him off. So he was barely paying attention when with hardly any force I kicked it perfectly into the top corner of the net.

"What was that?" he yelled with an astonished look on his face.

I let a grin spread across my face. "Who knew?"

He glared at me. "Alright. No more flukes. I'm ready now." He bent into an athletic stance and passed the ball over.

I almost laughed. Let's see him catch this.

I bounced the ball a few times with my knees. When it was at the perfect level I wrenched my left leg into the air, and kicked the ball with almost full strength right at Dylan.

It hit him right in the chest, he toppled over and with the momentum left over flew into the back of the net. I jogged over to him.

"Dylan you're not following instructions." I berated him. "You were supposed to whip my ass. Not the other way around!"

I looked at the class. Almost all of them were staring at me. "I think he needs to go see the nurse. His ass just got whipped pretty hard." I said to a purple faced Jefferson and went to practice dribbling.

RnR!