This is my longest chapter yet, 2,015 words! I really like the way this chapter came out, it tells you about Max's past, when she was away from the , I want to thank everyone who's reviewed or added my story to alerts or favorites, you guys are the best. I hope you love this chapter as much as I do, please please please Read and Review, this is a chapter that I want your honest feedback on, enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride

Chapter thirteen

(Fang Pov)

After Max had gotten off the phone she was in a much better mood.

"So let me get this straight" Gazzy began "You were planning on fighting Cain's entire army by yourselves? What kind of plan is that?"

"There wasn't anything else we could do" Max said "I'm not exactly popular amongst the Angel kids, they think of me as an abomination, a disgrace to their good name, and the demon children outright hate me."

"But still, couldn't Lilly or Lucas have asked for help?"

Max's face darkened a little "Not exactly, they were both banned from the Angel's society a few years back, because they associated with me."

Guilt was written all over Max's face. She had always thought of herself as dangerous, not just towards enemies, but towards us too. But if she was endangering anyone, it was herself. She had very self destructive behavior; she was going to get herself killed one of these days.

"Speaking of Lilly and Lucas, where are they?" Nudge asked

Max shrugged "I don't know, they never tell me, they never really trusted me, but if I had to guess I'd say they're out begging for assistance in the war."

"Why don't they trust you?" Nudge asked

"Because of you" Was all she said.

"So you're blaming it on us?" Iggy asked indignantly.

"No" Max said calmly "Not you, I blame myself for everything that's happened these past few years, and it just so happens that they do to."

"What are you talking about" Iggy demanded, like me, wanting her to get to the point.

Max's face was a mask, she looked calm and cool on the outside, but I knew her well enough to know that she was upset.

(Max Pov)

They wanted an explanation, I knew I'd have to tell them one day, I just wished it wasn't today.

"I guess I should explain it all started when I was eight…"
Flashback

The alarm was sounding; I could only faintly hear it through the thick walls of the room we were kept in. I had opened my cage and was heading towards the one closest to mine, Fangs. I messed with the lock trying to pry it open like I did with my own, but my trembling hands were of no use to me. I could hear the footsteps of the erasers nearing the room, faint, but not too far, my time was limited. I cursed and started smashing the heavy metal padlock against the bars of Fangs crate. I looked inside, he was staring at me.

"Go" he said

"I'm not leaving without all of you!" I said stubbornly

"You have to, or they'll kill you for trying to escape" He said. I looked around, I could feel the eyes of my flock on me, all four of them Iggy and Fang, both eight, Nudge, six, and Gazzy, two. I would come back I promised, no one deserved this, and from what the scientists said there was going to be another avian hybrid soon, one that was related to little Gazzy. I would come back, I thought sternly to myself.

I looked around "I'll comeback for all of you" I told them. And then I spread my wings and began to flap. I had never actually flown before, it was a lot harder then it looked, but I made it to the ceiling twenty feet in the air, and smashed the window with a piece of metal one of the white coats had left lying around. Just as I was about to go through the window the door burst open.

"Stop her!" I heard an eraser shout. Bullets began to fly towards me, I could hear Gazzy and Nudge screaming. I couldn't turn back, not now.

It had been almost a week, I was on my own. I hadn't eaten in a long time and I was growing weak. I landed in a forest somewhere in the north, and I collapsed on the ground, I'd just close my eyes for a little while, and then I would go find food, I told myself as the entire world faded to black.

"Is she alive?" I heard a boys voice ask.

"Of course she's alive" A girl responded.

I opened my eyes and saw that I was still in the forest. Standing around me were a boy and girl about my age, and a little behind them was an older girl with dark hair, I pulled myself into a sitting position, immediately alert.

"What's your name?" The older girl asked me

"Maximum Ride" I said warily.

The girl smiled "That's a cool name, I'm Vanessa, and this is Lucas she said pointing to the boy, and Lilly." They both waved.

"We have a few things to explain to you about what you are" Vanessa said. "Come with us."

They had explained everything to me and we had lived happily in New York for almost six months now. They taught me everything I would need to know to survive. They often asked me about my past, I told them about the school, the white coats and I even showed them my wings.
"Are there more of you" Lucas asked one night after training was finished. I thought of the flock, I missed them and was plagued by guilt. I hadn't gone back for them like I promised; I was beginning to wonder if I ever was going to go back. I wanted so much to deny the flocks existence, to pretend the first eight years of my life were just a screwed up nightmare, but I couldn't do that, at that moment I decided I was going back for the flock.

"No!" Vanessa said when I told her my plan to go back to the school to save my family.

"I have to do it!" I protested

"I'm in charge" Vanessa started "And what I say goes!"
"I can't just leave them there to rot!" I yelled

"You are not returning to that awful place and that is an order!" Vanessa yelled.

I glared at her. I didn't like taking orders, if I ever had to run anything, I would be in charge, because taking orders is not something I did well.

I stormed off, a plan already forming in my head,

It was almost nine in the morning, I walked out of the small apartment and began walking towards times square, I had to do this where a lot of people would see.

Once in times square I utilized my newest power, one I hadn't told Vanessa about. I Screamed, earning myself a few glares from passerby's I pulled out a gun and aimed it at my head, I pulled the trigger and the whole world froze. I stood up, invincibility wasn't one of my gifts, but I had become transparent the bullet went right through me. Everyone stood frozen, some staring at the spot where I just stood, others frozen with looks of confusion on their faces.

I shouted addressing them all

"I have killed myself and you all are my witnesses, let this day haunt you for years to come, the police already arrived and took away my body, you saw it all." I then released my hold on the people and I disappeared from times square, the people thought I killed myself, it was on camera, Vanessa, Lilly, and Lucas would think I was dead, I forged police files and medical documents in case they decided to dig any deeper. My newest gift, mind control was definitely going to come in handy.

Three days later, I found myself outside the school, just the sight of the place made me feel uneasy. I wanted to turn around and run away, but I was not going to abandon the flock, not again. I walked towards the building, there were dozens of erasers on guard, it was going to be extremely difficult to get in. I climbed into a nearby tree and moved closer to the schoo, protected by the trees, There was a stretch of clearing before the school, I couldn't hide in the trees forever, I had to distract the erasers so I could get into the building a hundred yards in front of me.

I ran through the bushes, making as much noise as possible.
"There's something in the bushes" one said, I could hear the excitement in his gruff voice.

I could hear multiple sets of footsteps approaching where I just stood. Silently I made my way to the clearing. Only to come face to face with an Eraser.
"Well well well, look what we have here" He said tauntingly.

I punched him as hard as I could in the stomach; he doubled over in pain and growled at me.

I brought my knee up to his hairy snout and heard a crack as his nose broke. He fell to the ground motionless; apparently breaking someone's nose was fatal. I was shocked, I never intended to kill, murder wasn't right; I stood there in disbelief until I heard voices.

"I smell something" An eraser said

"Let's check it out" another said.

I turned towards the school and ran. I extended my wings and flew quickly to the roof, where I was hidden from the erasers sight. I needed to find the window to the room where they had kept us. They would still be there, they had to be.

After fifteen minutes of searching I found the window looking into a room full of dog crates. The window opened from the outside, but it was padlocked shut. I didn't try to bash it open like I did last time, instead I pulled out a lock picking kit, something Lucas had given me a few months ago and began to work on the lock.

It took less than five minutes. I heard a satisfying click, as the lock opened. I threw the window open and slid through. I landed quietly and on both feet. I looked around; I was in the same room that I had spent the majority of my time in since I was born. I saw the cages that belonged to Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Fang, they were all empty. I cursed, I hadn't planned on this. I walked towards the door seeing no other option but to go out and look for them. My hand was on the door when I heard footsteps approaching. Quickly I dove behind a pile of unused crates just as the door opened.

Ten erasers walked in, escorting a tired and disoriented looking flock. They threw them into their cages and laughed as they locked them. The erasers left immediately. I waited a few minutes before emerging from my hiding spot. No one noticed me at first, they were too tired. I walked over to the nearest crate, one previously unoccupied, now it was occupied. There was a baby who couldn't have been more than a few months old inside, with a shocking amount of blond hair on her head. Before I could investigate more someone called my name.

I spun around to see four pairs of eyes focused on me.

"They know you're here" Iggy said

Before I had time to react the door burst open, dozens of erasers poured in, I had to choose, do I fly away, or try and save the flock. I stood my ground. I was going to take out as many of these monsters as I could before they got me.

Present

"That's it" I concluded

The flock all stared at me in shock.

"You stayed at the school for us?" Nudge asked

"Of course I did, you guys were my family." They all cringed when I used the past tense.

"You could've died" Gazzy said, looking guilty

"I could've died doing a lot of things, but I wasn't going to let you guys suffer anymore, it wasn't fair that I was outside enjoying freedom while you were all being tortured at the school." I said.

"Max, we're staying to fight with you." Angel said. "We owe you that much."

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