Starting on my Gallagher Girls FF too. I don't own that or Maximum Ride...just to remind you.

This was the part of being leader that I hated the most. I knew I'd have to ring the door bell at some point, but wasn't in a huge hurry to do it. But I needed to. We'd finally made it to the address that Luca Morris called home. What would I say? Would her parents answer? Who is this girl? What's her story? Only one way to find out.

I rang the door bell and waited.

Less than a minute later I heard the bolt shift and the door open.

"Hi Fang. Nat. AJ. Come on in."

Weird.

I looked to Nat, who was still healing from her injuries two days ago. She looked a lot better, but still had her stitches in. We'd take them out tomorrow or so. She shrugged, strutting in and making herself at home.

"You're Luca?" I assumed, closing the door behind me.

"Yes, I am. Come on in, Fang. I'll explain everything."

We sat on the sofa, drinking some sodas and eating some chocolate chip cookies from a box. It made me sorely miss Max, but hey, when didn't I? I got angry thinking about she and Dylan and what they might be up to right about now.

"Are your parents home?" AJ asked in between cookies.

"No, I don't have parents. At least not that I know of. I live here alone." She answered. This girl was thirteen, maybe fourteen and she was living here alone? How did she manage that?

"I just escaped from the Itex Facility a couple of months ago. I'm currently blackmailing the landlord for free rent." She stated.

"How are you blackmailing him?" Nat asked.

"If I told you that it wouldn't exactly be blackmail anymore, now would it?" Luca grinned mischievously.

Huh.

"How did you escape? And how do you know who we are?" I asked her, biting another cookie.

"Some of the scientists asked my opinion sometimes on different cases. They would have me review files and make medical recommendations. I saw AJ's file a few months ago. I have a photographic memory so it stuck. I…saw Nat in another file. That's how I knew it was her. And obviously I know you from your blog, Fang. "

This girl was off her rocker. Why would brilliant (yet completely insane) scientists ask for the opinion of a thirteen…or fourteen year old?

"They let me read books. I like to study a lot. I understood the recombinant theory they used by the time I turned twelve. I've studied everything though…Math, English, Foreign Languages, Physics, Ancient Civilizations and History…I love it all." She smiled.

Okay, we get it. You're smart.

"One of the books I was given was on meditation and the body. It discussed a form of Bhuddist meditation that was heatedly debated. People wondered if it actually worked. So, I tried it myself."

"What is it?" AJ asked.

"It slows the body down so much it mimics death. You can't hear or feel breathing. The heart slows down at an alarming rate. Professionals argued that even if it did work, it shouldn't be used because it's too dangerous." She said, eating another cookie.

Nat and I looked at each other skeptically. This girl was crazy, a complete and total waste of time. Even if she did have wings, she was obviously unstable…not someone I wanted near my Flock.

"I understand why you don't believe me. It is rather incredible. I can show you if you like." She volunteered.

I shrugged, not really believing she could do it anyway, until she laid down on the floor and closed her eyes.

After a couple of minutes Nat lost patience. Big surprise there.

"Okay, this is a waste of time. Let's go." She ordered, heading for the door. Luca looked like she was asleep, and had no reaction whenever Nat spoke. But my curiosity got the best of me.

I bent down to listen to her heartbeat. I braced, waiting for Luca to flinch as I got so close and invaded her personal space. Nothing. I put my hand to her neck to feel for a pulse. Nothing again.

"AJ?" I called. He came over to do the same thing. He put his hand underneath her nose to feel for breath.

"Either she's not lying, or she is really dead." AJ said, sounding more scared than he had looked two days before.

"She's not dead!" Nat called, kicking Luca in the side.

Nothing. No flinch. No grabbing. No fighting back. Not even any eyes opening. Luca was laying there like a corpse.

"Wake up!" I ordered, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. Still no response.

"Luca!" AJ screamed in her ear. Two minutes went by and we really believed she was dead…until her eyes fluttered open.

"Sorry if I scared you. I have to come out of it gradually. If I come out too fast my body can go into shock and I could actually die." She explained, sitting up on her own.

"Holy shit." Nat whispered.

"I told you she was for real!" AJ yelled, holding his hand up for a high five from Luca. She just looked confused, not returning the gesture. High Fiving wasn't common in Itex facilities, I'm sure.

"Wait. You said you saw me in another file? Have you seen my file?" Nat asked suddenly. I'd forgotten Luca had mentioned that little fact.

Luca seemed ashamed, but was ready to answer her question.

"It wasn't your file, Nat. Sorry."

"Then who's?" Nat asked angrily, on the verge of demanding answers. I moved to settle her down, not wanting her to rip open her wounds.

"Jamie's." Luca answered sadly.

"This one?" Nat demanding, slamming the manila file on the coffee table in front of her. It was the same one we had found in New York.

"The take out all evidence of the living in DOA files." Luca replied.

DOA files. Dead on Arrival. Deceased. Jamie really was dead.

Nat looked angry for a moment, but no surprise crossed her face. She had known it after all and dealt with it. Luca wasn't telling her anything new.

I interrupted quietly, not wanting anyone to react from the tension.

"Do you know why we're here?" I asked Luca.

She nodded, finishing off her soda. "Yep. I was just waiting on you guys."