Hey everyone! So sorry this is up a day late... I had it typed out and everything but yesterday, I got one of my top university decisions and found out that I was rejected.. not even waitlisted or deferred. I wa straight up denied.. so yesterday was not fun.

Anyway, I felt bad so I'm uploading this today :) This chapter is a bit different because up until now, the entire story is from Max's point of view but this chapter will mostly be from Phoenix's P.O.V.

Please review and give me feedback on if you guys like this chapter or not since it's a bit different :)

~Harmony

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Chapter 20:

"Remember, no showing your wings. Keep them tucked in to your back and NEVER engage in a fight with your powers." I buttoned Phoenix's jacket.

"What if they hurt me?"

"They won't."

I took her hand and we flew into town. We landed in the woods behind her school.

"Okay this is your school Nix." I knelt down to her level. "I know this might be scary and to be honest, I hated going to school but you need to interact with people your age."

"I don't want to go if you aren't coming with me." She stomped her foot and crossed her arms.

"I know everyone is going to be older than you but you're smarter than them."

Phoenix huffed.

"Fine. If you're going have a bad attitude about it then I'll go." I started to pretend to walk off.

"No, wait! I'll go!" Phoenix ran and hugged my leg.

I smiled a little. So Phoenix responds to manipulation. Huh. Interesting.

"Alright, lets go… and remember what I said. Don't talk about anything to anyone alright?"

"Got it!" She looked up at me with her blue eyes. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too, Nix." I guided her to the front of the building. "Here we are."

I watched as Phoenix walked off with her black Jansport backpack. She looked so much younger than all the other kids in her grade. She had just turned 5 but she was in first grade because she was smart. Angel had taught her well. I watched her glance back at me with her hair framing her face. She was wearing skinny jeans with a grey sweater. And of course, when she saw my signature combat boots, she said she wanted a pair too so there she was in her cheap, miniature combat boots.

"Bye!" She yelled as she walked through the door. I waved goodbye and started to walk into the woods. Today was her first day of school. I can't see into the future but I have a feeling that this year is going to be crazy.

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~PHOENIX P.O.V~

"Bye!" I yelled as I waved to my mom. I breathed out. My first steps into a normal human school.

I had never had a human friend before besides Gracie. I didn't really want any friends to be honest. I had the flock and they were all I needed. I was doing this for Dad and Mom. They wanted me to go to school so here I am…. first day of first grade. Here we go.

I opened the door and the hallways blasted with warm air compared to the chilly air outside. I had come here last week to take my placement exam. I was actually qualified to join 2nd grade but they put me in first.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember where the room was. I walked down the hallway and made a right. Hmm I think it was room 102? I closed my eyes again and pictured the hallway- birds eye view. Ah-ha! Just down a few more.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

I opened my eyes. I saw a girl with brown hair who was on the floor.

"Oh sorry. I didn't see you there..." I reached out an arm to help her up.

"Of course you didn't… your eyes were closed!" She got up and dusted herself off. She brushed past me and murmured something. "Weirdo."

I could feel the anger coming up. 'I even asked to help her and she calls me a weirdo! UGH.' I tried to relax. 'Control your powers. You can do this.'

I walked into the room and looked around. There were multiple groups of four desks clumped together with names on them. I walked around to find my name.

'Sam, George, Lilly, Fern,- aha! Phoenix.' I sat down and looked across from me. There was a girl named Fern. She kind of looked like me except that she had green eyes instead. Next to her was the girl who I accidentally bumped into and next to me was a girl named Lauren.

I smiled at Fern. She just stared at me. Okay then… I guess no one is friendly at this school.

"Hello class! My name is Ms. Wilson and today is your very first day of first grade! Are you excited? I know I am!" She grinned from ear to ear at the class. "Okay so first, we're going to play a little game to get to know each other better! The person across from you is your partner."

I looked at Fern. After the teacher finished explaining the game, she said we could start.

"Hello." Fern stared at me with intense light green eyes. "20 questions. Go."

"Hey… um..." I thought of a question to ask.

"Are those your real eyes?" She asked me.

"Yeah. Are those yours?" I asked back.

"Indeed they are… Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope, I live with my mom and the flo-" I pursed my lips together. "...dad, two uncles, and two aunts… you?" Phew. Close call.

"My foster sister is sitting right next to me and my foster brother is in 3rd grade. Do you have any talents?"

'Oh plenty.' "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Fern smiled a little. "Well can you kill my sister instead?"

"Glad to." I laughed with her. I think I just made my second human friend.

After we had already asked each other 20 questions, we still had about 10 min left so we continued to talk.

"Where did you live before coming here?" I asked her.

She shifted in her seat. "Oh.. um.. I lived… all over. Mostly in California. What about you?"

"I was born in Georgia but we moved here right after I was born."

"Oh so you know this place pretty well then?"

"Not really… family kind of lives in the middle of nowhere..." I tried to change the subject. "So what special talents do you have?"

"Well… I'd probably have to kill you too." She laughed with me.

"Good one! Wonder where you heard that phrase before..." I smiled at her.

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I was having so much fun today! Fern was the coolest human I'd ever met. She was super smart and she could even run as fast as I could! We had just finished lunch and we decided to have a race. After that we were walking around the field when Fern noticed something.

"Hey look at that." Fern pointed to a 3rd grader picking on a girl named Samantha in our class. "That's my…. brother."

"He looks like a jerk." I commented.

Fern rolled her eyes. "Yeah acts like one too."

"Um. He's coming this way Fern."

"Hey sis!" He sneered at her. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your first friend?" He crossed his arms and leaned down at her.

"Why should I." She glowered her eyes at him.

'Woah. She can be scary. I'd be scared if I was her brother. Wait is that what I look like when I do that?'

Her brother shoved her. "Because I'm your older brother now and you have to do what I say!"

"Don't touch her." I said in a quiet menacing voice.

"Oh look Fern. Your little friend wants to protect you." He laughed and stepped forward to grab my hand.

I grabbed his wrist. "Don't touch me either." I kicked him in his pudgy stomach and he fell right on his butt. I started to punch him in the face when someone suddenly caught my wrist.

"Phoenix, don't. Let it go." I tried to wriggle my wrist free but I couldn't. Either Fern was inhumanly strong or I was getting weak. She pulled me away to the back corner of the building.

I was seething with rage. 'Okay. Control. You can control.' I breathed out. "Your brother was going to beat you up! How can you just let him do that?"

"I don't. But you can't beat him up Phoenix—"

"How were you able to stop me from punching him." I demanded.

"What do you mean?" She looked at me with glowing green eyes.

"You're not human. There's no way. You can beat me in a race, you stopped me from punching someone, and no one has eyes like that." I looked into her eyes. "You're from the school aren't you."

She widened her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking-"

"Yes you do I can read your mind… You suspected that I was from the school too so you put mind blocks up… up until just now."

"Fine." Her green eyes narrowed. "Who are you and what do you want."

"I'm exactly who I said I was but clearly you aren't." I narrowed my eyes back at her.

"Well you're honest are you? I know you aren't human either." She stepped forward. "What are you?"

"I'm Phoenix. Figure it out." I smirked. "What's your story?"

"Born and brought up in the school. My real older sister broke me out. Erasers killed her. So I had to fend for myself. Social Services found me and I've been in the system for a year. I've been switching homes for the past 2 months and this is where I am now. I like the mom but her kids are horrible as you probably noticed." She took a breath and waited for me to tell my story.

'I hope Phoenix likes me. I've never found anyone with other abilities beside myself. Wait. She can read my mind…'

Well she seemed trustworthy. I'll get Angel to verify but... I decided to trust her.

"My entire family, the flock, was brought up at the school and a rogue scientist broke them out and they lived with him for about 3-4 years. Then, the whitecoats betrayed them and the flock has been on the run every since. My mom, the leader of the flock, and my dad liked each other and ended up with me. The school is looking for me so we're in hiding. I call the rest of flock my aunts and uncles cause they're basically siblings to my parents."

"So you really do have a mom and a dad?" She sat down cross-legged in the grass.

"Yeah." I sat down next to her. "But you have foster parents right?"

"It's not the same though. Even though they say they'll treat you like their own child, they don't. I don't even know who my real mom or dad is." Fern looked down at her hands. "My sister was the only person who took care of me. The last thing she said to me was that she loved me and she told me to be safe." She looked up and mentioned at the surroundings. "I hate the foster system but if this is what I have to do be safe, then I'll do it."

"Well, now you have me right? We're both hybrids… I get you. My family doesn't know who their parents are either... but it'll be okay." I would hug her but she didn't seem like the affectionate type. "You know, if you ever want to feel comfortable, I can take you to our place."

"Really?" She looked at me.

I smiled and nodded. "I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind…"

"No its okay. I don't want to make your parents mad or anything. I know the whole staying low thing can be hard."

"No seriously. If you every need anything, just find me."

Just then, the bell for the end of lunch rang.

"Lets go." Fern leaped up on her feet and started running to the door. "Bet you can't beat me!"

"Bet I can!" I laughed as I sprinted to the door.

"I can't wait to show Fern to the Flock. They've told me so many amazing stories about other mutants but this is my first time meeting one for myself!"

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It had been a week since the first day of school… and a week since I met Fern. She was my best friend. I found out that she was 95% human, 3% flying fox [A/N: it is really a thing LOL] (which explains how she's so fast), and 2% feline. She had very large black leathery wings, which were just a bit larger than mine. Her green eyes now made sense that she was part feline. Her powers included that she's very fast on foot, she can see in the dark, and some others, which she won't tell me.

Fern started walking across the field to the woods. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"Race you!" I started sprinting to the woods. Soon, I passed her. "Ha! I'm beating you." I laughed mockingly.

Fern smiled slyly. "In your dreams Nix." In about 2 seconds, she was already ahead of me and we had already reached the woods.

"Whoa." I tried to catch my breath. "That was incredibly fast."

"Well that's what happens when you have fox and cat DNA."

"You're not even out of breath… geez." I had never run faster than the capabilities of my flock and Fern definitely overpassed that.

"Yup." She smiled proudly. She looked over to a clearing. "Wait what's that?"

"It's just a clearing… why?"

"No past that…. I hear water."

I listened closer. "I can't hear anything."

"It's a lot of water! Let's check it out!"

"Are you sure? I can't hear it so it must be pretty far away."

"We have half the day! We'll be fine..." She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the sound.

After about 30 min of walking, I asked "Fern, are you sure its even here?"

"I have really good hearing. I think it's only 10 more min."

I sighed. "Okay but-" Then I heard the fair sound of water rushing. "Wait! I hear it now!"

"Lets go!" We started picking up the pace and the sound got closer and closer. We pulled back the leaves and looked at the sight in front of us in awe.

"It's beautiful." Fern's eyes lit up as she walked towards the huge waterfall.

"Lets take a swim!" I started to walk towards the pool of water.

"No! It's way too cold… and its winter. Are you crazy?" She pulled me back. "You'll freeze!"

I smirked knowingly. "Oh please." I put my feet and hands in the small pool and mentioned for her to come in. "I'm not afraid of the cold."

I waved my hands around in the ice-cold water. I closed my eyes. I could feel the comforting heat coursing through my body.

"Phoenix, are you okay?"

I opened my eyes and could feel the heat radiating off of my body. I knew my eyes were a fiery red.

"I'm fine." I looked at Fern who looked a little freaked out.

"Your… eyes. They're like fire..." She looked into my eyes mesmerized.

I laughed. "Come on Fern. The water isn't cold anymore." I moved the water around with my hand and it started bubbling.

"That's a pretty insane." She carefully put her feet in the pond.

"Yeah and it's also really hard to control and super dangerous."

"Oh come on, how dangerous can it be."

"Well, when I was probably a week old, I killed my first eraser."

"Whoa really?" Fern raised her eyebrows. "How many erasers have you actually killed?"

"Well technically, my mom said I killed about 50 erasers when I was in her stomach. And then a week after I was born, I killed another one and then about a month after that, I think I almost killed two more." I was pretty proud that I had done all of that.

"I know it sounds psychotic but every single time I killed an eraser, they were trying to kill my family."

Fern laughed. "Yeah I totally get it. When my sister and I were in the school, they would make us fight the erasers almost every week so we wanted to kill them every time."

"How was it? I mean being at the school and everything? The flock always tells me stories about how it was horrible and Angel would show me pictures in my mind but I guess I'll never know…"

"...Without living it." Fern finished. "Yeah it was probably the scariest time in my life but it made me stronger and after my sister broke me out, that was probably the best time of my life."

"How was she? Your sister."

Fern looked down at her hands and then looked at me. "Her name was Ember. She was the best person in my life. She looked exactly like me and had the same powers and everything. When we broke out, I was 4 and she was 13. We had so much fun. We were doing the normal things for about the first couple of months. Flying to random cities, staying low, eating whatever we could find. Then, one night, we were sleeping and when we woke up, erasers surrounded us."

She took a breath. "We started to fight them but there were too many. I was fighting two erasers at once when one of them pointed a gun and shot at me. My sister jumped in front and she got shot instead. When the erasers saw the blood, they became psycho. That's when we realized that these erasers had been in the area for weeks trying to look for us with no food and they were hungry. So when they saw my sister dying, they pounced on her. My sister told me that she loved me and told me to be safe before the erasers devoured her. I tried to fight them but I was too weak." Fern looked into the distance as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I can still hear Ember's screams echoing through the woods sometimes."

I realized that I was almost crying myself. Fern hard gone through so much hardship in her life. She had to watch as erasers ate her sister. I put an arm around Fern. "I am so sorry Fern. I wouldn't have asked if I knew that that's what happened."

She put her face in the water and came back up. "No it's okay. I haven't talked about it to anyone since it happened."

"Ember could control fire like you too. You remind me of her a lot." Fern pulled down her collar. "My sister embedded this the day before she was killed. She had one too." On her collarbone, there were two small lumnicient symbols. A fire and a leaf and under it, it said "Safe."

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We had been playing around in the waterfall for a while and we were exhausted now.

"That was so much fun!" I laughed.

"I never have this much fun back at home." She grinned at me.

"You know I can't help but feel as if we found each other for a reason." Fern sat up and leaned against the rock behind the waterfall.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. In the entire school, we happened to meet each other and we both just happened to be mutant hybrids."

"True and not to mention that you can control heat and fire, just like my sister."

"Yeah." I thought some more and remembered the symbols. "Wait, what does a leaf have to do with you?"

"Oh that." Fern smiled slyly. "Watch this." She mentioned for me to swim to the pond.

Then she closed her eyes and it suddenly got a little windy. Then by Fern's command, small flowers started to bloom in the bushes next the pond. The wind picked up a little and the flowers flew into the pond. Before I knew it, flowers floating on top of the water surrounded me.

"Fern, that is so cool! It's beautiful!" I looked around me in awe.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a gift." She smiled.

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What did you guys think? REVIEW and let me know!

~Harmony