((Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or any of the characters in this book. They all still belong to James Patterson, well, they still did when I last checked. Enjoy!

But I do own the plots, so PLEASE respect this story and the author and don't steal the plot(s).))

Chapter 14: And Remind Me Again Why I'm Here?

"Well, well. Seems like our little trap has caught some vermin."

I turned my head to the rat.

"You gunna take that buddy? I know I wouldn't." I looked back up at Jeb. He glared back

down at me.

"I was talking to you, you annoying brat." I rolled my eyes. I was way over 'brat.' I decided to do everything I could to make this life harder.

I flipped him the bird.

"Oh, please. How did I ever let you grow up to be so disgusting?" I pretended I was scratching my chin.

"Mmm, runs in the family?" Then Anne Walker appered over the top of the trap. I walked right into a trap. I rolled my eyes.

"This is kid giving you trouble?" Jeb nodded.

"I'm not a kid! I'm 14!" For some reason that really ticked me off. I'd never been called a 'kid' before. Anne smiled.

"Wrong." I blinked. Wrong? How wrong? She, Jeb and the Easer turned and walked away. old was I?

Anne appeared a minute later with Jeb. She was holding a clipboard. I saw Jeb wink at her, but ignored it.

"It says here you're 12. Sorry. Guess you've been told a lie hmm?" I went vomit rise in my throat. I was 12! Ahh! 12. Twelve. 12. one and two.

I felt faint and stared up at the sky. I heard footsteps above me and closed my eyes, wishing I was dead. It didn't work, but I'm sure it could be arranged.

"Psst. Oi, you." I opened to find a girl about my age kneeling over the hole. She had a tight singlet on and she was bending down further. I closed my eye again.

"Are you alright?" She seemed unobvious to anything going on.

"Do you want to get or not?" My eyes flew open, searching her face. She had long brown hair, pale skin and a few light freckles on her nose. She looked shortish from where she was kneeing, but still, I was lying 2 meters on the floor.

"Who are you?" I guess I was being rude. To bad.

"My name's Tara. I'm getting you out of here. Unless you want to rot."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. They were going to keep you in here until you passed out from hunger. What's your name?"

Wow, another Nudge. God help me.

"Fang."

"Really? Your mother called you Fang? Why? So are you coming?" She pushed a button or something 'cos the net disappeared.

"Come on, no joke. I swear." I didn't trust her, but I only had one chance. She threw a rope down as I sat up. I knew she wouldn't be able to hold me.

I unfurled my wings. The hole was about 3 foot by 3 foot. Not a chance. I tried anyway. I winced as my wings hit the walls. When I left the whole, I threw myself out, rolling on the ground before coming to a painful stop. I stood, rubbing my back, and found this Tara girl staring opened mouth at me.

"So your one of them. Oh my freaking God." She snapped out of it quickly.

She was wearing short shorts and black sneakers that came up to her ankles. They were pretty cool. She caught me looking at them.

"You like them huh? Limited Edition Converse Sneakers. Cool huh?" I nodded, looking around.

She was shorter then Max, but average from a human girl. Whatever that was.

"Now, are you coming?" She waved a hand, loaded with bracelets, vaguely over her shoulder.

Oh great.

"Um, I guess." She turned, motioning for me to follow her. We head voices behind us.

"Come on! Run! Follow me!" She set off, running faster then I thought she could. It was easy for me to keep up with her, but I could go on for longer then her to. She'll wear out way before I do. We flew down a small bush path, well hidden. She obviously new her way around. Oh man it was hot.

We turned a sharp corner and she fell, tripping over a root. I stopped, helped her up, then pulled her into the hole behind a boulder as some Whitecoats came into view.

"Are you ok?" I asked her, looking at her ankle. She nodded, moving closer into the rock as the Whitecoats came nearer.

They walked past us, stopped about 4 foot down the path and turned. One had a small computer thing in his hands.

"Shit," The girl whispered as the other Whitecoat spotted us. I unfurled my eyes and he backed off, startled. I've never seen these guys before. I grabbed the girl, Tara by her knees. As she feel backwards, I put my other hand on her back, and ran away from the two Whitecoats. I was up in the air in about 2 minutes.

"Wow! Aren't I heavy for you?" I shook my head. In fact, I would rather carry her then Nudge when she refuses to fly because we won't stop.

And it had nothing to do with the fact that through her singlet, I could see…her…bra. The top of her….bra was showing over her singlet. I sighed. Great, this was going to be a long flight.

"Is your ankle alright?" She nodded.

"I think it's just sprained, That's all. So, how come your mother let them do this to you? Or you father?" Can I drop her? Please? She realized I didn't answer.

"You don't talk much do you? Are you emo or something? Oh shit, you don't have parents, do you? I'm so sorry! Oh my God, I didn't know!" I sighed.

"Yeah, I don't have parents."

"Are there any more of…you?" I yelled at myself in my head. Remind me not to do this again? I'll save the damsel next time.

"Yes. There's 6 of us." She leant forward a bit, scratching her leg. Oh God! I kept looking straight ahead.

"Oh, and you're not 12."

"What?"

"You're 14"

"Thanks for telling me." What a relief! Phew!

"Look! There's about 8 of them!" I looked down, over her waist. I saw what she couldn't. They were all holding guns.

"Hold on!" I flew quickly to the right as a shot rang through the air. Anther one speed past me, narrowing missing her foot. She looked up at me.

"Why were you down there?" I asked, dodging yet another bullet.

"My mother is Anne Walker's best friend. She's looking after me in the school holidays. I hate her. That stupid bitch tried to take me back to where ever you grew up."

The School. Anne was going to turn this girl in to a freak as well? Maybe I had saved her.

Maybe we'd both saved each other. Oh well. I was out of the Whitecoats reach, and that was the main thing. I dodged another bullet.

Then suddenly pain exploded in my right shoulder. Ahhh! What were they using? Golf balls? I looked down to see if the girl was ok. She had been sprayed in my blood.

"Shit! Fang, are you o- Oh my freaking God. It's gone straight through! Oh my God!" I tried to beat my wings faster but it had hit the bone in the right wing, making it hard for me to flap it.

Soon enough, it would seize up completely. Suddenly my leg exploded with pain, just as my shoulder had done. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from yelling out. I continued flying, even though it killed to do so.

Soon enough, as predicted, my wing clamped up, making me cry out in pain and frustration. Tara's head snapped up.

"Oh Shit Fang. You have to land. They're following us in Humvees." I looked down over her hip. There was now where to land. No hills or anything. What would Max do? I scanned the area below me. Nothing. Then I saw a cluster f large rocks. Suddenly I became to lose height.

Shit, I was going to splatter! I stretched out my bad wing as far as I could, and lifted my good wing up a bit. I became to spiral downwards, towards the rocks. I just hoped, for the girls sake, that I would make it.

I landed to the ground with a thud, falling sideways. Right on to my sore shoulder. Yeah, that one. Tara stood up and knelt by me.

"Are you ok Fang? Oh God, I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid! I didn't think! I'm sorry!" I held up a hand. After Tara helped me up, I inspected my leg. It wasn't as bad as my shoulder, but it was still bad.

I pulled a bullet from my leg.

It was huge.

About an inch long.