It was four hours and nineteen more runs through that maze before I didn't have to do it anymore.

    I was pushed into the large circular room from outside my jail cell, where I instantly found twenty pairs of young eyes on me. They were mostly kids, with the exception of a few being around twenty or so. The eldest, a girl with shaggy red hair and blue eyes that reflected light back at me stood up and started heading towards me. Which made the alarm bells in my head go crazy.

    I backed up against the wall, hating the hunter look she was giving me.

    When she was so close I could smell her breath, she finally spoke.

    "What's your name boy?"

    "Why should I tell you?" I said immediately, hating how scared my voice sounded.

    A smile twitched on the corner of her mouth. She leaned back, and held out her hand.

    "Casey."

    I shook it suspiciously. "Will."

    Casey patted my back, or tried to, I stopped her hand before it brushed against my feathers. She gave me an interesting looks.

    "So, why are you here? Mutant or To-be?"

    "I don't know what you're talking about." I put up my walls with this girl.

    Casey sighed, and gestured around the boring cement room. "Everyone is here for a reason, whether you're a born mutant they need back, or a regular human. To be a mutant."

    Aha, that's what I needed to know. Her strange eyes shone right through me. She looked around twenty five, give or take a few.

    I glanced up, there was a huge skylight, maybe I could fly up there and see if I could break it. Though I bet I would get electrocuted before I could flap once.

    "What is that made of?" I pointed at the skylight.

    "Glass, we think, what are you gonna do, fly up there?"

    For a second I thought she was kidding with me. But I bet she had seen far more than I had, and her voice was serious. I shuffled away from her, then jumped in surprise when a dark colored hand slammed in front of my face, against the wall.

    "You can fly?" A young male's voice demanded.

    I looked over to see a boy who looked about my age. He had black hair that almost went down past his eyes, which were red.

    "Maybe, I'm still thinking." I replied, pushing his hand away.

    It was true, I need to find a way to get the zap band off.

    He went right up to my face and shoved me. I lost my balance and fell back a couple steps.

    "What's your problem?" I growled.

    "If you can fly than you'd better help us." He snarled back.

    Casey put a hand between us.

    "Tyler, he's just a newbie."

    Tyler whipped towards her. "I don't care, I'm so sick of this place."

    He pushed past the older girl with his fists flying. I caught the glint of claws, that's when I knew I had to move.

    I twisted, letting him fly past me. Once he realized I was no longer in front of him, Tyler let out an angered scream and I saw fangs, yes fangs, flash from his gums.

    We were both distracted by a loud grating noise. Above us, a ledge had slid out of the wall.

    I saw my chance, but before I could take off there was the harsh feeling of claws of my back. Tyler had taken his claws to my skin and feather. Though I heard his grunt of surprise when WOOSH. I unfurled my wings, there was a collection of gasps below.

    Tyler fell back against the ground. Casey was staring up at me in awe. But I was struggling to stay airborne, Tyler had taken some important feathers with him. But I made it to the ledge, and, breathing hard, I laid on my stomach and rested.

    It was a few minutes laters I heard worried calls of Casey, and a few others. I wouldn't come down, not with that blood thirsty beast.

    "Tyler!" I heard her call. "Are you here?"

    There was some grunting, and a much weaker voice than I expected answered her.

    "Yeah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

    "You had better apologize, you scared the poor boy to death!"

    "Whatever, hey kid I'm sorry!"

    I peeked over the edge. Tyler's eyes were no longer red, but brown. And his claws had disappeared. I cautiously spread my wings out again, gliding slowly around the room and enjoying the feeling of having my wings out again. Before dropping quickly and landing before Casey and her friends.

    One of them wolf-whistled, and Casey shoved him.

    "You got skills Will." She replied smoothly. "So I'm guessing you're a recently re-captured born-mutant."

    "Yeah," I replied, liking this girl more than anyone else.

    "I'll introduce you to our gang here, or at least the sociable ones. The rest just mile around about how horrible their lives are, the kids that have spent their whole life mostly. We are the ones who know we're gonna escape one day, and you might be able to help us."

    She pointed to a scrawny eighteen year old, with elongated fingers. "This here is Nicky, but everyone here just calls him Gecko."

    Gecko waved a hand, and I saw small ridges in his skin like paper in a file cabinet. My eyes are that good.

    She pointed to a young girl of maybe ten, who's eyes were a maroon color.

"Say hello to my little girl, Frankie, she telekinetic." Frankie waved her hand, and some little cubes started floating, though they wavered and dropped after a few seconds. Casey patted her head sweetly.

    "Here and there are Raphael and Poppy, brother and sister. Both are really strong."

    They both had blonde hair and green eyes, and didn't look like much, but I had learned not to underestimate anyone a long time ago.

    Lastly, she pointed to Tyler. Who was slumped against a wall.

    "You already met sunshine over there, he's knew, came in only month week ago. Tyler's got some dragon parts, but when he's really angry he'll loose control. Kind of like a raging demon-Hulk. Don't try to talk to him afterward cause he's real sensitive about it. And whatever you do don't call him a devil." She informed.

    "Why not?" I asked, curious.

    "He was raised in the circus by that name, like, freak show circus. He had to fight other mutants. Poor kid hates violence nowadays." She rested a hand on my shoulder, then seemed to notice my discomfort, and dropped it.

    "What about you kid? How far did you manage to get?"

    I swallowed. "Well, I used to live with my parents in Los Angeles, until I met James and got all over the web. I got all the way to Canada."

    Casey gave me a comforting, half-smile. "Same with me, I have night vision, probably noticed didn't you, my eyes reflect light. I lived with my brother until Mr. Worthington, a.k.a. I Have The Sun For A Smile, showed up. Then my five minutes of fame went by and I ended up here."

    "What is this place exactly?"

    I leaned sideways against a wall.

    "The Lab, they're training us to be super soldiers. I wouldn't be surprised if they ran you through some more special tests. You went through mazes before you got here right?"

    I nodded.

    "They were testing to see if you have a homing sense. Because of your birdyness."

    I laughed. "Seriously?"

    "Not kidding, I'm guessing you don't?"

    "I'd get lost in my own room if my mom didn't make me clean it every week!" I laughed again, it started to become bittersweet because I missed my family. I missed everyone who had taken me in.

    Casey, in all her awesomness, gave me a sympathetic looked walked away to do who-knows-what, sensing I wanted to be alone.

    The arena-like room had sliding wire mesh doors that led to each of our little cells. I plopped down on my beautiful flimsy bed.

    I laid there until my breathing slowed. I almost fell asleep, but the ever present teeth of hunger gnawed at my stomach. I didn't tire, and the drug the used to knock me out left me wide awake.

    I yelped as I got a tiny buzz from the anklet. I sat up and stared at it. When ever I poked it, I got a zap. So they wouldn't even let me touch it.

    It made a wirring sound, and twisted, I bit my tongue when it pinched my skin. A green light flashed suddenly, and I felt a small prick.

    Then the world started moving in and out of focus, and I was dimly aware of the panicked voice as the world got a whole lot darker. I was forced into sleep again.