diff --git a/src/ArrayBufferStream.js b/src/ArrayBufferStream.js
index e96387e..86d62f2 100644
--- a/src/ArrayBufferStream.js
+++ b/src/ArrayBufferStream.js
@@ -7,11 +7,53 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * The available types to read include:
      * Uint8, Uint8String, Int16, Uint16, Int32, Uint32
      * @param {ArrayBuffer} arrayBuffer - array to use as a stream
+     * @param {number} start - the start position in the raw buffer. position
+     * will be relative to the start value.
+     * @param {number} end - the end position in the raw buffer. length and
+     * bytes available will be relative to the end value.
+     * @param {ArrayBufferStream} parent - if passed reuses the parent's
+     * internal objects
      * @constructor
      */
-    constructor (arrayBuffer) {
+    constructor (
+        arrayBuffer, start = 0, end = arrayBuffer.byteLength,
+        {
+            _uint8View = new Uint8Array(arrayBuffer)
+        } = {}
+    ) {
+        /**
+         * Raw data buffer for stream to read.
+         * @type {ArrayBufferStream}
+         */
         this.arrayBuffer = arrayBuffer;
-        this.position = 0;
+
+        /**
+         * Start position in arrayBuffer. Read values are relative to the start
+         * in the arrayBuffer.
+         * @type {number}
+         */
+        this.start = start;
+
+        /**
+         * End position in arrayBuffer. Length and bytes available are relative
+         * to the start, end, and _position in the arrayBuffer;
+         * @type {number};
+         */
+        this.end = end;
+
+        /**
+         * Cached Uint8Array view of the arrayBuffer. Heavily used for reading
+         * Uint8 values and Strings from the stream.
+         * @type {Uint8Array}
+         */
+        this._uint8View = _uint8View;
+
+        /**
+         * Raw position in the arrayBuffer relative to the beginning of the
+         * arrayBuffer.
+         * @type {number}
+         */
+        this._position = start;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -20,23 +62,40 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {ArrayBufferStream} the extracted stream
      */
     extract (length) {
-        const slicedArrayBuffer = this.arrayBuffer.slice(this.position, this.position + length);
-        const newStream = new ArrayBufferStream(slicedArrayBuffer);
-        return newStream;
+        return new ArrayBufferStream(this.arrayBuffer, this._position, this._position + length, this);
     }
 
     /**
      * @return {number} the length of the stream in bytes
      */
     getLength () {
-        return this.arrayBuffer.byteLength;
+        return this.end - this.start;
     }
 
     /**
      * @return {number} the number of bytes available after the current position in the stream
      */
     getBytesAvailable () {
-        return (this.arrayBuffer.byteLength - this.position);
+        return this.end - this._position;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Position relative to the start value in the arrayBuffer of this
+     * ArrayBufferStream.
+     * @type {number}
+     */
+    get position () {
+        return this._position - this.start;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set the position to read from in the arrayBuffer.
+     * @type {number}
+     * @param {number} value - new value to set position to
+     */
+    set position (value) {
+        this._position = value + this.start;
+        return value;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -44,8 +103,8 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {number} the next 8 bit integer in the stream
      */
     readUint8 () {
-        const val = new Uint8Array(this.arrayBuffer, this.position, 1)[0];
-        this.position += 1;
+        const val = this._uint8View[this._position];
+        this._position += 1;
         return val;
     }
 
@@ -56,12 +115,13 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {string} a String made by concatenating the chars in the input
      */
     readUint8String (length) {
-        const arr = new Uint8Array(this.arrayBuffer, this.position, length);
-        this.position += length;
+        const arr = this._uint8View;
         let str = '';
-        for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
+        const end = this._position + length;
+        for (let i = this._position; i < end; i++) {
             str += String.fromCharCode(arr[i]);
         }
+        this._position += length;
         return str;
     }
 
@@ -70,8 +130,8 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {number} the next 16 bit integer in the stream
      */
     readInt16 () {
-        const val = new Int16Array(this.arrayBuffer, this.position, 1)[0];
-        this.position += 2; // one 16 bit int is 2 bytes
+        const val = new Int16Array(this.arrayBuffer, this._position, 1)[0];
+        this._position += 2; // one 16 bit int is 2 bytes
         return val;
     }
 
@@ -80,8 +140,8 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {number} the next unsigned 16 bit integer in the stream
      */
     readUint16 () {
-        const val = new Uint16Array(this.arrayBuffer, this.position, 1)[0];
-        this.position += 2; // one 16 bit int is 2 bytes
+        const val = new Uint16Array(this.arrayBuffer, this._position, 1)[0];
+        this._position += 2; // one 16 bit int is 2 bytes
         return val;
     }
 
@@ -90,8 +150,8 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {number} the next 32 bit integer in the stream
      */
     readInt32 () {
-        const val = new Int32Array(this.arrayBuffer, this.position, 1)[0];
-        this.position += 4; // one 32 bit int is 4 bytes
+        const val = new Int32Array(this.arrayBuffer, this._position, 1)[0];
+        this._position += 4; // one 32 bit int is 4 bytes
         return val;
     }
 
@@ -100,8 +160,8 @@ class ArrayBufferStream {
      * @return {number} the next unsigned 32 bit integer in the stream
      */
     readUint32 () {
-        const val = new Uint32Array(this.arrayBuffer, this.position, 1)[0];
-        this.position += 4; // one 32 bit int is 4 bytes
+        const val = new Uint32Array(this.arrayBuffer, this._position, 1)[0];
+        this._position += 4; // one 32 bit int is 4 bytes
         return val;
     }
 }