Max has saved the world, but now she's ruling it. Fang thinks the power has gone to her head. They have a fight and Fang leaves. Will Max realize her feelings for Fang before its too late?
Chapter 1I sat on my throne (I really don't know why I have one. Jeb told me I had to.) with Fang's and my argument from a few hours ago still echoing in my mind.
Flashback"Max, listen to me." Fang said patiently, though I could tell he was strained, "I'm not trying to criticize you."
"Yeah? Well, then, what are you trying to do?" I retorted sarcastically.
"I'm trying to help you, you idiot!" he yelled, "You're letting all of this power go straight to you big head! I've been trying to tell you nicely but it hasn't seemed to have gotten through your thick skull! You're changing, Max! This power's gotten to you so badly… its like I don't even know you anymore." He finished quietly. That stung.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I growled through clenched teeth.
"I just…I mean…ugh! What I'm trying to say is that you boss the flock around. You boss people you don't know around! You've been bossing your mom around. You've even been bossing me around." He whispered the last part.
"How is me bossing the flock and you around any different from before?" I cried, outraged.
"Okay, yeah. You did boss us around before, but its different now. Before, you were serious but you'd be…I don't know…playful about it. Now you just act like your word is law, do it now or face the consequences. You don't kid around anymore. Its all business."
I…I just…oh, god. What do you want me to do, Fang? Do you want me to just stop being ruler of the world? Do you want me to just give all this power up? Do you want to go back to being on the run? Not knowing where our next meal is gonna come from, not sleeping in the same place every night, fighting for our lives, living each day knowing we're not safe and not knowing when we'll die? Do you really want that? 'Cuz, if you do, sure! Fine! I'll just drop everything and we can all run away again. Is that what you want me to say to you?"
"No." he replied firmly, "Max, please, just listen-."
"No! You listen!" I screamed, "I'm not going to sit here all day and listen to you tell me that I need to do my job better! Can you not understand that?!"
"Max, I just-."
"Leave." I said, facing my left, my eyes closed. I said that one syllable in a voice cold enough to freeze boiling water and quiet enough that I could barely hear it.
"Max, please-." His voice was pleading, but I cut him off.
"LEAVE!" I screamed shrill-ly, my head whipping around to face him, my eyes flashing murderously.
He stumbled back a step, his face looking as if I'd slapped him, his eyes betraying shock, anger and, worst of all, pain. But, as quickly as I was able to see it, it disappeared and he straightened, his eyes falling flat once more.
"Fine." He stated calmly, "Just don't expect me to come back." And, with that, he turned on his heel and marched out the double doors, slamming them open as he went.
Stubbornly, I slumped back on my throne. As several seconds passed, I began to realize what I'd done and jumped up, throwing myself through the doors Fang had passed through not 15 seconds before. However, all I saw of him was a black dot receding into the distance.
"Fang!" I cried. I knew he wouldn't hear me, though, "Fang." I whispered his name that time. Oh, god! What have I done?
"Do you want us to kill him, your Highness?" One of my guards asked officially.
"Oh, god no! I cried, "And, please, don't call me 'your Highness'. Its just Max. I mean, you're older than me. And, anyway, I'm not feeling very high right now."
"Well then…Max. Do you want us to follow him and bring him back here?" he asked just as Angel flew (not literally) down the hall, wrapping her skinny arms around my waist. I guess she'd seen the whole thing.
"No." I told the guard, "He'll came back. He has to." I said, mostly for Angel's benefit and mine.
"He will come back, right, Max?" Angel asked, her voice full of tears. Fang and I were practically her parents. Besides Jeb, Fang was the closest thing to a father figure she'd ever had.
"He will, sweetie." I replied, "He can't leave forever. He promised."
End FlashbackSo, for the rest of the day, I just sat here, staring at nothing, talking to no one, waiting for Fang to come back.
As far as I knew, he still hadn't.
--
"Max?" I heard a voice ask tentatively some time later. I recognized the voice as Iggy's. "Max, it's late."
"Wha'? Oh. Right. Is Fang…?" I trailed off hopefully, although I knew he wouldn't be.
"I'm sorry, Max. I haven't seen him."
I sighed. "That's okay, Ig. Its not like it's your fault he's gone. No. I did that myself."
"Don't worry, Max." Iggy smiled, "He loves you too much to be gone for good. He's not that stupid."
I stood up and smiled, but it quickly faded. "I'm not so sure this time, Ig. I think I messed things up too badly this time." I walked over to him, one more thing on my mind, "Ig?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you…do you think I've changed? Like, in a bad way? Since I got all this power? Do you think I'm mean and bossy and have a big head?"
"Hmm." He murmured and put his hands on my head, feeling it in different places, "Nope! Same size as always!" he proclaimed cheerfully.
I busted out laughing and he laughed with me.
"Oh, god, Iggy!" I said, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him into a hug, "You always know how to make me laugh!" I wheezed as our laughter died down to an occasional giggle. " Be serious, though. I really wanna know the truth."
He sighed, "Well, if you really wanna know the truth, then yeah." He said, "I always chalked it up to you being stressed about basically having the world on your shoulders. I know that the younger kids think that, too. Apparently Fang read through it, though. I don't blame you for being stressed. I just wish we could be a little more carefree again. You know. Have fun again. Just…be the flock again."
"You're right, Iggy. You're so, so right. I just wish I could've seen that before I threw Fang out."
He squeezed me tightly and I wanted to cry. What have I done? I thought again. A single tear made its lonely way down my cheek. Iggy wiped it away.
"How did you-?"
"Shh." He said, pressing a finger to my lips. "Let's just call it 'men's intuition'."
I smiled and he smiled back. Then, we silently made our way down the hall to our rooms.