Painful Loneliness: Chapter 1

Ari's P.O.V.

I peered through my binoculars hoping that Max hadn't disappeared. I finally spotted her on a branch with a wide grin spread across her face. "Ah!" I cried in surprise, and dropped my now useless binoculars. When she noticed I had found her, she laughed and said, "So what plans do you have for me, dog boy?" I almost snapped at that remark, but I was too excited about my ingenious plan, that I knew would work. I sat on my branch as calm as I'd ever been. (That is, as an eraser)I looked at Max and calmly said, "Plans. I don't want to kill you. But I will if I have to. If you don't cooperate." Her face instantly changed from playful to serious. "Cooperate? This is me you're talking to."

I could see where this was going, she was getting aggravated, well, all I had to do was convince her to go along with my plan, and I had already thought of that much, much earlier. I reached behind me and pulled out a large knife and held it tightly. Max looked at me intently watching my every move, and I knew I had gotten her attention with the knife. Then I said, "I'm going to ask you once, nicely. What happens after that is up to you." She looked at me obviously calculating the different outcomes, then finally said, "Uh, okay. Ask away." Finally, I couldn't wait to hear her answer, even though I was pretty sure I already knew what it would be. "You come with me. The two of us disappear. We never have to deal with Jeb and the whitecoats and everyone else again." Now I awaited her answer. I was sure she wouldn't refuse; after all I knew she wanted to stay away from the whitecoats and especially Jeb, and frankly, so do I. I mean how could I stay with Jeb when he left me to fend for myself! Plus since he was at the school, the place that I had been most of my life and the place that ruined my life, I didn't really care about leaving. The only real problem there was, at the moment I was kind of the leader of the erasers. They wouldn't be happy if they found out their leader dropped them for the bird girl they were after. Then Max spoke, breaking me out of my thoughts, "Disappear where?" "A place I know." I replied, eagerly awaiting her answer. "And I would be stuck there? With you as my guard? I have to tell you, this isn't among my top-ten offers." "Not as your guard. As your friend." I replied with high hopes. "You and me." I nodded. She paused obviously thinking it through. I couldn't wait, there was no way she would decline! Just to make sure she wouldn't refuse, I had to make it seem super exclusive. "Yes. This is your one chance." "Uh-huh." She replied, still thinking. Then finally after several tense seconds she said, "Ari, I can't leave the flock. Not for you, not for Jeb, not for anyone."

Wow, I did not see that coming. I almost fell from the branch I was sitting on. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. How could she refuse? Of course she always had to put the flock first. Why couldn't anyone show me a little care!

Max P.O.V.

Ari was visibly shaken, I don't know if it was from what I said but, it didn't seem like this happened often. And frankly, I didn't know erasers had feelings. Then I remembered when Ari was just a little innocent three year old. I looked back into his eyes and I saw pain and loneliness. And tears?! There was no way Ari would cry. I couldn't see him doing it. I had to go back to the flock, but I couldn't bring myself to get up, something was holding me back. "Um…Ari?" I asked not knowing if he would answer me.

Ari P.O.V.

I couldn't take this, I've just had too much disappointment in my life. I needed to leave before I totally lost it, but amazingly Max was still sitting across from me on her branch. Maybe if I left she would leave and forget any of this ever happened. Then I heard her unmistakable voice break the silence, "Um… Ari?" she asked. I looked up at her with my pathetically modified eyes. "I'm sorry, but I just can't desert the flock." She continued. I sighed. I shouldn't have had my hopes up so high. I looked at the knife in my hands. I can't believe I brought this.

Max P.O.V.

I heard a rustle and wondered if more erasers were coming. Ari had noticed too and we both looked in the direction that we heard the sound coming from. Then I saw, Fang?! He quickly came up defensively to me and looked at the knife Ari was holding. Oh crap.