Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.

'Come on guys, just a little longer and then we can rest for the night,' I hollered.

We'd been flying for over three hours now, some serious logging time. I looked behind at my flock, noting their tired faces. Angel and Gazzy were lagging behind slightly: they looked exhausted, but I wanted to reach the forest I'd scouted out a few hours ago. Total was sound asleep in Iggy's arms.

I'd almost resigned myself to the fact that we would have to stop because these guys were going to drop and soon, when the forest came into view.

Our landing could be seen as less than grateful, and the others, all but save Fang and I, collapsed onto the floor. I felt a pang of guilt at having forced them to power on for so long and not stopping at some cheap hotel, allowing them to sleep in actual beds and stuff their faces with something that was not rat on a stick.

Our last hotel experience had not been a pleasurable stay though. I'd ended up duct taped and kidnapped, confined to a tank where I could no longer ascertain as to whether I was dead or alive, while all the while a clone-Max paraded as me with my flock. I'm sure you'll all now understand my aversion to the whole hotel idea.

Now, time to call upon my amazing leadership skills. 'Okay, we're going to…'

We were all fed and as warm as you could get from a dim fire and the meagre rations we'd received from my mom, Dr Martinez. I don't think I'd ever get tired of calling her, and after all these years I finally knew who my parents were and I was thrilled. Well, when I say that, I mean I'm ecstatic that my mom is Dr Martinez but that my dad is Jeb the traitor? No, not so pleased about that. I still wasn't sure whether I could trust him. Too much had happened and I wasn't ready to forgive just yet.

I leant back against the tree, hands splayed behind my head. I couldn't suppress the grin that spread across my face as my eyes swept across my flock: Total was lying between Angel and Gazzy's feet, both of whom were leaning on each other against one of the great Oaks, struggling to keep their eyes open; Iggy was next to them, eyes closed so you'd think he was asleep, but he was too taught and was most likely listening for any discerning sounds that would signify an incoming attack of Flyboys; and then there was Nudge, sound asleep, her mouth uncharacteristically shut.

We were all together…for now, and for that I was grateful.

'Hey.' Of course I hadn't forgotten Fang. Things were a little complicated between us right now. Things had changed and I wasn't sure whether I wanted them to.

'I can take first watch,' he said.

I nodded.

'Ok guys,' I said, 'we all need a good night sleep. I'll take next watch and Iggy can take last.'

Fang passed round the blankets. My mom had prohibited us from leaving without them, claiming we'd 'catch a chill', even after I reassured her that we had a very good immune system.

We stacked fists and I received hugs from my little guys.

Fang settled himself under the tree beside me, waiting five minutes before asking me why I wasn't even attempting to sleep.

'Just got a lot on my mind,' I replied. I had so many unsolved questions whizzing around in my head, they were like a swarm of bees in a hive and I didn't have an answer to a single one of them.

'Want to talk?' His voice was as soft as an autumn breeze. All the others were asleep now.

The night hung around us like a dark blanket, the anaemic moon cast in the centre of a splatter of stars. The leaves from the bushes and trees rustled, their twigs moving like arms in the breeze.

'I'm not sure.'

He waited.

'There's just so much going on. So much has happened, it just doesn't seem real, y'know?' And that's saying something considering we were raised in dog crates.

I continued: 'There's Jeb. Should we trust him? My mom trusts him but I, um, I…'

I'm not sure if I could voice this out loud. I had tried to banish the traitorous thought from my mind completely, but it just kept rearing its ugly head like some demonic boomerang (a strange simile, I know): could I trust my mom?

'Not sure if you can trust her?' he supplied for me. It's official: Fang is a mind reader.

He smiled slightly, obviously amused at my expression.

'You don't have to be a mind reader to understand that,' he said. Damn, he read my mind again.

'You don't know her,' he began, 'why should you trust her? Who do you really trust from outside this flock? The only other person was Jeb, and how many times has he lied to us? Can we really trust him?' Now wasn't that the million dollar question?

He was right, but there was more. There were thoughts and possibilities that still nagged away at me. I hadn't had the nerve to ask Dr Martinez my questions either, because I suppose I didn't want her to tell me the truth in case I didn't like her answer. You know, the whole ignorance is bliss thing. I wanted her to be perfect – she seemed perfect, and I didn't want that image tainted.

'I know,' I agreed, 'but she donated me. What if she knew about the experiments they were going to perform on me? Jeb said she only had a minor role, but what was that role? If she knew what they'd do to me and she approved of it, that she voluntarily helped, then that would make her one of them.' 'Them' being nutcase geeky scientists who craft avian DNA into human genes.

'You'll known what to do in the end,' he said, 'you always do.' He flashed me a dazzling smile – seriously, that kid has the whitest teeth – that sent my heart beating a little faster.

'Anything else?' He asked.

Well yeah, there were loads: a whole hive of thoughts just buzzing away. But there was something I needed to know and I was almost too afraid to ask it.

'I need to 'save the world', whatever that means,' I said. 'You and the kids want to settle down, and so would I but I can't…'

'I'm not leaving you,' he cut in. Good. It had been like flying with my right wing missing last time we'd split, and I didn't think…

'What would you do without me?' he continued, 'especially since you have been known to just suddenly drop out of the sky. Iggy couldn't catch you because he can't see and Nudge would drop you, you're too heavy for her.'

I nudged him with my elbow. Why couldn't he have just left it at, "'I'm not leaving you.'" He'd become quite the chatterbox of late, and although I liked it, I didn't always mind his short sentences. But still, knowing that the others and him especially would be with me all the way, lifted some of the weight off my shoulders.

'I think it's got more to do with you needing me,' I said. 'You need a great leader, and I, Maximum Ride, am one such individual.'

He chuckled like only Fang can and shook his head in disbelief.

'We need to still destroy the other Itex branches. I'm just not sure where to go from there,' I said.

He thought for a moment, and then rummaging through his bag, retrieved his laptop (courtesy of the school when we 'borrowed' it). 'Let me have a look on here. They left a load of files, maybe something might turn up, give us a better idea on what to do next,' he offered.

I should of felt grateful but all I could think was: I should of thought of that and I should be the one making the decisions and oh God I was being stupid thinking that he was taking my job away from me.

He'd been leading his own flock for the last few weeks, and he knew that Max-the-leader sometimes crumbled under all the pressure. I was just too stubborn to admit it.

'You've got next watch, go get some sleep,' he ordered. Hey, who was the leader here? He flung my blanket at me, and me being oh so mature, stuck my tongue out at him in reply.

I settled nearby Nudge, surprised at how quickly sleep enveloped me.