So. This is a prequel of sorts to my current Maximum Ride fanfic, "Missing". You DO NOT have to have previously read that one to understand this one, but it is encouraged that you have read FANG. This is POST FANG, so there will be SPOILERS FOR FANG.

Got it?

Kay :D

Chapter 1

How do you find someone that doesn't want to be found? It's possible. We didn't want Itex to find us but sure enough they'd succeeded several times. But we were a group of six flying bird kids and a flying talking dog—not so hard to find. One runaway bird kid who may or may not be flying? Now that's a different story.

Let's just say that for the last eight months Iggy and the Gasman did their best to try and find him. I owed them a lot. They would be gone all day while I just sat and moped around the room. His room that he shared with the Gasman and Iggy. I'd come out of it occasionally, mingling with the rest of the flock and making sure they were okay. But I'd spend a few hours in there after I woke up, and a few before I went to bed.

That was the beginning. For the last three months I'd been searching on my own without the flock's help. I'd told Iggy and Gazzy to quit three months ago. I try to keep it on the DL, but I'm beginning to think the flock is more educated than they let on…I just didn't want them to worry. I'd straightened up my act within the last few months, realizing I can't shut down because Fang had walked out. He wasn't dead—I wouldn't believe that. Not again. During the day I would put on my bravest face, but I would search all night.

An unforeseen thunderstorm cut tonight's search short. As I was sitting in my room, I started to rummage through things he'd left behind—things I'd taken from his room. That's when I remembered his blog. I frantically searching the room for it and found it sticking part way out from under my bed.

Shortly after he left, I found a bunch of Fang's files on his laptop. The ditching loser hadn't bothered to delete them. I didn't find a password for his blog, though.

I sat on my bed, using pillows to prop me up, and balanced the laptop on my knees. Opening the web browser, I quickly typed in the web address for Fang's blog and held my breath as the page took forever to load.

My breath caught in my throat when I looked at the most recent posts. There was a gap between one he'd posted before he left, and the newest one, which was from a few weeks ago.

I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I left the flock almost a year ago. Unbelievable, right? Completely unthinkable. Hardest thing I've ever had to do in my short bird kid life was leave Max.

But it was the right thing. If you follow my blog at all, then you probably remember Angel's creepy premonition. Well it came true, unfortunately. I died, really died. You probably don't believe me, but Max injected a crap ton of adrenaline into my heart and brought me back. That's when I realized that I was endangering the flock. Everyone was right when they said I should break away and lead my own flock, for the sake of Max and the others.

So I tried to.

My heart nearly stopped. Fang had a flock? A new family? I started to get angry. What, did he think he could replace us? Did he really think that lowly of his so-called family? Oh, yeah, next time I saw him, he was dead. I would beat him into a corner.

I promised Max that if in 20 years the world was still turning we would meet up at a cave we once stayed at. Not that I'd say where exactly that was. I can only hope that by then Max has forgiven me.

I can't say where I'm at, but it brings back a lot of memories—good and bad. It's where I first learned to fly.

I knew exactly where he was. It was so simple. He had to have known I would be reading his blog. Could it be a trap?

I'll be sixteen next month. Almost a year down. Only 20 more to go…

Fly on,
Fang

"It can't be that simple."

I jumped and the laptop flew to the floor with a loud clatter. Angel stood in my doorway, Nudge right behind her. The noise caused commotion is the room next to mine. Great. Everyone was awake now.

"It's nothing, sweetie, go back to bed," I told her.

"Max, we want to help," Nudge murmured, walking past Angel towards the laptop. I made no efforts to stop her. If she didn't read it for herself, Angel would have just told her.

"What's up?" Iggy grumbled, running his hands through his tousled hair. Gazzy was standing next to him, his hand gripping Iggy's shirt from having led him here.

"Fang posted on his blog a few weeks ago," Nudge mumbled distantly, reading it.

"What?" Iggy snapped to attention. "So he's around a computer?"

"I think he's here in Colorado," I muttered.

"Why would—"Gazzy started, but Nudge cut him off, reading from the blog.

"I can't say where I'm at, but it brings back a lot of memories—good and bad. It's where I first learned to fly," Nudge read. She looked up excitedly. "He is here in Colorado! He's at the old house!"

"Wait, wait," Iggy said, holding up his hands and sitting on the edge of my bed. "That doesn't make sense. Why would he go there? He knows we're here. He had to have known we'd read the blog. Why would he put something like that in there? He knows we would find him that way."

"What if he wants to be found?" I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Max," Angel said quietly. "It can't be this easy."

"It's worth taking a look, though, right?" Gazzy asked. I smiled.

"You're right, Gazzy," I said, standing and mussing his hair. "We'll all go later today. Now, everyone back to bed."

"You, too," Iggy muttered, waiting for the others to leave.

"I will."

Whatchu tink?