FANG'S POV

From my seat on the rickety old rocking chair in the moldy attic I could hear the Rest of the flock laughing and having a good time down stairs like kids should on Christmas morning. We had an extremely strenuous year and they deserved some childhood memories that didn't give them night-mares. They had no clue what today was, well of course they knew it was Christmas but they didn't know the more malignant event that marred this joyful day with its memories. People always say that hind sight is 20/20 but they didn't know how true they were. Looking back on the fateful day that I had forbade myself to scrutinize I could see every fatal mistake I made in full clarity.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't hear Iggy walk up behind me until he said, "It was today wasn't it? One year ago today…"

Hearing someone verbalize what today was made my chest clench uneasily.

"Yeah" I couldn't give a more comforting answer to my brother because I was on the verge of a melt down of astronomical proportions.

"God Fang, it's all my fault!" Iggy whispered as the blind avian hybrid sunk to the floor next to my chair.

His proclamation caught me off guard (it seems he has been doing that a lot today). "Your fault?" I said in disbelief, I was the one that was at fault here!

~FLASHBACK~

It was Christmas, but instead of spending it like normal children we were sitting in a cramped booth in some dilapidated café in east Jesus no-where cramming un-natural amounts of greasy foods into our starving mouths.

"Okay guy I think its time we move on, we have been here for eight days already." Max said breaking the comfortable silence. The loud moans of disapproval show everyone's opinions on the statement.

Iggy was the first to speak up "No, I'm tired of constantly being on the move. We move somewhere and I finally am able to find my way around and you pick us up and move us again. I am so fed up with it, I am not moving anywhere!"

We were all surprised at his very un-Iggy like outburst but knew how it felt. My left wing was cramped from being kicked last night when my bed buddy, Gasman, has a vivid night-mare. And Nudge had been complaining about how we never had any nice clothes since we always had to move around and had no where to keep them.

Max rubbed her temples and closed her eyes and said "I'm really sorry guys, you know if I had the option you would all be living normal lives in normal home but with the erasers and flyboys still after us we can't stay in one place for very long 'cuz they would find us." She sounded defeated and tired, on any normal day I would have stopped right away and made sure she was okay, Max never acts like that.

But alas Today was not a normal day so I chimed right in without censoring my words before blurting them out. "The only reason they can find us is because of that damn chip in your arm, they follow you right to us." Nudge, Gazzy and Angel watched with wide eyes as our argument quickly escaladed.

Iggy mumbled a quick "Damn right they do." I really have no clue what was with us today. Sure we fight, but it never has gotten so out of hand before and especially with Max as the victim. Sure Max was a strong leader, but we all knew it was just a matter of time before she cracked under the pressure of being the care taker for five other hybrids at the age of fourteen.

I really wish that I could just keep my mouth shut but for some strange reason my brain decided that today was a good day to talk. "If it weren't for that chip in your arm we might be able to stay in one place for more that a week Max." As soon as the words were out I wished I could take them back.

The look on Max's face when she whipped her head around to look at me was heart wrenching. Her eyes were the biggest I had ever seen them and held tears she was trying desperately to hold back in and there was a look of utter horror plastered on her face. Her biggest fear was not being able to protect and take care of us, her flock. I had, not noticing, confirmed her worst fear.

With that Max stood up from the table and walked out of the café. All eyes turned to stare at me in disbelief, silently wondering how I could be so cruel to Max. I was wondering that to, but was too ashamed of my actions to go find Max and tell her I was sorry, I knew she would come back when she had cooled down.

"Fang," Angel's quivering voice started "you need to go after her now." I just ignored her, I knew what I said was wrong and Max knew that we needed her so I was positive it would all cool down by the end of the day.

"NO! Fang! You have to go now! Please Fang, make her come back!" Angel's desperate voice pleaded. I really wasn't in the mood for her nagging so I swiveled my head around and said "Shut up Angel, I'm not in the mood for that."

We all had long since lost our appetite so we picked up and went back to the motel we were staying at. Just as we came through the arch that announced we were on the motel's property I was a sight that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Maximum Ride standing on the roof crying, big fat tears rolling down her face as she looked up at the pale blue sky. I watched as she took a long shaky breath, shook her head at took off into the afternoon sky, never to return again.

~END FLASHBACK~

When I finally pulled myself back into the present I felt warm wet tears flowing down my cheeks. I had tried to track her but to no avail, she was gone. I even went as far as to call Jeb and Dr. Martinez, nothing. The Flock was a mess, crying them selves to sleep at night, not taking my orders, but the worst part was that the flyboys and erasers didn't stop coming. We were without one of our best fighters and the reason Max was gone wasn't even valid. We had to find Max, there was no way I was going another year without her. As much as I hate to admit it over the time we spent together I had developed something other that friend feelings for Max, and knowing she was gone because of me was crippling.

As If Iggy was reading my mind he whispered "We gotta find her Fang, I mean scour the globe, for all we know she could be hiding in some cave in Romania! Even if we have to run an add on T.V. we will find her this time, I refuse to take no for an answer." It was resuring to hear someone else say that they were going to put that much effort into finding our leader.

Author's Note Time!

okay, i know people are going to ask, the title has nothing to do with Paramore...

I am planning to do the next chapter showing what happened to Max after she left, I promise the will be a huge twist!

let me know what you guys think! i would love 5 reviews before I update!

~ Lennie =P