Maximum Ride : The Extras

Max woke up crying.

She had been for five days now, and every time, Fang closed his eyes to slits so she wouldn't be embarrassed. Each time, she would grimace, putting her hands over her face, and suck in a deep breath. He could tell she was having bad dreams – it was obvious. But he also knew Max never cried, not ever, unless something incredibly unbearable was happening. Max would never forgive herself if someone saw her crying over a dream. So he pretended to sleep.

Sometimes Max would get up and creep out the door, twirling around the trees in magnificent flight. Once, he followed her out. Max was sitting in the top of a big oak tree and crying. Seeing her like that…well, it almost made Fang cry. But he didn't, of course.

Fang pulled himself from his reminiscence and got up. Max had already crept out the door and was now flying around the giant trees surrounding the motel parking lot. Her hair was whipping around her frightened face, making her look like a ghost.

Fang tiptoed closer to the window. The rough carpet of the motel floor felt cold under his feet. The smell of air fresheners the flock had sprayed earlier to get rid of the smoky "essence" still lingered in the air. Fang gently lifted the curtain and stared at Max. She was so graceful, twisting and turning through the branches of the scarce trees lining the highway.

No! No, he couldn't think of her like that. She was his sister, his friend. Max didn't want him, she'd made that clear. Fang would just have to accept it. They would never truly be together.

Just then, Max looked at him.