Okay people, so this is my first ever fanfic so it's probably REALLY REALLY sucky…but like I said it's my first ever fanfic so just give me a break here okay? The benefit of the doubt, a second chance, or whatever. And oh yeah, so although it's really annoying to have to state the obvious, since you definitely know already, I don't own Maximum Ride (Much as I wish I did, I DON'T wanna be James Patterson, no offense or anything. I mean, he writes great books and all. But, just, well, for one thing, I'm a girl. Anywayz, let's not get into it.)
Oh, and a WARNING to anyone who actually reads these author's notes, there is some swearing in here, and probably will be some romance eventually, although nothing in ch. 1.
Oh yeah, and just so u know, this story takes place two years after the end of FANG.
Anyway, here goes…hope ya like it.
Their Wings
Chapter 1: Guilt
Fang crouched on a ledge at the top of the cliff, his head in his hands, as the hawks swerved and dived above him. God, he wanted to die. The guilt…so much crushing guilt. Guilt at letting them die. Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy…and Max. Max. They were dead. And it was his fault, all his fault. He should've been there to protect them. To at least be there for them. To be there for her.
He'd told her that he would never leave her. That he'd always be there for her. God, he couldn't bear the pain. Oh, Max. She couldn't be dead. He thought of her, her hair the color of dark chocolate, her eyes like deep brown pools, the way she kicked ass, the way she laughed, the way she got mad, the way she slept, and the way she had led them, through thick and thin, for all these years. He had no reason to live…now that she was dead.
He crouched on the ledge just outside the cave where they had first met the hawks. When he had first found out that they were dead, all he could think of had been the last promise he'd made to her before he left: Sweetie, if in twenty years we haven't expired yet, and the world is still more or less in one piece, I'll meet you at the top of that cliff where we first met the hawks and learned to fly with them. You know the one. Twenty years from today, if I'm still alive, I'll be there waiting for you.
Twenty years…twenty years…if only he hadn't been such a fool! If only he had listened to her, stayed with her. Oh, what he would give to have known back then that they didn't have twenty years! If only he had known. He would never have left her.
When Dylan – damn him – had appeared where Fang was holed up at the time and told him that, despite Fang leaving, the flock had been caught and being used for experiments, Fang had jumped up. Screw leaving! He had to save the flock!
They had broken in to the institute, with Fang all hyped up (Fang? Hyped up? Quite an achievement.) and ready to barge in and do anything to rescue Max, only to hear those fateful words… Over and over in his head, he played the conversation that had stopped his heart from beating.
"And the Formula 49 test subjects?"
"All failures."
"Indeed? So the Maximum Ride kids are dead?"
No, no. God, no. It couldn't be…
"Oh, yes. Jeb Batchelder will be disappointed."
And then the two [insert all the swear words you can think of here] scientists had laughed. Laughed. Fang had completely lost it. If Dylan hadn't been holding him back, the Institute for Higher Living would have had to replace a couple of their lower-life-form employees.
Dylan. Fang had hated that guy for so long. Hated him for butting in, interfering with the flock. And hated him, most of all, for stealing his Max. But now, Fang felt like nothing in front of him. He felt unworthy and ashamed. Dylan had been there for Max when he hadn't. Had stuck with her, when he hadn't. Much as it hurt him to admit it, Dylan deserved Max more than he did. But now, neither of them could have her. Max was dead.
Max was dead. With Max dead, Fang had just wanted to be alone. The only person he had truly wanted to be with was Max, and she was the one he couldn't have. She was never coming back. Fang had shaken off Dylan and just…taken off. Literally. Wings and all.
He flew aimlessly for what felt like hours, until he'd suddenly found himself here on the cliff. Where he and Nudge had first flown with the hawks. Where Max had turned up after being missing for days, looking more beat-up than ever, and he had first realized how he felt about her. Where he had promised, promised to meet her, his only love, twenty years later, if he was still alive. Funny, he had never considered that she wouldn't be alive. She was the center of the universe for him. He couldn't have imagined her dead. Until now.
He wasn't sure why he had ended up at the cliff. Maybe because it held some of his best memories of Max. Maybe because it was what had been his only comfort for two years, since he had left the flock. His only consolation: that this was where he would see Max again. To hold her, touch her, feel her lips on his. And now, even that had been taken away from him.
A strong wind blew across the cliff face. Fang straightened up. Now that Max was dead, there was only one thing left for him to do. Only one reason for him to live. He wouldn't let them get away with killing Max. With killing his flock. He wanted those bastards dead. Yeah, he had a goal now, and he would achieve it if it was the last thing he did. He would get revenge.
So, whaddaya think? Good? Bad? Okay? Totally pathetic? Come on, review, tell me. I can take it. I mean, so long as you review, it means ppl are at least READING my story, right? And to those of you who know me who are reading this (honestly, I'm not really sure why I bothered typing this, because if I know you chances are I'm leaning over your shoulder right now, forcing you at knife-point – better yet, ninja-knife-point – to read it…), even though it was probably so bad it was all you could do not to just press the little red X button and be done with it, when you review (I'm assuming you WILL review because you're just such a generous person and it's time you did your good deed of the day anyway, right?) when you review, don't just chew me out (even though that's all I deserve), tell me what it was about it that made it suck so bad, so I (hopefully) won't make the same mistake again.
Oh, and did u know, after you press the review button, u get a chance to win a FREE BLACKBERRY?
Nah, just kidding, sorry. But press it anyway okay?
