Title: Trial By Lust
Category: Books » Maximum Ride
Author: Miss. Shiro Tora
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Adventure

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

This FanFiction takes place AFTER book five (Max: A Maximum Ride Novel) but BEFORE book 6 (Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel)

Summary: On vacation to Minnesota the Flock breaks into a lake cabin to spend the week. After coming very close to doing something they knew they shouldn't do Fang and Max get into a fight and Max takes off. Only problem is... she never comes back. They finally find Max only to realize she was kidnapped, raped, beaten, and near death. Little by little the flock starts to fall apart, getting into fights with each other and crying themselves to sleep at night. Fang does everything in his power to save Max, but when she wakes up and she doesn't want anything to do with him, he finds himself brokenhearted… (This as far as I have gotten in the story and I may decide to change directions with it so I will end the description here.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. James Patterson does. Duh.

Angel; I was seriously considering legally changing her name to something a little less cliché. I was thinking more along the lines of; oh I don't know Rebecca, or Tabitha, or Fiendishly Rambunctious Extraordinarily Devilish Imp, Fredi for short. I just want to make sure no one gets the wrong impression or anything once learning her name is the Greek root definition for a kind, lovable, selfless, and pure of heart manifestation of perfection. Which, in her own way I suppose she is. But sometimes I have to wonder. What the hell is really going on in that head of golden curls? What with us being major celebrity icons now I don't think it would be too difficult to get a court mandated order that Angel's 'angelicasy' be brought down a notch. Would it?

Iggy; he's not one of my annoying little twerp brothers anymore. Ok, yeah he could still be annoying as hell, especially when paired with his PIC, (That's Partner in Crime for those of you who were wondering) the Gasman. But he wasn't so little anymore. On more than one occasion I've found myself completely and utterly at a loss with him. I just can't keep up with the guy like I used to. Sure I could outsmart him in a test of wits or kick his ass in a wrestling match, that's why I'm the leader. But that's not what I'm talking about. What am I supposed to do when he has one of his oh poor me I'm a blind mutant freak episodes? What am I supposed to say if he starts coming to me with questions about girls or –shivers- sex? He's at that age you know. And Angel's caught him thinking about stuff like that often.

Nudge; would it be illegal for me to smack some sense into this kid? I mean it's not necessarily considered child abuse coming from another child is it? Nudge is at a point in her short adolescent life of chaos where she's beginning to test. Test everything. As if she wasn't a handful already with her non-stop chatter, now she needed to 'discover who she was'. Whatever the hell that means. I don't ever remember going through that stage. She's resisting my authority, taking charge, insisting on venturing out and doing things on her own. No, I was just born that way. Nudge on the other hand was always very content in following and trusting me. Now all of the sudden she wanted to hack off her wings like Pinocchio and be a real boy- or er- girl. Did Pinocchio have wings? Ugh never mind my head is starting to hurt. I'm just thankful she changed her mind. It didn't really feel right crusading without the constant noise coming from her mouth.

Gazzy; one thing's for sure, he's definitely Angel's brother. I don't think I've seen a more adorable little boy be more of a pain in the ass than the Gasman. Luckily, that's the only problem I've had with him thus far. His mischievous antics are tolerable, so long as no one gets hurt. And usually nobody does. That is until he almost got himself killed by way of jellyfish. For god sake can our lives get anymore pathetic?

Fang; until just recently he was my right hand man, second in command, my rock. Now all of the sudden he's earned several new titles, my favorite being, 'oh my god Fang!' Just thinking about him makes my heart beat faster. But more important than that, Fang has turned into more of a partner than a deputy. Somehow despite my stubborn need to be in absolute control, I've developed a system. I won't make a move without Fang. It's as simple as that. I suppose I should have seen this coming. Six kids living alone in the world, the oldest three at or around the same age. There were two boys, Fang and Iggy, and one girl, me. It was only a matter of time before somebody fell in love. Naturally Iggy wasn't interested. But Fang? He just couldn't help himself could he? Had to step up and take on that role didn't he? Anything to get under Maximum Ride's skin. And boy was he in deep. Ass hole. And yet, I just feel so incomplete without him.

So here I am, ragging on my flock like they're the reason for making my life so miserable. Let's get one thing straight. My life does suck, but not because of them. In fact, I probably wouldn't be alive today without them. Sure, they can all be unbelievingly annoying. And I'm sure Fang could say the same about me. But when push comes to shove, I wouldn't have them any other way. We've been through a lot together. We've lived through the countless experimentations of the white coats, lived on our own, run for our lives, fought for our lives, gone to school, battled to the death, saved the world from natural and not so natural disasters, discovered and destroyed countless underground testing facilities, hated, loved, and nearly died. We've experienced things you could never even dream about.

And the worse is yet to come.

We were flying to god knows where, as per usual. Only this time, it was my decision, not some nosy voice's, not some big headed government official or military generals', not my mom's, not Jeb's, mine. I and my family were flying, the cold wind rippling through our soft feathers and nipping at our noses, to some unknown destination that I would choose, when I felt like it. So take that, Mr. Everything's-a-test-god-forsaken-power-monger who thinks he can control every aspect of my life. I'm going on vacation and there's nothing you can do to stop me.

You're making a big mistake Max. Don't do this; don't run from the only thing protecting you and the Flock.

I heaved a sigh. Shove it. I snapped to the voice inside my head. Don't judge me; it comes with the whole being a mutant freak package. Wings, creepy powers, voice in your head, the unnerving stares, you get used to it after a while. Anyway there was no way I was letting the voice ruin this for me.

We were all sick and tired of the lime light. None of us were very good with crowds or anyone outside of our little circle of bird kids for that matter. Dealing with people had become too much for us lately. What happened to the good old days? Running for our lives, scavenging for food, fighting to the death? It's a sad day when you begin to miss that. But it's amazing what an adrenaline rush can do for you. After a mere hour of flying we were already at peace in the sky. I began to feel my nerves unwind and my thoughts drifted lazily between Fang, the Flock, the clouds, and Fang.

I think it is official now. I mean, we practically made out in front of everyone, the flock included, back on the sub. But, I mean that doesn't really count does it? It could have been my last moments on Earth. For all we knew I was about to be crushed in a watery grave. We weren't exactly thinking clearly. But then we did it again, while flying, which was difficult mind you, but oh it was heaven. How can one not assume that Fang and I are, well, Fang and I? And I was ok with that now. I think. Oh god I need this vacation so bad.

I was awakened from my thoughts by none other than Fang himself as he intruded upon my perpetual bubble that was high above the others by at least a couple hundred feet or so. I tilted my wings to make room for him as he soared up under and then beside me. As if there wasn't enough room in the sky to go around me. I had his flight pattern memorized down to the tiniest feather movement, so it wasn't difficult to adjust and synchronize the continuous up and down movement of our wings. I ignored him, because I knew that would bug him. Just as he knew forcing me out of his way to make room for him would irritate me. I couldn't help but catch the glint in his emotionless eyes. When it comes to Fang's eyes, any light, no matter how small, that twinkled in the depths of those deep onyx pools, was like the first sunrise in the arctic after 6 months of darkness. Been there, done that.

Fang was difficult to read. However, if you knew him well enough, which I am seriously beginning to doubt that I do anymore, the tiniest twitch in his hard set jaw was enough to tell you exactly what he was thinking. To anyone else he'd be a mystery, but to me, he's easier to read than a preschool picture book… most of the time.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked keeping his eyes trained dead ahead. Oh as if he didn't already know. You see that's the way it is with us. If I didn't know better I'd think we shared the same brain. I guess we were just close like that. Either that or completely insane, which is a possibility. So it didn't surprise me at all that when I was silent, his eyes merely flickered to me for a brief moment, and he already knew all he needed to know.

"Relax." He said blatantly, knowing full well it wouldn't help.

"Easier said than done." I replied with a sigh.

Fang shrugged in a way only he could do while flying, and still look natural. "Not really." He answered back. I decided not to respond to that, which was just fine for Fang.

"Geese!" Came Angel's warning cry from below. Fang and I moved perfectly together. As the flock of geese heading our way flew into view from the clouds, Fang swooped up over me, and stacked like that, we avoided the collision. As soon as the threat had passed Fang lowered himself back down beside me and we flew smoothly again.

I closed my eyes trying to imagine what it would be like to be one hundred percent bird. Those geese had it so easy. Fly south in the winter, north in the summer, eat fish and swim all day, even goose hunting season would be a walk in the park. I sighed inwardly. Oh what I'd give to be away from it all. Not have to worry about anyone else except myself. Just for a little while. That's all I'm asking.

Be careful what you wish for. The Voice chimed in on my lazy daydream. Of course it had to barge in on my one moment of peace. What else is it good for? Cause I can't really count on it for much else.

Oh mighty Voice from above. I half sung half groaned sarcastically in my mind. I was getting extremely talented at vocalizing my expressions in my head. So far I've come up with thirty two different ways to groan in annoyance whilst making no noise what so ever. It should be an international sport! I would win the gold, hands down. Why don't you take your fortune cookie horoscopes and tell them to someone who cares.

It's not a horoscope Max, It's a warning. You're asking for trou-

Again. Not caring. I thought irritated.

You'll regret th-

UGH! Would you just give it up already!? I'm taking this vacation whether you like it or not and I'm going to enjoy my week in paradise without you or Jeb or anyone else outside my rare and unnatural species. So bug off!

Silence… I sighed with relief. Thank you.

"Everything will be fine." I snapped my eyes open at the sound of Fang's smooth deep voice. I looked over at him questioningly, trying to hide what was evident in my face. I was stressed out, and more so than usual. I could handle kicking ass and running for my life, our lives. Yeah, I could even deal with the gnawing hunger and the torturous little relief a McDonald's back ally dumpster could provide to my growling stomach. What I couldn't stand was being body guarded twenty four seven and treated like a fragile little bunny rabbit for cry'n out loud! Living there was no better than living in a lab or hospital in my opinion. And trust me, neither was very pleasant. Sure the food was better, the beds were softer, but I could never shake that eerie feeling that I was constantly being watched. So call me paranoid, big deal. Let's see you survive a squid attack or a paparazzi barrage. They aren't much different I can promise you that. They were both suffocating.

"Wherever we're going we'll be safe." Fang assured me. Not exactly your most convincing argument, Fangy dearest. How could he be so sure? I was never sure of anything! But he always seemed to be so solid.

I opened my mouth to reply but he went on. "And we'll be alone… To work things out."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I snapped offended by his choice of words. Fang shot me a confused glance and I realized I was overreacting. He wasn't talking about us he was talking about us, the Flock. I saw Fang's jaw tighten and I immediately went to apologize. But Fang was done talking. He was never a very big talker and that hadn't changed in the least. He tilted his head and stopped flapping, letting air fill his wings and carry him downward, away from me. I sighed watching him hover above Iggy before rolling sideways and slicing down into the formation beside Nudge. I shook my head and focused on flying again. He'd get over it. He always did.

A few hours of flying is exhilarating. Anything more than that is work. Kinda like riding a horse, it's fun for a while but after two hours or so your butt gets pretty darn sore. We've been flying most of our lives and the younger kids could last about five hours at a time. Fang, Iggy, and I could probably go for about eight. So after ten hours of nonstop flight, everyone was a little cranky with me.

"Max." Nudge whined. "We need to stop and rest. I don't know about you but I am Egg-Sauce-Ted. Iggy's practically falling out of the sky and I don't think Fang can carry Angel and Gazzy. Where are we going anyway? I mean I could understand flying like this if we were running for our lives or something but this is ridiculous. What's going on?" It was amazing, even when she was out of her mind exhausted, that she could still find the energy to go on like that. But I had to be honest with myself. Even I was ready for a break. But not yet.

"Just a little longer, Nudge. We're almost there." I said my patience wearing thin.

"Where's there?" she asked again. "I don't think I can take this much longer."

"Yeah Max," Gazzy complained. "I'm hungry."

I sighed. "We packed plenty of food. We'll eat when we land."

"I don't think I have the energy to eat." Iggy mumbled. I clenched my jaw forcing myself not to scream. I waited silently for Fang to say something as well. More like dared him to. No matter what he said I probably would have exploded. But Fang stayed out of it, as usual. Smart boy. I shot him a glance and we made eye contact. Below us was a big beautiful lake. It was probably the eighteenth lake we had flown over since we crossed the Minnesota border. There were little trailer park like suburbs all around the shore of the water. Lake cabins. Apparently if you lived in this state you had to have a lake cabin. But it was the middle of October. This meant that, unless the idiots lived in them all winter, most of them should be empty. Fang nodded to me.

"Alright gang," I called. Fang gently shook Angel awake and she awkwardly found her wings and flew again on her own. "We'll put up shop in one of those cabins. There shouldn't be anyone home."

Nudge's eyes widened. "Wouldn't that be considered breaking and entering?" she asked shocked.

"And your problem is?" I asked.

"That's like… against the law!" She argued.

I growled under my breath. They had gotten way too comfortable living under a roof. They forget that we couldn't trust anyone. We would always be on our own. And if that meant going back to living our lives as fugitives, I would do it. Because that was the only time I could feel one hundred percent confident that I could keep them safe.

"Suck it up Nudge. We're on vacation. Live a little." I answered back. And with that I veered sharply downward making my way for the soft sand of the lake shore. I tucked in my wings at the last moment and came to a running halt on the ground. I turned as my flock followed suit right behind me. I loved being leader.

"Ok so you have your choice of lodgings." I said trying to be cheerful. From the looks on everyone's faces, my effort was unappreciated. "We can break into one of these many cabins near the shore or try and find one a little more secluded."

"Can we just get to the nearest one and just crash?" Gazzy asked. "I'm too tired to walk any more than I have to." He groaned leaning on Iggy who was about to fall over himself. Iggy didn't even have the energy to push him off. I couldn't help but smile at them.

I nodded. "Alright, lakeside cabin it is." I said. Every one let out a sigh of relief in unison. I picked up Angel and held her close leading them to the nearest little trailer.

To my surprise the door was unlocked. After checking the cupboards and fridge I knew why. The place had been completely emptied out for the off season. Save for the furniture there was absolutely nothing there. I guess they figured no one would be desperate enough to steal the piece of crap couch that barely fit into the cramped space anyway. So, they shouldn't mind if a couple of bird kids took up residence for a few nights, right? And since there was nothing here it was safe to assume no one was coming back for a while. There was a small town close by, we could live here in this abandoned cabin for a week, making irregular trips to town every once and a while for food. No one would ever suspect a thing. And I could get the peace and quiet I so desperately needed. And who knows, maybe, if things went well, I might even consider going back to 'saving the world'.

Iggy collapsed on the piece of crap couch in the main 'living room' I guess you could call it. Though the only thing separating it from the other piece of crap couch in the 'guest bedroom' was a flimsy plastic screen that folded up into the wall. Nudge took that couch. Gazzy curled up in the little recliner near the large glass sliding door and little Angel was just small enough to fit in one of the mini booths at the tiny table. Everyone was asleep within seconds. I guess they weren't kidding when they said they were exhausted.

I took this as an opportunity to explore our little abode and check out our resources. I stood in the kitchenette and tried the water faucet, but nothing happened. As I expected, there was no water. So it looked like the bathroom would be useless. Not that any of us could fit in it anyway. I sighed shaking my head and realized I could see my breath. So naturally my next mission was to fiddle with the thermostat. After flicking a few switches and raising the meter up to seventy two the sound of the heating system kicked in and warm air blasted through the vents on the ground. Excellent, at least we had electricity.

Things were looking up. That was until I realized the only other place to sleep was the queen sized bed in the room that was only about the size of the bed itself. Crap. I thought realizing what that meant. Apparently Fang realized it too.

"Do you want the inside or the outside?" he asked appearing silently beside me. Startled, I jumped. I had forgotten all about Fang until a couple moments ago. I hadn't noticed him standing so perfectly still watching me explore the cabin. It had mostly been because he was practically invisible, but also because I hadn't really been paying attention. You're losing your touch. The Maximum Ride thrown off guard because she wasn't paying attention. That was a scary thought. Since when have I ever not paid attention? Oh! Oh! I know this one! Never.

"W-what?" I stuttered in a failed attempt to contain my surprise. Fang gave me his signature quirk in the corner of his mouth. Probably the closest you're ever going to get to a smile from him.

"It's just a bed," He said, teasing me. "It's not going to bite."

"Ha, ha, very funny." I hissed under by breath. Suddenly I went rigid when I felt Fang's strong hands on my shoulders. He squeezed tenderly and kneaded his fingers gently into the tense muscles around my neck and just above where my wings connected with my back. I shivered letting my shoulders fall as every nerve in my body short circuited and I was forced to relax against my will. Oh my god. I thought closing my eyes and letting my head roll back on some reflex I didn't know I had. Where did he learn to do that!? It felt so amazing. He pressed every invisible button I had in that moment and my body just shut down. And unfortunately so did the half of my brain that influenced my better judgment.

Then I felt his warm breath on my neck and every little hair on my body stood on end. I was completely at his mercy. I couldn't stop him from pressing his firm lips tenderly against the skin of my neck. Then it was like electricity sparked from that spot and I gasped at how powerful that little kiss was on me.

"F-Fang" I whispered breathlessly. "W-what… What are you doing?"

Fang receded away from my neck and slowly his massaging hands stopped and lifted away from me. I turned around to face him and stared into his eyes. This is where I was expecting him to kiss me and fly me to heaven on invisible wings. But he didn't. He leaned in and kissed me tenderly on the forehead like he did that time I thought I was turning into an eraser. God, that feels like a life time ago. And then he gave me an encouraging smirk.

"You can take the bed. I'll take first watch." He whispered. "Get some sleep. Everything will be ok." And for some reason that was everything and all I needed to hear. I nodded feeling the weight of exhaustion settle around me like a fog. Fang disappeared outside and I melted into the comfort of a warm bed. It was the first time in a very long time I felt safe under a roof in a bed as soft as this. And I couldn't tell if it was because of what Fang said or if it was because breaking into this shabby little cabin was the closest thing to normal I had done in a ridiculously long time. But I didn't have time to think about it, soon sleep had taken over my body and I drifted away.

I still have PLENTY more to upload, having already written this like 4 years ago. I just spent two days going through and editing it so I will post the next chapter soon. Reviews are MUCH appreciated and help fuel my desire to continue writing. Please don't feel any pressure to leave one however. I will update when I am ready either way.