Crimson Petals

He left me.

Again.

After he promised.

Of course dear readers, depending on whether you are up to date on current events, you may or may not know who I am talking about. Let me fill you in. There is one flock member who is the bane of my existence and after a much too long separation, the flock rejoined and he promised to never leave me again. Now he has broken the promise he swore to keep. Yes non-bird kid folk, I am talking about Fang.

He left me and the flock a few days ago, at my mom's house. His parting words were that he had something to take care of. And he gave me the gift of a scarlet rose. I won't forget the promise he made after he gave me it either.

I sat on my bed holding the rose he had handed me with trembling hands. "Why?" I hissed. "Why are you doing this to me again?" He had the decency to meet my eyes as he was about to give me what I assumed was a fantastic reason like he had found out he had inherited millions and a holiday villa in the south of France. The reply I got was less than satisfactory. He looked me dead in the eyes and said "There's something I need to do right now Max," I glared at him gripping the rose so tight that the thorns dug into my palms. Feeling the sharp pains in my palms, I dropped the offending rose and glared at it. Fang scooped up the rose and gently forced my hands to uncurl from their shaking fists. Slowly he placed it back into my outstretched palms. I remained with my head down, glaring at the carpet out of protest. "Max," Fang began. I refused to acknowledge his presence. A heavy sigh echoed round the room before Fang cupped my chin and tilted my head up to face him. "I gave you the rose for a reason. Last time we split up we had no guarantee we'd see each other again. I won't leave you like that again. I promise you Max I'll come back to you before the last petal on that rose falls." I didn't answer allowing my scepticism to fill the room. "You'll see Max," he whispered before kissing my forehead. Smart boy, if he'd of kissed me on the lips I would have bitten him. He gave me one last look and then leapt out of my open window into the night.

He broke his promise to me once, there's nothing stopping him from doing it again. But I still can't help gazing at that rose by my bed each night and seeing how many petals have fallen.

It's winter now, meaning Fang gave me that rose four weeks ago. Today it's snowing, meaning me, the flock and Ella are having a snowball fight in mom's backyard. Total refuses on the grounds that he will get wet and cold, resulting in him getting sick. Technically, I'd of thought he'd of wanted to at least get the sniffles so Akila could nurse him back to health but that just might be Max twisted logic. They seem ok, the flock. Even though he is gone. "Max?" Angel called, recent snowball slush already freezing to her golden curls.

"Yeah sweetie?" I asked brushing hair out my face.

"Fang will come back y'know." She said seriously.

"How do you know he'll come back Angel?" I sighed trying to squash an irritating thing called hope that was trying to rise inside me.

"He loves you too much to stay away." She smiled knowingly before scampering off to hit Gazzy with a snowball right between the eyes.

After the snowball fight, we all sat in front of the fire eating mom's chocolate chip cookies. "You know," Iggy started chewing thoughtfully on his cookie "He's gonna come back." I wasted another glare on the soon to be dead bird boy. As if sensing my gaze he turned to face me.

"How can you be so sure?" I whispered, sadly needing more confirmation than what Angel and her six year old logic said earlier.

Iggy smirked and said "Because you only have one petal left on that rose."

"How the hell did you…" I trailed off shocked that he knew the rose's true purpose. When the younger kids had asked about it when it miraculously appeared in a vase next to my bed, I lied and said I found it while on a flight round the forest.

With that same smirk still on his face Iggy stated "He told me before he left."

"Did he tell you why he left?" I retorted angrily. The smirk disappeared and he shook his head in a resolute no.

That night I lay in bed determinedly watching the petal, silently begging it to join the others remaining where they fell by the vase, just so I could be right and this hope would finally go away.

You don't want it to go Max. It's what's keeping you going. My favourite fortune cookie eating, unwanted guest in my head just had to appear at this moment.

But he's not coming back, so it shouldn't be there. It was an empty promise, broken the minute he made it, and Fang damn well knew it. I sneered mentally.

Never assume something before the end of the tale Max, it may be your undoing one day. Was the oh so helpful reply I got back. My conversation with the voice had not helped my already permanently stressed bird kid senses, so I tried unsuccessfully to sleep.

The moon was high in the night sky when I heard it. A slight, forcefully and unnatural breeze shot through the window. I kept my eyes firmly shut, needing some sort of confirmation that it was Fang before I opened my eyes and it turned out to be a Fang clone or a flyboy, you know the usual concerns of a teenager. I listened as I heard the distinct sound of wings being pulled in, and slow cautious steps towards my bed. I felt the bed dip slightly as pressure was applied where someone was leaning. I felt the breath across my face as someone opened their mouth to speak. "I'm sorry Max, so sorry I had to leave you. You're probably so mad at me. Scrap that, you're furious at me," I mentally picture Fang's lips twitching, his version of a chuckle. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you either, but I couldn't ask you to come with me," he whispered sincerely. After this little cryptic statement, I felt the back of Fang's hand gently brushing the length of my cheek.

Time to wake up and get some answers. He was right I was furious at him, but to make things worse my hope had now flooded my body slowly turning to relief, which makes it very hard when you're about to whisper yell at your boyfriend when they took a month long vacation. Using my brilliant acting skills, I tried to slowly flutter my eyes making Fang think I'd been asleep this whole time. Of course, as soon as I did that he withdrew his hand. I opened my eyes fully and instantly met his nervous stare.

"Fang," I murmured, trying to keep with the whole I've been asleep this whole time thing.

"Max," he murmured back. I sat up quickly and glared at him.

"You will give me answers now." I hissed. His gaze drifted to the floor and then back up.

"I deserve to know Fang, you left without any warning, you couldn't even tell us, tell me why you were gone, or where you were, so you will sure as hell tell me now!" I spat allowing him to see the anger in my eyes.

"Colorado." Was the answer I got back.

"Why on earth were you in Colorado?" I asked stunned.

"Because it's where our mountain home was."

Now when a person who is very close to you disappears without explanation and comes back saying they were at a place that exists no more, only one word springs to mind.

"WHAT!"

"I was looking for something." He replied calmly.

"Enlighten me Fang, what is so important that you had to fly to Colorado to find?"

"This." He answered pulling out a dusty and worn leather book from the confines of his backpack. Cautiously he edged towards my bed and hesitantly sitting on it, eyeing me as though I would pounce on him. He wasn't far off. He held the mysterious book in front of me waiting for me to take it. Looking at him questionably I took it from him.

I opened the cover to see what could have caused Fang to break his promise again. The first page made me gasp in surprise. It was a slightly singed photo of me and Ari, (as a seven year old before he became an eraser freak). I turned to the next page. It was a photo of Ari holding a tatty brown bear. The weird thing was that the photo was in ripped pieces that had been stuck back together like a jigsaw piece. "It took me forever to find the pieces for that," Fang murmured. Ignoring my shock, I flicked through the rest of the pages. They were all of Ari as a kid, with flock members or on his own.

"How did you get these?" I whispered stunned.

"I told you Max. Colorado. There were still some photos there in good condition, buried under the rubble and debris." He answered.

"Why?" I quizzed raising my head from the book.

"Because I've seen you at times tearing yourself up about his death, blaming yourself and I can see in your eyes the "what ifs". This way you'll be able to stay close to him, even if he's not here." Was the rather lengthy explanation I got back. Well, it was lengthy for Fang.

"Why couldn't you tell me? Tell the flock?" I growled out.

"You would have wanted to come, and I didn't even know if what I was looking for would still be there. I would of dragged you out there for nothing, and the little ones wouldn't be able to stand seeing their home of four years like that." Fang answered using way more words then I was used to.

"So let me get this straight, you left us to go to our old home, to find pictures of Ari because you knew I would get upset about his death still, so you compiled them in a book so I could feel close to my half brother and you didn't tell the flock or me because you didn't want us to get hurt?" I summed up eyeing him speculatively.

"Yeah," he shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"And why did you feel the need to do this in the first place?" I questioned wondering what started off this whole crusade idea in the first place, instead of him just comforting me when he could tell I was upset.

"Because I love you," he said softly before cupping my face and pressing his lips to mine. My willpower at being angry with him flew out the window. It had been so long since I'd felt his touch, felt his kisses. So of course it would have been rude not to kiss him back wouldn't it? My hands ran through his silky black hair and I pressed my body closer to his. Fang's hands moved to encircle my waist as he tightened his hold on me, never once breaking the heated contact between our lips.

And amidst all this furious kissing, the last petal fell.