A/N: Please don't be too hard on me; this is my first fanfiction. Constructive criticism would be much appreciated, however, so read and review!
One year today. I sat at the large picture window in the living room, staring out at a magnificent sunrise over the Rockies, trying not to think too much.
Needless to say, it wasn't going very well.
It definitely didn't help that this was the one year anniversary of Jeb's disappearance. Could it only have been a year ago? It felt like so much longer. I had been internally grieving for him ever since that day that he didn't come back. I knew I had to be strong for the others; after all, I was their leader. I was Maximum freaking Ride, and I wasn't allowed to be weak. So I stayed silent, comforted the others, and led them the best I could. I was only a kid myself, but I really couldn't let myself be that. To them, I was a superhero, fearless Max, an impenetrable force of steel. I couldn't be a kid. Not before, not now, and not ever.
I took a deep, steadying breath, trying hard to pull myself together before the Flock was up. They would need me to be strong now, today, more than ever. I couldn't let them down. I squared my shoulders, set my jaw, and put on my leader face. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I gasped in surprise and spun around, but it was only Fang. My carefully constructed façade of strength broke down when I saw the expression in his dark, usually mysterious eyes. Now, instead of mystery, I saw concern—for me—and sadness reflecting back at me. Without a word, he wrapped his strong arms around me, and, just this once, I gave in to my weakness and let my best friend comfort me. We sat there for what seemed like a long time, but was really only a couple of minutes, and when we broke apart, I was left feeling just a little stronger than before; strong enough to face the Flock, at least. He gave me a sad little half-smile before turning and opening the window, startling me for a moment when he jumped out, his powerful dark wings extended. Before he got far, however, he turned back towards the window in mid-air and hovered there for a few seconds, long enough to give me a comical little salute. It was enough to make me crack a smile, even on a morning like this. I watched as he flew, never getting out of sight of the window, sunlight glinting off his wind-ruffled black wings, now almost purple in color, like a raven or crow. Even as they represented everything freakish and wrong about us, I had to admit that they were beautiful in their own way. I stared out the window into the pink-tinged morning sky, wondering what I would do without Fang. Without speaking a word, he had managed to make me forget about everything that was wrong, even if it was just for a moment. He was the best friend anyone could ask for.
A small smile still on my face, I went to wake the others. As I went from room to room, trying to get four very sleep-ridden bird-kids out of bed—not an easy task, let me tell you—it dawned on me that my life suddenly seemed just a little bit brighter.