Cheating Death – Chapter 1

By MyNameIsCAL

So I don't own Maximum Ride or Fang or Iggy or Nudge or Angel, obviously. This is new, something I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing with, but I thought it was an interesting idea. It came to me when I was working on a chapter for another story. I decided the idea would be better for a new story, not just a couple of chapters. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one.

---Fang's POV---

"Something's going to happen to me, Fang."

I stared at her. "What?"

She stared at the floor. "Something is going to happen to me, Fang."

"Like what?"

"Something bad. I've already tried to prevent it. In fact, I've been preventing it for a long time. But you won't be able to stop it," Angel told me. "But I need you to do something for me."

I was confused.

"Well, actually you don't have a choice." She breathed out. "But when whatever happens to me happens, you're going to get my powers."

I frowned. "Me have your mind reading powers? And predicting the future? I think I'll pass."

"You don't understand," she said. "You need them to save the flock…Most importantly, to save Max."

"Save Max?"

She stood. "Everything will make sense, I promise. If this doesn't happen, then we'll all be dead."

"Dead? Hey wait, where are you going?"

"To say goodbye to Gazzy."

"Angel, what are you talking about?"

She suddenly threw her arms around me. "I'm gonna miss you, Fang. Tell Max that I'm sorry, ok? Thanks for everything. "

"Angel…"

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Goodbye, Fang."

And then she was gone, leaving my confused, feeling like I might cry too, but I didn't know why.

"What's wrong, Fang?" Max walked in and we stood staring at each other in foyer of our newly bought house.

"Nothing."

I sat beside Angel's bed. A month had gone by now since she had showed up to my house that night. She had just been moved to Gazzy's place, still hooked up to a respirator on life support. The doctors said there was no chance of her surviving, that she was brain dead, but we had to keep her alive.

Things are going to be okay, Angel whispered in my ear.

"It's been a month now," I said out loud. "I had a dream last night that I was going to come here. I didn't want to, but I already learned you can only delay things, like you said. I would have ended up here either way. But if I have to keep saving Max, keep preventing her harm and her death, what does that mean?"

It's complicated, Fang.

"Because if I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to make her dodge bullets, something is going to give eventually," I replied.

Well you just have to keep pushing on with it. Things will come together later, I know it, I just don't know how or why yet.

Gazzy came into the room, exhaustion seemed to plague him permanently. Sometimes I could hear other people's thoughts, but most of the time, Angel blocked them out unless I was supposed to hear them.

"What's she saying to you?" Gazzy asked.

I sighed. "The same thing she always tells me."

"Maybe we should tell Max," Gazzy suggested.

You can't tell Max. She'll just let herself get hurt anyway and that can't happen, not now anyways, Angel interrupted.

I shook my head, reiterating what Angel had said.

That night before Angel had been fatefully hit by a car, she had said goodbye to everyone except Max. In fact Max was the only one who didn't have any idea about what was going on. But it was for her own well being, apparently.

"Last night we didn't go out to dinner because if we went, Max would have gotten food poisoning," I said after a while. "The night before I stopped Iggy and Nudge from going to town because Iggy would have had a fight with Nudge and was going to walk into the street to be hit by a car…"

"And me?" Gazzy asked.

"Nothing," I admitted. "You never leave, Gazzy. There's nothing that can really hurt you."

"Well," he sounded a little hurt, "I guess that's a good thing."

"I suppose so."

He adjusted the blankets over Angel. It was time for me to go.

"Oh, and Gazzy," I turned to him as I reached the doorway.

"Yeah, Fang?" He looked like he was going to cry as he stared at Angel.

"Nudge and Iggy want to know if it's ok if they still have their wedding next month." I waited for his answer, anxious that he might breakdown like he did last week.

He gave me a shaky smile. "Of course. I mean, there's no point in pushing it back. I'm sure Angel wouldn't have wanted to delay things…I don't know, she's probably told you what's best."

I shook my head. "There are still things we have to figure out on our own."

His smile was gone now. "Ah, I guess so. I'll see you later."

I nodded and left, taking a running start after I exited the apartment building and flew home.

You should go to sleep.

I growled and sat up in bed, thinking to Angel, Why must you interrupt my thoughts like that.

"Fang?" Max muttered.

"Sorry, just a bad dream," I lied, lying back down. She curled up against me and resumed sleeping.

Angel was silent for the rest of the night, leaving me to my own thoughts, but as soon as I closed my eyes, a dream would hit me.

Tomorrow would just be another day of trying to prevent someone from getting hurt.

Thanks for reading! I hope that wasn't too confusing.