Day Seven without Fang- Angel's POV

"I'll watch her tonight," I offered after dinner. Nobody paid any attention to me, so I knew this was my chance to redeem myself once and for all. Max was in her room as usual. Her back was facing me, and she was sitting at a desk.

"I'm so sorry about what I said in Africa. I should've explained myself better. You need to understand, I was listening to my Voice too, and I thought I was doing the right thing. Seriously, it said I was. Unless my Voice was wrong…which it probably was. I wish more than anything I could take back everything I said and did if that is what it would take to make Fang come back. Oops, I forgot you don't like to hear or say his name anymore. I'll try to remember, for you. You know that I would, right? Right, Max? Right…Max? Maximum! Maximum Ride! Why aren't you answering me? Hello? Hello? I'm over here! Turn around when I'm speaking to you! Wait a minute, what are you doing?" I saw a flash of something shiny, too bright for fabric or feathers…a knife. Without thinking, I dashed up and smacked the knife out of her hand, sending it flying out under the crack of the door and into the wall out in the hallway. Blood steadily dripped onto the floor, and Max's head snapped up in shock. This was truly the first time I've ever attacked her, willingly. I stared her down.

"If I ever find you doing that again, Fang will be less likely to come back," I said, sympathy draining from my system and draining onto the floor. I spun on my heel and left the room, picking up the knife on my way out.

Max Watch~ Angel's Shift 7 p.m. to 7:30

Next Shift- Gazzy, 7:30-8:00

The Next Afternoon. . .Max's POV

Ella stopped by my room with some lunch, looking all smiles and happiness. But I could see it was a charade, and underneath her tight face I could see all the pain in me echoed in those eyes. She was trying hard not to upset me. But, I had some resolve left not to show any of that, so I painfully smiled back so that she could see I was trying too.

"Max, I thought you might be hungry," she said, setting the tray on the desk. Her eyes drifted to my mostly healed wrist momentarily before flickering back up to my face. "Mom made grilled cheese for everyone, and this is what was left. I have to go do my homework, so…I'll leave you here," Before she even took a step, I spoke.

"No, you can stay," I whispered. "I'll behave myself. Bird kid's honor," I held up my right hand, smiling more genuinely this time. Ella almost burst out laughing, but she knew this was no time for fooling around, so she instead just sat on the floor next to me. She sighed, saying nothing, waiting for me to start the real talking. I didn't say anything either, because there was nothing to tell. Everyone thinks I cut myself, when the knife just slipped in my grip. True, I did feel better, with that blood flowing freely out of the cut. But it was an accident. Nobody else besides Angel believes me. That included Dylan. He ordered everyone to keep anything sharp and pointy away from me. That kid has been quite a puzzle lately. Some days, when I truly hate him for leaving, he doesn't seem like such a bad second choice. Then I'd come to my senses and stay faithful to my other. I thought back to the day we had been put in the same room together, wondering if I had loved him, even then…

Flashback- Seven Years Ago

"Get in there," the white coat barked, slamming the door shut so loudly I flinched with fear. The new kid scrambled into his cage, shutting the door behind him. I peeked through my fingers to see…a young boy. I had seen him around before. He used to talk a lot, like that girl Nudge, but not nearly as much. But after this experiment, he didn't seem to want to talk anymore. I held out my hand. That was when I remembered his name. Fang. He gave it to himself after that first incident in the lab with that rat attacking him. He hesitated at first, and then slowly reached out to take my waiting hand.

"Tell me what happened," I said firmly, looking into his dark eyes. "What did they do to you?"

"Something with my mind," it sounded like he mumbled.

"Go on," I said, tightening my hold on him.

"They told me that-" The door opened. They wanted me now. I pulled my hand back and shrank into the shadows slightly.

"Whatever you do, don't believe a word they say!" he shouted just before I was dragged off to who knows where. And I listened to him, without really knowing why. Hours later it seemed, I was placed back in my assigned crate. Fang was still there, fast asleep. I wondered what he was about to tell me that was so important.

I never got another chance to ask.

I gasped in surprise. It didn't hurt so much to remember the early times, when our relationship was so simple and uncomplicated.

"What is it, Max?" Ella asked, looking at me with concern.

"I was…just thinking of something," I said slowly. "The day we were in the same room. I was trying to come up with why he was always so silent. And whatever they did to him that day had to have been the reason." I didn't have to say anything more for Ella to know who I was talking about.

"Huh." Isn't my half sister so intelligent? And that was the end of that. Ella made me take a personality quiz she wrote herself.

"Question number one: Two guys ask you to the dance and you can't decide who to let down. One has had a secret crush on you for a long time, and the other just wants to make him jealous. Who do you choose?"

Fang or Dylan? I thought. Before Fang left, I would have said his name right away, but now…no! Stop thinking about him, Max! He's gone!

"The first one," I answered. "Next question." I took a bite of my sandwich.

After twenty minutes of this, Ella totaled up the score and wrote down the results before handing them to me:

Mostly A's- You're true to your lover, and he is true to you. The both of you are meant to be, no matter what destiny people say you have.

Mostly A's and B's- For a time, you two were in synch. Then complications occurred…

Mostly C's- There is absolutely no hope.

She darkened the one that applied to my results, and glanced at Dylan pointedly, who had just come into the room to see what the noise was about. He smiled when I looked at him, but I didn't smile back. Though his God-like face was certainly something to look at, there was just no way that I was meant to fall in love with him and forget…the other one. My life was not going to come together like that. No matter how many times that jerk kissed me, it would mean about as much as Jeb saying he loved me. Empty words that I could easily ignore and look around like a physical obstacle.

"Max, let's have a tal-" I cut him off with a look. Why should I have a "talk" with him? I'd rather jump off a cliff, wings tied, before we had the "talk" he was thinking about right now. I was getting along just fine on my own. I don't need any support from anybody. I'm the Invincible Maximum Ride.