Written by: Night's Angel31, Dark Raven Lady and Wylee Coyote

Disclaimer: Don't own Maximum Ride

Chapter Twenty-one

Iggy then Nudge and finally Fang followed Gazzy.

"Spider's gone," he informed them as he walked through the door.

Eris nodded, "Umm... Fang, I'm sorry about before," she said sheepishly.

"It's okay, I'm use to being screamed at," he shrugged and glanced at Max who smiled innocently.

"Okay, I'm going to bed now that there's no spiders in there," Eris yawned. They said goodnight and Eris headed for her bed.

"Do you think that was about more than just the spider?" Fang asked once Eris had left the room.

"I don't know," Max shrugged, "But then again it's not like we know everything that's happened her life now do we!"

"Should someone talk to her about it?" Nudge asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I mean I could try," Iggy suggested.

"Umm... no offence big guy," Max said, "but us females prefer talking to those of the same sex, especially about how we're feeling."

"Why?" Gazzy asked confused.

"It's a chick thing," Fang said, "Don't ask them to explain it or else we'll be here till next century."

Max poked her tongue out at Fang. "Oh, real mature," he replied smirking slightly.

"Look," Max continued, ignoring Fang's last comment, "I'll talk to her tomorrow. Okay?"

The Flock all nodded their heads and scattered off to the bedrooms. Max turned to leave with them when she felt a tug at her jumper. She turned around to see Gazzy looking up at her. She knelt down to his level and saw that there were tears welling up in his eyes. Max felt a jolt go through her heart. Gazzy had always been her little trooper and to see him so vulnerable made her heart ache.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

"Gazzy sniffled and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. "I miss Angel," he mumbled quietly. Max felt another sharp jab inside of her. She missed the little girl so desperately and yet she had tried so hard to be the strong one.

"I miss her too." She whispered before pulling the crying boy into a tight hug.

She picked him up and took him to bed, kissing him on the forehead. As she left the room where Gazzy slept, she turned around and was startled when she found Eris standing behind her. She looked like a little child, the way she looked up at Max as an adult that would provide comfort.

"I can't sleep," she said in a barely audible voice.

Max ushered her outside and sat her on a seat.

"Eris, what's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"Nothing, I'm just suffering from a slight case of insomnia."

Max knew Eris was lying and persisted the matter, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Eris nodded.

"Then please tell me what's wrong? What was with that 'episode' you had earlier? There's more to it than spiders, isn't there?"

Max was practically begging on her knees. Eris turned away, stared out into the dark for a moment then lowered her gaze to her nervously fidgeting hand and sighed.

Eris opened her mouth to confess everything, but she couldn't. She couldn't face all those nightmares again, the horrible spider's fangs, the Eraser's devilish grins and the feeling of being all alone in the world with not one there to help her. She closed her mouth and tears began to form in her eyes.

"It's okay, they can't hurt you anymore. We're here for you, we'll protect you," Max said as though she was reading Eris' thoughts.

Eris gulped, Max was such a good friend, and Eris knew that she would always be there for her. At the though of that Eris burst into tears and hugged Max, Max hugged her back. Eris' tears weren't tears of pain and sorrow, but were now of joy that she had a place where she belonged. Eventually, Eris' tears subsided and she was ready to tell Max everything. She hugged her feet tight up to her chest and breathed our deeply. She looked Max in the eye and began.

"There is more to the spiders than I let on. I guess you know that already. When I was little my Dad, well Ethan, would keep me locked in stone rooms for days. Sometimes I didn't even know when I would be fed next. Erasers where let in almost everyday. Sometimes they wouldn't do anything but taunt me. And other times..." Eris paused and swallowed.

Max held the girl's hand and nodded for her to continue.

Eris sniffled. "Sorry... it just seems like it happened yesterday. Well, Ethan said the sessions were to help me grow stronger. To learn to develop that survival instinct. But I didn't care. I just wanted to go home. To never see that place again. Ethan must have realized that because he called me a failure. So instead of training sessions, I just had beatings from the Erasers."

"And what about the spiders?" Max asked softly. Eris looked to the ground and began to explain.

"When I was really little, Ethan went out and left me alone in the care of the Erasers. They didn't taunt me too much; basically they just locked me in my room. But later, when I was sleeping, they snuck in and put spiders in my bed and everywhere in my room. When I woke up and found them in my bed I screamed and jumped out of bed only to step on more, they climbed up my legs... and...and, "Eris broke down in tears. Max wrapped her arms around Eris and Eris cried on Max's shoulder.

"They were everywhere, Max. I couldn't get out," Eris' voice was muffled by Max's shoulder.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay," Max whispered in Eris' ear. She was amazed that Erasers could be so cruel, and then she remembered that they were Erasers. She couldn't even imagine how terrified Eris would have been.

Eris eventually calmed down again. "Now I'm really tired," Eris smiled faintly and Max nodded in agreement.

The two girls headed to their room. Eris lay there silently. Eventually, Eris heard Max's breathing deepen and she knew that she was asleep. Eris closed her eyes and tried to sleep but she couldn't, she just didn't feel safe. No matter how many times she told herself that Max would keep her safe she just kept feeling like Erasers were going to burst through the door and guess what happened?

She was right.

Fang was awoken from his sleep by a sharp-clawed hand clasping him across his mouth. He opened his eyes to see Ari snarling down at him.

"Hello old boy," Ari smiled, "It's been a while." Fang, who had been frozen from shock, began thrashing around.

"Hush now," Ari whispered, "we don't want to wake the others."

Fang's eyes opened wide in horror as he looked across he room and saw Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge and even Total out cold with their hands and feet tied together. Surrounding them like guards in a prison were three more Erasers. In seeing them tied up, a thought suddenly crossed Fang's mind. Where was Max? Where was Eris?

Eris heard a thump in the next room. At first she was tempted to wake Max to check it out, but didn't want to be a baby. She slid from under the sheets and tiptoed to the door. Max stirred and rolled onto her side, making Eris stop and double check that Max was asleep. She was. Eris slowly turned the doorknob and turned the door. Her eyes filled with fear as she came face to face with her worst nightmare. Josh.

He smiled, showing his gorgeous supermodel teeth, "Hi Honey, I'm home."

Eris went to scream, but Josh threw his hand over her mouth and dragged her, kicking, out of the room. Max's eyes flew open when she heard Eris muffled cries for help and jumped to her feet. She was about to yell her Flock awake, but was grabbed from behind and dragged out of the room, following Eris.

Eris struggled against Josh's strong grip. He dragged her down the corridor towards the lounge room. Eris could see Max further up the corridor being dragged by another Eraser. They reached the lounge room. Eris spotted the other members of the Flock. Fang was the only one conscious. Josh threw Eris onto the floor. Two Erasers came and tied her hands and feet. Slowly, she wriggled over to where Iggy was lying. Just his presence next to her made her feel stronger. Eris looked around the room. Max had been thrown into a corner, tied up and gagged. Eris couldn't find Ella or Dr Martinez anywhere in the dark room.

Where are they? she thought. Her question was soon answered.