Well, some of you may have already read this... that's because I made a mistake and posted it as chapter 20. Oops. I've fixed chapter 20 now, so you can go ahead and read it now. Sorry!

That's also the reason I've posted this one so soon; I decided that I wouldn't wait for the three reviews like I usually do. But this time I want about five to make up for it!

It'll probably be a while before the next chapter is posted anyway; I'm mucho busy, as I've previously mentioned.

Still don't own Max Ride, and I still own Aspen. The end.

Chapter 21: Monster

I woke up to a beautiful day. Robin was sitting by Conner on a branch above me, and I clambered up to join them. My fear of trees seemed to be fading, I noticed with satisfaction. I sat on the other side of Conner, watching Robin. Did she still hate me? Or did risking my neck to get her out of an Eraser camp earn back her friendship?

She wasn't smiling at me, but she didn't glare, either. I flashed a grin at her, and she half-smiled back. She looked away again, focusing on a box of dry cereal that she was eating from.

Conner handed me a box, too. "They're magically delicious," he informed me as I tore the box open. I laughed.

I looked at what he was eating. "Silly mutant," I rebuked. "Trix are for kids."

When we were done, we shoved the empty boxes inside each other and then into Conner's backpack. We could use them for a fire tonight, or something.

"So… what happened?" Conner asked Robin after we'd been flying for a while.

Robin was silent for a while. After a few moments, she heaved a sigh. "Well," she began. "I was just stupid, really. I was walking around in the trees, and practically ran into an Eraser. Suddenly they were everywhere, and they all surrounded me. They shot me with a tranquillizer gun, and you guys know as much as I do from that point. What about you guys? How did you find me?"

"We didn't want to lose you," Conner said. "So we kind of… followed you. Sorry. We were going to give you a few days before we made you come back, but…" but we decided that you probably were going to be better off stuck with us than in the Institute, I finished for him mentally.

"Thanks. It was stupid of me to go off by myself." Robin smiled at both of us, a real smile. I was glad she didn't hate me. "Umm… Aspen? I'm sorry. And I really appreciate how you risked being caught like that so I could get away. Thanks." I smiled at her, just as thankful as she was.

We didn't fly very far; Conner was pretty tired. We landed in a big clearing this time, instead of another tree. I was inwardly grateful; I still preferred the ground. Robin lit a fire using some wood and our cereal boxes, and started making lunch. Conner scouted the area for the best lookout point. Again, I was left with nothing to do. I walked around, kicking the dirt. I wondered idly what Julius had told the other Erasers after we got away. He didn't seem like someone that would admit to being beat up by little old me. He was just lucky that he was the leader; anybody else would be severely punished for letting a captive escape.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by Conner's running back through the trees. He looked scared. He pointed back to where he'd run from. "Erasers! Nine of them, coming right here! They must've seen the smoke," he continued. Robin and I exchanged a panicked glance, and she put out the fire.

"Should we run?" I asked, knowing the answer already. Robin looked terrified.

Conner shook his head. "No, they're too close. The best thing to do is to stay here and be ready when they come." Robin's fear hardened into determination. I hid my fear, too, knowing that it would only excite the Erasers more. Conner seemed to be having a hard time hiding his own fear, though. I took his hand.

"What's wrong? You can take a bunch of Erasers," I said.

Conner swallowed. "It's not the Erasers I'm worried about. It's the other… thing." His hand rubbed the now-healed injury I'd given him. "And you. I'm worried about you, Aspen." He pulled me into his arms for a quick embrace. I didn't tell him that he'd just said the same thing twice.

He let go and I quickly ran over the numbers. There were three of us, and nine of them. That left us outnumbered three to one. That wasn't very good considering that there were at least three of the monstrously huge Erasers like Julius. We'd be lucky if any of us escaped.

"Maybe we should try running away… we're faster than any old Eraser," I whispered. I just wanted to get out of there.

Conner shook his head. "They're too close," he said again. "And… I want to get that thing back. It's not getting away this time."

I shuddered. "Conner… what if… uh…" I was too scared to tell him. What would he do? I swallowed. "That thing… um… is…"

"Shh! Let's try not to get caught by surprise, okay?" Robin's eyes were worried, but determined.

The moments ticked slowly and silently by. Maybe they weren't coming…? I looked hopefully up at Conner.

All at once, the silence was ripped to shreds by the sound of attacking Erasers. They dove out of the sky with fangs exposed and clawed hands reaching for our throats. I barely swallowed a scream as one of them barely missed my arm. I spun around and my fist connected with his head. It seemed to have no effect on him, and he glared up at me. He lunged towards me, and I dodged to the right. He missed, but I ran right into the path of another Eraser.

Panicking, I swiftly kicked him in the side. His breath left him with a whoosh, and I hit him again while he was doubled over. Recovering quickly, the Eraser grabbed my wrist and threw me to the ground. He advanced, snarling.

He was knocked aside by a well-placed kick from Robin. I flashed a quick smile of thanks towards her, and she nodded an acknowledgment.

I leapt out of the way of a diving Eraser, my attention back on surviving. I spread my wings, preparing to take to the air where I had more of an advantage. Suddenly there was a clawed hand on my wing, and I was thrown to the side. I refolded my wings, protecting them from getting hurt again. I thudded into an Eraser's chest. His hands grabbed my shoulders and spun me to face him. I struggled to get away before he could tear out my throat.

"Aspen? Is that you?" Reuben's eyes were wide with surprise. I was shocked, too. But it only made sense that he should be here; he couldn't still be suffering from my cooking. I was suddenly pulled into a too-tight embrace. "Aspen, I was so worried! I couldn't find you anywhere! And to think that these… that you'd been being held captive! Don't worry, I'll take you back to the Institute; it'll be just fine.

I tried to shove away from the delusional Eraser. He took off into the air with me still in his arms. I couldn't get away… I was just so much weaker than when I was in my Eraser form.

NO! I wanted to scream. I'M NOT GOING BACK! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I struggled futilely to escape. I had no other option.

I changed into my Eraser form. I felt my face elongate, my teeth turn into fangs.

I snarled and shoved Reuben away from me. I aimed a kick at his face and went into a steep dive. I was about to change back, when I saw Conner staring at me. An Eraser was charging straight at him while he was distracted. I soared past Conner and plowed right into the attacking Eraser. He hit the ground with a thud and a grunt.

When I saw that he wasn't getting back up any time soon, I whirled around. Conner was still standing absolutely still, frozen with shock. I ran toward another Eraser that was trying to take advantage of Conner's distraction. I raised my hand and raked my claws across his face, growling.

I saw Robin fighting two Erasers at once, just beyond where I was. So she hadn't seen me turn into a monster.

I fought off Erasers in a daze. It was over. There was nothing I could do now.

The only thing that made me notice that the Erasers had all gone was that there wasn't anything left to hit. I stood where I was for a moment, trying not to think. I sat on the ground, changing back to my un-Eraser form.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Conner still staring at me. I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. I hid my face in my hands and let them fall. He didn't need to say anything. His face had told me everything. He wasn't angry, but I almost wished he was. I didn't want to see him looking so betrayed. His eyes were empty with shock and grief. I would do anything to fix what I'd done. Anything.

I cried into my hands, knowing that there was nothing I could do. I waited until my tears would run dry, like they always did in books. They didn't end, and neither did my pain. I longed for the arms around me that I knew wouldn't come.

I don't know how long I sat there. The whole time I was surrounded by silence. I wondered if Conner and Robin had already left me. I wasn't sure if I wanted that or not. It would be so hard to look into their eyes, knowing that I'd hurt them. On the other hand, I didn't think I could stand being alone with my guilt.

Eventually, I managed to stop crying. I looked up and saw with vague surprise that it was dark. I noticed that there was a fire lit across the clearing. Two silhouettes sat in front of it, and I could feel their eyes on me. I forced myself to get up and walk up to them. Conner and Robin's eyes followed me to where I sat. I made sure to keep a good amount of space between us; I knew that neither of them would want me anywhere near them. I stared into the fire, not able to meet their gaze.

The silence that stretched on was almost unbearable. "I'm so sorry." My breath was no more than a whisper, but I knew that they had heard me.

When they didn't answer, I looked up. Robin's face was angry. I couldn't see Conner's; it was hidden in shadow. It felt like my heart was being ripped out. "Please… I just…" I didn't know what to say.

Robin got up and walked away. She looked back at me with an expression of deep loathing before disappearing into the shadows. I stared after her and sighed.

My attention went back to Conner. I still didn't know what to say… but I had to say something.

"Conner… I tried to tell you, but…" But what? "But… I… I just couldn't. I'm so sorry."

Conner still didn't look up. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Conner…" I whispered.

He pushed me away. "Leave me alone, Aspen. I can't believe…" He shook his head and looked up. His eyes bored into mine. "You… How could you do this? I… just go away."

"But, Conner… Let me explain…"

"Explain what? I saw enough to explain everything. Seriously. Just go away."

I didn't know what else I could do. I got up and walked away, struggling to hold back the rest of my tears. I lay down on the hard ground, wishing I wouldn't ever have to get up. I felt myself shaking with sobs that I'd been trying to repress.

I gave up trying to stay in control. I let it all out, allowing my misery to swallow me. I embraced the darkness as unconsciousness crept over me.