We were at 299 reviews for the longest time...it was killing me. Thanks to lovebugboo999 for being #300!

Reviewers of the Week:

i. am. divergent. tribute. glader: No no... I won't kill you... That's the easy way out...
I would give you to the school and tell them that you are willing to be an experiment, and to help save the world.
Let's see how long you last before you die...
Muahahah, take that

Thanks, iadtg. I could be a bird kid then. If that happened, I wouldn't have any time to write this anymore.

DntlessAnnabeth: I don't want to kill you. I want to slice your joints open just barely severing the central nerve - starting at you fingers and toes and working my way to shoulders and hips. I then will sew them all back together and have you lay like that writhing in such intense pain even the writhing kills you. Then I will take out the sutures and extra your nerves from the hollows of your bones but not detach them from your body. Instead I will tie them together and leave them hanging beside you. Finally you will die from bleeding out after the excruciating pain.

Interesting...but wouldn't that kill me?

Random Quote of the Week: "As I burn another page, as I look the other way, I still try to find my place in the Diary of Jane" -Breaking Benjamin, in "The Diary of Jane"

Max's POV

I woke up in the grass, miserable. My hair was full of leaves from carelessly lying down last night without looking under my head. That was the least of my concerns, though. I was hungry, cold, tired, and most importantly not with Fang.

It was still dark outside, and it most definitely did not feel like summer. Fang had his jacket with him, so I was shivering cold. I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering as I stood up and quickly stretched.

I walked to town, praying Fang would be at the fountain waiting for me. I was almost afraid to look as I turned the corner leading into the street with the convenience store. What if Fang wasn't at the fountain?

In a dauntless moment, I turned my head and looked forwards. The fountain stood a quarter of a mile in front of me, and I didn't see Fang anywhere.

My heart sank. If Fang was waiting for me, he'd probably be trying to get my attention. As much as I wished it were true, Fang probably wasn't sitting on the other side of the fountain trying to blend in.

Was Fang hurt? Did he get kidnapped? A swarm of possibilities ran through my head, none of them good. Without Fang, I had nowhere to go. I wouldn't last very long on my own, and I didn't have a home to return to. My foster parents' home wasn't an option anymore.

I slowly walked to the fountain, carefully looking to see if Fang was anywhere nearby. Even at such an early hour, I could tell Fang wasn't close.

I sat down on the fountain and stared down the street, wondering if my best friend was gone for good. But even as the agonizing seconds ticked by, I still felt a spark of hope inside me. When I wished on the shooting star two weeks ago, I wished for the strength to never lose hope. Even though it felt like years ago, my wish was the same right now. I couldn't lose hope of finding Fang. Without Fang, I was nothing. He'd given me all the hope I'd ever had in my lifetime.

I went to the grocery store and bought several cans of food with the last of my money, then walked back to the fountain and ate one for breakfast.

Fang woke up quickly and stared straight up. Crap. The sun was almost up, and he was still lying down. Fang quickly put his backpack on and jogged to town. Hopefully Max was waiting by the fountain.

I sat on the fountain's ledge and stared ahead, watching the sunrise. It was beautiful today, but I couldn't help think of how much more beautiful it would've been with Fang. I already missed his comforting touch. He was one of those people who made me feel safe when I was in the same room as him. Without Fang, I wasn't helpless, but knowing he was by my side was a huge confidence booster.

I took out my last can of food and cut it open. I took out my spoon and ate. Just then, I realized something. I was out of money, and I had no food left. I'd be forced to dumpster-dive or steal more unless I found Fang soon. That, I could deal with. Being alone? Not so much. Even Fang, got depressed after three weeks alone, and I had no doubt I wouldn't last that long.

And if Fang needed to, he always could've returned home. He was eighteen years old, so he could rent an apartment and get a job, but I had nowhere to return to. I knew one thing for sure, though. I was never going back to high school. I was only a rising junior, but I'd moved on from school. When I turned eighteen, though, I could get an apartment and a job just like Fang. Maybe we could even room together to save money. We'd spent the past (almost) three weeks together, and we got along great, so rooming only seemed logical. Whatever else, I knew my future would definitely have to include Fang.

I took Fang's presence for granted so much; the thought of not being with him hadn't crossed my mind for weeks. For the first time, I had to think about what my future would be without him.

"Max!" I heard a voice call behind me. I shot up and turned around. Fang was running towards me, about a hundred feet away. My eyes widened as I ran to meet him.

Looking back on it, I found the situation rather ironic. Right as I was thinking about what I'd do without Fang, boom, he appeared.

I tackled him in a bear hug and embraced him fiercely, taking in the fact that he was safe, with me. He clung to me tightly as well, missing me as much as I missed him. I was too relieved and happy to care about anything else at the moment. I wasn't aware of the people around us, no doubt puzzled at our sudden embrace in the middle of the street. But nothing mattered except the fact that Fang and I were reunited.

"God, Max. I was so worried," Fang whispered into my ear.

"Me, too," I said, letting go and slowly walking back to the fountain with him. I gripped his hand tightly, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Fang was actually here. "Don't you dare scare me like that, ever again."

Fang laughed, filling my ears with the sound they'd been longing for. "I won't."

"You better not. I was freaked out of my mind. I thought you were hurt."

"Same here. Where were you in the store?"

"Well," I said, blushing. "It was my, you know, time of the month. I had to hurry."

Fang looked down. "Crap. I'm stupid. I checked the store and didn't find you. I didn't think you'd take long in the bathroom if you needed it, so I left. I thought you were looking for me, so I went and looked for you."

"I looked for you too. Which way did you go?"

"East."

"That's why! I went west," I said.

"Really? I turned around and checked west after a few hours."

"Then how did we not see each other? Did you pass by the fountain?"

"Yeah, I actually took a short break at Starbucks here at noon."

"What?! I was here at the same time as you, and I checked Starbucks," I said.

"What time did you check?"

"It was maybe 12:15? I was in the convenience store just before it."

"You've gotta be joking…" Fang trailed off. "I left Starbucks at 12:10 to go west."

"Way to freaking go. Would it have killed you to wait five more minutes to spare me my sanity?"

"How was I supposed to know? I thought you were still looking for me."

"I was. You just didn't stay in one place. Isn't that, like, the number-one boy scout rule when you get lost?"

"I thought of that right when I settled down to sleep. After I went west a few hours and back, I grabbed a bite and went to sleep. Plus, it's not like you stayed still."

"I thought you were going to. I did the exact same thing, but I did west and then east. Where'd you sleep?"

"Same place as yesterday. I was hoping you were there, but I checked the area and you weren't."

"No you didn't. I slept there too."

"I actually next to the hill, opposite the highway."

"Are you serious?" I yelled, half-laughing and half-crying. "I slept on the side of the highway!"

"Why didn't you look for me? I was literally ten feet from you."

"I had no idea that you were there, and I was too tired. I lay down and conked out immediately."

"Without a diary entry?"

"No, I wrote one."

"About me, I assume?" Fang said.

"Well, what do you think? You left me. You deserve to get ranted about."

"Whatever. By the way, you didn't get hurt or anything, right?"

"No, why?"

"Just checking. You sure?"

"Yeah. I can protect myself, by the way. I can't say I haven't missed you, though."

"I missed you too. I don't know what I would've done if you got kidnapped," Fang said.

"At least you have friends and a sister. I have absolutely nobody."

"You could always come to any of my friends' houses. You'll definitely be welcome there," Fang told me.

"I can't intrude on their lives like that. You've been their friend forever, so it's different."

Fang shrugged. "Maybe. But I think they'd enjoy getting to know you a little more."

"I'd like that, too. Has Ella talked to you about visiting again?"

"She's still trying to find time. It's almost a seven-hour drive, and both Ella and Iggy have jobs. Ella's working on her college application and still has some summer work. Iggy wants to spend as much time with Gazzy and Ella as possible before the college load hits him."

"That makes sense. Maybe I can live near them when I turn eighteen."

"You're not gonna attend junior and senior year?"

"Nah. I'll be eighteen, so education isn't legally required. I'll just become a department store sales manager or something. It'll be tough, but I'll be able to support myself."

"I'll probably get a job in the computer field. I might attend senior year, though. I don't have the money to go to college, but I need a high school degree at least. I'll just work part-time here and there to support myself."

"You think you can go to school and work at the same time?"

"I'll manage."

"You're crazy."

"I know. Don't worry about me, though. I'll be fine. I have a question for you, though."

"Ask away."

"If you could instantly turn eighteen and move into an apartment in Phoenix right now, would you?"

I paused. Would I? A calm, steady life sounded awfully good right now, but I actually enjoyed being on the run. There were no rules or standards to live up to. Fang was by my side, and I felt unstoppable in a way. Call me crazy, but living on the run sounded better right now.

"No."

Fang raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Nope. You answered the same way, so why not?"

"True. I just didn't expect anyone to be as weird as me. Is there a particular reason you like being on the run?"

"I just feel free. Nothing's in my way, and I control my own destiny. It may be a harder life, but I like it. I've actually been really happy since I left home. I made a friend for once in my life and don't have to worry about getting beaten up every second of the day. Besides, you know full well I'm just as weird as you."

"I do. That's why I like you so much, Max. It's not a coincidence that your first friend was me. I mean, you gotta start with the best."

"Well, it's no wonder you're on the run. That ego of yours could never fit through your front door."

"And I'm glad. I don't plan to visit that house again, unless it's to get Angel or my stuff. And I'd be able to shrink my ego enough to fit through the door then."

"That'll be tough, Fangy."

Fang rolled his eyes. "Definitely. I'm hungry. How does breakfast sound to you?"

"I actually already ate. I've been waiting here since before sunrise."

"Oh, ok. You can still get some food for the road, then," he said, standing up. We walked to the grocery store two blocks away and bought three days' worth of energy bars. We still had over two hundred bucks, so we could last at least another month before we needed to get more money. Fang and I walked back to the fountain where he ate breakfast and I checked his map. We were only ten miles from Los Angeles, and we definitely had time to get there today if we wanted to.

After he ate, Fang stood up. "You up for a run?" he asked me.

"Where to?"

"Los Angeles," he said, smiling.

"I'm in. You want to leave now?"

"Why not? Just don't leave my sight, okay?"

"Oh, shut up," I said, punching him lightly in the arm.

"Kidding," he said. Just before he started jogging, he looked me in the eye with a serious expression. "Seriously, though. I don't want to lose you again. There will be plenty of places to get lost in L.A., and we might not find each other so quickly next time."

"How about finding a spot outside the city to meet? It'd definitely be easier than trying to find each other in the city."

"I guess that'd work. I can't think of anything better right now."

"You'd never be able to. Let's go now."

Two hours later, we arrived at Los Angeles. We sat under a tree a quarter mile away from the city to decide what to do. Even from this distance, I could easily hear the noise generated by the gargantuan city.

"Why don't we wait it out and check out the city tomorrow? It's already past four, and we don't really have a plan. We can just take our time finding a place to sleep and talk about tomorrow," Fang suggested.

"Sure. Do you want to look around a little more on your laptop?"

Fang shook his head. "Not now. We can hit the park tomorrow and decide from there. I don't have directions, but we can check in a café tomorrow."

"Ok. By the way, there's a forest just over the rise. Any good?" I said, pointing to a large cluster of trees a mile from the city.

"That should work. Now that I think about it, sleeping in the park won't work."

"Why? The police probably won't check it."

"It's not that. We'll never get any sleep with all the noise."

"Oh, right."

"So are you ready?" Fang said.

"You bet!" I replied, running towards the forest. I left Fang in the dust within ten seconds and made it to the forest in five minutes without breaking a sweat. Fang arrived thirty seconds later, sweating. I handed him my bottle, and he drank several sips before handing it back to me.

"Thanks," he mumbled, sitting down. He leaned against a tree and set his backpack down. I sat across from him. We spent the afternoon and evening relaxing.

"Max, have you thought about having to deal with the police when you settle down?" Fang asked me.

"No," I answered honestly, "but what will they do to me? When I turn eighteen, I'll be allowed to do whatever, right?"

"You'll probably be fine, but the police might be on your case about running away at seventeen."

"If I need to, I can turn my parents in and use that as my excuse."

"If you're willing to do that, then you'll probably be fine for the most part. But just remember, you only have one set of parents."

"I know. I've already given up on them, though," I said.

"Are you sure? It's never too late to give them another try."

"Please, Fang. I made my decision, and I'm not going back. I don't regret anything."

"I gotcha. Do you know your real parents personally?" Fang asked me.

"Nope. Marian told me that they were a couple of college students, but I have no idea whether she was telling the truth or not."

"Dr. Martinez is a veterinarian, and she can take DNA samples. Maybe she could give you a lead to as who your real parents are."

"It's fine. They're probably a bunch of idiots anyways."

"Maybe they aren't, Max. Ella had a twin sister that had defective genes and almost died at birth. If it turned out she didn't die, and got separated from the Martinezes, then she would've had wonderful biological parents. Your parents could be good people. Don't give up," Fang said. Even though I knew it was impossible, I couldn't help but wish that Ella's twin sister was me. But given the fact that there were so many people in the world, that situation would be impossible.

"I'm not giving up, 'kay? It's just so hard to imagine after my experience with so-called parents."

"Nothing's impossible. After all, we did randomly meet in a sewer."

"You have a point. By the way, are you ready for dinner?"

"When am I not?"

I took out two bars from my backpack and tossed him one. We ate dinner quickly and put our wrappers back into our backpacks. After announcing he was tired, Fang lay down between two trees and fell asleep quickly.

I took out my diary and wrote.

Dear Diary,

THANK GOD. I feel like I can breathe again.

Even though Fang is annoying sometimes, I don't know what I'd do without him. I can't deny I panicked at the thought of Fang leaving forever. I've lived 17 full years without a friend, but now that I have Fang, I can't lose him. I've learned how difficult living on the run could be, and I might be starving right now if it weren't for Fang. At home, at least I was in a city and had a place to sleep. Now? Not so much.

As much as I hate to admit it, I look up to Fang in a way. He's the one with the bright ideas, experience, and resources. I'm his socially awkward friend.

We're still best friends, though, and we need to stick together. As long as Fang doesn't screw up again, we'll be fine.

Love,

Max

Question of the Chapter: How annoyed are you that the whole 'getting lost' thing did not produce Fax?

SOMETHING KINDA IMPORTANT: I've gone back and made some changes to the story. Most of them are minor, but here's a complete list of what's different, since I assume you wouldn't want to have to go back and read 50,000 words again:

1) Max and Fang ate a little more food in the beginning

2) Minor grammar/spelling edits

3) Max's foster mother is now Marian Janssen, the Director in the books.

4) Marian is a fancy businesswoman, not a veterinarian.

5) Ella's and Nudge's mom is now Dr. Martinez.

By the way: Max and Fang do go the bathroom every day. They're still human.

And I'm warning you right now: I thought of some majorly evil stuff for the future...:P

Fly on!

-J