Chapter 26 MPOV Hide

I was flying as hard as I could to the opposite side of the country, stopping only as often and as long as necessary. I ate on the fly and slept as little as possible. I was exhausted, but kept pushing on. I had to get there.

To my surprise, I wasn't alone. Not really. Fang somehow managed to keep up with my break-neck pace. I was glad he was here, but I also didn't feel like talking to him.

Fang seemed to realize that. When I wanted to be completely alone, he dropped back so far behind me, that I was surprised he was able to keep up at all. When I felt lonely and wanted him within reach, he was there beside me, wingtips brushing against mine. He never said anything, never demanded an explanation. He just somehow understood what I wanted and what I needed.

It was like a game of hide-and-seek. I hid, and he sought me out when I wanted him to. Or maybe it was the opposite. He hid until I sought him out.

I was setting up camp one night, way past dark, and felt close to a break down.

"Damnit!" I cursed, close to tears, when the tent collapsed for the fourth time that night. I was exhausted, and just wanted to go to sleep.

Suddenly, Fang was there, wrapping his arms around me. "Shhh, it's ok. Come here." He led me a little ways away, to his camp. "Just sleep. I'll take care of you."

"Thanks," I whispered, crawling into his tent. Fang shone a flashlight through the dark, allowing me to see where the sleeping bag was. I crawled in gratefully.

"I'll keep watch. Just sleep now."

"What about you? You need sleep." I eyed the dark shadows under his eyes, not sure what was from exhaustion and what was from the strange shadows from the flashlight. "Come here."

Fang lay down next to me, keeping a careful distance. I tossed him the pillow so that he wouldn't have to put his head on the hard ground. "Max, you need it more," he tried to hand it back to me.

"No, I don't." I moved so that my head rested on his chest, curling into his warmth. He wrapped his arms around me and I breathed in the comforting scent of him.

"Mmmm. My favorite pillow," I teased.

"Mmmm. My favorite blanket," Fang teased back. If he said anything after that, I don't remember. I was asleep within seconds.

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After that, I expected Fang to want to stick closer to me. To my surprise, and relief, he still knew when I wanted to be alone and still let me be.

When we ran low on food on the fourth day, I knew we had to stop for more. I dreaded going into a grocery store, so normal and out of place on this abnormal flight, but I didn't really feel like hunting each night either. I was already too tired. Besides, the idea that the only thing I might be able to catch was a bird didn't really appeal to me.

"I'll go in. I don't mind. Besides, it's easier for me than for you to hide the fact that we've been on the run for a while."

"What do you mean?" I looked at him through the dusk light.

"Well, jeans and a black t-shirt hide more dirt and wrinkles than your lighter sweatpants and hoodie. My hair's easier to smooth down and I don't have as much dirt streaked across my face."

I looked down at my clothes and ran my fingers through my snarled hair. He wasn't lying; I could always count on him to be bluntly honest. I sighed. "Thanks, Fang. Do you have money?"

"Yep. Don't worry about it. Any special requests?"

I thought about it. "Popcorn. I'm craving popcorn."

"I'll get a fire-popped camping package and a bag of M&Ms." He knew me too well.

When he got back, we shared the popcorn, and then divvied up the rest of the food. I saw him a little after that until we reached the School.

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My nerves were frayed by the time we reached Death Valley on the fifth day. I was on edge the whole day. Even though I had only flown this way once, ten years ago, and in reverse, it seemed ingrained into my memory.

I wondered what I would find there. Mad scientists eager to shove me into a dog crate again? A pack of erasers ready to sniff me out and hunt me down? Or would it be empty, abandoned in the ten years since our escape? I didn't know what to expect.

After ten years, I finally reached it. The very place I once hid from but now sought.