Chapter 45

SAM:

I searched high and low for Maximum and I couldn't find her and I couldn't pick up any thoughts from her. I wished I had a stronger connection with her. That would make all of this so much easier.

I was scanning the ground. Every now and then I thought I saw her, but it wasn't her. There was always one feature missing from the people who looked like Max. It would be the hair color, the eye color, the way they held themselves; they were in a crowd when she wouldn't have been…

I tried to think like Lissa, trying to figure out where she would hide Max. I had no idea what Lissa would think was a suitable place for Maximum. She had never had any thoughts that were ever related. I would've caught on and she knew this. She was smart and cunning, I gave her that, but I wouldn't give her anything else, especially Maximum.

And I wondered why she would've taken Max. There was nothing for her to gain with Max. There was only one thing I could think of and it made sense. It was something that I wouldn't put pass Lissa. She was the kind of person who would do something like this: she most likely took Max out of the picture because Lissa liked Fang and she was jealous of Max. She was jealous of Max and Fang was jealous of me. It was a ring of jealousy. The only ones who weren't were Max and me. She was the kind to get jealous, Max was, but she would've learned that by liking me that there was no reason to be jealous.

And there was no reason. She was good and pure and there was no reason for jealousy to eat her alive. It was eating Fang alive and it was eating Lissa alive. Heck, maybe they deserved each other. Max wouldn't like me to think like this, so I stopped that thought in its tracks and tossed it out.

Max was so good and pure…I could understand why Fang would want her, and I really wasn't surprised. Anyone who had any sense would want her.

I wondered if Ultimate had some connection with Max. It would make sense, since they had so much in common sibling wise.

I wondered if he was in range…

I could pick up his thoughts barely. He was with Angel. Good. I needed to find them and let them know that I was looking for her also.

I flew in their direction and soon came across them.

"Angel," I called. "Ultimate."

They swerved their heads to look at me.

"Hey," I said.

"Sam!" Angel said, coming over to me. "We need your help."

"I know Max is missing and I can't come across anything. Can any of you?"

"No," Angel said, shaking her head. "I can't hear her either. What do you think happened?"

"It was Lissa, I know that much. Lissa kidnapped her so she could get closer with Fang. If she took Max out of the way, Fang would be hers. I just can't find them."

Ultimate looked surprised. I nodded, answering his thoughts. "Lissa likes Fang and Max and Fang used to be a couple and Fang still likes Max, so Lissa would most likely pose as Max and try to convince him that Max doesn't like me anymore."

Angel looked grave. "We're not giving up."

"Of course not, Angel. We would never give up on Max."

"I know you wouldn't because you love her, I know I wouldn't because she cares about me and I care about her, and I know Ultimate won't because he cares and loves her."

I smiled. "She is very lovable."

"Look down there!" Ultimate suddenly said, pointing. "Is that her?"

We both looked down and saw a figure crumpled, passed out on the pavement near an abandoned building, and she was wearing the same clothes that I had seen Max leave with.

"Yes, that's her," I said. "We need to get to her now."

Without another word or thought I took off, going down there at the fastest speed I was capable of.