Chapter 6

I think it was the rush of cool night air that revived me.

All I remembered was the grip of panic tightening around me as I realized I had no way of escaping the burning cabin, then all of a sudden I was outside, the blissful, oxygenated air drying the sweat on my skin, my entire body engulfed in an intense pain like I'd never experienced before. My skin felt raw. My lungs felt raw. My eyes, though still closed, stung sharply. My head felt like it was about to explode.

I knew I was out of the cabin, knew I was in the air. But I didn't know how. I knew I sure wasn't flying. I didn't think I'd ever move again. Moving would hurt too much.

And then I heard voices. Well, one voice, really. I mean, there were other voices there, but I only listened to one of them. It sounded far away and kind of echo-y, like I was hearing it through a tunnel or something. It was so familiar, though I couldn't put a name or a face with it. My thoughts were too muddled. I wondered hysterically if the fire had melted my brain just a little. Could that even happen?

The voice was saying my name. I felt hands, so cool to my feverish skin, touching my face.

Max, the voice was saying. Max, sweetie, wake up, please. The voice sounded so sad and scared, and though I still couldn't quite determine who it belonged to, I knew that I didn't want it to be sad. This voice shouldn't be sad. It wasn't right.

Max, it said again. And then I realized; Fang. It was Fang's voice. Fang was calling my name. My best friend, Fang. He sounded so far away; I wanted him to come closer. Why was he so far away from me?

Maximum!

Maximum. Fang called me Maximum. He never called me Maximum. It was always just Max. In all fourteen years of our lives, Fang had never once called me by my full name. Ever. This alarmed me even more than the uncharacteristic emotion in his voice. I struggled to open my mouth, to tell him that I was okay, to stop worrying. But I couldn't.

Please, Max, wake up! Cool fingers on my forehead, in my hair. Max, come on, please wake up! I wanted to tell him yes, of course, anything, but my lips didn't seem to want to cooperate. The same fingers wrapped around my hand, held it tight.

You can't leave us now, Max!

I wanted to tell him I didn't want to leave.

We need you.

We. The flock. Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel. Of course they needed me. I had to be there for them.

I need you.

Fang needed me?

I tried to speak, to move, anything to let him know that I could hear him. I pretended that my brain was sending out the message to my muscles in a wave. It traveled down from my head throughout the rest of my body, reaching all my muscles. I willed my body to work with my mind, my heart, focusing on nothing but my goal.

I moved my hand. The one with the fingers wrapped around it. It was like that one tiny movement was all it took for the rest of me to come to life again.

Max?

With difficulty I forced my eyes open. The harsh, dry air stung like heck. The first thing I saw was Fang's dark eyes peering down at me with concern. I squeezed his hand on reflex, holding tight to it, comforting us both. I opened my mouth to talk, and immediately regretted it.

The dry air touching my scorched throat sent me into a violent coughing fit. It ripped through my chest, tore at my already burned throat. I rolled over onto my side, hoping that would help stop the coughing. It didn't. Fang placed a hand on my shoulder as I laid there virtually hacking my lungs up. God. How attractive.

Eventually the coughing subsided, and I rolled onto my back again, closing my eyes and taking slow, deep breaths, trying not to irritate my throat again. Every part of my body was in pain.

"Max?" said a small, cautious voice beside me. Angel.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Ugh. My voice was all scratchy and quiet. That'd better not be a permanent thing.

"Are you okay?" She sounded frightened. I'm sure they were all frightened.

"M-hm," I answered, nodding my head slightly. I was so tired. My eyes were still closed, and I didn't want to move.

"You don't look okay," said Gazzy. "You look like crap."

"Thanks a lot," I said sarcastically, forcing my eyes open again. The flock, all five of them, were hovering over me anxiously.

"'M fine, really," I assured them. I started to sit up. Every cell in my body screamed in pain.

Fang put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Max," he said, in his stern voice. "I think you need to go to a hospital."

"No!" I said quickly, pushing his hand away. "I'm fine! I don't need a hospital."

I started to stand up, wincing in pain. Fang stood up too and grabbed my hand to help me up. I started to limp past him, but he wrapped his arm around my waist to stop me. He pulled me back in front of him.

Then he put a finger under my chin and lifted it up, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Max, you are not fine. You're going to a hospital."

I gaped up at him incredulously. Since when does he tell me what to do? "I'm not going anywhere!" I took a quick, deep breath to yell at him some more. Bad idea. I started coughing again, even worse this time. I was doubled over in pain, my chest on fire and my eyes watering.

When I stood up straight again, wiping my eyes and clearing my throat, Fang raised his eyebrows at me. "I'm taking you to a hospital."

Naturally, I argued with him some more. I wouldn't be Max if I hadn't. But Fang was adamant about it. He told me my butt was going to a hospital whether I liked it or not, and there was nothing I could do about it. He yelled at me for going back into the cabin for our stuff. He said it was a stupid thing to do and that I was lucky to even be alive.

"No freaking duh," I muttered under my breath.

In the end I gave in. I basically had no choice. But I don't want you to think I'm going soft, or anything. You haven't seen Fang when he gets like that. It can be kind of scary.