A/N - I'm so sorry I wasn't updating for a while! No more, because I just escaped the dreaded writer's block! I'll be updating my other stories Life of a Winged Teenager, Memories of You, and I'm Here for You soon enough, for anyone who's read them. If you haven't, just enjoy this one and don't forget to leave a review! ;D

My Girl

Chapter 5

I groaned as the sun came streaming through the windows, marking the start of another day spent in the same uncomfortable situation. I rolled over on my side to block it out, burying my head into a warm chest. Arms tightened around me, and I bit my lip. As much as I would have liked to believe that Fang could ever be this emotional, I knew it was because Dylan was watching. Again.

It had been almost a week since the fight. The cuts and bruises were fading into an ugly memory that was constantly on our minds, and Dylan and Fang continue to loathe each other. We were still in the hotel. Iggy was happy that Fang was back, but torn and confused as to whose side he was on.

Nudge continued to mope around. She avoided me, and she avoided Fang most of all. She didn't talk to anyone, although I suspected she'd been having mental conversations with Angel, and she was always silent.

Gazzy was with Iggy. He didn't know what to think about the war that was going on, and he desperately tried not to think about it at all. Fang had made it clear that he couldn't be on both sides, so he had chosen to ignore Dylan around Fang. Ultimately, he had chosen his family.

Angel was on my side in the argument. Meaning, she loved them both as her brothers. They had both been kind to her and acted as her brothers, and she wasn't going to pick and choose. I could tell that she was incredibly angry at Fang for suggesting that Dylan should leave. I was, too, but I didn't show it.

Fang had agreed on a few weeks with Dylan until we could find somewhere else to put him. Doctor G-H and Jeb were nowhere to be found, as usual, and my mom certainly couldn't handle another kid. Not to mention that Ella would probably squeal with joy at the opportunity at having a guy with supermodel looks in her house.

I had been avoiding Dylan all the time. I hadn't spoken one word to him, and it was killing me on the inside. I would see him looking at me with a hurt expression stamped on his face, but I'd close my eyes and look the other way. It was embarrassing as hell when Fang tried to prove a point by kissing me in public or whispering things in my ear that made my face turn bright red.

Angel had never wanted the flock to be split up into teams, which was why she had gotten so upset when Fang and I had first become a couple. But now the flock was splitting up into another set of teams, Dylan vs. Fang.

Iggy, Dylan, Angel and Nudge were on one side, as far as I could tell. Some of them had mixed feelings, but I was absolutely sure that they were leaning towards one, if they had to choose. Given the way Nudge had been avoiding Fang and me for so long, at least.

Fang, Gazzy and I were on the other. If you counted Total, I guess he was on our side too. After all, even though it was torturing him to be on a different side than Angel, Fang was his longtime friend, and Total claimed that he was loyal. I didn't know whether to be proud or disappointed.

Now, my life was built on confusion. There wasn't a minute that went by when I wasn't guilty and wondering if I had made the right decision. One minute, when Fang was kissing me and holding me in his arms, I thought I had. The next, when I would see Dylan, alone with no one in the world, I would feel differently.

I heard a dull thud as Iggy was pushed off the opposite bed and onto the floor. My head snapped up from the safety of the covers to see him lying on the ground, twitching. "You snore," Nudge complained irritably. "It's only seven in the morning and you woke me up by snoring." She rolled her eyes and her head fell back on the pillow. Angel rubbed her eyes from where she was sleeping on the couch, with Gazzy on the opposite end.

Fang yawned groggily and shot Nudge an amused glance. "Nudge, you wanna tell us why you're in the same bed as Iggy?" Her face turned bright red, and she was clearly mortified.

"I told you that I don't like Iggy!" she huffed, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was about to cry. "Everyone thinks that I just have to like him because he's the only other available one! Unlike Max, we're not all lucky enough to get who we want to go out with! I just didn't want to sleep on the floor!"

I was stunned. Nudge had never said anything like this, and Fang had only been joking. What was with her lately? She was having mood swings all over the place and confusing us all. This had been going on for a while. She wasn't her usual talkative, cheery self anymore.

"Ugh!" she huffed as she threw the covers off the bed and stalked into the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower!" she yelled. Fang grimaced and sat back on the covers uneasily. He had the same look on his face as he always did when he was trying to figure something out. It made me uneasy for some reason.

"Does this mean I can have the bed now?" Iggy whimpered, obviously trying to lighten the mood, but with a hint of seriousness. I nodded weakly as he peeled himself off the ground and crawled onto the bed, breathing a sigh of relief.

Fang's eyes flew to a sleeping Dylan on the ground, whose joints were probably aching in pain, even in his sleep. The way it had worked out, everyone had gotten a soft place to sleep. Everyone, that is, except Dylan. When Fang put his mind to hating someone, he would make them suffer every little way he could. Starting with me.

"Why do Max and Fang get a separate bed? Neither one of them kicks in their sleep," Gazzy said curiously. Dylan's eyes snapped open, and Fang shot him a smug look. My blood boiled, but I silently counted to ten like I always did, letting it pass.

I had hoped it would pass. But, like I always say –or think, at any rate-, fate's a bitch. I was hoping that Dylan wouldn't take it too seriously, and realize that Fang was just trying to make him angry. I had been so wrong.

"Do you want to get your ass kicked, Fang?" Dylan almost shouted.

"As I recall, last time it was I who was doing the ass-kicking, and you who was having your ass handed to you. You could barely land a good punch, and I ended up with hardly a scratch. You think there aren't consequences for manipulating my freaking lonely girlfriend to cheat on me?"

That was the first time I saw just how angry he really was at me. I was surprised he had taken it so well, but now I saw that he was just acting. He was hurt by my kissing Dylan, and he wanted desperately to convince himself that it was all Dylan's fault. That was why he hated him so much.

"Fang," Iggy said nervously. Fang spun around to face him.

"No, Iggy," Fang growled. "I'm sick of your judgments against me when he's the one who started this whole mess. He claims he's perfect for her, but he's not, and I don't care what anyone says. We all know how good blind guys are at seeing people's character."

"All I can see is your character!" Iggy gave an exasperated sigh. "And right now, you're being an asshole, Fang! You're the one who's blind, you can't even see what's going on here! She's forgotten about you, and she's moved on to Dylan! Let it go!"

Fang hung his head, and I finally found my voice. "You all are talking about me like I'm not here," I began. "I'm sorry to have to admit this, but it's Fang I'm choosing! It's always been Fang, and it always will be!" Once again, it sounded more like I was trying to convince myself the Easter Bunny was real.

Dylan shot me a questioning glance. He could see right through it, just like before. He knew when I was lying and when I was telling the truth, and it took skill. From the way the color was returning to Fang's face, he even believed me. But Dylan just shook his head. "You're kidding yourself, man. She'll stab your back, too, before you know it."

I already have, I thought bitterly.

I could hear everything that was going on in the other room as I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack. The noise of the water had helped to block it out, but now it was silent. I heard everything that Max said about choosing Fang, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

She was lying right through her teeth. Did she know how much she meant to both of them? She didn't even realize what she had, and there she was being selfish and taking her time, yanking them around until she had both of them in her clutches.

Dylan wasn't a fighter. As tough and angry as he pretended to be, it was all fueled by his sorrow. He was someone who would give in and do what he was told, not someone who would fight to the last second. That was why Fang would win this one.

Don't get me wrong, he loved her as much as anyone could possibly love anyone else. But I knew as well as Angel did that he wasn't one to go to war for her. Fang would fight to the death for the one he loved, I thought with a pang of jealousy. Once again, I was reminded that his heart belonged to her, and he had no idea that I felt this way about him.

I slipped on my clothes and blow-dried my hair. The noise blocked out everything, and I was relieved that I couldn't hear anything else. After spying on Fang and Max and Dylan with Gazzy, I didn't want to know anything else. I dried my hair and straightened it soon enough, then opened the bathroom door soundlessly.

"She'll stab your back, too, before you know it," Dylan shook his head vehemently as I peeked my head through the crack. Oh, to hell with it. No one had even remembered that I was alive, let alone taking a shower. All heads swiveled toward Fang, waiting for a response. He looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

Max looked as if she was going to die. She kept her eyes on her hands and bit her bottom lip as Fang was still next to her. Slowly, she was losing his trust, because as much as he would have liked to pretend that she didn't kiss Dylan right in front of him, it wasn't the truth. Sooner or later, he was going to have to face the fact that she wasn't as in love with him as he had hoped.

I walked into the room then. I'd had enough of going behind their backs and knowing exactly what went on between them. I was sick of seeing Fang send Max secret glances that she pushed away, and I was tired of Dylan's pathetic sadness. I didn't want to know anymore. I'd go insane if this love triangle became a love square.

"Don't stop talking on my account," I said coldly when they fell silent. But after that, the conflict was over. Everyone was thinking something having to do with it, but apparently Angel was easier to talk to about things like this than I was. The TV was turned on, and no one spoke or even complained as Angel switched it back to American Idol, cursing when she found out that Crystal hadn't won.

The next day was a good one. Everyone had temporarily forgotten the argument over me between Fang and Dylan, and it had been nothing but a good time. Even I had been able to smile and have a good time on Nudge and Angel's little sight-seeing tour of the city. Fang told me that he'd already seen it before he'd been able to track me through the internet. I was still suspicious of how he was able to. He was no computer geek.

We were all soaked when the clouds unexpectedly came out and drenched us in water. We were soaked to the bone and were quick to hurry back to the hotel, laughing like crazy at the way Nudge's hair frizzed and how Fang reminded us of a drowned rat, with his hair plastered to his forehead.

Our laughter died on our lips as I opened the door to the room and we stopped dead in our tracks. There, on the edge of the window and just ready to leave, was a young boy, around Angel's age but taller than Gazzy, who met our eyes. He had black hair that flew every which way on his head, with deep blue eyes and a clean, smooth face. He had obviously never fought in his life.

And then his eyes ghosted to the bedspread, and I saw it. It was a folded note, a message of some sort. He had been here delivering it. But he still looked polished, like a rich boy or a girl. This would've been normal, if it wasn't for what he did next.

He dropped backwards out the window, but not before opening his pure white wings and flapping gracefully away. We ran to the window, craning our necks to see him as he disappeared into the clouds with a single backward glance at Angel, who looked at him curiously. She was trying to read his mind. "I got nothing!" she said furiously.

But I wasn't paying attention to that. Because while the flock had been at the window watching Superboy, I had ran to the bed and picked up the piece of paper. If my life was normal, this would have shocked the hell out of me. But because I was Maximum Ride, it only mildly surprised me. "Fang," I whispered.

He was over with Angel, still looking through the clouds for the boy that wasn't there. "Fang!" I said louder, and he turned his head. "I thought you said you took care of Itex. I thought you saved the world." Confusion was stamped on my face as I held up the letter. He read over my shoulder as I scanned it again.

To Maximum Ride, it read in bold letters at the top of the letter, scrawled in excellent cursive. So, the enemy had good penmanship. Bravo for them.

The world isn't as safe as you think it is. Fang took care of most of it, but he wasn't clever enough to clean it all up. You should never have spared my life two years ago. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

If you're not confused by now, I didn't give you enough credit, but I somehow doubt that's the case. You have questions and I have the answers. So, how about we end this little game? You can save the world, or it'll fall apart before your eyes. If you chose the first, you'll be on the top of this very hotel at midnight tomorrow. If you chose the second, you better start packing. We'll kill you if you don't come, and you can only run for so long.

Galapagos tortoises live a very long time, Max.

~Marian Janssen

"This is bad," Gazzy muttered. "We can't spend our life on the run…but if we go, we could end up being killed anyway."

"You think I don't know that?" I hissed. "Of course we're going! Obviously, the world still needs saving, and I know you want a normal childhood, and a chance to settle down, but it'll never be like that for us. We started out with a mission to save the world, and we're going to finish it."

"She survived," Fang muttered. "So she's been in hiding, but she survived, and this time she's really serious."

"Oh, so I suppose the first time she captured us and made me think she was my mother was just pretend!" I said impatiently. "If she's powerful enough to change the world, it isn't just her. She's got someone helping her."

We knew what had to be done. The flock had to show up on that roof tomorrow, and the Director knew where we were. If this was our last chance to save the world, then it wasn't over, and I had another chance to be who I was before. Strong, brave, and completely different from how I was now.

And if we didn't show up, she'd kill us, as the letter made perfectly clear. We all had to think this over, and to think of the consequences, should we go and fall into a trap. But if we didn't go, it was over, because she'd proven once before that she was just psychotic enough to take over the world.

I don't know if anyone besides Iggy and Gazzy slept that night. They were just simple-minded enough to be able to sleep. I know I was awake and thinking of the only thing I was concerned with – saving the world. If this was my one chance, I would take it.

I closed my eyes ever time my eyes fluttered over Dylan's, and my stomach flipped in its usual way, which I quickly squelched by glancing back at Fang. Dylan would roll his eyes and turn over so that he wasn't facing me. I winced every time.

Between this and saving the world, I wondered if I'd ever find the kind of happiness that I'd always dreamed about, the calm peace that no one would have ever expected me to want. I didn't want to snarl at Erasers or fight to the death with Max II, but I did. And who would I be with in the end? I had been so sure it was Fang.

The morning came too soon, and I knew I should have slept, to build up some strength in case there was a struggle later. Dread settled on my stomach, and I didn't eat the food that Iggy brought up from the continental breakfast buffet. I just drank some coffee, loaded with sugar, and gave myself enough caffeine to make it through the day.

I wasn't listening when the flock discussed the plans that would come into action if the Director pulled something funny. I zoned out completely when they brought up the subject of what she wanted with us. I had no idea what she was planning, I wouldn't pretend to. For the first time, I wasn't even in the conversation for the game plan.

It lasted the whole day. No TV-watching, no tours of the city, and certainly no fun of any kind. It seemed that yesterday was our last day as normal people, almost humans. In a matter of hours, I would be able to use my wings again. Would it be for the last time? We'd been through too much for me to lose to the Director. But she was right. I should have let her fall to her death. I guess I'm just a people person.

Towards the end of the day, I stopped being anxious and went into leader mode, just like old times. "You know she's not gonna show up alone. It'd be too easy for us to grab her and throw her off the building. She's gonna have lots of people with her. If they try anything funny, it's U&A, and we're on the run." I got nods all around.

"Say, who was that little boy?" Gazzy asked. "You know, the one who delivered that note? He looked almost like Fang, except skinnier and with blue eyes." He was silenced when Fang eyed him skeptically.

"You think everyone with black hair looks like me! He and I look nothing alike. His face and eyes are the wrong shape, and we have different noses. I'm normal, and he's skinny as a twig. And he's probably just their delivery boy."

"But he had wings," Nudge rolled her eyes. "Delivery boys don't have wings." We all sat, dumbfounded. How could we have forgotten the wings? At the time, the note was more important than Wonderboy, but now that we thought of it, the flock were the only ones on the planet with wings. Dylan alone had surprised the hell out of us.

Long into the night, there was no explanation for it. Just when I gave it up, the alarm clock on the table next to me beeped noisily. It was five minutes until midnight. It was time for us to go.

Iggy rolled off the couch where he had been sleeping and Gazzy pulled his shoes on. In a minute we were riding up the elevator to the top floor, where we'd meet our doom any second. I was hardly nervous. Nervous was being trapped on a boat with Doctor Stupendous. Nervous was being captured by Ter Borcht. This wasn't nervous.

When we ran to the end of the hall and onto the rooftop, there she was, Marian Janssen, standing right before us. Even in the darkness, I could see her. Next to her, there was a small figure, or, halfway past her elbow. Straining my eyes, I could see the same little boy that had been in our apartment yesterday.

"You came." She sounded surprised, like she didn't expect us to be there. Did we even have a choice?

What we weren't prepared for was another surprise. Our eyes widened when Dr. Gunther-Hagen stepped out from behind her. Dylan's eyes narrowed. I was sure it wasn't easy to see the person who created you and acted as your father on the side of the enemy, even though he didn't know the Director and her history.

"That's right," she raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I could destroy the world without a brain behind this?"

"So, he does the work and you get the spotlight?" Iggy offered. Her eyebrows furrowed. God, Iggy, don't tick her off. We're talking about the woman who pretended to be my mother. She's psychotic enough to kill us all.

And as it turns out, the surprises kept coming. Out of nowhere, dark figures appeared and lunged for us. Clothed entirely in black, they offered jabs at our pressure points. Iggy was the first to go down, followed by Gazzy and then Nudge. Angel tried desperately to get in their heads, but they were too much for her as they karate chopped her swiftly in the neck.

Fang, Dylan and I backed against each other. They were coming closer, the Director and Dr. G-H smiling broadly while the boy stood and watched, expressionless. Fang kicked the first one to advance in the stomach, sending him flying back into the others, knocking two more down.

Dylan punched one squarely in the face, blood coming through the cloth and staining it even darker with the red as he or she fell over in a pile of limbs. I lunged at two, bashing their heads together just hard enough to knock them unconscious. Hell erupted around us as they tried to fight back, and I was punching and kicking and clawing.

"Fall back!" Fang yelled, and I knew he was right. "We'll save the others, but we've got to save ourselves now!" I knew what he was asking. He wanted me to leave them. But he was right; it was the only way to free ourselves. We could come back to them.

I whipped my wings out, hitting two of our attackers and knocking them over. I threw myself into the air, flapping desperately. Fang and Dylan followed suit, but it was hard to get up without a running start. Suddenly, a rope shot out and caught my foot, pulling me back. I struggled further, trying to pull myself free.

Three nets were tossed, and to my horror, one caught on me. But by then, I was twenty feet in the air. I was pulled to the ground, and I felt a dull throbbing in my whole body before my mind went completely blank.

How was it? :D And YOU thought the whole story would be Max whining over Dylan vs. Fang! D: Please. I'd sooner eat left arm.

~Rachel