Darkness. That's all I could remember. And pain, too much of it.

Max…wake up, urged the Voice.I groaned. An empty feeling echoed throughout my body…something bad had happened. But what? I couldn't remember. Or maybe I didn't want to.

Max. It's not over. Trust me. Images flashed through my head. A dark haired boy enclosed by a net. Screams. Wings. Flock…Bolting awake, I felt my heart speeding at 300 mph. The dream…or no, not a dream…that was rea-Oh god, NO!!!

What if there was no hope left?

Suddenly, a wave of heat rushed over me, and I clutched my head, the room blurring in and out of focus.

"AGHHHH!!!!" I cried, then slumped backwards. Sweat poured down my face. I was totally alone and there seemed to be no immediate danger…but how did I end up here?

I was in a house.

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Daniel paced around, practicing his cover. The girl…what to say to the girl? Daniel couldn't figure out what was wrong, even being a young prodigy in the field of medicine.

"AGHHHH!!!!" cried a voice in pain. Maybe it was time to check on her again…

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Jeez, what a headache. Last time I got these things, I was going half-insane…not that's new or anything.

The door was locked. Of course.

Flashback:

Tears streaked my face and I retracted my wings. Slowly, I began to fall through the air. I closed my eyes. I let this happen.

I wasn't with my Flock.

Huh. If I blacked out like that…how come I'm still alive? I checked over myself again, suspiciously staring at the highly colored bruised covering my skin. That's it? A bruise? Last time I checked, New York pavement ain't exactly soft.

Creak.

The door knob turned slowly and a kid's head popped through the doorway. I blinked. What the..?

He seemed to be thinking the exact same thing, cause for about a second, we just stared at each other, completely surprised.

Then he recovered, entering the room.

"Hey," he greeted. My eyes quickly assessed whether he was a threat. Looked fourteen, tall, and overall, completely innocent. The kid blinked, and chuckled. Whoa…who does that remind me of?

"Hey," I replied cautiously.

He smiled, revealing his perfectly white teeth. The name…it's right on the tip of my tongue. Maybe some TV actor or something.

"My name's Daniel. I um, found you on the pavement in the street…and man, I gotta say you were really badly injured, blood and the sort," explained Daniel with a wry smile, "I brought you back here and did an analysis, but everything seems to be in good shape. Well. Not counting your bruises and whatnot."

I rubbed my arm, thinking. This kid was rather young to be a doctor.

"Oh- yeah, you're probably thinking I'm a bit young to have a job, let alone be a doctor. And you're right. I'm sixteen, but the brains seem to run in my family. I graduated college with a PhD…all set to go," he said ruefully. I blinked. There was a tone of sadness in his voice…but I just couldn't understand why. If I'd been smart and ready to go in life, I'd be happy as hell. But…being a genius, he probably got teased and his parents and everyone must expect so much out of him. Kind of like me. Save the world, Max, blah blah blah, it's your destiny. Kinda gets old. Not to mention the amount of stress.

Looking up, I offered, "I'm Max. Bruises…tend to like me, but I hope they didn't scare you or anything." He laughed and shook his head.

"Nah, I just assumed you played a contact sport or something. I mean, geez, you're fit," Daniel noted with a look of interest.

I looked around uncomfortably. Daniel had blonde hair and blue eyes, but something about him, his features or something was starting to…hit me hard. I mean, not in that way, but like, I swear….I know this guy! He gazed at me with his sharp features and stunning eyes…my heart flipped. Strangely, another part of me felt…..guilt.

Fang.

Daniel walked towards me, leaning closer. And closer. And closer…

I moved away.

"Thank you…for helping me," I said shakily. Oh my god.

"You're welcome," he replied calmly, "So…what happened?"

He looked at me patiently, his cool gaze again painfully familiar, yet so new. If that makes sense? Damn, it's killing me, not knowing who Daniel reminds me of. And I'm going to kill myself as soon as my head clears. I can't think near this guy!

"It's a really long story," I breathed. I could just imagine Fang chuckling at that.

Daniel stroked my hair and smiled.

"I've got time"

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Fang blinked drowsily. He could barely remember anything…except…

Max! Adrenaline shot through his body. Wide awake, Fang quickly checked his surroundings.

He was in a storage room. No guards. Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel were lying next to him, still out of it.

Approaching the door, he jerked at the doorknob. No luck. Fang sighed then wandered back to the Flock. He sat down, deep in thinking. Max's worried face sprung up in his mind. Then this kid…his cruel, sadistic grin. Wait…the powder! That must have been it. It was on the net. Hmm, if it was the powder…they probably inhaled some kind of sleep drug. Fang scoffed out loud. Strong drug. Fang could recall very easily the feeling of being helpless.

He didn't like it.

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Xam studied the screen carefully. The older, dark-haired boy, Fang, had woken up. He tried the door (as if it would be unlocked) and then retreated back to his friends. Anger blazed through her body as Xam stared intently at the screen. How could this boy love Max? He was much better than her…Max only made him weak. Xam scoffed. She would show him…in fact, she would help. Xam was going to personally dispose of Max. And maybe Fang would come to be friends with her instead of Max. Impatience flashed quickly across her face as Xam turned away.

"Don't worry Fang…not much longer. Not much longer at all…"

Xam grinned to herself, her dark brown eyes shining with anticipation.

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Daniel blinked. And then he blinked again.

Wings…

Max simply stared at him, waiting for his reaction. He read so many feelings on her face…hope, sadness, and maybe most of all, a sense of premonition as to what Daniel was most likely to react. Rubbing his chin absentmindedly, he considered such a thing. Max stood up, took off her sweatshirt, and slowly spread her wings.

They were…beautiful. It was something so breathtaking that words just didn't serve it right. Daniel stroked the feathers, amazed at its silkiness, and turned towards Max.

"And the Flock?" he asked softly. Pain immediately conflicted Max's face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't to mean to hur-"

"No, it's ok, Dan," Max murmured. Daniel grinned secretly in pleasure. Max was beginning to trust him. Max was beginning to like him.

"I…I lost them," she said quietly, "They were captured and-and, it was all my fault!"

Max's eyes immediately clouded.

"I was resting back at the hotel we were staying at and they had gone to take a tour of New York. Then…they were captured," she explained.

"By who? Itex?" Daniel murmured. Max shook her head hesitantly.

"I don't know, maybe. It was…another flock. And they were stronger than us. Too strong…."

Daniel only looked at her, unsure how to handle this. In the end, he simply hugged her. She cried silently into his shirt, her body shaking with pain.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel so weak…I don't even break down like this that often!" she whispered to me.

He smiled, she definitely trusted him. Even Fang never got this far with her in such a short time.

"It'll be all right, Max. We'll go find 'em as soon as possible. And…if you'll let me, I want to help"