Here With You!
By No1butjoe
A/N: Thanks to last chapter's reviewers: plainlyironic, peace. love. Happiness, HalesXxGriffiths, and WingedMusicAlchemist . . . You guys are awesome! I am putting my other story on hold for now. I know you guys are probably gonna kill me since it's been so long, but I will be focusing on this story from now on.
Disclaimer - I don't own Maximum Ride.
Chapter 8
Fang
Trust!
"Fang, can I talk to you?"
Walking back into the shelter, I had fully intended to go to sleep, but hearing Nudge's voice stopped me and, instead, I walked over to where she was lying down, her eyes wide. Did she have a nightmare? I sat next to her, propping my arm up with my knee as I wanted for her to speak.
"Fang, why don't you trust Max?" she started and I opened my mouth to explain, but she kept on speaking, telling me she wasn't quite through with me yet. "I mean, I know she left us three years ago, but you still love her, right? The others and I were talking earlier and we all agree that you should apologize to her for the way you treated her when she first came back to us. It's not fair, Fang. She still loves us, we know she does. Angel even-"
I had enough of the jabber and promptly placed my hand over Nudge's mouth, giving her a small smile when she glared at me. Once I was sure she was going to stay quiet long enough for me to answer at least one of her questions, I moved my hand away. I sighed deeply, choosing my words carefully before beginning.
"Max left us, Nudge," I stated. "She betrayed us without a second thought and that's not something I can easily forgive. You know what it was like after she left. You and Angel cried every night for the next month, wanting her to come back. Iggy and Gazzy didn't blow anything up for over a month. It's not as simple as forgiving her right on the spot and automatically accepting her back into our lives. Trust takes time to earn, especially when it was broken. Can you understand that?"
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw her nod. I smiled down at her before turning and leaning against the wall, my eyes half-open and half-closed.
I woke up early, long before the sun was scheduled to rise. I stretched as I stood. First my arms and legs, then my back and finally my stiff wings. It was while stretching my wings that I noticed Max was gone. She was missing from the post where I had left her last night. I cursed underneath my breath and looked around to see the rest of the flock asleep, but still no sign of Max. My hands clenched into fists at my sides and I closed my eyes briefly. Making a decision, I walked over to where Iggy was fast asleep.
"Ig," I whispered, hoping I wouldn't wake up the others. "Hey, Ig."
Shaking his shoulder a little finally woke him up and he groggily sat up.
"W-What's going on?"
"I'm leaving you in charge of the flock for now, Iggy," I answered. "I have something I have to take care of."
A frown appeared on his face.
"Is it Max?" he asked and I sighed.
"Yeah, it's Max," I replied. "She's gone. I'm going to see if I can find her. If the others wake up before I get back, stay here."
I waited for Iggy's nod before I started for the entrance to the cave.
"Hey, Fang?"
I stopped at his voice.
"Go easy on her, okay?" he asked. "She may have betrayed us but, until you know the full story don't do anything you might regret."
I closed my eyes briefly.
"I'll do my best, Ig, but I'm not making any promises," I replied.
Snapping my wings open, I took to the sky, relishing the feeling of the wind through my feathers. My advanced eyesight allowed me to pinpoint Max's location before she spotted me. My eyesight also allowed me to see the five Erasers around her. I stopped my flight and stayed in mid-air for a moment, determining if Max was in danger - or if she was secretly meeting with them.
I got my answer when one of the Erasers attacked Max, sending her into the dirt. Anger coursed through me and I reacted, sending myself into a spiral and colliding with the freak of nature who just hurt my former best friend. By the time I stood up again, Erasers were surrounding me from all sides. Max was slowly getting back on her feet and I watched as two Erasers grabbed one arm each.
"Let go of her!" I shouted, angrily.
"I'm fine, Fang!" I heard Max shout. "Just go!"
I turned to her, fully ready to protest. Instead, my eyes widened and I took a step back. Max had thrown off the two Erasers, both of them lying facedown on the ground. Max was standing there, a scowl on her face as I watched her features change drastically. It took a few minutes before I realized that she was changing into one of them, into an Eraser.
The transformation complete, I continued staring at Max, unable to fully understand what I just witnessed. Finding my voice, I stepped towards Max. I had to know. I had to know if she was still on my side. If she was still the Max I knew, or if she had turned into one of them. If the transformation had altered her mind into believing that she was my enemy.
A/N: Whew. That chapter took forever. And, for that, I am SOOOOOOO sorry! I hope you all enjoyed!