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Hey, my peeps! Just a forewarning before you guys read this chappy: I've had like five or six hours of sleep and I'm not really thinking straight, so if this chappy sucks ass, please forgive me and keep reading this story anyway! Also, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while; I've been having the WORST writer's block and writing this chapter DID NOT HELP AT ALL. Anyway…So here's my new chappy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride and please support the official story by James Patterson.

7 DAYS UNTIL DEATH

The next week of my life passed in a blur. As I think of it now, I vaguely remember packing and avoiding Fang and Iggy. Only one thought penetrates the foggy gaze of my memory: I'm leaving.

I was finally leaving the hell that Jeb had created for us. I would no longer have to feel like I was trapped in a down-turned hourglass, waiting for the perpetual sand to gobble me up and swallow me whole. I would no longer have to cringe every time I heard a door slam angrily or break out in a sweat whenever I saw an empty beer bottle. I would no longer have to live in fear. I was finally standing up for myself and Ari paving the way to our new lives. I would finally be free.

Then why am I not happy?

I should have been raising the room, jumping up and down for joy, doing the Irish jig in my knickers and socks! Instead I found myself sulking. I tried to avoid Fang yet somehow I always ended up right in front of his house.

Like right now.

I had planned to just go for a walk to clear my head. But before I knew it, a walk turned into a jog, which turned into a run, which turned into a sprint all the way to Fang's door. Huffing and puffing like an animal, my body was practically bent in half as I struggled to regain control of my lungs. Once I did, I found that my finger was attracted to the doorbell like a magnet. Grinding my teeth with frustration, I pulled my hand away, shoved it into my pocket, and skulked away.

What are you doing, Max, the Voice scolded me. You can't just go up and ring his doorbell. What if he answered it? What would you say? What if he finds out what you're trying to do? There's no way you can risk this opportunity of escape. Just lie low and push on. Lie low and no one gets hurt.

But the Voice was wrong. Lie low and no one gets hurt¸ my ass! I was hurt. I hadn't even left town yet and I already felt like my world was ripping at the seams. And I knew that once Fang found out that I was gone, he along with everyone else Ari and I knew and cared about would be hurt. The word "escape" sounded more like a death sentence to me. And it's not like I could back out of this. I knew that it was the best choice Ari and I had. If we stayed, we knew that either Jeb would get caught and Ari and I would be split up or one or both of us would be dead.

But knowing this didn't make me feel any better.

As I walked down Fang's driveway for what had to be the bajillionth time, I thought to myself, oh, what I wouldn't give to have that door open—

And just like that my wish had been granted.

"Max?"

I whipped around to see Fang standing in his doorway. He was sporting a white, sleeveless, loose tank top with gray shorts and neon running shoes. "Uh, hey." I said.

Walking over to me, he looked me over. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. I was in the area and I thought I'd stop by." I start to squirm under Fang's penetrating gaze and I do my best to avoid eye contact.

"Well, I'm glad that you did. I was beginning to think you'd run off on me." I couldn't see Fang's face because I was too captivated by the cracks in the sidewalk to look at him.

"Ha ha ha," I force myself to laugh. "That's a funny. HA HA HA HA HA." Okay, maybe I forced myself to laugh a little too much. Smooth, Max. Smooth.

I feel a hand lift my chin up and I find myself being lost in Fang's dizzyingly beautiful eyes. "Seriously, Max. You've had me worried."

"I-I'm sorry."

Searching my face, he looked for…what exactly? I could never tell what he saw when he looked at me, whether he saw everything or nothing at all. Nevertheless, he sighed and kissed my forehead gently. Drawing me back to arm's length, he grinned and said, "Let's have a race!"

"A race? Why the hell would we have a race?" I cross my arms and look at him dubiously.

"I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that we should have a race. We could race to the docks." (AUTHOR'S NOTE: It seems like everything really, really, REALLY important is happening at the docks, like Jeb capturing Max and Max and Fang's first kiss. Makes you wonder what will happen this time…THAT'S RIGHT I'M FORESHADOWING, BITCHES!)

"What does the winner get?" I ask.

"Mainly bragging rights. Oh, and also the loser has to do one thing the winner says, no matter how weird it is." Fang smirked at the last part and I couldn't help but grin. This was going to be interesting.

"Alright, then it's settled." Nodding my head I assumed a running position. "On your marks…" Fang immediately squatted down low and got ready. "Get set…" I watch with my right eye as he raised himself to his haunches and arches his back. "GO!" I scream. Just as Fang was about to take off, I planted a foot in front of his, causing him to trip over it and send him sprawling across the black top. I sprinted ahead of him and tried not to laugh as I heard him curse out.

The docks were about three miles away. While I had speed, Fang had stamina. If this had been a fair race, then Fang would have easily won. Luckily for me, it wasn't.

I reached the dock in just under sixteen minutes and Fang was no more than five seconds behind me.

"You…cheated…you…bitch," Fang wheezes and glares at me.

"Hey…we never…said anything…about this…being fair," I grin. "Therefore…I win."

Taking one last deep breath, Fang sighed. "Fine. You win. Now what do you want?"

"I don't know. I'll have to take time and think of a suitable punishment for your failure," I smirked with a wink.

"Hey, I only lost because you cheated!" Fang playfully shoved me.

"All's fair in love and war!" I shove back a little harder. Grinning, Fang tackles me and we wrestle across the deck of the dock, rolling end over end to see who would be on top.

With a little effort and a whole lot of squirming, I manage to rest on top of Fang. When he tries to get up, I pin his legs down with my knees and his arms with mine. "I…win…" I heave as I feel a few drops of sweat trickle down the base of my neck.

"Like hell!" Fang laughs and jerks his hips so hard that I fall into churning water next to us.

Shrieking with rage, I scream, "Fang, you asshole!" That's about as much as I can say before I find myself going under.

It's not like I couldn't swim. I mean, sure I could swim; there was nothing to it. A few strokes, a pull or two, and then done. It's just that…who would want to? I mean, what's the point of blatantly getting yourself wet, gasping for air as you flail around in a circular pool? It's not like you're going anywhere. It was the same as riding an exercise bike, both of which are pointless. I guess that's why I never really bothered to learn how to swim…

Even though it was broad daylight, the water was inky black. I tried to stand but found that I couldn't. First, I was surprised. Then, I began to panic. After that, I couldn't breathe.

Why the hell is the water so damn deep? I thought vaguely as I thrashed around, trying desperately to pull myself up to the surface. Where is the surface again? You know how in some books some people drown and it gives a description of what it feels like in their perspective? And you know how it is usually something similar to the following:

The water seemed to swallow me up, darkness surrounding me. I could feel it pressing in, urging me to breathe it in. I couldn't see; I felt like I was blind, the inky darkness was so thick. My sense of direction was out of whack. Where was left? Where was right? Am I falling up or down? As my vision began to fade, my thoughts became more and more frantic. What about my brother and my boyfriend? Will they mourn me for years or will they get over me after five seconds? Why did this have to happen to me? Life is so unfair! As my life fades, a light shines into the distance, encompassing me. Is this it? Am I dying? Is this the end? Before I can find my answer, my vision faded to black and then...nothing.

You know everything that I just said? Yeah, all of that was pure bullshit. Sure, the water was swallowing me up like a ho eating a hotdog. And yeah, it was pretty damn dark. But why the hell would I feel like breathing it in! I mean, I DON'T WANNA DIE! In fact, I specifically remember keeping my mouth and my nose clamped SHUT. And my sense of direction was perfectly fine. I knew the difference between up and down just fine. The problem wasn't knowing which was where; the problem was getting where I wanted to go. I could practically feel tendrils of water sucking at my legs earnestly, yanking at my body to fall deeper and deeper, coaxing me to stop fighting and to just let go. But like I said before I DON'T WANNA FUCKING DIE! And you know the whole, "vision fading to black thing"? Yea, that shit wasn't working for me. I guess it was the adrenaline from this life or death situation, but I was pumping and ready to go! I still couldn't see anything because of the dark water, but my energy levels were the equivalent of five Monster drinks. With a fury I didn't know I had, I kicked as hard as I could, and when that didn't work, I punched at the water.

What do you mean, you don't think punching the water would have worked? I'm a simplistic creature by nature: if I see a problem, I punch it. And I'll have you know that by the third time I swung, my fist connected to something. Did I just right hook a mermaid or something, I asked myself as I swiveled around to see—well, feel—what I hit.

I felt two arms wrap around my torso and heave me upwards and a towards the left. One minute I'm underwater, about to kick the bucket. The next I'm on land, struggling for air, alive and kicking. With one last heave, those two glorious arms drop me onto the beach and an entire body plopped down next to me. Barely giving me a second to pause and catch a wheezing breathe, my rescuer turned me on my side and slapped me across the back several times.

I tried saying something like, "Hey, thanks for saving my life, now would you please stop trying to make me cough up a lung?" But it came out more like sounding, "Hagh, thacks fugh souchving ma lafe, and OW! FUCKING STOP!" Yeah…that didn't come out so right. Maybe it was because of all the water spraying out of my mouth and the fact that I probably had a hand-shaped bruise on my back now. Thankfully, the pounding stopped and I felt hands lift me up into a sitting position. A shadow was cast around me as I heard the person walk to my front side and a pair of legs appeared in my face. Those legs knelt down in front of me, revealing hips, a stomach, a pair of shoulders, and a face. A familiar face. The best face in the world. Fang's face.

"Are you okay?" Fang said some other things but I was too captivated by his face. As he spoke, his face was etched with worry. Worry over me. The very thought made my cheeks rosy and my heartbeat spike, which was probably not good after, you know, drowning. At this thought, I paused.

I was drowning.

I nearly died.

Oh, my God. I nearly died.

I'm not known to panic and I'm a pretty level-headed person after all. Yeah, I shed a tear or two here or there, but I've never had a full-on mental break-down. Finals coming and you find yourself freaking out? Just find me and I'll calm you down. Found out your boyfriend was cheating on you with your sister and don't know what to do? I'll knock his lights out for you, all while treating you to a pint of ice cream. Even when Jeb was at his worst, I always had a plan at the back of my mind. I just don't panic.

So when I realized that I had almost died, I did what any normal person would do for the first time in my life: I panicked.

I couldn't breathe. I mean, I could breathe, but I couldn't get enough air in my lungs, no matter how hard I tried. Pushing myself out of Fang's arms, I struggled to my feet and tried to take a step, but my knobby knees couldn't hold me up and I collapsed on my hands and knees.

"Max! Max, calm down!" I could hear Fang yelling at me and holding me, but my mind didn't compute. In my own twisted world, he was on land while I was still underwater. With choking sobs, I gulped down air like a fish out of water. Calm down, Max, the Voice in my head whispered urgently. You're not underwater. You're on land and you're safe. Did I listen to the Voice of reason? NO.

My entire body began to shake and my sobs became louder. Fang pulled me into his chest and held me as I had the first major mental freak out of my life.

When my sobs subsided to violent hiccups and eventually to nothing, I realized that I wasn't the only one flipping out. I could feel Fang rocking me back and forth, kissing my forehead, my hair, muttering sweet nothings in my ear. When I listened, I could hear that he was repeating the same things over again. "—sorry. I've got you, Max. You're okay. I'm sorry. You're okay. I've got you. I'm so, so, so sorry Max. I've got you—"

I just sat in his lap, letting him rock me back and forth, letting his warmth seep into me and melt away my numbness. Eventually I pulled away to look at him. His clothes were completely dry, but his hair was still dripping wet. "Max, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

FANG POV

"Max, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." My voice cracked, but I didn't care. Max was alive. She was breathing, she was crying, and she was alive. I hadn't killed her.

Just holding her shaking body in my hands created such as huge wave of relief to crash throughout my being. I stroked her wet, hair out of her face and gently kissed her forehead, her eyelids, the tip of her nose, and then her mouth.

I could taste the salt water on her lips and the desperation in her breathe. With each kiss, she seemed to try and breathe as much of me in as possible as she gripped my shoulders and pulled me down to the grass. Taking this in stride, I fell on top of her and caressed her hair as her hands roamed all over me—over my shoulders, down my back, across my stomach—and she reached her hands back up and dug her fingers through my hair as if she were clinging on for dear life.

Despite our current circumstances, I couldn't help but grin. The feel of her hands on me…the press of her body beneath me…the sound of our breathes mingling and intertwining into one solid puff of air…it was all so perfect. We were made for each other, Max and I, we were soul mates. She was the peanut butter to my jelly, the Sherlock to my Watson, the embers in my fire, she was the very air I breathed and there was nothing like a good ole' life-or-death situation to realize it.

For a while, we were like a single life form, pulsing and writhing through the sea of life on a current all our own. But all good things have to come to an end, right? Eventually we came up for air and as I looked at her, I could feel my fire falter and flicker away. Even though I had envisioned this moment to be perfect, it still didn't change the fact that Max had nearly drowned due to my stupidity. I mean, who pushes their girlfriend into deep water when she can't swim? That's like, murder. Another bout of guilt washed over me as I outlined her jawline with my nimble fingers.

"M-Max," I whispered.

"Shhhh…" she whispered. "You're ruining the moment with your insistent apologies." Max's face was dreamy and radiant. Gone were the endless dark clouds that seemed to tail her everywhere. What I saw before me—well, really beneath me—was a vibrant, happy girl who I thought was very, very beautiful. "There's nothing to apologies about."

"Like hell there isn't!" Standing up, I began to pace. "Max, I nearly killed you today! I pushed you into that water even though I knew you couldn't swim well."

Max snorted. "'Swim well'? Fang, I can't swim at all."

I paused from pacing to indicate towards her. "Yes! That is my exact point!"

Sighing, Max begrudgingly stood up as well and stood in the way of my pacing. "Fang, you didn't know how deep the water was. If you had, then you wouldn't have pushed me—"

"BUT THAT'S THE THING, MAX! I DID!" Out of nowhere I exploded. "I PUSHED YOU, YOU FELL, AND YOU NEARLY DIED. I NEARLY KILLED YOU!" Max's eyes widened as if she hadn't thought of it like that. "Do you know what that would have done to me if I had killed you? It would kill me." My voice dropped to a whisper. "It would kill me." I repeated as my eyes lowered to the ground.

Hearing footsteps, I looked up just in time to see Max's hand come up. CRACK! It sounded like a whip and I could feel my brain going into overtime trying to process what had just happened.

Cause, I could practically hear my idiot brain saying. Max slapped me. Effect: I'm on the floor, my face feels like I got bitch slapped by King Kong, and I think I might be a shade lighter.

In a daze, I watched as Max walked over to me and kneeled next to my prone body. "Get yourself together, Fang! Nobody is dying!" Looking into her fiery eyes, I could see my reflection in them. Yup, she definitely slapped the olive off of me. My skin's more of a paling tan now… "Not me, not you, NO ONE. We're both going to grow up and grow old, so old that we'll be spoiled prunes with bunions on their bunions. We'll be so old that if you rubbed hard enough, we'll shed wrinkles." My absentee mind couldn't help but chuckle at that. Cracking a smile, Max forged on. "You'll be so old that granny smiths will be teenagers compared to us."

"You'll be so old that your dentures will need dentures." I chuckled.

"You'll be so old that your early bird special will be at 9 a.m." Max grinned. Reaching a hand down, she offered to help me up and I let her.

"You'll be so old that your breast milk will be powder." I snorted.

"You'll be so old that your nuts will already be naturally salted." Max giggled. Soon enough we were bursting at the seams, holding each other up as we laughed. Tears sprung into Max's eyes as she doubled over in laughing fits and I automatically wiped them away. Holding her face in my hands, I grinned and leaned down. She met me with her lips and our kiss somehow scorched itself into my mind. When we finally parted, we were both grinning like idiots and rightly so. We had faced a near death experience, two mental breakdowns, and the ultimate bitch slap. What was next, the apocalypse? Whatever it was, I was ready for it, as long as I could hold onto Max for dear life.

Or so I thought…

MAX POV

"After all this trouble, I think that it's only fair that I grant you a wish," Fang said.

"You already owe me one wish from when I won the race earlier," I laughed.

"I'm not gonna give you two wishes. I can't afford to."

"Why not?" I asked dubiously.

"Because I just can't." Crossing his arms over his chest, Fang looked down at me coyly.

"What, is your ego too big?" I arched my eyebrow and placed my hands on my hips.

"…Maybe…" Fang tried to hold back a grin but failed miserably. "Just shut up and make a wish."

"I can't do both." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, then make your wish."

"Okay, I wish that I had two wishes." I smirked.

This time Fang rolled his eyes. "Fine that was your first wish. Now what's your second?"

My smirk turned to a grin I said, "I want you to—" And then I paused to think. And think. And think. And think some more. What do I want? I asked myself. I mean I knew that this was just a game, but I couldn't help but take this deeper. This entire time, I had been putting Ari first, but I never stopped to consider what it was that I wanted. I mean, I wanted to be happy—of course I wanted to be happy—but it was more than that. I wanted everyone that I loved to be happy, too. Especially Fang. After all, what was the point in my own happiness if the person I loved most wasn't happy?

And I knew that he couldn't be happy if the person he loved most was gone.

"I—I want you to let me go." I didn't realize that I said it out loud and I couldn't stop the words from flowing through my mouth.

Fang's smile freezes. "What?"

"I said I want you to let me go."

"I heard what you said," Fang snapped. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I think that it would be best if we just…stopped." I say awkwardly.

"Stop? How the hell do I stop if I don't even know what I'm stopping?" Fang arched an eyebrow and screwed up his lips.

"You know…" Why the hell am I so damn awkward?!

"No, I don't know." Why the hell is Fang so damn sassy?!

"Us…"

"You…want me to stop us…is that what you're saying? Are you trying to break up with me?" Fang speaks very slowly as if I am a confused child and this situation, that's how I feel exactly.

"Yes! Er, I mean no!" How am I supposed to explain to Fang what I'm talking about when I don't understand it myself?

He can't be happy if the person he loves most is gone.

"I want you to stop loving me," I say.

Fang looks at me as if I've just slapped him across the face. "I can't do that Max. What you're asking of me is impossible."

"Yes. Yes you can. Look if you really love someone, you have to learn to set them free-"

"Don't give me that kiddy crap, Max! Just tell me what the problem is!" Fang ducked down so that we were eye level. "Do you not love me anymore?" He says this last part in a whisper and I could tell that just saying those words out loud hurt him deeply. I could feel my heart soften and my hand automatically moved to touch his cheek.

"No. I do still love you." My voice lowered to a whisper

Looking down at me with fierce eyes, Fang grabs my hand and holds it to his chest. "Then I don't understand what the problem is! You love me, I love you. Hell, there is no problem!"

"Yes, there is!" I say just as fiercely. "Loving you is the problem! It's-it's killing me."

Looking into his pained eyes, my vision becomes blurry and I realize that I'm crying. Angrily wiping my tears away, I continue. "The love we share is…beautiful. It's the type of love that can mend any wound and strengthens over time. And it's also the type of love that is distracting and problematic. Consuming. Right now there are things that I need to do. Important things. But I can't do those things, if I'm being consumed."

I can see that Fang is crying too now and he chokes over his tears, saying, "What's so bad about being consumed?"

In reply, all I do is smile sadly at him. "Fang. You have to let me go." As if he hears the exact opposite of what I'm saying he pulls me closer until his arms wrap around my skinny torso. Shaking his head violently, he holds onto my like I am his lifeline and wraps his arms around me like he is a man dying of dehydration and I am the last glass of water on Earth. I'm going to miss this warmth. I'm going to miss this desire, this need. I'm going to miss Fang.

"Fang, please. Let me go," I whisper.

"I don't know what the hell it is that is going on, but please don't go. I don't want to lose you." Fang breathes into my hair.

"Fang, will you let me go?" I ask one last time. He neither shakes nor nods his head. He is silent. His silence is answer enough.

I slowly and carefully begin to tug away from Fang. I untangle our arms and legs and detach my body from his. "No matter what you or anyone else says, I will always love you, Maximum Ride." He whispers in my ear. Then he finally lets me go.

I don't pause to look at his face. I don't want to see the anguish and pain written across his every feature. All I do is turn around and run.

Fighting tears, I try to navigate my up the beach and into the heavy smog of the city, and finally to the quiet of the suburbs. I purposefully take the longer route back to my house so that I can avoid Fang's house. When I do get home, the sun has long since set and the moon is a glowing beacon in the sky. Sliding through the door, I climbed the stairs and slunk into my room.

I didn't care about whether or not Jeb saw me come in or even if Ari is ok. All I could think about is the last of image of Fang I saw before I lost sight of him on the beach. All I can think about is him on his knees, tears in his beautiful, broken eyes.

With a heaving sob, I collapse on my bed and burst into tears.

Lie low and no one gets hurt.

Why wasn't life ever as simple as a lie?