Guys. I am honestly amazed right now. I got 44 reviews. For one chapter. That's amazing. Like I started freaking out. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

Ahem... anyways...

There's probably going to be two or three more chapters before I end this story. Then I move on to If Only I Was Normal. (I'm the idiot that tried three stories at once.)

And if I finished this story with more than four hundred reviews... that would be amazing. So please! I have 376 right now 24 isn't that many compared to 44!

Oh, and I have over 100 follows and 100 favorites! Eeeeek! (199 follows and 146 favorites!)

Read and review!

"Is she alive or dead?"

The sentence shocked me from my daze. A few paramedics were gathered around me, along with a stretcher and medical supplies.

My eyes searched them, but nothing I saw made me want to open my mouth.

A tall, blonde, pretty woman came up to me, and I vaguely recognized Anne Walker, the doctor from the hospital that Angel had stayed at during her previous injury.

"Max?" she asked gently, scooting her way next to me. "May I please see Angel?"

The only reason I didn't freak out when Anne touched my sister was because she acted as if Angel were still here, breathing and talking. This wasn't being treated as just another job.

"She's dead," announced Anne regretfully, sorrow and sympathy coloring her words.

After her announcement, Anne stood and walked away, probably to fill out some form on my sister. Saying that she no longer lived.

"Let's get her to the morgue," one of the blue shirted, official looking man said, leaning to pick Angel up. "then we can see what whoever is in charge of her wants to do with her."

"No." The word burst from my mouth, and I immediately knew I was not going to let anybody take Angel away from me. Even if she is dead.

I pulled her body closer to mine, feeling the warmth leaving her. The always present light that always radiated from her was slowly fading away, along with the color in her cheeks. Her eyes, half open, stared up at me, no longer held that sparkle.

I was lost in my own mind, drowning in my thoughts. I guess you could say I went brain dead. Was in shock. At least that's what all of the doctors are saying. I can hear them around me. But I think I just needed to have a minute to truly let Angel go. To accept the fact that I wouldn't have her around anymore. I had already digested the information about her death. I knew she was no longer living.

So as I stared off into space, trying to get my senses working again, two paramedics stood by, waiting for their chance to grab the body.

As I looked up into the eyes, I saw that one, the girl, was trying not to cry. She kept swiping uselessly at her eyes, and looking away from the scene. She was probably new, she looked younger than her colleagues.

My head bent a little to the side as I looked at her. If there was anybody I trusted to handle Angel, it was her.

"Hi." My voice sounded alien, and I almost didn't recognize it.

She sniffed, trying to smile at me. "Hi," her smile faltered, "I-I'm sorry for your lost," She stammered out, stepping forward slightly.

I felt the tears fall a little bit faster, snaking their way down and leaving burning trails. "I... I guess you can take her," I allowed myself to say. "but only you. And I have to stay with her."

"Thank you," She paused on her way to kneel by Angel next to me. "I'm Miranda."

I took Angel's hand in mine. "Thank you, Miranda."

I saw a tear fall from her eye. "It's my job, right?"

Nodding, I let her place Angel on a stretcher, but as soon as the body bag came out, my voice cut through the air like a knife. "No. Let me look at her before I can't ever see her again."

The paramedics looked around at each other before nodding at me.

We walked out of my house, and blurring pictures allowed me to see the scene around me. Jeb and Valencia being lead out to a police cruiser in front of us, and for some reason Valencia was crying. Was it because they had been caught? Was it because Angel had died? Was she actually feeling pain over this?

Another picture whirred into my mind. Fang, Iggy, and Nudge all looking longingly at me, and all of them were crying. Even Fang. The emotionless brick. For a strange reason that just made me cry harder. I knew how sad this really was, and I tightened my grip on my sister's hand.

"We have to take her body to the morgue."

Those words shocked me from my daze. I didn't answer, but climbed into the ambulance with them.

The silence of the ambulance made me want to cry louder. I simply wiped the tears away, only to make room for new ones.

"I'm sorry," came the voice of a doctor, seated next to Angel's body, examining the wounds, old and new. I winced when his hands traveled to the bent neck. "we heard you singing when we arrived. You have a beautiful voice."

No words were given in return. All I did to acknowledge him was look up.

Silence.

"We need to ask you some questions." We were at the hospital. I had no idea how I had arrived in the hospital, blurs and flashed were all that made up my memory. Now I was sitting in a hospital waiting room, staring up at an officer, still standing next to Angel's stretcher and holding her hand.

"We could question you in her hospital room if you really want."

I stepped to follow him as he gestured to the room Angel would be in. But it wasn't really a hospital room. I recognized the cold slabs of metal that usually held the dead bodies. This was the morgue.

I felt uncomfortable, knowing that all of these dead people surrounded me. Swallowing my fear I sat down in the chair farthest from the bodies, the one the officer was pointing at.

"We need to ask you some questions."

My eyes just continued to bore holes through his head and back into the wall behind him.

"How long has this abuse been going on?"

No answer.

"Which of your parents broke Angel's neck?"

I shuddered.

"Has anybody else contributed to this abuse?"

All I did was sink lower in the chair and lower my head into my hands.

At that the officer looked at me sadly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry." He shook his head, allowing a tear to fall. "Honestly, I am. This," he gestured to Angel, "is awful."

I looked at him dead in the eye before bursting into tears, sobs racking my body, and all I could think was, she's gone, she's gone, she's gone.

"Sh," The officer muttered, trying to comfort me, "you don't have to cry."

He was right. I don't have to cry. So I leaned forward so I was face to face with Angel's body. Pressing my lips against her forehead, I whispered my final goodbye. "Bye, Angel. I love you so much. Thank you." A tear dropped onto her cheek and slid down. It almost looked as if she were the one crying.

A doctor walked in. "I need the body of Angel Ride."

Nodding, I stepped back. Goodbye, darling.

MAXIMUM RIDE

"Max!" Fang, Iggy, and Nudge rushed at me. They all had paths of tears worn into their cheeks. "Is... Is she dead?"

I fell into Iggy's open arms. "Yes, she's gone." It was then I started sobbing again.

Iggy just let me cry it out, knowing he couldn't stop me. Nobody could.

"It's no fair!" I gasped out. "It's no fair! It should have been me!" I pounded fists against Iggy's chest. "Why wasn't it me?"

Iggy pulled my chin up so I could look at him. "It wasn't you for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, but you better show whoever made the choice to take Angel instead of you that they made the right choice."

He said it so seriously, and all I could do was nod. "I'll start that tomorrow," I wept.

"It's a date," Iggy said weakly, and then the words stopped.

MAXIMUM RIDE

We sat on Fang's couch. I was staring blindly at the wall, letting Fang stroke my hair. Iggy, Fang, and even Gazzy were staying here, but they were all asleep now. Only Fang and I were still conscious, but I'd rather be asleep with them, unable to think. Thinking isn't fun at the moment.

"Max?" I looked up at my boyfriend. "I-I miss her."

I buried my head in his chest. "I miss her more than anything." I didn't cry. I think I've used up all of my tears. I couldn't cry even if I wanted to. "I just don't understand why she had to go."

All Fang had to do was kiss my head and I knew what he was trying to say. 'Angel is gone, but I'm not.'

It must have been one o'clock in the morning by then, and I was having trouble staying awake. I just knew that if I fell asleep Angel would be in my dreams. And they would be nightmares.

But eventually everything faded into blackness, and reality blurred. Even then, I knew Angel wasn't here. It was as if I wasn't really asleep, reality just took away my vision. Because even in the bliss of sleep, Angel was on my mind.

When I woke up, all I remember is police surrounding me, along with Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, and Vanessa. Fang still had his arms around me, and I think that was the only thing keeping me sane.

"Miss Ride," an officer said very business like, "we have some news to tell you. You may want to sit up."

Sitting up, I looked among the police. Were they going to tell me Angel woke up? She's alive? Suddenly I was ecstatic, and their news couldn't com fast enough.

"Your mother and father were placed in prison yesterday," he started, pulling put a wrinkled paper. "and this morning, your mother..." he hesitated. "she committed suicide. She's dead."

He handed me the paper. "This is her suicide note."

I wasn't crying. Not even close. But there was a twinge of something in my heart, something that said I should be a little sad. It said she cared at the end.

Focusing away from the people and on the paper, I began to read.

Dear whoever may find this,

I am dead now. I have realized the absolute horror of my actions. The complete and utter pain I have caused is officially going to be over. I will cause no more. Max will be safe. I am so devastated that I cannot say the same for Angel. Although it was my husband that murdered her, technically, I am still to blame. And to Maximum, I am so sorry for you. I can't think of any words that would describe the pain and regret I feel. Please, don't forgive me. I am awful. But burn my body and scatter the ashes as far away from Angel as you can.

Thank you,

Valencia

I swiped at my eyes, but as I suspected, there were no tears.

An apology isn't enough at this point.

Surprising everyone, I handed the note back to the officer (whose name tag read Officer Jerrins) and nodded. "Alright."

"Aren't you sad?" A younger looking cop asked, looking at me as if I were crazy. "I know your parents are in jail, but don't you still love them?"

All of the other people looked at him. "Don't you know why they're in jail?" I asked calmly, ignoring the glares he was receiving.

He shook his head.

"They abused my sister and I for more than half of our lives. Yesterday, they killed my sister."

His eyes widened. "I-I'm so sorry."

I squinted my eye shut to hold the tears back. "Me too."

After a few moments of silence, Officer Jerrins thanked Vanessa and instructed his fellow police to leave the room with him.

We all watched them go, except for Nudge, who rushed forward and grabbed Jerrins arm. "Wait!" she clawed his arm as if it were a lifeline. "I-I need to tell the police something." She looked back at all of us. "Our stepfather has been abusing us," she gestured to her siblings, "and our mother."

Officer Jerrins just looked completely depressed at this point. It isn't just him though, the rest of us aren't that happy either.

"Why don't you three come down to the station?" he suggested, looking as if he'd aged a few years over the past few minutes.

After they had all gone, Vanessa surprised me by kissing Fang's forehead, then mine. It felt strange to have a mother figure in my life. Even if it had all happened because Angel reminded her of her also dead daughter.

She quietly left, closing the door behind her. Fang took the chance to hug me close. "Oh Max," He whispered. "Why does this have to suck so much?"

I shook my head and snuggled closer to his warmth. "I don't know, Fang. I really do not know."