Ah, finally! Sorry it took so long, EXAMS are probably the most stressful things on the planet, so I had now time to right this up. But I do now X-P Tell me what you think guyz! ^_^

Chapter 12 – Fang and Dylan and Max

"You... you killed me"

"No..."

"I trusted you..."

"I didn't want you to get hurt!"

"How could you do this to me...?"

"No, Max I love you! I'd never do anything to hurt you!"

"You're the reason I'm dead Fang..."

***

I shot up in my bed panting harshly, a thin sheen of could sweat making my clothes cling to my body. I glanced around me, I was in the hotel I booked here in Turkey; and yet again I was awoken by that... that... that nightmare. I raised my hand on my forehead, Oh great; no I have a fucking fever too. Sighing, I slid out of bed, walking out onto the balcony overseeing the small town I'm staying in.

It's been three weeks since Max... was taken. I refuse to believe she's dead, there's no WAY Maximum Ride could've been... you know... so easily. I couldn't take it if she really was gone; especially knowing that it was ME who put her there. But I don't have to worry because Max ISN'T dead; she'll come walking through that door any minute now, begging for forgiveness after worrying us so much. She'll be smiling, and caked in dirt, and be trying to bribe us with Chinese take out and cookies. Just like she always does...

...right?

But then... why is it that every day I always have that nightmare? Her beautiful, strong body crippled and layered in blood. Her flawless, tan skin, slashed into nothingness, seeping out what little amount of blood she has left. Her gentle, smiling eyes glassy with unshed tears. And her soft, peach pink lips dry, cracked and bloody as they whisper those accusing words.

"You're the reason I'm dead Fang..."

Shuddering, I try my hardest to tear away from those dark thoughts which always seem to constantly present in my mind. You're the reason she's dead. If it wasn't for you she'd be happy in London, YOU KILLED HER. With these running through my head every second possible, how can you not expect me to NOT feel as if they're true?

But the worst part is, there was never anything to prove otherwise. No trace of her, no foot prints, no finger prints, not even a freaking hair was found. If it wasn't for her blood splashed all over the walls then you wouldn't have even been able to tell that anyone was there. Anyone who saw that would've believed she was dead.

Anyone but me.

Most people probably think I'm going crazy, but I know she's still out there. How? Because I can feel it, deep down in my heart, every time I think of her my heart aches, but I doesn't feel broken. That can mean two things; either that I didn't love Max enough for this to break my heart, or that she's still out there and I just hurt because I can't ensure her safety. And there's no way in HELL that you can tell me that I didn't love Max. So I refuse to give up on her. Why?

Because you didn't have to be the one to drag the Flock away from that bloody room. You didn't have to go back to base and right a detailed report of what happened, recalling the memories you wished you never had. You didn't have to go home and tell a family, who's only really been together for the last five years, that the heart and soul of the family just died. You didn't have to see her mum break down in tears, or watch her father's face crumple in pain. You didn't have to see her little sister lose the one person she's always longed for in her family. You didn't have to see that same sister bolt out of the room so no one would see her cry.

But worst of all, you didn't have to tell a four year old boy that his big sister was never coming back. You didn't see the tears, hear the screams, or see the complete agony on his face as you did so. You didn't have to stay over night, knowing that everyone on in the house blamed you for her death no matter what they may say. And what seems to be the most heartbreaking of all; you didn't wake up to see that same little boy awake at 3:00am sitting on top of the stairs, refusing to move until he saw his supposedly dead sister walk through the door.

None of you had to go through that. None of you had to see that.

I did.

So, no matter what I'm going to continue this mission and find Max. Not just for the world, but for the Flock, her family...

And that little boy who misses her so much.

-----Dylan-----

I don't like this.

I don't like this at all.

I can see that steely determination in his eyes; and I'm not liking it one bit. We were stupid to rely on Brigid to handle the situation; she said she'd make it so everyone would give up on Max, so that all they would do was mourn her death. She failed. Because now Fang is in Turkey making his way to our Japanese base, and now the rest of the Flock are flying over to join in him; hoping for some sort of "revenge" against me and my father.

How pathetic.

But no matter, they won't get to Max. Whatever they try, whatever they say or do, they won't be able to take Max away from me. Why?

Because Max belongs to me.

And I'm going to make sure she forgets everything about that sorry excuse for a Flock... especially Fang. I don't know whether to pity his uselessness, or loathe the hold he seems to have over Max's heart. Though, WHY his hold on her bothers me is beyond my explanation. It just does. No, it doesn't bother me; it pisses me off to no ends. It pisses me off how the whole time she was sleeping; it was his name she kept murmuring. Or when we got one of the mutant psychics to scan her head trying to help us corner the Flock, the only thing we could find was hisname.

I mean, I'm the one who's here looking after her.

I'm the one making sure the other mutants here don't try to do anything to her.

Yet he's the one who she wishes was here with her.

But don't worry; I will make her forget about them. Whether I just have to make her he feel at home, or I have to physically wipe her memory, she won't remember anything about them.

And then, it'll be just too easy to erase them.

-----Max-----

I can move now.

So I find myself opening my eyes to look at the room around me. It was beautiful pale blue, illuminated by the moon's light; but I didn't really focus on my surroundings. The first thing I tried to do was walk.

And that failed miserably.

So, I dragged myself back onto the bed, crawling back under the blanket and curling up into a ball. Okay, so I can move, but my legs aren't strong enough to carry me yet. Damn, what the HELL kind of drug did they use on me? I've never been this weak before. Ever. But now it seems all I can do is lie here quietly and wait for someone to come. Sighing I turn carefully to my side and find myself staring at a blue rose.

That's surprising, I heard they were genetically created to last forever, and so far the longest living one is... what... twenty years? And still going strong. Yet for some reason, this one is withering, the bright sapphire petals turning to brown nothingness.

...why do I feel as if this is some kind of bad omen?

Don't you just WISH you had a guy like Fang???