Searching

"Angel," I stared at her for a moment. We were huddled underneath a little pavilion away from the rain. "Why weren't you able to hear Fang's thoughts?" I was fuming, angry, and a bunch of other words that aren't appropriate to say.

"Max, I get headaches with so many people around. Either I take them all in or I block them all out," she wiped her eyes from the tears that were forming. "Fang wouldn't just leave Max. He wouldn't go without a goodbye." I seriously doubted that at this moment.

I shook my head, placing my hands on my hips and stared out at the rain. I searched among the shadows to see if maybe Fang would come back. I couldn't go chasing after him. I had no clue as to where he was. Plus, if he left of his own free will, than he probably didn't want me around.

"Fang would never leave you Max," Angel whispered, attempting to wrap her hand in mine. I pulled away for the moment. I leaned against a pillar and crossed my arms. "He loved you so much. Ever since we were learning to fly. You were the first to take flight remember? Well, watching you, he never stopped referring to you as heaven-sent, a goddess, he loved you forever."

"Something must've happened to him," Nudge replied, sitting on a picnic table with Iggy on one side and Gazzy on the other. "M-Geeks always appear out of nowhere remember? They always have a way of finding us. Maybe they got a hold of Fang. I would be surprise. They iare always getting in the way of things. Max, Fang did not leave. He was going to as-," Suddenly, Iggy's hand was covering Nudge's mouth to make her stop.

"The point isn't what the M-Geeks could do guys. The last time they took just one of us, it was Angel, and that was back with the School. Who we're dealing with now…well, the last person they showed interest in was all of us, not just one." I ran a hand through my hair while remembering Mr. Chu. I had seen Brigid talking to him over a year ago before we were captured. Then, when the M-Geeks took us and erased our memories, most of that was pretty blurry.

"What do we do Max?" Gazzy asked from behind. I turned and faced them. I flapped out my wings to removed the water that had collected.

"We wait for the storm to pass, then we start a little havoc of our own. Either Fang left or he was captured. Once we find him, we either kick his butt or some M-Geeks." If Fang really had left…I would make him regret breaking his promise to me. When the flock nodded, it still felt empty though without Fang right beside me, standing his ground with me. Geez, was I mess without him or what? For now, I had to trust Nudge and Angel that Fang would never leave. A large part of me said he wouldn't ever hurt me because he loved me. Another part told me that sometimes, people lie and sometimes, they hurt you. Like Jeb, I had loved Jeb as a father and then he betrayed me too.

"Max, Fang didn't betray us." Iggy narrowed his eyes as he stared at me. "I can't believe you would even act like that! You know him better than the rest of us! He loves you. For once, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm quite disappointed but then again, you can be pretty thick head Max."

I rolled my eyes at him before turning back to the rain.

Fang's POV

Once again, here I was, stuck in a school like area that smelled of antibiotics and had men with white-coats. My entire nerve system was freaking out. I'd hate to say this but without Max, I was out of control. Without her breathing or her voice or her smell to calm me, I was losing my sanity.

I was lying on a table with my wrists and ankles pinned down by metal cuffs. My shirt had been taken off and those white circles that monitored my heart rate were placed back on. I was lying on my stomach oddly enough. A figure stepped into view.

"Hello Fang," she had a soft voice that I quickly recognized. She dipped her head down so that I could stare her in the face. Dark black hair and dark brown eyes with a softer chin than Max's- there stood Ella. I narrowed my eyes at her. She pouted, "Why are you being such a grumpy boy? I'm just doing what I was made to do. Aren't you doing the same Fang?" If she was hinting that I was meant to protect Max than she was right.

"Step away from him Copy 0-2. He's not your experiment." Brigid stepped into my line of view. She was holding a strange needle in her hand. She had on a bright white coat. "I'm in charge, back off." I twitched as if maybe now I would get a new power to break metal. Instead, I felt the ring I was going to give Max press into my skin. Ella backed out of my sight and Brigid took up the entire view. "Ready to forget again?"

I, of course, didn't say anything. Why waste words on her? Brigid was always good at doing the talking though so she kept going. "We're going to take away your memory Fang but not your wings. You're going to live your own life, have an apartment, with fake memories about a wonderful childhood."

So, I was going to forget Max again, the worst pain in the entire world. I'd get fake memories that would never compare to her. I was going to live a life that was worthless. I narrowed my eyes up at her. I wish I could think of something better to say than 'you're evil'. Max is always the one who knows what to do or what to say in these situations.

I couldn't fight when a mask was placed over my nose and mouth. As I was blacking out I heard Brigid say to Ella, "Why don't you go out and find the rest of the flock like you're supposed to?" I saw the glint of the syringe which meant the chips were obsolete.

Eventually, she blacked out.

------

When I woke up on a bed in an apartment in the city, I had three main thoughts.

One- My name is Fang.

Two- My family is a flock of five flying kids and one flying dog.

Three- I was in love with Maximum Ride.

Which meant one thing-

The procedure didn't work.

I still had all my memories and Brigid didn't know.