Unforgettable

Song Playlist: (get this ready on your iPod or a youtube link before reading! )

Over And Over by Three Days Grace

Secrets by OneRepublic

Pain by Three Days Grace

Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Fang

I woke up in my alley hideout. Stacked piles of bagged trash were heaped to make walls, and I had been sleeping on a bunch of cardboard. The night was cold – I was shivering. Suddenly, a muffled ringing came from my pocket. I reached into it with my numb fingers, pulling out a small black phone. The caller ID read Angel Ride calling. Ignore? I flipped the phone open and pressed it to my ear. It felt warm.

"Hello, Fang." Angel's childish voice came from the other end.

"How'd you get this number?" I asked. Ignoring my question, Angel continued on.

"Meet me at the Hawk Cave as soon as you can. We need you for a mission." She said, and then the phone made a clicking noise. She had hung up on me. I sighed and shoved the phone back into the stiff pocket of my black jeans. A chilly breeze brought the sound of sirens to my ears. I pulled on my black leather jacket, pushing my wings through the gigantic hole in the middle allowing them to flap freely. As I lifted up, I figured that by dawn I'd be at the cave. After all, I was only two hours away. I couldn't stop myself from thinking how much more interesting this would be with Fang's Gang and Maya, but they had long abandoned my hopeless group. The moon stared at me, half-full and shining. I ran a hand through my long black hair, and flew on.

Two hours and thirty minutes later, I landed soundly on the dirt floor of the hawk's cave. Soft footsteps echoed in the cavern until the short, blond figure of Angel appeared. Her blue eyes were emotionless and cold, and her blond hair was smoothed into large princess curls. She looked cared for, in newer jeans and a light pink hoodie. I shrugged.

"So?" I asked Angel. She glared at me.

"We need you to help raid a One Light experimentation facility near here. It's the avian-dedicated facility rumored to have multiple specimens under six years old." Angel looked disgusted, which is how we all felt about the One Light's "Experiments."

Angel's snowy white wings wriggled themselves out into the open.

"C'mon, we're about to leave." She called, flying out of the cave. I followed her. We plopped in a field clearing. The morning was progressing. I figured that they would leave almost instantly. The rest of my former Flock was dressed in all-black, the girls in leather. Then I spotted Max.

Her medium-length brown hair bounced across her shoulders. She looked amazing, and I couldn't stop staring at her chocolate-brown eyes until they disappeared under a pair of dark shades. Dylan was at her side, arms crossed. Gazzy gave me a thumbs-up, and Nudge waved. I nodded in return. Max gestured calmly for us to gather around. I watched her, missing being the right-hand guy for all this. She looked at us, grimacing slightly when she reached me, barely controlled anger and hurt seeping from beneath the surface.

"Okay, Dylan and Nudge, you take the right entrance. Iggy, Angel, and Gazzy, you guys stay together and tackle the main entrance. Angel, give Iggy directions via mind stuff. But no mind control. Are we clear?" Angel nodded sincerely. Nudge tapped her chin impatiently.

"What about you and Fang?" she asked. Angel scanned Max's face before pointing to me.

"Max and Fang, you guys have the most teamwork experience. You can take the south entrance." She stated. Dylan stepped forward to protest.

"But, Max and I…" he started, but Max cut him off.

"Angel, I can take it by my own." She said. Angel's normally blue eyes clouded ominously until they were a foggy shade of violet.

"No, there are the most guards there. They'll be waking up soon." She said. No one disagreed. Apparently, it was fact that Max and I worked together well. I thought that the plan was pretty foolproof, but I just kept quiet. The groups separated, and Maximum walked to my side.

"Fang, happy you could join us for once. Use hawk maneuvers and plan P5. Got it?" her voice was icy and emotionless. I looked into her eyes, and for a moment, they flickered like they used to do….. like before I left. But in an instant, they were back to hard and unforgiving, and for that I was sorry. If she only knew…no. I wouldn't attempt to give myself a chance that won't ever exist. I turned and leapt into the sky. She followed, and the gray complex of building XXA0 faded into view. Max nudged me with her wing, and I almost smiled. She pushed me again, and I saw why – four kids guarded the entrance we were set to. We folded our wings in tight and dropped in the leafy branches of an oak tree. Wordlessly, we popped into action. The kids screeched in surprise as we ambushed them, knowing full well that these were only automatons, programmed to fight. But apparently, they no longer wanted to fight back. One of the kids had on a soiled white T-shirt that read "One Light for the future." I snagged the fabric and pulled it. It ripped. Max grabbed my arm, and little shocks of electricity traveled up my biceps to my chest. I turned.

"Let's go, Fang." Her voice was much gentler. I obeyed, reluctantly dropping the destroyed fabric in a muddy puddle. We dashed through the doors and met the other Flock members inside. Iggy's face was red, like he was breathing hard, but I didn't want to ask. Memories flooded into my brain. He was like a brother to me. Shivering, I fled the memories and began searching rooms. Dylan set a pace on the other side of Max. I heard a shuffling noise from a particular door. My leg shot out in a perfect kick. The door folded inward like it was paper or aluminum foil. Cages littered the floor, tossed aside and open. The Flock poured into the room. I plucked the tag from one cage and read it.

Specimen #445, "Kay"

Male, 6 months old

Notes: Scaly reptilian scales on face. Expired 11/1

I growled, disgusted. A baby, experimented on? Dead because of the mistakes of the whitecoats. I mentally added another strike against them. Little whimpers came from one corner of the room, and my hyper-sensitive ears twitched. I jumped over a few more dented cages to face two….full crates. Little toddlers, shivering in each, one for each cage. Both had miniature wings flapping gently. A girl and a boy, both were sucking their thumbs.

"Max! Over here!" I shouted. Max flapped her wings, causing a little wind turbulence to flow throughout the concrete-walled room. She saw the two little kids and looked at me with shock.

"More kids like us?" she gasped. I nodded grimly. This was more serious than I realized. I read the tag for one.

Specimen A

Male, Twin/Speci B

2 y/o

Successful transplant. Expired N/A

I swung open the door for "Specimen A" and pulled him into my arms. He was too weak to protest. Max reached in and lifted "Specimen B", the girl, into her grasp. She smiled at the little avian, and I felt my walls falling down again against my will. Max handed me a paper. I shifted A and read it. It had all the information that the boy's had. They were twins. Nudge bounded over the crate rubble and saw the twins, the little girl first. I concentrated on the boy that I was holding. His eyes were icy blue, and his wings weren't like ours. Instead, one was brown, the other, snowy white. They were useless right now – none of us could fly until we were seven or eight. Our wings, however, were always matching the other, not like this. He would be safe, with us. Talon should be his name, after the warrior that I once knew from the School. Talon had long escaped with another girl….a girl that I knew. My head throbbed with the effort of trying to remember the early memory. Nudge's voice snapped me from my thinking.

"….How about Jade? You know, because of her eyes." she said, tickling the girl that Max was holding's foot. The little toddler giggled and squirmed. I walked towards them, and Jade's eyes faced me. I gasped. They were a light lime green shade, piercing and full of unspoken laugher. She was chewing contentedly on a piece of plastic. Dylan spoke from across the barrier of broken cages.

"You okay over there, Max?" his voice sounded tinny. Determination and fire filled Max's expression as she jumped the wall of debris in response. The shocked gasps of the Flock echoed. Nudge hopped over, and I followed. No one met my eyes but Angel.

"I'll take care of them." Max said. Angel shook her head, curls bobbing.

"No, they'll need someone else, like a Dad." Nudge spoke for Angel. Dylan grinned slyly.

"I'll help." He said, clearly implying the Dad position. My brain held me back, but my heart was pushing and prodding me forward to deny his right. I hugged Talon closer, feeling his deep breaths in and out. Iggy, silent all this time, stepped in front of Dylan.

"Dylan, you're part of the Flock now, but I don't think, being only a year and a half old now, that you can handle this. There's only one other person that could do it." He said. The eyes of the Flock slowly peeled from Dylan to me. I shirked back.

"No, I'm not good for that, either. Remember my childhood? Not so great, when you remember it." I said sarcastically.

"You remember Jeb, just like Max does." Angel stated. Hurt and anger were paired with that particular name. I clenched my fist that was holding Talon's back up. He arched his spine, looked at me and grabbed hold of my neck with his little two-year-old arms. As Dylan stepped forward to hold him; Talon's face scrunched up. He began crying, little beaded tears slipping down his ruddy cheeks. Angel held up a hand.

"Dylan, stop it. You know that Fang is the right person for this." Since when did Angel take over the Flock's decisions? I wondered. Max was silent. Dylan sighed and retreated to Max's side. Looking defeated, he kissed her on the cheek softly and headed out the door. We all could sense that there were no more little "experiments" waiting for us, leaving us to think that the One Light knew that we were coming, and, in their haste, they forgot about these two. No more would be left for us to find. Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel followed him. Then there was just Max and I. I searched her eyes for a source of love, of anything but hatred. She snorted and broke her gaze from me, walking out with Jade. Talon buried his face in my chest. I strode out with the Flock, wondering how long they would let me stay before kicking me out.

Two days later, things began to happen again. The toddlers were attached as ever, but also unique. Jade was calm and beautiful, with her jet-black hair resembling mine, and her still, quiet green eyes. Talon was animated but yet serious, protective of his sister. Max and I would talk about the weather and the day's activities, nothing else. She still harbored patches from the brokenness I left her. Her brokenness left me shattered and determined for her to be happy with Dylan, even if I was here. That night, Talon was sitting on the porch railing watching the moon rise with me. He bit his lip.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. He was almost like a kid I never had with Max, I thought. His deep brown hair rustled in the wind, and he folded his mismatched wings close to his body.

"You love Max." he said in his solemn tone, studying me. I hopped back, shocked.

"Talon, no, it's complicated." I said, changing my answer. Talon nodded determinedly.

"You do. You think it." Wait a second, I think it?

"You can read minds, Talon?" I accused sternly. I was only sixteen, but I could act pretty parently when I wanted to. Talon blinked.

"Yes." Well, maybe not that parently. I sighed dejectedly.

"Well, then, it's true. I do love Max. I can't stop, no matter how hard I try. Over and over, I fall for her… I hurt her, once….and she can't forgive me. Well, I don't know if she has or hasn't. Dylan loves her, he's programmed to." I flicked a leaf from the railing that I leaning on. Talon held out his arms as if he didn't hear me.

"I sleepy." He said, yawing. He often reverted to simple words when he was tired, which was different from his usually intelligence. I picked him up and laid him in the bed, tucking the baby blue blankets around him. Then I crawled in with him, letting the waves of sleep overtake me for the night.

(POV – 3rd Omniscient)

Dylan was furious. He was playing outside with little Talon while Fang was going flying, and then Talon spoke suddenly from his sandbox.

"Daddy loves Max." he said. Dylan froze. He turned to the toddler with barely controlled anger.

"And how do you know that, Talon?" he asked. Talon smiled and his dimple appeared.

"I can read minds."

Dylan clenched his fists. And strode to over to Nudge, who had just landed from a small flight. He pointed to Talon angrily.

"Watch him." He commanded. Nudge looked confused, but did as she was told. Dylan took flight, his large, powerful white wings lifting him into the air. Black anger clouded his vision when he spotted a large black shape. Fang. Dylan swooped low, pulling Fang to the ground. Fang rolled and took a standing position swiftly, staring at his attacker with shock. Dylan pressed himself to stay calm. He looked deep into Fang's onyx eyes. He was seething. Why? Why come back just to hurt someone that you insist you love? It didn't make sense to him. Dylan clenched his fists. Fang was not going to hurt Max – his Max – anymore. This had to stop. Dylan pulled himself as tall as he could without standing on his tiptoes. Fang was the same height as he, but it didn't matter. Dylan's words were bursting with unsaid speech.

"When were you gonna tell me that you came here to hurt Max?" he demanded, outraged. Fang breathed out silently, facing his feelings inside. He didn't come here to hurt Max, no matter what Dylan said.

"I was called here, you know that." He retorted.

"Talon said that you loved Max. And it's true, isn't it?" Dylan kept pushing the argument. Fang pictured in his mind Max, flying and happy. And now with Jade…..almost like a daughter to him.

(Fang's POV)

" I love Max. But I don't just love her, Dylan; I love her by choice." I said. Dylan's composure snapped. He looked pained, but also hurt. He opened his mouth to say something, but then hesitated.

"Just-Just stay away from her. You hurt her, Fang. Please, don't do it again." He pleaded. I looked into his too-perfect eyes.

"I love her. I've tried telling myself over and over that it just won't work, but I can't stop." I reasoned. It was true. I've tried telling myself that I hurt her too much, that it'll never be; and it probably is just a dream of mine. She's the only girl I've ever loved. And I turned from Dylan, there she was. The wind was blowing back her brown hair, the blond streaks ever-light. Her hands were on her hips. She was so perfect. Her smiles, her grins, and now, her determined snarl. I can't bring myself to hurt her another time. I flapped my dark wings until all that was left of me to them was a lingering shadow, a faded memory.

(Max POV)

I watched Fang pull himself into the sky. When he had come back, all the hurt came rushing back like a scar re-formed. He was just as I remembered, only better than I thought he could be. His long black hair was the same, and he still wore all black. But he looked older, more protective. Angel had told me that he had been living on the streets, and it showed. He was bulkier. Everything he said, everything he did just made me love him more. Dylan was just - Dylan was just too perfect. I found myself huddled next to Dylan, wishing that it was Fang. Wishing so much that it hurt, a repeated stabbing in my heart. Hot tears sprung to my eyes. He left me-again. Talon, little Talon, ran up to me. Fat, shining tears streamed down his face. He shoved his chubby hands up at me. I hoisted him up. Still crying, he buried his face in my neck. After a while, Fang was still visible as a bleached shadow. Talon stared at him as he flew away.

"Daddy left." He stated. I nodded faintly. Then I looked into Talon's eyes. One was golden brown, the other, gray.

"I miss him." He said. My gaze still fixed on Fang, I smiled. Though I was broken inside, stepping on shards of broken glass.

"Me too." I echoed shallowly. Blowing a kiss into thin air, I whispered to Fang. Fang: my only soul mate, my best friend, my worst enemy.

"I love you"

Author's Note:

(Pre-PS- I'm thinking about designing a Tshirt. Of course, none of the proceeds would go to me, and you peeps would have to pay. I'm sorreh. But would you buy a tee that said "Library = LOVE" ? I would. I would just make the tee design. You guys could follow the link and buy it. I'd buy one. You know, for me. And then, at the bottom, it could be all "Sylvanna on fanfiction" No? Terrible? Maybe. Let me know in a review.)

Hello Readers.

Wow. That sounds so…looking down on you guys. Really, I could never do that. I look up to you for enduring my worst chapters, for reading my best ones again and again, and for reviewing every one. I want to especially thank my faithful five readers. You know who you are. You're amazing in your tolerance for my inexperience and lack of talent in some of these (namely, my first chapter :P). Seriously, the only way I know you read is if you review….every one. And when you do, I feel like I've gotten a candy of some sort, even if the review is constructive criticism (for which I am thankful, don't get me wrong.) I love discussing with you guys, talking over every point and chapter. I love debating pairings and what could happen in the final book, for which I am anticipating greatly. I'm sure you peeps have mentioned me and this story to your friends… (if you haven't, that's cool, too.) and if you have, I am eternally grateful. As always, taking song requests… (though, I've got a few for a while.) For the user (I have the worst short-term memory) who suggested Over and Over, I thank you SO much. I'm now listening to that song as I write this. And for everyone that EVER REVIEWED, I commend you with the highest award I can ever give, which is, sadly, a chapter dedication or reply to your review. I'm going to start working on those, one for each reviewer. Or maybe two. Or three. Whatever number, I'll do 'em. And for all you people who just 'popped in' for a read, thank you. And I mean it. And all of you, even if I didn't leave a review, I've read at least one of your stories. You're all very talented. Keep writing. Writers block is easily cured – just live life. Your best inspiration should come from music (yeah, I'm totally an audiophile.) and your own life. If you're holed up in your room/apartment/house, going, 'ack! Writers block!' then you're not living it. Get with friends, call someone, do something. Let your ever-so-exiting adventures fuel your best words, your best chapters, your best poems, your best of you. Which I know will take the world (and its crabby literary critics) by surprise. Be spontaneous. Blow people away. But whatever you do; never stop writing. I've had terrible chapters, too. If it's terrible, throw it away. Live some more life. Even getting up late could lead to burst of inspiration. With this, I hang my hat on my 100th chapter.

I love you guys.

Fly On,

Sylvanna