(A/N: Well, it's been a while, no? Sorry for the long wait. I just haven't felt very..encouraged. But, as the longest single collection of oneshots for Maximum Ride…maybe I should pick this back up?)

A/N 2: This chapter is set post-Nevermore with some slight changes. Still haven't read the book. Gr.

Dylan

"Wake up, sleepyhead," a highly cheery voice tittered. I growled, yanking a pillow over my head.

"Go away, Nudge," I groaned into it. I didn't want to get up. I had first guard duty, I knew. Guarding the little ones while they collected food in the woods. Fun. Not really.

Nudge pulled the blankets from my 'bed.' Truthfully, it was the ground with a ratty blanket and pillow thrown across it. Sleeping on the beach, however, was easy when I didn't want to go sleep with the rest of the Flock….with Fang and Max.

I sat up grumpily, wiping my eyes and blinking until the light defined reasonable shapes in my vision. It was right before dawn. Pink streaks of cloud extended from the horizon. I sighed. Beautiful. Then, Max's face came into my mind. I shook my head. "Can we go to breakfast now?" I asked Nudge.

She grinned. "Sure, let's go!" she piped. I didn't have to dress; my outfit was the only one I had. Sure, I could have traded for one, but that would mean giving away the only thing I had of Max's: a necklace I had given her right before the whole mess of events happened that left us on the island. Unhappily, it was still mine. She hadn't kept it.

I followed Nudge to the makeshift mess hall, a wrecked boat with only a large slice from the front from when the abandoned vessel collided with shore. I could see some other early risers wafting around it. Fang was not one of them, I noted with a relieved sigh.

Nudge urged me forwards, her wings flitting back and forth. It was like a bird-kid twitch. "Hurry up, or they'll get all the good food!" Her face was endlessly happy, though mine was its usual stone mask. She had more than one outfit – Max made sure that her Flock had what they needed. A good Mom at age sixteen. She shouldn't have to do that. She wouldn't if we were together.

Shaking these thoughts from my head, I took a massive leap with the help of my more useful extremity (my wings, you idiots), landing on the ship's first level through the damaged portion. Instantly, a young girl of about twelve handed me a hollowed half of a coconut. Inside of it was a somewhat-appetizing mashy substance of coconut milk and oatmeal. It was all we had at this point, unless more supplies came washing up on shore or any of the search teams found some on a nearby uninhabited land space.

I plopped down with my meal on the floor. I sat cross-legged. Nudge joined in, facing me and digging into her breakfast with a slightly cracked plastic spoon. My coconut had a metal fork sticking out of it.

One mouthful of the grub down. "So, what's your chore today?" I spoke after swallowing.

Nudge looked nervous, setting down her coconut to answer me. "Max didn't give us a chore today – Iggy said that it was his birthday."

I chewed thoughtfully on another bite of the sloshy mixture. Two bites total. "She can do that?"

"It is her island, technically," Nudge said, filling her spoon with more of the gray oatmeal stuff.

I nodded. "I have guard duty. First shift," I said, scraping the sides of the bowl and licking the fork clean. I was suddenly ravenous, only because I knew that the remainder of the Flock would be up very soon…and hence, they'd want food first thing.

"I can have Max move you to second, if you want time to find a present for Iggy," Nudge offered. Her bowl was nearly empty now.

Seven enormous bites. My 'bowl' was almost cleared of my sustenance for the morning. "No, I don't think I'll be coming."

A wrinkle appeared between Nudge's eyebrows. "Why not?"

I stared at her until she turned her face, cheeks flaming. She knew very well why I wasn't going.

The final bite was gone. I stood up, placing my fork on the only table in the room. They'd wash and re-use every utensil. I tossed my coconut into the sea outside through a porthole from which the glass was missing. Nudge was practically nipping on my heels.

"I'm sure you and Fang wouldn't get in a fight or anything," she said, as if convincing herself of the untruth. I jumped from the mess hall onto the sand.

"Nudge, I'm not going to Iggy's birthday party. Max will be there, right?"

Nudge nodded. I shrugged. "I'll see her on first shift guard duty. She'd never miss it." I reminded her.

"Umm, actually, she is, today," Nudge noted, tapping her chin. "Ya know, because of the party?"

I groaned. "I should go, to keep her safe," My excuse was weak. Pathetic. But the draw of Max was intoxicating.

"We have Fang for that, but I'm sure she'd like the extra help!"

I snarled, unsatisfied. "What would I get Iggy, then?"

"He likes food….you could easily find some wild berries or something."

I laughed. "And kill him?"

Nudge glared at me with her big brown eyes. "I'd come with you. But we'd have to visit the cave first to tell Max to move your chore schedule."

I turned my eyes to the medium-sized mountain, locating the black space halfway up which indicated the Flock's home. "Let's go."

I regretted that decision instantly. What if they hated me, still? Was Fang there? What would Max say? She hadn't seen me in weeks. I'd been avoiding her. The hurt was too raw yet. Nudge joined me in flight as we sprinted (can sprinted be used as a term to describe flying?) to the cave. When we reached it, it was empty. Our eyes flew to the skies. One shadow circled in and out of the clouds, slim and brownish and strong. Max. My Max, as happy as I'd ever seen her.

(A/N: Should I continue this chapter?)