The new chapter is up! And guess what? It's actually on time and it is my longest chapter yet! However, I have a basketball game tomorrow and another huge tournament starting on Thursday, so I'll be really busy and distracted, but I promise I'll do my absolute best to update if you promise to review? If I get at least five reviews for this chapter, I'll update within the next 2 days no matter what! Even if I have to stay up until midnight finishing my chapter! I love you all! Enjoy and review!

KarleeRay

I woke up in my bed to a crazy momma bear, a distraught sister, and five tired and worried flock members.

"Max!" My mom rushes me as soon as my eyes flicker open. I sit up confused, and stare around at the small gathering in my room. "How do you feel? Any pain?"

I wave her off, wiping my eyes and doing my best to wake up. Pain? Why would I be in pain?

"What do you mean pain? And why are you all in my room?" I snap. I had never been a morning person, and I felt doubly annoyed at everyone's eyes on me.

Mom leans forward and brushes my hair back. "Lie back down, Max. You need to rest."

"What are you going on about?" I ask her, looking around to the flock for help.

"They told Ella and I all about your brain explosions," She murmurs. "But don't worry, baby, we're gonna get this all figured out."

"That's what this is about?" I inquire, incredulously. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine." I push her out of the way and stand up. She watches me closely, and when I don't die where I stand, she relaxes slightly. "See? I'm fine."

I leave them all in my bedroom, heading to the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth.

About 30 minutes later, I join them all at breakfast, skillfully ignoring the way my mother was watching me.

"Does anyone have plans today?" I ask them, smearing jelly on my toast.

"I'm going to the mall with Allie," Nudge offers around a mouthful of biscuit. I wrinkle my nose dramatically in disgust, and she shoots me a teasing grin.

"I'm going to Raina's," Angel tells me. Her blue eyes flicker up to mine and it once again strikes me how adorable she is.

I look around the table, grinning, and then it hits me. Five of the flock are sitting at the table. Where is the sixth one? Where is Dylan?

"Where's Dylan?" I ask, confused by his absence. Where else would he be? It is then that I remember that he was supposed to join us for our movie night last night. "Did he show up last night? After I went to sleep?"

Everyone's eyes pivot to Dylan's empty chair at the table.

"No…." Nudge says, slowly. "He never showed up. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in like two days. I just thought he was brooding in his room like your average teenager. Maybe he is in his room. I don't know. Zomg. I feel kind of guilty. How come no one noticed he wasn't here? That's kind of sad. I actually care about Dylan. I can't believe I didn't notice. I-"

"I'm gonna go check his room," I mutter feeling subdued. Déjà vu is running through me and I have to remind myself not to panic. There has to be a logical explanation for this. Times are different now, Max, there are no white coats. No one is out to get you or your flock. Dylan is fine.

I fling open his bedroom door, praying that he's in there. He isn't. I rush back down the stairs where everyone is waiting for me.

"He isn't in there," I tell them, sounding confused.

My mom jumps up. "Well where could he be?"

I pull out my cell phone and dial his number, my heart beginning to pound. Please answer. Please answer. Please answer.

He doesn't. Feeling furious, I dial his number again. He better have a good reason for scaring me like this.

"Hello?" I sigh in relief as he answers on the fourth ring.

"Yo… Where the heck are you?" I demand.

There's a long pause and I wait impatiently. "I can't stay in a house where I'm not wanted, not anymore Max."

"What? What are you talking about? Dylan, just come home and we'll talk about this," I reply, exasperated and really not in the mood to baby someone.

"That's not home for me anymore. I'm gonna stay with some friends from school."

"Why?" I exclaim, starting to get angry. "You're being ridiculous…. And did it not cross your mind to tell your own family where you were? You really scared us!"

Another long, annoying pause. "Just because we have wings, doesn't make us family, Max. You guys proved that to me."

I begin to protest, but I am cut off when I hear the dial tone. He hung up on me. Quickly, I relay everything Dylan had said to the others.

"But that's not true!" Nudge cries, upset about the situation.

"I know, sweetie, but we can't force him to stay here," I reason.

"Can't you talk to him, Max?" Gazzy asks, still scarfing down his breakfast.

I hesitate. "I don't know guys. He seemed like he really didn't want to stay here…. But I'll try…."

The flock nods, solemnly, still seeming confused about the whole thing.

Three hours later finds me walking with my mom through the grocery store. I am consumed with my own thoughts, thoughts of Dylan, thoughts of basketball, and thoughts of Fang… always thoughts of Fang. A smile works its way onto my lips.

"What's got you smiling like that?" Mom asks, pushing the buggy alongside me. I shrug, nonchalantly and her smile grows. "Like I had to ask."

I groan, throwing my head back. "You act like I'm so predictable."

She considers my words, carefully. "The last thing you are is predictable, Maximum Ride. That thought is laughable, but it is obvious to me how much you care for Fang."

I nod. "I love him, Mom. Honest."

Her brown eyes meet mine and she smiles slightly. "I know… And I know you two have been together for a while now… you're teenagers and well, teenagers tend to get certain… urges."

I groan, loudly, making people turn to look at me, but I could care less. "No mom, please! I already know all of this stuff!"

She laughs at the look on my face. "Relax, Max. I wasn't going to go into detail…. However, I was going to make you promise me something."

"What?"

"If I buy you birth control and condoms, do you promise to use them when the time is right?"

I almost choke, but somehow manage to keep my composure. "Sure."

My mom beams at me and I can't help but smile back.

"You…. Are… amazing," Fang grounds out between passion heated kisses. His hands trail the length of my back and snake their way up my shirt which is completely uncharted territory. He pauses as if to ask me if this is okay, but I only press my lips back to his in response. He flips us so that I'm under him and pulls my shirt over my head. I feel incredibly exposed for about .00006 seconds and then I smirk in satisfaction as Fang's eyes light up and a goofy smile spreads over his lips. I pull him down on top of me, pressing us closer. My fingers trace the contours of his bare abs (Fang has taken a liking to coming into my room shirtless and unfairly seducing me so his shirt was already off). My hands tug on his belt loops and he groans in response, trailing kisses over my collar bone. I can practically feel him trying to control his urges and I can't help but laugh. He ignores me completely, and I am caught off guard when he hits that sweet spot on my shoulder that never fails to make me gasp in pleasure. I feel him smirk into my skin.

"Fang!" Gazzy yells, beating on the door. "I need help! I can't get past level three!"

"Go away, Gazzy," He mutters, into my stomach, and I swat his arm.

"He'll be right out, Gaz!" I call, pushing Fang off of me and grabbing my shirt off of the ground. Fang sighs, sounding extremely irritated, but goes to meet Gazzy in the hallway anyways.

I am alone for about 3 seconds before Nudge pokes her head inside the door. Seeing that I am alone, she walks in and flops down on my bed.

"You're going to talk to Dylan right? Tell him to come home?"

Sighing, I sit down beside her and rub her back. "I'll do what I can, Nudge."

"I feel guilty. We really were kind of leaving him out of things," She admits, resting her chin in her hands.

"Don't feel guilty, Nudge. Dylan's a big boy. If he wanted to hang out with us more, he should have said something instead of running off without so much as a goodbye," I retort, starting to get angry and rant.

I pull out my cell phone and shoot him a quick text.

Need 2 talk 2 u. Like now. Where can you meet me?

Nudge flicks on the TV and curls into my chest, searching for comfort, and I feel a swell of pride that she still needs me. I am beginning to think Dylan is just going to ignore my text when my phone lets out a bleep.

Don't have much to say that I haven't already said but I'll meet u anyway. Umm the park? In ten minutes?

I reply quickly and then stand up off of the bed. "I'm going to meet him. I'll do my best to get him to come home."

Nudge nods, but makes no move to get up. Not feeling like walking all the way down stairs, I open my window and jump, letting my wings carry me to the park. I am there in less than ten minutes and I fly in circles until I see Dylan flying towards me, relishing every down stroke of my amazing wings.

He motions for me to land and I follow him down.

"Hey, Max," He says casually as we land by the picnic table.

"Hey Max? Don't 'Hey, Max' me. What? Like everything's normal? Cut the crap, Dylan," I tell him, feeling angry and slightly betrayed for unknown reasons.

He sighs, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I didn't come here to argue with you, Max."

I take a deep breath. Dylan doesn't want to argue? Well guess what? Max didn't want to wake up to a missing bird kid, now did she?

"What makes you think it's okay to just leave out of nowhere? Without saying anything? And where do you get off telling me that we aren't family? If we aren't family then, God, I don't know what is!" My voice wavers slightly before I quickly harden it. I could not let Dylan figure out how much this little stunt got to me. It kind of…. Hurt, as much as I hate to admit it. When Fang left me, for the second time (cringe), Dylan was really the only one who made me feel better, who made me feel worthy again…. We had grown a bit close in that short amount of time (he kind of wrenched us apart again when we he almost killed the boy that I'm kind of in love with), but I didn't realize how much he still meant to me until he pulled this.

"You all obviously don't want me there. You leave me out of everything." I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off, gently. "I'm not saying you do it on purpose, but you do do it. You can't help it. You all share a bond with each other that I'll never be able to even comprehend. I didn't grow up in the lab crate next to you like Fang. I didn't endure countless amounts of eraser attacks with you. I didn't gag on your first attempt of cooking, or hold your hand while you searched for Angel in Antarctica. I wasn't there when Gazzy discovered his gift of mimicry, or when Iggy learned he could feel colors and see the color white. I wasn't there when Fang, Gazzy, and Iggy went their own way because of Ari, and I wasn't there when they came back either. I didn't rub your shoulders after your first brain explosion, and I didn't go to Anne's with you all either. I wasn't there to comfort any of you when you were on the run. You all had your moments, your breakdowns, but you leaned on each other and you got through it. I didn't experience that. God, I wish you all could love me as much as you love each other, but let's face it, you don't, you can't. It's time for me to go my own way. Get my own life, my own family. Yours is already complete, Max, and I'm not part of it."

I stand speechless, hands hanging uselessly by my sides. Dylan has rendered me speechless, which is extremely hard to do. I never even thought of it like that, but I could hear the truth behind what he was saying. True, Dylan meant a lot to me, but Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel would always mean more. It was selfish to keep Dylan tied to us. It was selfish not to at least let him go out on his own and try to find the place where he belongs, and if after a while of searching, he realizes that that place is with The Flock, then we will welcome him back with open arms.

Slowly, I nod. "Just promise me something? If you find that your home truly is with us… then you'll come back."

He grins, pulling me into a hug that I don't resist. "Of course, Max. I just need to try, to see who else is out there for me." He pulls back and winks at me.

I smile slightly. "See you at school?"

He nods, still grinning, and then turns and launches himself into the air, leaving me on the ground by myself, filled with mixed emotions.