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Fang

I took a deep breath, raising my hand up to knock, then pausing just centimeters away from the dark wood of the door. Was this really a smart move? Should I really go through with this? I contemplated the idea over in my head for the umpteenth time that day, weighing my options. If I went through with this there would be no going back. I'd be stuck on the path after the first step. Of course, soon my path would swing back around, but right now it would be in a different direction.

I sighed once more and finally let my knuckles tap lightly against the wood, hearing a faint mumble of "Go away!" Before slowly turning the brass door handle and slipping into the small crack of the door, letting it fall closed behind me.

The room was only illuminated by the soft caress of the moon's reflected light streaming in through the window. It left a dim, eery look to the place that kind of suited just the person I wanted to talk to.

"Aren't you scared I'll kill you or something?" Ari pouted sadly, looking broken as ever as he laid in bed, staring up the ceiling mindlessly. It took me a moment to realize why Ari was acting so shattered. Max may have not meant to, but she had clearly chose me over Ari today, and that upset him more than anything else possibly could.

Finally, after wondering whether or not I should turn around and leave,I shook my head briefly, walking over to the king-sized bed he was laying on and sitting down on the edge, feeling the soft mattress sink under my weight.

"I know you hate me right now," I started, and his silence confirmed my words. I let us sit like that, with no sound to interrupt us but the slight creaking coming from upstairs. Part of me wished I could just say nothing else; that I could just leave. But in truth I needed to talk to Ari, I needed him to convince me this was the right choice, and so I kept talking. "And I also know Max is about to hate me too." Ari raised an eyebrow at this, until something like understanding fell over his features. It took a long, drawn-out minute, but he finally got it.

"Don't do that to her, Fang. It's obvious she cares more about you than me. You shouldn't go," Ari sat up slowly, clenching his teeth and forcing himself to shake off the pain. He sounded even more heart-set on me staying than my own heart did. It almost frightened me how determined he looked to keep me here. With Max. With all of them.

"But I don't want to hurt her anymore. And it won't be for good. I just need some time to figure out how to control my anger. To figure out what's wrong with me."I insisted, hoping Ari would understand. He couldn't get me to stay. It wouldn't be right. Of all people I figured he would be practically shoving me out the door, not pulling me back in.

"Fang, you realize if you leave she's not going to stop looking for you until she finds you, right?" I nodded, already having planned for that.

"Which is why I'm talking to you," I told him, pulling a scrunched up note out of my pocket addressed to Max. "You need to make sure she gets this, and, yes, I realize it's lame of me, but I couldn't leave if I had her begging me to stay, so just give this to her, please?" I asked, holding it out to Ari in desperation. I didn't want to risk hurting Max, obviously he had to see that.

"So, you're leaving to get better so you won't bruise my baby sister anymore, correct?" Ari asked and I nodded once again.

"Yeah. I can't live with myself knowing I might hurt her more," I mumbled, the guilt washing over me once again. I still couldn't quite comprehend how I could have let myself hit Max. It just seemed like a horrible dream. A dream I would never wake up from.

Every time I let my mind wander off it liked to prod at the one memory I wished I could forget; the bruise I had caused on Max's cheek. How could I have done that? How could I have been the one to hurt her in the one way I was positive I couldn't. I had tried to keep my mind busy from poking at the one image that drove me insane with guilt, but it always found a chance; no matter how small, to throw my mistake in my face.

"So does that mean you're going-"

"I don't know yet," I cut Ari off, shaking my head. "I just… I need to figure out what's going on with me." We sat in silence for a moment, and I watched Ari open the letter up and read it over two or three times, smiling a little at it as he did. Funny, I pictured him ripping it up before smiling.

"Fang," He finally looked up at me, going back to his usual scowl. "Don't leave her. We can figure it out, okay? I was too angry earlier to realize this, but since these anger issues most likely have to do with the School, it has to do with something in your blood. I figure if we take a couple samples, have Nudge run some test, we can figure out the problem and fix it, no leaving required," Ari explained slowly, approaching each word with caution as he spoke.

"Wow… you would do that for me?" I asked, shocked by Ari's quick thinking and want to help me of all people. I was a pesky fly and he couldn't wait to kill me, whether that meant using a fly swatter or just smacking me down,I wasn't sure. The thought of him actually wanting to help keep me alive was so astounding that I just sat there a minute, staring at his form sprawled out on the bed.

"You know, I don't actually hate you. I'm just really good at pretending," Ari insisted, sitting up and punching my shoulder lightly. "As much as it pains me to say it, you're actually an alright kid once you get passed the bad haircut, dumb jokes, lack of restraint around my sister, and the man-period crap."

"Gee thanks," I said dully, rolling my eyes. I stood up to leave, turning towards the door, then paused, hesitating obviously.

"Oh God, what now?" Ari growled, sounding annoyed by the thought that I could be staying even longer. I turned to look him in the eye, and opened my mouth, then closed it. How could I say this?

"Ari, if you had the chance to see your mother again, for her to come back into your life, would you take it?" I asked quietly. For a moment we sat in a room illuminated in silence, staring at each other, waiting for the other one to say something. A long minute passed and neither of us spoke, until finally Ari sighed and groggily got to his feet, walking over to a dresser shoved against the left wall. "You know, I've never thought about it," he answered, opening the top right drawer and pulling a flat piece of paper out. As Ari approached me, I realized it was a picture. A photograph full of meaning obviously or he wouldn't have bothered to even think about it.

"This is my mom and me when I was four and Max was two. She was kind of young for the mom type, but she loved us so much," Ari explained, handing me the picture. When he did, my breath caught in my throat. Max looked just like her mother. She had the same warm brown eyes, the same silky dirty blonde hair, and the same slightly tanned skin. They were almost identical. In the picture, a little boy with blonde hair and brown eyes grinned into the camera, his two front teeth missing, and a little girl was held in the mother's arms. Max obviously.

"You have blonde hair in this picture," I mumbled.

"Ah, always the observant one," Ari spoke sarcastically. "My hair color changed. I think some of it was the drastic amount of dyes I drenched it in, so now its black." I glanced up at Ari and I didn't see the same kind of broken soul I had just minutes ago. Instead I saw a completely and utterly lost one.

"Mom and I were always close," Ari told me as he smiled softly at the picture. "But honestly, even if I had the chance, I don't think I'd take it." The way his voice cracked told me each word was painful, and I stared into his watery eyes, trying to figure out why he would turn the chance down. What was I missing? Where was that one puzzle piece?

"Why?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

"This is not who I want my Mom to know me as. I want her to know me as the little boy she rocked to sleep, not the one she'd have to bust out of jail."

"But she's your mom, Ari," I insisted.

"And I'm her son. But she probably already hates me wherever she is." Ari growled at me, snatching the picture back and holding it with such care I thought it would fall out of his hands and shatter.

"Mothers don't hate their kids. No matter what," I persisted helplessly.

"Maybe not, but I don't think my mom would consider me one of hers anymore." I watched as Max's older brother shoved the photo back in the drawer and stared up at the ceiling so as not to cry. He was doing a good job of keeping his true emotions at bay, but they were still very noticeable.

"So, do you think my mom hates me?" I finally asked, pushing towards the actual reason I had asked him about his own mom in the first place.

Ari snapped his full attention to me, all my questions suddenly clicking together. "Oh." Is all he said, and then stared some more before finally clearing his throat. "Fang when I was talking about my mom… well, we're not in the same boat, Kid. I'm sure your mom loves you alot. And I doubt that's ever going to change,"

"What makes your boat worse than mine?" I questioned, prying farther than I should have. I couldn't help it though, I was curious.

"Well I- well… it's classified information, okay? But let's just say when I'm angry, there's no stopping me." I gulped at Ari's words, meanings clicking into my brain as I thought about all the injuries he had and how he had managed to escape on his own. Somebody had made him angry back at that School, and whoever it was, they probably weren't walking on their own two feet anymore.

"I've done some pretty bad things too," I pointed out, once again my mind poking at the bruise I had left on Max's cheek.

"Fang, what is this about anyways?" Ari asked, changing the subject.

"Well its just that I- um… can I say it's classified?" I asked meekly, and after a soft sigh, Ari nodded.

"Alright, Fang, why don't you go back upstairs with Max before she realizes you're gone and warrants a search party?" Ari said, only half-joking. I nodded and reached for the letter Ari had left on his bed. As I did he jogged over and snatched it out of reach.

"Hey-" I began, but he cut me off quickly.

"No. I'm keeping this because you might decide to idiotically flounce out anyways and Max is gonna need to see this when you do."

"But what if she-"

"I'm good at hiding things, calm down." I watched as Ari shoved the note in the middle drawer of his nightstand and thought about whether to get it or not. Finally, I decided against it and stood up, saluting to Ari.

"See you in the morning." I said before turning to the door.

"Hopefully," I heard Ari grumble before hearing the familiar squeak of him laying back down in bed. A small grin lit up my face as I walked out of his room and shut the door behind me, leaving all thoughts of running away from my problems behind me. For now.

When I got back to Max's and my room I threw my shirt off somewhere to the left and crawled into bed, shaking my head when I realized she had kicked the covers to the end. I stretched my arms out, reaching for the blankets and dragged them back over us, making sure Max was tucked in.

For awhile, I laid awake, watching Max as she slept soundly with no nightmares to disturb her for once. I smiled softly, remembering back to how peaceful I thought she looked when she was asleep. No longer was she some sarcastic, bullheaded killer. She was just a girl. A girl who had feelings, and loved and hated. A girl who had fears and dreams. Sometimes I thought sleeping Max was my favorite Max. It was when she was at her most vulnerable point, and yet she still trusted me to lay next to her.

Carefully, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her against me, smiling as she snuggled closer instinctively. "I love you," I whispered in her ear, brushing loose strands of her dirty blonde hair out of her face.

In response, I heard Max mumble something similar to "Love you too,". I carefully pressed my lips against her forehead and closed my eyes, sighing in content. Maybe our relationship was destined to crash and burn, but at least right now we were too high up to tell if we were falling or floating.

Hey guys, hoped you liked chapter 42! Please review!

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Question Of The Chapter:

Do you think Fang will run away, and if so, where to?

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