73Disclaimer: I, sadly enough, do not own Maximum Ride...or Fang either.
I trudged lightly, silently, over in the direction where Angel had pointed me in. Several moments passed and I came to a wall of dense brush. After another minute's worth of surveying, I found the faint trail that Max had left behind. Stealthily, I followed my path, which led me to a spring. The moon's light reflected off of the pristine waters, giving the illusion of more light.
That's when I saw her. Max. She sat with her legs pulled up to her chest, chin resting on her knees. Her blond hair moved slightly with the soft breeze. She looked at ease. Now, when Max is happy, or calm, or both, it's the most beautiful thing you'll ever see. Who would have known that this girl, behind the filth and walls, was so serene?
I was all but sitting down next to Max before she noticed I was there.
"Oh," she gasped in surprise.
"You're losing your touch, Maximum," I said disapprovingly, shaking my head.
She frowned and looked out over the spring. I knew Max really didn't like me calling her Maximum, but that's why I did it. Can you really blame a guy for wanting to have a little bit of fun in his chaotic, death defying life?
"So, why are you out here? You're supposed to be sleeping. I said I'd take first watch tonight."
Max glanced over to me, but then turned back to the spring. "Couldn't sleep," she mumbled almost inaudibly.
I nodded, a simple way to respond to that simple answer. For the longest time, we didn't speak. Max continued to stare out over the water front, while I looked out into the darkness, listening to the rhythmic sound of her breathing. My breath fell into cadence with hers automatically.
Being the charming guy I was, I had to say something to lighten the tension. "Is there anything you want to talk about, Max?" I asked.
"No," she said flatly.
"Max," I cried gently, draping an arm across her shoulders with ease. She tensed when she felt me touch her. A wave of excitement flew over me, yet I contained all of those feelings inside. "I know you inside and out," I reminded her. "Don't tell me there's nothing you want to talk about."
She bit her lip, holding back from what she wanted to say. "No," she finally whispered. "There's nothing I want to talk about right now, Fang."
Why does she have to be so conceited sometimes? I thought with distaste. I heaved myself off of the ground and brushed my torn pants off. "Come on," I said, grabbing her hands and pulling her up. She looked at me quizzically, giving me that 'What do you think you're doing?' sort of look. Max dusted herself off and continued to stare at me when she was done.
"Well?" she groaned, waiting for an explanation from me.
I smirked at her and gave her that Fang smile I knew she couldn't resist. In the humidity of the night, that spring was beginning to look very appealing to me. My dark jacket slid off my shoulders easily as I began to kick off my shoes. Max stared at me wide-eyed, wondering what I was doing more than likely.
"Going for a quick swim," I said, answering her silent question. Without much hesitation, I tore off my tattered shirt. It didn't take a genius, such as me, to know that Max was watching with haste. I don't think she wanted to look, but what can I say? I'm a pretty good looking guy, and I'm not afraid to admit that. With a smirk, I thought about how appealing I was to girls. There was the girl at that school Anne put us in, that one girl in NYC, and then there was a few more I could see in my mind. But then there was just that one girl. The one I knew that I wanted more than anything deep, deep down and just couldn't admit that to myself.
I hurled myself off of a rock platform, cannon-balling into the chilly waters of the spring. The water was deep, and I didn't even hit the bottom. When I resurfaced, I saw Max staring at me, her eyes laden and full of surprise. Had I made a huge splash? I hope I had, 'cause Max was anything but dry.
I sucked up a mouthful of water and spat it in a stream at Max. "Come on, Max," I said as sweetly as possible, "jump in. The water's nice and cold."
"I—I really don't like the cold so much," she stammered.
Three strokes later, I was on the edge where I had jumped off from. I hoisted my upper body onto the rock and held myself there. Max's eyes darted between me, the water, and something off in the distance. "Please?"
Max bit her lip and looked away from me frequently. That's the power of me, I guess. I have this certain charm that people just can't resist. Did I not mention that I know how to use my capabilities to my advantage? Yes, boys and girls, even if I don't have any real powers, I have personality, and that's what counts.
My mouth curved up into a faint smile. "My shirt's over there use it if you want," I told her, seeing I had won this battle. "I won't look." I took a deep breath and dove back into the cool water, swimming away from the ledge, away from Max. A minute later, I came back up, now looking around for her. She was nowhere on land. I panicked and looked around wildly for her.
"Max? Where are you? Max?" I searched vigorously, combing through the water frantically. Where was she?
Ya know...I shouldn't even be posting this...I didn't get my 5 reviews yet. -sniff- Ah well, I'm nice...so I'll gift this one to you. hehehe
Oye! Did I just end with a little cliffie thar? Ooohhh! Guess you'll just have to wait for that next one, won't ya?
BUT! There is a way you can get chapter 3 sooner? -gasp- How's that you ask? REVIEWS! REVIEWS! REVIEWS! That's the deal. I write, you review. C'mon now, it's not that much to ask for, is it? All ya have to do is write "I just read your story. It's great so far!" or "cool. I like it." or even "eh...it could have been better, but great job!" That's all I'm asking for REVIEWS! So, here's the deal my chickies. I will give you ONE CHAPTER for every FIVE REVIEWS. Not so bad now, is it? -smiles-
Okay, now, for those of you who like my writing -blush- here's a little thing I like to call a one shot series. -nods- Yep, yep, yep. It's called "Here's the Number, Now FAX it to Me!" by me, of course. I'll eventually end up posting a bunch of one shots there. Did I mention that I'm also taking requests for other stories? Well, now you know. hehe. Now, where's this dang thing at you might ask. Okay, okay, settle down, here's the link. click-ith!
Just remember, guys...reviews make me happy and they'll make you happy in the future ('cause you get chapters when I'm happy and I'll only be happy if I get reviews) hehe. Have fun!
- Saz