me: *headdesk*

Total: Remember at the end of the last chapter, she said she had a great idea for this one?

me: *headdesk*

Angel: She forgot it.

me: AH! And I'm sorry about not updating for... a year... *blushes* I've just had a lot going on with band (We practice more than all the sports at my school combined), indoor percussion (like the band's football halftime show, only with just percussion and in a gym), family deaths, relationship problems (I got my first boyfriend and we broke up after 2 months and 3 weeks. Since then my life has turned into more of a soap opera), moving to high school, and general business.

Angel: Tsk, tsk.

me: I know it's no excuse but... I'm sorry. I've had no drive to log in and do ANYTHING! Review or update! Again, I'm sorry and I'm making it my new goal to be a better FanFiction author!

Total: Let's wing it!

Disclaimer: I do not own MR. Just the plot and unknown characters.

-Fang POV-

When I woke up, I was lying beside the stream where I had stabbed Max the night before. I didn't remember falling asleep here, but I was known as a sleepwalker back home. The water still had a bit of a red tint, pinker than the when I left.

Standing up, I glanced around my surroundings. Everything seemed normal, but then again, nothing is how it seems in Debt. Nothing but the sound of the running water in the stream.

I had a dream last night. About Max. But this time, I'd stabbed her in the stomach. She'd pleaded for me not to.

As soon as I held up my sword, Max's crashed into the water as she held her hands up in surrender. "Please," she whispered. "Don't kill me. Take the harvest. But keep me alive to go back to my family."

The look in her eyes was an eerie mix of fear, anger, confusion, and hope. Before I could stop myself, I jammed my sword forward, and watched as it drilled into her stomach. She fell back into the water, which immediately turned bright red.

What have I done? I thought as I fell to my knees beside her. I had just said how I could never kill an opponent who couldn't fight back.

Max had been paralyzed with fear.

And I'd killed her.

My hands lifted Max's head into my lap. Blood was swirling us around and growing, expanding more by the second as she bled more and more. She was turning pale, lifelessly pale. My stomach jumped into my throat.

"My parents," she whispered. "My sisters." Her hand slowly lifted with the last bit of energy she had and grabbed my shirt in her fist. "How could you?"

Her cold eyes bore into mine: anger, fear, sadness, death. As I watched, the lift left those cold eyes. Her fist fell limply down to her side as her head slowly turned, losing the will to be held up with her last, dying breath.

I. Killed. Maximum.

I felt lightheaded. Her mother was their new Governor, she'd watched her daughter die. I could hear her squealing sobs from here, growing louder and louder with realization that her child wouldn't come home. Those three little girls, curled up with their father on the couch, wandering if their sister could ever come back. Their never said proper goodbyes. The whole South, rooting for her when she couldn't hear them, praying for their life that depended on this year's harvest.

Then I imagined my Governor, cheering at the thought of another year of feast when we had enough food to feast on for a generation.

I knew that dream was crazy. Max would never surrender that easily. It wasn't that that bothered me. It was watching Max die in my arms, thinking about her family losing her and the South starving to death. The Northern Governor cheering over something we didn't need, and not only the death of a teenager but a whole third of the population. It wasn't fair. The South, and Max, didn't deserve that.

Slowly, I waded into the water. I had no idea what I was doing. I just had to make it fair.

About halfway into the stream, I stopped. Gazing at the sun, I saw it was about noon. Max would be up soon - unless she already was up. I had had to work fast.

I took a deep breath. I knew what I had to do. I had to lose. My death would have far less the impact of Max's. We could survive for several years, but the South couldn't without this year's hearvest.

A twig snapped. Max was coming. My heart stopped as I glanced around. The water was about chest deep, so I dove under.

Grabbing a rock to keep me under, I looked up through the water for Max. Slowly, I saw the wonky, shaky figure of Max appear at the edge of the stream. But as she ran into the stream, everything under the water shook by its force.

A thick, heavy rock that was standing on its side was knocked over. It crashed against the other rock, my hand in between them, with such force I felt some of the bones inside my hand shatter. It was like a jolt back to reality.

I tried to pull out my hand, but between the force of the water and the pain of my hand, I couldn't pull it free.

Max was lying on her back above me. I was losing air and, even if Max hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been able to reach the surface with my hand trapped. The water was too deep. If I didn't do anything, I could die of lack of oxygen. It would be a painful way to die, and I'd always hoped I could never have to die from drowning.

Suddenly, I remembered my sword in its safety on my hip. I jerked it from the sheath and placed it sharp side down below my elbow. My lungs were burning from lack of air. I said a quick, silent prayer that it would cut through bone and began sawing.

The pain was excruciating, but I didn't stop. Blood clouded around me and burned my eyes. I thought the pain alone would make me faint. After what seemed like hours, but was just seconds, my arm split. I put my sword back into its safety.

I was going to bleed out. No doubt about it. Blood poured from the stump under my elbow and I was getting dizzier and dizzier.

Max was still above me. I placed my hand on her back and pushed her towards the bank. She must have been asleep. As she brushed up against the bank's rocks I broke the surface and took the deepest breath I've ever took. My lungs burned and cried as it got the air it'd been deprived of.

I felt extremely lightheaded. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing. I saw the light, blurry picture of Max opened her eyes before I blacked out.

me: Oo, is Fang dead?

Total: She wrote the majority of this during algebra and biology instead of doing her work.

Angel: Bad girl!

me: *grin* So here's the idea. I thought about having two chapters back in the North and South to see how things are going there. I've written a good portion of the South one while waiting for jazz band to end, but if enough people ask I may be convinced to post the next Max POV chapter so you get to find out what happens to Fang sooner! But a good slice of my plot will be back in the North or the South.

Total: Can I say it?

Angel: Read and review! :)

Total: *growl*

R&R?