Max's POV

First, there was the ocean. I was floating in it, suspended in the cool blue waters, stranded in the silence and vastness. Gray clouds hovered above me, and from the sad sky a feather fell and brushed against my cheek with the lightest touch.

Then, there was the darkness, engulfing me in its mystery. I was embodied in fear and loneliness. I was unreachable, untouchable, unwanted. I was drifting away. This was for the better. I shouldn't live.

But sometimes the world shows no mercy.

One minute, I was submerged in darkness, and the next, I was staring at a spotted tiled ceiling with an incessant beeping sound right next to my ear. My vision was blurry, and I blinked to clear away the fog. Where was I?

"You're awake," someone spoke softly as if careful not to alarm me, even though I was way too sedated to feel anything except sleepy.

The deep voice belonged to the dark haired, olive-skinned man sitting next to the bed, leaning towards me slightly with his elbows against his knees. His eyes were so dark that I thought I might get lost in them.

I nodded, afraid that my sore throat wouldn't let me speak.

"Everything's alright. You're safe now, at a hospital. Do you want some water?" he poured from a pitcher into a plastic cup. I watched the deliberate movements of his strong hands as he handed the cup to me, but I didn't move. Man I was so tired. Why was I at a hospital?

The man cleared his throat and set the cup back down on the bedside table. "Alright then. Well, uh, how are you feeling?"

My brain felt completely fried. I wasn't scared of him, but I was confused. Still, I couldn't bring myself to care enough to ask any questions. I just wanted to sleep.

"Tired," I responded in a whisper before I closed my eyes again.

Fang's POV

Well that went well. Way to make a first impression.

She watched me with sleepy eyes that were half-glassy, as if she wasn't completely alive. Then she was gone again.

I was late for work and very tempted to leave, yet something about this girl tugged at me, pressing me to stay. For the past 3 hours, all I've done is watch her sleep. I memorized every line on her delicate face, every strand of long brown hair against the white linen waiting for her to wake up.

She looked so fragile in her unconscious state. When I first dragged her out of that frozen lake, I thought maybe she was already dead. I called the ambulance anyways, and I rode with her to the hospital as they tried to revive her. When finally a single breath escaped her blue lips, her eyes shot open and met mine.

The chocolate brown orbs looked utterly terrified, and so cold that I jumped back. Before anyone could react to her waking, she grabbed my soaked shirt with surprising strength and tore the oxygen mask off.

"Please," she begged as her tiny frame shook. "Just let me go."

Within seconds, before I could respond, she was out again. I sat there frozen, barely able to process what had just happened. I was scared for her. I didn't even know I was capable of feeling scared for someone else.

When we finally arrived at the hospital, her thin fingers were still clenching my shirt.

Max's POV

Imagine my surprise when I woke up again, this time much more clear-minded, and saw the same man asleep with his head on the bed.

Light flowed through the curtains, so I knew it was daylight. He must've been here all night. I had no idea who he was, but I felt grateful. I ran my fingers through his hair lightly, and he woke up.

He leaned back against the chair, stretched, and yawned, and I sat up and mimicked him. My muscles were sore from sleeping so much.

The man watched my movements and one side of his mouth twitched into a small, gentle smile.

"Um… good morning," I said quietly, aware that I looked like a mess and that my breath probably smelled like rotten fish.

"You seem like you're feeling better." He handed me the cup of water again, and this time, I took it and drank.

"Have you been here all night?"

He nodded, and I smiled, hoping he could see my gratefulness. Then, his eyebrows furrowed, and the mood suddenly wasn't so light.

"Do you know who I am?"

I shook my head. "I was about to ask."

"My name's Fang. I was the one who pulled you out of that lake."

My heart thud against my chest, and my ears felt like they were full of blood. My vision grew distorted, as if I was seeing him through a tunnel. "What lake?"

"Do you remember anything?" he continued. That's when it hit me, like a ton of bricks and a grand piano. I didn't remember anything. At all. Except that I was Maximum Ride.

I didn't know how old I was. I couldn't even remember what I looked like. I tried to think back, but there were no memories. Just emptiness.

I could feel myself hyperventilating, and then suddenly, Fang was sitting on the bed with his hands on my shoulders steadying me.

"Alright, just breathe. You're ok. Do I need to call a nurse?"

His hands were reaching for the call button, but I stopped him. "Don't," I ground out between breaths. "Just… Can I get more water please?"

The cool liquid slithered down my throat, and calmed the anxiety that settled in the pit of my stomach. "My name. That's all I remember."

"Ok," he nodded reassuringly. "That's ok. We can start with that. What's your name?"

"Maximum Ride."

"I like it. I think it suits you."

As I focused on his steady gaze, my heart rate slowly returned to normal. "What's happening to me?"

Fang poured me another cup of water. "I saw you at the park, in the middle of the night. You were standing on the bridge over the lake, in a torn up white night gown."

"Wow this is very specific."

"Well, this was last night," Fang sighed. "Anyways, you jumped. Actually, you kind of just fell in, like you'd given up. You just let yourself go." He spoke smoothly and watched for my reaction. Hearing him tell me about myself was like listening to a children's story. None of it seemed realistic or possible. Did I really try to kill myself?

When he was sure I wouldn't start having another panic attack, he continued. "When I pulled you out, you were barely breathing. The doctors said you died once and that it was a miracle you lived."

"Doesn't feel so much like a miracle."

"He didn't predict amnesia. I should probably go get him."

Fang made a motion to leave, but I clung to his arm. He glanced down at my hand as if shocked that I was capable of making human contact.

"Where am I supposed to go?"

Fang's POV

Maximum Ride.

Such an empowering name, and she wore it well. Past the stage of panic, she didn't show fear. Even when I told her she had tried to kill herself, she just sat there and took it. She was a completely different person from the girl in the ambulance begging me to let her die. She was beyond confusing.

As an FBI agent, I was taught to read people. That was part of training, but I couldn't read Maximum Ride at all. She was a cloud shrouded in mystery.

I left the curtains open so that she could look out the window while I searched for the doctor. He had mentioned nothing of brain damage and was unwilling to tell me much since I was unrelated.

"She's got amnesia," I told him in his office. "All she remembers is her name, Maximum Ride."

The doctor messed with his computer while I paced. Hospitals and white coats made me nervous. Nothing good ever happens here, and I learned to never trust a doctor. "She's not in the database. Are you sure that's her name?"

"That's what she told me. Are you positive? Under what circumstances would a person not be in any hospital database?"

"Anyone with a birth certificate must be. The delivery nurse signs the certificates and the babies have to get their initial immunity shots."

"Are you telling me that Maximum Ride doesn't exist? She made that name up? Maybe she's faking amnesia, making up the whole thing." I made my sarcasm extra venomous.

"That's not what I'm suggesting. I'm only telling you what the evidence is telling me."

"Why would she make up a name and not, I don't know, her whole identity?"

The doctor sighed and crossed his fingers over his desk. "Agent, I suggest you search the database available to you from your work, as it's likely more extensive than this one. Until then, I have no emergency contacts listed for this girl, and as far as the hospital is concerned, she's a Jane Doe."

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. Who the hell was she? What was I supposed to do with her? Just ditch her here? As if I could.

"Well what can you tell me about her? Now that we know she has no reachable family member, can you at least give me a run down of her injuries? Other than the bruises?"

He flipped open a binder and reviewed her file. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he frowned.

"What is it?" I asked impatiently, making a move to snatch the binder away. He closed it before I could.

"Do you remember seeing bruises on her wrists when you were in there?"

I shook my head. Her arms had been smooth as silk. "Why?"

"According to the initial report, which was written by the EMT, she came in with bruises and rope burn on her wrists, ankles, and neck. No indication of a head injury, not even a concussion. The amnesia must be from trauma, maybe from the lack of oxygen to the brain, but she didn't flat-line for very long. Bruises were found across her stomach as well as lacerations on her back, possibly from a whip? Lastly…" he hesitated.

"Tell me," I urged. "She has no one else."

"Semen." He didn't need to say anymore. I growled and fought the urge to knock the plant on his desk over. "She's not pregnant though. Is there anyway the FBI would be willing to investigate this?"

I rubbed my forehead roughly. "I doubt it. We handle murders more than we do rape cases, but I'll see what we can do. Anything else?"

He shrugged. "She's probably in her early 20s, and it's a bit alarming to know that her bruises healed overnight, but I suppose that's not entirely impossible. She's clearly been to hell and back, so until there's further information, I would let her memories return naturally, and Maximum Ride is her name. If that's what she wants to be identified as, then so be it."

I glanced at my watch. The chief was going to chew my ass out. "I'm late for work. When can she be discharged?"

"Tomorrow. I'll do a final examination, and then she'll be free to go. The hospital won't keep her for more than 2 nights without any background information or insurance."

"But where is she supposed to go?"

The doctor's gaze held mine steadily. I knew what he was thinking, but saying it would be stepping over the line as a physician.

My cell phone vibrated in my back pocket. "Damn it, I don't have time for this. Let her know I'll come back tomorrow, alright?"

The doctor nodded, but I still hesitated. Maybe I should stay, but then the phone rang again. I snatched my jacket from the back of the couch and slammed the door shut behind me.