《The Chronicles Of Max Hunter 1: The Beginning》 1. The Beginning It was an early morning. The birds were singing. The cars with children being taken to school. All of what would ordinarily happen in a normal morning on a Monday. It was the first day of school, after all. A most annoying day for most people, children and adults alike. The pressures of high school combined with the pressures of dealing with their families combined with the pressures of work. Needless to say, it was a most stressful day for everybody with a family. It, however, was an exceptionally stressful day for a certain family living in the suburbs. Family name: Hunter. Number of people living inside: 2. Identities: Mother and son. Status of the father: Dead. Woman''s voice:(singsongy)Morning honey, it''s time for school. That sweet melodic voice came from the mother. She was a particularly in shape woman in her thirties. Very good looking for her age with short brown hair and dark blue eyes. She was cooking a meal as she spoke. Name: Julianne Hunter Age: 35 years Description: Loves her son, but can be a bit strict. Otherwise, quite friendly. Occupation: Retired actress, now living off the money she earned. Fact:If you meet her and say you know her from a movie, she''ll "act" as though you''ve never seen her before. Julianne: Come on! You said you''d be ready! A young teenager lazily and groggily pulled his bed covers apart. He watched the ceiling for a moment before groaning loudly. As he sat up, he scratched his hair before annoyedly getting up.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. He was a teenager of average height for his age. His eyes were blue, his hair brown, and he had a somewhat skinny body. Teenager''s voice: Morning. I''m coming. Name: Maximillian Hunter Age: 15 years Description: Likes video games and fast food. Hates school. Occupation: Student, almost at least. Fact:Has been through several schools and has had to leave all of them for varying reasons. He lazily showered, dressed, and got down to eat. Max: Ok. I''m done! He was presented with a bright smile on his mother''s face as she had prepared him his favourite meal. Nachos, fries, ice cream, and, of course, grilled chicken. Max gasped in massive surprise. Max: No way! Are you for real? Julianne: Uh huh. I figured since it was your first day..... Max wasted no time in zipping to the table and chowing down and feasting upon his meal before suddenly halting to look at his mom and say thank you. Julianne: Oh, no problem. She watched lovingly and patiently as he scarfed down everything she had prepared and smiled as he belched loudly. Julianne:(giggle)Remember to swallow now. Her only reply was the continuous slurping and munching sounds from her son. Finally, as he finished, he gave off one more intensely loud belch. Julianne:(giggle)Well, it sounds like you enjoyed it. Max: Yeah. His satisfied face slowly disappeared as he remembered his fate. School. His worst nightmare. His mother noticed, much to her displeasure. She had hoped this food would quell his negativity. Julianne: It''s alright, champ. You''ll be fine. After all, you are a Hunter. Max:(sadly)Yeah, yeah... She walked over to her son and started to massage his shoulders gently. Julianne: Maybe you''ll even make some friends this time. Max:(sadly)Yeah, maybe. She gave him one big smile as he looked at her and then went off to go get his backpack. Max went off as well to get his skateboard. As he did, he looked at his clock for but a moment. 8:25 am. Thirty-five minutes till school started. In his heart, he wished that it would go back in time. Or maybe that time would freeze, and he could go back upstairs and play video games. Irregardless, he got his skateboard, and his mother smilingly gave him his backpack. Julianne: I packed your lunch! Max: Thanks. Julianne: And Max... Max: Yeah? Julianne: Don''t be too hard on yourself, alright. I''m sure this will be it. Max:(sighs)Yeah, yeah... Ok. Max turned and walked towards the door. Just as he opened it, his mother halted him. Julianne: Wait. It goes without saying, but remember... Max: Yeah, I got it. Don''t use my powers at school. Julianne: Right, hon. Ok then, have a great day! Max:(lazily)Bye. Clad in a white jumper and brown jeans, the young man got on his skateboard before preparing to ride it all the way to high school. 2. Sudden Surprise Max got on to his skateboard and started his long journey into the place he called doom. School. Out of several he had been and out of this one, he may as well have also been. He had pretty much lost all hope for them. Whether it was an incident with his classmates or extreme depression due to his lack of friends, this teen couldn''t catch a break, as teachers constantly recommended that he go somewhere else. So, why on earth would this young man''s mother push him to go on with this? Why? Because she, rightly, believed that her son needed more time with other people as staying at home all day and playing video games was unhealthy and would damage him more in the long run. Max sighed as he thought about the situation. It was, simply put, unpleasant. His mother would not give up on school. That was something he could never understand. Why send your child to school constantly even though it would seem that he just wasn''t meant for it? He pondered this on and on as he made several turns while skateboarding. Max had mastered the art of skateboarding to the point that he could skate almost without thinking. It was almost second nature to him. After all, he had grown quite used to it. He dodged trash cans, pets, and people alike, all while inside his own mind. Deep down, part of the reason for his compliance with his mothers decisions was his worry that she was struggling too. He was at that point in his life in which he had begun to worry about his own mother. Seeing her own son have to leave school after school and for her to continue to be so kind to him.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. That was perhaps one of the reasons as to why he constantly went along with this. The other, more important one, perhaps was the fact that she was his mother. Max: (sighs) What a pain. He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes left. He would be there early. After all, he only had seven minutes of road left to go, at least by his own calculations. Max turned to the right and entered what seemed to be a somewhat empty road. There were no cars. That much was unusual. And to top it all off, there were no people. His brain was on auto pilot. After all, he had skated many times before. And like in all auto pilot brain activities, his mind immediately alerted him as something was amiss. Max wasn''t too bothered, just slightly perplexed. Why was there no one on this road? As he skated, he continued to ruminate on these thoughts. How was he gonna suck it up for a day? How would the teachers be? What would his classmates be like? Was the lunch food gonna be edible? Was he just wasting his time with school? Would he make friends? As he ruminated on these thoughts, a loud sound boomed from behind him. He turned to see a massive car, clad completely in black, charging into the highway in an unstable manner. It tossed and turned as it drew closer to him. He initially ignored it, but as it was about to reach him, he instinctively turned around just to be sure it would not hit him. Luckily, it avoided him and drove on. That rest was short-lived, however, as the car quickly made a turn into the sidewalk he was walking into. It was in front of him before it geared up and turned to the sidewalk on the other side of the road. For a split second, he thought, as long as it doesn''t hit me, it''s not my problem. And it was at that moment that he noticed her. On the other side of the road. A girl. About his age. She was walking in the direction he was walking to. For whatever reason, she had not reacted to the car charging right towards her. Max stared in horror as his adrenaline kicked in. How had he not noticed her before? Was he too busy ruminating in his mind? And to top it all off, it was too late to yell at her to dodge it or to run. Within less than two seconds, she would be dead. He thought to himself, there was no one watching. And besides, he wasn''t about to let someone die before his eyes. In what was only a fraction of a second, Max Hunter got back on his skateboard. Everything seemed to slow down for him. Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days. If someone had been watching, what he or she would have witnessed would have been a blur rushing towards the girl, grabbing her and diving away with her, well out of the cars way. It all happened in only a fraction of a second as the car crashed into a house''s front yard. 3. Rose Max and the girl landed on the ground with Max on top of her. The car paused, then reversed and started to drive off. Max: (angrily) Hey! Get back here, you jerk! The car simply went off without so much as a human response from it. Max: Jeez. Some people. It was at that moment that the girl suddenly spoke. Girl: (shyly) Ummmm h.... hi. Max: Hmm? Oh... right. Are you ok? Girl: Y... Yeah. Max got off her and helped her up to her feet. She was only a bit shorter than him with long pink hair divided into pig tails. Her eyes were green, and her attire was quite modest. She seemed to be a decent and modest person and, in many ways, quite unassuming. She had a pretty face, though, and her voice was of a higher pitch than what you''d expect from someone of her age. Max: So... Girl: (Quickly) Thank you so much! Max: Wha... The girl bowed down and faced him again. She seemed to be quite flustered as her face was red. Girl: Thank you for saving me! Max: Well, you''re welcome. Max noticed her red face. Max: Are you sure you''re ok? Your face is red. Girl: Huh. She shook her head rapidly.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Girl: No, no. I''m fine. I''m fine. Max: Ok, if you say so. What was that about anyway? Girl: What was what? Max: That car. Girl: Uhhhh... well. I''m not sure. Maybe... maybe it was an accident? Max witnessed it first hand. It was easy to call it an accident. But it just as easily could have been intentional. But of course, the intentionality was unlikely, and explaining everything to this girl would have been impossible. After all, he couldn''t tell her about how he saved her. And hopefully, she would never ask, he thought. Max: Yeah.... maybe. The girl nodded and stared at the ground. Max: Uhhh hey. Girl: Oh, I''m so sorry. I was just thinking about something. Max: No big deal. You don''t have to apologize for everything. (thinking: Sheesh. This girl is seriously polite.) Girl: Oh. Really? Max: Yeah, yeah.... so anyway... He pointed at himself. Max: The name''s Max, Max Hunter. What''s yours? Girl: Oh, me? The girl blushed bright red. Girl: M... my name is... Rose. Max: Rose, huh. Name: Rose Wright Age: 15 Description: Shy and gullible Occupation: student Fact: She ran away from the theatre during a horror movie showing. She only watched the first five minutes. Rose: Ye... yeah. She gently pulled her hair apart and smiled. Max: Alright then. He looked at his watch. It suddenly dawned on him that school was still a thing and that he''d promised his mom that he''d make it to school on time. In all the excitement, he''d completely forgotten. Max: Well, I gotta get going to school. Dont wanna be late. The girls face turned completely gloomy almost immediately. Rose: Oh. I... I see. Max: Well I.... (thinking: Jeez, she got upset so easily.) Rose: Well, if you ever need anything, feel free to ask me. Max was taken aback. He never would have imagined that she was that modest. Rose: I... I owe you that much, at least. Max stared agape in surprise before laughing. Rose: Wh.. what? Max simply continued laughing. Rose: W... Was it something I said? Max: No, no, it''s just...... He continued to chuckle. Max: It''s just that you''re a weirdo. Rose: Huh. Max stopped laughing as he noticed that she seemed upset. Rose: (sadly) Oh. Ok Max: You don''t need to make it up to me either. I just saved your life, but how about we remain square either way, huh? He laid his hand out to her. Her eyes shone brightly as she gazed upon his hand. she happily shook it. Max: So.... Max got onto his skateboard and prepared to leave. Max: Where''s your high school? Rose: Oh. My high school is Hypercity High. Max paused. Max: Whoa! That''s my high school! 4. The Odd Girl Hypercity High. A normal high school in most aspects. It wasn''t very large or very imposing. Though it did have a great football team, it was mediocre in several aspects. Rose: Really? The girl''s eyes shone in excitement. Max: Yeah. I''m new there. Rose: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Really? Max: Yeah. (thinking: Well, she really is something.) Rose: That''s so amazing. That means I''ll get to see you again. Max: Yeah. I guess so. Rose: And we''ll go to the same classes, and we''ll go to the same mess hall... Max: Uhhh... sure. Rose: And then... She had a huge gasp as if she had just realised something. Rose: Would you like to meet my friends? I''d absolutely love to introduce you! I''m sure they''d love to meet you! It was at that point that Rose had begun to realise that she was making Max uncomfortable. Rose: Oh. I... I''m sorry. Am I getting carried away? Max: Oh, no, no. It''s fine. Max was perplexed by this girl. She was softer than most girls he''d met. Far more modest and far kinder. She was the kind of girl to make sure she wasn''t harming anyone. But more than that, Max could sense how earnest she was being whenever she spoke. Not a hint of manipulation behind her words, at least as far as he could tell. Rose: Oh. Great. She was quite relieved to hear that.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Rose: It''s just that... well... Her face turned red yet again, and she remained silent, looking towards the ground. Max: R... right... Max got on his skateboard. Max: In any case, I''ll meet ya there. Rose: Oh. Ummm. Ok. Max: Hmm? Something wrong. Rose: Well, I was just wondering if... She turned her head to the ground again and nervously played with her hair. Rose: ... if you.. if you would like to walk with me to school.... She stopped abruptly. Rose: N... not that I''m stopping you or anything... It''s just... well... Max didn''t feel the slightest bit strange about this girl. She seemed nice. Almost inhumanly nice. And she also seemed genuine. It was unlikely that yet another car would come and try to get her killed. But he figured it wouldn''t hurt. After all, he promised his mom he would try to make friends. Max: Sure. Rose: Really? Max: Yeah. He got off his skateboard. Max: Lead the way, m''lady. He said that as a lame joke and bowed, but was surprised when she started laughing. Rose: Such a gentleman! As he looked up and saw her laughing face, what he saw was a girl who was smiling quite brightly. A part of him thought she may have been laughing as, after all, he did just save her life. But in this case, she was genuinely amused. He smiled back. Max: Hmph. Ok then. Let''s get going. Rose: Right. The pair went on their way to school. It was a ten minute walk all the way to school. During this period of time, they spoke of what they liked to do. Max spoke of how much he liked video games as she listened oddly attentively. More attentively than anyone he''d met in a long time. Max: And Warring Dimensia 3 is coming out soon. That''s what I''m really looking forward to. Rose: Oh, really? Rose spoke of how much she enjoyed trying rare cuisine such as shrimp, snail, and even insects or pufferfish. She explained in great detail how much she liked to eat each of them, as well as their taste, much to Max''s disgust. Max: (laughing) Oh man. You are so gross! She became visibly saddened at his response after he said that. Max: I mean, really. How do you even eat snails? Max hadn''t noticed her face just until he''d made that comment. Max: Oh. Sorry. It was just a joke. Her saddened face immediately changed to a happier one again. Rose: Oh. It''s ok. It''s just... well.... She became quiet and red again. Max: You really are a weirdo. Rose: Oh? This time, she didn''t become saddened. She simply smiled at him, and Max simply smiled back. In her mind, she had decided that Max was a decent and kind person. After all, what kind of person would save someone else''s life and then refuse any form of payment. Max: Anyway... Max had decided that if he had any shot of making a real friend. Rose was definitely an option. She was so nice and attentive. He was starting to think that it may have been too good to be true. But hey, what if it wasn''t? What if she was exactly who she seemed to be? Hoping seemed crazy. But why not? 5. The Straightforward Girl It was not long before the pair made it to the high school. All the students were walking in a particularly non-jovial mood. They all hated school. Sure, they got to see their friends a lot more at school, which in and if itself was something to be happy about. But in all honesty, they hated the sheer idea of going for classes. They were beyond boring. As such, several students were outside and also as well inside, enjoying the one thing that made high school survivable. Human contact. As Max and Rose walked in through the front door with some of the students noticing the new kid and commenting on him. Voice 1: Hey, is that the new kid? Voice 2: Yeah. I heard he was.... Voice 3: Hmph. Fresh meat. Otherwise, the majority of the students did not mind him, and neither did Max them. He had been through it so many times that his fear of being insulted by an unknown voice had basically vanished from his heart. Rose looked at him with concern and was shocked to see him unbothered. Rose: Are you ok? Max: Yeah. Rose: Oh. Well... I meant... Max: Yeah. It''s fine. Nothin'' to worry about. He pulled out a toothy smile to her, and Rose giggled. Max: See! Rose: Yes, yes, I see. Voice 1: What a weirdo! Voice 2: I know, right? That voice had come from a girl. But it still failed to unnerve him.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Max: In any case, where can I find my locker? Rose: Oh. I''ll help. Which number is it? Max rummaged through his bag to get his student documents, which also had his locker room number. Max: Number.... It was at that moment, as Max was looking down, trying to read his documents, that a girl walked up in front of the both of them. Max intitally ignored her. He believed she would walk away soon enough but was somewhat shocked to hear Rose speak. Rose: Oh my gosh. Tiff. Hi! Rose''s voice was bright and chirpy as she spoke. She seemed incredibly happy to see this person. Max immediately rationalised that they were friends. He had initially decided, after getting to know her better, that her friends were probably just as nice as her. Therefore, trying to find a friend would be as easy as meeting her friends. As he raised up his head to say hello. He took a moment to gaze upon her. She was about Rose''s height. She was also of a fair complexion. Blond hair with a bob cut and blue eyes. Clad in a black shirt and a white skirt. What completely set him off, however, was the look in her eyes. Rose''s eyes were bright, shining, and inviting. This girls eyes were, well, not cold, nor did they view him as worthless or beneath her. Her eyes just didn''t seem to care about him. To top it all off, there wasn''t a smile on her face as she looked at him. In a sense, she just wasn''t bothered by him. Not in the least. It was that insane difference from what he''d expected that shocked him. Tiffany: Hey. She greeted her flatly. Rose rushed to her side and gave her a side hug. One which Tiff did not return. She simply remained there. Shrugging. Rose: Oh my gosh! Max! This is my best friend, Tiffany! Best friends, no less. That was an even bigger shocker. The pair were best friends. Tiffany: Hey. Max: Hey. Max answered while questioning as to what in the hell was going on. Name: Tiffany Chang Age: 15 Description: Toughest girl you''ll ever meet Occupation: Student Fact: If you see Tiffany smiling, you may have just maxed out your good luck for the rest of the day. The girl lay out her hand. Tiffany: Tiffany Chang And Max shook it. Max: Max Hunter Rose was beside herself with excitement as he shook her hand. Rose: Oh. I''m sure you two will just hit it off. Rose made a few girly squeals. Tiffany looked back at Rose uninterestedly while Max remained in shock. He thought these two were absolute opposites. Tiffany: Could you excuse us, Max? Max: Uhhh... excuse? Tiffany: Yeah, just for a little while. There wasn''t a hint of manipulation or fear in her voice. She was being completely direct with him. He had to admit. One thing these girls had in common was the fact that Max had never in his life met anything quite like either of them. Tiffany was the most direct girl he''d ever met, and Rose was the sweetest girl he''d ever met. All in all, he remained there, trying to understand this situation. Max: Sure... He still did not know what to think. 6. A Heros Reward? Tiffany grabbed Rose and led her to a corner, well out of Max''s earshot, leaving him on his own, dumbfounded. Once Tiffany had Rose on her own, she continued. Tiffany: (sternly) Rose? Rose: Yeah? Tiffany: What did I tell you about making friends with random people? Rose: Oh, well... Rose nervously and innocently spoke while Tiffany sternly gazed at her. Tiffany: Well? Rose: He seemed really nice. Tiffany: Ugh. Nice isn''t good enough. Rose: But but.... Tiffany: No buts. Rose: Awwwwwwwwwww... Tiffany: No. Rose: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Rose pulled out the puppy dog eyes, leaving the usually stern Tiffany slightly bothered. Tiffany: No means no! Rose: But he''s new! She continued with the puppy dog eyes. Tiffany''s eyes narrowed. Being the new kid was hard, she thought. Tiffany: Ugh. Fine. I''ll let it slide for now. But you''ll have to let him loose later, alright? Rose: Alright! Tiffany: And that doesn''t mean that I''ve changed my mind. Rose: It''s ok. I''m sure you''ll like him too. Rose turned around and giggled. Tiffany: Really now? Rose: Yep. The pair decided to go back to Max and were well on their way. Tiffany: And why is that?Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Rose: Because, because.... hmmmm.... Rose began to think quite carefully about something. Tiffany patiently waited for her answer. It was just before the pair had gotten within earshot of Max that she said it. Rose: Oh, and also, he saved my life. Tiffany: He wha...? She hardly got to question Rose before she continued to Max. Rose: Hey, Max! Sorry for keeping you waiting! Rose went to him, waving to him, leaving Tiffany out in the dust with so many questions. Max had, in the meantime, looked for his locker and had found it. He had opened it with the keys in his backpack and was already starting to unpack his books. Max: Oh, hey. He was a bit surprised to see her come back. Rose: Wow, you found your locker? Max: Yep. Rose: Wow, you''re so self-sufficient. Rose''s wonderous earnest interest continued to somewhat shock Max. He really had never met someone quite like her. Tiffany showed up and remained behind the two. Quietly observing them. Rose: Oh, Tiffany! Look! His locker isn''t too far from ours. We can hang out between lessons, right? Tiffany: (flatly and uninterestedly) Sure. Tiffany''s eyes remained fixiated on the pair, especially Max. What did she mean, saved her life? Just who was this guy? Rose: (excitedly) So, are you ready for first period? Max was, again, surprised. How could this girl like school? Max: Not particularly. Rose: Oh. Well, you should know.... Tiffany: Hold on, Rose. Tiffany suddenly walked towards the pair and took their attention. Her eyes fixiated on Maxs. Tiffany: Excuse me, Max? Max: Yeah? Her uninterested gaze had suddenly become more interested in him, much to Maxs surprise. Tiffany: Is it true that you saved Rose''s life? Max stopped for a moment and looked at Rose, who simply smiled reassuringly back at him. Max: Well, yeah. I guess you could say that. Tiffany: Really now. Rose: Yeah, Tiff. It happened just this morning. Tiffany: I see. What happened next shocked Max. Tiffany took two steps back and bowed. Tiffany: Thank you for saving Rose. Max looked around nervously. He did not know what to think. In all his life, he had almost never seen someone bow to anyone, most especially himself. Tiffany: My deepest gratitude for what you did for her. Max: Do all girls in this school bow down to say thank you? Everybody in the vicinity who heard that smirked or let out a muffled laugh. Tiffany looked back at Max with a questionable look that said, "What is wrong with you?" Much to Max''s confusion. Did the laughs mean yes or no? Rose giggled, too. Tiffany simply looked up at Max and continued. Tiffany: In any case, I suppose you will need a tour around the place. So, please, allow me to give you a tour. Rose: Oh, umm, Tiffany? I forgot to mention that... Before she could continue talking, they were interrupted by a voice. Voice: Hey, new kid! A large young man with black hair, a lot of muscle, and wearing a sports jacket walked in on the pair. He stood right next to Max. With a big fake smile, he continued. Voice: I would like to welcome you to Hypercity High. The kids around the classroom became quieter. Max, noticing this, as well as the kids, was a bit perplexed. He knew what bullies were, but this level of control over a group of students was shocking. Max: Oh, tha... Vince: Of course, I should introduce myself. The names'' Vince, Vince Herrington. Name: Vincent Herrington Age: 16 Description: Overconfident bully Occupation: Student and football team leader. Fact: His hygiene is top notch. 7. The Strange Jock Vince continued, much to all of their discomfort. Vince: So, since you''re new here, maybe it would be best for you to learn a few pointers, right? He gave another big smile before continuing. Vince: For starters, you''re gonna need a mop. Fact is, that the football locker room always reeks after we use it. And it''s gonna need somebody to clean it, amirite? Max: Hold on... Vince: And of course, this jacket will need some cleaning every once in a while, too. You get what I mean, right? Max: Wait... Vince: Oh, and I almost forgot... Tiffany: That''s enough, Vince! Vince: Oh, come on, Tiff. It''s no big deal. After all. He''s gotta get used to being here somehow. Tiffany: Mmmmmmm.... Tiffany held her tongue. Rose: Vince, please. Vince: Oh, come now, sweetie. You know, me, right? I won''t hurt a hair on his precious little head. He fakely laughed as he patted him on his head. Vince: Unless, of course, there''s a problem. But there isn''t one, is there, new kid? Vince''s seemingly happy mentality had immediately disappeared with that one question. Max was about to say something yet again but was interrupted by yet another voice. Voice: Hey, lay off him, will ya? A young man, muscular, handsome, and blond, showed up. He was just as tall as Vince. Rose: (happily) Luke! He stood mere paces from them all. Name: Luke ParksSupport the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Age: 16 Description: Most handsome man in high school Occupation: Student, quarterback, works part-time Fact: For varying reasons, knows where every student lives. Vince: Wha... Luke: Lay off the kid. Vince: Ugh. Come on, dude, you''ve already got your hands full taking care of that other kid. Who''s gonna teach this kid how to deal with tough things if you''re so busy? Luke sighed as he looked at an expectant Rose. Luke: I''ll handle it. The pair looked at each other for a moment. Staring each other down. He was yet another person that Max had learned was strange. In all his years, he had never heard of a jock that would protect a student. As these two giants of teenagers stared each other down, Max pondered to himself. The third time this day, he was surprised. It went on for a while. The entire school was silent. Deathly silent. Eventually, Vince cockily smiled and patted him on the shoulder. Vince: Alright then. He turned to Tiffany and Rose. Vince: Ladies, if you''ll excuse me. And then he turned to Luke again. Vince: Let''s do our best to better Hypercity High. Right? His fake smile returned. He patted him on the shoulder once more. Vince: And if you feel like it''s too much trouble, don''t be afraid to ask for help, alright? He then happily walked away and chanted loudly. Vince: Hypercity Howlers? There was a chanting amongst the other football players going, Woo Woo Woo. It somewhat mimicked a wolf howling. He disappeared into the crowd, and the murmurs amongst other students started again, bit by bit until they returned to normalcy. Tiffany: Ugh. Thanks, Luke. Luke: No, problem. Rose: Yeah, thanks a bunch. You were amazing. Luke: No big deal, really. Max: Yeah, thanks. Luke: No, problem... Luke stopped for a moment, suddenly realising he didn''t know who Max was. Luke: Uhhhh Max: Name''s, Max. Max Hunter Max lay his hand out with a smile and a surprised Luke shook it. He did not expect Max to be that forward, given the fact that he was a new kid. Luke: Luke Parks. It''s nice to meet ya. Rose squealed yet again. Rose: Ooooooh. You guys are getting along so well! Luke was yet another of Rose''s friends. Luke: Getting along? Luke looked at all of them with questions running through his mind. Did he miss something? Tiffany: Oh, right. Max here saved Rose''s life earlier this morning. Luke: He did what? Rose squealed again. Rose: I know, right. He''s so cool. Max was taken aback just a bit. Being called cool was an oddity in his life. Luke: Really now. Luke looked at Max smilingly. Luke: Well, now I''m really glad I got involved. Hey, Max, if Vince or any other footballer ever tries to bother you, just tell me about them. I''ll deal with it. Max couldn''t believe it. The kind of person who would bully him was the kind of person who had just promised to help him out. Max: Well.... The school bell rang loudly. It was time for the first lesson. Rose: Oh, right. We''ve gotta go for maths class. Tiffany: Right. Luke: Oh, bother. Rose: Come on, Luke. You''ve got this! Luke: I''ll just take a nap and have Ken tutor me later. Max: Who''s Ken? 8. First Period The question made them all pause. Even Max paused. Why did he suddenly care who Ken was? Was it because all of them seemed so strange that he imagined he would somehow befriend the entire group? Maybe. Or maybe he was just curious. Luke: Oh, him? You''ll meet him. Luke got his bag and prepared to leave. Luke: Knowing him, he''s already in class. Tiffany and Rose both carried their bags. Tiffany: Come on, we don''t wanna be late. Rose: Right! As Luke and Tiffany got going, Rose smiled brightly at Max once again. Rose: Come on! I''ll take you! Max didn''t know what lesson it was, and so, rather than asking, simply took a random book from his backpack. He didn''t care after all. It was just a lesson. They all entered the class alongside the other students. They were low murmurs. Max looked around for this, Ken. For the moment, no one seemed out of order. Rose then signalled to him to sit down with the rest of them. They all sat in the corner, taking all the seats in that corner. Rose signalled at him to pick a chair in that corner, right behind hers. Tiffany sat next to Rose, and Luke sat behind a person sitting behind Tiffany. He was a dark skinned young man with black hair and was of a somewhat slender build. Following Rose''s signalling, he sat right next to him. Before Max could say a thing, the teacher started. She was a skinny and somewhat old looking lady. Teacher: Good morning, students. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She spoke dryly. There wasn''t a hint of enjoyment in what she said, and her voice shut up all the students all at once. Teacher: As you all know, my name is Mrs Samantha Newman. She proceeded to write her name on the board. Name: Samantha Newman Age: 40 Description: Really doesn''t like her job. Occupation: Maths teacher Fact: Was apparently one of the best performers in her high school years. Max, having heard her name, simply couldn''t help himself. He proceeded to whisper to Rose. Max: Newman, more like "old woman." Rose blushed and closed her mouth with her hands, Tiffany, having heard it, retorted in a whisper. Tiffany: Max! And the guy seated next to Max let out a chuckle, to Max''s happiness. His joke was indeed funny. Samantha: Is something interesting going on there? All the students turned to look at Max. Vince scowled at him, as did the teacher. Samantha: Ah, the new student. So you''re already a troublemaker. The class started to laugh at him, especially Vince. Vince: First day already, huh? Samantha: Since I was already about to have a roll call, why don''t you come up in front and introduce yourself? Rose turned worriedly towards Max, only to see him walk to the front of the class without the slightest shred of hesitation. This wasn''t Max''s first rodeo. Max: Alright. The class''s laughter slowly died down as he walked to the front. The teacher turned to him. Samantha: Now, now. when I say introduce yourself, I also mean that you should tell us a little about yourself. The class went OOOOOOOOOOOHHH! Max: Alright. The teacher was only slightly perturbed by the teen''s relaxed reaction. Max: My name is Maximillian Hunter. I''m 15 years old, and I like video games. There was a mixture of shouts and OOOOOOhs. Samantha: Oh, really? And anything other than video games. Max: Oh yeah. I also skateboard. There was yet another series of shouts and OOOOHHHs. Rose: He''s so cool. He''s got nerves of steel. Tiffany simply silently watched him. The one behind Tiffany spoke. Guy: Not so fast. This is where it gets interesting. Rose: (gasp) You''re right. (whisper) You''ve got this, Max. Samantha: And how about your dreams and aspirations. What do you want to be when you grow up? Max visibly put some thought into it. Max: I wanna be an astronaut. There was a silence before a massive boon of laughter and shouts before the teacher silenced everyone. Samantha: Thank you, Max. That will be all. She was not pleased, and neither was Vince, who scowled at him as he walked back to his seat. Rose clapped for Max as he returned. Rose: Max, you were so cool. Max: (cockily) Hmph. Naturally. Guy: Most impressive. Max turned to look at the unnamed guy only to see him smiling at him. Samantha: Silence! That order was for the corner in which Max was seated. After that, the whole class was silent. Samantha: Alright then, let us begin the roll-call. 9. The Peculiar Nerd The roll call started. As per usual, she would mention names, and the students would say, "Present." She went through the names, one by one, with an uninterested voice as Max simply stared at her. "Who cares?" he thought. He was more concerned about his new potential friends. Two things did pique his interest, though. The first thing was... Samantha: Tiffany Chang. Tiffany: Present. It suddenly occurred to him, as it didn''t quite click before, that that was odd, as she was a caucasian girl. Max: (whisper) Hey, Rose... why is... Samantha: Maximillian! The class turned to him. Samantha: Would you do us all a favour and let our classroom be quiet, just for a little while? The class laughed again. Max sighed and went back to waiting for her to get done. She went on for a while before going to the guy seated next to him, which was the second thing he was waiting for. Samantha: Kenneth Stone. Kenneth: Present. Name: Kenneth Stone Age: 15 Description: Likes video games and trivia. Occupation: Student Fact: Was once heralded as the most social nerd ever. Max looked at him for a moment and then decided. If he was anything like the other three, maybe he would also be interesting. The teacher went on to finish the roll call and started teaching. Max started to zone off. She was teaching differentiation.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Tiffany carefully noted everything she said, as did Rose. Luke let off a few silent yawns, and Kenneth simply paid attention and notably answered quite a few questions. It was several moments of horrid boredom for Max before she finally said something interesting. Samantha: Alright. I would now like you to turn to your next neighbour and work together to answer the questions on page 16. The teacher then sat down and got on her phone. Max turned to his right to find that that neighbour had already been taken. Perhaps it was because he was so bored, but he failed to realise that Kenneth was obviously his partner. He turned to Kenneth, who waved and smiled at him. As the other classmates did, they joined their tables together. Tiffany with Rose, Luke with another jock and Max with Kenneth. The classroom turned to murmurs. Max had to borrow Ken''s book as he did not bring his. Max: So, I''m Max. It''s nice to meetcha. Kenneth: I''m Kenneth, as you may have already heard. But you can call me Ken. All the people he''d met from this friend group were weird. So what was weird about him. As far as Max could tell, he seemed like a nerd of sorts, given how he answered so many questions. Max: Right. Ken. Max lay out his hand to shake, and Ken shook it. Ken: Alright, let''s get started. I''ll solve the odd numbered problems and you the even ones. Sound fair? Max: Uhhhhh. Well? Ehehehe... Ken: Hmm? Something wrong? Max: I kinda... sorta... didn''t pay a lick of attention to what she said. Ken chuckled. Ken: You really are a strange one. Max: Huh? Ken: Tell me something. Are you used to getting in trouble? Max: Well... Max flashed back to several instances in which he had gotten in trouble in previous schools before deciding not to mention it. Max: Not particularly. Ken: Heh. Figures. Max: What about you? Ken: Well... let''s just say that it pays to read ahead. Max: What does that mean? Ken: You''ll figure it out someday, maybe. In any case, I''ll handle the work for now. But next time, you''ve gotta do it on your own. Max: Phew. Thanks. Ken got his book and, at a rapid pace, finished all the work for the both of them, much to Max''s amazement. Max: Woah. Max instinctively looked at the back of the book for the answers. Max: And you got them all right. You''re some kinda genius. Ken: Oh, it''s nothing. Really. And with that, Max and Ken were done with their work. Luke and his partner struggled and eventually gave up. Tiffany and Rose worked together and were able to figure it out eventually, and the teacher remained on her phone, texting. As more students were finished with the work, the classroom slowly grew into a loud murmur. Meanwhile.... Max: No way! The grapple gun is way better than the gattling gun. Ken: What! No way, have you even tried it? The gattling gun can score you way more kills than the grapple gun. Max: Nuh-uh. Ken: Uh- huh. Max and Ken: Skill issue! They glared at each other. Max: Alright then. Ken: It is settled. Max and Ken: It''s on! The both of them nodded heads and handed in their work for the day after the lesson was over. Some day or the other, the pair would have an online battle in Warring Dimensia 2. 10. School Time The group exited the class. Max and Ken walked in the front while the other three followed behind them. Rose: Now those two really hit it off. Tiffany: Yeah... Luke: Who would''ve guessed? Tiffany and Luke shared uneasy glances while Rose smiled excitedly. Meanwhile, Ken and Max continued their conversation. Ken: ...and that over there is the snack machine. Max: Yeah? Ken: (whisper) I''ll let you in on a little secret. If you bump it just right, snacks just pop out. Max: Really? Ken: Yeah. Or guys''ll call ya weird for randomly smacking snack machines. Max: Heh. That''s no big deal. He had in all his life never met a nerd that was so freewheeling. And then something suddenly dawned on Max. There was something he hadn''t asked Tiffany. Max: Oh yeah. He turned around. Max: Hey, Tiff? Tiffany: It''s Tiffany. Max: Right... right. Why is your second name Chang? Tiffany: Because I grew up in Asia. Max: Really? What''s it like? Tiffany: (sighs) It''s fine. Rose: Ehehe. sorry, Max. She gets asked that question all the time, so she gets a little peeved whenever someone mentions it. Max: Oh, I get it. Tiffany: I.... ugh. Whatever... Anyway, the next period is chemistry. I''ve gotta go to the bathroom, so save me a seat in case I''m late, Rose. Rose: Okie dokie.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Luke: Ugh, chemistry. Hey Ken, what do we have after that? Ken: I believe it is biology. Luke: Oh maaaaaaan. Luke moaned, and Rose giggled. Luke: Hmm, what''s up? Rose: It''s just that you never change Luke. Luke: Heh. I guess so. He smiled at himself. Luke: You never change either. Rose: (giggling) Really? Max: (to Ken) Is she always like that? Ken: Yep. Max: But how? Ken: No idea. Luke: Anyway guys lets huff it! I don''t wanna be late. Hey Max, meet us here after you get your books, alright? Max: Hm? Alright. Max went to his locker as Ken yelled from a distance. Ken: And bring the right book this time! Max: Yeah yeah... Max couldn''t believe it. He''d actually made friends. And he was having conversations with them. He giddily rushed to his locker while trying to keep himself from getting too happy. As he got into his locker room to get his book, he noticed a note from his mom inside the books he''d left in his locker. "Stay positive." - Mom. He smiled to himself. Maybe this time. Maybe this time, it would work out. It had to. As he pulled out the book and left his locker, he found Tiffany. Max: Oh, hey Tiffany. Tiffany: Hey. She seemed to be looking for something. Tiffany: Where are the others? Max: They said to meet over there once we''d finally gotten our books. Tiffany: I see. Follow me. The pair walked over there, and as they did, Max noticed an interesting amount of muscle definition in her legs. Max: So, uhhh. Do you do sports or something? Tiffany: No. Max: So, whaddya do with your free time? Tiffany: That''s private. Max: Ok then. Max waited awkwardly for the others as he continued to try to spark a conversation with her. His experience getting girls to talk to him had been eventful, to say the least. He could get most girls to talk to him, sure. But the majority of those experiences were not things he liked talking about. Max: So, uhhhhh.... Tiffany stayed quiet. Waiting for the other three. Max: Does that mean you like girly stuff? Like rainbows, unicorns, and... Tiffany looked at him with something that wasn''t a glare but was clearly made to tell him to stop talking. Max: Right.... Eventually, the three showed up, much to Max''s relief as he could finally talk to the other three. The five of them left off to attend their second period. What followed in the next few periods was about the same. As with the maths class, Max made somewhat of a splash in every class he entered. In Chemistry, he was paired up with Luke, and because neither of them were paying attention, ended up destroying some glass equipment, much to the class''s amusement, but not to the teacher''s. Mr. Kane. Name: Alan Kane Age: 32 Description: Easily stressed out Occupation: Chemistry teacher Fact: He oddly enough loves rock music. Biology was no different, with Max being paired up with Rose and carrying dead specimens to freak her and other girls out. Of course, Ken and Luke found it funny, but Tiffany scowled at him, much to his displeasure. The teacher, Mr. Kr¨¹ger, was willing to let it slide. Name: Mr. Mark Kr¨¹ger Age: 35 Description: He is zen Occupation: Biology teacher, works at local botannical garden Fact: He wishes he could go vegan but can''t quit chicken Of course, the final period before lunch was biology, and so, the five of them headed for lunch. 11. The First Lunch The mess hall. It was like most other mess halls. Unhappy and uninterested looking lunch ladies, crappy food that would make most students that had just turned in from home flinch and, of course, the constant reminder that they had a time limit and had to eat quickly. There were two tv screens playing what just so happened to be music videos by the more famous artists on the walls. Max: So you guys just don''t have packed lunch? Luke sighed. Max: Huh? Ken: Umm...... Max. Luke and Tiffany both live without their parents. Max: Oh. Sorry, I... Tiffany: It''s fine. Luke: Don''t worry about it. Max: You can share my food if you like? Tiffany: No need. Luke: Thanks, Max, but we''ll be fine. This ain''t our first rodeo. Max: Oh, ok. Rose: Is everything ok, Max? Max: Yeah, yeah.... He just realised he''d made a huge mistake. Rose: It''s ok. I''m sure they know you didn''t mean it like that. Max remained in the line, talking to them irregardless of the fact that he already had his own meal in his backpack. As he spoke to his friends, he noticed an odd scenario occurring in front of him. In a world where the majority of food in the cafeteria really sucks, kids who don''t have packed lunch make it a habit of buying lunch from kids that got some from their parents. In this dog eat dog world, one would have to find some form of way to survive. As a result, several students remained at the tables, bargaining. Who could blame them? The food on the menu was roast chicken, rice, hard-boiled eggs, and a cup cake.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. That all sounded great until one realised that the chicken was a bit burnt. the rice was soggy, the hard-boiled eggs were not exactly hard boiled, and the cup cake was one of those poor quality store bought ones. Max: Oh man! The largest lunch lady spoke. Lunch lady: We cooked this food with a lot of love to welcome you guys. So, enjoy! Name: Gertrude Hoffmann Age: 41 Description: Is a compulsive liar Occupation: High school cook Fact: Rumour has it that she was once a part of the Mafia. Gertrude: Especially that chicken. She was in a particularly happier mood than the other lunch ladies, who just served as it was their job. Max: There''s no way you''re serious. Gertrude: (fakely kindly) Oh, really. And who might you be? I haven''t seen you around before. Max: The name''s M... Tiffany stopped him immediately, blocking his mouth with her hand. Tiffany: So sorry, Mrs. Gertrude. Max''s mumbling became louder. He was more shocked to hear that she was married. Tiffany: He''s new. Gertrude: Ohhhh, I see. Well, you''ve always been a well-behaved little girl, so why not show him around. In fact, give him a bite of our chicken, I''m sure he"ll change his mind. Tiffany: Of course, of course. Once she was out of earshot, Tiffany started. Tiffany: Do you ever shut up? Max: What? Tiffany: Ugh. Nevermind. Just don''t talk to the lunch lady like that. Luke: Yeah, Max. We all know the food sucks, but we don''t wanna make things worse for us with the lunch ladies. Max: It can get worse? Luke: Well, let''s just say that there are reasons as to why no one complains about the food. Ken: It isn''t that bad. Luke: Easy for you to say, you''re not eating it. Ken: (cockily) Well.... I was only trying to make you feel better. Luke: Mmmm. It didn''t work. Ken chuckled a bit at his friends predicament as the five of them picked a table and prepared to sit down. Rose, Max, and Ken pulled out their home packed food while Luke and Tiffany prepared to scarf down the less that perfect meal. Just as Max was about to take his first bite, he heard a familiar voice from a distance. It was Vince. Vince: Hey, come on. I said you''d give us your lunch for half price this time. He was picking on somebody smaller and comparatively much shorter and nerdier looking than anybody else. Max: What''s going on? Luke: Oh, that''s Lenny Lark. He just came in last semester. Name: Lenny Lark Age: 15 Description: Garden variety nerd Occupation: Student Fact: He and his family together make one hell of a vocal band. He was a skinny red head compared to Vince. Vince: Oh, come on. It''s an amazing deal. Think of the benefits. You''d be helping the school. Lenny: N.. No. I''d... I''d just be helping you. Vince: Oh, come on. You''re smart, right? Think about it. Why hasn''t any lunch lady tried to stop me? Lenny: Wha.. W... Well... it''s... Vince: It''s because I am the star of the football team. Because of that, no one wants to mess with me. Because if you mess with the wolf, you get the.... Lenny: F... fangs? Vince: Hypercity High motto, amirite. Lenny gulped. Vince: So then, how about... Max: Why isn''t anybody helping him? Luke: That''s just how it is. 12. Maxs Nerve Max: What! Luke: Yep. Luke took a sip of his water before he continued. Luke: If Hypercity High is known for one thing, it''s football. As a result, the jocks basically rule the school. Max: What!? Max looked on as Lenny shrunk in fear of Vince. Luke: Yep. But hey! Don''t worry about it. I got your back, Max. Rose: Uh huh. It''s a good thing we have you on our side, huh Luke. Ken: Indeed. Luke: Heh. It''s no big deal. Tiffany noticed Max staring at Lenny and Vince. Tiffany: Hey! Don''t get any bright ideas! They all looked at Max, shocked. Rose: Max? Is something wrong? Max was of a lean and slender build, and seeing him look at the situation angrily would make anyone think he was a fool. Rose: Umm. Max? Ken: Hey bud. It''s alright. There is no need to escalate a situation. Luke: That''s just how it is. There''s nothing we can do about it. Ken: Yeah, you''ll understand soon enough. Max had seen enough. Without a warning, a loud, resounding sound came from his table. Max: HEY VINCE! It was loud and direct and shut the entire cafeteria up in one fell swoop. All the students looked at him.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Tiffany: (whispering loudly) What the hell are you doing? Sit down! You''ll get in trouble! Max simply stood up. Vince turned away from Lenny and glared at Max. The two stared at each other for a moment. Everyone in class watched, caught up by the scene. Rose: Ummm. Max? Ken: (whisper) Max, seriously! You need to sit down! Vince: What''s the matter, small fry? Max: I''m not gonna let you bully him. Luke: Max! Seriously! Tiffany: Ugh. Grab him. Ken made a grab for him, but Max moved his arm away and walked out of his table. Vince started chuckling. Vince: Oh, come on. Hey Luke, that kid you''re protecting seems to have lost his way. How about you tell him about how things work around here? Before Luke could answer, Max retorted. Max: I don''t need anyone''s protection. A group of resounding OOOOOOHHHs ran across the room, much to Vince''s anger. Vince: Well then. And how exactly are you gonna pull that off? Haven''t you noticed? Not a single person has tried to stop me. The class remained in OOOOOhs, waiting in anticipation. As did the lunch ladies. This may very well have been the highlight of their jobs. Luke: Max! Sit down! Max instead headed directly for Vince. Vince cracked his knuckles. Vince: Oh, so that''s how it is. Max didn''t turn around. He instead smirked and then started laughing, much to everybodys'' surprise. Ken: Is making light of this his way of getting out of this? Tiffany: Oh no... Rose: Max... Rose didn''t know what to expect. Neither did a single soul. The most rational explanation in their heads was that he had just realised what he had done and was trying to get out of it by making light of it. Max: And here I thought you were a smooth talker. But here you are, talking directly to me. What''s the matter, Vince? Ya scared? The OOOOOOhs stopped abruptly before violently erupting so loudly that the entire room shook. Vince was visibly shocked to hear that. To see that this scrawny kid that he swore he could destroy in one punch was right there, staring him down, laughing. Luke: Oh no... Rose: Max. Tiffany: This is getting out of hand. Vince bit at his teeth. Rose: Luke, you have to... Tiffany shook her head. Tiffany: Don''t bother. He''s gone too far now. Rose: But... Tiffany: Sorry, Rose, but the best we can do now is get him to a sick bay after this is over. Rose: But... Tiffany: After what he''s just pulled, he''ll be targeted. Every day of his high school life in Hypercity High. Rose: Oh... Ken: Well, you gotta give him credit. He''s got guts in spades. Luke: Yep. But guts won''t be enough. Vince remained there, in shock and anger, before clenching his fist roughly and taking a deep breath. Vince: I see. Vince stared right back at him. Vince: Well then. Since you seem so motivated, why not come here and prove it? Max calmly walked up to Vince, his eyes never leaving his opponents and remaining in a glare. Comments such as "He''s gonna die" and "Bro thinks he''s him" came from all around the mess hall. Rose: MAX! BE CAREFUL! Max and Vince stood there. Staring at each other directly. A fight was about to begin. 13. Face Off! In many, many cases, Max had been that guy. The weird kid who couldn''t make friends. The oddball who was the victim of several snide remarks. The freak who got bullied several times. Could he have used his powers? Yes. In fact, had he, he would have never been bullied. But, he made a promise to his mother. He would never stoop to that level. However, after all his years in life, he decided that being bullied was something he would never let happen to him or anyone else again. That rage and anger, that pain and distress, he decided long ago, that he would never let it happen to him or anyone else again. Not now, not ever. And he wasn''t scared of a few wounds here and there. And so the scrawny 15 year old glared at a young man who looked like he could kill him with a few punches. The two stared each other down for mere seconds, but to those watching the spectacle that was their staredown, it felt like a few minutes. Eventually, Vince spoke. Vince: Alright, shrimp. How about this? I''ll let you land the first punch. Another round of OOOOOOhhhhhs ran around the room. Rose: Could we call a teacher, maybe? Tiffany: Nope. There''s hardly a teacher anywhere near here at this hour. Rose gulped. Meanwhile, Max smirked at Vince''s comment. Max: Sure. Max could have easily used his powers to knock him out, but then again, he promised his mom he would never use them in public and especially never to use them to hurt someone because in case someone found out about him, there would be questions.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He knew that coming in. He knew he could get his butt kicked without them, but he still came. Irregardless, he threw his first punch, but to his surprise, Vince dodged it. Vince: Whoops. Missed. You should try again. A series of OOOOOOOOhs reverberated through the room. Max did indeed try again. But he dodged him the second time. Max was not much of a fighter. In fact, he was quite terrible at it. He also knew that, coming into this fight. He threw his third punch, only for Vince to dodge it as well. Rose: Oh no. Luke: Other than football, Vince also has some experience with boxing. So dodging punches is childsplay to him. (thinking: What on earth were you thinking, Max?) Rose: Really? Luke grimly nodded. Ken: Well then. This should be over soon. Luke: Yeah. Tiffany: Ugh. Max continued to try to punch Vince, but he continued to dodge, even high fiving other footballers every once in a while just to mess with him. Max continued his trials to punch him, failing miserably before finally falling down, much to the laughter of the entire class. Rose: Poor Max. Vince looked down at the fallen Max. Vince: Hey, should I hit you first instead? Everyone laughed loudly and even louder as Max tried to punch him only for Vince to dodge again, causing everybody to laugh even louder. Luke: (thinking: Come on, Vince. This is cruel, even for you.) Vince stood up and took in the crowds praise as Max tried to hit him from behind, only for Vince to dodge it as well, causing everybody to laugh again. Vince: Ole! The crowd answered Ole and laughed. The cheerleaders, the jocks, the nerds, everybody laughed at Max. Some even took photos on their phones. Max got up and simply continued throwing punches. Vince continued to dodge, this time moving in between the tables. Vince: Hey, be careful now. You might hurt somebody. Max kept throwing punches, his eyes fixiated on Vince. Tiffany: (thinking: Something''s not right. He should have at least once looked back at us in fear or for mercy or something. Why is he doing this?) Rose remained with her hands up in hope. Ken and Luke simply watched silently. While Max was throwing punches, his mind raced with thoughts. He can''t use his powers to win, so how could he? In his mind, he could only think of one solution. While punching at Vince, his eyes were on the table next to him. He threw a punch that looked like an uppercut, and Vince prepared to dodge as usual. What he did not expect, however, was for a steaming plate of soggy rice to land on his face. Max changed his punch to a grab at the last second and grabbed someone else''s lunch plate and smacked Vince in his face with it. Max: Direct hit! 14. Food Fight! There was silence in the mess hall. Utter shock and amazement were in all their faces. Meanwhile, Max smiled at himself. Max: Hmph. The whole classroom suddenly erupted on OOOOOOOhs. Tiffany: What the... Luke: No way. Rose: Go, Max! Ken: I don''t believe it. This guy is just full of surprises. Vince took the plate off his head and wiped the rice off his face. His anger was so visible that the entire class became quiet. Max: Uhhhh.... Max did not anticipate that much anger coming from him. He took a step back. Vince was steaming. Vince: I''ll kill you. Vince grabbed another plate and threw it directly at him. If Max was good at one thing, it was skateboarding. Skateboarding all those years had given him some pretty good reflexes, at least when it came to reacting to things coming right at him. And so, he dodged it with ease. But another footballer behind him got hit instead. He was of a similar build to Vince. Footballer: Hey, Vincent! Name: Carl Hemmingway Age: 15 Description: Likes parties, maybe a little too much. Occupation: Student, wide receiver Fact: Is lactose intolerant. Carl: Aim better! He also angrily threw his rice at Vince, who also dodged, leading to the lead cheerleader getting hit. It landed in her long hair. Cheerleader: Hey, what the heck!This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Carl: Oh sorry.... Cheerleader: Bite me! Name: Clarissa Age: 15 Description: As vain as you would think Occupation: Student, lead cheerleader Fact: Spends over half of her allowance on her hair. The other half on cute animal videos. Clarissa continued to throw her own plate at Carl, and it hit yet another cheerleader seated next to him instead. Other cheerleader: I knew it! I knew you were jealous of me! Name: Miranda Michaels Age: 15 Description: the "nice" girl Occupation: Student, cheerleader, school photographer Fact: Backed up somewhere, she has photos of things no one would like to see. She angrily squealed before throwing her own plate, missing and hitting somebody else as well. This pattern went on for only a few moments before the entire room was full of people throwing their food at each other. A full-blown food fight, and Max was in the middle of it. Back at Tiffany''s table, she quickly hatched a plan. Their table was at the corner end of the lunch room. Tiffany: Luke! Luke: Right! Luke grabbed the table and set it on its side, blocking all or any food coming their way. Rose looked up from behind the table to gaze upon the spectacle before being pulled back in by Tiffany. Tiffany: Hey, be careful! Rose: B.. but Max. Tiffany: Ken? Ken was watching from the side of the now fallen table. Ken: I see him. He''s dodging the food. Tiffany and Luke: All of it? Ken: Yep! Rose: Yay! Go Max! Tiffany: (thinking: But how?) Max continued to side step several lunch plates or clods of food. Given his skateboarding experience, reacting quickly to incoming obstacles was childsplay. At that point, only a bit of the food was actually aimed at him. But, of course, there would be those just randomly throwing things. Vince grabbed a handful of rice and rushed at him, but Max ducked away and grabbed a plate for defence as Vince was attacked by other clods of food from random hurlers. Max: Phew. As he took a breath of relief, a chunk of chicken came flying at him. He sensed that it would miss, but he also knew that it would hit the person hiding from the fight under a chair right next to him. He blocked it with the plate, and when he looked inside, he saw an extraordinarily pretty cheerleader under a table smile and giggle at him. He nervously scratched his hair and smiled before he heard his name. It was Tiffany. Tiffany: Max! Get over here! As it would turn out, all that dodging had let him a few meters away from Tiffany''s table. She was looking at him from the corner. Tiffany: Max! He quickly stopped what he was doing and ran behind the table, all the while dodging more flying food. He jumped inside and was yanked in by Tiffany. Max: What the.. For someone like Tiffany to simply yank him, needless to say, Max was shocked by her physical strength. Rose: Max, I''m so glad you''re ok. Rose held his hand. Tiffany: What the hell were you... ugh. We''re leaving. We are not getting in trouble for this. Max: What! Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Yeah. We should be able to make it to the door without any food on us if Luke carries the table with him as a shield? Tiffany: Luke? Is it too heavy? Luke: A little, but I''ll manage. Tiffany: Alright. Ken: The only problem now is that someone could come up from behind us and snipe us with some food. After all, we can''t see what''s going on, and Max is a favourite target. Tiffany: I see. Max quickly put two and two together. Max: Oh, I know! I can go out there and act as a distraction for you guys. He expected nods of agreement but instead got confused glances. 15. Real Comrades Tiffany, Luke, Rose, and Ken all looked at him like he''d just said something foolish. Max: Uhhh, did I.... Tiffany: Why would you do that? Max: Huh? Ken: Jeez Max. Just leave it to us. Believe it or not, we''ve got this. Rose: Yeah. You don''t need to go back in there. Max: But... Luke gave him a heavy pat on the back. Luke: Hey. It was about time someone cut Vince down to size. Now, just stay behind us. We''ve got ya covered. Otherwise, we''ll all be in huge trouble. Max froze for a moment. He couldn''t remember the last time someone stuck his or her neck out for him. After all, in the end, he did start this whole mess. He stared agape as Tiffany moved behind him. Tiffany: Alright, I''ve got our rear covered. Ken: I''ve got the front. Tiffany: Great! Now move. With some groaning sounds, Luke lifted the table up, slowly carrying it across several meters, with the table at times taking fire from other food fighters. Max simply followed, shocked at the fact that they had chosen to be so nice to him. As they moved, Tiffany would, every once in the while, push someone peering over back or throw some food herself. It was only a few moments before they were all safely out of the way and out of the door, which Tiffany closed safely. Ken: Phew. We are finally out of that mess. Luke: Yeah. I''d hate to have to clean that all up. Rose: Yeah. Thanks a lot, Luke! Luke: No prob, Rose. It was nothin'' big. Luke playfully flexed his muscles while Rose giggled at him. Max remained silent for a moment while they spoke. Max: (sadly) Yeah, thanks.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. They all paused after they heard him say it like that. Rose: Max, are... are you ok? She lay out a hand to soothe him before she was immediately interrupted by Tiffany. Tiffany: Are you out of your mind!? Max stared at what was, for the first time in his eyes, a Tiffany that was actually interested in looking at him. She was angry, but still... Max: Uhhhh... Tiffany: You have any idea what could''ve happened just now? What if he hit you? What if you ended up in trouble? Max: Well... Tiffany: Just what in the world were you thinking?! Max: Well I... All of a sudden, Rose started giggling again, halting all of them. Rose: Even you seem to be getting along well with Max, huh Tiff. Tiffany blushed. Tiffany: Wh... Whaaat!!! Ken and Luke started laughing, and Max just awkwardly chuckled. Tiffany: Wha... ugh. She turned to Luke. Tiffany: Am I the only one who thought that was insanely reckless? Luke: Weeeelllll, we did end up in one piece. Ken: And to be fair, that was a lot of fun. And because of that we may not have to go for more lessons. And I, for one, prefer having a free afternoon. Ken stretched and groaned. Ken: Come on, let''s book it. Tiffany: Ugh. A defeated Tiffany just gave in. Tiffany: Ok, let''s... Tiffany turned but immediately froze. Luke: Huh. Hey, what''s wrong, Tiff? From behind them, a voice sounded. Voice: What is going on here? They all turned in horror, most especially Luke, Rose, Ken, and Tiffany. They knew to whom that voice belonged. A large man with an imposing stature and calm, tired eyes. Name: Principal Richard Valencia Age: 50 Description: He''s a pretty standard looking principal, but don''t let his voice fool you. Occupation: Hypercity High principal Fact: He is the country''s best golfer. Tiffany: Ummm.... well... Luke: Well, there''s a food fight over there and... Principal: A food fight, really? His voice was calm and elegant. Ken: Y... yeah.... And we just thought that, you know, we''d just skedaddle and... Max: (thinking: Just who is this guy. They''re all so terrified of him.) He then moved on to Max. Principal: Would you happen to be the new student? Max: Uhhh, yeah. Principal: Maximillian Hunter, was it? Max: Uhhh, yeah. Hehe... He gently patted Max on the head. Principal: Well, I am very pleased to meet you. I hope you find your stay here very welcoming. Max: Uhh... thanks. Principal: Ah, and I see you''ve already made some friends. I''m very pleased to see that. Max: Yeah, ehehehe.... yeah.... They all nervously laughed around the principal as he himself gently smiled. Principal: Well, I suppose I will deal with this mess while you five get on going. Seeing as there''s no food on you, I''d say that you are completely innocent of this matter, isn''t that right? Rose immediately shut her mouth, and Luke, Ken, and Max started throwing out lies while Tiffany hid the hand she used to throw food. Max: Yeah. Ken: Absolutely! Luke: Totally! Principal: Hmm. I see. Well, in that case, I suppose that everything is in order. His eyes remained fixiated on Rose as he spoke. Principal: You kids may run along now. I suppose that after today''s events, there will be no more lessons for today. Luke: Ok, sir. Ken: Well, see you later, sir. Max: Goodbye. As they walked away, they all held in their sighs of relief. Walking stolidly and silently until they were just about to reach the corner. 16. The Stern Principal Principal: Oh. Hold on, children. They all paused in fear. Principal: Pardon me for stopping all of you, but... it would just so happen that I have a hunch about something. Ken: A hunch, huh? You don''t say. Principal: Why... yes. His deep but gentle tone did not change even in the slightest. Principal: My gut is telling me that I may be able to find the one responsible for this if I asked you, Miss Rose. Rose held in a squeal. Principal: Now, of course, that isn''t to say that I do not trust any of you, but, well... everybody can lie. I sincerely hope you do not take it to heart. Rose squealed even more loudly and jumped. That was it, Max thought. He was screwed. Not only was he responsible for this, in a sense, but also, Rose didn''t look like a liar. In addition to that, he didn''t know what to expect from a man that terrifying. Ken: Well, sir.... Principal: Now now, Mr Stone. Why not we let the lady speak? Ken took a step back and, much to Max''s surprise, whispered to Rose not to tell on him. Luke followed suit. The principal simply remained silent. Not moving an inch. Principal: Did something happen to her? Ken: No, no, no... She''s fine. Principal: Hmm. But I heard whispering. Ken: W... well, that was... well... (thinking: Come on, Ken, think of a lie.) Principal: I see. If it is all the same to you, perhaps I shall take her to the sick bay. The four of you may go home for today. Rose squealed even more loudly, and tears rolled down her eyes. Tiffany tried to calm her down by patting her back. Max was about to step forward and tell on himself, but Luke stopped him, much to his surprise. Luke: (whisper) Chill. Ken: Sir, I swear, she is absolutely fine. In fact, she hasn''t been better.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Principal: Really? Ken: Yes. You know Rose. She''s just... delicate. You know, like a Rose. Principal: Ah, of course. I should have figured. Such an event must have bothered her quite a bit. Ken: (thinking: Phew.) They all started to relax again. Principal: Even more so, a reason as to why I should take her with me. They all froze in fear, again. Principal: She could be having a panic attack. So I will simply take her along. That was it. Ken had no more lies left to tell. Luke and Ken looked sorrowfully, and Max. Ken: (whisper) Sorry. Max: (whisper) It''s fine. Even though he knew he was screwed, he at least had friends who would fight to help him till the end. However. Principal: Well, come now, little Rose. Don''t worry, I don''t bite. He gave a gentle chuckle before Rose suddenly very loudly spoke. Rose: It was Vince. He started it! They all remained in shock. Principal: Hmm. I see. He stroked his beard. Principal: Alright, children, have a nice day. And thank you. As the five of them remained there, frozen. The principal walked into the mess hall, and all the shouting and bustling inside stopped abruptly. Principal: Good afternoon, students. They all froze from inside the cafeteria. Principal: My my... what a mess. It seems you have all let this place go. There was a moment of stone cold silence. No one, not even the lunch ladies, spoke. Principal: I have heard of who is responsible from me, but I would like to get a second opinion. After all that chaos, all the heads simply turned towards Vincent. Principal: I see. So it is true. Vince: B.. but... Principal: No buts, young man. You will be coming with me. And now... while I know that the rest of you are hungry, may the rest of you please clean this place up. Thank you. Outside of the mess hall, the five of them had heard what he had said and ran into a corner where they released massive sighs of relief. Ken: Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwww! That was close! Luke: Yeah! They were all hyperventilating. Most especially Rose. Ken: Rose, I don''t believe it! You just... Rose: I don''t wanna talk about it. I can''t believe I just withheld information. Luke: First time for everything, amirite? Rose, however, started sobbing. Tiffany held her and started to comfort her. Tiffany: It''s alright, Rose. She then turned to Max. Tiffany: See what your reckless actions almost cost us. Max: Umm, well.. I... Tiffany: Well? Max didn''t know quite what to say. Max: I... I''m sorry. Luke: Hey, it''s fine. Lay off him for a while. Ken: Yeah. We just survived the principal. That''s reason enough to celebrate. Tiffany: Ugh. Max: Why are you guys so scared of him anyway? They all flinched and looked at him like he was crazy. Ken: Oh, right. He''s new. Luke: Yeah, figures. Ken: Let''s just say that the national expulsion rate is about 1.1% on average. This school''s rate is the highest with 3% Max: What? Luke: Rumour has it that the principal was once in the military. Did you see what he was saying to us back there? That was all psychological warfare. Max: No way! Tiffany: Besides, sorry to burst your bubble, but there''s a chance he''ll figure out what really happened. Max: Oh... Tiffany: I suggest going to your parents and being extra nice for a while. Rose giggled again. Tiffany: Huh? Rose: Sorry, it''s just... you''re acting like his sister. Tiffany blushed again, much to Ken and Luke''s laughter. Tiffany: I.... ugh. Never mind. 17. Timos It was at that moment that Luke''s stomach growled. Luke: Oh yeah. I haven''t eaten anything. Ken: We all haven''t. Ken''s stomach growled as well. Rose: Yeah... Max felt a bit responsible for it. Max: Hey, how about I buy us all lunch today? You know, to make up for what happened. Ken: For all of us? Luke: Really? Max: Yeah. It''s the least I could do! Tiffany: Hmph! Rose: Oh my gosh, really? Max: Yeah. He continued smugly. Max: It just so happens that I know a great place that has pizza. Luke: Well, I''m sold. Ken: Me too. Rose: Me three! They all looked at Tiffany. Tiffany: (sighs) Alright, I guess I''ll come along too. The five of them exited the school while chatting. Luke: So, what is this place? Max: It''s a few blocks from here. Rose: What''s it called? Max: That''s a surprise. Rose: (gasp) Oh, really! Awwwwwww. Luke: A few blocks from here? You don''t mean Timo''s Pizzeria, do ya? Max paused. Max: How did you know? Ken: You''re new here, aren''t you? That place you mentioned is where all people our age go to chill. Luke: It also happens to be where I work. Rose: Good try, Max.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Tiffany sighed. Max: Errr... well... at least their food is great. Luke: Right? I love it there. Their food is amazing. Ken: Yep. I''m game. Rose: Yeah, me too. Tiffany: Well, if it''s all decided, then... Luke: Yep. Let''s go. Max went on to grab his skateboard only for Luke to enter a large van and call him over. Max: Woah! Luke: Hey Max, come on! Rose: Yeah, Max, there''s plenty of room. Ken: Yeah, we''re totally not gonna kidnap you in this van. Ken immediately started laughing to himself. Max: Yeah, yeah. Max got his skateboard and walked into the back of the van with Ken and Rose as Luke got into the driver''s seat, and Tiffany sat next to him. Luke: Here we go. The van reversed out of the school parking lot, and they headed towards the pizzeria. Max: How do you have a van? Luke: Oh, this old thing. It''s... it''s a long story. Max: Well, we''ve got time. Everyone remained silent. Max: Is it something I said? Rose: Ummmm... Max.... Max: Huh? Luke: It''s ok, Rose, I''ll tell him. He lay out a deep breath. Luke: This van belonged to my dad. Max suddenly remembered that his parents were dead. Max: Oh... sorry. Luke: No big deal. In any case, we''re halfway there. Just a few more turns. The air in the van turned silent. Rose: So, uuhhhh, what kind of pizza did you have in mind, Max? Max: Oh, that... Maybe bacon. Ken: Hmph. A man of culture I see. Luke: Heh. Good choice. It''s one of our best. Rose: That''s great! Bacon pizza it is! Oh wait, what do you think, Tiffany? Tiffany: It''s fine. Let''s go! Rose: Alright, bacon pizza it is! Luke: And right on time. The van had just arrived at the restaurant. They all got out with Max taking the lead, and went into the restaurant. Max: Hey, Timo! I''m back. Restaurant owner: Well, if it ain''t Max. How ya doin'' kid? He was an extra large man in both height and weight. Name: Timothy Age: 38 Description: Big man, bigger heart Occupation: Pizzeria chef Fact: He owns several restaurant chains but purposely works on this one to keep an eye on Luke. Timo''s attention quickly left Max, and he turned to Luke once he noticed him. Timo: He he hey. If it ain''t my favourite employee! Luke the man. The big, burly man walked over to Luke and gave him a big hug in front of everybody. Luke: H... hey, Uncle Timo... How''s it going? Timo: MMMMMmmm. Wait a minute, you aint skipping out on school, are you? Luke: No, no, of course not. Timo: Are you sure? Luke: Honest! Timo: But it too early to leave school! Luke: Well, there was a food fight! Timo: MMMMMMMMMM! Luke: But I had nothing to do with it! Honest! Timo: Well, alright! Max: (thinking: Why is he so scared of Timo?) Timo turned to the others. Timo: Little friends! How are you? Rose: We''re doing great, Timo! Timo: And you, little man? Ken: I''m good. Timo: And you, Tiny Thunder? Tiffany: I''m fine, thanks. Timo: Hahahahahahah! I''m happy to hear that! Tell ya what, whatever you ask, Timo make for half price, eh? Max: Really? Rose: That''s so nice of you. Timo: We he heeeellll. It Timo''s pleasure. So, what will it be? The group made their order and sat down in the same table. Max: (smirking) Ya know, I never would have imagined that you were scared of your boss. Luke: Why you little... Luke grabbed Max and rubbed his hair violently, much to Rose and Ken''s amusement. Max: Alright, alright. Luke let him go and drank his water. Luke: It''s fine, it''s fine. 18. Tiny Thunder Max: By the way, Tiff? Tiffany: Tiffany! Max: Right, Tiffany. Why did Timo call you Tiny Thunder? Tiffany flinched. Luke chuckled. Rose blushed and closed her mouth. Ken: Let''s just say, it''s a very long, very hot story. He signalled Max to look at the top of the room. There lay photos of some people who apparently won eating contests. Amongst them was a very full looking Tiffany, and under her photo, the title, most chilli peppers downed in one meal. Nickname: Tiny Thunder. Max burst out into laughter. Ken and Luke immediately joined him, and Rose hesitated before deciding to simply pat Tiffany''s back. The laughter lasted several seconds. Max: Oh man, that''s rich. You, of all people... Tiffany: Hey... Max: Tiny Thunder... Tiffany: Hey! Luke: C''mon Tiff, lighten up. Tiffany: No! It was your idea, remember? Luke: Hey, I saw a dear friend in need of a break, and I delivered. Ken: And delivered you did. This will serve as a joke for us for years. Max burst into laughter again. Ken: Case in point. Tiffany: Ugh. Tiffany turned from them, red-faced. Rose: Are you ok, Tiff? Tiffany: (sighs) Yeah, yeah, I''ll be fine. Luke: Anyway, .... And in such a sense, their time in the pizzeria went over the course of the meal. They spoke freely about themselves and their lives. Rose talked about how she thought squid kinda tasted like chicken, which everybody else doubted.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Rose: I''m not lying. The texture is.... Ken: M''lady, please. Stop the cap. Ken explained as to why he thinks the principal is secretly booby trapping the school. Ken: I swear, there is no other way to explain as to why the stairs to the basement were fixed so quickly! Theres gotta be a switch somewhere to turn them on and off. Luke: Oh, brother. Ken: No! I swear, you''ve got to believe me. Luke talked about his favourite game in sports. Luke: ... and then, I.... Tiffany: Please stop. You tell everyone you meet this story. Luke: What... it''s a good story. Tiffany remained silent and didn''t say much, and Max explained that he was an incredible skateboarder. Max: ... I bet I''m the best in the world. Ken: Oh, please. Luke looked at him with scepticism. Max: What? Ken: Best in the world? I''ll have to see that myself. Tiffany: Hold on! Everyone looked at Tiffany. Tiffany: I''ve been wondering about this for a while. Just how exactly did you save Rose''s life anyway? Max froze. The one thing he was terrified of at the moment and it came out of nowhere. Ken: He saved Rose''s life? Tiffany: Yeah. Just this morning. Ken: Hmmm. Fascinating. Max: Uhhhmmm, I uh.... I used... my skateboard.. ehehehe... Rose: Uh huh. And he was super cool while doing it too. Max nervously scratched his head. Tiffany: Ok. But how? Ken: You know, I''m also quite curious. Luke: Yeah, me too. Max: Well.... uh... I.... He did not expect himself to struggle so much for his good deeds. Max: I just skated over before... uhhhh.... Like a bell, Timo came back with the check. Timo: Hello friends! He brought the check, and Max checked for his wallet, all the while trying to think of a way out of that question until it hit him. Once he paid, he sat down calmly. Max: I don''t remember. They all looked at him, shocked. Tiffany: What! Ken: But it just happened this morning. Max: Really? I kinda forgot. Rose: But Max... Max: Well, I remember trying to save you, but the rest of it is kind of a blur. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Tiffany: You lost your memory.... in an adrenaline rush? Max: Maybe... Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Well... it is possible for short-term memory loss to occur during an adrenaline rush. Tiffany: You''ve gotta be kidding me. Alright, I''ll drop it. Max internally sighed. His secret was secure, and seeing the sweat stain on Timo''s apron which gave him the idea that turned out to have saved him. Pretending to have lost his memory in the heat of the moment. Later that day, all five of them left the restaurant. Luke: Hey, it''s getting pretty late. Tiffany: Yeah, we should get going. Rose: Mmm, hmm. Ken: Yep. Hey Max, I guess we''ll be seeing you tomorrow. Max: Huh. Well, I guess so. My house ain''t too far from here, so I can just skate there. Max smiled to himself as he got on his skateboard. Max: See you guys later. He rode off into the sunset. Rose: Goodbye, Max. Ken: See ya later compadre. Luke: Later, dude! Tiffany did not say anything, but he wasn''t bothered. He finally had friends. So why feel bad. 3 out of 4 was better than nothing. As he skated back home, he wondered about what he would tell his mom. The good news in and of itself would have been an insane to her. Max: (thinking: Maybe I should buy her a present or something.) He checked his back for his backpack to get some more money before making a realisation that made him stop his skateboard immediately. He forgot his backpack with them. Max had left it inside the van. He did not want it to take it with him to the restaurant. And so, he had to go back and get it. Max: Oh man, oh man. Maybe he could just go back home on his own. But his mom would be upset, and besides, if he could make it back to the pizzeria in a few minutes, all would be well. And so he turned back and made it to the pizzeria. 19. Priorities Unbeknownst to Max, a conversation was happening somewhere with his friends. Earlier at the pizzeria. Luke was just about ready to drive as Ken and Rose hopped on into the back. Ken: Looks like he forgot his backpack. Luke: Jeez. He''s pretty careless. Rose: Oh! We should give it back to him! Luke got into the van as did the others. Tiffany: Tomorrow. Rose: Tomorrow? Tiffany: Yeah. We''re too busy right now. Rose: Oh, right. Silly me. I almost forgot about today. Tiffany sat shotgun. Luke started to drive. Luke: On the plus side, though, that was a lot of fun. Ken: Absolutely. Rose: Yeah. He is soooooo cool! Tiffany: (sighs) What did I tell you guys about hanging out with normal people? Luke: Lighten up, Tiff. Ken: Yeah, it was just one day. Tiffany: (sighs) We are all aware of the danger that that could bring him and us. Aren''t we? Ken: And us? Tiffany: Yeah. What if he''s a spy, sent to befriend us and take us down from within? Ken: Oh, come on, Tiff, what are the odds of that. Tiffany: What matters here aren''t the odds. What matters are the risks we keep taking. Sooner or later, we might be screwed. Ken: I see what you mean, chief, but... Tiffany: No buts. After this week, keep away from him.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Rose: But Tiff.... Tiffany: No buts. He should make new friends immediately. Rose started sobbing. Luke: (sighs) Much as I don''t like it either, Tiff is right. We can''t put an innocent bystander in danger like that. Rose: But... Ken: The chief is right, Rose. There''s nothing you can do about facts. Rose: Awwww.... She shrugged and turned away from the group. Tiffany: I''m sorry, Rose. Luke: Yeah. We all know you had a crush on him. Rose suddenly turned around. Rose: N... No, I do not... Luke: Really? They all gave her a side eye. Rose: It''s just... I just... I just think he''s cool. Ken: Mmmm, hmmm. Rose: Ken! Ken: And for what reason do you think he''s cool? Rose: Well, he... well, he... well..... Ken: Mmmm, hmmmm. Rose: When he saved me, he said I didn''t owe him anything. Ken: Hmmm? You didn''t say that before. They were all a bit shocked to hear that. Ken: Huh. A person you''ve never met also being the kind of person to save you and ask for nothing in return. That Max guy is full of surprises. Luke: No kidding. Rose: I know, right? So there. I just think he''s cool. That''s all. Hmph. Luke: Suuuuurrree. Rose: Luke! Tiffany: Hey, while we''re on the subject, I''d like to ask you something, Rose. Rose: Yeah? Tiffany: How exactly did Max save you? Rose: Oh, right. Weeeeeeeelllllllll. I remember the car coming from my left and just as I was about to turn around, bam! Something hit me, and it turned out to be Max. Tiffany: Uh huh. So Max moved faster than a car that was about to hit you. Rose: Uh huh! Rose suddenly paused. Rose: Wait. M.. maybe the car wasn''t at full speed or... Tiffany: That''s enough. We aren''t speaking to him after he gets his backpack. In fact, Ken, check the bag. Rose: Wait! Wait! Rose and Ken shared a knowing glance before Rose finally yielded, and he opened the bag up. Rose: Fine. Ken: There''s nothing here but books and some random junk. Rose: See! Tiffany: Alright. But we''re still not talking to him tomorrow. Rose: Awwwwwwww. Tiffany: I''m sorry, Rose, but it''s for the good of the team. Luke: Yeah. Sorry, Rose. Rose: Hmph. Luke: I am gonna miss the guy, though. He was pretty crazy. Ken: Yeah. Did you see the way he walked up in front of Maths'' class? Dude''s got nerves of steel. I haven''t seen a single person with that much nerve on his or her first day of school. Luke: And standing up to Vince. Ken: I still can''t believe he did that. Tiffany: Yeah. That all just makes him more suspicious. Ken: (sighs) Oh, what would we be without our faithful leader? Tiffany: I heard that! Luke: Hey, it''s all good. I mean, even though we all liked him, sometimes you just gotta work in the mud. You know what I mean. Ken: Agreed. Luke: I mean, even Tiffany liked him. Tiffany immediately gasped and pouted. Tiffany: I did not. They all laughed at her after she said that, Tiffany: Ugh. Whatever. In any case, Ken? Ken: Yeah. Tiffany: Tomorrow. Scan Max completely. From head to toe. Ken: Sure. 20. Mr. Sweets Max finally arrived at the pizzeria. His first idea was to ask Timo about the whereabouts of his backpack. Max: Hey, big T. Timo: Ey. Max. You back. But uhhhhh... why? Max: I forgot my bag in Luke''s van, you know where it is. Timo: The van? Hmmmm. Hmmmmmm. Max waited expectantly. Timo: I have no idea. Max: (sighs) Oh, well... thanks anyway. Timo: No problem, Max. Good luck finding them. Adios! Max: Adios. He walked back out of the restaurant. Max: Oh brother. He looked up at the evening sky and sighed. Max: Maybe I should just wait till tomorrow. Yeah. Max turned and left on his way to head home. His thoughts were running with what he would say to his mother. She''d be happy to know that he''d made friends and following Tiffany''s advice, he would have to sugar up his mom or otherwise deal with her fury if and when she finds out what had happened at lunch that day. But for now, he could play video games. He skateboarded happily on the way back home without a care in the world. Mom would be happy, he could game in peace, and he could even take his time skateboarding. He decided, on a whim, to take a slightly longer route home. He figured he''d buy his mom a cupcake or something with the money in his pockets. He stopped at a small shop on the way and went off to buy a cupcake from a sweets shop. And there he met the eccentric "Mr. Sweets."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Sweets: Hiya kid. Max: Hey. Sweets: I''m Mr. Sweets. What''s ya name? Name: Sam Hopkins Age: 33 Occupation: Sweets shop owner Description: Looks like a mad scientist for some reason Facts: Apparently, he did really well in college. So he chose this.... on purpose. Max: Name''s Max, Max Hunter. Sam: OOOOoooh. What a delicious name. Here, have a free sample. Max: Really? Sam: Yes. It''s my extraordinarily experimental sweet cake. Max: Experimental? Sam: Yep. I made it in my lab the other day. Max: Lab? Sam: Yes. I combined the natural sweetness in honey with flour. What you have there, my boy, is cake infused with honey. Max: Woah. Sam: Indeed. Wanna take a bite? Max: Of course! Max took a bite and recoiled immediately. Max: Woah. It''s so good. Sam: Yep. It''s revolutionary! It''s evolutionary! It''s SCIENCE! The other customers took a moment to look at him in silence. Sam: And it''s yours for free. Max: I''ll take two. Sam: Oh, you want more? Max: Yeah, sure! I wanna give one to someone who''s probably been going through a lot. Sam: (gasp) How sweet of you? Tell ya what. You buy two, I''ll give ya two for free. Max: Really? Sam: Absosweetly! Max: Thanks. Max shortly after exited the shop after buying his sweets and left with a bag on his hands. He relished the nights air and took a deep breath. Max: What a weird day. But he smiled. It was a good day. He got back on his skateboard and was on his way back home. It was getting late anyway. As he skateboarded along the street, he thought, "What would tomorrow bring?" And as he skateboarded, he suddenly decided to eat one of the sweets on the way. As he munched, he suddenly caught something in the corner of his eye. It was Luke''s van. Max: Is that... no way! It was parked on the other side of the street. Max: What''s it doing way out here? He heard a sound from the direction of the van and quickly hid behind a parked car on the other side of the street. It was Luke. Luke: Alright, all geared up? Tiffany: Yeah. Ken: Absolutely. Rose: Right. I''m all ready. Luke: Great, let''s get a move on. Max: (whisper) Get a move on? At this hour? All four of them got onto the van, and it started and drove into the freeway. Max: Where the heck are they going? In Max''s mind, he thought, "His mom raised him well, and he would never ever eavesdrop on other peoples personal problems." He would never, absolutely never do that. It was wrong. He got onto his skateboard and faced the freeway the van had driven into. The intrusion into someone''s private life was wrong. His mother had always told him that. He began to skate into the same freeway. He smirked. Max: (thinking: I''m just gonna see what they''re up to. It''s a school night, but it''s alright. I''ll be back home before mom knows it. After all, I can just super speed dash there anyway.) And so he followed the van into the night. 21. The Pursuer Max followed them silently in the night, taking advantage of traffic jam to get ahead, but always steering clear of their vision and rear view mirrors. Tiffany, while in the truck, had begun to have a bad feeling. Tiffany: Luke? Luke: Yeah? Tiffany: Are we being followed? Luke looked at all of the driving mirrors one after the other. Luke: Nope. I''ve been checking. Tiffany: Tch. Rose: Is something wrong? Tiffany: Ugh. No, never mind. I just had an odd feeling, is all. Ken: No need to worry, fearless leader. Besides, if someone does come after us, we''ll just take them down. Tiffany still looked as though she was bothered by that thought. Rose: It''s ok, Tiff. It''ll be fine. Tiffany: Yeah, I know, it''s just... who was after you this morning? Rose: You mean the car? Tiffany: Yeah, do you remember what it looked like? Rose: Welllll.... Rose could only remember Max. Ken chuckled. Rose: What? Ken: She was too "distracted" to notice. Rose: I was not! Ken: Hahaha Tiffany: Alright, alright... never mind all that. We''ll figure it out later. Besides, chances are that our culprit will come after us again, so I want all of us to be on the lookout.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They all concurred as they drove across the road. Max continued to follow them slowly. It was getting late, but it wouldn''t be the first time he was late back home, he thought. That being said, he was starting to get concerned. They had been driving for a while, and the further they went, the fewer cars he saw on the road. Sooner or later, he might have to give up the chase, he thought. The road they were driving in had become increasingly silent. Traffic jams turned to a normal amount of cars before eventually turning to a lonely stretch of highway. At that point, with nothing but a skateboard, Max could not keep up. And at that point, he thought he could probably and should probably give up. But he immediately decided, nah! He was gonna go all out with this. He got off his skateboard and, revealing it to be foldable, he hid underneath his jumper. After that, he prepared to dash after them. Max ran at super speed, faster than anyone could see him. Faster than anyone could follow, fast enough that no one could see him and fast enough that he was quite a bit faster than the van and so he would hid behind buildings, cars and such to avoid being seen. This process continued for quite a while as the others completely failed to notice him. They eventually entered a completely empty road. There were no cars around. Max grew more and more suspicious. he could turn back, but no, his curiosity was too great. It was an hour since they started, but the van finally stopped next to a bunch of warehouses. Max continued to follow from a distance while munching on the treat. Max: Warehouses? What are these guys? They all walked out of the van. Max immediately noticed the katana on Tiffany''s hand. Max: (whisper) Woah! Tiffany sighed. Tiffany: Are you ready? Luke cracked his knuckles. Luke: Yeah. Rose nodded. Rose: Uh huh. Ken: Naturally. Tiffany: Alright. Ken? Scan the perimeter. Ken: Right! Ken''s left eye turned red, and a blue light projected from his eye and moved around the area. Max: (whisper) No way! Max was shocked but not shocked enough to fail to realise that he would be discovered if he did not run away. And so, he super sped to flee the scene before returning once the blue light had disappeared. Ken: We''re clear. Tiffany: Phew. So it was a false alarm. My bad. Rose? Rose: Right. Rose walked away from the bunch for a while, seemingly looking for something. Max: (whisper) What''s she doing? She eventually pointed to one of the warehouses. Rose: There! Tiffany: Alright. Luke? Luke: On it. Luke walked over to the building and, with a seemingly low amount of effort, opened the gate. Max: (whisper) Woah! Luke is really strong. The four of them walked into the warehouse. Max was still quite a distance away from them and couldn''t see what was happening and so he cautiously walked towards them. The inside of the warehouse was empty. Rose: Down there! Rose pointed to the floor. Rose: I''m positive. Tiffany: Alright. Luke, get ready! Luke: Right! Tiffany: How many are there? Rose: A lot of them. Tiffany: I see. Alright then. Luke? Max didn''t see what had happened, but he felt what was something of an earthquake that shook the entire area. He rushed to the warehouse only to find a massive hole in the ground and loud sounds coming from down below. 22. Beatdown Max looked down below and was shocked at what he saw. It was like a cave, but there were purple crystals all over the place. Some jutting out of the ground, others as stalactites and such. The purple crystals emanated some kind of energy that made Max feel odd. There was something odd about them. That was all he could say. What''s more, there were several men in knight''s armour. This armour also had some crystals jutting out of them, and they were carrying crystal weapons such as spears and swords and pointing them at his friends. But what really knocked his socks off was his friends. The people he''d met in high school that day. They looked like they were about to fight them. Tiffany drew her sword and pointed it towards them as they themselves pointed their weapons towards them. Silence remained for a second as they stared each other down. Tiffany: Ready? Luke: Yeah. Ken: Hmph. Rose: Hmph. Tiffany: Charge! They rushed the crystal knights as one of the knights commanded the rest to attack. The two groups at each other, with Tiffany in the lead from the start. Tiffany rushed right through the enemy with her blade at a tremendous speed. She used her blade to parry their blades and spears as she ran right through them, from time to time delivering kicks that sent these grown men flying, much to Max''s surprise.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The soldiers attacked her, but to no avail, she was far too fast for them. She used her blade to strike them as well. And since they were armoured, they did not receive injuries. Right behind her was Luke, who picked up all the stragglers and rammed right into them at full force. He sent them flying into walls even harder than Tiffany. Some of the warriors made attempts at cutting him but to no avail. The blades would not penetrate him. He could simply keep going irregardless, shoving several of them to the side and tossing them like rag dolls. Ken was up next. His eyes started glowing red again, but this time, a red beam flew from them, rapid fire style, sending even more stragglers flying. Some of the knights got close to him and tried to strike him, and he effortlessly dodged and shot at them each down without breaking a sweat or so much as a hustle, again surprising Max. Rose was up last. Giant rocks appeared to float from behind her, and she sent them rushing to her knights. They flattened the knights, and she just kept more coming. That surprised Max the most. He never would have imagined that she could actually hit someone. Max: (whispers) No way. They... they''re just like... They''re just like me... He couldn''t help but feel a shred of happiness as he stared at the four of them. The four of them, all of them. They were special just like him. But he chose to stay out of it and to simply watch. Eventually, they were all done and dealt with. Tiffany landed one final punch to a knight that was trying to get up. Tiffany: Everyone, alright? Rose: Yeah. Ken: This was easy. Luke: Yep. Phew. Tiffany: Ok then. Onwards. They all nodded their heads. The four of them followed Tiffany into the cave. Max waited till he could no longer hear their footsteps to follow after them. He jumped down and looked at the spectacle. The knights were all out cold, and the pathway before him was pretty clear. As to what in the world was going on, he had no idea. For one thing, the crystals shone with a purple glow that unsettled him. He took his time looking around for answers. A single knight tried to wake up much to Max''s astonishment, but he fell unconscious again. To get to the bottom of this, Max decided he would have to keep watching them. He steered clear of the knights and the weird crystals. "Just what in the world were they?" he thought. He was tempted to touch one and almost did but then decided against it. Max walked down the path, absolutely unaware of what he could expect from this place. Further ahead, Tiffany and the others were having a conversation. Tiffany: Rose, how much further? Rose: About.... about a few hundred metres. Tiffany: Alright. The team had taken to stealth while back up headed in the direction from whence they came, hiding behind carts and machines. 23. Trap Tiffany signalled to the others to slowly sneak out of the room they were currently in. The less trouble, the better, she always believed. They crawled under the machines bit by bit. Tiffany grabbed a guard and discretely knocked him out with the back of her sword while the others slowly crawled away. Tiffany: (whispers) Go! Go! Go! They were in a series of mining tunnels with crystal stalactites and stalagmites as well as several knights that appeared to be busy with the machines. They were digging with them. Tiffany''s orders led them to go through to the next tunnel. Once they had all made it through, they all took a breather. Tiffany: Alright, let''s continue. Ken: Yeah. As they left into the next tunnel, Max used his speed to avoid detection. He simply ran behind the majority of them before they could see him. He smirked at how smart he was before beholding what lay before him. The large drills and all the knights working. Max: What the... Shortly after saying that, he dashed out of there and hid as several soldiers turned and almost saw him. Max: Phew. (thinking: Man, I can not let myself get seen over here. I''ve gotta be more careful.) He decided that he needed a way to sneak around more easily. Further ahead, the quartet was well on their way to their goal. Tiffany: Rose? Anything? Rose: Still a bit further, about two rooms away. Tiffany: Alright. Luke: Man, I''m glad this is almost over. I''m tired of this. I really need to get a good night''s sleep. Otherwise, I''ll just fall asleep tomorrow. Ken: Yeah, this is a school night. But anyway.... They stopped by a mechanical door, and Ken scanned it before typing in the code to open it. The door opened.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Ken: There. Easy as pie. Tiffany: Let''s move. Luke: Yeah. They ran towards their goal, and there were only a few guards to be found on the way. Whenever one or a few soldiers were found on their way, they would sneak up on them and counter them easily as Rose would always alert them beforehand. As they walked on, Tiffany suddenly halted them. Tiffany: Hold it. Luke: Hmm? Tiffany: This is... this is too easy. Rose: Wh.. what? Ken: I agree. The statistical odds of us succeeding at this at this pace are about 3% Rose: For real? Ken: Yeah. Tiffany: This doesn''t make any sense. Rose, how many guards are at their crystal depots? Rose put a finger on her forehead and focused really hard before finally stopping. Rose: I... I can''t tell. Tiffany: I see. Luke: So, what now? Tiffany paused for a moment before continuing. Tiffany: There''s a chance that the enemy had the mind to use the energy radiating from the crystal they mined in the depots to mask their position and numbers. Luke: What? Rose: No way. Ken: But that would mean... Tiffany: Yeah. First off, given how complex of a strategy that is, that this is a trap. Rose gulped. Tiffany: And second of, given how specific it is to us, ... Tiffany looked at Ken expectantly. Ken: That one of them might be the one pulling the strings. Rose: Wait, you don''t mean... Tiffany: Yeah. We need to... No sooner had she said that than loud marching sounds were heard from both sides of the tunnel. Several guards suddenly came out all at once from both sides of the tunnel. From the direction of the crystal depot and from the direction of the crystal mines that they''d just passed. Far more than before. Luke: Mmmmm. Rose: Oh no! Tiffany: Darn it. Too late. They got into their battle positions as the knights surrounded them. One of the knights spoke. Knight: Surrender! His voice was deep and human, but emotionally, it was flat and robotic. Rose: Tiff, what should we do? Tiffany: Grrrr. She weighed their options. A fight in a situation in which they were surrounded like this on enemy territory was dangerous, she thought. Tiffany: Surrender for now. Tiffany dropped her weapon, and the rest afterwards dropped their battle stances. Ken: Awwww, man. The knights led them through the tunnels, passing by their destination and instead leading them to another area. The entire time, Tiffany asked herself. How exactly had they seen them? There were no cameras. Their reflection was seen in a crystal stalactite. And that image was being seen by a very handsome blonde young man with glowing eyes, drinking from a challice in a large room. Young man: Well, now, it seems those children have finally been dealt with. Name: Aloysius Wolfram Age: 19 Description: Calm and cunning Occupation: Evil villain Fact: Cheats on his diet all the time. Aloysius: But of course, it was only a matter of time before I caught them. He relaxedly took a sip from his challice, and a knight quickly ran to refill his challice. Aloysius: Thank you kindly. He took a look at another crystal to view them. Most specifically, Tiffany. Aloysius: Now... what should I do with you? Aloysius laughed to himself. 24. The Rescuer The guards placed blades against Tiffany, Ken, and Rose''s necks. Rose walked while worriedly looking at the blade while Tiffany and Ken silently thought things through to find a way out of it. Luke couldn''t do anything as long as his friends'' lives were on the line, and so he had to comply with their orders. The knights continued to carry them through their tunnels. Rose: (frightened) Uhhh... Tiffany. Where do you think they are taking us? Guard: Silence! Rose shut her mouth quickly and frightenedly. It was at that moment that the same question was asked again, but this time from inside the minds of her comrades. Other than telekinesis, she had the power to send her thoughts to the minds of others. She created a mind link between her and the rest of them so they could communicate in secret. Tiffany: My guess is, to a Wolfram. Rose gulped. Ken: This is not the kind of mission we should be doing on a Monday. Sheesh. What a pain! Luke: Are you joking? You''re not the one who has to drive you all back home. Rose: B... but how are we gonna get out of here? Tiffany, Luke, and Ken all exchanged glances. Ken: It''s alright, Rose. I''m sure our fearless leader will come up with something. Tiffany: Mmmmmm. Luke: Something wrong, Tiff? Tiffany: It''s just... if we try and fight our way through, one of us could die. Well... except you, Luke. What we need is a distraction. Something they wouldn''t expect. Ken: Oh brother. These guys are like robots. Surprising them isn''t easy.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Tiffany: I know, it''s just... even if we break free, I''d like to sleep tonight knowing we at least managed to get some work done. But no, our lives take priority for now. Ken: So the plan is to wait for a distraction. Tiffany: Hmph. If a moment comes, I''ll sound a signal. Rose, can you keep the channel open till then. Rose: Uh huh. Tiffany: Great! Just a little patience. It was mere seconds after that that right before they walked across a mechanised door that another guard popped up from behind them. Guard 1: Hey, I just received orders from the boss. His voice was a bit odd. They all shared glances in surprise. It wasn''t monotonous like the others. Instead, it was gruff. Tiffany: That guard... Ken: Yeah, he''s not... speaking like the rest of them. Rose: Yeah. Luke: Hmph. The guards walking with the prisoners stopped immediately. Guard 2: Speak. Guard 1: He said he wants all the guards except those holding the prisoners to go back to the mines immediately. All four of the prisoners were shocked. Tiffany: Why would Wolfram... ask for that? Ken: Beats me. Guard 2: Impossible. If he wanted to send us such a request, he would simply send it to us through our crystals. The new guard seemed stuck for just a moment before he continued. Guard 1: Are you questioning the methods of our great and invincible leader? The other guards froze for a few seconds, and Tiffany, Rose, Ken, and Luke also froze. This would be the perfect time to escape, but the entire situation was so shocking that they just watched. Guard 2: I see. Carry on. The majority of the guards left all leaving towards the mines, leaving only the guards who had blades up the prisoners'' necks. Guard 1: And make sure to tell anyone coming here the same! Guard 2: Sir! Once the guards were well out of earshot, the other guards continued towards their destination before the first guard walked up to them as well. Guard 3: Are there orders for us as well? Guard 1: Yes, of course. Guard 3: What are they? Guard 1: Drop your weapons. They surprisingly did that immediately and without question. Guard 3: And what... No sooner had they dropped their weapons that they all got beat up by Tiffany, Ken, and the one behind Rose was punched by Luke. Rose: We did it! Tiffany: Not so fast! Tiffany picked her blade up from the fainted guard and pointed it at the odd guard. Tiffany: Who are you? Luke: Yeah, since when are you guys on our side. Ken: Don''t move a muscle. Ken''s eyes were bright red. He was ready to fire. Rose hid behind the group. Guard 1: Why, I''m glad you asked. The guard took his mask off, revealing a smirking Max Hunter, much to all of their surprise. Max: Ta da! It''s me, guys! He smiled cheekily as he said this. Tiffany: What the... Ken: No way... Luke: Huh? Rose: M.. Max? In the silence of the caverns, a great explanation was about to take place. 25. The Reveal It was only a second after Max had said that. And after yet another second, Tiffany lunged at Max at an incredible speed and held him down. Max: What the...?! Hey! She got on top of him and restrained his arms with her own hands. Max: Hey, what the heck?! Let me go! I came here to save you guys! Tiffany quickly landed a punch on his face. Tiffany: Yeah, right. Max: Hey... hey... What was that for? Max struggled to wrench himself free from Tiffany. He was surprised by how strong she was, not that he was a particularly sporty person. Rose: Tiff, wait! Tiffany: No, Rose! Now''s not the time! We all know what happens when you put those helmets on. Rose: But... Rose winced. Ken and Luke watched the spectacle intently. Something was off. Max: When I put that helmet on? What the heck are you talking about? Tiffany: Don''t play dumb with us. Max: I''m not playing! Seriously! Let me go! Max continued to try to spring free while Tiffany held him down. But she slowly became less sure of what she was doing. Tiffany: (thinking: Somethings not right. Since when do dark puppets talk this much. And his eyes...) Max: Seriously, Tiffany! It''s me! Let me go! Rose: Tiff! Luke: Tiff, hold on, let him go. I don''t think he''s joking. Tiffany slowly began to release him before re- gripping him in the exact same way. Rose: Tiff! Tiffany: Rose! Read his mind! Rose nodded and started to try to enter his mind. She tried once and then twice and then a third time. Rose: I... I can''t. Max: Wait, you can read minds? Rose: Um... well... Tiffany: Don''t talk to her! Ken! Scan him!If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Ken: Right! Ken''s eye turned red again and scanned Max for several seconds. Tiffany: Well... Ken: I don''t believe it. That explains as to why Rose can''t read his mind. Tiffany: Well? Is he possessed or not? Ken: No. He''s clear. Tiffany let go and jumped back. Both teens panted. Rose: Max, are you ok? Max: Finally. Jeez. (to Tiffany) What the heck was that for? Tiffany: Ken, how is that possible? Max: Hey, I was talking to you! Luke: Max, wait... Max: What the heck was that about!? Tiffany: I... I apologise. Max: I.... (sighs). Nevermind. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: It truly was a fascinating spectacle. I wish I''d scanned him sooner. Luke: Well, Einstein? Ken: I may as well. Rose? Rose: Yes? Ken: Do you know how your mind reading powers work? Rose: Yes, I mean... well... kinda... Ken: When you try to read a mind, you send a weak electrical impulse from your brain to your target''s brain that enters said target''s brain and afterwards comes back to your brain with information. It would just so happen that a weak electronic field surrounds Max''s body. And that field blocks all the electrical impulses you send to it. Rose: No way! Luke: What does that have to do with the mask? Ken: It means that Rose''s electrical impulse will always be blocked by it. I suppose that that is the same reason as to why Max remained unaffacted by the helmet, seeing as it follows the same principle. Tiffany: I see. Rose: Really? Luke: Huh. Max: What are you talking about? Ken: In short, you, Max, are immune to this helmet''s ability to control people. Max: I''m what? The mask''s what? Rose: Yay, Max is on our side! Ken: He''s just full of surprises. Tiffany: Hold it. Rose: Huh? Tiffany: That explains as to why the mask didn''t control you. But what exactly are you doing here? Luke: She has a good point. It''s pretty weird for you to show up like this just after we met you. Rose: But... well.... Max: I... uhhhh.... hehe. I followed you guys here. Luke, Ken, Rose, and Tiffany: You what!? Tiffany: So I was right. We were being followed. Ken: Yeah, but how? I thoroughly scanned the area just before we got in. Max: Well I... Max got up and super sped to Ken. Max: ....just so happened... Then to Luke. Max: ...to be... Then to Tiffany. Max: ...to fast... And finally to Rose. Max: ... for all of you. Max was mighty proud of himself for just showing off, and the rest were absolutely shocked. Rose: (huge gasp) No way. Luke: Woah. Ken: Even more interesting. Tiffany: What! Max: Hmph. Yeah. I just used my super speed to run out of the way. Pretty cool, right? Tiffany: That was... Rose: Super cool. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I never would have imagined that you had superpowers too! Luke: Yeah, me neither. Ken: Absolutely. Tiffany: Wait, hold on! Why on earth did you follow us? Max: Well, I just saw you guys preparing for something late at night, and so I figured.... well.... Tiffany: That you''d follow people that you''d just met that day on an hour long journey to a place you know nothing about. Max: Yeah. Ehehe. But hey! It worked out, right? Tiffany angrily glared at him. Tiffany: You''re just so... ugh! Rose: It''s alright, Tiff. After all, he saved us. The sound of marching was heard in the distance from the tunnel from which they''d earlier left. Rose: Oh no. They''re coming. 26. Fight Together Aloysius Wolfram. His eyes were glowing a bright purple again as he spoke. Aloysius: So, there''s another one. He took yet another sip from his challice as he spoke to the knight standing next to him. Aloysius: So, tell me as to why I was not informed of a fifth intruder? Knight: (bowing) My apologies, my liege. He slipped from our notice. Aloysius: I see. He calmly put his challice back on the table before standing up and summoning crystals from the ground that hit the knight and sent him flying. Aloysius: I will handle the rest from here. He then calmly walked out of the room. Meanwhile. Rose: We need to get out of here. Luke: Right. Max: Hmph. They all turned to leave before Tiffany stopped them. Tiffany: Hold it. Luke: Huh? Tiffany: Something isn''t right. Luke: Whaddya mean? Tiffany: When we snuck in here, we weren''t seen by a single guard, but... Ken: So you''re saying we were being watched. Tiffany: Yeah! Rose gulped. Luke: Well, in that case (cracking knuckles), I guess we don''t need to run. Max: Yeah! They all looked at Max questionably. Ken: You want to fight them? Max: Yeah. You guys are my friends, right? Tiffany suddenly retorted. Tiffany: No. Max: What? Tiffany: Look. You can move at super speed, but either way, this isn''t some game. This is life or death, or worse.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Max: But... Luke: (sighs) Look Max, I get it. You wanna help. But this is serious. This isn''t Vince. Max: No way, I''m not leaving. Tiffany: Ugh. Rose: Uhhhh, guys. The marching grew louder. Tiffany: Fine. There''s no time to argue about this. Just stay behind us! They all got in formation around Max. Max: No way! Max dashed to the front of the group. Tiffany: Max, get behind.... Max: Yeah, yeah, I heard you. But I''m not running. Tiffany: Max! Rose: Tiffany! Tiffany: What? Rose: Come on. Give him a chance. You gave me one, after all. Tiffany: But... Knights started to appear from the distance. Ken: The situation calls for action, and frankly, he won''t listen. He''s been full of surprises so far. How about we give him a chance? Tiffany: I... ugh... Fine. Max. Max: Yeah? Tiffany: Don''t do anything reckless. Max: Hmph. Luke: You really think that will change anything. Tiffany: Honestly... At that point, the knights were almost upon them. Tiffany: Ugh. Attack. They rushed towards the knights just as before. Max super sped ahead of all of them and bashed into several of them randomly, Tiffany, noticing this, proceeded to take advantage of the confusion to take them out. Luke provided support just as before, and Ken fired lasers at the stragglers, and Rose again used her psychic powers to throw rocks at the knights. However, more soldiers started to arrive. Tiffany: Don''t let up. There''s more coming. Max continued to bash into soldiers. Luke: Right. Stay behind me. Luke rushed into the arriving knights like a bowling ball through pins and rushed several all of them. Max: Woah. Luke: Heh. I know, right. Tiffany: Look out. A knight with a massive hammer rushed at Max from behind, but three shuriken from Tiffany stopped him. Tiffany: Stay sharp. Max: Hey, I''ll be fine. Super speed, remember. Tiffany: Tch. Tiffany rushed in front of him and guarded him. Max: Hey, I''ll be fine. Ken, Luke, and Rose followed suit. Max: Seriously, I''ll be fine. Didn''t you see what I did there? Rose: Yeah, you were great, Max! Ken: Not bad for your first try. Luke: Yeah, not too shabby. Max: See? Tiffany: Ugh. Seriously, take this seriously. Max: I am taking this seriously! Rose: Uhhh, guys. Tiffany and Max turned. Rose: There''s more! Several more knights came after them. Tiffany: Don''t cede ground. Don''t let them surround us. Luke: Right. As Tiffany and the others were poised to attack, Max halted them. Max: Stand back. They turned around just to see electricity coming out of Max''s hands before he fired it at one guard, much to all of their shock. Max: Got him. Rose: Oh my gosh! You can shoot lightning? Ken: (smirking) This guy.... Max then proceeded to keep firing at the knights. Tiffany: Everyone, attack! And so they did. All the remaining knights were either sent flying by Luke, lasered by Ken, kicked down by Tiffany, bouldered by Rose and or electrocuted by Max. The final knight was taken down by Tiffany. Tiffany: That''s the last of them. Max: Woohoo. Alright! That was awesome! Yeah! Ken: Well, I suppose it was. Rose: Yeah, you did great, Max. Luke: Yeah, thanks. Max: See Tiff. I told you I would be useful. Hmph. Tiffany: Great. You helped us. Thanks. Now leave. Max: What! But I just helped you guys. Tiffany: You don''t know what''s at stake here. Max: What are you talking about... At that point, Tiffany, while restraining a conscious knight, took his helmet off, revealing his face, much to Max''s shock. 27. The Dark Crystals Max: Wh... what? What lay before Max was a knight with an empty and vacuous looking face with purple eyes, pale skin, and white brittle hair. Max: Wh.. what happened to him? The rest of the team watched him silently. Max dashed to him to take a closer look. The look in his eyes was completely empty. It was like he had been scared stiff for life. Max: What''s wrong with his eyes? And his face? Tiffany: This man... He can''t think for himself, speak for himself, or even live for himself. He''s like a puppet. Tiffany released him, and he immediately attempted to kill them both by spinning his blade around, but Tiffany knocked him out with a punch. Max: But... Tiffany: That''s what we meant by possession. Max: But... how... Rose: Max... Ken: If a normal human put that helmet on, he or she would be turned almost immediately into one of those mindless soldiers. Max gasped. Tiffany: Do you get it now? Get out of here while you still can. These guys aren''t just ordinary thugs. Luke: Tiffany''s right. They know you can''t be turned, so they may just kill you instead. So you should get outta here. Max fell to his knees. Max: H.. how are they doing this? Rose: It''s the crystals. Can you feel it? That aura around it? Max looked at a crystal on a soldiers armour. Rose: When you put one on, it starts to take control of you. Ken: And when that happens, there''s nothing you can do about it. Max''s breath rate increased. Rose: Max, are you ok? Rose ran to him to pat his back.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Luke: It''s alright, Rose. He''ll get over it. Max took a moment to calm down. Max: Who... who would do such a thing? Tiffany: That would be our enemy. Max: Who is it? Tiffany: The Wolframs. Max: The Wolframs? Tiffany: They''re the ones pulling the strings. And they''re even more ruthless than these knights. Ken: The information we have on them is pretty low, to be honest, but we can say for sure that there is at least more than one of them. Luke: And besides that, they''re all insanely powerful. Look, Max, you did a good job, but... you might want to leave. Now! Rose: Max. It''s ok. It''ll be fine. Max: No way! They were all startled by his response. Max: No freaking way! Tiffany: What! Max: There''s no way I''m leaving now! Ken: Ugh. Should''ve figured. Tiffany: No, Max. Listen... Max: No way am I leaving. These guys are horrible! Someone has to stop them! Tiffany: But... Max: And I''m immune to the masks'' power, right. That makes me the perfect weapon against them. It could be destiny. They all shared glanced. Ken: Well, he does have a point. Tiffany: What! You can''t be serious. Rose: But... M... Max... Max: No. I''m not leaving! I''m gonna help you guys stop them! They shared glances again. Max: Come on! I just helped you take on all these knights down. We could be a team. Luke, Ken, and Rose shared glances once more before smiling to themselves. Luke: Well, the dude''s got guts. I''ll give him that. Ken: Yeah. I guess super speed would be a useful ability to add to our ranks. And the ability to manipulate electricity is a bonus as well. Max: Yeah. Rose: (blushing) Wait! M... M... Max? In.... In our team? Tiffany: Hold it. Tiffany stared at them all angrily for a moment. Luke: (sighs) She''s right. Look, Max, it''s probably best that you leave for now. Max: What! But... Ken: She''s right. There''s too much at stake right now. Rose: Y... yeah... Tiffany: (sighs) Max. Your powers would be useful. However, this is not the time to make such reckless decisions based on things such as "destiny." So, you need to leave. Max: No. Tiffany: Max... Max: Then I''ll just prove myself to you guys. Tiffany: You''ll what! The shock on all of their faces was visible. Max''s face remained unperturbed. Ken: Well, he''s serious. Luke: Yeah, Tiff. maybe we should give him a chance. You never know. He might surprise us. Tiffany: (sighs) Fine. You''re in. Max: Yes! Max fist pumped in joy. Rose: Congs, Max! Max: Thanks... Tiffany: Just one thing! Max: Huh. Tiffany: I''m team leader. Max: You? Tiffany: Yes, and my first order is for you to leave this mission to us. Max: What! Tiffany: You can join us on another one. Max: No way! Tiffany: (sighs) Come on, guys, we have an objective to meet today. Ken: Right, peerless leader. Luke: Ok then. They all began to walk away. Max: Hey! Hey! Max followed after them, and Rose, watching this, giggled. Rose: They''re getting along really well. 28. Mission Accomplished? And so the five of them walked towards their final destination. Max was talking to Ken and Rose, while Luke wan Tiffany walked together. Tiffany: Keep your guard up, everyone! I have a feeling we''re being watched. Rose, Ken and Luke: Right! Max: So, Ken, what are your powers? Are you some kinda robot? Ken: Almost. Max: (gasp) Cyborg? Ken: Not quite. I''m bionic. Max: Bionic? Ken: Yeah. I have a bionic chip implanted inside my body. As a result, I can use all sorts of odd abilities here and there. Max: Oh, cool. Like what? Ken: Hmm? Well, other than shoot lasers out of my eyes, I can also connect to the internet at will. Max: No way! So you know everything? Ken: Ehehe... well, not everything... Max: And what about you, Rose? Rose: Well... I have psychic abilities. I can lift things with my mind, and I can also read minds, and I can also create a mind link where we can all have secret team meetings. Max: Really?! Ken: Yes, but because of the electric field your body naturally produces, you will never be able to join our psychic conversations. Max: What! Tiffany and Luke were ahead of them, having a conversation of their own. Luke: Something wrong? Tiffany: Ugh. It''s just.... This is all happening too fast. Luke: I get it. Tiffany: Do you trust him? Luke: Hmm? I mean... Luke listened in on Max''s conversation for a moment. Max: ...and then, I saw a bunch of knight''s suits, so I figured I might as well wear one....The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Rose: Uh huh. Luke: He doesn''t seem to be a bad guy. Tiffany: It''s not just that. It''s..... Luke: Hold it! We''re here. They stopped in front of a giant mechanical seal in the tunnel. Max: Huh? Max and the others caught up. Max: What''s that? Tiffany: Rose, is that it? Rose: Yeah. Right behind this door. Max: Hold on! What''s going on? Ken: Patience, young warrior. Max: Wha.... Tiffany: That''s our final destination. The crystal depot. Max: Crystal depot? What''s that for? Tiffany: The crystals they use to control people come from these mines. Ken: Afterwards, they collect and refine and then sort them. Max: Sort them? Ken: Yeah. Apparently, there are different kinds of crystals. But that is a long explanation, and I would like to go to bed early today. Luke: Me too. Max: Alright. Tiffany: Luke? Luke: On it. Luke slammed the door with a few punches before sending it flying into the room. The room was full of carts containing smaller dark purple crystals. There were a few guards left inside the room, and they pulled out their weapons. The team, naturally, beat the tar out of them. Ken: I think that''s all of them. Tiffany: Hmm. Rose, can you sense anything? Rose turned and looked around for a moment with her eyes closed. Rose: No, I can''t. Tiffany: Alright, keep a watch on things. Let''s destroy these things as quickly as possible. Luke: On it! Luke started grabbing cart after cart and piling them up in piles as Ken lasered them until they melted. An odd purple smoke left the crystals as they melted. Max: Woah. Tiffany: (thinking: If we were being watched, then how? It definitely couldn''t have been her. So, who was it? And also, why isn''t that person here right now?) Ken and Luke were soon afterwards done with the job. Ken: Phew. Alright. Ken cracked his back and stretched. Ken: Man, I''m beat! Luke: Tell me about it. Tiffany let out a huge breath of relief. Tiffany: Alright. Mission accomplished everyone. Ken: Great. Luke: Phew. Max: Oh yeah! Luke and Ken looked at Max and laughed. Tiffany: Ugh. Anyway.... Rose: G.... G.... guys.. Tiffany: Rose? Luke: What''s wrong? Ken immediately got on guard. Rose: I... I sense a huge amount of dark energy coming our way. Ken: You mean like an army? Rose: N... No. It''s one person. Tiffany: Is it her? Rose: No... no, it''s different. This one is more powerful. The panic in her voice unsettled Max. "What in the world was she so scared of?" he thought. Tiffany, Luke, and Ken all got into defensive positions. Tiffany: Max, you need to leave. Now! Max: What!? I said I wasn''t going to leave you guys! Luke: Max. This is not a joke! Get out of here! Max: No. I''m not... Ken: Listen, Max, I get it. But this threat..... It''s far more dangerous than you could ever imagine. Max: Whaddya mean far more dangerous? I can handle it. Rose: It''s coming... It''s coming... It''s coming... Rose continued to chant. Tiffany: MAX! GET OUT OF HERE! Rose suddenly stopped. Rose: It''s here. They all looked around for the target Rose had been tracking all thar time. Tiffany: Where? Rose tremblingly pointed to a crystal that had begun forming out of the ground that afterwards revealed Aloysius Wolfram. 29. Aloysius Wolfram They all stared at him with a sense of fear and dread, and he, back at them, with a regal sense of superiority. Aloysius: Hello, pests. His voice remained eloquent, but there was a certain disgust in the way he said, "pests." Tiffany: Wolfram! Aloysius: You must be Tiffany Chang. Tiffany: And you must be her older brother. Aloysius: Ugh. That child needs to learn to close her mouth. Max: Which child? And who is "she"? Luke: Now''s not the time, Max. You need to get out of here, now. Max: What? No way. I''m not leaving you guys. Max turned to Wolfram. Max: Hey, who the heck are you, anyway? Aloysius: Oh, that''s right. I never introduced myself. I suppose even vermin deserve a little recognition for the destruction they are able to cause. Tiffany: Tch. Luke: This guy... Aloysius: My name is Aloysius Wolfram. Take knowing my name as a reward for causing this much trouble. Of course, I will promptly ensure that you take that information to your graves. Aloysius then turned to Tiffany. Aloysius: You and your band of freaks have been giving my little sister quite the headache. She''s been noisy. So I thought for once I would do something nice for her and get rid of the bug bothering her. Tiffany: Mmm... How were you watching us? Aloysius: Oh, that. How astute of you to notice that! Well, I might as well. It would just so happen that I can create crystals of my own and then use them as my personal cameras. Max: No way! Rose: He.... he''s been watching us this whole time. Aloysius: Indeed I have, Rose. Indeed. However, when I heard that my little sister was having an insect problem, I imagined that you would be more threatening. (sigh) Shame. Ah, well. The invincible Luke, the calculating Ken, the psychic Rose, and the sharp witted Tiffany. That is the way she described all of you, but you are all just disappointing worms.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Max: Hey! Tiffany: Max. Stop! Max: They''re not bugs. And they''re not "disappointing"! Tiffany: Max, you need to leave! Now! Max: No.. Aloysius: Ah, yes. The child with the power to control electricity. And also, the child who is immune to the crystals'' influence. You are an odd anomaly. One I will have to eliminate personally. Tiffany: Max, leave! Max: I''ve got this. Max dashed towards him at full speed to punch him, but his fist instead connected with a crystal hard force field surrounding his skin. Max: What the...!? Aloysius: Why yes. Of course, having watched all of you fight, I already knew what to expect from you. And so I surrounded myself with a skin level crystal force field. Max: Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Rose: Max, get out of there! Max: Huh... Aloysius blasted Max with a dark beam, sending him straight into the cave ceiling before he crashed down. Reeling in even more pain. Max: Ugh. Rose: Max! Max struggled to get up while Rose ran after him. Tiffany: Attack! Luke: Yeah! Luke jumped after Aloysius, but Wolfram avoided this by simply floating away, leaving Luke to crash into the ground next to him. Ken: Well, now, he can fly. Perfect. Ken started to fire laser beams at him while Tiffany threw Kunai, but he adeptly avoided them. Aloysius: Your poor aim reveals your intentions. You are obviously trying to create a distraction. Most likely for.... He looked back at Luke, who had a massive rock in his hand and was about to throw it at him. Aloysius: Hmph. Weak. He sent a beam of energy right at Luke to destroy the rock before flying right into Luke and crashing into him. Luke got back up quickly and tried to punch him several times, but he simply dodged all of his punches by maintaining a safe distance while gently hovering above the ground. Aloysius: Quite the bumbling buffoon I see. Luke ducked, and Tiffany suddenly appeared from behind him, and she landed a kick, but rather than fall, he simply floated away. Aloysius: Is this all you have? Tiffany: Tch. Ken''s laser eyes suddenly connected, leading to an explosion of smoke that soon dissipated to reveal a completely unharmed Wolfram. Rose: Max! Max! Wake up! Max: Grrrrrrr. Max got up and angrily charged at Aloysius with electricity in his hands. Max: Why you little.... He dashed and jumped into the air and tried to electrocute him, creating yet another explosion that dissipated only to unveil yet again an unharmed Aloysius. Max was shocked that it had not penetrated his shield, and Wolfram grabbed his hand as Max tried to electrocute him again and again. Aloysius: Were you not listening? Max: Wha... but h... but how..... Aloysius: I prepared this shield to counter you. You don''t have nearly enough power to destroy it. Luke: But I do. Luke jumped to grab him, but Wolfram dodged him while still holding on to Max. Aloysius: You know, Tiffany. This child is not used to battle, is he? He would be better off running away. Max: Wh.. wha... Aloysius: Am I wrong? Tiffany: Release him, Wolfram! Aloysius: What kind of coward asks for mercy from the enemy? Ugh. Honestly... Tiffany: Rose! Rose: R.. right... Rose started to use her psychic powers to pull Max from Wolfram, and he let him go with little bother. Rose: Max. I got you! She gently lay Max on the ground, only for him to collapse to his knees. Max: M... my powers.. th.. they... Luke: Now you get it. Run! 30. Pure Power Max: There''s just... there''s just gotta be something I can do. They all got into defensive positions together, and this time, Max was completely disheartened. He stood up unsuredly. Rose looked back at him concernedly. Rose: Max... Tiffany: Focus, everyone. (thinking: We need a way out of this.) Rose: R... right. Tiffany: Ken. Scan him! Ken: Right! Ken scanned Aloysius while he just stayed in the air, unbothered. Ken: No particular weak points. Tiffany: What! Aloysius: As if you needed a machine to tell you that. Irregardless... He charged at them, swooping down from the air to strike them. Tiffany: Scatter! They all rushed into different directions as he fired beams at them. Aloysius: Pathetic. He went after Tiffany, who began to dodge him acrobatically by doing back and front flips. Rose subsequently hurled boulders and metal carts at him, but he simply avoided or deflected them. Ken: None of your attacks are doing anything. Dang it! Max fired an electric bolt again, but it still did nothing. Max: Damn it! Ken: Max. You need to run. Now! Max: No... I.... I won''t! Luke tried to interrupt Wolfram by throwing a punch, but he dodged it again and sent him flying with a beam. Luke: Gah! Rose: Luke! Ken: Never mind that. Rose? Rose looked at Ken and nodded instinctively. Luke got back up and cracked his neck. Rose nodded and continued to hurl boulders at him while Ken started to fire lasers, but he either dodged or ignored them while continuing to fire beams at Tiffany from the air. Aloysius: You make it so painfully obvious that it is a distracton. Honestly, it is quite embarrassing.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He turned and dodged Luke again, only for Luke to flip in mid-air and punch him directly, sending Wolfram crashing to the ground. Rose used her psychic powers to control Luke. Max: Woah! (thinking: They did it! They actually did it!) Luke: Got him! Ken: Yeah. Rose: Yeah.... Rose started panting. Ken: Sorry to push you so hard. I know using your mind link with your other powers really drains you. Rose: It''s... it''s fine. Luke: Hey. Eyes up. It''s not over. Ken: Huh? Aloysius started to get up from the ground. Aloysius: I see. You really do deserve your reputation. Tiffany: Don''t underestimate us! Tiffany pointed her blade at him. Aloysius: I see. I won''t. From here on out, I won''t be holding back. Ken: Wait! He was holding back!? All their eyes widened, including Max''s, as he flew into the air and made dark crystals of a significantly light shade come out of the ground and start trying to stab them. Tiffany: Everyone, move! Move! Move! They all ran as the crystals followed them. Aloysius: I think I''ll start with the psychic. Rose gulped and froze. Tiffany: Rose, run! Rose could only turn to see a powerful beam of energy aimed at her before Luke came in and took the hit. Rose: Luke... Luke: Rose. Stay behind me. Aloysius: Oh. Right. Cammeraderie. Wolfram then made crystals come out of the ground, encasing Luke in crystal. Aloysius: You can break through my crystals easily enough, but let''s see you break out of crystal surrounding every inch of your body. Luke: Gah. Rose and Max: Luke! Max desperately fired another bolt of electricity at him, but it again did nothing. Tiffany. Max, you need to run. Now! The crystal stopped at Luke''s face, leaving it barely exposed. Aloysius: Not so fast, Luke. I want you to see what happens to your friends. Ken backed away, his arm protecting a frightened Rose while Tiffany rushed to their side. Aloysius: Hmph. Well, any more tricks? The three of them were backed into a corner, and Max, in spite of his fear, decided to fire yet again a lightning bolt from behind him. It did nothing. He then dashed, and with a metal pickaxe he found on the ground, he jumped into the air and struck Wolfram, but to no avail. He simply beamed him to the ground. Rose: Max! Aloysius: Tch. Useless. Max flinched when he heard that. Rose: G... good job, Max. Aloysius: How sweet. You can encourage a coward when he''s clearly harming your chances. Rose: Max isn''t a coward. He''s just.... Max looked down depressedly. Aloysius: Hmph! Tiffany pulled out her katana and tried to attack him directly, but he simply floated away and fired more blasts that she had to dodge. Rose: Wh.. what do we do? Tiffany: Scatter! Aloysius blasted at Tiffany before swooping down directly towards Rose to blast her directly. He almost blasted her, but the blow was blocked by Ken, who took the blow instead and was sent flying into the wall before losing consciousness. Rose and Max: Ken! Tiffany rushed at him with her blade, but he instinctively flew away instead of taking a hit. Aloysius: Is that desperation I see in your eyes, Tiffany? Tiffany panted while looking him dead in the eyes. Aloysius: Don''t bother... Large crystals started to come out of the ground, and Tiffany rushed up the crystals, avoiding the sharp edges while running upwards to try to aim attacks at Aloysius. Aloysius: Hmm. Impressive. However, you forgot one thing. I control crystals. The crystals morphed and bent radically like giant snakes and begun to wrap around her, causing her to fall into what was a newly formed see-through spherical crystal prison. Tiffany: What.... Rose and Max: Tiffany! Aloysius: I think I''ll save you for last. Max super sped and started firing electric blasts, but they still did nothing while Aloysius simply floated down to a terrified and flinching Max and kicked him into a wall. Aloysius: Useless. Rose: Max! Wolfram slowly approached Rose as she backed into a corner. Aloysius: Frightened, are we? 31. Resolve As Aloysius approached Rose, she used her powers to throw boulders and then carts at him. Aloysius: So, like Max. You too, are a coward, aren''t you? Rose: N.. no... I... I.... She flinched as he made a shot that barely missed her head. Aloysius: Hmph. Like I said. Too easy. Max: Rose! He blasted her directly, and she fell to the ground. Aloysius lifted her from the ground by her hair. Max: Let her go! Aloysius: Tch. Aloysius fired a blast at him, and he dodged. Max: I said let her go! Aloysius: You can run away now. No one is stopping you. Max: Wh... wha... Aloysius: Do you not remember the way out? It is right through that door. No one is guarding it. So you may as well. Max: But... Aloysius: But what? You think you are a member of this team? You really believe that you pose any threat to me? Max: But I... Aloysius: Followed your friends into battle and now are too afraid to think straight. Do I have it right? Max: No... I... I just... Aloysius: Tch. Leave. You may as well leave. After all, running is what you do best. Max: Grrr... Tiffany: Max! Run! Max: But... Tiffany: Run, Max! Ken: (faintly) Run... Luke: (struggling) Just... go....Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Max stayed in the same spot, struggling with his thoughts while Wolfram prepared yet another beam to strike Rose. Max: No, no, no! I''m not leaving you guys. Aloysius sighed and dropped a fainted Rose onto the ground. Aloysius: Let it never be said that I was without mercy. So then, what will it be... or are words all you have. Max: Grrrrr... Max dashed around him in circles and tried to punch him several times while Wolfram simply yawned and fired a beam that sent an already unconscious Ken flying further. He stopped dashing in shock. Max: Ken! Aloysius: Are you really going to tire me out this much, insect? Max backed away in fear of Aloysius as he approached him. Aloysius: You are weak, insignificant, and helpless. Like a bug trapped in a bottle. Max walked back even further. Aloysius: To make things worse, you can''t even help those you call your allies. Have you ever been in a fight, Max? Max: Wh... What? Aloysius: A fight to the death? Or did you simply walk in here thinking that this would be fun? Max: I... I... Max stared unsuredly at all of them. Rose was barely conscious. Luke was still trying to get out of the crystal he was stuck in. Ken was out cold. Tiffany was banging on the crystal prison. Aloysius: I am correct, am I not? Max looked doubtful and scared. Aloysius: Well, I suppose you finally get the idea. Aloysius simply walked past him, much to Max''s shock. He was walking straight towards Rose. Tiffany: Max, just run! She knows what she signed up for... Tiffany spoke with fear in her voice. Max: But I... Max fired a bolt at him again, but Aloysius kept walking, undaunted. Tiffany: Rose! Get up! Rose! Max fired more bolts, but he simply and slowly continued. Aloysius: Hmph. Pitiful failure. Max stopped firing bolts just as he was about to reach Rose. He froze in fear. And that fear made him remember his days getting expelled from schools. Several voices in his head started popping off. Young boy: Loser! Adult: Oh dear, what a troublesome child! Teacher: This foolish boy! Young boy: Hunter? More like Loser! Child: Moron. Children loudly chanting: Loser! Weirdo! Loser! Moron! Young girl: Hey, why does that kid act so strangely? Young girl: Yeah, maybe he''s some kinda weirdo. Teacher: Skateboarding imbecile. Principal: You are expelled from..... Teacher: Maximillian Hunter. Please, just leave.... Scientist: I see. This specimen is quite disappointing. A single tear rolled from his eyes. He had always thought that he was over all of that. But here he was now, a failure yet again. A loser yet again. A coward yet again. For a few seconds, he could hear nothing. Not a word. There was a loud beeping in his head. The fear, the pain, the panic, all of that was trumped by a singular feeling. He did not know what words to use to describe it. But this feeling, this feeling from his heart. It told him one thing. In spite of all of his fears and pain, he would not run. And so... Max rushed directly in front of Wolfram, blocking his way to Rose, all the while, with a resolute look on his face, glaring at Aloysius. Aloysius stared at him for a moment before he sighed and pointed his hand at Ken to blast him but before he could fire, Max rushed and blocked his way to Ken, firing up his own electric bolt as well. Aloysius: Hmm? What now, did you somehow suddenly get resolve? Max didn''t answer. He simply walked towards him. Aloysius: Very well then. If you would wish to die, I will grant you that. 32. Fight Back Maximillian Hunter. That was his name. He didn''t know how he would win. But he knew he couldn''t let his friends die. He knew he couldn''t let himself lose. Tiffany: Max! .... Max! Aloysius: Be quiet! Let him do as he pleases. Wolfram and Max walked towards each other. It was when they were merely a few metres from each other when they both instinctively stopped. Tiffany: (thinking: Wha... what is wrong with him? Something''s different about him.) Silence followed for a second, and then Max moved at super speed and dashed around Wolfram again, this time in a much closer circle than before. Aloysius: This again. Are you still a coward? Wolfram aimed his arm in the direction of Ken, but at that moment, Max left the circle, leaving Wolfram in a dust cloud. Aloysius: What? He turned around and around to look for Max only to hear a metallic screeching sound. It was a mining cart, and Max was moving one towards him at super speed. The blow landed directly and pushed a shocked Wolfram to the wall of the cave before Max fired bolts at the stalactites above to land on Wolfram. Aloysius responded by creating a crystal shield to protect himself. They crashed down on him, creating another dust cloud that he emerged from, flying. He looked down at a glaring Max. Aloysius: Hmph. So you do have some fight in you. Aloysius fired crystal beams at him, but Max dodged him with his speed. Tiffany: Max... Aloysius: Tch... Aloysius started to summon crystals from the ground to try to catch him, but Max simply dashed across the wall to avoid the approaching crystal. Wolfram began to fire beams, but Max continued to fire bolts at him in return, much to his annoyance.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aloysius: You fool! Those attacks are far too weak. But Max simply continued irregardless. Aloysius: Tch. Aloysius''s attacks became more aggressive as he blasted more violently, but Max continued dodging both crystals and beams and firing bolts. Aloysius: Grrr. You imbecile. He fired a powerful beam at Max while making the crystals chase him even faster. The result was a massive explosion that seemingly connected and hit Max, causing a massive explosion. Tiffany: Max! Luke: (struggling) N... no... Aloysius panted a bit. Aloysius: There. Finished. He expected Max to fall, but he did not see a body fall to the ground. Aloysius: What! Where is... It was at that point that a vicious electrical surge was heard from behind him. It was Max, in the air, coming after him with an electrified punch and a determined look in his eyes. Aloysius was too shocked to react. Max''s blow struck home. It landed directly onto his right shoulder and sent both of them crashing to the ground. What''s more, it cracked his crystal body shield around his shoulder and ruthlessly electrocuted him. Tiffany: Max! The result was a massive explosion to the ground. Max dashed away from him and kept his distance while panting. Aloysius remained on the ground, shocked for a second, before getting up. Tiffany: Max? Max didn''t answer. He simply stayed panting. Aloysius: Well, now. I never would have imagined that you would be so much trouble. Entertain me, where did this courage of yours come from? Max remained silent. Aloysius: Hmph. Very well. Aloysius effortlessly repaired his shield. Max: What! Aloysius: Hmph. Did you think it would be that easy? Max: Grrrrrrr. Aloysius: Well, I imagine you have no interest in running away. And, I have better things to do, so... Let''s make this quick. Wolfram made a giant crystal surround him. It was just a bit larger than him. The crystal prison in which Tiffany was begun to crystallize her arms and legs. Tiffany: What! Max: Tiffany! Luke: N...no... Luke pushed himself even harder, and cracks began to appear in the crystal he was trapped in, but Wolfram simply reinforced it with a flick of his wrist. Luke: No... no.. Max: Grrr... Max fired bolts at him, each one leaving a small dent in his crsytal, but it was not enough. Aloysius: Your powers seem to be stronger somehow. But it is still not enough. The crystal suddenly stopped at Tiffany''s legs and arms, leaving her head and torso exposed, much to Luke and Max''s shock. Aloysius: Shocked, are we? I decided that hunting you down would be too much trouble. And so, I have a simple deal for you. Dark energy pulsated from the crystal Wolfram was in. It was in Tiffany''s direction. Aloysius: I will fire this beam at her. The crystal prison opened up, leaving her exposed. Aloysius: And I will fire at her from the safety of this crystal I summoned. Max: N... no... Aloysius: So, you have a choice. Let her die, or try to stop it. Max gasped. Tiffany flinched and struggled to break free, and Luke struggled harder. Luke: Why you.... Aloysius: Well... Max... What will you do? 33. Blue Light Max took a second to look at a Tiffany that looked horrified. Max: Tiffany... Aloysius: Well? Max: I... Aloysius: Five, ... Max: Dang it! Aloysius: ... four, ... "Come on Max, think, think, think?" he thought. Aloysius: .. three, ... Max looked around the room for a solution. Aloysius: ... two, .... Max: Dang it! Dang it! Dang it! Aloysius: .... one. Max rushed to her to block the attack, much to Tiffany''s shock. Tiffany: Max! Aloysius: Hmph. Well done. Aloysius fired the beam at her at full force, and Max fired his own electricity at full force to try to parry it. Tiffany: Max... The beam battle had begun, and it was almost immediately obvious as to who was going to lose it. Max''s beam was much weaker and was slowly being overwhelmed. Max: Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Luke: (weakly) Max! Tiffany: Max! Ken slowly got up. Ken: Ugh. What''s going on, huh? Max''s beam was eventually swallowed by Wolfram''s as a crystal wall started to form behind and around Max. Max: What! Aloysius: Hmph. It''s simple. You fell for it.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Wolfram''s beam pushed him further and further before he was against the wall, being blasted harshly. The beam blasted Max straight into the wall, and he fell, defeated. Ken: No! Aloysius: Hmph. So sentimental. But that very sentimentality was his weakness. He walked up to the defeated Max. Aloysius: And it would seem that that was all he had. Tiffany: Why you... Aloysius: Whine all you want, Tiffany Chang. However, I wasn''t joking when I said that I would kill you last. Tiffany: Tch... Aloysius: Oh, and... He started walking towards Rose. Aloysius: I believe that he deserves a proper death himself. Tiffany: No! Rose! Aloysius: It would seem that Kenneth has woken up. No matter. He prepared a beam while Ken tried to get up and walk to Rose. Just as Aloysius was half way there, the lights lighting the mines suddenly went off, much to everyone''s shock leaving them all in total darkness but for the faint glow of the dark crystals and also, a second later, for the bright blue glow appearing behind Wolfram. Aloysius: What? Tiffany: Max? Aloysius turned around to see Max. His body was glowing blue, and he was getting up. Aloysius: What in the world....?! As he stood up, his eyes seemed to have turned completely blue, and an odd bright aura surrounded him. Aloysius: Tch. You want more? He fired a beam at him, but Max simply dashed away to dodge it. Aloysius quickly formed a large crystal shield around him. Aloysius: Tch. Well? (thinking: Was he faster, just now?) Max dashed behind him in Rose''s direction, and Aloysius turned around to face him. Aloysius: So needlessly sentimental. In any case.. He prepared to fire a beam in Rose''s direction but before he could, Max sent a bolt of electricity at him. This time, the bolt didn''t simply dent the crystal. It instead tore a hole through his crystal shield, much to his shock. Tiffany: Max! Ken: What the... ! Max sent yet another bolt that connected and electrocuted Wolfram straight through his shield. Aloysius: Gah... Tiffany: Ken, what''s happening? Ken scanned Max as he walked towards Wolfram. Ken: His energy levels, its like that energy field around his body has multiplied itself. Tiffany: What! Ken: By a factor of about 9. Tiffany: What! Max slowly approached Wolfram, who repaired his shield. Aloysius: I see. So this is your... all. He regained his composure. Aloysius: Fine. He turned his larger shield into a more compact skin level shield. Aloysius: I suppose I will go all out as well. He started his attack with beams of energy, more powerful than the ones before and Max responded with his own bolts, firing them right back at him. It was a spectacle. Neither side ceding ground. Both sides recklessly blasting at each other. Aloysius: Heh, you seem to have gotten even stronger. Max did not answer. The blasts simply kept coming. At times clashing, resulting in explosions, leaving the battlefield in dust clouds and smoke Aloysius: Hahaha. Let''s go. Wolfram flew into the air to find Max in the smoke. Aloysius: Now, where did you go? Your super speed won''t work in the air. So you may as well show yourself! Max appeared behind him again with a lightning punch. Aloysius: So predictable.... Wolfram turned to face his opponent, clashing with him with a hand of dark purple energy. Resulting in another clash of energy. Aloysius: Come on! Show me more! A blue and purple light shone violently in the middle of the cave. 34. Overload The shining blue and purple lights shone more violently as the surging electricity and pulsating dark energy reacted. Tiffany: Max... Ken: Max... Luke: Max... Both Wolfram and Max struggled as the energy sent sparks that hit Max''s face and Wolfram''s crystal shield. Eventually, an energy explosion occurred, shaking the entire room and sending Max to the ground. Tiffany, Ken, and Luke: Max! He landed on the ground and quickly started to get back up. His eyes ever fixiated on Wolfram. The crystal on Wolfram''s body was massively damaged. There was no crystal armour left on his arm, and his hand was visibly damaged. Aloysius panted as he looked down at Max getting up. Aloysius: As it would turn out, you really were worth my time. I''ll admit that much. However, you are still not strong enough. It was at that point that Rose woke up. Rose: Uhhh. wh... what''s going on..?! Ken: Rose! Rose: Ken? Rose turned around to bear witness to a Max surrounded by a blue aura looking up to Wolfram, who was then repairing his crystal shield. Rose: M... Max? Max did not answer. He simply kept staring at Wolfram. Aloysius: You see, Max. Without your speed, you have no chance of catching me unawares. In short, this fight is over. Rose: Wh... what happened! Ken: Max went berserk. Rose: What! Max kept staring at him.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Ken continued to scan him. Aloysius: Well, have you given up? Max did not answer. Rose: Max! He still did not answer. Ken: Wait! Rose: Huh! Tiffany: Ken, what''s going on? Ken: A huge surge of energy, Max is... Max put out his hand. Above it, on a fixed point above his own hand, blue rays appeared to start coming out from his hand, converging at that one fixed point. Aloysius: What is that? Ken: Rose, take cover! Rose: But... Ken jumped and grabbed Rose and took her to the ground behind some rocks. The tiny dot over his palm suddenly expanded to form a blue ball about the size of Max''s hand. Aloysius: Is that your final blow? Very well... Aloysius prepared a dark crystal spear charged with dark energy. Aloysius: Come. Max rushed towards him. This time, not behind him, but rather, right in front of him. He jumped into the air with the ball and charged at him in the air while Aloysius charged at him with the spear, and they clashed. Max still remained silent. The blue ball of energy seemed small compared to the spear but was disintergrating the spear with every passing second. Aloysius, in response, tried to send even more energy through the spear. Aloysius: GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Rose, Tiffany, Ken, and Luke: MAX! Aloysius: GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH (thinking: How, just how is he so powerful?) The ball grew ever closer to Wolframs''s body, with each passing second. Aloysius: Why you... Wolfram used his other hand to further power up his spear, but it only slowed Max down. Ken: He... he''s actually doing it. Tiffany: I don''t believe it. Luke: No way! Rose: Max... Rose held her hands to her heart. Aloysius: Grrrr. The energy ball had just about collided with Wolfram when he put his hands together to focus all of his energy to power up the remaining crystal between himself and Max''s energy ball. Aloysius: Gaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! Cracks begun to appear in the crystal. Aloysius: You little brat! And then the crystal cracked, and an explosion occurred. It wasn''t like any other normal explosion of gas and smoke. It was like an explosion of blue electrical energy. Ken held Rose back as the explosion took place. Rose: Max! Tiffany turned her head, and Luke closed his eyes. The blue electrical energy frizzled all of their hair in a powerful shining light. Once the explosion was done, both combatants began their motionless fall to the ground. Rose: Max! Rose quickly used her powers to hold Max in the air while Wolfram hit the ground. She pulled Max towards herself and Ken. Rose: Max! Max! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Rose gently lay him on the ground and held him. He was unconscious. Rose: Ken! Ken quickly scanned him. Ken: His energy levels. They''re almost at zero. Rose: Max! Max! Come on, Max! A rumbling of rock could be heard in the distance. It was Wolfram. And he looked absolutely destroyed. His hair was frizzled, his face had burn marks, and his attire was scorched. He shakily got up while panting. Ken: You! Ken shakily got up as well and put his hand between himself and Rose. Aloysius simply looked at Max''s unconscious body in Rose''s arms and looked at Ken. Ken''s eyes turned red towards him. Aloysius, in defeat, turned into crystal and teleported away. Ken: He''s gone! 35. Like A Mother To Worry Julianne Hunter. Age: 35. Relationship Status: Single, with one son. She was pacing inside her house, trying her son''s number from her house yet again. It was past midnight. Julianne: Hello? Max? The phone remained silent for a second before eventually going to voice mail once more. Julianne winced, and tears fell out of her eyes as she waited for the beep. And once the beep came, she started. Julianne: Max, honey. Please come home. It''s ok if you had a rough day at school. It''s alright if you got in trouble, just come home, ok? It doesn''t matter what might have happened. Mommy is here. She sent the voice mail as tears ran across her eyes. Julianne: (thinking: He''s never this late back home. He could always super speed back.) Julianne Hunter. Julianne: (thinking: All I wanted was for my son to live a healthier life and to build healthier relationships. Was I.... did I push him too hard?) She started dressing up. She had made up her mind. Whatever it was, her son needed her, and she was not going to fail him. Julianne was then clad in a black jumpsuit. She firmly put on some gloves. After this, she walked downstairs and looked herself in the mirror. She only gave herself one second before she walked into the basement.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Inside the basement, she walked directly to a wall and placed her hand on it. Within three seconds, the wall opened up to reveal a large white walled room with several technological gadgets on the inside, most of which were vehicles. There was a tracking device, and at that point, she almost regretted not having put one on her son. She wanted to give him privacy, but in a situation like this, it was hard not to imagine how much easier it would have made this situation for her. Julianne walked directly towards just one of them. A motorcycle. A particularly advanced looking one at that. She typed a code next to it, and the motorcycle was scanned and then dematerialised into a small orb. She carried the orb with her as she walked towards the basement''s exit before closing the secret entrance once more. As she walked up to the living room, she felt the need to walk to the family picture. She couldn''t help but stare at it for a while. It was her, her husband, and Max, as a six year old boy. The photo was of a fond memory. Her husband was a handsome man with brown hair and blue eyes. He had his arm around his wife and his hand on his son''s head. A tear fell down her cheek. Julianne: Did I go too far, honey? She winced again before rubbing her tears off of her face and taking a deep breath, and resolutely walking out her door. The night was cold, and the sky was starry. It was a beautiful night. She, however, did not take even a moment to absorb it. Out in the backyard, that was her destination. It was a completely normal looking backyard that stood before the Hunter household. She lay the orb from the secret lab on the ground before typing yet another code into it. The motorcycle materialised im a bluish vortex of pixels. She got onto the motorcycle and typed in another code. This one made the motorcycle look more like the ones people were used to seeing. After that, she put on her helmet and tested the engine before rapidly driving into the night. She knew her son had super powers and so she had no worries about his physical health. It was his mental health she was concerned about. In all the schools he had had to leave, he had never failed to come home. Julianne: Open menu! A blue field of options appeared before her as she drove. Julianne: Activate autopilot! The motorcycle started to move on its own, and the blue field disappeared. Julianne: Search all skateboarding and video gaming locales in the vicinity! The machine responded with a beep and started to automatically point her in those directions while she pumped the gas to move faster. Her maternal instincts were on fire. She could feel it at that moment. Something terrible might have happened to her son after he had left. She tried to call him once more to no avail. He still wouldn''t answer. Julianne: Hang in there, baby. I''m coming. Just..... hang in there. She drove into the night sky. 36. Aftermath Meanwhile.... Tiffany: Dang it! Dang it! Dang it! Dang it! An enraged Tiffany punched a wall of the warehouse so hard that a sizable dent was left. Luke: Tiffany! She did not reply. She simply hung her head down. Luke: Tiffany! She prepared a fist to punch the wall again. Luke: Tiffany! Calm down! Tiffany: I.... She paused at that moment and took a few deep breaths. Tiffany: ... alright. Inside the warehouse hole, Rose was psychically lifting Max up into the air so Ken could grab him before she lifted herself up with a rock. Rose and Ken walked outside the door, the both of them supporting a fully unconscious Max with their shoulders. Tiffany: How''s he doing? Rose looked down sadly. Ken: His condition doesn''t seem to be showing any significant improvements. Tiffany: I see. Luke walked over to his van. Luke: Come on. Let''s head home. Tiffany: Right! They all entered the van. A silent and morose tone was in the air. Rose gently lay Max flat on his back and on her lap in the back of the van as Ken joined her. Tiffany sat shotgun, and Luke was at the wheel. He started driving. Tiffany: Ken, have you... Ken: I already am. Ken was scanning Max over and over. From head to toe while the other three waited anxiously for his results. In a few minutes, he finally stopped. It was a few seconds before anyone spoke. Tiffany: Well?The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Ken: It would seem that his body''s own cells have reduced in size by about 50%. His electrical energy is a mere fraction of what it once was. Tiffany: I see. They drove in silence for a few more seconds. Rose: (tearfully) What are we going to do? Tiffany grasped the leather of the front seat so violently that it almost tore, only for her to receive a glare from Luke. Tiffany: (whisper) Sorry. They remained in silence for a bit longer while Ken continued to scan him. Tiffany: Can... can we do anything for him? Ken: I''m not certain. Tiffany: Tch. Another few seconds of silence passed. Luke: Well, for one thing, we can''t take him to a hospital. He''s not an ordinary human, after all. Tiffany simply nodded as did the other two. It was several seconds of silence before anything else was said. Rose: (tearfully) D... do you think he''ll make it? Rose closed her mouth right after she''d said that. Tiffany and Luke looked back but simply depressedly turned away. Their mission was to protect people, and here a person was, in danger because of their weakness. Ken: Hold on. I think I may have some good news. Tiffany: Huh! What is it? Luke: Yeah, spill it out! Ken: From the time I last scanned to now, the size of his cells has increased by 0.00001% In fact, they seem to be expanding at an exponential rate. Luke: That means... Tiffany: He''s recovering? Rose gasped. They all let out a massive sigh of relief. Ken: Somewhat. It is the equivalent of pushing oneself too hard. His body is slowly recovering, but he will need some rest. A lot of rest. Tiffany: Alright. Rose: So, wh... what should we do? They all flinched at the thought. Tiffany: We should take him home to his parents. Ken stopped scanning Max and looked at Tiffany for a moment. Ken: You do realise that... Tiffany: Yes. Ken: Alright then. I''ll search up his home in the databases. Tiffany: Hmph. Silence consumed the van once more. Rose: Do... do you think his parents will be mad? They all remained silent for a moment. Tiffany: I''ll take full responsibility. Luke: That''s not right. Tiffany: I''m the team leader. Luke: Yeah, but we''re in this together, remember? Tiffany looked out the window and sighed. Ken: Found it. Roseglade Street 42. Luke: Got it! Ken then returned to scanning Max. He did this for several seconds, his face showing obvious signs of surprise. Rose: Ken, is something wrong with Max? Ken: No, not quite. It''s just... Rose: Just what? Ken: I do not believe that he is human. Rose: What? Luke: No way! Tiffany: I see. That explains the powers. Ken: It''s like his body constantly produces electricity all on its own. Rose suddenly gasped in excitement. Rose: So that means that he''s like... Ken: Yes. He''s probably just like you. Max might just be an alien. Rose: Really? Ken: Well, I still have to run some tests, but chances are... yes. Rose: Oh my gosh. I never would have imagined that! She looked down at Max and thought about how much closer it would make the two of them before remembering his current predicament. Ken: But that does bring up one particular problem. Luke: What? Ken: If he is an alien, then... Tiffany: His parents... Ken: Then we likely have two super powered beings currently hunting for him. And by him, I mean us. Rose gulped. 37. About Julianne Hunter Luke stopped the van at a gas station to get a refill. It was late. Very late. Luke went to talk to the men at the gas station to pump gas into his van and to pay them. Ken went into the gas station to buy them all some snacks. After all, they hadn''t eaten since Timo''s. Rose remained with Max on her lap, attentively watching him. Tiffany simply looked outside the window forlorningly. Rose: It''s alright, Tiff. It''ll be fine. Tiffany did not answer her. Rose: I''m sure his parents will be fine with us. After all, we''re his friends. Tiffany still failed to give her a reply. Rose: Tiff? She still remained quiet. Rose: Is something on your mind? Tiffany still remained silent. Rose used her psychic powers to give Tiffany the sensation of someone touching her shoulder. Rose: Tiff? She suddenly jolted up. Tiffany: Oh, Rose. Sorry, I was thinking about something. Did you say something? Rose: Yeah. Is everything ok? You seem gloomy. Tiffany: I... I''m fine. Nothing to worry about. Rose: Ok. Rose gleefully took her word for it and got back to watching Max. Tiffany wondered to herself as to how on earth she could tell Rose what was bothering her. It wasn''t just Max that was bothering her, after all. A team leader always feels pain when he or she feels like he or she just failed.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Luke: Alright, I''m back. Luke hopped into the van and Ken as well with a sizeable bag of goodies. Ken: I''ve got the food. He threw them all a bag of chips and beef jerky, and they all began to eat it. It was a few moments before Ken started speaking. Ken: So, I was searching on the internet about Max and his family while in the gas station. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: I know, I know. Looking up people''s private lives is morally wrong. But I believe this case is an exception, after all... I''ve got some more news about Max. Rose: More news? Ken: Well, it may not be all that relevant to our situation... Tiffany: Mmmmmmmmm. Ken: .... but I figured I may as well tell you all. Tiffany: Ok then. Out with it. Luke started driving again. He backed out of the gas station and tried to enter the freeway. Ken: It would just so happen that Max is the son of the famous actress, Julianne Hunter. Luke: What!? Rose: No way! Tiffany: Huh! They all stared in shock before making a sudden realisation. Rose: Uhhh... wait. Who is Julianne Hunter anyway? Luke: Yeah, the name rings a bell, but I don''t know from where. Tiffany: Yeah, same. Ken: Well, we don''t really know her all that well. That is perhaps because she hasn''t been acting for the past ten or so years. Rose: Huh! Ken: According to reports from hardcore fans, after the death of her husband, she quit acting altogether and has since then kept a low profile with her only son, who remains "unnamed." Tiffany: I see. Ken: So, on the plus side, that is one less parent to worry about. Rose: Ken! Ken: What? It''s the truth. Rose: (tearfully) But that''s so mean and insensitive! Ken: (sighs) Yes, yes, I understand. But in any case, we do have less to worry about now. Tiffany: I get it. That also means that we have one angry, emotional, and likely irrational mother who is probably scared of losing the only family she has left. And she is probably hunting us down. Ken: Well, that is also true. And since they are family, the likelihood that she has the same powers is particularly high. Rose gulped again. Luke: So a super speeding electricity controlling alien mom is hunting us. Go figure. Ken: And given the age difference, I wouldn''t call it a stretch to say that she is very likely more powerful than him. Tiffany: (seriously) Yeah... Rose: So... what should we do? Tiffany: Keep your guard up, everyone, and no matter what, if she does attack us, do not harm her. They all nodded in response. After all, they owed him too much after all that had happened. Rose: (thinking: Dont worry, Max, you''ll be fine. We''ll get you home soon, ok?) Rose continued to observe Max as he simply breathed as they made the long and boring journey to Max''s house. Max remained completely unconscious. Like a fainted human. Ken continued to scan Max from time to time. Tiffany and Luke remained silent. 38. Waiting... Late. Very late, in fact. Around 1 am. That was when they, in Luke''s van, finally made it to Max''s home. Luke slowed down his car as he drove around the area. There were no cars driving in the vicinity or even people. All was silent for the most part. Luke: Is this it? Ken: Yes. That one over there. The house looked no different from the houses next to it. Ken: I must say, it is quite the efficient hiding place. Not a single thing out of the ordinary in this house. Tiffany: Hmph. Luke: Let''s get this over with. Luke started to park the car into the driveway as there was no car there, but Ken suddenly interrupted him. Ken: Hold it! Luke: Huh? What''s up? Luke stopped the car. Ken looked carefully around the surrounding area. Ken: You trying to park here just set off some kind of alarm and signal. Rose: Alarm? They were all shocked to hear that. Ken: Yeah. Ken opened the back door of the van and walked outside without a response, much to all of their surprise. Rose: Ken? Luke: Hey, Ken. What are you doing? Ken: Over there. Ken pointed to the more developed parts of the city. Ken: The signal is being received by something over there. They all looked outside. Tiffany: That means... They all exchanged nods.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. That was definitely Max''s mom, and she was definitely coming. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Yes? Tiffany: How much time do we have? Ken: About half an hour. But given the fact that she''s an alien like Max, I''d say we have minutes at best and seconds at worst. Tiffany: I see. Tiffany took a deep breath. Tiffany: Rose? Rose: Yes? Tiffany: Bring Max outside! Rose: Right! Rose gently used her psychic powers to lift Max out of her lap and take him outside, where she sat on the ground with his head on her lap. Ken: What are you planning on telling her? Tiffany: I... I... Luke: Hey, were in this together, remember? Tiffany simply remained quiet. Luke: Tiff! Tiffany: I''m team leader, remember? I''ll handle this, and that''s an order. Luke: Hey. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Yes? Tiffany: Keep calculating how much time we have left. Ken: On it! Luke: Ugh. Ken looked back in the same direction. Tiffany: Rose? Rose: Yeah? Tiffany: Keep Max safe. Rose: Hmph! Rose held him close to herself. Tiffany stopped and looked at Luke, who was simply looking back at her. Luke: (sighs) Don''t push yourself too hard, alright? Tiffany: I know. The cold of the air passed through them for a while. It had been several minutes of uncomfortable waiting. They all waited outside the van. Luke let out a huge yawn. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Yes, Tiffany? Tiffany: Why isn''t she here yet? Ken: To be honest, it has been bothering me for a while. Rose: (yawns) What time is it? Ken: About a half past 1 am and about 10 minutes since the alarm had sounded. Tiffany: Has she gotten any closer? Ken: Yes. And at an alarming pace, but... Tiffany: But what... Ken: She, oddly enough, is actually slower than Max. At least from my point of view. Tiffany: Slower? Luke: (yawn) Isn''t she supposed to be stronger and faster than Max? Ken: Yes, that was the assumption. But even weirder, she seems to be moving while obeying traffic rules. Tiffany: Maybe she''s stuck in a vehicle with some other people. Ken: Maybe. Or maybe my earlier assumption was wrong, and or I''m missing something. Tiffany: Missing something? Ken: Yes. It is possible that Max''s mom does not actually have powers. Rose: (gasp) So... so he''s not an alien? Ken: Well, maybe not. Rose: Oh...., well, it''s ok. Tiffany: I see. Either way, keep your guard up. They all nodded in agreement. They remained silent in quiet contemplation as they waited in the driveway. The four teens went back into the van, waiting for her to appear. Rose: Has he gotten any better? Ken scanned him once more. Ken: So far, 0.0017%. He''s improving. Rose: Hmph. Rose nodded. At least he was recovering. Several moments later, Ken suddenly got up, alarming all of them. Ken: She''s on this road. They all walked outside the van, and from a distance, they could hear it. The loud sound of a motorcycle engine "purring." They looked in the direction Ken was pointing to and braced themselves for what was to come. In the distance, a very determined Julianne Hunter was on her way. 39. Angry Mom Julianne Hunter had seen a signal light up on her motorcycle. It was the alarm she''d installed to alert her as to whether someone or something had entered the house''s vicinity. She had specifically designed it so that it would ignore smaller things such as birds or squirrels, as, of course, it acted in a similar way to a weight sensor. It would, of course, ignore everything that weighed less than 40 kg. Once she noticed it, the only thing that came to her mind was that her son was back home. And so, she hurried. She drove the motorcycle as fast as she could, trying to make it there as fast as possible while dealing with road rules. Once she was finally on the street and started closing in, she noticed a van from the distance. Odder, she noticed multiple figures standing next to the van. She simply continued on her way. But truly agonizing was the sight of her dear son, unconscious in one of the strangers'' arms. She drove even faster upon seeing that. Tiffany and the others waited anxiously. She clenched her fist. Julianne finally arrived, stopping a few metres in front of them, turning off the bike, and then turning to face them. The look in her eyes sent chills down their spines. It was undeniable. That was the look of a mother who was ready to aggressively protect her son. Julianne: What have you done with my son? Her voice was irritated, anguished and aggressive. Tiffany hesitated before answering. Tiffany: I... I... Rose? Rose looked back at her. She was already tearing up. Tiffany. Send him to her. Rose used her psychic powers to send Max to her, gently floating him over, much to Julianne''s shock, but she did not seem to care much about that. Julianne simply grabbed Max and held him in her arms. She immediately checked his pulse. He was still breathing.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Julianne: (softly) Oh, my baby. It''s ok. I''ve got you now. She held him for a moment as the others looked on at her, too afraid to say anything to interrupt the mother. Julianne: What did you do to him? They remained quiet for a moment. Julianne: I said, what did you do to him? Her glare at them was bone chilling. Tiffany: (weakly) I.... I... I.... She gritted her teeth before continuing while Luke looked at her sympathetically. Tiffany: I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED! She could only shout it, and then, she bowed down on her knees to her while a surprised Julianne Hunter looked on. Luke: Ahem... We.... take full responsibility for what happened. Luke also bowed down on his knees. Rose, who at that point was about to start crying, also continued. Rose: I also, (sob) want to take full responsibility for what happened! She also bowed down on her knees. Ken looked at all of his friends on the ground and continued somewhat forlorningly continued. Ken: I also... take full responsibility for what happened. Ken slowly knelt on the ground as well, bowing to her. Julianne Hunter could not believe what lay upon her at that moment. The very people she was about to claim harmed her son, were the very people who were now bowing before her in the cold night. She, holding her son in her arms, carried him to the front door before she took a look back. They all remained there, and none of them had moved even an inch. She sighed. Just who were these people anyway. And on top of that, what was up with the girl with psychic powers? Julianne ignored them and gently took her son to his bed. She carried him all the way upstairs and lay him softly onto his bed. She lay the palm of her hand on him and looked through his body carefully. Under his sweater lay a busted skateboard. She pondered as to what could have destroyed it. Julianne walked out of the room and, a few minutes later, finally came back in with a gadget. She passed the gadget around Max''s body, and it made strange beeping sounds. Julianne: Just as I figured. She let out a huge sigh of relief before whispering into his ear. Julianne: Don''t worry, baby. You''ll be fine in no time. Julianne looked outside the window of his room. The four teens were still there. She sighed again. Julianne walked outside, right past them, and grabbed her motorcycle and dragged it to the backyard, where she turned it back to an orb, and she proceeded to take it back to her underground lab. She then made herself some coffee before exiting the front door to look for the teens. They were still there. She sighed again. Whether it was respect for their dedication or a maternal instinct kicking in because someone else''s kids were sorrowfully waiting for her in the cold.... These people were completely unknown to her, and what''s more, they had powers that she was not aware of. She also did not know what had happened. But, in the end, seeing kids suffer was hard for her to bear. Julianne: Come in! 40. Interrogation They all got up in shock and slowly and morosely walked into the house. She closed the door behind them and led them to the living room. Julianne: Have a seat, all of you. They all nervously sat down on the couches in the living room as she left to go to the kitchen. She, shortly after, came back with a piping hot cup of coffee and sat down in one of the couches. Julianne sat down and slowly took a sip of coffee while they all quietly waited while nervously exchanging glances. Suddenly, her voice sharply sounded. Julianne: So, what did you do to my son? They all remained quiet while she continued to sip her coffee. Julianne: What happened to my son? Tiffany''s lips shook, and she clenched her fist. The room was otherwise quiet. Julianne: Perhaps I should make this easier. Why don''t you all introduce yourselves? They sadly exchanged glances. Julianne: Well? Tiffany: Tiffany Chang. Luke: Luke Parks. Ken: Kenneth Stone. Rose: Rose Wright. Julianne: I see. So I take it you all go to the same high school as my son? Tiffany: Y... yes ma''am. Julianne: I see. She took another long sip of her coffee. Julianne: So, what happened to my son? Tiffany wanted to start again but found it to be too difficult.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Tiffany: I... I''m the.... Another moment passed with Tiffany''s lips quivering. The whole team watched her, waiting for her to speak. Julianne: I.... As Julianne started, Tiffany suddenly interrupted her. Tiffany: It was my fault! Tears rolled down Tiffany''s cheeks. Rose: Tiff! Tiffany: I''m the one who put us in a risky situation, and I''m the reason he needed to save us. She winced as she spoke, greatly shocking them all, especially Julianne. Tiffany: I''m the one who messed up. So, please... Luke: We.... are the ones who messed up. It was our failure that led to that. We''re sorry. Rose: Yes. All of us. Rose looked empathetically at Tiffany. Ken: (forlorningly) Yeah. Had we been stronger, perhaps this current predicament would have been avoided. Julianne was absolutely shocked. She did not expect those kinds of answers. And so she continued to sip her coffee as she thought. Julianne: Why don''t you all explain to me what had happened between you and my son? They all exchanged fearful glances. Explaining what happened to Max was one thing. It was a whole other thing entirely to explain dark crystals to her. As the silence continued, suddenly, Rose used her mind link on them all. Rose: Guys, what do we do! What do we do! Tiffany: Rose? Ken: Huh, you put the mind link up. Luke: Hmph. Rose: Guys, what do we do. We can''t tell her about the dark crystals, can we? Ken: True, however, it would seem that Max''s mom has eyes shaped like knives. Honestly, Max is simply full of surprises. Luke: Yeah, never would have thought. Hey, Ken, does she have powers, too? Ken: I don''t know. I have not scanned her. Maybe Rose should see if she can read her mind. Rose: But... but... I don''t wanna know what she''s thinking. Tiffany: You guys! We shouldn''t be doing this! It''s disrespectful to have a conversation like this when .... Julianne: Excuse me. They flinched. They hadn''t been paying attention, but Max''s mom had just put down her cup of coffee. She was watching them all intently. Julianne: Rose, was it? Rose: Y... yes? Julianne: If I''m not mistaken, you have the power to lift things with your mind? Rose: Y... yes... Julianne: I see. Would you just so happen.... to have the ability to link minds psychically? Rose: Wh... what! Rose quickly entered panic mode and froze, closing off the mind link. Rose: I... I.... She closed her mouth and squealed again. Tiffany: How... how did you know? Julianne: Hmph. A hunch. That being said, I did ask you all a question, didn''t I? What happened to my son? They all froze in silence for a moment, wondering about how they would explain it. Julianne sighed. Julianne: I said... The lights of the house suddenly went off, leaving the entire room dark. Luke: What the... Rose: EEEEP! Tiffany: Ugh... Ken: Well, that is interesting. Then suddenly, two bright blue eyes appeared in front of them in the place in which Julianne Hunter was seated, much to their horror. Julianne: .... what happened to my son? 41. Final Conclusion So, she did have powers. Just like Max. That was one thought they all shared but that was right before imagining the absolute chaos this woman would be capable of. They all flinched and were too afraid to respond. Julianne: Well? Tiffany: I... I... Rose was too scared to put up another mind link so they could strategize. Even Luke, who was usually calm in such situations, was incredibly tense. Tiffany: I.... I''ll talk. Julianne''s shining blue eyes finally turned to normal, and the lights suddenly turned themsleves back on. Julianne: Alright. Rose took several deep breaths and Julianne waited till she was done hyperventilating. Julianne: You may begin. Tiffany started. Tiffany: We all just met Max today at school. From there, befriended all of us quite quickly. Julianne: Go on. She took a sip of her coffee. Tiffany: We, I mean the four of us, are a team. We work together to fight those who threaten the lives of the people in this city. Julianne simply took yet another sip of her coffee. Tiffany: On one of our missions, we... Tiffany paused, deciding not to reveal the name of their enemy to her. Tiffany: ...we decided to face off against an opponent. But, he was too strong for all of us. We were in over our heads. Tiffany paused before she continued. Tiffany: And it just so happened that Max had followed us and then...Stolen story; please report. She struggled with the last sentence. Tiffany: And then... he used his powers to save us. A tear dropped from her eye as she finished, while Luke, Ken and Rose looked at her empathetically. Julianne: I see. She took the final sip from her mug. They all watched her silently. A deep sigh escaped Julianne''s mouth. What to do, oh what to do? Tiffany felt like she wanted to stab herself. Feeling responsible for an innocent person''s suffering hurt her like a knife. But, of course, it hurt the rest of the team as well. The silence in the room was deafening and suffocating. Tiffany was gritting her teeth. Luke wanted to talk to her, but the air in the room was too chilling for such a venture. It was several moments before anyone spoke. Julianne: For one thing, I believe you. They all looked up in shock. Tiffany: Y... you do? Julianne: Yes. Breaking the rules and acting recklessly, that''s my little boy. Besides, you don''t seem to be lying. Julianne sighed. Julianne: And I suppose you brought him here hoping I would be able to help him. Tiffany: Y... yeah. Julianne: Hmph. I see. Another moment of silence followed them. Rose: E... Excuse me? They all turned to Rose. No one expected her of all people to speak up. Her eyes had marks of dried tears. Rose: Ummmm, Miss Hunter? I''m sorry for being rude, and about earlier.... It''s just... I... I really need to know... Will Max be ok? The strict glare in her eyes started to simmer as she saw their concerned faces. She was surprised to hear and to see that these children genuinely cared about her son. Julianne: Max? He will be fine in a day or so. Rose: Really? Julianne: Yes. They all collectively sighed in relief, especially Rose and Tiffany. Luke: Phew. That''s a relief. Rose: Oh. Thank goodness, I was so worried. Ken: Turns out my calculations were correct. Tiffany: Yeah... They could all begin to breathe more easily. Julianne got up and looked at the clock. Julianne: It''s pretty late. You kids should stay the night. Tiffany and Rose: Wha.... Luke: There''s no need ma''am, I can.... Julianne: It''s 2am in the morning. You are all covered in bruises and wounds, and you all seem to be tired. Luke: But... Julianne: No buts. I will call your parents and your principal and inform them of what happened. Luke: But... Julianne: No worries. I won''t tell them about your powers. Luke: No, it''s not that. It''s... Julianne: No buts. Julianne left the room and went upstairs. Julianne: You can use the shower. Her voice then trailed off. The teens all looked at each other. No words needed to be said, and no mind link was necessary. "What the hell just happened?" was a feeling visible in all of their countenances. They all took showers, and one by one were fully surprised to find blankets on the couches. Ken: Even the mother is full of surprises. Luke: Why is she doing this? Tiffany: No idea. No idea at all. They had their doubts, but they promptly fell asleep. 42. Morning Blues 12.30pm. That is when the first of them had woken up. It was Ken. He looked around the room. Julianne Hunter was not around. Ken stretched his arms and stood up, immediately noticing four plates of a homemade breakfast with a note saying, "Enjoy." Ken: (thinking: Things just keep getting stranger, don''t they. Why on earth would she make us breakfast?) He stood up and began to move around. Ken: (thinking: Should I scan this room?) At that point, Tiffany woke up as well. Her eyes simply opened, and she quickly pulled herself up and also noticed the breakfast. Tiffany: (thinking: What the...) She also noticed Ken. Tiffany: Oh, hey Ken. Ken: Hey. The two remained quiet for a moment. Tiffany: Do you know where she is? Ken: No clue. Ken decided to take a look around the house while Tiffany remained in bed, reminiscing about the previous night. He walked into the kitchen and, after thinking about it for a second, picked up a plate and went to sit on a couch with it. Tiffany watched him as he took his first bite. Ken: Hmmm. Home made and delicious. Tiffany: I see. Ken silently ate as Tiffany morosely got up and picked up a plate. It was fried eggs with a generous helping of bacon and a side of bread.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Tiffany also started to eat on her couch. Ken: (thinking: Well, I suppose I can''t scan the room now as she''d get upset.) Tiffany: H... hey, Ken? Ken: Hmmm? He answered with food in his mouth. Tiffany remained silent for a moment. Tiffany: N... never mind. Ken simply and knowingly went back to eating, as did Tiffany. Rose suddenly also woke up. She stretched her arms widely and energetically and let out a huge yawn. Her eyes were still somewhat sad, but she turned to the other two and started chirpingly. Rose: Morning, everyone! Ken: Morning. Tiffany: Morning. Luke shook himself on his couch. He heard it, but he didn''t want to wake up just yet. Rose softly smiled at Luke''s reaction before noticing that they had breakfast. Rose: Huh? Where did you guys get breakfast? Ken simply pointed at the table, and Rose gasped in surprise. Rose: No way, Mrs. Hunter made breakfast? Ken: Yes. He munched another piece of egg and bacon. Ken: It''s pretty good. Rose precariously walked around the house. Rose: (thinking: So this is where Max lives) She was careful to pay attention to things and to ensure she didn''t ruin anything as she walked towards the plate of food before grabbing it and taking a seat on her couch. Rose eagerly took a bite of the food before she flinched. Rose: Mmmmmmmmmh. It''s so good! Ken: Hmm. I agree. She continued to take bites out of the plate of food. Rose: Oh my gosh. Max''s mom is such a great cook! Ken: Absolutely. It was at that point that Luke finally woke up. He quickly pulled himself out of the couch and took a moment to comtemplate and then took a look at his friends. Rose: Oh, sorry, Luke. Did I wake you? He sighed before he got up and passed by Rose to pat her on her head. Luke: Don''t sweat it. He then looked at the plate of food on Rose''s lap. Luke: Where''d you guys get food? Rose: Oh, it''s on the kitchen table. See? She pointed Luke in the direction of the food, and he walked over and picked up a plate. He sat down and took a bite. Luke: Hmm, this is good. Rose: I know, right? Luke: And there''s so much bacon. Rose: Yeah. He excitedly started scarfing down chunks of bacon as Rose giggled at him. Rose: You like meat so much! Luke: Of course. The pair shared a laugh after that, and he continued to eat. As Luke ate, he kept his eyes on Tiffany. She was oddly quiet and unresponsive. And also, she was eating at a particularly slow pace. As they ate, they suddenly heard footsteps coming from upstairs, which made all of them become tense. They didn''t say a word. The footsteps closed in and were heard on the stairs. It was Julianne Hunter. They all looked at her expectantly before she spoke. Her countenance was not as angry and strict as before. It was instead much calmer. Julianne: I see you''re all enjoying your breakfast. Luke: Y... yeah. They all looked away from her. 43. Questionable Behaviour Julianne Hunter walked to the kitchen and made yet another cup of coffee before sitting down on the couch and relaxedly took a sip from said cup. They all remained silent, and their bites of food became more hesitant. It was several moments before she started. Julianne: I talked to your principal. They all raised their heads to her. She relaxedly took another sip. Julianne: You''re all excused from school for now, so don''t worry about it. They all exchanged glances with each other. Luke: Errrr.... thanks. Julianne: Don''t mention it. Ken: Wait, what about... Julianne: I also talked to your parents. I got their phone number from the principal. Ken: B... but... Julianne: There''s no need to worry, Ken. I told them you just so happened to have been invited to a party by the famous Julianne Hunter and that you ended up staying the night. Ken: I... I see. Julianne: So you knew I was famous before? Ken: Huh. Well... I.... Julianne giggled, much to all of their shock. Julianne: It''s alright. It''s alright. I was only teasing. Besides, it''s a little odd to see someone of your age so interested in movies of that time. Ken: No, it''s just... Ken was visibly embarrassed. Julianne: Or is there another reason as to why you know that I was once an actress? Ken: Well, I... He held his tongue. "Should he or should he not tell her about her about his powers?" he thought.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Julianne: Hmm. It''s no big deal. No pressure. Ken exhaled in relief. Julianne: So, how was your night? Did you all sleep well? They all exchanged uneasy glances. "Why was she being so nice to them?" they thought? Luke: I... It was fine, ma''am. Julianne: I see. And what about your breakfast? Luke: It was delicious, thank you. Julianne: Well, I''m happy to hear that. She smiled and continued to relaxedly sip her coffee while they all uneasily waited on her. Julianne: Oh, don''t let me stop you from eating. Please, go on. They looked at each other and then began to eat the food but at a more relaxed pace. Julianne: Well... I would have preferred that you all ate at the table, but... They all paused. Julianne: Oh, it''s fine. There''s nothing to worry about. I''ll just clean it up later. They looked at each other uneasily. Julianne: Go on. It''s no trouble. They all slowly continued to eat from their plates. And there they remained. Eating silently while she sipped her coffee. Julianne: Why don''t you all tell me something about yourselves? They flinched again. Julianne: Oh, come now. Don''t be shy. She said it with a smile on her face. None of them could believe what they were seeing. They all looked at each other again. Julianne: Oh, come on. I won''t bite. Luke sighed and decided to start. Luke: Uhhh... sure. I''m Luke, and I uhhhh... work at Timo''s pizzeria. Julianne: Oh, really. At your age. You must be quite responsible. Luke: Uuuhhhh, thanks... Julianne: And what about you? She looked at Rose, causing her to flinch. Rose: I.... well.... I.... Julianne: Come on now. Rose: I... I really like... puppies. Julianne: Oh, me too. They''re so cute with their beady eyes and their goofy personalities, aren''t they? Rose: Y... yeah... Julianne: And how about you, Ken? Ken: I like video games. Julianne: Really, what kind. Ken: The kind where you shoot stuff. Julianne: Oh. You know, my son just can''t get enough of this one game. What''s it called? Warring Dimensia 2? Ken: Y... yes. We talked about that at school. Julianne: Oh, and I suppose he challenged you. Ken: Well.... Julianne giggled to herself. Julianne: Oh, my son. He''s always been like that. Challenging people with that nerve of his. I suppose some of that comes from his father. She sighed as she reminisced while the others watched her. Rose: I... I''m sorry for... Julianne: It''s quite alright. Why don''t we move on to you, Tiffany? Tiffany looked at her with a combination of fear, guilt, and failure. Out of the four of them, she was the most bothered. Tiffany: I... I... She desperately searched her mind for something that was both true and not too revealing. Tiffany: I play Mahjong every once in a while. I like it. It relaxes me. Julianne: OOOOOOhhhhhh. So exotic. You know, once while I was in China, I played Mahjong with a couple that just so happened to be working there. They were so nice and very, very good at the game. I''m sure you would have loved to meet them. Tiffany: Oh... yeah. Maybe.... 44. Being Abnormal She took note of Tiffany''s behaviour as she took a sip. Julianne: Well, I may as well say a little bit more about myself then. My name is Julianne Hunter, and I was once an actress, that much you all already know. She looked directly at Ken as she said this, leaving him shaken. Julianne: But I also happen to have the ability... She raised her hand, and electricity started sparking out of it. Julianne: ...to manipulate electricity. They all watched in awe. Julianne: Pretty cool, right? She said it with a bright smile on her face while they exchanged glances. Luke: Well... yeah. Ken: So I was right the first time, wasn''t I? You are an alien, aren''t you? Julianne: An alien? Ken: Err... well.. Julianne: Hmmm. She slowly sipped her coffee again. Ken: I didn''t... Julianne: No, no. You''re right. I am an alien. They were all shocked to hear that, especially Rose, who suddenly gasped loudly. Rose: Really! Julianne: Well, yes... Rose excitedly started stomping on the ground. Rose: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh... She suddenly stopped. Rose: Oh, I''m... I''m sorry. Julianne: It''s quite alright. So, I take it you''re an alien too. Rose: Uh huh. Julianne: Would you just so happen to be a sirenite? Rose gasped again. Rose: How did you know? Julianne simply chuckled.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Julianne: Let''s just say I know a lot about outer space. Rose: Oh, my gosh. You''re sooooo cooool! Julianne: Awww... thank you. She turned to the others. Julianne: So, are the rest of your aliens as well? Luke: No. Ken: Nope. Tiffany: No. Julianne: I see. Then I guess it''s just the two of us, huh Rose. Rose: Yeah. Julianne: Now, let''s see.... Julianne put a finger on her lip. Julianne: ... Sirenites.... You have psychic powers. The ability to lift things with your mind, to read thoughts and also to link people''s minds. I should have figured. Rose gasped. Rose: That''s all true! You really do know all about us! Julianne: Hmm. Indeed. Rose: You''re so smart. Julianne: Thank you. Rose: But... wait... What kind of alien are you? Julianne: Oh, me? I''m a protonite. Rose: Reall.... Oh. I''ve never heard of them. Julianne: Well, we have the power to manipulate electricity for one thing. She sparked up her hand again. Julianne: We also have the power to do this. Suddenly, a force field of electrical energy was formed around her. Rose: Woah! Ken: Interesting. Luke: Hmm. Tiffany: Huh Julianne: This force field can be used to protect me from enemy fire. Pretty neat, huh? Rose: Yeah. It''s so cool. Julianne: You think so? Rose: Uh huh. Ken: Indeed. Luke: Yeah. Tiffany: Yeah, it''s cool. Julianne looked at Tiffany and paused again before continuing to Ken. Julianne: Well, what about you, wise guy? Ken: Huh? Julianne: Well, what makes you so special. Ken: I... Ken flinched at the thought of revealing his powers to her. After all, just because Rose did didn''t mean that he had to. Julianne: You don''t have to answer that. They were all shocked to hear that. Julianne: I get it. You kids are probably all freaks to normal people, aren''t you? They all exchanged glances again. Just what was happening. Julianne: In fact, I wouldn''t be surprised if all your loved ones were unaware of your abilities and lives. She looked at Ken, who ashamedly looked away. Julianne: It''s alright. There''s nothing to be ashamed of. After all, we''ve all been through situations like that before. Haven''t we? She reclined in her sofa. Julianne: Leaving school early, leaving your friends alone and worse, abandoning your family all because you have some kind of problem to deal with. She continued with an understanding tone. Julianne: Say, every Tuesday a tentacle grows out of her arms, and then it just so happens that her sister''s birthday falls on a Tuesday. Oh... being an oddball can be so difficult. Believe me, I understand. They were all shocked beyond words. Rose: Y... you do? Miss Hunter? Julianne: Of course, I''ve been on earth for around 10 years. So believe me when I say that I understand how difficult it can be. Rose: I... I see. Rose sobbed a bit. Julianne: Is something wrong, Rose? Rose: No... its... just.... you''re so nice. Rose continued to sob. Julianne: Thank you, and it''s no big deal. Really! She looked kindly upon Rose, and Ken suddenly started. Ken: I have bionic abilities. Julianne: Really? Ken: Yeah. Julianne: Hmm. I see. She took another sip of her coffee. Julianne: What kind of abilities? Ken hesitated, but she simply smiled at him. Ken: I can research anything on the internet at will. Julianne: Oh. She paused. Julianne: Oh. Is that why you knew who I was? Ken: Well, yeah. Julianne: Impressive, I never would have imagined. 45. Curiouser And Curiouser Julianne: Human technology is truly fascinating. You know, I''m something of a scientist, and I''ve always been quite interested in understanding as to how bionics work. Errrrr... is it too much trouble to ask for a little peek? Ken was taken aback by her response. Julianne: Oh. I''m sorry. After all, we''ve only just met. You know how we scientists are when we are curious. Ehehe... Ken: I see. It''s fine. Julianne: Well, OK then. So, how about you, big fella, feel comfortable telling me about your abilities? Luke: Sure. Julianne: Well? Luke: I have super strength and invulnerability. Julianne: Oh. It''s like that one guy in that show Max watches. Su... s..su... Super Powerful Man. Luke: Oh yeah, I remember that show. Julianne: Wait! Can you fly and shoot lasers, too? Luke: Errrr... no. Julianne: Oh. Luke: But he can shoot lasers out of his eyes. Luke pointed at Ken. Julianne: Really? Ken: Well, yes. Julianne: Bionics really are something, aren''t they? But, either way, super strength sounds like an amazing ability to have. She giggled as they simply watched her. She was a very charming woman. Julianne: Ahhhhh.... She turned her gaze upon Tiffany, who was waiting somewhat anxiously for what she assumed would be her turn. Julianne: And last but not least, what about you? Tiffany took a moment to answer. Tiffany: I... I don''t have any powers. Julianne: You what! Julianne remained shocked for a moment. Julianne: You mean... you fight with your friends... against opponents on equal footing... without powers? Tiffany: Y.. yeah. For the first time since Julianne started talking, she had become completely quiet. Julianne: Well, I never would have imagined. You''re quite the impressive one, aren''t you?Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Tiffany: Yeah. Rose looked at Tiffany. Something was still clearly bothering her. Julianne: Hmm. She took the last few sips of her coffee. Julianne: Well, you four really are all very special people. It was nice chatting with you all. Rose: It was nice chatting with you, too! Rose and Julianne shared a smile. Julianne got up and took her cup to the kitchen sink. Julianne: You can bring your plates here when you''re done, and you can let yourselves out whenever you feel the need to leave, m''kay? They all exchanged glances unsuredly. Why was she being so nice to them? Rose: Ummmm.... Uhhhh... Ken: Thank you for the food. Rose: Yeah, thanks a bunch. Luke: Yeah, it tasted great. Tiffany: Yeah, thanks. Julianne: Oh, you kids. She walked out of the kitchen and made for the stairs. Rose uncomfortably interrupted her. Rose: Excuse me, Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Yes? Rose: I.... Errrr... I just.... Julianne looked onto the girl knowingly as she twiddled her thumbs. Julianne: Don''t worry. It''s like I said yesterday. He''ll be fine. Rose: Oh, ok. She let out a small smile and lay her hands out behind her back. Rose: Thanks for letting me know. Julianne: Oh, don''t worry. Julianne walked upstairs, and just before she was out of sight, a thud sound was heard from upstairs. All of them froze, including Julianne. Julianne''s first instinct was to run up the stairs to her son, but something told her to consider the kids'' feelings. They were all on the couches, looking at her with hopeful eyes. They all wanted to see Max. Julianne: Come with me! They all hustled behind her as she made her way to Max''s room. Stopping at the door, Julianne Hunter knocked. Julianne: Max, honey. Is everything ok? The teens waited expectantly for an answer and were immediately glad to have gotten one. Max: Yeah, I''m fine. Julianne Hunter knowingly told the teens to wait outside for a moment before letting herself in. Max had, on his own, tried to get up and go to the bathroom, but he had ended up falling down on the floor. He was presently struggling to get up from the floor. She grabbed her son and gently lifted him to take him to his bed. Max: Mom, I said I''m... Julianne: Just give me five minutes ok hon? Max paused for a moment before answering. Max: Fine. Julianne placed him on his bed and walked outside his room and simply opened the door, and closed it without letting any of them see him. As she closed the door, the rest of them could catch a glimpse of Max with his head turned away from them in his bed. Rose: Is he... Julianne: He just needs some more rest. Rose: Oh, ok. Julianne: Hmph. So, look, kids, I know I said you could leave whenever you wanted, but could you leave? I would like to have a personal chat with Max. Rose: Oh... Luke: It''s fine, Mrs Hunter. It''s no big deal. Julianne: There''s that responsibility. She smiled at Luke. Julianne: Alright then, I suppose I''ll escort you all out. She led them to the front door and opened it for them. Julianne: It''s a bright and sunny day. So maybe you could all have some fun. They looked at each other with uncertainty once more. What had happened to this aggressive woman overnight? Julianne: Well, goodbye. Rose went out first. Rose: Goodbye. When I get home, I''m gonna look at all your movies. Julianne giggled in response. Julianne: Sure. Have fun. Oh, wait. Start with the prequel. It will make so much more sense if you start with it. Rose: Ok. Ken was out next. Julianne: Goodbye, hot shot. Ken: Goodbye. Next up was Luke. Julianne: And you Mr. Strongman. Goodbye. Luke: Goodbye ma''am. And thanks again for the meal. Julianne: Don''t mention it. It was no trouble. And last of all was Tiffany. Julianne: Goodbye, Tiffany. Tiffany: Yeah, goodbye. Julianne patted Tiffany''s back, much to the teen''s surprise. Julianne: All right, have a nice day, kids. Rose waved and shouted as they all walked to the van. Rose: You too, Mrs. Hunter! 46. Suspicions As they walked into the van, Rose started talking. Rose: Oh my gosh. I still can''t believe how nice she was to us. Luke: Yeah, she was a real sweetie. Rose: I know, right? Tiffany: Yeah, I guess so. Rose: Huh? Tiff? Is something wrong? Tiffany: No, no. I... It''s fine. Rose: Oh... alright. Anyway, I still can''t believe how nice she was... and her food was sooooo goooood. Luke: Hmph. True. Haven''t had bacon like that in years. Rose: Yeah, super cool, right? Max''s mom is sooooo nice. It was at that point that Rose noticed Ken brooding in the van. Rose: Huh? Ken? Is something wrong? Ken remained in thought. Rose: Ken? Ken: She tricked us. Rose: What! Luke: Huh? Tiffany: Huh? Rose: What do you mean she tricked us? Ken: Four unknown people walk into your house with your unconscious son. You let them sleep in your house after interrogating them, and then you give them breakfast and have a chat with them. Rose: I... I don''t get it. Ken: Really? It''s quite obvious. Rose: Whaddya mean? Ken: I mean.... it doesn''t add up. Think about it. Why would she be so nice to us? Rose: Well... uhhhh.... Maybe because we''re Max''s friends. Ken: Could be, although given the fact that we''ve only known Max for a day or so, there''s likely another reason behind her kindness.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Rose: Mmmmmmm... Well, what other reason could there be? Ken: Perhaps to gain intel on us. Tiffany''s eyes widened for a moment, and so did Luke''s. Rose: What! But she said we didn''t have to tell her anything. Ken: Classic good cop behaviour. She didn''t force it out of us, and so we think it was our idea. Rose: MMMMMMMMMM. You''re too paranoid, Ken! Rose turned her back on him and pouted. Ken: You''re letting your feelings for Max cloud your judgement. Rose: No, I am not. And I do not have feelings for Max. Tiffany and Luke thought it better not to say anything while Rose continued the rebuttal. Ken: (thinking: And there''s more suspicious stuff going on in that house. But I''ll keep that to myself for now, at least until I''ve verified it.) Luke coughed. Luke: Well, Max''s mom aside, I guess I should drop you all off at your homes, huh. Rose: Right. Mine''s up first. Luke: Ok then. Luke turned and began to drive towards her house. Rose: Oh, by the way, guys. What do you think is going on in school right now? Do you think Principal Richard found out about what really happened at lunch yesterday? Luke: I doubt it. Well, I mean, it''s likely, but I seriously doubt it. Rose: Huh, why not? Ken: The odds of someone going out of their way to tell him the full story are low enough on their own. In addition to that, enough people have bad blood with Vince that I wouldn''t be surprised if some of them just rolled with it and moved on. Rose: Really? Luke: Yeah. Besides, if there''s a person in the school that Vince fears, it''s Principal Valencia. Rose: Huh? But why? Luke: Let''s just say he''s one of the few people not worried about teaching Vince a lesson. Rose gulped. Rose: R... really? Luke: Yep. They say he has the (spooky voices) scariest punishments. Rose: Hey. Stop scaring me! Luke: Hah. It was just a joke. Rose: MMMMmmmm Luke: Anyways, here''s your stop. Rose: Oh. Rose got out of the van with her bag. Rose: Bye, guys. Have a nice day! Luke: Bye. Tiffany: Bye Ken: Arrivederci. Rose walked to her house, and the van went on. Luke: So Ken, yours is up next. Ken: Hmph. Luke: So, whatcha gonna tell your parents? Ken: Hmmm. I actually don''t know. I suppose... I''ll just tell them I had fun at the party. Luke: You know, your parents are seriously chill. Especially your dad. Ken: Hmph. Yeah. Luke: I mean, honestly. I''ve never heard of a father who would allow his kid to just head to random parties without any calls or confirmation first. Ken: Yeah. Luke: Well, we''re here. Ken was dropped off, and he waved goodbye as he walked back home to his parents. Luke: Alright, you''re next, Tiff. Tiffany: Yeah. Luke drove off with Tiffany in silence. Luke: Everything alright? Tiffany: Yeah. As they drove, Luke skipped the turn that would get them to her house. Tiffany: Hey. You missed the turn. Luke: No, I didn''t. Tiffany: But that turn would lead to my house. Luke: Yeah, well.... we''re not getting you home just yet. Tiffany: What!? 47. Second Thoughts Earlier, at 3 am that morning... An exhausted Julianne Hunter walked back to her room after setting all the kids back to bed. She peeped into her son''s room once more before heading to her own bed. It was there that she attempted to sleep for several minutes. Nothing. Several thoughts rushed through her mind. Just what on earth had happened to her son? Who hurt him? Who were these kids? She tossed and turned several times in severe worry before stopping and choosing to take a long stare to the ceiling. Her son had just gotten himself into a terrible situation, he had made friends, in a day, no less, that were likely to put him into difficult situations just as this one and to top it all off, these kids were definitely not normal and they were at her son''s school. She sighed massively. Julianne: (thinking: What to do, oh what to do?) She got up and made herself a coffee with the coffee maker in her room. She''d always kept one there in case she needed to work. After pouring herself out a cup, she did what her scientist brain told her to do. She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started trying to piece out the puzzle. Max went to school, found other super powered beings, and befriended them, and then a fight broke out that almost cost her her son''s life. A fight against who or for what was not that important to her, but instead the life of her son. She''d always known that her son was reckless, but this was pushing it. Julianne knew full well what had happened to him. The paper highlighted all of her points in bubbles. The bottom line was that her son''s life was in danger. A mother worries, and Julianne Hunter was no different. What if her son ended up getting killed? What if those kids got her son hurt? What if the enemy they''d just defeated came back for round two. Her son was not a good fighter. She knew that well enough. He hadn''t even fully mastered his abilities.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. She continued writing the cons of letting Max spend time with the others. This was Julianne''s way of rationalising things. She had done this since she was much younger, after all. A large gulp could be heard from her room. She did not know who the kids were. They might very well be here as spies, she thought. She added that to the list. To top it all off, they have powers just like Max, so they''re dangerous. She added that as well. What if Max''s new friends ended up betraying her? That seemed to be a good con. But given how they bowed to her and how they seemed to be worried about him, that wasn''t a con. She quickly took another sip. At that point, she had made this deduction. Max''s new friends were people that she could not fully trust and that were likely to cause harm to her child. She sorrowfully looked at Max''s room. It was obvious what needed to be done. She was going to, yet again, move and change schools. It was for the best, she told herself as she hastily grabbed her computer and immediately started looking for a new school. At that point, her heart began to feel that she was somewhat dishonest with herself. These thoughts she brushed away as she had already found a school. Julianne: (thinking: Better hurry before the first week of the first semester was done and dealt with.) More thoughts calling her a coward began to perturb her, but she simply brushed them off. After all, paramount to her life was that her son survived. There was no need to put his life at risk. Another thought popped up. "Your son has finally made friends, and now you want to take them away from him?" That thought paralysed her for a second. Her son was always lonely, after all. But no, she concluded, her son''s life came first. Julianne: (thinking: He will thank me once he''s older.) She continued to type onto the keyboard, filling in all the blanks on his new registration form. The school was far away, far enough that she would never have to see those kids again. She was well aware of her son''s stubborn nature, and she wouldn''t be surprised if he decided to try to reach out to them. Julianne: (thinking: Perhaps a strict word is in order for both my son and the teens downstairs.) She was just about done and just about to send the filled out form when her hand suddenly jerked and the remainder of her coffee spilt. Julianne bent over to pick up the mug, and as she raised her head after picking it up, her eyes landed on a photo of her husband. It was then that all the guilty feelings rushed through her violently. She knew her husband well. Something like this would not be something he would have worried much about. But the mere thought paralysed her. Her husband would have probably just started training her son right there and then. But her husband wasn''t there, she thought. But then again, did that matter? Did who her husband was and what he meant to her and her son and them as a family simply cease to have meaning simply because he was dead? She sorrowfully pulled the mug up before reminiscing about him and his carefree attitude. Her son always wanted to be just like him. Tears began to fall out of her eyes. The thoughts in her head did battle, but the winner was already obvious. Julianne: (thinking: Sometimes I hate... I just hate what you make me do.) In a way, she almost resented him. But the answer was clear. Her husband would not run, and neither would she. Tears in her eyes, she walked over to her bed and fell apart into a long sob and slowly started crying before finally finding sleep that night. 48. Eloquence And Chill Tiffany: (sighs) Fine.... Luke took a silent Tiffany in his van for a ride on his van. Luke: So, what''s up? Tiffany: I''m fine. Luke sighed as he continued to drive around the streets. It was a hot, sunny day. Luke: You sure? Tiffany: Yes. Tiffany answered him curtly. Luke: You always get like this whenever we lose a fight. Tiffany: Yes, I do. That''s right. Luke took a sharp turn. Tiffany: And, like always, I will be fine. All I need is some alone time, and I''ll be good to go. Luke: (sarcastically) Right. Tiffany: So I take it you don''t believe me? Luke: Yep. Tiffany: Mmmmmmmm. (sighs) So where do you plan on taking me? Luke: To buy some drinks. Tiffany: We just ate breakfast. Luke: Yeah, but it''s just a few drinks. There''s no need to worry too much about it. Tiffany: Ugh. Fine. But after this, you''re taking me home. Luke drove them all the way to a place called Eloquence. It was a restaurant with little to no lighting and cool that specialised in selling drinks. The whole gimmick was selling drinks in a cool, dark place for privacy. Tiffany: This place? Luke: Yep. Luke parked the van and walked out calmly before turning around to a confused Tiffany. Luke: Hey. Come on, we''re getting takeout. Tiffany: Oh. Right. Tiffany eventually followed him to the man at the counter. Man: Greetings and bienvenue, my friends. Welcome to Eloquence. Name: Jeffrey Coolman Age: 30 Description: Acts like a vampire Occupation: Eloquence cashier Fact: Is considered to be one of Eloquence''s best employees. Who knew cosplay could help a guy out? Luke: Greetings. Jeffrey: I see you have brought a mate.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Luke: Yeah. One coke, please. Jeffrey: Oh, I see. And the madam? Tiffany: One cherry soda, please. Jeffrey: Alright then. He inputed the data on his cash register. Jeffrey: And I will give you a table at... Luke: We''d prefer it to go. Jeffrey: Oh. Very well. He covered himself in a cloak and disappeared under the table. Tiffany: Where did you find this place? Luke: All the jocks come here with their girlfriends to make out in the dark. Tiffany: Oh. Luke: But hey, they sell the best drinks this side of town. Nothing comes close. Tiffany: I see. The cashier came back with their drinks. Jeffrey: That will be 7 dollars. Luke: Here. Luke handed over the cash. Jeffrey: I bid you, Adieu. The cashier then bowed, and the pair simply left. Tiffany: That place is... Luke: Weird, huh. Why not take a sip of that cherry soda? Tiffany: Huh. Ok. It hardly looked different from any other kind of cherry soda, but after tasting it, she immediately recoiled. Tiffany: No way. This stuff is amazing. Luke: Told ya. Luke gulped down his coke quickly and threw the cup into a trash can from a long distance. Luke: And now... Tiffany: Now? Luke: Back into the van. Tiffany: Where are we going this time? Luke: To a place. Tiffany: Huh? Luke entered the van, and Tiffany followed. Luke drove her to an increasingly greener area. Tiffany simply watched outside the window while sipping her drink. They eventually found themselves in the park. It was, naturally, filled with greenery. Tiffany: The park? Luke: Not quite. Luke sped up and drove them uphill. The road grew ever steeper, and he tried to force the van to go further. Luke: C''mon. C''mon. C''mon. Eh. He finally stopped. Luke: Alright. I guess we''ll huff it the rest of the way. Tiffany took yet another sip of her drink. Tiffany: So that''s where we''re going. The cliff''s edge, also known as the Knife''s edge. It was a common tourist trap for most people. But on a Tuesday afternoon, it was completely empty. Luke and Tiffany walked out to the cliffs edge. He took a deep breath and walked into the blowing air. Luke: Feels good, doesn''t it? Tiffany: Yeah. Luke: Sure brings back memories, doesn''t it? Tiffany: Y... yeah... The pair remained silent for a moment. Luke: Look, Tiff. You know you can tell me anything. You know you can tell me what''s wrong. Tiffany: Yeah, I know. She sat down in the grass and sighed. Luke: After all, we made a promise to each other to stick together. Tiffany: I know Luke. I know, it''s just.... Luke: Is it Max? Tiffany: No. And... well. Yes. She looked down depressedly as she spoke. Luke: Well, what is it? Tiffany: Luke... I... I... failed to protect him. Luke: Wha... Tiffany: I''m supposed to be fighting the darkness. And then this guy shows up, and then I need to be saved by the very thing I''m supposed to be protecting. Luke: Oh. Tiffany: I just.... I just need some time. Luke: Tiff... Tiffany: Luke. We promised to protect the civillians from any dangers. We promised that to each other. But now, how can we call ourselves protectors if we need protecting? Luke: I see. Tiffany: It''s just... so frustrating. I... I don''t know what to do. Luke walked up to her and gently slapped her head. Tiffany: Hey. Luke: I thought you said you were going to be a tough leader. Tiffany: What! Hey, I... Luke: Listen. I can''t speak for Ken and Rose, but I can speak for myself. Believe me. We all feel the same way. Tiffany: Wha... Luke: Hmph. It''s like that thing Vince says. (imitating Vince) Out there its all of us against all of them, for us. So don''t let us down scrubs. Tiffany: What does Vince have to do with this? Luke: Oh, him. Well, let''s just say that in school, he''s a bully. But on the field, he''s a better team player than you could ever imagine. Tiffany: Really? Luke: Yeah. There''s a reason the Hypercity Howlers are so well known. Tiffany: Well, ok. But... what are you getting at? Luke: What I''m trying to say is, is that all of us feel the same pain. We didn''t sign up for this for giggles after all. To all of us, this is far from a joke. Tiffany gasped. Luke: So stop acting like you''re the only one who''s feeling down and get up already, alright? You''re supposed to be the leader. Tiffany took a moment to let those words enter her heart. Tiffany: Well, you''re not very good at pep talk, but... Tiffany smiled. Tiffany: Thanks, Luke. Luke: Heh. Don''t mention it. 49. What He Needs After the teens left Max''s house, Julianne Hunter took a deep breath by the closed door before going to her son''s room to help him to the bathroom. The results of his earlier fight had left him with some difficulties in walking normally. She took him to the toilet and quickly went to the kitchen and microwaved some food for him and lay it on his table before getting back to the bathroom and helping her son back to his bed. Max remained silent while all this took place, and once put on his bed, he turned his head to the window and frowned. Max: Thanks, mom. Julianne: No problem, sweetie. Neither side said any words to the other. Suddenly, Max started. Max: What happened last night? Did you save us? Julianne hesitated before answering. Julianne: No. You... you went into an overload. Max was slightly shocked to hear that but accepted it immediately afterwards. Max: Figures... Max, in actuality, couldn''t remember a thing from last night. He weakly lifted his right arm and tried to slam it onto the wall. Julianne: Hey, hey... easy, easy.... Max recoiled his arm and slid back into the bed. Max: (sighs) I''m fine. It''s fine. Julianne saw her son''s eyes. They were in terrible pain. It wasn''t the overload that bothered him. She knew this well. Max: Was everybody else ok?The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Julianne: Yes, Max. Right as rain. Max: That''s great. She forced a smile and an enthusiastic voice. Julianne: Your friends were pretty interesting too! Max: Yeah. Julianne: And they also had powers. Max: Yeah. Julianne: That Rose girl was really nice, too. Max: Oh, that''s cool. No words were said between the two after that for a while. Then Julianne slowly started. Julianne: I got you some lunch. Well, it''s breakfast, really... but...y''know. It was bacon with a side of fries as well as chicken. Max had long since noticed it, but he had not verbally registered it. Max: Yeah, thanks, mom. It smells great. Julianne: You''re welcome. His head was still turned, and Julianne could only gaze upon her son. Many words needed to be said. but they all failed to escape the mouths of the mother and son that day. Julianne: You should be completely fine by tomorrow morning. Max: Ok. That''s great. Max''s answer was flat and uncaring. Still, no words were said after that. Both held their tongues. Julianne knew what she wanted to say, but her heart couldn''t take it. What she was about to say went against every natural instinct in her heart as a mother. She forced herself not to hyperventilate or to take deep breaths. She knew she had to keep this image and her composure. Her fists were clenched, and she bit her lip. She was almost glad her son wasn''t looking at her. She got up and made a beeline for the door as slowly and elegantly as she could under her situation. As she opened the door to leave, she finally said it. Julianne: Make sure you''re ready for school tomorrow, alright? She closed the door before her son could get up and look at her in absolute shock. Max: Huh... Julianne, with roughly clenched fists and as silently as she could, made a mad dash for her bedroom and closed the door as gently as she could. Julianne: (thinking: Everything has to be precise.) She closed the door and gently walked to her bed. All this, to ensure she could walk into her bed without alerting Max to the fact that she was deeply upset. A world-renowned actress and an incredible scientist. Even with all those accomplishments, she couldn''t even tell her son something along the lines of, "Be more careful." To even insinuate that he should put himself in danger. She held her pillow in a twisted emotional state of sorrow and anger, crying and sobbing as silently as she could. All that power, all that money, and yet, she did not have the courage to say it all. She didn''t have the courage to see her son in mortal danger. How could she tell her son to put himself back in that school and to spend time with those kids? She looked at the picture of her husband as she sobbed, hoping to the depth of her heart that her decision was the right one. Meanwhile, a very confused Max remained in his bed, perturbed by his mother''s behaviour. He took a bite of the bacon and munched it. Her response was the last thing he''d expected. Max would continue to try to rationalise this. 50. The Stone Family Kenneth Stone, after being dropped off by Luke, walked off to his house''s porch. He knocked on his door only to hear a chirpy voice. Voice: Who is it? Ken: I''m home! Loud footsteps were heard moving towards the door. Then, a few locks were opened, one by one, before a brightly smiling woman opened the door. She was dark skinned and had long, thick hair in braids. Woman: Kenny! Name: Frida Stone Age: 38 Description: Chirpy as a bird Occupation: Housewife Fact: Every once in a while, feeds a stray dog. Frida: You''re home! Ken: Hey, mom! Frida: Oh, don''t you hey me. How''ve you been? How was the party? And why didn''t you tell us about it? Ken: Oh, well.... Ken took a very short moment to come up with appropriate lies for all of her questions. Ken: Well, I''ve been fine. The party was great too. Sorry I didn''t tell you about it. It just happened so suddenly. Frida: Oh... well. Come in. Come in. You must be tired. She led him into the house, and he took a comfortable break on the couch. Frida: Oh, I forgot! Honey! Kenny''s home! Ken: Dad''s home? Frida: Uh huh. A sound could be heard from upstairs. Eventually, an incredibly muscular dark skinned man came out from the stairs. Man: Kenny, my boy! Name: Gordon Stone Age: 40 Description: Calm and considerate Occupation: Business man Fact: He''s been on so many business trips he says he could make maps off head. The man grabbed Ken''s head and gave him a hard noogie. Ken: Hey. Gordon: Hey now, there''s my boy. Haha.Stolen novel; please report. Ken and him shared a laugh afterwards while Frida returned to the kitchen. Gordon: How ya doin'' son? Ken: I''m fine. Gordon: Well I''m glad to hear that. You know, me and your mother were looking for you all night long. You sent us a text saying you''d be here late, but you never said anything about a sleepover. Ken: Oh. Ken would usually text his parents about any updates, but in his excitement, he''d forgotten. Gordon: Me and your mother have been worried sick about you. It suddenly dawned on Ken that that was also the reason as to why he was home that day. He hadn''t even thought of how they were doing up till that point. Ken: Oh. I... I''m sorry. I forgot. Gordon: It''s all good. Most important thing is that you''re safe. Ken: I''m sorry, mom. Frida: It''s no big deal, hon. I understand. Frida walked out of the kitchen with two large plates of food. Rice, beef, and beans. Gordon took a seat on the sofa. Gordon: Mmm, Mmm, Mmm. My favourite. That stuff smells good. Frida: Thanks, hon. Frida turned to Ken. Frida: Would you like some sweetie? Ken: Oh no, thanks, I already ate. Gordon: Really now, breakfast in bed. What kinda party was that? Frida took a seat on another sofa. Ken: It was a.... a pretty good one. Gordon: I see. In any case, that means more for me! Frida: Oh you... Gordon quickly took a bite of his food. Gordon: Mmm, Mmm, Mmm! This stuff tastes good! Just like my wife makes it! The husband and wife laughed at the joke while Ken looked on, slightly disgusted. Gordon: Which reminds me, son? How was the party? Ken: It was fine. Gordon: The host was Julianne Hunter, right? Ken: Uhhhh... yeah? Gordon and Frida excitedly looked at each other. Gordon: Oh man! Now I really wish you''d invited us too! Ken: Huh? Frida: Well, I suppose we should just come out and say it. The parents nodded at each other. Gordon: We were huge fans of Julianne Hunter back in our twenties, Ken: What?! Frida: (sigh) Her movies were so good. Gordon: Mmm, hmm. Back then, you''d know it was gonna be a good night if she was starring. Ken: Oh. I had no idea. Frida: Remember that one movie we watched right before your first business trip. Gordon: He he. Night of the Morning Gale. A truly magnificent film. I swear after that me and your mother were inspired to give this business thing a try! Frida: And give it a try we did. And guess what? Gordon: It all worked out. The pair shared a laugh. Gordon: Oh, you were still a kid at that time. So I guess you don''t remember. Ken: Oh, right. Ken nervously scratched his head. Gordon: So, howdya meet her? Ken: Well, errr... her son goes to our school. The both of them paused for a moment. Gordon: Well, I''ll be. Frida: I know, right? The excitement on both of their faces was clearly visible. They shared a glance before continuing. Gordon: Tell us more, son. Ken: Alright. Ken proceeded to tell a story, being that her son invited them to his house and that he, with his friends, walked in without expecting anything. That point would explain his shock and surprise at what had happened. The rest was generic party stuff and then some odd things here and there to spice it up. A light show is what he''d chosen to shake things up a bit, and his parents ate every word up. Gordon: We... he heellll! That sounded amazing! Now I really wish you''d call us to come along. Frida: Mmm. hmm. I could''a brought some gifts. Gordon. Oh, you, always the sweet one. Frida: Oh, you! Ken looked again in utter disgust, a look that Gordon noticed. Gordon: Oh, come on, son. One of these days, you''re gonna have a woman of your own. And you''ll treat her just like I treat your mother. Frida: Mmmm, hmm. Ken looked more disgusted. Gordon: In fact, it might even be that Tiffany girl I always see you around. Ken almost wretched. Gordon: You might''ve even gone to the party to make a move on her. Ken: No way! Frida: Nun, uh hon. Ken: Huh? Ken was shocked to see his mother join his side. Gordon: Hmm? Frida: Our boy''s too smart for her. Gordon: Oh, come on now. Tiffany''s plenty smart. Frida: Yeah, but our boy is a super genius. He''s gonna need a super genius woman. Gordon: Well, I suppose you''re right. Gordon laughed loudly.