《The Chronicles Of Max Hunter 4: The Art Of Dining》 181. Dinner Time The six of them made their way up the stairs... Dinner with Julianne Hunter. It wasn''t like the thought had not crossed their minds. This... perhaps, would be a more difficult challenge than simply sparring. But as for what they were about to see... Those who had not taken time to look at the kitchen beforehand, nor knew of what the mother was capable of, them being Ken, Luke and Rose, found themselves completely astounded by what they saw, with Tiffany being only a bit less shocked. The room was lit up in an almost glorious splendour. One that paused all the teens, save Max. On top of what Julianne Hunter had already done, there were now, in addition to the candle flowers in the room, also a few lamps in the room placed strategically to create an warm calming ambience. The round circular dinner table now had six plates on it, each on top of a charger and each meal covered by a large cloche. Each plate positioned only about an inch away from the seats, with the forks and spoons organized the way one would expect in a fancy restaurant, a few on both sides of and above the plate. The chairs themselves were only a little apart from the table itself. And that, combined with the other light but somehow effective decorations of the room made it look like something right out of a 5 star restaurant. All four teens remained completely stunned. Tiffany: (thinking: It''s even better than before...) Rose: Oh... my.... (with a girly squeal) goooooooooshhhhh! Luke: (thinking: What in the....?) Ken: (thinking: This just gets more interesting every second.) All four of them failed to move for a few seconds. Simply put, they wondered as to how what was originally a normal looking kitchen with a table and chairs had turned into a gorgeous scene. One so well put together, that one would even question as to whether they were allowed to eat there. Julianne Hunter looked proudly at her finished work. She had worked on this with great scrutiny, after all. Julianne: Well... I simply wanted to give you all a treat. So... I spruced the place up a bit. You kids don''t mind, do you? Rose: Oh, not at all Mrs Hunter. It''s so pretty. Julianne: Really? Rose: Uh huh. It''s just like... like magic. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Julianne: Oh, really? Thank you. Max sighed in exhaustion. His mother understood. Her son had never been one to enjoy such things, considering them to be trivial and girly. That much she was aware of. But anyway.... She walked over to the table and chairs, with a completely unperturbed Max following her, his hands behind his head. Max: (thinking: Should''a guessed she''d do something like this. Ah, well....) Rose followed behind them, all the while taking time to admire things. The lights, the table and chairs... everything seemed so divine. And Julianne Hunter very quickly noted this. Julianne: I see you''ve taken a liking to the cloth on the chairs. Rose: Oh my gosh, yes! It''s sooooo pretty! Julianne: (giggle) (thinking: Well, at least someone appreciates my hard work.) Why... thank you, Rose. Rose: And the lights... it''s like.... it''s like... some kind of fancy restaurant. Luke, Tiffany, and Ken exchanged glances and then shortly after decided that they would look awkward staying where they were and slowly, like rabbits entering a forest full of wolves. But they, also, took time to admire the scene. It was like something straight out of a romance movie. Tiffany: (thinking: I.... I don''t believe it...) Luke: (thinking: Oh yeah. His mom is famous.) Ken: (thinking: Oh boy.) Ken''s eyes then turned to the others. Max had taken a seat, as had his mother, and Rose stayed standing, excitedly expressing herself to Julianne Hunter. Talking about how amazing the room was and asking follow-up questions. Ken: (thinking: Hopefully, this will be the last of today''s surprises.) He thought that, but knowing he was in the Hunter household, he couldn''t help but feel that there was yet more coming for him and for the rest of them. After all, had either Hunter failed to surprise him? No. And now, both were there. Meanwhile... Julianne: Oh... the lighting? Rose: Yeah. How did you make it so pretty? Julianne: Well... I guess I could say I have an eye for these things. Max simply looked on... bored. These conversations meant nothing to him. Rose: Really?! Julianne: Uh huh. Well... I did have to practice a lot just to get good at it. Rose: Oh... really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. Back when I was acting, my manager had me practice making scenes look like this over and over. Rose: He did!? Julianne: Mmmm hmmm. I had to set up a table and have it looking "set ready" within one hour, for months. Rose: Oh my gosh. That sounds so hard. Julianne: It was. Really. The mother''s eyes then turned to the air, as though thinking nostalgically. Julianne: (sigh) That old coot. Rose: Hmm? Julianne: He had me doing that for every dinner set I was in. Rose: But... why? Which would be the obvious question, as no one would expect a normal actor or actress to act like that. Julianne: Hmm? Oh, that? Well... he said it would help me better understand as to how to make the most out of a scene, if I knew all the ins and outs of it. Rose: Really!? Julianne: Mmm hmm. And.... (nostalgic sigh) I guess he was right..... Rose remained silent for a moment, as did Julianne and the others. Of course, understanding that Julianne was having a moment. Julianne: Of course, such an act still took months to properly master. Buuuuuuut eventually.... I was able to pull it off. Rose: That''s sooooooo amazing! Julianne: Think so. Rose: Uh huh. It must have been so hard. Julianne: It truly was. She then turned to the other three, who had all kept their distance from the table. Perhaps it was out of shyness, or even unfamiliarity, or something else, but these three felt the need to remain away from the table. Almost as though some kind of invisible force had kept them out. Almost as though sitting there would break some kind of rule. 182. The Dishes We all, as humans, have pet peeves. Little itty bitty things about us that aren''t quite polite, but are also our simple human flaws. For Julianne Hunter, one of those flaws was, well..... Julianne: So, what do you all think? ... she really badly wanted to be praised for her work. After all, she''d worked very hard for it. As for the question, Luke, Tiffany, and Ken all froze, being quite a bit shocked by what was said. Max, in the meantime, sulked even harder. Max: (thinking: C''mooooooooooon. When can we get to eating already?) And as for how to react to her question... The three of them looked at each other. All this time these three had shared the same opinion on Max''s mother. That there was something shady about the situation. And these three and only these three still found themselves on this side of the room. And Tiffany, seeing how she was team leader... Tiffany: (slightly nervous) It''s incredible. A bright smile lit up on Julianne Hunter''s face. Tiffany: I mean... it''s just so.... She had no words. It was unbelievable how much this room had changed in what hadn''t even been a very long time. Even Tiffany, who herself had seen the unfinished work, was completely shocked. It was even better than before. Much better. Tiffany: ... so.... incredible. Julianne: Aww... thanks Tiffany. Her eyes then turned to Luke and Ken. Julianne: How about you two? They both flinched again. Ken: (thinking: So, Tiffany''s answer wasn''t enough for her. Oh boy...) Luke: (thinking: Great..... well....) And so Luke started first. Luke: It''s.... well... it''s amazing. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ken: I agree. (thinking: Completely unbelievable that someone could do something like this.) Julianne: Awww... thanks guys. But enough about me... And then, she stood up and walked to a dish. Julianne: Please, allow me to present your dishes today. The teens all looked at her in shock. Well, except for Max, who continued to sulk. Tiffany, Luke , and Ken: Hmm? As for Rose... Rose: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Ok. Ok. I''ll stay put! She knew what she meant. Julianne smiled at Rose before starting to her first dish. There were six dishes in all. All of them next to a chair. And Julianne walked up to the first chair. Julianne: (to Luke, Tiffany, and Ken) C''mon you guys. Don''t be shy. The three teens slowly and somewhat carefully walked the dining room. It, initially wasn''t very big. However, with all the work she''d put in, it suddenly looked much bigger. Like there was more air to breath. Julianne: First up is Mr. Kenneth Stone. Ken: (thinking: What the!? Mr!?) The rest of them were entirely shocked. Again, except Max. She pulled up his chair in a particularly gentle manner, and then motioned for him to have a seat. Julianne: C''mon. Ken shared glances with Tiffany and Luke. Rose: C''mon Ken. Don''t be shy! It''s gonna be great. Ken awkwardly walked to the chair. Ken: (thinking: Easy for you to say,...) He then sat down and looked to his left. On seat away from him was Max. And in the middle.... Ken: (thinking: ... you''re not seated next to her.) Julianne presently pulled the cloche from the charger, revealing what Ken would, had he had the mind to say it at the time, describe as the best roast beef he''d ever seen. It was just as one would expect from an expert chef. Perfectly brown on the outside, and absolutely well done, of course not considering the healthy helping of fries right next to it and the herbs all over the beef. And as for the intoxicating aroma. None of the teens had ever before smelled such a dish. Well... with the exception of Max. Julianne: Presenting Steak de japonais. Or, rather... Japanese steak. Needless to say, Ken was shocked. Rose: Wooooooowwwww! It looks so tasty! Julianne: Uh huh. This bad boy is one of the most expensive steaks in the whole world. Rose: Really? Julianne: Uh huh. They say that only a couple of thousand cows are even deemed worthy of being cooked onto this steak. Rose: Really! Julianne: Mmmm... hmmm... Ken: But.... For the first time in a long time, Ken found himself starstruck. Since when was he the one with a tied up tongue? Ken: ... how did you....? Julianne: Oh, it''s ok. Getting stuff like this on such short notice is no hassle when you''re rich and famous. Which reminds me... She put her finger on her lip. Julianne: ... you four didn''t happen to tell anyone who I am, did you? Rose: Oh no. Never. Tiffany: We did not. No need to worry. Ken: Nope. Luke: No. Julianne: (relieved sigh) Oh, thank goodness. Believe me, paparazzi are way more of a hassle to deal with than you''d think. Rose: Really Julianne: Mmmm hmm. But before we talk about that, we should move on to the next dish. Monsieur Luke? Rose giddily clapped her hands, as for Max, he wondered as to why she was so excited. Max: (thinking: Is this some kind of girl thing?) Luke: Yes ma''am. He was surprised by how shocked she made him. As for her, she pulled up his seat. Julianne: Have a seat. Luke presently sat down. He was right next to Ken and directly facing Max, who was still waiting, seeming bored. 183. The Extravaganza As she did with Ken, she opened up the cloche. Seeing what Ken had, he was prepared to witness something incredible. In fact, his taste buds couldn''t wait either. And then.. it was opened, revealing a very neatly organised trail of smoked ribs. Julianne: C?tes lev¨¦es, Monsieur. That means, spare ribs in English. She didn''t say anything about the spare ribs in particular, but any normal human who''d seen ribs before could tell that these ribs were on a league of their own. The scent, the sight... Even on a look one could tell how tender the ribs were. Rose: Woooooow. They look so good. Luke: These ribs... Julianne: Uh huh. They were made in a special farm where the cows were lovingly looked after all their lives. And as for the meat, it had air blown over it for at a very cold temperature for a very long time. Rose: Oh. How long? Julianne: About 13 years. Luke and Rose: Thirteen years!? Tiffany and Ken were equally shocked. Julianne: Uh huh. She patted Luke''s shoulder. Julianne: What you''re feasting your eyes on now is "aged" meat. From what I''ve heard, it''s pretty tasty. Luke: I.... He didn''t know what to say. Sure, anyone would have expected something exceptional in terms of food that day. But as for what she said... it felt like something straight out of a fairy tale. Luke: Err.. Julianne: Hmm? Luke: Umm.. thank you, ma''am. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Julianne: Oh, no worries, Luke. It was no trouble at all, really. As for Luke, who had been working to make ends meet since his parents died, this was something of an angel appearing in his darkest hour. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he''d get such good-looking food. It was beyond his own imagination. And then, as though to commemorate this wondrous occasion, his belly growled. Luke blushed, as Julianne and Rose started giggling. Max only raised his eye up for a moment, and then lowered his gaze again. Tiffany and Ken simply remained silent. Julianne: Sorry Luke, but you''re gonna have to wait till I''m done with the other three, ok? Luke: Ok. That was almost needlessly embarrassing. Julianne: Moving on... Mademoiselle Tiffany. She pulled her seat up just as she did with the others. Tiffany walked to her seat just as the first two did. She was right next to Luke, and as for who she would be facing, that would be Julianne Hunter herself. Speaking of, Julianne put her hand on the cloche and gave Tiffany a smile, one she could not return, but also, one that made her wonder. And then... she opened it. Julianne: Presenting... galettes de poisson. Or... fish cakes. And fish cakes they were. Although, like the others, they had never seen anything quite like it before. Tiffany herself, who had seen all the manner of fish cake recipes in her life, had never seen something like it before. For one thing... Rose: (gasp) They smell so goooood. And indeed they did. For one thing, they had a faint scent of pork to them. A very delicious scent at that. One that blended well with the already incredible aroma of the fish. Even Max was momentarily shocked by the dish. Momentarily. Julianne: Mmm hmmm. These bad boys were made from a cocktail of fish species. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. It''s something of a cocktail of tuna, lobster, prawn, and other species. Rose: Woah! (to Tiffany) Tiff, your dish sounds amazing! Tiffany: Yeah... She was quite nervous. After all, she''d expected Julianne to get something expensive, but this, this was far above anything she could have expected. Rose: Oh, and does it have pork, too? Julianne: Uh huh. It comes from a breed of pigs that only feed on only acorns. So, it''s pretty unique. Rose: Wow. Julianne: I know, right. Oh.. I almost forgot... It also has a little caviar inside. The most expensive kind, of course. That only served to make Tiffany more upset. As if she needed more reasons to feel bad. The dish was expensive. Just how much money did this woman put into this meal? And even then, how could she reject it? This kind of effort could not go unappreciated. That would go against every honour law this teenager held. And so.. in a last ditch effort to stop the madness... Tiffany: Mrs Hunter... Julianne: No need to worry, Tiffany. It was no trouble at all, really. And that was it. Any other objections would break social contagion. And that, she could not afford to do. Not for herself or for the situation. And then that all three before suspicious teens were seated, they shared glances with one another. However, Tiffany could only look up hesitantly, as she was, in her mind, battling with an enormous amount of guilt. 184. From Gustav, With Pizza And the beat went on.... Julianne: And now for you, Rose, mon amie. Rose: Eeeeep! She got up and excitedly shook her hands in what one could only describe as a girly way. Rose: I can''t wait! Julianne smiled back at her. In a way, one could say that she had always wanted something like this. One could also say that Rose had always wanted the same thing. Julianne put her hand on the cloche on the charger between Max and Tiffany, with Rose''s eyes fixated on the dish. What she''d wanted was pie. And what she got... Julianne: Presenting.... And Rose''s eyes shone with glee.... Julianne: ... la tarte legendaire. Or, rather... the legendary pie. .... was a pie. The pie, even on the outside, looked incredible. It was on a small tray, decorated with what one could only assume to be some kind of secret sauce on the top with a particularly interesting flower design on the brown red crust. Rose: It''s sooooo pretty. And then for the aroma. It was simply divine. Something of a meaty as well as bread like scent emanated from it. But that was to say nothing of the sauce. Julianne: Mmm hmmm. Rose: And the smell... She took two sniffs of the pie. Rose: What meat is in it? Julianne: Well... it does contain meat from some of the most expensive chicken in the world. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. One of them, is a chicken breed thats completely black. Rose: Completely black? Julianne: Mmm hmm. From the beak, to the feathers, to the comb... even its meat is black. Rose: No way! That was a shock to them all. Even Max was suddenly interested having heard that. Just what kind of chicken was black all over? Julianne: It''s only grown in certain parts of the world. In fact, they say its meat is some of the most delicious of all chicken meat in the world. Rose: That''s sooo cool! Julianne: And the other breed... The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Rose: There''s another? Julianne: Uh huh. It''s a chicken known for growing especially big legs. Its also, only kept in certain parts of the world. After all, is someone fails to properly care for it, the whole breed will die. Rose: Oh... And without skipping a beat... Julianne: And as for the last ingredient... At that point, Tiffany, Ken and Luke were all asking themselves.... "Just how expensive wa this dinner anyway?" Julianne: ... white truffles. Rose: (gasp) Truffles? Julianne: Uh huh. They''re mushrooms that only grow underground, so they are very hard to find. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. Especially this kind. Buuuuut.... luckily for us, I just so happened to have a guy. And then, Rose took a deep breath. Rose: Oh thank you, Mrs Hunter. Thank you soooo much! Julianne: Oh, it''s no trouble. Really.... Rose: This dish looks so amazing. Julianne: And it''ll taste amazing too. Rose: (girly squeal) Thank you, Mrs Hunter. The mother could only chuckle to herself. Her son would never react this way in front of a meal or presentation. Speaking of.... Julianne: Alright then Rose. Max''s sulking suddenly went into hyperdrive. He knew what was about to happen. Julianne smiled upon her son who looked away. Julianne: (thinking: Awwwww... never change sweetie. Never change.) And then, pinching his cheeks... Julianne: And for my baaaaaaaaaaaabbyyyyy boooooooooyyyyyyy! Max: Mmmmmmm..... At that point he was too fed up to protest. Rose simply giggled. As for the others, they were far too stunned to say anything. Julianne: Presenting, mon magnum opus.... And then.. she opened the cloche, revealing what one could only state as an almost cartoonishly decorative pizza with a side of fries. Max''s own eyes widened as he looked at the meal. Julianne: ... mon pizza creme de la creme! Max: Woah! Rose: It''s amazing!!! Julianne: Mmm hmmm. Of course, I wouldn''t spare a dime when it came to my... She gave him a hug from behind. Julianne: ... baaaaaaabyyyy boooooyyyy. But this time, Max could give a rebuttal. Max: Moooooooom! Rose giggled again as Max''s mother let go of him. Rose: Oh, whats in it? Julianne: Oh, that? That would be an especially expensive pizza made especially for Max. Rose: Hmm? For Max? Those words rung confusion amongst not only Rose, but also the others. But for Max, whos ears suddenly pirked up, those words held meaning. Max: Wait! You mean......? Julianne: Uh huh. The fries come from a foreign country, and they''re grown near the ocean to give them an extra special flavour. As for the pizza... Her eyes turned to her son, who she knew would almost immediately understand who she was talking about. Julianne: ... it was made by my former personal chef, Gustavo Reyes. Max: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. That name meant something only to Max and Julianne. Rose: Who is Gustavo? The others simply remained silent. Julianne: He was my personal chef back when I was acting. She giggled nostalgically for a moment. Julianne: Back then, he used to let my Maxie try his recipes every once in a while. Rose: Really? Julianne: Uh huh. She smiled nostalgically again. Julianne: He wanted to make the perfect pizza, and so... he hired Max to try as many of his pizzas as possible. Rose: No way...! Ken: (thinking: Indeed. So... that must mean...) Julianne: And so, this pizza... is his "finalised creation" She then pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, saying... "To Maximillian Hunter, here it is. Sorry I couldn''t say hello personally. However, I present to you, my Magnum Opus." Max: Gustav... Julianne: He just so happened to be passing by Hypercity when I called him. He''s still busy cooking for actors and all. But when he heard that you needed a pizza, he dropped everything and got started. And he took the entirety of the day just to cook it in time. But... he was able to finish it. Max: Hmm. His own eyes looked nostalgically upon the pizza, even upon those days. Gustav. It had been a while. A long while since he''d last seen him. And right there and then, he couldn''t help but smile. And Julianne, she couldn''t help but smile too. After all, she could share this moment with her son. 185. Drinks Julianne: And finally... your drinks. Tiffany, Luke, and Ken: (thinking: Drinks?) And as if the madness on the table wasn''t enough... there was more. Just how expensive was the food on the table? As for Julianne, she walked towards the fridge and, from some kind of large bottle, tapped out a large jug of what seemed to be and smelled like fruit juice. Julianne: Had to keep it refridgerated. As the cup was filled... Julianne: Why not you kids go wash your hands as I get you your drinks? Almost as if lightning, Tiffany stood up, leaving the rest slightly startled by her. Rose: Tiff? Tiffany: I... I''ll just... go wash my hands.... She started towards the tap. Ken: (thinking: Oh.. how could I forget.... Our poor inspiring leader... must be suffering more than any of us. I almost pity her position.) And then Ken''s eyes turned back to Julianne getting the juice... Ken: (thinking: Almost...) Luke followed after Tiffany was done, and then after did Ken wash his hands... Rose: What kind of juice is it? Julianne: That? Oh, apple juice. At that point, Luke, Tiffany, and Ken all paused and perked their ears. Did they hear it right? Something normal about this dinner? Max remained completely undaunted. Julianne: Kidding! She then started laughing, and Rose giggled as well. As for the other three, if they could make a rebuttal without being disrespectful or louding out how odd they found the situation, they would. But in any case... Rose: Hmm? Julianne: (sighs) Well.. these apples were grown under the ocean water. Rose: No way! Julianne: Mmm hmm. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. As she started pouring the others drinks.... Julianne: They say the salt water makes the apples extra sweet and juicy. But the conditions have to be juuuuuuuuuuust right, or else, they just end up spoiling. Rose: Oh my gosh! They must be so rare. Julianne: Oh, they are..... but no worries. It was no trouble at all obtaining these. Rose smiled as she received a glass from Julianne, who smiled back at her. Rose: Thanks, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: It''s no problem at all, Rose. It wasn''t like Rose hadn''t thought of how much getting all this juice had cost Julianne. She knew full well that Julianne must have worked hard to procure all his food. Rather, that she deeply appreciated what she''d done. And then, she was well went to go wash her hands. Julianne filled Max''s glass. She filled it just as much as the others before.... Julianne: Want some more sweetie? Max: (flatly) No. It''s fine.... Being babied by his mother in front of his friends. How embarassing! He then also went to go wash his hands right after Rose, who''d sat back down. As he was washing them.... Julianne: And if anyone wants more juice... feel free to ask. Rose: Ok, Mrs Hunter! The other three uncomfortably murmured to answer. Tiffany: Yes.... Luke: Sure.... Ken: Will do... The food in front of them may have very well been more expensive than anything they''d ever seen. Even more than that, there was still Mrs Julianne Hunter. The mother went off to go wash her hands before... Julianne: Alright then.. ... she herself also took her seat. And also, at that point that Rose suddenly became confused. The seating order was, counting counter-clockwise... Ken, Luke, Tiffany, Rose, Max, and then Julianne. Rose was a bit perturbed to not see herself seated next to Julianne, after all, she was the one who''d arranged the dishes. And perhaps this thought would have bothered her a bit longer, however, as she looked to Julianne, questioning this, her eyes fell upon Max and she immediately forgot about the entire ordeal and tried to keep herself calm so as not to make Max think she was weird. As for Julianne, she took a seat and opened her own cloche. Julianne: And I''ll be having... this foreign made pasta and meatballs, also made by Gustav. Rose: Ooooooohhhh It looks so good! What''s in it? Julianne: Oh, that? Well... lobster, truffles... you know, normal stuff. Rose: Oh wow! Julianne: Did you know that the noodles used to make this pasta were grown in the Himalayas? Rose: No way! That''s so cool! Julianne: Think so? Rose: (nodding) Uh huh. The two shared a warm smile with each other. In a sense, it was as though they had reached an odd understanding. Tiffany, Ken, and Luke couldn''t help but feel that they were living in some kind of odd distorted reality. Just how did these two become so close to one another? In any case, at that point, Max was hungrily waiting to take a bite. Tiffany was waiting, all the while feeling like she shouldn''t, Ken himself was uneasy about being seated to Julianne.... Ken: (thinking: So... she planned for me to seat next to her.... But... why?) ... and Luke, who had never eaten anything even remotely as expensive as what he was eating, was already starting to feel nervous about taking a bite, to say nothing of the fact that he''d never used such fancy utencils to eat. There were several forks and spoons on both sides of everyones plates, not to mention condiments. It really did seem like some kind of fancy restaurant. On top of that, the air of the room was absolutely divine, given the scent of all the incredible food there. And Julianne, remembering that they had to eat, stood up and... Julianne: And now that that''s all said and done, ladies and gentlemen... Her remark, calling them ladies and gentlemen, got a quick giggle out of Rose. Julianne: ... let us... She held a spoon and glass in her hand... Julianne: ... dig in! 186. The Art Of Dining And so, the dinner finally started. There is a word for it. Nervousness. The feeling... as though your own body is on edge. Think of it as teetering on the edge of a cliff. Only this time, it''s not your body, but rather, your soul. You feel like one false step could knock you down. If you trip, it''s over. And so, you don''t make a move. This was how Ken, and most especially, Tiffany and Luke felt just as this dinner had begun. Tiffany didn''t feel comfortable eating such an expensive meal, and as for Luke, he had no idea as to how to use any of the fancy forks and spoons laid on the table. Their nervousness, thus, halted their actions. Meanwhile... Rose: Ok! Thanks for the food, Mrs Hunter! Max: Yeah. Thanks... Julianne: Awww.... no need to thank me. As if they weren''t already on the cliff''s edge, now they had to thank her as well. Ken was the first to answer. Ken: Yeah... thank you, Mrs Hunter. He tried as hard as he could to hide his true feelings. Luke: Ummm.. yeah... thanks... And Tiffany continued, copying after Luke. Tiffany: Y... yeah... thanks.... Julianne: Awww.. you guys... Julianne was, in a sense, acting. She was a very happy mother to hear all that praise. After all, which mother wasn''t glad to hear people thank her for her efforts? Julianne: Anyway... let''s get started. Her hands were quick to grab a fork and, almost divinely, spin the fork around the pasta and then take a bite. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. It was one thing, seeing so many utencils around the plate and all the fancy food. But this? Seeing her as such an expert while eating, made her look like some kind of unreachable being. Every move she''d made to eat that fork of pasta made it look like she''d been born to do it. Like it was so natural to her. Perhaps an equivalent description would be a comparison between two football players. One an expert, and the other, a newbie. The newbie kicks the ball uncomfortably, running around, trying to keep it in place, and managing to do so. The expert kicks the ball in a more "expert" manner, obviously. But there''s more to it than that. Not just the skills or the kicks or the experience, but the very manner of the kicks themselves is different. Not just by experience, but also, almost as though the footballer has become a footballer. Like that footballer is now in his or her element. Like it is such a fundamental part of them that it is almost as though their very being plays as they play Another comparison can be made between people walking on the street. One looks uncomfortable and one looks like one is in one''s element. That would describe Julianne Hunter as she ate her meal. And that perfection in eating habits, that elegance, captivated and intimidated Tiffany, Ken and most especially Luke, who still didn''t know what to do. However, seeing her made them momentarily forget about the woman''s very own son. They''d never once seen Max eat like that, and so.... Max, on the other hand, immediately took a slice of pizza and, like some kind of ruffian, took a massive bite and started chewing it. Truly, it was a sight. The mother, eloquent and divine. The son, eating like some kind of prehistoric animal. Truly an incredible sight. One so incredible it stunned the three teens more than Julianne alone. Max: Mmmmmmmmm! It took a moment for Julianne to reply as she was still chewing. Julianne: Tastes good sweetie? Max nodded his head with food still in his mouth. Max: Mmmmm hmmm. He swallowed. Max: This pizza''s insane! Julianne: (giggling) I guess Gustav finally managed to pull it off, huh? Max: Yeah! And the son simply took yet another bite. To him, this was by far the best pizza he''d ever eaten. And so, he continued without skipping a beat. And then Rose started.... Rose: Mmmmmm.... Mrs. Hunter. These pies.... they''re.... incredibly tasty. Julianne: Think so? Rose: Mmm hmmm. The inside of the pie itself was an oddly beautifully patterned black and white. The kind of beauty you''d expect from art, but not from food. Rose: The chicken is sooo yummy. Julianne: Really? Rose: Mmm hmm. And the truffles.... they''re just (girly squeal)... this pie is soooooo amazing! Julianne: (smiling) Well.. I''m glad you like it. And that she was. She was truly glad she''d enjoyed it. As for the other three who''d been watching this spectacle, but hadn''t even taken a bite out of their meals, they just watched... silently. And then, just as Julianne was about to take another bite, she noticed the other three kids hesitant to start eating. Julianne: Hmmmm. Are you kids hungry? At that point, all of them flinched. Julianne: I mean... it''s alright if you''re not hungry.... So she noticed. That was obvious. Of course, she would eventually notice. But the tunnel vision from the nervousness made them incapable of noticing that sooner. Ken: N... no. Not at all. Luke: Yeah... just... Tiffany: Yeah... For one thing, neither Max nor Rose seemed to be following this insanely complicated eating method, and so, it only made sense that they could eat whichever way they wanted. But also, it meant that they should eat, seeing as Julianne would become suspicious if they didn''t. As for Julianne.... Well.... let the games begin. 187. The Shrewd, The Proud And The Mighty Max''s eyes fell upon his comrades for only a second, as he was really enjoying his pizza. It did occur to him that it was odd that they hadn''t eaten yet, but the pizza distracted him from thinking about it too much. After all, it was a really good pizza. One specifically made to suit his interests. As for the others... Rose: C''mon, guys. Dig in. This food tastes great. Easy for her to say. There was no doubt that it really would taste good, no doubt at all. Especially considering the aroma, but... considering what they were all feeling.... it would be an understatement to say that they were at least not in part glad that Rose would not read their minds. Ken: Sure... He uneasily looked at the roast beef right in front of him. He was tempted to immediately do an internet search about the meat or to scan the meat, but waiting too long to take a bite would cause suspicion. And so, he knew he had no choice, and took a knife and fork, gently cutting out a piece of meat, and then chewing it. The result. He paused. Julianne and Rose simply watched him with patient expectation, and even Max was a little attentive to what his first reaction to the meat would be. The reaction being... ... Ken simply froze. The taste of the meat was beyond anything he could have expected. In fact, it was beyond anything he had ever tasted. He slowly chewed it, bit by bit, as the flavour like some kind of fluid rushed around his tongue. And then he swallowed it, all the while remaining silent. He couldn''t believe it. He knew it would taste good, but this? This was.... extraordinary. So much so that he didn''t say another word. Julianne: So... how was it? It took a lot for Ken to simply and calmly answer this question. Ken: It was simply divine, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: Oh.. really? Rose giggled. Ken: Yes. Simply and immaculately divine. Julianne: Oh. Well, I''m glad to hear that. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Ken: (thinking: No kidding it''s good. This meat is... in fact... beyond good. Just how did... how did she get this stuff? And on such short notice at that.) Julianne''s eyes consequently went off to Luke, who had just begun to take a bite of his own piece of meat. Julianne: Well, how about you, Luke? He, unlike Ken, wasn''t nearly as good with a knife, fork, and other utencils, and so was using his hands. His eyes turned to Julianne, for a moment, concerned that she would protest, but she simply waved her hand. Julianne: Oh, I don''t mind. Go on ahead. And so he did. Now, to explain what had caused Luke''s reaction, his own life would need to be understood. Luke Parks was an orphan. An orphan who worked a job delivering pizza to make ends meat. Needless to say, him tasting something so good was out of the ordinary for him. Far, far out of the ordinary. And so, Luke immediately paused as well. So disturbing was it that even Rose had to comment on it. Rose: Luke? At that point, everybody in the room looked at Luke. Julianne: So.. how is it? Luke: It''s.... amazing.... Just like Ken, in all his life, he''d never tasted anything so good. But unlike Ken, tasting something this good was completely out of the ordinary. After all, how often did this teen get to taste luxury food? Let alone all the disgusting lunch food he had to deal with. Julianne: Really.... Luke: Yes. It is... ma''am. It was a little embarrassing, the way he felt. After all, he wanted to simply pig out and enjoy this meal, but he had enough sanity to pace himself. Bit by bit, he would enjoy this meal. And Julianne turned to the last of the team members, Tiffany Chang, who, during this entire debacle, hadn''t taken a single bite of her fish cakes. Julianne: And last but not least... Tiffany? There were many things keeping Tiffany from taking a bite out of the food, but the first and foremost of these, unlike with the other two, was pride. Why pride? Tiffany was a firm believer in honour. And sitting in a room with someone with whom she was not comfortable was hard enough. But now, receiving food from someone she was so suspicious of and still was suspicious of, that was too much for her. Her honourable mentality could not take it. And so, she remained silent, her lips pursed and her teeth gritting. Ken: (thinking: Oh... poor Tiff.) He then continued to take another bite. And then Rose began to get bothered. Rose: Tiff? She was only barely hiding her discomfort. Why? Because even being dishonest was discomforting to her. Julianne: Hmmm... (thinking: What''s wrong with her?) And so it begun to happen, Max slowly begun to slow down as he ate, paying more attention to Tiffany, Julianne''s eyes were fixiated on her, as were the others'' eyes... It only took five seconds, but she was now the main state of attraction in this dinner party. Just how would she say this? "I don''t want to eat because...." No, even saying that would be wrong. So.... what would she do? In truth, her mind was not at all made up. Julianne: Well... if you''re not hungry.... And that statement made her feel even worse. She couldn''t even look into Julianne''s eyes. Rose: C''mon Tiff. She turned to Rose, who seemed quite concerned. Rose: At least give it a try. She said this with a smile, and Tiffany wished her friend could understand just how wrong this felt, but was also glad that she didn''t. However, luckily for her, before any suspicions from Max or Rose could rise... Luke: Hey... try some. She was stunned for a moment. Her eyes met Luke''s. She knew what he meant. After all, she knew he would understand. He was saying... "It''s ok. You can eat." She held in her sigh, and more importantly, her pride, and took her first bite of the fish cakes. Everyone in the room held themselves in anticipation, awaiting her reaction. Although Max was not all that interested. But Rose and Julianne were especially expectant. Julianne: Well... how was it? The girl bit her pride once more, hiding her inner pain, her eyes still not facing Julianne.... Tiffany: It tastes great. 188. That Old Coot... And with that.... Julianne: (sighs) Oh I''m so glad to hear that Tiffany! Rose: Yeah, me too! She was simply glad to see that her friend was enjoying what was going on as well. Julianne: Mm hmm. For a second, I was worried you kids wouldn''t enjoy this food, but... I''m relieved. Rose giggled to herself again. And with that... Julianne: And now... I can finally eat in peace. So, kids.. enjoy. She then took another fork full of pasta and ate it with a smile. It wasn''t as though Julianne was aware of how uneasy the kids must have felt around her. She had too much experience not to know that. At that point, she genuinely wondered as to what she could do about it. After all, it was in her best interests that the kids did get along with her. And so, she would have to calm them down. But the question was... how? As an artist grows knowledgeable about what paints do what, and which colours can be mixed to get what, she also knew quite well what mistakes had to be avoided to ensure that she didn''t unnerve the kids or awaken their suspicions. But... she knew that it had to come off as natural. And so, she wouldn''t force it. She was tempted to, but.... Her eyes turned to her son. ... she would wait. And with that, for just a moment, the room became quite silent. Max was quietly munching on his pizza, and the other three were somewhat nervously eating what may very well have been one of if not the best meals they''d had all their lives. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. In the meanwhile.... Rose suddenly started, having noticed how naturally Julianne used her fork. Rose: Wow, Mrs Hunter, you look so elegant while using that fork. Of course, and she was glad about this, she didn''t need to worry about Rose. Julianne finished chewing her food. Julianne: Oh, really? Rose: Mmm hmmm. When you''re eating, you look like a movie star. Her eyes were filled with deep admiration. Julianne: Oh, why thank you. I learned this all while I was acting on Earth. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. That was one of the many things I had to learn while acting. Rose: No way, really? Julianne: Uh huh. The old man who taught me how to act had me learn everything from fine dining to fishing. Honestly, at times I wondered about what whether or not I would eventually become an actress. Rose: Woah. Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. But... well... what he taught me always ended up becoming in handy. (thinking: Unfortunately...) In a sense, she almost resented the old coot for being right. Rose: Wow. That must have been so hard. Julianne: It was. Really. The other teens simply quietly listened. Ken: (thinking: Hmmm. Intriguing. Perhaps I should... no. I did promise Tiffany, after all.) As for Julianne, like magic, even as she ate, she seemed completely divine. Julianne: It took quite a while for me to finally figure out how to use all the right forks and spoons. She took another fork full of pasta in her mouth, chewed it gently and delicately, all the while being stared at by a very bedazzled Rose, and then swallowed it the way you''d expect a true lady to. Julianne: And, honestly, it was even harder than you would believe. For a moment she thought nostalgically.... Julianne: But ... let''s just say... I''m glad I got all that experience. Rose: Really? Julianne: Absolutely. Her mind went back to all the things he''d taught her. They were, in a nutshell, oft times things only somewhat unrelated to acting. If she was shooting a boating scene, she would have to learn about boating, fishing, servicing a boat and the like, if she had to shoot a dining scene, why not learn everything about fine dining, including but not limited to, decor, design, and even the different kinds of utencils? Even then, she still wasnt 100% certain of his reasoning behind this, but, she could not deny that his advice always made her come out on top. After all, thanks to him, she was stinking rich. Julianne: Yeah... (thinking: For what its worth, I''m glad I met that old man. Even though he was out of his mind.) Her eyes turned to her now pizza munching son. His eyes as well were somewhat nostalgic. Perhaps, in a sense, it was a moment for mother and son. They both knew that man. And neither one of them had seen him for quite a while. Her lips turned to a smile. Julianne: (thinking: Yeah... even you remember him, don''t you sweetie?) Hmmm. Yes. That old man.... 189. Her Son Julianne Hunter wanted these kids to come here for two different reasons. One, to train. The other, to establish a relationship with them. Having them uneasy around her was obviously sub optimal. She needed them to be more at ease with her. But....how? Just how could she do that? At the moment, only her and Rose, and perhaps her son should he feel like it would be willing to talk. The other three though. Well... they were enjoying the food, in fact, Luke was half way done with his ribs. However, the unease was not unnoticed by her. That she needed to fix... before the dinner party was over. Her acting lessons and life had taught her that much. But before her thoughts could go any further, Rose made a girly squeal. Rose: This chicken is just sooooooo gooooooood! Julianne couldn''t help but smile, after all, she was glad the girl was enjoying it so much. But also, there was just something about her that she found quite endearing. And before she could get back to her thoughts, something happened that may just have given her a lucky break. Max had, having heard of an all black chicken, become somewhat curious. More curious than his mother would have anticipated. He turned to Rose... Max: Hey Rose. Rose: Y... yeah... Him speaking so suddenly genuinely surprised her. Max: Could I have some of your pie? The very statement shocked Rose quite a bit, but it shocked Julianne even more. Every one likes food, sure, but she simply did not anticipate that happening. Rose, on the other hand, simply saw this as what one would call, an opportunity to prove herself to him. An opportunity to please him. And so, like she obviously would, she immediately panicked under pressure. Rose: Umm... I.... And Max, noticing this.. Max: It''s ok. You don''t have to if you don''t wanna. Rose: N... no... no... I mean... I... She immediately started to become more flustered. Had she lost her chance? She held her hands together tightly. And Julianne, while only slightly amused, decided she would help Rose out. After all, where was the harm in helping? If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Julianne: How about you two trade? A slice of pizza for a piece of pie. She knew well what Rose wanted to do, and she understood that sentiment well. Well enough to sympathise. And she knew her son well enough to know what he''d say. Max: Oh yeah. That works. He turned to her again, and a blushing Rose could only answer... Rose: Sure! She said it loudly and panickedly, and had Julianne not been around, Ken and Luke might have even laughed. Ken: (thinking: Oh Rose. You poor thing.) Luke: (thinking: Oh boy...) But in this case, in spite of her sudden reaction, the trade was made and they both took a bite of each other''s meal. Meanwhile, the others reserved their comments. Max: Mmmmmmm. This is good. Rose: Yeah. Yours is too. (thinking: Oh, I''m so glad you like it, Max.) Max: Mmmmm. It tastes like.... hmmm... like.... Somehow, Max''s comment drew the attention of the others. So much so that they hung on his words. Max: Liiiiiiikkee....... And he just seemed to be giving it a lot of thought. Max: Ah forget it. And without skipping a beat, he continued to eat the pie. No one needed to say a word to loud out how disappointed they all were to hear that. But still, a muffled sigh did escape their mouths. Ken: (thinking: Hmph. Still full of surprises, I see.) And Ken''s eyes turned to the mother. Ken: (thinking: And come to think of it....) As for Julianne Hunter, she got back to work. How could she get the kids to open up? Talk about school? No, that wouldn''t work. She knew how much kids hated school. Talk about missions? No, she wouldn''t be able to bear hearing about their exploits in battle. She had enough worries about her son as was. Talk about... their powers? But she''d already done that the last time and that wasn''t enough. So... talk about.... And then it happened, just as she was still brainstorming... Max: Hey, Ken. Ken: Hmmm? Max: I''ll trade you a slice for some of that beef. Ken: (thinking: What the...?!) Uhhh sure. And so, they too traded a bit of each others food from across the table. And, as for the result... Max: Wow. This stuff is good. Ken: Same goes for your pizza. I don''t believe I''ve ever tasted anything like it. Julianne Hunter''s thoughts paused as she watched her son hungrily munched on the piece of roast beef. Rose: Oh! I''d like some too! Ken: Sure. Why not? And they traded food as well. Rose: Mmmmmmm. Sooo good. Ken: Same. This pie is simply exquisite. And before long even Luke joined in. Luke: Hey Ken? Ken: Hmm? Luke: How about we trade too? Rose: Ooh ooh. Me with Luke too! Max: Me three! And after a few trades, even Tiffany, who was still reeling from having her pride crushed... Luke: Hey, Tiff... Tiffany held her sigh back as hard as she could. Tiffany: S... sure. Lets trade. The situation was even more uncomfortable. Now, she was eating even more of this woman''s food. But, she could not deny the fact that it all tasted really good. And just like that, the plates of food turned from personal meals to communal plates. Max: Hey Rose, gimme some more of that pie. Rose: Sure. Luke: Hey, don''t finish it all. Ken: Says the one who''s almost finished his ribs. Luke: Hmmmmm. Max: Oh yeah. Tiffany? Tiffany: Sure. Let''s trade again. Just like that, the five of them were talking. What was a quiet and calm dining room was now a noisy room full of comments, giggles and even smiles. Julianne Hunter couldn''t believe it. Her eyes fell to her son once more. Who would have thought... ? Luke: Hey, you gave me a small slice of pizza. Max: Ya snooze ya lose Luke: Mmmmmm... Max: Ok... ok.... He then gave him another slice of pizza. And she was just about to play some kind of trick to get their attention, to liven the room up, but... somehow... he just pulled it off. She wondered to herself, did he do this knowing her dilemma? No, absolutely unlikely. Did he do it because he could sense that she was stressed out about the silence? Did he? No, also unlikely. She knew deep down, that was just Max being Max. 190. Small Talk And following that... Rose: Oh, umm... Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Oh it''s alright, you kids have your fun. I don''t mind. Rose: Ok then. She then promptly went back to sharing and comparing food with the rest. It was nice to know that Rose cared, but that wasn''t what had enamored Julianne Hunter the most. The answer to that, in fact, lay with her own son, Max. While it was an odd thing to consider, this was the first time Max had had friends over for as long as she could remember. At least, since they''d reached Earth. And so, to her, it was quite odd seeing the house so lively. But even more, she was surprised at how easily it had happened and at how well her son was handling it. In a way, her heart settled even more. Maybe this was the right decision. She couldn''t help but simply watch him with a silent joy in her heart. And before long, the five teens had each taken a bit of each others'' food and were all almost done with their own plates. Max: Maaaaaaan that was gooooooooood! Rose: Uh huh. Ken: Agreed. Luke: Yeah. Tiffany remained silent. As for the mood in the room, it had become a lot more jovial. Julianne: (giggle) I guess thats what Gustavo meant when he said that pizza was made specially for you. Max: Yeah.... He wrapped his hands behind his head and smiled. Good ol'' Gustav.... Rose: Gustavo is a really great chef. I really liked his pizza, too! Julianne: Mmm, hmmm. He was the best of the best back in the day. Still is even today. Why... they say he can make anything. Rose: Really? Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Julianne: Mmm, hmm. I''ve seen him toss ice cream into an oven and meat straight into a blender and still come out with some amazing food. Rose: No way, really?! Julianne: Mmm, hmm. While Julianne and Rose continued their conversation, something suddenly occurred to Ken. Ken: (thinking: Now that I think about it, Max is actually related to an actress. And a successful one at that.) Ken''s eyes fell on Max, as he nonchalantly reclined on his chair. Ken: (thinking: Hmmm. The fact that it''s hard to remember that... Well... he is still full of surprises, I see.) And in the meantime... Julianne: Although.. he''s always busy, so he said he couldn''t come say hi. Rose: Awwwww... I''d really wanna meet him. Julianne: Oh, it''s ok, Rose. Tell ya what, next time he shows up, I''ll let you know. Rose: You will? Julianne: Absolutely! To say that the sight was quite peculiar to Tiffany, Luke, and Ken would be an understatement. Just how on Earth did those two get along so quickly? Was it some kind of alien thing? The thought perturbed them for quite a while.... Julianne: Oh, I almost forgot. She turned to the rest of the teens as though to garner all of their attention. Julianne: Did you kids enjoy your meal? Max: Yeah Rose: Uh huh. She answered with a giddy smile. As for the other three.... Luke: Yes, ma''am. It was amazing. Ken: Ditto. Tiffany: Yes. Thank you, Mrs Hunter. Although at that point, Tiffany was pinching her right hand. This time, the three of them had answered much faster and a lot more freely. Julianne felt a little weight leave her shoulders. These three had become more comfortable around her. Not perfectly comfortable, but progress was progress. In fact, even the air of the room had changed to a more relaxed tone. Relaxed enough that Julianne decided to make a comment. Julianne: You kids want refills? She said this while motioning towards her own glass of juice. Max: Sure. Rose: Oh, yes! Absolutely! Luke, Ken, and Tiffany shared a glance for just a moment before... Luke: Sure... Ken: Yes, I suppose that wouldn''t hurt. And as for Tiffany, who took a moment longer to answer.... Tiffany: Yeah. Julianne: Great She got up and started towards the fridge to get yet another jug. And once she''d left the table... Luke reclined, taking a load off, much to Rose''s amusement. Rose: (giggle) Luke, you look so full! Luke: (chuckle) Oh yeah, I guess I do. Ken: We''re all really full. Max: Yeah.... And Julianne returned with the jug, and began to fill their cups up, one by one from Ken to herself. Rose: How about you, Tiff? Tiffany: I''m... fine... And at that point, Julianne was finally done filling up their glasses as well as her own and had returned to her seat. This was about the point at which the teens had begun to try to recollect what would have to happen next. The fact of the matter was... they were still very uneasy around this woman. In fact, while their hearts were more at ease, it was Julianne returning to her seat that returned them to their previously more cautious behaviour. Julianne noticed this. Julianne: (thinking: I see. They still need one little nudge.) As for the question.... it was simple. In fact, the question was the same for both teens and mother. What now? 191. Curiosity Killed The Cat You may have heart of the art of war, as well as the art of swordsmanship. But, have you heard of the art of getting the ball rolling? Tis a delicate art, it is. The ability to get people to talk. But not only that, but also to get people to talk the way you want them to talk. This ability, this skill.... it was one well known to Julianne Hunter. Working as an actress taught her more than how to act. So much more... One could say it was common sense to her. For example, in this case, she knew she was talking to teenagers. So questions about school, their personal lives and all the such were out of the question. There was no way she was talking about that. And on top of that, she was an adult. She knew how uncomfortable a conversation between the two could be. That of course, wasn''t considering the fact that they were already quite cautious around her. But all that considered, she knew exactly what to do. And what was that? Well... to explain that, one would have to understand humanity. Human beings are who they are. There''s no fighting it. Some things about humanity, in fact even all living beings never change. Irregardless of the struggle, some things remain the same. In fact, fighting those things at times makes the desire for such things even greater. It isn''t necessarily true about everything about humans, but it is true about certain traits. Whether or not Julianne Hunter knew this fully, that was up to the test. However, she did know this one thing. Cats. And what did she know about cats? She knew for a fact that they were a species that took their time with things. A good example would be lions, who would not hunt prey that is too much of a bother to kill. A better example would be pet cats, which many would say are many times more cautious than their own pet dogs. Cautiousness is a natural thing about all animals. Mankind and even alien kind included. However, another true thing about humans is their desire to discover things. Say what one will, but of the many things that captivate the human race, the desire to discover things is one of them. Hence the saying, curiosity killed the cat. Or rather, the desire to know captivated the human heart, long enough that the human changed state. And the change of state, it was as different as night and day, as black and white, as life and death. Anyway.... If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Julianne Hunter knew exactly what to say to get the attention of Luke, Ken and Tiffany. Enough to get them talking. And what were those words.... Well... like a spider spinning a web, she knew she had to do this carefully. Oh so carefully. She took a sip of her drink. Julianne: (giggle) Well... I''m glad I got to enjoy this meal with you all. Rose: Me too! Rose smiled at her and she smiled back. Max: Yeah, thanks mom. And then, after just a moment.... Luke: Uh... yeah. It was great, ma''am. Julianne: (giggle) Oh, no need to mention it. She smiled. Tiffany: (hesitantly) Yes.... it was delightful, Mrs Hunter. And Ken answered last. Ken: Yeah, it was great. Julianne: (thinking: I don''t need to push so hard. Just a little.) In reality, Julianne would have preferred that all four of them stayed over. That, in her mind, would really improve their trust with her. That would make her life so much easier. But... this woman knew even better this. Fact of the matter was, given the fact that they had just about done everything they''d needed to do and that the food was done. They might as well have left. So, why didn''t they? Social contagion dictated that being happy to leave a dinner party was... well... illegal. And Julianne Hunter was not only well aware of this, but also cautious enough to know when to strike. Like she learned many years ago, strike when the iron is hot, or rather, strike when things are just about to go awry. In a sense, it would be the same as the hero arriving at the last moment, right before the villain would achieve victory. Most would believe to strike when the villain had just started, but no, the aforementioned method, while always needing the strongest of hearts, also produced the most incredible results. And this mother was ready to take full advantage of this. Julianne: (thinking: Just the right level of tension and awkwardness... Yes. Now!) How about I take your plates so you can get more comfortable? All the teens looked at her with just a little confusion. Sure, the plates were cluttering the table a bit, but it wasn''t that big of a deal. But the mother said this with a smile and, given social contagion, how could she say no? Max: (thinking: Hmm?) Rose: Oh... ok. Luke: Oh, allow me to... He stood up, prepared to take the plates himself, however.... Julianne: No, no. Allow me. Luke: Alright... He humbly took his seat again, but the mother remained seated. Julianne: Wanna see a trick? Max: Hmmm (thinking: What is mom doing?) Tiffany: Hmm? (thinking: What trick?) Rose: Huh? (thinking: A trick?) Luke: Huh? (thinking: What?) Ken: Hmm? (thinking: A surprise. So, the night isn''t over yet?) Julianne: Uh huh. Although... Her eyes turned to Rose and Max. Julianne: I suppose it won''t be that much of a shock to Max and Rose. Max: To me? Rose: A shock? The two of them looked at each other. Julianne: (to Ken, Tiffany and Rose) So it''s just you three. Unless, of course, they told you about my carbon copies. At that very moment, Luke, Ken, and Tiffany looked at Rose and Max. And their reactions couldn''t be more different. Max: Oh... that. He was quite disappointed. Rose took a little longer to remember what she meant. Rose: (huge gasp) Oh my gosh! I remember! Her eyes turned to Luke, Ken, and Tiffany. Rose: Oh my gosh, you guys! Julianne Hunter has a suuuuuuper coooool ability. Ken: A super cool ability? Tiffany: Hmm? The three of them turned to Max, who was simply not amused. Max: (uninterestedly) My mom can make copies of herself. Ken, Luke, and Tiffany: What!? To explain how surprised they were to hear that, well... it wasn''t that big of a surprise in and of itself, but rather, what it could entail. As for what it would entail, it only became more apparent as the thought sat in their minds for a while. The fact of the matter was, Max, at least in their eyes, already had quite a number of powers. So, adding duplication to them... And with that, the three teens had their interest piqued. As they say, curiosity kills the cat. 192. Carbon Copy Julianne: (thinking: And now all three are focused on me. Good. That should suffice.) Ken: (thinking: Really. Super speed, electrokinesis and then duplication.) Tiffany: (thinking: Is she... serious?) Luke: (thinking: All those powers....) And the seated Julianne started.... Julianne: Wanna see? And the three of them exchanged glances with each other. Should they...? But they needn''t answer.... Rose: Oh I wanna see! I wanna see! Max himself remained silent, simply drinking his juice. He''d seen this over a million times. Julianne: Ok. Sure! (thinking: Well... here goes.) It wasn''t like a clone appeared right next to her. No. Rather, a clone seemingly grew out of her, the arms coming out first, reaching out, and then the rest of the body as well, leaving behind what seemed to be a bluish energy on her skin until the clone had completely escaped. Julianne 2: Hiya. This time, the three of them couldn''t help it. The had to react. Ken: What the....!? Luke: That''s.... Tiffany: I... I don''t... The clone simply smiled back at them. Julianne: This is my carbon copy. Julianne 2: Pleased to meet you all. The clone bowed. Rose: (giggle) Pleased to meet you too! Julianne giggled at he comment. This carbon copy was an exact replica of Julianne Hunter. Everything from her clothes to her face. In fact, the two were quite indistinguishable. Julianne: (to Julianne 2) Could you pick up the dishes? Julianne 2: Sure. The carbon copy happily and patiently picked up all of their dishes, starting with Max, continuing on to Rose and so forth, all the while being admired by Tiffany, Luke and Ken. Ken: (thinking: It''s not an illusion. It can even interact with the world.) Luke: (thinking: It''s an exact copy of her.) Tiffany: (thinking: Super speed, electrokinesis and now duplicates? Max...) This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Her eyes turned to the two Hunters. Tiffany: (thinking: ... protonites are truly a formidable race.) Meanwhile, Julianne 2 took the dishes to the sink, carefully dropping them there before turning back to Julianne herself. Julianne 2: Done and done. Rose: Wooooooaaaaah! She had seen it before, but she was still amused. Ken: Indeed. Luke: Yeah... Julianne smiled. They were interacting with it. So now, they were more open. Julianne: Yes. It is pretty impressive, isn''t it? As they all continued to observe the clone.... Julianne: That is a high level protonite ability. Carbon copies. All the teens looked on at the clone in utter shock. Their questions were several. One of them being... what could it do? And Julianne knew better than to rush giving an answer. Tiffany wanted to say something, but held her tongue. This, of course, did not escape Julianne''s notice. That was what she was waiting for. Julianne: So... I''m supposing you all want to know about how I made them. Rose: Uh huh... Luke: Yeah... It was just a moment, and Ken considered things for a little bit, but he then decided to say it. Ken: Yes. I''d like to know. Julianne: Ok then. (thinking: Fantastic!) She stood up and joined her clone by the sink. Julianne: A carbon copy is an electric clone produced by protonites when and if they choose to. Julianne 2: Mmm hmmm. Julianne: Each carbon copy has the memories, mentality.... And at that point... Julianne 2: ... personality, physical appearance and capabilities..... Julianne: ... of the original. The pair, cloner and cloned, then looked at each other and giggled. Rose: (gasp) No way! Julianne: (giggle) And that''s not all. Inside each carbon copy is a massive amount of electricity. And the amount of electricity.... Julianne 2: (looking pretentiously sad) ...decides how long I''ll live. Rose: Wooooaaah! Ken: Indeed. (thinking: Curiouser and curiouser.) Julianne: And on the outside.... Julianne grabbed a knife and, without much warning, stabbed Julianne 2. Julianne: ... is a layer of dead cells. Julianne 2: (slightly upsettedly) You could have at least given me a warning. Julianne: Oh sorry.... I just figured..... Julianne 2: (sighs) Forget it. She then pulled the knife out of the carbon copy, leaving a wound that had a blue glow, before the wound was shortly after closed up. Julianne: Anyway... if the layer of the carbon copy''s skin is damaged, the... Ken: .. electricity from inside will repair it. Julianne was, needless to say, shocked. And Ken was as well, as he did not expect himself to speak out loud, and immediately regretted having done so. How did he figure that out so quickly? Julianne: Yes... actually.... Both Julianne and Julianne 2 exchanged a glance. The simple meaning being, this one is smart. Julianne: (thinking: How did he....?) And that''s really all you need to know about carbon copies. She looked at the teenagers. All of them, except her son, who was bored, were looking right at her. Julianne: So, whaddya think? Luke: It''s impressive. Rose: Yeah. It''s soooo cooool! Ken: Agreed. (thinking: Why did I open my big mouth?) Tiffany: Yes. It is absolutely impressive. (thinking: A little too impressive...) Julianne: Well I''m glad to hear that. Julianne 2: Honestly... And the clone shortly after dissipated, with a blue aura being reabsorbed into Julianne''s body. Julianne: And that is that. Seeing that was amazing in and of itself, but it did raise questions. Several of them, in fact. And the biggest question of all was.... Luke: Hey, Max.... Max: (slightly upsettedly) No. I can''t make carbon copies. Tiffany, Ken and Luke: Huh? Julianne: It''s because... Rose: Mrs Hunter said.... Both of them looked at each other ang giggled. Rose: It''s ok, Mrs Hunter. You should say it. Julianne: Hmm. Alright. It''s because it''s a pretty complex skill. Most ... She paused for a moment, as she looked at her son, who at the moment seemed to be a bit worried. Julianne: .....protonites only ever obtain this skill when they grow older. So he''ll learn it. He just needs time. Rose: Uh huh. Luke: Oh... ok. Ken: I see. (thinking: And then be even more powerful, and perhaps, have even more surprises.) 193. Maxs Worry And just like that, just as Julianne Hunter had imagined, the four teens were suddenly talking to one another. Before this, only Rose was willing to take her time going home, but after showing them her carbon copies, the other three couldn''t help themselves. Rose: Protonites are sooooo powerful! Ken: Agreed. (to Max) Your species are a truly formidable race. Rose: Uh huh. Luke: Yep. Tiffany: Hmph. However, in spite of all this praise, Max himself seemed.... oddly, not braggadocious or at least proud. No, he seemed just a little nervous. As though something was off. Max: (nervously) Yeah.... And they continued.... Rose: I mean... they have super speed, elecricity... uhh.... controlling... uhhh... Ken: Electrokinesis. Rose: Right! Electrokinesis, force fields and then there''s carbon copies... Ken: That he''s still yet to learn. But.. yes.... Protonites are truly terrifying creatures. (thinking: That settles it. I do believe that now... Max may well be our strongest member. That is... if Tiffany allows him to join us.) Luke: Yeah. I''ll admit. I''m impressed. At that point all of their attention fell to Max. What was originally a somewhat nervous Max was now a completely shaken looking Max. To properly understand how odd Max looked to the four teens, one would have to understand their perspective of him. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Since they''d met him, they had very quickly gotten the idea that he was, well, not easily shaken up. This was the kid that stood up to a bully. One bigger than him and one he had no chance of beating in a regular fight. Sure, he could use his powers, but he''d never do that. And so his acts of defiance against him made no sense. The kid that stood up to Wolfram. Aloysius Wolfram who was even stronger than his little sister, who defeated all of them before his very eyes. Sure, he was terrified at first. But, he still did it. That in and of itself was an incredible achievement. He also decided to risk having people find out about his powers all for the sake of saving people from the spider bots in spite of knowing full well that the results of that could be catastrophic, as well as the fact that he was willing to jump headlong into that situation, knowing just how dangerous it could be. Even more, he was going to do it all alone had they not decided to take him along with them. And even then, when things took a turn for the down right terrifying, he was the first to stand up and stand his ground and fight back. And that wasn''t even talking about how he''d beaten three out of four of them while sparring. He''d proven to be a tough opponent for all of them. Even Ken who''d won had almost lost. Clearly, Maximillian Hunter was one tough teen. None of them would ever refute that. So, seeing him look so perplexed was genuinely something of an enigma. Max: (fakely) Y... yeah... protonites are really strong. Yeah.... Rose: Hmm? All of them immediately noticed it and it left a lasting impression on them. Max... perplexed? Confused? Almost... terrified? Rose: Max... is something.... Max: (weakly smiling) No... no.... nothing''s wrong. Nothing at all.... hehehe.... He tried to play it off, but they could all see right through him. Julianne quickly interjected, her motherly instincts kicking in.... There was no way she was going to let her son feel uncomfortable in this situation. Her social instincts went wild. She knew exactly what to say. Julianne: Well.... Her voice turned them all towards her again. Julianne: ... to be completely honest with you all.... our.... Perhaps it was a dramatic pause. Perhaps because it truly hurt her to her very core. Even the mother herself looked shaken up. Almost as though something inside of her was welling up inside of her. Something truly horrible. Julianne: ... well... I don''t really want to say... it. But... I suppose.... She sighed heavily. Julianne: ... I might as well say it. She turned to the kids, giving her son one final look before continuing. Julianne: That''s because.... our home planet Neutron..... That feeling. The feeling that something truly incredible was about to be said. That feeling simply harpooned every teen at the table. Julianne: ... was destroyed. 194. The Truth About Protonites And yet again, the state of the room took a drastic turn. Rose: It was.... whaaaaaaat!? Of all the things the team could ever have expected of Maximillian Hunter, this was the last of them. His planet.... destroyed? All of them turned to Max concernedly. After all, it had just occurred to them.... all this time.... Max was dealing with that pain. He''d never once mentioned or hinted to it. No, not even once. It was akin to hearing that one had lost a loved one, or in his case, several loved ones. Just to think.... Max''s own home was destroyed. Or, in better terms, a friend had lost his home. Someone they had befriended had lost something near and dear to him. The understanding of the importance of a home to one isn''t something someone ever has to do. After all, a home is a home. No one needs to explain how and why that is important to someone. If one leaves one''s country, one becomes homesick. That is, simply put, in somewhat of a wishywashy term, home is where the heart is. Home is where one can relax. Where one can unwind. Where one can truly be one''s self. Where one can do what one wants. After all, there are people around them who not only understand and accept you, but also love you for who and what you are. Why would anyone want to leave that is already a question? But hearing that the Hunter''s species planet was destroyed.... that was simply a horrifying truth. All their heads turned to Max at that point, all in pity and sympathy to a still somewhat perplexed looking Max. Rose: (thinking: That must be why...) Luke: (thinking: Now I get why...) Ken: (thinking: Max....) Tiffany: (thinking: All this time...) Their eyes were full of pity and empathy, all the while not knowing exactly what to say. And as for Julianne Hunter, she was, oddly touched. Seeing her previously lonely son now surrounded by people who not only cared about him, but also cared so much that they didn''t know what to say.... Needless to say, even the mother found herself at a loss for words. If she could, she would allow a tear to drop from her eyes. But no, not today. There was work to be done. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The four teens looked away from Max, trying to think of what to say. After all, how does one console someone who lost his or her very definition of home? It was Rose who spoke first. Rose: I... I''m sorry about that... Max.... Ken: Yeah.... (thinking: I... I don''t know what to say...) Even Ken didn''t know what to say. Luke: Yeah, sorry man.... Tiffany: Hmmm... yeah.... Even the usually tough as nails Tiffany could feel for Max enough that she clenched her fist, of course, obscuring it from the eyes of the others. Tiffany: Sorry... Max.... Julianne''s eyes simmered. She almost smiled, but still, she wouldn''t let a single tear fall off of her eyes. As for Max, he didn''t know what to say. Of all things, he did not expect his mother to tell them that. At least, not right then. Max: It''s..... it''s ok. After all, it happened a long time ago. And then, there was Max speaking about how it didn''t bother him. Empathy is an interesting thing. The ability to relate with what people feel. After hearing him say that, they felt that he''d tried to downplay his own pain. That awakened a feeling they''d all had at least once before in their lives. A feeling they had while saying, "It''s ok. Don''t worry about me. I''m fine," all the while hiding incredible pain. Rose: Max..... His reply only served to multiply their concern for him. And at that point, Julianne continued... As to what she would say, it was obvious. The first question was Max. The next question was who, what, when, and how. Julianne: It happened just after Maxie, I, and... For a moment, she herself paused. Julianne: ...my late husband, arrived here on Earth for a vacation. All the teens turned towards the mother once more. Rose: A... vacation? Yet again, Julianne Hunter found it hard to speak. Was it that she was still reeling from the memories of the destruction of the place she''d once called home, or was it something else....? Julianne: Y... yes. She took a massive sigh. Julianne: It all happened around 10 years ago. Rose: Ten years ago!? The mention of the duration of time shocked them even more. The teens all looked at each other again before looking at Max once more. He still seemed somewhat upset. Julianne: Yes, ten years ago. Back when Maxie was still a little kid. They turned back to Max. Rose: Max.... Luke: (thinking: Just a kid...) Ken: (thinking: Tch....) Tiffany: (thinking: I still.... I just can''t believe it...) Max''s own eyes narrowed. The destruction of his home planet was not something he enjoyed discussing. As for Julianne, she remained silent again. The memories of her own planet came back to her. Julianne: To be completely honest with you all, .... Her eyes looked to the side.... Julianne: ... I don''t really know all the details about it. We didn''t expect it to be destroyed once we''d left. She hesitantly turned to Max, who himself had turned from the rest as well. Julianne: And I''d rather that we don''t talk about it now. That was understandable. Not one of them would have protested or continued to ask questions about such a pressing matter. Rose: I.... it''s ok. Mrs Hunter. Luke: Yes, ma''am. It''s fine. Ken: (solemnly) Seconded. Tiffany: Yeah.... Tiffany herself turned once more to look at Max in concern. She never would have believed that Max had such a tragic thing happen to him. Tiffany: (thinking: Is that why you''re like this.... Max?) And, as she continued to look at him, she made yet another observation. Tiffany: (thinking: He looks less shaken up than before. Could it be that something else was bothering him?) Julianne: So... yeah. Me, Maxie, and my husband now live on Earth and have been for the past several years. It''s fine. We do make do. 195. Sad Memories Julianne Hunter was a clever woman. She obviously knew how hard what she''d said would be to swallow, especially considering their age. But... it was necessary. She knew that well. As for the room, the shock of the statement shook them all so badly that they had a hard time coming up with what to say. And Max, he simply remained silent. His eyes turned to his mother''s, albeit for a moment, before turning back to the ground. And then... Max: It''s fine, guys. Yet again, it just made them feel worse for him Max: Really. It''s fine. He put his hands behind his head and reclined a bit in his chair. Max: It''s... fine. His eyes narrorwed as he said that. Something in his chest welled up as he finished speaking. As for the others, Luke and Ken were at a loss for words. What could they say? Just... what could they say? And Rose... ... she started sobbing, much to everyone''s shock. Max: Rose? All of them, including Julianne turned to her as she started to clean up her tears with her hands. Rose: I''m really sorry. I''m really really sorry. (sob) I just.... Max: Rose.... And with that, she slowly buried her face in the palms. Rose: I just... And with a dying girly squeal, she started an all out cry. The room itself remained silent but this one girl crying. Tiffany: (thinking: Rose...) Ken: (thinking: Oh Rose...) Luke''s eyes simmered as he watched her weep. However, that was nothing compared to the feeling the Hunters felt seeing that. What Rose felt was an incredible amount of empathy for two people she considered friends. She could only imagine how much pain they must have felt. Their planet was gone. So, in essence, they had no home. More than that, everybody they''d known in their home was gone. So these two... one could only imagine what was going on in their hearts. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. They didn''t leave their planet, they were trapped on Earth. And what both Hunters felt was an incredibly odd feeling. An odd feeling of gratefulness. An odd feeling of joy. That someone could sympathise with their plight like that. That someone they''d only met that week cared that much. How could they not feel the way they did? As Rose sobbed, a small, but grateful smile appeared on the faces of both Hunters. Not just a happy smile, but also, a gentle one. And then, Max gently lay his hand on to Rose''s back. Max: Hey, Rose.... The weeping girl turned her head to Max, only to see what to her was the last thing she''d expected to see. Max.... smiling? Why? She immediately froze. Rose: M... Max.... And she could not deny the fact that Max''s gentle smile somewhat calmed her. Julianne: (thinking: Oh... Maxie....) Tiffany: (thinking: Is he....?) Ken and Luke remained silent, enjoying the beauty of the moment. As for Max, he continued his path of unpredictability.... He gave her a gentle pat on the back and continued.... Max: ... don''t worry about it. It''s no big deal. It wasn''t that he''d said it, but rather... how he''d said it. He didn''t say it like he was holding something back, or like he was simply trying to be strong... In fact, he said it so nonchalantly that everyone watching him was immediately stunned. Rose: H... huh? For a whole moment, Rose stopped crying. How on Earth had Max calmed down so quickly? Julianne Hunter''s eyes widened. Even she, his own mother, was shocked. Max: Really. Dont worry about it. He then lay his hands behind his head again and stretched back against his chair, leaving all of his friends shocked by his mother. Tiffany: (sighs) (thinking: Ugh.... Maximillian Hunter... Should''ve figured...) Ken: (thinking: Always full of surprises, aren''t you, Max...) Luke: (thinking: Well.... at least he seems fine.) Julianne: (thinking: Well... that''s my Maxie.... I guess....) Max''s eyes turned to his friends who were now looking at him with questionable stares. Max: What? Ken: Well... Max: Hmmm? Tiffany: You....! (sighs) Forget about it. She decided not to speak out. One reason for that being the fact that the teenager had lost his planet. However, Max did not read between the lines. Max: Hmm? Ken: It''s just.... And a teary Rose interjected. Rose: You... you aren''t bothered by the fact that your planet was destroyed? The question made Max pause for a moment. His eyes simmered again. Max: Well... to be completely honest with you... His eyes turned momentarily to his mother''s. She simply nodded at him, as if in approval of what he was about to say. Max: ... it does really bother me. And at that moment, a small bit of pain welled up in his eyes. Rose: Max... Max: Sometimes, I think about it, y''know...... At that point, Tiffany, Ken, Luke, and Rose all shared glances. Max was... actually opening up. Of course, Ken had already seen this side of Max, but for the other three, it was like seeing a firece wolf cuddle a pup. Max: My family.... my friends... He paused for another moment. Max: Everything I''d ever known, and everything I''d ever learned from that place... Rose: Max.... Tears were welling up in her eyes again. Max: Well.... it''s all gone now. He turned his eyes to the ground. Tiffany: Max.... Even Tiffany couldn''t help but voice her concern. She wouldn''t say that the two of them were friends, let alone particularly good friends. But even then, she felt horrible having heard all of that. Most especially from someone like Max. All the teens beacme quiet again, with Julianne Hunter keeping her mouth closed shut. She would never interrupt a moment like this for her son. Real friends. On top of that, real friends with real feelings of love towards her son. All that was being expressed right in front of her. In fact, while she herself was enjoying the moment, what she was really doing was trying to keep herself from having some kind of reaction. Even something as small as a wince. She wouldn''t let that happen. And Max continued.... Max: But it''s no big deal. Really.... And then he lifted his head up. Max: And I''m glad you guys care and all, but really... And he said this with a smile on his face. Max: .... it''s no big deal. 196. Condolences And with that, the room once again returned to a silent state. No one spoke for several seconds. After all, what could be said? None of the teens knew what to say. And as for Max''s mother, she remained silent. For the most part, it was because seeing her son loved by other people had brought her close tears. And so, she remained silent, somewhat glad that none of the teens were looking at her at that moment. She knew she could act, but something like this was far above her own capabilities. As for the other four... The simple question remained... what could they say? "I''m glad you''re over it?" No, too insensitive. "I''m sorry." No, they already said that. At that point, all their thoughts stopped to a screeching halt. So.... the million dollar question? What could they say to alleviate the situation without sounding insensitive or saying something they''d said before? No idea. Their minds kept shooting blanks. But that wasn''t simply because they had nothing to say. It was rather, because something needed to be said... and that no one could say it. A good example would be seeing one lose one''s parents. Perhaps to up the ante, let''s have it that the parents were killed in a more emotionally gruesome manner. Say, for example, mother and father kill each other. Now, let''s make it worse and have it be because they hate each other that much. And to make it even more horrifying, let''s have it that a video of their last altercation be given to their children. What would someone say to the child after that? The simple answer is nothing. What can be said? Sorry? No. A simple "sorry" wouldn''t begin to cut it. So.... what can you say? Another question may even be, is sorry even the right word? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The sentiment, yes. Empathetic sorrow is the right sentiment. But... is sorry, as a word, enough? For several seconds, no one in the team had the ability to say anything about what had happened. The moment was too heavy for all of them. All of them... except.... But before that... Max: Hey.... At that point, Max was starting to question what was going on. He really did mean it when he said it wasn''t that big of a deal. After all, he didn''t want them worrying about how he was feeling. That to him would have been a hige bother. Max: Uhh.... guys? But then, what could he say? Tell them to stop worrying? How could he? Max: I said I was.... (lowly) Mmmmm... (thinking: Aw maaaaaan.) And then even he had to be quiet. However, there was one person tough enough to open her mouth. Although, it wasn''t as though she was having an easy time with this whole debacle. She herself gritted her teeth and clenched her fist before she started. Tiffany: Mrs Hunter? Maximillian Hunter? Max and Julianne: Hmm? Both Hunters as well as the other teens immediately turned to her. As for Tiffany, she took a quick deep breath before she continued. Tiffany: (thinking: Ok Tiff. This is gonna be completely impossible. But... let''s just do it. Ok?) She stood up in the chair. Tiffany: On behalf of my own team, Luke Parks, Kenneth Stone and Rose Wright, I would like to offer my greatest condolences for the loss of your planet. Rose: Tiff.... Max: (thinking: What the.... is she... really....?) And she did not stop there... Tiffany: Losing a home is one thing. But losing something that defines the very being of who you are, losing something that important... I can only imagine how much pain the two of you must be in. All the while as she spoke, a light reflection could be seen in her eyes, almost as though she herself was close to tears. Tiffany: To have everything you''ve ever known, taken away from you... However, all the while, her voice remained the same. Direct and straight forward. Tiffany: And so, ... as team leader... if you''ll let me... In fact... if you''ll let us... She was referring to the rest of the team. Tiffany: ... we would be delighted to help you both in any way we can. It would be our honour. And with that, Tiffany Chang bowed. The speech in and of itself was a massive shock to all of them. Julianne: (thinking: This child... Tiffany Chang....) After all she''d seen, Julianne Hunter could only come to a singular conclusion. Tiffany Chang was no normal teenage girl. And she was right. In times during which we see people suffering, we at times see ourselves stuck in a dilemma. After all, what is empathy, but feeling after what one is feeling. Someone lost a brother or a sister. What can one do? Can you bring the sibling back? Probably not. So, what can one do? To Tiffany Chang, the answer is obvious. Difficult, but obvious. She had to be there for them. After all, could she do any less? Max had saved them at least twice before, and Julianne Hunter had so far been a massive help to them. Was there anything less she could say she could do? Anything at all? No. But she knew deep down that offering her services to aid the struggles of the boy responsible for her still being alive as well as his mother was what she could do. Especially after having heard about their horrible past. And as for what she said, it goes without saying, she meant every single word down to the letter. After all, what is the greatest form of empathy, than lowering yourself to pick up a suffering one''s hand. That was what Tiffany Chang was trying to do. Trying to help.... Rose: (sobbing) Tiff.... Luke: (thinking: Hmmm. Well said, Tiff. Well said....) Ken: (thinking: Well... I suppose that''s why you''re the leader.) And Ken couldn''t help but smile to himself. Ken: (thinking: Not bad, Tiff. Not bad at all.) Julianne: (thinking: This girl... she really is something... Something special...) Even Julianne couldn''t help but smile. And at that very point,.. Maximillian Hunter did what he did best... Max: Jeez Tiff, I said it was ok. 197. Good Friends At that point, the entire room came to a vicious standstill, almost as though someone had just abruptly stopped playing the music in a disco. All their heads turned to Max in utter shock. Ken: (thinking: Oh boy...) Luke: (smiling) Hmph. (thinking: This guy...) Rose: Max? Even Rose couldn''t believe it. The least surprised person in the room was Julianne Hunter. Julianne: (thinking: Oh no..... Well... that''s ma boy....) And as for the most surprised person. Tiffany remained in a bowed position... paused... frozen... completely shaken up. She''d expected all sorts of expressions from Max. But telling her it wasn''t a big deal... again? How could he? Tiffany: Wh... what!? Max: I said.... it''s no big deal. The sheer shock of what he''d said, combined with his own calling her Tiff... Tiffany: I... I... Her eyes turned to him in utter amazement. Rejection is a painful feeling. One that every person, male or female, adult or child, intellectual or imbecile absolutely abhors. But that wasn''t what had shocked Tiffany the most. Had he said something along the lines of not wanting to be a burden, she would have completely understood. In fact, she''d expected something like that. However... this teenage boy seemed to genuinely not care for any aid she offered him. Simply put, she was baffled. Baffled beyond words. Tiffany: B... bu.... Max: Like I said. It''s no big deal. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He reclined further in his seat with his eyes closed. Max: (nonchalantly) Don''t worry about it. Tiffany: I... what.....!? Rose: Max..... Max: Hmm? To make matters even more ridiculous, it wasn''t like there was an inkling of sorrow in his eyes. No, he seemed to be completely fine. Max: (to Rose) Yeah. It''s no big deal. Tiffany: F... fine? Max: Yeah. Absolutely fine. He said that with a big smile on his face. Ken: (thinking: Well... here we go...) Tiffany: What do you mean fine!? Her words rang clear across the room. Not a single person in the room failed to notice it. That right there was what happens when a normally reserved person becomes agitated. For the first time in Max''s life, he''d actually seen Tiffany lose her temper, and understandably, he was shocked. Max: Hmm? Tiffany: You... you.... Deep down, she fought with every part of herself to keep herself calm. She couldn''t lose her cool. Not now of all moments. However, in her mind, she couldn''t hold it any longer. Tiffany: You moron! Max: Moron!? Tiffany: Yes. Moron! Ken: (thinking: Well... this is escalating quite rapidly.) Luke: Oh boy... Julianne simply watched in silence. Max: Moron!? Tiffany: Yeah! Moron! Having heard that, Max did what any who knew him well would have expected him to do. That being, he himself also stood up and angrily stared back at Tiffany. Ken: (thinking: And it just gets more entertaining...) Max: Whaddya mean moron!? Ken: (thinking: And to think, I was about to have a sick day...) Maximillian Hunter was many things, and proud and defiant were two of those things. And Tiffany angrily answered him. Tiffany: "Whaddya mean moron?" Whaddya mean you''re fine? You... you It was hard for Tiffany to say it even while angered. Saying he''d lost everything just felt too wrong. Tiffany: Ugh... you don''t even think at all. Max: Oh I don''t think at all. Well I''m thinking of some pretty interesting things right now. He lifted his fist against her. Tiffany: Mmmmmmmm.... Max: Mmmm...... And then at that very moment, just as things were heating up... Julianne Hunter was just about to stop their confrontation when... -... of all things, a giggle was heard. Max, Tiffany, Luke and Ken: Huh!? It was Rose. They all turned to face her In spite of the tears that were once running out of this girl''s eyes, right there and then, at that moment, she was giggling. And shortly after that, she started almost outright laughing. Max and Tiffany: Rose? Rose: I''m sorry. it''s just.... you two... She laughed a bit more. Rose: You both get along really well. Max and Tiffany: Huh!? At that point Luke and Ken joined in the laugh. Ken: Good point. Luke: Seconded. And a blushing Max and Tiffany looked at each other for a moment before immediately rushing back to their seats and turning away from each other, leaving Ken, Luke and Rose all bursting in laughter. Max: Mmmmmmmm.... Tiffany: Mmmm.... Julianne simply watched in silence, thinking, "Is this what they''re like when they''re together?" A small smile escaped her mouth. 198. How Hunters Do It took only a few moments for the laughter to eventually simmer. As it did, and embarassed Tiffany only became more embarrassed, having slowly come to her senses and realised that Julianne was standing right there. Tiffany: (thinking: I can''t believe I just said that in front of her.) In the heat of the moment, she''d completely forgotten about the fact that she was in her house and that she was still there. As for Max... Max: (thinking: Jeez. I told her I was fine. What''s her deal?) Ken: (sighing at the end of his laugh) (thinking: Maximillian Hunter and Tiffany Chang. Both of you are proud people. And so, it makes sense that you''d butt heads. Hmph. Out team dynamic may just become even more interesting.) He made a relaxed sigh. Ken: (thinking: And I for one, can hardly wait...) Luke: (thinking: I''ve known Tiffany long enough to know that she rarely loses her cool. That being said... Max, you''re one crazy customer.) Rose: (thinking: I''m soooo glad Max and Tiffany are friends!) The three of them had known Tiffany long enough to know what she was like. As for Julianne Hunter, she couldn''t help but be happy about it. Of course, it wasn''t because they''d had a fight, and it also wasn''t because of the sympathy Tiffany had had for her and Max. Rather, it was because of the fact that she''d gotten mad at him. The many years of her life had long since taught her a lot about what the true meaning of caring about someone is. And although she then.... Julianne: Maxie? Max: Mmmmmm..... He kept his back turned. Julianne: Maxie? Max: Mmmmmmm.... Julianne: Maxie.... Max: (sighs) Ok.... Mmmmmm.... Sorry, Tiff. And Tiffany herself let out a relaxed sigh. Tiffany: (sighs) It''s fine. And it''s Tiffany, and.... I''m sorry I called you a moron. Max: (sighs) Yeah, yeah... Ken: (thinking: And there''s no popcorn. Shame....) This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ... even though she scolded her son for arguing with Tiffany, she was glad. After all, her son now had a friend who cared enough to get angry with him. Someone who was concerned about him enough to argue with him. But still, she stayed stolid. No, not a single tear would leave her eyes. She walked over to her son and patted his shoulder. Julianne: Hmmm. Good job. And, after sharing all that, she decided that they''d had just about enough excitement for the night. Now, for the final part of her ruse. Getting them all to decide on whether or not they would be staying there. But before she could get started on that... Rose: Umm... Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Hmm? Rose: After what Tiff said, I just want you and Max to know.. that if you ever need any help, I''ll be there for the both of you. Julianne: Rose.... Even with everything she''d thought through, she''d never seen that coming. Not even for a second. Rose outright saying that to her. It shook her, just enough that she softened for a moment. Julianne: ... I.... She quickly regained her composure and smiled. Julianne: Thank you... Rose..... And said smile would not leave her face. For now, she could be glad, because she also had a real friend. Julianne: And Maxie? Ken and Luke snickered once she said Maxie. Max: Mmm.... Julianne: What do we say when someone offers us help? Max: (sighs) Thanks... Rose. As to why Julianne put her son through this, the reason was simple. Her son was misbehaving, and while she understood why he was acting like this, she was his mother, and what kind of mother would sit idly by and watch while her son misbehaved? Julianne: Good. Ken: (thinking: Maybe I could... No.... I think we''ve messed with her son quite enough for today.) Julianne: Alright then. She looked to all the teenagers, almost as though to garner their attention. Julianne: Now you all know how and why we ended up on Earth. All of them reeled a bit on hearing that. A family vacation turned into a complete relocation. It was never planned, and it was never expected. And, in fact, any one of the four of them would never wish that upon their worst enemy. Rose: It... must have been so hard.... Julianne: It was.... I would even call it one of the hardest times we''d ever had as a family. The eyes of Tiffany, Ken, and Luke simmered as they heard what she''d said. Just to imagine, having a whole life so different from that of others around you, and then abruptly being forced to live there. Actively being stranded in a land they knew nothing about. Julianne: And then, we had to figure everything out on our own. Money slowly became a problem, where were we gonna live once we couldn''t pay rent, how were we gonna eat... And then she became somewhat sad as she said this.... Julianne: ... who would we even talk to. She heavily sighed, as the teens themselves felt for her. To imagine that not just her, but also Max, went through such a brutal situation. Julianne: But... in a pretty short while, I got a job as an actress. And after that, all our money problems were solved. The eyes of the four teens widened. Most especially Tiffany, Ken, and Luke. Ken: (thinking: The surprises just keep on coming. Truly, like mother like son.) Had Julianne been their age, they perhaps would have gotten angry with her, but given the circumstances, they would not even show their shock towards her. And of course, she started laughing... Julianne: Oh... I''m so sorry. I just couldn''t help myself. (relaxedly sighing) But yes, it was a hard time. But... like all Hunters do, we got through it.... She held her son''s shoulder affectionately. Julianne: ... and we got through it together. Rose: (sobbing) It must have been so hard. Those words had a special meaning to Julianne, as she knew just how hard Rose herself had it all on her own. Julianne: It was... And then she nostalgically sighed. Julianne: ... but we survived. After all, we had each other. She said this while smiling to Rose, almost as if to say... that she too would be fine and that there was nothing to worry about. Rose: (smiling to herself) Yeah... 199. Loneliness And Julianne continued on... Julianne: And there''s no need to worry about us. After all, once I became an actress, we got so much money that we could eat like royalty for months. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmmm. In fact, I got so much money I don''t think I''ll ever need to work again. Well... not for a company at least... Rose: No way! That''s amazing! Ken: Indeed. (thinking: And seeing just how much money this food must have cost her, that isn''t that unbelievable.) Julianne: Well... it''s not thaaaaaaat amazing. She tried to play it off as humble, but even she couldnt hide how proud she was of herself. Rose: But you became an actress in an alien planet. Julianne: Hmmm... Well... it''s not thaaaat impressive. Rose: And you did it while you didn''t even know a thing about Earth, or about people, or had any friends here.... The mother was enjoying the praise. Julianne: Well... to be more fair, I did get a liiiiiittle lucky. Rose: Lucky? Julianne: Mmm hmm. She looked down at her son. Julianne: Let''s just say... I met an old man. Max looked up at her. Even he remembered him. Julianne: And let''s just say, that thanks to him, I was able to become an actress. Rose: Really. How? Julianne: Mmmm.... let''s keep that story for another day. Rose: Awwww..... Julianne: Well, I guess I could say a liiiiiiittle about it. And with that, questions came gushing out of Rose. Rose: Oh! Oh! I have some questions! Julianne: Ok Ok. But just one question. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Rose: How did meet the old man? Or... or... how did it feel being famous? Or or.... And at that point, a very important question hit Rose. It in fact hit her so hard that she''d immediately closed her mouth with her hands. Julianne: Hmm? Even Julianne and the others became curious. Rose: I have a question. Julianne: Ok? Rose: But... it''s... a little personal. Julianne''s eyes narrowed. What kind of question would she possibly ask? Rose: Not too personal... just.... I mean.... Julianne thought to herself for a moment. Should she answer this question? Who knew what it was? Julianne: Sure. (thinking: I know Rose. She''d never ask a rash question, would she?) And then Rose said it. Rose: Did anyone ever figure out your that you were an alien? At that point, Julianne paused, as did the others. Tiffany: (thinking: Rose...) Ken: (thinking: Why would she.... ask that? Maybe.... ) The mother sighed for a moment. Now she got it. She simply wanted to know if it was possible to live on Earth without being figured out. In short, she was looking for a live example. Someone to give her hope. And as Julianne had known of Rose, even if she didn''t really look like it right then, she was terribly upset. But after that pause went on for a while... Rose: Oh.. it''s ok if you don''t want to say anything. Julianne: The answer is no. Rose: Huh? The answer had actually shocked Rose. Rose: R.... really.....? Julianne: (smiling) Uh huh. I mean... there were a few close calls... She smiled to herself nostalgically. Julianne: But... no. Not at all... Rose: That''s am....! And at that point, she paused, wanting to keep her true intentions secret. Rose: (nervously) That''s g... great. I.... I mean.... you must be pretty impressive to keep yourself so from being found out by other humans. Julianne: Well... there were a lot of close calls, buuuuuuut.... She turned to her son. Julianne: ... we managed. Rose: Hmph. She nodded and smiled to herself. There was a chance that she''d be just fine. Now, she just had to follow her advice. Rose: You know, when I first came to Earth, I almost showed people my powers tons of times. She then nervously laughed. Rose: But then Tiff and Luke and Ken too. They really helped me out. Julianne: Really? The ears of the aforementioned teens were pirked up, having heard their names. Rose: Yeah! Tiff taught me a lot about human culture, Luke taught me how to talk to people, and Ken used his powers to make sure nothing I did that was weird was caught on video. Julianne: (to Tiffany, Luke and Ken) Really? Luke: Yes. It wasn''t a big deal. Ken: Yeah. Hacking into security cameras is childsplay to me. Julianne: Really? Yet again, her interest in his bionics was reawakened. Tiffany: It wasn''t that hard. Rose was a very patient learner. Julianne: I see.... She herself had noticed that. In spite of all the mistakes she made while they were cooking, she never once got agitated and, or freaked out. Her eyes fell lovingly onto Rose. Julianne: (thinking: She really is just like that.) Hmmm.... And Rose''s eyes met hers, and both smiled at each other. Julianne: (thinking: With friends like that, she''ll be fine.) Her eyes turned to her son. He''d been awfully quiet. But his eyes were to the ground, as though he was deeply contemplating something. She knew full well why. Julianne: (thinking: I know baby, I know. Even you understand, Maxie. Just how hard it can be to be alone....) 200. Close And with that, Julianne turned to the others... Julianne: You four must be really good friends. Rose: Uh huh. We''re the best of friends. Julianne: Really? Her eyes turned to the other three. Luke: Yep. Tiffany: Hmph. Yeah... Ken: I suppose you could say that. Rose: Ken!? Ken: (sarcastically) What? Rose: Mmmmmmmm! You''re so mean! Ken: (sighs) Whatever... Max and Julianne smiled as Luke chuckled at them both before taking the final sip of his drink and sighing, as it was finally finished. Julianne, noticing this, motioned him to the jug in the middle of the table before he himself gently shook his head to decline. Julianne: Oh come now, don''t be shy. She took the jug and walked over to him. Julianne: There''s plenty more where this came from. And as for the now slightly embarassed Luke... Luke: Err... thanks ma''am. Julianne: Don''t mention it. Anybody else want some? She got an answer almost immediately. Rose: I do! And she went over to her to her and filled her cup. Max: I want some too. Julianne: Ok baby! Max: Mmmmmmm.... The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And Luke couldn''t help but smirk at his response. As for Ken and Tiffany, the both of whom nothing had been asked of of yet, they shared a glance. Both teens knew what would be coming next. Julianne: How about you two? Now, Ken, throughout the night, had decided that he''d rather have kept to himself. However, in this case, he decided to "test the waters" for the most part, out of sheer curiosity of what would happen next. In a sense, he knew almost innately that it would bring some kind of result rather than nothing. Ken: I too would like a glass. Julianne: Alright then. And that left Tiffany Chang with quite the conundrum. As with all the rules of social contagion, declining now would be, in a sense, illegal. Julianne: And you, Tiffany? Tiffany: Sure... And saying that single word knocked the wind right out of her. Julianne: Ok then. She walked over to Tiffany and filled up her cup as the teens toes viciously wrestled from within her shoe. Every moment of this was sheer agony for her. Rose, in the mean while, took a massive sip from her glass. Rose: It''s sooooo goood. Right Tiff. And Tiffany, almost robotically, took a sip herself. Tiffany: Yeah. And with that a cheery smile encompassed Rose''s face. She was glad that Tiffany was enjoying herself in the Hunter household. But as for Tiffany, well... if only Rose would read her mind. Julianne poured herself a small glass and drank it in a lady like manner before making a satisfied sigh. Julianne: (sighs) Yeah, that hits the spot. Rose: Mmm hmm! And for a short moment, all of them simply quietly enjoyed the drink. It had been a surprisingly long night. Longer than any of them would have expected. And on top of that, they''d all gotten to experience something they''d never have expected to bear witness to. Be it each others powers, the fights, the food or Max''s species destruction. None of them saw this night coming. Ken: (thinking: Maybe it wasn''t all so bad.) However, the night was not over yet, even though it seemed that it was just about done. It all started with one simple... harmless statement. The one that broke the aforementioned silence. Rose: Hey Mrs. Hunter. Julianne: Hmm? Rose: Do you think we could make juice like this? To Julianne Hunter who knew just how hard it was to procure such juice, the answer would obviously be no. But, one could call it a feminine or maybe even motherly instinct that said... Julianne: Sure. We can try it. Rose: (giggles) Great! I can''t wait. And at that point, Rose remembered something else she''d wanted to tell Julianne Hunter. Rose: Oh! And also, I was thinking... She immediately put her hands in her hand bag, looking for a piece of paper. Rose: ... we could also try to make... And then her hands came out with it. Rose: ... this! She pulled out a picture of a delicious purple coloured cake with a lot of icing and designs around it. Rose: It''s something I saw on T.V. Julianne: Sure. (giggle) We can bake that as well. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm hmm. Rose: (girly squeal) Oh my gosh! It''s gonna be soooo coooool! Julianne simply nodded and smiled, before noticing Tiffany and saying.... Julianne: You can join us to if you like, Tiffany. Tiffany flinched. Tiffany: No. No thank you. I''d rather not. Julianne: Hmmm? Rose: Tiff just isn''t into things like that. 201. Dessert Julianne: Oh... really? Rose: Uh huh. She isn''t really interested in cooking shows, or even T.V. Tiffany, at that point, flinched. Hearing her name mentioned and herself being talked about, truly an uncomfortable feeling Julianne: Really? Rose: Yeah! I''ve never seen Tiff watch anything in T.V before. Never ever. Julianne: I see. (thinking: This girl...) She had to admit, this young teenage girl was truly something. She fought alongside super powered beings and held her own, had a particularly honourable personality, and to top it all off, had the discipline not to watch T.V. Truly, she was a remarkable teenage girl. Rose: But it''s ok. She turned to Tiff with a bright smile. Rose: She''s the bestest best friend ever and the bestest team leader ever! Tiffany was almost shocked to hear that, not just because Rose said it or how she''d said it, but also, because she could sense that Rose meant every word she''d said. In a sense, she was somewhat flattered to hear that. As for Julianne, she had long since figured out that she was the team leader. Something that only served to improve her standing in her eyes. Rose: There''s no one on Earth like Tiff. Absolutely no one! And that actually made Tiffany pause. Being flattered like that around others was, in a way, embarrassing. Julianne: Hmmm. I can believe that. Rose: Yeah. She''s super special. And as if to add insult to injury... Luke: Yep. She really is something... For a second, Ken considered things, and then.... Ken: Hmph. Seconded. Tiffany''s face turned red, not only in embarrassment, but also in something of a rage. She knew Luke and Ken knew she wouldn''t enjoy being praised like this, and so this was, for the most part, just teasing. Julianne: (giggle) I see. Had Julianne joined in? That just made things even worse. In defeat, the blond girl simply lowered her head. What could she say? Stop? Please stop? That wouldn''t work. As for Julianne, she noted this. All that had happened that night was progress. Sure, they still didn''t speak to her directly, but being able to speak somewhat freely in her presence, that was a huge improvement over their previous situation. Stolen novel; please report. And so, she was satisfied and full willing to let the night end. Of course, she would attempt to get them to stay the night, as she knew from her teen days that sleep overs built friendships at an incredible pace. But, in her mind, what she''d done was sufficient. Julianne: (thinking: At the very least, they''ll only feel a little awkward coming to visit.) But, in the meanwhile, she''d have her fun. And she''d have it till she the night was done. Julianne: Alright, let me take your glasses. Rose: Ok... And with that, clones climbed out of Julianne Hunter, one after the other. Rose: Wooooooaaahhh! Ken: Hmmm (thinking: So she can make more than one of them...) Luke: Huh? And when the mother was done, five clones were created, and immediately made for a different glass. Julianne 2: Hiya kids! Julianne 3: Hello! Julianne 4: Oh, let me get that for you. Julianne 5: Excuzez moi Julianne 6: I got it, no need to worry. And the original Julianne took Max''s own glass and gave it to Julianne 2. Julianne: Do you mind? Julianne 2: Do you? And then all the clones started laughing all at once, amusing Luke and Rose, and slightly unnerving Ken and Tiffany. As for Max, he was completely unamused, as he''d seen this happen several times before. Julianne: (sighing after laughter) Oh.. sorry kids, clone humor. Rose: (giggling) Oh, I get it. It''s because all of you are the same. All Julianne clones: That''s right! And they all walked over to the sink and placed the glasses there, one after the other, each one dissipating right after dropping the glass there. Julianne 2: (bowing) And with that, I bid you ado! Julianne 3: Now remember kids, it''s always.... Julianne 4: (continuing) ... healthy to wash... Julianne 5: ... your hands right after you eat. Julianne 6: It''s hygenic. (to Max) Bye sweetie! Rose: (clapping) Wow! Your clones are so cool. Julianne: Thanks Rose. Ken, on the other handwas in deep thought. Julianne: Something wrong, Ken? Ken: Hmmm. No... it''s.... He had a complex question. One that he really wanted to ask, but... talking to her? But since he really wanted to know... Julianne: Well... it''s... Ken: You said.... you made clones out of dead cells, do I have it correct? Julianne: Well, y... She almost instantly figured out what he''d meant. Julianne: (thinking: This teen.... he''s....) Yes. And that, of course, means that there is a limit to how many clones I can make for a time. Ken: (thinking: It''s just as I figured.) Rose: Wait! Really! Julianne: Mmm hmm. Right now, I don''t really have that many more in me. Maybe 4, maybe 8. But... that''s about it. Rose: Oh....! Julianne: Yeah. Kudos to you for figuring that out, Ken. Ken flinched. All he really wanted to do was satisfy his curiosity. Ken: (uncomfortably) Well... I... Julianne: No really, that was a good question. And even then, Julianne was happier. Max''s friends were slowly becoming more comfortable. Maybe it would be feasible to have them stay over. Now, she just had to wait. She wouldn''t force things. Just... wait. Julianne: So, who wants desert? The eyes of Tiffany, Luke, and Ken widened. Julianne: Oh.. just kidding. But if you want any, there''s some leftover cake in the fridge. Rose: Really? Julianne: Uh huh. It''s from all our baking from the other day. Rose: Oh! Ok! She giddily ran to the fridge, as for the others, a breath of relief left their chests. "Finally, something about this dinner that was normal." 202. Leap Of Faith Have you perhaps heard of mastery of an art? Perhaps swordsmanship, perhaps racing, perhaps trying not to get upset by your boss? In all these things exists something I''ll call "the first real test." What is a test? It is, simply put, a question of your skill. Can you lift that weight? Can you run that race? Can you murder that man? Can you not try to poison your boss''s coffee? These are all easy or difficult questions depending on the person. However, there exists something I call "the first real test" What is it, you may be wondering... It is, simply, the exact same question as those stated before, but with a twist. The twist being, you don''t actually know what may happen. Can you lift that weight? Well, if you''ve seen that weight before and lifted it before, it makes sense that youd have no worries. But, what if you''d never done so before? What of you had no idea of what you were doing? What if you''d never run that race before? In fact, worse, what if you''d never run a race before? "The first real test" to me, is a question. Not of doing, but of doing while not being certain of the result. Can you do it, even if you have no idea? Can you try it, even though you have no idea of what is to come? Julianne Hunter had at some point learned this in her life. If one wants to achieve, at some point, one will need to put oneself out there, cast caution to the winds, and hope that they''re right. No, not just hope, but also believe. To believe even when nothing seems to make sense, when everything speaks contrary to what you think. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "The first real test" is a question of faith. Do you believe? In any case, Julianne made such a choice at that very moment. Julianne: Well, I''ve had a long day, so I''m going to take a shower. You kids be good now. Rose: Ok, Mrs Hunter. Bye. Julianne: Bye Rose... She bid the children adieu with a smile. Now, here was the problem. She had no idea as to whether or not they would stick around. Absolutely no idea. Maybe they would call it a night and head home, maybe they would stay. Who knew? What she did know was that she couldn''t force the result, and by removing herself, she couldn''t control the situation and keep them from leaving any longer. She walked away with a smile, but in her heart, she desperately hoped they would stick around for a while. After all, she couldn''t bear to see Max after his friends left him mere moments after she left. That sad look in his eyes. It haunted her. But she knew she had to go. After all, she couldn''t stay any longer. That much she understood. Julianne: (thinking: Ok... deep breaths Julianne, deep breaths.) But before she could even make it to the stairs, she heard... Max: Hey Ken... And then, there was a pause... Ken: Hmm. Sure. And at that point, her son dashed up on the stairs before his mother could even make it there. Julianne: Hmm? And then, he dashed right back downstairs carrying something. It was his Playbox. And he then begun to set it to the T.V screen, with Ken getting up from his seat and stretching. Luke: You''re playing a video game? Ken: Yeah. Luke: Which one? Ken: Warring Dimensia 2. Luke: Oh...... Mind if I join you guys? Ken: Hmm. No problem. And with that, Ken and Luke walked over to the couch. As for the girls.... Rose: C''mon Tiff, youve just gotta try it. I promise. Its the bestest cake ever. She was holding onto a slice of red velvet cake. Tiffany: (sighs) Alright... But just a little. And from the sitting room, Ken called.... Ken: Save me a piece too! Rose: Huh!? I thought you were full. Ken: Well, ... I changed my mind. Rose: Mmmmmm. Ok. She grabbed a dish full of cake from the fridge and gave a piece to Tiffany and later went off to give one to Ken. As for Ken, he, Max and Luke all reclined on the couches as the games starting screen played. Julianne Hunter almost winced, but she caught herself. It would be alright. These people actually liked her son, after all. It was a joy to her that she could finally drop the burden of worrying about him from her shoulders. And so, silently, she walked upstairs and left off to go take a shower and unwind. It had been a long day and a longer night. But it was worth it. As she walked to the showers with her towel, she smiled, thinking about how much fun they''d be having, how much fun her son would be having. All that hell, but it was worth it. 203. An Odd Feeling And so the evening was, Warring Dimensia 2. What many of that day and age would call a poorman''s, richman''s and everyman''s game. In the minds of teenage boys, it was everything. Battle, cammerederie, war, betrayal, trust, strategy, some modern philosophers of the day would even go so far as to call it a metaphor for life itself. But that was besides the point... Max: You''ve never played it before? Luke: Well... only once or twice at Vince''s place. Max: Oh... Luke: But it''s alright. I''ll figure it out. (thinking: Can''t be that hard, right?) Rose, in the meanwhile, took a look at the video game. Rose: Ooooooh what''s that? Max: Warring Dimensia 2. It''s the game I was telling you about the first day we''d met. Rose: Oh yeah. I remember. And then she turned to Ken. Rose: I didn''t know you played that game. Ken: You didn''t even know what this game was before today. Rose: Eh... well.... Ken: Whatever.... Luke held onto one controller and randomly picked a class. Luke: This''ll do, right? Ken: Wrong. That would be the Dextrous class. Only people with incredible hand eye coordination can ever hope to use them. Luke: Hand eye coordination? Ken: Like Max... Luke turned to see a smugly smiling Max. As for Rose... Rose: So... uhh... what are you doing? Max: Picking a class. (to Ken) Hey Ken, how about we switch this time? Ken: Sure. I''m game. Max: Hmm? Think you can handle it? Ken: Heh. I may not have your reflexes, but... I''ll manage. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. And as the group chatted.... Tiffany lay at the dinner table, silently munching on the cake. Rose was right, it was really good cake. Her and Mrs. Hunter really outdid themselves. However, that was not her main concern. Perhaps because she was not used to the house, perhaps because she felt that something was off, who really knew, but for a reason even she hadn''t fully figured out, she''d decided that sitting in silence suited her just fine. After all, why join them? She didn''t need to, at least not immediately. In her curiosity, she got up and started to walk around the kitchen, looking around aimlessly. As for the others.... Rose: Woooooh! Go Max! Max was already quite a bit ahead of Ken, teamwise, at least. Max: Just a few more kills and my team''ll win. Hmph. Ken: Don''t count your chickens before they hatch. Having said that, Ken proceeded to shoot down two unsuspecting players, bringing his score closer to Max''s. Luke: Hey, aren''t you supposed to have a computer for a brain? Ken: Mmmmmmm... (sighs) Forget it.... And back with Tiffany, she found herself looking at the glasses, the spoons and the utencils. Simply admiring the house. Tiffany: (thinking: Just a normal house...) And then, her eyes turned to the walls of the dining room. Nothing spectacular. So, she decided that she may as well take the rest of the evening off. After all, it was a video game. Just how bad could it be? At that point, Rose had noticed Tiffany quietly looking into the distance. Rose: Tiiiiiiiffff! C''mon! The game looks super cool! Tiffany: Alright. Im coming. She walked towards the sitting room and herself got seated as Max and Ken continued to compete. Max was still in the lead, but was slowly losing his ground. His character was low on health. Ken: It would seem that youre just about done. Huh, Max. As for Ken, his character was still at full health. Max: Mmmmmmm.... Maximillian Hunter was not used to playing like Ken. The risky aggressive playstyle he was used to was a stark contrast to the patient and level headed playstyle required to play by the Attritious. And to make things worse, his avatar found himself surrounded by four different dextrous players. Rose: Oh no! Max, get out of... But it was too late, Max was promptly defeated. Luke: Ooof. Sorry Max. Ken: Hmph. The aforementioned Dextrous walked in to loot his equipment. Ken: Then I guess this match is... And then, before another word could be said, a massive explosion occurred from Max''s avatar''s dead body. Rose: What the... !? Luke: Huh!? Ken: Hmm? And Max stood up. Max: Booyah! Wooooh! That''s right! Who''s the king?! Rose: B... but what... Ken: Self destructive heart..... my strategy..... He turned to see a smugly smiling Max. Ken: Heh. Not bad, not bad at all. (thinking: Always surprises with this guy.) And Ken''s thoughts didnt stop there. Ken: (thinking: So... he purposely got himself surrounded by the enemy... all to take them down all at once. Truly, a genius strategy.) Rose: W... wait. What just happened....? Max and Ken shared a questionable glance, almost as though they asked themselves, "Should you tell her, or should I?" The answer to that question was obvious, seeing as Max had been taken down. So Max started to try to explain to Rose how Warring Dimensia 2 worked, while Ken tried to make up the newly enlarged score difference. As for Tiffany, she watched the game in silence. She noted Max''s eye for strategy and his adaptability, sure. She already had some idea of his capability in those areas. But at the moment, something else was bothering her. Something she couldn''t shake off. Something she didn''t even know. Her eyes strayed around the sitting room, almost as though looking for something peculiar. And within a few minutes, she noticed something. Something out of the corner of her eye. It wasn''t something peculiar. In fact, it was something that wouldn''t ordinarily perturb her. No, it was what that normal thing meant or might have meant that bothered her. The Hunter family photo. With mother, child, and, most alarmingly, father. 204. Lost In Thought Immediately, Tiffany Chang''s eyes became fixiated upon the photo. All the other teens continued to focus their attention on the game while her mind went adrift, gazing directly into the photo. Tiffany: (thinking: Max''s father....) She gave his face a long hard look. He was a handsome man, with a well kept beard, and a charming smile. In the photo, he was with his wife, Julianne and child, Max. All three of them smiling. An arm around his wife and a hand on his son''s head. Tiffany: (thinking: They were all so cheery back then.....) And then it dawned on her that Julianne mentioned that he was dead. A soft sigh escaped her mouth. Tiffany: (thinking: So... this is.... this was... this is ... Max''s dad.) Another thing she''d remembered at that point was what Julianne Hunter had said about him in reference to Max. For a moment, she turned to Max, and then back at the photo. Tiffany: (thinking: She said... Max''s father had a "nerve.") Normal social ideologies were no great mystery to Tiffany Chang, and as such, she could draw two deductions all this information. Or rather, a very big one. A large part of the reason to Max''s nature, was his father. Whether genetic, or because he wanted to be more like his father, that was up to debate. But in this case, she could simply and aptly say, at the very least, a large part of Max''s modus operandi, had something to do with his father. She continued to stare at the photo, not minding much of what was going on, as... for some reason, something was still bothering her. As for the others.... Max: ... and that''s the point of the game. Rose: Oh... so.... you''re fighting to win a war? Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Max: Not just a war. He drammatically paused. Max: For glory! Ken: Hmph. Ken himself nodded in agreement. Luke: (thinking: Oh boy...) Max: Anyway, it''s pretty complicated. Max had explained the point of the game, but not exactly how to play it. Rose: I... I dunno if I''ll be all that good at it. Max: It''s alright. Girls don''t play video games like this anyway. Rose: Oh... well... Luke: It''s ok, Rose. After all, games like this tend to get ugly. Rose: Hmm? Luke: Trust me. You don''t wanna see two guys competing in a game like this. Rose: Ok... At that point, Rose sat down somewhat upsettedly, simply bothered by the fact that she couldn''t play the game with Max. As for Ken.... Ken: (sighs) I lost.... Just a few points below Max too. Max: Booyah! I win. Oh yeah, that''s right. As he celebrated, Ken simply smiled to himself. Ken: (thinking: A loss is a loss. That being said... I''ll even the score.) Rose: Way to go, Max. Max: Yeah, I''m awesome! Rose: (thinking: I''m so happy he won!) Luke simply smiled. And then suddenly... Ken: Hey, Max... Max: Yeah? Ken: Best two out of three? Max: You got it! And the pair sat down to continue playing. Ken: Let''s use the randomiser this time. Max: Sure! The randomiser started rapidly shifting between classes. Luke: Hey, could I have a turn? The two teens paused, having realised that in their competitiveness, they''d forgotten all about Luke. Max: Oh yeah.... Sure! Ken: I suppose so. Max and Ken stood up and handed Luke a controller and started explaining the controls to him. Ken: So, you use this to shoot. Luke: Ok? Max: And this button to use a melee weapon. Luke: Alright, what about this one? Max: That''s a special button. Luke: Hmm? Ken: It''s purpose varies from class to class. Luke: Ok? Max and Ken looked at each other, the same thought running through their heads. This is gonna take a while. And Rose, feeling somewhat left out, joined them. Rose: Oooh, can I see. Max: Sure. Ken: Be our guest. And the two of them continued to explain the controls to Luke and Rose. Max: .... so if your a dextrous class, you get a grappling hook. Ken: ... and if your a chameleous class, you get a smoke bomb that makes you invisible. Luke: I see... Rose: Ok... Luke fumbled around with the play box controller for a moment, as he wasn''t very used to using one. And as for Rose, be it because she suddenly noticed something or because she suddenly realised that someone was missing, who knew? But at that very point, she realised that Tiffany wasn''t among them. From the corner of her eye, she could see her seated, motionless. Rose: Tiff? And with that ther conversations all stopped, as though they''d all come to the realisation of the fact that Tiffany was missing. So, all their eyes turned to her, to find her staring into the wall. 205. Maxs Father Rose: Tiff? The blond girl paused, having heard her name clear as day through the fog of her thoughts, as most people do even when in a daze. Tiffany: Oh... sorry.... And just like that, she was shaken out of her mental miasma. Luke: You ok? Tiffany: Y... yeah.... A perturbed Rose, however, was still a bit perturbed. She walked towards Tiffany and... Rose: What are you looking at? ... turned in the direction she was facing, as did all the others, having heard what she''d said. On the wall, there lay on it only one truly interesting thing. The Hunter family family photo. It, like with Tiffany before, took all of their attention away. The overall thought being, "So... that''s what Max''s father looked like...." Rose: Is that....? Ken: Correct, Max''s father. Max''s... And with that, they quickly remembered what Julianne had said, that being.... And all their heads turned to a then troubled looking Max. Rose: (thinking: Oh no... Max...) Rose held her hands to her mouth and almost squealed. Luke and Ken remained silent. It was obvious to all of them. Losing a parent was not easy. As for Tiffany, .... Tiffany: Max, ... I.... She couldn''t help but feel guilty for bringing this to everyone''s attention, even though she had never intended on it. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Tiffany: I''m.... I''m sorry.... But the damage was already done. Max''s previously jolly personality came to something of a calm halt and then, he seemed troubled. The rest of the teens remained silent. Yet again, what could they say? For a moment, the only sounds that could be heard were those of the game screen playing. After all that had happened that night, one would have thought the rest of the night would take a lighter tone, but no. Things just got more interesting. And then, the silence was cut by a statement from Max. Max: (sighs) Yeah... that is.... my dad. He turned to the photo with sorrowful eyes. Rose: Max..... She was about to lay her hand out to him, but then decided against it. Tiffany was writhing in guilt. What could she say? If she only hadn''t been looking at it, if only she''d been just a bit more watchful, if only she didn''t stare... Max: He died sometime after we made it to Earth, so.... And he then somewhat depressedly hang his head down. Rose flinched, as Luke, Ken and Tiffany exchanged worried glances. Max: ... yeah.... All four of the other teens became silent again. The weight of his words crushing them. Max: ...I''d... rather not talk about it. Rose: (wincing) Ok! She herself was already close to tears. Ken: Sure.... Luke: Yeah, I get it. Tiffany: (lowly) Ok... The air of the room had completely changed once again. After all, how would you talk to someone about their dead parents? Tiffany''s toes wrestled in her shoes and Rose struggled to think of what to say. Ken and Luke simply had nothing to say. Needless to say, it was a particularly heavy moment. Tiffany: I''m... Max: Don''t worry about it. He then nonchalantly stretched his arms and turned back to the T.V screen. Max: C''mon. I''ve still got to tell you about Warring Dimensia 2. It was almost heartbreaking to all of them, to see him simply shrug it off. Even more so for an already guilt ridden Tiffany. Rose: B... but... Max.... He turned to her. Max: Hmmm? His face was plain. No emotion, be it sadness or happiness. Rose: I... but... how... Max: Don''t worry about it, Rose. And then for a short moment, his eyes became more bothered... Max: Don''t worry about it. To Max, the only thing more aggravating than talking about his dad at that moment, was watching people pity him for it. Tiffany, Luke and Ken shared glances with one another. They all had nothing to say, even to each other. Ken: Alright then... The mood of the night had completely changed. As to whether or not they could even get back to gaming, none of them knew. Even Max who''d suggested it was starting to have second thoughts. But, as a wise man once said, a hero always arrives at the last second, just in time to save the day. And this was the case here as well. Footsteps were heard coming from upstairs. All the teens turned their heads towards the sound. They all knew who it was. Julianne Hunter. And, because the house wasn''t so massive, she could hear, not exactly words, but at the very least, sounds. She''d noticed that the sitting room had become silent, even while in her bedroom. Her heart skipped a beat, imagining that they''d left. And so, having seen all the teens their, upset looking faces and all, she she was slightly pleased. However, the question was, why were they upset? 206. Painful Memories With all the kids looking at her, and her looking at them, the next statement was obvious. Julianne: Are you kids ok? Max: (abruptly) Yeah... The four others eyes simmered on hearing that, and as for Julianne, she knew her son too well not to notice when he was trying to hide something. But also, she''d learned from experience that forcing things out of Maximillian Hunter had a habit of going awry, alot. And so, she turned her eyes to the other kids. Did one of them insult him, or harm him, or ridicule him? If so, was it his fault, or the fault of one of them? And if so, should she side with her child, or try to teach her son to be the bigger person? In a sense, she was stuck in thought. But, a sudden form of elation also encompassed her. She was finally a mother that had to deal with such problems. She almost smiled at herself. This is evolution. But she kept herself, and, quite easily, guessed who was responsible for the altercation. It was Tiffany, seeing how guilty she looked. And so... Julianne: (looking at Tiffany, speaking gently) Did something happen here? She didn''t want to be too harsh. Ken, Luke and Rose shared glances quite nervously, before... Rose: It... well... we... Julianne: Hmm? Rose: It.... And Rose could only motion Julianne towards the wall, which upon reaching her eyes, immediately made sense. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Julianne: I see... The photo of her family, of Max''s family. And most importantly, a photo showing Max''s father and her husband. Julianne only needed a few seconds to guess what had happened, why Max was suddenly so obtuse, and why they all seemed a bit shaken up. After all that was revealed that night, yet more weights had fallen on their shoulders. The room remained silent for a while after that, with the mother thinking of what to say. Just what could she say? Rose: I''m.... Julianne: It''s ok, Rose. It''s ok. She turned to her son. Julianne: Maxie? Max: Mmmmmm..... Julianne sighed. It had been a long night, and it was about to get longer. Julianne: I suppose you''d all like to know about my husband. Tiffany, Luke, Ken and even Rose all froze. Was she really just going to...? Julianne sighed again, and, without saying another word, walked towards the kitchen, and prepared a cup of coffee. All the while the teens simply watched her in silence, every once in a while exchanging glances. The simple question in their minds was, "Just what was about to happen?" And Julianne, being a mother, would not let her son deal with explaining his father''s death on his own. Perhaps she should have let him do it on his own, perhaps she should have let it go. But, that was motherhood. And in a few minutes, she returned with a cup of coffee. Julianne: Have a seat, all of you.... They all sat down on the couches, one after the other, with Max sitting besides her, looking grouchy as she''d expected. Julianne: (thinking: Well... that''s ma boy.) She calmly sipped her coffee once. Julianne: (sighs) His name was Preston Wes Hunter. That statement got all of their attention immediately. Tiffany: (thinking: Preston Wes....) Julianne: We... got married back on Neutron, and travelled here for a family vacation. She took a sip and made a nostalgic sigh. Julianne: Back then... Maxie was still a little boy. All their faces turned to Max in concern. Julianne: (sighs) He was... an incredible man, and an even more incredible husband and father. He was brave, strong willed, sharp witted... And at that point, even Julianne stopped. Memories of her husband started flooding into her mind. So much so, that she couldn''t speak as clearly as she normally would. Max: (thinking: Mom...) They all noticed her hesitance to continue speaking. Anyone who''d met someone who''d lost someone would know, there is a certain sadness about them. Almost as though something in that very person''s soul has been lost. If it is true, as many say, that when we make friends, close friends especially, that they become a part of us, then anyone who''s lost someone looks as though there''s a hole in their heart. Or rather, like something has been ripped out of their heart. Now, said heart can be refilled. However, all because it can, doesn''t mean it is. That was that case in this situation. They could all feel it. The pain of the loss of Preston Wes Hunter the Hunter family. They both still missed him dearly. 207. How He Died The silence in the room was deafening. The only remotely loud thing in the room was the now silent T.V screen brightly flashing animations from Warring Dimensia 2. Rose''s eyes were already tearing up in empathy. The rest of the teens remained silent. They could all feel the genuine sorrow from the mother. Julianne herself was shocked that she was opening up like that. She''d never expected her heart to break that much like that having spoken of him again. Julianne: Sorry, ... I... Rose: Mrs. Hunter.... Julianne: No. She sighed in melancholy, as the memories of his death crept up about her. Julianne: It''s... it''s ok. Yet again, Rose tried to reach her hand out, but yet again, hesitated. Julianne: It''s ok, all of you. We''ll be fine. And yet another silence occupied the room. Julianne''s intention was to clear the air about it without troubling her son. What she did not anticipate, was her being unable to do so. And now, there she lay, with nothing to say to any of them. She could have talked about who he was, how he died, what he was like and all of that, but no. That was not going to be possible. She couldn''t bear to talk about it. And as for Tiffany, Ken, Luke and Rose, there was nothing to be said. What could be said? Rose wanted so badly to say something, anything, but what could she say? Tiffany hated herself for starting this debacle, but resolved to be sure to not start a conversation about his family again. And so, the silence remained for several seconds... until.... Max: My dad..... The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. His sudden words turned the heads of all of them to him, all of them in shock, wondering as to just what he was planning on saying. Julianne: Maxie? Max: Mom... The mother and son shared a glance with one another, looking into each other''s eyes, delivering messages to one another in a code only a mother and son would understand. No, in a way only this mother and son could understand. And then, Julianne slowly looked away, and after that, Max''s eyes turned to the floor. Max: My dad..... he.... He took a deep breath. Max: .... he died fighting to save people from a really bad person. His words rang through the room, deafening all of their thoughts. All their minds going, "He what?" Of course, Ken already knew this, and so was not perturbed in the least. Julianne herself was more concerned about her son''s mental state. What on earth was he doing? Max: So... yeah. Mom said she and dad were fighting him together, but then... His eyes turned to his mother, who was now looking at him as well. Max: ... he sent some bad people to come find me, so.... At that point, his own mother was close to tears. Max: ... mom had to... come back home to save me. Those very words sent them into a "Wait... what?" moment. Even Ken was shocked, as he''d never heard the last part of the tale. The first and most shocking revelation to them all was just how he died. To think, that his very own father died to protect people from an evil ploy. Max: And after that, dad went off to fight him... and... they both died. And after that, Max paused again, saying nothing else. The room was encompassed by yet another incredible silence. His mother, was completely bamboozled by her son. Not in a million years would she ever have expected him to simply say that to these people. Sure, they were his friends, but still..... As for the others, their minds were still stuck trying to process it. Max''s father died protecting people. Julianne herself was close to tears. Just what was happening? What was happening to her son? What was going to happen to her son? Max: So... yeah. That''s how my dad died. A wince could be heard from Rose. She heart could not believe it. To explain what her heart was feeling, it would be like explaining a fire so hot, it burned other fires down. Simply put, she felt so bad she somehow couldn''t cry. Tiffany, Luke and Rose: (thinking: Max....) To say that they pitied him would be an understatement. His head was hanging down from his seat, so they could not see his face. The second perplexing thought was this, and perhaps even more disturbing. According to Max, his mother had to leave her hubsand to protect him. That would mean, that in a very interesting way, although not provable, Max''s father, in a sense, had to sacrifice himself, not just for innocents, but also for him. After all, had Max''s mother stayed, she may have been able to keep the both of them alive. Had that happened, Max''s father may have still been here. Had Max not needed to be saved...... Ken: (thinking: Max...) But most perturbed remained his mother. She had told him this, that day, all the while in tears. Even at that time, even now, she wished she could have kept that truth from him. But, she couldn''t... And then, Max continued.... Max: And... that''s it. 208. Preston Wes Hunter There is an oft said saying. Silence says a million words. Obviously in this case, silence meant sympathy. But there is another saying. That being, that the soul has a language. One could say it is like tuning forks. When one is struck, other tuning forks in the vicinity also start to vibrate. So, just like that, in people, when we see those in grief, we ourselves are grief stricken. Almost as though, just like tuning forks resonate with each other, our souls resonate with one another. And not just in grief, but also, in fear, pride, hate, joy, cammerederie, and et cetera. In that sense, although no one was speaking, so much was being and had been said. Anyone who''d been in the room, even without having heard what had happened. Any normal person could feel it. The sheer sympathy directed towards the young Maximillian Hunter. But in the physical realm, what could be said? This was a boy talking about how his father died. Even Tiffany, who''d spoken up before, was quiet. After all, it was a heavy topic. The question as simply, "was he responsible for his fathers death?" The simple answer was no. He was just a kid. How could it be his fault? What could he have done? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And Julianne had told her son this many times over, and then she felt the need to say it once more. She thought she''d never need to say it again. But now... The teens noticed it too, the mother herself being close to tears. Julianne: Maxie... How could he just say that? She was going to be the one who spoke about it, but... And the silence continued on for a few moments. Tiffany and Luke shared a glance with one another, before continuing to remain in silence. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. And then, Rose finally found it in herself to burst into tears, taking all of their attention. Tiffany: Rose... Finally a word could be said. Rose: (sobbing) I''m so sorry, it''s just... I just... Max''s head returned to its previous position, as did the others. Rose: (thinking: What can I say to Max? What can I say?) Ken: (thinking: To think... this has been in his heart the whole time.) Luke: (thinking: Should I... no... I shouldn''t.) And without skipping another beat, Max continued. Max: My dad... His sudden words shook them again. Max: ... he was... awesome. And at that point, although his face was towards the ground, and no one could see what was going on with him, a tear cold be seen falling off from his face. The eyes of the teens widened on seeing that. His mother put her hand to her mouth and winced. To think, that even Maximillian Hunter could cry. But, he continued.... Max: He was... awesome. One of the greatest fighters back on Neutron. Back there, everybody looked up to him. He was.... But for a moment, he rubbed his eyes with his arm. Rose: Max... And then, he continued... Max: He travelled a lot too. And when he''d come back, he''d tell me all these crazy stories about other planets, about how he almost died, or about how he fought some super strong guy. He paused again, but only for a moment. Max: He taught me a lot of crazy things too, y''know.... For a second, he almost seemed to have chuckled. Max: Yeah... my dad was awesome. And with that, a sigh escaped his mouth. A few tears fell out of Julianne Hunter''s eyes, but even then, she struggled to hold herself back. This wasn''t about her husband anymore. It was about her son. How could he just say that? Or, rather, how could he say that? She''d never anticipated him talking about this. Tiffany and Ken exchanged glances, not knowing exactly what to say. Rose fought within herself to find words to say to him. And as for Luke, he suddenly started... Luke: Your.... (cough) Ahem... His words brought all their eyes to him. Luke: Your father... he... sounds like he was a great man. Max: Yeah.... And with that, the rest of them followed.... Ken: Agreed. Tiffany: (hesitantly) Yeah... Rose simply tearfully nodded, keeping her mouth shut. She wanted to say something, but not what they were talking about. She felt for him, but couldn''t bring out exactly what she wanted to say in words. Julianne simply quietly nodded, still covering her mouth. Max: He was the best dad I could''ve asked for... Luke: Yeah... And then, Max''s head suddenly started to rise. Just as they''d expected, there were tears in his eyes. However, what they did not expect, was for him to have a massive smile on his face. Even his own mother was taken aback. Max: The greatest dad ever. Ken and Tiffany: (thinking: He''s... smiling?) Max: My dad... And he continued... Max: ... he always said that... Hunters always stand up against adversity, and never give up till the end. Julianne: (thinking: Max...) To think, her husband''s words had that profound of an effect on Max. Max: So... yeah. He paused again for a moment. Max: He fought a villain that was planning on hurting a lot of people...... to the end. Rose: (wincing) Max.... 209. The Way Of Father Perhaps it would be wisest to compare what Max felt to something more common in the eyes of man. What Preston Wes Hunter was to Max, was a father. And, as every child or rather every human may know, a father figure is a necessary part of any childs growth. This statement rings true for any culture, society and even race irregardless of their place in the world. Be it a child in Africa or Asia. It is a well known fact. A child without a father figure is, simply put, "missing something." Almost as though there is some sort of piece in this person''s heart that was meant to be filled. Almost as though, perhaps in deeper terms, that every child is born with this "hole" and that only a father can fill this hole. And what is a father to a household, one may ask. The answers to this question vary widely, but oddly enough, have more in common with one another than one may think in a more surface level view. A father, is the head of the house, the leader, the judge, the priest, the one who bestows his children with purpose, and so many others Of course, there is also the role that can be defined as "being present to your children," but thats besides the point. By dying, sure, Max''s father was no longer around, but what he did... He told his son that Hunters always stand up to adversity, and by doing that which he did.. he inadvertedly did what every father should do. Teach their children the way. In a sense, Preston Wes Hunter had fully fulfilled his role as a leader, a judge, perhaps even a priest and also, he is the one who bestowed his son with purpose. So, that "hole" had been filled. Maximillian Hunter had full faith in his father''s words. Never surrender. And so, like an empty room that needs filling, his heart was then and there filled with something. Something only a father could give him. Something only his son, Max could understand. Not just the message, but how it was stated to him. From a father, to a son. This is how you live your life. And not just saying it, but also doing it. In all that, Preston Wes Hunter, had fully fulfilled his role as a father. And as for Max, well... Max: And he stopped him. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He almost chuckled, but then continued... Max: My dad was... no... is a hero. He lowered his head again, not so much so that they couldn''t see it, but rather... just enough that they could see his face. Max: He stood up for what was right even though he knew it wasn''t gonna be easy. And he fought him to the bitter end, even though he knew how hard it would be, even though he knew he probably wouldn''t make it. Rose: Max.... She was horrified that he was saying that so freely. They all were. Just what had gotten into him? Max: But... I''m not really upset about all that. All of their minds, in unison, went... "What?" Max: I know he''s gone... but... I.... The next words were more difficult for him to pronounciate. Max: I''m.... I''m glad I got to be his son. I''m... just y''know.... They all understood. He meant to say, he was proud of his father. Sad he was gone, to be sure. But proud of the way he did leave. And also, proud of what he did. Ken: (thinking: Max...) And with that... Max: Yeah.... so, don''t worry about me, guys. I''ll be fine... And with a light chuckle, continued... Max: After all, ... And he looked at his mother, who was looking back at him. Max: ... I''m a Hunter. And with that, his mother''s own thoughts paused. What had her son been doing this whole time? What had he just said? Those were the questions that were previously wreaking havoc on her mind. But now, this was her thought. Just who was her son? In all her thoughts about him, she''d never imagined he could handle such a sensitive conversation. On top of that, since when did he get over it enough to talk about it like that. And as if that wasn''t enough... Having heard all Max had to say, all the teens were obviously still troubled. Silent, but troubled. To a degree, they understood. Each, in their own way. His father died to protect others. How could he not be proud? Any child who''d learned about their father dying to protect, to serve, to die in the line of duty, to die standing up for what he believed in... Any child would be proud of such a father, irregardless of whether it was lives, beliefs or even a simple job or perhaps a personal rule or maybe even in defiance of an oppressive force. That fight... that innate fighting spirit.... that was what Maximillian Hunter and also, what any normal child would be proud of. The ability to stand up and fight. Tiffany: (thinking: So that''s why... is that... why Max is like this?) He''d never before mentioned it, but to be fair, they''d only known him for a week. Max: So... don''t worry about it. I''m fine. He stretched his arms behind his back in a somewhat relaxed manner. And at that point, Rose suddenly jumped the gun. There was one thing that stuck to her the entire time. Rose: (wincing and sobbing) But Max! It... it.... They all innately knew what she wanted to say. It wasn''t about his father. It was about him. She wanted to tell him not to blame himself for what had happened, as that, after all, was still a pressing question But Max... Max: I know, Rose. I know.... He turned to the sobbing girl with a gentle smile, as if to disarm her, as if to tell her he would be fine. It wasn''t like the thought had not bothered Max before, and it wasn''t like it didn''t still bother him every once in a while. But... it would bother anyone. And perhaps that was just the way it was. Sometimes... it just hurts. And sometimes, you have to get over it. And sometimes, perhaps, you just need time. It bothered Max a lot less than it usually did. And so, he felt no need to get into that. Perhaps, that was the way it needed to be. Tiffany, Luke and Ken all understood. It wasn''t a... it no longer bothers me. It was a... its ok, I''ll get over it. After all, which child wouldn''t eventually question the validity of their existence in the face of such an occurence. His father died to protect him. So, was he responsible for his death? In a sense, one could say so. And perhaps, that would continue to haunt him. But, someday... it would eventually stop. After all, he was better that day, than he was when hed died. Much better, in fact. After all, like they all said. He was just a child. Julianne Hunter looked at her son with an odd sense of pride. As if that wasn''t enough, her son had gotten over that too. 210. Hes Fine And with that, Max dried the tears on his face with his jacket sleeve. Max: So... that''s that. Luke: I see..... Max: Yeah.... There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as they all took time to process what had just been said. Max: (thinking: I think that''s about it.) So... He got up from his seat and shook himself off. Max: ... anyway... And then, he continued to pick up his Play box controller. Max: Could we just play Warring Dimensia 2? Like a child, he smiled. Max: I still haven''t shown you this neat trick with the Dextrous class that I bet Ken''s never seen before. For a moment, they all looked at each other, as though debating with each other. But, in this case, one could say, they were checking to make sure they were on the same page. Tiffany, Ken and Luke were, but Rose was still a bit distraught. That was to be expected. After all, they all knew Rose well enough to know she''d still be worried about Max. And so... Luke: Sure.... Ken: Agreed. I also have some tricks up my sleeve I''ve yet to show Max. Max: Really? Ken: Hmph. A good magician never reveals his secrets. Max: (smirking) Alright. And with that, the three gentlemen colluded around Luke''s chair, not another word about it being said. Not because they couldn''t, but because they knew it was unnecessary. Tiffany herself took a heavy breath. None of this would have happened if she''d just never been caught staring. However, she was glad it was over. And now, she could relax a bit. She would have joined the guys playing video games, but those had never been her cup of tea. But should she? She debated this briefly. And then she turned to see Rose, who was still reeling from the previous revelation. Tiffany: Rose... She was about to do something, but then got completely blindsided by a now smiling Julianne Hunter. Julianne: Hey Rose... Rose: Mrs Hunter, I... Julianne: (smiling cheerfully) How about we try making that dish you''d brought me? The night''s still young.... The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. To be clear, it was approaching 11pm. Rose: B... but.... Her eyes turned to Max, who was now chuckling as Luke fumbled about the controls, messing up. Julianne: Come on, Rose.... Rose took one more look at Max. He seemed somewhat happy. In fact, he seemed as though he wasn''t all that bothered about what had happened just moments before. And the mother, sensing her hesitance, stood up and walked towards Rose, placing her hand on her shoulder. Julianne: It''s ok, Rose. It''s ok. She smiled at the sobbing teen, as she turned back to Julianne, considering things for a moment. Rose: Ok.... And with that, Julianne smiled at a waiting Tiffany too, as the pair walked over to the kitchen. Tiffany could now breath even easier. And with that, she elected to watch the guys play video games. As for Julianne and Rose, they begun to cook the recipe Rose had brought along with her. It was, as mentioned before, for cheesecake. Rose somewhat shakily and unassuredly read out the ingredients. Rose: Eggs,... ummm... cheese, cheddar cheese, I mean.... Julianne: Sure... Rose: Ummm... do you have cheddar cheese? Julianne: Yup. She clicked a button on her fridge, and then, on the seemingly normal fridge wall, clicked another set of buttons, revealing a secret mechanised compartment behind the fridge. One would think the fridge was normal before having seen that. And, for a moment, the attentions of all the teens was taken. Luke: You have a second fridge? Max: (nonchalantly) Yeah. Ken: Impressive. (thinking: Just how many secrets does this absolutely normal looking house contain?) Tiffany: Hmmm... She, as well as the Max and Ken continued to watch Luke play Warring Dimensia 2. Perhaps it was his inner child speaking, but he''d picked the all for nothing ballistic class. That was to be expected. Everybody picked that class first. After all, their damage potential was through the roof. As for Julianne, as she''d collected ingredients, from time to time, she''d turn to Rose, only to find her staring back at Max. Rose, on the other hand, would only read ingredients when and if Julianne was done picking out what she''d just mentioned on the list. She would then after turn back to Max''s direction and stare at him. And then, while looking inside the fridge, Julianne came out with the previously mentioned ingredient in hand, without mentioning that she''d picked it up. She snuck up on Rose and put her hand on her shoulder. Rose: (shocked) M... Mrs Hunter... Julianne: There there, ... Rose. There there... The teen girls face dropped depressedly. Rose: Ok... She knew what Max''s mother meant. She knew that full well. However, .... Julianne would not fall for her lie. Julianne gently turned the girls head to her son''s direction. He, Ken and Luke were still busy playing. In fact... Max: Booyah! Fifth kill! Luke: Alright! Ken: Good job, strong man. Luke: Yeah, yeah... Tiffany was silently watching them. And back with Julianne and Rose... Julianne: You see, Rose... And she continued almost proudly... Julianne: My son, Maxie.... he''s a lot tougher than youd think. She then brought Rose''s face back to her. Julianne: (smiling) So.... don''t worry about it.. ok. For a moment, Rose considered things. Max did seem to be fine, and as for this woman, who just so happened to be his mother, she wasn''t worried at all. So maybe... just maybe... Max would be fine. Julianne: C''mon... She then let the girl go and walked up to the fridge as Rose gave Max one final glance before... Rose: Ok.... .. she followed after the mother and went off to Julianne. And this time with a little more gusto... Rose: And... it says here, we''ll need to singe the cheese on the cake. Julianne: That''s the spirit, Rose. She smiled at Rose as she approached her. To say that she was happy about the fact that Max had made a friend like Rose, someone who would continue to worry about him even after he''d said he was ok.... That truly put her heart at ease. But most easing was her own son, Max... To think, that he''d not only gotten over his fathers death, but also enough to talk about it. She''d never have imagined he could do it. And then came the troubling and untroubling thought. Was she.... was she really worried about nothing? Had she really not realised how strong her own son was? Had she been... underestimating him all this time? She turned to look at her son once and smiled. Maybe, just maybe, she didn''t need to be so worried about him all the time. 211. Cheese Cake And so, the night went. It was 11.30 pm. Ken had long since told his mother and father that he''d be coming home late, having been visiting the famous Julianne Hunter once more. They expressed their grievances at not being able to be there. However, neither parent was unhappy to hear that from their son. He was getting to know people, after all. As for Ken himself, he''d already dissolved himself into what one would call a boy''s favourite past time. Playing and competing with his friends, or rather, competing with Max, once more. Luke had joined in on their contests every once in a while, but eventually realised that he was out of his league. After all, both Max and Ken had long since stopped pulling their punches. Tiffany remained silent, watching every move they''d made. As for Rose and Julianne, the pair had since started cooking more cheerfully. The stove was on, and the pair got to cooking. Rose: Oh... Mrs. Hunter, we need some more sugar. Julianne: Coming right up. Rose: Oooh. And also, we need a way to glaze the cake. Julianne: Got it covered. Rose: Hmm? And Julianne, walked to the basement witout saying a word. Rose: Mrs Hunter? She left Rose in silence and then returned with a small pistol like gun. Rose: Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Hmm? She seemed shocked to see Rose''s, expression before looking at the gun in her hands. Julianne: Oh. No, this isn''t a gun. Rose: Hmm? The mother fired it up and aimed it into the air., clicking a button. Julianne: It''s a flamethrower. And a brilliant yellow flame shot out of the gun, shocking them all. Rose: EEEEEEEEP! Luke: What the!? Ken: How in the....?! (thinking: A flamethrower... really? This family....) Tiffany''s eyes widened as she gasped. And Julianne broke into a hysterical laughter, Julianne: Oh I''m so sorry, I just couldn''t help myself. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. And she continued to laugh as Max himself chuckled while continuing to play the game. Ken: (thinking: And Max seems to be on board with this madness.) The teen smiled. Ken: (thinking: I guess that''s just who you are, isn''t it Max?) And Julianne took the flamethrower with her to a hesitant and worried Rose and the then baking cake. Julianne: Now.... stand back! She aimed the gun at the cake and, as all the teens immediately turned their eyes to the oven, a bright yellow flame fell over the cake, thoroughly glazing it. Rose: Woah... And the result, a delicious looking cake and an incredible and somehow insatiable burnt and smokey cheese aroma. Julianne: And voila.... She blew the nozzle to her flamethrower. Julianne: Ladies and gentlemen, ... All of them were paying attention to her, except Max. He was used to this. Julianne: ... may I present to you... And she walked out of the way of the cake, placing her hands towards it much as a presenter would. She then motioned to Rose to join her.... Rose: Oh. Ok. ... and she did, presenting the cake from the opposite direction from Julianne. Julianne and Rose: ....cheese cake! Julianne: ...from Julianne Hunter and Rose Wright. Rose then chirpily giggled, much to Julianne''s delight. She''d finally stopped worrying about it. Julianne: And it turned out great! Rose: Yeah, it really did! And the pair smiled at each other for just a moment. Julianne: So... who wants some? To ask a question like that when everyone had just had an insanely massive and expensive supper was truly something, and Julianne Hunter meant it as a joke, at least in part. Ken: (thinking: Is she serious?) Tiffany: (thinking: After all that?) However... Luke: Hmmm... Sure, I''ll have one. Rose: (giggles) Ok! She grabbed a knife and cut out a piece of cake. Rose: (giggles) (to Julianne) Luke is always hungry. Julianne: (giggles) Oh..... I see... And back at the T.V... Ken: (to Luke) Honestly... Luke: What? Ken: Nevermind.... I''ll have one too. Max: Oh, me three! Rose: Ok. I got you all covered! She eagerly started cutting up pieces of the cake, one by one. Julianne herself took a piece as well and walked off to the couch, sitting near her son. And Rose prepared a plate of five slices of cheese cake, before walking to the sitting room and laying the plate in fornt of each of them. First Luke... Rose: Here you go! Luke: Thanks. ... and then Ken.... Rose: Here, Ken. Ken: Much obliged. ... and finally, Max. Rose: Here''s your piece, Max. Max: Oh.. thanks, Rose. And as for the final two pieces... One was for herself, and the other... Rose: Hey, Tiff? Tiffany: Yeah? Rose: You want some? Now, the answer to that question was yes. The cake smelled great, but Tiffany had had enough of taking things from the Hunters. And so... Tiffany: No thanks. I''m stuffed. Rose: Oh, come on.... It was an interesting situation. Her friend had obviously brought an extra piece because she was concerned about her and cared, even though she didn''t ask. However, Tiffany absolutely did not want to take anything else from the family. Her pride would hurt her too much to do it. Tiffany: No, Rose. Really.. thanks. But I''m full. Rose: Not even just a bite. The obvious answer to that was yes. But when she put it that way... just how could Tiffany Chang say no to that. Ken: (thinking: Seems the night is still young for our awe-inspiring leader.) And to top it off.... Luke: It''s just a piece, Tiff. It''s no big deal. He just had to tease her. Julianne: It is just one piece. And she just had to egg her on. Max: If you don''t want it.... I''ll have it. And oddly enough, he was the one person who was helping her. But still.... Rose: Pleeeeeeeeeaaaasssee! It suddenly occurred to Tiffany that this was more than just her being her. She also wanted her friend to taste her cooking. In fact, it was, simply put, more of Rose being more of Rose. And so, given social contagion and her love for her friend. Tiffany: (sighs) Alright... Rose: Great! Would the blow to her pride be worth the smile on Rose''s face and the social situation she''d just avoided? She would never know. But, at the very least... The cake tasted great. Tiffany: Mmmm. It''s really good. Rose: Thanks! And the others agreed... Max: Yeah. It''s pretty good. Luke: Yep. Ken: Hmph. And so their night went on. 212. Collaborates Saturday nights. If one was to ask you this, when in a week do people make the, let''s call them, most interesting decisions, it would be right there and then. Sunday nights? Oh we hate those. Monday nights? Nope. Never. Too busy. Tuesday nights? What even is that? Wednesday nights? Smack dab in the middle of the working week? Nah... Thursday nights? Well... some people get off work on these days, but that tends to be the case for students, and just students. Friday nights? Well... most people get off work here and so do most students. However, everybody''s still reeling from the monstrosity that was the previous week. And that leaves us with Saturday nights. That''s right. In those nights, you feel like no one can stop you. And that doesn''t just go for you. No, most everybody is free on those nights. It''s the time when the entirety of the people, at least in that designated time zone, find themselves doing what normal folk could describe as... "interesting." Children playing video games till late, adults going to party, you name it. After all, you''re free (for a little while), and the immdeiate stress of Monday is a whole day away. And hey, the last week was brutal, wasn''t it? But, no. Let''s not think about that. Let''s think about Saturday night. The most worry free night of all. Perhaps this "Saturday night effect" could explain as to why none of them said a word about the time. It was already past midnight. Even Julianne Hunter would have ordinarily sent her son to bed by this time. But hey... ... it''s a Saturday. So why kill the vibe? Besides... If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Max: Woooh! 23 kills. Ken: Good job. Max: Yeah, thanks. That thanks meant a lot more than just a simple acknowledgement of a complement. After all, in this particular case, Max and Ken were working together, with a non too familiar class. Luke: You two work really well together. Rose: Yeah! To say that the pair''s teamwork had captured the attention of all the teens would be an understatement. Max and Ken simply smiled. Julianne: Agreed. (thinking: Max working offense and Ken working support. An obvious strategy. But... the way they work together....) Tiffany: Yeah... Even Tiffany had to admit. She was shocked. The name of the game was the Warring Dimensia 2 class, the Collaborates. A class of warriors that hyper prioritise working together to succeed in battle. Their philosophy was simple. Man was not meant to fight alone. No, man was meant to fight with a team. And so, in these battles, their whole shtick was working side by side. Each player needing a teammate to correspond with. As a result of this, their weapons tended to be somewhat complimentary to one anothers. So, say for example, if one had a gun, the other would have a short range force field. If one had a flash grenade, the other would have a jet pack. The simple idea was for the pair to work together to succeed. And... as a result of the incredible combos they could make, they were a truly formidable race to do battle with. However, like with all things, they weren''t perfect. One could say it was an interesting thing that every class had at least one glaring flaw that made them difficult to use. And perhaps, the same goes for most things in this world. And in the case of this class, it was this. While the combos were truly terrifying, the majority of them required that both players remained in close proximity to one another. Not that big of a deal, given the fact that they could then pull off combos and end things in a 2v1 or even 2v more than 1 pretty efficiently. But if those two people can''t communicate properly, problems would arise. And there was yet another glaring issue. Max: I got your six. Ken: Hmph. If any one of the players died, the death of the other player was absolutely certain. After all, all their weapons were so dependant on team work, that if one ever died, they would be left with what was probably best explained as a worse than average character in the game. You simply can''t be any weaker than a lone collaborate. It''s just not possible. To top it all off, the collaborates, since they were trained to work together from birth, all had such specific and symbiotic weapon styles that if one member of a pair was playing offense, the other would have to play defense, with no exceptions. Of course, there were offensive team pairs, but the benefits of defense plus offense were too good to pass up. A force field and a gun basically ensured free damage as long as the collaborate could keep the shield up. But if either died, the other would almost definetly be screwed. Such is the way of the collaborates. If your brother dies, so will you, child. So.... defend him. With everything you have! For he and he alone, is everything. That is the motto and way of life of the collaborates. All thus was naturally well known to Max and Ken, as well as every other player of the game. As a result, whenever one knew one was playing against the Collaborates, one would immediately adapt one''s strategies, choosing to focus on just one of them. After all, if even one foe dies, that''s the end of it. Right? While not being exactly true, it was almost always the case. Such was the way of Warring Dimensia 2. If any class had a weakness, other players would be quick to take advantage of said weakness. And so, in response, the users of any said class would begin to create counter measures focused on avoiding the exploitation of their weaknesses. For the collaborates, that often meant doing anything and anything to prevent one''s comrade from meeting his end. How would that be done? Perhaps by working in groups of four to take care of each other as one massive cohesive unit. Or, more commonly, by doubling down on the advantages of working as a team, or in an almost ironic sense, trying to make up for the weaknesses of the collaborates, simply made the pair of players play even more as collaborates should. As a team. However, that was not the solution Max and Ken came up with. A heavy gunfire could be heard from the game screen. Max: Woooooh! Ken: Hmph. Max: We got ''em! And that they did. It was the ol'' triple ruse. While it was impossible for those in the collaborates to switch weapons and then use them, it wasn''t the same thing for the enemy''s weapons. To be sure, there was a massive 35% damage debuff when using another Dimension''s weapon. That was to emulate the difficulty of using weapons one was unused to. But also, to ensure that players still had the option to rob the enemy of their own weapons. Simply put, "You can use them, but you won''t be that good at it. But still, you can use them." This was the plan Max had come up with. Rather than play full on offense plus defense. Max: Got em again. Ken: Hmph. Why not just rob the enemy blind and discard the other weapons? Surely, if any players, if any at all, would just straight up rob the enemy, it would be insane enough. But... to discard your own team player weapons? That was a massive risk. And... because no one could see it coming, because no one contemplated it working.... After all, why drop everything the collaborates stood for? Max''s answer? Because... why not? After all, the weapons suck when they''re alone. And how did this help them? Well... for one thing, it made it possible for Ken and Max to collaborate from a much greater distance. And for another... Max: 30! Woohoo! He high-fived Ken, who quietly smiled and continued to play. It allowed them to use strategies that no one would expect. After all, if a shield man had a machine gun rather than a shield, what would you do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And to make things even more entertaining, Max decided to switch things up from time to time, having Ken play main offense while he played defense by acting as though he was being careless, straying further away from his partner. Such was Warring Dimensia 2. Truly a man eat man world. 213. 50 As Max and Ken continued to play the game.... Tiffany: (thinking: It''s clear to me that Max is the kind of person who can think outside the box. That could prove useful in a fight. However...) It was to Tiffany''s as well as everybody else''s knowledge that Max had not chosen this strategy with the idea to confound the enemy. He just figured it would be fun. Tiffany: (thinking: ... he probably lacks the experience and the cutting-edge mentality to use that well enough in a fight.) Max: 33! A large explosion was heard from the screen. Ken: Make that 39. Max: Woooh! Rose: You two are amazing at this! Julianne: Mmm hmm. (thinking: Other than skateboarding, Max really doesn''t put that much effort into anything else. Video games and skateboarding.) She took a sip of a glass of water she''d poured for herself. Julianne: (thinking: Nothing takes his attention like those two things.) Luke himself was almost impressed. To one who would have trouble making even one kill, 39 was absurd, even though it was between two players. Max: Hey, think we can make it to 50? Ken: Hmph. Why not? To explain the deeper details, Warring Dimensia 2 was a game played by normal people. No bots. If one lost connection for too long, that was it. Game over. Simply put, because all players were different people from different walks of life, each player was an unpredictable beast with something of a litany of skills. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. That being said, while some strats remained the same, as people would copy each other all the time or watch the same guides, some things were predictable. However, while that was true, there was always a pretty good chance that one would react pretty unpredictably, to say nothing of the differences in experience being completely different. Is the player a novice, or an expert, or worse, a non orthodox dark horse? All that was a mystery. That being said, ... Max: 43! Ken: Hmph. They were both at less than 50% health. ... with all that into consideration, ... Max: And 45. Reloading... Ken: I''ll cover you. Max: Hmph. ... killing even one player... was incredibly difficult. And that being said... Ken: Max. 6 o''clock. Move. Max: Right! The two player characters ran as bullet fire was heard. ... killing even over 10 was a massive milestone. And so, ... Max: Sheesh, we can''t shake em. Ken: Mmmm... split. Max: Hmm. The pair ran in opposite directions, causing the enemy to have to choose who to chase after. .... getting 50, even if it was between the both of them. That would be one for the books. Ken : He seems confused. Ken''s character was already on the run, keeping his camera on the enemy. But Max... A loud gunshot was heard. Ken: What the!? Max: Got ''em. ... he had not run that far away, and, seeing the enemy struggle to make a decision... simply went for a headshot. Max: 46! Wooh! Ken: Hmm. Good job... (thinking: Always full of surprises.) Rose: That was amazing, Max. Max: Yeah. I know, right. Luke: No kidding. (thinking: These two make it look easy.) Tiffany: (thinking: All things being said, Max is a truly unpredictable opponent.) Yeah... Max: Only four more to go. Ken: Hmph. Julianne: Anyone want some more cheese cake. Luke: I''ll have some. Julianne: Ok. Rose: Oh... me too! And as for Tiffany, she simply remained silent. She was glad. This time, she didn''t have to deal with that. As for Max and Ken, they were too locked in to want cake. Max: I''m good. Ken: Ditto. Julianne: Ok. And the two teens placed all of their focus onto the game screen. There is a slang term. Aura. Some say it''s just a feeling. Others call it a vibe. Some may even say it''s as deep as something spiritual. And of that, many could personally agree. There is an odd thing. One that many people can attest to having felt at some point. That feeling that somebody was something. That feeling in the air. Like you know that person is like this or like that without even hearing a conversation. "Oh, he''s rich." "Oh, he''s fierce." "Him? No one should ever mess with him." That odd feeling as though you just know that something is going on without having even known a thing... or having heard a word about this person. Almost as though the feeling itself spoke. Almost as though the spirit itself spoke. Words without words, one could call it. And that very phenomenon occurred here. Without saying a word, without so much as a single motion... Max and Ken sent a message to the rest of the team as well as to the mother. "Do not say a word." The pair had completely and utterly locked in. And no one watching was going to, or even willing to stop them. The result? Other than the sounds of the game being played, the room fell to a deathly silence. And the battle raged on.