Within Maximine

Chapter 3

After probably the toughest conversation of my life (aside from the one with my parents, which was just as bad, if not worse), Maximine dropped a bombshell on me. He claimed there's some epic war brewing between angels and demons. But what about us half-breeds? He conveniently left that part out. Naturally, I bombarded him with a million questions, and to my surprise, he answered every single one—truthfully, too. It was weirdly honest, considering his demonic nature.

Exhausted from the info overload, I crashed on Maximine's couch and dozed off. Hours later, I woke up groggily to find Maximine toweling his hair dry in the bathroom. He was dressed like a regular guy—ripped jeans and a band tee, nothing demonic about that.

He told me there were clothes in the bathroom, and sure enough, he'd laid out my favorite outfit—a pair of ripped jeans and a Bratz T-shirt. How did he even know I liked this combo? It was both creepy and impressive. After a quick shower, I noticed something weird in the mirror—my eyes were brighter, and there was this faint glow around me. Definitely not your average morning revelation.

Dressed and slightly bewildered, I bumped into Azazel in the hallway. Smooth move, I know. He gave me a smile that made me feel less like an idiot. Max came to the rescue, as usual, drying my hair with some weird magic. He really was too observant for my liking. It made me wonder if he'd been spying on me all along.

Once Azazel disappeared, I confronted Max about how he knew my wardrobe preferences.

"Well, uh..." He hesitated, looking sheepish.

"You were spying on me, weren't you? Before all of this?" I gestured vaguely at his palatial home.

"Um, sort of. But only to make sure you were safe. Protecting you and all that," he explained, trying to sound innocent.

"Yeah, sure." I let it slide, for now.

"So, what's the plan now?" I asked, changing the subject. "I can't stay here forever. My 'parents,' or whatever they are now, will freak out eventually."

"Hey, just because they're not your biological parents doesn't mean they don't care. They've raised you, protected you. You owe them a chance to explain," Max reasoned.

He had a point. Reluctantly, I agreed to hear them out. Max seemed satisfied with that.

"Okay, but we should head back soon before it's morning there," he said.

"Wait, it's not morning already?" I was genuinely surprised.

"Time works differently here," he said cryptically.

"Right. Okay, let's go," I agreed, taking his hand. He warned me to close my eyes, and the next thing I knew, we were back in my room. It was barely dawn outside.

"Will you be at school?" I asked, suddenly worried about being alone again.

"Why, Shrydon, are you starting to miss me already?" he teased.

"Just answer the question," I snapped.

"Yes, I'll be at school," he said, more seriously this time.

"Good." I felt a weird pang of anxiety, unsure why.

"What's wrong?" Max noticed my shift in mood.

"I don't know yet. I just need you to be there," I admitted, feeling vulnerable.

"I understand," he said softly, reassuringly.

Before I could dwell on it further, I heard footsteps downstairs. My family was up. As if on cue, Max unfurled his black wings, filling my room with their imposing presence.

"It's time," I told him, my voice catching slightly. "I'll see you at school."

"See you there," he nodded, preparing to leave through the window. But before he could take off, I stopped him, throwing myself into his arms instead. He hesitated, then returned the embrace briefly before disappearing into the dawn sky.

Inside my room, I debated heading downstairs or just staying in my room but soon decided to just head downstairs and get this over with. Everyone was awake when I arrived in the kitchen and I felt all eyes turn to me. It was my mother who spoke up first.

"Honey, we want to talk to you. We thought it was best to keep you away from that wretched boy. We only wanted what was best for you. We wanted to keep you safe." I felt anger pulse through me.

"Oh, please. Cut me the bullshit. If you wanted what was best for me, then you would have told me the truth. But no, you had to hide it. I'm not a little girl anymore!" I said frustrated. "Your lies don't keep me safe. It won't keep me sane and it sure as hell won't help me build up my power. I have power that could save us all, and all you care about is your own fear! I want to go out into the world without being tracked and I want to get to know a person who is like me!"

"If you really wanted to go then you would already be gone," Dad said. I flinched, hurt. "You want to go see him? Fine. You want to learn who you really are? Fine. But don't come crying to me when it all goes wrong,"

"Fine!"

"Fine. I want you out of this house. I want you gone and I don't care what anyone else says, you are not worthy enough to be here anymore. You want to disobey orders then go ahead but they come with consequences." It was his wife's turn to flinch and shock was written on Jaden's face.

"You wouldn't," Mom said.

"Oh I would. It's me taking precautionary measures. She can't bring danger into our home,"

"Listen, before anyone else says anything, I'll go pack and when I get back from school, I'm out of here. You won't see me again,"

"Please say no, Trevin. Say no!"

"What I say is final, Beline." Then to me he told me, "When I get home I better see your room devoid of any trace of you. I want it completely empty." I nodded my understanding before looking at all of them one final time.

"I'm not apologizing,"

"We don't expect you to," Trevin stated, cutting off his wife. Tears streamed down her face, and I couldn't stop them. I didn't know what to do, but I understood that I couldn't do anything. So I turned and ran upstairs, pushing my door open and slamming it. That was when I started to cry. 

"Max, please help me."