The week passes almost too fast but we manage to prepare everything. I make sure everything's ready and I take Nova with me towards my girlfriend's house. Once we get there I feel happier just knowing she will be there.
N-Wow, she's a princess.
-My queen.
I help her off of the bike and as we go towards the door I give her a few tips when something makes me fall on my back. When I look I see that Max is on top of me and she's covering my face in kisses.
-Is nice to see you too.
M-A week without you is unbearable. I missed you so much.
We get up and she turns to Nova smiling.
M-You must be Nova, the twin sister.
N-And you must be Max, the girlfriend.
-Well then, shall we get inside, ladies.
They look at me and we go inside and I smell the scent of food all the way from the door.
M-I cooked something off the both of you. I just hope you like it.
-Please, you know I like everything about you. If it was done with these delicate hands, so soft and with all your love, I have no doubt we will like your cooking.
She serves the food for each of us and we eat and joke around all evening. Mostly them sharing stories about me and how we met and everything. After a while we finish eating and we wave our goodbyes.
-See you in three days?
M-See you in three days. I'll be waiting here, alone.
I laugh and I give her a kiss before I go back home with Nova. When we get back home as we enter she keeps quiet about Max in front of our parents. Late at night my phone rings loudly and after a moment I recognize the tone as the one I put for Max and I answer it cheerfully.
-Miss me?.........what!? Where? How? When?..........Got it, I'll be there in a moment.
I hang up and I start dressing up in a hurry and the keys fall under the bed and as I get them I hit myself on the head with the border of the bed.
-Ugh, the fuck.
N-Karma? What are you doing? Is two in the morning.
-Accident with Max. She's at the hospital.
N-I'll go with you.
I nod and when we're both ready I get her on the bike behind me and I go to the hospital where she is. We enter and I ask on the front desk.
-Excuse me, I want to know where Max is. She's twenty years old, blonde, she........
I stop when I see her parents and I excuse myself and go towards them.
-How is she? How's Max?
Father-Who are you?
-I'm Karma, Max's boyfriend. Tell me she'll be fine, please.
Father-She's on critical condition. Anything can happen.
I turn to my sister and I hug her tightly. I cry on her shoulder before she goes get us some drinks. She passes them out and I keep mine on my hands, trembling with fear of what can happen to Max. The night passes almost too slow and I keep looking at my watch by the minute until the doctors get out. For a moment I hope for the best until I see the reaction of her parents.
Mother-No, not my baby.
Father-Easy, calm down, calm down.
He looks at me apologetically.
Father-She's, she didn't survive.
I look to the doors and then I see as they take her towards the morgue and for a moment I'm frozen in place before I go away out of the hospital and out where no one can find me and I cry my heart out remembering Max over and over again. I remember her smile, her eyes, her words, her hair and her laugh and I just get deeper on my sadness. I scream and curse and let myself get consumed by the sadness for the moment and I cry in silence.
Hera POV
I hear as Nova comes panting to our room.
N-Mom, dad! Here you are.
She catches her breath a moment before she speaks again.
N-We have a problem. I promised I wouldn't tell but I have to. Karma, he's not well, something happened and he might get hurt or hurt someone, I'm afraid he might do something stupid or crazy.
Ha-Where is he?
She shrugs and we get Karai and Hades calls Cerberus. The best aura trackers of Olympus.
C-I got it, Karai?
K-Me too.
They lead the way and then we hear a couple sobs from an alley. We turn and we see him there hiding in a corner and crying silently. I get closer to him slowly.
-Karma?
He turns and when he sees me he runs out of the alley stepping to the streets just in front of a bus. Hades reacts faster than lightning throwing himself to get him out of the way. They land on the other side of the street and when I see them again Karma's crying on Hades's shoulder.
Ha-There, there, I'm here. We're all here for you. Let it out.
Nova walks over to them and she kneels by their side.
Ka-You told them?
N-Not the cause.
He smiles and he nods before he passes out exhausted.
N-Karma.
Ha-He's just passed out from exhaustion. Nothing bad. Now then, let's go home at Olympus.
He takes Karma on his arms and we all go towards the agency and up to Olympus. No one dares to stop us or question us as we walk the lobby or the hallways at Olympus towards home. When we get there Hades puts Karma on one of the couches and let's him rest. He doesn't sleep peacefully but he doesn't wake up until lunch of the next day.
Ka-Mmm. What?
N-Karma, oh, finally you're awake.
Ka-Who are you?
N-Don't joke around, is me Karma, Nova, your sister.
Ka-I have no sister or brother.
N-Stay here and don't move. I'll be right back.
When we're all together Nova turns to Karma one more time.
N-Do you recognize anyone here?
Ka-Of course not, this is the first time I seen you. But, where am I? How did I got here?
Nova turns to us and Hades is the first to speak.
Ha-What's your name?
He shrugs and Hades offers him his hand to get up. He takes him to the gardens and he let's go of him and I'm amazed at how new he thinks everything is.
Ka-This is beautiful. Um, can I?
Ha-Do as you please.
He runs from side to side happily looking at every single detail closely and I go to Hades's side.
-Why does he not recognize us?
Ha-Perhaps the answers are what he wanted to forget originally. A memory he doesn't want to remember.
-Nova, what exactly happened that Karma ran away?
N-He will kill me but, he had a girlfriend and he loved her more than his own life and when he ran it was because she had an accident and she.........
-You can't mean.
N-She didn't survive and he well, my guess is that he doesn't want to remember anything related to her and well there is the result.
We look at Karma and he's still smiling but is an empty smile. A couple days pass and Karma is still not recovered his memories when we hear Nova cursing loudly.
N-Mom, I think I got an idea on how to make him recover his memories. How could I been so dumb. Maybe if we get him back on earth at least an hour maybe he will remember something.
I look at Hades and he nods approving of her idea and before long we are on our way home and to Astoria Park with our kids for a picnic. While there Nova and Karai pull Karma to get to play a simple game of Frisbee and we watch as they play until they come get me as well but I push Hades on my place instead and he throws me a look that I stick my tongue out at him. I watch them play for a while before they get tired and come rest at my side. They laugh for a while before we turn to go home. As we walk there we turn a corner and we see there has been an accident there. We only get worried when Karma starts grunting in pain grabbing his head tightly.
Ka-Take it away. Make it go.
-Make what go away?
Ka-The assassin, is coming. It hurts, he wants to kill me.
N-Where is he? I'll keep him away from you.
He points to a distance but we don't see anything and he runs away with Nova following close behind.
N-Karma, wait up.
Ka-No, I have to keep moving. If I stop he'll kill me.
N-At least slow down a bit.
We see as she takes his hand creating a spark when they touch each other for a moment before he let's go of her. After a while he stops exhausted and he looks around him and smiles triumphantly.
Ka-I lost him. He's not following me anymore.
Karma POV
I smile as I don't see the assassin following me anymore. I see as the others catch up with me and then I feel the air leaving me and I fall to my knees trying to breathe. I hear as they call out to me but I can't speak and I feel the feeling on my neck tighten even more and just as I start to black out I see the assassin smile and then I see a blinding white light and I think that is the end until I hear a familiar voice calling out to me.
M-Karma, wake up. Do not follow me, wake up and live, for me.
I wake up and I feel a bit sad and that's when I remember everything and I start crying. I stand up and go to the kitchen to get something to drink. I find that Nova is there as well and I see her drinking a glass of milk and I wait for her to finish. She turns around and she just smiles at me.
-What's wrong? Aren't you going to give me a hug?
She puts the glass aside and she hugs me tightly.
N-How I missed your hugs.
-What do you mean? I gave you a hug just yesterday.
She looks at me confused before she asks me.
N-What happened to you yesterday?
-Yesterday I got a call from the hospital where they told me that Max was dead and I ran from the hospital away and then you got everyone to look for me and I remember dad saved me from being hit by a bus before I passed out on his arms.
N-You are almost right but, you been asleep for days but now you're fine and everything's good and back to normal.
A few days pass and I get back to racing and doing extreme sports with Nova as well but there is something I changed about me. Now I flirt with every girl I find on my way. I get them for a single night not wanting to keep any for long.
One day as we go to one of the practice for my next race Nova speaks.
N-Karma, why are you such a heartbreaker? Why don't you stay with someone that loves you? Real love.
-Nova, we've been over this too many times already. Never will I fall in love again. I just want to have a good time. Now, drop it because I don't want to fight with you.
She shakes her head and we practice all day long the bikes to check everything. When the sunset starts we go back home and have dinner in family as usual and we joke around. I finish eating and I excuse myself from the table and get ready for a date I have with a friend.
