Maximus

The Story of Maximus

Max was pacing in his room, the reality of what he had done was beginning to set in, but he just shoved it away into the back of his mind. He had killed an animal. This animal was a dog. While the thoughts of how he was going to be punished ran through his head, Max began to pack his belongings into the huge suitcases just like he had every other time he had to move. He couldn't wait for his uncle Nicholas to find out and eh thought it was time to move anyways. Max went to bed and fell into a peaceful sleep, knowing that he wouldn't have to face any serious punishments.

Maximus was the only child born to the rich and famous King. At only a year old, Max was already 3 feet tall and afraid of nothing. Many people called him the "Reckless Giant". When he was only a young boy, Max was taken by his uncle, Nicholas, and forced to live with him and his wife. A prior conflict between the King and his brother caused them to separate and for the brothers to resent each other. The kidnapping of the King's son was the King's brother's way of gaining his revenge.

Max had very few memories of his father and none of his mother. The stories his aunt and uncle told him of his parents were always exaggerations of the truth that put the King in an unfavorable position. Throughout the years, Max and his aunt and uncle moved around the country, from city to city, always evading the King and his searches for the three of them.

Max woke with a jolt. He had dreamed of when he was taken away from his father. That memory had always been a nightmare for him. He heard loud footsteps nearing his bedroom door and began to prepare for what his uncle Nicholas was going to say to him. Nicholas began to yell at him and informed Max that they would have to move again. Nicholas made it very clear that he didn't want to move this soon from where they were and they were going to have to move far away in order to not be discovered by the police or the King. Nicholas decided that the city San Francisco would be the best place for them to move. They could blend in easier with the large amounts of people.

They quickly moved into an unsuspecting house in the city of San Francisco and Maximus was enrolled in a high school. On his first day of school, Max was befriended by the Quarterback of the football team who persuaded him to join the team.

Over the next month or so, Max was greatly accepted into the high school and the football team. In all the games that Max had played in the team had won by exponential amounts. Max even began to take interest in a girl, something that he never had an opportunity to do in past schools, due to bullying or the short time that he was there. Emma was a cheerleader, on the Student Council, and a straight A student. She was looked up to by many students and described by many as "perfect". As Max became friends and then more than friends with Emma, he also became friends with her best friend Margeaux. Ever since the day he met her, Max always felt uneasy around Margeaux. She had a closed off feeling to her. She was very popular in the school, and many teachers would describe her as "wise beyond her years". As popular as she was, she never participated in any sports and was never seen by anyone outside of school.

One day, after several more weeks had gone by, Margeaux had a flashback to her pet dog's death. She remembered seeing the face of the person who had run over her pet dog when they were vacationing in New York. Their face looked exactly like Max's. Once Margeaux told Emma what she remembered, Emma refused to believe it. She and Max had grown very close and she believed that Max would've told her something like this. Almost immediately after talking to her best friend, Emma went to go talk to Max. She couldn't believe that Max had done that, and even after Max admitted to killing Margeaux's dog she was now willing to overlook what he had done. Margeaux was furious as soon as she found out and began to exile Emma from their friendship. Her dog was the last thing that her parents had given her before they left and now it was gone. Margeaux even threatened Max to stay away from Emma.

Max did not know how to handle this threat and left San Francisco without the knowledge of anyone. He left with very little money and no idea where he was going. During his aimless traveling, Max met a very strange woman who he felt a strong connection to. This woman had a very unique appearance. Her height towered over everyone, just as he did, she had long dark brown hair, very similar to that of Max's, and she wore large black rimmed glasses. Max couldn't help but make the connections between this woman and himself. After much conversation between the two, they began to make connections between themselves. The two of them eventually realized that the man she had a child with and the man who was Max's father were the same person. This was an amazing event for both of them, for Max had never knew his mother and she had never wanted to leave her son. After confiding in his mother, Max realized that he couldn't run from Margeaux and his past anymore and that he had to return to San Francisco. Before leaving, Max received a jump rope from his mother. When she gave it to him she told him that "when he needed help, it would help him".

Upon returning to California, Max was confronted by Margeaux. He tried to apologize to her but she wanted to avenge her dog's death and would not accept an apology from him. She challenged Max to a competition. Knowing that it would humiliate him in front of the whole school, Margeaux challenged Max to a dance competition. Whoever had the best dance according to the amount of votes won the competition. Max had no idea how to win this contest. He had never even danced before and was sure to embarrass himself.

The days leading up to the competition all blurred together and soon it was the day before the competition. Max was spending it with Emma, telling her about meeting his mother. He told Emma about how similar they both were and even mentioned the strange gift that she had given him. Emma reminded Max of the jump rope and how it could be used for the dance competition. Together they created a jump roping routine that was sure to win the competition. That night Max went to bed feeling confident and thought that without a doubt he would win the competition.

When the actual day of the competition arrived, Max woke easily and wasn't nervous or worried at all. He arrived at the school, where the competition was going to be held, almost late. He tried to find Emma. She had his music, but he could not find her. In a overly chivalrous way he told Margeaux that she could go first. She performed her routine and recieved many votes. Max was next. He tried to perform his routine without his music, but his timing was off and the jump rope kept on getting tangled. All of the students laughed at him, even Emma. Miraculously, Max received enough votes to tie with Margeaux. Max and Margeaux had a dance battle and in the very last round, Max's magical jump rope had slipped out of his pocket and wrapped itself around Margeaux's ankles. The jump rope wound itself so tight that Margeaux couldn't move, much less dance.

Max ended up winning the dance battle and him and Margeaux made amends. Margeaux had realized that it was immature to hold grudges and that she had to let this one go. Max found out that Emma had purposefully kept his music, but he was able to forgive her. Margeaux ended up leaving San Francisco and Emma and Max stayed and started a dance school. The King was able to find Maximus and Nicholas through the internet and social media. He managed to make amends with his brother and reunited with his son.