New Generation

Running Away Again

((Alice's POV))

        Indy went missing on our second night there, but Max didn't seem very worried. In fact, he's been acting weird since the first night in the castle, but I can't quite figure out what's up. He's not telling me, that's for sure. 

        Sam takes Max and I out to the garden to train with weapons every day. I found I'm actually really good with a bow, and not half bad with a sword. Max is freakishly good at everything. Not perfect, but good enough to survive several attackers at once. He even had Sam stunned.         

        Still, with the calm week and proper meals, I feel like something's off. Like something's not right. I kinda miss Indy, actually. Maybe I don't trust him completely, but I know he can fight better than the rest of us, and he could protect us if needed. 

        "Hello? Alice? You're spacing out again!" I flinch as Max snaps his fingers in my face. I glare at him and snap back. 

        "Hey, I'm not the only one! You've been acting weird and spacey all week! I'm just... never mind." He frowns, and watches me stir my soup. 

        "What? Is something wrong?" I shrug. 

        "I'll tell you if you tell me why you're acting weird. Deal?" I hold out my hand, and he sighs. 

        "Aliiiiiiiiiiice-" I slowly start to pull my hand away, keeping eye contact with him, and he pouts, then grabs my hand and we shake. 

        "Okay, so for the past few days, I've felt like something's wrong. I don't feel safe here anymore. I'd hate to move again, spending a week then running is not how I want to live forever, but it's just... ugh." He nods slowly. 

        "Yeah, since Indy... I've not felt right, either. But before he left, he told me something, and I shouldn't freak out about it... I just can't get him out of my head!" He sighs and takes a sip of his water. Meals are the only real time we have to talk without other people bothering us, and it's also when we learn more about each other. 

        "What are you saying? You sound like you're on a sugar high." I mumble. He giggles, and I look at him strangely. Really Max? What the Neather is on your mind that- oh. 

        "Oh come on. No. Just no. I swear, if you two end up together... how can you even trust him?!" Max pouts, now blushing. 

        "Oh come on! You're just blinded by the few seconds you saw one soldier! Besides, before he left, he said he was doing it to protect us! I believe him, because I know more than you! Maybe if you were nicer, he wouldn't just come to me for help!" Indy came to him for help? Wait a second... 

        "Max, you didn't have anything to do with-" Before I can finish my accusation, there's a deafening blast from outside, maybe the main hall? The door is thrown open, and two people stumble in. Ethan, and a guy I haven't seen before. Ethan doesn't look good, so the other guy is mostly holding him up. 

        "We're being attacked! Someone get a medic! There's an entire army out there!" The guy yells. He sets Ethan down on a clear table, and I notice the amount of blood that's stained his  green shirt. 

        "You need to get out of here. Now!" I feel myself pulled back, and hear Dawn's voice ordering me to move. What's going on?!

        "Alice, come with me, I know away to get out!" Max yells over the sudden noise rising on the other room. I nod, and he grabs my hand, muttering under his breath. In a few second, Dawn yelps in surprise, then laughs nervously.

        "Good going, Max. Alice, keep hold of his hand, I don't want you two to loose each other!" I frown, and look back at Max to see... Nothing. 

        "Max? Max what-" 

        "We're invisible. It'll only last ten minutes, so we need to go!" I feel him tug my hand, and we both take off running. 

        The main hall is pure chaos. People I had seen around the castle, or hadn't seen at all and don't know their names, are running to fight off a literal army. Silver and blue armored soldiers seem to be endless, while the castle staff are very limited and unarmored. Here and there, I see someone I know as we run. I see a guy with green hair and an orange shirt helping a guy with glasses (like dad...) carrying a guy to cover. He's not moving, and his white clothes are turning red quickly. 

        "Max-" 

        "We need to keep running, they've... they've done this before, they know what they're doing..." He pulls me to the side an I feel a bullet wizz past my head. I wonder if that was chance or if he knows he just saved my life. 

        "There's a door on the other side of the castle. We only have six minutes left!" Max yells. I try to stay with him, and we keep running. How did this happen so quickly?! 

        "Two minutes! The door's there!" Max yells. I see the door, and we both start to run faster. The sounds of the battle are not going away. We're almost to the door, when it opens. Max skids to a stop, and I look to my left to see he's now half visible. His eyes are wide, and he looks slightly insane. 

        "Oh my Notch... Tell me you can see him!" He practically. screams. I have no idea what the fuck he talking about, and just pull him out the door instead of responding. Is he talking about Deadlox? He's never "seen" the ghost when someone was right in front of him before, and I'm starting to question my friend's sanity. 

        We run from the castle, becoming more visible by the second. We make it to the woods outside of the castle and duck behind a clump of brush, waiting for the sounds of the battle to die out. I try to get Max to talk, but he's not having any of that. He's really pale, and won't stop shaking. The other times he's "seen a ghost" he was fine, so I'm a little worried as to what is different this time. 

        "Max, come on, we need to get moving. Max, come on, remember why we got here in the first place? We need to save our families. Max snap out of it!" He sighs shakily, then nods slowly. 

        "O-Okay. Let's go." 

Sorry this is so late! We've had a lot of tests in school over the past week, and I've been studying to much. Hope you enjoy this chapter!