I'm working on this one instead of working on "All that remains" because i have a lot of ideas, but I need a bit of time to write them down correctly so I'm doing this; hope you enjoy. This chapter is in Max pow, but I'm not sure that all chapters would be in his pow.

Chapter 1: Prologue

Look down, look down
Don't look 'em in the eye
Look down, look down
You're here until you die

I was so near, I could sniff the victory smell, I was almost there, but no, Justin crossed the finish line first, damnit! Justin went out of the Mist's Tunnel followed by Alex and then I went out, last as ever. My eyes watered, I lost, I didn't expect to win, but, as the saying goes, the hope is the last to die. Well, now it's dead. I looked at Justin, his look showed that he was proud to have won, but he wasn't proud of the way he won. Justin was about to cross the finish line when his foot got stuck in a root tree, Alex overtook him but instead of cross the finish line, she came back to free her brother. When Justin went able to move, I was right behind them, and as they started to run to the finish line, I was right there, but I finished third.

"I declare Justin Vincenzo Pepe Russo the family wizard of Russo's family" Professor Crumbs solemnly declared.

"I can't accept that, Mr. Crumbs, My foot got stuck in a root tree then Alex could've won easily, instead she came back to free me: Justin said " so I think that she deserves the win"

"In light of this I declare Alexandra Margarita Russo the family wizard of Russo's family" Crumbs said "then now I have a thing to say, after three hundred years I think that I'm getting older, so I decided to retire from my Headmaster's job and I also think that the best candidate to be the new headmaster of the Wiz-Tech is Justin Russo, so Justin, now you're also a full wizard now.

Justin and Alex are full wizards? Yes, now it's my turn, they like my family, they won't let me be without powers when my siblings have theirs.

I waited all the cerimony to have "my turn" and finally Crumbs looked at me and he beckoned to go to him. As soon as I was there he told me "Max I'm very proud of you, you did your best, you fought with all your powers and you did it well" here it goes, nke he'll tell me that he"ll give me full power "be strong" and then he zapped out. The world came crushing on me, I wasn't a wizard anymore. My siblings and my parents were laughing and enjoying their success, no one noticed me and all my sadness.

We came home and mom started to make dinner

"Max" my father told me with a smile " I know that you're disappointed for the wizard competition, but don't worry when you're older, you'll get the family substation"

"Really?" I asked my father with a fake smile and fake enthusiasm but he didn't notice "thanks dad, I really appreciate it, you're the best" Are you kidding me? The substation? Do you really think that is as good as to be a magician? No way! And he didn't even noticed my sadness and my fake enthusiasm? I can't believe it, does he really care about me?

Mom called for dinner. " Mom, I'm tired and not hungry at all, can I sit on the couch and skip dinner?" I asked her in a sad tone

"Sure mi hijo" Mom said

I went to the couch and I laid down, I waited a while and I closed my eyes with my head on a pillow, pretending to be asleep, but I wasn't.

Someone knocked on the door, it was Harper. Fantastic, I love her, but she's my sister's best friend and she's engaged with Zeke, and most of all she's here for my siblings, probably she won't notice my absence at dinner.

"Did you talk to Max?" my mother asked probably my father.

"Yes, he was truly happy of my offer" said dad. Truly happy? Really?

"But he seems so sad" Mom said

"Well he doesn't have his powers anymore, of course he's sad" said Alex

"If he have studied more he wouldn't lost them" Justin said

"It's not totally his fault, he's dumb" Alex said

"Alex!" Harper said

"She's right" Justin said

"Mr and Mrs Russo?"

"Well he's not the smartest" Jerry said

"I can't denied" Theresa said

I cried silently, my family never trustes in me. Tears were falling from my eyes. A hand grabbed gently my head and positioned it on a lap, then I heard Harper voice tell me that she would meet me later in my room. Thirty minute later Alex woke me up from my fake sleep and I went to my room.

I slammed my fist on the wall as I came to my room. Why am I so dumb? Why didn't I notice earlier that my family doesn't have hope in me? Why am I such a leftover? Why can I be compared to a zero? Maybe because I'm a zero

Do they love me? Yes because I'm their son or brother, do they like me? Hell no.

Why didn't they just told me "Max, you're dumb, don't belive to have any possibility to win the Wizard Competition, in fact you finished third, the last of the looser, a zero"

I was crying, I buried my face in the pillow and screamed in it. They didn't said anything that I didn't know, of course I noticed that I am not the smartest as Justin, or the most clever, like Alex. But words hurt like knives, like the sharpest blade, and listen that your family think that you're hopeless doesn't make you want to live.

Live. My eyes focused on the razor that I used to shave me that morning.

I never been part of the family, would they care if I kill my self right now. They forget about me, sometimes they forget about my special date, like my birthday, three times they forgot actually. The 15th of March of 2000, 2005 and 2011 also known as my fifth my tenth and sixteenth birthdays. When I had been operated for my appendix they didn't noticr that I was sick for a week with a huge fever, a tons of times they forgot to bring me home after a party or a date and I have to walk for hours to reach home if they don't notice my absence however not until a couple of hours.

Do they care about me? I don't know. I stood up, grabbed the razor and I sat down again on the bad.

At least my siblings love me. Well I remembered when I was four and got stuck above the tree, I was crying fearful for the altitude and my siblings were laughing at me, mom didn't even punished them when I got down from the tree alone. I can't remember a single gift, a single present they gave me, not at Christmas, neither at my birthdays, instead every year, for every festivity and birthday, with my little money I bought them presents. I can't even remember last time they said me "I love you". I don't know if my siblings love me.

I put the sharp blade against my wrist.

Maybe it's my fault, well, maybe, certainly, Justin always tells me that all the things I do are wrong and that I ruin everything. Mom and dad loves me. No, maybe mom, even if she doesn't spend the same time with me than the time she spend with Alex and Justin. Dad hates me, he ever thought rightly that I'm hopeless, and he doesn't want to be alone with him because I get on his nerve even if I didn't do anything. He didn't give me a proper education in magic.

I made a little cut on my wrist.

I didn't want to think to Harper, but against my will I did it. What can I say? I love you Harper, it's sad that I can't tell you my feelings because of Alex; I always loved you. I remember the first time I saw you. I remember that "Hi Max, I'm Harper, you're sister friend, you're so cute" when you were five and I was four. I remember my first birthday after we meet each other, that you presented you're self at the door with a small present saing "happy birthday Maxie" and the look of my family which forgot about it. I remember the first moment alone, the first caress, the first cheek kiss. All little things that meant a lot to me. I remembered the first I like, the Alex glare and your embarrassment, followed by my idiotic attempt to make it an innocent joke. I remember the night sleepless thinking about you, I remember when you engaged Zeke and my jealousy, the tears when I saw you to kissing.

I wanted to end my life , I made an other little cut, a little amount of blood running down of it. I can't do it, I'm too scared and fearful to end my life.

If you were here right now, you would laugh. You always said that I should join the army, because of my slender body and my good musculature. You're big great Max too weak to end his life.

Join the army, I have nothing to lose, maybe they would respect me, don't laugh at me, thinking "he's weird" or "he's awkward" or also "he's a zero and a leftover". I knew what I had to do, I had just done the biggest decision in my life. I was started to feel dizzy, the little amount of blood lost, wasn't that little. The door swung open.

"MAX" she screamed. She ran at me and she smacked my razor grabbing hand, letting the razor fall from my hand. She hugged me and I didn't recognise her yet. She glared at me with a worried look and she told me "You idiot, what do you think you're doing?"

Harper. "I'm sorry" I told her " I didn't mean to scare you"

"Well you did, and I'm not going you to do this, you scared the shit out of me, Max Russo"

She got up and she went to the bathroom and took some bandages to roll against my wrist.

As she got back I looked at her with a painful face. Not for the cuts on my wrist but for my feelings for her. "Max are you ok?" She asked "Are you feeling dizzy? Do I have to call the ambulance?"

"No and no Harper, but I have something to tell you"

"Ok but first you have to promise me that you won't do such an idiotic thing as like this, you won't cut another time yourself. Promise me or I'll tell your parents even if I should tell them however."

"I swear to god Harper, I won't cut my self again if this hurt you"

"It hurts me so you promised. I won't tell your parents. Now what were you going to say?"

Here it goes. "Harper, I know it's weird, it's kind of strange, it's impossible for you to understand, because I never been that emotional guy and most of person don't think that I've any emotion, they think also that I eat everything but it isn't true, I don't like mustard, wait I'm panicking and I'm going out of context, I don't know how to tell you, well I love you Harper, I love you since first time we met. I love your smile, I loved your embarrassment, I love your originality, I love the way you see the world, I love your shyness, I love everything of you. I'm sorry for my feelings. It's not my fault. I'm sorry that now I'd ruin everything between us, if our 'relationship' could allow an us, but it's the way I feel. I'm sorry"

She didn't have spoken in three minutes. Shoot. My eyes were watering. "I think I should go" I said

I was almost out of the room when she cried my name. I went back and hugged her "I'm sorry" I apologised again.

"Max I'm sorry, but I am with Zeke, I don't know what to do I-" I didn't let her finish. I crushed my lips on her and I was waiting for her to break and receive a deserved slap. That moment didn't come. Oh shoot, she was kissing back. "Max please no" she whispered. I didn't listen to her and I crushed my lips more furiously than before. I kissed her neck, her jaw, her ear, "I'm sorry Harper forgive me." She didn't say anything. I kissed again her softly and this time she mad a change. Harper took of my shirt, so I did to her. My brain and probably also hers stopped to work. Mine turned on almost thirty minutes later.

We were cuddling. We both were naked and sweaty.

So? Max decided to join the army and he had sex with Harper, what will happen? What will be his family reaction at his decision? Should I continue this fanfic? Well I'll do either if it is or isn't appreciate *evillaugh*. Please review. Hopefully I'll update another chapter of this one before returning to the other fanifc. I also have an idea for another fanfic which will be called "Coming Down" of course from the FFDP's song, Obviously, the main character will not be no one else outside of Max