Hey guys! This is my first crack at fanfics, so I figured I'd start with a
story I originally thought of in '95. The work is still in progress, so
you can expect changes in the chapters throughout the process (even my
character's name is still tentative.) I would welcome all feedback, and I
will have art of the charaters on my site (www.flyingclam.com) soon!
Here's where our story begins: This tale takes place a few months after the "Maxnificent Seven" incident. Max, who is 12 in this story, has been joined in all of his adventures by his older sister, Stephanie, who is 16. The Key which would normally have just been Max's cap had, oddly enough, split into two halves. Virgil is still unclear as to why the Key has done so, but is certain that it is destiny that the key should now require two owners. (The author will elaborate on the subject as soon as it is revealed to her...!) Max still has his cap and Steph's Key took the form of a thick silver ring, emblazoned with her her initial on it. She finds it too heavy to wear on her hand and instead wears it as a pendant. Virgil refers to as the symbols on Max's cap and Steph's ring as "Crests", and she and Max are known as "Crest Bearers" as well as "Mighty Ones". Portals will not operate unless she and Max are within close proximinty of eachother.
A note about the new character:
Steph is Max's 16 year old sister. She's light brunette with golden brown eyes (picture coming soon), taking after she and Max's father, who is deceased. She's usually pretty annoyed by Max and wouldn't usually hang around with him, except that she is bound by duty (or destiny) now. Steph also had to do a lot of the child rearing with Max on account of their mother being away from home so much, so of course she is protective of the little squirt. She tries to be the level headed one and often feels like she's the only sane person in the group, putting on an aire of maturity which is beyond her years. Steph tends to get panicked more than other members of the group, because she lays so much responsibility on herself.
Tentative Title: Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away
Sunlight pushed through the leaves of the old eucalyptis tree, leaving a pleasant dappled pattern of light on Steph's legs. With her arms folded behind her head and a few wisps of long brown hair waving above her head, she gnawed anxiously on a slender twig, which she found tasted oddly like rootbeer. Her mind had been on her riding lesson this morning. Steph was finally able to tryout for the steeple chase this year, and had been training for weeks with Blaze, a sturdy and nimble palomino. She replayed the experience of riding Blaze in her mind; galloping was always so euphoric for Steph; the rhythm of the animal beneath her strong legs, the pulses of wind in her face. She had a gut feeling about this year. This was there year she'd make her Mom proud and take home -
"BANZAI!!!!"
Steph curled into a "U" shape as the waterballoon, filled with ice cold water, broke into the middle of her stomach. She gasped and whipped her head around, to see her brother Max and his shaggy-headed friend Felix, who held an orange balloon over his head akwardly, crammed into the second- story bathroom window. Max hefted a bright blue balloon in his left hand as Felix pushed ahead to make room, cackling with delight.
"You freaks! You're so dead!" Steph hissed and she scrambled to her feet and nearly pulled the screen door off of its hinges. She rounded the stairs, following the sounds of sneakers on the carpet to Max's room. As she caught sight of his door, which was laden with posters of bio-hazard symbols and various "keep-out" signs, she saw the two boys pushing eachother through the doorway. Felix was the first to hit the carpet, with Steph kneeling on his back and an orange waterballoon bursting underneath his chest. Max had writhed free of the doorway and was standing against the wall on his bed, the blue water balloon remarkably still intact.
"Whatsa matter big sis?" he taunted, a mishievous smile plastered on his face. "I'm no expert, but you're prolly not going to get much of a tan by laying in the shade all day. Not that anyone would wanna see you -"
"Heeeyyaah!"
Steph launched herself from Felix's whining body and darted straight for Max, missing him by a foot as he hopped down from the bed. Steph pushed herself from the wall, teeth clenched, and flung herself onto her brother, who rarely saw his sister so angry. She wrapped an arm around his neck and siezed his wrist, ensuring that blue balloon was going nowhere.
"H-hey! C'mon big sis, we're just playing... OW!" Max laughed, his smile soon fading.
Steph gave his wrist an Indian Sunburn he'd not soon forget.
"I'm not in the mood for your stupidity today, squirt! And if you and your cro-magnon friend ever try anything like that again, you'll be pulling waterballoons out of parts of your bodies you never knew existed!"
Max shifted his weight suddenly, pulling him and his sister towards the open window. Both were so involved in this wrestling match that they misjudged how close they were to the window sill.
"Whoa, dudes! The window!" called Felix, getting to his knees.
With a short cry the entwined pair tumbled out of the window. All Steph saw was sky, then, a whirling black void, streaked with ribbons of red and gold light.
* * * * *
Here's where our story begins: This tale takes place a few months after the "Maxnificent Seven" incident. Max, who is 12 in this story, has been joined in all of his adventures by his older sister, Stephanie, who is 16. The Key which would normally have just been Max's cap had, oddly enough, split into two halves. Virgil is still unclear as to why the Key has done so, but is certain that it is destiny that the key should now require two owners. (The author will elaborate on the subject as soon as it is revealed to her...!) Max still has his cap and Steph's Key took the form of a thick silver ring, emblazoned with her her initial on it. She finds it too heavy to wear on her hand and instead wears it as a pendant. Virgil refers to as the symbols on Max's cap and Steph's ring as "Crests", and she and Max are known as "Crest Bearers" as well as "Mighty Ones". Portals will not operate unless she and Max are within close proximinty of eachother.
A note about the new character:
Steph is Max's 16 year old sister. She's light brunette with golden brown eyes (picture coming soon), taking after she and Max's father, who is deceased. She's usually pretty annoyed by Max and wouldn't usually hang around with him, except that she is bound by duty (or destiny) now. Steph also had to do a lot of the child rearing with Max on account of their mother being away from home so much, so of course she is protective of the little squirt. She tries to be the level headed one and often feels like she's the only sane person in the group, putting on an aire of maturity which is beyond her years. Steph tends to get panicked more than other members of the group, because she lays so much responsibility on herself.
Tentative Title: Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away
Sunlight pushed through the leaves of the old eucalyptis tree, leaving a pleasant dappled pattern of light on Steph's legs. With her arms folded behind her head and a few wisps of long brown hair waving above her head, she gnawed anxiously on a slender twig, which she found tasted oddly like rootbeer. Her mind had been on her riding lesson this morning. Steph was finally able to tryout for the steeple chase this year, and had been training for weeks with Blaze, a sturdy and nimble palomino. She replayed the experience of riding Blaze in her mind; galloping was always so euphoric for Steph; the rhythm of the animal beneath her strong legs, the pulses of wind in her face. She had a gut feeling about this year. This was there year she'd make her Mom proud and take home -
"BANZAI!!!!"
Steph curled into a "U" shape as the waterballoon, filled with ice cold water, broke into the middle of her stomach. She gasped and whipped her head around, to see her brother Max and his shaggy-headed friend Felix, who held an orange balloon over his head akwardly, crammed into the second- story bathroom window. Max hefted a bright blue balloon in his left hand as Felix pushed ahead to make room, cackling with delight.
"You freaks! You're so dead!" Steph hissed and she scrambled to her feet and nearly pulled the screen door off of its hinges. She rounded the stairs, following the sounds of sneakers on the carpet to Max's room. As she caught sight of his door, which was laden with posters of bio-hazard symbols and various "keep-out" signs, she saw the two boys pushing eachother through the doorway. Felix was the first to hit the carpet, with Steph kneeling on his back and an orange waterballoon bursting underneath his chest. Max had writhed free of the doorway and was standing against the wall on his bed, the blue water balloon remarkably still intact.
"Whatsa matter big sis?" he taunted, a mishievous smile plastered on his face. "I'm no expert, but you're prolly not going to get much of a tan by laying in the shade all day. Not that anyone would wanna see you -"
"Heeeyyaah!"
Steph launched herself from Felix's whining body and darted straight for Max, missing him by a foot as he hopped down from the bed. Steph pushed herself from the wall, teeth clenched, and flung herself onto her brother, who rarely saw his sister so angry. She wrapped an arm around his neck and siezed his wrist, ensuring that blue balloon was going nowhere.
"H-hey! C'mon big sis, we're just playing... OW!" Max laughed, his smile soon fading.
Steph gave his wrist an Indian Sunburn he'd not soon forget.
"I'm not in the mood for your stupidity today, squirt! And if you and your cro-magnon friend ever try anything like that again, you'll be pulling waterballoons out of parts of your bodies you never knew existed!"
Max shifted his weight suddenly, pulling him and his sister towards the open window. Both were so involved in this wrestling match that they misjudged how close they were to the window sill.
"Whoa, dudes! The window!" called Felix, getting to his knees.
With a short cry the entwined pair tumbled out of the window. All Steph saw was sky, then, a whirling black void, streaked with ribbons of red and gold light.
* * * * *