1. Beginning of change

It all started like a normal day. I was on the way back home with my childhood friends Kai and Mai (I think their parents got lazy with name choices) when a portal opened. It was really pretty looking and pulled us in mentally. Actually, before I go any further let me give a little back story about me and my friends.

My name is Marxidine Reliame but I go by Max. I'm currently 17 years old and a senior in highschool. I'm not the brightest kid in class but I'm not really stupid either. I get a decent set of B's with an occasional A or C. One thing I really Excel at however is athletic ability. Ever since I was a baby I was always astonishing doctors with my incredible reflexes and well built body. By the time I was 5 I had already naturally devloped a six pack, and no matter how much I ate or lazed around it never seemed to affect my health. I should mention I'm a very lazy person, so much so that I'm not sure how I got through school till this point.

Now I suppose I should mention the things that really separate me from the rest of the crowd. I was born with white hair and red eyes. My hair is always messy and slightly covering my eyes. I'd say I'm alright looking in terms of looks. Sadly many people found this white hair creepy, even downright menacing. Quite a few doctors have done tests on me to find out what caused the "mutation" as they like to call it, however they always drew a blank. As a result of this I did have some bullies for quite a few years. My appearance mixed with my name which is very unique led them to calling me a freak of nature. I couldn't really argue with them seeing as I knew they were right. This didn't really bother me much though, I knew that people would be scared because my mother explained it to me when I was younger.

My mother was a very kind person, always watching over me and making sure I had everything I needed. As for my father... I never met him. And my mom would never answer any questions about him, but I knew that's where I must have gotten my appearance and name. Mother had long brown hair and green eyes, and she always smelled faintly of coconut. Sadly she was extremely fragile and couldn't do strenuous tasks for a long time. She had no choice but to push herself to the limit however as she was a single mom taking care of a child. She took on two jobs and did all the housework. She truly was an amazing woman. I remember every night she would stay up late in the kitchen figuring out how she was going to pay the bills.

I hated my father because of that, knowing that because he wasn't around my mom had to suffer. I also hated myself for causing her so much trouble. I knew that if I wasn't around she wouldn't have to work like that. Even still she never once complained and always smiled at me showering me with love. The most important lesson I learned from her was that if someone needed help, no matter how small the task was or even if it was a stranger, if you could help that person then you had a moral duty To Help them.

She would always tell me "Max... This world is a very cruel and hurtful place. No one likes it but no one wants to step up and fix it. Thats why you need to stand up. Help wherever you can, be a good person and never hurt others. If we want this world to be a better place then we have to be the ones to stand up and fight for it."

She really was a wonderful person... and thats what got her killed. I was 7 when it happened. I had gotten home from school and was doing my homework like usual. It was around 5 o'clock and mom wasn't home yet. It was weird considering she was always there to make dinner before she left for work. However I didn't let it bother me and was focused on my work. When it hit 8 and she still hadn't come home I began to worry. I wasn't panicking or anything though, I figured she was just held up at her other job. It happened sometimes, so I decided to turn on the TV. I still wish I hadn't.

On the TV it was the news. Normally I would have turned the channel immediately however it caught my attention. There were police everywhere surrounding an alley. The news girl was talking about a murder. She said that the killer was still on the loose, and that the police were currently trying to identify the body. As she said this she turned around and pointed at a tarp over a body.

The police chief was squating next to the tarp holding it up from one corner away from the camera. You could tell it was bad based on how pale he was and the grimace on his face. Right as he was putting the corner down a gust of wind came and blew the cover off of the body. The police scrambled to cover the body from the camera but it was too late. All I remember was myself screaming and blacking out.

The next time I woke up I was at my neighbors house on the couch. They were talking to the police about something, but I wasn't paying attention. I had remembered what happened and ran to the bathroom throwing up in the toilet. After that I blacked out again and woke up in a bed. This is how I really became friends with Kai and Mai. Mr. And Ms. Philips took me in after the incident. I had known them from school but never really gotten close to them until then.

The case closed two months later when the murderer was finally caught. He had slipped up and let his face get caught on camera. When he was caught he confessed to it, but he was sick. He went into every detail and every little thing he did all the while having a disgusting sadistic smile. He went as far as even telling how he got her to help him carry food to the homeless that supposedly lived in that alley. He was laughing saying that she was the one to blame for being so stupid and gullible. I hate that man. I dreamt of revenge for so long, but I didn't have to for much longer.

The judge gave him the punishment of death row, And half a year later he was gone from this earth. I still wasn't over it though, until Kai and Mai came through to me pulling me out of the darkness. They were there for me, no matter how sad or angry I got they never let me sink into despair completely. I literally owe them my sanity.

Let me tell you about them more. Kai is an amazing guy. As his name suggests his mom is Japanese while his dad is white. He's 5 months older than me with bright red hair thats always spiked up and piercing blue eyes, a good looking guy to say the least. Watching his mother make him try to brush it down every day always made me laugh. We go to the same school and we are in the same class. He excels at everything including sports and as a result always has this slightly cocky smile. Despite that though he genuinely is a nice person. He really has confidence in himself that I admire. I see him as my real brother and my rival in a lot of things.

As for Mai, she shares the same hair as her Brother, with the exception that it was straight down at all times. While Kai's defied gravity hers falls with it perfectly. Unlike Kai she has soft brown eyes. She's 16 and a grade under me and Kai. Mai is really pretty and has a genuine kind air to her at all times. Because of that she's sort of the schools idol in some ways. She isn't as smart as Kai, but her grades are better than mine.

The only real downfall about her is that she's very shy. As a result she's very clingy to Kai and me. It took 4 months of living with them before she started opening up to me. Once she did she stuck like glue to me just like her brother. You could say it pisses off some of her "fans" at school to see her hold onto us. We have been through so much together, our bonds tested and stretched. However we could never anticipate what life had in store for us that day.