Max went to rush after Charlotte as soon as she took the first step in the other direction, but Greyson clasped his shoulder firmly.
"Greyson," Max said in a panicked voice. "I can't just let her leave,"

"Max, she just saw you nearly flip a two ton suburban on its side with a flick of your wrist," Greyson recalled. "I don't think it's best to go after her right now."

Max moved his shoulder out from under Greyson's hand. "What are we going to do then? We can't let her go too far, she'll freeze."

"I know," Greyson replied calmly. "Let Blair get her."
Max nearly exploded. "BLAIR?!?!" he screamed.

Greyson looked back at Max with gentle, green eyes.

"That's all he wants, is to be the knight in shining armor!" he added.
"And you don't?"
Max went to reply, but stopped dead in his tracks. Greyson had been right.
"And…he knows she'll listen to him…" Max finished under his dad's eyes.

Greyson sighed. "Max, I don't know why you continue to fight for Charlotte's attention."

"Because!" Max exploded again. "You heard Antilania. And Blair doesn't need that."
Greyson went to the suburban and popped the hood up with a sharp rap of his knuckles.
"Well, so far, everything that she's seen has come true. Are you going to stop fate?" he asked.

Max paused. "If I have to, yes." He replied firmly.
Greyson chuckled. "You realize you can only do that by killing her," Greyson led on.
"Yes," Max confirmed.
"And…by doing so, you would prove Antilania's premonition right because Blair would be hurt."

Max, consumed with frustration, punched the wall next to his, and dust flecks flew around the room.
"HEY!" Greyson snapped. "Cut that out! I just patched that hole last week."
Max guiltily picked a larger piece of wall and patted it into place. "Sorry," he replied.

"I…just don't want the kid to get hurt." Max said, continuing their conversation. "That's all."

"Well," Greyson chuckled. "He's hardly a kid. He's older that you. Technically anyways. And neither do I want him to get hurt." Greyson admitted.
"But it's going to happen one way or another, and Charlotte is going to be either the reason, or part of the reason. The least we can do is give him a heads up if we figure something out. He's already okay with set in stone."

Max shrugged. "I suppose we should let him after her now? It's been like five minutes and she's barefoot."

"Ah, yes." Greyson agreed, wiping his hands on a towel and set out for the door when Blair walked down. "Oh, there you are." He said happily.

"I heard your conversation," he told them.
Max lifted his eyebrows until they almost knit in the middle and rolled his eyes.

"Well," Blair replied defensively. "It's kind of hard not to pay attention when you're talking so boisterously. That and you screamed my name." Blair chuckled. "It was an open invite." He said to Max.

"You're mad at me?" he asked Max.

Max glowered at him with brotherly affliction. "I didn't say that." He told Blair.
"You don't have to say anything." Blair replied sarcastically.
Max shrugged, letting go of his nasty face. "Fair point," he agreed.

"Would you stop bickering and go find Charlotte before she catches pneumonia," Greyson snapped irritably, and Blair was gone.

- - - - -

She ran continuously, breathing hard. Her feet seemed frozen, and they slapped against the pavement like wet fish. Her breath came out and misted into the cold, numbing her nose.
Her eyes watered against her incessant tears that were coming to rescue her eyes against the cold breeze that went against her as she ran, battering her frail clothing.

After what seemed like a mile, she lost feeling in her feet and fingers completely. Her thighs felt like robotic machines that were continuing a given rhythm.

The more she thought about it, the more she understood that she couldn't explain how she was still going on.
Perhaps is was because if she stopped, she knew she would catch hypothermia and die in the Allen's' driveway.

Then a voice caught her attention, but she didn't stop. It was distant, impossible to make out.

Again, this time barely recognizable.
Again, this time, she understood a name that was being called out.

Again, until she realized it was her name, Charlotte, her new name that was being called out.

Oh yeahhh….

Charlotte took the chance, to stop and turn around.
Blair was thirty yards from her, and gaining.

How did he catch up that fast?? Stupid perfect people.

"Charlotte," Blair said. He was breathing fine. She was huffing and puffing for air.
"What?" she demanded, her voice layered with hostility.
"Where are you going?" he asked her.
Where am I going?? Where do you think I'm going?!?! Away from here, and your demented car-lifting, freaky-perfect-people-ing house.

"Anywhere," Charlotte said instead, putting a hand on her hip to widen her breathing capacity.

"Charlie, you don't even have shoes on." Blair pointed out.
Oh, like you think I didn't know…

But she looked down at her feet anyway. They had taken on a blue tinge, and she could see her big toe threatening to fall off in T-minus thirty and counting. Maybe T-minus forty if she was lucky.

"So?" was the only thing Charlotte thought she could say at that moment.

"Charlie, come on." Blair protested.
Then something caught her attention.
"What did you call me?" she asked him flatly.

Blair looked around. "…Charlie?..."

"Yes, that."
Blair looked at her now, a curious expression on his face.
"Charlotte, please. Let me explain." He pleaded.
Charlotte remained where she was.
"Come on, please. Or I'll drag you." He threatened.

Charlotte rolled her eyes, and slapped her thighs in gesture of giving up.
There was no use competing in the game of threats with a kid who could lift cars. She could definitely scream and kick and yell and put up a good fight though.
"Okay," she gave up, and began walking back, but Blair reached out for her arm. She gave him a dirty look.
"Can we go my way? It's much faster, and I know you're cold." He told her.
She shrugged. Was there a point anymore?

Before she could ask him what way that might be, she was whipped through the air, and they were moving. She stared in front of her, and trees were whooshing by her backwards.
She was on his shoulder and he was …flying?

Great, they fly too.

In a matter of just a couple seconds, they were at the house, and he jumped onto the roof, opened the window to his room, and they were inside.
He plopped her down on his half-bed.
"Don't move," he instructed, and left.

What the hell?!?

What were these things? They flew, they lifted cars, and they jumped super high.
Blair was back with a cup of yellow liquid before she could finish her list.

"What is going on?" She demanded, pretending that she had something on him that would make him tell her.
Truth was, she had nothing. Great.

Blair shook his head. "I'll explain, just as I said I would, but…you need to calm down first." He told her.

"I am calm!" Charlotte snapped.
Blair gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, and set the cup down in front of her.
It smelled like lemonade.
Who knew what it really was?

There could be a sedative in it, or a poison, or…
"There's nothing in it but Country Kitchen lemonade mix." Blair interrupted.
With a suspicious look, Charlotte picked it up, and sniffed inconspicuously around the edges, searching for white powder.

"Just drink it. I swear I didn't put anything in it." Blair told her irritably.
Charlotte put the cup to her mouth and took a tiny sip. It tasted alright. What was the point in being cautious anyway? They could do anything they wanted to her.

"Now…" Blair began, and he sat down across from her.

God, he's gorgeous. His eyes…they're fluorescent.

Pretty blue eyes.

They were pretty. And Charlotte was about to understand why.