Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hitting The Streets

Max awoke to the rosy light of dawn on the horizon. He sighed, knowing that today would be like its many predecessors.

After bolting out the door, he'd bolted into the forest and found a boat at the shore of the lake. He got in and sailed away with a second thought about it.

He'd been sailing for days, weeks, months even, he was sure. He stared at the endless stretch of ocean as he carved his name into the side of the boat with a loose nail. The never-ending hours of being in that tiny boat were getting to be unbearable.

He'd tried to keep himself entertained, but it was difficult. His mind always wandered back to what had happened that night when he'd gone insane: his mother's horrified face; Gary's awkward words; and Bella's cruel actions. Claire hadn't even been there, but just the basic memory of her had been looming over the house. They all hated him, and he was glad that they wouldn't have to be bothered with him anymore.

Max started to hum impulsively. It was slow and sad, yet had power and beauty. He couldn't remember where he'd heard it before; maybe someone had taught it to him a long time ago…

It reminded him of when Bella had taught him to fly. That day had been amazing; it was when he knew that his friendship with his older sister was real, and that she was going to be a loyal friend to him. Even though it'd been a while ago, he felt as if it had just happened recently.

Max shrugged to himself. He didn't have much else to do. And no one would be watching him, waiting for him to fail, as there always seemed to be. So he stood up, went to the bow of the boat, spread out his arms and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, adrenaline rushed to the pit of his stomach. The wind blew past him, spraying him with salt. His head went back and he let the sun warm his face, feeling free.

She was right, he thought grudgingly. This still feels amazing. He stood for a moment longer, reveling in the freeness he felt.

When he opened his eyes, he saw something that was like drinking cold water on a hot day: land. He turned his boat towards the speck on the horizon, hopeful for the first time since he'd embarked on his journey.

...

My Weird, Crazy Dream – Part III

As told in 1st Person by Bella Carson

Despite the fact that what Max just said makes me feel like I've been hit in the stomach with a huge kickball, I ignore his remark about me hating him. I focus on making myself known to the creatures...monsters...whatever they are.

"You're a vampire?" asks the one that looks like a rooster.

"Uh…I guess." Even as I speak, I can feel two sharp teeth in my mouth.

Fangs.

"You feed on humans or animals?" the one with the horn on her nose asks. Her voice is sharp; I can tell that if I answer wrong, things won't be good.

"Um…both?" I take a stab at it, not knowing what to say.

Max scoffs. "Yeah. She hunts all the time. She's a vicious, bloodthirsty killer!"

The beasts all stare at me for a minute before going up in roars and chatter. It sounds like they think I'm pretty cool.

"Wow, Max!" the striped one says. "You're sister's amazing!"

Max glares at me, folding his arms and shaking his head.

"We should introduce ourselves. I'm Carol," the striped one tells me.

"I'm Douglas," the rooster says, sticking out his…paw (?) for me to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Ira," a big, bulky gray one says. "I put holes in the trees. This is Judith."

"Hey," the one with the horn says casually. "I'm sort of a downer, so don't get offended if I say something rude."

"I-I'm Alexander," says the small goat thing. He's shaking like crazy, like he's cold or something.

The one with human feet and the face of a bull grunts. "That's…that's the Bull," Carol introduces. "He doesn't say much."

Obviously, I think to myself. I mean, all he does is makes noises.

"I'm KW," says the last one. She has red hair and kind eyes. Her nose looks a lot like Carol's. I can tell she's a very gentle creature.

Max steps in front of me. "Okay. Now we've all met. Can she please leave now?"

"What's the big rush?" Carol asks.

"Yeah, what's the deal, King?" Judith inquires. "She's your sister. She's just as powerful as you…right?"

Max slumps his shoulders in defeat. "Yeah. Whatever."

The beasts – wild things, I guess is more accurate – go up in cheers again. They raise Max on their shoulders and I try to keep up.

"This is gonna be great!" Carol says, clearly excited. "We've got a king, and we've got a vampire. Now things are gonna be okay."

...

He wasn't at the playground. But even she had seen that coming.

All the same, Bella looked everywhere on the premises: the jungle gym tubes, the slides, the forest bordering one side. She grabbed her backpack and headed off to the next place – whatever that place may be.

She didn't get it. He wasn't on the bench on the corner of Cypress St. with the ING logo; he hadn't been in any of the neighbors' yards (or houses, for that matter; she'd been extra sneaky in peeking in the windows); and he definitely wasn't staked out under any of the parked cars lined up along the curb. She wanted to go back and check in her tree house, but her instincts told her that Max wasn't hiding there.

Where could he be? She was beginning to worry. It'd been a half hour, and she was sure she'd have found him by now. What if he really was kidnapped? Or worse?

Something kept nagging at the very back corner of her brain. It persisted in telling her that Max wouldn't be anywhere she looked. He was no longer in this world…

She stopped herself. He wasn't dead. She was sure of that. He was a strong kid. They'd taken a karate class for a while, and he'd been a fast learner. He was probably doing a lot better than she was right now.

Bella remembered her weird dream that she kept having. Something about it just seemed so real…all those wild things…and her brother being upset with her…

Max is with the friendly wild things, she thought as she went off down the street. They'll take care of each other…wherever they are…