~~
I turned and saw a beautiful dark haired girl about my age standing behind me. I guess I must have been really out there if I hadn't heard her walk up.
"Xaver, is that your name?" she asked.
"Do I know you? You must work at Jam Pony." I thought I remembered seeing her during the day.
"Actually, I do, but you don't know me from there." I tried to match up all the faces that I had met over the past ten years, but I couldn't remember her.
"I'm really sorry," I said, "but I don't recognize you."
"Max." she came and sat down next to me.
"Max. You mean, you're the Max that Zack told me about. But he said you weren't allowed to go near me. He said he told everyone else not to talk to me."
"He didn't tell me that. He wouldn't even tell me where everyone else was."
"Me neither, because I can't remember."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I can't remember, any of my siblings, where I was born, anything."
"Really?"
"Yes. Have you seen Zack recently?"
"Zack is gone." She sadly looked away from me, towards the horizon.
"Oh." I didn't know what to say. Obviously she had known him a lot better than I had. Suddenly she turned back to me and was smiling.
"Hey, come on, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine." I agreed and followed her off the Space Needle.
We went on her motorbike to a huge building in another sector. The high- rise district. I loved riding the bike, why hadn't I though of saving up for one? As we walked into the building, I mentioned it.
"You must have saved a long time for that bike."
"Um, yeah, something like that." She said, pressing the up button on the elevator.
"It must have been very expensive, I guess you don't let other people ride it much."
"Nope," she shot over her shoulder as I followed her into the elevator. Max pressed the button that was marked PH. "It's my baby. I try to keep it in good shape, kind of hard to get parts. You know."
"Yeah, I had a bike once, but I lost it." I didn't mention that it had only been a bicycle.
"Really, how?"
"My roommate got into it with some bad folks. Took all our stuff."
"Bummer"
"Yeah." The elevator stopped at the too floor of the building and the doors opened.
"Let's go." She said, walking into a small hallway. We walked up to a door and she knelt down to the knob, digging something out of her pocket, it was a lock pick.
"Wouldn't it be easier just to knock?" I asked.
"Nope." Max answered as the door clicked open. "Besides, if I did, Logan would wonder what was wrong with me. Hey Logan!" she raised her voice to a yell.
"In here!" a voice called back.
"I bought someone to meet you" she spoke loudly so he could hear, but didn't bother to go down the hall to meet him.
"Just a minute, I'll be right there." I thought I recognized the voice, but6 I wasn't sure. That's right, the voice reminded me of Jake, the way he told his stories to Fur and me back in Oklahoma. A few seconds later, a man walked out of a room and down the hall.
"Logan, I'd like you to meet my brother, Xaver." I heard Max say, but I was to amazed to speak.
"We've met." Logan said, as he pulled me into a hug.
~~
I turned and saw a beautiful dark haired girl about my age standing behind me. I guess I must have been really out there if I hadn't heard her walk up.
"Xaver, is that your name?" she asked.
"Do I know you? You must work at Jam Pony." I thought I remembered seeing her during the day.
"Actually, I do, but you don't know me from there." I tried to match up all the faces that I had met over the past ten years, but I couldn't remember her.
"I'm really sorry," I said, "but I don't recognize you."
"Max." she came and sat down next to me.
"Max. You mean, you're the Max that Zack told me about. But he said you weren't allowed to go near me. He said he told everyone else not to talk to me."
"He didn't tell me that. He wouldn't even tell me where everyone else was."
"Me neither, because I can't remember."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I can't remember, any of my siblings, where I was born, anything."
"Really?"
"Yes. Have you seen Zack recently?"
"Zack is gone." She sadly looked away from me, towards the horizon.
"Oh." I didn't know what to say. Obviously she had known him a lot better than I had. Suddenly she turned back to me and was smiling.
"Hey, come on, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine." I agreed and followed her off the Space Needle.
We went on her motorbike to a huge building in another sector. The high- rise district. I loved riding the bike, why hadn't I though of saving up for one? As we walked into the building, I mentioned it.
"You must have saved a long time for that bike."
"Um, yeah, something like that." She said, pressing the up button on the elevator.
"It must have been very expensive, I guess you don't let other people ride it much."
"Nope," she shot over her shoulder as I followed her into the elevator. Max pressed the button that was marked PH. "It's my baby. I try to keep it in good shape, kind of hard to get parts. You know."
"Yeah, I had a bike once, but I lost it." I didn't mention that it had only been a bicycle.
"Really, how?"
"My roommate got into it with some bad folks. Took all our stuff."
"Bummer"
"Yeah." The elevator stopped at the too floor of the building and the doors opened.
"Let's go." She said, walking into a small hallway. We walked up to a door and she knelt down to the knob, digging something out of her pocket, it was a lock pick.
"Wouldn't it be easier just to knock?" I asked.
"Nope." Max answered as the door clicked open. "Besides, if I did, Logan would wonder what was wrong with me. Hey Logan!" she raised her voice to a yell.
"In here!" a voice called back.
"I bought someone to meet you" she spoke loudly so he could hear, but didn't bother to go down the hall to meet him.
"Just a minute, I'll be right there." I thought I recognized the voice, but6 I wasn't sure. That's right, the voice reminded me of Jake, the way he told his stories to Fur and me back in Oklahoma. A few seconds later, a man walked out of a room and down the hall.
"Logan, I'd like you to meet my brother, Xaver." I heard Max say, but I was to amazed to speak.
"We've met." Logan said, as he pulled me into a hug.
~~
