Chapter 3........Folowing orders
"Max, wait up" Alec shouted as he ran to catch up with her. She didn't seem to hear him. She kept on looking to the left and smiling, or laughing. "Max" he called again.
Max turned when she heard Alec call her. "Alec? What do you want" She asked him.
Alec ran his hands through his hair, brushing some more of the water out. "I just didn't want to hang out with Logan all day, I mean I know you like him and all, but I find him dull" He said. "So, what are we doing?" he asked.
"I told you, I'm getting my hair done" she said. "and I don't know if I want you coming with me" She said. She looked at Ben who was now standing next to Alec. He was nodding at her, in approval. "Well, come on" She said to Alec. "There's a place a few blocks from here" she lead the way.
"So, about last night, " Alec said. "Did you really think I was Ben?" He asked.
"Well, you see the thing is, Ben really is..." Ben was shaking his head at her, telling her no to tell Alec. "He is your twin and all, and I was having a dream about him, so, well yeah I did" she said.
"So, you and Ben were close" Alec said in his obnoxious cocky way.
"Alec, I swear to God, if you were implying anything there I will kick your ass" Max yelled at him. Alec gave her a 'who, me?' look. "Yes, him and Zack, I was always closer to them then anyone else" she told him, "they were my brothers, and I lost them both" she looked down.
Ben put a hand in hers, "You haven't lost me Maxie" he told her. "I know" she said. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Well, you seem to be in a good mood today" Alec said.
Max looked at him at him, "what do you mean? " she asked him.
"Well you keep on smiling" he said, "and" he held up his hand which was holding hers, "I didn't realize we were on a hand holding level of friendship" he returned his hand to hi side, not letting go of hers.
Max stared at their hands, then looked up at Ben. He was nodding at her, smiling. okay she told herself if it makes Ben happy. So they walked down the street, Ben on her one side, Alec on the other.
"So, what happened in your dream?" Alec asked. He looked down at their hands. He couldn't believe she was holding hands with him. It was very out of character for her. She didn't answer, she was looking to her side, smiling a little. "Hello, Max" he said trying to get her attention.
"Oh what? I'm sorry, What did you ask?" she said.
"What did you dream about?" he asked again.
She looked down again. Then she looked to her side again, waited for a moment and nodded. "I dreamed about his death" she said. "Every little detail was there in my mind" Alec saw a tear form in the corner of her eye.
"How did he die" Alec asked. He had wanted to know this for a while. Ben was after all his brother, even though they had never met.
"I killed him" she said. Alec was stunned. He didn't understand. She started talking again though, "He was killing, Manticor had driven him insane. He wanted to be good, a good solider, so he could go to the good place" she said. Not much of her explanation made any sense to Alec so far. "So, I got in a fight with him, trying to stop him, and I broke his leg. He didn't mean to do anything wrong Alec, he was good, really, he was. I was helping him up, so we could go. I could get him help I could help him. He was good. But we heard a helicopter" she was crying now.
"And he begged, he begged me not to let them take him. Not to leave him behind. And he was good, he was himself again. I couldn't leave him. They would put him with the Nomlaies, so I killed him. I had to, I couldn't carry him and escape in time. If I stayed I would of been taken also, And I couldn't just leave him there. He was good, a good solider" Alec looked at her. She was shaking her head a little, like some one was talking to her while she was trying to work through her thoughts. "I-..I, I had to-I-I couldn't leave him, he was a good solider, he couldn't go to the nomlaies"
Alec didn't understand her at all anymore. but he saw that she was crying, and he didn't know how to handle this situation. He hadn't been trained for this kind of thing in manticor. He put his free hand on her cheek and turned her so she was facing him, stopping them both. "You did what you had to do" he said.
She fell into him, throwing her arms around her neck. He wrapped his arms around her, slightly more comfortable this time. "I know, I know I had to, but I missed you Ben, I missed you"
Alec pulled back from her and held her shoulders, bending slightly, looking her directly in the eyes, "Max, it's me Alec, I'm not Ben" he said.
She looked at him, her Eyes were full of confusion, like she didn't understand why he was saying this. She shook her head, "I know" she said, I wasn't calling you Ben, I was just saying that I missed him" she said. Alec wasn't so sure about her answer.
"Max, are you okay?" he asked her.
Max looked at Ben, he nodded, "Of course I'm okay, I just miss my brother" she said. Ben smiled at her.
"I'm not your brother, you know that don't you? I'm not Ben, we're to completely different people, I never even met him" he said. But as Max looked at Alec, she just saw more and more of Ben in him. She nodded any ways. She grabbed his hand again and leaned into him a little. Ben grabbed her other hand and they walked again.
" So, why the sudden urge to change your hair?" Alec asked her. As they were walking down the beat up trashed side walk.
"Oh, well, um, I used to always have my hair shorter and curled, but you know, Manticor kind of changed that" she explained, "And well Be-" She stopped herself as she saw Ben shaking his head, "I always like it more liked that." Alec smiled down at her, she smiled right back at him, "You looked just like Ben just then" she said.
Alec looked away, "I'm his twin, I always look like him" he said. He didn't like being compared to Ben, especially not by Max, and nod when she was acting so weird.
"I know, but your facial expressions are usually so different. But just then, when you smiled at me, you were him. He always smiles at me like that" she said. "Oh, here we are" she said as they turned the corner.
Alec looked up at the salon, "Max, are you sure you want to get your hair cut here, I mean, there's lots of other places" he said.
"Alec, what's your problem, This place is great. They're cheep and they to a good job" Max said.
"But you know who can do a better Job? Me! Let's go back to my place, common, I'll do a great job, you'll see" he said trying to convince her not to go into the salon.
Max rolled her eyes and pulled him in to the salon. "Alec!" a busty blond woman said enthusiastically as they entered. She came up and put a hand on his face, "Oh poor thing, what happened to your eye, whose this?" She said looking at Max, "Are you here for your weakly nail appointment, I don't have you marked down for today, but I can squeeze you in" she said.
"Your weakly nail appointment?" Max asked. She held up their hands, well, that actually explains allot" she said.
"Um, Bar fight" Alec said gesturing to his forehead. "Um, I'm not here for my nails, My friend Max here, wants to get her hair cut" Alec said.
"Oh, well no problem, common Max, we'll get that hair fixed up in no time". She pulled Max into a seat in the back of the room. Alec sat on one of the couches and read a Magazine. He prepared himself for the taunting of Max.
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"Max, wait up" Alec shouted as he ran to catch up with her. She didn't seem to hear him. She kept on looking to the left and smiling, or laughing. "Max" he called again.
Max turned when she heard Alec call her. "Alec? What do you want" She asked him.
Alec ran his hands through his hair, brushing some more of the water out. "I just didn't want to hang out with Logan all day, I mean I know you like him and all, but I find him dull" He said. "So, what are we doing?" he asked.
"I told you, I'm getting my hair done" she said. "and I don't know if I want you coming with me" She said. She looked at Ben who was now standing next to Alec. He was nodding at her, in approval. "Well, come on" She said to Alec. "There's a place a few blocks from here" she lead the way.
"So, about last night, " Alec said. "Did you really think I was Ben?" He asked.
"Well, you see the thing is, Ben really is..." Ben was shaking his head at her, telling her no to tell Alec. "He is your twin and all, and I was having a dream about him, so, well yeah I did" she said.
"So, you and Ben were close" Alec said in his obnoxious cocky way.
"Alec, I swear to God, if you were implying anything there I will kick your ass" Max yelled at him. Alec gave her a 'who, me?' look. "Yes, him and Zack, I was always closer to them then anyone else" she told him, "they were my brothers, and I lost them both" she looked down.
Ben put a hand in hers, "You haven't lost me Maxie" he told her. "I know" she said. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Well, you seem to be in a good mood today" Alec said.
Max looked at him at him, "what do you mean? " she asked him.
"Well you keep on smiling" he said, "and" he held up his hand which was holding hers, "I didn't realize we were on a hand holding level of friendship" he returned his hand to hi side, not letting go of hers.
Max stared at their hands, then looked up at Ben. He was nodding at her, smiling. okay she told herself if it makes Ben happy. So they walked down the street, Ben on her one side, Alec on the other.
"So, what happened in your dream?" Alec asked. He looked down at their hands. He couldn't believe she was holding hands with him. It was very out of character for her. She didn't answer, she was looking to her side, smiling a little. "Hello, Max" he said trying to get her attention.
"Oh what? I'm sorry, What did you ask?" she said.
"What did you dream about?" he asked again.
She looked down again. Then she looked to her side again, waited for a moment and nodded. "I dreamed about his death" she said. "Every little detail was there in my mind" Alec saw a tear form in the corner of her eye.
"How did he die" Alec asked. He had wanted to know this for a while. Ben was after all his brother, even though they had never met.
"I killed him" she said. Alec was stunned. He didn't understand. She started talking again though, "He was killing, Manticor had driven him insane. He wanted to be good, a good solider, so he could go to the good place" she said. Not much of her explanation made any sense to Alec so far. "So, I got in a fight with him, trying to stop him, and I broke his leg. He didn't mean to do anything wrong Alec, he was good, really, he was. I was helping him up, so we could go. I could get him help I could help him. He was good. But we heard a helicopter" she was crying now.
"And he begged, he begged me not to let them take him. Not to leave him behind. And he was good, he was himself again. I couldn't leave him. They would put him with the Nomlaies, so I killed him. I had to, I couldn't carry him and escape in time. If I stayed I would of been taken also, And I couldn't just leave him there. He was good, a good solider" Alec looked at her. She was shaking her head a little, like some one was talking to her while she was trying to work through her thoughts. "I-..I, I had to-I-I couldn't leave him, he was a good solider, he couldn't go to the nomlaies"
Alec didn't understand her at all anymore. but he saw that she was crying, and he didn't know how to handle this situation. He hadn't been trained for this kind of thing in manticor. He put his free hand on her cheek and turned her so she was facing him, stopping them both. "You did what you had to do" he said.
She fell into him, throwing her arms around her neck. He wrapped his arms around her, slightly more comfortable this time. "I know, I know I had to, but I missed you Ben, I missed you"
Alec pulled back from her and held her shoulders, bending slightly, looking her directly in the eyes, "Max, it's me Alec, I'm not Ben" he said.
She looked at him, her Eyes were full of confusion, like she didn't understand why he was saying this. She shook her head, "I know" she said, I wasn't calling you Ben, I was just saying that I missed him" she said. Alec wasn't so sure about her answer.
"Max, are you okay?" he asked her.
Max looked at Ben, he nodded, "Of course I'm okay, I just miss my brother" she said. Ben smiled at her.
"I'm not your brother, you know that don't you? I'm not Ben, we're to completely different people, I never even met him" he said. But as Max looked at Alec, she just saw more and more of Ben in him. She nodded any ways. She grabbed his hand again and leaned into him a little. Ben grabbed her other hand and they walked again.
" So, why the sudden urge to change your hair?" Alec asked her. As they were walking down the beat up trashed side walk.
"Oh, well, um, I used to always have my hair shorter and curled, but you know, Manticor kind of changed that" she explained, "And well Be-" She stopped herself as she saw Ben shaking his head, "I always like it more liked that." Alec smiled down at her, she smiled right back at him, "You looked just like Ben just then" she said.
Alec looked away, "I'm his twin, I always look like him" he said. He didn't like being compared to Ben, especially not by Max, and nod when she was acting so weird.
"I know, but your facial expressions are usually so different. But just then, when you smiled at me, you were him. He always smiles at me like that" she said. "Oh, here we are" she said as they turned the corner.
Alec looked up at the salon, "Max, are you sure you want to get your hair cut here, I mean, there's lots of other places" he said.
"Alec, what's your problem, This place is great. They're cheep and they to a good job" Max said.
"But you know who can do a better Job? Me! Let's go back to my place, common, I'll do a great job, you'll see" he said trying to convince her not to go into the salon.
Max rolled her eyes and pulled him in to the salon. "Alec!" a busty blond woman said enthusiastically as they entered. She came up and put a hand on his face, "Oh poor thing, what happened to your eye, whose this?" She said looking at Max, "Are you here for your weakly nail appointment, I don't have you marked down for today, but I can squeeze you in" she said.
"Your weakly nail appointment?" Max asked. She held up their hands, well, that actually explains allot" she said.
"Um, Bar fight" Alec said gesturing to his forehead. "Um, I'm not here for my nails, My friend Max here, wants to get her hair cut" Alec said.
"Oh, well no problem, common Max, we'll get that hair fixed up in no time". She pulled Max into a seat in the back of the room. Alec sat on one of the couches and read a Magazine. He prepared himself for the taunting of Max.
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