Max Evens sat down at the kitchen table. Ava was upstairs reading to Maxie.
He still couldn't believe that his son was home. Or that he had a daughter
whom he would never know. Ava was a wonderful friend, she treated him like
she would a brother, mostly because to Ava he was the brother of the man
she had loved. She had never gotten over Zan's death, many nights he would
wake up from nightmares to find her already awake, reliving that night in
her mind.
She still feared that Loni and Rath would return, and seek vengeance for her betrayal. They tried to reassure her that there was no way Loni or Rath could hurt her without going through all of them, but she still couldn't escape that fear. He was the only one who truly understood what she was going through. Every night since he had received that letter, he had dreamed about Liz, and what might have happened to her.
His biggest fear was that she had found someone else and didn't have the courage to tell him all those years ago. Although in his heart he knew that wasn't true. His true fear, the one he never allowed himself to acknowledge was that Kivar had her, and she sent that letter to protect them.
"Max, are you alright?"
Max looked up to the archway, Ava stood there watching him, concern in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, it's been a hard day, you know."
"Liar. It's not today that's bothering you. It's Liz." Ava said walking into the room and sitting down across the table from him. Max just looked at her instead of answering. She saw the truth in his eyes; he showed everything in his eyes, just like Zan. Sometimes she had the hardest time believing Zan was truly gone. But then she would look away from Max's eyes and the truth would return.
Max had changed since she first saw him almost seven years earlier. He had never been what you would call a gawky teenager. But he had matured a lot more since that day. Most of it was due to losing Liz. He finally truly accepted his role as the leader after Liz disappeared and she had returned with Maxie. Isabel once told her that having Maxie was the one thing that saved Max. After Liz's last letter, his very soul seemed to disappear beneath his grief. It was like he was just a shell and the real Max had gone with her.
That had been the worst part of the whole event for the others. It was bad enough losing Liz, but to have lost Max while he still with them in body; well, they were all thankful that she had arrived when she did.
"Ava, come back to the kitchen." Max said softly with a slight smile.
"What?" Ava asked slightly confused at the change of thought in her mind.
"You spaced out again."
"Oh, sorry." She said standing up. "Why don't we go watch T.V., it's mindless and will keep us from thinking too hard." She said standing next to her chair.
"Sure, why not." Max said standing up and the two walked into the living room area.
Just after midnight, Ava had stopped on the music channel and they sat watching the top ten countdown.
"And the number two song this week is 'I Never Meant To Say Goodbye' by Anne Hazel." The announcer said as the scene changed to the music video. A woman in her early twenties stood in front of a small band of three guys and a girl. The woman had long red hair to her knees that looked like the sky at sunset, and eyes that were ice blue.
"Geez, does she have a lot of hair. I'd go nuts trying to wash all that." Ava said softly.
"Yeah, but she does look familiar somehow." Max said as he watched her. "Then again, so does her bass player." He said looking at the man who had long black hair in a ponytail.
"You're right, he does. But I can't think of where." Ava said as the video showed the two in question lean against each other while she sang. Ava looked around the room trying to remember why they looked so familiar. Her gaze stopped as she saw a photograph on the mantle, a picture taken five and a half years earlier when Alex returned from what he believed to be an exchange study. The picture showed Alex and Liz leaning back to back with her hair slightly blown in front of both their faces from the wind. Ava looked at the picture then back to the T.V., she looked at the picture once more than looked back at the music video. "Oh my Gosh."
She still feared that Loni and Rath would return, and seek vengeance for her betrayal. They tried to reassure her that there was no way Loni or Rath could hurt her without going through all of them, but she still couldn't escape that fear. He was the only one who truly understood what she was going through. Every night since he had received that letter, he had dreamed about Liz, and what might have happened to her.
His biggest fear was that she had found someone else and didn't have the courage to tell him all those years ago. Although in his heart he knew that wasn't true. His true fear, the one he never allowed himself to acknowledge was that Kivar had her, and she sent that letter to protect them.
"Max, are you alright?"
Max looked up to the archway, Ava stood there watching him, concern in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, it's been a hard day, you know."
"Liar. It's not today that's bothering you. It's Liz." Ava said walking into the room and sitting down across the table from him. Max just looked at her instead of answering. She saw the truth in his eyes; he showed everything in his eyes, just like Zan. Sometimes she had the hardest time believing Zan was truly gone. But then she would look away from Max's eyes and the truth would return.
Max had changed since she first saw him almost seven years earlier. He had never been what you would call a gawky teenager. But he had matured a lot more since that day. Most of it was due to losing Liz. He finally truly accepted his role as the leader after Liz disappeared and she had returned with Maxie. Isabel once told her that having Maxie was the one thing that saved Max. After Liz's last letter, his very soul seemed to disappear beneath his grief. It was like he was just a shell and the real Max had gone with her.
That had been the worst part of the whole event for the others. It was bad enough losing Liz, but to have lost Max while he still with them in body; well, they were all thankful that she had arrived when she did.
"Ava, come back to the kitchen." Max said softly with a slight smile.
"What?" Ava asked slightly confused at the change of thought in her mind.
"You spaced out again."
"Oh, sorry." She said standing up. "Why don't we go watch T.V., it's mindless and will keep us from thinking too hard." She said standing next to her chair.
"Sure, why not." Max said standing up and the two walked into the living room area.
Just after midnight, Ava had stopped on the music channel and they sat watching the top ten countdown.
"And the number two song this week is 'I Never Meant To Say Goodbye' by Anne Hazel." The announcer said as the scene changed to the music video. A woman in her early twenties stood in front of a small band of three guys and a girl. The woman had long red hair to her knees that looked like the sky at sunset, and eyes that were ice blue.
"Geez, does she have a lot of hair. I'd go nuts trying to wash all that." Ava said softly.
"Yeah, but she does look familiar somehow." Max said as he watched her. "Then again, so does her bass player." He said looking at the man who had long black hair in a ponytail.
"You're right, he does. But I can't think of where." Ava said as the video showed the two in question lean against each other while she sang. Ava looked around the room trying to remember why they looked so familiar. Her gaze stopped as she saw a photograph on the mantle, a picture taken five and a half years earlier when Alex returned from what he believed to be an exchange study. The picture showed Alex and Liz leaning back to back with her hair slightly blown in front of both their faces from the wind. Ava looked at the picture then back to the T.V., she looked at the picture once more than looked back at the music video. "Oh my Gosh."