Anne, I'm glad you're still with us. eXtreme eVolution, thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it. You can find out who Connor is by reading 'Old Faces, New Souls'…or I can just summarize it for you. Whichever.
True_Blue, hey.
Enjoy!
Aftermath 5: Max MaxEverything's horrible right now.
Cole and Alyssa aren't talking much. Taylor's jumpy, Danny's worried, the Princess is really worried, and Merrick's ignoring all of us unless we're actually fighting…which isn't so often, any more. Some days I think I can see the end of this war.
It doesn't seem right to be doing it short, though.
Tara and Kite are both part of this family, whether they see it or not, and it feels odd not to have them here. The Princess says Animus is still around even now, that he's as much a part of the Animarium as she is, but it's not Animus I'm looking for; it's Kite. And Tara…
I don't know when Cole or Merrick last heard from her. I wish I could talk to her; she showed all of us, but none of us could grasp it for some reason. Hearing through Cole's not quite the same. Especially since something's wrong with him, too; he's taking risks when we fight, being reckless. It's odd to see, especially in him; Cole's always, always careful in our fights.
Like I said. Everything's horrible right now…
Danny found him down at the docks.
Max had taken to leaving the Animarium more and more often recently; sometimes he went to the bowling alley to see Don, sometimes he hung out with Alyssa in the park: once he'd gone to Willie's to see Merrick. And sometimes, he went to the docks.
"Max?" Danny called. Max glanced up at him briefly. "You want some company?"
"No. Come anyway." Max said quietly. Danny nodded, falling into step beside him.
"What's wrong, Max?" Danny asked after a few minutes.
"I just didn't want to be on the Animarium right now." Max said with a shrug. "Everything's…it feels wrong up there."
Danny nodded. "Since Connor."
"Since Connor." Max agreed. "Man, he didn't even touch me and I still have nightmares about him."
"Me too." Danny said, absently rubbing his arm.
"I wish Cole and Alyssa would just talk to each other." Max muttered, kicking a stone into the water.
Danny smiled faintly. "That's what I said." He hesitated for a minute before adding, "Want to help?"
"How?" Max asked. "They're not listening to us."
"No, I mean…" Danny pulled a small, empty bottle from one pocket. From the other he took a slip of paper and a pen, and Max smiled.
"All right. Let's do it."
The bottle flew out into the lake, and Max closed his eyes tightly. If you ever grant wishes, he thought fiercely, grant this one. Help us fix this.
Then he and Danny turned and started towards home.