Alternate Destiny: Sloth's Reign

"You planned this up, didn't you?" said Max angrily to Calais, "I should never have trusted you with military duty, Calais. You nearly got all of the Rebels killed by charging at the Wild Aishas! I also dismiss any excuses you might have for me. From now on, you're not in charge anymore when it comes to fighting!" Calais was sullen, his usual joking eyes were sunken, but there was a slight twist of his lips.

"It's that girl's fault. Don't you deny it, dear Maxine? Ever since she came here, you've been obsessed with spending more time with that Owner- wooing her with your precious romantic notions!" Calais laughed lithely as Max looked furious.

"Get out of my sight! How dare you bring her into discussion, when she is not related to this topic! I'm not obsessed with her!" denied the righteous Max. "You are." The two very different teenage boys stared at each other warily.

"Love is blind-" quoted Calais. "One day, you will call out and admit that I'm right- in front of me. Just you wait…" The terrifying blond boy harshly punctuated the words I'm right. "She doesn't care for you at all. Not for your looks, not even for your personality." Those warped words sunk in…

"You are a liar, a dastardly liar." Maxine spoke as the curved moon rose. "I'll prove you wrong, in due time. You will never hurt my feelings when we get to Artesia,"

Weeks passed, then months. The seasons came and went. Then one autumn day…
"Hey, Max…" A familiar voice spoke softly, but the tone was warmer than usual. "Sabrina, is that you?" Maxine leant beside a tree, his muscular body showing through the seams of his shirt.

Time had changed both of them. The shadowy owner also posed beside him, watching the scene silently. Her formerly faded hair was now voluptuous and her distant eyes were shining like twin amber stars.

"This hill is where we first met, didn't we? Besides, I didn't know who ever sent me that Snake-rose… For Valentines day, I remember." Clearly, she was smiling, for the first time in years, although Max didn't know that.

"Sabrina, why were you so cold to us months ago?" whispered Max, words spanning back from Calais's mouth… "I knew you weren't so nice to him but-" Unknown to both of them, Calais was tuning into their conversation, and he didn't like what she said next…

"Shush. Don't say that name; I don't trust him at all. Let's all forget about him."

"Truer than I could have said, I'm so glad I deposited him from his rank. Sabrina- I have a confession, it was me who sent you the flower!" Maxine revealed. "I don't know how you'll react to this, but please do tell me what you think of this!" The adolescent leant down and kissed her on the cheeks. As he wrapped his hands around her, he noticed that she didn't react to the gesture- unusual, Max thought.

The only reply from her was one of shock and wonder, but then confusion.

"You shouldn't have, oh Max- I really don't know how to feel about this..."

"What?" said a started Max, "You don't like me?" he squeezed Sabrina's hand…
"Yes I do- but," She shook her head, "I really don't know what to do... I'm sorry."

"If you tell me what's wrong, I can help you." persisted Max. "Please, Sabrina…"

"All right," the teenage Asian girl replied with a sigh. "If you wish to know the truth, I will reveal all." Without warning, she took off her red coat and showed Maxine her left arm. There was a maroon tattoo emblazoned on her arm which had a white circle with dark red arches around it and swirls. "Three years ago, I and my Neopets were captured by Sloth. He struck a deal with me. If I wanted my Neopets to be 'free', I had to give him my most precious part: my emotions."

"I foolishly agreed with him." Maxine had a look of horror on his face. "As a result, I was 'given' this tattoo in the dungeons that prevents me from feeling anything, even emotional pain. I don't know how to get it off; though I tried everything I knew to get rid of it. Nothing happened. I might be stuck with it for the rest of my life." She looked like an 'angel' to Max at that moment. Her sad tale pained him to no end and he wished he could abolish the red tattoo that bound her.

"Sabrina, if it means anything to you, I'll kiss you again, for your sake." Meanwhile Calais was thinking thoughtfully as he listened. Maybe I can use her for my own gains… We'll see. Max took off his shirt, the girl stared at him. "Maxine?"

"Yes?" Max said, shifting his body forwards so he nearly touched her chest as they lay on the grass, "I've-never-kissed-a-boy-before…!" was the monotone reply.

"Aw, don't be shy! I'm your friend." Calais chuckled as he watched them; Maxine posed over his female counterpart. Then the two kissed eagerly, it was a very long kiss. So long in fact, that they lost all sense of time! Max savored the touch of her warm skin as Sabrina just didn't react (again), but he didn't stop there…

The young adolescence looked at the other's pretty face. He stroked one side of Sabrina's face. The caress of shiny raven-black hair and the sedulous feel of her slender hands gripping him firmly made Max continue. Linked in interlocked arms, they just closed their eyes and continued to kiss until they heard a rustling noise.

But Maxine just ignored the rising feeling, and then suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Rolling over on his side, Max fainted from lack of air… "Oh!" shouted Sabrina as Max just toppled over in the grass.

"Leaping Jetsam…" muttered Max in a daze, "Your kiss is so heavenly." Sabrina smiled. "Want to do it again?" Her voice had a slight playful tone… "Sure."

Calais frowned as the two started kissing again! "Just you wait, Max… Love is blind," The blond boy added angrily. "You'll see." Then silence.