The roaring of the train. Gray buildings were becoming blurs on the horizon. Max sighed and inserted her headphones in her ears. Syd Mathers' "To All of You" played in her ears. As elated as she was post summit, she just couldn't wait to be home and to crash.
Max gripped the handle and held on as the train slowed down. They had just arrived on the outskirts of Seattle. One last train, then she would descend down the stairs where Chloe, her newly adopted sister, would be waiting to pick her up.
The photography summit was a blast! She rubbed elbows with so many aspiring photographers and associates of the world she was so drawn to, but she couldn't wait to be home to her folks. She adjusted her gray hoodie and muttered a curse as she realized the next train hadn't arrived quite yet.
Luckily, it was a nice day. She probably didn't need her hoodie, but she felt safer with it on. She wasn't very comfortable around crowds, and while the likelihood of someone striking up a conversation with her wasn't incredible; she still shuddered with the thought.
She looked around, music still filling her ears. The song ended and the idea of listening to a playlist flirted with her mind, but on a second thought, she shelved the idea. The battery was getting a little low anyway.
She gazed up at the sky; as several birds flew past. She dug in her bag and withdrew her camera and snapped a picture. As she shook the photo, she smiled. Her anxiety subsided just a bit, and the feeling was replaced by a small bubble of satisfaction.
"Attention passengers: the next train to Seattle is arriving."
Finally! She shuffled her feet as a crowd began to develop around the train that pulled into the station. People began to file in, and Max took in a deep breath. Crowds were seriously not her thing, and this train was going to be packed. Standing room only, most likely.
Now or never time. She shouldered her bag and stepped forward. Max was thankful for her smaller stature as she slipped through the door and tried to find an occupied space, preferably near a window and away from curious eyes.
"Shit," Max muttered. She willed Warren's legs to pump harder as she ascended up the hill. She cursed him mentally for not working on his legs more, then again, she probably didn't have the right to complain about the lack of working out.
"I'm getting close!" she breathed.
Max tried to ignore the boy that was next to her. He was boyishly cute, with wavy and messy brunette hair. She nosily snuck a glance at him while he listened to something on his phone. His face betrayed that of worry, and his almond eyes were very pretty.
The boy shifted his feet. Max tore her eyes from him and to the window again. She was recognizing some of the buildings. She could see the Space Needle in the distance. If she hadn't already taken numerous photos of it before, she would be tempted to bust another out when they stopped.
They would be arriving at the next stop soon. She thanked the gods that her family didn't live too deep in Seattle. She wasn't sure how much more she could take of this crowd.
The boy next to her seemed anxious. Welcome to the party, she thought dryly.
She couldn't shake the feeling she was the source of his stress. The thought was ridiculous. He was cute enough, but not her type. She was more into skaters… she thinks. Besides, she didn't know him at all. She was probably just letting her own mental issues get to her, she thought morosely.
The bus started to slow to the stop, and Max shuffled her feet. She withdrew her phone to text Chloe that it was almost time. It would be the complete opposite of getting on the train. She was determined to be one of the first out.
The train ride had ended. Max ignored the conductor on the intercom and tore herself through the crowd and out into the fresh air. Now to find the stairs and find Chloe…
"Max!"
What the fuck? A chill shot up her spine. The voice was completely unfamiliar and sounded super desperate.
She froze in place. Ordinarily, every fiber of her being would yell at her to GO. She was not built for this. Not on a sunny Friday afternoon, not with this many people. The rational part of her brain thought, surely, the voice wasn't calling for her. How common was the name Max anyway? It was unisexual name for Dog's sake!
She heard her name a second time. This exclamation was more desperate for the first. A hook seemed to latch itself around her navel and pull her toward the direction of the voice. Maybe it was her natural curiosity, but her eyes scanned the crowd.
Max heard the voice once more, and now she started to move. The crowd wasn't helping. It seemed like they wanted nothing more than to get in her way. It was slow going, and maybe she should have given up, but she kept at it.
One last call, and she spun 90 degrees. There he was. His fair skin and wavy hair was familiar, and then it hit her. It was the boy from the train.
He was too far away to simply talk to him. So many questions filled her mind, yet she really didn't want to call attention to herself. But her curiosity was overwhelming her, and she just had to know how this dude knew her.
"Who are you?" she shouted. "How do you know my name?"
He took off a bright blue band around his wrist. Max's eyebrows rose curiously as he drew his arm back and fired. The band soared gracefully and descended down into her open palm. She was vaguely surprised she actually caught it.
"My name is Warren!" she heard him cry.
She looked down at the band in her hand. When she glanced back up; he was gone.
"That was you, Warren!" she huffed. Realization dawned on her as the memory resurfaced. As the bike broke the tree line; she scrambled off to finish her journey on foot. "You were the one on that train years ago, and I didn't recognize you. Why did you go so far? Was it just to meet me?"
Max placed a foot on the hill. All she had to do now was cross Graham River and ascend up the hill. "Why couldn't I remember until now?"
*
"Am I dead?"
Warren sat down hard on the grass that faced the horizon. The sun was beginning to fall; any moment now and it would be setting. It felt odd to be back in Max's body after all this time. But even stranger was the town being completely gone.
Sure, rubble still lay in its place, but that didn't matter. Warren slowly rose to his feet. "How did you end up here, Max? Did you come all the way out here… for me?"
He glanced behind him. The shrine was just behind him, and he wasn't sure what to do next. Max wouldn't have come alone. Should he find her friends? Chloe and Rachel right?
What was happening with Max? Why did she replace him? How did she manage it? They hadn't switched bodies in weeks! Did she come all this way to save him? What was he supposed to do? How could he help?
He was panicking. Max's heart was beating so fast; he was starting to worry for her.
"I just wish I could talk to you!" he shouted in frustration.
"Warren?"
Warren nearly jumped ten feet in the air. "Max?" he called.
Warren jerked his head left and right, looking for her, or well, her in his body, or well… you know what… too confusing. "Max, I'm right here!"
"I'm right in front of you!" she said.
Her voice seemed so close, and yet, there was no one there. The sun was descending. The glare was scratching at his peripherals. At the height of the hill, it seemed as if the ball of light was equal with his head. He reached out a hand, and unbeknownst to him; the girl did the same.
He blinked, and when his eyes fluttered open, she was there.
Their hands were practically touching, and Warren noticed that the two had somehow switched back to their own bodies.
Tears pricked in Max's eyes. "Magic hour," is all she said before she pulled him into a tight embrace.
Warren returned the gesture. The emotions welled up inside him like a tidal wave, and nearly became overwhelming. He couldn't believe that he was here, and that she was here. For a brief moment, all seemed right in the world. The destruction of the town was long forgotten for both teenagers.
Max pulled apart from him abruptly. Her face twisted in unpleasantness. "Did you touch my boobs?!?"
Warren's face immediately burned crimson red. "No! I, uh, I don't remember!"
Max punched him in the shoulder. It wasn't too hard but Warren still cringed at the bony nature of her knuckles. "Chloe saw you! She pestered me about it multiple times!"
Warren raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. "It was only the one time, I swear!" He tried to give her an apologetic look. "I was curious," he muttered sheepishly.
"That's not the point!" Max urged. "Once is more than enough!"
"I'm sorry," Warren muttered.
Max shook her head but then she smiled. "I had to give you shit. I mean, it wasn't cool, but I had to tell you. Your face is so red. It's kinda cute."
Warren smiled but Max missed it. She took off the blue threaded chords around her wrist and handed it back to the boy; who took it gratefully. "Thanks, Max. How did you manage to do all of this?"
Max crossed her arms. "I may have drank the water you left behind."
"You what?!?" Warren answered back. The shock was evident in his voice.
Max soldered on. "It was the only thing I could think of," she gestured to the valley below them, and at the shattered remains of the town. "Listen, you have to find a way to evacuate the town. The comet is going to fall and somehow cause a tornado that's going to wipe everything out!"
Warren nodded. "It sounds crazy but I have no choice but to believe you. Sounds like the close encounter with the comet is going to cause hot air to come across this cold air I'm feeling." As if Mother Nature were listening, the wind picked up, causing goosebumps to rise on both teens arms. "The mix is going to cause a storm at least of some kind. Some strange comet, huh?"
Max nodded. She reached out to grab him by the hand. She seemed to be in some disbelief that she was being so forward. "I just can't believe it worked. I came so far…"
Warren nodded. The sun was going down, and he knew that they had only moments. "I'll take it from here, Max Attack." He gave her a crisp thumbs up. "Thank you for everything. I'll save everyone and get back to you. I promise!" Warren reached into the pocket of his jeans and withdrew a pen. He thanked the body switching they had shared. The time they spent writing notes to each other had paid off in ways he didn't expect. Even when the switching stopped; he still held out hope that it would happen again, one day.
"Let's write our names down so we don't forget."
Max smiled. "You're a genius!"
Warren beamed. "You first!"
Max cautiously took the pen in her hand. Warren smiled secretly as a bit of tongue poked out as Max drew on his hand. When she finished, she gently handed back the pen for Warren to write his name.
She held out her hand and Warren gripped it gingerly. He began to write the squiggle of a line that was meant to be a W when the pen dropped to the ground.
The sun had set on the horizon and the night had taken over. The valley was now devoid of human life, except for him.
An intense sense of longing burst in his being. "I was going to tell her how I feel."
He looked out into the sky. The supernatural comet had appeared in the atmosphere. It was close enough that he could see its trail, but fortunately it looked like he had time before it fell. The festival was probably starting soon, if not now.
"I will find you later, Max. But first I have a town to save."
*
Max's hand was extended. She blinked and when her eyes fluttered open; she found that she was alone. Max's eyebrows furrowed as she withdrew her hand back to her body and stared at her palm. A black diagonal line looked back at her as she considered.
"What was your name again?"
She looked out on the horizon. She was on top of a hill. In front of her, in the distance, was the obliterated remains of some sort of town.
"What was I doing out here again?" Her face twisted with concentration as she struggled to remember. Distractedly, she searched for her camera, as the scene in front of her was incredibly beautiful, but for some reason, she didn't have it. It was very bizarre for her not to have her camera.
"I was…" She let out a groan of frustration. The memory she was searching for was there, but it was so foggy and so vague she couldn't grasp it. It was like a vivid dream that felt so real, but when you tried to remember the details, the more they disappeared.
"I was looking for something!" she exclaimed. "...or someone. It was a someone!"
She began walking down the hill and towards the town. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Chloe calling her. It looked like both her and her girlfriend Rachel were sending her messages. They seemed like they were urgent. Apparently she had suddenly disappeared.
She hesitated to answer the call, instead glancing back at her hand. She had no memory of making that line, but something told her that it was very important to her.
"I came here looking for someone. No," a realization dawned on her. "I was looking to save someone…"
Her phone buzzed again. She supposed she should answer. She didn't want to worry her friends any longer than necessary. She approached the tree line and glanced back at the hill and the stream she just crossed.
"I wish I could remember… I came here for… someone. I just wish I could remember your name."
That was the last time Max saw the valley.