Max was not sure if she was already dead or not but one thing for sure, her body hurt like hell. The events of the previous days rolled in her head as if the physical torture was not enough to remind her how she was only barely surviving. It was all reminisced bitterly from the morning she spent her last dime to the moment she was force to absentmindedly shadowtravel again. Day by day, she was getting low of hope. Every lead she had gathered just brought her to a dead end.
In fact, Maxine gave up already. With all of the loose ends she could no longer tie up, she had already accepted that she failed again. It was not a new thing for her, anyway. It was not that hard to accept. When she made her last jump, all that she could think of was going home. She thought ‘home’ was Cromwell Academy. Maxine had expected to roll over the back of the Combatant house or in front on the downhill slope right beside the Luminary building where she had usually skated and basically annoyed anyone from that house who wanted peace. ‘Home’ was apparently a barn full of white feathered chicken, egg-laying ones if she guessed right. The smell of feather and hay was too sharp for her to breathe so she scrunched her nose to get rid of the stinging sensation under her skin.”
“Oh, she’s alive!” A feminine voice, melancholy yet sharp, interrupted her peace.
Another voice came in, this time, a male voice. “I told you that after I checked her pulse.” Max wondered how long she was out after she landed.
As she fluttered her eyes opened, Max saw a girl, probably just a few years older than her, blonde, staring down at her. Her eyes were so blue that she thought she was seeing the sky herself. It was oddly familiar. She was oddly familiar. Just a little was a male. He looked like her, only his eyes were soft brown.
“Who are you?” Max asked.
The blonde girl’s eyes widened in amusement. “Oh, she’s American!” She exclaimed in her own accent. It was similar to Cecily, just a little thicker. She had to pursed her lips to stop herself from bawling her eyes o0ut again because she remembered one of her friends.
She was answered by a heartfelt laugh. “We’re Irish actually. I’m Alexa.” She held out her hand as she spoke. Max took it for her to shake only to find out that the other girl made the gesture so she could pull her up.
“Wait, you look alike.” The boy interrupted. “I’m Hayden. And welcome to the Harvey’s Ranch!” The boy said enthusiastically but Max felt like she was punched in the gut.
“Yes, it’s my grandma’s.” Alexa said. “Her name is Violeta.”
Violeta Harvey; a name she had tried to buried in the past but she couldn’t forget. Suddenly, all the memories she had when she was six during the very first time she went to Ireland. It was also the last time. Max looked around and it finally sunk in. She landed on her mom’s home. Max had nothing but bitter memory of the place like that one time her mother had to go somewhere for an overnight and then her grandmother decided it would be the best time for her to sleep with the horses. Needless to say, she hadn’t slept that night and it caused her a fear for horses. Most of her fears were probably developed in that ranch.
“Are you okay?” Hayden asked while his eyes on Max are shaking hands.
Alexa intertwined her arm on hers. “Come here, let’s get you warmed up. You don’t dress for the weather. My grandmum made a sick soup.”
“Uhm…” Alexa could see the hesitation on her face so she beamed at her. “No worries, my grandmum is so nice!”
Max was having a hard time believing that but she could tell that Alexa was telling the truth. She might have been nice to her. Another realization swept in, if Violeta Harvey was Alexa and Hayden’s grandmother, then she must be related to them. “Where your mom?” Maxine had to ask.
“Oh, Aunt Peggy’s dead. Mine’s scrubbing wool off a sheep.” Hayden answered.
Peggy. She knew it was her mother’s nickname she had never used often since she moved to America. Before she knew it, her knees buckled and she would have sprawled to the ground of Alexa was not holding her. Alexa…her sister… And Peggy…Margaret Harvey…dead… She needed time for all the information to buffer. “Woah, you really need to rest. What’s your name again?”
“Lois.” She lied, telling them a random name, then she realized it wasn’t that random. “Yeah, Lois like Lois Lane.”
“You love comics too! See, I told you Hayden,” she then turned to Hayden. “Liking comics is not limited to girls, you sexist bastard.” He made a face to Alexa before hooking an arm around her to help her get up.
“So…” Hayden started. “How did you get here in the barn?”
Max took a deep breath, bracing herself for more lies, all while trying to stop herself from crying.
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