'There's definitely nothing coming between you right now,' Alex called out. 'You know you have a sister over here who might want to tell you she's glad you're still alive or something.'
Max let Liz slide down his body to the ground. She started to step away, but he looped his arm around her waist. 'You're not going anywhere,' he told her as he reached for Isabel and pulled her into a hug with him and Liz. 'Thanks for getting me back, Iz,' he said, feeling her aura swirl through his. 'I'm sorry about-'
'Oh, shut up,' Isabel answered. 'And you-' she called to Alex. 'You get over here, Mr. Popularity.' She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her without letting go of Max.
Max grinned as he felt Alex's bright orange aura join the mix.
'Michael! Maria! Over here!' Isabel ordered with a laugh. 'None of us really needs to see the two of you rolling around on the floor.'
A moment later their auras joined Max, Liz, Alex, and Isabel's. A shimmering rainbow of color appeared around the six of them, the strands of jade green, warm amber, screaming orange, rich purple, bright blue, and brick red binding them together.
Max had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He looked around at the faces of his closest friends-his family. The people that had saved his life. There was nothing he could use to describe this moment except full. Full of everything good and happy and pure.
'Remember?' Liz asked, looking each of them in the eye. Everyone smiled, clearly thinking about that first time they'd all connected, back when they'd needed to prove they could trust each other. It seemed so long ago, but it was the clearest memory in Max's mind.
He pulled Liz and Isabel a little bit closer and sighed with content. 'How could any of us ever forget?'
[ front blurb]
LOVE LOST…
'It was fun for a while-having a human girlfriend,' Max continued. 'But now, through the consciousness, I've gotten to see what life's like at home, my real home. All I can think about is getting back there. And it's not as if I can take you with me, so…' He shrugged. 'It's just as well we're officially not together.'
'What?' Liz said again. It was Max talking. She was sure of it. Whenever the consciousness was in control of him, his face was totally lifeless. But now his eyes were blinking and sparkling; his skin looked healthy. He was totally there. But how could he say these things to her?
'What?' Max mocked with a smirk. 'Listen. I'll spell it out for you. I don't love you. I never did. It was fun, but it's time for me to go back where I belong.'
[ Version History]
1.0 – scanned, formatted, and spell-checked from mass-market paperback. ISBN: 0-671-03564-9
2.0 – July 12, 2004 – The_Ghiti – proofed in detail against deadtree format.
