LIFE SAVER - I

They don't know what Maxim was going to do to them, which was clear, he looked very ready to attack. 

"SHE DOESN'T DESERVE THAT!"

Mary and Sidney howled, then ran off the mount —avoiding Maxim who from both points of view was about to lunge to the place where they were.

Instead of attacking, Maxim lunged at the vampire who was trying to finish off Maxine whose clothes were almost torn, snagged twigs, and various pointed objects strewn on the ground.

Now Maxim is struggling against the vampire when Maxine manages to escape —hiding behind Maxim's sturdy back. She was unconscious.

Hang on. I'll finish him, then take you home.

As per his words, Maxim managed to finish off the vampire —tearing his ice-cold body, then throwing it on the flames that Ivan also Leo deliberately made.

"I'll take her home," Maxim exclaimed, as he managed to put on full clothes.

Swiftly, Maxim grabbed Leo's hoodie lying on the ground, then he used it to wrap around Maxine's body.

Leo clucked to see his beloved hoodie wrapped up just like that, covering Maxine's upper body. "Oh, man! Why don't you just put your clothes on? It will give you more impression, just so you know."

"Then what does her family say if I come shirtless?" said Maxim with a defiant look. "Wouldn't it have a bad impression on their eyes?"

Ivan shook his head in disbelief, hearing the unnecessary debate between the two. "Just shut up," Ivan told Leo as he glared at him.

Leo put on a smile with a stiff look, rows of white teeth that appeared to the surface to mediate. Ivan's gaze softened slightly because of it.

Patting Maxim's shoulder firmly, Ivan again said, "Just take these girls home, then come back here immediately. We'd be a little overwhelmed if those minor vampires came back here."

Maxim seemed to exert all his energy when he was about to lift Maxine's body which he thought would be more weighty than Mary's. Unfortunately, inevitably Maxim had to feel surprised because of that. Maxine feels even lighter than Mary who looks dainty.

Are you eating less? Why is your body so light?

Frowning, Maxim answered Ivan's commanding sentence. "Will be here. As soon as possible."

Then, by running, Maxim left the border also forest after saying goodbye. Whether they realize it or not, Mary and Sidney are hiding somewhere that feels safe. The two girls even saw what Maxim was doing: holding Maxine who was still unconscious.

With all her might Mary tried to refrain from running, and let Maxim be with the girl she hated so much. Mary even saw clearly how Maxim treated Maxine, and the way he looked at Maxine looked different, unlike when he looked at her.

Unlucky me! Don't expect to take Maxim from me, crazy bItch!

"Mary, we'd better get out of here," Sidney said, breaking the increasingly piercing silence between them. "I'll treat you to beer and whatever you want."

Despite her frequent cunning, Sidney knows how to please —correct Mary's bad mood. A smile didn't mean it rose, replacing all the melancholy on Mary's face. She was always excited to hear treats, especially beer. Mary really liked these two-word combinations. In an instant, the two ran away from a location they were not allowed to visit that night.

Maxim changed his sling when he arrived at the front yard of the Kelly Family's home. At first, he held Maxine with both hands, until several times he unconsciously looked at Maxine's sleeping face in his lap. Even smile because of it.

He didn't know how long he couldn't smile for something free, and smiled because watching Maxine, who was close to his chest, was the first time for him in so long. Maxim immediately pressed the bell next to the door and managed to position Maxine behind his wide back safely.

It didn't take long for the homeowner to come and open the door with a friendly smile as a welcome. Behind the glasses shaped like a cat's eyes, Daniela stared at Maxine from behind Maxim's back with furrowed brows in wonder.

Daniela only realizes that her daughter came with a man, unconscious. She can't get rid of her surprise, because Maxine is not the type of child who likes to hang out with just anyone. Even to Daniela's knowledge, her eldest daughter had no friends —no one wanted to be friends with her daughter.

"Oh dear, what's going on?" asked Daniela probing.

"It looks like your daughter entered the border in the middle of the forest, ma'am," Maxim explained as he is. "He was almost all-out attacked by a vampire if by chance I wasn't there."

Yes, Maxim speaks for what he is. There's nothing he loses or oversizes when explaining. He just doesn't mention the part when Maxine is bullied by her girlfriend. That's all.

I hope that Maxine’s mother or brother doesn't ask more than this. I don't want Mary in trouble because of her carelessness.

Maxim was quite worried that suddenly Daniela investigated something further than what he knew. All he knew was that parents usually do such things when they want to get a satisfactory answer.

"Oh? Well. Thank you very much in advance, son. But, can you help me lay her in her room?"

Daniela's voice sounded so calm and gentle, although she couldn't hide her nervousness after hearing Maxim's earlier explanation. Daniela herded Maxim towards the second floor, then into the only room at the end of the hallway.

Maxim unwittingly flashed a knotted smile when he entered Maxine's room. The pastel-all room looks like most girl rooms, it's just that, in one corner there are many candid black and white photos that look deliberately pasted as empty wall decoration. 

Maxim finds one thing in common between himself and Maxine, and somehow it manages to invite him to smile.

Not wanting to sink too long into something that made him smile just like that, Maxim immediately turned his attention to Daniela who looked worried and looked at himself and Maxine in turn.

"There are no injuries to worry about, Mrs. Kelly. It was just bruising and there were some minor scratches around her back." Maxim immediately gave Daniela an answer.

Daniela nodded understandingly, then let out a deep sigh —voicing relief at something she had worried about earlier.

"Thank God, if only minor injuries," muttered Daniela more to herself.

After wiping the fine hair around her white arms, Daniela stared at Maxim who was stealing a look at the place where her daughter was.

"Are you the son of... Jase Stone, son?" in the end, Daniela asked such a trivial thing. 

Despite the weight of saying the name of someone who seemed to hate her family so much, Daniela did it anyway. However, she looks so curious when she sees the face of Maxim, who looks so similar to someone she refers to as Jase Stone.

Justifying what Daniela was asking, Maxim gave her a nod and a thin smile. "Right, Mrs. Kelly," he replied subtly. "I am Maxim, the son of Jase Stone."

Daniela exhaled her heavy breathing after learning the truth. There's a worry behind her deep blue iris. "Are... Your sister... Lisa... Is her condition improving?"

Maxim again gave Daniela a nod and a smile. "It's getting better, she just has to keep in a wheelchair."

Spontaneously Daniela approached Maxim, rubbed his back firmly, and hugged him for a moment. The sadness mixed with regrets could not be separated from behind her beautiful eyes. "I'm sorry for that," Daniela said sincerely.

Once again, Maxim gave Daniela a nod and a smile, although no words were spoken in response. Because he could not say any reply to the misfortune that befell the sister.

"What can I do to repay your kindness, Maxim?" Daniela tries to repay Maxim's kindness to her daughter.

Instead of accepting it, Maxim chose to reject it. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kelly. I still have other tasks."

"What if next time?" asked Daniela.

Even if Maxim doesn’t want to, he needs to say yes to make everything looks clear. "Okay, Mrs. Kelly. Maybe next time," he replied slightly.

Daniela seemed happy to hear Maxim's reply, she reviewed a smile when she met maxim. "Just call me Daniela."

"Okay," he replied briefly. "I'm saying goodbye, Mrs—"

"I'll take you to the door!" said Liam, who had just arrived —poking his head from behind a half-closed door.

Maxine forces her body to rise, then sits on the edge of the mattress, after seeing Maxim leave her room with Liam. As if knowing what her daughter had done a few minutes ago, Daniela approached her calmly.

"Why did he take me home, Mom?" Maxine voiced the curiosity she had endured, ever since hearing Daniela ask about the condition of someone she believed was named Lisa.

"I've heard Maxim's version of the story," Daniela exclaimed, wiping Maxine's back. "Do you remember something, and tell it to—"

"Us!" cut Liam.

He laughed, his voice sounded so carefree. "Are you friends with that popular guy?" he urged excitedly.

Liam chose to sit on Maxine's left side because for him, flanking Maxine would make it easier for the question-and-answer process between him and his mother.

Aware of her position, Maxine turned her head quickly to her right and herself. Looking at Daniela and Liam in turn. "Who’s Maxim? And is he that popular?" she asked confusedly.

"The guy who just dropped you off was the popular guy who had almost defended you at the cafeteria, and his name was Maxim," Liam explained at length.

Oh?

One meaningless word was one that could slide further than Maxine's mouth. He knew it was just that he refused to remember things he thought didn't need to settle in his memory.

"What made you enter the forest until you reached the border?" urged Daniela as she looked at Maxine with a worried look.