Festival

Alice wakes up back in her room. She didn't really remember much about the day. She remembers her and Maximus talking before school but not really much from school. She walked out of her room and headed downstairs. Elizabeth was sitting at the table when she heard Alice. She called out to her and asked her to come here. Alice walks into the dining room and sits across from Elizabeth.

"Hey, Granny how did I end up back here?" Asked Alice

"Your friend brought you home. He said you weren't feeling good and collapsed at school. He was afraid you wouldn't wake up until tomorrow but it seems you up faster than we thought. You need to go get ready." Elizabeth said

"Ready for what? Did I do something wrong." Alice asked

"Oh dear no you didn't. Tonight is the Winter Moon Festival. You have a certain individual wrapped around your finger. He even brought you an outfit and everything. So go upstairs take a shower and get ready. He doesn't like being kept waiting." Elizabeth said as she handed Alice a dress and shoes. Alice immediately ran to get ready. Excited for what's to come.

Maximus was finishing getting dressed. He wore a black suit and yellow undershirt. His tie was black and he wore yellow dress shoes. He walked out of his bedroom and saw Max walking down the hallway. He was wearing a black and red suit. He was walking down toward the dining room to get a drink. Maximus follows when the two reach the table Max pulls out some bourbon.

"Well to another good year. Let's hope we have a good festival." Said Max as he held up his glass.

"Yes to a good day. Let's see if we can find some good food." Said Maximus as he clinked glasses with Max. The brothers sat at the table and we're talking before leaving to go to the festival. Suddenly Maximus phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello."

"Hey, Maxi it's Alice. I got your phone number from Granny. I'm ready to go to the festival if you are. That is if I'm still allowed to go with you." Said, Alice

"Of course. You don't mind if Max rides with us right?" Asked Maximus

"Nope, it's ok. I just hope I have everything I need. Am I suppose to bring something to the festival?" She asked

"No just save this number and that's all you need to do right now. Tonight is on Max and I. You just do your best to enjoy the night it is going to be your first festival with us after all." Maximus said as he hung up the phone. Maximus and Max get up and walk out. Maximus grabs the keys to his mustang. He gets in the driver seat and cranks up the car. He looks at Max and sees he's sad.

"Max are you sure your ok going to this. I know your hatred for this festival." Asked Maximus as he leaned out the car

"Yeah, I'm ok I just had to get my thoughts together. It's hard going to this but I feel like if I don't I would disappoint her." Said Max as he got in the car and saw a pack of cigarettes in the cupholder. He reached forward and took one out. He put it in his mouth and lit a fire on the edge of his finger. He lit the cigarette and took a deep breath.

"You know Maximus she would be proud of us for the life we built." Said Max as he looked out the window. Maximus agreed and put the car into reverse. He did a J turn and took off down the driveway. When he reached the main road he jerked the wheel to the left and went sliding out. He took off down the road toward Alice's house.

"You know Max you don't have to go to these. You could always stay at home." Said Maximus

"I know but if I don't go I feel like I'm avoiding her. Maybe tonight a witch will give me a sign from her but I swear on everything we are. I will get her back." Said Max as he gripped his hand crushing the door a little.

"I understand Max. You do know that the endless girls aren't helping you either. When was the last time you went to visit?" Asked Maximus

"I haven't been since 1850. I can't bear to go. Plus these humans are a plague. We should've taken care of them long ago and then we wouldn't even need this damn Festival. Maximus why is everything and everyone constantly leaving us and it's always just us at the end." Asked Max as he tried not to cry.

"I don't know brother. It's how it's always been. At the end its just us. We try to change this world and we get thrown out our own kingdom. We get exiled. We listen to a bunch of children who think there the wisest and we're just children. I will promise you this I will fix what humans and monsters ruined for us." Said Maximus as he turned down Alice's road. He drove up to the house and got out.

"Listen Max let's enjoy tonight brother. I promise you if you deal with just one more of these with me tonight. Tomorrow well leave and go to Massachusetts." Said Maximus. Max smiled at his brother. He jumped out of the car and stood on top of it.

"ATTENTION! I present you witches the great and infamous Maximus." Yelled Max while laughing. He looked at his brother and jumped off the car.

"You Maximus you think I can bust the ground and destroy the house before that old hag realizes that I did it." Asked Max

"I don't know Max just know your dealing with the consequences." Said Maximus

Max looked at his brother with a wicked smile. He covered himself in fire and turned toward the house. He slung his arm forward at the ground. Suddenly the ground began to crack. Toward the house, it grew. Elizabeth came outside the house and waved her hand. Time came to a halt. She waves her hand and the ground began to repair itself. She looked at the two with anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you two. Are you morons." She yelled

"Still the same old nagging girl as you use to be younging." Said, Max

"You don't see me for 50yrs and your first time seeing me you try to break my house." Yelled Elizabeth. Maximus stood to the side and watch the two argue. He looks up at the window and sees Alice walk by. He jumps up toward the window leaving the two. He knocks on the window and Alice looks surprised to see him outside her window. She opened up the window and walked back over to her bed.

"Maxi I have a question should I go with red or pink lipstick?" She asked

"Um go with red. It's a pretty color and it will go well with the red dress. Do you like it by the way?" Asked Maximus

"It's a nice dress I enjoy it. I probably don't want to know about the price do I?" She asked

"There's only two of them in existence. I own both. The man who made them they were the last dresses he made before he died. I hoped it would fit you and it looks marvelous on you Alice." Said Maximus

"Thank you. I appreciate the dress Maxi. I hope you're ok with me using it." Said, Alice

"I gave you it to have it not borrow it. I don't need it. So it's yours." Said Maximus as he walked around Alice's room. He was looking at pictures and posters on the wall. "So listen, Alice. Tomorrow Max and I are leaving town for a while. As of tonight though we shall party like there's no tomorrow ok." Said Maximus

"Are you going to be gone long?" She asked

"It's will probably be at most 2 weeks. We are going to Massachusetts."

"You know it's funny we're celebrating the end of the Salem Witch trials and you going to where it was." She said

"I know. It's why we are going. We have to pay our respects to someone who died during it." Said Maximus"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Said Alice in a quiet tone.

"Don't be it's ok. It's just been over a hundred years since the last time Max was up there. He needs to go cause every time this festival comes around he becomes depressed the more he gets closer to it." Said Maximus

"Well then let's enjoy ourselves tonight. Okay, Maxi." Said Alice as she got up and walked over to put on her shoes. Maximus couldn't believe his eyes. Alice was so beautiful. He couldn't believe it. She truly did remind him of Levete. He walked over to the window and let out a howl. It scared Max and Elizabeth who were on the verge of fighting. He tells Alice to meet him at the car and jumps out the window.

"You two shut your fucking mouths. You act like children." Said Maximus as he walks to the car. He pulls out a cigarette and lights it.

"We need to discuss what we're going to do about her Magic Aura. It's too strong to be masked with magic. Any suggestions." Asks Maximus

"I do. We mask her aura with an even stronger aura. Like yours. All you would have to do is remove a single seal. Shouldn't be too hard." Said, Max

"Are you stupid? If his magic is noticed it will cause trouble inside the current community. I would say we could use the witches but I don't plan on telling them she's here. They'll try to use her as a weapon against you two." Said Elizabeth

"She'll stay at our house while we're gone. Call the school tell them. I will find a reason for her to ask you and you'll say yes. She's coming let's get ready." Said Maximus as he turned around and walked to the trunk of the car and sat on it. He was smoking his cigarette when Alice walked in front of him.

"Excuse me what the hell do you think you're doing." Asked Alice

"I'm smoking a cigarette before we go. Is there a problem?" Said Maximus

"Um yes. You don't need to smoke Maxi. If I catch you smoking again you'll regret ever starting. Do I make myself clear?" Alice said in a serious tone. Maximus let out a laugh and flicked his cigarette. He walked to the driver door and opened it. He reached down and pulled on the trunk lever. He walks back to the trunk and opens it. He reaches in and grabs a couple of cartons of cigarettes. He throws them on the ground. He creates a small flame in his palm. He drops the fire on the cigarettes. They were immediately engulfed. He closed the trunk and stares at Alice.

"I won't be smoking anymore you happy." Said Maximus

"Indeed let's go." Said Alice as she got in the back seat. Maximus and Max got in. Maximus cranked up the car. Elizabeth watched as the group left the driveway. She was thankful Alice ran into the brothers. She knew the future would be ok. Alice was watching the brothers. They seem to not talk much. She wondered what put so much tension in the air.

"So you two don't talk much do you." Asked Alice

"No, we're pretty lively when we ride together it's just tonight is a pretty sovereign night for us." Said Maximus

"Oh yeah, I remember you saying someone you two was close with died during the Salem Trials. I'm sorry for your loss." Said, Alice

"It's okay without her death the trials wouldn't have ended. She was the final sacrifice for the freedom of witches. She was a good person." Said, Max

"May I ask you who she was?" Asked Alice

"Her name was Crystal. She was the first human Maximus turned to a Werewolf. She decided later on to surrender her monster form and became a witch. She was the first person to train with our younger brother Phoenix. She became a powerful witch. She gave her life in order to save witches all over. It was her who used magic to make most regular human believe magic wasn't real. She was the reason why we managed to become thought of like a myth. She sacrificed her life in order to cast a spell. One her and our brother made as a contingency plan. It required her life though. It was the strongest spell ever released. She was also the love of my life. She gave me a heart I thought I didn't have." Said Max as he stared out the window. Alice sank back into the seat. She couldn't believe what she heard. As she rode she watched Maximus reach for the glove compartment then quickly remove his hand.

"Hey, Maxi what do you have in the glove compartment?" Asked Alice

"I couldn't remember if I grabbed my wallet. I remembered it's in my back pocket." Said Maximus as she smiled

"Max, could you please open the glove box?" Asked Alice. Max reached forward and a pack of cigarettes fell out. Max giggled a little bit.

"Maximus I'll give you 5 seconds to fix your mistake or you're about to get hit," Alice said in a stern tone. Maximus reached over and grabbed the pack of cigarettes. He took one out and handed it to Max. He lit the cigarette and Max started smoking it.

"I told you I ain't going to smoke any more. Max needed one though. Let him smoke it and enjoy." Alice couldn't argue with him. She knew now what this day does to Max now. She sat back. As they came into town Alice couldn't believe how big this festival was celebrated. The town was covered in decoration. She was so excited to go to it. Maximus pulled into a parking space and turned off the car. He got out and moved his seat so Alice could get out. Maximus reached into his pocket and took out 3 gold coins. He handed one to Alice and walked to Max. He took both the coins and flicked them up. The brothers stood still and waited. They both reached forward and grabbed a coin midair.

"I got a Rosary. Which means you have Mary. I guess you go first. I'll go later." Maximus said.

"I know you did that on purpose. Thanks, brother. I'll see you at the speech." Max said as he walked off.

"Where is he going Maxi? Asked Alice

"There is a grave on the outskirts of the cemetery. It is one we built for Crystal. We do this every year. One goes first then the other. Then we both go and give the gold coins as an offering for her. You'll be joining us today. So where do you want to go first the vendor street or do you want to look at some shops." Said Maximus

"I would like to visit some shops," Alice said. Maximus held out his arm and Alice grabbed it. The two began to walk through town. Maximus was telling Alice the history of each building. He showed her the church.

"The roof of that church was destroyed back in 1894. Maxius and I helped the town people rebuild it. It took us all night but we rebuilt it." Maximus said as he started to point out buildings that Max and him destroyed and rebuilt. Alice couldn't believe how silly the brothers could be.

"Oh shit, it's 8:30 we gotta rush." Said Maximus as he picked up Alice and began running. They made it to a large stage on the side of town. The area was crowded and he wanted Alice to have a good view. He looked at a building and jumped up on it. He set Alice down and sat beside her on the edge. The people came on stage and began telling stories and interacting with the crowd. Alice wasn't paying much attention she was watching Maximus.

"Why do you go to school if you have lived through history? You already have the knowledge." She asked

"I get bored. To be honest, me and Max were thinking about quitting. We came in last year and this year and we're both bored." He replied

"Well you know there's so much to do. You could become a businessman." She suggested

"I don't know. I already have enough money. Plus humans anger me. I have wanted to go on a journey. I want to see how well the world has developed. I and Max have been here since Salem. We haven't really left much." He replied

"Well, why don't you? You could enjoy it. Both of you could. Just adventure the world." She said excitedly

"Maybe I'll talk to Max about it. Do you want something to eat." Asked Maximus Alice shook her head she went to reach for her purse when she heard Maximus leap off the roof. She looked and couldn't believe he left her. She sat there in the quiet. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around. A man tactical armor stood there with a gun aimed at her. She stared at him in fear. She didn't know what to do. The man pointed a finger at her and gestured for her to come off the ledge. As she stood up she realized she was standing on the ledge. She was terrified to move. She stood stuck in fear. The man gestured for her to walk toward him. Suddenly the man was lifted off the ground. Max stood behind him holding his neck. He looked around for Maximus. Alice pointed off the building and Max knew he wasn't here. He slammed the man into the ground. The man appeared to be knocked out to Alice. She went to go step down when the gun suddenly went off causing Alice to slip and go falling off the building. Max went running forward when the Man grabbed his leg and held onto him. Max began screaming. To Alice, it happened slowly. She could hear the crowd and Max screaming. She closed her eyes in hope of not feeling the impact. She felt a warm embrace. She opened her eyes and seen Maximus he had grabbed her and they were back on the roof.

"Damn didn't realize you were that hungry." Said Maximus as he set her down and handed her a plate. He also set a drink and a strawberry milkshake next to her. He turned to Max who was holding the strange man on the ground

"They are moving faster than we anticipated Max. We need to erase this problem." Said Maximus he walked over and grabbed the man by the neck and picked him up. He walked over to the building edge and stood there. He flung the man off the building landing him in the forest. Maximus walks over to Alice.

"Max take her to the house I need to take care of a problem." Said Maximus as he jumped off the building heading toward the man he threw. Maximus hurried quickly to where he threw the strange man. Hanging from a tree was the man.

"Listen here Hunter I want to know why y'all are trying to capture that girl. Answer me!" Yelled Maximus causing the man to fall from the tree.

"I don't know I swear. I was just given the order to kill." Said the man

"Kill? You weren't sent to capture." Asked Maximus

"I don't know what it is about that girl but it has The Hunters on edge they don't want her to anywhere near you two. This mission is so crucial there bringing in Monster Team." Said the man

"I see. This worries me." Maximus walks over and punches the man knocking him out. Maximus picked him up and took off back toward the house. As he's running alongside the road he sees his car. He jumps and lands on top of it. He taps 3 times on the roof. Max pops the trunk and continues driving. Maximus tore the door of the car and hung down on the side.

"Max there's a change of plan. We are going to Massachusetts tonight. Take us back to the house so we can get the SUV." Said Maximus. Max shook his head and kept driving.

"Alice I'm sorry about the festival but it appears you get to come with us to Massachusetts." Said Maximus. He looked forward down the road and seen an armored car driving at them at a fast rate. Maximus jumped onto the hood of the car. He coated himself in Lightning and lept forward. He came smashing down on the car causing it to explode. As Max drove by Maximus grabbed the hood and went with them. He crawled across the car to the passenger. He held onto the car and hung off to talk to Alice and Max.

"Hurry it up Maxius. We need to leave this town as soon as possible. I don't think we will be coming home anytime soon." Said Maximus as he gestured for Alice to scoot in. He sat inside and watched the forest. As they drove Maximus was on guard. He was paying attention to Smells and Sounds while also watching the surrounding.

"Maximus I think it is about time to ditch the car. We have what seems like an armada coming right at us. What do we do?" Asked Max

"Keep driving. When we get right to them I'm going to do what I do best. Destroy all who stand in my way." Said Maximus as he climbed back onto the hood. He stood up and became covered in a bolt of new color lightning. It was bright purple. The lightning kept growing around him. When they were within half a mile from the armada. He took off running. He headed straight for the armada. He ran straight through a truck and a huge explosion engulfing all the vehicles and Hunters. Maximus hit the ground causing all the obstacles for the car to fall. He then created a ramp for the car. When the car hit the ramp He grabbed the driver door and had Max slide over. As soon as the car hit the ground Maximus flooded it with lightning. It caused the car to slowly repair itself while at the same time increasing in speed. Maximus drifted into the driveway. When they got up to the house Maximus sent Alice and Max inside to get whatever they would need for the trip. Maximus walked around the house placing metal poles in the ground. When Alice and Max came back out he had the SUV ready. The two got in and watched Maximus. He hit the ground sending lightning to all the poles. He got into the SUV and began to drive. When they reached the end of the driveway Maximus opened his door. He reached out and touched the ground. As they pulled onto the main road the other two heard it. Explosions on the top of the hill. Max and Alice watched as the house and cars exploded. Max knew this would come but Alice didn't know they had to do this.