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Jeff shivered as he stuffed an icy hand into his jean pocket in an attempt to save it from the cold Seattle night air. Holding a newspaper above his head to shield him from the rain, he peered up at the excuse for shelter that he called home. �Home� was nothing more than a ratty apartment building. The roof leaked, their wasn�t any heat, and the floor was caving in. With a sigh, Jeff took a good look around him and saw countless faces huddled around trashcan fires. He saw starving children, and nearly dead parents who fed their children from their own plate. Known for his generosity, Jeff did what he could to help them. He often invited children to eat a real meal at his place and frequently let strangers sleep in his bed. The fact the he didn�t require much sleep made it a much easier offer than one might think. 

�Woah.� Jeff�s thinking about America�s financial crisis was abruptly halted as his hand began to shake violently. �Shit!� Jeff cursed as the demon that had possessed his arm began to spread about his body. Thrown to the ground by the seizures, Jeff began to experience the accompanying flashbacks. The night of the escape was cold. Max had told him earlier that day �not to be afraid, she would protect him.� He loved Max. She was his guardian angel. Jeff winced in pain as his head hit something sharp. �She left me! Max left me! Now I am all alone and Lydecker is going to get me.� This time Jeff was awakened by the feeling of being lifted in the air and placed in the back of a van. 

�I can�t believe it.� Max quivered, barely choking back tears. �Hold on little guy, Max is here. It�s going to be ok.� She began gently rocking Jeff back and fourth in the back of Logan�s Van, while Logan drove rapidly to his penthouse. �Max? Max came back for me.� 

�Shhhh�. Don�t worry, it�s going to be ok.� Max assured him. Jeff, still racked with seizure, began to speak audibly. 

�Max, you came back for me. Why did you leave? I thought you said it was going to be OK. Now Lydecker has us and we are going back.� This was too much for Max, who began bawling.

�It�s OK, we aren�t in any trouble,� Max used as reassuring a voice as she could muster, �Everything is going to be fine, I�m here now and Lydecker is far, far away.� Jeff seemed to believe her, and clutched her tighter, so he was now fully curled in her lap. �OK, just never leave me again. I was so scared. I thought you didn�t like me anymore.� 

�Shhh, calm down. Everything is going to be fine.� �Here, I found some milk in the cup holder.� Logan couldn�t help but be moved by the scene of a teenager curled up in Max�s lap like a toddler. After he handed the container of milk to Max, he quickly turned around, not wanting to see the heart wrenching spectacle occurring in his back seat. 

�Here little brother, drink some of this.� Max was still crying, the tears leaving wet scars on her perfect face. She raised Jeff into a sitting position and began to slowly nurse her poor brother back to sanity. After a few minuets of this, Jeff began to become slowly aware of his surroundings. 

�Max, but, no way. You work at Jam Pony.� Jeff began to loosen the death grip he had on his sister. 

�Ya,� Max choked out, tears still flowing. 

�You�re�. Oh my god. I thought that you had left me for good. That� that� I would never see you again.� Jeff once again tightened his hug, this time nearly crushing Max in the process. 

�I�m here now and that�s all that matters. Save your strength, we will be home soon.� Max wadded up the coat she had been wearing and gently laid her brother�s head on it. She tightly laced his fingers with hers and began stroking his hair with her free hand. 

�Logan, I left him.� Max croaked in the best whisper she could muster. 

�What?� Logan asked. 

�During the escape, I left him for dead because he couldn�t keep up. I left him there in the cold with no one around.� 

�I�m sure you did all you could.� Logan white lied. �I left him.� Max kept repeating this phrase, as if it was just sinking in for the very first time. Logan watched in despair as Max began to weep with even more intensity than she had started with, and then placed her head on her, now sleeping, brother�s chest. �Max, are you OK?� Logan asked tentatively. Max slowly turned to face him and replied through clenched teeth, �Do I fucking look OK to you?� Logan was shocked at Max�s appearance. Her olive skin had turned a pasty white, her big brown eyes were now bloodshot and showed no emotion but torment, her lovely black hair was matted to her forehead and looked ratty, she looked like hell. Logan slowly turned to face the road and silenced himself as the tormented woman in his back seat returned her head to her brother�s chest and softly whispered to him, �I�m sorry.� 

Ch.2

Jeff awoke with a start. He rested in a large, over-stuffed, obviously expensive bed. Looking around, he noticed that he was in a rather large apartment. The place reeked of money, and Jeff reserved a special hate in his heart for the wealthy. Raising his head, a searing pain began to appear just above his eye. When he tried to feel the afflicted area, a strange force held his hand in place. Jeff looked to his right, and there he saw a beautiful sleeping woman who was holding his hand. The woman was slouching in her chair, and her face was swollen and red, obviously from crying. 

�Wow,� Jeff mumbled as he tried to recall the past night�s events. He remembered having the seizure, and being placed in the back of a van. �No.� Jeff said, becoming more aware of reality. Shaking the woman�s hand he tentatively asked, �Max, is that you?� The woman began to stir, and managed the weakest smile he had ever seen. 

�It sure is little guy.� Jeff could tell that she was beautiful despite the signs of grief implanted on her face. 

�Why��

�Shhh,� Max cut him off dreading the coming question. The question for which she had no answer. 

�No, I need an answer to this now! Why did you leave me that night? You told me that no matter what happened, everything would be OK. Why did you leave me?� An awkward silence filled the room as Max just stared at her brother, her eyes beginning to mist once more. �WHY?!?� Jeff practically screamed. Silence once again filled the room, and Jeff, realizing that he was not going to get an answer, turned his face away from the distraught Maxine. 

�I don�t know why I left. You were slower than the rest of us� I thought you were going to get us caught. I thought�.� Her voice trailing off. Jeff didn�t move. His head remained turned away from her in an act of contempt, single tear sliding down his cheek. 

�Go away.� Jeff practically whispered. 

Abruptly standing, Max dashed from the room and continued straight past Logan, who was wheeling toward her to see what all the commotion was about. �I�ve got to go to work,� she wailed as she darted for the exit. Jeff waited until the sound of Max�s crying faded away; then he closed his moist eyes and tried to sleep. 

�Damn girl what happened to you?� Original Cindy asked when Max walked into Jam Pony. �Did wheel boy do something?� 

�No! I�m fine, just leave me alone.� Max shot back. 

�Bip, bip, bip, people, I don�t pay you to sit around and do nothing. Mop the floor or something.� Normal, who had just walked up to the gang of four friends, was impassive toward Max�s �condition.� 

�You know what Normal?� Sketchy jumped to his feet, only to be dragged back down again by Herbal. 

�That�s what I thought,� Normal said in his monotone voice, �now that I think of it, there are some packages in the back that need delivering.� 

�Come on Boo, maybe work will get your head off of whatever is bothering you.� The two women got up and filled their backpacks with packages in silence. 

Later in the day, after Max and OC had finished delivering their packages, they parked their bikes and began walking around town. 

�Why you trippin�? You haven�t said nothin� all day.� OC asked. Max�s response was silently bowing her head. �Fine girl, you don�t wanna tell me nothin� I will just go ask wheel boy.� 

�Go away.� Max could barley manage to get the words out. Just as she finished the phrase, OC figured out where they were headed. 

�No way girl. You can�t drink your problems away.� Max ignored her and ducked into Joe�s tavern. 

�I�ll have a beer.� Max shouted to the bartender. The tavern was smoky and run down. The wooden floor was rotting, and the three other people inhabiting the bar were obviously full-fledged Alcoholics. Max Plopped down on a barstool and began nursing her beer. She was so involved with her drink, she didn�t notice that OC had followed her in. 

�Common boo. You don�t need to do this. Let�s blow and go hang with wheel boy for awhile.� Max was impassive. OC couldn�t tell if Max was ignoring her or had honestly not heard her. Finally Original Cindy realized that she couldn�t change Max�s mind, so she turned around and left the tavern, searching for a payphone. 

Max Just sat there. She played a game that involved counting time in terms of bottles. Whenever she drank a bottle, a minuet bottle time had passed. About fifteen minuets bottle time later, Max heard the tavern door open, accompanied by the familiar sound of a wheel chair coming towards her. 

�Original Cindy told me that you were here�� Logan said. �She is really worried about you. I am too.� Max took another swig of her drink. �What do you say that you stop drinking for a second and talk to me?� Max let go of her drink and turned to face him. 

�What, what the fuck do you want Logan? Do you want to tell me that it is ok? That it will all work out? Well fuck you! It is not OK! So what. What the fuck is so important that you had to come down here and bother me?� Logan picked up a box that was resting on his lap and handed it to Max. She opened the box and found it to be a beautifully carved chess set. �This is what is so important? You wanted to play chess?� 

�Yes.� 

�Fine, set it up.� After Logan had lifted himself onto a barstool, he set up the pieces. 

�Max, is there anything I can do?� Logan said, gripping Max�s hand. 

�You don�t really wanna play chess do you?�

�Of course not. All I want to do is make you feel better. I can�t stand to see you this way. What do you say that we go for a walk and get some fresh air? I know a really great seafood place on the pier, and we can go shopping.�

 �Why not? I don�t think I can possibly get drunk anyway. And besides, when else will I get an invitation to go shopping for free?� Logan managed a weak smile and lowered himself back onto his wheelchair. He let go of Max�s hand after giving it a tight squeeze. Then the two left Joe�s Tavern, for good Logan hoped, and began to head toward the Seattle pier. 

by Jerome