MAXIM: A New Type of Human (Oddily Series #2) (2 page)

The stranger from the beam of light hovered over her. Majestic and godlike, his presence was formidable. He had no facial or body hair whatsoever…including the absence of eyebrows. But what freaked her out the most was his skin.

She tried calming herself; but his presence seemed to stir the air around them, charging it with a sense of foreboding. It briefly took her breath away and she couldn’t help but wonder where such a being had come from.

“Why is your skin bluish, and how did you do that?” Starla pointed to the trees where he/they materialized.

“To answer the first question, I’m thin skinned,” his deep, strong voice resonated like the roll of low thunder. “Concerning the other, consciousness converts back into energy, and then the physical body is needed no more. I did the reverse.”

Starla didn’t understand a word he had said, but realized that his confession meant he was totally insane.

“You are hurt.” With one sweeping motion, he hunkered down on one knee and went to touch Starla’s leg, but she squirmed to get away.

“Don’t. Touch. Me!” she said each word with as much authority as she could muster. She tried to draw her leg up to her chest, but her movement caused too much pain. “If you lay one hand on me, I…I will…!”

“You will what?” the stranger with the extraordinary face stared at her curiously. “Never mind, I will help you anyway.”

Starla stared into his deep brown eyes and became transfixed while she mumbled, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Starla realized this would be a good time to avert her eyes, but she couldn’t get over how gorgeous this human was. Even without eyebrows, his large eyes mesmerized her, not to mention his chiseled face and full lips. His features were oddly familiar, but she wasn’t able to make a connection.

The stranger unexpectedly laughed aloud, and Starla wondered if his sudden sense of humor had anything to do with her checking him out. Had she been too obvious? Did he know she thought he was hot? Was he comfortable with her staring at him?

“You have behaved foolishly, venturing into places you do not belong,” he said, all the while studying her eyes and hair with considerable interest. “You are not a natural blonde.”

“At least I have hair,” she snapped back.

“It is unfortunate we have met this way. What brings you here?”

“We…I…someone invited me here. My friend asked if I would follow him home, but I got lost.”

“What does this friend look like?”

“Well, he’s tall, has light blonde hair with sky blue eyes, and he has…”

“…Full lips,” he finished Starla’s commentary.

“Then you know him!”

“Yes. Your description sounds like my son, Maxim.”

Starla laughed despite the pain it caused her leg. “You have the right name, but the guy I’m referring to is a teenager like us.”

“He is my son,” the stranger repeated with a knowing nod of his head.

“Oh my God, you truly are crazy!” her beautiful eyes bulged in their sockets. “You’re going to hurt me, aren’t you!? No, don’t tell me—I don’t want to know.”

“Stop and desist from your incessant chattering!” He spoke with a power previously unknown to her. “You fear harm will come to you, and yet you find me…hot.”

“Oh my God—you are so full of yourself!”

“Your nonsensical jabbering is bothersome; however, you are safe with me,” he assured her. Then he took her by the chin and encouraged her to gaze, once again into his eyes.

Starla defiantly tried to stare him down, but that turned out to be a big mistake. She immediately and completely fell into the depths of this wondrous stranger’s large brown eyes much like an innocent fly captured in a spider’s web. Those hypnotic windows to his soul were drawing her deep into a void until he broke eye contact and cocked his head like a bird to listen. Suddenly, his neck snapped in the direction of a clump of bushes.

“Sshh, we’re not alone!” he warned as he released her chin and stretched his torso to its towering height. He took a position between her and the area of the woods that drew his attention, and acted as though he were protecting a prized possession. On the other hand, maybe his stance was to guard over his prey. Starla shuddered at the last thought.

2

Maxim was unaware of the developing situation a few miles from Stafford Manor. His thoughts were solely on Oddily as he playfully whispered, “Close your eyes because we’re almost there.”

Oddily did as he asked while trying to contain her excitement. After eighteen years, she was finally going to have a real home with a real boyfriend! There would be no more possibility of her falling through the cracks of the child welfare system, or the painful rejection she suffered due to the frequent moving.

“Are we there yet?” she asked him in her childlike way.

“Just up ahead.” Maxim found her eagerness to be contagious, and had to smile; but only for a moment. When he reached the Manor, his sister had parked Oddily’s green Smart car in front of the garage blocking his way to the secret underground roadway.

Maxim glanced over at Oddily, whose eyes remained closed. She believed that he wanted to surprise her; but in truth, he needed to make sure his property gave up no secrets until he was ready to share them.

“May I at least take a peek?”

Oddily’s eyes flew open when she felt Maxim’s lips brush across hers, and she sucked in her breath after she eyed the enormous dilapidated Manor looming before her. It was a ghostly sight with its many turrets and towers—so unloving and foreboding. The place had long since started to take on the appearance of the landscape with overgrown shrubs, ferns, ivy, old dried up vines, and leaves.

Maxim started to laugh at the expression on Oddily’s face. “You’re thinking this is where I live.”

Maxim!
The sound of Nexa’s voice was filled with frustration and unease, and he couldn’t blame her. This was their private world. No outsider had ever been invited to stay with them until now, and she wasn’t happy.

Kip and Starla are here on the property!

What?!
Maxim’s jaw started to twitch.
How can this be when I have been so careful?

Evidently, I wasn’t, and I’m sorry.

Where are they?

The monitor’s show Tinley carrying Kip through the woods. The boy appears to be dead, and Starla is trying to stay afloat in the river but the current is strong. I’m heading in her direction right now.

Maxim flung open the car door and turned to Oddily. “Promise me you will stay here and keep the doors locked until I get back!”

“Sure, but where are you…going?”

Oddily’s mood had turned glum after Maxim jumped out of the car and disappeared into the dark woods. His sudden departure made her uncomfortable, so she tried calming herself by focusing on her new home. She tried to imagine that it had been a nice place at one time despite the air of sadness that saturated it, a place that had been the scene for many lives played out. Then she frowned because it also felt as if ghosts of these lives lingered, which was probably why she heard so many rumors about the place. Could she really contemplate the scary thought of living there with Maxim?

Suddenly, Oddily felt ashamed for her lack of gratitude and made herself focus on something else. She began to stare out the car window at the location where she had last seen Maxim. To her surprise, a girl with black spiky hair, appearing as though she were plucked from the future, stepped out of the woods and was heading right towards her. She came up to the passenger’s door and stared through the window. “Who are you?”

“I’m Oddily,” she gave the girl a shy, questioning look. “Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Maxim’s. Where is he?”

“I’m not sure, but I think he’s kind of busy right now.”

“Get out of the car, and let me take a look at you!”

Oddily leaned away from the door. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t give me attitude.”

“I…I’m not. Maxim should be back in a few minutes.”

“I said, get out!”

“I’m sorry, but Maxim…” Oddily’s voice trailed off when the girl picked up a large rock and lifted it over her head. “If you don’t get out of the car, I’m going to smash in the window.”

“All right…all right!” Oddily jumped out of the car and backed away.

“You are so small!” She made a face as though something stunk. “I was expecting my competition to be much prettier.”

Oddily began to clear her throat nervously. “Listen, I’m not here to compete with you. I…I don’t even know what we would be competing for.”

Without warning, the dark haired girl dropped the stone and began to listen carefully to her surroundings.

Oddily took advantage of the distraction and slid over to the other side of the white Suzuki, not once taking her eyes off of the stranger. She moved with caution towards the Manor, and stepped onto the porch testing each board before putting her weight on it. She eyed the front door hanging off one hinge, and believed she could escape until one of the wooden floor boards squeaked, and the girl’s head snapped in her direction.

Oddily cried out—she couldn’t help herself as she bolted for the barely opened entrance and squeezed inside. The interior was in ruins. Thick vines full of greenery had taken over one side of the interior, growing through the broken windows like large green snakes. Floorboards had rotted through, and colossal roots from the outside trees found their way inside, stretching themselves across the floor.

Oddily became confused, not knowing which way to run, until she spotted a wide spiraling staircase overgrown with plant life. She charged upstairs and ran along an arched hallway full of closed doors, up several more stairs, through another hall, and then another. It was like running through a giant labyrinth of hallways, and she became lost until finally, she gave up and entered one of the rooms.

Oddily bumped into the remains of a chair, and then stumbled over a low table before going to hide in the closet. She left the door ajar while huddling in the corner as she peeked through the opening and stared out the broken windowpane. Through the shards of glass, she could view the trees reaching up to receive the magical warmth of the yellow sun; but despite this beautiful view, she became horrified that the girl would find her.

Suddenly, Oddily sat upright and listened to the sound of the bedroom door opening, and then footsteps from just beyond the closet door. Someone was walking around the room with a slow and steady pace. Was it the girl? Of course, it was. It had to be, but why was she looking for her? Who was she, and what did she want?

Oddily cowered in the corner, cold with real terror. If this girl found her, she was going to die of fright—she knew she was!

But she didn’t want to die—not with Maxim in her life, so she prepared herself to fight back. She drew up her legs and as soon as she caught sight of the girl’s shadow in front of the closet door, she used all of her strength to kick the door open.

The girl staggered backwards giving her just enough time to stand up and bolt from the room.

Oddily noticed the hair on her arms rise while moving quickly down one of the corridors only to find intertwining passageways. She couldn’t remember which way to go, but realized that she wasn’t anywhere near a stairway. She turned in the opposite direction, fearing she would run into the girl again; and when she entered another corridor, she did collide with a tall figure. All she could think of doing was blindly swing her fists.