MAXIM: A New Type of Human (Oddily Series #2) (26 page)

Still feeling drowsy, she stumbled into the bathroom, but froze when she saw an unfamiliar image in the mirror staring back at her. She lifted her hand and stared at the long fingernails protruding over the ends of her fingers. And her hair! Oddily pulled out a strand of hair and figured that it had grown at least a half foot longer than before she had gone to bed. Then she glanced at her body and without thought, grabbed her chest. Her boobs had grown because they were filling out the palm of her hands!

Oddily’s eyes began to puddle with tears and, before she could think, she ran back into the bedroom and grabbed her cell phone to call Maxim. Her altered reflection in the mirror was either a freak of nature, or she was dreaming! Either way, she was scared enough to turn to Maxim for help.

28

After several hours of pacing in front of Cambridge Hospital, Maxim became weary and found a place to sit where he could still keep an eye on Oddily’s car. Even when the moon came out and the parking lot emptied, he refused to leave until he knew she was okay.

While waiting, he dialed Nexa again but she still wouldn’t answer her phone. After numerous tries to contact her earlier in the evening, it had become obvious that his sister was avoiding his calls. Strangely enough, Maxim’s anger with the situation became a welcomed distraction from his heartbreak over Oddily. So, when his phone finally did ring, the first thing that popped out of his mouth was, “Damn it, sis! Why didn’t you call me back?”

“It’s me,” Oddily barely spoke above a whisper.

After hearing the sound of her sweet voice, Maxim jumped to his feet. “Oddily, are you all right?”

“No!”

Maxim felt his throat tighten. “I can only imagine what you must be thinking, but give me a chance to explain!”

“Then try and explain what’s happening to me!” She let out a sob. “I look different and I’m petrified by what I see. Have I lost my mind? No, don’t answer me. Calling you was a stupid idea and I’m sorry. I’ve got to go!”

“No, wait!” Maxim tried to stay composed. “No matter what you do, don’t hang up on me!”

“Okay.”

“Let me come to where you are so I can help you.”

“I…don’t know. I want you to, but at the same time I’m scared to see you!”

When there was no sound on the other end, Oddily pressed the phone closer to her ear and could hear a faint sound. “Maxim, are you crying?”

Maxim cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure. “No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Forget about me,” he grumbled. “I’m concerned about you. Tell me where to find you and I’ll be there.”

When Maxim heard Oddily hesitate, he added, “I won’t even come near you if that will put you at ease.

“All right, I guess so. You can meet me out in front of Bentley Castle. Wait for me out on the street.”

Maxim was stunned. “Are you going to show up and meet me or are you already there?”

“I’m already here. I was going to spend the night in one of the towers until…well, you’ll see. I’ll watch for you from the window until you arrive.”

“Baby, I love you. Never let that go.” Sadly, Oddily didn’t hear him because she had already ended the call.

It didn’t take long for Oddily to spot her little green Smart car when it had pulled up and parked by the side of the road. Maxim’s tall lean body climbed out and stared up at the towers while running his hand through his hair. His actions indicated that he was as nervous as she was at the notion of seeing each other again. Then there was the idea of sneaking down the stairwell and roaming through a darkened castle. She wouldn’t wish such a spooky adventure on anybody.

And what about Paul and his family? She hated to leave them without saying goodbye, but she couldn’t allow herself to be seen either. It would raise too many eyebrows! How could she explain something she didn’t understand herself? No. She needed to slip out unnoticed.

Finding her way to the front door of the castle was harder than Oddily thought. Descending the stairwell was easy enough, but wandering through the rest of the place was another story. Her tomblike surroundings and the cold chill in the air caused Oddily to shudder while she tried to find her way outside. Then her worst fear came true, so she pulled out her cell phone to dial Maxim.

“What’s going on in there?” Maxim kept his voice composed while receiving her call.

“I’m lost! The castle is so dark and endless, I…I…!”

“Okay, stay calm and listen to me. You need to search for a window. When you find one, it will indicate that you have found the outer wall of the castle. By following the perimeter of that same wall, you should be able to find your way out of there.”

“Will you stay on the phone with me while I search?”

“I’m not going anywhere!”

“Okay, well…right now I’m staring down two hallways, and I don’t know which way to go.”

“That’s not a problem,” Maxim assured her. “Just stay to your left.”

Oddily continued to make left turns until she same across a room with a sliver of moonlight glimmering through a crack in the curtains.

“I found a window!” Oddily let out an audible sigh of relief.

“That’s my girl. Now see if the window can be opened.”

“Oh no! There are bars in front of it!”

“Don’t worry about it. Go ahead and follow the wall like I explained earlier.”

While using her fingertips, Oddily followed the curves of the wall through many rooms until her hand brushed against solid wood. Did she find a doorway outside, or was it a door to another room? Fortunately for Oddily, it led her out of the castle, and she ran across the well-manicured front lawn to the main street. When Maxim came into view, she stopped and swallowed, trying to move the lump farther down her throat. It didn’t work.

Maxim held out his hand. “Please don’t fear me.” His voice, though quiet as a breath, was fierce with determination after he had seen her.

Oddily stared at his extended hand for a long moment, and then, slowly walked over and put her hand on his palm, barely touching it. “Thank you for staying on the phone with me.”

“I’m worried about you Oddily! You must let me take you home. Nero will know what to do. He always does.”

Oddily took three quick deep breaths to steady her nerves at the thought of getting in the car with Maxim. Her heart began to pound so loudly she could hardly hear his voice when he spoke again.

“I swear on my life that I’m a human being and I’ll explain what you saw in the meadow as soon as I know you’re all right.”

“How can you be human when you can appear out of thin air?”

“It’s complicated; but basically, consciousness is able to convert into energy and vice versa. Even the scientists of today are coming close to these findings.”

Maxim stopped speaking when he saw Oddily begin to rub her head with her free hand.

“What is going on with you?”

“It’s my scalp. It’s starting to tingle.”

Maxim squinted at her in the dark and realized that Oddily’s hair had grown considerably in the last several minutes. The length went from her shoulders to just above her breasts. Oddily noticed her lengthened hair as well and ran into his arms, but the tender moment wasn’t to be. Without warning, Maxim and Oddily were surrounded by men in dark uniforms with flashlights shinning in their faces.

Maxim held Oddily in a protective manner and whispered, “You must have triggered one of the alarm systems when you left the castle.”

“Sir, you must step away from the girl.” One of the security guards spoke as two other guards closed in on them from behind.

“It’s entirely my fault!” Oddily wiggled free from Maxim’s grip and stepped forward. “I’m a guest at Bentley Castle and when I asked Maxim to meet me outside, I didn’t know I would set off any alarms.”

“I’m assuming that the male with you is Maxim.”

“Yes, I am.” Maxim spoke for himself.

The guard in charge made a call, and a few minutes later, Paul showed up and stared at Oddily for a long time.

“Mr. Bentley, this girl claims to be a guest of yours.”

“Yeah, she’s right.”

Oddily was hoping for a friendly smile, anything to show that Paul wasn’t mad at her for sneaking out on him, but he showed no emotion whatsoever.

After the guard and the security team left, Paul told Maxim and Oddily to remain where they stood and turned to head back to the castle.

“Wait!” Oddily ran after him. Paul stopped and waited for her to catch up.

“Please Paul! I can’t stand the thought of what you must think of me.” Her sweet voice pleaded with him. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you as a friend.”

“Is everything all right?” Maxim stepped up to Paul and Oddily.

“Are you blind?” Paul lashed out at Maxim. “Take a look at your girlfriend!”

“I’m going to get her help.” Maxim’s eyes didn’t waver from Paul’s.

“Then I’m going with you.”

Maxim didn’t like Paul’s boldness and took Oddily by the hand. “Come on, we need to go…now!”

Paul stepped in the way. “Sorry Maxim. I can’t let you do that. My interest in Oddily’s welfare is not what you think, so stop acting jealous.”

Without warning, Oddily wrapped her arms around Maxim’s waist and gazed up into his handsome face distorted with emotion. “Please, I’m scared Maxim. Let Paul help me in any way he can.”

Maxim stared at Paul for a long moment while considering Oddily’s plea. “All right! For Oddily’s sake, you can tag along.”

“Great! I see that you drove Oddily’s car here?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, let me tell my mom and uncle that everything is all right, and then I’ll get my Hummer. We can get to your destination a lot faster!”

While Maxim waited for Paul to return, he lifted Oddily’s chin and kissed her with such love and passion, Oddily’s body became like a limp noodle in his arms.

“Please don’t walk out of my life,” Maxim’s voice choked with emotion. “I want us to be together again.”

Tears began to flow down Oddily’s cheeks. “Can it be forever?”

Maxim could hardly contain the joy that filled his heart when he realized that Oddily still loved him despite what he was.

“Do you know that right now, because of you, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world?”

Oddily smiled and leaned her head on Maxim’s chest. How could she resist him when he desired her so much? No, she was the lucky one.

Paul pulled up in his bright yellow vehicle and unlocked the doors.

Maxim and Oddily climbed in to the backseat and then Paul pulled out onto the main road. Maxim glanced over at Oddily and saw her staring at him with a dreamy faraway look in her eyes. He could have easily read her thoughts, but he chose not to. Instead, he whispered, “What are you thinking about?”

“It’s Nexa!” Oddily’s crooked grin appeared out of nowhere. “I can’t wait to see her face when she sees the three of us together again.”