“Oddily,” Willa picked her words carefully. “Maxim was a gifted boy. He could do things that were far beyond the average kid his age.
Oddily was baffled. “I knew Maxim was smart, but I didn’t know he was considered a little boy wonder!”
Willa laughed again—or at least Oddily thought she did. Who knew for sure if robots were capable of such a thing. Oddily hoped that it was true because the funny sound made her want to giggle.
“Maxim definitely was a super kid, but there is so much more for you to discover about him.”
“Like what? Tell me something about him that I don’t already know.”
“Okay, Maxim had and still has a certain way about him. I have already told you about him chasing after wild horses; but, he also has an unnatural connection with butterflies. Whenever he took a walk through the meadow, he would periodically stop and hold out his arms until he was covered with butterflies. Being a mischievous boy, he would then whistle loudly and watch the butterflies scatter in the air around him. The same thing would happen in the woods. Maxim would find a rock to sit on, and then wait for critters to sneak up on him until he was completely surrounded by wildlife.”
With Oddily’s vivid imagination, she could clearly see it in her mind except for one thing. “Where were you when all this was happening?”
“Standing nearby…remaining still and noiseless. It was quite an amazing thing to watch.”
“Maxim has already shown me the meadow full of butterflies. At first, I thought it had been full of flowers until Maxim showed me differently.”
“I’m not surprised he did that. The meadow is one of his favorite spots. Would you like to go there now? The meadow has a few more secrets I can show you.”
“Oh yes, I would love to!”
“All right then—I’ll lead the way.”
24
All morning and afternoon, Zaylyn had been keeping an eye on Nero, taking note of his daily routine. His presence on the grounds of Stafford Manor was interfering with her plans, so she needed to work around him. Unfortunately, he was a force to reckon with, but she wasn’t going to let him stand in her way.
She was also angry with herself. Her master plan to scare Maxim into giving her what she wanted in order to save Oddily had failed miserably. How could Oddily have survived teleportation from the shopping center to the cemetery without any real incident? If anything, the subtle changes in Oddily’s breasts, although still small, gave her more of a girly shape. The extra curves made her appear more womanly than childlike. Thankfully, she had executed a backup plan, but even that was coming along slowly.
Jealousy threatened to overwhelm her. Maxim belonged to her and Oddily was…! Zaylyn’s thoughts switched in mid sentence as a new idea emerged. It was a perfect scenario and the timing couldn’t have been better!
With no time to waste, Zaylyn’s body faded and reappeared in another part of the woods. When she had fully materialized, she smirked with satisfaction when she spotted Oddily talking with a strange looking android.
Zaylyn stepped out from the trees and started to walk in their direction. Willa was first to spot her, followed by Oddily.
“There’s no need to run!” Zaylyn called out when she saw Oddily back away and the female android step forward to block her from reaching Oddily. “I come to make peace.”
“Just stay where you are. Oddily can hear you from where she stands.”
Zaylyn obeyed the robot and stopped. The circumstances couldn’t have been more perfect with Oddily hidden within the trees and the android standing out in the open. To an observer, it would appear as though it were just Zaylyn and the machine in the meadow.
Maxim had been on his way to meet up with Nero when he heard Zaylyn’s voice in his head. He stopped in his tracks and listened until she spoke again.
I’m willing to make a deal with you, Maxim. I’ll wait for you in the meadow—the place where you took Oddily to show her the butterflies.
You were there that day?!
Who do you think fetched Nero while your sorry ass hung from the rope bridge?
It was you!
See, you owe me your life, so I want you to come right now or the deal is off!
I don’t know!
Take it or leave it. I’ll give you two minutes, or I’ll be in your life forever.
Maxim didn’t have time to think except call out to his father. Nero, meet me in my favorite meadow. Hurry, I might need your help!
No son, it’s a trick! Nero shouted, but Maxim had already shimmered and faded.
Back at the meadow, Zaylyn was confident that her plan was on track. If what came next didn’t scare Oddily away from Maxim, she didn’t know what would.
“You need to leave us alone, Zaylyn.”
Zaylyn laughed at the pile of nuts and bolts that spoke with artificial intelligence. “There is no ‘us’ in front of me. All I see is Oddily.”
Oddily hurried over to Willa and took the android’s hand in hers. “Come on Willa, let’s go!”
Before Oddily and Willa could turn to leave, Nero’s presence had caught their attention. He came charging out of the woods, his statuesque body heading straight for Oddily; but, his attempt to block Oddily from what she was about to see came too late. Maxim had materialized in plain view.
When Maxim stood up and saw Oddily staring at him in disbelief, his handsome face turned ghostly white.
“Oddily!” Maxim extended his hand to her, but she remained where she stood with her mouth gaping.
Not knowing what to do or say, he took a tentative step towards her, but stopped when she let go of Willa’s hand and took four steps back.
“Hey Oddily, how does it feel to know the truth!”
“Shut up Zaylyn!”
“No Maxim! This deception has gone on long enough. You belong to…!”
Zaylyn could no longer speak. A strong hand came down over her mouth nearly suffocating her. She tried to shimmer and fade from her attacker, but couldn’t. The power emanating from directly behind her was to powerful. It had to be Nero. No one else had the ability to keep her from dematerializing. Lightheadedness was beginning to set in from the lack of oxygen as she struggled to try and remove his hand from over her mouth. Finally, Zaylyn slumped over and Nero grabbed her limp body and carried her back into the woods.
Despite the scuffle between Nero and Zaylyn, Maxim had kept his eyes on Oddily the whole time.
“What…are…you?” she blinked hard.
Maxim hunkered down on one knee in an attempt to look less intimidating. He needed to erase Oddily’s memory of his sudden appearance, but how? She was standing too far away from him.
“It’s me baby!”
“Don’t call me baby!” She backed up a few more steps.
“Please Oddily! You need to hear me out.”
“Why? So you can tell me more lies?”
“It’s not like that!” he disagreed. “I love you. I just want to make you happy.”
“Stop it!” she shouted. “You…you’re not even human!”
“Yes I am!” Maxim jumped to his feet, which was the wrong thing to do. Oddily turned on her heels and bolted into the woods.
Maxim was going to chase after her, but Willa had other plans.
“Step aside Willa!”
Willa grabbed Maxim’s arm with a powerful grip. “Let Oddily collect her thoughts…alone!”
“But I can erase her memory of this whole event!”
“Come on Maxim. You can’t keep this pretense up any longer. Oddily has a right to know the truth about you. If you truly love her, you will let her go and hope that she will find her way back into your arms.”
“Please go after Oddily and make sure she finds her way back home.”
“I will keep her safe.”
A few minutes after Willa had left Maxim, her sensor’s picked up on the sound waves of Maxim’s outcry. His heart was breaking!
Oddily had also heard him, but she kept on running. This strange
and beautiful world around her had now taken on a nightmarish quality. The unusual plant life, the weird creepy insects—everywhere she looked, she could now see that this environment wasn’t normal. Why hadn’t this dawned on her before—and what about Maxim? Was he an alien posing as a human?
Wait a minute! Oddily recalled the conversation she had with Nero earlier that morning. He had said that Maxim was a time traveler! Was there such a thing?
Suddenly, all of the pieces concerning the mystery surrounding Maxim began to fit together. First, there was Nero, a teenager like herself. He didn’t even flinch when she confronted him about being Maxim’s father. She had laughed it off thinking Nero was joking around with her. Then there was Nexa’s response after she called her a time traveler on the way to school. Nexa acted surprised, but didn’t deny it. Furthermore, what about when Nero said that Willa was her mother. Okay, maybe not everything fit the puzzle.
Oddily spotted her crayon green Smart car through the trees and forced her body to run the last few yards. Luckily, the keys had been left in the ignition, so Oddily climbed inside her car and locked herself inside before starting the engine. She wouldn’t even allow herself time to catch her breath as she drove off the property.
After driving down the road a ways, she pulled off to the side and parked because her mind wouldn’t allow her to think about where to go! Her thoughts were too busy playing games with her. On one hand, she wanted to escape inside her dream world where everything was beautiful. On the other hand, she had just begun to love her real life when…! Oddily couldn’t finish the thought.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head on the headrest. The shock of seeing Maxim appear out of thin air, and the numbness that set in afterwards, was beginning to wear off. Soon, her mind began to haunt her by repeatedly picturing the anguished look on Maxim’s face.
Oddily’s eyes popped open when she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. Was it Maxim? No, it was Nexa calling! With a queasy stomach, she threw the phone onto the passenger seat and waited for the vibrating to stop. When it did, she picked the phone back up and speed dialed Paul. She wasn’t sure why she called him, but nevertheless she did.
When Oddily heard Paul’s voice say hello, she remained quiet.
“Is anyone there?” Paul spoke again.
Oddily wanted to say something…anything, but she lost her nerve. What would she say to him? Hi Paul, can you help me? I think Maxim is a time traveler and I am running away from him.
But that would never happen, so Oddily held onto the one comforting thought amongst all the madness. Whatever Maxim was, he wasn’t dangerous!
“Oddily, is that you?” Paul’s voice showed an edge of concern.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Hey, what’s up? Why are you whispering?”
“Umm, I don’t know!”
“Do you want to hang out?”
“Yeah…okay.”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m parked off the side of a road.”
There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that Oddily was having some kind of emotional meltdown. He could hear it in the tone of her voice and her lackluster words. Maybe she had a lovers quarrel with Maxim and needed to be in the company of a friend. There was only one problem with this scenario. He couldn’t imagine Oddily being in an argument with anyone, let alone Maxim.
“Do you know how to get to Bentley Castle?”
“I think so. Isn’t it near Meadow State Park?”
“Yeah, I’ll go ahead and wait for you outside at the entrance. No, wait a minute! You still don’t have a driver’s license do you?”
“No, but I can drive pretty well as long as I don’t have to park near other cars.”
“I don’t know Oddily. I think it would be better if I come and pick you up. Tell me where you’re parked.”
“I don’t know exactly, but I’m on Lake Vista Drive.
“Wow, what are you doing in that neck of the woods? Hardly anyone drives through there!”
“It’s near where I live…lived,” she corrected herself.
“Hang tight and I’ll be there shortly.”
Paul remained on the phone until he heard Oddily hang up. In truth, he was only a few miles from where she said she was parked. Did he dare show up so soon? He doubted that Oddily would notice anything due to her present state of mind, so he took a chance and pressed down on the accelerator. Within five minutes, Paul had spotted Oddily’s little green Smart car.
Oddily sat motionless in the driver’s seat. She didn’t even turn her head when Paul parked his car next to hers and climbed out.
“Hey, roll down your window!” Paul tried to get Oddily’s attention by tapping on the window until she did as he had asked.
“What’s up? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”
Oddily’s large green eyes searched Paul’s face. “I think maybe I did!”
Paul reached inside and unlocked the car door. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re coming with me!”
“No, I can’t!”
Paul was persistent. He opened her car door and offered his hand.
“I’m not leaving my car here.”
Paul glanced up and down the deserted road and had to agree with Oddily. This was no place to leave a vehicle unattended.
“Okay, scoot over. I’ll drive your car to Cambridge Hospital parking lot. The medical facility isn’t far from here and your car will be safe until we return.”
“Return from where? Where are we going?”
“You’ll see!”
Paul drove Oddily’s car to the Cambridge Hospital and had her wait for him until he returned with his car. Had Oddily been in her rightful mind, the promptness of Paul’s return would have raised an eyebrow.
On the road, Paul kept glancing over at Oddily. She didn’t move, nor did she speak. All she did was gaze out the window with a faraway look in her eyes. Something had happened—something horrifying that sent her into a state of shock. All he could do as a friend was hope that Oddily would confide in him.
Pulling up in front of Bentley Castle was the first reaction he got from her since Oddily had climbed into his car.
“This is a real castle!” Her eyes widened in surprise.
Paul smiled. “Do you like it?”
“It’s lovely! It reminds me of the palace in my dreams. Do you really live here?”
“Yes, with my mom and uncle.”
“Wow…you are so lucky!”
Paul shrugged her comment off. “It’s no big deal.”
“Mother’s are a very big deal Paul!”
Paul began to blush. “I though you were referring to the castle.”
“Oh my gosh, I embarrassed you!” Oddily’s face brightened for a moment. “Of course it’s a big deal to live in a castle; but, I would give up all the castles in the world to have a mother.”
“Wow, my mom is really going to like you Oddily.”
“I get to meet her?”
“Seeing how you’re the first girl I’ve ever brought home, you can count on it.”
Tears began to puddle in Oddily’s eyes, but she held back from crying. It appeared as though she was afraid to weep because if she did, she would never be able to stop.
Paul parked in front of the castle and was about to climb out of the car when Oddily touched his arm. He glanced at her hand and, for the first time, noticed the length of Oddily’s fingernails.
A sense of alarm came on so suddenly, Paul lost his composure. Something unnatural was happening to Oddily.
“Are you okay?” It was Oddily’s turn to act concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that you’re touching my arm. Did you want something?”
Oddily quickly withdrew her hand. As much as she wanted to confide in Paul, doing so would be harder than she thought. She shrugged her gesture off as nothing important.
Paul acted like a tour guide as he led Oddily up the steps carved of stone to the huge front doo
r. For a brief moment, the entrance mesmerized her. The wooden door had aged beautifully like fine wine, and an iron grid covered the small window, a peephole built within the door itself. “How old is this place?”
“It was built in the late seventeen hundreds by a count who moved his family here from Paris, France. Are you ready to knock on the door?”
Oddily gave Paul a sideways glance. “You have to knock on your own front door before you enter?”
Paul smiled. “Not me, but I want you to have the ultimate guest experience. I’ll meet you inside where we will be properly introduced!”
With that said, Paul left Oddily alone disappearing behind a hedge of bushes.
Oddily turned back to the giant door. Her heartbeat quickened as she reached for the iron knocker. Bang! Bang! Bang! The sound of iron hitting iron was so loud it could have awakened the dead. Oddily couldn’t believe that she was only moments away from stepping inside a real castle! Would the interior be as magnificent as the castle of her dreams?
While holding her breath, Oddily waited for the door to open. One minute passed…then two minutes. Then a gush of air filled her lungs as the door groaned open and a butler dressed in appropriate black and white attire greeted her.
“You are Oddily, I presume.”
“Yes,” she nodded obediently.
When the butler stepped aside and waved his arm for Oddily to enter, she stepped inside and stopped to gawk at the massive foyer.
“Wait here, please. I will inform Master Paulsen of your arrival.”
Oddily remained where she stood as her eyes traveled to the two-story ceiling where a wrought iron chandelier, at least seven feet in diameter, hung in majestic glory. This was no fairytale castle depicted in a child’s storybook. Bentley castle was more reminiscent of the medieval times because of its stone floor and walls.
The butler returned. “Come this way, please. Master Paulsen will see you now.”
The butler opened one of the doors off the entrance hall and beckoned Oddily to enter. She found Paul standing by the fireplace while a beautiful woman sat in a golden chair fit for a queen. Was Paul from a royal family?
“Master Paulsen. Oddily has just entered the room.”
Paul turned and gave Oddily a formal nod, and then turned to the woman. “Mother, this is Oddily, a friend from school.”
MAXIM: A New Type of Human (Oddily Series #2) Page 13
