Somewhere in Japan
I couldn't remember why I was so angry with her. There Aki Tanaka sat in all her beauty. She tucked a strand of long black hair behind her ear as she focused on scribbling down her notes. She always sat in front of me in class, always in front and two seats to the right. Her favoured seat and mine gave me the perfect shot of her pretty features from the side. As I came to think of it, that was probably why I was so angry with her. She was just so pretty, prettier than me. Normally that wouldn't bother me too much, but he was involved.
His name was Yamato Imai.
Yamato was the most handsome boy I had ever seen, I thought. Oh, his short black hair and curtain bangs that shielded his honey brown eyes... why wouldn't he just notice me?
I twirled my pencil around on my desk, watching anxiously as Yamato stared at Aki. She smiled softly as she doodled a little kawaii cat on her pink paged notebook. Yamato's dark eyes seemed to lighten at that, giving her his most loving gaze. I tapped my foot impatiently, desperately trying to block them out and listen to sensei but to no avail. Aki finally looked up from her work, locking eyes with Yamato. They both froze for a moment before two cheesy smiles crept on the both of their faces at the same time. I felt like I was prickly all over. My heart pounded hard in my chest, making the cold sweat against it ripple. I gripped my pencil tightly in my palm but not enough to snap it. No... no, I would've preferred to save my energy to snap Aki's neck instead.
I remembered storming down the halls with my backpack slung over my shoulder. I was glaring daggers into the back of Aki's head as she strutted down the corridor with her three annoying friends. Everyone else was gathering their things from their lockers and heading to the cafeteria for lunch. As the halls cleared, Aki, her three girlfriends and I were the only ones left. I expected them to file into the cafeteria too, but instead they made their way into the bathroom. I glanced at the door of the cafeteria, then the door to the girl's bathroom, then the cafeteria again. I slowly walked past the it, and made my way over to the bathroom.
I had a feeling that I was gonna be skipping lunch today. This was gonna take a while and a lot of my energy.
That was okay. All I probably had in my lunchbox was a sandwich my father made for me this morning. Unlike my Japanese mother, my father was an American. Here in a Japanese high school like this one I went to, it was more than the norm to have a skilfully made obento box or a nice sushi roll for lunch. Anything else, and you were a bit of a loser. You wouldn't believe the looks on other students' faces when I would open my lunchbox and for there to be a sandwich or juice box. God blessed my father's heart, he was trying.
I would often tell him, 'dad, I'm sixteen now. You don't need to pack my lunch. It's fine.' Truth was that I didn't want to have to eat my 'American looking' lunch sitting on the toilet alone.
But anyway, that was a tale for another day. I had more important business to attend to.
I could already here the four girls' girly giggles from outside the bathroom door. I creaked it open with my arm, slipping inside. The girls were at the mirror, applying makeup and gossiping in Japanese. Talking about how much Yamato clearly liked Aki... they turned briefly to look at me. I gave them all a polite smile though my blood was boiling, and I strode over to the sink to wash my hands. The three of the girls stopped doing their makeup and went into seperate bathroom stalls, leaving me alone with Aki.
Perfect.
As Aki began to apply some glittery pink lipgloss, I cleared my throat casually and wiped my hands dry. I dumped my backpack onto the bathroom floor and shoved my hand in, fumbling around until my slim fingers wrapped around a cold handle. Aki didn't bother to acknowledge me, fixing her perfect black hair in the mirror. I gripped the handle of the object I had in my palm hard before pulling it out of my backpack.
A silver knife.
Before Aki could even squeal, my hand clamped hard over her mouth until my nails dug into her cheeks. Her lipgloss smeared all over the palm of my hand but I didn't mind. The girl's brown eyes widened as the knife was plunged deep with her throat. I yanked it out messily and stabbed her over and over. The noise was gut wrenching and putrid and bittersweet and sweet without the bitterness all the same. Thick blood plummeted to the bathroom floor now in thick splotches.
One of the bathroom stalls tore open to reveal a terrified teenage girl. I immediately sped over to the door, blocking it effectively. She screamed at the sight of Aki, drowning in her own blood on the floor.
"Aki!" The girl shrieked.
The other two girls opened their own stalls, screaming bloody murder as well. I gritted my teeth, their screams were gonna attract attention! I grabbed the nearest girl by the hair and crammed my bloody knife deep within her chest. The other two girls screamed and cried and hugged each other close, sliding down the wall. The girl in my grasp was far too weak to fight my strikes, and she was soon thrown roughly to the floor to join Aki in death.
Blood in my hair, blood on my uniform, blood on my hands.
My gaze was fixed on the two teenage girls in the corner of the bathroom, cowering and quivering in each other's arms. I charged at them, knife raised high in the air to strike down upon them.
"No!" One screeched, lifting her hand up in defence.
I thrusted my blade down into the girl that cried out, sinking it home deep within her collarbone. She sobbed like a child, gasping for air. The other girl ripped herself away from her, backing up towards the exit. I stabbed the girl in front of me two more times quickly. I whipped around to grab the other girl's skirt, tugging it roughly and dragging her back towards me.
"Yamato! Help! Help, Yamato!" She yelled as I tore her skirt clean off, leaving her in her lacy panties.
"Don't you dare say his name!" I growled, throwing the tattered skirt to the floor.
I grabbed a fistful of her black hair and readied my knife.
"Stop!" I heard a boy yell.
I whipped my head around to see Yamato Imai himself at the door. I dropped the girl and my knife immediately. The girl screamed as she hit the bloody floor headfirst, the knife clattering down next to her.
"Yamato..." I whispered wide eyed.
Yamato was breathing hard, his chest heaving. His honey brown eyes trailed from Aki's mangled corpse, then to the other two girls that didn't look much better. I could see tears begin to prick his pretty eyes that I loved so much. My heart ached. I made them do that... I fell to my knees and looked up at him. I tried to muster out clear sentences but it came out all jumbled up and stupid.
"Yamato... I—!"
Something sharp plunged deep into my throat, then twisted around. I choked out a pained scream before falling onto my back. I stared up wide eyed at the girl I hadn't killed yet. She glared down at me, my bloody knife in her hand. I clutched my bleeding throat, gagging on hot blood.
"Close the door, Yamato. Help me." The girl ordered coldly.
Yamato did as he was told and they both towered over my dying form. Before I faded away, I heard her talk about 'faking a suicide'.
Ha, good luck with that. You just fucking stabbed me in the throat like I did to your dumb friend Aki here.
As I laid there in the school bathroom with my three victims, I felt the girl drag the blade along my wrist, and then the other. Candy red blood gushed from the veins of both of them. The knife clattered to the floor next to my head. It would've been loud and annoying if I could've heard properly. Before my last seconds, I weakly reached for the knife. In the last moment, an overwhelmingly inhuman power wafted over me. All I could see was Yamato's blurry figure standing over me. In a final fit of anger, I threw the knife at him. I heard him gurgle out a scream as the knife I pegged hit him right in his beautiful face. He slammed against the bathroom door with a loud thud before crumbling to the floor alongside me.
My arm fell weakly and laid along my stomach. I exhaled and then that was it.
Badham Preschool, the Entity's realm
My eyes peeled open tiredly. I was laying on my belly, face first in dirt. I lifted my body up shakily with my skinny arms, coughing and spitting out dirt.
"Ugh..." I groaned out groggily.
I winced slightly at the dull pain coming from both of my wrists. I pulled myself up and sat on my knees on the ground, lifting my arms up to my face. Both of them had been bandaged, blood seeping through and staining the fabric. I stroked them softly, hissing in pain. I then clutched my neck, feeling another bandage wrapped securely around it.
Who...?
I heard a man's dark evil laughter echo from behind me. I jolted up in surprise and was quick to scramble to my feet. My eyes darted about the environment I was in, taking note that it seemed to be an abandoned preschool. Rather American looking instead of a Japanese place... the man laughed again, and I looked around wildly to try and spot him.
My eyes soon set on a man's shadow in the near distance. All I could see in the dark was his black silhouette that was slowly creeping closer towards me. I could see the outline of a brimmed hat on his head and what looked like... claws? On his right hand? My eyes couldn't of been wider and I backed away fearfully.
Is this hell? Have I arrived in hell for what I have done?
"Relax, princess. I ain't here to hurt ya." I could hear the grin in the man's voice as he approached.
"Who are you?" I asked nervously.
"I'm your new friend Freddy." He answered. I furrowed my brow in confusion, tilting my head. Freddy chuckled again with that evil rumble. "Who do you think patched you up?" Freddy smirked.
I looked down at my wrists again, and then touched my neck. Freddy was finally in front of me and out of the shadows. My eyebrows rose in surprise when I noticed that he was severely burnt all over his body. He wore a red and green striped sweater. His 'claws' were in fact a bladed glove upon further inspection. Freddy soon stuck out his scarred hand, the one that didn't have the glove on.
"Freddy. Freddy Krueger." He introduced himself.
I hesitantly took his hand in mine, it felt weird and rough. I shook it slightly before slipping my hand away and back at my side. I told Freddy my own name, fiddling with the bandage on my left wrist.
"Am I dead? Is that was this is?" I asked.
Freddy's small shoulders shook as he wheezed out a laugh.
"You were. But it gave you another chance, and now I am too." He smirked.
"You gotta know that I have no idea what you're talking about." I replied, my words reminding myself of how my father talked sometimes.
Freddy laughed again. "You're not in the real world anymore, princess. You're in my world now, and I welcome you." He spread out his arms, letting me take in the preschool that we were standing outside of.
"Um." I uttered, still not sure whether I was dead or alive.
"You and I are not that different, you know?" Freddy smiled.
I tilted my head, doubtful.
"I'm not too sure." I answered.
Freddy walked past me, I turned and watched him absentmindedly. He lifted his bladed hand, gesturing for me to follow him.
"Come along." He cooed. "It's a long story. I better start showing you around now."
I had nothing to lose. So with a shrug, I flattened my skirt with my hands, and trailed behind this strange little man.
Two weeks later
I sat in a tiny chair at an equally tiny table in an abandoned preschool classroom. I whistled to myself as I coloured in a picture of a cartoon tiger in an old colouring book. I coloured the tiger in with a blue crayon and used a purple one for its stripes. Freddy was off in a trial like he always was. That left me here in Badham alone, wandering the lonely halls of the school. I would often play around with any toys, games or art supplies I could find. After finishing my colouring of the blue and purple cartoon tiger, I tore the page out of the book and held it up to admire my work. I got up from the kid's chair and made my way over to the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. I stuck my picture up on the board with a small smile on my lips.
When I wasn't messing about like this in the preschool, I went off for walks to clear my mind. There were many trees and ghostly streets by the school where I would find myself entangled in. But when I was bored of all this, I had other options too. I could travel to all kinds of realms if I wanted to! Sometimes Freddy and I were forced out of Badham, actually. When other killers had trials here, we would be casted out. Freddy would be thrown in his own cycle of trials while I was off in other vacant realms. Though I had killed people in my past, I wasn't exactly a killer. I wasn't a 'survivor' either. I was in between, I guessed. The 'Entity' must've liked me for my crimes, because it kept me alive (hell, it even brought me back to life).
Knowing that Freddy was probably going to be tied up in trials for a while, I decided to drift off and into another realm. I hadn't been here for very long, so I hadn't seen them all yet. I let the Entity's frosty fog take me to where it wanted to take me. I closed my eyes blissfully and put all my trust in the mysterious spider in sky. When I opened my eyes and when the fog cleared, I found myself in a yellow tinted farm. I began walking, dry dirt crunching under my school shoes. I looked about this farm-like realm, taking note of the rotten cornfield on the left of me. It was quiet and peaceful, the occasional crow cawing on past my head.
As I ventured further and further into the realm, the buzzing rev of a chainsaw in the far distance roused my attention. My ears perked up at the mechanical sound, and my legs wandered straight on. I approached a large barnyard, gasping as I spotted a dead cow hanging by its hind legs. I walked around the big animal, glancing at its mutilated corpse that had be strewn up as if it was some vulgar decoration. I brushed the dust off my uniform, and ventured on.
The rev of the chainsaw was real loud now. As I rounded a corner of the barnyard, I saw him. A tall crooked man stood mere metres away from me with his back turned. His grubby white tank top was torn, showing off his twisted body underneath. He wielded the chainsaw, revving it loudly as he sawed a dead cow in half. I quickly zipped behind the barnyard, peeping my head around to watch him. The man turned around and everything seemed to stop. His eyes glowed a milky white and his face was as twisted as the rest of his body and posture. A very different looking man from what I was used to. An American man, like my dear father.
The burning hot passion and love I felt in my breast then and there was overwhelming. I clutched my heart, clenching the fabric of my uniform. The man let out deep raspy breaths, before trudging off with his chainsaw. I stared in awe as he disappeared into the cornfield, and I was left there dumbfounded.
I couldn't stop thinking about him on my way back to Badham. I didn't go back to the preschool straight away. I visited two or so more empty realms before I came across one that had a killer in it. I found myself in the royal blue realm of the ironworks. By that time I was just passing through, getting to where I needed to. But like I had said before, there was a killer there with me. A man I had never met before, much like that chainsaw wielding one I seemed to be awestruck by. I was nearly at the exit gates, when I spotted him. I gasped and jumped on the spot, looking up at the tall masked man before me.
"Who are you?" The man asked in a gruff voice.
I continued to stare up at him, peering into his eyes from behind his smiling mask. The killer had hooks sticking out of his cracked shoulders and he wore green overalls. I told him my name shyly.
"Evan Macmillan." He introduced himself.
After a few silent moments, Evan lifted a bloody hand and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
"You're beautiful." He expressed.
I blushed and felt myself shrink with embarrassment (he already towered over me).
"I—uh... thank you." I giggled nervously.
Through the toothy hole of his mask of bone, I could see his chapped lips peel back to show a wide smile.
"You're welcome, darling." Evan cooed through his bright smile.
I smiled too. Evan's eyes wandered to the bloody bandages on my neck and wrists.
"What happened to you?" He asked, his deep voice laced with concern.
"Oh... well, before I came here... I was murdered." I explained.
Evan's nonexistent eyebrows rose. "Why?" He muttered.
"I killed three girls. There was a fourth one I was gonna kill, but she got to me first." I said.
Evan looked surprised, and couldn't seem to find his words.
"You killed people?" He stammered.
I nodded my head, "yup. Four, actually. I threw a knife at a boy right after the girl slit my throat." I replied deadpanned.
Evan's eyes widened. It got quiet again as he just stared down at my small form.
"Alright, well!" I began. "I better get going back to my own realm now. Have a good next trial! See you, Evan." I said, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
Evan watched me dumbly as I strutted out of the exit gates of his ironworks, and off into the fog.
I went back to the farm everyday just so I could spy on the chainsaw wielding man. After discussing my little day out with Freddy, he confirmed that the two men I met were indeed Evan the Trapper and... Max the Hillbilly.
Oh, Max...
What I felt for him was stronger than anything I had ever felt. Stronger than what I felt about Yamato Imai. Way stronger. From the moment I saw Max, I knew that he was the one. I would sit at that tiny kid's table in the preschool and just daydream about him, sighing dreamily. Freddy would laugh and playfully poke fun but I didn't care. Max never knew that I was there. I was far too afraid to actually go and talk to him! What if he hated me? Not like... not like what happened with Yamato. No, I wanted to forget about that.
One day, Freddy decided to tag along with me to Coldwind Farm. I begrudgingly allowed him to, begging him to not make a ruckus in front of Max. When we arrived, we both found Max sitting on the rickety porch of his old family home. I hid behind a thick tree, not having any intention of him knowing I was here. Freddy had other plans, walking out in the open, greeting Max cheerfully. I clamped a hand over my mouth in embarrassment, watching helplessly as Freddy walked out to the Hillbilly.
"Hey there, Maxie!"
Max didn't seem to mind the short killer's presence at all, having seen him before in the realm. Freddy chatted away with him as he always did before pointing to the tree I was hiding behind. My eyes widened when the Hillbilly's gaze met mine. I was quick to duck behind the tree and cover my face as it got all hot. Freddy called out my name teasingly, beckoning me over to the porch. I placed a hand on my chest, breathing in and out. I rose to my feet, and confidently strode over to where the two men were by the old house.
"Hi, Max..." I mumbled shyly, fiddling with the bandages on my wrists.
Max didn't reply of course as that wasn't how he was raised. But the man did peer down at my much smaller frame. I told him my name quietly.
"It's nice to meet you." I squeaked.
"She's just been dying to talk to ya." Freddy smirked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
My eyes widened and my face erupted in an array of reds.
"Freddy!" I scolded.
Max looked down at Freddy, and then down at me next to him. I froze in place when his giant hand reached out for me. Freddy slid his arm off my shoulder and backed away for us to have our moment.
Thank you.
Max gently placed his hand on my head, petting my hair. His deep breathing was all I could hear as his fingers tangled through my locks. I stared up at the crooked man in complete loving awe.
"You like my hair?" I joked. Max nodded, stroking it like I was a fragile little kitten. "Thank you, Max." I smiled.
Freddy and I passed through Evan's ironworks on the way back to our own realm. I felt Evan's overwhelming presence in the dark before I actually saw him. I stopped walking with Freddy and turned my head to see Evan towering over me.
"Whoa!" I yipped, jumping back in shock.
"Sorry I frightened you." Evan murmured before saying my name affectionately.
Freddy stopped walking too and crept behind me, observing the two of us.
"That's okay. It's fine." I reassured.
"You're back, darling." The Trapper stated.
I nodded awkwardly. "Yeah, I am. Freddy and I are just passing through." I said, jabbing a thumb behind me to where Freddy stood.
The Trapper glared down at Freddy.
"Why is this man with you?" He growled.
I glanced back at Freddy, who didn't say anything. I looked back at Evan.
"I live in his realm with him. He's probably the only reason I'm alive right now." I answered.
The Trapper was silent for a long time. I had frozen in place, not even Freddy saying something stupid from behind me.
"You should live here, with me. Forever". The Trapper said.
"I..." I stammered. "Thanks, but..." I mulled over my words. "Like I said, he's—!"
"I'm the only reason she's alive, Macmillan. She stays with me." Freddy interrupted.
Evan growled at Freddy, glaring fiery daggers into his cold soul. The killer took a step forward, raising his cleaver.
"Whoa! Um!" I backed away from Evan, standing in front of Freddy. "Guys, let's not do this. How about Freddy and I just go and I'll come back another time?" I offered.
The Trapper gripped his big cleaver until his knuckles turned white under crusted blood.
"No, you stay here. Now." He ordered.
"No—!" I yipped, feeling Freddy grab my skinny wrist and drag me to the exit gate. I winced in pain as his fingers dug into my scarred wrist through the bandage. "Ow! Freddy, my wrist!" I whined.
The Trapper held his cleaver high over his head menacingly.
"Let go of her!" He shouted.
"Freddy, run!" I blurted.
It was my turn to grab Freddy's wrist, us running from the killer to the gates like a pair of survivors. The Trapper roared in anger from behind us as we bolted across the realm. I huffed loudly as Freddy ran by my side. Neither of us said anything until we were safely through the gates and taken back to Badham by the fog.
"Holy shit." I gasped for air, clutching my knees.
"What the fuck is his problem?" Freddy asked.
"I have no idea." I huffed.
It got a little easier to talk to Max every time I visited him. Sometimes he was unaware that I was there, as I would just sit and watch him. I was head over heels for this man and I didn't even fully understand why. My delusional love for Max made everything else in my past a dull blur. I couldn't even remember what Yamato Imai looked like anymore.
I'd avoid the ironworks as much as I possibly could. I hadn't been there since my second and last encounter with the Trapper. I just steered clear. If I wasn't at ColdWind, I was back at home at Badham. Simple as that.
Alas, tonight wasn't the case.
"Crap..." I whispered to myself.
I found myself in the blue ironworks this crisp cold night. I just came from a nice little chat with Max. I had approached him shyly after watching him for awhile. I just talked about what I was up to with Freddy and a little bit about my life before all of this. Of course Max couldn't converse back but I knew he understood me. He was a good listener.
Usually now I could travel back to Badham with little to no issue. Yet here I was passing through the Trapper's realm. It was quiet and seemed like nobody was here. But the Trapper wasn't a man of many words, and could've been anywhere here in the dark realm. I traveled through quietly, clinging to brick walls and trees in an attempt to remain unseen. I crept through long grass, crouching down a little to hide my small figure.
I wasn't watching where I was going. Not a day went by where I didn't regret not watching where I was going.
SNAP!
The cool jaws of a bear trap clamped shut on my skinny ankle. The rusty teeth ground painfully against bone. I wailed loudly in pain, falling on my butt and clutching my ankle. Hot tears bubbled from my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. I grabbed hold of the bear trap and desperately tried to pull the teeth off my leg. Every time I tried to get it off, it dug deeper into my flesh and hurt more. I screamed again, pressing my forehead to my knee and bawling.
From behind me, I heard the Trapper call my name.
My heart pounded hard against my chest as I slowly turned my head back to him. The Trapper's shadow completely engulfed my form in an infinite darkness.
"Evan... help me, please." I sobbed.
Without another word, the Trapper ripped his bear trap off my ankle. I shrieked in pain and clenched onto my wounded leg. The killer threw me over his shoulder and trudged towards his shack.
"Evan? Hey! What are you doing? Let me go!" I struggled in his death grip.
"I tried to make you stay. Now I have to force you to stay." The Trapper said darkly.
All I could feel was the burning agony of my wound as we entered the old shack. Then there was nothing at all.
Two months later
I didn't go to Coldwind Farm anymore. I didn't leave Badham at all for that matter. The only person I interacted with was Freddy when he was here.
There was an abandoned ambulance outside the preschool. Most days I was in it, laying on the bed, not at all moving. Freddy gave me more bandages now, not just for my wrists and neck. I had one wrapped snug on my ankle still, and one wrapped around my torso.
Why on my torso? Because I died for a second time that terrible night.
After the Trapper was through with hurting me, he stabbed me over and over with his cleaver. I tried not to think about that night but it was all I ever thought about. So there I laid in the back of an ambulance, weak and in pain. I was getting really sick too. Usually when I woke up, I would throw up and completely empty my stomach. It would happen a lot and I was pretty sure I knew the reason why but I was absolutely terrified of the thought of me being right about it.
I rolled over with a grumble and laid on my side, my eyes fluttered shut.
Freddy of course knew about what happened between the Trapper and I. We didn't ever go back there. Freddy would observe me, watch me mope about in the bed of an ambulance. Tonight he sat across from me, where the paramedic would've sat. I sat crossed legged on the bed, looking at him with vacant eyes.
"Max misses you," was all that came from Freddy's mouth.
My eyes softened, and so did my stiff posture. "You think so?" I said barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, let's go." Freddy said, standing up from his seat. I watched hesitantly as he opened the ambulance doors up wide. "Come on." He urged. "You need to get outta here. You're fucking depressing." He added.
I thought about his words for a few moments, my gaze trained on my lap. Finally, I looked up with a small smirk. I threw my legs over the bed and stood importantly.
"You're right. Let's go." I declared.
Max seemed to drop everything when he saw me. Freddy left pretty quickly, leaving us two alone.
"Hi, Max." I uttered.
Max stood on the the porch of his house again, and I was a fair few metres away. But he was off the porch and sprinting over to me in a few fast moments or less. The killer wrapped his muscular arms tight around my slim body and pulled me up into a bearhug.
"Oh! Max!" I giggled for the first time in a while.
The Hillbilly spun me around in his embrace. He soon held me bridal style, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Did you miss me?" I asked. Max nodded his head. "I missed you too. I'm so sorry it's been so long." I apologised glumly. He rested his forehead against mine, his deep breath rattled against my body. "Something... happened. It really hurt me." I whispered.
Max walked back over to the porch, sitting down on it and gently perching me next to him. I looked up at him before leaning my head on his shoulder. I didn't know how long I was there with the Hillbilly that night. I talked for a long time. For a long time I gave him details about my past life too. I wished he could tell me all about his too.
Oh, Max... sweet Max...
So often would he sit me in his lap and play with my hair. He would hug me and pick me up bridal style randomly. Though he never spoke, he still always made me laugh. I smiled against his chest as I sat in his lap.
"Max... I think I've got a problem." I expressed. I clutched my stomach, feeling a little ill. Max looked down at me, concern in his glowing eyes. "I think..." I stammered.
I had never said it yet. I hardly even let myself think it, but...
"I think I might be pregnant." I whispered tearfully, hiding my face in his tank top.
Max didn't make any noises, he just kept his arms nice and protective around me. I glanced up at him, him peering down at me as well. I leaned up and gently placed a small kiss to his cheek.
"What am I gonna do?" I fretted.
I looked back down again when I felt his rough hand engulf my smaller one. His fingers laced with mine and he gave my hand a small squeeze. It was like he was telling me that it was all going to be okay. Tears fell down my face now. I gazed into Max's eyes, and then cuddled against him.
"Thank you."