"Is today Mother's Day?" Jake asked holding a dolphin statue. He and Sam were both wearing aprons as the four of us (Felix was still reading that stupid book) cleaned around Phoebe's shop.
"Yeah, that's right. Every Mother's Day, me and my brothers always promise my Mum we won't fight for the whole day." Sam mentioned swiping a dust glove along the glass shelf.
"In our world, me and Mum would be getting ready for the game right now." Jake stated in a daze staring at a dolphin statue.
"My Dad always tells me and my brother to make a card, and then my brother gives my Mum the card, and she cries." Felix says monotonously.
"My dad and I have an unspoken rule of avoiding each other on Mother's day. Its kind of literally unspoken that way. Charlie told me it's cause I look like mum and it makes Dad even more sad." I scoffed and lowered my voice muttering to myself. "I'm a walking reminder of his wife that's dead because of me." I trailed off biting my lip dropping a couple of books that I was organizing on the floor. Phoebe glared in my direction. "Sorry Phoebe." I call out crouching down to pick up the books.
"Stop distracting me. This is our only protection against the demon, and it's broken." Felix said holding urgently holding up the talisman.
"Yeah, thanks Sam." Jake said sarcastically.
"I was possessed!" Sam cried out in defense.
"I think brainwashed is a more accurate term." I correct Sam putting the last book back and moving by the front door to straighten the figurines.
"Did you find Alice's spell? She's your best chance to defeat the demon." Alice said in a slight mocking tone.
"Is she that powerful?" Andy stopped sweeping to ask in a tone of disbelief.
"Yep. I don't know what's taking you so long, Felix." Phoebe continued, I stopped paying attention when an apron is thrown in the box under the table I was working at. Jake stood beside the table quickly putting his flannel on and picking up a small gift bag.
"You leaving?" I ask quietly fiddling with an owl statue. He nods and fixes his hood. "Be careful." I remind him not looking at him.
"I'm sorry about your dad Max." Jake mutters, I freeze not exactly expecting him to respond. He doesn't wait for me to either as the wind chimes over the door ring out as Jake leaves the shop.
"Hey Jake, where did you put the brush and pan thing?" Andy asks not realizing Jake had left.
"Oh, great." Felix said sarcastically.
"Weren't we all supposed to stick together?" Sam asks bewildered.
"Whats the point? That stupid talisman can't protect us." I say slightly bitter. I hate Mother's day.
"I was possessed, alright?" Sam told me tiredly,
"Guys, the demon could be back at any time." Felix reminded us.
"And Jake's on his own." Andy said. I put the owl down and went into the back. I threw my flannel on the bottom bunk and grabbed my bag, it only has my notebook, a pen, my ear-buds, phone and my empty inhaler now. I misplaced my copy of Harry Potter after I had finished it. But that's besides the point. I put my bag over my shoulder and walked back out into the shop.
"Let's go find Jake." Felix said nodding to us.
////////////
"What are we gonna do if the demon comes back?" Sam asked as the four of us walked down an alleyway. "We barely escaped last time when it was my girlfriend, and she's a pacifist."
"Even though she was smaller, Demon Mia was stronger and faster than Demon Roland." Andy concluded from beside me.
"Demons will make whoever they possess have supernatural strength." I pointed out while rubbing my neck.
"That's right Max. How did you know that?" Felix asked impressed.
"I watched a few seasons of Supernatural." I told him honestly. "To be perfectly honest that was more so a guess than a statement."
"Well, The demon is definitely evolving." Andy stated.
"You never have good news, do you?" Sam says to Andy.
"Well, the good news is every time we defeat it, the demon takes a while to get its strength back." Felix continues.
"And How long is a while?" Sam questions worriedly.
"Not very long." Felix decided.
"I wonder how it will change next?" Andy wondered, I shook my head.
"I don't wanna know." Felix and I said in unison. Sam spins around and puts his hands out weirdly as he grinned. "Breakdancing." Sam suggested. We all chuckled.
"Where would Jake go?" Sam asks clueless.
"His Mums place obviously. It's Mothers day." I sassed.
"Anyone know where Bates lives?" Andy asks as we all stop walking. The cheering of a crowd draws our attention over to the finish line of the Bremin annual Mother's Day Fun Run. Which is a race type marathon thing that happens every year.
"Mum. Oh, man. This really sucks." Sam says moving slightly it see his Mum get congratulated by her family in this universe. I squeezed his shoulder in a poor effort to comfort him. The four of us watched as Sam's mum went and hugged Felix's mum whilst Andy's mum handed out sausages.
"Oh man, my Mum makes the best sausages." Sam told us in a daze.
"Not as good as my Mum." Andy argued, I took my hand off of Sam's shoulder and sat down on the rocks next to us.
"My Mum's are awful. But I eat them anyway." Felix told us.
"Does anyone have any money?" Andy asked. Sam felt around his pockets. "Oh, yeah. I've got some left over from skate busking." He handed out the change but froze when he turned to me and stared at his hand. "I don't have enough for all of us." I smiled softly and grabbed his arm lightly.
"It's alright I'm not hungry. Go see your mum." I reassured him. Truthfully I was really hungry but I could tell Sam wanted to talk to his mum.
"Are you sure Max?" Andy asks skeptically. I nod.
"Yeah go ahead I'll just wait here." I tell them waving my hand in the direction of their Mother's as I spread my legs out in front of me. They nodded and stood in line.
"Hello Max," I jumped slightly and looked up to my right and found my mum and dad with their arms looped through the others.
"Oh, Hi Rose. How are you doing?" I ask politely after clearing my throat and pulling my legs up so they're not in the way and my arms wrapped around my knees.
"I'm alright hun," she smiles widely a wave of guilt washes over me. "Oh this Tom, my husband. Tom this is that nice young girl who helped me at the store that I was telling you about while someone screened my calls." She finishes glaring slightly behind her at Charlie who I had just noticed was standing there playing on his phone. Charlie ignored her.
"Well Max thank you for helping out." I nodded and smiled. "It was really no big deal." He smiles widely.
"Honey, why don't you and Charlie go and get some food." My mum tells my dad as if she's hinting at something. He nods and him and Charlie walk away. Rose stays with me and fixes the light blue dress she's wearing before sitting down on the rock next to me.
"Is everything alright Max?" She asks in a concerned tone.
"Yeah, I'm just not a big Mothers day fan." I say vaguely. "Mine died 5, years ago."
"Oh Max, I'm so sorry to hear that."
"If you had a daughter and you died picking her up from something. Would you-would you blame her? Cause I blame me." I say my voice growing shaky as my hands vibrate. A single tear slips out causing me wipe it quickly. Mum put her arm around my shoulder and brought me closer to her resting my head on her shoulder. Another tear slips out.
"No mother would ever blame you for something like that okay? I promise. If I had a daughter and something happened to me like that the Last thing I'd want is for her to think that I blamed her. Nobody should blame you Max, especially you. That's a slippery slope." She told me while rubbing my arm. I blinked rapidly to avoid any more tears. "Whoa." Rose said as she sat up properly.
"Are you okay?" I ask quickly through a sniffle as she leans over.
"Someone Call an ambulance!" I stood up quickly noticing that something was happening to Felix, Andy and Sam's mums. I put my hands on my mums shoulders to steady her but weird dark purple lines sprouted along her veins in a rashy way. My hands shot away from her allowing her to fall over.
"Oh my god." I muttered to myself while crouching down next to her. "Help! Somebody help!" My dad and Charlie as well as someone wearing a yellow Medical shirt rushed over. Sam, Felix and Andy all came up behind me.
"What happened? What did you do?" My dad-Tom rushed as he crouched down taking my place at my mums side. She had her eyes open but looked severely dazed.
"She didn't do anything!" Sam told him defensively.
"I-I don't know what happened she-she said she was dizzy and she just fell over." I stutter out worried. I stood up and moved completely out of the way.
"Max it's a Demon attack." Felix told me seriously.
/////////////////
"Phoebe!" Andy, Felix and Sam all called out as we ran into the shop.
"Something's happening to our Mums. They're really sick." Andy explains quickly, I bent over my knees to catch my breath Sam whose beside me pats my back lightly through my coughs.
"First the bees, then the dogs. Now the demon's attacking our mums." Felix states.
"On Mother's Day! It's pure evil." Sam cries out as I straightened myself.
"OK, boys. Let's hit the books." Phoebe said.
"I feel like you were trying to be a badass but there is no way you can 'Hit The Books' sound badass." I point out as we walk to the back. Phoebe turns and glares. "You called me a boy again don't expect my nice side." I point out before grabbing a stack of books and going through the titles and taking out important ones.
"They all had rashes on their arms, like they were fighting something toxic." Andy said as he sat down across from me at the table where Sam, Felix and Phoebe all sat.
"There's nothing in here about the demon attacking blood kin." Felix says as he hurriedly flipped through pages. I copied his actions.
"Did the rash have a spiral pattern?" Phoebe wondered. I shook my head.
"Definitely not." Andy said definitely.
"Then it may not be the restoring demon." Phoebe concluded.
"You're right." Felix said as he grabbed another book off the shelf and came back. "What other demon could it be? Is there a banishment spell in here?"
"What if it's not a demon?" Andy questioned.
"What else would it be?" Felix asked.
"This has been happening since we first came here. Every time we're around our Mums." Andy continued. I nodded along as I continued to read about demons.
"My Mum started sneezing when she saw me." Felix realized.
"Yeah, my Mum's had that rash before." Sam put in.
"It's like they're allergic." I point out not looking up from the book.
"Magic hay-fever? Bummer." Sam decides.
"So, what do we do?" Felix asked Phoebe.
"Magic antihistamine." She suggested.
"Of course! If our mothers are allergic to us, it's because we shouldn't be here." Andy began.
"So we're like foreign bodies to them" I said continuing for him as I look up from the book earning a surprised look from Sam and Felix.
"Exactly but what if we could connect to them with magic, so we don't seem foreign anymore?" Andy suggests.
"Like magical inoculation." Felix said catching on. "Genius. We need a spell."
"Don't we need the talisman to work?" Andy asked.
"Not necessarily. I mean, if we can find another object with magical properties." Felix said searching through the books. "This isn't right. But if we can add a bit from here, we might have something." Felix said opening up his diary.
"Is that what I think it is?" Phoebe asked looking in the book. "No, it's just my diary... thing."
"Why has it got magic spells in it?" Andy asked, my eyes narrowed.
"I write everything down. We're wasting time. Is anyone interested in putting this spell together?" Felix rushed.
"What ingredients do you need?" Phoebe asked before Jake ran in looking pale.
"Guys, I need your help."
//////////////
"This is a healing spell combined with a protection spell." Felix explained slamming his book on the table. Jake and I were sharing a chair now but my gaze remained on the book in the centre of the table.
"Will that work?" Andy asked in disbelief.
"If we activate it with powerful ingredients." Felix nodded.
"Like us?" Andy said immediately. Felix scrunched his face.
"No, this time we need more. It's about us and our mothers. So we have to find objects that belong to them, but we also have to connect to them, like forging a link." I fiddled with my compass.
"Things that exist in both worlds?" I ask still staring at the book.
"Exactly." Felix nods.
"My Mum's got a completely different life here. She doesn't even live in the same house." Jake says.
"There must be something she still has." Phoebe suggests from beside me. Jake bites his lip, while he thinks before he looks at me briefly. He eyes furrow for a moment and he points to my neck causing my hand to move from my compass to the shorter necklace I wear.
"Dolphins. Even when she was a little kid. I bet she still collects them." Jake says sounding slightly excited.
"We don't have time to do this together. We have to split up." Andy says.
"If you save our mums, dude, forget everything I said about you. About being a freak. You're cool." Sam tells Felix whilst standing up.
"Let's meet up at the hospital. We have to be nearby for the spell to work." Felix finished. The rest of us stood up.
"Let's do it." Jake said putting his hand in the middle. The other boys follow. My eyebrow raised. When they all looked at me expectantly, I roll my eyes along with Phoebe as we both put or hands on top.
//////////////
It was easier to get into the house this time seeing as how Zero likes me again. He let me right in.
"My Mum always said I look just like my grandfather." Andy told Sam and I as we waited. He held a picture of his grandfather in his hands.
"Yeah, in about 60 years that'll be you." Sam comments, the three of us chuckle.
"What'd you get?" Felix asked Sam and I as he ran up to us.
"I got my Mum's favourite book, I got her favourite CD, the paintbrush she uses, a pair of running shoes 'cause she likes running, and an egg timer." Sam named off whilst digging through the bag he was carrying. My eyes narrowed when he said an Egg timer.
"Why?" I ask him raising my eyebrows.
"I don't know, I got confused." The way Sam said it reminded me of a wounded puppy.
"Well, you better pick one. We have to prepare the spell and we're running out of time." Felix told us sternly. Sarah was wheeled pass on a gurney.
"What about Jake? Where is he?" I asked realizing Jake hadn't met up with us yet.
"I don't know." Felix told me honestly.
"But we need him or the spell won't work." Andy said worry filling his voice.
"Call Phoebe get her to find Jake on her way here." I tell Felix who instantly fishes his phone out of his pocket. I scratched my head as I fiddled with the small thing in my hand. I rolled it along my fingers and bounced on my heels as we waited.
"Jake, where are you?" Felix asked quietly as we waited inside the hospital. I'm not entirely sure how nobody has kicked us out yet but I'm not complaining.
"Let's go back to the room and get everything ready." I tell Felix as I squeeze his shoulder. The two of us rush to the room next door to our Mums and shut the door behind us. Andy and Sam are both inside waiting for us. I wait by the door and hear the doctor saying. "I've never seen anything like it before. It's like their immune systems have gone berserk." I rung my hands on my neck and held them in place.
"It is us. We've done this." Felix says as he sits down and takes out his diary.
"Where's Jake?" Sam asks as if Felix would know the answer.
"Maybe there's another spell." Felix offers.
"We don't have time to start again." Andy says as he begins to pace. Only for Jake and Phoebe to walk in and interrupt.
"What took you so long?" Sam asks.
"I got it." Jake says for a answer holding up a small pin with a wide grin.
/////////////
"Let's not get interrupted. This tablet belonged to my sister, Alice. I've never actually used it." Phoebe said pulling out a metal plate with a star on the centre and placing it on the table. I stood between Jake and Sam clutching on to the small piece of metal in my hand tightly.
"That's good." Jake said gaining our attention, "I mean, now we all have something here from our families, so maybe it'll make the spell stronger." He explained shyly, I put my hand on his arm and rubbed it quickly before letting my arm drop.
"Let's hope so." Phoebe said kindly.
"Wow, are you being nice?" Jake said with surprise and sarcasm laced into his voice.
"It'll wear off." Phoebe said in defense before she put her bag down and switched places with Felix.
"What happens now?" Andy asked Felix.
"We all say why each thing is special." Felix says causing my eyes to widen and to feel like my throat closed up.
"Is that even a proper spell?" Sam challenged.
"Yes." Felix said definitely.
"Who wants to go first?" Jake asked, my head lowered instinctively.
"My grandad died a long time ago, and this is the only photo Mum has of him. When I was a boy, Mum used to tell me about his adventures. He was like a Chinese Bear Grylls." Andy said placing the black and white photo on the edge of the table.
"This is my Mum's favourite paintbrush. I thought about when I see her and she's most happy. Most of the time it's when she's painting. She gets this look on her face like nothing can ever touch her." Sam explains placing a small paint brush next to the photograph.
"My Mum's crazy about gardening and this is her favourite tool. She calls it Sir Weed Killer. Especially after Oscar had his accident, the only time she seemed happy was when she was in the garden." Felix said beginning to choke up as he placed a small trident like gardening tool on the plate.
"I guess my Mum doesn't like dolphins so much in this world." Jake begins. "But I found this instead. My Mum got this brooch from my Dad on their first date. They went to a footy match and the Bandicoots won. My Dad's an idiot in our world, and this is the only piece of evidence I have to show that they ever cared for each other." Jake set the small pin that had a bandicoot's logo on it onto the tablet.
"My parents were young when they had my brother, and didn't get married until after he was born and they could afford it. But mum was always really clumsy and she lost things easily." I cleared my throat but my voice is still shaky as I held up the small ring with a sapphire stone. "So they got disposable wedding rings. This was the ring she wore on her wedding day. And she wears a little cheaper one around her neck on a chain and Dad has one attached to his keys so they can still say they wear them." I put the ring on the plate as a fear slips out a my eye.
"OK, everybody hold hands." Felix says, Jake and Sam both take ahold of my hands entwining out fingers and we hold each other's tightly. "Earth, Water, Energy, Air, Fire. Upon this tablet, I invoke Thee. Your strength, Your power to heal. While this tablet remains at hand, our mothers shall be safe throughout this land." Felix says before falling back. We all crowd around him.
"Felix!" Sam says worried.
"Felix!" Jake cries as he tried to catch Felix.
"He's fainting." Andy exclaims.
"Felix hey." I say quietly tapping his cheek as he opens his eyes again. He stands up and leaves the room causing the rest of us to follow.
When we can see inside the room all of our Mums are waking up seeming perfectly fine. The boys all let out sighs of relief and I'm almost certain Jake's about to start crying but I can't get the same relief. I push past Sam and Andy who were right behind me and sprint outside.
///////////
I sat at the trunk of a tree outside the hospital for about ten minutes with tears free falling down my face. I know the boys and Phoebe are waiting for me. I can see them sitting on a set of steps but I can't seem to make myself get up. Instead I close my eyes and rest my head on my knees that are bent and pressed up against my chest.
"Hey M, are you okay?" Jake asks, I can hear his footsteps coming closer but make no movement. He sits directly in front of me. Finally I shake my head no. "Do you want to talk?" He tries.
"Where are the others?" I ask not lifting my head but wipe my tears on my arms.
"I told them We'd meet them at Phoebe's." Jake explained. I nodded.
"It's not fair." I mumble after a short silence. "I could save her in this world where I can't have her but couldn't save her in the world where I could."
"Max look at me." Jake ordered. "Please M." I lifted my head enough so I could see his face which was slack with worry.
"J, I'm fine." I tell him weakly.
"Well you don't have to be." Jake told me sincerely. I wrapped my arms around his neck holding on tightly. He seemed surprised but held me just as tight. I don't know how long we stayed like that but it felt nice. When I had calmed down I let him go.
"I'm sorry, we should go." I tell him as I stand up and brush myself off.
"It's okay." Jake reassures as he stands up as well. We walk for about a minute in silence before Jake breaks it. "M, What's your favourite colour?"
"What?" I ask with a laugh not expecting the question.
"Your favourite color." He repeats with smile as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.
"Blue. You?" I say adjusting my bag on my shoulder.
"Green. Do you like any sports?" He asked.
"We playing 20 questions now?" I ask, Jake shrugged.
"Just trying to get your mind off things. Is that a crime?" Jake nudges my shoulder I can hear a smile growing through his voice.
"What? You worried about stuff being a crime now? After the trespassing, the attempted stealing. The breaking in. Need I go on?" I list off sarcastically counting on my fingers.
"That is a very good point." Jake chuckled and threw his arm around my shoulders. "Kick-boxing is the only sport I really liked." I tell him.
"That makes sense actually." Jake said with a thought expression which quickly changed. "Why don't we actually play twenty questions, until we get to Phoebe's?"
/////////////
When we did get back to Phoebe's I had quite a few random little things about Jake, like his favourite food is BLT sandwiches. His favourite smell is a campfire. He's been playing footy ever since he could remember. And he wants to get out of Bremin, the first real chance he gets.
Walking into the backroom the two of us find Felix crashed on the small couch thing, Andy had hidden himself in the bottom bunk with a sheet blocking anyone from seeing inside and Sam and Phoebe were doing random things around the room
"Hey Max, you okay?" Sam asked whilst wrapping arm around my shoulder giving me a side hug. I nodded and told him it was just overwhelming for me before I sat down at the little round table in the corner next to Jake.
"Could it happen again?" Jake wondered out loud as he took ahold of my hand. I know he's really worried about the possibility of losing his mum. I lazily began tracing the lines on his palm to calm him down. Felix let out a yawn and sat up accepting the plate Sam had given him.
"I think your Mums are safe for now, thanks to you boys and Max of course." Phoebe said as she put something away in the cupboard. Sam came and sat beside me, wiggling his eyebrows as he saw Jakes hand in mine. I swatted his arm with my free hand but Sam just chuckled it off quietly and picked up a weird glass ball thing.
"But the demon will be back, more powerful than before." Felix reminded.
"Thanks for that. I definitely won't be having any nightmares now." Sam told Felix his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Awe don't worry Sam, I'll protect you from the big bad monster." I teased as if I was telling a little kid his Teddy bear would always save him. Jake let out a laugh from beside but Sam opened his mouth to answer but Felix talks before he can.
"Anyone seen my diary?" He wondered rummaging through his bag. Andy swipes open the homemade curtain holding out Felix's journal.
"You mean your Book of Shadows? Interesting reading" Andy accused as he stood up and walked over to Jake, Sam and I. I stood up and moved around the table taking the book from Andy's hands.
"Give it back." Felix ordered only to be ignored.
"Didn't you say that every spell a witch ever casts can be found in their Book of Shadows?" Andy asked rhetorically.
"Yeah, Felix, didn't you say that?" Phoebe asked. I began to zone out as I read through a page in the diary that had my horrible school student picture and writing all around it. Things like "protective, hides emotions, rythmic and balanced, fearless," were some of the words.
"I didn't mean to do it." Felix said timidly. Jake stood up and leaned over my shoulder looking back and forth between the book and Felix.
"Didn't mean to do what, Felix?" Jake questioned, I turned back a page to find Jake and Sam's school photos with words written around them describing random things.
"Hey, don't gang up on him. He saved the day, alright?" Sam cut in defensively.
"Yeah, After he put us in danger in the first place." I spat bitterly putting together the pieces giving Andy the book back.
"What? What happened?" Sam said sounding hurt. He stood up and leaned over Andy to look at the book.
"You know how we're here because of a magical event?" Andy began to explain.
"Yeah." Sam said looking at the page titled "Unmaking Spell"
"Felix is that event." Andy declared.
"What?" Sam asked sounding betrayed.
"I'm really, really sorry." Felix said refusing to look any of us in the eye.
//////////
Alrighty! I know it's been awhile to be honest I had no idea how I was going to write this episode out so I hope you like it. I had Max talk with her mum Rose who I imagine looking similar to A.J Cook who is in the main media section. I also tried to incorporate your suggestions with having Jake and Max get to know each other more. (Most of the things about Jake I made up) but please please please let me know what you think!
P.S if you have any ideas for a face claim for Max let me know? It's not necessary for there to be one I just enjoy them so let me know !