"Annie...why did you follow us?" Josh turned around to see her slowly following us.
Annie sighed and pushed her amber hair behind her ears, again, "Are you really leaving?"
Josh nodded, "I'm assigned to watching over Heather. I go where she goes. I'm her trainer, now I'm also Max's trainer as well."
"I've taken in Rheannah." Dawnlight commented, "And I have to watch over Sheria as well. You must remember our family is based in the UWT. Issola isn't exactly our home."
"I just can't believe that you're alive, then you're leaving. What happened to you—what happened to us? You'd rather play games with a Merrywell who'll probably just stab you in the back—"
Heather actually spun around for that insult and stormed up to Annie, getting up in her face, "Now you listen here. Max is bonded to me, not the Weird-o and I have every right to ditch both of them when and where I want to, but Max isn't like the rest of those Merrywells. He's different. So if you're just gonna stand there insulting my friends like that you better get out now. I don't need you here. If you're insulting them you're insulting me too. And let's face it: you don't want to insult me if you know what I'm capable of. I hope you're good at running unless you want to see how bad I can be."
Max turned around to look at Heather. He was shocked she defended him. I know she has her reputation to uphold, but still. I didn't think she'd defend him. Usually she lets the insults just roll off of her as if they didn't matter. She just took them and used them to fuel her powers more. This time she actually snapped—and the insults weren't even about her. They were about someone else—someone else she didn't even know that well.
Just who was Max to her? Was he really that important to her? I guess so...she's never turned and shouted at anyone before, except Josh, but that's typical.
"Josh...you know if you leave here with her we can't protect you. We'll have to consider you as outsiders."
"I'm doing my job. You cannot consider me an outsider. You can consider her an outsider. I have to go. I'm sorry if you don't agree with Heather, but I have to do what's right for her. And right now that's being her trainer. I'm sure it'll all work out. Once Heather fulfills her quest from Nellie, I'm sure that we'll return. Until then we have to continue on. I'm sorry if that means we can't be together, but this is much bigger than us. This is about the safety of—"
"Of everyone else. Don't you get it Josh?! It's never about us. It's always about everyone else."
"Ain't that the truth" Heather mumbled.
Annie continued, "You just don't spend time here for me! You'd rather please the world than me, your own girlfriend."
"Ouch," Rheannah commented. Max kept his gaze on Heather. He had such a weird look on his face. I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
Josh sighed, "Annie, I have to go. If I stay here Nellie won't be too happy with me, either will the rest of the UWO or my family. I can't just stay here with you. I have a job to do."
"You don't ever have time for me! It's always about your 'job' and it's always about her!" She pointed to Heather, "it's like you care about her more than me!"
"Gross." Heather stuck out her tongue. Max didn't hear that insult. It was as if he tuned out everything that was said as soon as Heather defended him.
Dawnlight shook her head, "Annie, I understand you're upset, but there's not much we can do except follow our orders. These words aren't easy to say, and these commands aren't the easiest to follow, but we have to follow them. Trust me, Josh isn't into any other girl, I can make sure of that. He's only so interested in what Heather does because he's been assigned to be her guardian. His job is to find out what she's getting herself into and teach her how to deal with it. I don't wanna leave; none of us want to leave."
"Actually, I wanna leave." Rheannah slightly raised her hand.
"Can't you get reassigned? At least pretend like you care about our relationship?"
Josh shook his head, "It's much more difficult than that. If I ask for a reassignment, I don't know where they'll put me. I could be put on protective orders for the Mor family for all I know. I'll most likely never come back here again for any reason whatsoever. Plus I already know Heather and Sheria. If I ask to be reassigned, I may never see my sister again. Heather may be harmed because her new trainer doesn't know her as well as I do. I don't want anything to happen to them or my sister, who will still be with them. I'd love to stay with you, but I have to go. I promise I'll be back to see you as soon as I can, I just have to do my job."
"You could come with if you'd like," I offered, "you're well trained."
"I can't leave here and you know that. I have to take care of my younger siblings and my father." Annie cried.
Dawnlight nodded, "then you must understand why we have to go take care of them. It's hard, we'll miss you, but we have to do it. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back."
"Josh...just don't be stupid okay? You better come back. If you don't I'm going to have to go find you." Annie was in tears now. I just kept my eyes on the ground. I didn't want to say anything else. I already felt bad enough.
"I won't be stupid...just take care of yourself Annie, alright? I promise you this will be my only assignment. As soon as Heather turns eighteen my assignment term will over and I'll be paid for my troubles. I'll decline reassignment and I'll find another line of work here for you, alright?"
"If I ever make it past sixteen..." Heather grumbled to herself.
"Wait. As soon as Heather turns sixteen, she's eligible to choose her guardian. I'll become her guardian that way you don't have to then." Max stood up between where Heather stood a few feet away from Annie and Heather, "I'll take care of her. We're bonded after all. I can handle it. That's only a little more than three years, rather than five. It's not much of a difference looking at it from right now but it'll come faster in the long run. I'll become Heather's UWO assigned trainer and protector. That way you don't have to be here."
"A Merrywell would actually do something to help someone else out?" Annie gave Max a strange look.
"Told you he was different. Quit your judging and griping." Heather snapped again, "and why do you all have to 'protect' and 'train' me anyway? I don't see why I need all of this."
Dawnlight sighed, "none of us do, that's the point."
"Three years...I can live with that, barely. You're perhaps the kindest Merrywell to have ever walked these roads. Thank you." Now don't back down on your word."
"I won't. I promise you. It's for love, and love should triumph." Max gave her a light smile, "now don't we have some bad guys to fight?"
"Can I please fight something? This mushy gushy stuff is getting on my nerves." Rheannah groaned.
"Onwards comrades!" Heather commanded as everyone took off ahead, leaving just Annie and I behind.
Annie sniffled, "you'll make sure he comes back, right?"
"I will, don't worry." I smiled, "Max is trustworthy, I'll make sure he lives up to his end to send Josh home."
Annie sniffled once again, "that's Maxamus, the heir to the Merrywell house?"
I nodded, "yeah, he's great though. I never would've thought he'd be so generous."
"He is to Heather, that's for sure. He'd go out of his way just to take care of her. Sounds like she'd do the same for him."
"Yeah, I guess so. They just are strange. I just leave them to their things though. It works better that way. Oh, I better get going, take care now Annie!" I started to run off after the others.
"Take care, Sheria."