𝕆𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕦𝕟𝕥 ➾ 𝕆ℂ 𝕩 𝕆ℂ [𝕋𝕎𝕀𝕃𝕀𝔾ℍ𝕋 𝕊𝔸𝔾𝔸]

Max

Mount Chase, Maine

1949

 Max was reading If This Is a Man by Primo Levi for the third time when he heard four sets of light footsteps rush towards his one-person log cabin.  The aroma of vampires hit his nose as he quietly closed his book.  He began to worry if it was Volturi looking for him but a surge of calmness rippled throughout his body.  Max was confused by his sudden change in feelings.

He was ripped out of his confusion when a gentle knock was placed upon his front door.  He was hesitant to answer it.  He sniffed the air again.  Two of the four vampires smelt slightly sweeter than the others; only two of them drank human blood.  The revelation put him at ease as it showed that it was likely not the Volturi.

Max shot up from his leather armchair and gracefully strode over to the door.  His amber eyes landed on the four strangers on his front porch.  It was immediately clear to Max that the group consisted of two sets of mates.  Two tall gentlemen with honey blonde hair were each respectively holding onto two petite brunettes with short hair.  The couples seemed to be mirror images of each other.  Except one couple had matching dark red eyes, while the other shared honey-colored orbs- the same ones Max had.

"It's lovely to see you, Maxwell!" The brunette girl with amber eyes exclaimed as she hugged him.  Maxwell's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.  The girl's mate seemed close to laughter at his bewildered state. 

"Have we met before?" Max inquired as the girl slinked back into her spot next to her mate.

"No you haven't met me, but I've known you for a few days," she answered with a huge smile.  Max's confusion only increased tenfold.  'What the hell did she mean by that?'

"Alice, don't confuse the poor man," the man with red eyes chuckled. 

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry," the girl reached her hand out.  "I'm Alice!"  Max shook her hand politely even though he still had many questions.

Alice's mate was next to extend his hand for a handshake. "My name's Major Jasper Whitlock, sir," he greeted with a southern drawl. 

"I'm Peter," the next man introduced with a firm handshake.  "And this is my mate, Charlotte."  She shook Max's hand as well.

"Private Maxwell Sanford, but you seem to know that already.  Please, come inside," he held the door open for them.  Once they were situated on either the chairs or the couch, he turned to Alice. "How did you know my name."  He was just hoping they didn't work for the Volturi.

"I'm assuming you are aware that some vampires are gifted, correct?" Max nodded at her.  That sentence only made him more scared but just like before, a wave of tranquility passed over him.  Alice continued, "My gift is that I can see the future."  She let that sink in for a second before speaking again.  "I saw you in one of my visions.  As you can tell, Jasper and I have the same diet as you; I got the idea from a vision of a coven some years ago that also fed on animals.  In my most recent vision you, Jasper, and I became a part of that same coven and we lived happily and peacefully."

Max couldn't contain the joyful look on his face.  The idea of having a family again sounded splendid.  It certainly beats being lonely all of the time.  "Are you sure it was me?" He asked.  He didn't want to get his hopes up. 

"Alice's visions are hardly ever wrong," Jasper smirked as he looked at Alice in adoration as she nodded in agreement.

"The idea of having a family again sounds nice but..." Max hesitated.  "But if we join, won't having a big coven gain the Volturi's attention?"

"Well, yes, but since both Jasper and I are gifted and- from what my visions tell me of the coven- one of them is gifted too and the leader has experience with the Volturi, we should be safe." Alice tried to console Max's worries.  But that made him more concerned.

"No, it makes us a bigger target!  Aro will want to collect whoever is gifted and kill those who aren't.  And he'll see the size and power of our coven as a threat to him and the Volturi," Max stressed.  He was close to telling the group to leave his home but he felt that familiar calmness soothe him.   "Which one of you is doing that?"

"That would be me," Jasper answered him.  "My gift is that I can both feel and manipulate the emotions of those around me."  Maxwell just nodded, not sure what to think of his feelings being literally played with.

It was then that Charlotte spoke up for the first time, "Maxwell, why are so scared of the Volturi?"  She asked gently.

Max sighed, "Aro was the one who turned me."  If his heart could still beat, he was sure his guests would hear it even without their enhanced hearing.  "After I was shot during the US invasion of Italy.  He turned me because knew I was gifted, even though I was dying."

"What's your gift?" Jasper asked.

"I can manipulate blood," Max replied.  "I can make it gush, freeze, or even boil.  Aro knew I was gifted because I was shot multiple times but I wasn't bleeding at all.  He and Marcus took me back to their castle and after I woke up, Aro made me test my gift on an elderly peasant."  Venom pooled in his eyes as he told them, "I nearly killed him." 

Jasper reached over and patted him on the back as Max trembled in despair.  Jasper knew the feeling of guilt all too well.

Max continued, "But you see, my gift is only really useful to the Volturi if I can use it on other vampires.  So he made me use it on one of his guards, but I pretended to do so.  Because I didn't want to drink from humans and become Aro's puppet.  But I know that if they find me they wouldn't hesitate to either kill me for lying or have Chelsea use her gift to make me stay with them."

Alice placed her hand on his shoulder, "Maxwell, If w-" 

"Max, just call me Max," he smiled at the four.

Alice beamed, "Well, Max, if we join the coven we will be able to protect each other from them."

"And so will we," Peter promised as he and Charlotte sent reassuring smiles to him.

"Thank you, all of you," Max was astounded that these total strangers were so willing to help him.  He turned back to Alice and Jasper, "Alright, I'll go."

"I knew you would!" Alice cheered as she brought all of them into a hug.