Orbs of Power

Chapter Four

Sean and Max were settling in.  Sean was working in neighboring fields fo extra money and Max was going to school.  Allison was tending the house and Sapphire was going to work.  They worked in an uneasy harmony for quite a while.

Max was making friends.

Sometimes in the afternoon you could see them running through the streets, giggling.

It was a good week.

Then, one day, Max came home crying.  Allison immediatly gave him a hug and sat him done on the couch, wrapping him in a blanket.  She called for Sean out the door.  As he was making his way home, she rang on the phone for Sapphire, troubled by the few blubbered words that had come from Max.

"What is it?"

Allison turned to see a frowning Sean. "Wait till Sapphire gets here, then we'll figure it all out."

The door banged open and Sapphire rushed in, orange ringlets stuck to the side of her face, breathing hard.

She plopped on the couch next to Max and put an arm around him.

"Whats going on Max?"

He sniffed. "My friends called me names."

"Now why on earth would they do that?"

Max looked up at her, eyes glistening. "They thought I was scary."

Sean looked confused. "Why would they think you were scary? You are, like, six."

Max looked at his older brother. "I thought they would think it was cool."

Sapphire's face went blank. "What did you do Max."

His eyes widened at the sudden coldness and fear in her voice.

"I-"

The door slammed open and soldiers rushed in, filling up the room around them.  A mn pushed through and looked down his nose at them.

"Hand us the child."

Suddenly, it hit Sean.  Max had shown his friends his power over water. The soldiers were here to take Max away.

A soldier lunged at Max while Sean was still coming to terms with the severity of the situation.  He was jolted by his little brother's screams and the yelling of Sapphire at Allison.

He jumped for is brother but the men held him back.

It was over before it began.

Max was gone.