Glimpse: The Broken

Maxwell couldn’t believe that he had forgotten his own birthday, though ultimately cut himself some slack as his mind drifted back to finding Trish on the floor of her own trailer. Her glossy stare boring holes through his skull would haunt his mind for years to come. He shook his head slightly, in desperate attempt to shake the vision away. As it turned out, Faelynn had preemptively called Maxwell’s boss, lying to get him off of work for the celebratory day planned. Jaxon knew that Maxwell celebrated with his friends the day before his birthday, as Maxwell’s father had a tradition to take the boys out to a late night diner on midnight of their actual birthdays.

Maxwell’s heart broke last year when his father wasn’t around to wake him. His mother asked if he still wanted to go, but without Giovanni, Maxwell’s adoptive father, it would not have been the same. On Maxwell and his brother Antonio’s real birthdays they always were able to go to their favorite places in the world. Antonio always picked some hunting range where the boys and their dad would take turns shooting guns at targets all day. Maxwell always did something he loved for his day. He went to the billiards hall.

Jaxon’s car pulled into the parking lot of the billiards hall, holding Maxwell and company. Maxwell’s friends from work met him in the parking lot, they got out of the car and carried their cases into the room. They chose a table and Maxwell pulled out his prized possession, a stick his father invented and designed. It was beautiful and one of a kind, nobody he knew had one even similar. “Maxwell Amelletti” was engraved on the side in a deep blue, contrasting the jet black of the shaft. A silver butt on the end screwed open and held his own chalk. It was a design his father put together, an automatic pool stick with a power gauge on the side. You would push the stick into the shaft and pull a trigger to release it, allowing you total control of the shot. Maxwell was an amazing player. He could play with a broomstick and still clean house, but with this thing, he was unbeatable.

The group played pool for hours, Maxwell teaching his friends about english, how to jump, and how to masse shots. He angled each shot perfectly one after another. He only lost once in the hours they played to Luna, because he scratched on the eight ball. A man approached from the neighbor table, just as Maxwell waved off his friends from work, thanking them for coming out. Maxwell didn't know anything about this man but didn't like him straightaway. He wore a checkered hat, a toothpick resting between his smirking teeth. He wore sunglasses even though it was dark in the room, and held a look of smug overconfidence that made Maxwell’s neck hairs stand on edge. He removed his sunglasses, attaching them to his shirt, Maxwell very aware of the gaudy rings he was wearing. “Name’s Tyler,” he said to Maxwell and friends in a sly con artist voice. He sounded as if he was from New York, or at least was pretending to be. “Whaddya' say we play a game of doubles,” the New Yorker said, dropping twenty dollars on the table. He smiled cheekily, toothpick held perfectly in place, and pointed to a mammoth of a man sitting at an end table where Tyler came from.

“You and Goldilocks over there,” Tyler indicated to Jaxon, making fun of his long hair. “Versus me and my man Blue.” Blue was the size of a refrigerator, with arms like ham hocks. “I wouldn't put so much confidence in yourself there champ,” Jaxon said cockily. “And tell Meathead that when you guys lose he better behave, we know the owners of the place.” Maxwell eyed up both of their competitors, so sure they were going to win... so foolish. Maxwell pulled out a fifty dollar bill, sitting it on the table beside the man’s twenty. “Make it fifty, and I’ll play one handed,” Maxwell replied. Tyler smirked and placed a fifty to match Maxwell’s. “It’s a bet, rack em kid.” The smart mouthed Tyler said.

Tyler and Blue lost their fifty dollars within a couple minutes. Jaxon shot making one ball, Tyler followed making two, and Maxwell cleaned the table. The large man, Blue, did not even get a chance to play. “Well played kid,” Tyler stated as he handed the bill over to Maxwell, pulling it away just as Maxwell reached for it. “Awful nice necklace you’re wearin’ though, what say we play one more double or nothing on it,” Tyler suggested, reaching out to lift the necklace in his hand. “No deal,” Maxwell said, pushing the man’s hand away. “It was a gift from my girlfriend,” Maxwell said as he pointed to Luna. Luna shocked at first, but quickly smiled when she realized what was going on.

Maxwell smirked, “Besides I think fake gold is more your style friend.” Maxwell said, causing his entourage to laugh. “Not to mention I don't think the chain would fit around Juggernaut’s neck,” Jaxon added loudly. Blue snapped a stick in the background. “Calm down Blue, wouldn't want to make a scene,” Tyler said putting his hands in his pockets. “Enjoy the rest of your night kiddos, you get a brain and change your mind let me know,” he finished and turned to walk away.

Maxwell and friends were having such fun, they almost used up the man’s entire fifty dollars on songs from the jukebox, drinks and snacks by the time all was said and done. It was rounding ten at night now. Maxwell and his friends hopped into Jaxon’s car and started driving over to Luna’s place. “You are a real crack shot man, I still think you should go for pro,” Jaxon remarked. “You know he makes a point, I’ve never seen anyone play like you,” Luna said. Maxwell looked out the window, thinking about everything that had happened the two previous days. Has it really only been just over twenty-four hours that he received this strange necklace, and everything occurred at the Trish’s trailer? He focused on the present and tried to make his way back into the conversation. “Thanks guys, but I don’t think playing pool professionally is for me.

“He’s right you know,” Faelynn said. Faelynn was a fortune teller by trade, Faelynn the Magnificient. She had her own little business she had set up right across from the mall. She sold fortune-tellings, tarot card readings, incense, herbs and the like. Jaxon swears on everything he holds dear that she was legit, but Maxwell was never quite convinced. Maxwell couldn’t hold very much of what Jaxon said to be fact, he certainly wasn’t a very good touchstone when it came to judging ones sanity. Maxwell was pretty sure Jaxon would believe he was werewolf if he wanted to mess with him, hell he could probably even say he was the one who did that to Trish. Jaxon was just that type of guy, too gullible and friendly for his own good sometimes.

“What do you think his fortune is?” Luna asked. It was unclear whether she bought into all this or if she was just going along with it to be a good sport. “I can’t really tell... Both you and him have two of the most bizarre auras I’ve ever felt,” Faelynn explained. How convenient, Maxwell thought. “Well whatever his fortune is, I know what he’s going to be doing tonight,” Jaxon sang with a smirk playing across his mouth. “Yeah? Have it it Sir Jaxon the fantastic, what does the universe tell you this fine day? Or do you need some goat’s bones or some shit?” Maxwell suggested, snickering jestingly. Faelynn glanced back at Maxwell, obviously irritated at him mocking her profession. “Getting crunk, son!” Jaxon announced, playfully. Even Faelynn couldn’t help but laugh.

The group was lucky Lacey, Luna’s roommate, was working late that night. As the four of them pulled the couch around back from the porch and started to enter the woods behind Luna’s apartment, Jaxon realized he forgot the alcohol. He ran back into Luna’s apartment, returning with several bags with bottles clinking in them, Maxwell could make out cinnamon whiskey and apple ale. He knew what this meant. Luna and Jaxon had a thing they loved to do where they would take a mouthful out of the apple ale and pour a double shot of the whiskey in and mix it up, sinful apples they called them. “You know how messed up I got on those last time!” Faelynn shrilled. “Yeah, but Maxy made the mistake of saying that he loved them last time we drank em,” Jaxon uttered excitedly. “To be fair,” Maxwell began, “I had four of them in me before saying that Jax, I would have probably said I loved horse piss at that point.”

“Hey man, whatever you want to drink in your free time is up to you! I wont judge ya,” Jaxon joked. Before long, they were deep in the woods, barely able to see light from the complex Luna lived in. “Alright guys this is far enough,” Luna said nervously. They sat around drinking several sinful apples, talking about aliens, and what they each thought it would be like to live on another planet. Before long it was so late even the traffic from the highway in the distance was no longer heard.

“Woo!” Jaxon yelled, as he stood up and began pouring whiskey on the couch. His speech was quite slurred by this point, it was hard what he was saying. “Hey, hey we need to gets the matches,” Jaxon said, stumbling on his own legs like a newborn fawn. “I have a lighter Jax,” Maxwell said in reply. He pulled out his lighter, lit a cigar and handed it to his friend. “Alright, hey guys, guys!” Jaxon began loudly. “Come check out the thing, this thing, the thing we’re going to do here guys.” Jaxon was making an ass out of himself, but was fortunate enough that Faelynn was hunched against a tree beside Luna, snoring. Luna smiled, still with a drink in her hand, as she pulled her ear bud out of her ears. “Well, we’re all waiting buddy,” Luna said. Maxwell sat down beside her and handed her his cigar as she took a large drag.

“Is Faelynn ready!?” Jaxon barked to the group. Maxwell lifted Faelynn’s limp hand and pushed his mouth into his shirt, mocking her voice. “I am ready Sugarcake, by the way, you lookin’ good,” Maxwell mocked. Luna and Maxwell laughed loudy in sync. “God it’s freezing,” Luna said as she rested her head on Maxwell’s shoulder and scooted her body closer to him. “Whatever jackass,” Jaxon grunted to Maxwell. “When she asks why we didn’t wake her up so she could watch the fire, you tell her!” He argued. Then he lit the couch aflame.

It caught quickly, fire lapsing all over the cushions and back. It was hastily fueled by the kindling that made up its legs and frame. The couch burned all over, producing a tremendous amount of heat, so much that it caused Maxwell and Luna to move back a couple feet. They dragged Faelynn’s body along. Jaxon laughed maniacally, as if he was a criminal mastermind that had gotten away with the loot. He danced around the fiery couch for several laps, until the whiskey caught up to him, his dizziness causing him to slump down beside a tree a couple feet away. He still held half of a bottle of cinnamon whiskey. “By the way buddy! I almost forgot!” Jaxon declared happily, pulling out the buttery, aged scotch for Maxwell. “Thanks Jax, I appreciate it man, you shouldn’t have,” Maxwell said taking the bottle.

“Well since you have that, you definitely won’t be needing this!” Jaxon said, holding the bottle up to salute his friend. He began chugging the rest of the cinnamon whiskey. Within minutes he was slumped, drooling on himself, as Luna and Maxwell struggled but managed to move him over to Faelynn, who still snoozed undisturbed. Luna’s head had fallen from Maxwell’s shoulder and moved to his chest, as he put his arm around her body to keep her warm. The couch’s original liquor filled inferno slowed to a steady crackling roar of flame.

“Well looks like we’re camping tonight,” Luna commented. Maxwell looked to his drunk, slumbering friends. Their bodies still stacked upon each other like logs. “Yeah, looks like it,” he replied. She leaned into him, as the couch continued to burn bright, sending black smoke into the air. “You know…” began Luna. “I don’t understand you.” Maxwell looked down into the dark eyes of the gorgeous girl. “What do you mean by that?” Maxwell asked. She breathed deeply, relaxation filling her. “Jaxon was saying the other day, he learns something new about you everyday. Why don’t you show other people that side? Why don’t you let other people in?” Luna’s voice asked over the crackle of fire.

He still gazed into Luna’s eyes, the firelight dancing in intricate patterns in her irises. She never looked more beautiful to the young man. He couldn’t help but smirk, “Look Luna, you don’t get it,” Maxwell began explaining. “If I told people everything about me, they would think I should be sent to an asylum somewhere,” he said as he crossed his feet, and looked to the flame once again. “Wow, I can’t believe the lug was right,” chuckled Luna. “Oh? Who is that?” Maxwell asked her. “Jaxon… he said you and I have more in common than we realize. You’re not the only one with secrets sir, and you’re certainly not the only one people would think is a victim of dementia,” Luna exclaimed.

Maxwell lifted Luna’s chin and stared into her eyes, scanning hers for any sign of intoxication. He wasn’t about to make this girl pour anything out of her soul that she might later regret. Nothing was apparent, she looked slightly blushed in the face, but otherwise sober, and he could probably equate that to the cold weather anyway. “Well moon child,” Maxwell began, poking fun at Luna’s name, “I would believe anything you tell me, and whatever you say, stays locked in this puzzle until my grave.” Maxwell said pointing to his head.

“You show me yours, I’ll show you mine,” she joked back. Maxwell laughed, “That’s not how this game is played, remember, you brought it up first miss,” he replied. “It’s a deal then,” Luna stated. “I’ll start, you tell me yours after.” She told him the story of the woods, the hide and seek game which led to Luna seeing something she couldn’t believe. “Interesting…” Maxwell said when the girl finally finished her story. “Definitely strange, but I don’t think you are crazy,” he added on. “But you don’t believe that I actually saw that, you think that I bumped my head and my mind was playing tricks on me,” Luna responded with a sullen expression. “I didn’t say that,” Maxwell uttered defensively. “I just think that the mind can be one’s own worst enemy at times. I have seen things in my dreams that would scare the hell out of some of the most grizzled veterans,” Maxwell declared with a shudder.

Luna leaned over his body, her head now laying in his lap as she looked up into his eyes. The couch’s flame dwindled, growing smaller and smaller. “Like what?” she asked. “Horrible things,” Maxwell replied somberly. His gaze staring more so through the girl more than at her. “Look if you weren’t going to tell me the whole thing you shouldn’t have let me tell you mine,” Luna said angrily. Maxwell sighed. “Listen Luna, I will tell you, but remember, Jaxon is the only other soul in the world who knows this. I never even told Antonio,” Maxwell declared pragmatically. “This oughta be good,” Luna stated, wiggling her body with excitement and nuzzling deeper into his lap.

“I used to have these weird dreams when I was a little kid, only three of them actually. But each one was a mortifying experience, and each time it got worse and worse. If I ever have another one, I am nervous I would lose my mind. The first one I had I just assumed was a one time thing due to too much chocolate before bed or a memory from a scary movie or something, but it felt so… real. So… vivid.” Luna stared at him intently, her stern face impossible to read. “Like lucid dreaming?” Luna asked. Maxwell shook his head. “Much more, I had… marks on me when I woke up. Luna are you sure you really want to hear this?” He asked her. Luna smiled wistfully, “Maxwell, if you confide in me and tell me this, I will not judge you for it.” She replied. “I won’t get scared and I won’t push you away. I promise.”

“The first dream was when I was hardly more than a baby. All I can remember is the burning. I was trapped in a volcanic wasteland, the smoke and ash blurred my vision. I remember the heat, stinging my entire body. There were erupting volcanoes in the distance, and the entire land shook violently as magma exploded out of them. Lava was running amok, and Luna… I could actually FEEL the heat off of it. I remember, the sweat dripping off my nose and sizzling on the rock.”
Luna’s eyes lit up as he continued the storytelling. Maxwell took a deep breath, calming himself, as he continued telling her of the dream, ever mindful of how crazy he sounded. “A giant lizard creature went soaring through the air casting plumes of flame from it’s throat over the landscape. This was like nowhere I have heard of on earth, this was hell,” Maxwell said unemotionally.

“Oh, my god,” Luna gasped, shocked. She leaned up on her one arm and looked at Maxwell, “What happened when you woke up,” the girl asked. “Nothing really,” Maxwell replied. “I woke covered in sweat, and couldn’t go back to sleep for the rest of the night. The next day I had a terrible fever.” Luna nodded, “Well that makes sense, many kids have weird dreams like that when they have fevers,” she explained.

Maxwell shook his head, “Then came the second dream. I remember this one being even more vivid, I was a toddler at this point. The fever could have explained the first one, but this one has no such explanation. I remember waking up in a frozen tundra, snow falling in sheets all around me. I was laying in a bed of straw and twigs at the base of a cave. The pristine snow had to be four or more feet deep. I was able to climb up a hillside and look off into the distance, as the blustering wind stung at my face, feeling as if it pierced right through me.

I remember hearing a great bellow from the cave. It was a roar of unimaginable magnitude, and naturally I got frightened and ran away. I ran as fast as my little feet could go, the wind blowing all around me, completely chilling my existence to the bone. I could feel the water in my eyeballs icing over, causing my eyes to freeze open. As I stared off into the distance I could make out a tribe of these weird, blue people with clubs roasting giant hairy mammoths around a campfire. Then I remember waking up.

“What happened when you woke up that time?” inquired Luna. Maxwell could tell that she was actually listening to the dreams as her mouth was parted slightly and her eyes danced across his face. That was one thing he loved about her, she wore her emotions on the outside. If Luna liked you… or didn’t, you knew it. “Well, I remember feeling cold, hypothermic even. I felt as though my toes were frostbitten and lost feeling in them for a couple days, I actually took off school for it as I could hardly walk.” Maxwell explained.

“What was the last dream like?” Luna asked. Maxwell looked away before he spoke, his mind a racing fog. “Are you sure you want to hear about this one, Luna?” Maxwell asked. “This one isn’t exactly like the others. It’s much more… disturbing. I think I was four or so at the time.” Maxwell said, as he looked down to the dark haired girl. Luna looked deep into Maxwell’s eyes, her light brown eyes twinkling with the ashes from the smoldering couch. “I am glad you confide in me Maxwell, and if you are willing to tell me I absolutely want to hear it. I feel bad that my story wasn’t as good. You definitely have me beaten on the maniac scale.” Luna said somberly.

“And you didn’t even get me anything for my birthday,” Maxwell said with a snicker. “I have no idea what you would want!” Luna said, flustered. “You are a man of mystery birthday boy,” she laughed. Her eyes playing around Maxwell’s face trying to read his expression. “I am not so complicat-” Maxwell was cut off as Luna pushed her finger to his lips. They looked at each other whimsically.

Maxwell was not sure whether it was reality or alcohol fueled wishes, but he could feel her warm body shift as if she was about to lean up to kiss him. His heart pounded, as she slowly lifted her weight from his lap. Fireworks were being lit in Maxwell’s head, butterflies swarming to his stomach. She began to lean up, and removed her finger from his lips. She looked to his eyes, then down to his mouth. She bit her lip and began to lean into him. So much happened as once, Maxwell could even hear sirens in his ears.

“Do you hear that?” Luna asked, inches from his face. She pulled back, and just like that their moment was gone, and his senses flooded back to him. His blood stopped pounding in his ears, and his heart started beating faster to catch up for missing a beat or two. There were sirens, tons of them, coming in their direction. Maxwell and Luna startled upright immediately. Luna went to coax Faelynn awake, gently shaking her back to her senses. “Faelynn you gotta get up, firefighters are coming, they know we burned the couch,” Luna whispered tenderly. “Get up sasquatch!” Maxwell said as he tackled Jaxon’s body, knocking the empty bottle out of his hand. Maxwell stood and forcibly drug Jaxon to his feet.

“Wha-, where, what the hell is going on,” Jaxon managed to utter, still visibly drunk. “We got company coming, and quick. Get your shit and let’s roll, jackass!” Maxwell said angrily. All four of them ran through the woods toward the highway to see the direction the firetrucks were coming from. As they almost reached the highway the emergency vehicle’s sirens grew louder and louder… then began to quiet as they passed them. “Thank god, they can’t pinpoint the direction,” Jaxon stated. “Oh I think they did,” Faelynn exclaimed, pointing in the distance. There was a gigantic plume of smoke in the air off on the distant horizon.

“Well come on guys let’s go!” Jaxon said excitedly. “Fine, but I drive,” was Maxwell’s response. Jaxon tossed Maxwell his keys and the group of friends piled into Jaxon’s car. As they drove closer the air filled with the acrid stench of burning lumber and household objects. “Poor folks, I hope they got out alright,” Luna said visibly shaken. “I am getting a bad premonition from this, guys...” Faelynn said, mouth agape and eyes filled with horror. “Uh-oh,” Jaxon said.

“We won’t know until we know folks,” Maxwell suggested. As they got closer to the neighborhood with the house in question, he started to get a sick feeling to his stomach for two reasons. One, the smell of burning in the air caused his half buzzed, half hungover stomach to lurch and turn. And two, he grew up around this neighborhood. Whomever owned the burning house was going to be someone he knew, and he dreadfully hoped that they got out in time.

They pulled closer, and rounded about into a culdesac, all four of the friends stared out the driver’s side windows, slack-jawed. Maxwell’s mothers house was on fire. The inferno engulfed the entire premises, causing everything to crack and splinter. The smell of all his childhood burning before him. Maxwell burst into tears as he ran towards the emergency services, trying with all his might to remember what his mother’s work schedule was that night. He exhaled with relief, remembering his mother was to work late that night for inventory. He made to run passed the policemen, to his childhood home.

A gruff looking police officer held him back. “It’s too dangerous, stay away from the house!” The policeman barked loudly. Maxwell dropped to his knees. What could have caused this? All he ever knew and loved was in that home, including his dog Brotus. He weeped, his friend’s coming to pat him on the back. The next door neighbors came over, Arthur and Rebecca Smith, a family of color. Their son Adam had went to school with Maxwell his entire life. He used to go over to their house as a young boy to play flashlight tag, and always felt as at home there as his did his own. Arthur began speaking to Maxwell through teary eyes. “Maxwell if you need anything, you know that no matter what my family and I are here for you in this time of need.”

Maxwell thanked the family, “I am just so glad that mom wasn’t home, who knows if she would have been able to get out in time.” Maxwell exclaimed. The couple looked heartbroken, as Rebecca began crying loudly, pushing her face into Arthur’s chest. Maxwell looked up and Arthur turned his body allowing Maxwell to see his mother’s car. “Maxwell, Lucille was home,” Arthur said with a shaky voice. She told us earlier when we were on a walk with the dog that tonight was your eighteenth birthday, so she called off to be able to surprise you.

“One victim identified, get her in the ambulance,” the firefighter ordered stoically. As the ambulance worker pulled the stretcher out of the burning debris, Maxwell’s stomach dropped. It felt as if he was numb and on fire at the same time. His heart skipped beats for the second time of the night, but now for a much more tragic reason, as it lurched upward into his throat. He ran over to the duo pulling the stretcher, as they wheeled it into the ambulance he couldn’t help but notice that there was no mask or air pump they were using. He reached the firefighter and explained that he was Lucille’s son and asked what her condition was. His nerves tingled, his mind preparing for the earth shattering news. The man removed his mask, and the look on his face told Maxwell everything he needed to know.

“I am sorry lad,” The man began. "There were no survivors. She’s gone.”