In the silvery light of the moon, which was rejoicing its emancipation from the dark clouds, Julie observed the countenance in front of her.

"Staring at me won't help you much," said Morgan as she walked towards her and offered a hand.

Unlike Agna, there was a strange serenity in her tone. It made her seem like a woman of letters who had answers to all questions.

Julie's glance fell on the bracelet hanging loosely on her wrist. The silver and gold matte finish on it enhanced the beauty of her slender hand.

She hesitated for a moment, but then ultimately accepted the offer and stood up.

"Look what you did to that pretty dress," said Morgan as she examined Julie from top to bottom, and sighed at her appearance.

Her hairs were soaked; her dress was drenched and on top of that, had mud spattered at places. The wetness had made twigs and some dry leaves cling to it. She was a total mess.

"I wouldn't blame your grandma if she gets all cranky seeing you like this."

She stared at her with her eyes wide open. 'How does she know about my grandma?' Morgan was the new teacher at Lakeside High, and she obviously remembered her name after that incident at school, but how could she possibly know about her grandmother?

"What sort of database are you guys even using?" Julie folded her arms as she questioned Morgan. Even Agna knew her name somehow and was accepting that she knew much more than that.

Morgan blankly looked at her for a moment and then burst into a short-lived laughter. "Let's put that on halt right now... we have other stuff to deal with."

"Why are you here? And how do you-"

"You should go and find your friend right now. The throwing of questions could wait for a while," she said. A crafty smile appeared on her face.

Julie had no idea how, but she felt that Morgan knew what had happened there... and most importantly why, but she was still not sure about listening to the woman.

'What's happening in this town? First Agna, and now my new teacher... who's she now?'

Morgan's face suddenly brightened up and then looked down upon her with a patronizing smile on her face. It was as if she read what was going on in Julie's mind.

"You can't be blamed for the upsurge of questions in your mind." She sighed again. "But for now, let's say that you need not try to believe me. Just do what you feel is right at the moment, and maybe that could help you both get to something." She finished her statement with the same 'I-know-everything' smile as if she knew what was going to happen ahead.

But what she said at least made some sense. Julie didn't have time to deal with her at the moment. She had to go after Max. She knew that leaving Max alone for long in that state would not be the smartest choice. Someone had to slap him and say that he cannot keep running like that forever. He had to control what he had created.

She took a few steps behind, but then stopped. She turned around to look at the unconscious people lying in the backyard. 'I cannot leave everyone like this...' she thought. The people there needed attention first, but doing that could take so much time that finding Max would become a much bigger problem.

Morgan let out a slight grown which she threw off instantly. She seemed to understand what inner conflict Julie was facing.

"Let me make it easier for you- I'll take care of everything here, and can go for finding Max," she said softly, and then placed her hand on Julie's shoulder.

Just as she touched her, there was an upsurge of energy in her body. She could feel all the fatigue of the night ebbing out of her body. A while ago, her head and back ached because of the fall... but now there was nothing. 'I feel so- so fresh. What kind of strange magic is she doing?'

She knew that she couldn't get anything out of the woman at the moment. She just gave her a slight nod to show that she was ready to trust her. She then left to follow Max, leaving Morgan at the Wilson House.

Just when she left, there was a change in Morgan's expression. She appeared to be pissed off at something. She took a deep breath and swung her leg mid-air.

A petite groan of pain came from the direction, and then with a bright flash of light, there appeared a man. It was Theodore, the one who was with Morgan a while ago.

"Keep your filthy legs off me!" he yelled. A feeling of repugnance was dripping from his tone.

"I told you not to follow me, Theo," she said calmly despite the rudeness she received.

"How careless can you be? You should have gone yourself, but you ended up sending-"

"I know you are too stubborn to trust me, but won't you even believe the one who has given me the responsibility of guiding them this time?" She turned around and looked towards the gates through which Julie left. "She's the one who could handle the storm within him at the moment, not me."

┈┈┈┈┈┈․° ☣ °․┈┈┈┈┈┈

Max had to run away when he realized that he was the source of the storm in Moonvale. He knew that with the state he was in at the moment, he could only cause trouble.

But while he ran, the storm around him subsided.

He became conscious of the fact that the chaos he was creating, only lasted until Max didn't do anything. Running was in a way distracting Max from the darkness that was dwelling within him. Whenever he stopped, chilly winds started swirling around him once again.

He knew that he couldn't keep running like this forever, not to mention- his hurt knee wasn't making it easier for him. He decided to stop once he reached some secluded place where he could hide for a while.

He kept running under the clear skies, not wanting to disturb its beauty anymore. His legs started giving up, but he didn't. He stumbled down, but stood up again.

He found his legs taking him towards the Cliffham bay, which was the best spot he could think of at the moment to keep himself away from everyone.

It was almost fifteen minutes ride by Kev's car, but Max had never tried walking to the spot.

He had faint memories of the place from seven years back when he arrived at Moonvale for the first time. Kevin, fourteen at that time, had made a ruckus in the house just so that someone agreed to take him and Max out for some fun at the bay. He did that because Max was not very comfortable in his new home, which was not very welcoming from the start.

Later they visited the place several times when Kevin got his driving license.

A smile came on his face as he was revisiting those memories and even before he could realize, tears started cascading down his cheeks. 'Please be fine Kev. I already feel terrible for leaving you like this, but I don't have any other option.' He silently prayed for his safety and kept moving, suppressing his desire to go back and find Kevin.

They both already shared a very strong bond, and now with that immense power rising within him, the bond was stronger than ever. He could somehow feel that Kevin was safe. He just wished his premonition to be true.

He slowed down only when the sound of waves hit his ears. He spared a glance to look at the sea which was sparkling under the moonlight. The cold sea breeze was gently hugging his body.

The Cliffham bay, during the day, was crowded by people. There was not a minute of silence from the unstoppable chatters, children yelling in excitement, and retro music played by the people who lay there tanning their skin. It was one of the very few spots in Moonvale where people went to have a quality time with their families, in the lap of nature. Lush green forests, which lay beside the beach, glorified the beauty of the place even more.

But this time, Max was there before the break of dawn- a time when the Cliffham had nothing but the roaring of waves, and the rustling of leaves from the trees. In the twilight, the sand appeared more orange, and the water darker.

Finding himself away from anything that he could damage, he finally stopped.

The cool water lapped at his feet, fizzing and bubbling like brine. He couldn't help but smile as the wind caressed his face. The waves continued crashing upon the shore with a gentle hiss.

His head was still veering wildly between sensations of agony and fatigue. He had pushed his body too much for its capability. He gasped heavily for breath as sat down on the warm sand, which was the gentlest hue of gold.

For the first in like forever, he found himself alone and at peace. He forgot whatever had happened and stared nonchalantly stared at the sky glimmering with stars. The sight was so refreshing that he could have lain there like that forever. Stargazing was something that he could never get tired of.

Suddenly the thought of Julie filled his mind. 'What was she even thinking? She can't just follow me into the eye of a storm. What if something happened to her?' She always somehow ended up saving him no matter how big or small the trouble was, without even thinking about herself. He didn't want to give her another chance this time since things were far riskier.

The sand started moving with the wind in a circular motion around him. He could hear frantic cries of birds abandoning their nests to protect their lives. The storm was brewing once again. The sky was not clear or beautiful anymore... it was frightening. Even the waters went wild, with giant waves crashing against each other with a deafening roar.

'What am I supposed to do now?'

He already saw this coming, and he couldn't think of a way to avoid it. The only satisfaction was about the fact that he was away from everyone... but for how long? Soon the sun would rise and a happy, carefree crowd would come there like always.

Even with the cold winds outraging close to him, beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead. He didn't even try moving until...

"Max!"

He sprung straight up at the sound of that voice. He tried squinting to see past the sandy barrier, but couldn't see a thing. A slight smile of embarrassment came on his lips as he realized that the voice was probably just in his head. He was thinking too much about her. 'There's no way she can-'

"Max dumbass Wilson, I command you to come in front of me right now." The voice echoed despite the blaring winds. There was no chance for a dream to be so loud.

"Julie? What-"

"Who said you could leave all that work for me? And how did you even dare to push me out of that thing," she continued yelling as she shielded her face by her hands. "Get out of it, or let me in so that I can punch you and then drag you home."

'And this is what she says? So Julie...' Max sighed at her words. Under normal circumstances, he would have found her super straightforwardness amusing, but at the moment it was just starting an argument.