Chapter One

The air outside the cabin suddenly got chilly, the sun was almost gone into the clouds and the

light left would soon be consumed at the sight of the moon. Max closed his eyes as if to take in

all the air around him. The afternoon wind blew up against his face. He loved the view from his

window, the cabin was build on a hill, the slope down the hill made him want to run down it. He

wanted to try wind surfing on the slope but he wasn't allowed to, they could only do magic at

home.

It was Sunday evening, just less than twenty-four hours before he would start school. If he had

his way, he would continue with his home-schooling. It took Max a much longer time to agree

with his father's idea of going to the community school. His Dad had given his reasons, reasons

that surpassed whatever he thought about going to an actual school. Max had thought his dad

was going on with one of his expensive jokes until he heard his mother's usual soft voice "You

need to know how to relate with people Max". There, he knew his parents had made up their

mind and nothing would change their decisions, but he tried harder. "I have you, Dad, Uncle

David. You guys are people too". His voice was beginning to shake; he couldn't just imagine

missing the warmth of his home for a minute. Or being unable to use his magical powers, going

to school means that his powers were restricted for some hours of the day. He gnashed his teeth

for some moments.

The touch of his mother's hands on his shoulder somewhat made him become so relaxed, like

magic, but he knew she didn't need magic to do make him feel better. "We want you to make

friends; you don't have to grow up like us". He'd heard his mother rant about how her magical

powers had made her a social outcast. Her mates had called her names, until she got a permanent

nickname, the beautiful sadist. She had always been all by herself until she met Max's father.

Dorothy loved to tell everyone about how she went from being the most popular sadist to being

the most beautiful girl in high school. She had just found out she was special and her abilities

were acting out of control. Dorothy had become so scared to talk to anyone just to keep her

personality unknown to everyone. Then one day, she had broken the school's window with her

mind when she was being bullied. Mike had been nearby. "Don't be scared, I'm just like you". He

had taken her away from the place, showed her his own abilities and thought her how to control

her powers. Some months later, she had found out that her parents' furniture firm was not an

actual firm, it was a magical group. Her parents had kept her identity away from her. Finding out

about Mike's family's long-aged conflict had broken her the more. But she had done what no

one in the history of magic had ever done. She had eloped with the son of a Fallaway, it was

death but she would die without Mike anyways

"Max darling, we want you to make friends". Mike said

"Dad, I have friends"

Mike laughed "The magical Bunnies? Honey please don't try to fight this". His father was right;

he wouldn't win their mind over, not ever.

A knock sounded on the front door. Max knew it was Uncle David, the next door neighbor. He

had smelt his perfume the moment he got to the door. But today, something was wrong with the

way his heart raced. As if he was chasing something or rather, something was chasing him. "Hey

Max, are your parents home?" David's hair was uncombed. He stayed more minutes at the door

to remove his shoes. He didn't always remove his shoes whenever he went to Max's house but

today his shoes' edges were laced with mud. Max's parent met him halfway. "David?" Mike

called out. "Did something happen?"

David swung a dinning chair towards himself. He sat down for a minute to catch his breath

before he spoke. Max had never seen Uncle David this scared, not even the day a cockroach flew

out of his coat. He was sure that whatever had happened to Uncle David was more devastating

than a cockroach. Max knew his parents wouldn't want him in the dinning room with them. He

would hear them from his room anyway. He'd always heard every conversation Uncle David had

with his parents even when they thought it was confidential. He heard his mother slowly ask

Uncle David "Davy? Have you been taking coke again" Uncle David had struggled with cocaine

addictions for six years. He had lost his little sister in a car accident when he was twenty years

old, Lorraine was just seventeen. He'd had a little to drink before going behind the wheels and he

had not seen the truck come at them. He had blamed himself for Lorraine's death and he had

wished it was him who had died in that accident instead of his sister.

"Dorothy, I didn't take the coke". He hung his black coat on the chair and took the cup of water

Dorothy placed in front of him. "I think I'm being followed, someone is stalking me Mike, I can

feel it".

Mike and Dorothy's gaze met. "Did you see someone"? Dorothy asked.

"I saw Shadows, I can't explain it. It seemed magical or out of the ordinary". He paused. "Like

the ones in the movies" he gulped in more water. "I know I sound crazy but I'm not". Mike knew

they were the only ones David could come to anytime he felt threatened. He'd known about their

magical history even though he was non magical.

Mike gave him a pat on his shoulder. "Will you stay the night here; you shouldn't be all by

yourself ". David nodded. He told them he would sit on the couch in the living room. He fell

asleep as soon as he placed his head on the chair's arm.

Dorothy had gone pale for a while; she put up her hair into a ponytail. "Mike, I think it's them"

"It can't be, we lost them for fifteen years, why would they show up now"

"Maybe they managed to find us, you know they wouldn't stop". She stood up and started pacing

back and forth. "Your family won't just let us live in peace".

"Do you think my family will attack David? They'd come to us straight if they found out we are

here". He was right; the Fallaway family was not known to beat around the bush.

"We have your parent's magical covering, they can't touch us but they can touch someone close

to us who is without any magical powers, David".

"Who is 'they'?" Max asked. His parents looked at him.

"Honey, when did you get here?" Dorothy asked.

"The whole time" Max replied. "What is happening Dad? Are we in trouble?"

"No honey, go back to your room"

"Your Mom and I got this". Mike knew he wasn't so sure if he got the whole situation together. If

his family had found him this time, they might be in a whole more lot of trouble than they could

ever imagine.

Dinner came a little earlier; Uncle David ate in a rush. The unusual silence while they ate was

inevitable. Max could sense his parents fear, he hadn't seen them fear any thing before and he

knew that whatever fear they had for his father's family, it had to be a terrible one. Max decided

to break the silence. "Uncle David, I will be attending an actual school tomorrow"

"Why? Are your parents tired of you?" David said in between chewing his meal. "Did you offend

them?"

"I never thought of it that way, they might actually be tired of their own child!" Max dropped his

spoon "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry if I haven't been on my best behavior lately. Please don't send me to

an actual school".

"Max, I thought we are over this conversation. You didn't do anything wrong, we just want you

to you know, mingle with your age groups".

"Okay". Max said in between his breath.

"Your parents are right Max; you need to meet with other people. You shouldn't be a social

outcast".

Max nodded his head in approval and stood up with his plate. "If you will excuse me, I have to

prepare for my 'Big day' tomorrow"

"Of course honey, good night". Dorothy gave him a warm hug

Max was glad he had successfully left the table before everyone else. He knew he wouldn't love

his new school, the new system or the new people his parents wanted him to meet. He would

miss his mother's tender voice and the cookies that followed every class they had together. Then

he would miss his talking bunnies. He had never once dreamt of missing someone or something

all his life then the thought of how he would survive around the non-magical hit him hard. But he

knew if he could survive his father's rigorous magical training, he would definitely survive going

to the humans school and acting normal. He thought of the tension he had seen on his parents'

faces, it had made them so something they'd never done before -- allowed him to leave the

dinning before everyone else. He was sure it wasn't because they are growing to love him so

much but it was because of the whole new tension about Uncle David's stalker. His curiosity

grew, and it was more than just about uncle David's stalker, it was about who his father's family

were, what they had; done to his parents and why his parents feared them the way he had seen in

both of their faces. ;

"Did they change their mind?" The red bunny asked him as he entered his room.

"No red, they didn't". Max replied.

"You're going to have to take us with you then, stuff us in your bag or something"

Max stroked his head. "No blue, I can't risk it. I won't be in school for a whole day you know, I

will be back here after school". He paused. "But be sure that I will miss you both. Good night".

"Good night Max". The bunnies echoed He didn't eavesdrop on his parents' conversation tonight.

Instead, he let the night take him into a deep slumber. He was certain tomorrow was going to be

a very long day.

**************

The talking bunnies were cut out open. The white wool that made up their inside were all out.

Max saw leg prints of blood on the floor leading to his parent's room. Suddenly, the light went

out. He struggled to switch on the rechargeable lamp at the corner of the house. His parents'

room had been thrown upside down, he only saw splatter of blood on the wall as an evidence that

his something bad had happened in the room. The moment he turned to leave the room, he met

him. The Magoon group leader. Max woke up, it was a dream. He went out of his room to peep

into his parents' and he found them sound asleep. He told himself it was just the Uncle David's

scare getting into him and nothing more but deep inside him, he knew it was more than a mere

dream, it was like he had just seen into the future.