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Monsieur Maxwell has been acting strange lately…
He has acquired new powers, strange, and powerful new abilities. No one knows where it came from, as much as they are useful, they give a bit of an uneasy feeling.
But that's not the only strange thing about him.
He has been isolating himself, avoiding talking to the others.
That shouldn't be unusual, the others held a grudge on him for too long. They all took a while to get to trust him completely. With all the dangers we faced together, with all the help he has given, all the time we spent together, they were starting to get along well. I was very happy about that.
Until he got those new powers, and started to get recluse again.
I asked him about it, he told me that he discovered some new secrets about the Codex, that's all he said.
He doesn't talk to me as much anymore.
When we first met- Well, not counting that unfortunate day, when I first arrived at this place…
It all started when that bizarre portal brought us all together, I was the only person in the group who approached him. As I said, all the others held a grudge against Maxwell, they didn't treat him very well.
His personality didn't help either, he had a grumpy face all the time, always expressing his unhappiness to be there, and his dismay to cooperate with them.
And that is the reason I decided to approach him.
I hold a belief that even under harsh conditions, we should cheer up and keep smiling, it's what motivates people to keep going.
So I decided to take that as my duty in the Constant, to keep everyone's spirits up. And at that moment, Maxwell was one of the people who needed it the most.
So I approached him… it took a long time, but we finally got along.
It went way better than I was planning.
Maybe Maxwell was feeling touch starved, deprived of love and affection. He had spent years, maybe decades trapped in that throne, alone. And I must admit, I was feeling the same way…
We eventually found comfort in each other.
After some time, he started talking to me. Not just talking, but expressing his feelings, I discovered a more sensitive side of Maxwell. I imagine he felt like it was safe to share them with me, since there is no risk of me sharing them with anyone. I was happy about that, happy to make Maxwell feel comfortable.
But I supposed there were things Maxwell wouldn't share even with me.
Ever since he got those new powers, we stopped spending time together. He stopped talking to me as often.
I try to approach him, he avoids me, pushes me away.
Especially when the night comes.
I miss our moments of affection, his touch, his voice, his smile.
I feel like we are back at the start, when I first tried to get his attention.
Right before the sunset, I find him sitting alone beside a campfire, away from the others, just like it used to be before.
So just like in the past, I approach him, a bowl of fresh fruits and berries in my hands, I know he didn't get any dinner. Strangely, as I got closer, I had the impression he was mumbling something.
Startled, he notices my presence, but he doesn't say anything, doesn't move, just sighs deeply, keeping the attention on his book.
I feel uneasy, but I sit beside him anyway. Offer him the bowl of food.
"I am not hungry." He replies, direct and cold.
Evidently, he is annoyed. It really feels like old times, when we first started to interact. I didn't give up before, and I'm not giving up now.
I put the bowl of fruits aside, but I didn't leave. I keep sitting beside him, under the last rays of the sun, as the minutes pass by.
I look at him, he is dapper as ever, he is still avoiding eye contact with me. I can't help but notice how he becomes even more and more nervous as the sun settles. I wonder if he's just feeling uncomfortable with my presence, or if something else is bothering him.
I haven't taken a good look at him for a long time, I haven't noticed the rose in his suit's pocket.
The roses he puts in his pockets are usually a bit smaller. Sometimes, he doesn't even have any rose, since it withers away, and he has to find a new one. None of them have thorns like this one, either.
Unexplainably, that flower gave me an unsafe feeling. I slowly reach my hand over to it, to try to analyze it better.
That was probably a mistake.
Maxwell, he forcefully grabs my wrist before my hand can reach the flower, with reflexes that are unusual for him, unless he's in a life or death situation. My own eyes widen as he squeezes me hard. His abnormally pointy and big nails dig into my skin, and I can feel the first drops of blood starting to cover me.
"Don't. Touch. That." He says, assertively and aggressively, while he finally makes eye contact with me. I struggle to free my hand, but his grip is strong and painful. His voice sounds demonic, it's a tone I haven't heard in a long time, bringing me unpleasant memories of when we first met, when he locked me away in that prison, back when he was a different person. A person that I thought would never come back again.
Only when I break, my eyes begin to water, and he hears my pathetic whine, does he release me.
He suddenly gets up from the log we were sitting on, as if in shock, he stares at me with worried eyes. His hands were hovering on me, as if he didn't know how to help.
"W-Wes… I-" He stutters.
He was about to say something, when he quickly turned his eyes to the sun, it had settled down, the light of the fire pit was the only one at the moment.
"Just… leave me alone." He says, coldly, and then leaves, walking in the direction of our camp, lantern in hand.
I remain sitting there, alone now. Tears start to run down my cheeks, ruining my makeup.
It hurts a lot.
Not the marks in my wrist, but inside of me, it hurts, my heart stings.
Maxwell is surely acting strange…