Read Online MAXIM: A New Type of Human (Oddily Series #2) by Linda Pohring, Anne Dewberry - Free Book Online Page B

circumstances.”
    “If you touch her, I’ll…!”
    “You will do nothing,” she smiled seductively, taking Maxim’s hand and pressing his palm to her breast. “Oddily doesn’t have these, does she?”
    Maxim angrily yanked his hand away.
    “Oops, I’m running out of time. If I don’t leave right now, my continued presence with you could alter our destiny. Goodbye Nexa!”
    By the time Nexa stumbled out of the cabinet to wring the girl’s neck, Zaylyn had already begun to shimmer and fade.

 
     
     
     
     
    11
     
    The next morning, Maxim gave Nexa and Oddily a ten-minute head start to school and used the time to reflect on how effortless it was for Zaylyn to leave the control room. She had used a form of teleportation to maneuver herself around, something he knew in theory, but hadn’t tried yet. Today was the day he would attempt to relocate himself to River Lodge and retrieve his black BMW that was still parked in the lot of the Inn where Oddily had stayed for a few days.
    When the ten minutes were up, Maxim readied himself and began to focus on his desired destination. The energy around him started to build momentum, creating a funnel of terrifying power. Suddenly his body mass was no longer evident, until a split second later when gravity took hold again, and he reappeared standing near his car.
    Maxim quickly glanced around to see if anybody had witnessed his arrival, something he hadn’t considered beforehand. Thankfully, there were no bystanders. He hopped into his car and took off towards Bradley Donut’s, a well-known hangout for kids before school. As expected, he found students gathered in small groups, several of them appearing as couples.
    “Perfect!” Maxim mumbled as he parked his car and rolled down the window. To remain inconspicuous, he decided to act as if he was talking on his phone while in truth, he focused on the conversations outside his window. With eyes averted, he listened in on the back and forth dialog and began to familiarize himself with the use of slang words.
    “Hey, there’s Maxim. I’ll be right back!”
    Maxim turned his head to see who had spoken and spotted Paul heading to his car.
    “Hey, how’s it going?” Paul bent down and glanced inside the car. “Where’s Oddily and Nexa?”
    “They’re at school.”
    “Shoot, I needed a lift.”
    “What about your friends over there?” Maxim indicated the group that Paul had been visiting.
    “Nah…they’re ditching today. If you want, I’ll introduce you around before they leave.”
    Maxim recalled Nexa’s words from the night before. She said that he needed to familiarize himself with Oddily’s world, so he agreed to go and meet with Paul’s friends.
    After stepping out of the car, Maxim stared at Paul’s friends curiously while being introduced. He met Jeff, Mike, Stephan, Andrew, Liz, and Jenny who gawked at him in return. His focus remained on Stephan and Andrew because the two females were apparently their girlfriends. After ten minutes of listening in on how they interacted with one another, Maxim finally understood the meaning of the term, pet names. Nexa was right. He did feel foolish. The strange ritual was supposed to be a form of intimacy between two people.
    “What school do you go to?” Jeff asked.
    “I was home schooled,” Maxim tried to be friendly.
    “Ahhh man, you’re a lucky dog!”
    Maxim’s jaw clenched when, once again, he was measured up to an animal. This offensive comparison was going to take some getting used to.
    “You’re the guy who was with Oddily at the dance,” Jenny volunteered. “My heart goes out to the poor thing.”
    “I appreciate your sympathy, but Oddily’s doing fine now.”
    “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” she grinned.
    Maxim placed his hand on Paul’s shoulder. “I’m going inside to get some donuts for Nexa and Oddily. Do you have any suggestions on what the girls might like?”
    “Yeah, but it’s better if I show you.” Paul joined Maxim inside the