Satyrs At Dusk ✔

Chapter Three

Saevel straightened his posture and sighed shakily, lifting a hand from his lap. He closed his eyes. The air around them grew heavy, and Maxwell suddenly found it hard to breathe. The breeze picked up quickly as a lonely howl echoed and carried through the wind.

His hand trembled and slowly clenched his fingers. Once his hand was in a half-fist, thin tendrils of luminescent light swirled around his fingers, whispering little nothings in a singsong of anything but English.

His hand gently drifted forward in the high breeze that spiraled around them, little droplets of water and sand picked up in the cyclone. The string of light slithered from around Saevel's digits and sunk into Maxwell's flesh without effort. The wisps left behind a sliver of glow on his skin that eventually faded in the wind.

He was definitely hallucinating. He was probably talking to nothing. All of this was a trick. Maxwell jumped to his feet and brushed his arms off frantically, eyes wide with confusion and anger. He inclined to babble loudly in angry curses, but his bones melted before he could do so.

He felt fluid pulses of energy coursing through his veins, soothing every nerve in his body. His fury dissipated and he had no choice but to sit back down, serene as a deer. His legs felt like jelly and his mind began to settle.

"What..." he let out a sigh and his eyes slipped shut, "...what did you do to me..?"

Saevel's brow was furrowed and his eyes were regretful. "It was a calming spell. I knew you'd get worked up so I dual-cast the calming spell with an animus spell." Saevel lifted his head and smiled softly. "Do you believe me now? I can try again.. I'm still practicing, and it wouldn't hurt to train a little more."

"Don't." Maxwell jabbed a finger to Saevel's chest accusingly. "You've proven your point, wizard."

Saevel looked off into the ocean, eyes distant. Maxwell backed away and huffed. There was an awkward pause between the two. "Look, I don't know how you learned that... magic.." Maxwell turned away and his face reddened, "..but you seem like a good person. My sister's waiting for me back at home and.. Well, I can't stay after dark."

"That's okay. You can go if you want to. I'll be here."

Maxwell whipped his head back to the man, eyes wide. "Uh, well.. Not to be rude or anything, but I gotta get back home.." He made no effort to stand though. He sat awkwardly until a breeze pulled him back to reality.

"It's okay. Go see your sister. I'm sure she's worried about you." Saevel's voice was barren of any emotion. His eyes told a different story, and Maxwell saw the desperate pleas for him not to leave. Maxwell understood instantly; Saevel was lonely.

"Well, maybe I could stay for a little longer."

_

The sky grew dim and the stars peeked over grey, dusty clouds. Maxwell finally stood and wiped away the sand clinging to his shorts. He stretched out his legs and gathered his things, looking down to the man that covered himself up in the blankets. At night, the waters were cold and the wind was worse.

For the first time in his life, Maxwell walked away from the beach without hitting the waves.

As he strode home, he pondered to himself. 'Will he be okay? What if the tide rises? Is that little blanket gonna keep him warm for the night? Fuck, why am I worrying?!'

Once he reached his house, he opened the door and stepped in. The house was quiet, eerily so. He shut the door behind himself. Myra wasn't in the living room and the TV was off. The lamp beside the couch was on still. "Myra? Mom?" he called out cautiously.

There was no reply.

He trudged upstairs and knocked on Myra's bedroom door, which was covered in stickers and various heavy metal posters.

She was more of a tomboy than her own brother.

He opened the door with a quiet creak and spotted a familiar motionless body in her bed. The light snores of his sister filled the room, and Maxwell was instantly relieved. No lights were on except the TV, which illuminated the whole room with a dim ocean color. She loved playing podcasts as she slept, and her favorite streamers were rambling on.

Maxwell gently shut the door and stepped to the right, to which a door led to his mom's room. His shy knock was followed by a "Come in."

He opened the door and found his mother, Sarah, sitting in bed with a cigarette between her fingers. She blew out a puff of smoke and smiled softly at Maxwell. "You're back. Did you have fun?" she inquired.

Maxwell bashfully nodded and scratched his neck, eyes lowering to the trembling legs supporting him. He didn't know why he was so uncomfortable around her.. Was it because she was always away? She was rarely ever home anymore.

"And you're back from sleeping with older men." he returned.

"Oh come on, Max. At least be glad I'm here and not off in France."

'Might as well be there. You'd prefer it there over being with your own kids.' he thought sourly. He just let out a sigh.

"Now I know why Dad left us. Our own mom is a whore." He turned around and shut the door, eyes watering.

_

Maxwell tossed and turned in bed until three in the morning. His mind kept traveling back to the possibility that Saevel could be freezing aut there... He could be pulled into the sea by the rising tide.

Maxwell's gut didn't sit right with that thought.

"Why am I doing this..." he groaned. He rose to his feet and yanked off the heavy blanket from his bed. He slipped on his sandals and brushed back his wild hair. As Maxwell sneaked down the stairs with his blanket, he heard the sounds of a door closing upstairs.

He turned around to see his mother, dressed up in skimpy lace and fishnet. Her usually fair face was now riddled with makeup and her hair was pulled back into a braid.

Her eyes widened.

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously. Maxwell scoffed audibly.

"You're about to leave us again. For another month or so. Why should I care about telling you? I stay out of your business, so stay out of mine," he spat. He turned and exited the house, speed-walking towards the beach.

He didn't feel one spark of guilt for arguing back for once. It felt nice to finally get some sense into her head.

__