Chapter 89
Felicity
POV.
The group was stunned into silence at Maximus' accusation. No one wanted to believe that one of their own had betrayed them to the enemy, Alpha Melezo.
Ava spoke up first. "Maximus, I don't think that's necessarily true. There could be other explanations."
"Like what?" Maximus asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"Like maybe someone followed us, or overheard us talking about our plans," Kyle offered.
"But how did they get our photos and names?" Maximus countered. "That's not something anyone could just overhear."
"I agree with Maximus," I added. "It seems too coincidental that Melezo knew exactly who we were and what we looked like."
The group fell into a tense silence, each of us casting suspicious glances at the others.
Finally, agent Brown spoke up. "Look, I know none of us wants to believe that one of our own would betray us, but we have to consider the possibility. We need to figure out who it could be and deal with them before they can cause any more harm." "But how do we do that?" Ava asked. "We don't have any proof."
"We need to start by narrowing down the suspects," Maximus said. "Who among us has the most to gain by betraying us?"
The group began to discuss possible motives and suspects, their voices growing louder and more heated as they argued.
I felt a sense of unease settling over me as I listened to them.
Kyle suddenly exclaimed, 'It's Maximus! He's the traitor!" He stared at him with disbelief.
"He's been hiding something behind that fake kindness all along." He added.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
Adrian chimed in, "Maybe he's Melezo's accomplice. There's always a traitor among us, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's Maximus."
Maximus was taken aback. "What are you guys saying? That doesn't make any sense!"
I felt anger building up inside me. How could they accuse Maximus like that?
But Kyle continued, "You want to deliver us to Melezo, don't you? We always suspected that there was something fishy behind your kindness."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "How can you say that? Maximus wouldn't do something like that!"
Adrian shrugged. "You never know. Traitors can come in all shapes and sizes."
Maximus was furious. "I can't believe you would even accuse me of something like that! I thought we were all friends here."
I spoke up again. "Kyle, I can't believe you would turn on me like this. You don't even know me anymore. We don't even spend time together as siblings."
Kyle raised his voice. "That's because you're always taking Maximus' side, even when he's clearly wrong!"
I shot back, "And I can't believe you're being so closed-minded. You don't even give Maximus a chance!"
The forest fell silent as tensions rose. I couldn't believe how quickly things had turned from a friendly chat to a full-blown argument.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Kyle cut me off.
Kyle yelled at me, "Ever since Maximus came into your life, you've changed. You always take his side, whether he's right or wrong. You don't take care of me anymore, and we don't spend time together as siblings!" "You no longer care about your own brother. It's like he's taken over your life." He added.
That's not true!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face," you don't know me, Kyle. You don't have the right to judge me. You don't know what my baby and I have been through, what I've been through." Ava chimed in, "Guys, can we all just calm down? Fighting is not going to solve anything."
But Adrian added fuel to the fire, "Kyle's right. Ever since the Maximus came, you haven't been the same. You're selfish and self-centered."
Tears streamed down my face, and I couldn't hold back any longer, "You're both hypocrites! You don't understand what I've had to go through! If you don't like it, then just leave like you did before." Adrian and Kyle looked at each other, sensing the tension in the air. Ava tried to intervene, "Please, let's just talk about this calmly."
But I couldn't stop myself, "You don't know anything! You don't have the right to judge me! Just leave, both of you!"
Phoenix began to cry in my arms, and I finally realized what I had done. The war between Kyle and me had officially begun.
As Ava approached me, I could feel my irritation building up. "What do you want, Ava?" I asked, trying to keep my tone civil.
Ava looked surprised by my coldness but tried to appear friendly. "I just wanted to chat with you a bit," she said.
I shook my head. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood for small talk. "
"Okay, I was just trying to be friendly." she said in a small voice.
"
'Oh, I can tell." I said sarcastically.
"Uhmm..." She started before I cuted her off.
"I don't want your company. Why don't you go talk to your boyfriend Kyle instead?"
Ava looked hurt, but she nodded before walking away. Kyle was only a few feet away, and as she went to him, I could see the smile on her face. They were always so happy together, it made me a bit envious. Maximus changed the subject," Alright, let's get going. We have a long way to go.
After a few moments, we decided to hit the road again. Our horses were waiting for us, and we were all eager to continue. The scenery was breathtaking, and we were all enjoying the fresh air.
As we were riding, we stumbled upon a cave. The entrance was large enough for us to go in, and we decided to take a break there.
"Hey, this looks like a good spot to rest for a bit." Maximus exclaimed.
" Agreed. I'm starving." I agreed with him.
"Do we have any food?" Ava questioned.
"Yeah, we packed some fruit and water."
Maximus started a fire using the fire starter we had purchased and we all gathered around it.
We had some fruit and water then Max braised some meat, and we ate it with bread. The whole atmosphere was beautiful, and we all took in the moment.
As the night grew chillier, we decided to lie down and rest a bit.
"This is delicious." Ky said munching on some bread.
Ava nodded in agreement,"I agree."
After finishing our meal, we lay down on the cave's floor to rest.
"I'll take the first watch." Maximus said yawning.
Ava said," I'll take the second."
"Alright, I'll take the last watch." I said.
While some of us slept, others stayed awake to watch.
Suddenly, Phoenix, my baby started crying out of nowhere. I tried soothing him.
Maximus was grumpy. "What's going on?"
I was so frustrated,"I don't know. I've tried everything."
I tried soothing again with Maximus, but nothing seemed to work.
The other members of the group woke up, and they weren't happy about being disturbed. We tried everything we could to calm him down, but it seemed like nothing helped. Ava asked concerned," Is he hungry or thirsty?"
"He might be." I said realizing it.
"The baby is thirsty, anyone got water?" I asked, standing up from the cave floor.
"Sorry, mate, we already finished all the water," replied jake.
"All of it?! How could you guys drink all the water without thinking about the rest of us?" I exclaimed, feeling my anger rising.
Kyle, who was chewing on a piece of jerky, slowly spoke up, "I had the last sip."
I turned my head to the baby, screaming in agony. "I can't let Phoenix go on like this, I'm gonna go get some water," I said resolutely.
"You can't be serious, it's way too dangerous to go out on your own, especially with our bounty heads out there," warned Maximus.
"I know the risk, but I can't listen to my baby cry like this," I replied, feeling the tears prick at my eyes.
"But it's already late, there are no shops open, and the nearest village is 30 minutes away," argued Sarah.
"If I don't go, who will?" I asked.
Maximus stepped forward, "I'll go. Phoenix is my baby too, and i'll make a quick run to the bars. They should still be open at this hour."
I looked at him with love, feeling grateful for his support. "Okay, thank you boo!"
"I love you," I said, looking into his eyes.
He chuckled and said, "Bars are still open at this late hour, aren't they?"
I frowned, realizing that he was avoiding my confession. "How do you intend to go? You'll attract attention if you go dressed like that."
He paused for a moment before suggesting something that made me burst out laughing. "Why don't you guys make me up as a woman and lend me some women's clothes?"
Everyone laughed, but he seemed serious. Ava, however, was enthusiastic. She quickly got up and went to her bag, rummaging through it before finding a wig, makeup, women's sandals, a shirt and a long, tight skirt.
I was shocked to see her with all that stuff, and asked her why she had all of it.
She just smiled and said, "My sixth sense told me we would need it." I rolled my eyes at that.
Ava made up Maximus, but it was awful. I burst out laughing before he went to a corner of the cave to change. When he came back, we all burst out laughing again at the sight of him. His transformation was good - Ava had done a great job. My moon goddess it was... Funny.
I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Maximus looked embarrassed, and we all fell into fits of laughter when he stepped out.
"I look ridiculous," he muttered, adjusting his outfit.
"I can't believed you did this," I said.
"I know, right? He looks ridiculous," replied Rachel.
"Hey, I can hear you," protested Maximus, who was dressed in a frilly dress and high heels.
I got up and fixed his collar, trying to hide my laughter. "Sorry, Max. It's just hard not to laugh."
We then taught him to walk and talk like a girl, and when he did, we laughed like crazy.
"Oh my god, you look fabulous! I can't believe it actually worked!" Ava exclaimed.
"Yeah, well, let's just hope nobody notices that I have an Adam's apple. And let's pray that I don't fall on these heels." Maximus said embarrassed and he tore a smile from me. Maximus grabbed the money and left.
However, his annoyance was apparent when the others said they wanted water too.
As I watched him go, I couldn't help but hope that nobody at the bar would catch on to his true identity as a boy.