Chapter Four - Reviewing What We Know So Far

A walking laptop turned the corner, muttering something about "Chroma Key."

As always, Cedric was carrying his computer with the screen open, editing a video.

Only the slight bounce in his step saved him from tripping and face-planting like Max had done ever-so-gracefully a few weeks prior.

Cedric peered around the corner of the screen, a puzzled look on his face.

He had slipped on the disembodied face of a girl... a familiar girl...

Not too far from the mask was a body he had completely missed, being too distracted by his work.

Cedric's eyes wandered from the motionless body to the mask, and then to the body again.

The thing was practically his creation... but Nantucket didn't wear a black unitard?

He reached out with his toe, trying not to touch the thing as much as possible.

A few moments of suspicion and disgust later, the body had been rolled into a more recognizable position and Cedric saw the face.

"Max, get up."

He poked him with the point of his shoe.

Max didn't respond.

He didn't even seem to be breathing.

"Max, get up," Cedric repeated, a little more frantically, with a little less patience, poking him harder with the point of his shoe.

Suddenly, Max's eyes shot open.

He lay there, gasping, as if woken from a bad dream.

Cedric looked sideways at his blood red eyes.

"What's wrong with your eyes? Are you high?"

Max gave a familiar smirk.

"Hurr hurr... Smoke weed..."

Cedric smiled in relief, but something seemed a little bit off...

Max reached for the mask and brushed it off before pulling it back on.

Cedric's smile quickly deteriorated into a frown.

"Who the 'ell are yee?"

"Someone you see every day."

Slowly, the other members of the crew crept into the scene.

"Is it Max?"

The girl looked insulted.

"I'm not fat!"

Max Green smirked.

"Okay. It's Max."

The girl shook her head.

"Try again."

She let one arm fall limp, and used the other to hold it, just above the elbow.

"Hm. Guess that makes me the new infantsauce."

"Then you are Max," Cedric offered.

The girl shrugged.

"Sure. Let's go with that."

"Hi, Max."

"Hi, Cedric."

"Hi, V!"

With all eyes on him, Viesulas Sliupas gave a guilty smile.

"Wait... that's me... Carry on, citizen!"

The girl gave him her favour.

"I will, thanks."

She started to walk away, down the hall.

Cedric frowned, slightly irritated.

Where was she going?

He wasn't finished talking to her!

"I know that even if I guess correctly, you'll deny it, so I'm staying Max," he called.

Without stopping or even turning her head to look back, she called, "That's fine with me! I'll be another Max!"

"Wait. Wait. Who the FUCK is this?"

The crew turned, quickly, to see their captain, notorious hipster Max McBride, had just stepped out of his cabin and into the hall, joining them in their confusion.

Khrinan froze in her tracks and slowly turned to face him.

Max looked upon the image of himself and his went blank.

"I'm twelve and what is this?" he mouthed.

Khrinan just stared.

V broke the awkward silence.

"Dunno."

Max's feet were cemented in the ground as the the girl approached him, tentatively.

His face lost a hue with every step, until she was standing directly in front of him.

She was his height exactly.

The two saw eye to eye.

"According to Cedric, I'm Max," she said, almost whispering.

Max's arm rose meekly, a finger trembling, as he pointed to himself.

"But... But I'm Max..."

"He's a way better and cooler Max than you'll ever be!"

The voice belonged to Eric.

Khrinan gave him a confused look.

"Wait, so am I Max or not? And if not, then who am I?"

Eric shrugged.

"You will always be Max in my heart."

"You're probably Richard," Cedric tossed.

Khrinan gave an unamused look.

"Oh, I'm definitely Kundan," she shot with obvious sarcasm.

"I think I voted for you."

"Did you really now?"

"Must be Patrick," Max concluded.

"Sorry, I'm not Patrick."

"Curtis?"

"Not Curtis either."

Max searched his brain for possible answers.

"...Madeline?"

The girl smirked his smirk and turned swiftly away from him, beginning to leave again.

"Madeline?" she laughed.

"Fool. There's no such thing as female redditors..."

Suddenly, she froze.

"Oh wait..."

The girl peeked at Max over her shoulder.

"You're one."

Max felt himself turn a new shade of red.

"DAMN, YOU'RE HELLA FUNNY!"

Khrinan looked at Max, sexily.

"Well, Max, we're the most effeminate guy I've ever met."

Max tried to form a comeback, but only managed a small, "Dicks..."

"This was already done."

Max Green rolled his eyes, disgusted.

"It's not funny or cool anymore. It was a one time thing and Cedric perfected it. It was scary, yet extremely fun and kept me wanting more - like a good film with a cliffhanger. Now please, just become a functioning member of this classy submarine."

Khrinan smiled at him, wondering what it was like to be yet another Max.

"I'm not trying to be funny or cool," she explained, calmly.

"I just enjoy writing fan ficts and none of you have been able to correctly name me yet."

"Shut up, Max," Cedric shot.

Appropriately titled handsome stranger Ranon Cox stepped forward, taking the girl by the wrist, and pulled her aside.

"Kiah, duh."

The girl didn't respond.

Ranon smiled, politely.

"If I'm right, don't worry. I find the whole thing entertaining."

She still didn't answer.

"...But I'm a far better writer than you."

Finally, the girl smiled.

"I'm not Kiah, sorry, but I have no doubts you're a far better writer than me. I'm a horrible writer."

She took her hand back and headed back towards the gathering.

Ranon was compelled to follow.

"Hello, again," the girl announced, stepping into the middle of the circle.

"I'm neveralwaysdead, or (recently) NAD."

The audience shuffled.

"Things have slowed now that Saucemas is over, so I have a little game for you to play instead of watching tumbleweeds pass by."

This girl was freaky.

Had she literally been reading everything without commenting?

Then again, Summer Zuber did that exactly...

Maybe this was Summer?

No, Summer was anti-NAD, and too busy working on her new band, "The Deaffrets."

"You have no time limit, and you won't die if you don't finish the game in time," NAD continued.

"I don't want to kill you. I don't plan on killing you, but if any of you turn up dead... I'm probably the reason."

Cedric gave a quizzical look.

"The game is pretty simple: figure out who I am."

NAD smiled.

"I'm surprised you haven't recognized me by now, considering I see you every (school) day, and sometimes on weekends, too. ...There are clues everywhere, and I'll be posting allegories as these events continue. Good luck, scholars."

Max's brow furrowed a bit as she walked away.

"You must be Kiah."

"Oh, so I'm Kiah now? I need to start keeping track of these things."

"Who's your favorite pony?" called Cedric.

"Sweetie Belle, actually. The main six annoy me," NAD answered, continuing down the hall.

"Were you at Pony Club two weeks ago? It was an awesome ep."

NAD let out a little laugh.

"I am the biggest Brony you'll ever know."

Cedric thought about this and called after her.

"Thanks for the hint, Bronyski!"

"No prob, Broseidon. Any more quesitons, you know where to find me."

A lightbulb went off in Max's head and he charged down the hall, trying to catch up to her.

"POYA!"

Turning the corner, he saw that the girl had stopped for him.

Again, she turned and he saw his own face.

"Also wrong, sorry."

There was something so strange about her.

She was like a lost memory, like something out of a dream.

Her blood red eyes stared deep into his soul, looking at him with pity.

"Max... If it helps at all, I'm you, but... I'm not you."

Max's eyes wandered as he pondered this statement and when he looked back, the girl was gone.

"NAD?" he called into the darkness.

There was no answer.

Giving up, Max turned to leave.

He was about to shove his hands into his pockets when he felt something.

The air was thick with blood - rank and sticky-sweet.