I had to say, Max’s “powers” were obviously spectacular. But, really, what teenager can control time and twist the laws of physics? And what lucky person gets to be his friend? If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it – again, pretty obvious.

My feet parted the near-frozen puddles in a back alley of Rade City as I contemplated what Max really could be. Could do. Was there a limit to his ability? A breaking point? And why wasn’t I affected? Whenever he “shifted,” everyone around us froze or rippled away into nothing or something. I always stayed. Or was that just another part of his power?

Dang, it was so confusing.

But it didn’t matter at the moment. Right now, I had to get home – the little hovel near 87th St. Because while everyone else had their family units (including Max, I thought bitterly), I had been booted out of mine.

That man had deserved it anyway.

But it cost me my family. My life. That was just how things worked in Rade.