After waiting two weeks to make sure he wasn't infected, he finally went to his mother for the good news. "I'm safe, mother. I'm not affected by the curse...trust me."

"That's good to hear, my boy."

That night, he decided to go visit his friends again. He saw Matthew and Zackary sit on tree stumps outside of their home. They looked up at him.

Max smiled. "I'm sorry I lashed out.... I'm so far not affected, so that's good." Matthew gave him a side eye glance. "For now, at least."

Max's smile faded away. Before he could say anything, Matthew began to speak again. "When you were sick, do you know who took care of you?"

"I......saw this girl by my bed, as I was waking up."

Matthew and Zackary exchanged glances. "What did she do? What did she look like?"

"She was giving me.....some sort of drink....she told me it will help me with my fever..."

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"Her appearance?" Matthew asked.

"She was just a blonde girl, wearing rags like us.....seems like she knows a lot about herbs...."

Matthew groaned.

"Max, you've got to be careful with people like that. Something about her seems too ......odd." Zackary gave Matthew a warning look.

Max sighed as he folded his arms, while Matthew continued. "You got to stay away from her, who knows if she herself is a witch. Did she know what made you sick?"

"I don't know, but she sure did know what will cure me."

Matthew sighed. "Something's wrong, Max. I wouldn't trust her if I were you. Who knows if she made you worse? She could be THE witch in disguise. Who knows if she's already turning you into a beast." Zackary nods, then looks at Max. "He's got a point."

Max sighs again. "Okay."

"One thing I'm worried about though, Max. What if you're already a changeling? An outcast?" Matthew continued.

A shot of panic hit him right in the stomach. "I don't know. I need an expert to tell me, but-"

"You can't trust ANYONE! You know what almost happened to Ben! They. Will. Kill you, Max!" His friend retorted.

Max threw his arms out. "So what, we're just going to wait? You guys are just going to watch me change?" He shouted.

Zackary placed a hand on Max's shoulder. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry just yet."

"I can't lose you guys!" Max then said.

"We don't want to lose you either." Zackary said calmly.

Max folded his arms again. "If this DOES happen to me, I'm going to find Ben!"

Matthew and Zackary looked at one another, then back at Max.