13. In the year of 2011 now, Claree slowly makes her way towards the park after a long school day, not just long but a bit cold, which is rare for Nevada weather. Claree takes a deep breath and sits down, taking out her diary and writing in it again.

As she does, her phone suddenly beeps, notifying her of a text message.

She sighs, "who's texting me right now? Oh, of course, why did I even ask..."

Claree reads the message with it saying:

"Are you at the park again? Didn't I tell you to stay home, why do you never listen, you better come home soon, don’t make me come there…

"Wait? Maximus is coming...?" She whispers to herself, texting:

"I'll be home later, I’ll explain why then."

Claree puts her phone away quickly and looks up at Maximus coming over to her, smiling at her as usual since their friendship has grown a lot, getting closer and closer everyday it seems.

"Claree, it's freezing today, are you sure you want to hang out in the park?" 

"It's only 63 degrees fahrenheit, Maximus." 

"Yeah, that's not, let's sit outside and talk weather, or whatever." "Well, as always you can't come to my house right now, my parents have company again." 

"Fine, how about a shop or something?" 

"Aren't we too young?" 

"Don't you go everyone by yourself?" Max questions patiently. 

"Yeah...But I don't need to today." Claree confirms.

Maximus keeps his smile bright and says to her, "well, you can come to my house then..."

As she looks up smiling, which brings sudden comfort and blaze from the shining sun, Max starts looking around shyly, scratching the back of his head, looking around the park.

"Really?" Claree finally answers excitedly, a rare tone from Claree so far.

"Yeah, you can come over to my house, my parents are gone again and won't be back until another two months or so, not that that has anything to do with it or so, oh my gosh, I'm making this awkward." 

"No, it's just normal conversation, and that's good, for our sake...Not about your parents being gone." They laugh together, an awkward one that is.

Then Max finally says, "here, I'll walk with you." 

"What else were you going to do?" She laughs. 

"I don't know, just trying to be nice." Maximus says back to her, trying not to be awkward.

They walk home together through the gated neighborhood, towards the big brown house of the Barderson, where Claree looks at it and begins to look in awe, saying, "your house is even bigger than mine..." 

She turns around, "what do your parents do again?" 

"They work with the LRX." 

"Of course..." She says quietly, "I should have known,” she answers loudly. 

"It's okay." Maximus says back while walking up to his porch.

Maximus then opens the door, and as he walks in, the silence of the foyer immediately stops as Melodie and Celsius run down the hallway upstairs, looking at Max with Celsius saying, "Ooh, you brought a girl over..." 

"That's not just any girl, it's the weird girl in my biology class, Max! You brought Claree over!"

"Huh! What are you complaining about?" Max answers, embarrassed already. 

She points towards Claree, then Claree starts saying, "I know what you guys are worried about, don't worry."

Celsius starts whispering to Melodie saying, "I honestly didn't think he'd be the first to get the girl, Claree's pretty cute." 

"Guys, I could still hear you!" Max shouts, still embarrassed.

"Yeah, cause this girl right here doesn't understand that when you WHISPER to someone, you whisper back!”

Melodie just rolls her eyes at him, then she says, “I’m not gonna argue with you.”

"I'm taking Claree to the lounge room, don't bother us okay." Maximus says to them as he walks upstairs with Claree, but Melodie walks in front of Claree, holding her back, saying, "You seem a lot for him...Treat him kindly, okay?”

"Yes, we're friends, I will like a fine gentleman if that is what you’re asking." Claree answers boldly.

"Huh? That's not what I asked, I just said to treat him kindly." 

"How could I not do that? If you don’t understand our friendship so far, I suggest you let us move along. He has somewhere to take me." Claree puts a serious look on her face, without her greeting smile, a look that Maximus hasn’t seen from her all this time.

"Whatever then." Melodie pouts as she walks away from Claree, dragging Celsius with her as he waves goodbye to her.

After Melodie moves out of Claree's way, Maximus and Claree enter the lounge room.

Maximus opens the big squeaky doors saying, "this is my favorite room besides my own room." Claree walks in, looking at everything properly while saying, "I love this room, actually, wish I had something like this in my house."

"Your parents don't hold anything from the past?" 

"Nope, barely even pictures." 

"Wow, you didn't tell me that yet." 

Claree runs over to a brown table stand right by their room sofa, which is also brown.

"Oh! You have a typewriter?" Claree says while pointing at it, cutting off whatever else Maximus was about to say so that she can change the subject.

"Yeah, my parents love having vintage things from all ages." 

"Wow, my parents have nothing vintage, only stuff that's modern,” she turns towards Maximus, “also futuristic stuff, the technology I have doesn't even come out until another three years or so." 

"Really? Wow, I'm way more of a vintage person." 

"Oh, I can tell," she says playfully.

"I make it obvious I guess." 

Maximus gestures for her to sit saying, "you can have a seat by the bookcase to be more comfortable." Claree turns around, smiling at him saying, "thanks Max." 

She takes her seat, then Maximus sits with her saying, "to be honest with you, this room is where I always am, just reading and learning about the world as much as I can."

"I wish I had more time for that, my parents always want me to help them, even when they don't help me." Her voice changes to her normal deep raspy tone. 

Then Maximus says back, "same, I guess," while watching her eyes become filled with gloom, but, before saying anything else...A knock is heard outside the door.

"Come in!" He shouts.

Frederick, their butler, comes in with tea.

"Hi Frederick, you can place the tea right in front of us." Maximus says.

Frederick puts the tea down saying, "Celsius told me you had a guest, so I immediately made you some lemon tea to quench your thirst." 

"Thank you." Maximus says back. 

"You're welcome." Frederick says this, then he looks up as Claree looks at him while drinking her tea. 

He looks at her for a bit, saying, "oh, you must be the friend, my apologies for not saying anything to you." His voice starts to shake, but he shakes it off as he gets up, then she says back while smiling to him, "no worries," she says with a straight forward voice, "I'm Claree Diveren."

Frederick keeps side eyeing Max, with Max saying, "don't worry, they all know, just please tell me that you won't tell my parents." 

"Oh, no, I wouldn't, I can keep a secret from them." 

"Thanks again," Maximus says relieved.

Frederick bows his head and then he leaves.

With Max saying to Claree, "anyways, um, I have something to ask of you." 

"Go right ahead." 

"Why did you lie to me about not knowing Jinn?" 

Claree stops drinking, then says to him, "I never said I didn't know him." 

"You don't know his son, right?" 

Claree starts to hesitate in thought almost, tilting her head over for closure, then quickly saying, "I've seen him before, Xavier, right?" 

"Yeah..." 

Claree then reaches over on the table, seeing a pile of books laying there, which they were the whole time, she picks out a book, saying, "assassination, your parents have a book on this?" 

"Yeah, they learn about everything I guess, we aren't even allowed in the basement." Maximus says this, staring at her if she would answer his other question, but...Max leaves the thought alone. 

Claree then opens the book, and as soon as she starts reading it, she starts gradually coughing. "You okay...?" Max says worried.

"I'm fine, probably dust." 

"Really, my maid Shelly cleans in here everyday?" 

"Things get dusty, Max, um can I use the bathroom?" Claree stands up, with Max saying, "It's down the hall, on the left side."

"Thank you." After saying this, she rushes out of the room, with Max noticing that her composure is that of someone about to vomit.

Claree walks into the bathroom, and instead of really using it, she starts to gag while coughing, almost barely able to stand up.

Maximus walks over to the door after hearing faint coughing sounds from the lounge room, with him saying, "Claree, are you sure you're okay? You're gagging?" 

"Yeah…” She keeps coughing, ”I know." 

"Are you...using the bathroom or..."

After about five minutes, Claree opens the bathroom door saying, "I'm fine, it was probably the tea or something." 

"Uh...I'll tell him then, are you allergic?" 

"You don't have to and no…Maybe it was something else,” she hesitantly chuckles before saying after, trying to keep her composure well and calm, “I should go now, just in case it hurt my stomach or so, I forgot my mom wanted me to help her with the table tonight too, we have more guest, see you this weekend maybe, or at school?" 

"Yeah…I'll walk you out." He does so and she waves goodbye to him, while Max closes the door, walking in his room, pondering to himself, even when Victor was in the hallway saying, “was that the girl? You brought her in here anyways?"

Maximus answers saying, "yes, her name is Claree, and it is only due to mom and dad being gone.”

"Okay...But what was she doing in our bathroom? That didn’t sound like she was just peeing?" Victor says while walking away.

“I don’t know, she said she just wasn’t feeling well, which is why she left so early.”

Victor sighs, “well okay, Ima be out taking pictures.”

He walks out while Maximus says to him, “okay, I will just clean up the mess,” then once doing so, he starts thinking to himself:

"Why does she keep lying?"