Chapter Text
"This room was not made for this many people!" Collin complains loudly, wedged into the corner between RJ and Stephen. "Do we really all need to be here?"
"Yes," Isabel and Suzy say at the same time. They exchange a glance. Suzy looks away first, face flushing slightly.
"He's got a point," Isaac says. "Remind me why Johnny's thugs are here again?"
"Isaac, that's not nice," Ed pipes up, frowning at him. They'd run out of chairs, so he's sitting on the floor. "Isabel said they could come, remember?"
"Yeah, but she didn't say why," Isaac mutters back under his breath.
"Cool it, sparky," Stephen shoots at him. "We got as much right to be here as you do."
There's a distant peal of thunder as Isaac narrows his eyes. Max puts a hand on his shoulder and then the other on Johnny's for good measure, 'cuz he looks like he's about to square up. "Would you all quit it with the posturing? There’s not enough space in here for a brawl.”
Isaac leans back in his chair with a grumble, arms crossed. "Fine."
Max shoots Johnny a look as well. "What?" he protests. "I can be good."
Isabel snorts loudly at that, also earning her a look from Max. She just shrugs mildly in response.
"Can I ask a question of my own?" Max doesn't wait for an answer, pointing at the corner opposite Collin. "Why is Lisa here?"
She gives him a smile and a breezy little wave in response. "My price for letting Isabel use my phone. Besides," she leans over and pats Ollie's arm, "since two of my employees are involved, I feel like I should stay informed."
"Right." Max eyes her dubiously. He switches his attention back to Isabel. "Okay, Iz. We're all here. Spill the beans."
Everyone turns to look at her. She squirms a bit, looking uncomfortable. "Well..." She perches on the corner of the desk. Suzy makes a scandalized noise and tugs some papers out from under her. "Oh, sorry." Isabel clears her throat and starts over. "So-"
"Wait!" Suzy interjects, pointing at Collin. "Make sure you're taking notes. I want this recorded for posterity."
"Already on it.” He’s hunched over a notebook, writing furiously. Stephen leans over to try and take the pencil and Collin smacks his hand away.
"Do you guys want me to explain or not?" Isabel complains in exasperation, folding her arms.
"Let her talk." Dimitri breaks his silence. He's standing by the door, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and an expression Max can't describe on his face.
"Thank you." She gets to her feet. "So, you guys remember when we asked Suzy to do some digging into whatever the mysterious incident,” she puts heavy emphasis on the words, “ that happened in Mayview thirteen years ago was?"
"No," Stephen interjects. RJ shushes him.
Isabel keeps talking, ignoring him. "Well, she finally found something."
"Don't say it like that," Suzy scoffs. "I spent months pouring over possible leads. Months! I was in the library every single day. I even went to the town archive! You know how boring that place is?”
"You made me come even though I have a dust allergy," Collin mutters, still scribbling away.
Isabel rolls her eyes. "Okay, okay. The very dedicated and talented Suzy toiled away until she uncovered the truth." She finishes it off with a lopsided grin. "Better?"
"It'll do," Suzy sniffs, but her face is pink.
"What did you find?" Max leans forward in his chair, feeling a little apprehensive. If Moros had something to do with whatever happened, this might be a clue to getting rid of him.
Isabel nods at her. "Show them."
Suzy stands up and comes around the front of the desk, pulling something out of her pocket. It's a piece of paper, going yellow around the edges. She unfolds it and kneels down on the floor, spreading it out and smoothing it down. Ed scoots back to give her room. "I borrowed this from the archives."
"You stole it," Collin corrects. She shoots him a dark look and he hastily returns to taking notes.
“I’m going to give it back,” she says, petulant. “Eventually.”
Everyone moves closer, crowding around her. It takes Max a second to realize what the paper is since he's looking at it upside down. "A map?"
"Mhm." Suzy nods. "It's a map of Mayview. Check the date." She taps a corner. "Fits your timeline. This is from summer of that year."
"Okay," says Isaac. "So what? That doesn't tell us anything."
She glares at him. "Let me finish. Hand me a marker." She directs it to Isabel, who grabs one from the desk and tosses it to her. Suzy uncaps it, circling something on the edge of the map. Collin squeaks in disapproval. "Look at this."
Ed leans over it, so close his glasses are almost touching it. "A graveyard?" He sits back, frowning. "That's not right. There's only one graveyard in Mayview, and it's over here." He taps a different part of the map.
"That's what you think." Suzy traces the circle with her finger. "All of the other maps we looked at from before and after this year don't have the extra graveyard. But this one does." She shrugs, going for casual, but Max can tell it's bothering her. "You told me to look for anything unusual. Well, here it is."
"It's probably just a mistake," Ollie says doubtfully. "Or maybe someone made a fake map for a project or something."
"Or-" Stephen bursts in, grabbing the marker from Suzy and drawing arrows pointing towards the circle. She snatches it back with a huff. " Or," he says again, sounding excited. Max can tell he’s gearing up to go into full conspiracy mode. "There's a hidden graveyard in the woods and the government is keeping it secret."
"Stephen, that doesn't make any sense." Ollie shakes his head. "Why would they do that?"
"I dunno, man." He frowns at him. "Why's the 'ment do anything?" Stephen taps his chin, thoughtful. "Or maybe that's where all the death cultists have their meetings and stuff."
Max tunes out his rambling, a vague idea surfacing in his brain. He grabs at it, trying to figure it out. It feels like things are slowly starting to fall into place, puzzle pieces fitting together. But it's not enough. There's still too many parts missing. Max presses a palm to his forehead, closing his eyes. "Because they forgot about it." He says it very quietly, almost to himself.
"Max?" Isabel sounds concerned.
He blinks, looking up at her. "They don't remember," he says again. "When I got kidnapped-"
"When you what?" Suzy squawks.
Max ignores her. "Dr. Ectoplasm said something about people only recalling 'the incident'," he makes air quotes, "after they'd moved away from Mayview. But not what actually happened. Just like..." he struggles to find the words to explain. "The feeling that it was something bad?"
There's a silence. Everyone looks at him. Max ducks his head, flushing a bit in embarrassment. What if his hunch is wrong after all?
"So," Johnny says slowly, working it out. "Y'think someone put some kinda forgettin' spell on everyone?"
"Maybe? It'd make sense." He glances at Isabel. "Is that even possible?"
"I..." she hesitates, worrying her lip. "I don't know."
"Boss Leader can manipulate memories," Ed says. "I heard your grandpa talkin' about it once. It's one of her spirit's powers."
"Right, but can she do it to a whole town?"
Ed shrugs. "Well, she is the boss."
"Let's say she is," Max cuts in. It feels like something she'd do. "Why would she?"
"I don't know!" Isabel groans, running her hands through her hair. "I don't know anything. None of this makes sense."
Johnny brushes past Max, crouching down in front of the map. He points to the circled graveyard. "Why don't we just go check it out ourselves?"
"Can't." She shakes her head. "It's outside the barrier."
Max frowns. "Isn't the train fixed? I mean, Dr. Zarei was here a few months ago, when Johnny was sick."
"Yeah, but you think she's just gonna let us on?" Isabel crosses her arms. "What are we even supposed to say? Excuse us, we gotta go check out an unmarked graveyard in the middle of the woods? No way. She'll just tell Spender."
"That’s true," Isaac muses. "There has to be another way. The train can't be the only-" he stops suddenly, noticing Suzy staring at him. She'd been following the conversation with huge eyes, looking between him and Max and Isabel.
"No, no, keep talking!" She flaps her hands at him frantically.
Isaac shoots a glance at Isabel. She shrugs helplessly. "We did say we'd tell her everything in exchange for this. Or at least Max did, anyway," she adds, throwing him under the bus.
"Right." Suzy points the marker at him threateningly, resting an elbow on her knee. "And I wanna know exactly what it is the Activity Club does."
Max sighs, defeated. "We fight ghosts," he deadpans. "With superpowers."
She stares at him for a brief moment before scoffing. "Don't give me that. That's what you said last time." Her voice wavers a bit, which catches Max off guard. Does she know something he doesn’t?
"No, it's true," Stephen cuts in. "Johnny's got cool fire powers and Max's got lame magnet powers."
"Thanks so much," Max says dryly.
"Oh my God." Collin snaps his notebook shut loudly. "You people are insane." He looks at Suzy. "Don't tell me you buy this?"
She hesitates, biting her lip. "I...I don't know. I mean, I did see some pretty weird stuff this weekend." She shoots a quick, furtive glance at Isabel. Max has to wonder exactly what they were up to while he was fighting for his life. She chews on the marker cap. “Okay, let’s say I buy it. Why do you have to fight them?”
“Suzy!” Collin makes a noise of disbelief. “Don’t encourage them!” He switches his attention to Dimitri. He's still leaning against the wall, away from everyone else. "Back me up here," he pleads. "Talk some sense into her. They're just making stuff up!"
Dimitri shakes his head. "I believe them."
"What? " Collin exclaims, voice rising half a pitch. "Why?"
"Because I have powers too." Dimitri gives him a wink and a lazy grin before phasing backwards through the wall.
"No way!" Stephen points at the blank spot where he'd been. Collin stares from next to him, face pale. "He can do that?"
Suzy drops the marker, mouth open. "What the-"
Isabel picks it up and puts it back on the desk. "Dimitri used to be in the Activity Club with us," she says, by way of explanation.
"You're telling me he could've given me the inside scoop on you guys all along?" Suzy screams. "I'm gonna kill him!"
She makes to bolt out of the room after him. Isabel grabs her shoulders, forcing her back down. "Easy. It's not his fault he didn't tell you, okay? We're not supposed to let regular people know."
Suzy pouts up at her, looking genuinely upset. "But all those times I was venting, he just listened. He knew how much not being able to figure it out bothered me, and he deliberately left me in the dark!" She crosses her arms with a huff. "We were supposed to be able to trust each other. So much for ethics in the field."
"Yeah, secrets hurt," Isabel says sympathetically. "Look, why don't we all go home and think things over? It's getting late."
Max glances at the clock. It's almost five. He can't put off going home and facing his dad any longer. He swallows, feeling jittery all of a sudden.
Suzy folds the map up and makes to put it in her pocket. Isabel interrupts her, holding out a hand. "I'm gonna need that."
She hands it over without a protest. She still looks murderous. Max worries a bit for Dimitri when Suzy catches up to him. He puts his chair back where it came from while everyone else files past him, leaving him alone in the room. Lisa materializes in front of him on his way out, blocking his path. Max eyes her, annoyed. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, you can." She gives him a smile that Max just knows means bad news. "When you go investigate your mysterious graveyard, I want to know what you find."
"Why? You're not involved in this."
"Because I barter in information, that's why." She regards him with a raised brow, like his question was stupid. "And because I'm still blackmailing you." Lisa grabs the straps of his backpack, jerking him closer and staring him down. "Remember? Anything I want from you, I get." She lets go, cordial again. "Well, this was interesting! See you tomorrow."
Max watches her leave, thoroughly freaked out. Man, it really feels like everyone has it out for him these days. He steps out into the hall cautiously, just in case she's out there waiting to jump him again. It’s just Ed and Isabel and Johnny left.
“Hey!” Isabel says brightly. Too brightly. “You want us to walk home with you? You were looking kinda worried earlier.”
He considers it, tempted. Somehow he gets the feeling that if his dad sees him show up with his friends, he’ll just be in more trouble. Max shakes his head. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though.”
Her smile falters a bit. “Well, if you say so. Let’s go,” she says to Ed.
“Oh, wait a sec.” Max grabs at her jacket. “I need to tell you something first.” He takes a deep breath. “Moros woke back up. I saw him earlier, when we were at the arcade.” He glances at Johnny, who nods, backing him up.
Isabel’s expression grows concerned. “Damn,” she says under her breath. “That’s not good.” She rubs at her face. “Well. Good thing we found this clue, then. Maybe it’ll help with getting rid of him.”
“Yeah,” Max replies vaguely. He’s getting his hopes up a little, even though he knows he shouldn’t. It’s just - a secret graveyard feels exactly like the kind of thing that Moros would be involved in.
Isabel punches him in the shoulder, lightly. “Don’t stress too much, okay? We’ll figure this out.” She waves, her and Ed turning to go.
Johnny lingers behind them. “Y’sure y’don’t want me to go with you?”
Max gives him a forced smile. “Yeah,” he says again. “It’s fine. I don’t think my dad’s gonna be too mad, anyway.” The lie comes easy. He lifts a hand and leaves before Johnny can say anything else, heading towards the front doors.
Anxiety grips him as soon as he steps outside. Max digs his phone out of his pocket, unable to resist checking it. He turns it on for the first time in a couple hours. The screen immediately blows up with messages and missed calls. He scrolls through a few of them, heart sinking lower with every text.
>Dad (9:17): Are you in schol?
>Dad (9:17): *schol
>Dad (9:17): **school
>Dad (9:31): Max can you answer
>Dad (10:23): Max where are you?
>Dad (10:48): Are you hurt? Do you need help?
>Dad (2:19): Max please answer I’m worried
He stares at the last text for a while, nearly wandering into the street. A car honks at him and he jumps. Max shakes his head, shoving the phone back into his pocket. He feels worse than ever.
The store's dark when he gets to it, which makes him pause. Did his dad close early? Is he out looking for him? He waffles in front of the entrance, staring through the windows, trying to make out any figures inside. He doesn't see anything. Maybe he can just sneak in after all. Max opens the doors carefully, closing them quietly behind him. He only makes it a few steps before the lights flick on.
"Maxwell."
The use of his full name makes him freeze. His dad's standing behind the counter, arms crossed, looking upset. Really upset.
"Um." Max says weakly. "Hi. Why were you waiting in the dark?"
"Dramatic effect." His dad shakes his head. "The school called me. Where have you been?"
He squirms, staring at the floor. "I was hanging out with Johnny," he admits, not able to bring himself to lie.
"Max." his dad sighs heavily. "First the store, now this? Look, I know he's not a bad kid, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe he's a bad influence."
Max blows up. "You don't know what's going on in his life!" he yells, suddenly furious. "You don't know what's going on in mine either!"
His dad jerks back like he's been slapped. The anger drains out of Max as quickly as it came, leaving a guilty stomachache in its place. "Is there something you need to tell me?" his dad asks quietly.
Max shakes his head and bites his cheek, trying not to cry. He bolts past his dad and up the stairs to his room, slamming the door behind him. He rips his backpack off and tosses it aimlessly. The bat falls out, clattering loudly on the floor. He throws himself face down on his bed. Get it together, Max tells himself savagely. You're acting like a little kid throwing a tantrum. He just feels so damn helpless and frustrated. He hates this. He hates this so much. It's not like he wants to keep secrets from his family. But what other choice does he have? If he tells his dad, he's just gonna think he's crazy and stick him back in therapy. Or worse - what if he actually believes him? He'd be worried sick about all the danger Max is getting himself into.
He hears footsteps in the hall. His dad's standing outside the door, mumbling to himself. Max can vaguely make out "it's just the start of his teenage phase" and "remember all those parenting books you read".
There's a knock on the door. He tries to ignore it, but his dad's insistent. "Max?"
"What?" His voice is muffled by the pillow.
"You know I have to ground you, right, bud?"
Max sighs, upset but unsurprised. "Yeah," he says, grudgingly.
"And, uh..." his dad trails off, like he's trying to think of what to say. "I'm taking your phone too. And you can't see your friends during spring break next week." There's another pause. "Am I being too harsh?" he says the last bit to himself, so quiet Max almost doesn't hear it.
Yes, he thinks uncharitably, but he knows he probably deserves this. He drags himself over to the door and cracks it open just enough to hold his phone out, closing it as soon as his dad takes the phone from him. "Max," his dad says again, sounding heartbroken. "I wish you'd talk to me if something's bothering you."
A couple of the tears he'd been fighting back escape. Max presses his back to the door, listening to his dad's footsteps fade away. God, this sucks. Everything in his life sucks so bad right now.