Max 

Maxine 

Wake up 

Maxine wrote up groggy. It was much like the first time. Her body was standing on a rooftop. Looking down, she saw Penumbra was up. Spite was awake. They extended themselves to their full length, all glistening black muscle. 

“What's wrong?”

They pointed across the street. Someone hung outside the window of the highrise opposite from them, white tattered robes billowing in the evening wind. ‘Hung’ was the wrong word. They were carried by… What seemed to be a bird. A big one. Glowing blue. With sparks coming off it. The figure pointed a staff of some sort at the building and several hunched creatures, made from the same blue light, crashed through the windows and quickly began to appear carrying valuables, which they stored in big bags. Some stayed outside to carry them. 

“Well that's… Probably not good.”

I thought you'd like to know

“Thanks. Let's go say hi.”

They leapt across to the building in a single bound and slammed into the concrete with a crash, some thirty feet from the figure. Spite dug one of their claws deep in the stonework for balance, then turned to the figure. 

“They say stealing is bad, you know.”

The response was slightly more hysterical than they had anticipated. “WHAT THE F-”, the figure screeched and in a flash all the blue creatures had disappeared and the figure was falling. 

That was weird 

“I think that was Andy from high school.”

Below them, possibly-Andy flashed their staff again and caught themselves and the bags of loot on flying chariots, one pulled by goats, one pulled by cats and the one carrying the biggest bag was pulled by…

“Hold up, are those reindeer? Is that… Santa's Sleigh?!”

The figure flew back up to them, clearly distressed. 

“What the fuck are you?”

“Wow okay rude”

Now that they got a good look at the person, or was 100% Andrew, the lanky kid she knew from high school. He'd gotten even taller and lankier, ginger curls at shoulder length now. Also remarkable was his outfit, which was a hodgepodge of religious and mystical symbolism. At first glance she recognised an Ankh, a small hammer, some face paint she was pretty sure was appropriative, a waxing moon pendant, and the entire zodiac on a necklace. 

“What are you wearing?”

“You first!” Andrew answered shakily. They kept forgetting that this shape was more than a little terrifying, especially in the dark where their eyes and teeth were their most visible features.

“Follow me,” Spite said, and jumped back across to the previous rooftop. After a few seconds, the chariots had turned awkwardly and Andrew had made his way there. He stayed on his chariot, clearly wary, so they decided to throw him a bone and reduce their size to human levels and, for now, reduce the face to something resembling a flat latex superhero mask. Much less threatening. 

“Who are you?”

“Spite. Is that stuff yours?”

“You may address me as Divine Intervention. I take what is rightfully mine.”

Jesus Christ, Andrew. Maxine had liked him better as the quiet kid. 

“That's a no, then, is it?”

He scoffed and looked down his nose at them. 

“Do you think you can stop me, creature? Pah! Loki, Anansi, Anubis, seize that monster!”

“What the f-” Spite managed before a glowing blue man with the head of a Jackal, a glowing blue man-sized spider and a glowing blue Tom Hiddleston appeared in front of them and tackled them to the ground. 

“This is so stupid.” 

“You are no match for my divine powers!”

“This is literally Tom H-” they tried as Anubis, God of the Underworld, punched them in the face. 

“Okay, that's it.”

They extended to their full form, muscles bulging as they committed several acts of gory blasphemy and bit Tom Hiddleston’s head off. 

“You CAN NOT actually be summoning deities!”

“I… I can and I will!”

“Do you even know where Anansi is from?”

“A- Africa!”

“For fuck's sake,” they growled, and fired themselves at And- ‘Divine Intervention’. 

“Yokai Save me!” He screeched, and a massive samurai in a kabuki mask appeared between them and caught Spite in mid-air, squeezing them in its fist. Immediately, Spite started tearing chunks out of it. They were proper furious now. 

“Do.” Smack. “You.” Chomp. “Have.” Rip. “Any.” Biff. “Idea.” Zap. “How.” Pow. “Offensive.” Splortch. “This.” Gurgle. “Is?”

They stood knee deep in the chest of the Japanese spirit, who began to dissipate, and walked towards Andrew with purpose, pointing at him.  

“Listen here, Cultural Appropriation, you're gonna knock this off and-” 

Andrew looked at them and pointed back. 

“Anlil, remove that suit.”

“What n-” Spite said and then fell silent. “What did you do?!”

Maxine stood on the roof. Penumbra was silent. 

“What did you do…” She whispered, as she felt her spine begin to shatter. 

She screamed. 

—-

Andrew, suddenly not fighting an Amazonian flesh-goop monster, looked at the girl who stood on the roof in her pajamas. He was confused for a second, and then she began to scream, a bloodcurdling sound that hurt his soul. But clearly not as much as it was hurting her. She had doubled over, vomiting blood, her face a distorted mess, her back a writhing mass beneath her skin. He was horrified. Mortified. This isn't what he'd wanted. He just… He figured out that there must have been a person below all of that and thought that maybe he could… Disarm them. Not kill them. The girl stopped moving, a mess of blood and hair around her. 

He landed the chariot and approached her and…

“Holy fuck, is that you J-”

“Not another fucking syllable.”

—-

Her voice was strong. She was used to this pain. It wasn't as bad as it had been once. She had still been taken by surprise. And, during her transformation, something had kept her mind focused: she wouldn't have transformed if Penumbra was dead, or gone. Do inside her, she felt them, twitching. They'd be fine. 

“Andrew Fucking Quilty, you are taking me to my girlfriend's house this instant.”

“W- what… Why… I don't… J-”

She punched him in the throat. 

“It's Maxine. And if you don't I'll tell your mother.”

He gasped for air and nodded in agreement. He helped her get on the chariot, propping her up. 

“So eh… What's with the purple stuff… Max-ine?” the name was new to him, clearly. 

“I don't know, Andy, what's with the fucking blue deities?”

“I just… I found out I could do it a few months ago…”

“And the stealing?”

“Mom’s not doing well.”

Maxine squeezed her eyes shut.

“Fuck, man, I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay. The treatment is helping, but it's not cheap.”

Max remembered her first therapist appointments. Her hospital visits. Her debt. 

“I hear that.”

For a few seconds, the only sound was the air rushing past.

“The big toothy monster?” Andrew changed the subject. 

“Me. And something else. It's asleep.”

“And the… Girl? You were? Before the whole… Bleuaargh?” 

“Also me. I can't look like that forever.”

“No, but why a girl?”

“I'm trans, Andy. Jesus, do I have to spell it out for you? I've always wanted to be a girl. Turns out I was.”

Andrew shrugged. “So long as you're happy. I'm sure every guy fantasises about being a girl sometimes. Some of them have to be trans, right?”

Maxine raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, but didn't say anything. He didn't seem to notice. 

“Anyway, what's with the culturally insensitive deity summoning? Why not just like, bats or something?”

“They have to be magic beings I know are real. There has to be a ritual I can imagine.”

“Loki was literally just-”

“Yeah I don't know how that happened.”

“We are going to look into that later, man.” Andrew made a face. “I'm not letting you off the hook wearing native warpaint. That is not okay.”

He mumbled agreement under their breath as they landed on the roof. Sun started to rise as the Chariot evaporated, and Andrew slung her arm over his shoulder and walked her all the way down to Victoria's apartment. As she opened the door, she saw Victoria just walk out of the bedroom wearing only a tank top and briefs and, upon noticing the visitor, not giving a single shit about decency, rushing to her side. 

“Babe! What happened! Are you okay?!”

Max nodded. “Yeah. Unexpected transition is all. Penny is out cold.”

“What happened?” V guided her to the couch. Max jerked a thumb back. 

“Divinity over here was trying to steal shit which, it turns out, is for his sick mom. He apparently managed to knock Penny out cold.”

“What? How?”

“Andy,” Max waved him over. ”Something non-threatening please.”

As Andrew approached, a Chinese symbol on his wrist started to glow and slowly, the air filled with tiny swirling dragons, who disappeared after a few seconds.

“Holy shit.”

“Right?”

“How do you know his name?” 

“We went to high school together. We were the antisocial bullied kids.”

Andrew shook his head at less than pleasant memories. 

“He's cool?”

“Yeah, he gave me a lift home. A real gentleman.”

“Yuck.” Andy said to himself and Max and Victoria made meaningful eye contact. Max nodded. 

“So now what?” He asked. 

“Now,” Maxine said, “you're gonna have some tea, you're gonna wait for Penumbra to wake up, and then you're going to apologise.”