Maxwell glanced sidelong at August and smiled, not that it could be seen under cover of his hood. He laughed and shook his head.
“Maxwell Smash? Ha! Unfortunately I'm not half as powerful as you seem to think. Hell, even when I put my mind to it I can barely move objects that I could move normally, never mind smash shit up. No, my powers not really good for that kind of thing, it’s pretty much limited to swiping cupcakes and lifting skirts,” he said in a roguish, joking tone. He sighed and went back to looking out over the water. His expression was much darker than he was willing to let August see.
Unlike August, Maxwell’s power could be used to inflict direct physical harm at his whim. And this bothered him a great deal. In terms of his power what he had told her was the truth, but not the entire truth. It was true that his power, the ability to manipulate objects was very much akin to telekinesis and that at best it exerted the same strength as he himself could in person. He made it sound almost harmless. Unfortunately that was not the case. Though he could not lift cars and toss them like stones with just a thought he could inflict a great deal of harm if he wished. Just imagine, getting into a fight with someone, letting them square up to you, hands in your pockets, offering them the first blow. They would be lucky to even reach you.
Because how could they respond when an invisible hand restrains their own, raining down blow after blow completely unseen. How did you evade something that you could not see to begin with? But why even go that far? Maxwell could simply throttle someone across the room, choking the life out of them without even moving a muscle. He bowed his hand and stared at the grass.
“Hey, August, do you hate your power? Are you scared of it? Because I am. How could I not be? I don’t even know where it comes from, or what it is. Is this its limit? Or is it going to get stronger. Am I going to lose control? And what happens if I do?” he said out loud despite not intending to, his voice trembling ever so slightly as he tried to restrain himself.
He forced himself up to his feet and jammed his hands deeply into his pockets. For a moment he looked as if he was struggling with something, as if in two minds. August wouldn't need to touch him to realize what was going through his mind at that very moment. He was thinking of running. Just walking away. The moment passed and the tension left his body and he sighed in annoyance at himself.
“Ha! Look at me, here I am offering to keep you company when really it’s me who needs looking after. Sorry, I guess I'm not that reliable after all,” he said in a soft, almost happy voice. He turned to face her and was going to say something else when he heard the sound of something breaking the water’s surface. It was Jackson and someone who he did not recognise.
---
Maxwell listened intently as he saw to the boy, dragging him up and away from the water’s edge before taking off his jacket and covering him. A temporary respite from the cold but it would be better than nothing. He found that he accepted everything that Jackson said as true. He wasn’t sure why though. It was a feeling akin to instinct. Or familiarity? He knelt over the boy and was silent in thought for a moment, once again feeling as though something was looming over his shoulder, trying to reach out beyond its reach. Maxwell stood up and moved away from the boy. He wasn't exactly certain but it felt as though he wanted to hurt something, someone.
“No questions,” he said simply as he stared out over the water with a look of pure irritation.
