Andrew Part 13

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ANDREW PART 13

The next day, Margaret and Sarah woke up in their rooms, got showered and changed, and came downstairs.
?Have you seen Andrew, Steve, and Carrie?? Margaret asked Sarah.
?No I haven?t,? replied Sarah. She looked out the window and her jaw dropped. ?But I think I know where they are now,? she finally managed. ?Look out the window.?
Margaret glanced out the window and dropped the plastic bowl she was holding.
?Oh my goodness!? she exclaimed. ?Am I seeing properly? Is Andrew actually bench-pressing my car??
?That?s what it looks like,? agreed Sarah. ?Let?s go find out for sure.?
She led the way outside, and Margaret followed. They walked right up to Steve and paused behind him.
?Come on man, you?re up to 10; do five more,? Steve urged Andrew.
Andrew managed to pump out five more reps before he got out from under the car and let it down.
?Having fun?? Margaret asked.
Andrew, Steve, and Carrie turned around in shock to see Margaret and Sarah standing behind them.
?Uh, hello Margaret,? said Andrew nervously. ?I didn?t know you were there.?
?Obviously,? agreed Margaret. ?But you haven?t answered my question. Having fun??
?Oh yes,? said Andrew. ?Without my weights, the car is the only weight that can challenge me. I hope you don?t mind. I just wanted to surprise you.?
?Well, you certainly did that,? Margaret assured him. ?I?m not mad, don?t worry. I guess I know whom to call if the car gets a flat tire. You. Who needs a tow truck with you around??
?Thank you very much,? Andrew said. ?Well, shall we go inside and help you make breakfast??
?Your help would be appreciated,? Margaret agreed. ?Let?s go.?
So everyone went inside and had breakfast. Then they got ready for the trip up north.
?I hope you don?t mind if I take my shirt off,? Andrew remarked. ?It?s hot in here.?
?I don?t mind,? purred Carrie.
?Neither do I,? agreed Margaret. ?Let?s see the results of extreme weight-training.?
Andrew peeled off his t-shirt and revealed his massive chest, shoulders and arms.
?That is amazing development,? Margaret said in awe. ?Maybe you should go into bodybuilding instead of football.?
?Or it could be an alternative if I get injured,? Andrew agreed.
?Who are you kidding?? Steve asked. ?No one can hurt you! Watch this!?
He punched Andrew in the face as hard as he could, but Andrew just grinned.
?I guess you?re right,? he said. ?I hope you didn?t hurt your hand, Steve.?
?Not this time,? agreed Steve.
?Okay,? said Margaret. ?Have I told you that I have modified the spatial dome to keep out the Arctic cold??
?Now you have,? said Sarah. ?Are we ready to go then??
?As soon as the luggage is loaded in the car,? agreed Margaret. ?Why don?t you and Steve take care of that, Andrew?"
?Okay,? agreed Andrew. He and Steve picked up all the bags and began loading them in the car.
?How much stronger has Andrew become?? Margaret asked Carrie.
?Well, I know he was lifting several heavy boulders,? Carrie replied. ?I would estimate they were about 1000 pounds in each hand, since he was holding me on his shoulder at that time.?
?That is quite startling,? Margaret said. ?I don?t know much about weight training, but the total bench-press is usually three times the one-handed curl, I think.?
?Does that mean his maximum lift is somewhere around 3000 pounds now?? gasped Carrie in shock.
?Just a moment,? said Margaret. She snapped her fingers and a palm pilot appeared in her hand.
?What are you doing?? Carrie asked.
?Plugging his bench-press, 2000 pounds for 15 reps, into the one-rep-maximum calculator,? Margaret replied. ?Let?s see what number comes up.? She punched a few keys and then said, ?Well, the bodybuilding.com website said 2667 pounds as a one-rep maximum, for 10 reps with 2000 pounds.?
?That?s very impressive,? Carrie agreed. ?I wonder what he could lift that is that weight??
?We could find out later,? replied Margaret. ?Right now we have work to do. Andrew, is the car loaded up??
?Yes,? replied Andrew. ?But we can?t fit five people in there with one bag for each.?
?Not a problem,? replied Margaret. She snapped her fingers and the car turned into a red van. ?There we go, everyone get in and let?s go.?
Everyone got inside and Margaret started the van. She pressed the up button and the van soared to the north, after making a 90-degree turn to the left. As Margaret concentrated on her flying, everyone else watched the city of Orillia fall away beneath him or her. Margaret shifted to Gear Two, which would get them to Alexander?s base in 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, Margaret took them higher into the atmosphere, and then they soared straight down.
?I want to disable all of Alexander?s external weapons before he can get a single shot at us,? she explained to everyone.
?How do you know that he has weapons on his base?? Andrew asked. ?We haven?t been this way in seven years.?
?When Marge and I examined the scans of his base, which were taken by her satellite, we enlarged them,? Margaret explained. ?Then I saw the weapon ports, the helicopter launching pad, and the entrance to the base. Now, I have to activate our cloaking shield before Alexander detects us.?
She pressed a few buttons and a screen on the dashboard glowed green. Sarah looked over at Andrew and noticed him curling barbells again.
?I thought you didn?t bring weights,? she said.
?I brought small weights,? Andrew corrected her. ?The big weights wouldn?t fit in my bag.?
?Those are 200 pounds in each hand!? Sarah said in shock. ?You call them small??
?Well, for me they are,? Andrew remarked modestly. ?But they are way too light.?
?Keep a good grip on those,? Margaret said. ?We need you as strong as possible to cancel out Alexander?s quickness.?
?That is why you have such a huge build,? Steve said to Andrew. ?You?re so dedicated to your weight-training.?
?Thank you,? said Andrew. ?By the way, we?re not high enough that we need shields are we? Because the glow from them would show through the cloaking shield.?
?Not to worry, I didn?t go high enough for that,? Margaret assured him. ?I just went high enough to build up a good speed. Then we can wipe out Alexander?s defences with one barrage before he can react.?
The van descended further and then the top of the volcano became visible, as a hole in the ice.
?Activating all weapons,? Margaret said. ?Prepare yourselves for a great light show.?
She pressed the targeting buttons, with the three targets she had mentioned earlier showing up on the screen. When the crosshairs flashed, Margaret pressed the firing buttons.
Lasers and torpedoes came out of the headlights and the engine grill, in many colours. Margaret swerved the van up to avoid the explosions. But the van still shook heavily as the top of the volcano blew apart. Everyone was flung heavily into the sides of the van, and the shields failed, as well as the cloaking device. Margaret eventually got the van under control again and turned it around to look for the entrance to the cavern, which she had made sure not to hit.
?Still working out?? Carrie asked Andrew, as he picked up his barbells off the floor.
?I will resume now,? Andrew replied. ?But I think I banged my head on the door handle. Could you hand me a paper towel??
?Sure,? said Carrie, handing it over. ?I see the gash in your head now. It looks pretty bad. Can you feel it??
Andrew wiped the blood off his forehead, turning the paper towels red in the process.
?I don?t feel anything except a slight dripping,? he replied. ?I guess I must be too strong to be affected by such a small head wound. Even the pressure of cleaning it didn?t hurt.?
He picked up his weights again and asked, ?How close are we to the entrance??
?We?re ready to go in,? Margaret replied. ?Hang on everyone.?
She guided the car into the tunnel and a cavern could be seen up ahead.
?That must be Alexander?s main base,? Margaret said. ?Standing by with all weapons just in case.?
The van cruised slowly into the cavern and was immediately engulfed by a huge blast of fire as a concealed mine went off right underneath it. Every system of Margaret?s van blew up, knocking almost everyone unconscious. The van hit the ground, and skidded into Alexander?s castle. It bounced off, undamaged due to magically enhanced metal and skidded to a stop in the middle of the cavern.
Alexander poked his head around the central pillar, grinned and said, ?I hope she had a blast. Time to get them out of the van. Come on Max.?
His red creature followed Alexander as he headed to the van.
Inside, Andrew shook the broken window glass off of himself, and squinted his eyes, trying to see through the film of blood that covered his vision. He found his 200-pound barbell and kept a firm grip on it as he heard footsteps. Alexander pulled open the right sliding door and looked inside. He grinned as he saw Andrew covered in blood. He reached down to pry the barbell out of Andrew?s seemingly limp right hand. As he turned to hand it to Max, the other barbell was smacked into the back of his head. Alexander fell into Max, knocking them both down.
Andrew stood up, covered in blood, but looking truly terrifying as he grinned anyway. Max untangled himself from the unconscious Alexander and stood up. He rushed at Andrew, who sidestepped him, and smashed the barbell into his head too. Max still managed to shred Andrew?s right side with his claws as he fell, opening up deep gashes, which bled heavily. Andrew sneered and ignored the pain, which he could hardly feel anyway. Then he picked up both Alexander and Max, draped them across his shoulders, and took them to the central pillar. He dumped them there like sacks of potatoes, and looked around for something to tie them up with. He noticed a control box on the cavern wall by a conveyor belt. He ripped open the cover of the control box and ripped out the longest wires in a shower of sparks. Andrew didn?t flinch as the sparks landed on his open wounds; he just turned and took the wires back to the central pillar.
He tied Alexander and Max up and then headed for the van. He lifted Margaret, Sarah, and Carrie out of the van, and Steve helped. Then they all grabbed paper towels and wiped the blood off of themselves. It didn?t help Andrew much; the wounds were too deep to do anything but turn the paper towels red. He watched to make sure Alexander and Max were not escaping, as Margaret healed their cuts in turn with magic.
When Margaret came over to heal his cuts, Andrew said, ?Just leave them alone for a while. I have a plan.?
?But you?re bleeding all over the cavern floor,? Margaret protested.
?Exactly,? agreed Andrew. ?I intend to show Alexander that he can?t stop me no matter what he does.?
?Is that right?? Alexander said. Andrew turned around to see that Alexander had freed one arm and was pointing a gun at him. ?You?re going to free me from these cables right now.?
?Or what?? sneered Andrew, ?you?ll shoot me??
?That?s right,? agreed Alexander. ?I will.?
?A lot of good it did you last time,? smirked Andrew.
?I only had four bullets then,? Alexander reminded him. ?This time, I have twelve.?
?You?re going to need them,? said Andrew. ?But take your best shot, if you think it will do you any good. The wounds I already have don?t bother me; what makes you think a few bullets will make a difference??
?One way to find out,? replied Alexander, firing twice.
?One, two, too bad for you,? said Andrew, as two bullet holes appeared in his chest.
?Three, four, I want some more,? he said, as Alexander fired again.
Alexander looked at the gun in shock and then aimed for Andrew?s left leg.
?Five, six, better try some sticks,? Andrew sneered. ?Sharpened ones like arrows.?
?Seven, eight, you?ll have to wait,? he told Alexander as his right leg took two bullets, ?for me to fall.?
Alexander?s hands shook in fear as he stared at the seemingly bulletproof form of Andrew. But he still had four bullets to use, so he fired two more.
?Nine, ten, better shoot again,? Andrew laughed, as he looked at the two bullet holes in his left arm. He walking towards Alexander to freak him out, and asked, ?Only two more bullets, do you think they?re enough to finish me off??
?One- one way to find out,? stammered Alexander with a face that was white with fear. He held up the gun with shaking hands and fired one last time, at Andrew?s right arm this time.
?Eleven, twelve, put it on the shelf,? Andrew grinned. ?It?s empty.?
Alexander tossed his gun at Andrew?s forehead, hoping to knock him out. But Andrew just grabbed the gun out of midair, and crushed it into a useless ball of metal. Then he turned to Margaret and the others.
?See, I told you I had a plan,? he said. ?This should make it easier for Alexander to surrender.?
Margaret?s mouth was wide in amazement, and she slowly came over to Andrew. She put her hand on one of the uninjured parts of his arms, closed her eyes, and concentrated.
?There are no steroids in his system!? she gasped in shock. ?But his adrenaline and testosterone levels are 300 percent above normal, for a football player!?
?Way to go man!? shouted Steve, clapping Andrew on the back. ?That was amazing!?
?Thanks man!? grinned Andrew. ?I could probably take more bullets than that if I wanted to. But I think Alexander is freaked out enough to surrender now, just as I planned.?
?That?s my big man,? said Carrie, coming up to Andrew. ?The human tank.?
Andrew smiled softly and hugged her.
?What are we going to do about Alexander and his creature?? Sarah asked Margaret.
?Yes, what are you going to do with us?? Alexander asked. ?We?re helpless against Andrew?s strength. I have never seen such raw power.?
?Thanks,? grinned Andrew, as he let Margaret heal his wounds.
?I think you will have to come with us to Orillia, where we can find a way to turn you human,? replied Margaret, in answer to Alexander?s question.
?Would you really do that?? Alexander asked, ?Especially after all we?ve tried to do to you??
?Tried is the operative word,? grinned Margaret. ?The way I see it, turning you back to human would erase your motivation to try to harm us. And destroying your conveyor belt will take away the means to hurt us.?
?That?s true,? agreed Alexander, holding his aching head. ?It would also keep Max and I from getting beaten up by Andrew. I can?t believe how strong he?s become in just a few months. I?m definitely outmatched in strength.?
?Yes you are,? agreed Margaret, ?so don?t try anything while I untie you both.?
?You don?t need to untie them,? Andrew said. ?I?ll just tear the wires.? He stepped up to the cable, grabbed the rubber-coated cables and ripped them apart. ?See? I told you!? he said, grinning.
?Your strength continues to amaze me,? said Margaret, shaking her head in disbelief.
?The college scout from Miami said the same thing,? boasted Andrew. ?Not to brag or anything, but he said I was the strongest 17-year-old he had ever seen. That?s how I got into the University of Miami. My 90s didn?t hurt either. I have Full Athletic and Academic Scholarships.?
?That?s very good Andrew,? said Alexander. He held out his hand and added, ?Let me prove I?ve changed.?
Andrew looked down at Alexander?s hand and slowly shook it, saying, ?Just remember, I can crush it like a bug if you try anything.?
?Not to worry,? Alexander assured him. ?I won?t try anything. In fact, Margaret, if you could use your magic to destroy the conveyor belt, I?ll have no opportunity to try anyway.?
?Certainly,? agreed Margaret. She held up one hand and blew up the conveyor belt with one blast of fire from her fingers. ?All done.?
?Well, let?s get going,? Alexander said.
?Okay,? agreed Margaret. ?By the way, how do we find the Magician who turned you into a wolf? Is he still alive??
?Yes he is,? replied Alexander. ?But we don?t have to go anywhere to find him. Max is the Magician.?
?But Max is a red lizard-creature who doesn?t speak!? exclaimed Margaret.
?That was my fault,? explained Alexander. ?When he first changed me by accident, back in 1989, I was so mad I rushed him before he could completely read the Reversing Spell. He lost the book in the fireplace and the spell was garbled, turning him into the creature you see now. He also lost the ability to speak, rendering him incapable of turning me back. I couldn?t kill Max, because he?s my brother. I set out to kill all the magic-bearing people I could find, to bury my grief.?
?But you were also trying to force them to recite the spell, weren?t you?? Margaret realized. ?That?s why you looked through my spell book more than 7 years ago. You wanted me to turn you back.?
?But I couldn?t find it, so I tried to kill you in frustration, ?Alexander reminded her.
?We?d better get going,? Margaret reminded him. ?I?m sure you?ve been a wolf for long enough.?
?About 15 years,? Alexander said, as Margaret tugged on her van door to open it.
?Is this thing magnetically sealed?? she asked, as it resisted her efforts to open it.
?Allow me,? said Andrew, as he stepped forward.
?No wait!? Alexander said, as Andrew tugged on the door handle. The door ripped right off the hinges. ?I meant to say that the magnet is still on in my castle.?
?Oops,? grinned Andrew, holding the door casually in one hand, and shrugging.
?Right, oops,? laughed Margaret. ?You show-off, I bet you did something like that for you college scout.?
?Naw, I just military-pressed a car,? Andrew bragged.
?WHAT!? asked Alexander in shock. ?No way!?
?Well, let?s try the van then,? suggested Andrew. ?Here Steve, you hold the door.?
He tossed the van door casually to Steve, who caught it in one hand and set it on the ground. ?Get ready.?
He walked up to the van, put his hands under the rear bumper and heaved upwards. As the van slowly moved towards vertical, Andrew moved closer to the front as he squatted down. Then he stood up very slowly, holding the van on his wide shoulders. He slowly straightened his arms, breathing heavily, and his face turned red with the effort. He looked over at the awestruck faces of his friends, and sucked in a large breath. Then he slowly military-pressed the van five times, up and down. Then he slowly squatted down, and set the van on the ground again. Andrew smiled, pleased at his strength.
?How was that?? he asked Margaret, breathing heavily.
Margaret pulled out her palm pilot and punched up the make of the vehicle, which happened to be a Mercedes. She stared at the weight value on the screen in shock, and wordlessly passed the pad around to everyone.
When Andrew saw it, he grinned hugely, and said, ?That?s why the van felt so heavy. I just lifted about 6000 pounds repeatedly.?
?I have never seen such raw power,? gasped Alexander. ?The college recruiters must have swarmed you.?
Andrew filled him in on all the strength tests Mr. Malcolm had put him through, as Alexander remotely deactivated his magnet, and Margaret reattached the van door with magic.
?What made you choose Miami?? asked Margaret, as she ushered everyone into the van. ?I heard it was one of the best football schools, and they were the ones who actively recruited me first. I had to tell the other schools that I had already committed myself to Miami, but I told them about Steve. That?s how he got into Florida State.?
?I?m going to Miami, on an Academic Scholarship, so I can be with Andrew,? said Carrie.
?Sue, Chris, and Sarah got into Florida State with me,? said Steve. ?They got Academic Scholarships and I got a Football one as well.?
?Quite a group of smart people,? Alexander commented, as the van flew out of the cavern and headed to the surface.
?Andrew is the smartest,? Carrie said. ?He has an IQ in the 150 range. He tutors a lot of the football players in Math and Science. He also helps a lot of kids weight train.?
?Yah, he has the whole package,? grinned Steve, ?brains and brawn. If he wasn?t so modest about all the attention, I would really be jealous.?
?I didn?t ask for all the attention,? Andrew protested.
?Then you shouldn?t have lifted the car out of the ditch,? Carrie said. ?Even though it was quite a feat.?
Andrew, Steve, and Carrie then had to tell Margaret, Max, and Alexander how Andrew had been on the news, and how Mr. Malcolm had then noticed Andrew and come up to scout him.
?That?s a very interesting story,? said Alexander, as the car flew out of the volcano entrance and headed south. ?When Max and I become human again, we will have to come down and watch you play.?
?That would be great,? Andrew agreed. ?It would be nice to see a familiar face in the crowd. Besides Carrie of course,? he added, hugging her gently.
?What are your plans for college?? Margaret asked. ?What degree are you pursuing??
?I am taking Sports Management,? replied Andrew. ?That way, if an injury hampers my football career, I can still be involved in the business.?
?Or you could run our father?s company when he retires,? said Sarah. ?He was just made President when the old president retires.?
?I am doing the same as Andrew,? Steve said. ?I am taking Sports Management at Florida State University in Tallahassee.?
?Sarah and I are taking General Studies degrees until we finally decide on specific fields,? Carrie said. ?But wherever I end up, I?ll make sure I?m near Andrew. Hopefully, after University, we can get married.?
?That would be great,? agreed Andrew. ?Good plan.?
?How did you become so strong?? Alexander asked Andrew.
?Well, I used my rage at you to increase my lifts,? Andrew replied. ?I was also healed aboard the Transylvanian Space Station, where they increased the output of my Adrenal land to its maximum potential. Of course, they said the Gravity Chamber, combined with final puberty growth spurts, would drastically increase my strength as well. I reached the 1000-pound lift mark just at the beginning of August. I also think my genetics made me big and strong. I have huge amounts of adrenaline and testosterone, far more than the normal human.?
He went on to explain how he had to alter his football strategy, so that he didn?t hurt anyone on plays. He blocked or dragged opposing players, instead of knocking them down. When he had knocked players down, they had been unconscious for hours.
?I have been really lucky,? Andrew said. ?I couldn?t ask for more supportive friends. You told everyone what I just told Alexander, so they know I?m not on drugs. So no-one on the Football team is jealous, and no-one in class fears me.?
?He?s so popular, it?s sickening,? Steve joked. ?Everywhere he goes, people gravitate towards him, just because they saw him on TV.?
?He?s really popular at school,? Sarah added. ?Everyone reveres him as a football star. People who want him to sit with them constantly mob him at lunch. He has to constantly eat lunch with a different group every day, just to keep everyone happy. Thankfully, his modesty keeps his pride in check.?
?It?s hard to resist showing off,? Andrew said.? But when I did show off, it got me into Miami, so I guess it wasn?t too bad.?
Sarah and Carrie filled Margaret in on the autograph sessions, which occurred after the car lifting. Andrew filled in the modest reason for signing autographs that his principal, Mr. Duncan, had come up with: that if it weren?t for the fans, Andrew would not have the recognition that got him into University of Miami.
?I?m glad you?re doing it for the fans,? Margaret said approvingly. ?It?s good that you?re not letting all this attention go to your head. You?re probably one of those gifted athletes that only come along once in awhile, and then turn into NFL stars.?
?Yah, he?s the big man at our school,? Steve agreed. ?Even Mr. Malcolm has been hyping him up to the players at Miami.?
?Only to make it easier for me to find a place on the football team,? protested Andrew. ?But enough about me. Will we go back to your house or cottage to find the spell to change Alexander back??
?We?ll have to go to my house,? replied Margaret. ?That?s where you left your cars. I also have more spell books there anyway, like the Ancient Book of Magic.?
?What happens if we can?t find the spell in that book??
?That?s why we will go to Marge?s house, Steve,? replied Margaret. ?With a whole subsection devoted to spells, it will surely be found there. You know, the name of the spell or a description of the spell book would come in handy, Alexander.?
As Alexander supplied Margaret with the description, Carrie leaned over to Andrew.
?You seem to be relieved that the conversation has turned away from you,? she said.
?Actually, did you notice how I skilfully turned it away from me?? Andrew grinned. ?Pretty sneaky,? agreed Carrie. ?Did you find all the talk embarrassing??
?Yes,? agreed Andrew. ?I guess I have to get used to it, because there is probably not much chance that people will stop talking about you.?
Once the flying van reached Margaret?s house, everyone got out and went inside. After an unsuccessful search through the Ancient Book of Magic for the proper spell, Margaret decided to go to Commander Marge?s house.
?There is a specific name for the spell I am looking for,? Margaret said, as she flew the van towards the forest west of Orillia. ?It is the name for turning creatures into something else.?
?Wasn?t that mentioned in Harry Potter?? asked Andrew. ?Was it Animagus, or Transfiguration??
?The second one, that?s it!? shouted Alexander. ?That?s the word! Now we have a term to search for, which should make the process much easier.?
?We?ll soon find out,? Margaret said, as she landed the van in the clearing.
Everyone got out and headed to the front door of the house. Marge opened the door as she saw them coming.
?I see you all made it safely,? she said. ?Excellent. Follow me please.?
?She sounds like she was expecting us,? Andrew said, as they all followed Marge to the Spell Subsection. ?But you never called her to say we were coming today.?
?I have been practicing Telepathy,? Margaret revealed. ?I guess it worked.?
In the Spell Subsection, Marge looked for the book once Alexander revealed the proper search term to her. After spending a few moments looking for the right book, Marge finally pulled it from the bookshelf.
?It?s called Animals to Humans: A guide to Transfiguration of Living Beings,? she said. ?Now, who should we change first: Alexander or Max??
?If you change Max first, then he can change me, can?t you Max?? Alexander said.
Max nodded.
?Okay then,? Marge agreed, flipping pages. ?What kind of creature is Max, anyway??
?He?s a lizard,? replied Alexander. ?I hope that is specific enough.?
?We?ll find out,? said Marge, turning to the L pages. ?Ah, here we are: Lizards to humans. Would you like to help me recite the spell, Margaret??
?Sure,? agreed Margaret. They both crowded around the book, and she said, ?Get ready.?
The witches began reciting the spell, and read mist spewed from the book and surrounded Max. As the spell progressed, the mist whirled around him and then vanished.
Max looked at the mirror on the wall, and saw his human form restored. He was now a big man, built much like Steve, except he had black hair, not brown.
?Thank you very much, Margaret and Marge!? he yelled, hugging them both, one in each arm. ?I have waited 15 years to see my human form restored!?
He turned to Alexander and recited another spell, without having to look at the book. But the book?s pages turned automatically to the right spot, and the red mist flowed forth, covering Alexander completely. Once the spell was completed, the mist was gone, and so was all of Alexander?s fur. He was once again restored to his human form, which was a slim, well built man in his mid 30s. He had black hair, like his brother, but was at least 50 pounds lighter and 6 inches shorter.
?Thank you Max!? Alexander shouted, hugging Max. ?It feels great to be restored to normal after so long.?
He turned to Margaret and Marge, but they held up their hands and said, ? No, don?t even think of hugging us! Max almost broke our ribs with his enthusiasm!?
?I?m sorry about that,? Max apologized. ?I was just so happy to be human once again. Oops, no offence, you two.?
?None taken,? Margaret assured him. ?Besides, I look human, so that?s good enough for me. And now, you are both human again, and you have new lives to plan, and 15 lost years to make up for. What are your plans??
?I have no idea,? Alexander replied. ?But I think we should start by moving all our possessions out of my castle and rejoining civilization.?
?I?m sure you?ll have no trouble,? said Marge. ?Your technical expertise will have you in high demand by the top people in those industries. In fact, let me put you in touch with the Head of the Orillia branch of Hydro One. He can help you find work.?
?Okay,? agreed Alexander. ?Maybe he can find a position for Max as well.?
Margaret and her four friends said goodbye and headed back to her van.
?I guess we can turn this back into my car,? she remarked, snapping her fingers and doing just that. ?Shall we all go home now??
?Yes, we should,? agreed Andrew. ?I will have to come up with whole new weight-training programs if I can lift about 6000 pounds now.?
?That?s awesome, man,? said Steve, slapping his shoulder. ?Owww! That hurt!?
?Not me,? laughed Andrew. ?I must be made of bricks if everyone who hits me hurts themselves. Maybe I should be called the Brick!?
?That name is already taken,? said Margaret. ?It?s on the Heromachine.com website. But you do look identical to his dimensions.?
Everyone got into the car, and Margaret took them back to her house.
?Be sure to tell me when Hockey season starts,? she said to Andrew, Steve, and Sarah. ?Now that Alexander is good, I will have a lot more time to get involved with the community.?
?We?ll keep you informed, don?t worry,? Andrew said, as he and Carrie got into his car.
?Goodbye Margaret,? said Sarah, as she and Steve got into her car.
?Goodbye everyone,? said Margaret, as the cars headed out of her driveway.
She stood and watched the cars disappear down the street, hoping her friends would be ready for the challenges they would face in the future.