Chapter One: Back
Maria walked up the stairs to her apartment with a bag of groceries. It was almost three years to the day that the pod squad had left and she still couldn't believe it. It had affected her more than she could have ever known. She had barely left her room the whole summer after they left. And when she did it wasn't for more than hour. The only time she had left for more than an hour was when her mother got married to Jim Valenti. But, she had spent the whole reception sitting down with Liz. Kyle would some and sit with them every once in a while and ward drunk guys away from them. Now she was in college all alone. Not that she thought that Michael would go with her but at least someone would be there to comfort her. Not that Kyle wasn't a great brother and he did help her out, but he was thousands of miles away. She hadn't even talked to Liz in a while.
It was pouring outside and the rain had leaked inside the staircase. And all the rain was making the floor super slippery.
Leave it up to me to pick the one apartment without any stairs.
She finally got up to her apartment, after almost falling down the stairs. She went got her keys, but when she put the in the key hole the door was already unlocked.
Great, I left it unlocked again.
When she looked up after she got into her apartment she dropped her bag.
"Michael." She said quietly. Michael stood right in front of her, and she couldn't move. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming." Michael shook his head and got closer to her. "What are you doing here?" She was surprised she could still talk.
"We came back." He said. Maria found herself crying.
Michael put her face in his hands and wiped away her tears. And in the next second they were kissing. Then Maria got a flash.
Michael, Isabel, and Max were trapped.
Tess betrayed them.
They were barely acknowledged.
Then someone helped them escape.
Maria could feel how much Michael had missed her. She had missed him just the same.
Maria didn't stop Michael from kissing her. Instead she pushed him towards her bedroom.