Dear Diary,
We've all been trying to get past what happened last week. There's just too much tension between everyone – though mostly just between Max and Isabel. I've tried talking to Max, it isn't like him to hold a grudge over a little mistake, but he insists everything is fine. Yesterday, someone else snapped. I was expecting World War Three, but it turned out to be something else entirely…
It was quite some time since the incident with Isabel before the gang finally stopped in a town. Michael, who has been driving at the time, decided that it was time they all had rest and real food, so pulled into the parking lot of a kind of Mom and Pop's café. The others made no sound to object to the stop.
For almost two weeks, they had been on the road, stuck together in their new vehicle. They had only stopped to eat and instead of booking a motel, they took turns sleeping in the back of their newly-acquired van.
Most of the time, there was an uncomfortable silence amongst the group, but sometimes Kyle would try making jokes to break the tension. He was met with no response most of the time, and every time he would try to talk to Isabel – who hadn't said much to anyone – Max would interrupt, snapping something mean at her. Eventually, even Kyle gave up and spent most of his time sleeping.
When they all piled out of the van and into the café, they chose a booth large enough to fit them all near the back, where they had less chance of being noticed. Kyle made a show of opening his menu, his eyes trailing down from the top of the menu to the bottom, making it obvious he approved of the stop and disapproved of the lack of real food while they were traveling.
Max and Liz were huddled close together, in their own world. Since the near death experience, they had been attached at each other's hip day and night. They didn't say much, and Max and Liz were kinda off themselves. Even Liz was more snappish towards the others, and after coming so close to losing Liz again, Max seemed to turn his terror into a deep resentment towards Isabel, snapping at her and making cruel comments whenever looked like she might be about to speak to someone else. No one said anything about it, even Liz was afraid that if they prodded him into talking about it, he'd lose it like Isabel had. One time bomb was enough, they really didn't need another.
The waitress had just taken their drink orders when something made Michael turn his head towards the other side of the café where the bathrooms were. Later, he would look back on this moment and still be unsure what made him look. He squinted, his forehead creasing. He could see a young child – he thought it was a boy – struggling with a woman. He frowned harder as he watched, wondering what the hell was going on. Driven by instinct, he asked Maria to let him out of the booth. Nodding, Maria let him out before taking her seat again. Michael started towards the bathroom, his steps becoming quicker as he started to hear voices.
"Mom! Let me go! I'm sorry… You're hurting me!"
Michael stepped forward but then stopped. What was he doing?
"Mom!" the young boy cried.
Before Michael could decide on what he was going to do, if anything, the woman backhanded the boy with the palm of her hand, "Shut up!" she screamed.
The boy stopped making any noise and stood very still. This did not placate his mother, though. She made a strangled noise, as if the boy had just done something horrible, and yanked his arm roughly, dragging him towards the side door and barging it open with her shoulder.
A roar started in his head when she hit the boy and muted out all other sound in his ears until he could hear nothing else. Michael looked around at the other café patrons. They all stared down at their food, blatantly ignoring what was going on, as if this was just another embarrassing regular occurrence.
Before he even had time to think about what he was doing, Michael followed them outside. There was no one else around, and the woman had the boy up against the brick wall. He looked terrified. Michael couldn't take it anymore. On pure instinct, he raised his hand towards her and a blue light thrust her away from the child and onto the dusty ground. She slumped against the wall, a trickle of blood oozing down her forehead.
Her eyes were wide in shock. Her face had paled. Her mouth was open wide like she was going to scream but couldn't. The boy stood next to her, visibly shaking with fright. Michael stood frozen in shock as well. He couldn't believe he had used his powers against a woman. Sure, if anyone asked him about it, he'd have said she deserved it, but deserving it and experiencing it were two different things. Striking a woman, even with his power, and even if he hadn't really hurt her, was against everything he believed in.
He swallowed hard.
"You… you… you," the woman repeated over and over in a mantra.
Michael's eyes darkened and he took a step closer to her, "Don't ever touch that boy again!" he said, his tone rising with each word uttered.
He was going to say more but was stopped by the young boy stepping in front of his mother in a protective stance, "Please. Don't hurt her!"
In that moment, no matter if what he had done was right, he loathed himself. He swallowed the large lump that was in his throat and whispered, "I'm sorry…" before turning around swiftly and going back to the others.
Back at the table, it was obvious Kyle was trying to tell a joke. Isabel looked bored. As he approached, Maria gave Michael a questioning look, to which he just shook his head and sat back down next to her. Max and Liz were as close as they could get, pressed into each other as if someone was trying to pull them apart.
"So, why did the chicken cross the road?" Kyle asked the group, seeming to be repeating himself.
Max took his chance to get in another barb at Isabel, "To get out of the way from Isabel making trouble?"
Silence fell over the table, and eyes were flicking back and forth to one another, no one willing to say anything. It reminded Michael a little of the reaction to the fighting mother and son, and he cringed at the memory.
After a short, uncomfortable silence, Kyle finally gathered up the courage to speak again, "Actually, the chicken crossed the road to get to the other side…"
Liz gave him a smile, "I think the joke needs work, Kyle…" she said, pretending Max hadn't spoken.
Maria laughed, nodding, "You get points for effort though!"
Soon after, their food was delivered and they started eating. They chatted back and forth about nothing in particular, trying to keep the conversation light.
Isabel hadn't paid too much attention to Max's newest dig at her. She finished eating her cheeseburger and picked at her fries. Slumping back into the material of the booth bench, eyes closed, she waited for everyone to finish their own meals and managed to fall asleep.
***** DREAM *****Vilandra stood near the edge of a lake. She was dressed in a bright yellow sundress. Absently, she noticed that the fabric was unlike anything from Earth, so soft in nature, softer than even silk.
Her hair was braided down her back in coils. She turned at the sound of a noise, her foot moving back and forth in the lake beside her. Her entire face changed, from one of deep in thought to one of perfect joy and happiness. It transformed her face completely, turning from lifeless to full of life.
"Kivar!" she yelled with excitement, picking up the edge of her dress and running towards the man walking in her direction.
She launched herself into his arms, wrapping them around his neck as he caught her against his body.
"Vilandra, my love… I didn't think we'd ever find time to steal away together," he said, smiling down at her, burrowing his nose in her hair and inhaling the scent of her perfume.
Vilandra raised her face, pressing her lips to his, "I know. Zan was finally too busy with the war to notice if I slipped away."
Kivar pulled back from her, taking the blanket that was near her feet and spreading it out on the grass near the lake.
"What about Rath?" he asked.
Vilandra's eyebrow raised, "What about him?"
"Hasn't he been stuck to you like glue lately? 'Protecting' you as Zan asked?"
Vilandra sighed and smoothed her dress out as she took a seat on the outspread blanket, "Yes, he has been. It's quite a pain. I keep telling them I am quite capable of protecting myself but neither of them believe me. I told Rath that I had to go see the doctor on a personal matter. He couldn't get away from me fast enough. You know how men are. You are a man, after all," Vilandra teased, her mouth curved in a smile.
He nodded, "We men feel uncomfortable talking with women about their personal … matters," he said, his tone clearly uncomfortable.
Vilandra rolled her eyes, "Kivar, grow up. It's just cramps and blood. There isn't anything too hard."
"Well I don't know how to talk about feelings and stuff like that."
Vilandra smiled and suddenly moved closer to him into the circle of his arms, "Well, why don't I teach you then?"
His eyes twinkled, "Why not? We love each other. It's only natural to teach each other."
"Exactly," she said, her hand on his chest.
***** END DREAM *****Isabel woke with a jerk. She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide.
Isabel had slumped onto Kyle's shoulder as she slept, and at her reaction, he frowned, concerned, "You okay, Iz?"
Isabel's eyes flew to his, "Yeah… I'm," she paused when she noticed the hand she had placed on the table was trembling, "Fine," she finished in a whisper.
She swallowed hard. That dream – it had felt so real! Tears pricked her eyes. I can't do this!, she thought. She was sitting on the end chair, across from Michael, and got up to run out of the café into the glaring sunlight. She couldn't breathe. She kept sucking in air but still felt like she was suffocating. She didn't know what was wrong with her.
Kyle jumped up after her, pausing to mention to the table that he'd be back. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he stopped short. Standing next to a truck, about five feet away from him, stood Tess. Her hair was blowing in the wind, her eyes sparkling, and her mouth was curved in a bright smile. She turned as if she'd heard him, put up her hand and waved.
Kyle's heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute. What the fuck?, he thought.
He was going crazy. That must be it! What other explanation was there but that he was totally nuts. He was seeing ghosts of all things now! Kyle suddenly felt very scared for his sanity.
Swallowing, he walked over to Isabel who was standing next to their van. She was breathing in air like she was scared of drowning. He suddenly knew that feeling all too well.
"Hey, Is?"
Isabel raised her head from her hands and looked up at him, "Yeah?"
"You…. you see anything over there by that truck?" he asked hesitantly.
Isabel frowned and turned her head to where he was pointing. "No… Kyle, there's nothing. Why? You okay?" she asked, momentarily forgetting her own troubles.
"Yeah, of course!" he said with false happiness.
She nodded, not trusting his fake smile.
"You okay? You were acting weird in there," he said to change the subject.
Isabel nodded quickly, "Just had a weird dream was all, nothing important. I'll be fine." With that, Isabel took a step towards the café, but stopped next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Kyle gave her a questioning look.
"Thanks," she said, and then walked back inside.
Later, they had a motel room, having finally finding one on the outskirts of the town to avoid most people. There had been a group consensus that they needed to stop and not spend another night driving in the van.
Earlier, Maria and Michael had been talking in whispers in the kitchen. Now, they were sitting on the couch side by side, Maria's head on Michael's shoulder. Maria had been trying to get him to tell her what had rattled him at the café; Michael, being Michael, had dodged her questions with experience of a lifetime for a whole two hours of interrogation before he finally gave up and explained what had happened. He had admitted fearfully that he was terrified he was becoming a monster. Maria had told him he was being an ass. She couldn't believe he'd think saving an innocent child from further abuse could be the actions of a monster.
A knock sounded on the door, jolting them from their place. Michael, who was closest, got up to answer it. He peeked through the blinds to make sure it wasn't the police or FBI. What he saw shocked him - it was the woman from the café. Instantly, he was alert and suspicious and opened the door cautiously. He took a defensive stance, "What are you doing here?" he asked roughly.
The woman's eyes were puffy and red as if she had spent hours crying. She swallowed hard and gave him a tentative smile. "I'm Lia," she said, her eyes pleading.
"Nice name," was all he gave in reply.
Her chin trembled and her eyes closed briefly. "I wanted to come and thank you," she said, taking a deep breath for courage.
His eyebrow raised in disbelief, "Thank me?"
She nodded, "What you did…" she started, her voice cracking, "Thank you. You were right. I have a problem. I realize that now."
Taking another breath she said, "I came here to thank you. I followed you earlier, when you left. I guess, because I was afraid. I'm taking Bobby – my son – to my sister's while I get clean."
Michael's jaw was clenched, "That's great," he said, his voice dripping sarcasm. How many times had he heard that the bastard that abused him was getting help? That it would be different? Too many, and it was never true. Michael felt someone walk up behind him, but kept his eyes locked on the woman on the doorstep.
Her eyes glistened with tears, "I know you don't believe me. Why would you? You don't know me… You'll see though. I am going to get help and be a better mother, a better person. I have you to thank. If you hadn't done what you did, I would have done something terrible."
Michael nodded, unable to completely believe her but hoping for the sake of Bobby that she was being honest and it would change like she said.
The boy, Bobby, came up on the step beside her, taking hold of her hand.
"Again… thank you," she said, inclining her head and going back to the car, leaving Bobby standing in front of him.
Michael's eyes moved to his and for a few minutes they stared at one another in complete silence. Then all of a sudden, Bobby rushed forward and wrapped his small hands around Michael's waist. He clenched Michael tightly. He whispered something against Michael's jeans but it was muffled.
"What? I can't hear you," he said.
Bobby raised his head, "Thank you. Thanks for saving me."
Just as quickly, Bobby waved and rushed back to the car. The car started and drove off. Michael stood in the doorway, bewildered at what just happened.
As he started into the distance, arms came up from behind to wrap around his middle. Turning his head, he found Maria behind him, smiling. She had been standing behind the door. He blushed pink with embarrassment, though he didn't understand why.
She smiled, moving into his arms, her mouth going to his.
She brushed her lips over his before deepening the kiss, "See that…"
He frowned, "What?"
"You did that, Michael. You saved that little boy. Whether or not she really gets clean and the abuse stops, it doesn't matter."
Michael opened his mouth to start a rant when she put her fingers over his lips to stop him, "No, stop. Listen to me Michael. The future doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that right here, right now, the abuse stopped, and it did because of you. I'm proud of you."
Maria gave him another smile before leaving him alone with his thoughts. Liz came outside to stand beside Michael, who was now outside and had turned to stare at the place he'd last seen the car.
"Wow…" she said.
Michael gave her a questioning look.
"You're impressive, Michael," she said.
He frowned. How was he impressive?
She laughed at his confused expression, "I had to say it because I just didn't realize it."
He started to get a little impatient, "Realize what, Liz?"
She smiled, her face soft, "I realized, Michael, that you're more like Max than I ever knew."
Michael looked at Liz in wonder, "That… That's the best compliment you could ever give. Too bad I know it's not true."
Liz patted him on the shoulder as she turned and went back into the room, "I think it is. Face it, Guerin, you're a hero," she said, leaving him standing with a dumbfounded look on his face.
That's right, I think Michael Guerin is a hero. That's a word I never thought I'd ever associate with Michael. After they talked, Maria told me that it was the closest she'd ever felt to him.
Kyle has been acting strange since that day as well. He keeps looking behind him like he sees something we don't. He brushes me off when I ask him about it. Kind of like Isabel, who's more closed off than she's been before and I didn't think thatwas possible all things considered. I don't know what happened to those two outside the café, but they're not sharing that experience with us.
Max has stopped asking me if I'm okay every five minutes, which is great, because it was starting to drive me insane. He won't make peace with Isabel though. I worry that one of them is going to do something they regret because of the way Max is treating her, and since they both have powers, someone could get hurt. Mostly I worry she may decide to leave. That would be something Max would come to regret for the rest of his life. He'd never forgive himself.
I guess I just have to be happy we seem to be safe at the moment.
Liz Parker-Evans
