A/N: The lyrics below are from the song Conspiracy by Paramore
Please speak softly, for they will hear us
And they'll find out why we don't trust them
Speak up dear cause I cannot hear you
I need to know why we don't trust them
Explain to me this conspiracy against me
And tell me how I've lost my power
Where can I turn? Cause I need something more
Surrounded by uncertainties I'm so unsure of
Tell me why I feel so alone cause I need to Know to whom do I owe
Chapter Four: Hiding in Plain Sight
September 21st, 1999
Liz walked into the band room, frowning as she stared around the room, hands on her hips. Where was it? It wasn't like her to be so forgetful; she never lost things, unlike Maria who would probably prove that old saw about losing her unattached head true if it were possible.
"Hey," someone said behind her, sending her heart into a frantic race as the paranoia and tension of the past few days resurged, and she spun to see Alex standing in the doorway, watching her with a strange look in his pale blue eyes.
She relaxed, pulse slowing in relief, and smiled at him. "Hey Alex, any chance you've seen my book bag?"
"No I haven't," he said with a shake of his head, before fixing her with an oddly serious stare, his usual warmth visibly lacking. "Any chance you've talked to Maria."
She nodded and then stepped forward, impulsively hugging him, relieved when she felt him relax and felt the return of his usual cheerfulness with her 'other' senses. "I'm sorry we lied to you guys, Alex, we were just afraid."
He hugged her back, his eyes softening as he smiled down at her. "It's okay, I get it. I'm just glad neither of us have to lie anymore."
"Me too," Liz stated simply, giving him one last grateful squeeze. She pulled away and her smile widened into a mischievous grin. "So, in the spirit of honesty, what is going on between you and Raelyn?"
He flushed, fidgeting nervously with the chain at his belt. "We're just friends, nothing more."
Her lips twitched suspiciously, but her tone was serious as she asked. "And you're okay with that?"
He shrugged, smile fading. "It hasn't been that long since Nick, and I don't even think she likes me like that." He sighed, attempting a self-depreciating smile. "I think that once again, I have become one of the girls."
Liz shook her head firmly, squeezing his arm in an attempt to dispel his defeated slump. "I promise you Alex, Raelyn does not think of you as one of the girls. I've seen the way she looks at you, and the way Michael glares at you sometimes, you definitely have a shot."
"If you say so," he mumbled, but she could see the renewed hope in his eyes and grinned, about to speak again when the principal and the deputy from the other day walked into the room, both looking straight at her. Her heart sank all the way to her shoes and she automatically stepped away from Alex, wanting to distance him from any suspicion.
"Miss Parker, the sheriff needs to ask you some questions."
Liz fought the urge to glance worriedly at the boy beside her, before steeling her shoulders and following them out of the room, perky waitress smile pasted in place as she summoned every ounce of calm she possessed. Time to lie like the champ Tess always accused her of being.
x
Michael watched Liz get into the deputy's cruiser, fists clenching with fear and anger as he saw how tiny she looked compared to the man escorting her. The appearance of the protective instinct that normally only kicked in with his family, was setting him on edge, and instead he tried to focus his anger. She'd better be good at lying, because the last thing they needed was the sheriff snooping around, too many people knew already and his paranoia was in high gear.
Turning away from the sight of the cruiser pulling out of the parking lot, he saw Tess watching her sister with the same frightened and angry expression on her face that he knew was on his. Their eyes met and a brief spark of understanding flared between them before he looked away, uncomfortable with adding anyone else to the limited circle of people he worried about, or who could read him.
Lyn was talking with Alex at their usual tree and he walked towards them, ignoring the gaze he could feel burning into his back. Tess could stare at him all she wanted; he had more than enough practice at ignoring anyone he wanted to.
Max intercepted him before he reached his sister, and he glared at the other boy, his frustration seeking an outlet and finding the other boy a ready and easy target.
"Where was Liz going?" Max demanded, and Michael rolled his eyes.
"To the sheriff's station maybe? Given her escort, that would be the logical conclusion. And no Max, before you ask, I don't know why, was there anything else?" he stated sarcastically, feeling a faint surge of satisfaction shaded with the faintest twinge of guilt as the other boy winced and visibly deflated.
"Sorry, I know you don't know anything. I just hope she's okay."
"She'll be fine Maxwell; the sheriff isn't going to do anything to her other than ask her about you. Worry about that."
x
"Afternoon Miss Parker. Your father said it would be all right if I talked to you. I'm sorry to bring up what must have been a horrible experience, but there were some unusual things about the bullet we found and I wanted to ask you a few questions about what happened."
Liz's heart palpitated violently against her rib cage, but she managed to maintain her smile as she nodded and asked innocently, "What kind of strange things?"
"Well, it didn't look like the bullet had ever been fired from a gun; it had no markings on it and was barely flattened from impacting with the wood. Did you notice anything, strange, about the shooting?" He paused, eyes boring into her, "Or maybe something that happened afterwards?"
"I honestly don't remember much sir. I saw the gun and it scared me; I went to duck down and knocked the ketchup off the counter. When I saw how close it came to hitting me…" she trailed off, letting her very real fear color her voice. "Everything else was just kind of a blur. I didn't even notice the men running out and nothing that happened afterwards, except everyone making sure I was okay."
"Does that everyone include Max Evans?" he asked pointedly, and she couldn't stop herself from flinching slightly.
"He was in the café that day; he comes in a lot, and he might have been one of the people that ran up to me after, but like I said, everything was kind of a blur." Her voice was steady despite her nerves, and tilting her head to the side, she managed a pointed question of her own, although her voice remained soft and girlish. "You don't think he was involved do you? Because I don't see how that's possible."
"No Miss Parker, we're just trying to cover every angle. No one was hurt, but it could have been a tragedy if things had gone differently; I won't feel like I've done my job until I've done everything I can to get the ones responsible behind bars."
"I'll feel safer when you catch those two men, Sheriff; I'm sure you'll catch the right criminals," she commented after a moment, feeling a wave of anger that she barely managed to hide at the fact that he seemed more interested in seeing if an innocent boy had saved her life, than catching the man who almost ended it.
"Can I go home now Sheriff? I have homework and I'd like to spend some time with my family, my dad likes to keep us close, especially now."
He nodded, eyes softening slightly although his face remained serious as he reached behind his desk and pulled out her missing book bag. Liz's eyes widened as she frantically tried to remember if there was anything incriminating in the bag; thank God she never carried her journals around.
"Just one more thing. Somebody turned in this book bag, it is yours isn't it?"
She nodded, reaching for it. He handed it to her, and then reached behind his desk one more time to pull out a book, one about the 'true' story of the Roswell crash. "Interesting reading material."
She accepted the book with a faint smile, tucking it into the bag. "Just looking for ideas for my Crash costume; I wanted to go really authentic this year."
He nodded and finally let her go, offering a ride home which she declined with a polite shake of her head. She managed to keep her back straight and head high until she was around the corner from the sheriff's station, then collapsed against a convenient storefront and tried to catch her breath, her heart gradually beginning to slow into a somewhat normal rhythm.
If she never saw the inside of his office again, it would be too soon, and she only hoped that her answers had been enough to deter him from investigating any further. Opening her eyes, she stepped back onto the sidewalk, the burn of acid at the back of her throat convincing her that her hope was merely a convenient lie to herself.
They would have to be even more careful, and make sure that no more mistakes were made. She doubted he could prove that the bullet had been created on the spot, but if he got more evidence…
They couldn't let that happen.
x
"A shot was fired, but there is no way that this bullet was ever fired from a gun. I'm telling you, something happened in that café."
The man in the black suit stood and tucked the plastic specimen jar containing the bullet into his briefcase.
"What are you doing?"
"I have a flying cow sighting in Albuquerque and a lawyer who thinks he's Abraham Lincoln reincarnated. Both cases are more solid than this. I'll have this checked out at the lab. Call me Sheriff, if you ever have anything…real."
Valenti frowned, his hands gripping his desk to keep himself from doing something stupid out of frustration. "Listen, you guys told me to call you if I saw anything; whatever happened that day was not normal." He knew that Liz Parker was lying to him; she was good, but so was he, and if whatever had happened that day was normal, then she wouldn't have any reason to lie to him.
"I'm sure it wasn't," the agent replied blandly, and the corners of the sheriff's mouth tightened.
"What happens now?"
"The lab will examine the bullet for anomalies. I'm going to handle this case in the proper manner without getting too personal. I suggest you do the same."
"I'm not walkin' away from this. This is my town and I'm gonna be a part of this investigation."
"Sheriff, do you know what they used to call your father? Sergeant Martian. You don't want to end up like him."
"Agent Stevens, I was eight-years-old when my father discovered that corpse; my whole life I thought he was as crazy as everyone else did. Crazy to believe. Now I'm not so sure."
A faint smile crossed the agent's face and he nodded shortly. "Thank you Sheriff. Your work is done now; we'll take it from here."
Jim watched him walk out the door, confusion, resentment, and frustration swirling in his gut. There was something going on, something strange, and if he could prove that old Jimmy Valenti wasn't the town nut, well that was worth pushing some buttons. No matter how innocent Miss Parker's doe-brown eyes were. The Parkers weren't the only family to suffer loss, and the stain on his family name had last far too long. Not to mention that lying to the law usually meant a dangerous secret and his job meant protecting people from danger, even when they didn't think they needed it.
x
Liz slipped into the backroom of the Crashdown via the side door, and felt something inside of her relax when she saw Tess and Alex sitting on the couch in the back, both looking at her expectantly, friendship obviously intact.
She smiled, but held up one finger and moved to the swinging door that led to the restaurant, peeking through the circular window to see Max and Michael in their usual booth. Maria, clad in the ubiquitous aqua green uniform, caught her eye and hurried towards her. Liz stepped back as she came through the door, reaching a deft hand into the other girl's apron and pulling out her order pad.
Maria shot her a quizzical glance, opening to her mouth to speak, but Liz shook her head, scribbling a note onto the top piece of paper and handing it back to the blond. "Can you give this to Michael?"
Her best friend frowned, eyes narrowing, "If I do, will you tell me what's going on?"
Liz nodded, smile widening, "Yes Maria, I promise, if you give him that and bring it back with his answer, I will tell all of you what's going on."
The blonde eyed her for another minute before accepting the order pad and disappearing back through the door. Liz walked back to the couch and collapsed next to her sister, closing her eyes as she tried to gather her thoughts, and ignore the two intent stares boring into her skull.
There was heavy silence for several minutes and then Maria came back through the doors, waving the piece of paper. "So, why are we meeting at Michael's apartment tonight?"
Liz opened her eyes and gave all three teens a grim smile. "Because it's time we laid all the cards on the table. The sheriff is suspicious and if we don't stick together, he's going to figure it out, and I don't think we'll all survive if he does."
Maria looked startled at the thought of her almost step-father being that much of a threat, but Tess and Alex looked equally grim and both nodded, their eyes dark with unspoken fears. They both knew that it wasn't strangers who were the most dangerous to their lives; it was those close enough to see all the pieces of the puzzle.
x
Michael stared at the door that the annoyingly talkative blonde had vanished through, brow furrowed in thought. He could only assume that Liz had requested the meeting with all of them because of whatever had happened at the sheriff's station. She better have a damn good explanation for why Maria seemed to suddenly be in the loop. Alex was one thing, but he in no way trusted that girl to keep a secret, no matter whose life depended on it.
Max was lost in thought, an all-too-familiar dreamy cast to his gaze, and Michael rolled his eyes before sliding out of the booth. "I have to get to work; I'll see you tonight."
He stalked out of the restaurant without waiting for a reply, anger over the situation, and Max's apparent lack of concern, burning in his gut. They had much bigger things to worry about that Max's damn crush and whether or not Liz returned it. Michael wasn't oblivious to the attractions of the brunette, quite the opposite, but he knew better than to let his feelings get in the way of keeping them safe.
His first instinct after Max had healed Liz, before they learned that Liz had secrets of her own, had been to leave, and with the sheriff sniffing around, it made the urge that much harder to resist. But Lyn wouldn't leave, and he wouldn't ask her to. And now there were all of these other people who knew, and two who were like them, and there was a past they desperately needed to learn about.
When he let himself think logically, he knew that the best way to ensure that the answers would come to them was to stay put. Of course, it was also the best way to ensure that anyone who wanted them dead, or worse, knew where to find them, and that thought made him have to focus on Hank to stop himself from punching something, or someone.
Max, all of them, needed to focus on finding answers and avoiding suspicion, not on panting after Liz like a dog in heat. He knew he was being less than charitable towards his brother, who was worried about exposure, even if he didn't show it, but his anger and frustration didn't care. He wouldn't let his anger get the best of him, he was better than that, but he needed to calm down before his shift started, so he turned left instead of right at the next street, energy already gathering in his palms as he imagined the satisfying explosion of the few large boulders he had left standing last time.
Sometimes being an alien had its perks.
x
Lyn smiled banally at the older woman as she rang up her purchases, wrapping each candle in tissue paper before handing her the bag. "Have a nice day Mrs. Richards."
The woman continued to chat at her for several more minutes and Lyn just nodded and smiled, interjecting the occasional wordless agreement. Michael's side of the bond had been raging all day, a roller coaster of emotions that only years of practice at riding had enabled her to survive without breaking everything she touched, or without snapping at the customers.
Now he was waiting outside, leaning against the wall next to the backdoor, impatiently counting down the minutes until her shift ended. "Thank you dearie," Mrs. Richards called as she finally left, the bell on the door jingling as it opened and closed. Lyn waved through the glass as she locked the door and then chuckled, 'hearing' another impatient huff from her brother.
Everyone had been wound tight since the shooting. In fact, at the moment, she could barely stand to be alone in a room with anyone in her family, much less all of them. All of the tension they constantly radiated made her want to crawl out of her own skin. The first meeting with Liz and Tess had been even worse, everyone's fear and doubt and anger cascading over in a never ending rush of emotion. Then there was that spike of pure grief when Liz had mentioned seeing her sister die; Lyn shuddered as she moved back behind the counter.
Tonight was adding two more people to the mix and she wasn't looking forward to it, even with Alex's comforting presence to draw on. Her shielding had gotten better since the beginning of freshman year, but there was only so much she could block out, and with that many bundles of emotion in one small space – she'd be lucky if she didn't black out.
She finished counting the register and slipped her backpack on before heading out the side door, glancing at Michael as she locked it behind her and grinning at the frustration evident in his eyes. "You could have come inside and waited," she pointed out, linking her arm through his and smiling innocently up at him. "Your glare probably would have scared Mrs. Richards off and I could have closed earlier."
He shot her an annoyed glance and didn't reply, but she felt a little of his tension ease as he slung an arm around her shoulders and smiled to herself, mission accomplished. Too bad calming him down at the meeting wouldn't be nearly so easy.
x
Alex stared at the unassuming, brown apartment door, hand hovering in midair. Liz's words had been playing in an endless loop in his head all day, and only his fears for his friends with the sheriff snooping around had enabled him to concentrate at all.
He felt guilty for thinking about Rae and what she might think of him when there were so many more important things to worry about, but aside from the life and death secrets he was keeping, he was a typical teenaged boy. No matter how much more civilized he might be from a lifetime of female best friends, every seven seconds was putting it mildly when it came to the direction of his thoughts. "Linoleum indeed," he muttered to himself with a faint snort as he finally let his knuckles rap against the wood.
Tess and Liz had invited him to study with them until the meeting, but aside from wanting to show up early, he had needed some time to think, and not just about Rae.
Learning that Rae and her brother had been hiding such a big secret, well it had been shocking. But not as shocking as learning that two of his best friends were keeping an equally large secret. Rationally he understood why they had kept it from him, but emotionally it was a hard pill to swallow. They were his best friends; they knew everything about him from his distant relationship with his parents, and his dreams of making music despite his computer skills, to his feelings for the redhead on the other side of the door. He trusted them, and he had thought they trusted him in return.
Rae opened the door, her blue-green eyes sparkling at him and snapping him out of his darkening mood. "Thank God, I was about to come see what was keeping you," she said with a warm smile as he followed her into the apartment, and he flushed at the realization that with her gifts, she must have known exactly how long he was standing there.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Just a little busy up here," he replied with a self-deprecating smile as he waggled his fingers in the direction of his forehead.
She laughed softly. "I completely understand. Everyone's a little busy up there lately and it's driving me crazy trying to tune you all out, so I don't pick up things I shouldn't."
He sank down on the couch next to her, eyes widening with concern as he reached out to touch her hand. "I'm sorry, I forgot how much harder this must be for you. Is there anything I can do?"
She shook her head, curls bouncing as her smile grew, and squeezed his hand. "Just be you Alex. Whenever you're around I find it easier to keep everyone else out."
Alex smiled back, unreasonably pleased that he could help her, even if it was something he had no control over. "I wonder why that is? I would think that the others, since they're special like you, would be easier."
She shrugged, a faint frown line appearing between her eyes. "I don't know; Liz is the only one who feels like you do, and her energy, or whatever it is, isn't as soothing as yours."
Alex frowned too, his mind turning over the puzzle. "Liz is like you, Tess changed her, but me? I'm just your average Joe, nothing special about me."
"You are not average Alex," Rae said firmly, staring at him until he gave her a smile before her face sobered again. "But I see your point and I don't know what it means, or if it means anything."
Alex nodded slowly, filing their conversation away to go over again later. It might be wishful thinking on his part, wanting any excuse to be closer to Rae, but something in his gut was telling him that those differences were important, and the sooner they figured out why, the better.
