Collision 9

Isabel followed Max up the trail. She and Xan had settled on the secluded hiking spot for it's remoteness. The out-of-the-way nearby camp site, was proving hard to find.

She ran her fingers across a pile of crushed leaves on the ground.

Tracking had become second nature to her. Her brother's disappearance had left her feeling vulnerable. Without him there, she'd been forced to learn the necessary skills to look after herself. Michael was too unpredictable, and Tess was... well Tess.

She peered up at her brother. He seemed distracted. "He went this way," she nodded to her intended destination.

He didn't say anything as he followed behind her, just continued to look occupied.

She took a couple of steps towards the path, before looking towards her brother. "What's the matter Max? Worried your wives will bond?"

She knew that was far from it. "Tess is harmless," she continued to walk ahead of him.

"That power is intended to harm our enemies," he dismissed her thought. "She can bring in to existence any sequence of events. She can fabricate any image."

"I mean it," Isabel said as she turned in a slow circle. Something seemed strange about the path she had chosen. Like it had been made to fool them. "After Liam was born, they disappeared entirely. She can't even do simple things," she said offhandedly.

"They just ceased to exist?" he found that hard to believe.

"Yeah. We thought it was because of the baby. That maybe our offspring inherit our powers." This path seemed off. Isabel backtracked. She didn't want to get lost. She retraced her steps to return to their earlier path.

"Why wouldn't the baby inherit his father's power?" he inquired. He looked at the creek they were about to cross. 'Hadn't they gone over this creek before,' he thought idly.

"It didn't make much sense to us either," Isabel rolled her eyes. "And Liam came out completely human."

Max thought for a moment. He wondered about Liz. The mysterious way she developed powers their senior year of high school. "The girls have powers," he said instead. "Ella's aren't as developed as Chloe-Beth's, but she can do things.

"From the moment they were born?" she asked. She doubted Liam would produce any powers.

He shook his head. "Chloe-Beth could connect with Liz. But Ella appeared completely normal."

"When did her powers start to show?" She was deep in thought. This was definitely strange.

"Not till a couple months back. She was frustrated. Her mother and I couldn't figure out why she wouldn't touch her food. We thought she was being stubborn. It seems she inherited my taste for spicy food," he couldn't believe it. "I don't know how we missed that. She always wanted to eat from my plate."

Isabel took a look at their surroundings. "She probably wondered why daddy's food was always more tasty than hers," she giggled.

He laughed. "She was annoyed with me for trying to take my plate from her. I went to move it away, when i noticed it started to melt. Liz touched it without noticing. Her hands were covered in blisters. At first i thought it was me. We always payed close attention to Chloe-Beth. We thought for sure she would be the one to inherit the trait, if at all. She was the one with the powers."

"Is their blood like ours?" She worried.

"That's what i don't understand," he said confused. "Chloe-Beth has always excelled at her powers, but her blood is normal."

"And Ella who hasn't adapted to her powers as easily, has our blood," she finished for him. "That is strange," she agreed.

"Ella is very timid" he told her. "She's quiet, shy, and reserved. Liz thinks that has something to do with their late arrival. She's more unsure of herself than Chloe."

"I forgot you were married to little miss scientist," Isabel teased him.

Max fidgeted a little.

He changed the subject. "Even now we have to force her to eat," he said instead. "I guess old habits die hard."

Michael sat on a boulder out in the woods.

He searched the area with his eyes, before taking out the worn-down piece of paper.

His fist clenched onto the letter as he read her words again…

Dear Michael,

I shouldn't have left. I know that now. That's when everything went wrong.

All that time I took away from us... But i just felt so alone. She was like my sister. And without her there, home felt empty. Like there was nothing there. Like it wasn't home anymore.

I know that's not what you want to hear.

That those stolen moments over the years weren't all you wanted for us.

I still remember what you whispered to me the last time we were together. And for one perfect moment, I thought there was nothing you could ever do that would make me want to leave you again, then you answered that call.

Nothing felt the same after that. All the little things I'd always dreamt about; falling asleep wrapped up in you, waking up in your arms, and now even carrying your baby doesn't seem so special anymore. At least not the way it's supposed to. Because you have all that with someone else.

I made a lot of mistakes with you. There are so many things that were left unsaid. It hurts me to think about what you did with her, because I know.

That what hurts the most.I know that if you were with me, you wouldn't have been unfaithful to me. I know you would have loved only me.

Tears spilled from his eyes despite his efforts, and he bit down on his lip to keep them away.

They could no longer track Michael.

His tracks had long since disappeared with the light rain.

He'd excused himself from their group earlier, only to never return.

Isabel wondered if his mind were tormenting him once again. Every once in a while, this deep feeling of sadness would envelop him.

She failed to understand where things had gone wrong.

He wouldn't say.

Maria wouldn't say.

Why would lovers choose to part?

Isabel looked up at her brother. He'd been uncomfortable since her mention of Elizabeth's love for science. She thought it might originate from his fear of the white room. "Max," she began. "Are you sure you're alright."

He seemed to know what she meant. "I'm alright Iz. I don't think anyone can just forget that, but I've moved past it. It was hard at first. But Liz was there. She took care of me."

She stared at him. "If you're sure," she wanted to believe him. "I can't imagine how hard it must have been," she tried to convince him she would understand.

"I'm over it," he said without a doubt.

She nodded her head in acceptance.

"She saw it when we connected," he whispered sadly. "What they did to me. That's what hurts me the most. I didn't want her to see that."

"Liz?" she knew he meant the brunette.

"Yeah. I think it affected her more than it did me."