Title: Time After Time
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Author's note: Thanks to anyone who reviewed. My question from the previous chapter still stands, so you can still feel free to answer it whenever.
As always, please read and review.
Chapter Ten: Surprise
"Tess? Tess! Where are you? Can you hear me? Tess!"
The hallway was dark and filled with a hazy substance she couldn't quite identify. Was it smoke or just heavy fog? The shadows moved around her, and she jumped several times, still straining to see through the gloom. Her footsteps echoed in the silence as she ran, pure terror filling her body with every step.
Where was Tess?
It was like a bad sense of déjà vu. She'd been here, done this already in her visions. She knew this hallway, knew the pounding of her own heart and the hoarse cry of her own voice as she shouted into the stillness.
What good were visions if they didn't help her save her friend?
"Tess!" she cried again, her words bouncing off the walls of the abandoned factory, reverberating through the air and floating back to her, unanswered.
A few hours earlier…
Isabel stared at her reflection in the mirror, unsure if she should have agreed to wear this outfit. She couldn't deny that it looked nice on her, but the black leather skirt was too tight and the red-halter top too skimpy. Her bare shoulders, stuck out on both sides, looking slightly bony, and she'd covered her hair in so much gel she thought a full-blown tornado wouldn't even move a single strand.
"You look fine, Izzy," Tess said, appearing in the doorway to the room. "Stop staring at yourself in the mirror and come downstairs so we can leave. Jessica wanted us to arrive early so you could be there before everyone else."
Isabel turned around and looked at Tess. "I have a bad feeling about this," she said, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. She bit her lip for a moment, worry clouding her eyes, then said, "Something is going to go wrong."
"It's a party," Tess countered. "What could possibly go wrong?"
"Oh, I can think of a few things," Isabel muttered under her breath, but she allowed Tess to lead her from the room and down the stairs. Both her parents were standing in the living room, waiting for her, and she monetarily wished she had thought to pull a sweater on over her top. She did not want her parents to see her dressed like this.
But if Mrs. Evans found it odd for her daughter to be wearing something so different from her usual choices, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she simply gave Isabel a kiss on the cheek and said, "Have a great time tonight, Isabel."
Mr. Evans glanced at Tess. "Will there be alcohol at this party?"
Tess frowned slightly, surprised by the question. But, she reflected, it was exactly the type of question one would expect from a lawyer, and she really should have seen it coming.
"Not that I know of," she answered. There might be alcohol because a number of the guests would likely bring their own beer or drinks to the party. But she and Jessica weren't providing any alcohol for the guests, and she could only hope that her friends would be smart enough to refrain from excessive drinking.
"Don't worry so much, Philip," Mrs. Evans said, swatting her husband lightly on the arm. "You know they're responsible kids." More importantly, they knew that no one would ever be stupid enough to blatantly break the law at a party organized by either Tess or Kyle because the Sheriff undoubted knew that a party was happening and would be keeping an eye on the place.
"You're right," Mr. Evans said finally, giving Isabel an apologetic smile. "You're seventeen now, I should trust you more."
"Is Max going with you two?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"No, he's going to come later," Isabel answered. She slanted a quick look at Tess. "Shall we go?"
Tess nodded, and the two girls left the house. As the door closed behind them, Mr. Evans walked over to the sofa and sat down heavily.
"I don't know how I feel about this," he said wearily, concern mixed with exhaustion showing on his face.
"Look, I know you want answers, Philip. I do as well. But Max and Isabel aren't going to trust us until we trust them." Mrs. Evans took a seat across from them and added, "And you know that Isabel's never gotten in any real trouble before."
"There was that man who came by last year," Mr. Evans countered. "About the investigation involving Hank. About the drugs."
"He said that Max and Isabel had nothing to do with any of that. They were just friends with Michael, and so that put them in the wrong place at the wrong time." She gave her husband a stern glare as she rested her hands in her lap. "They aren't doing drugs."
"Iknow," Mr. Evans answered wearily, shaking his head, "but that doesn't mean they aren't in danger. I can't just sit back and let them walk into trouble."
"We don't know that they are even in any trouble," Mrs. Evans countered.
"We know that they have secrets. We know that they sometimes disappear and won't tell us where they went. We know they're hiding something." He sighed, letting out a slow breath. Running a hand through his hair, he added, "Believe me, I want to believe that I am just overreacting, and everything is fine. But what if it isn't?"
They were his children, and he wasn't going to let anything happen to them. He knew every parenting book he'd ever read said that, at some point, you had step back and let your children make their own decisions and lead their own lives. But even at the age of seventeen, Isabel was still his little girl, and he wasn't going to do nothing if she was in danger. She was still his responsibility, no matter what.
Mrs. Evans watched her husband as his internal struggle played across his face. Finally, she said gently, "Where do we even start, Philip? If they won't come to us with the answers, how do we get them? We don't even know what questions to be asking?"
She wanted to trust her children, she wanted to believe that this was nothing more than the typical teenage problems; dating and popularity and peer pressure. She could handle those problems. She could have a discussion with Isabel about the pros and cons of fitting into a group, she could warn her about the consequences of dating and what it could lead to. They could talk about the birds and the bees and any other issues because these were all things she understood and knew how to deal with, how to address.
But what if there was something else?
She couldn't deny her husband's arguments, couldn't quite convince herself that everything would be alright in the end.
The party was in full swing and Isabel couldn't deny that she was having a good time. They place was packed, and the music blaring through the speakers reverberated in the air. She didn't even recognize all the people who were here, dancing and swaying to the music. A few times, some boy she only vaguely recognized had asked her for a dance, and she would comply. But she spent most of the time dancing with Alex, or, more accurately, laughing at his attempts to dance.
"You know, Whitman," Kyle said as he appeared at Isabel's side, "whatever kind of dance you're doing, it went out of style a very long time ago."
"I'm not so sure it was ever in style," Sara added, raising her voice to be heard over the music.
"I think it's cute," Isabel said, defending her friend. Alex grinned at Isabel's words, apparently relieved that she wasn't as embarrassed by his dancing skills as her friends were.
"Cute… like an adorably awkward puppy," Sara replied, laughing. She shrugged, as if to show her despair at the situation, and said, "Well, carry on, I guess." She grabbed Kyle by the arm and dragged him away to track down the rest of their friends.
"I think they're starting to like you," Isabel remarked, turning back to Alex with a teasing smile.
He rolled his eyes at her comment and didn't reply.
Across the room, Liz and Maria watched the couple closely. The brunette had her arms crossed self-consciously over her chest, feeling slightly out of place. Maria probably would have left her to go dance, but had taken pity on her best friend, and so the two of them had decided instead to people-watch.
"It looks like Alex is having fun," Liz said, glancing over at Maria.
"Mm," Maria answered, looking from Alex to Isabel and back. "Yeah, it does." Against her will, her eyes slid across the room to where Michael and Max were standing. They were talking to someone, another girl that Maria recognized vaguely as a sophomore at the high school. Probably one of the party crashers.
"Her name is Lisa," Liz said softly, noting where Maria was looking. "I overheard a few of her friends saying how cool it was to come to the party. Not that they were actually invited."
"Do Michael and Max know her?"
"No," Liz said, and watched as Maria sagged a bit in relief. "They're just being polite."
As soon as she said that, Michael detached himself from the other two and began to push his way through the crowd. Maria, following his path with narrowed eyes, said quickly to Liz, "I'll be right back." And she, too, left her friend standing alone.
She caught up with Michael just as he reached the door to the bathroom on the second floor. He left it open and turned on the faucet, splashing water on his face. Maria watched from the doorway for a moment, then remarked, "Oh, is flirting with the little sophomore making you sweaty?"
Michael, surprised and startled, having not noticed her presence before, jerked abruptly, accidentally knocking into the faucet, and increasing the rush of water from the tap. The liquid prayed everywhere, but before he could get soaked, it froze in mid-air, floating droplets stretching serenely across the bathroom.
Maria had the presence of mind to immediately close the door and lock it.
"What the hell did you do?"
"Nothing," Michael defended himself.
"Space Boy, there is water floating in mid-air. That's not nothing," Maria practically screeched.
"Keep your voice down," Michael snapped, vaguely noting that she had called him Space Boy, an endearment she hadn't used since before the summer. "The last thing we need is for anyone to hear you."
"Oh, I think people hearing me is the least of our worries," Maria retorted, her gaze still fixed on the hovering water. "What if you start doing this in public? What if, next time, it is someone else who sees you?"
"I'll kill them before they can tell anyone," Michael suggested dryly.
"Not funny," Maria hissed.
"Well, if you hadn't startled me like that, this wouldn't have happened," Michael said angrily. "Why were you following me anyway?"
"So this is my fault? The fact that you have some new crazy gift you can't control? I'm not the one who sprayed water in the air and then froze it…"
Michael glared at her. "Just shut up, okay? I can fix this, I just need to figure out how." He turned and looked back at the water. When he was young, only a year out of the pod, he'd started coming into his gifts. He had no control over them at the time, and things would randomly blow up around him whenever he got upset. It had taken a long time to get his control back, but with Isabel's encouragement, Max's support, Tess' advice, and a lot of practice, he had managed to keep his gifts in check.
He had a new gift now, so he would simply have to go through the same process.
The sound of repeated banging against the door distracted him, and then a drunken voice called, "Open up in there, or I'll huff, and puff, and blow the door down." This was followed by hysterical laughter and giggling from multiple people.
"Great, drunk people," Michael muttered under his breath.
"The door is locked," Maria pointed out. "They can't get in. Just focus on fixing the problem, okay?"
Michael closed his eyes and concentrated. So far, his new gift had manifested itself whenever he was startled. To undo what he had just done, he needed to remain calm. He needed to focus solely on the molecules in the water, and nothing else.
The banging on the door continued, now accompanied by incoherent shouts.
Michael opened his eyes. "Damn it! I can't do this with them out there, making noise." He glared angrily at the door.
"Michael, now is really not a good time for self-doubt!"
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who spontaneously freezes things!"
"Let us in! What are you doing in there anyway?" a different voice, equally drunk, demanded.
Michael closed his eyes again. If someone walked in here and saw this, he'd be screwed. He thought of Max, his face reflecting pure horror as Pierce fell to the ground with a sickening thud. He thought of Tess, a haunted look in her eyes after they'd rescued her from the white room. He thought of Isabel, panicked when she realized what was happening to her family.
He would not let that happen again.
He wasn't even aware of what had happened until his felt the cold splash of water against his chest. He opened his eyes to see the formerly floating liquid now pooling on the ground, and a broad smile was spreading across Maria's face.
"You did it," she said in relief.
"Come on," Michael muttered, "let's get out of here."
They opened the door and found four drunk seniors standing outside the room. One of them, a boy who Michael remembered was on the football team, blinked slowly and then said, "Guerin and DeLuca both in the bathroom?"
His comment was met by a round of laughter, and the one of the others began to sing drunkenly, "Guerin and DeLuca, sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G. First comes love, then comes…"
"Let's go," Michael said stonily, pushing past them and hurrying down the stairs, Maria following closely behind.
"Isabel, Isabel… help me." Tess stumbled, falling through the people around her, crashing to the ground and trying to lift herself back up.
Isabel started and looked at the phantom standing in front of her. Eyes wide, she backed away from the ghostly Tess. Beside her, Alex stiffened and reached out to take her hand, but she shook her head and moved back again.
"Tess?" she whispered.
Alex turned and stared at the place she was looking, but saw nothing.
"Isabel? What is it?" Alex asked, worried.
The floor was crowded and hot, but even over the blaring noise from the speakers, Isabel could hear Tess, her panicked voice, crying for help.
"Please… Isabel, please, please… help me." Tess was on her hands and knees, barely able to support her own weight. She tried to stand up, but fell back again. She wasn't crying, but the fear in her face sent chills down Isabel's spine.
Isabel jerked her head towards Alex. "I'm going into the kitchen," she said. "Find Max and Michael. Get them."
Alex nodded and hurried away, and she pushed through the throng of people, fighting towards the kitchen. At last, she made it into the empty space, almost tumbling onto the tile floor. She moved to the counter, resting her hands on it and looking around. She was gasping for breath.
A road twisted along the desert. A sign flashed overhead. Red's.
Isabel rubbed her eyes.
"Isabel?"
Max, Michael, Alex, Maria, and Liz all came hurrying through the door. Alex hurried to her side, but Max cut in front of the quiet human and demanded Isabel's full attention.
"What's wrong?" the hybrid King asked, worried. "Are you hurt?"
"I had a vision," Isabel whispered. She lifted her hands to her forehead, massaging her temples as a migraine began to form.
"No!" Someone grabbed Tess from behind. Everything was blurry, none of the shapes distinct enough to identify. Tess was fighting, but it wasn't enough.
"It's Tess," Isabel continued. "She's in trouble. She was kidnapped. She… she's hurt. She keeps screaming for help… my help." The statuesque blonde shook her head, sinking against the counter. "I can't find her. I just… I see a flash of something… a sign. Red's. And then it is just her… calling over and over."
"There's no Red's in Roswell," Liz said, her voice laced with concern. "I know all the establishments here. That isn't one of them."
Max glanced over at Liz with a frown. In his concern for both Isabel and Tess, he didn't even remember that he hadn't wanted Liz involved in something like this. Instead, he asked, "But where else could they have taken her? She hasn't bee missing long enough for them to have left the town."
"It was in the desert," Isabel murmured, "I think on the outskirts of the town."
"Fred's," Maria suggested suddenly, her eyes lightening up. 'Isn't that the name of that old abandoned factory?"
"Yeah," Liz agreed, "and the lights for the F never worked. In a vision…"
"It would look like Red's," Isabel finished. "We have to go, we have to find her." She looked around wildly. "Who has a car?"
"I do," Max said instantly.
"Okay," Isabel said, thinking quickly, "Alex, you stay here and cover for me. If anyone asks where I am, tell them I spilled punch on my shirt, and Tess is helping me get a new one. Liz," she swung around to face the brunette, "call Valenti and tell him what is happening."
"Should I have him meet you at the factory?" Liz asked, already reaching for her cell phone.
"Yes," Max answered.
At the same moment, Michael shook his head. "No." He looked in surprise at Max, then said pointedly, "He can't help. Whoever this was, they were strong enough to kidnap Tess. Valenti wouldn't stand a chance against them."
"He's her father," Max said softly. "He's going to want to know…"
"Guys, we really don't have time to argue over this," Isabel cut in, exasperated. "Liz can do whatever she wants in terms of telling him, but Tess needs our help now."
"Maybe Max and I should go and you should stay here," Michael suggested, eyeing Isabel's pale skin. She didn't look good at the moment, and he wasn't entirely convinced that she would have the strength to fight an enemy. And whoever this was, they were powerful.
"No," Isabel said instantly, shaking her head. "I'm the one getting the visions. She's calling out to me. I need to go."
"The three of you go," Alex said, "and I'll cover for Isabel. Liz will call Valenti, and Maria can cover for Max and Michael is anyone notices they're gone." Isabel nodded in agreement to the plan and started to push past the others, when Alex caught her by the arm. "Call us when Tess is okay. Let us know."
"I will," Isabel agreed, surprised that Alex was expression so much concern for the blonde hybrid.
Isabel, Michael, and Max then made their way through the dance floor towards the front door, all thoughts fixed on Tess, praying she would survive until they managed to find her. Behind them, Liz had already dialed Valenti's number, and Alex and Maria were talking in hushed whispers about what had just happened.
Then a drunk boy stumbled across Michael's path, falling into him. He looked up at Michael, and his bleary eyes lit up. "Hey, Guerin!" he slurred. "Guerin and DeLuca sittin' in a tree, K. I. S. S. …"
"Shut up," Michael snarled, shoving the guy against the wall. In a daze, he stared at Michael, and then shrugged.
"What was that all about?" Isabel asked as the three of them stepped out into the cool night air.
"Don't ask," Michael grumbled.
It wasn't difficult to get into the factory. The fences surrounding the courtyard were easily blasted apart by Michael, and the door to the actual building was already unlocked. But it was a large building, and standing in the entrance, Isabel knew there was no way they would find Tess in time, unless they split up. She didn't like the idea, but what other choice did they have?
Max agreed reluctantly. "I'll go right," he offered, looking down one of the hallways.
"I got left," Michael said, "and Izzy, you take the center hallway."
Isabel hurried down the center hallway. It was dimly lit by the moon coming in through the occasional window, and the air was heavy with dust. But as she hurried forward, the air became thicker, as though she was encountering smoke or fog.
She remember, abruptly, the vision she had had the day before. She'd been running through an empty building, peering through acrid smoke, calling someone's name.
"Tess!" she shouted, a sixth sense telling her that she was coming closer to her missing family member. "Tess, where are you? Can you hear me?"
The smoke in the air was hazy, like a blanket of fog. She kept seeing shadows moving all around her, and several times she nearly jumped out of her skin. But it was silent save for the echo of her boots on the floor and the sound of her own voice.
"Tess!"
Her panic was growing with every passing second.
It was like a bad sense of déjà vu. She'd been here, done this already in her vision. She knew this hallway, knew the pounding of her own heart and the hoarse cry of her own voice as she shouted into the stillness.
What good were visions if they didn't help her save her friend?
"Tess!" she cried again, her words bouncing off the walls of the abandoned factory, reverberating through the air and floating back to her, unanswered.
Next Chapter: The Enemy Revealed
Due: Sun 3/16