Uninstall part 12
Michael
Michael had gone out and had gotten all the food Maria had asked for. More to see just how far the girl would go. Surely she had been joking about eating all of this.
She hadn't been. Not that he hadn't contributed to laying waste to the feast he had bought, but Maria by far out paced him. Add in a ton of pills she was popping, various vitamins and minerals. Along with some herb extracts, you name it.
Where was it all going?
She did look better though. The color had come back to her cheeks and she was humming to herself as she ate another slice of pizza.
She certainly didn't look dead. Didn't sound dead either. When she wasn't eating she was typically talking or humming. Very vocal.
It should have driven him nuts. Perhaps it had. Still the sound of her voice was soothing somehow.
Yeah, he must already be insane.
Her touch was warm.
Why did she think she was dead? Realistically she should be after the beating she had taken. He had almost taken her to the hospital once he got a true sense of how bad her body was hurt.
But something stopped him. He knew very well that he as an alien hybrid would rather die than go to a hospital. They really probably would cut him up. Or rather the government agents that found out what the local hospital had gotten a hold of would have.
He wasn't entirely human. Neither was she. Hospitals were a no go zone.
And she got better. Quickly.
He did notice the gem on her ring was not as bright as it had been. It had been fairly dark when Liz had first saved her, but after she had pressed something against it, the gem had been a bright green. He looked back up at her at her bright eyes as she watched the hotel's television and ate.
She turned to face him. She raised one finger up and finished chewing what she had been eating. "Thanks again. I needed that. Where did you get the pizza from, out of curiosity? It is still kind of early for that…"
Michael shrugged, "I bought one at the store and cooked it."
"Michael. It is a little past seven in the morning. We are in a hotel room. There isn't a stove. How exactly did you cook it?"
Michael sighed, "Guess you weren't looking then. To busy scarfing down those burgers."
Maria chuckled and nodded, "They were good. I must have been badly banged up." She sat back against the chair. "I think I am not going to school today. Do you want me to call out for you too, or do you simply want to be absent like most days?"
"Right. Like your mom will…"
Maria raised her hand up and picked up the phone. She muted the TV. And in Amy Deluca's voice she said, "Hello? Yes, I am calling in for my daughter Maria. She can't come in, she has some sort of fever and well I just don't want her to get any worse…. Sure. I will call tomorrow if she's still not well. Thank you."
Michael just blinked.
Maria said in his voice, "My gift is my voice, Michael. It was Liz who got me to really experiment. I was just using it as a tool. But I can even persuade people to do things. Now for that, unfortunately, I have to be close to them. Doesn't work over the phone at all." She smiled and then the smile faded. "That gift is part of what I got from the wish I made."
Again the ring on her hand flashed and became a green gem egg with a silver holder. She looked at it. "I know you keep wondering what I meant when you left. I was surprised you never asked me."
Michael gruffly said, "I figured you would tell me if you wanted to."
She looked at him carefully. "You can keep a secret I presume. You already know some of mine, but this is really a major deal. Most Magical Girl's don't know. It is better that they don't. So much better they never made the deal. But once it is done there is no helping it."
Michael grunted and paid Maria a bit more attention.
Maria continued, "Am I attractive to you Michael?" She coyly fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Michael said nothing. He did find her attractive. She had to know that after the trouble he had gone through for her. He grunted and said, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Her smile was bright, but her eyes were bitter. "My body. Isn't it pretty? Don't you find it at least a little appealing? You did go out on a date with me after all."
Michael looked away and mumbled, "I guess."
Maria laughed, "You really don't have any social skills do you? You can't hide it from me Michael, I am an empath. I can feel your emotions. And yesterday, when we were in the Barrier, you did something to me. Marked me somehow. Your emotions seem much clearer than they were."
Michael couldn't help the flash as he remembered those kisses. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore that he was very aware of the girl that sat just a few feet away.
"Would you like to see me Michael? See my true body?"
Michael swallowed. Surely she couldn't mean….
"Turn and face me, Michael."
He found himself turning and facing her. He kept his eyes shut.
Maria laughed, "And you are surprisingly shy. Open your eyes."
Michael opened his eyes. Maria was dressed just as she had been before. Not that he would have truly wanted it any other way. Or that he would have tried to peek at some point. He looked at her strangely. "Okay?"
Her eyes were still bitter but her voice was light, "Look down. See the Soul Gem?"
"Uh, yeah?" He looked back up at her.
Maria said softly, "That is who and what I am. This body that you see, well it is nothing but a shell. A shell that I animate from my Soul Gem. As long as it is safe, I am safe. To a degree. Because only when it is bright and not dark, only when hope outweighs despair am I truly safe."
"Excuse me?"
"I haven't been fair with you, Michael. I am not really alive. I am a lich."
"What the hell is a lich?"
"It is an undead monster who placed its soul into a container for magical power."
Michael stared at her for a moment. He could see that she believed it, at least in part. But it was simply too much.
He burst out laughing.
Maria hit him on the shoulder, "Michael! It's not funny!"
Michael kept laughing.
Maria hit him again.
Michael finally found himself calming down a little, "Did Liz, no. No it was Alex right? That is a fucking game term." He chuckled again, "Whatever you are, you are not a lich. Okay?"
Maria looked down at her Soul Gem. "Still. If you took this away. If it was removed from my presence, this body would fail." Her voice lowered, "I have seen it happen. We were on an overnight field trip. Liz was sleeping. Pam Troy thought it would be funny if she stole from Liz. They have never gotten along." She shook her head, "I don't think Pam truly meant any real harm. Probably would have returned the ring at some point. I don't know. But at first Liz was just frantic about finding it."
Michael stared at the Gem on the table.
Maria continued, "Everyone tried to help her, but no one could find it. Then it was time to leave. Liz was worried sick about losing that ring, but what could she do?" Maria took a sip of cola before continuing, "We had two vehicles that were driving us. Liz was in one, I was with her. Pam was in another. As long as they stayed close, Liz was fine. But whenever the vehicles got too far away Liz would…."
Maria stopped and tensed up. "You can't be serious."
"What is it?"
"I have to go. Your friend Isabel just stole my best friend's Soul Gem." She got up. "I'll be back later."
Maria opened the door.
Michael closed it with his powers. It was amazing. When he was with Maria his powers worked fine. When he had gone to the store, when he had started to second guess himself about the whole situation, his powers went wonky.
Michael needed her for some reason. He was going to find out why.
Maria whirled back at him. "How?"
"Hold on just a moment and let me get my shoes. I am coming with you."
"But…."
"No buts. You owe me a story. You haven't finished. I am not going until it is done. You are leaving so I guess that means I am coming with you." He got up and put on his shoes.
He hadn't really wanted to go to school today anyway.
"Michael."
He opened the door, "Let's go."
And they left.
-Scene Break-
Isabel
Isabel was very confused as she was driving quickly through the streets of Roswell. If she didn't slow down she was going to get a ticket.
Her parents would never forgive her. Not for driving so recklessly.
Liz's Soul Gem was on the dashboard. It held the secrets she needed to unveil. She didn't know why. She just KNEW.
She had to get at those secrets no matter the cost. She couldn't let anything stop her.
It was the only way she would ever be off this dusty rock.
Isabel shook her head at the last thought. It had occurred in her head.
But it hadn't been her.
Isabel became aware then that another was awake inside of her. And with small gossamer controls it was driving her actions. She fought to stop. To turn, to do anything other than that another dictated.
It simply ignored her and drove.
Her body looked into the rear view mirror and cursed. Liz was catching up to them.
Isabel could feel as her powers were spun to levels she had never dared. As the being inside of her grasped at the air surrounding the area. For just a moment its focus was on that rather than Isabel.
For a brief moment Isabel was free. She tried to stop the car.
The flying Liz was almost there when she hit a wall of air. She was flung hard against a building, slamming into its masonry.
Isabel felt as that dread presence noticed her. And it crushed her. She screamed out in sublime pain as she was pushed deep into her subconscious.
And Isabel slept.
