CHAPTER 14

By Monday morning, they were all noticeably worried. There had been no sign of Michael anywhere, even though they'd spent most of the day Sunday looking for him. He hadn't shown up for work at the Lift-Off gas station, which hadn't gone over very well with the owner. He hadn't answered any of the messages they'd left on his machine. And when Max and Isabel used their powers to unlock his apartment door, no one was there.

The two aliens and three humans had met back at Michael's apartment late Sunday afternoon after hours of fruitless searching. It was then that Maria told them all about her repeated forays into Michael's dreams, the strange voice that called itself 'Bob', and how Michael had ordered her to wake herself up out of the previous night's dream. When she finished, there was silence.

"You dreamwalked him? From across town?" Isabel finally asked in disbelief.

"It wasn't the first time," Maria pointed out. "It happened before, when I spent the night here, remember?"

"I know, but I thought that Michael had done it somehow. That it was possible because of your...proximity," the alien answered, pacing across the floor. "But he doesn't have the power to reach across town. It has to be you."

"First you heal Isabel, and now you're dreamwalking?" Liz put in. "What's happening to you, 'Ria?"

"Believe me, I don't know."

"You haven't been hiding anything from us, have you?" asked Alex in a pensive tone.

Maria tensed. "Like what?"

"Like a little green somewhere in your family tree?" he responded with a smile.

Looking nervously around the room, Maria said, "Well, I never wanted to mention it before, what with all the FBI stuff going on, but my great-grandmother on my father's side? She was..." Her voice lowered to a hushed whisper. "She was Irish." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Alex, I've given in to Czechoslovakian peer pressure and crossed over to the dark green side. Come on, I am not an alien, okay? Not unless you can become one just by hanging out with them. In which case you and Lizzie better look out too." She sighed. "Look, I don't know why these things are happening. But none of that matters right now anyway. I'm worried about Michael."

And now, twelve hours later, the worry still clouded all their faces. They gathered in the West Roswell High parking lot, not ready to go in and face school when their friend was nowhere to be found. None of them looked like they'd gotten much sleep.

"I didn't have any luck dreamwalking," Isabel reported glumly. "Either Michael didn't go to sleep last night, or he's blocking me somehow."

"Does he even know how to do that?" asked Liz.

"I don't think so," the blonde alien responded. "God, what are we going to do, Max?"

"I don't know. He has to be in some sort of trouble," her brother said soberly. "He might get an urge to take off somewhere, but he wouldn't just go without telling us." He put a comforting hand on Isabel's shoulder. "I checked in with Sheriff Valenti, and he's going to keep an eye out. See what he can come up with. Other than that, all we can do is keep doing what we've been doing. We'll fan out across town again after school, and if we haven't found him before tonight, Isabel will try to dreamwalk him again. We'll find him, I promise."

Maria bit her lip and stared down at the asphalt.

Liz spoke up, a determined look on her face. "I think you need to talk to Nasedo again, Max. Something that happened at his house obviously upset Michael; maybe it's a clue to where he's gone."

"Okay, I'll try that too. But we--" He cut off as someone approached, then relaxed. Kyle Valenti.

"Any of you seen Guerin?" the jock asked, not bothering with any sort of greeting. Glances flew between the group; finally, Liz spoke.

"No, we haven't seen him this morning, Kyle. Why? Do you need something?"

Kyle hesitated before answering. "Not really. Look, when you see him, tell him I want to talk to him, all right?"

"About what?" Max demanded, hoping this might be a clue to Michael's disappearance and too worried about his friend to care how he sounded.

"About none of your freaking business," Kyle answered back. "The whole universe doesn't revolve around you, Evans." With that parting shot, he turned on his heel and started across the parking lot towards the building.

"I didn't..." Max began, but Kyle didn't hear. "...mean that," he finished quietly.

Liz gave him a sympathetic glance. "We know you didn't, Max." He nodded gratefully.

The five of them stood there in uncomfortable silence, each trying to come up with a sure-fire plan of action, not willing to head to class without one. Suddenly Maria's head shot up. "He's here," she said, a curious mixture of relief and dread in her voice.

Alex was the first to actually see Michael sauntering down the sidewalk with his hands in his jacket pockets. A moment later the alien caught sight of the small group. For one fraction of a second it looked like he froze mid-stride; then he turned deliberately away and began across the grass, angling towards the school.

"Michael!" called Max. He'd been loud enough that Michael had to have heard, but this time he didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He just kept moving steadily towards the door.

Calling his name again, Max took off towards his best friend and cut him off before he could reach the doors. The others weren't far behind. "Michael," Max said for the third time. "Didn't you hear me call you?" Michael still didn't answer, and Max grabbed his jacket sleeve to stop him from going any further. Slowly, Michael turned around to face him.

"Yeah. I heard you," said Michael. One sardonic eyebrow rose, as if to ask 'So?'

"Well...why didn't you stop, then?" asked a rather nonplused Max. He let go of Michael's arm and took a small step backwards. Michael just tilted his head upwards and studied the sky. He looked rather bored.

Maria reflexively followed his eyes upwards, but she didn't see anything unusual. Just the clear sky and the sunlight. She lowered her gaze to the spiky-haired alien. "Michael, where have you been?" she demanded somewhat indignantly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Of course I'm all right," Michael said with a shrug.

"Well, then, where the hell have you been?" she demanded again.

"Around," was his maddening reply.

She persisted. "Where?"

Annoyance crossed his face. "Look, just because we're dating doesn't mean I have to account to you for everything I do. You've got your own life--stop trying to control mine."

She went very still. "Michael?" she said in a small voice.

Max took a conciliatory step towards his second. "She didn't--"

"Back off, Maxwell."

Max didn't come any closer, but didn't step back either. "Michael, she was just worried about you. We all were," he said firmly. "We didn't know where you were, and--"

Michael cut in, his voice harsh. "Fuck where I was." His eyes gave away his quickly growing agitation.

"Michael, how about you calm down so we can talk about this?" Max said, trying to keep his tone reasonable.

Wheeling on the other alien, Michael took a threatening step towards him. "How about you stop telling me what to do, and I'll refrain from bashing your face in?" he shot back angrily. Alex's eyes widened as the alien clenched his hands into fists.

"This isn't like you, Michael," Max snapped, his own temper rising. "What's going on?"

"Yeah, you'd sure like to know, wouldn't you? Why, you running out of stuff to tell people about me?"

Max was taken aback, but knew what Michael referred to. "Michael, I--"

Once again, he was cut off. "I trusted you, Max. You were like my brother. And you had to go and blab everything to Nasedo, didn't you? Who else you been talking to, huh?" His voice was harsh, his face cold.

Isabel put out a hand, partially in denial, partially to calm him. "He did it to help you, Michael. And he didn't mean--"

"Well stop fucking helping me! I don't want your help any more, either of you!" Michael shouted. Both Max and Isabel began to protest, but Michael didn't let them get far. His volume lessened, but not his rage. He was deadly serious. "I mean it, Max. We're through. Stay out of my life." He turned to go and came face to face with Alex, who'd been watching in some shock. His tone turned nasty. "What's the matter, Whitman?" he baited the gangly teen. "No stupid-ass jokes to share with the class?"

Alex clenched his jaw, but didn't respond. "Didn't think so," Michael said with a sarcastic smirk as he pushed past the other boy towards the doorway. Now there was only one person between him and his destination.

Maria.

She met his eyes squarely. "Michael, don't."

"Don't what?" he asked.

"Don't do this."

"Don't do this. Don't do this," he mocked. "Look, Princess, if you're going to whine, do it on your own time. I've got better things to do." He ran his eyes over her condescendingly. "And better people."

She stared at him for a moment, completely still. Then, putting all her strength into it, she gave him a strong, deliberate slap. He didn't even try to avoid it and its force rocked him back on his feet. Then he stood there, the furious red mark of her hand imprinted on his cheek.

"Well, I guess that about winds that up," he said, no hint of emotion in his voice. "Nice knowing you, DeLuca." Hands clenched, she watched as he strode down the sidewalk and disappeared into the school.

They were silent.

Isabel was the first to break the painful stillness. "What was that? Who was that?" She turned to Maria in some desperation. "Maybe that wasn't him. Maybe it's like before--part of him is sealed off in his own mind, and that wasn't really him. Maria?" she added, her tone pleading.

The other girl was staring at the palm of her right hand. It still stung from the open-handed blow she'd struck Michael. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; then she seemed to set her shoulders, a clear look of resolve coming into her face. "No," she told the taller girl. "I could feel him. That was one-hundred-percent asshole Michael." Her eyes dropped once more to her hand.

"I've...I've seen him angry before. Upset. But never...never that hateful," Max said quietly, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "What could have happened to him, to make him change like that?"

For the first time since they'd seen Michael, Liz spoke. "I don't think that's the right question, Max."

The other four looked at her. "What is, then?" Alex asked, no hint of a smile on his usually cheerful face.

"I don't think he's changed at all," Liz answered slowly. She ignored the disbelieving looks she got and turned towards Max, her eyes worried. "So maybe you should be asking why he deliberately picked a fight with you."


*****

Plopping down in his seat, Michael stared sullenly at the top of his desk, his mind clouded by the ugly scene that had just played out.

Shit. Shit. It had been far worse than he'd dreaded. He had known Max wouldn't let him get away with just ignoring them, but he'd hoped...and sure enough, his best friend hadn't let him down. Even if that was what he wanted.

Best friend. Maybe Max wasn't even that any more. What if he had done his job all too well? A sense of panic rose up in him, and he forced himself to take a few deep breaths.

He could hardly believe himself. He'd threatened to punch Max. He, who'd always sworn he wouldn't be like Hank, nearly took on his best friend. Former best friend. And he might as well have punched Alex, not just attacked him verbally. Michael knew from long experience that could be worse than the physical stuff. The look on Isabel's face as he'd reached down into a dark pit of nastiness he hadn't known was within him and spewed it over all of them...

And Maria...no, he wasn't going to think about Maria. He'd just concentrate on getting through the week. Only six more days, to pay for the information Nasedo had given him. Information that would weigh on him for a lot longer than six measly days...He couldn't think about that either. He had to focus. He could do it. He just had to stay away from the five of them.

His mind, uncontrolled, ran through a mental list, complete with pictures projected in his mind's eye. First Maria, who looked stricken to the core. He'd hurt her again. Really badly. Then Isabel, shock and horror on her face. Max, so loyal and then so angry. Alex, who'd never done anything but support him, help him, with his good humor thrown brutally back in his face. Liz, who--

Wait. He hadn't done anything to Liz. He hadn't said a word to her. For a moment a feeling of relief welled up inside of him. Someone who wouldn't hate him. And he was surprised at just how important that knowledge was. One out of five...

He shook his head. No, she cared about Max. She'd hate him for Max's sake, and Maria's sake, and he probably deserved it. He deserved everything he was feeling right now, for being stupid enough to bargain with Nasedo in the first place. Closing himself off from them all was his punishment. He deserved the sick feeling inside, the self-loathing, the feeling he'd betrayed both his friends and himself. And they didn't deserve any of it. Not to be subjected to his bullshit.

The bell rang, and he glanced carefully out the corner of his eye, then turned his head to look. Maria wasn't in her seat. It wasn't like her to cut class. He swallowed. She must be even more upset than he'd thought.

At the front of the classroom, Mrs. Gideon was beginning a lecture on something or other--Michael didn't know and didn't give a damn what. His job was just to sit there and endure. He gritted his teeth. Six more days. He had to wait six more days, and hope against hope that he hadn't ruined everything, hadn't smashed everything he cared about beyond repair. He cursed his own clumsiness and sat back gloomily to ignore the lecture.

They were not ten minutes into class when the door swung open. Michael looked up rather uninterestedly, but couldn't see who was there from the angle of his desk. Mrs. Gideon paused in the middle of whatever boring poem they were supposed to be discussing and stepped over to the doorway, where she had a muted conversation with whoever was out there. Michael didn't particularly care, and looked down to study the top of his desk once more.

"Michael." He looked back up as Mrs. Gideon said his name, and realized that everyone in the classroom was staring at him. And standing next to the English teacher was the Vice Principal. "Michael, please gather your things and go with Mr. Sutter," Mrs. Gideon said quietly.

Gather his things? He'd been so shaken by his own actions earlier that he hadn't thought to bring any things with him, not even a notebook and pencil. Pushing himself up from his desk, he snagged the jacket from the back of his chair and followed the Vice Principal into the hallway.

Shit. What had he done now?


*****

Warily Maria peered up and down the hallway before heading towards her locker to grab her lunch. She was very relieved not to feel Michael anywhere nearby; she didn't think she could deal with having him around. The scene that morning had been so bad that she hadn't been able to bring herself to attend English. Instead, she'd skipped class and hid out in the bathroom. She grimaced. Hiding out in the bathroom--such a Michael thing to do. Even in getting away from him, she couldn't get away from him.

And now all she wanted to do was to join her friends and have a nice, friendly lunch. One where she could relax a bit, maybe laugh at a few of Alex's jokes, and completely ignore the fact that Michael Guerin existed. Or at least try to.

She fervently hoped that he would decide not to show up in History class. That good sense or fairness or a sense of self-preservation--anything--would keep him away. Because if he showed up, she didn't think she could stand it. She'd bowed out of English; now it was his turn.

At her locker, she quickly dialed the combination and reached inside for the brown paper bag that held her lunch. Not that she was in the least bit hungry. This morning had pretty much killed off her appetite. But she had better eat something. With a sigh, she closed her locker and turned to go meet Liz and the others at the cafeteria.

She didn't even get one step away from the bank of lockers because there was someone blocking her path. Raising her eyebrows, Maria studied the girl in front of her before giving a noncommittal, "Tess."

"Hello, Maria."

There was an uncomfortable pause before Maria snapped, "So, did you want something, or are you just seeing if you can make my day even worse than it already is?"

Tess looked a bit startled. Maria didn't know why; they weren't friends or anything. "Look, Tess, say what you have to say or get out of the way. I've had enough from your kind to last me a while, okay?"

"I'm not here to ruin your day. I just wondered how Michael was?" Tess said.

Maria laughed a bit bitterly. "How should I know?"

Tess frowned. "You and he...well, you're together, aren't you?"

"Tess, you really need to keep up with the gossip train. As of this morning, we are nowhere near together."

"Oh." The frown didn't leave the alien's face. "I'm sorry."

Yeah, sure. And Maria had discovered the cure for cancer while cruising on her forty-foot yacht. "Why? I thought you'd be ecstatic. No more worthless human standing between Michael and his destiny. One down, Max and Isabel to go."

"No, I just...I just want him to be happy. I thought you made him that way." Tess fingered the notebook she was carrying uncomfortably. "Look, I'm sorry for bothering you. I just thought you'd know how he was doing. I was worried about him, with what happened this morning."

God, did the whole school know what had happened? Of course the blow-up did happen in the parking lot, right in front of everyone. It wouldn't be that unheard of for the news to spread through the West Roswell High gossip mill like a grass fire. But wait a minute. Tess didn't know about Michael breaking up with her, so..." Wait. What do you mean, 'with what happened this morning'? What happened?"

The tiny blonde looked at her, a quizzical expression on her face. "Didn't you hear about Michael? It's all over school."

"What about him?" Maria said guardedly.

"Maybe you're the one who needs to keep up with the fresh gossip. Michael got expelled. For cheating."