Blackout + 1
Max saw her sitting by the school, reviewing notes, much like everybody else. Although she didn't seem to be getting much done. She was scratching the inside of her hand with the nails from it, which he'd noticed she did often, mostly when she was nervous or pondering something in her mind. He guessed she was thinking about what had happened the night before, during the blackout.
He walked up to her. "Can I sit here?" he asked. Apparently, she WAS concentrated on something, because when he spoke she jumped up a bit and let out a small scream. "Sorry," he said.
"It's... it's okay," said Tess as she motioned for him to sit.
"So... did you get home okay last night?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," she said, then with a short laugh, "You should have seen Nasedo, after I told him what happened... well, part of what happened... he just stood there with his mouth just hanging wide open..." She imitated him, which caused Max to fall back in his chair laughing. She smiled. "I had a lot of fun last night... I mean, at first it was weird, I know, but..."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It sure was interesting."
"Really?" Tess asked incredulously.
"Wouldn't mind doing something like it again... under different circumstances, of course." She blinked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
"Uh... yeah, sure..."
"Okay," said Max with a nod.
"Good," she said.
"We should... get to class if we don't want to be late."
"Alright," she said, sliding her book into her bag and following Max afterwards. She didn't quite know what was happening between them, but it was much different than what she'd expected.
Blackout + 3
"Here you go," said the waitress, setting the plate in front of Tess.
"Thank you," she said with a nod, as the girl walked away. It was one of the rare days where neither Liz or Maria, or even Michael, were working at the Crashdown. She'd finished another final and felt hungry. She didn't want to have to spend too much time with Nasedo, unless she had to. So she decided to go to the Crashdown.
She reached over to grab the bottle of Tabasco sauce, but found there was none. She looked around the surrounding tables for one. "Looking for this?" she heard from behind. She stopped moving, then turned her head.
"Max... Hi..." she said slowly. He smiled and set the bottle of Tabasco in front of her and sitting on the other side.
"What are you doing here?" she asked with a grin.
"Probably the same thing you are," he said, raising his hand to call the waitress over. She leaned forward and whispered.
"Are you avoiding going home so you won't have to face your alien protector?"
"Alright, well... maybe not the EXACT same thing," said Max, as both began to laugh.
"It's not like I don't appreciate all that he's done for me in the past decade, but... he just gets on my nerves sometimes... a lot of times. I wish I could get away from him more than I am now. But he won't let me." Max observed her and thought for a few seconds.
"How about... tomorrow is Saturday. I could come pick you up in the morning, we'll go someplace and we can tell him it's to study. Since it will be with me, he might consider it more. And then I'll bring you back when it's night, and you can go straight to bed without facing him." Tess blinked.
"You... you'd do that for me?"
"Sure," said Max with a smile. Tess smiled as well.
"Thank you, Max."
"It's nothing. You should eat before it's cold."
Blackout + 4
He came to pick her up at eight, the next morning. She was already awake and waiting for him in front of her house. When she saw him drive up, she quickly got up. She ran to the passenger side and entered the Jeep. He pulled out of the driveway and headed out to the road.
The journey was long. From time to time, he turned to look at her. She seemed to be very happy, not even noticing him looking at her.
They found themselves in a deserted gas station some miles out of the city. They sat there all day, talking of many subjects. They ate breakfast, lunch and dinner also, each meal, carefully and without a word, were prepared by Mrs. Evans.
It had been surprising to both how much time they spent in conversation. When the sun had disappeared, they returned to the Jeep and began the drive home. Exhausted from the day as much fun as it had been, Tess dozed off in her seat quickly. Max observed her again... so peaceful. He didn't bother her and concentrated on the road ahead.
When they came to the driveway, he parked the car, then slowly waked her. She smiled and sat up. He wished her a good night, then after she'd returned it, he suggested something. He told her how much fun he'd had and that he wished to do something similar the next weekend. She was surprised, but accepted nonetheless.
She hopped out of the Jeep and made her way to the front door. She turned back and waved to him. He did the same and she remained in her spot, watching him until he'd gone beyond her visual range, then finally entered her home.
Blackout + 7
Over the next few days, Max continued on his mission to free Tess of her 'protector prison'. He took her to the park, the market, they walked through the school... He could feel her loosen up tremendously from day to day. There was this whole different person trapped inside her, and it had started to come to the surface, so he sure wouldn't stop.
The two walked the halls, waiting patiently for their last final to start. Tess could see that something was going through his mind. She hesitated for a few seconds, then tugged at his arm, so he would look to her.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing. You look a bit... distant."
"I'm sorry. I was just trying to figure out something. It's nothing to worry about, really," he said, shrugging it off.
"No, come on! Maybe I can help." He looked around, then back to her.
"Well, I was thinking... something is going on here, and... we've been so busy with it, we haven't seen the others all week... we're gonna have to tell them what's going on." She knew he was right, they couldn't keep it to themselves forever.
"Okay," she said. He sensed her nervousness and gently took her hand. They made it to an open space on school grounds and spotted Kyle and Liz walking together.
"You ready?" he asked slowly.
"I guess," she said with a shy grin. They looked to each other one more time before walking off to intercept the two. All that surrounded them, the trees, the other students... all were becoming sort of a blur, like they weren't there. They concentrated on what they were about to do and flushed out all the rest.
They came up to an open space and stood frozen in place when they saw...
Max saw her sitting by the school, reviewing notes, much like everybody else. Although she didn't seem to be getting much done. She was scratching the inside of her hand with the nails from it, which he'd noticed she did often, mostly when she was nervous or pondering something in her mind. He guessed she was thinking about what had happened the night before, during the blackout.
He walked up to her. "Can I sit here?" he asked. Apparently, she WAS concentrated on something, because when he spoke she jumped up a bit and let out a small scream. "Sorry," he said.
"It's... it's okay," said Tess as she motioned for him to sit.
"So... did you get home okay last night?" he asked.
"Yes, I did," she said, then with a short laugh, "You should have seen Nasedo, after I told him what happened... well, part of what happened... he just stood there with his mouth just hanging wide open..." She imitated him, which caused Max to fall back in his chair laughing. She smiled. "I had a lot of fun last night... I mean, at first it was weird, I know, but..."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It sure was interesting."
"Really?" Tess asked incredulously.
"Wouldn't mind doing something like it again... under different circumstances, of course." She blinked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
"Uh... yeah, sure..."
"Okay," said Max with a nod.
"Good," she said.
"We should... get to class if we don't want to be late."
"Alright," she said, sliding her book into her bag and following Max afterwards. She didn't quite know what was happening between them, but it was much different than what she'd expected.
Blackout + 3
"Here you go," said the waitress, setting the plate in front of Tess.
"Thank you," she said with a nod, as the girl walked away. It was one of the rare days where neither Liz or Maria, or even Michael, were working at the Crashdown. She'd finished another final and felt hungry. She didn't want to have to spend too much time with Nasedo, unless she had to. So she decided to go to the Crashdown.
She reached over to grab the bottle of Tabasco sauce, but found there was none. She looked around the surrounding tables for one. "Looking for this?" she heard from behind. She stopped moving, then turned her head.
"Max... Hi..." she said slowly. He smiled and set the bottle of Tabasco in front of her and sitting on the other side.
"What are you doing here?" she asked with a grin.
"Probably the same thing you are," he said, raising his hand to call the waitress over. She leaned forward and whispered.
"Are you avoiding going home so you won't have to face your alien protector?"
"Alright, well... maybe not the EXACT same thing," said Max, as both began to laugh.
"It's not like I don't appreciate all that he's done for me in the past decade, but... he just gets on my nerves sometimes... a lot of times. I wish I could get away from him more than I am now. But he won't let me." Max observed her and thought for a few seconds.
"How about... tomorrow is Saturday. I could come pick you up in the morning, we'll go someplace and we can tell him it's to study. Since it will be with me, he might consider it more. And then I'll bring you back when it's night, and you can go straight to bed without facing him." Tess blinked.
"You... you'd do that for me?"
"Sure," said Max with a smile. Tess smiled as well.
"Thank you, Max."
"It's nothing. You should eat before it's cold."
Blackout + 4
He came to pick her up at eight, the next morning. She was already awake and waiting for him in front of her house. When she saw him drive up, she quickly got up. She ran to the passenger side and entered the Jeep. He pulled out of the driveway and headed out to the road.
The journey was long. From time to time, he turned to look at her. She seemed to be very happy, not even noticing him looking at her.
They found themselves in a deserted gas station some miles out of the city. They sat there all day, talking of many subjects. They ate breakfast, lunch and dinner also, each meal, carefully and without a word, were prepared by Mrs. Evans.
It had been surprising to both how much time they spent in conversation. When the sun had disappeared, they returned to the Jeep and began the drive home. Exhausted from the day as much fun as it had been, Tess dozed off in her seat quickly. Max observed her again... so peaceful. He didn't bother her and concentrated on the road ahead.
When they came to the driveway, he parked the car, then slowly waked her. She smiled and sat up. He wished her a good night, then after she'd returned it, he suggested something. He told her how much fun he'd had and that he wished to do something similar the next weekend. She was surprised, but accepted nonetheless.
She hopped out of the Jeep and made her way to the front door. She turned back and waved to him. He did the same and she remained in her spot, watching him until he'd gone beyond her visual range, then finally entered her home.
Blackout + 7
Over the next few days, Max continued on his mission to free Tess of her 'protector prison'. He took her to the park, the market, they walked through the school... He could feel her loosen up tremendously from day to day. There was this whole different person trapped inside her, and it had started to come to the surface, so he sure wouldn't stop.
The two walked the halls, waiting patiently for their last final to start. Tess could see that something was going through his mind. She hesitated for a few seconds, then tugged at his arm, so he would look to her.
"What is it?" he asked her.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing. You look a bit... distant."
"I'm sorry. I was just trying to figure out something. It's nothing to worry about, really," he said, shrugging it off.
"No, come on! Maybe I can help." He looked around, then back to her.
"Well, I was thinking... something is going on here, and... we've been so busy with it, we haven't seen the others all week... we're gonna have to tell them what's going on." She knew he was right, they couldn't keep it to themselves forever.
"Okay," she said. He sensed her nervousness and gently took her hand. They made it to an open space on school grounds and spotted Kyle and Liz walking together.
"You ready?" he asked slowly.
"I guess," she said with a shy grin. They looked to each other one more time before walking off to intercept the two. All that surrounded them, the trees, the other students... all were becoming sort of a blur, like they weren't there. They concentrated on what they were about to do and flushed out all the rest.
They came up to an open space and stood frozen in place when they saw...