They were all in the living room, as I sat in the small kitchen, sipping water. There hushed, angry voices weren't audible through the wall, and I desperately wondered what they were talking about. About me, I was sure, but.....were they going to hurt me? To send me back? The girl....the same girl that helped me. She was there...except...different. Thinner, yet prettier. Longer hair, carefully applied makeup. She looked almost scared, her blue eyes wide. Was she going to send me back? I could feel the tears in my eyes, but I blinked them away.
"How the hell did he get here?!"
"I don't know, how about you ask him?"
Max shook his head. It was obvious, to all of them, who he was. One look told you. He was the perfect combination of Tess and Max. A beautiful child, really. And they had all wondered, what had happend to him.......
Isabel sighed, and glanced around. It was almost time to go see Alex, and eat dinner with him. She squirmed anxiously on the chair, as a small head of curly blonde hair peaked out around the corner, his eyes wide and scared, wet with tears. She looked at him, and felt an overwhelming sense of compassion, an almost motherly sense to take him and hug him, but she did none of that. She only looked away. Max followed Isabel's gaze, and motioned toward the boy.
"Come in here," He said, a hint of anger in his voice. The young boy walked unsteadily into the room, but he kept his head high. Running his hands through his hair, the same way Max did when he was nervous, or upset, he stood very still in the middle of the room. Maria watched him, and tried to smile.
"He looks so much like..."
"Tess." Liz interupted, the name sliding off her tongue in an offhand way, and Max glanced at her.
"You knew my mother?" He asked, turning to the pretty girl with dyed black hair, and sharp blue eyes.
"We all did, kid."
"Yes, we did. And now....you need to talk, and tell us....everything."
I talked until my throat was dry, as the group listened. Max, who I was still wondering about, if he was my father or not, appeared to almost cry, when I told him of my mother. They all looked disturbed, except for the one with long brown hair, Liz. She didn't flinch, or cry. She remained emotionless as I spoke. When I told them what Kivar did, I started to choke, and almost cry. I told them of our planet, of my mother, and about myself.
"My mother often spoke of Alex....." I knew he wasn't here. Kyle, Michael, Max......no Alex. The pretty blonde girl winced when I said his name, as did Maria, who I had learned was the beautiful black-haired woman. I looked around, waiting for one of them to speak.
"Alex died." Michael said coldly, his tone like ice. I closed and opened my eyes, and breathed deeply again, before I spoke.
"My mother killed him, didn't she?" I asked. They looked at one another, except for Isabel, who started into space. Minutes passed, and no one spoke, until, finally Isabel opened her mouth, and spoke softly, looking at me.
"Yes, she did. She mind-warped his brain, too much, until it was weak, and he died." She said in a flat tone, tears trickling down her cheeks. I didn't know what to say. In the last week, I had experienced such trama, death, and now more death.
"I'm sorry." I said. I couldn't think of anything else. Isabel nodded, seemingly satisfied with my sincerity.
"The girl, that helped me....she told me to find you, Valenti. And you too, Max Evans, but....I'm very confused, because, she looked like you, Isabel. Except, your prettier. Her hair was all cut off...and..."
"That was probably Lonnie, which is sort of....a clone." Max said quickly, before I got into detail. I nodded.
"If it wasn't for her, Kivar would have probably," I choked on the words, "killed me."
"I guess you probably figured out that....I'm your father," Max said, but he sounded so ashamed.
"My mother told me your name was Max, like mine." Max nodded, sighing a bit.
"I guess this is your new home," He said, glancing at Liz. Liz nodded, and forced a smile.
"Do you have powers?" Maria asked, and I smiled.
"Of course." And quickly, I changed shape, right before there eyes. I grew taller, thinner, and full of curves. My hair turned longer, and black. I grew breasts, and lost...other parts. It was such a funny feeling, but even funnier, was the look on their faces.
"Can't you guys do this? I mean, you are all aliens, right?" I asked, in Maria's voice. She giggled.
"Freaky!"
"Could you go back to you now? That is weird..." Michael begged. I nodded and did so.
"We....we didn't realize that was possible. And only Isabel, Michael, and I are aliens. Maria and Liz are human."
"Oh." I said, and then added, "I can teach you how to do that. It's not hard." Max nodded, letting out a deep sigh.
"Well, Maxwell......welcome to Earth."
After eating 'chinese food', Liz made up the pullout couch for me. She left a small light on, leaving extra pillows, and a blanket, incase I was cold. She has even put a glass of water on the coffee table near me. The thoughtfulness reminded me of my mother, but she wasn't warm. She appeared bothered by me, not in the sense that she was annoyed.....just...uneasy. Michael and Maria were in the guest room, fast asleep by now. But I couldn't sleep. I layed on the pullout, gazing into the darkness. I missed my mom. I wanted to see her pretty face, smell her perfume. Before I knew it, I was crying, baby tears. I cried into my pillow, choking and sputtering, barely breathing, and then I started coughing.
"Drink some water, kid." Maria told me, appearing near my bedside as if out of nowhere. I sat up, embarressed. I was too old for tears. I took her advice, and sipped the water, taking a deep breath. She sat down near the edge of the bed, and looked at me.
"You miss her,huh? Your mom?" She asked, and I actually heard a hint of concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I do."
"I know how you feel. My mom, and my cousin, were killed a few years ago." She bit down, and looked down.
"I'm sorry..."
"Thanks. Well, um, try to sleep, ok?" She smiled, and ruffled my hair, and just like she had appeared, she was gone.
"How the hell did he get here?!"
"I don't know, how about you ask him?"
Max shook his head. It was obvious, to all of them, who he was. One look told you. He was the perfect combination of Tess and Max. A beautiful child, really. And they had all wondered, what had happend to him.......
Isabel sighed, and glanced around. It was almost time to go see Alex, and eat dinner with him. She squirmed anxiously on the chair, as a small head of curly blonde hair peaked out around the corner, his eyes wide and scared, wet with tears. She looked at him, and felt an overwhelming sense of compassion, an almost motherly sense to take him and hug him, but she did none of that. She only looked away. Max followed Isabel's gaze, and motioned toward the boy.
"Come in here," He said, a hint of anger in his voice. The young boy walked unsteadily into the room, but he kept his head high. Running his hands through his hair, the same way Max did when he was nervous, or upset, he stood very still in the middle of the room. Maria watched him, and tried to smile.
"He looks so much like..."
"Tess." Liz interupted, the name sliding off her tongue in an offhand way, and Max glanced at her.
"You knew my mother?" He asked, turning to the pretty girl with dyed black hair, and sharp blue eyes.
"We all did, kid."
"Yes, we did. And now....you need to talk, and tell us....everything."
I talked until my throat was dry, as the group listened. Max, who I was still wondering about, if he was my father or not, appeared to almost cry, when I told him of my mother. They all looked disturbed, except for the one with long brown hair, Liz. She didn't flinch, or cry. She remained emotionless as I spoke. When I told them what Kivar did, I started to choke, and almost cry. I told them of our planet, of my mother, and about myself.
"My mother often spoke of Alex....." I knew he wasn't here. Kyle, Michael, Max......no Alex. The pretty blonde girl winced when I said his name, as did Maria, who I had learned was the beautiful black-haired woman. I looked around, waiting for one of them to speak.
"Alex died." Michael said coldly, his tone like ice. I closed and opened my eyes, and breathed deeply again, before I spoke.
"My mother killed him, didn't she?" I asked. They looked at one another, except for Isabel, who started into space. Minutes passed, and no one spoke, until, finally Isabel opened her mouth, and spoke softly, looking at me.
"Yes, she did. She mind-warped his brain, too much, until it was weak, and he died." She said in a flat tone, tears trickling down her cheeks. I didn't know what to say. In the last week, I had experienced such trama, death, and now more death.
"I'm sorry." I said. I couldn't think of anything else. Isabel nodded, seemingly satisfied with my sincerity.
"The girl, that helped me....she told me to find you, Valenti. And you too, Max Evans, but....I'm very confused, because, she looked like you, Isabel. Except, your prettier. Her hair was all cut off...and..."
"That was probably Lonnie, which is sort of....a clone." Max said quickly, before I got into detail. I nodded.
"If it wasn't for her, Kivar would have probably," I choked on the words, "killed me."
"I guess you probably figured out that....I'm your father," Max said, but he sounded so ashamed.
"My mother told me your name was Max, like mine." Max nodded, sighing a bit.
"I guess this is your new home," He said, glancing at Liz. Liz nodded, and forced a smile.
"Do you have powers?" Maria asked, and I smiled.
"Of course." And quickly, I changed shape, right before there eyes. I grew taller, thinner, and full of curves. My hair turned longer, and black. I grew breasts, and lost...other parts. It was such a funny feeling, but even funnier, was the look on their faces.
"Can't you guys do this? I mean, you are all aliens, right?" I asked, in Maria's voice. She giggled.
"Freaky!"
"Could you go back to you now? That is weird..." Michael begged. I nodded and did so.
"We....we didn't realize that was possible. And only Isabel, Michael, and I are aliens. Maria and Liz are human."
"Oh." I said, and then added, "I can teach you how to do that. It's not hard." Max nodded, letting out a deep sigh.
"Well, Maxwell......welcome to Earth."
After eating 'chinese food', Liz made up the pullout couch for me. She left a small light on, leaving extra pillows, and a blanket, incase I was cold. She has even put a glass of water on the coffee table near me. The thoughtfulness reminded me of my mother, but she wasn't warm. She appeared bothered by me, not in the sense that she was annoyed.....just...uneasy. Michael and Maria were in the guest room, fast asleep by now. But I couldn't sleep. I layed on the pullout, gazing into the darkness. I missed my mom. I wanted to see her pretty face, smell her perfume. Before I knew it, I was crying, baby tears. I cried into my pillow, choking and sputtering, barely breathing, and then I started coughing.
"Drink some water, kid." Maria told me, appearing near my bedside as if out of nowhere. I sat up, embarressed. I was too old for tears. I took her advice, and sipped the water, taking a deep breath. She sat down near the edge of the bed, and looked at me.
"You miss her,huh? Your mom?" She asked, and I actually heard a hint of concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I do."
"I know how you feel. My mom, and my cousin, were killed a few years ago." She bit down, and looked down.
"I'm sorry..."
"Thanks. Well, um, try to sleep, ok?" She smiled, and ruffled my hair, and just like she had appeared, she was gone.