CHAPTER 4
The blonde girl huddled on the ground, tears in her eyes. Thoughts of her lost lover, her loneliness, her own lack of self-worth, raced through her mind. Suddenly a tall form knelt beside her and a gentle hand lifted her chin. Tender brown eyes met hers as a soft voice spoke, giving comfort and support. In response, the girl spoke hesitantly of her past, of the father who'd left and of the mother who worked so hard to make ends meet, of her own blind search for love. Taking her in his arms, he told her of his love for her, that her strange and frightening past could be, and would be, washed away into nothing. Lost in his arms, she finally realized that she would never be alone again.
The two held each other tightly, locked in a passionate embrace...only breaking apart at the sound of third voice calling, "...and blackout."
Maria smiled up at Mark Blumenthal, who reached out a hand to help her to her feet. "This scene's coming along really well," the tall senior commented. The drama teacher, Ms. Bedinger, concurred.
"You're right, Mark, the scene works well, and 'Suddenly Seymour' sounds very good. Once we get the lighting in, it will be extremely effective. Now if you two will take a look at the rest of Act II over the weekend, we'll begin blocking that on Tuesday. Go ahead and memorize what we've done so far with Act II Scene I; I'd like you to be off book the next time we run it."
Maria nodded, and headed towards her bookbag to place her script and pencil inside for the trip home. Ms. Bedinger had started blocking the Seymour and Audrey scenes at the first rehearsal, while the choral teacher worked with Melanie Royer, Debbie Schaefer, and Pamela Harris on their songs. In a few short rehearsals, Maria felt like she was already getting a good grasp on her character, and had learned most of her music.
Mentally checking her homework list, she decided she'd better stop at her locker for some textbooks before heading home and then over to Isabel's for the 'slumber party'. She'd managed to concentrate on schoolwork and the play over the past few days, without thinking more than three or four times a day about the coming ordeal. Huh. More like three or four times an hour.
"Hey, Maria, wait up!" she heard, and turned around to see Mark heading toward her. He smiled down at her and asked, "So how come you haven't done any shows with us before? You're doing a great job with Audrey."
"Bad fifth-grade class play experience," she admitted.
Mark asked curiously, "Oh? What happened?"
"Let's just say that a bucket of water and slippery shoes are not the stuff of which stardom is made. Unless you're into the Three Stooges, I guess."
"Wipeout?"
She nodded ruefully. "Right in the middle of my big dramatic scene at the end. Not really good encouragement to continue on the theatrical path."
"What made you go for this? I mean, I'm glad you did, but you just kind of came out of the blue. Nobody had you pegged for an actress."
"Liz Parker and Alex Whitman talked me into it. And I think I'm really glad. It's a lot of fun, you know?"
He smiled understandingly. "Well, it's great to be able to work with you. I hope that--"
He was cut off by Pamela Harris, who took his arm possessively while conspicuously ignoring Maria. "Mark," she said firmly, "I've been waiting for you forever. We need to hurry if we're going to make the movie in time."
"Sure, Pamela," he told her. "Sorry, Maria, I've got to head out. We're catching a ride with Melanie. See you on Monday!"
"See you, Mark! Bye, Pamela." Maria rolled her eyes as the snooty girl gave her a small grimace of dislike behind Mark's back. What a witch. At that moment, Maria vowed firmly to never be that wrapped up in herself. Stuffing her math text and notebook in her bookbag, she closed the locker door, and leaned on it wearily. Okay. Time to stop being the normal high school Maria and be the dreamwalking, alien-hunting Maria. Oh, goody.
She drove home with her mind on the upcoming events of the evening. She trusted Isabel and Max, but she was still nervous about the whole thing. What if it didn't work, and she couldn't accompany Isabel on her dream safari, or she could, but couldn't sense Michael? Or worse, what if she could sense him, but he didn't want to be found? Putting the car in park, she took a deep breath and then headed inside.
Her mother was in the kitchen, putting away groceries. "Hey, Mom. Close up the shop early?"
Amy DeLuca nodded. "Business was pretty slow, anyway, so I thought I'd give up for the evening and run some errands. How was school?"
"Okay. And rehearsal went really well. I'm having a lot of fun with it, Mom."
Her mother smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad, honey. Glad you're having a good time. And I'm really proud of you." She gave the girl a hug.
"Don't say that until you see the show," joked Maria. "You don't want to have to eat your words, now, do you? I mean, I might suck."
Amy got that righteously indignant look that only mothers could wear. "Maria DeLuca! I do not want to hear that from your mouth again. If I say I'm proud of you, then I'm proud of you. No arguments!"
"Okay, okay! Just kidding, Mom." Maria decided to change the subject. "So, you got a big night planned?"
"Sure, honey. Just me, some paperwork, a glass of wine, and maybe a little TV. Big doings in the DeLuca household."
"No date?"
"Not tonight. A quiet evening at home for me...Be glad you have more fun things to do."
"Uh huh."
Amy smiled knowingly. "What is it tonight? Movies, makeovers...I know, maybe a little talk about boys?"
"Mom!" Maria exclaimed. "We do have other things to talk about, you know. I mean, it's not like Isabel, Liz and I are seeing anybody right now. It's just a Girl's Night. No talk of boys allowed!" She fervently hoped her mother would take her statement as 'protesting too much' and assume they were in for the standard slumber party rituals. Not that she would ever be able to guess what was really going to happen...
"Sure, honey. Whatever you say."
"Well, it could be worse," Maria teased. "I could be dating the Sheriff!" And with that, she bolted from the room, giggling, before her mom's well-aimed dishtowel could strike.
"Here you are, girls," said Diane Evans, carrying a tray of soft drinks and assorted munchies into Isabel's room. "This should keep you going for a while."
"Thanks, Mom," Isabel answered from her perch on her bed.
"Dad and I will be in our room if you need anything else, and Max is reading in his. Now don't you stay up too late," her mother warned in a joking tone. "Have fun!"
The three girls nodded, reaching for the glasses and cans of soda. Diane left the room smiling reminiscently as she shut the door behind her. It didn't seem so long since it was her mother bringing the snacks up at her slumber parties. She gave a regretful sigh. Time really did go too fast.
Inside the bedroom, Maria asked nervously, for at least the fourteenth time, "What time is it now?"
"It's only 11:37, 'Ria," her best friend answered her.
"It'll be at least an hour before there's even a chance Michael will be asleep," Isabel warned. "Plus Max won't come in until my parents are sleeping, and we need to wait for Alex, anyway."
"I know, I know," responded Maria impatiently. "I just want to get this over with. I've got a funny feeling that it's really important."
"We'll do it," Liz said to bolster her up. "We'll figure out what's wrong with him and then we'll fix it. We can do anything as long as we work together."
Maria nodded, feeling slightly calmer. It would work. She was determined to make it work. How didn't matter, it just would. Or she would go certifiably insane.
"So what do you want to do until Alex and Max join us?" Isabel asked.
"Well, Maria was about to tell us how rehearsals were going," Liz said quickly, settling down at the foot of Isabel's bed.
"Yeah? So how are they?"
"Pretty good, I think, but we have a lot to do, and only five more weeks of rehearsal to do it in. It's really fast. We've blocked most of the scenes between Mark and me--"
"Blocked?" interrupted Isabel.
Maria explained, "You know, Ms. Bedinger has told us where to enter and exit, where to stand, that sort of thing. I haven't worked much with the rest of the cast yet, though."
"How's working with Mark? He was pretty good in Hello, Dolly last year," the alien commented.
Maria hadn't known Isabel had an interest in theater. "He's good in this, too. He's really nice. It feels really comfortable working with him."
"Plus," Liz teased, "I heard he's a great kisser."
Maria flushed and took a quick gulp of her soda. "It's acting, Liz. He's not kissing me, Seymour is kissing Audrey. You know, make believe. It's really sweet, actually. And different."
"Different?" put in Isabel curiously.
"I mean, it's nice and all, but there isn't...we don't...it doesn't mean anything, you know? It's not like Michael." She looked directly at Isabel. "Kissing Michael was...explosive." She could sense Liz smiling as she remembered a conversation they'd had months before. "It was passionate, wild...It felt incredible, but it felt right, too, you know? Kissing Mark in the play is just that: kissing Mark in the play." Turning to Liz, she remarked wryly, "I told you that they'd ruin us for other guys!"
Isabel nodded reflectively. "I think I know what you mean. Believe me, it's not limited to Czechoslovakians." She caught Liz and Maria's curious glances and hurried on, "But you're enjoying it?"
"The kissing or the play?" asked Maria innocently.
Isabel grabbed her head in frustration. "You know what I mean!"
"Uh huh. Sure we do!" said Liz, with a twinkle in her eye.
Maria continued, "Yeah, I'm having a lot of fun. As usual, Liz, you were right to talk me into it."
"Of course she was right. Isn't she always?" teased a familiar voice from the doorway. "She's practically a genius!"
"Alex!" the three girls cried in unison.
"None other," he replied, closing the door. "Although I believe the whole 'Maria should be a star' idea was mine."
The girls ignored this as Liz said, "I see you managed to sneak out past your parents."
"Easy as hacking into the FBI database," he replied modestly. "Max will be along in a minute. What were we discussing?"
"Maria was just telling us about Little Shop rehearsals," answered Isabel.
"Well, continue," he said, pulling out Isabel's desk chair and sitting.
"It's just that it feels so natural, so easy," Maria admitted. "We've only had a few rehearsals, and already I can find myself losing myself in Audrey. It's a really good escape, you know? And even though it's a lot of work, it doesn't seem like it. The only thing that could make it better would be if Melanie and Pamela would pull the sticks out of their collective butts and stop acting like they hate me. Well, that, and if you guys were there. I can feel a distinct lack of friendly vibes at rehearsal."
"Melanie and Pamela are just angry because a junior beat them out for the lead. But come on, really. Who on earth convinced Pamela Harris that 'I Feel Pretty' was a good audition song for Little Shop of Horrors? It's not exactly chock full of legit sopranos. She should be grateful that she was cast at all," said Alex knowingly. "As for the 'friendly vibes' lack," he went on, "I believe I can help with that. Guess who will be performing in the pit orchestra?"
"Alex!" squealed Maria, rushing up to give him a hug.
Alex caught himself before she could knock him over, chair and all. "Whoa, there, Maria," he said, delighted at seeing the sparkle return to her eyes. "Don't damage the bass player! You need me, after all. Who else is going to protect you from the vanity twins? A poor little helpless thing like you can't possibly--"
Max, who had been standing in the doorway, smiled as the three girls ganged up and pounced on the hapless teen. "Need some help, Alex?" he asked, shutting the door behind him.
Alex, trying to avoid the assorted pillows and hands that were aimed at him, turned gratefully to the tall alien. "Yes!" he cried, grinning the whole time.
"Give it up, Alex, you're no match for even one of us," Maria shot back, "much less all three. Together, we are practically invincible!"
"And it's a good thing, too. We'll need that tonight," Max put in.
Maria sobered immediately, her mind instantly going to the problem ahead. "So how exactly do we do this?" she asked.
"With your permission, Isabel will make a connection with you. I'll link to her to keep the connection intact, and then she'll dreamwalk Michael. If it works, you'll appear in the dream with her."
"What can we do?" asked Alex.
Max turned to him. "You and Liz need to keep an eye on the three of us. Last time, I had to pull Isabel out of Michael's dream; it may suck all three of us in this time. Give us an hour, then snap us out of it. First Isabel and Maria, then me. Also, if at any time it seems like anything is going wrong, break us out of it immediately."
Liz and Alex nodded.
"Okay, are we ready to try this?"
"Max," his sister pointed out, "it's barely past midnight. There's no way Michael's asleep yet. He only gets three or four hours on the best of nights."
Maria looked up at this, remembering a night when he slept out his sorrow and exhaustion for hours in her arms, but said nothing.
"I don't know, Isabel. I saw him at school today, and he looked really ragged. I'm not sure how long he can last without falling asleep on his feet," said Alex hesitantly.
"All right. I'll try to dreamwalk him first, to see if he is asleep. Once he is, then Maria and I will try it together," Isabel responded. Lying down comfortably on her bed, she reached over to her night table for a silver-framed photo of the three aliens. Softly fingering it, she stared at the image of Michael's face, concentrating, and closed her eyes.
The room was silent for what seemed like hours, but in reality couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Maria played with a loose thread on the sleeve of her shirt, and bit her lip to keep from shrieking with tension. Liz reached over and took her hand, holding it tightly.
All four watchers let out a sigh of relief when Isabel opened her eyes and sat up. "You were right, Alex. He's asleep already. I went close enough to his dream to see that it was his, but not close enough to actually be in it," she said. She looked up at Maria, who had stood in her nervous anticipation. "Are you ready?" she asked. When Maria nodded silently, she patted the bed next to her. "Well, relax then. This won't hurt you."
"Or so we think," Maria muttered under her breath, but she lay down next to Isabel without hesitation. Under Isabel's instructions, she took a few deep breaths and silently commanded her body to relax.
Liz pulled Max to the corner of the room and asked worriedly, "Max, what will she see when Isabel connects with her? Will there be visions, like when you healed me?"
"Izzy shouldn't need to make that deep a connection with her, but they both might see some things. We're never quite sure what we'll pick up."
"Don't you think you should warn Maria first?" questioned Alex, who had been listening to their conversation.
"Guys, I'm right here and I can hear you. You're not exactly keeping secrets," remarked Maria from the bed. "So, Isabel, visions, huh? Well, you won't see anything Michael hasn't already seen except...Oh my god." Her face reddened abruptly as she realized that Isabel might just see some rather steamy moments between her and the spiky-haired alien. "Ummm...Isabel?"
"Yes?"
"Can you please just...like...ignore anything in there you don't think I'd want you to see? Please?"
Isabel chuckled softly, immediately knowing what the other girl meant. "Believe me, I don't want to see that sort of thing either. Michael is like my brother. I do not need to go through life with that imprinted on my brain." She gave a delicate shudder and added, "I promise to block out anything over a PG rating."
"Swear?" Maria clutched her hand.
"Swear."
Maria took one last deep breath. "Okay, then. Let's go find us an alien."