CHAPTER 42
Three aliens and two humans sat in Michael's shabby apartment a little later that morning, a couple of empty donut boxes and a bottle of Tabasco all that remained of their informal breakfast. With some embarrassment, Michael had once again described Mrs. DeLuca's blowup, and now Liz was in the middle of telling her part of the story.
"She just showed up with Maria's overnight bag, and that's when my dad found out she wasn't with me. I didn't tell anyone where she was, honestly." Her brown eyes pleaded with Michael to believe her. "I wouldn't do that."
Michael shrugged. "We should have gotten there earlier."
"Liz, are you okay?" put in Max. "Did you get in trouble, too?"
She shook her head. "Let's just say that I'm not in my father's good graces right now, but I'm not under house arrest like Maria, either. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't have to cover at the Crashdown since Maria isn't working her shifts."
Michael shifted uncomfortably, then said gruffly, "Sorry. Didn't mean to cause problems for you."
Liz smiled at him, surprised by this un-Michaelish behavior. "I know you didn't. And thank you." He looked at the wall across from him, suddenly not willing to meet anyone's eyes.
"One of us should probably get over there, Max," Isabel said. "We're giving the stalker a chance to slip through our defenses."
Liz shook her head. "It's not going to do you any good. She's not allowed to see anyone. She's barely allowed to talk on the phone. Her mother's really upset."
Michael began to pace across the small room. "Then how the hell can we keep her safe?" he muttered.
"Figure out who it is, and stop them," put in Alex reasonably. Michael and Isabel both rolled their eyes. "Anybody come up with a suspect?"
"That's not so easy, Alex," Liz pointed out. "We don't have enough clues, remember?"
"We might have one more," Michael said unexpectedly. All eyes fastened on him. "Last night, I tried to get a vision from the latest note."
"Did it work, Michael?" asked Isabel in some excitement. "Did you see something?"
"Yeah. But it wasn't what I thought I'd see."
"Well, don't just leave us hanging, explain!" she commanded.
He raised an eyebrow at her, but complied. "I thought I might've figured out who sent the note. But I was wrong."
"Who? What did you see? God, getting answers from him is like pulling teeth," she said to the others in an aside.
"Well, if you'd actually let me talk, maybe I could tell you," Michael said with a smirk.
"Get to the point, Michael!"
"I was thinking about who might've sent it, and I don't think they meant Maria to think it was from me. So I was thinking about people whose names began with M, who've been around lately, and I came up with--"
"Mark," Alex said, suddenly realizing where this was going.
"Yep." Michael crossed over to the counter and picked up his sketchbook, flipping it open to the page he'd spent most of the night working on. Once Maria had gone back to sleep, that is.
"But it wasn't him?" asked Liz. "You saw that in your vision?"
"Not unless he's taken to wearing fingernail polish," Michael announced. "It took me a while to figure out, but what I saw was a hand writing the note. And it was definitely a girl. Had that red stuff gooped all over her fingers. You know, Isabel, the one you wear a lot. More of a cranberry than a true red." He looked around to see their startled expressions. "So I remember colors. So sue me," he said rudely, tossing the sketch pad to Alex, who was nearest.
Alex studied the penciled drawing. It showed a distinctly feminine hand, holding a pen. "A girl, huh?" he mused. "Well, that narrows it down to about half the population."
"There's something else," added Michael. "Another reason I thought it was Mark was that I saw him. In the park. So I came back here to try and get some confirmation."
"But it wasn't him," Liz objected. "You just said so." She took the sketchbook from Alex.
"Yeah, but the point is, he wasn't alone. He had a girl with him. One of the chicks from the play."
"Brunette or blond?" asked Alex excitedly.
"Blond. Short."
"It's got to be Melanie Royer," Alex decided. "Debbie and Pamela are both brunettes."
"And there's your M," added Isabel. "But why would she be harassing Maria? She's just a regular girl."
"I don't know. But I'm gonna find out," said Michael with determination.
As she listened, Liz inspected the drawing. "This is really good, Michael," she commented.
"Let me see," said Isabel. Liz handed her the pad. "She's right," the alien said in a pleased tone. She started to flip through the pages, only to have it taken summarily from her hands.
"Off limits." Michael's tone was uncompromising.
"Why? What else have you got in there?" Isabel asked, her curiosity piqued.
Michael ignored her, closing the sketchbook firmly and carefully placing it on the counter behind him. Isabel raised an eyebrow. "Come on, Michael," she nagged. "You're only making me more curious. Hand it over."
Michael folded his arms across his chest.
"Leave him alone, Izzy," cautioned Max. "We have planning to do."
"Done," said Michael matter-of-factly. "You two and Liz get as close to Maria as her mother will allow. At the very least, keep the lines of communication open. Have her phone if something else happens. Before it happens, even. Alex, investigate that Melanie chick. Get on your computer and find out everything you can about her."
Four faces turned to him in surprise. "What?" he asked defensively.
"Well, what are you going to do?" demanded Isabel.
Michael looked her squarely in the eye. "I'm gonna go finish building me some plants." With a pointed look, he grabbed his sketchpad and headed out of the apartment.
"Wow," said Alex with a grin. "That's nowhere near the same Michael as even a couple of weeks ago. I'm kind of impressed."
His eyes on the door through which his friend had disappeared, Max said softly, "Yeah. Me too."
Liz pushed the hair back from her forehead and resettled the alien antennae on her head. She'd hardly been home for two minutes before her father had asked her to cover Maria's waitressing shifts. She should have known that he'd think of it. And of course, with him peeved at her, she could hardly say no. She was just lucky that he hadn't thought of it soon enough to keep her from that morning's impromptu meeting.
She wondered how Maria was doing. She knew her friend was probably going crazy from the enforced solitude. For the most part, Maria didn't deal well with no one to talk to. She didn't like being alone. And now to be sequestered away...she had to be completely bonkers by now. With a sigh, Liz decided that once the double shift was over, she would try calling Maria again. Maybe this time Mrs. DeLuca would allow her to spend more than two minutes on the phone.
Carrying over a bus tub, she began to clear the dishes from an empty table. She looked up tiredly as the bell rang and the front door opened. Leaving the table half bussed, she dumped the almost empty tub in the kitchen and ran for the phone in back. She knew Alex's line would be busy, his modem tying up the line as he hacked away at the school records and anything else he could find on Melanie, which left Max and Isabel. Inwardly debating for a second and a half, she dialed Isabel's cell phone.
The alien must have been expecting a call, because she answered it on the first ring. "You need to get to the Crashdown right away," said Liz urgently. "You'll never guess who just came in. Pamela Harris and Melanie Royer." A moment later the call was disconnected and Liz was heading back out into the main dining room.
Barely five minutes had passed before Isabel strolled casually into the restaurant. She spotted Liz instantly, and the waitress glanced over at a booth, signaling her target's location. Luckily the next booth was available, and Isabel slid into it, her back to the two girls.
"Hi, Isabel," said Liz as she carried over a couple of soft drinks. "I'll be with you in a minute."
"No problem," Isabel returned with a nonchalant smile. "You look pretty busy."
Obviously, the pair in the next booth overheard this exchange. "Yeah, we couldn't help but notice that, too," commented Melanie. "Where's Maria? Isn't she working today?"
"No, not today," responded Liz as she set down their drinks.
"Oh," said Pamela with disinterest. "I thought maybe she was sick or something."
"Nope," Liz said, shaking her head. "Ummm...I'll be back with your order in a minute." She headed back to the counter, trying to keep an inconspicuous eye on the pair as she worked.
Isabel approached her near the door to the break room about forty minutes later. "They're finishing up," she said in a low tone. "I'll give Max a heads up and he can tail Melanie to see if she strikes again."
"Did you overhear anything?" Liz queried.
"No, just mindless chat about clothes and things." Isabel frowned. "God, please tell me I was never that shallow."
Liz pretended to consider for a moment. "Well, only in public," she said with a small grin. Isabel gave her an exasperated look, but then laughed as she headed back to her booth. Watching her go, Liz bit her lip. She hoped this would be over soon. It had to be.
"God, I hope this is over soon!" Maria complained as she set her lunch down on the table in the cafeteria. "I mean, I'm practically living like a nun!"
"Maria, you're not even Catholic," Liz reminded her.
"I know. But the whole weekend was like being in a convent. You know, where everyone has taken a vow of silence." Her nose wrinkled up. "Or do I mean a monastery? Anyway, my mother barely spoke to me until last night."
"It's amazing you survived," teased Liz with a grin.
"Lizzy!" Maria pouted.
Liz looked sympathetically at her best friend. "No, really, 'Ria, how are you handling it?"
"Well, it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be," Maria admitted. "Mom and I had a very...well, let's just say painful conversation last night. But after hours of begging, I actually got her to listen to me."
An inquiring expression crossed Liz's face. "About...what, exactly?"
"Well, of course I couldn't tell her everything," Maria said. "I mean, some things are just not for public consumption, you know? Even if there weren't Czechoslovakians involved. But I think I finally managed to convince her that Michael and I did not sleep together."
"Really? That's good," Liz commented.
"Yeah. I told her he was a perfect gentleman the whole time. Although I don't think she bought that part. She really has it in for him." Maria frowned as she unwrapped her sandwich.
"Well, was he? A perfect gentleman, I mean?" Liz dared to ask.
Maria sighed. "Unfortunately, yes." Her face brightened. "Well, he did kiss me."
Liz pounced on this. "Really? When? Details, I want details!"
"I can't give you many, chica, because almost as soon as he started, someone burst into the room to make sure I was okay." Maria stared pointedly at Liz, who grimaced.
"Oooh. Sorry."
"Oh, it's not your fault. The others were with you too," Maria assured her. "It's just...it'd been months, and we were arguing and suddenly he was...kissing me...and it felt so good...and then the door started to open and he dropped me like a hot potato." She smiled ruefully at Liz's contrite expression and brought the subject back to her mother. "Never mind. Anyway, Mom's no longer caught up on the whole 'my teenage daughter had sex with a juvenile delinquent' kick, so things are looking up."
"What? You mean you're not grounded anymore?"
"No such luck. Let's see, I still stayed out all night with a boy--and it was Michael, which makes it even worse, if that were possible. And then there's the fact that I might just have slightly overreacted when she found out about it. Let me tell you, Liz, yelling at your mother is not the way to assure a busy social life."
"Slightly overreacted?" responded Liz in disbelief. "Michael did tell us what happened, you know." She paused. "Although I get the feeling he didn't tell us everything."
"Yeah, well, when does he ever?" complained Maria. "Oh well. At least Mom has calmed down enough to let me off the hook as far as the Crashdown and the play are concerned. Unfortunately, I still can't hang out with any of you guys. And--get this--she actually forbade me to so much as speak to Michael!"
"But now that she knows you haven't slept together--"
"It doesn't matter. She's still all ticked because she thinks I lied to her. And I didn't, Liz, not really. I mean, when I told her I was going to be at your house, I honestly meant it. I just didn't let her know when my plans changed, that's all. But she thinks I wouldn't have lied or stayed out all night if it weren't for Michael. Which is true, I guess. Except that she thinks he's a bad influence on me, which is not true. Anyway, she hates him, hence the whole 'forbidden to speak to him' thing."
"And you're going to just accept that?" Liz asked in astonishment, knowing her friend's feelings for the alien in question.
Maria's face darkened. "I don't have much choice," she said in a low voice.
"What do you mean?" said Liz in trepidation.
"Because when I said hello to him before English this morning, he turned his back on me and totally ignored my existence," Maria said. Her eyes began to shine, but a bout of rapid blinking kept the tears in check. "And, Lizzy? You know what really sucks? He does it so much better than I did."
A moment of unspoken sympathy between the two friends was interrupted by the approach of Isabel, Max and Alex. The lanky teen greeted Maria warmly. "So how's it feel to be let out of the tower, Rapunzel?" he quipped.
"Nice," Maria admitted. "I was going a little stir crazy."
"And Mrs. DeLuca has relented enough to let Maria do the play and go to work," Liz put in, "so no more make-up shifts for me!"
"Are you kidding? Once the play is over, I'm going to be begging your dad for extra shifts just so I can get out of the house, since I'm grounded until I'm thirty," Maria said with a sigh. She watched the others start in on their lunches. "Okay, so where is he?"
Everyone knew immediately whom she meant. "I think he's putting some finishing touches on the plant puppets. He did a lot of work on them this weekend, when he wasn't at the gas station. He wanted them to be ready for today's rehearsal," answered Isabel calmly. Maybe too calmly.
Maria's eyes lit up. "Really?" she said, excitement raising her voice. "We'll have them at rehearsal today? That's great!" Looking around at the four friends around her, she pointed out, "Hey, other than lunch time, the play's the only time when I'm actually allowed to enjoy myself nowadays. Don't blame me if I get excited about it." She took a sip of her bottled water. "So," she continued calmly, "Is he avoiding everyone again, or am I the only one blessed this time?" The guilty looks on their faces answered her immediately. "Fantastic," she muttered. "I'm the only one. Meet Maria DeLuca, Queen of the Lepers."
Liz immediately began to protest, and Maria cut her off. "Don't worry about it. His loss. Let's talk about something else, okay?" She looked around, trying to come up with a fresh topic of conversation, and her eyes lit on Isabel. "Hey, Isabel," she asked, "you done any dreamwalking lately?"
The alien shook her head. "No, not since we got Mi--not since you went with me the last time."
"Ha! I knew it was real!" Maria exclaimed. Seeing everyone's confusion, she asked, "Michael told you about the dream we had on Friday, didn't he?", totally ignoring the fact that she'd brought the topic back to the spiky-haired alien in less than ten seconds.
"'The dream we had'? Both of you?" asked Isabel sharply. "Michael dreamwalked you?"
"He didn't tell you." It wasn't a question this time. She should have known.
"He didn't tell us anything about that," Max said. "Just about the vision."
"The vision? He figured out what he saw in the vision?" Maria could hear her own voice rise in pitch with her agitation. "When did he figure it out?"
All four of them exchanged glances. Finally, Liz spoke. "Sometime Friday night, I think. He told us about it at breakfast on Saturday."
"I see," said Maria slowly. "So he knew about it on the way to the Crashdown, and he didn't even bother to tell me about it." No one spoke. "Well, what was it? What did he see?"
After a glance around at the others, Liz described the sketch and the conclusions they'd drawn from it. Afterwards, Maria sat quietly, obviously mulling this over. "Interesting," was all she had to say.
Isabel, relieved that Maria had taken it all so calmly, spoke up. "So what was this about Michael dreamwalking you?" she asked. "I didn't think he could do that."
"As far as I know, he can't," Maria responded. "When you dreamwalk, you go into someone else's dream, right?" Isabel nodded. "So if Michael had dreamwalked me, he would have come into whatever I was dreaming?"
"That's the way it works," Isabel said.
"Well, he didn't dreamwalk then. Because he didn't visit my dream. I was dreaming and went through a door, and then I was in his dream. With him."
"You dreamwalked Michael?" Isabel said in shock. "By yourself?"
"I guess," said Maria, gathering up her things as the bell rang.
"How is that even possible?" asked Liz.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask Michael?" Maria said. "Since he's so good at sharing things with people, you know." She smiled at them. "Look, I have to get to class. I can't afford to be late and get my mom even more pissed than she already is. Talk to Michael about it." She started across the cafeteria, calling back over her shoulder, "I'll see you at rehearsal, Alex." Liz followed hard on her heels.
"Wait, Maria," the brunette said as she pulled the straps of her backpack over her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, my life is just peachy," said Maria, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. "I'm under house arrest, I'm being sent threatening notes by a crazy person, and I'm in love with an infuriating, stubborn jackass who can't even be bothered to talk to me and share with me vital information about said threatening notes from said crazy person, even though it has a direct bearing on my well-being!" Her voice rose to a screech. A gleam appeared in her eye.
Liz looked at her apprehensively. "What...what are you going to do?" she fumbled.
Maria's grin was almost wolfish. "He may not be speaking to me, but that doesn't mean I'm not speaking to him. And believe me, I have a few things to say! He thinks my mother was bad? Well, he hasn't seen anything yet!" And with that, she headed down the hall to her next class.
Liz just stood and watched her. Oh lord. Michael had better watch out. Hurricane DeLuca was about to hit.
TBC...