Liz felt very dizzy. Well, of course she should be, she just lost a lot of blood. Didn't she? She glanced down at the ketchup on her black tank top. Had it been a dream? No, she could still feel the itch of the drying blood on her stomach and a tingling sensation. She felt energized, considering she had almost died. The dizziness came back, but she fought its effects.
"I'm fine. See, it's just ketchup," Liz murmured. The paramedics looked her over and shrugged their shoulders. If she did have a gunshot wound, she wouldn't be standing there, telling them she's fine. But she had been shot. The realization washed over her, the world started to spin. She grabbed the counter for support and looked at the floor. A puddle of her blood lay at her taloned feet. She felt sick, but she had to clean it up or her savior would be discovered. Max. He was in some of her night school classes that the town set-up for the growing gargoyle population. He looked so normal, but always emitted this sense of hidden power. Still, how…
"Are you sure you're OK, miss?"
"Oh, yes. I just have to clean up this mess of ketchup. I wouldn't want someone to slip." Liz hurried to get the mop and water bucket from the corner under the counter. She jumped when a white taloned hand rested on her spiked shoulder.
"Don't worry about the mess, Liz," the elder gargoyle said as she passed Liz and retrieved the bucket and mop. "I'll clean it up. Maria? Why don't you take Liz into the bathroom and help her freshen up? Maria?"
Liz glanced over to Maria. God, she looked terrible. Her normal sapphire blue coloring had paled to a shade slightly darker than periwinkle. Her raspberry lips opened and closed like a fish's mouth and she looked close to tears.
"Maria, are you all right?" the elder gargoyle asked, sloshing most of the red water into the bucket. "I'm almost done here, would you like me to help you two in the bathroom?"
Maria seemed to finally snap out of her trance.
"No, no," she squeaked. "I'm fine. Come on, Liz. Let's get you washed up."
Maria shakily led her to the bathroom. They almost reached the restroom's door, when the clacking of boot heels echoed through the café. Both gargoyles stopped in terror and, to Liz's surprise, Maria blanched to an even paler shade of blue. She couldn't blame her though. There was no mistaking whose boots those were.
"Liz of the Ortecho family," a cold voice called from behind them.
Liz swallowed hard and, then, turned to face Sheriff Valenti, the terror of every teenager in Roswell. Even more so for the gargoyles. It was hard to believe, but he was even colder and stricter with the gargoyle teens than the humans. She stared at the tall, gray haired man, his emotionless sunglasses gazing back.
"Yes, Sheriff Valenti?"
"I heard there was a shooting here and that you were injured. Would you care to tell me what happened here?"
"Well, you see, um, these two guys were fighting and then one pulled out a gun and fired it," Liz stuttered. "The gunshot scared me and I fell off the counter and spilt ketchup over myself. See?" She pointed a talon down at her "ketchup" stained shirt. The dark sunglasses just stared blankly at her.
"Could you describe these two men?"
"Well, I didn't really get a good…"
"Some of the humans said that they saw a young male gargoyle with you behind the counter. Could you tell me about him?"
Liz's breath caught in her throat.
"Um, I really don't know what they're talking about. I blacked out…"
"But, then, how do you know that you spilt ketchup on yourself?"
"May I help you, Mister Valenti?" the elder gargoyle interjected, her doubly spiked brows knit in a scowl.
"I was just asking Liz here about the incident, Angel. Is there a problem…"
"I'm sorry, but Liz has been through quite a shock. I saw the whole incident. I can answer all of your questions." Angel turned to Liz and placed a white hand on her shoulder. She softly continued. "Liz, Maria, you two can go into the restroom now. Mister Valenti will not bother you anymore."
"Yes, elder," Liz and Maria quietly replied. As they entered the bathroom, the air seemed to become electrified when Angel and Valenti continued their conversation. As soon as the door swung closed behind her, Maria spun and confronted Liz.
"OK, what the hell happened out there?" Maria croaked.
"I fell and…"
"Don't give me any of the ketchup crap! I saw you get shot! What the hell happened?! "
Liz grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser, filled the sink with warm water, and submerged the towels.
"Liz, please! You almost died! God, I was sure that I had just lost my best friend."
Maria gasped back tears. Liz tried to focus her mind on cleaning her black tank top. But what had happened? No normal gargoyle could heal someone with his bare hands. Maybe he was an alien. Despite the situation, Liz almost laughed at that thought. Could it be magic?
"Liz, for the sake of our friendship, please, talk to me!"
Suddenly feeling very tired, Liz leaned against the sink. Looking down at the blood stained towel, the thought hit her again. She had almost died. Trembling, she grasped the sink for balance. Her mind fluttered around, leaving all coherent wondering behind.
"I don't know, Maria. It was so dark, and cold. Then, all of a sudden, it was all better. And Max was…Maria?"
"Yea," she sobbed.
"I…I, think Max healed me."
"But, h…"
"I don't know! But he told me to lie for him. I have no clue of what to do."
Liz heaved a sigh and forced threatening tears back.
"Maybe he's an…"
"If you say alien, I'm going to laugh at you. And anyway, I ruled that one out already."
"Then, what about a sorcerer? They do exist, don't they?"
"You can't seriously think that, can you Maria? I mean, it's all a bunch of stories to scare us as hatchlings. You know? Do you chores or the sorcerer will come and turn you to stone at night."
"I guess, but usually there is a bit of truth in the tales. I mean, there was that clan in Scotland."
"That's a legend. Have you ever seen them?"
"Well, noo…"
"Exactly, now help me with this mess."
Maria picked up some soaked towels and tried to rub away some of the red gunk plastered on Liz's stomach. Just when she had regained her normal coloring, she paled again.
"Um, Liz?"
"What?"
"I think you should just burn the shirt."
"Huh? Why?"
Maria slipped her hand under the bottom of Liz's top and poked her talon throw a small hole in the black fabric.
"Do you really want to explain to Valenti how a perfectly bullet shaped hole got in your top?"
Both girls jumped when Angel slammed the door open.
"That egotistical, sadistic…arg! Oh, how are you girls doing?"
Maria and Liz straightened quickly. Had she seen the bullet hole? Liz placed her hand over her stomach.
"Uh, we're just fine, elder."
"My! You're shirt is a mess, Liz."
As she approached the girls, Angel draped her iridescent sea green wings, sparkling deep purple as the light reflected off them, over her shoulders. She gently moved Liz's hands away from the hole.
"There is no way that you'll get this out. And look, you even ripped it when you fell." Angel stuck her pointer talon through the bullet hole and then looked Liz in the eyes. Oh, god, Liz thought as she gasped. She's going to figure it out. What are we going to do? Angel's sea green eyes glowed with concern, but an unknown fear burned in their depths.
"Why don't I go up to your room and fetch another top? The last I saw, Valenti was still out there, talking to your parents. I don't want him torturing you two, ever. If he ever gets in your way, you come to me, you got it?"
Maria and Liz slowly nodded.
"Good. Now, do you have a preference for a top?"
"Not really," Liz murmured.
"Ok, well, I'll be back in a bit."
Both the girl gargoyles breathed a sigh of relief when Angel left.
"That was close," Maria gasped.
"I don't know. Something doesn't seem right."
"Whatever, Mulder. Let's clean off those abs so that you won't get the new shirt dirty."
Liz pulled up her tank top to expose her stomach. She giggled as Maria wiped off the blood and the ketchup that had soaked through the shirt.
"Laugh it up, I think I'm going to be sick."
"I… can't help…it. It….ti..ckles."
"Um, Liz?"
"If it's another bullet hole, I don't want to see it."
"Um, well, it's not a hole, but, oh, just look at it!"
Liz turned to face the mirror and nearly collapsed from surprise. On her stomach where the bullet hole would have been was a silver handprint.
"Liz?"
"Yes?"
"You said that Max healed you, right?"
"What's your point?"
"The blond, green skinned gargoyle in the vest, right?"
"Just spit it out Maria."
"If he healed you, then why does the handprint have five fingers?"