Hey! this is chapter 6, hope u like it. Anyway this and chapter 7 may be the last ones for a while because I'm concentrating on a Harry Potter fic, but I'll try to finish it ok?
Umm...I guess I only have to say: Read and enjoy!
PART# 6
Leona drove through highway 280. She kept thinking of a plan to get the Royal Four to talk. Seeing how her first plan didn't work, she would use what was in the box against them. She had finally arrived where she wanted to be: The pods.
She didn't need to pass her hand on the lock. The door opened when the sensors detected her presence.
She went in and went through the pods. The granolith stood there and Leona thought it looked so majestic for a simple science device. It seemed like a Holy shrine where she would worship her higher beings.
"Serena seems to have done a good job with the granolith." commented a male voice.
Leona turned around in surprise to see the male who was surrounded by fire. Even his body seemed to be on fire, but the flames never consumed his body. It just kept shining like the sun. His eyes were as red as his spiky hair was. Leona couldn't help but smile at the sight of that hair. His name was Phoenix.
"It seems like the god of fire wants to be young again with that hair. It works!"
"Don't you dare joke about my hair!" he said pointing a finger to her, "Have some respect for your elders, young lady!"
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it." she replied. Phoenix was disgusted by her comments. "And I won't do it again," Leona continued.
"You better not. However, I did not come here to discuss hair issues. I came here to talk about the Royal Four." he cleared.
"Not again!"
"I understand you are upset because you think they killed your cousin. But, I don't think it's fair to them for a goddess to keep a secret of the powers they were to be provided."
"As far as I'm concerned, they don't deserve those powers, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to give them."
"Then why haven't you? You have been in Roswell for a year now and you haven`t told them about who you really are."
" Point taken, but I just wanted to test them just ..."
"Test them?" he interrupted her, "What's there to test? Leona, you have a job and it is not up to you to decide whether they are fit or not. There is a planet in danger and we need them. Most of all, we don't have time to choose another Royal Four who are fit to fight your father. Our people are losing their faith and hope is dying. Don't make this a tragedy!"
"I won't. Tonight, I will tell them everything and I will start with the trainings."
"Make it fast. We don't have time to lose."
"All right." she said with her head lowered. The man looked at her sadly.
"You don't have to feel guilty about what happened in the past. What has happened, happened. There is no need to bring it out again."
"Our people are dying and I know I'm responsible for this. I know God has forgiven me for having caused this war, but I can't forgive myself."
"Leona, we are going to make it with the Royal Four and the Messiah. We will free our people."
"I haven't even found the Messiah!" she said frustrated.
"You will, I believe that you will." he said smiling.
"Thanks."
"You are most welcome." He gave her a small kiss on the cheek. As Leona felt his hot lips touch her skin, she smiled.
"Are you sure you don't mind Max using your power?" she asked.
"No, I don't. As long as he uses it wisely."
"Hope he does." She replied.
"I have to go. Please just do what you were asked to do. We will leave you alone."
"I don't want you to leave me alone. It's just so painful having to remember the past every time I look at them."
"Then don't look at them." he said grinning.
"Very funny, Phoenix!" she said. With that, he disappeared.
She sighed. She knew she had to move fast before her father could find her and try to stop her. "If it were that easy!" she thought. She sat on the floor and got the things out of the box.
"Sorry, but I told you it'd be tonight and it's not night yet, so, I'll work on this." she said, knowing she was alone but addressing Phoenix. She studied the files as she waited for the night to fall and hoped that she could find the truth to everything.
It was night already and the whole gang was at the Crashdown Cafe, waiting for Sean, who had called saying that he couldn't find Leona anywhere. Most of them were worried that she might have been hurt or that she went to a meeting with the Special Unit. Liz was already getting everything ready to close up as she pulled down the screens.
"Well, Max, it seems she was right. You don't know her enough to assure she wouldn't do something that cruel to us." commented Tess.
"Tess, there is one part of her we don't know. She has kept secrets from us and that is the part we don't trust. What if she turn us in to the FBI?" replied Max.
"She's FBI herself. She could ask for back up and we can't afford to kill more people." commented Isabel.
"I still believe in Leona." said Michael. Maria was besides him with her hand on his shoulder. Max knew that there was nothing he could do or say to make him change his mind. He couldn't believe they were back to the time where they had just met Leona and Michael was arguing with Max all the time about trusting Leona.
They heard someone knock on the door. It was Sean.
"Anything?" asked Max.
"No." replied Sean.
"What do we do now?" asked Isabel.
"Have you searched her house?" asked Liz.
"Yes, but nobody answers the door."
"She's here." said Michael as if he were in some kind of trance.
"Who's here?" asked Maria.
`My parents are in Washington, D.C. At the Bureau." replied a female voice. Everyone turned to see Leona.
"How did you get in here?" asked Liz, "The door was locked!"
"Really? are you sure?" she implied as she held a wooden box in her arms.
"What do you mean your parents are at the Bureau?" asked Max.
"Relax, Max! My parents are in a meeting about a rape/murder case." she explained. They all just stared at her as she put the box down.
"What is that?" asked Kyle.
" Hello to you, too!" she said, "Boy, this is going to be difficult with everyone asking questions." she commented, "Now, Max, are you ready to tell me who was that man you guys killed?"
"What?" asked Sean, who seemed surprised, "You killed someone?"
"Yes, and I'm waiting for an answer." replied Leona staring at Max, waiting for his answer.
"You don't have any right!" said Max, who was now angry.
"Ok, let's make a deal. You just tell me the name of the man you killed and I will tell you everything there is to know about this big secret of mine you all want to know so badly."
"How is that of any interest to any of us now?" asked Michael. "How is that going to help us?"
"Well, I'll give you this: Kivar had a family. He was married and had two children, a boy and a girl. Kivar hated the King, and I'm not talking about Zan, I'm talking about Zan's father. Kivar's daughter fell in love with Zan and Zan loved her back. When Kivar found out, he went crazy and he declared war. So his daughter had to leave Zan and marry someone else to stop the war. Now, did you know that, Zan?"
Max glared at her in complete and utter surprise when she called him Zan. Everyone was just silent, staring at Leona in disbelief.
"Deal?" she said indifferently. Max looked at the rest of them, then at Michael, who nodded.
"How do you know all that?" asked Max.
"Ay, Dios Mio!" she said looking up, "Max, I'll tell you if you want to make a deal."
"Hell, no!" yelled Max.
"Ok." She then opened the box and took out everything that was in there. "Then what is this?" She dropped pictures of them and showed them to him. "My brother sent me this and told me not to open it unless he said so, but now that he's not here, I had to open it.
This is a journal where he kept everything updated. He stopped writing in it in1998. It has been 3 years. Three years he has been dead. Can you tell me Max, how come my brother has your pictures, your files and this picture in particular?" she said, showing them a picture of a dead man with a silver handprint on his chest. "Max, this is your print, isn't it?"
"Are you implying I killed that man?"
"You tell me."
"How can you do this to us?" asked Isabel, "What have we done to you?"
"Nothing, but I want to know the whole truth."
"Do you really want to know the truth?" said Tess without looking at her.
"Yes."
"Then...we killed your brother." she replied.
"Tess!" yelled Max. Everyone was shocked at that moment. Nobody knew what to expect from Leona, but by the looks of it, she didn't seem too happy. Leona didn't expect to hear that.
"He tried to kill us, Leona. He even shot Kyle. If it weren't for Max, Kyle would be dead now." Tess continued, eyes closed with tears streaming down her cheeks. Leona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was in complete shock. "You can imagine how guilty we all felt afterwards. It kept haunting us, tormenting us. We almost grew completely apart. Two years passed and we still felt the same way. Like humans, we have a conscience." said Tess this time looking at her in the eyes. Leona's eyes were filled with tears.
"That is not true! My brother wouldn't do something as horrible as that!"
"He did, Leona." replied Michael, "We had to stop him one way or another."
"By killing him?" she asked indignant.
"Welcome to our world." said Michael. Leona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She turned around and let the tears stream down her cheeks. She turned around to face them. She looked at them and they seemed more nervous than ever.
"Is this true Kyle? Did my brother shoot you?" she asked, even tough she didn't want to hear the answer. Kyle just nodded. Leona stared at him for a while, then she closed her eyes and more tears ran down her face.
"I can't believe this." she said whispering.
Liz approached her. Max tried to stop her, but she kept walking until she was before Leona. Liz touched her shoulder and then hugged her. At the same exact moment, they both had flashes from their lives. Liz saw Leona dancing with Zan. She saw her holding a woman's body in her arms. She saw Rath and Ava sitting besides her.
Leona saw Liz being shot and Max healing her, her first kiss with Max, Liz finding out about Max's destiny with Tess, Liz with future Max. Both girls let go of each other. Liz was confused by those flashes.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Liz, what's wrong?" asked Max.
"I don't know."
"I am one of you." she replied, "Half alien and half goddess."
"What?" Michael gasped in confusion.
"That's how I know what really happened in the past."
"Excuse me?" said Kyle.
"God! This thing is getting really hard to understand." said Sean.
"I'm...like you...from Antar. I was made by gods and demons...I mean, by evil and good. To make me an Antar's mortal, I had to be born in a mortal's womb, so they chose my mother and here I am. I was born to give the Royal Four some gifts provided by the gods. I was born to protect YOU. At first, they told me that you weren't ready. When you died, they told me to ask my uncle to make clones of you and I did. Soon, Kivar found out about that and my uncle managed to escape with my other uncle who was a soldier. They put you in pods and took a few of our people along with me. I was only 14 years old." She stopped for breath. Her tears kept flowing, falling from her eyes and she wiped them away.
"The most important parts of everything are you and the Messiah. As a goddess, my job is to protect you and get you out of here safe to lead the war. The Messiah is a human who was brought back to life by the King. In your past lives, you were supposed to have certain powers I didn't give you. First of all, you weren't ready. Second, I was afraid you would use them for evil with everything that was happening. But I think you are ready now and should begin training." she said as if she was finished. Leona's were red from crying, even though she had stopped a while ago.
"But that happened more than 50 years ago! How come you seem so young?" asked Maria.
"I was frozen. My uncle used one of his devices to freeze me until you woke up. He also altered my DNA so I could look like a human. I was placed in New York with the other set of the Royal Four. They woke me up when they were 16 years old and I was still 14. I didn't understand their language, but I was a fast learner." she replied. She looked at them. They seemed more confused than ever.
"We have a lot of questions. But I guess we'll stick to the Messiah first." said Max, "Who is this Messiah person?"
"The prophecies say the Messiah is a human brought back to life by the King...and...I'm here to look for the Messiah." Leona replied.
"Do people healed by the King, count here?" asked Liz.
"Yes. If you are near death and the king heals you, he practically brought you back to life." Leona explained. Liz and Kyle looked at each other worried.
"Is it supposed to be a girl or a guy?" asked Kyle.
"The prophecies say a human. They don't say anything about gender." she cleared, then she grew suspicious, "Why do you ask?" she asked and she saw them turn to Max as he replied,
"I know."
"You know what?" asked Leona. Max sighed. The prophecies were bothering him.
"I healed two persons who were near death." Max replied.
"Who are they?"
"You are standing in front of them." he replied as he pointed to Kyle and Liz.
Leona was stunned, but composed herself and asked,
"Who was first?"
"Liz." said Isabel, not sure if she was comfortable by the whole thing. Leona looked at Liz, then smiled and tried to approach her but Liz backed away.
"Don't tell me I'm the Messiah, please!" pleaded Liz.
"Finally, I have met you." replied Leona as a way to answer.
"If I were you , I would think it is an honor." commented Maria, trying to comfort her.
"Well, it isn't for me."
"They start that way. They get used to it later." Leona said, "Think of it as a way to help our people. You will be our savior."
"I don't want to do this anymore!" she said, "I'm tired of being the one sacrificing everything I have so the universe can be at peace! I am tired of you who hit me while I'm down and destroy all my hopes! I won't take this anymore."
"Liz, listen. We just need your help. When this is over, you will have your normal life back. I promise." pleaded Leona.
"What have you done to me? Destroyed my life taking away the people I love. It's just not fair!" she replied. Max was looking at her confused. He thought she would take the job, but she proved him wrong. She was really tired.
"If you don't want to do it, don't do it." Max replied. "We'll think of a way to beat them."
Liz looked at him. A part of her was thankful, but the other part felt guilt.
"Then, how do you suppose we do this? Alone?" asked Leona.
"We'll think of something." he replied.
"But the people included in the prophecies are there for a reason." commented Michael. "They don't choose those people with a flip of a coin."
"What is the reason here, Michael?" asked Isabel, "What if the prophecies said that she has to die?"
"The prophecies don't say that. Besides, The Messiah is too valuable for the gods. They`d protect her with everything they have."
"How do you know she will not die?" asked Tess.
"That's why you're here: to protect The Messiah." she cleared.
"I thought that was your job." said Sean, who hadn't talked for a while.
"No, my job is to protect the Royal Four and get them through this war safe and alive. Protecting The Messiah is the Royal Four's job. They have to keep her alive for the sake of Antar and Earth."
"Why Earth?" asked Isabel. Leona stopped and sighed.
"You don't think..." the rest of Maria's sentence trailed off.
"In case the skins wanted to make the war here." she replied.
"They can't do that!" said Michael.
"Don't tell me, tell them. Besides I don't think we are going to convince him to do it on Antar." she said moving from one side to the other.
"Why not? This is not his planet, he has no right!" yelled Kyle, who seemed more angry than anybody ever saw him.
"He says that he has a fantasy. He wants all of you, even his parents, to see the King of Antar die...again."
"What? wait a minute. You don't suppose I have to tell my parents, do you?" asked Isabel with her hands on the table.
"You don't have to, you won't need to." Leona replied.
"What if I really die in battle?" Max said with his arms crossed.
"May you bite your tongue every time you say that, Max Evans!" Leona said indignant. "You are not going to die! You are going home alive!"
"Where exactly is home?" asked Max. Leona looked at him for a while and then said,
"Where is your heart now, Max?" After he heard that, he wasn't sure what to answer.
Everybody fell silent. So much had happened in only two days that they weren't sure if they could understand everything. For them, their destiny was changing and the destiny of two planets were in their hands, even Liz's destiny.
Liz went up to her room with Maria. Everything she had heard made her upset. As she made it clear, she didn't want to sacrifice any more than she had already sacrificed by changing the future and realizing everything she had lost. Down at the cafe, Kyle was talking to Leona,
"Once again, the girl I fall for is an alien!" he said almost whispering.
"Kyle, I'm sorry." she replied, "I meant to tell you but..." she broke off when Kyle interrupted her.
"Leona, I simply don't care. I love you." he said, holding her face between his hands.
"You mean...you're in love with me?" she said hopeful.
"Yes. So much. Like I've never been before. You complete me. You make me happy. You make me special and thanks to you, I`m a whole new person."
"I love you, too, Kyle!" and then she leaned to kiss him. Suddenly, she had flashes from him, but Kyle didn't seem to get them. Kyle broke off the kiss.
"I love you... as long as you don't fall in love with Max!" he chuckled.
"I heard that." Max said looking at him.
"That is what I wanted, Evans."
"What? Why did you say that?" asked Leona even more confused, not only by his comment, but because of the flashes.
"I'll tell you later." he replied.
"But, why?" she kept asking as Kyle took her to one of the booths and sat with her.
Maria had come out of Liz's room saying,
"She's asleep."
"Good." said Isabel, "She needs it."
Leona was sitting with Kyle, looking down at her hands. She seemed to be crying and she had her head rested on Kyle`s shoulder. Michael sat with them.
"I'm sorry you had to know this way."
"It's ok. At least I know your version of it."
"Did you think we're lying?" Asked Michael, clearly offended by her statement.
"It's not that. I think there is something else to it. More like...someone...else."
"Oh." he said.
"He wasn't my brother anyway, but he is Mr. Johnson's son. Mr. Johnson is my mother's brother. He is the scientist who made clones of you and altered my DNA. When he arrived, he met a human woman and later married her."
"So, he's your uncle and Pierce was a hybrid?"
"Yes." replied Leona, "My other uncle, the soldier, was Nasedo."
Tess, who was drinking some water, spilled the water out of her mouth when she heard that. They all had heard and they were shocked by the news.
"Ok, let me get this straight," said Sean, " You are a goddess, half alien, sent to protect these guys and to look for a Messiah. You are Nasedo's and Mr. Johnson's niece."
"Yes, you got all of that right." she said smiling at him.
"Thanks, I tried." he replied. Michael was still speechless. Max, Tess and Isabel went to sit with them. Leona resumed to her hands.
"I can't believe you are Nasedo's niece." said Tess.
"Well, believe it." she replied.
"Was he your mother's brother, too?" Isabel asked.
"Yes, he was. My father was an only child!"
"I only have one question," said Michael, "Why would Pierce attack us if he was one of us, too?"
"I don't know, but I don't think the man you killed was Pierce."
"What?" said Max.
"Why do you think that?" asked Tess.
"As I kissed Kyle I saw what happened." she replied.
"What? You got flashes from me? Why didn't I get them?" asked Kyle.
"Shut up, Valenti." said Michael, who was trying to get Leona to explain.
"What do you mean?" asked Isabel ignoring the boys.
"The real Pierce died 3 years ago. Besides, he has a tattoo on his right hand." Leona replied.
"What about the other Pierce?" asked Tess.
"I'm pretty sure it was a shape shifter."
"But what about the witnesses?" asked Tess, "They said they saw us."
"There probably weren't any witnesses. The witnesses and the murderer probably are skins. My uncle probably got the news from skins-shape shifter."
"A plan from Kivar?" asked Isabel.
"You might right about that." Leona replied.
"You are brilliant." said Tess smiling to Leona.
" Well, yeah! Where did you think I got my skills?"
"FBI." said the gang in unison.
"Show off!" said Sean in front of her face.
"Thanks." Leona grinned with pride.
"But why would Kivar kill Pierce and send a shape shifter in his place?"
"I don't know, but I'm trying to figure it out." She stood up and took a piece of paper and a pen.
"Ok, this is what I know," she startedsketching what she had assimilated "9 years ago, Pierce was trying to find you after he got word that you had woken up. He had been in the Special Unit for 6 years trying to locate you because they needed to know if you were safe. He already knew what you looked like because he met the New York set. He had people from Antar looking for you, too. I mean, the ones who escaped the war. One of them must have seen you here and took pictures like the ones I have in the box. My point...he had information about you, locations on where you were, files, etc,...specially about the Granolith. Kivar probably wanted that information to get you and kill you."
"Then, why didn't he do it as soon as he got the information?" asked Michael.
"Because, Kivar never got it and Pierce gave me the information before he died. That is, he already knew the Skins were after him for it. So, he gave me the files to keep them safe. They killed him before getting the information out of him. He wouldn't say anything, though."
"You know? I feel such a relief now." commented Michael, "But I still feel bad about killing someone. Truth to be said, nobody deserves to die like that."
"Well, whoever it was, he did sure pay hell for everything!" commented Tess.
"Yeah." said Leona, "But I still don't get one thing..."
"What?" said Max.
"How did they find you?" she asked. The gang looked at each other not wanting to answer that. Kyle was just sitting there very calm and waiting for the argument to start. He loved that part.
"I asked something. Can you guys please tell me what happened?" said Leona, suspicious that the Royal Four knew more than they wanted to let on.
"They had to wait until we saw our mother's message in the orbs." finished Isabel.
"Wait a minute," said Leona perplexed, "You activated the orbs?"
"Yes." replied Max.
"Didn't my unc...Nasedo...warn you about them?" she asked.
"Yes, but we didn't listen." replied Michael.
"And why didn't you listen?"
"We...we...were curious." said Michael.
"Curious?"
"The most important thing is that we are here alive, isn't it? I mean, we made it." said Max, trying to avoid her temperament.
"Yes, but you got Nasedo killed!" she yelled standing up. "God!! You are just like you were back then, hard headed and stubborn!"
"We know! And we're sorry, but we didn't think of the consequences, and we wanted to know more of who we were. We had that right!" replied Michael, yelling back
"Besides, Nasedo wouldn't tell us anything." commented Isabel, "He only told us that Max and Tess were the King and Queen. I was his sister and a Princess, and Michael was best friend and Second in Command, that's all. We wanted to know more but he didn't tell us anything else."
"But we shouldn't have, not at the expense of our friends' and Nasedo's lives." commented Tess, agreeing with Leona, "We didn't just expose ourselves, but our family and friends. We exposed everyone we cared about." The gang went silent after Tess' comment. Even though the gang tried to prevent anybody from getting hurt, they did. They tried to explain to Leona how they felt about the whole thing, how desperate the felt to get out of a dangerous situation, how disappointed they felt when things didn't turn out all that great for them; everything. Leona was listening through the whole thing.
"Well, my father always wanted me to be disappointed in you and make me think that you weren't worth the effort and trust." Commented Leona "He got it... at first, but I'm not letting him win again."
"What does your father have against us?" asked Max.
"A lot." Leona replied, not looking at him.
"I guess he is on Kivar's side, isn't he?" said Michael.
"Can you handle that?" she asked.
"If you can handle us killing him." he said, even though he meant it as a joke.
"Well..." she said looking up to the ceiling.
"Don't tell us your father is a god, too?" commented Isabel
"Wow! A god married to a mortal!" said Tess sarcastlly, "Didn't think it was possible."
"No, my father is mortal, he is just mad." she replied trying to hint them into something.
"So is Kivar." said Maria. trying to get into the conversation.
"And Liz is going to be so angry if you make her the Messiah." commented Kyle.
"Kyle, she already is." cleared Sean, "She's just in denial, right?" he said looking at Leona.
"Right." she replied.
"You seem to be in the hook more than all of us." commented Max.
"Well, I try." he replied grinning.
Everyone started talking about something else besides Kivar and their destiny. For the first time in the night, they felt at ease. Leona started to think about her family and Antar, wondering if this time they could free her people. She had hoped for so long for the time when her planet was free and happy...back to the life they had without Kivar. Maria interrupted their chat saying,
"There is something I always wanted to know about you guys." she said, referring to Michael, Max, Isabel and Tess.
"What?" Michael asked.
"Your Family." she replied. Then they turned to look at Leona, who was busy scratching the table.
"Leona?" called Max.
"Huh?" she replied still scratching.
"Will you stop that and listen to us?" asked Kyle grabbing her hand.
"Ok, I'm listening." she said, looking at him then at the others. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything about our families." answered Tess.
"Everything?" she said perplexed.
"Everything!" they all said in unison.
"It's a long story." she warned them.
"We have all the time in the world." replied Isabel, who was anxious to finally know about her background more deeply.
"What about your parents?" asked Leona, "Won't they get mad if you get home late?"
"We'll call them and tell them we are going to stay at your place." explained Max.
"With what excuse?" she said, even more confused and almost screaming.
"Because you need company after you knew about your brother, I mean, your cousin." replied Tess.
"Hey! Let the dead rest in peace!" she said serious.
"Leona, please, we want you to tell us since you are the only one who knows the whole story." pleaded Isabel. Leona looked around the room as if trying to avoid their eyes. Finally she gave in.
"Ok, where do you want me to start?" asked Leona.
"What about Michael's family?" said Maria before anybody could talk.
Michael felt anxious. All he wanted in his life was to know where he came from and finally, there was someone who could tell them about his family.
"Are you ready?" asked Leona to Michael. She knew there were some things he wouldn't like about his family and she didn't want to destroy his hopes.
"Ready as I can be." replied Michael.
"Well," she started, "Your mother passed away a little while before the war; your father and your sister are still alive. Your mother was a very good hearted lady. Her name was Emerald. When she married your father, her family thought she was crazy and she would reply to them that it was true, she was crazy about him. She always smiled, even on hard times; she helped anybody who needed help. She was beautiful. When she had you, his first son, she knew you were born to do something big, but besides all that, she knew you were born to make your father the proudest father alive. Then, your sister was born and you were bouncing everywhere waiting to see her. As she grew up, you could go anywhere with her, you even took her to the lake after your father told you not to. You were always there for her. You were part of each other. It was so difficult to separate you and some way or another, you were always together. She said she couldn't go anywhere without you because you were the
smart one and you always knew what to do. Then, one day you joined the Royal army and you had to go. She felt so alone and lost, but you would always meet her at the lake you used to take her without your father knowing."
"Hey! Your family sound pretty cool, compared to mine." said Kyle.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tess.
"Nothing really." replied Kyle, retracting from what he had said.
"Ok, can we hear the rest of the story without you interrupting us?" asked Maria, upset by the interruption.
"Calm down, Maria! They were trying to be nice." said Michael "What was my sister's name?" he said turning to face Leona.
"I knew you would ask that." replied Leona smiling, "She was named after her grandmother. You've never met her. Her name was Leona." She let out a slow, long exhale after she finished. Everybody fell silent. Michael was looking at her without blinking. He felt more confused than before. The information was starting to feel unbearable. Sean tried to break the silence.
"Well..." started Sean, "that's a coincidence, isn't it? That's your name, right?"
"Yes, Sean. That's my name." she replied.
"So, that makes you his sister." Kyle completed.
"Michael?" called Leona.
"Yes?" he replied without looking at her.
"Are you ok?" said Leona, concerned that Michael might not want to talk to her after what she said.
"I don't know. It depends. You just told me that you were my sister." Michael replied turning his sight to her.
"Is that bad?" she asked, feeling her heart stop, waiting for his answer.
"No." he finally said, "I...I don't think so." then he grabbed her hand. Leona smiled at him. Then they both turned to look at their friends who seemed to be waiting for something.
"What?" they both said in unison.
"No hug?" asked Isabel.
"Did you have to be that pushy?" asked Michael. Leona slapped him on the arm. "Sorry." he said to Isabel.
"Apology accepted." she said smiling.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Max.
"Ok, first of all, we don't need you to tell us to hug each other; and second, you just spoiled the moment," commented Leona.
"I'm eager to know the rest of the story of the Guerin family, so please..." said Maria.
"Ok, Maria, it's just that..." she hesitated.
"It gets worse, doesn't it?" said Michael, referring to her father, who now could be called their father. Leona nodded.
"Well, better if you say it now, than let him know from somebody else." commented Kyle. While the others were wondering how much worse it could get, Max was connecting all the dots. He already had an idea of what to expect from there.
"Ok, your father...I mean, our father, he was an ambitious person. He wanted it all, even though he had his family and the love of his life. He wanted to avenge himself for what the King had done to him, and I don't mean the King Zan. I meant his father. But it got worse when Michael decided to join the Royal army. He even kicked him out of the house for his betrayal. But Michael was pursuing his dreams. My father not only felt betrayed, he also blamed this on the King father." she stopped a while before saying the rest. "My father's rage got even worse when he caught me with Zan in a really compromising position."
"How compromising?" asked Tess. Max felt he had had enough. He started to understand everything much better now. He didn't like the looks of it, but he remained calm.
"Um...well...how compromising is kissing?" she said in an apologetic tone.
"So compromising for your father that you had to leave me and marry someone else to stop the war, but that didn't work so well now, did it?" replied Max.
"Leona?" called Michael, but she didn't answer. In that exact moment, everyone started to feel awkward. Kyle, Sean and Maria didn't feel like finding out the rest. Specially Kyle.
"Ok, I think we better go. It's getting a little late." started Sean, feeling uncomfortable. "Maria, let's go. I don't want aunt Amy to get mad at me, so let's go."
"Ok, just let me get my things." said Maria. As she turned her back she whispered, "Oh my God!"
Kyle just kept staring at Leona.
"Kyle, please, don't look at me like that."
"I just can't believe it." he replied, looking away from her. His heart just broke as soon as he knew that Max and Leona had a past.
"I was wondering, why does Max get all the girls I want, huh?" he said as he stood up.
"Kyle, what happened between me and Max was a long time ago. It's in the past. I already told you that I love you...YOU...Kyle, please, you have to believe me!" she said standing up to reach him.
"And you're just going to ignore your past? What about your `husband?'"
"No, I just..."
"You know what? I'll talk to you later, ok?" he said as he got his car keys, "Evans, do you want me to tell my dad about this...?" he broke off as Max replied,
"I'll tell him."
"All right." Kyle said and walked off. Leona tried to avoid Max's eyes as much as she could, even though she thought she was going to give in sooner than later.
"I'm ready." said Maria to Sean, "Good luck, I think you'll need it." she said to Leona patting her on the back while Leona thanked her with a smile. Once Maria, Kyle and Sean were gone, Leona broke the silence.
"I think you already figured it out, Max," she started, "our father is Kivar."
Michael didn't take that very well. He stood up and put his hands on his face, then onto his hair. Isabel felt like she was going to break down, while Tess was lost in her thoughts looking at her hands. Max felt angry at that time and couldn't believe that she had waited that long to tell them while the worst was to come.
"Well, I don't know who is worse, Hank or Kivar, but I think that if I had to decide between one of them, I would've chosen Hank, that's for sure!" commented Michael.
"I understand." replied Leona.
"No, you don't understand!" yelled Michael, "You don't understand, because you don't know how disappointed I feel now. After so many years waiting to find out where I come from, I find that my father is our own enemy." he stopped before saying the rest, " God, Leona! I thought... I have always hoped that my father would be the best father in the universe. Now, I wish I had never tried to contact my family or even met you." he stopped after realizing what he had just said. Even though he saw how much he hurt Leona, he didn't apologize for it.
"Well..." she started, "Michael, I do understand, believe it or not. But the worst of everything is knowing that you can't be with the people you value the most, not doing what you really want to do. I have lived up there. I can still remember vividly all the screams, the cries, the blood on the floor, the anguish, the pain caused by the war, by my father. Then, there was a moment when I hated the blood that runs through my veins, because it was my father's. I wished that I had never fallen in love, because I thought love itself caused that chaos. I even wished that I wasn't even born. But then Michael, I realized that I didn't mean it. As I remembered the things I loved most, the things I used to do with you, the things that made us a family, I missed that. I missed being normal. I love my father because he is the one who brought me here and the life he gave me made me find things beautiful. He may not be a lovable person, but he's a mortal and as a mortal, he's bound to
make mistakes and he has done a lot of them ever since, but that's the anger talking. I know that he can change if only we give him chance."
"Leona, how naive can you be?" said Max, not believing what he had just heard.
"As far as I'm concerned, Kivar is our enemy and he is in no position to change his mind. We know you are just saying that because he is your father and, you know what? We don't care, after all he has done, not only to your family but to us." said Isabel, wanting to avoid eye contact with Leona.
"And you can't be that forgiving, Leona." said Tess, "Kivar has destroyed thousands, even millions of lives. He has killed. He has lied. He has deceived your family and a thousand things more that I don't care to count."
"I know." Leona agreed, "I'm not trying make you believe he can change, or to forgive him, for that matter. I'm just telling you how I feel."
There was a long pause after Leona finished that last statement. As awkward as it felt, nobody dared to speak until Isabel's cell phone rang. Isabel gave the phone to Max to answer it and he checked the caller ID. He talked on the phone with his mother trying to calm her down and telling her that they were staying at Leona's house. Nobody spoke, even after Max hung up. Leona was getting tired of it. She just stood up and went over to the table where she had left the pictures and folders and put them neatly back in the box.
Then, she just went to get the keys of the car and held the box in her arms. Once she was ready she asked,
"You coming?" but she saw how everybody hesitated, "I'm not going to kill you unless you really piss me off, if that's what you're worried about."
Nobody answered her comment and still, she couldn't begin to imagine how angry they felt, but she was worried about Kyle. She looked at them.
"It seems that cats got your tongues. Give me a call when you're ready to talk and to hear the rest of the story. If you prefer, we can start with your training and I will give you the powers you were destined to have. So, with my conscience at peace, I will leave you here and I'll see you on Monday. Good-bye." as she turned to the door, Michael spoke:
"Wait! I'll go with you." He felt guilty for what he said and ws trying to make ammends but still didn't know how.
"Make that two." said Tess "I still want to know who's your husband." she added trying to make things comfortable by teasing
"I think I got an idea of who he is." said Isabel, following Tess "But as of right now, I'll go with you and keep the guess to myself." Now everybody was waiting for Max to give in. After a while, he said,
" Well, if everyone is going, I'll go, too. I'm only interested in knowing why our parents hated each other so much." said Max as he stood up.
"Well, like people say: curiosity killed the cat, eh?" she replied to his comments.Even on the ride home nobody dared to even squeak. Leona was mostly hurt by the way Michael acted when he knew about his father. She was sure that they would get over it, but the hurt would still be there.
Umm...I guess I only have to say: Read and enjoy!
PART# 6
Leona drove through highway 280. She kept thinking of a plan to get the Royal Four to talk. Seeing how her first plan didn't work, she would use what was in the box against them. She had finally arrived where she wanted to be: The pods.
She didn't need to pass her hand on the lock. The door opened when the sensors detected her presence.
She went in and went through the pods. The granolith stood there and Leona thought it looked so majestic for a simple science device. It seemed like a Holy shrine where she would worship her higher beings.
"Serena seems to have done a good job with the granolith." commented a male voice.
Leona turned around in surprise to see the male who was surrounded by fire. Even his body seemed to be on fire, but the flames never consumed his body. It just kept shining like the sun. His eyes were as red as his spiky hair was. Leona couldn't help but smile at the sight of that hair. His name was Phoenix.
"It seems like the god of fire wants to be young again with that hair. It works!"
"Don't you dare joke about my hair!" he said pointing a finger to her, "Have some respect for your elders, young lady!"
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it." she replied. Phoenix was disgusted by her comments. "And I won't do it again," Leona continued.
"You better not. However, I did not come here to discuss hair issues. I came here to talk about the Royal Four." he cleared.
"Not again!"
"I understand you are upset because you think they killed your cousin. But, I don't think it's fair to them for a goddess to keep a secret of the powers they were to be provided."
"As far as I'm concerned, they don't deserve those powers, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to give them."
"Then why haven't you? You have been in Roswell for a year now and you haven`t told them about who you really are."
" Point taken, but I just wanted to test them just ..."
"Test them?" he interrupted her, "What's there to test? Leona, you have a job and it is not up to you to decide whether they are fit or not. There is a planet in danger and we need them. Most of all, we don't have time to choose another Royal Four who are fit to fight your father. Our people are losing their faith and hope is dying. Don't make this a tragedy!"
"I won't. Tonight, I will tell them everything and I will start with the trainings."
"Make it fast. We don't have time to lose."
"All right." she said with her head lowered. The man looked at her sadly.
"You don't have to feel guilty about what happened in the past. What has happened, happened. There is no need to bring it out again."
"Our people are dying and I know I'm responsible for this. I know God has forgiven me for having caused this war, but I can't forgive myself."
"Leona, we are going to make it with the Royal Four and the Messiah. We will free our people."
"I haven't even found the Messiah!" she said frustrated.
"You will, I believe that you will." he said smiling.
"Thanks."
"You are most welcome." He gave her a small kiss on the cheek. As Leona felt his hot lips touch her skin, she smiled.
"Are you sure you don't mind Max using your power?" she asked.
"No, I don't. As long as he uses it wisely."
"Hope he does." She replied.
"I have to go. Please just do what you were asked to do. We will leave you alone."
"I don't want you to leave me alone. It's just so painful having to remember the past every time I look at them."
"Then don't look at them." he said grinning.
"Very funny, Phoenix!" she said. With that, he disappeared.
She sighed. She knew she had to move fast before her father could find her and try to stop her. "If it were that easy!" she thought. She sat on the floor and got the things out of the box.
"Sorry, but I told you it'd be tonight and it's not night yet, so, I'll work on this." she said, knowing she was alone but addressing Phoenix. She studied the files as she waited for the night to fall and hoped that she could find the truth to everything.
It was night already and the whole gang was at the Crashdown Cafe, waiting for Sean, who had called saying that he couldn't find Leona anywhere. Most of them were worried that she might have been hurt or that she went to a meeting with the Special Unit. Liz was already getting everything ready to close up as she pulled down the screens.
"Well, Max, it seems she was right. You don't know her enough to assure she wouldn't do something that cruel to us." commented Tess.
"Tess, there is one part of her we don't know. She has kept secrets from us and that is the part we don't trust. What if she turn us in to the FBI?" replied Max.
"She's FBI herself. She could ask for back up and we can't afford to kill more people." commented Isabel.
"I still believe in Leona." said Michael. Maria was besides him with her hand on his shoulder. Max knew that there was nothing he could do or say to make him change his mind. He couldn't believe they were back to the time where they had just met Leona and Michael was arguing with Max all the time about trusting Leona.
They heard someone knock on the door. It was Sean.
"Anything?" asked Max.
"No." replied Sean.
"What do we do now?" asked Isabel.
"Have you searched her house?" asked Liz.
"Yes, but nobody answers the door."
"She's here." said Michael as if he were in some kind of trance.
"Who's here?" asked Maria.
`My parents are in Washington, D.C. At the Bureau." replied a female voice. Everyone turned to see Leona.
"How did you get in here?" asked Liz, "The door was locked!"
"Really? are you sure?" she implied as she held a wooden box in her arms.
"What do you mean your parents are at the Bureau?" asked Max.
"Relax, Max! My parents are in a meeting about a rape/murder case." she explained. They all just stared at her as she put the box down.
"What is that?" asked Kyle.
" Hello to you, too!" she said, "Boy, this is going to be difficult with everyone asking questions." she commented, "Now, Max, are you ready to tell me who was that man you guys killed?"
"What?" asked Sean, who seemed surprised, "You killed someone?"
"Yes, and I'm waiting for an answer." replied Leona staring at Max, waiting for his answer.
"You don't have any right!" said Max, who was now angry.
"Ok, let's make a deal. You just tell me the name of the man you killed and I will tell you everything there is to know about this big secret of mine you all want to know so badly."
"How is that of any interest to any of us now?" asked Michael. "How is that going to help us?"
"Well, I'll give you this: Kivar had a family. He was married and had two children, a boy and a girl. Kivar hated the King, and I'm not talking about Zan, I'm talking about Zan's father. Kivar's daughter fell in love with Zan and Zan loved her back. When Kivar found out, he went crazy and he declared war. So his daughter had to leave Zan and marry someone else to stop the war. Now, did you know that, Zan?"
Max glared at her in complete and utter surprise when she called him Zan. Everyone was just silent, staring at Leona in disbelief.
"Deal?" she said indifferently. Max looked at the rest of them, then at Michael, who nodded.
"How do you know all that?" asked Max.
"Ay, Dios Mio!" she said looking up, "Max, I'll tell you if you want to make a deal."
"Hell, no!" yelled Max.
"Ok." She then opened the box and took out everything that was in there. "Then what is this?" She dropped pictures of them and showed them to him. "My brother sent me this and told me not to open it unless he said so, but now that he's not here, I had to open it.
This is a journal where he kept everything updated. He stopped writing in it in1998. It has been 3 years. Three years he has been dead. Can you tell me Max, how come my brother has your pictures, your files and this picture in particular?" she said, showing them a picture of a dead man with a silver handprint on his chest. "Max, this is your print, isn't it?"
"Are you implying I killed that man?"
"You tell me."
"How can you do this to us?" asked Isabel, "What have we done to you?"
"Nothing, but I want to know the whole truth."
"Do you really want to know the truth?" said Tess without looking at her.
"Yes."
"Then...we killed your brother." she replied.
"Tess!" yelled Max. Everyone was shocked at that moment. Nobody knew what to expect from Leona, but by the looks of it, she didn't seem too happy. Leona didn't expect to hear that.
"He tried to kill us, Leona. He even shot Kyle. If it weren't for Max, Kyle would be dead now." Tess continued, eyes closed with tears streaming down her cheeks. Leona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was in complete shock. "You can imagine how guilty we all felt afterwards. It kept haunting us, tormenting us. We almost grew completely apart. Two years passed and we still felt the same way. Like humans, we have a conscience." said Tess this time looking at her in the eyes. Leona's eyes were filled with tears.
"That is not true! My brother wouldn't do something as horrible as that!"
"He did, Leona." replied Michael, "We had to stop him one way or another."
"By killing him?" she asked indignant.
"Welcome to our world." said Michael. Leona couldn't believe what she was hearing. She turned around and let the tears stream down her cheeks. She turned around to face them. She looked at them and they seemed more nervous than ever.
"Is this true Kyle? Did my brother shoot you?" she asked, even tough she didn't want to hear the answer. Kyle just nodded. Leona stared at him for a while, then she closed her eyes and more tears ran down her face.
"I can't believe this." she said whispering.
Liz approached her. Max tried to stop her, but she kept walking until she was before Leona. Liz touched her shoulder and then hugged her. At the same exact moment, they both had flashes from their lives. Liz saw Leona dancing with Zan. She saw her holding a woman's body in her arms. She saw Rath and Ava sitting besides her.
Leona saw Liz being shot and Max healing her, her first kiss with Max, Liz finding out about Max's destiny with Tess, Liz with future Max. Both girls let go of each other. Liz was confused by those flashes.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Liz, what's wrong?" asked Max.
"I don't know."
"I am one of you." she replied, "Half alien and half goddess."
"What?" Michael gasped in confusion.
"That's how I know what really happened in the past."
"Excuse me?" said Kyle.
"God! This thing is getting really hard to understand." said Sean.
"I'm...like you...from Antar. I was made by gods and demons...I mean, by evil and good. To make me an Antar's mortal, I had to be born in a mortal's womb, so they chose my mother and here I am. I was born to give the Royal Four some gifts provided by the gods. I was born to protect YOU. At first, they told me that you weren't ready. When you died, they told me to ask my uncle to make clones of you and I did. Soon, Kivar found out about that and my uncle managed to escape with my other uncle who was a soldier. They put you in pods and took a few of our people along with me. I was only 14 years old." She stopped for breath. Her tears kept flowing, falling from her eyes and she wiped them away.
"The most important parts of everything are you and the Messiah. As a goddess, my job is to protect you and get you out of here safe to lead the war. The Messiah is a human who was brought back to life by the King. In your past lives, you were supposed to have certain powers I didn't give you. First of all, you weren't ready. Second, I was afraid you would use them for evil with everything that was happening. But I think you are ready now and should begin training." she said as if she was finished. Leona's were red from crying, even though she had stopped a while ago.
"But that happened more than 50 years ago! How come you seem so young?" asked Maria.
"I was frozen. My uncle used one of his devices to freeze me until you woke up. He also altered my DNA so I could look like a human. I was placed in New York with the other set of the Royal Four. They woke me up when they were 16 years old and I was still 14. I didn't understand their language, but I was a fast learner." she replied. She looked at them. They seemed more confused than ever.
"We have a lot of questions. But I guess we'll stick to the Messiah first." said Max, "Who is this Messiah person?"
"The prophecies say the Messiah is a human brought back to life by the King...and...I'm here to look for the Messiah." Leona replied.
"Do people healed by the King, count here?" asked Liz.
"Yes. If you are near death and the king heals you, he practically brought you back to life." Leona explained. Liz and Kyle looked at each other worried.
"Is it supposed to be a girl or a guy?" asked Kyle.
"The prophecies say a human. They don't say anything about gender." she cleared, then she grew suspicious, "Why do you ask?" she asked and she saw them turn to Max as he replied,
"I know."
"You know what?" asked Leona. Max sighed. The prophecies were bothering him.
"I healed two persons who were near death." Max replied.
"Who are they?"
"You are standing in front of them." he replied as he pointed to Kyle and Liz.
Leona was stunned, but composed herself and asked,
"Who was first?"
"Liz." said Isabel, not sure if she was comfortable by the whole thing. Leona looked at Liz, then smiled and tried to approach her but Liz backed away.
"Don't tell me I'm the Messiah, please!" pleaded Liz.
"Finally, I have met you." replied Leona as a way to answer.
"If I were you , I would think it is an honor." commented Maria, trying to comfort her.
"Well, it isn't for me."
"They start that way. They get used to it later." Leona said, "Think of it as a way to help our people. You will be our savior."
"I don't want to do this anymore!" she said, "I'm tired of being the one sacrificing everything I have so the universe can be at peace! I am tired of you who hit me while I'm down and destroy all my hopes! I won't take this anymore."
"Liz, listen. We just need your help. When this is over, you will have your normal life back. I promise." pleaded Leona.
"What have you done to me? Destroyed my life taking away the people I love. It's just not fair!" she replied. Max was looking at her confused. He thought she would take the job, but she proved him wrong. She was really tired.
"If you don't want to do it, don't do it." Max replied. "We'll think of a way to beat them."
Liz looked at him. A part of her was thankful, but the other part felt guilt.
"Then, how do you suppose we do this? Alone?" asked Leona.
"We'll think of something." he replied.
"But the people included in the prophecies are there for a reason." commented Michael. "They don't choose those people with a flip of a coin."
"What is the reason here, Michael?" asked Isabel, "What if the prophecies said that she has to die?"
"The prophecies don't say that. Besides, The Messiah is too valuable for the gods. They`d protect her with everything they have."
"How do you know she will not die?" asked Tess.
"That's why you're here: to protect The Messiah." she cleared.
"I thought that was your job." said Sean, who hadn't talked for a while.
"No, my job is to protect the Royal Four and get them through this war safe and alive. Protecting The Messiah is the Royal Four's job. They have to keep her alive for the sake of Antar and Earth."
"Why Earth?" asked Isabel. Leona stopped and sighed.
"You don't think..." the rest of Maria's sentence trailed off.
"In case the skins wanted to make the war here." she replied.
"They can't do that!" said Michael.
"Don't tell me, tell them. Besides I don't think we are going to convince him to do it on Antar." she said moving from one side to the other.
"Why not? This is not his planet, he has no right!" yelled Kyle, who seemed more angry than anybody ever saw him.
"He says that he has a fantasy. He wants all of you, even his parents, to see the King of Antar die...again."
"What? wait a minute. You don't suppose I have to tell my parents, do you?" asked Isabel with her hands on the table.
"You don't have to, you won't need to." Leona replied.
"What if I really die in battle?" Max said with his arms crossed.
"May you bite your tongue every time you say that, Max Evans!" Leona said indignant. "You are not going to die! You are going home alive!"
"Where exactly is home?" asked Max. Leona looked at him for a while and then said,
"Where is your heart now, Max?" After he heard that, he wasn't sure what to answer.
Everybody fell silent. So much had happened in only two days that they weren't sure if they could understand everything. For them, their destiny was changing and the destiny of two planets were in their hands, even Liz's destiny.
Liz went up to her room with Maria. Everything she had heard made her upset. As she made it clear, she didn't want to sacrifice any more than she had already sacrificed by changing the future and realizing everything she had lost. Down at the cafe, Kyle was talking to Leona,
"Once again, the girl I fall for is an alien!" he said almost whispering.
"Kyle, I'm sorry." she replied, "I meant to tell you but..." she broke off when Kyle interrupted her.
"Leona, I simply don't care. I love you." he said, holding her face between his hands.
"You mean...you're in love with me?" she said hopeful.
"Yes. So much. Like I've never been before. You complete me. You make me happy. You make me special and thanks to you, I`m a whole new person."
"I love you, too, Kyle!" and then she leaned to kiss him. Suddenly, she had flashes from him, but Kyle didn't seem to get them. Kyle broke off the kiss.
"I love you... as long as you don't fall in love with Max!" he chuckled.
"I heard that." Max said looking at him.
"That is what I wanted, Evans."
"What? Why did you say that?" asked Leona even more confused, not only by his comment, but because of the flashes.
"I'll tell you later." he replied.
"But, why?" she kept asking as Kyle took her to one of the booths and sat with her.
Maria had come out of Liz's room saying,
"She's asleep."
"Good." said Isabel, "She needs it."
Leona was sitting with Kyle, looking down at her hands. She seemed to be crying and she had her head rested on Kyle`s shoulder. Michael sat with them.
"I'm sorry you had to know this way."
"It's ok. At least I know your version of it."
"Did you think we're lying?" Asked Michael, clearly offended by her statement.
"It's not that. I think there is something else to it. More like...someone...else."
"Oh." he said.
"He wasn't my brother anyway, but he is Mr. Johnson's son. Mr. Johnson is my mother's brother. He is the scientist who made clones of you and altered my DNA. When he arrived, he met a human woman and later married her."
"So, he's your uncle and Pierce was a hybrid?"
"Yes." replied Leona, "My other uncle, the soldier, was Nasedo."
Tess, who was drinking some water, spilled the water out of her mouth when she heard that. They all had heard and they were shocked by the news.
"Ok, let me get this straight," said Sean, " You are a goddess, half alien, sent to protect these guys and to look for a Messiah. You are Nasedo's and Mr. Johnson's niece."
"Yes, you got all of that right." she said smiling at him.
"Thanks, I tried." he replied. Michael was still speechless. Max, Tess and Isabel went to sit with them. Leona resumed to her hands.
"I can't believe you are Nasedo's niece." said Tess.
"Well, believe it." she replied.
"Was he your mother's brother, too?" Isabel asked.
"Yes, he was. My father was an only child!"
"I only have one question," said Michael, "Why would Pierce attack us if he was one of us, too?"
"I don't know, but I don't think the man you killed was Pierce."
"What?" said Max.
"Why do you think that?" asked Tess.
"As I kissed Kyle I saw what happened." she replied.
"What? You got flashes from me? Why didn't I get them?" asked Kyle.
"Shut up, Valenti." said Michael, who was trying to get Leona to explain.
"What do you mean?" asked Isabel ignoring the boys.
"The real Pierce died 3 years ago. Besides, he has a tattoo on his right hand." Leona replied.
"What about the other Pierce?" asked Tess.
"I'm pretty sure it was a shape shifter."
"But what about the witnesses?" asked Tess, "They said they saw us."
"There probably weren't any witnesses. The witnesses and the murderer probably are skins. My uncle probably got the news from skins-shape shifter."
"A plan from Kivar?" asked Isabel.
"You might right about that." Leona replied.
"You are brilliant." said Tess smiling to Leona.
" Well, yeah! Where did you think I got my skills?"
"FBI." said the gang in unison.
"Show off!" said Sean in front of her face.
"Thanks." Leona grinned with pride.
"But why would Kivar kill Pierce and send a shape shifter in his place?"
"I don't know, but I'm trying to figure it out." She stood up and took a piece of paper and a pen.
"Ok, this is what I know," she startedsketching what she had assimilated "9 years ago, Pierce was trying to find you after he got word that you had woken up. He had been in the Special Unit for 6 years trying to locate you because they needed to know if you were safe. He already knew what you looked like because he met the New York set. He had people from Antar looking for you, too. I mean, the ones who escaped the war. One of them must have seen you here and took pictures like the ones I have in the box. My point...he had information about you, locations on where you were, files, etc,...specially about the Granolith. Kivar probably wanted that information to get you and kill you."
"Then, why didn't he do it as soon as he got the information?" asked Michael.
"Because, Kivar never got it and Pierce gave me the information before he died. That is, he already knew the Skins were after him for it. So, he gave me the files to keep them safe. They killed him before getting the information out of him. He wouldn't say anything, though."
"You know? I feel such a relief now." commented Michael, "But I still feel bad about killing someone. Truth to be said, nobody deserves to die like that."
"Well, whoever it was, he did sure pay hell for everything!" commented Tess.
"Yeah." said Leona, "But I still don't get one thing..."
"What?" said Max.
"How did they find you?" she asked. The gang looked at each other not wanting to answer that. Kyle was just sitting there very calm and waiting for the argument to start. He loved that part.
"I asked something. Can you guys please tell me what happened?" said Leona, suspicious that the Royal Four knew more than they wanted to let on.
"They had to wait until we saw our mother's message in the orbs." finished Isabel.
"Wait a minute," said Leona perplexed, "You activated the orbs?"
"Yes." replied Max.
"Didn't my unc...Nasedo...warn you about them?" she asked.
"Yes, but we didn't listen." replied Michael.
"And why didn't you listen?"
"We...we...were curious." said Michael.
"Curious?"
"The most important thing is that we are here alive, isn't it? I mean, we made it." said Max, trying to avoid her temperament.
"Yes, but you got Nasedo killed!" she yelled standing up. "God!! You are just like you were back then, hard headed and stubborn!"
"We know! And we're sorry, but we didn't think of the consequences, and we wanted to know more of who we were. We had that right!" replied Michael, yelling back
"Besides, Nasedo wouldn't tell us anything." commented Isabel, "He only told us that Max and Tess were the King and Queen. I was his sister and a Princess, and Michael was best friend and Second in Command, that's all. We wanted to know more but he didn't tell us anything else."
"But we shouldn't have, not at the expense of our friends' and Nasedo's lives." commented Tess, agreeing with Leona, "We didn't just expose ourselves, but our family and friends. We exposed everyone we cared about." The gang went silent after Tess' comment. Even though the gang tried to prevent anybody from getting hurt, they did. They tried to explain to Leona how they felt about the whole thing, how desperate the felt to get out of a dangerous situation, how disappointed they felt when things didn't turn out all that great for them; everything. Leona was listening through the whole thing.
"Well, my father always wanted me to be disappointed in you and make me think that you weren't worth the effort and trust." Commented Leona "He got it... at first, but I'm not letting him win again."
"What does your father have against us?" asked Max.
"A lot." Leona replied, not looking at him.
"I guess he is on Kivar's side, isn't he?" said Michael.
"Can you handle that?" she asked.
"If you can handle us killing him." he said, even though he meant it as a joke.
"Well..." she said looking up to the ceiling.
"Don't tell us your father is a god, too?" commented Isabel
"Wow! A god married to a mortal!" said Tess sarcastlly, "Didn't think it was possible."
"No, my father is mortal, he is just mad." she replied trying to hint them into something.
"So is Kivar." said Maria. trying to get into the conversation.
"And Liz is going to be so angry if you make her the Messiah." commented Kyle.
"Kyle, she already is." cleared Sean, "She's just in denial, right?" he said looking at Leona.
"Right." she replied.
"You seem to be in the hook more than all of us." commented Max.
"Well, I try." he replied grinning.
Everyone started talking about something else besides Kivar and their destiny. For the first time in the night, they felt at ease. Leona started to think about her family and Antar, wondering if this time they could free her people. She had hoped for so long for the time when her planet was free and happy...back to the life they had without Kivar. Maria interrupted their chat saying,
"There is something I always wanted to know about you guys." she said, referring to Michael, Max, Isabel and Tess.
"What?" Michael asked.
"Your Family." she replied. Then they turned to look at Leona, who was busy scratching the table.
"Leona?" called Max.
"Huh?" she replied still scratching.
"Will you stop that and listen to us?" asked Kyle grabbing her hand.
"Ok, I'm listening." she said, looking at him then at the others. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything about our families." answered Tess.
"Everything?" she said perplexed.
"Everything!" they all said in unison.
"It's a long story." she warned them.
"We have all the time in the world." replied Isabel, who was anxious to finally know about her background more deeply.
"What about your parents?" asked Leona, "Won't they get mad if you get home late?"
"We'll call them and tell them we are going to stay at your place." explained Max.
"With what excuse?" she said, even more confused and almost screaming.
"Because you need company after you knew about your brother, I mean, your cousin." replied Tess.
"Hey! Let the dead rest in peace!" she said serious.
"Leona, please, we want you to tell us since you are the only one who knows the whole story." pleaded Isabel. Leona looked around the room as if trying to avoid their eyes. Finally she gave in.
"Ok, where do you want me to start?" asked Leona.
"What about Michael's family?" said Maria before anybody could talk.
Michael felt anxious. All he wanted in his life was to know where he came from and finally, there was someone who could tell them about his family.
"Are you ready?" asked Leona to Michael. She knew there were some things he wouldn't like about his family and she didn't want to destroy his hopes.
"Ready as I can be." replied Michael.
"Well," she started, "Your mother passed away a little while before the war; your father and your sister are still alive. Your mother was a very good hearted lady. Her name was Emerald. When she married your father, her family thought she was crazy and she would reply to them that it was true, she was crazy about him. She always smiled, even on hard times; she helped anybody who needed help. She was beautiful. When she had you, his first son, she knew you were born to do something big, but besides all that, she knew you were born to make your father the proudest father alive. Then, your sister was born and you were bouncing everywhere waiting to see her. As she grew up, you could go anywhere with her, you even took her to the lake after your father told you not to. You were always there for her. You were part of each other. It was so difficult to separate you and some way or another, you were always together. She said she couldn't go anywhere without you because you were the
smart one and you always knew what to do. Then, one day you joined the Royal army and you had to go. She felt so alone and lost, but you would always meet her at the lake you used to take her without your father knowing."
"Hey! Your family sound pretty cool, compared to mine." said Kyle.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tess.
"Nothing really." replied Kyle, retracting from what he had said.
"Ok, can we hear the rest of the story without you interrupting us?" asked Maria, upset by the interruption.
"Calm down, Maria! They were trying to be nice." said Michael "What was my sister's name?" he said turning to face Leona.
"I knew you would ask that." replied Leona smiling, "She was named after her grandmother. You've never met her. Her name was Leona." She let out a slow, long exhale after she finished. Everybody fell silent. Michael was looking at her without blinking. He felt more confused than before. The information was starting to feel unbearable. Sean tried to break the silence.
"Well..." started Sean, "that's a coincidence, isn't it? That's your name, right?"
"Yes, Sean. That's my name." she replied.
"So, that makes you his sister." Kyle completed.
"Michael?" called Leona.
"Yes?" he replied without looking at her.
"Are you ok?" said Leona, concerned that Michael might not want to talk to her after what she said.
"I don't know. It depends. You just told me that you were my sister." Michael replied turning his sight to her.
"Is that bad?" she asked, feeling her heart stop, waiting for his answer.
"No." he finally said, "I...I don't think so." then he grabbed her hand. Leona smiled at him. Then they both turned to look at their friends who seemed to be waiting for something.
"What?" they both said in unison.
"No hug?" asked Isabel.
"Did you have to be that pushy?" asked Michael. Leona slapped him on the arm. "Sorry." he said to Isabel.
"Apology accepted." she said smiling.
"What are you waiting for?" asked Max.
"Ok, first of all, we don't need you to tell us to hug each other; and second, you just spoiled the moment," commented Leona.
"I'm eager to know the rest of the story of the Guerin family, so please..." said Maria.
"Ok, Maria, it's just that..." she hesitated.
"It gets worse, doesn't it?" said Michael, referring to her father, who now could be called their father. Leona nodded.
"Well, better if you say it now, than let him know from somebody else." commented Kyle. While the others were wondering how much worse it could get, Max was connecting all the dots. He already had an idea of what to expect from there.
"Ok, your father...I mean, our father, he was an ambitious person. He wanted it all, even though he had his family and the love of his life. He wanted to avenge himself for what the King had done to him, and I don't mean the King Zan. I meant his father. But it got worse when Michael decided to join the Royal army. He even kicked him out of the house for his betrayal. But Michael was pursuing his dreams. My father not only felt betrayed, he also blamed this on the King father." she stopped a while before saying the rest. "My father's rage got even worse when he caught me with Zan in a really compromising position."
"How compromising?" asked Tess. Max felt he had had enough. He started to understand everything much better now. He didn't like the looks of it, but he remained calm.
"Um...well...how compromising is kissing?" she said in an apologetic tone.
"So compromising for your father that you had to leave me and marry someone else to stop the war, but that didn't work so well now, did it?" replied Max.
"Leona?" called Michael, but she didn't answer. In that exact moment, everyone started to feel awkward. Kyle, Sean and Maria didn't feel like finding out the rest. Specially Kyle.
"Ok, I think we better go. It's getting a little late." started Sean, feeling uncomfortable. "Maria, let's go. I don't want aunt Amy to get mad at me, so let's go."
"Ok, just let me get my things." said Maria. As she turned her back she whispered, "Oh my God!"
Kyle just kept staring at Leona.
"Kyle, please, don't look at me like that."
"I just can't believe it." he replied, looking away from her. His heart just broke as soon as he knew that Max and Leona had a past.
"I was wondering, why does Max get all the girls I want, huh?" he said as he stood up.
"Kyle, what happened between me and Max was a long time ago. It's in the past. I already told you that I love you...YOU...Kyle, please, you have to believe me!" she said standing up to reach him.
"And you're just going to ignore your past? What about your `husband?'"
"No, I just..."
"You know what? I'll talk to you later, ok?" he said as he got his car keys, "Evans, do you want me to tell my dad about this...?" he broke off as Max replied,
"I'll tell him."
"All right." Kyle said and walked off. Leona tried to avoid Max's eyes as much as she could, even though she thought she was going to give in sooner than later.
"I'm ready." said Maria to Sean, "Good luck, I think you'll need it." she said to Leona patting her on the back while Leona thanked her with a smile. Once Maria, Kyle and Sean were gone, Leona broke the silence.
"I think you already figured it out, Max," she started, "our father is Kivar."
Michael didn't take that very well. He stood up and put his hands on his face, then onto his hair. Isabel felt like she was going to break down, while Tess was lost in her thoughts looking at her hands. Max felt angry at that time and couldn't believe that she had waited that long to tell them while the worst was to come.
"Well, I don't know who is worse, Hank or Kivar, but I think that if I had to decide between one of them, I would've chosen Hank, that's for sure!" commented Michael.
"I understand." replied Leona.
"No, you don't understand!" yelled Michael, "You don't understand, because you don't know how disappointed I feel now. After so many years waiting to find out where I come from, I find that my father is our own enemy." he stopped before saying the rest, " God, Leona! I thought... I have always hoped that my father would be the best father in the universe. Now, I wish I had never tried to contact my family or even met you." he stopped after realizing what he had just said. Even though he saw how much he hurt Leona, he didn't apologize for it.
"Well..." she started, "Michael, I do understand, believe it or not. But the worst of everything is knowing that you can't be with the people you value the most, not doing what you really want to do. I have lived up there. I can still remember vividly all the screams, the cries, the blood on the floor, the anguish, the pain caused by the war, by my father. Then, there was a moment when I hated the blood that runs through my veins, because it was my father's. I wished that I had never fallen in love, because I thought love itself caused that chaos. I even wished that I wasn't even born. But then Michael, I realized that I didn't mean it. As I remembered the things I loved most, the things I used to do with you, the things that made us a family, I missed that. I missed being normal. I love my father because he is the one who brought me here and the life he gave me made me find things beautiful. He may not be a lovable person, but he's a mortal and as a mortal, he's bound to
make mistakes and he has done a lot of them ever since, but that's the anger talking. I know that he can change if only we give him chance."
"Leona, how naive can you be?" said Max, not believing what he had just heard.
"As far as I'm concerned, Kivar is our enemy and he is in no position to change his mind. We know you are just saying that because he is your father and, you know what? We don't care, after all he has done, not only to your family but to us." said Isabel, wanting to avoid eye contact with Leona.
"And you can't be that forgiving, Leona." said Tess, "Kivar has destroyed thousands, even millions of lives. He has killed. He has lied. He has deceived your family and a thousand things more that I don't care to count."
"I know." Leona agreed, "I'm not trying make you believe he can change, or to forgive him, for that matter. I'm just telling you how I feel."
There was a long pause after Leona finished that last statement. As awkward as it felt, nobody dared to speak until Isabel's cell phone rang. Isabel gave the phone to Max to answer it and he checked the caller ID. He talked on the phone with his mother trying to calm her down and telling her that they were staying at Leona's house. Nobody spoke, even after Max hung up. Leona was getting tired of it. She just stood up and went over to the table where she had left the pictures and folders and put them neatly back in the box.
Then, she just went to get the keys of the car and held the box in her arms. Once she was ready she asked,
"You coming?" but she saw how everybody hesitated, "I'm not going to kill you unless you really piss me off, if that's what you're worried about."
Nobody answered her comment and still, she couldn't begin to imagine how angry they felt, but she was worried about Kyle. She looked at them.
"It seems that cats got your tongues. Give me a call when you're ready to talk and to hear the rest of the story. If you prefer, we can start with your training and I will give you the powers you were destined to have. So, with my conscience at peace, I will leave you here and I'll see you on Monday. Good-bye." as she turned to the door, Michael spoke:
"Wait! I'll go with you." He felt guilty for what he said and ws trying to make ammends but still didn't know how.
"Make that two." said Tess "I still want to know who's your husband." she added trying to make things comfortable by teasing
"I think I got an idea of who he is." said Isabel, following Tess "But as of right now, I'll go with you and keep the guess to myself." Now everybody was waiting for Max to give in. After a while, he said,
" Well, if everyone is going, I'll go, too. I'm only interested in knowing why our parents hated each other so much." said Max as he stood up.
"Well, like people say: curiosity killed the cat, eh?" she replied to his comments.Even on the ride home nobody dared to even squeak. Leona was mostly hurt by the way Michael acted when he knew about his father. She was sure that they would get over it, but the hurt would still be there.