Liz looked through the width of the corridor outside the laboratory, but she could not find Max there.
`He's already gone', she thought disappointed and began to put her books into her locker.
Suddenly she felt a cool hand on her shoulder. She turned around believing it was Maria and started:
"Maria, I can't -"
"Liz" Max's gentle voice made her shiver.
"I'm sorry ... thought you were Maria ... and ...", the brown-haired girl stammered nervously trying hard not to stare at him.
Why do I act like a fool, when he's around me?', she thought and tried to give him a grin to hide her nervousness. She looked at him and waited for a moment until he went on.
"Can we talk?", he asked quietly. His deep amber-brown eyes sparkled when he viewed Liz's face.
"O-of course", she stuttered and turned around to close her locker.
Calm down, Liz!', the girl commanded herself, He's harmless! Calm down!'
"Okay", he said giving her a shy smile, "In ten minutes, in room 21?"
He seemed to be restless and very nervous. His eyes went up and down the corridor and stopped only three times to look at Liz.
Liz nodded. "Okay", she said as calm as possible to hide the doubt which started to fill her mind.
"Okay", he repeated and left her alone.
Liz swallowed hard.
How shall I survive this meeting?', she asked herself.
***
Three minutes were gone when Liz arrived at the door to room number 21. She decided to stay outside until the remaining time would be over. The girl breathed deeply and leaned on the bare wall next to a row of lockers. The corridors got empty slowly, but the noise of the talking and running students finally stopped when the bell rang. Liz looked at her watch.
It was half past two, what meant that the time was over.
But where was Max? Had he already entered the room?
Liz decided to find it out and opened the door. She stepped fast forward, entered the room and saw ... Kyle?!
"Uhm, Kyle, hi! What are YOU doin' here?", she asked a bit confused and smiled.
The sixteen-year-old boy sitting on a chair in the center of the room viewed the girl and gave her a friendly grin. "Nothin' or am I not allowed to be here?", he said blinking with his dark eyes.
"Yes, uhm, no! What I wanted to say is ... Of course you can be here! It's only ..."
Her face became rosy and she started to smile embarrassedly.
Kyle's fingers went through his short sandy brown hair. He knew Liz very well and he was sure that her confusion ment anything.
In that moment Max came in.
"Hi Max", the girl stammered quietly realizing how Kyle's face changed into a kind of mask.
Liz swallowed and bit her lower lip. She had never been a good liar, but now she had to tell Kyle something to get him out of here.
"Max and I are goin' to learn for the biology test, that's why WE meet here", Liz told her boyfriend carefully while she pointed at Max.
"Okay", Kyle replied dully, "Understand what you want to say, Liz"
He jumped on his feet, grabbed his jacket and left the room after he had given Max an evil grin.
***
Liz waited for the sound of the door to know that he was gone. A dull click assured that she and Max were alone now.
ALONE?!
Liz swallowed and started to repeat the same sentence in her mind again and again: I'm not nervous. I'm not nervous. I'm not ...'
Max interrupted her gently: "Liz?"
"Yeah? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm a bit (she needed a whole second to speak it out loudly) nervous"
"I can understand you, it's confusing and strange", he replied. His eyes shone as deep as two ambers in the twilight of the room.
She stopped herself thinking about this wonderful colour. You are an idiot, if you fall in love with him!', the girl told herself.
She nodded to show him that she was ready to speak about a *few* things.
"You have a lot of questions about some *happenings*, I guess", he said.
"Okay, let me start", she began, "Yesterday ... I can't imagine what you did with me yesterday. How could you heal me?"
"It's difficult and I'm afraid you might think it's a joke or something like that, but I am an – ", Max told her avoiding to look into her face. Somehow he couldn't go on, when he found himself thinking about the reaction of Liz if he spoke out where he was from, what he was.
She nodded. Her hair fell from her shoulders and hid her face.
It lookes so soft and smooth ... god! What must I do to touch her hair only one time?', Max thought being angry about this silly wish and about himself. How could he think of loving a human girl?
Don't dream about Liz, listen to her!', he commanded trying hard to concentrate what seemed to be a lot more difficult when she was with him.
"O-okay Max, let me try to express it in an other way ... You did safe my life, didn't you? Y-you are not like I am, right? (He gave her a shy nod, but kept quiet all the time.) And your cells ..." Her fingers went trough her dark, brown hair to put it back behind her ears. She still didn't look at the boy she was talking to.
"Cells? What – why ?" Max wasn't able to ask the questions which started to flash into his mind, though he didn't know the reason why. Perhaps because this girl was LIZ, the most exceptional person he'd ever met and because he had not expected her to do something like research his physical indications.
"The experiment in the biology lesson – We ... no, I was curious, so I made this preparation to examine cells from I took from your pencil and ... and - I know there must be a mistake or a scientifical explanation to clarify this anomaly or it's perhaps a crack in this microscope-lense or-" She blushed a bit like the girl always did, when she felt that something she'd done wasn't right.
Liz felt Max's hand on her should at this moment. Her eyes went from his chest up to his face, to his incredible eyes. Why do his eyes sparkle that mysteriously?', was the first thing flashing into her head.
"It's no abnormality. It shows the whole truth about me, who am really am! There is no proof, `cause my cells are not like yours", Max voice sounded strange, but gently and honestly. His face looked pale and tired.
Seconds passed by without any reaction of both of them. Time seemed to stand still while Liz glanced at Max to find out, what she exactly wanted to say now.
"Who are you, Max Evans?" Liz's face was showing all her confusion and the curiosity.
"I'm not of this world, not even a human being. I'm ... I'm an alien, you would call us like that", his voice faded and he closed his eyes for a couple of seconds.
"Max, do you tell me the truth?", Liz whispered in disbelief. The dark-haired girl embraced her own shoulders with her arms. Something seemed to make her freeze.
"I do, Liz, believe me!", he wanted to make her know how honest he'd been to her.
"You told me, you are an alien from outta space and you think genuinely I could believe that? I might look foolish, but in fact I'm clever enough to realize if somebody lies to me!", Liz said almost weeping and angry. Her lips trembled when she took a deep breath. Then she let her chin sink on her chest so her hair fell over her face again and hid it like a curtain.
"I didn't want to hurt you, Liz!" He cried out sadly, "Liz, it's no lie, I swear!"
His hands reached out to put them back on her shoulder again, but Max stopped himself. I shouldn't touch her now', the sixteen-year-old thought.
Her face appeared from behind her deep ebony coloured strands , shining wet and rosy in the light, when she finally glanced at the boy again.
"Prove it! Prove what you told me!" Her voice was stronger now, not as thin and angry and hurt as it had been a few moments ago. It neither sounded disappointed nor unfriendly. She'd spoken with the whole strength of her heart Max realized.
"I'll do so", he replied quietly, "I'll do so."
"I want you to know that you can always trust in me. I won't tell anyone what you claimed to be, but I need facts"
"Fine, let's meet this evenin' " He tried to look calm, but Liz still saw how puzzled he really was.
"Crashdown, 8 pm?", the girl asked giving Max a small smile to let him know that she still liked him.
"Okay, I'm going to be there", he answered.
Max's face lightened up when the boy imagined how it would be if she'd seen and unserstood the truth about him and his real nature.
It must feel great to have a person, a human being, who knows that I am *different*.'
"Liz?", he finally said with his tuneful, deep voice, "Hope we're still friends, aren't we?"
"Of course!" She gave him a smile, so honestly and friendly as it could be at all.
It was like feeling the warmth of the sun breaking through the clouds touching his skin for Max.
"Okay, I have to go, my English lesson starts in ... (He glanced at his watch for a second and went on.) ... 5 minutes", Max told her and stepped towards the door, although he'd preferred to stay with her in this room forever.
Liz nodded when he passed her and smiled.
He heared her whisper: "Good bye, Max Evans"
A last distressing glance at Liz made him think: I miss her, althought I haven't left her yet!'
He finally left the room, but his thoughts remained there with Liz.
***