[b]Part 24 - "Shelter" - Max POV[/b]
[I]They're crowded into the smallest spaces
While outside all of nature cries.
It's known to be cruel and unfair
But there is no place to hide.
Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never really want to share
Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never knew was there.
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm.
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm.
I can't sleep haunted by their faces
The sadness in their eyes.
It hurts so much to see them helpless,
It makes me want to cry.
But there is still much left unanswered
For so many innocent lives,
They close the doors and are letting no one in
And only the strong will survive…
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm.
I've seen the anger and I've seen all the dreams
And I've watched an existence torn apart
And though I may seem helpless
I will do all I can do.
Oh I've seen a part of people that I never want to share
Oh I've seen a part of people that I never knew was there.
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm.[/I]
Sarah McLachlan
Maria and I are both waiting impatiently on the Valentis' front porch when the Sheriff finally arrives. I am pacing while she sits on the top step, her arms wrapped around her knees, one foot tapping.
I rub a hand across my face in relief. For some reason I was beginning to have visions of Kyle instantly dead because we had realized he was still being mindwarped. But I can see Kyle sitting in the passenger seat beside his dad, a scowl of annoyance on his face. He is out of the car and in my face the minute it rolls to a stop. "What are we doing here Evans? That maniac is still out there with Liz!"
I'm not sure which maniac he's referring to, as it could be either Tess or Sean, but I try not to get irritated. After all, Kyle has no idea that he is [I]still[/I] being mindwarped - that I have called them all back here because with every passing minute the possibility that his brain is about to short circuit becomes more and more possible.
Maria and I spent the minutes waiting for the others trying to figure out exactly what Tess is still hiding from us with her powers. Because there is obviously [I]something[/I], especially if Kyle has been allowed to remember some things and not others.
We haven't even broached the fact that I am obviously still being controlled as well.
The concept that Michael might be right about the night I spent with Tess - that it never happened at all - it is looming large in my mind, making my stomach clench with anticipation for what we will find out when I connect with Kyle.
There is also the possibility that Tess is not doing any of this anymore. The expression on Sean Deluca's face then he touched me…
I am becoming more and more convinced that I am not insane. He is Tess's son, back from the future. I am almost positive of it now. And if he is [I]my[/I] son…Then I did sleep with her and she mindwarped some other lie, one that I was going to soon remember.
Unless he just [I]thinks[/I] he is - my son that is. There was a baby, but maybe it [I]wasn't[/I] mine. Because the possibilities of what the block on Kyle's mind could be hiding…
The abrupt change in the way that Kyle and Tess acted around each other after the Prom does not completely change my budding hypothesis either. The way Kyle suddenly started proclaiming that Tess was like a sister to him - that had been just plain weird. They had not [I]behaved[/I] like siblings before Alex's death. In fact, they had acted entirely like two people with a major attraction to each other. I think Tess might have been falling for him despite herself.
But everything changed again when I started to remember my life with her on Antar.
I shake my head impatiently. There is no point in speculating. If I can manage to break through the barrier on Kyle's mind, we will know for sure soon.
Just because I want my speculations to be true with all my heart doesn't mean that they are. And there is still the fact that Liz saw [I]flashes[/I] of me with Tess. The baby might not be mine, but there seems to be little doubt that I did sleep with her.
It is just better to wait and find out for sure. And, yet, I cannot control the anticipatory pounding of my heart.
Hope. You feel it or you don't. And I am beginning to feel it again - for the first time in a long time.
"Kyle, I have some bad news for you." I tell him now, grimacing. I see the Sheriff's (I can never stop thinking of him as the Sheriff, even though he hasn't been for months now) face darken. He clearly recognizes the tone of my voice. This is serious.
"Did you find her?" Kyle demands, his eyes suddenly wide with fear. "Is she hurt?" I see him glance at Maria in confusion, as though already knowing that we have [I]not[/I ] found Liz, because Maria and I are both entirely too calm.
"We heard from Jennifer Coleman again." I explain gently. I can see a scowl beginning to appear on his face again. He absolutely hates whenever I have to tell him something, that there is something I know that he doesn't, especially if it concerns him.
He hates [I]me[/I]. We both know it.
"So?" Kyle replies, sounding more annoyed.
The Sheriff steps forward at this point. "Max, just tell us." I can hear the fear in his voice.
And so I do. "Kyle, she recognized you in that picture from the Prom. She says that you were in Las Cruces with Alex. She saw you with him."
"What? That's impossible!" Kyle exclaims. "I would remem…" He cuts himself off abruptly, dawning comprehension crossing his face. "Oh crap." It is a simple statement but basically sums up my exact feelings on this entire situation. "She's [I]still[/I] doing it, isn't she?" He whispers, licking his lips in horror.
"I don't know if it's her." I tell him, because I don't. "It could be Sean."
For some reason, I really don't want it to be Tess. I might hate her guts, but I almost think this will be easier on Kyle if it is Sean controlling him and not Tess. Because as much as he wants to, I don't think Kyle hates Tess. It is just something on his face whenever her name comes up, like he is trying desperately to deny his true feelings where she is concerned.
He doesn't hate her, and he hates himself because he doesn't, because he [I]should[/I] hate her, because of what she did to Alex.
And because he has to live with himself, he chooses to hate [I]me[/I] enough to cover all of it.
Of course, the Sheriff understands the implications of all of this almost immediately. "Max, is my son's life in danger?" He demands. I see Kyle's eyes widen, as though the thought hadn't even dawned on him.
"I don't know." I reply honestly. "But I am going to do everything in my power to make sure it isn't." I look the Sheriff right in the eye. "Nothing is going to happen to him."
I can see that Valenti understands that, in the end, this has nothing to do with Kyle. Kyle and I are will never be friends. We can be allies, but not friends. We do not understand each other at all. But the Sheriff and I always have. Ever since that first encounter, at the Crash Festival, we have [I]always[/I] understood each other. For good or ill.
I will not let his son die. Not after all he has done for us.
Which means that I am going to have to make Kyle Valenti trust me.
"Kyle, I'm going to have to connect with you." I tell him quietly. "I have to try and break the warp and fix whatever damage has been done in there."
His eyes narrow. "I don't particularly want you wandering around in my head Evans."
"Kyle…" The Sheriff places a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "There is no choice here son."
Kyle presses his lips together, looks away, down the road, as though not wanting to give in gracefully. I know he will eventually, but he won't do it right away. But, as I watch the emotions play across his face, I see hope suddenly appear as his eyes focus on something in the distance.
I follow his gaze, see Kyle's Mustang approaching at break-neck speed.
"Isabel." He says triumphantly. "[I]She[/I] can do it. I'd be okay with her in there."
I look at Maria, who rolls her eyes. I see her mutter "men" under her breath.
"Kyle, Isabel can't heal you." She tells him impatiently. "Stop being such an idiot and let Max help you."
Kyle turns his frown on her, but sighs in resignation.
But Kyle has actually given me a good idea. Bringing Isabel would probably be really helpful. First of all, she [I]does[/I] have more experience with the mind, through her dreamwalks.
Plus it would also help to have some back-up if I discover anything in there. Because I know that I am getting too close to this. I am not sure I am going to be able to control my emotions enough to be able to understand what I see when I connect with Kyle. If Izzy is there, she will be able to watch as an impartial bystander.
"What's going on?" Michael demands as he and Isabel join us moments later. Maria goes immediately into his arms, which makes me swallow as a pang of loneliness for Liz falls over me.
But I can't worry about her right now. I have to ignore the knawing fear in the pit of my stomach. I know by now that I am not going to be able to find her until I know the entire truth about what happened to Alex.
I am beginning to understand that this is what it's all about after all - it's why Alex visited me in my dreams. He knew that there was something that we all needed to know if we were going to win against our enemies. And it is time to find out what that is.
Kyle Valenti is the key. If he dies, we will never know.
Maria is in the middle of explaining to Michael and Isabel what is going on. I let my gaze meet my sister's. I can see that she knows immediately that I plan to heal Kyle's mind - that I am not going to let what happened to Alex happen to Valenti's son. I see the acceptance on her face, but I can also see that she understands how dangerous this could potentially be. I have no idea what I am going to find in there. I could just make it worse.
She will come with me though. I have absolutely no doubts about that.
Minutes later, we are all gathered in Valenti's living room.
Michael is sitting at the dining room table, looking in the opposite direction from where we are going to do the connection. I know that he is almost as scared as Isabel and I are. If something goes wrong, he could lose both of us at once. I don't think he would be particularly happy to see something happen to Kyle either. They aren't friends, but I know that Michael trusts him, and also would not want Valenti to lose anyone else close to him.
Dealing with Tess's betrayal had been difficult enough for our father- figure. Losing his real son…
Unacceptable.
Maria is sitting beside Michael, holding his hand, her head against his shoulder. She is watching me intently, her eyes trusting. She knows that this is the only way that we are ever going to be able to find Liz. She is confident that I will not rest until I find her best friend and that this is the first step.
The Sheriff is standing near the door, his jaw clenched. His gaze has not left Kyle, who is stretched out on the couch, staring unseeing at the ceiling. Kyle seems resigned, is still more annoyed by all of this than anything.
I swallow, move towards him.
We considered doing this in Kyle's bedroom, but the implications of that had been too heavy.
It was where Alex had died after all, killed by the exact same thing that could be presently killing Kyle.
No, we could not try this in there.
The plan is simple. Isabel is going to connect with Kyle first, is going to try and see what is being hidden behind the mindwarp and then she is going to bring me in to clean up whatever mess Tess has left behind.
We will know the truth about Alex's death once and for all after this.
My hope that we will know even more than that…I have to let go of it. Because I don't know if I'm going to be able to stand the disappointment if I'm wrong about what I think went down between Tess and Kyle.
My gaze meets Kyle's for one long, charged minute. His eyes narrow, but he has accepted this. We are bonded now, whether he likes it or not.
"Ready Max?" Isabel asks quietly, glancing at the Sheriff in concern.
I nod.
She takes a deep breath, places both of her hands on Kyle's temples and stares right into his eyes.
It feels like forever, waiting for my sister to take my hand. The seconds pass like hours…each one ticking away on the grandfather clock in the corner like a death knell.
I can see Isabel's eyes roll back up in her head, as though whatever information she is receiving is pounding into her mind at such a speed that she is struggling to get a handle on it. She gasps, begins to breathe shallowly, her forehead crinkling as she concentrates on maintaining control.
Kyle is still staring straight at the ceiling, but an emptiness has appeared on his face, as though there is nothing inside his head anymore.
The Sheriff moves forward from his sentry position, about to pull my sister away from his son. Michael jumps to his feet and pushes him back against the wall, gently but firmly. "It's okay." He mutters soothingly.
Suddenly I don't see anything - on this plain anyway. Isabel has reached out blindly, grabbing my hand, as though for a lifeline.
Instantly, we are connected.
And I understand what was giving her such problems.
The flashes are so screwed up and dark, I literally stumble to my knees beside the couch.
All I can see are eyes…everywhere. Ice blue, cold, piercing into me like arrows.
Oh hell. Tess has been in here all right. And recently too. But I can feel the presence of someone else as well. Someone even darker than my past life bride, someone who's hatred is so intense, it makes my blood run cold.
I become slowly aware of my sister's voice as she tries to break through whatever it is that is blocking us from completely connecting with Kyle.
[I]Max! I don' t know if we're going to be able to do this. It's like chaos in here![/I]
I don't answer her immediately. Because I am pushing against whatever it is that is trying to stop me from getting any flashes.
Whoever is doing this is strong - stronger even than Nicholas was when he went into my mind last fall, which until this moment, seemed impossible.
How can Tess be this powerful and we never knew?
It cannot be her still in control here - but, whoever is doing this is definitely using blocks that she set up. The basis is hers though.
[I]We need to do it together Iz![/I] I call out to my sister.
I cannot feel Kyle anywhere. It is like he is totally gone - almost as if his mind was booby-trapped, set to implode on itself if anyone tried to interfere with the mindwarp.
But I don't have time to reflect on this at all. I can feel Isabel's presence tickling the back of my mind as she struggles to connect more closely with me so that I can use her energy to fight the warp.
[I]Now![/I] It feels like she is shrieking right next to my ear, which I guess she sort of is. And it certainly makes me react - instantly in fact.
With one gigantic push, I am in. I feel relief spiral through me as the flashes begin.
[I]*Flash
Kyle as a very young boy, playing catch with his father.
*Flash
Kyle sobbing on his bed after his mother left his father.
Flash*
Kyle throwing his first touchdown on the JV squad at West Roswell.
Flash*
Kyle pulling Liz into a janitor's closet and kissing her for the first time.
Flash*
Kyle staring at Liz in sophomore history. She is turned around in her seat, whispering something to me.
Flash*
Liz breaking up with Kyle on the day her grandmother died.[/I] I can feel his hatred for me in that moment and it almost makes me break the connection…but I feel Isabel's comforting presence and hold on.[I]
Flash*
Kyle waking up in his father's arms after I had healed him.
Flash*
Kyle staring in shock at Tess as she snaps the band of his boxers.
Flash*
"Let me tell you Buddha-boy… I've got a lamp that needs some serious trimming."
Flash*
Kyle and Liz laughing together as they lie under the covers of her bed, waiting for me to appear at her window. [/I]If I ever had any doubt when Liz told me that they hadn't slept together, I have none now, as Kyle's memories confirm it.[I]
Flash*
Kyle watching Tess with admiration as she places a casserole on the table.
Flash*
Kyle staring at me as he drops the gandarium crystals at my feet in disdain.
Flash*
Kyle and Alex trapped in the cave under Frasier Woods, singing American Pie, discussing whether they would change what they knew about aliens or not. I can feel that Kyle is thinking about Tess when he decides that he is glad he knows.[/I]
It is then that the flashes change, become hazy, as though I am watching underwater. They are the memories that have been blocked I realize. We are bringing them back.
[I]Flash*
"I won't be second best Tess."
Tess coming towards Kyle, a slight smile on her face, kissing him lightly. "I don't care about Max. It's [/I]you[I] I want." They are making out on the bed in Kyle's room. [/I]I can feel that he is in love with her.[I]
Flash*
Kyle watching Alex, who is hunched over a computer, typing furiously. Tess appears at his shoulder, lays her hand on his arm.
Flash*
Kyle, against his will, telling Tess that he considers her to be a sister. [/I]I can feel his confusion as he says it, because he knows that he is not really thinking it.[I]
Flash*
Kyle, Alex's body over his shoulder, placing it in Tess's car, his expression completely blank.
Flash*
Kyle watching me kiss Tess goodbye in the doorway of his house, the morning after we conceived our son. His pain is extremely sharp, but just as suddenly muted, as Tess's eyes focus on him watching us.[/I]
The flashes clear as we return to memories that Kyle has already retrieved: remembering the mindwarp that had hidden his part in Alex's murder, watching the spaceship activated by the granolith take off into the sky, concern about Liz and fear that he is going to die when he realizes that his mind is still not completely his own.
As the flashes end, I am able to focus beyond them. I can see the tissue of his brain in my mind's eye, can see the holes that have been created by Tess's mind-control. I concentrate on healing, on making those parts of his cerebral cortex match the healthy areas.
When I am sure that his brain is healthy again, I break the connection quickly, eager to begin dissecting everything that I have seen in there.
I open my eyes to the sight of Kyle already sitting up, a shell-shocked expression on his face.
Our eyes meet. I can see the pain that he must be feeling reflected in his.
"I'm sorry." I tell him softly.
"Max?" Isabel's hand is on my shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"He's all right." I look over at the Sheriff. The expression on his face says that he doesn't believe me. I don't blame him. Kyle looks extremely green at the moment. "At least physically." I amend.
I move to stand, but Kyle's hand shoots out and grabs me by the arm. I turn to stare at him in surprise. "Evans, I saw some things." He says flatly. I can see that he is struggling to deal with his own memories, which are still filtering back into his consciousness, but he is pushing them aside for the moment.
I don't reply, just wait for him to say whatever it is he needs to.
"I…" He closes his eyes for a moment. "I know you love Liz. I know that you care about my father." He pauses, opens his eyes and stares right at me, sincerity shining from his face. "I'm sorry I've been such a dick to you."
"You had every right." I shrug.
He frowns, looks away. "Well, I'm still sorry about it." He replies gruffly. He looks beyond me, at Isabel. I turn to see my sister watching us both with a strange expression on her face.
"What did you see Iz?" I ask, not daring to hope too hard that I was not the only one who had seen one very specific incident occur between Tess and Kyle in those blocked flashes.
Her eyes are wide, unsure if she is allowed to be happy about what she is about to say or not. I think she is just as aware as I am that, while the news is great for me, it isn't necessarily what Kyle might want to hear.
"Kyle and Tess spent the night together." She admits quietly. "Last fall, when Courtney was around."
I frown at the obscure reference, but I quickly realize that my sister doesn't know that it was also right around the time that the future version of myself had come back to get Liz to change the future. Isabel and Michael still don't know about that. I have been keeping it to myself, unsure how my sister and best friend are going to react to the fact that Liz basically destroyed her own future - and mine- to save them.
But I know now that I am going to have to tell them soon. It isn't fair to keep secrets. Not any longer. We all had to know exactly what was going on with each other, all the time. Tess had used secrets against us after all.
It's not the time now though. Because if Kyle and Tess [I]did[/I] spend the night together, it means that I might not be the father of Tess's baby at all.
It [I]doesn't[/I] mean that I didn't sleep with her, but it does mean that Tess's declarations about the baby dying are probably also false. If it is Kyle's, it is half human - actually more than half-human if you take into account that Tess is mostly human as well, as much as she doesn't want that to be the case.
And why would Tess bother to block the memory of she and Kyle having made love if there wasn't some specific reason? She needed it hidden, so that I would believe the baby was mine.
Kyle is staring at Isabel, his mouth agape. I can see the specific memory to which we are referring beginning to filter through his mind, because his face turns an interesting shade of red.
"Oh Lord." This is the Sheriff, the realization of what this means hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had joined Kyle on the couch, his arm firmly around his son's shoulders in relief that he was okay. Now he closes his eyes in dismay.
"What about Alex?" Maria asks suddenly. "Kyle, were you with him in Las Cruces?"
An expression of grief crosses Kyle's face as he nods. "I was there. She used me as her bully boy when Sean wasn't around. I made him do what she wanted."
I can see that this fact is going to haunt Kyle Valenti for the rest of his life.
"Max, what do we do now?" Isabel asks quietly as we move away from the Sheriff and Kyle in order to give them a chance to adjust to the way things have changed abruptly. Their stake in the search for Tess's baby is now much deeper, and it is going to take a lot of soul searching on their parts to figure out if they are willing to take on a child if the baby does prove to be Kyle's, which with every passing moment seems more likely.
After all, it was practically a full-term baby when I connected with it. It makes no sense that it would be mine. We had only slept together a couple of days before. But if Kyle and Tess had slept together in the autumn of our junior year, than she would have been about seven and a half months pregnant in May.
I am a little ashamed at how much I want the baby to be Kyle's. I still care about it, but my son is one thing standing between Liz and I. If the baby is not mine, maybe - just maybe - she might be able to forgive me.
But reality comes crashing back quickly. Even if the baby isn't mine, it doesn't resolve the issue of the flashes. Liz will never be able to deal with that.
"We're going to find Liz." I tell my sister firmly.
"But Max, there was nothing in Kyle's mind to tell us where Tess took her." Isabel replies, sounding perplexed.
I know that my sister is right, but I also know that time is running out. We [I]need[/I] to find Liz and quickly.
"Where do we even start?" Michael and Maria have joined us. The question is Michael's and it has barely left his mouth before a shadow nearby moves.
"I can tell you."
Maria shrieks slightly. My heart starts to pound unevenly in my chest as the intruder steps into the light thrown by the single lamp shining on the side table.
For one, heart-stopping, moment, I think she is Tess - that my past life wife has actually returned to face the music.
Her blonde hair is short, streaked with many colours, quite different from when we first met her in the Fall. But her lip is still pierced and her eyes are still wide and innocent, if a little more knowledgeable than they had been then.
Ava.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her quietly. Isabel is clenching my forearm in shock, her nails digging into my skin painfully, but I don't shake her off.
"I got the answers I went looking for." She says, her eyes shining at me strangely, in a way that doesn't make me feel entirely comfortable. "I belong with you."
[I]They're crowded into the smallest spaces
While outside all of nature cries.
It's known to be cruel and unfair
But there is no place to hide.
Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never really want to share
Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never knew was there.
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm.
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm.
I can't sleep haunted by their faces
The sadness in their eyes.
It hurts so much to see them helpless,
It makes me want to cry.
But there is still much left unanswered
For so many innocent lives,
They close the doors and are letting no one in
And only the strong will survive…
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm.
I've seen the anger and I've seen all the dreams
And I've watched an existence torn apart
And though I may seem helpless
I will do all I can do.
Oh I've seen a part of people that I never want to share
Oh I've seen a part of people that I never knew was there.
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm.[/I]
Sarah McLachlan
Maria and I are both waiting impatiently on the Valentis' front porch when the Sheriff finally arrives. I am pacing while she sits on the top step, her arms wrapped around her knees, one foot tapping.
I rub a hand across my face in relief. For some reason I was beginning to have visions of Kyle instantly dead because we had realized he was still being mindwarped. But I can see Kyle sitting in the passenger seat beside his dad, a scowl of annoyance on his face. He is out of the car and in my face the minute it rolls to a stop. "What are we doing here Evans? That maniac is still out there with Liz!"
I'm not sure which maniac he's referring to, as it could be either Tess or Sean, but I try not to get irritated. After all, Kyle has no idea that he is [I]still[/I] being mindwarped - that I have called them all back here because with every passing minute the possibility that his brain is about to short circuit becomes more and more possible.
Maria and I spent the minutes waiting for the others trying to figure out exactly what Tess is still hiding from us with her powers. Because there is obviously [I]something[/I], especially if Kyle has been allowed to remember some things and not others.
We haven't even broached the fact that I am obviously still being controlled as well.
The concept that Michael might be right about the night I spent with Tess - that it never happened at all - it is looming large in my mind, making my stomach clench with anticipation for what we will find out when I connect with Kyle.
There is also the possibility that Tess is not doing any of this anymore. The expression on Sean Deluca's face then he touched me…
I am becoming more and more convinced that I am not insane. He is Tess's son, back from the future. I am almost positive of it now. And if he is [I]my[/I] son…Then I did sleep with her and she mindwarped some other lie, one that I was going to soon remember.
Unless he just [I]thinks[/I] he is - my son that is. There was a baby, but maybe it [I]wasn't[/I] mine. Because the possibilities of what the block on Kyle's mind could be hiding…
The abrupt change in the way that Kyle and Tess acted around each other after the Prom does not completely change my budding hypothesis either. The way Kyle suddenly started proclaiming that Tess was like a sister to him - that had been just plain weird. They had not [I]behaved[/I] like siblings before Alex's death. In fact, they had acted entirely like two people with a major attraction to each other. I think Tess might have been falling for him despite herself.
But everything changed again when I started to remember my life with her on Antar.
I shake my head impatiently. There is no point in speculating. If I can manage to break through the barrier on Kyle's mind, we will know for sure soon.
Just because I want my speculations to be true with all my heart doesn't mean that they are. And there is still the fact that Liz saw [I]flashes[/I] of me with Tess. The baby might not be mine, but there seems to be little doubt that I did sleep with her.
It is just better to wait and find out for sure. And, yet, I cannot control the anticipatory pounding of my heart.
Hope. You feel it or you don't. And I am beginning to feel it again - for the first time in a long time.
"Kyle, I have some bad news for you." I tell him now, grimacing. I see the Sheriff's (I can never stop thinking of him as the Sheriff, even though he hasn't been for months now) face darken. He clearly recognizes the tone of my voice. This is serious.
"Did you find her?" Kyle demands, his eyes suddenly wide with fear. "Is she hurt?" I see him glance at Maria in confusion, as though already knowing that we have [I]not[/I ] found Liz, because Maria and I are both entirely too calm.
"We heard from Jennifer Coleman again." I explain gently. I can see a scowl beginning to appear on his face again. He absolutely hates whenever I have to tell him something, that there is something I know that he doesn't, especially if it concerns him.
He hates [I]me[/I]. We both know it.
"So?" Kyle replies, sounding more annoyed.
The Sheriff steps forward at this point. "Max, just tell us." I can hear the fear in his voice.
And so I do. "Kyle, she recognized you in that picture from the Prom. She says that you were in Las Cruces with Alex. She saw you with him."
"What? That's impossible!" Kyle exclaims. "I would remem…" He cuts himself off abruptly, dawning comprehension crossing his face. "Oh crap." It is a simple statement but basically sums up my exact feelings on this entire situation. "She's [I]still[/I] doing it, isn't she?" He whispers, licking his lips in horror.
"I don't know if it's her." I tell him, because I don't. "It could be Sean."
For some reason, I really don't want it to be Tess. I might hate her guts, but I almost think this will be easier on Kyle if it is Sean controlling him and not Tess. Because as much as he wants to, I don't think Kyle hates Tess. It is just something on his face whenever her name comes up, like he is trying desperately to deny his true feelings where she is concerned.
He doesn't hate her, and he hates himself because he doesn't, because he [I]should[/I] hate her, because of what she did to Alex.
And because he has to live with himself, he chooses to hate [I]me[/I] enough to cover all of it.
Of course, the Sheriff understands the implications of all of this almost immediately. "Max, is my son's life in danger?" He demands. I see Kyle's eyes widen, as though the thought hadn't even dawned on him.
"I don't know." I reply honestly. "But I am going to do everything in my power to make sure it isn't." I look the Sheriff right in the eye. "Nothing is going to happen to him."
I can see that Valenti understands that, in the end, this has nothing to do with Kyle. Kyle and I are will never be friends. We can be allies, but not friends. We do not understand each other at all. But the Sheriff and I always have. Ever since that first encounter, at the Crash Festival, we have [I]always[/I] understood each other. For good or ill.
I will not let his son die. Not after all he has done for us.
Which means that I am going to have to make Kyle Valenti trust me.
"Kyle, I'm going to have to connect with you." I tell him quietly. "I have to try and break the warp and fix whatever damage has been done in there."
His eyes narrow. "I don't particularly want you wandering around in my head Evans."
"Kyle…" The Sheriff places a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "There is no choice here son."
Kyle presses his lips together, looks away, down the road, as though not wanting to give in gracefully. I know he will eventually, but he won't do it right away. But, as I watch the emotions play across his face, I see hope suddenly appear as his eyes focus on something in the distance.
I follow his gaze, see Kyle's Mustang approaching at break-neck speed.
"Isabel." He says triumphantly. "[I]She[/I] can do it. I'd be okay with her in there."
I look at Maria, who rolls her eyes. I see her mutter "men" under her breath.
"Kyle, Isabel can't heal you." She tells him impatiently. "Stop being such an idiot and let Max help you."
Kyle turns his frown on her, but sighs in resignation.
But Kyle has actually given me a good idea. Bringing Isabel would probably be really helpful. First of all, she [I]does[/I] have more experience with the mind, through her dreamwalks.
Plus it would also help to have some back-up if I discover anything in there. Because I know that I am getting too close to this. I am not sure I am going to be able to control my emotions enough to be able to understand what I see when I connect with Kyle. If Izzy is there, she will be able to watch as an impartial bystander.
"What's going on?" Michael demands as he and Isabel join us moments later. Maria goes immediately into his arms, which makes me swallow as a pang of loneliness for Liz falls over me.
But I can't worry about her right now. I have to ignore the knawing fear in the pit of my stomach. I know by now that I am not going to be able to find her until I know the entire truth about what happened to Alex.
I am beginning to understand that this is what it's all about after all - it's why Alex visited me in my dreams. He knew that there was something that we all needed to know if we were going to win against our enemies. And it is time to find out what that is.
Kyle Valenti is the key. If he dies, we will never know.
Maria is in the middle of explaining to Michael and Isabel what is going on. I let my gaze meet my sister's. I can see that she knows immediately that I plan to heal Kyle's mind - that I am not going to let what happened to Alex happen to Valenti's son. I see the acceptance on her face, but I can also see that she understands how dangerous this could potentially be. I have no idea what I am going to find in there. I could just make it worse.
She will come with me though. I have absolutely no doubts about that.
Minutes later, we are all gathered in Valenti's living room.
Michael is sitting at the dining room table, looking in the opposite direction from where we are going to do the connection. I know that he is almost as scared as Isabel and I are. If something goes wrong, he could lose both of us at once. I don't think he would be particularly happy to see something happen to Kyle either. They aren't friends, but I know that Michael trusts him, and also would not want Valenti to lose anyone else close to him.
Dealing with Tess's betrayal had been difficult enough for our father- figure. Losing his real son…
Unacceptable.
Maria is sitting beside Michael, holding his hand, her head against his shoulder. She is watching me intently, her eyes trusting. She knows that this is the only way that we are ever going to be able to find Liz. She is confident that I will not rest until I find her best friend and that this is the first step.
The Sheriff is standing near the door, his jaw clenched. His gaze has not left Kyle, who is stretched out on the couch, staring unseeing at the ceiling. Kyle seems resigned, is still more annoyed by all of this than anything.
I swallow, move towards him.
We considered doing this in Kyle's bedroom, but the implications of that had been too heavy.
It was where Alex had died after all, killed by the exact same thing that could be presently killing Kyle.
No, we could not try this in there.
The plan is simple. Isabel is going to connect with Kyle first, is going to try and see what is being hidden behind the mindwarp and then she is going to bring me in to clean up whatever mess Tess has left behind.
We will know the truth about Alex's death once and for all after this.
My hope that we will know even more than that…I have to let go of it. Because I don't know if I'm going to be able to stand the disappointment if I'm wrong about what I think went down between Tess and Kyle.
My gaze meets Kyle's for one long, charged minute. His eyes narrow, but he has accepted this. We are bonded now, whether he likes it or not.
"Ready Max?" Isabel asks quietly, glancing at the Sheriff in concern.
I nod.
She takes a deep breath, places both of her hands on Kyle's temples and stares right into his eyes.
It feels like forever, waiting for my sister to take my hand. The seconds pass like hours…each one ticking away on the grandfather clock in the corner like a death knell.
I can see Isabel's eyes roll back up in her head, as though whatever information she is receiving is pounding into her mind at such a speed that she is struggling to get a handle on it. She gasps, begins to breathe shallowly, her forehead crinkling as she concentrates on maintaining control.
Kyle is still staring straight at the ceiling, but an emptiness has appeared on his face, as though there is nothing inside his head anymore.
The Sheriff moves forward from his sentry position, about to pull my sister away from his son. Michael jumps to his feet and pushes him back against the wall, gently but firmly. "It's okay." He mutters soothingly.
Suddenly I don't see anything - on this plain anyway. Isabel has reached out blindly, grabbing my hand, as though for a lifeline.
Instantly, we are connected.
And I understand what was giving her such problems.
The flashes are so screwed up and dark, I literally stumble to my knees beside the couch.
All I can see are eyes…everywhere. Ice blue, cold, piercing into me like arrows.
Oh hell. Tess has been in here all right. And recently too. But I can feel the presence of someone else as well. Someone even darker than my past life bride, someone who's hatred is so intense, it makes my blood run cold.
I become slowly aware of my sister's voice as she tries to break through whatever it is that is blocking us from completely connecting with Kyle.
[I]Max! I don' t know if we're going to be able to do this. It's like chaos in here![/I]
I don't answer her immediately. Because I am pushing against whatever it is that is trying to stop me from getting any flashes.
Whoever is doing this is strong - stronger even than Nicholas was when he went into my mind last fall, which until this moment, seemed impossible.
How can Tess be this powerful and we never knew?
It cannot be her still in control here - but, whoever is doing this is definitely using blocks that she set up. The basis is hers though.
[I]We need to do it together Iz![/I] I call out to my sister.
I cannot feel Kyle anywhere. It is like he is totally gone - almost as if his mind was booby-trapped, set to implode on itself if anyone tried to interfere with the mindwarp.
But I don't have time to reflect on this at all. I can feel Isabel's presence tickling the back of my mind as she struggles to connect more closely with me so that I can use her energy to fight the warp.
[I]Now![/I] It feels like she is shrieking right next to my ear, which I guess she sort of is. And it certainly makes me react - instantly in fact.
With one gigantic push, I am in. I feel relief spiral through me as the flashes begin.
[I]*Flash
Kyle as a very young boy, playing catch with his father.
*Flash
Kyle sobbing on his bed after his mother left his father.
Flash*
Kyle throwing his first touchdown on the JV squad at West Roswell.
Flash*
Kyle pulling Liz into a janitor's closet and kissing her for the first time.
Flash*
Kyle staring at Liz in sophomore history. She is turned around in her seat, whispering something to me.
Flash*
Liz breaking up with Kyle on the day her grandmother died.[/I] I can feel his hatred for me in that moment and it almost makes me break the connection…but I feel Isabel's comforting presence and hold on.[I]
Flash*
Kyle waking up in his father's arms after I had healed him.
Flash*
Kyle staring in shock at Tess as she snaps the band of his boxers.
Flash*
"Let me tell you Buddha-boy… I've got a lamp that needs some serious trimming."
Flash*
Kyle and Liz laughing together as they lie under the covers of her bed, waiting for me to appear at her window. [/I]If I ever had any doubt when Liz told me that they hadn't slept together, I have none now, as Kyle's memories confirm it.[I]
Flash*
Kyle watching Tess with admiration as she places a casserole on the table.
Flash*
Kyle staring at me as he drops the gandarium crystals at my feet in disdain.
Flash*
Kyle and Alex trapped in the cave under Frasier Woods, singing American Pie, discussing whether they would change what they knew about aliens or not. I can feel that Kyle is thinking about Tess when he decides that he is glad he knows.[/I]
It is then that the flashes change, become hazy, as though I am watching underwater. They are the memories that have been blocked I realize. We are bringing them back.
[I]Flash*
"I won't be second best Tess."
Tess coming towards Kyle, a slight smile on her face, kissing him lightly. "I don't care about Max. It's [/I]you[I] I want." They are making out on the bed in Kyle's room. [/I]I can feel that he is in love with her.[I]
Flash*
Kyle watching Alex, who is hunched over a computer, typing furiously. Tess appears at his shoulder, lays her hand on his arm.
Flash*
Kyle, against his will, telling Tess that he considers her to be a sister. [/I]I can feel his confusion as he says it, because he knows that he is not really thinking it.[I]
Flash*
Kyle, Alex's body over his shoulder, placing it in Tess's car, his expression completely blank.
Flash*
Kyle watching me kiss Tess goodbye in the doorway of his house, the morning after we conceived our son. His pain is extremely sharp, but just as suddenly muted, as Tess's eyes focus on him watching us.[/I]
The flashes clear as we return to memories that Kyle has already retrieved: remembering the mindwarp that had hidden his part in Alex's murder, watching the spaceship activated by the granolith take off into the sky, concern about Liz and fear that he is going to die when he realizes that his mind is still not completely his own.
As the flashes end, I am able to focus beyond them. I can see the tissue of his brain in my mind's eye, can see the holes that have been created by Tess's mind-control. I concentrate on healing, on making those parts of his cerebral cortex match the healthy areas.
When I am sure that his brain is healthy again, I break the connection quickly, eager to begin dissecting everything that I have seen in there.
I open my eyes to the sight of Kyle already sitting up, a shell-shocked expression on his face.
Our eyes meet. I can see the pain that he must be feeling reflected in his.
"I'm sorry." I tell him softly.
"Max?" Isabel's hand is on my shoulder. "Is everything okay?"
"He's all right." I look over at the Sheriff. The expression on his face says that he doesn't believe me. I don't blame him. Kyle looks extremely green at the moment. "At least physically." I amend.
I move to stand, but Kyle's hand shoots out and grabs me by the arm. I turn to stare at him in surprise. "Evans, I saw some things." He says flatly. I can see that he is struggling to deal with his own memories, which are still filtering back into his consciousness, but he is pushing them aside for the moment.
I don't reply, just wait for him to say whatever it is he needs to.
"I…" He closes his eyes for a moment. "I know you love Liz. I know that you care about my father." He pauses, opens his eyes and stares right at me, sincerity shining from his face. "I'm sorry I've been such a dick to you."
"You had every right." I shrug.
He frowns, looks away. "Well, I'm still sorry about it." He replies gruffly. He looks beyond me, at Isabel. I turn to see my sister watching us both with a strange expression on her face.
"What did you see Iz?" I ask, not daring to hope too hard that I was not the only one who had seen one very specific incident occur between Tess and Kyle in those blocked flashes.
Her eyes are wide, unsure if she is allowed to be happy about what she is about to say or not. I think she is just as aware as I am that, while the news is great for me, it isn't necessarily what Kyle might want to hear.
"Kyle and Tess spent the night together." She admits quietly. "Last fall, when Courtney was around."
I frown at the obscure reference, but I quickly realize that my sister doesn't know that it was also right around the time that the future version of myself had come back to get Liz to change the future. Isabel and Michael still don't know about that. I have been keeping it to myself, unsure how my sister and best friend are going to react to the fact that Liz basically destroyed her own future - and mine- to save them.
But I know now that I am going to have to tell them soon. It isn't fair to keep secrets. Not any longer. We all had to know exactly what was going on with each other, all the time. Tess had used secrets against us after all.
It's not the time now though. Because if Kyle and Tess [I]did[/I] spend the night together, it means that I might not be the father of Tess's baby at all.
It [I]doesn't[/I] mean that I didn't sleep with her, but it does mean that Tess's declarations about the baby dying are probably also false. If it is Kyle's, it is half human - actually more than half-human if you take into account that Tess is mostly human as well, as much as she doesn't want that to be the case.
And why would Tess bother to block the memory of she and Kyle having made love if there wasn't some specific reason? She needed it hidden, so that I would believe the baby was mine.
Kyle is staring at Isabel, his mouth agape. I can see the specific memory to which we are referring beginning to filter through his mind, because his face turns an interesting shade of red.
"Oh Lord." This is the Sheriff, the realization of what this means hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had joined Kyle on the couch, his arm firmly around his son's shoulders in relief that he was okay. Now he closes his eyes in dismay.
"What about Alex?" Maria asks suddenly. "Kyle, were you with him in Las Cruces?"
An expression of grief crosses Kyle's face as he nods. "I was there. She used me as her bully boy when Sean wasn't around. I made him do what she wanted."
I can see that this fact is going to haunt Kyle Valenti for the rest of his life.
"Max, what do we do now?" Isabel asks quietly as we move away from the Sheriff and Kyle in order to give them a chance to adjust to the way things have changed abruptly. Their stake in the search for Tess's baby is now much deeper, and it is going to take a lot of soul searching on their parts to figure out if they are willing to take on a child if the baby does prove to be Kyle's, which with every passing moment seems more likely.
After all, it was practically a full-term baby when I connected with it. It makes no sense that it would be mine. We had only slept together a couple of days before. But if Kyle and Tess had slept together in the autumn of our junior year, than she would have been about seven and a half months pregnant in May.
I am a little ashamed at how much I want the baby to be Kyle's. I still care about it, but my son is one thing standing between Liz and I. If the baby is not mine, maybe - just maybe - she might be able to forgive me.
But reality comes crashing back quickly. Even if the baby isn't mine, it doesn't resolve the issue of the flashes. Liz will never be able to deal with that.
"We're going to find Liz." I tell my sister firmly.
"But Max, there was nothing in Kyle's mind to tell us where Tess took her." Isabel replies, sounding perplexed.
I know that my sister is right, but I also know that time is running out. We [I]need[/I] to find Liz and quickly.
"Where do we even start?" Michael and Maria have joined us. The question is Michael's and it has barely left his mouth before a shadow nearby moves.
"I can tell you."
Maria shrieks slightly. My heart starts to pound unevenly in my chest as the intruder steps into the light thrown by the single lamp shining on the side table.
For one, heart-stopping, moment, I think she is Tess - that my past life wife has actually returned to face the music.
Her blonde hair is short, streaked with many colours, quite different from when we first met her in the Fall. But her lip is still pierced and her eyes are still wide and innocent, if a little more knowledgeable than they had been then.
Ava.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her quietly. Isabel is clenching my forearm in shock, her nails digging into my skin painfully, but I don't shake her off.
"I got the answers I went looking for." She says, her eyes shining at me strangely, in a way that doesn't make me feel entirely comfortable. "I belong with you."
