Liz glanced over at her clock- 1:11. She had finally finished packing and doing her homework and was ready to go to bed, but she was still felt dreamy while thinking of Max. She could still feel his lips on hers, his strong arms..."Snap out of it Liz," she said to herself. "We've already been over this enough times. Max is a no-no!" She got into bed, turned off her lamp and fell asleep while still thinking of Mr. Alien.
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She woke up in a start. What was that noise? Calm down Liz! It's just the wind! She tried to believe what she was saying but her heart was still racing. She had heard a thump nearby- loud enough to wake her. Lightning flashed in the sky and she could have sworn she saw someone out on her balcony. Yes, there was definitely someone out there. She was scared stiff. Who would be out there at three in the morning? She heard a low, rumbling thunder. Warily, she turned the lamp on her night table on. She looked out the window again but didn't see anything unusual. "My mind is probably playing tricks on me or something." Carefully she got out of bed and made her way towards the window.
She was standing in front of the window now. Peering out she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She unlocked the window and lifted it. "Hello? Max is that you?" she called out. Nothing. Just then, lightning lit the sky and her eyes filled wide with horror. A man had appeared right outside her window. It was a Skin. She recognized him. He was the same one whom had almost captured her at the Crashdown.
"Morning sweetheart did I wake you?" he asked grinning maliciously. Before she could utter a sound he shot his hand out and gripped her neck lifting her off the ground. Liz tried screamed but couldn't. She tried to escape his grip but he was too powerful. Struggling for air, she grabbed the window and began slamming it down on his arm. Finally he let go and cursed in pain. She dropped to the ground on her knees and gasped for air. Liz got up, turned and ran for the door ignoring the rubbery feeling in her legs. She heard the window shatter behind her and felt him grab the back of her top. He pulled her towards him and held her firmly, one hand across her front holding both arms and one on her neck. "Where is the Royal Four?" he asked angrily.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded.
"Liar!" he stood up dragging her up with him. "I don't have time to play games!" He threw her against the wall and she yelled in surprise. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Now answer the question- where are they?" She stared him straight in the eye not saying a word. He shook his head, "Fine, your choice."
He grabbed her hair and slammed her to the ground, laughing. He kicked her in the ribs ignoring her groans. "We're just getting started." He picked her up slamming her against the wall- pain shot through her back as she fell to the floor. Determined not to give up without a fight, she desperately looked for anything to use to defend herself with. She grabbed the baseball bat she always kept under her bed and turned to find him staring down at her.
"Get the hell out of here!" she banged the bat across his knees. He shrieked and fell to the floor clutching his knees. She got up and hit him across the back. He cried out. "What are you doing back here? Why can't you just leave us alone?" she exclaimed as she continued to hit him with the bat. All of a sudden, he grabbed her ankles and pulled them, causing her to fall backwards and hit the floor hard. She lost the grip on the bat. He stood up panting. Terror filled Liz's heart as he forcefully turned her around and banged her face against the floor. She tasted blood.
Liz began sobbing knowing he was too strong to fight off. He picked her up and flung her with ease. She landed on her hip and cried out. Her head throbbed and pain shot up through both legs. He stood there watching from the other side of the room. She winced as she lifted herself up. She wiped blood off her face as she continued to stare at the Skin. "They aren't here. They've left town and aren't coming back," she said.
"Liar." was all he said. He held out his hand and used his power to pull her towards him. She resisted but his power continued to drag her. He laughed as he watched her struggle to get out of the supernatural pull. She grabbed her lamp off the night table and with all the energy that she could muster she brought it down upon his head. He collapsed to the ground and all was silent. With renewed strength she began walking, half limping towards the door when she heard a low moan. The skin picked up the bat Liz had dropped and struck it across her legs. She cried out in sheer pain as she fell to the floor.
The skin stood over her, turned her, and saw that Liz was already unconscious- her eyes were closed. He knelt beside her still body and gagged as Liz opened her eyes and punched him squarely in the throat. Liz climbed on top of him and began punching his face continuously as she cried. She ignored the pain that electrified her body. She was overwhelmed with the urge to beat the alien senseless for everything the Skins had done to her and her friends. The Skin shook its head and grabbed her neck and punched her. She slumped to the ground and felt blood gushing out of her nose. In a daze, Liz tried getting up but the skin had her pinned to the floor. With the last of her energy she asked "Why- why are you doing this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked enjoying every moment. "You have the strongest connection to the Royal Four. Since you won't reveal where they are then I'll have to use you as bait. When they find out that you've been attacked, they'll come running to your rescue and I'll pounce on them faster than you can say 'gotcha'. Since Nicholas has obviously decided to forget about you all, I've decided to take action and do away with the four of them- it's only fair. After all, they did are responsible for destroying the husks and the eventual death of our people."
"But...but what do you want with them?" she asked.
"Well I've decided that it would be a waste of my powers to kill them so I've decided to make their lives a living hell. Of course I can only guarantee that three will be alive to live through it."
She felt sick. Only three? She felt her energy draining away, but she desperately tried to remain conscious. "I don't understand."
"Well then let me enlighten you. I'm going to fill you up with enough power to blast your boyfriend. Enough so that he'll be rendered unconscious and be totally defenseless. Then if I decide to be charitable I'll let him live but if he ticks me off like you have...then I guess your sole mate is going to be dead. After I've finished having my fun with him I'm going to take him back so that they can finish what they started...Oh by the way, not a word of this to anyone. If you even give a hint about what I've just told you, I'll annihilate you, your family and your friends."
Before Liz could say another word, she saw the Skin's fist coming straight at her. The impact was brutal. Blackness seeped into her eyes and then there was nothing.
********************************************************
"Psst Liz c'mon let's get going." Maria climbed up the ladder onto Liz's balcony. As she made it to the top of the ladder, she looked towards the room but all the lights were turned off. Seeing that the window was open she continued talking. "I tried going in through the front but it was already locked up. Do you know how hard it is to climb a ladder with heels on? Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she saw that the window wasn't open- it was broken! She ran to the to the window and peered in. As the moonlight filtered into the room, she saw that glass shards lay scattered all over the floor. Liz was nowhere in sight. Desperately trying to clear her mind of negative thoughts she carefully knocked out the glass still left on the windowpane. In a voice barely audible and full of trepidation she called out for her friend but got no response. "Liz? Liz where are you?"
She climbed through the window and adjusted her eyes to the brightness when she gasped. On the other side of the bed she saw a foot sticking out. She ran over and turned the light on. There she laid, crumpled on the floor- unconscious. She lay on her side...blood everywhere.
"No," was all Maria could say as she kneeled and tilted Liz's head so she could she her face. There was dry blood on her face and it was swollen. Her body was cut and bruised, and there was a deep reddish, purple tone on her legs. "Who did this to you?" she asked as she held back her tears and cradled her friend's limp body. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hello? This is Maria," she said in a shaky voice.
********************************************************
"Max, Max wake up!" Isabel said as she burst into his bedroom. She shook her brother out of a deep sleep.
"Go away. Leave me alone!" he said half awake.
Isabel yanked the covers off him and said angrily "Max get up! Something's happened to Liz."
********************************************************
She woke up in a start. What was that noise? Calm down Liz! It's just the wind! She tried to believe what she was saying but her heart was still racing. She had heard a thump nearby- loud enough to wake her. Lightning flashed in the sky and she could have sworn she saw someone out on her balcony. Yes, there was definitely someone out there. She was scared stiff. Who would be out there at three in the morning? She heard a low, rumbling thunder. Warily, she turned the lamp on her night table on. She looked out the window again but didn't see anything unusual. "My mind is probably playing tricks on me or something." Carefully she got out of bed and made her way towards the window.
She was standing in front of the window now. Peering out she saw nothing out of the ordinary. She unlocked the window and lifted it. "Hello? Max is that you?" she called out. Nothing. Just then, lightning lit the sky and her eyes filled wide with horror. A man had appeared right outside her window. It was a Skin. She recognized him. He was the same one whom had almost captured her at the Crashdown.
"Morning sweetheart did I wake you?" he asked grinning maliciously. Before she could utter a sound he shot his hand out and gripped her neck lifting her off the ground. Liz tried screamed but couldn't. She tried to escape his grip but he was too powerful. Struggling for air, she grabbed the window and began slamming it down on his arm. Finally he let go and cursed in pain. She dropped to the ground on her knees and gasped for air. Liz got up, turned and ran for the door ignoring the rubbery feeling in her legs. She heard the window shatter behind her and felt him grab the back of her top. He pulled her towards him and held her firmly, one hand across her front holding both arms and one on her neck. "Where is the Royal Four?" he asked angrily.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded.
"Liar!" he stood up dragging her up with him. "I don't have time to play games!" He threw her against the wall and she yelled in surprise. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Now answer the question- where are they?" She stared him straight in the eye not saying a word. He shook his head, "Fine, your choice."
He grabbed her hair and slammed her to the ground, laughing. He kicked her in the ribs ignoring her groans. "We're just getting started." He picked her up slamming her against the wall- pain shot through her back as she fell to the floor. Determined not to give up without a fight, she desperately looked for anything to use to defend herself with. She grabbed the baseball bat she always kept under her bed and turned to find him staring down at her.
"Get the hell out of here!" she banged the bat across his knees. He shrieked and fell to the floor clutching his knees. She got up and hit him across the back. He cried out. "What are you doing back here? Why can't you just leave us alone?" she exclaimed as she continued to hit him with the bat. All of a sudden, he grabbed her ankles and pulled them, causing her to fall backwards and hit the floor hard. She lost the grip on the bat. He stood up panting. Terror filled Liz's heart as he forcefully turned her around and banged her face against the floor. She tasted blood.
Liz began sobbing knowing he was too strong to fight off. He picked her up and flung her with ease. She landed on her hip and cried out. Her head throbbed and pain shot up through both legs. He stood there watching from the other side of the room. She winced as she lifted herself up. She wiped blood off her face as she continued to stare at the Skin. "They aren't here. They've left town and aren't coming back," she said.
"Liar." was all he said. He held out his hand and used his power to pull her towards him. She resisted but his power continued to drag her. He laughed as he watched her struggle to get out of the supernatural pull. She grabbed her lamp off the night table and with all the energy that she could muster she brought it down upon his head. He collapsed to the ground and all was silent. With renewed strength she began walking, half limping towards the door when she heard a low moan. The skin picked up the bat Liz had dropped and struck it across her legs. She cried out in sheer pain as she fell to the floor.
The skin stood over her, turned her, and saw that Liz was already unconscious- her eyes were closed. He knelt beside her still body and gagged as Liz opened her eyes and punched him squarely in the throat. Liz climbed on top of him and began punching his face continuously as she cried. She ignored the pain that electrified her body. She was overwhelmed with the urge to beat the alien senseless for everything the Skins had done to her and her friends. The Skin shook its head and grabbed her neck and punched her. She slumped to the ground and felt blood gushing out of her nose. In a daze, Liz tried getting up but the skin had her pinned to the floor. With the last of her energy she asked "Why- why are you doing this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked enjoying every moment. "You have the strongest connection to the Royal Four. Since you won't reveal where they are then I'll have to use you as bait. When they find out that you've been attacked, they'll come running to your rescue and I'll pounce on them faster than you can say 'gotcha'. Since Nicholas has obviously decided to forget about you all, I've decided to take action and do away with the four of them- it's only fair. After all, they did are responsible for destroying the husks and the eventual death of our people."
"But...but what do you want with them?" she asked.
"Well I've decided that it would be a waste of my powers to kill them so I've decided to make their lives a living hell. Of course I can only guarantee that three will be alive to live through it."
She felt sick. Only three? She felt her energy draining away, but she desperately tried to remain conscious. "I don't understand."
"Well then let me enlighten you. I'm going to fill you up with enough power to blast your boyfriend. Enough so that he'll be rendered unconscious and be totally defenseless. Then if I decide to be charitable I'll let him live but if he ticks me off like you have...then I guess your sole mate is going to be dead. After I've finished having my fun with him I'm going to take him back so that they can finish what they started...Oh by the way, not a word of this to anyone. If you even give a hint about what I've just told you, I'll annihilate you, your family and your friends."
Before Liz could say another word, she saw the Skin's fist coming straight at her. The impact was brutal. Blackness seeped into her eyes and then there was nothing.
********************************************************
"Psst Liz c'mon let's get going." Maria climbed up the ladder onto Liz's balcony. As she made it to the top of the ladder, she looked towards the room but all the lights were turned off. Seeing that the window was open she continued talking. "I tried going in through the front but it was already locked up. Do you know how hard it is to climb a ladder with heels on? Oh my god!" she exclaimed as she saw that the window wasn't open- it was broken! She ran to the to the window and peered in. As the moonlight filtered into the room, she saw that glass shards lay scattered all over the floor. Liz was nowhere in sight. Desperately trying to clear her mind of negative thoughts she carefully knocked out the glass still left on the windowpane. In a voice barely audible and full of trepidation she called out for her friend but got no response. "Liz? Liz where are you?"
She climbed through the window and adjusted her eyes to the brightness when she gasped. On the other side of the bed she saw a foot sticking out. She ran over and turned the light on. There she laid, crumpled on the floor- unconscious. She lay on her side...blood everywhere.
"No," was all Maria could say as she kneeled and tilted Liz's head so she could she her face. There was dry blood on her face and it was swollen. Her body was cut and bruised, and there was a deep reddish, purple tone on her legs. "Who did this to you?" she asked as she held back her tears and cradled her friend's limp body. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed. "Hello? This is Maria," she said in a shaky voice.
********************************************************
"Max, Max wake up!" Isabel said as she burst into his bedroom. She shook her brother out of a deep sleep.
"Go away. Leave me alone!" he said half awake.
Isabel yanked the covers off him and said angrily "Max get up! Something's happened to Liz."