Part 3
Kyle helped Tess over to the couch as Max sat on the chair by the desk. The girl tapped on his shoulder and he turned around. She nodded to ask if he was ready. He nodded back that he was before turning back into position. The girl placed her hand on his back and they connected.
"Tess, are you okay?" was the first thing she said. Tess looked up slowly and smiled. "Alright, so where were we?"
"Well... we were talking about what we found at Atherton's," said Isabel, "We had more, but..."
"They were robbed," said Michael, "Someone broke into our house and took the papers we found at the dome."
"I know," said the girl. All looked up to her.
"What do you mean you know?" asked Alex.
"It was me," she explained.
"How?" asked Liz.
"Well, not ME, but someone I 'told' to go there, take the papers, make it look like a robbery, and bring the papers back to me."
"But why?" asked Isabel.
"It had to be done," the girl answered simply.
"So where are they? What did you do with them?" asked Tess.
"Destroyed," she told them.
"What did you do that for? It was maybe the first real clue we had..." Michael started, getting agitated.
"Michael, listen to me," the girl said, "Those papers would never result in something good. Atherton had it all wrong. It would have sent you on a path you would never want to take. Trust me when I tell you... you're all better off this way." No one talked for a while as they all tried to make sense of this new information.
"But wait," said Isabel, "How did the necklace end up there?"
"I don't know," said the girl, "It was there for you to find when you'd go..."
"How much do these people... whoever they are... how much do they know about what's supposed to happen?" asked Michael.
"I don't know... it's not like I've met them... I'm only telling you what I know... even if I don't know how I came to be aware of it..."
"Well what are we supposed to do now? You said you're supposed to help us, but... help us how?" asked Michael.
"I know this will sound a bit redundant, but... I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that..." said the girl slowly.
"Well one thing's for sure..." said Tess as she stood up.
"What?" asked the girl.
"We won't get anywhere, or find anything, if we have to come all the way out here everytime we want to see you..." Tess explained.
"I'm not sure I understand..." said the girl.
"Come with us... back to Roswell."
"I-I don't know if that's such a good idea..."
"I think Tess is right," said Isabel.
"We don't have much of a choice, here. You'll be able to help us much better if you're close by," said Michael. The girl hesitated for some time before she finally spoke up.
"Alright... But we'll need to get some information straight."
"Like what?" asked Michael.
"Well... I need some kind of backstory... identity... I need a name."
"I may have an idea," said Kyle, raising his hand into the air slowly, "As far as a backstory goes..."
"Are you sure it would work?" asked Isabel.
"Almost completely, yes..."
"Then we'll take it... but that still leaves a name..." said Isabel. All stopped to think. Tess had been thinking back to when she'd helped her aunt Melissa look up names for her baby and remembered one that, if she remembered the meaning correctly, would fit perfectly enough.
"What do you think of the name Cailin?" she asked the others. They thought for a few seconds before each began nodding. They turned to the girl... it WAS her choice after all.
"I love it, it's perfect!"
"Well then... Ready to come back with us, Cailin?" asked Tess with a smile. Cailin seemed suddenly nervous.
"Are you okay?" asked Liz.
"I-I've never been out there before, I don't know..."
"Don't worry, you'll be okay. I promise. You'll be safe with us," Tess assured her.
"Well... let's go then," said Cailin before breaking her connection with Max. He appeared slightly dazed but generally okay.
"Guess we should get going," said Kyle. All nine lined up by the ladder to climb back to the dome's main level. Once they'd all made it out of the room, Cailin closed the door and waved her hand over it to make it disappear. She turned to the others and Tess held out her hand to her. Cailin smiled and took it. They walked up to the entrance and Cailin waved her hand out to open the door. Isabel, Alex, Maria, Michael, Liz, and Max walked out first. Tess could sense Cailin's fear as she stood beside her. She crouched next to her.
"Hey..." she whispered, "You can do it, don't be afraid..." The girl looked to her and finally nodded. Tess stood and walked out. She turned and held out her hand to the girl once again. Cailin stretched her hand out into the slowly fading sunlight, finally resting it into Tess' own hand. She lowered her head, looking to her feet as she stepped out of the dome, out of the only home she'd known in the years since her awakening. Once she was out of the dome, she smiled up to Tess. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Tess smiled back to her. Cailin turned her head and waved her free hand to close the door again. They split in two groups as they headed to the cars.
"So what's the plan?" Maria asked, "Where are we meeting?"
"My house house... we'll be able to talk freely there..." said Kyle.
"Alright then, let's get a move on!" Isabel called out as the two groups got in the two cars. They didn't go in their original seating arrangement this time. Isabel, Alex, Kyle, Tess, and Cailin were in the Jeep, while Max, Liz, Michael, and Maria took the Jetta. Kyle, Tess, and Cailin sat in the back, with Cailin in Tess' lap. She had her eyes fixed on the scenery passing by, letting the wind blow through her hair.
Tess looked at her and couldn't help smiling. She vaguely remembered the night she and the other three had come out of their pods. She'd been so disoriented... suddenly leaving the only place she'd known and going to an unknown destination with a bunch of strangers... She imagined that Cailin must have been feeling the same thing right at that moment. At least she'd be with them... and they'd make sure she'd be okay if it was the last thing they did.
Tess turned to look at Kyle with a grin when Cailin let out a small giggling sound at one point during the ride. He smiled back to her.
The sun was almost down when they went past a sign that indicated they'd arrive in Roswell shortly. For some reason, she couldn't wait to see Cailin's reaction to the city. It was amazing how close she felt to this person she'd only met a very short time ago. They'd formed a connection, beyond the one which had allowed Cailin to communicate with all of them. She knew it deep down, and it helped bring everything into focus.
"Cailin, look... we're almost there," she whispered to the girl as they entered Roswell. Cailin turned and smiled up to Tess. She started pointing things out to her as they drove through town.
As they neared the Valenti home, Tess turned to Kyle. "Is your dad home at this time?"
"I'm not sure. He should be done working by now, but it doesn't mean he'll go straight home..."
"Do you think he'll mind having all of us there at once?"
"I'm sure he'll be okay with it. Besides, when he sees her," he said, pointing to Cailin, "He won't be able to turn us away. He turns into a big softie around kids." He winked and Tess smiled.
*
Kyle helped Tess over to the couch as Max sat on the chair by the desk. The girl tapped on his shoulder and he turned around. She nodded to ask if he was ready. He nodded back that he was before turning back into position. The girl placed her hand on his back and they connected.
"Tess, are you okay?" was the first thing she said. Tess looked up slowly and smiled. "Alright, so where were we?"
"Well... we were talking about what we found at Atherton's," said Isabel, "We had more, but..."
"They were robbed," said Michael, "Someone broke into our house and took the papers we found at the dome."
"I know," said the girl. All looked up to her.
"What do you mean you know?" asked Alex.
"It was me," she explained.
"How?" asked Liz.
"Well, not ME, but someone I 'told' to go there, take the papers, make it look like a robbery, and bring the papers back to me."
"But why?" asked Isabel.
"It had to be done," the girl answered simply.
"So where are they? What did you do with them?" asked Tess.
"Destroyed," she told them.
"What did you do that for? It was maybe the first real clue we had..." Michael started, getting agitated.
"Michael, listen to me," the girl said, "Those papers would never result in something good. Atherton had it all wrong. It would have sent you on a path you would never want to take. Trust me when I tell you... you're all better off this way." No one talked for a while as they all tried to make sense of this new information.
"But wait," said Isabel, "How did the necklace end up there?"
"I don't know," said the girl, "It was there for you to find when you'd go..."
"How much do these people... whoever they are... how much do they know about what's supposed to happen?" asked Michael.
"I don't know... it's not like I've met them... I'm only telling you what I know... even if I don't know how I came to be aware of it..."
"Well what are we supposed to do now? You said you're supposed to help us, but... help us how?" asked Michael.
"I know this will sound a bit redundant, but... I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that..." said the girl slowly.
"Well one thing's for sure..." said Tess as she stood up.
"What?" asked the girl.
"We won't get anywhere, or find anything, if we have to come all the way out here everytime we want to see you..." Tess explained.
"I'm not sure I understand..." said the girl.
"Come with us... back to Roswell."
"I-I don't know if that's such a good idea..."
"I think Tess is right," said Isabel.
"We don't have much of a choice, here. You'll be able to help us much better if you're close by," said Michael. The girl hesitated for some time before she finally spoke up.
"Alright... But we'll need to get some information straight."
"Like what?" asked Michael.
"Well... I need some kind of backstory... identity... I need a name."
"I may have an idea," said Kyle, raising his hand into the air slowly, "As far as a backstory goes..."
"Are you sure it would work?" asked Isabel.
"Almost completely, yes..."
"Then we'll take it... but that still leaves a name..." said Isabel. All stopped to think. Tess had been thinking back to when she'd helped her aunt Melissa look up names for her baby and remembered one that, if she remembered the meaning correctly, would fit perfectly enough.
"What do you think of the name Cailin?" she asked the others. They thought for a few seconds before each began nodding. They turned to the girl... it WAS her choice after all.
"I love it, it's perfect!"
"Well then... Ready to come back with us, Cailin?" asked Tess with a smile. Cailin seemed suddenly nervous.
"Are you okay?" asked Liz.
"I-I've never been out there before, I don't know..."
"Don't worry, you'll be okay. I promise. You'll be safe with us," Tess assured her.
"Well... let's go then," said Cailin before breaking her connection with Max. He appeared slightly dazed but generally okay.
"Guess we should get going," said Kyle. All nine lined up by the ladder to climb back to the dome's main level. Once they'd all made it out of the room, Cailin closed the door and waved her hand over it to make it disappear. She turned to the others and Tess held out her hand to her. Cailin smiled and took it. They walked up to the entrance and Cailin waved her hand out to open the door. Isabel, Alex, Maria, Michael, Liz, and Max walked out first. Tess could sense Cailin's fear as she stood beside her. She crouched next to her.
"Hey..." she whispered, "You can do it, don't be afraid..." The girl looked to her and finally nodded. Tess stood and walked out. She turned and held out her hand to the girl once again. Cailin stretched her hand out into the slowly fading sunlight, finally resting it into Tess' own hand. She lowered her head, looking to her feet as she stepped out of the dome, out of the only home she'd known in the years since her awakening. Once she was out of the dome, she smiled up to Tess. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Tess smiled back to her. Cailin turned her head and waved her free hand to close the door again. They split in two groups as they headed to the cars.
"So what's the plan?" Maria asked, "Where are we meeting?"
"My house house... we'll be able to talk freely there..." said Kyle.
"Alright then, let's get a move on!" Isabel called out as the two groups got in the two cars. They didn't go in their original seating arrangement this time. Isabel, Alex, Kyle, Tess, and Cailin were in the Jeep, while Max, Liz, Michael, and Maria took the Jetta. Kyle, Tess, and Cailin sat in the back, with Cailin in Tess' lap. She had her eyes fixed on the scenery passing by, letting the wind blow through her hair.
Tess looked at her and couldn't help smiling. She vaguely remembered the night she and the other three had come out of their pods. She'd been so disoriented... suddenly leaving the only place she'd known and going to an unknown destination with a bunch of strangers... She imagined that Cailin must have been feeling the same thing right at that moment. At least she'd be with them... and they'd make sure she'd be okay if it was the last thing they did.
Tess turned to look at Kyle with a grin when Cailin let out a small giggling sound at one point during the ride. He smiled back to her.
The sun was almost down when they went past a sign that indicated they'd arrive in Roswell shortly. For some reason, she couldn't wait to see Cailin's reaction to the city. It was amazing how close she felt to this person she'd only met a very short time ago. They'd formed a connection, beyond the one which had allowed Cailin to communicate with all of them. She knew it deep down, and it helped bring everything into focus.
"Cailin, look... we're almost there," she whispered to the girl as they entered Roswell. Cailin turned and smiled up to Tess. She started pointing things out to her as they drove through town.
As they neared the Valenti home, Tess turned to Kyle. "Is your dad home at this time?"
"I'm not sure. He should be done working by now, but it doesn't mean he'll go straight home..."
"Do you think he'll mind having all of us there at once?"
"I'm sure he'll be okay with it. Besides, when he sees her," he said, pointing to Cailin, "He won't be able to turn us away. He turns into a big softie around kids." He winked and Tess smiled.
*
