Part Three
Later that day, after a disastrous surfing lesson by everyone except Isabel and Katie, Tess, Maria and Isabel decided to look around Roswell Beach some more and enlisted Miranda as their tour guide. It had been Maria's idea in the beginning, so she could maybe get Miranda to show her where Michael lived, and so, after a quick dinner at home, Miranda sitting in the father's place, the four girls headed downtown.
All four girls wore Capri's and tank tops in assorted colours, and looked 'smashing' as Miranda had put it, making the sisters' laugh.
"Well," Miranda said as they walked past storefronts beginning to close up shop. "Roswell Beach is pretty easy to understand. There are only three main streets really, which accounts for the lack of public transportation here. You've either got to have your own car, which only the popular crowd does, or you walk everywhere like us common folk. Do you guys have your own car?" Miranda asked curiously.
Tess snorted. "Yeah, right. I don't think our dad even realizes we're old enough to drive."
Miranda looked appalled. "Really?" She gasped.
Isabel nodded, then changed the subject. "Where are we now?"
The girls had left Main Street where mostly all the cafe's and shops were, excluding the mall, and were now strolling along a mostly residential area.
"Whoops," Miranda said guiltily. "I'm getting us off track, aren't I? This is Scotsburn Ave. It's mostly homes, but there's some shops down at the end."
"Yes!" Maria exclaimed. "Stores!" She fingered the black purse slung across her chest. "Would they still be open?"
Miranda checked the watch on her left wrist. "Yeah, they should be. At least the good ones. The owners know to stay open at night, because that's when all the teens go shopping. They're at the beach all during the day, you know."
"Oh, right," Tess said. "So what stores are down there?"
"Some clothes stores, a shoe store. The normal," Miranda answered. Then a strange look came over her face, and she said, "well, there is one other store. It's really weird though. It's a witchcraft store, with books and spells and stuff. Alex and me went in there one, and scared ourselves silly."
Tess, Maria and Isabel exchanged a long look.
There was a long pause before Maria asked, "Which building is it?"
"Oh, it's that one; down on the end of the street," Miranda answered. She pointed to an old building that looked like it might have been a house once. "See, it has the sign in front?"
Maria looked where Miranda had pointed, and saw the house, with a sign hanging on an iron post reading Wheeler's Wiccan Goods. The paint was peeling off the sign, much the same as it had on the building. From the looks of the store, it wasn't visited very often and the owner didn't have enough money to repaint the building. Or that's what Maria assumed.
"Hey, why don't we go in?" Isabel suggested, stopping the group a few feet from the building. "It'll be fun, we can just look around, or whatever."
"No way," Miranda said, shaking her head. "I'm not going in there again."
Tess and Maria pouted, as Isabel turned to look at the building again. "Hey, look! There's Alex!" Isabel sounded incredibly excited, and she started walking over to the tall teen, who was looking at the store with a funny look on his face.
Maria rolled her eyes as she saw her sister run a hand casually over her face to touch up her make-up and smooth her shirt down over her stomach. "She's way gone," She whispered to Tess as the three remaining girls strode down to meet up with Isabel and Alex.
Tess giggled. "I know. But it's good for her. Keeps her from noticing what we're doing."
Maria laughed and wound her arm through Tess's, running the rest of the way. "Hi Alex," Maria said, smiling brightly at him. Tess waved with her free arm. Miranda gave her friend a hug, and Alex looked slightly embarrassed that four pretty girls were paying so much attention to him.
"What are you guys doing down here?" Alex asked, his cheeks still slightly pink.
"I'm showing them around," Miranda answered. "But they wanted to go into Wheeler's. I told them I wasn't going with them, you know, since the place is so creepy."
"What's so creepy about it?" Maria asked. "I mean, it's only a store, right? What's so bad about that?"
"It's what's inside, Maria," Alex answered, his face turning serious. "You don't want to go in."
"Yes I do," Maria insisted. "I just want to check it out." She turned to look at the store once again, and felt a strange feeling wash over her. It was like she had just been dumped into an ice bath.
"Maria? Are you coming?" She heard Isabel ask. "What's wrong Ria?"
"C'mon, Maria," Tess said, tugging on Maria's arm, trying to pull her down the sidewalk. Maria only shook her off.
"Hey, who's that?" Isabel said, glimpsing someone in the bushes around the side of the building.
"Where?" Miranda asked, looking all around. "I don't see anyone."
"No, no. Right over there. In the bushes." Isabel pointed over to where she meant. "See him? It's some guy looking into the windows."
"Oh my God! Look at him!" Tess gasped. "Who is that?"
"That's Max Evans, Alex. Look! What's he doing around here?" Miranda wondered. "He's always making fun of Old Wheeler. Why is he peeking in the windows, though?"
"There must be someone else here though," Alex said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "He never goes anywhere by himself." Seeing the sister's confused looks, Alex added "He was the one at the beach last night. Beside Michael Guerin, I mean. Michael is the one Maria saved." Everyone looked over at Maria and saw her begin to walk towards the bushes.
"Maria!" Isabel whispered fiercely, glaring at her sister. "Come back here!" Maria ignored her though, and kept walking with determination.
Rolling her eyes, Isabel followed her sister, and Tess, and a rather reluctant Alex and Miranda followed her. Maria went straight to the bushes, and everyone had no choice but to follow. On the other side of the bushes there was a space between the house and the bushes about a foot wide, and there were three boys crowded around a window on the first floor.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?" The guy Miranda had said was Max had turned around and seen the five intruders. "Hey guys, look." The other two guys didn't turn around though, and Max said, "Get lost," and turned back to the window.
"What are you guys looking at anyways," Maria said, walking up behind them and trying to peek in the window. "Is it a strip club in the back or something?"
"Come on Maria, let's go," Miranda said, looking around nervously. "We can go up the road a little more. There's some more stores there."
"Oh my God," Maria breathed, backing away from the window. She turned around to face Tess and Isabel, her face white as a sheet. "Oh my freaking God," She said again, louder this time.
"What?" Tess asked, dread washing over her. "What is it Ria?"
"Dad. Dad's in there," Maria said. Her bright green eyes were wide and frightened, and she looked like she was going to faint. The guys at the window had turned around to see what was going on, and forgot to duck down as to not be seen.
"Hey! Who's out there?" Someone shouted from inside. Isabel, Tess and Maria were standing in a three-person circle, not hearing anything but each other.
"What was he doing in there, Ria?" Isabel asked, seeing how frightened her youngest sister was.
"He was... He was... " Maria couldn't seem to form a complete sentence.
"Hey! Someone's in the bushes!" The shouting was louder this time, and it sounded like a bunch of people was running towards the window.
"Shit," said one of the guys. "We gotta go."
Alex grabbed Isabel's hand and pulled her out first. Miranda followed them, and Max was next. The two remaining guys grabbed Maria and Tess and pulled them out and across the front lawn.
The front door was thrown open as they crossed the road, and someone yelled, "They were spying on us! Get them!"
Alex, who was leading ran through someone's backyard and onto the next street, hoping that no one would follow them. beside him, Isabel was panting, but keeping up with Alex's long stride.
Max, who was just behind them said, "Go to the Beach bar! Liz will be there."
Alex veered right, towards the beach, and didn't question Max. He knew Liz would hide them, if only because Max told her to.
In the back, Maria was running alongside, one of the guys she didn't know. She was gripping his hand tightly and didn't ever want to let go.
As the lights of the Beach Bar, a popular teen hangout came into view, Maria risked a glance behind them. There was no one behind them, but for all she knew, they could be pulling up in cars in the parking lot.
After what seemed like forever, everyone finally reached the back door of the Beach Bar. Max opened it and slipped inside, while everyone else waited outside on baited breath.
A few seconds later, max reappeared and beckoned them in. Inside, it was dark in the room, and Maria assumed it was the back of the restaurant. Liz was waiting anxiously, and when they came in, sweaty and out of breath, she hugged the two guys Maria didn't know, then kissed the Max guy.
Isabel pulled Tess and Maria into a little circle and said, "What the hell happened there?"
Tess looked just as confused as Isabel felt. "I have no clue. But whoever those guys were didn't want us to see what they were doing."
"And those three guys know something about it," Isabel added. "What do you think, Ria?"
Maria didn't answer and Isabel waved a hand in front of her face. "Ria?"
"Hmm?" Maria shook her head, and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the guy she had been running with let a loud "What?"
The three sisters turned around as he walked up to them. Maria looked at him, and couldn't believe she hadn't noticed him before.
"Hey, you're Maria DeLuca," he said before Maria could say a word."You saved my life yesterday."
tbc...
Later that day, after a disastrous surfing lesson by everyone except Isabel and Katie, Tess, Maria and Isabel decided to look around Roswell Beach some more and enlisted Miranda as their tour guide. It had been Maria's idea in the beginning, so she could maybe get Miranda to show her where Michael lived, and so, after a quick dinner at home, Miranda sitting in the father's place, the four girls headed downtown.
All four girls wore Capri's and tank tops in assorted colours, and looked 'smashing' as Miranda had put it, making the sisters' laugh.
"Well," Miranda said as they walked past storefronts beginning to close up shop. "Roswell Beach is pretty easy to understand. There are only three main streets really, which accounts for the lack of public transportation here. You've either got to have your own car, which only the popular crowd does, or you walk everywhere like us common folk. Do you guys have your own car?" Miranda asked curiously.
Tess snorted. "Yeah, right. I don't think our dad even realizes we're old enough to drive."
Miranda looked appalled. "Really?" She gasped.
Isabel nodded, then changed the subject. "Where are we now?"
The girls had left Main Street where mostly all the cafe's and shops were, excluding the mall, and were now strolling along a mostly residential area.
"Whoops," Miranda said guiltily. "I'm getting us off track, aren't I? This is Scotsburn Ave. It's mostly homes, but there's some shops down at the end."
"Yes!" Maria exclaimed. "Stores!" She fingered the black purse slung across her chest. "Would they still be open?"
Miranda checked the watch on her left wrist. "Yeah, they should be. At least the good ones. The owners know to stay open at night, because that's when all the teens go shopping. They're at the beach all during the day, you know."
"Oh, right," Tess said. "So what stores are down there?"
"Some clothes stores, a shoe store. The normal," Miranda answered. Then a strange look came over her face, and she said, "well, there is one other store. It's really weird though. It's a witchcraft store, with books and spells and stuff. Alex and me went in there one, and scared ourselves silly."
Tess, Maria and Isabel exchanged a long look.
There was a long pause before Maria asked, "Which building is it?"
"Oh, it's that one; down on the end of the street," Miranda answered. She pointed to an old building that looked like it might have been a house once. "See, it has the sign in front?"
Maria looked where Miranda had pointed, and saw the house, with a sign hanging on an iron post reading Wheeler's Wiccan Goods. The paint was peeling off the sign, much the same as it had on the building. From the looks of the store, it wasn't visited very often and the owner didn't have enough money to repaint the building. Or that's what Maria assumed.
"Hey, why don't we go in?" Isabel suggested, stopping the group a few feet from the building. "It'll be fun, we can just look around, or whatever."
"No way," Miranda said, shaking her head. "I'm not going in there again."
Tess and Maria pouted, as Isabel turned to look at the building again. "Hey, look! There's Alex!" Isabel sounded incredibly excited, and she started walking over to the tall teen, who was looking at the store with a funny look on his face.
Maria rolled her eyes as she saw her sister run a hand casually over her face to touch up her make-up and smooth her shirt down over her stomach. "She's way gone," She whispered to Tess as the three remaining girls strode down to meet up with Isabel and Alex.
Tess giggled. "I know. But it's good for her. Keeps her from noticing what we're doing."
Maria laughed and wound her arm through Tess's, running the rest of the way. "Hi Alex," Maria said, smiling brightly at him. Tess waved with her free arm. Miranda gave her friend a hug, and Alex looked slightly embarrassed that four pretty girls were paying so much attention to him.
"What are you guys doing down here?" Alex asked, his cheeks still slightly pink.
"I'm showing them around," Miranda answered. "But they wanted to go into Wheeler's. I told them I wasn't going with them, you know, since the place is so creepy."
"What's so creepy about it?" Maria asked. "I mean, it's only a store, right? What's so bad about that?"
"It's what's inside, Maria," Alex answered, his face turning serious. "You don't want to go in."
"Yes I do," Maria insisted. "I just want to check it out." She turned to look at the store once again, and felt a strange feeling wash over her. It was like she had just been dumped into an ice bath.
"Maria? Are you coming?" She heard Isabel ask. "What's wrong Ria?"
"C'mon, Maria," Tess said, tugging on Maria's arm, trying to pull her down the sidewalk. Maria only shook her off.
"Hey, who's that?" Isabel said, glimpsing someone in the bushes around the side of the building.
"Where?" Miranda asked, looking all around. "I don't see anyone."
"No, no. Right over there. In the bushes." Isabel pointed over to where she meant. "See him? It's some guy looking into the windows."
"Oh my God! Look at him!" Tess gasped. "Who is that?"
"That's Max Evans, Alex. Look! What's he doing around here?" Miranda wondered. "He's always making fun of Old Wheeler. Why is he peeking in the windows, though?"
"There must be someone else here though," Alex said, lowering his voice to a whisper. "He never goes anywhere by himself." Seeing the sister's confused looks, Alex added "He was the one at the beach last night. Beside Michael Guerin, I mean. Michael is the one Maria saved." Everyone looked over at Maria and saw her begin to walk towards the bushes.
"Maria!" Isabel whispered fiercely, glaring at her sister. "Come back here!" Maria ignored her though, and kept walking with determination.
Rolling her eyes, Isabel followed her sister, and Tess, and a rather reluctant Alex and Miranda followed her. Maria went straight to the bushes, and everyone had no choice but to follow. On the other side of the bushes there was a space between the house and the bushes about a foot wide, and there were three boys crowded around a window on the first floor.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing here?" The guy Miranda had said was Max had turned around and seen the five intruders. "Hey guys, look." The other two guys didn't turn around though, and Max said, "Get lost," and turned back to the window.
"What are you guys looking at anyways," Maria said, walking up behind them and trying to peek in the window. "Is it a strip club in the back or something?"
"Come on Maria, let's go," Miranda said, looking around nervously. "We can go up the road a little more. There's some more stores there."
"Oh my God," Maria breathed, backing away from the window. She turned around to face Tess and Isabel, her face white as a sheet. "Oh my freaking God," She said again, louder this time.
"What?" Tess asked, dread washing over her. "What is it Ria?"
"Dad. Dad's in there," Maria said. Her bright green eyes were wide and frightened, and she looked like she was going to faint. The guys at the window had turned around to see what was going on, and forgot to duck down as to not be seen.
"Hey! Who's out there?" Someone shouted from inside. Isabel, Tess and Maria were standing in a three-person circle, not hearing anything but each other.
"What was he doing in there, Ria?" Isabel asked, seeing how frightened her youngest sister was.
"He was... He was... " Maria couldn't seem to form a complete sentence.
"Hey! Someone's in the bushes!" The shouting was louder this time, and it sounded like a bunch of people was running towards the window.
"Shit," said one of the guys. "We gotta go."
Alex grabbed Isabel's hand and pulled her out first. Miranda followed them, and Max was next. The two remaining guys grabbed Maria and Tess and pulled them out and across the front lawn.
The front door was thrown open as they crossed the road, and someone yelled, "They were spying on us! Get them!"
Alex, who was leading ran through someone's backyard and onto the next street, hoping that no one would follow them. beside him, Isabel was panting, but keeping up with Alex's long stride.
Max, who was just behind them said, "Go to the Beach bar! Liz will be there."
Alex veered right, towards the beach, and didn't question Max. He knew Liz would hide them, if only because Max told her to.
In the back, Maria was running alongside, one of the guys she didn't know. She was gripping his hand tightly and didn't ever want to let go.
As the lights of the Beach Bar, a popular teen hangout came into view, Maria risked a glance behind them. There was no one behind them, but for all she knew, they could be pulling up in cars in the parking lot.
After what seemed like forever, everyone finally reached the back door of the Beach Bar. Max opened it and slipped inside, while everyone else waited outside on baited breath.
A few seconds later, max reappeared and beckoned them in. Inside, it was dark in the room, and Maria assumed it was the back of the restaurant. Liz was waiting anxiously, and when they came in, sweaty and out of breath, she hugged the two guys Maria didn't know, then kissed the Max guy.
Isabel pulled Tess and Maria into a little circle and said, "What the hell happened there?"
Tess looked just as confused as Isabel felt. "I have no clue. But whoever those guys were didn't want us to see what they were doing."
"And those three guys know something about it," Isabel added. "What do you think, Ria?"
Maria didn't answer and Isabel waved a hand in front of her face. "Ria?"
"Hmm?" Maria shook her head, and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the guy she had been running with let a loud "What?"
The three sisters turned around as he walked up to them. Maria looked at him, and couldn't believe she hadn't noticed him before.
"Hey, you're Maria DeLuca," he said before Maria could say a word."You saved my life yesterday."
tbc...
