---Chapter 12---
There hadn't been a moment when Victoria hadn't been guarded after the potential risk at the base. Now it was Sunday morning, and she was being escorted by Adam to the waiting car that would take her back to the mansion.
She hated leaving that other girl behind, at least she thought she was still there. The girl probably couldn't handle being "caged" up and subjected to whatever they would do, like Victoria could. Victoria was used to it. But what was there to do? She couldn't help her. She couldn't even change her own situation.
Before she got into the car, Adam said to her, "Think no more of this place- or anything in it."
Victoria just looked at him.
"You may be happy to know, that was your last treatment." -Adam.
Victoria was almost shocked. Then she dared to say, "..ever?"
"We'll see.", He said. "Focus your attention instead upon that young man who rescued you from your.. trial at the pub last weekend."
"How did you know about that?" Victoria asked, though knowing him, she shouldn't have been surprised.
"Nothing escapes me. I rather thought you knew that by now." Adam said, as he closed the door and motioned for the car to head out.
She looked at him as the car pulled away from the base. What did he mean by 'focus' her attention upon Michael, she wondered. Her mind wandered from that to pondering the girl behind in the base. May she somehow get away, she thought. For she knew she, herself, could not be free of it all.
It was Monday, early afternoon, and Max was seriously worried for his sister's sake. And he wasn't by himself. He knew no more about any of it - whoever took her, why, nothing -he knew nothing. It's not like he and the others hadn't tried.
Michael had seen "them"- a couple of people watching him. They had followed him to the Crashdown and went inside. Max alerted Liz and Maria, but 'they' just disappeared. The table they had been sitting at where they were disguised as normal people was empty when one time they looked back over at them.
There had been attempts to follow one of them who had been following Max, but they just blended in and disappeared like master escape artists or something. They were all frustrated, not the least of which was Max himself. Iz had been missing since Thursday night.
Max had made a very similar excuse for his parents' sake - such as he'd given Jesse. Further, her professors at the college were sent written excuses from 'Isabel' and Jesse was going to be sent a postcard 'from Isabel' today so he wouldn't be alarmed - rather Max was going to use his abilities to create a very convincing postcard and put it in Jesse's mailbox.
Anyway, nobody but the 5 of them knew Isabel was really missing and really in danger. They all 5 sat in the student lounge in a quiet, dazed sort of silence.
"I'm really worried about you, Max." Liz said, as she slid closer to him on the vinyl couch, an arm on his hand, which rested on his lap.
"Your son - and now Isabel missing. Please let me help you." Liz said, concern for him showing in her eyes as he turned to look at her.
Max reached up and pulled a thick strand of her silky, straight hair to the back. "You are, Liz. I don't know what I would do without your support."
"Well, you'll always have it, Max. Always." Liz said, as she squeezed his hand.
- - -
Michael glanced up at seeing Victoria pass by the lounge. On impulse, he was about to jump up and follow her. He hadn't seen her around for days. She hadn't been in school Thursday and Friday. And sometime during then and now, he'd had a thought that something had happened to her too. Seeing her pass by just then, quite naturally, with a group of devotees âE" made his thought absurd.
When he looked over at Maria beside him, who sat thumbing through a magazine, he thought better of going after Victoria. He didn't want Maria to think something of it. Michael sighed and leaned back. All these quiet people - everyone around him were almost in mourning for Isabel. She was coming back! He knew it. And yet everyone around him were smothering him. SHE didn't know about any of this and and, no, he wouldn't and couldn't tell her, but somehow he could lose himself for a while when he was around Victoria. And then -maybe he just needed to pretend or something. That was a stupid thought, but Michael endured sitting there passively for another ten minutes before he leapt up, "See you later," escaping his mouth - a barely thought about message to all of them.
Michael looks around and doesn't spot Victoria at first, until he see her standing against her locker with, as always, a group around her.
He walks up to her and spotting him, he thinks he almost sees a hint of happiness in her eyes. Probably wasn't that. Maybe something akin to it.
"I'll see you later," Victoria says to the group. After they leave, she turns around and shoves her books into her locker and sighs.
"What? Getting tired of your admirers already?" -Michael.
"Sometimes it just feels like they're crowding me, and I'm---" -Victoria.
"smothering." Michael says.
She turns to look at him. "Yes, that's it." She looks at him a moment.
"Where have you been?" -Michael.
"Oh, you know, nothing really- just, sick." Victoria says with a little wave of her hand.
"You don't look sick." Michael says, studying her. And she didn't. Not like the last two weeks or so. . .
"Well, I'm not anymore. I feel better. Can't you tell." -Victoria.
"Yeah I can. You don't look like hell anymore." -Michael.
"What do I look like then?" -Victoria.
Michael studies her and then averts his eyes and leans against the lockers.
Victoria had gotten a vibe from him since seeing him. . that something was bothering him, more than the usual feeling that something was bothering him. "What's wrong, Michael?"
He finds a great fascination with the lines of the locker all of a sudden.
"Nothing." -Michael.
Victoria sighs, "Okay, you don't need to tell me. But I don't want you around me."
"What?" Michael looks up at her quickly, a frown starting to crease his brow.
"Well, I just meant I don't want you being down in the dumps and all. I have a remedy for it." Victoria says with a small smile.
"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" -Michael.
"A secret place. Well, I mean it's not as if nobody's ever been there. And it's not really secret, but it's not as if it's inhabited or anything." -Victoria.
"So there's this place and if I go there - it's going to make it all better." He says sarcastically, skeptically.
"Yes, it's magical." -Victoria. "But it's best at night. And it's only afternoon now."
"I don't care." Michael says impulsively.
Victoria steps back, surprised. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I want to get out of here." -Michael.
"Okay." Victoria says quietly, still surprised. "Where do you want to go?"
"I said I don't care. Let's just go. Now." -Michael.
"Who's driving?" -Victoria.
"Hey, no one but me is in control of my bike." -Michael.
Victoria rolls her eyes. Michael starts off, striding across the hall. He looks back at her.
Victoria only hesitates a moment longer, then catches up to him.
As they speed off on the motorcycle, Max, Maria, and Liz see them leaving.
---End of Chapter 12---
There hadn't been a moment when Victoria hadn't been guarded after the potential risk at the base. Now it was Sunday morning, and she was being escorted by Adam to the waiting car that would take her back to the mansion.
She hated leaving that other girl behind, at least she thought she was still there. The girl probably couldn't handle being "caged" up and subjected to whatever they would do, like Victoria could. Victoria was used to it. But what was there to do? She couldn't help her. She couldn't even change her own situation.
Before she got into the car, Adam said to her, "Think no more of this place- or anything in it."
Victoria just looked at him.
"You may be happy to know, that was your last treatment." -Adam.
Victoria was almost shocked. Then she dared to say, "..ever?"
"We'll see.", He said. "Focus your attention instead upon that young man who rescued you from your.. trial at the pub last weekend."
"How did you know about that?" Victoria asked, though knowing him, she shouldn't have been surprised.
"Nothing escapes me. I rather thought you knew that by now." Adam said, as he closed the door and motioned for the car to head out.
She looked at him as the car pulled away from the base. What did he mean by 'focus' her attention upon Michael, she wondered. Her mind wandered from that to pondering the girl behind in the base. May she somehow get away, she thought. For she knew she, herself, could not be free of it all.
It was Monday, early afternoon, and Max was seriously worried for his sister's sake. And he wasn't by himself. He knew no more about any of it - whoever took her, why, nothing -he knew nothing. It's not like he and the others hadn't tried.
Michael had seen "them"- a couple of people watching him. They had followed him to the Crashdown and went inside. Max alerted Liz and Maria, but 'they' just disappeared. The table they had been sitting at where they were disguised as normal people was empty when one time they looked back over at them.
There had been attempts to follow one of them who had been following Max, but they just blended in and disappeared like master escape artists or something. They were all frustrated, not the least of which was Max himself. Iz had been missing since Thursday night.
Max had made a very similar excuse for his parents' sake - such as he'd given Jesse. Further, her professors at the college were sent written excuses from 'Isabel' and Jesse was going to be sent a postcard 'from Isabel' today so he wouldn't be alarmed - rather Max was going to use his abilities to create a very convincing postcard and put it in Jesse's mailbox.
Anyway, nobody but the 5 of them knew Isabel was really missing and really in danger. They all 5 sat in the student lounge in a quiet, dazed sort of silence.
"I'm really worried about you, Max." Liz said, as she slid closer to him on the vinyl couch, an arm on his hand, which rested on his lap.
"Your son - and now Isabel missing. Please let me help you." Liz said, concern for him showing in her eyes as he turned to look at her.
Max reached up and pulled a thick strand of her silky, straight hair to the back. "You are, Liz. I don't know what I would do without your support."
"Well, you'll always have it, Max. Always." Liz said, as she squeezed his hand.
- - -
Michael glanced up at seeing Victoria pass by the lounge. On impulse, he was about to jump up and follow her. He hadn't seen her around for days. She hadn't been in school Thursday and Friday. And sometime during then and now, he'd had a thought that something had happened to her too. Seeing her pass by just then, quite naturally, with a group of devotees âE" made his thought absurd.
When he looked over at Maria beside him, who sat thumbing through a magazine, he thought better of going after Victoria. He didn't want Maria to think something of it. Michael sighed and leaned back. All these quiet people - everyone around him were almost in mourning for Isabel. She was coming back! He knew it. And yet everyone around him were smothering him. SHE didn't know about any of this and and, no, he wouldn't and couldn't tell her, but somehow he could lose himself for a while when he was around Victoria. And then -maybe he just needed to pretend or something. That was a stupid thought, but Michael endured sitting there passively for another ten minutes before he leapt up, "See you later," escaping his mouth - a barely thought about message to all of them.
Michael looks around and doesn't spot Victoria at first, until he see her standing against her locker with, as always, a group around her.
He walks up to her and spotting him, he thinks he almost sees a hint of happiness in her eyes. Probably wasn't that. Maybe something akin to it.
"I'll see you later," Victoria says to the group. After they leave, she turns around and shoves her books into her locker and sighs.
"What? Getting tired of your admirers already?" -Michael.
"Sometimes it just feels like they're crowding me, and I'm---" -Victoria.
"smothering." Michael says.
She turns to look at him. "Yes, that's it." She looks at him a moment.
"Where have you been?" -Michael.
"Oh, you know, nothing really- just, sick." Victoria says with a little wave of her hand.
"You don't look sick." Michael says, studying her. And she didn't. Not like the last two weeks or so. . .
"Well, I'm not anymore. I feel better. Can't you tell." -Victoria.
"Yeah I can. You don't look like hell anymore." -Michael.
"What do I look like then?" -Victoria.
Michael studies her and then averts his eyes and leans against the lockers.
Victoria had gotten a vibe from him since seeing him. . that something was bothering him, more than the usual feeling that something was bothering him. "What's wrong, Michael?"
He finds a great fascination with the lines of the locker all of a sudden.
"Nothing." -Michael.
Victoria sighs, "Okay, you don't need to tell me. But I don't want you around me."
"What?" Michael looks up at her quickly, a frown starting to crease his brow.
"Well, I just meant I don't want you being down in the dumps and all. I have a remedy for it." Victoria says with a small smile.
"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" -Michael.
"A secret place. Well, I mean it's not as if nobody's ever been there. And it's not really secret, but it's not as if it's inhabited or anything." -Victoria.
"So there's this place and if I go there - it's going to make it all better." He says sarcastically, skeptically.
"Yes, it's magical." -Victoria. "But it's best at night. And it's only afternoon now."
"I don't care." Michael says impulsively.
Victoria steps back, surprised. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I want to get out of here." -Michael.
"Okay." Victoria says quietly, still surprised. "Where do you want to go?"
"I said I don't care. Let's just go. Now." -Michael.
"Who's driving?" -Victoria.
"Hey, no one but me is in control of my bike." -Michael.
Victoria rolls her eyes. Michael starts off, striding across the hall. He looks back at her.
Victoria only hesitates a moment longer, then catches up to him.
As they speed off on the motorcycle, Max, Maria, and Liz see them leaving.
---End of Chapter 12---