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[b]True Colors[/b]
[I]Chapter 4[/I]
Liz sighed exasperated. Couldn't they talk a little bit louder? She closed her eyes, slightly surprised she hadn't fainted yet. She was shocked, yes, but what else did you expect from someone who just found out she was alien? Michael's sister, nonetheless… Now [i]that[/i] should have been enough to scare a person to death!
They were talking about destiny now, at least, Liz thought they were. When she had woken up a few minutes ago and heard voices in the living room, she'd been scared for a while. Her parents weren't at home, so she had no clue who it could be. Then she remembered seeing Michael's face when she'd woken up, and her eye had fallen on the empty sleeping bag in which Ava had been sleeping.
She had quietly gotten up from her bed and had moved over to her door. She hadn't planned on eavesdropping, but when she heard Michael speak her name, she'd unconsciously perched her ears and listened to what Ava was saying. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, honestly!
She giggled softly. She had a brother! How exciting was that? She'd always wanted one, begged her parents for it and wrote yards long letters to Santa Claus. Her parents told her that it was impossible, that she had already been a miracle for them. Later, when she was older, they explained that her mother couldn't get any more children because of a problem with her uterus. And now she had a brother! Okay, so Michael was her brother, but he could be nice, right? Sometimes… Not very often, but still. She had a brother!
She was so excited, she had to stop herself from jumping up and down. Her hand went to the door latch. The metal felt cool against her moist hands. She shivered, and thought back on her dream. It hadn't seemed a dream, though. It all seemed so real. Were they the memories Ava spoke about? Where would Rath have been?
She pushed her ear closer to the door. Darn! What were they talking about? Michael's voice was deep and he sounded a little angry. Didn't he want her as his sister? Max had told her that Michael had always longed for a family, but maybe he didn't like her. She sighed and pushed the door open. The only way to know was to find out, right?
When she walked into the living room, Michael and Ava simultaneously looked up with surprised and somewhat guilty looks on their faces. She stared at Michael, trying to gauge his thoughts. They had gazed at each other for a few minutes when Ava broke the silence.
"So…" she began, "I guess you heard everything, didn't you?"
Liz nodded, her gaze still firmly on Michael's face. Ava pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, uncertain of whether or not she should leave them alone.
Michael smiled a little unsure, and cleared his throat. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. His fingers raked through his hair, making the spikes even more spikier.
Liz smiled back at him. "I guess so…" she hesitantly replied. "You know… As okay as a person can be after hearing this…" she grinned. She shifted from one foot on the other. "How do you feel about this?" she asked, awaiting his answer nervously.
Michael gave her a reassuring smile. "I don't know. I've never had a sister, but I think I'll like having one."
Liz nodded. "I think I'll like having a brother, too."
She walked over to the couch and sat down next to Michael.
"So… Where were you guys talking about when I came barging in?" she curiously asked.
Ava looked at her, then at Michael. It was then that Liz noticed Ava's bewildered look, and the hint of astonishment that was visible on her face. Ava shook her head, obviously deeply immersed in thoughts.
"Michael said something about a destiny, or something like that," she began, sounding a little bit confused.
Liz nodded, trying to let Ava know she understood. "Yeah," she let out a defeated sigh, "destiny." Suddenly she gasped softly, barely hearable, but it didn't went unnoticed by Michael. He looked at her, concerned, trying to find out what was wrong. As realization started to dawn to her, Liz turned to Ava. "Do I also have a destiny?" she asked, dreading to hear the answer.
Ava shook her head. "I don't know." she answered. "I've never heard about a destiny before, and I most surely do not understand why Michael should be with Isabel. Who told you this?"
Michael frowned. "Nasedo did. Our protector," he explained. "Tess also knew about it, and then there was the book and the message in the podchamber…"
Ava looked even more confused after Michael's enumeration. "You had a book?" she asked. "And there was a message in the podchamber?"
Michael looked at her, and suddenly he started to doubt his destiny. He looked helplessly at Liz, who smiled at him and took his hand. He was surprised by her gesture of affection, but he decided he liked it. Liz softly squeezed his hand, and softly started to speak.
"They had a book with pictures of Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess in it. It appeared that they were paired up in some way, Michael with Isabel," she paused a second, "and Max with Tess."
Liz was sure that if it had been possible, Ava would have looked even more bewildered then before.
"When we used the orbs, Max's and Isabel's mother appeared to us, explaining why we were sent here," Michael picked up Liz's explanation.
"The orbs…" Ava whispered. "You have them?" she incredulously asked. Michael nodded.
"Did you, have you used them?" she asked. "Did the Granolith work?"
This time it was Michael's turn to be surprised. "What does the Granolith have to do with the orbs?" he wondered. "The orbs were made to communicate, weren't they?"
Ava vigorously shook her head. "No, they weren't. The orbs are meant to activate the Granolith, so we will be able to go home."
"Home?" Liz whispered.
Ava pointed upwards. "Home," she confirmed.
A comfortable silence fell when they all pondered about the possibilities. Liz was unwilling to break the silence, but knew that some things had to be cleared up.
"So, I was Ailiana in my past life, right?" she asked, not waiting for an answer. "Why was she so important? She was a princess, wasn't she?"
Ava smiled. "Not only a princess," she said, "but also a queen…"