CHAPTER 6

"What the hell?!" Isabel backed away from Maria.

"What, what is it?" cried Liz, looking more terrified then she had before.

Isabel never got scared, or if she did, she never showed it.

She just got up, grabbed her phone, and started to dial. After a few seconds, she spoke.

"Max? Max! You have to get back home now. Something's wrong with Maria. What? No I don't know what's wrong! Max? Hello?"

Isabel shut the phone off and turned her attention back to Maria.

"He'll be here soon. Oh god! Please hurry Max".

A few minutes later, they heard the squeal of brakes in the driveway. Max crawled in the window, followed by Micheal, Alex, and Kyle. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were in the
living room, and the guys didn't want to alarm them by running through the front door.

Micheal bent down and lifted Maria into his lap. She was still shaking. In a few minutes the shaking slowed a few notches and Maria was just shivering. She looked up at the guy who'd broken her heart numerous times.

"What are you doing here?" she asked sliding back to the floor.

"I think I'll ask the questions, Maria. What's going on? What's wrong and what have you been keeping from us?" asked Micheal, getting slightly angry that she would put herself in any danger by keeping things from him. Then he
thought about it.

*Hello, why would she tell you? You only told her that
you couldn't always be there and that she should move on.*

Maria just looked away. A part of her was so scared, those red eyes haunted her, but she had to be strong, she wasn't going to run to Micheal for help. Not again, just so he could turn her away.

Liz scooted on her knees and sat down next to her best friend.
"We should tell them, sweetheart. I don't want to break my promise, but Maria, what if whatever just happened is linked to what your mom is hiding from you? I mean, it may just be coincidence, but who knows? Maybe it's not".

Max looked at Liz. He was slightly hurt that she hadn't told him what was going on. From the looks of it, Maria wasn't too keen on telling them either. He looked at his sister. She looked not only scared, but terrified. He'd never seen her eyes wide with fear the way they were now, they almost seemed glazed over.

"No Liz this is my problem, and I'll work by myself if I have to. I want no one else involved," and with that, Maria waved her hand. A gust of wind seemed to blow the window open.

She leaped out and just began running. The wind was blowing all around her, and she felt stronger then she had ever felt before.

She wanted desperately to out run all her fears, the lies, and the pain she'd held inside for the past 16 years.