~*~*A/N: The amount of reviews we have received is astounding.... Haha. De here with Chapter 3.*~*~
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CHAPTER 3: Late to Room 171
~*~
Maria glanced down the hall at the red-haired girl going through her locker. She appeared entirely unfamiliar, and Maria had to raise her eyebrows. It was strange enough to see one new girl at Roswell High School, but two, especially in the same day, was chillingly uncanny. Never one to pass up a potentially interesting situation, Maria slammed shut her own locker and ventured down the hall. As she neared the girl, she was able to get a better glance at her features; her pale skin looked even paler in the neon lights of the high school, and her hair shone a brilliant copper as it fell over her shoulder in waves. She was wearing a light green gauzy skirt with a tan colored top of the same material. Her feet were enclosed in brown Birkenstock sandals, toes painted a shade close to that of her hair. Maria peered at this unique-looking girl, and couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious. After Miss Toplosky, the ex-guidance counselor, turned out to be an FBI undercover agent, she knew that they all needed to be wary of any new face in town.
"Hi," Maria finally said from behind her. The red-haired girl turned, seeming to be slightly startled.
"I'm Maria DeLuca," she continued, sticking out her hand tentatively. "I noticed you going through your locker, and realized that I didn't know who you are. And I know mostly everyone at Roswell High Scohol, so I figured you must be new." She finally paused for a breath, and the other girl cracked a smile, shaking her hand warmly.
"Charlotte Harvey," she introduced. "And yes, I am new. My sister and I just moved here last weekend from up north."
Maria blinked, faltering.
"U-up north?"
"Yeah," Charlotte answered, kicking her locker shut with a clang that echoed through the empty hallway. "Canada, actually." At Maria's hard-to-read facial expression, she added with a laugh, "Go ahead. Crack a Canadian joke. I know you're dying to."
"Why did the Canadian get a new car three weeks after buying a used volkswagon?" interjected a third voice. Charlotte and Maria both turned to see Michael approaching.
"Michael," Maria said, glancing at Charlotte, "this is Charlotte Harvey. She and her sister just moved here from Canada."
"Sister, eh?"
"Yeah, my twin, Jodi. Fraternal twins, actually."
Michael glanced at Maria briefly before turning back to Charlotte.
"So what do you think of Roswell so far?" His words were short and clipped, his tone brief and cold. Maria shifted her eyes to him in a sideways glance, but Charlotte didn't seem to notice Michael's rudeness, and if she did, she didn't appear to care.
"It's probably too early to tell," Charlotte answered, shifting her books to the other arm. "There's not much to do here, unless you believe in all that alien crap."
"You don't?" Michael asked.
"Not really," she replied. "I'd rather focus on practical things. I mean, it'd be nice to be proven wrong...about the whole alien thing, that is...but I can't really waste my time with those kinds of irrational thoughts."
Michael looked like he was about to respond with something sarcastic, but Charlotte spoke again first.
"I really need to find a job too. My parents aren't exactly about to contribute to the car insurance expenses."
Maria's eyes lit up with an idea, and she took in a deep breath, the way she always did just prior to beginning another one of her long speeches. Michael, who was watching her intently, became aware of her sudden brilliant plan, and he tried to shoot her a warning look, but failed to get his message across in time.
"My best friend's parents own the Crashdown Cafe, right in town," Maria said. "I waitress there - so does Liz. She's the best friend. Anyway, I'm sure we could get you a position there. We always need the help, especially since the other waitresses are never around, and are constantly going on break." She paused before throwing in, "The pay isn't bad either. What do you say?"
Charlotte seemed surprised at Maria's enthusiastic offer, but smiled gratefully.
"That'd be terrific," she answered happily. "I don't even know what to say."
"Don't mention it," Maria said with a wave of her hand. "Why don't you stop by the Crashdown tonight around seven, and I'll introduce you to Liz and her parents."
"Sounds good to me," Charlotte agreed. "Well, I have to run. I don't really want to be late for my art class on the first day...that wouldn't make a good impression. It was nice meeting you two."
"Bye," Maria called. "See you tonight."
"Seven!" Charlotte promised, halfway down the hall.
The second that she was out of earshot, Michael whirled on Maria.
"What'd you do that for?" he said, his tone biting.
"What's your problem?" Maria shot back. "I was just trying to be nice. Charlotte seems like a cool person."
"Seems that way," Michael replied. "Operative word being 'seems'. Maria, if there's one thing that we learned from the whole Topolsky thing, it's that *nothing* is ever as it seems to be. And you just invited this new girl into our lives without any sort of cautious thought."
"Michael," Maria started, sighing, "offering her a job position as a waitress is *hardly* 'inviting her into our lives'. Stop being such a drama queen."
"Just wait," he said, starting to back up into the hall. "Pretty soon she's going to be hanging out with us 24/7. We can't afford to make any mistakes now."
Without letting Maria get another word in edgewise, Michael disappeared around a corner, leaving her frustrated and annoyed.
~*~
Charlotte slid into a seat beside her sister Jodi, in room 171 - her art class. She smiled at her sister as she slipped her bookbag from her shoulders and placed it on the floor beside her chair.
"I'm glad we have at least one class together," Charlotte whispered to Jodi. "Even if it is just art."
"Yeah," she agreed with a slight grin.
"What do you think of the school so far?"
Jodi glanced away, tapping her pen on the desktop rhythmically for a few moments before taking a minute to answer.
"It's got some possibilities," she said finally.
~*~
~*~A/N: Woohoo! Let us know.*~*~
~*~
CHAPTER 3: Late to Room 171
~*~
Maria glanced down the hall at the red-haired girl going through her locker. She appeared entirely unfamiliar, and Maria had to raise her eyebrows. It was strange enough to see one new girl at Roswell High School, but two, especially in the same day, was chillingly uncanny. Never one to pass up a potentially interesting situation, Maria slammed shut her own locker and ventured down the hall. As she neared the girl, she was able to get a better glance at her features; her pale skin looked even paler in the neon lights of the high school, and her hair shone a brilliant copper as it fell over her shoulder in waves. She was wearing a light green gauzy skirt with a tan colored top of the same material. Her feet were enclosed in brown Birkenstock sandals, toes painted a shade close to that of her hair. Maria peered at this unique-looking girl, and couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious. After Miss Toplosky, the ex-guidance counselor, turned out to be an FBI undercover agent, she knew that they all needed to be wary of any new face in town.
"Hi," Maria finally said from behind her. The red-haired girl turned, seeming to be slightly startled.
"I'm Maria DeLuca," she continued, sticking out her hand tentatively. "I noticed you going through your locker, and realized that I didn't know who you are. And I know mostly everyone at Roswell High Scohol, so I figured you must be new." She finally paused for a breath, and the other girl cracked a smile, shaking her hand warmly.
"Charlotte Harvey," she introduced. "And yes, I am new. My sister and I just moved here last weekend from up north."
Maria blinked, faltering.
"U-up north?"
"Yeah," Charlotte answered, kicking her locker shut with a clang that echoed through the empty hallway. "Canada, actually." At Maria's hard-to-read facial expression, she added with a laugh, "Go ahead. Crack a Canadian joke. I know you're dying to."
"Why did the Canadian get a new car three weeks after buying a used volkswagon?" interjected a third voice. Charlotte and Maria both turned to see Michael approaching.
"Michael," Maria said, glancing at Charlotte, "this is Charlotte Harvey. She and her sister just moved here from Canada."
"Sister, eh?"
"Yeah, my twin, Jodi. Fraternal twins, actually."
Michael glanced at Maria briefly before turning back to Charlotte.
"So what do you think of Roswell so far?" His words were short and clipped, his tone brief and cold. Maria shifted her eyes to him in a sideways glance, but Charlotte didn't seem to notice Michael's rudeness, and if she did, she didn't appear to care.
"It's probably too early to tell," Charlotte answered, shifting her books to the other arm. "There's not much to do here, unless you believe in all that alien crap."
"You don't?" Michael asked.
"Not really," she replied. "I'd rather focus on practical things. I mean, it'd be nice to be proven wrong...about the whole alien thing, that is...but I can't really waste my time with those kinds of irrational thoughts."
Michael looked like he was about to respond with something sarcastic, but Charlotte spoke again first.
"I really need to find a job too. My parents aren't exactly about to contribute to the car insurance expenses."
Maria's eyes lit up with an idea, and she took in a deep breath, the way she always did just prior to beginning another one of her long speeches. Michael, who was watching her intently, became aware of her sudden brilliant plan, and he tried to shoot her a warning look, but failed to get his message across in time.
"My best friend's parents own the Crashdown Cafe, right in town," Maria said. "I waitress there - so does Liz. She's the best friend. Anyway, I'm sure we could get you a position there. We always need the help, especially since the other waitresses are never around, and are constantly going on break." She paused before throwing in, "The pay isn't bad either. What do you say?"
Charlotte seemed surprised at Maria's enthusiastic offer, but smiled gratefully.
"That'd be terrific," she answered happily. "I don't even know what to say."
"Don't mention it," Maria said with a wave of her hand. "Why don't you stop by the Crashdown tonight around seven, and I'll introduce you to Liz and her parents."
"Sounds good to me," Charlotte agreed. "Well, I have to run. I don't really want to be late for my art class on the first day...that wouldn't make a good impression. It was nice meeting you two."
"Bye," Maria called. "See you tonight."
"Seven!" Charlotte promised, halfway down the hall.
The second that she was out of earshot, Michael whirled on Maria.
"What'd you do that for?" he said, his tone biting.
"What's your problem?" Maria shot back. "I was just trying to be nice. Charlotte seems like a cool person."
"Seems that way," Michael replied. "Operative word being 'seems'. Maria, if there's one thing that we learned from the whole Topolsky thing, it's that *nothing* is ever as it seems to be. And you just invited this new girl into our lives without any sort of cautious thought."
"Michael," Maria started, sighing, "offering her a job position as a waitress is *hardly* 'inviting her into our lives'. Stop being such a drama queen."
"Just wait," he said, starting to back up into the hall. "Pretty soon she's going to be hanging out with us 24/7. We can't afford to make any mistakes now."
Without letting Maria get another word in edgewise, Michael disappeared around a corner, leaving her frustrated and annoyed.
~*~
Charlotte slid into a seat beside her sister Jodi, in room 171 - her art class. She smiled at her sister as she slipped her bookbag from her shoulders and placed it on the floor beside her chair.
"I'm glad we have at least one class together," Charlotte whispered to Jodi. "Even if it is just art."
"Yeah," she agreed with a slight grin.
"What do you think of the school so far?"
Jodi glanced away, tapping her pen on the desktop rhythmically for a few moments before taking a minute to answer.
"It's got some possibilities," she said finally.
~*~
~*~A/N: Woohoo! Let us know.*~*~