CHAPTER 4 (Sleepover fun)

At 5 pm the next night Max opened the door to reveal Liz, Kyle, Isabel and Michael. He greeted them as they came in.

"Where's Maria" Michael asked. Max smirked as he worked out that Michael had a crush on his sister. He was about to answer when they heard a scream and saw Maria being chased into the living room by Alex.

"Alex, don't I said I was sorry" Maria pleaded all the while trying to hold in a laugh.

Alex smirked then threw a pillow at her head. Maria ducked then stared open mouthed at him. She picked up the pillow, getting ready to throw it back when Alex grabbed her and tackled her to the ground tickling her. Max coughed sensing that they didn't know the others had arrived because if they had, Maria would not be laughing the way she was. Alex stopped ticking her and looked up into the smiling faces of Liz and Kyle, the shy face of Isabel and the glaring eyes of Michael.

Maria stopped laughing and got up off the floor. "Umm, when did you get here?" she asked coldly not liking that they caught her at such a vulnerable time.

"Just now, we brought videos," announced Liz in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Max glanced around the room; everyone had gotten rather silent. Michael was still glaring at Alex, Isabel was trying to ignore the fact that Alex still had his hand on Maria's waist, Liz was smiling at him, while Kyle was glaring at him and Maria just looked board. "Well why don't we sit and talk or something"

"About what?" Maria asked. If they were going to ask more stupid questions she was out of here, and it didn't help that Michael kept looking at her. Since their talk yesterday, Maria hadn't been able to get him out of her head. He had gone from being Liz's loser friend to, well she wasn't sure what, just something more.

Isabel shrugged and sat down making sure she was furthest away from Maria as possible. The girl still scared her. "How about we play a game?" she suggested

Maria scrunched her face, which Michael found adorable. "A game? How old are you?" she said sarcastically.

Max glared at her then turned to Isabel who had gone red. "A game sounds fine, what did you have in mind?" he asked.

'Max Evan's the peacemaker' Maria thought as she sat back in her chair.

"I don't know, truth or dare" Kyle shrugged

Maria rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not playing that"

"Why, you scared Evan's" Michael replied in a childish voice. He had hoped that she would play; before they had gotten there Kyle had told him that they would try to get the three to play that game so that maybe Kyle could dare Maria to kiss Michael or something. And he wasn't about to let his chances slip away.

Maria glared at him. "You want to play? Fine then, let's play," she said determined not to let Michael get the better of her.

Michael smiled and winked at Kyle. "Ok so who's first?" Kyle asked

They all looked at each other before Alex spoke. "I'll go, ok ummm, Isabel truth or dare?"

Isabel's head snapped up. "Oh ummm, truth I guess"

Alex thought for a second before asking her his question. "Why are you so afraid of us?"

Isabel briefly looked at Maria before answering. "It's not that I'm afraid of you it's just, I guess I'm a little unnerved by you, well you and Max at least, I'm kind of afraid of Maria still"

Alex laughed and Maria smirked. She loved that she had them all scared of her. "Ok Iz, your turn." Isabel blushed at Alex's use of her nickname.

"Um Kyle, truth or dare" she asked

"Truth" Kyle said simply. After what had happened to him earlier he wasn't really in the mood to play games, he just suggested it for Michael's sake. The poor guy had been in love with Maria since forever and he just want to give his best friend a helping hand.

"Why are you in such a pissy mood?" everyone was shocked at Isabel's question, Maria included. No one had heard her speak like that ever.

Kyle glared at her but answered anyway. "Liz dumped me but hey, there are other fish in the sea, right Maria" he looked at her and winked. He heard Michael growl next to him, he was only joking when he said that to Maria, just wanted to see how Michael would react, but if Maria didn't go for him then why not. Kyle certainly thought she was hot enough, even for an alien.

Maria just smirked at him. "You wish Valenti."

Kyle winked at her. "Every damn night" everyone laughed as Maria rolled her eyes. "Ok, my turn. Maria truth or dare"

Maria stared at him. She thought he'd probably ask some stupid question if she said truth so she didn't. "Dare"

Kyle smiled. 'She walked right into this one' he thought as he glanced at Michael. "Alright, I dare you to kiss Michael for 15 seconds, with tongue, none of that peck on the lips crap"

Maria's jaw dropped. "No way" she said as she shook her head, she looked at Alex pleadingly.

"Nope, you wanted to play" Alex said as he tried to stifle a laugh.

Maria glared at him then turned back to Kyle. "Fine." She walked over to Michael and sat down on his lap straddling him. Michael looked into her eyes. "15 seconds" she whispered as her lips descended onto his.

Michael's hands automatically went to her waist and her hands around his neck gently caressing the hairs that lay there. Michael's tongue grazed over her teeth begging for entrance and Maria allowed him. She opened her mouth and gasped slightly as Michael's tongue found hers and massaged them together.

'She tastes like strawberries and cream' Michael thought as he kissed her with all of the passion he could muster. His hands slipped down her waist and dipped underneath her shirt. 'Her skin is so soft, so perfect'

'Good kisser, great hands' Maria thought as Michael caressed her back. All of a sudden those feelings from before had begun to define themselves, she was feeling desire for this man, lust and possibly something more. She knew she had to stop the kiss before she got to intense but for some reason she couldn't, all she wanted to do was stay here and drown in his perfect kisses forever.

Alex sat and watched the two as they kissed. He didn't know why but, but all of a sudden, what he wanted more than nothing was to have Michael off her right now. Maria should be sitting here next to him, not on Michael's lap kissing him like that. He shook his head at the thought. Maria was his sort of sister, nothing more, wasn't she?

Isabel smiled as she looked at Michael, he looked so happy but the smile fell off her face as she glanced at Alex, he had a look of jealousy on his face. Maybe he liked Maria after all.

Max coughed signalling the 15 seconds were over. He didn't like seeing his sister making out with anyone, but what was worse, is that Max thought that she was getting a little to into it, he coughed again when neither had pulled apart.

Kyle smirked. Michael was one lucky bastard, he started to laugh when Max coughed and the two still didn't stop. "Hey guys, 15 seconds was up, ohhh, say 10 seconds ago" he smirked again at the blush he saw rising on Maria's cheeks as she got off Michael and took her place back next to Alex.

"Ok, it's my turn" she said a little out of breath. "Um, Max truth or dare"

Max closed his eyes, no matter what he chose, he was done for, and Maria never had any sympathy for him when they played this game when they were younger. "Truth"

Maria smiled evilly and Max wished he could change his mind. "Max, do you or do you not have sex dreams about Liz?"

Everyone was shocked into silence, Alex started laughing, yep that was Maria all right, jumps right in there with the personal questions. "Yes I do, now it's my turn"

Liz blushed as Max locked eyes with her. 'Great,' Maria thought 'They'll be doing this all night' "Max go, it's your turn"

Max glared at her. "Ok, Michael truth or dare"

"Truth" he answered still a little dazed from the kiss.

Max though for a moment. "Um, well I can't really think of a question, so how about we stop and watch a video or something?"

Everyone nodded and took their places on various couches and cushions. Max and Liz sat on the love seat, Isabel, Alex and Kyle all sat on the floor while Michael and Maria sat together on the couch. Alex put in the video and they all sat and watched.

About half way through the movie Michael glanced at Maria whom he had noticed had fallen asleep. She looked so cute lying there like that with her long blond hair falling on her face and shoulders. He sat and watched her for a moment before realising that she must have been having some nightmare, because she started to move around and was making little noises.

He shook her gently as not to disturb the others. He leant down and whispered into her ear. "Maria wake up" but still she didn't.

Michael moved away, and then all of a sudden Maria sat up trying to breath in gulps of air. Max went to turn on a light as Alex rushed to her side. "Ria, baby what is it?" he asked. The term baby didn't go unnoticed by Isabel and Michael.

Maria stared at him. "Alex" she breathed. "I saw it, the dome thing, I saw it again, it was clearer this time, I know where to go, we have to go to Marathon."