In the shadows, outside an old, beat down motel, four friends stood,
oblivious to the unimaginable horrors, which faced them. Fate had dealt
them a bad hand, and now they were stuck with it.
Rolling her eyes Maria sighed in frustration. Holding her jacket close to her body to protect herself from the icy wind she shook her head as Isabel once again rushed to the defence of her baby brother. At first she had found their fighting amusing, but after 30 minutes of repetitive arguments, her irritation had begun to grow.
Isabel threw her hands up in frustration, exasperation written all over her young face. "All Max has ever done is protect this group. He hasn't done anything wrong. I don't." her rant was interrupted by an extremely aggravated Kyle.
Kyle groaned inwardly. He knew Isabel was naïve when it came to her brother, but this was ridiculous. "Nothing wrong? Isabel.are you kidding or are you completely stupid?" Ignoring Michael and Isabel's collective gasps, and Maria's snort of laughter, he continued. "Let's see," he scratched his head in mock assessment. "So I suppose getting Tess pregnant wasn't wrong?" he voice dripped with sarcasm. "Or how about healing a perfect stranger in broad daylight?" he shouted, trying his best to get through to Isabel.
Isabel shook her head, her read hair whipping her face. Tears had begun streaming down her face. "Shut up," she whispered, covering her ears with her hands, trying her best to block out Kyle's hurtful words. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she screamed.
"Both of you shut up," Maria hissed, losing her patience. "You're both annoying the hell out of." she trailed off, her eyes frantically searching the parking lot. Frowning in confusion she asked where Max was. '4 down, 4 to go' she thought to herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~
*Inside the motel*
Isabel was terrified, not only for her friends, but for herself. Max had left them weak should they be attacked. She wanted to throw something; to scream at someone, but all she could do was cry. She was shaking as sobs wracked her body. Maria was trying her best to comfort her, but she was beyond the point of help.
Kyle stood in the corner of the room, biting his lip. It took all the self- control he had not to make a snappy, sarcastic comment. It was just like Max to do something like this. He had always thought before he had acted. He had watched Max berated Michael non-stop about his irresponsible behaviour for 3 years. Kyle snorted in disgust. 'Good riddance' he thought. As he grumbled incoherently to himself, he heard Maria mumble something from her place beside Isabel on the bed.
"It isn't supposed to be like this," she whispered to herself, stroking Isabel's hair in comfort.
Isabel turned in Maria's arms to look her best friend in the eye. "What do you mean by that?" she asked between sobs and hiccups, furiously wiping her tear stained cheeks. Her face was masked with confusion as she waited expectantly for Maria to answer her.
Maria silently berated herself for the slip up. She hated lying to her friends, but they had been through enough the past few weeks. She didn't want to cause any farther upset. "Nothing," she said, turning her head to look out the window, into the cold, dark night. She didn't want Michael to see her face. He could always tell when she was lying. "I didn't mean anything by it," she lied.
"No," Isabel shook her head disbelievingly. "What did you mean?" she asked slowly.
Sighing in defeat Maria pulled herself from the bed, moving to stand beside the door. From there she proceeded to tell them the story of future Max.
Maria watched her friends emotions change from disbelief to confusion and finally to anger.
"What?" Isabel hissed, stunned by the new revelations. Her eyes were blazing with anger. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," the hatred in Isabel's voice was so strong it brought tears to Maria's eyes.
Looking over at Michael, Maria was devastated to see his eyes filled with disappointment. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner but.I'm just sorry," she murmured, dropping her gaze to the floor in shame.
"Your sorry?" Michael exploded. "You knew this whole time and you didn't say anything? I can't believe you Maria," he shouted, a bit too harshly.
Maria's tears were now flowing freely. She turned to look at Kyle, who refused to meet her gaze. "I.I," she stammered, choking on her tears.
"Don't Maria," Isabel hissed unsympathetically. "We don't want to hear you pathetic little excuses. God.why are you here anyway? All you are is a liability," with that she turned and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
"Do you all feel this way?" Maria asked, looking at Michael and Kyle. Both turned their heads, avoiding her question. "Fine then. I'm going home," she nodded in goodbye before turning and walking out of her friend's lives.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The sound of Maria's heals clicking on the black tarmac echoed threw the night as she ran as fast as she could from the motel. She had given up everything for these people; her friends, her family, her future, and this is the way they repay her. Well if her friends didn't want her there she'd find a way to get home.
Spotting a bench at the rear of the parking lot she made her way over. She needed a minute to pull herself together before she could go anywhere. Sitting down and wrapping her arms around herself she did her best to stop herself shaking, not just from the cold, but also from fear.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Back in the motel room Kyle was trying his best to calm Isabel down. She had heard Maria leave and it had sent her into a panic. She hadn't meant to be so harsh on her
well maybe michael follows maria and tells her not to leave, maria asks y shouldnt she, aftaall they all think shes a liablilty. Michael says he doesnt and that he loves her, then maria says sumthing like do you, bcoz to me sumtyms it seems like you couldnt care less, and then he yells that ofcourse he cares and that he wants 2 marry her or summit along those line
Rolling her eyes Maria sighed in frustration. Holding her jacket close to her body to protect herself from the icy wind she shook her head as Isabel once again rushed to the defence of her baby brother. At first she had found their fighting amusing, but after 30 minutes of repetitive arguments, her irritation had begun to grow.
Isabel threw her hands up in frustration, exasperation written all over her young face. "All Max has ever done is protect this group. He hasn't done anything wrong. I don't." her rant was interrupted by an extremely aggravated Kyle.
Kyle groaned inwardly. He knew Isabel was naïve when it came to her brother, but this was ridiculous. "Nothing wrong? Isabel.are you kidding or are you completely stupid?" Ignoring Michael and Isabel's collective gasps, and Maria's snort of laughter, he continued. "Let's see," he scratched his head in mock assessment. "So I suppose getting Tess pregnant wasn't wrong?" he voice dripped with sarcasm. "Or how about healing a perfect stranger in broad daylight?" he shouted, trying his best to get through to Isabel.
Isabel shook her head, her read hair whipping her face. Tears had begun streaming down her face. "Shut up," she whispered, covering her ears with her hands, trying her best to block out Kyle's hurtful words. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she screamed.
"Both of you shut up," Maria hissed, losing her patience. "You're both annoying the hell out of." she trailed off, her eyes frantically searching the parking lot. Frowning in confusion she asked where Max was. '4 down, 4 to go' she thought to herself.
~*~*~*~*~*~
*Inside the motel*
Isabel was terrified, not only for her friends, but for herself. Max had left them weak should they be attacked. She wanted to throw something; to scream at someone, but all she could do was cry. She was shaking as sobs wracked her body. Maria was trying her best to comfort her, but she was beyond the point of help.
Kyle stood in the corner of the room, biting his lip. It took all the self- control he had not to make a snappy, sarcastic comment. It was just like Max to do something like this. He had always thought before he had acted. He had watched Max berated Michael non-stop about his irresponsible behaviour for 3 years. Kyle snorted in disgust. 'Good riddance' he thought. As he grumbled incoherently to himself, he heard Maria mumble something from her place beside Isabel on the bed.
"It isn't supposed to be like this," she whispered to herself, stroking Isabel's hair in comfort.
Isabel turned in Maria's arms to look her best friend in the eye. "What do you mean by that?" she asked between sobs and hiccups, furiously wiping her tear stained cheeks. Her face was masked with confusion as she waited expectantly for Maria to answer her.
Maria silently berated herself for the slip up. She hated lying to her friends, but they had been through enough the past few weeks. She didn't want to cause any farther upset. "Nothing," she said, turning her head to look out the window, into the cold, dark night. She didn't want Michael to see her face. He could always tell when she was lying. "I didn't mean anything by it," she lied.
"No," Isabel shook her head disbelievingly. "What did you mean?" she asked slowly.
Sighing in defeat Maria pulled herself from the bed, moving to stand beside the door. From there she proceeded to tell them the story of future Max.
Maria watched her friends emotions change from disbelief to confusion and finally to anger.
"What?" Isabel hissed, stunned by the new revelations. Her eyes were blazing with anger. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," the hatred in Isabel's voice was so strong it brought tears to Maria's eyes.
Looking over at Michael, Maria was devastated to see his eyes filled with disappointment. "I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner but.I'm just sorry," she murmured, dropping her gaze to the floor in shame.
"Your sorry?" Michael exploded. "You knew this whole time and you didn't say anything? I can't believe you Maria," he shouted, a bit too harshly.
Maria's tears were now flowing freely. She turned to look at Kyle, who refused to meet her gaze. "I.I," she stammered, choking on her tears.
"Don't Maria," Isabel hissed unsympathetically. "We don't want to hear you pathetic little excuses. God.why are you here anyway? All you are is a liability," with that she turned and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
"Do you all feel this way?" Maria asked, looking at Michael and Kyle. Both turned their heads, avoiding her question. "Fine then. I'm going home," she nodded in goodbye before turning and walking out of her friend's lives.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The sound of Maria's heals clicking on the black tarmac echoed threw the night as she ran as fast as she could from the motel. She had given up everything for these people; her friends, her family, her future, and this is the way they repay her. Well if her friends didn't want her there she'd find a way to get home.
Spotting a bench at the rear of the parking lot she made her way over. She needed a minute to pull herself together before she could go anywhere. Sitting down and wrapping her arms around herself she did her best to stop herself shaking, not just from the cold, but also from fear.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Back in the motel room Kyle was trying his best to calm Isabel down. She had heard Maria leave and it had sent her into a panic. She hadn't meant to be so harsh on her
well maybe michael follows maria and tells her not to leave, maria asks y shouldnt she, aftaall they all think shes a liablilty. Michael says he doesnt and that he loves her, then maria says sumthing like do you, bcoz to me sumtyms it seems like you couldnt care less, and then he yells that ofcourse he cares and that he wants 2 marry her or summit along those line