'Destiny. She had to go to a club every Friday called Destiny. It
figures. She's either a glutton for punishment, or she's really over me.'
Max banished the thought and dragged his eyes away from the neon sign as he
walked up to the club's entrance with Michael, Isabel, Alex, Maria, Kyle,
and Tess. He was pretty sure the irony of the clubs name wasn't lost on
anyone after hearing Michael's snort of amusement. And Maria's "Oh god, I
shouldn't have agreed to this" made Max's resolve stronger than ever, as
well as his belief that he was doing the right thing. He started to walk
forward again and stopped suddenly as his breath caught in his throat.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Max looked back and saw Kyle staring at him intently.
"You were right Kyle," Max said through gritted teeth. "It's exactly the way you described it to Michael – like I'd be better off not knowing what's going on in there."
"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you idiots all along!" Maria interrupted. "Now let's just go back to Roswell-"
"We didn't come all this way for nothing Maria," Isabel said, exasperated. "Don't deny that you want to know what she's doing in there. Now let's just observe and hopefully slip out unnoticed."
"I already know what she's doing in there. She's punishing herself." Maria's shoulders slumped for a moment as she stared at the ground. Her head jerked up though, as someone opened the clubs doors and let some of the loud music out, causing Maria's jaw to drop in astonishment.
"What is it?" Michael asked, resting a hand on Maria's shoulder.
"I've heard that song before... I was with Liz. She was humming it." She walked briskly towards the entrance, ripped open the door, and went inside.
As the others followed suit, Max turned to Kyle menacingly. "Why are you here?"
Kyle had previously planned to be on his best behavior but Max's comment stung, and Kyle could no longer hold himself in check. "Because I am one of the few people that is actually concerned about Liz. You on the other hand, are on a quest to find the truth about some big secret, and you don't care who you hurt in the process. Well, I do." Kyle growled and walked inside the club, leaving Max with no option but to follow.
The club was hot. The group squeezed past numbers of gyrating bodies as they followed Maria through the crowd, looking for Liz. Maria stopped suddenly, causing Max and the others to run right into her.
"Jesus, Maria! What the hell?" Michael yelled at her, rubbing his temple.
"I wasn't entirely correct when I said Liz was coming here to punish herself." Maria said as she stared into the crowd. The song ended and the club became a bit quieter.
"What do you mean Maria?" Max questioned her.
"Well, she's still punishing herself, but she's found a way to start coping too. She's venting." Maria pointed to the stage as the slow piano music started the next song. They looked to the stage as Liz began singing to the notes she was playing. Whatever it was that the friends believed she was doing here, this wasn't it.
'I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave, I wish that you would leave
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I've held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me'
Because your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone'
Her voice was warm, comforting, and safe. Max didn't know she could sing, or play the piano. None of them did. He listened to the lyrics intently, having the feeling that the song had to do with him.
'You used to captivate me, by your resonating light
But now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I've held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along'
Max shuddered as she finished the eerie but beautiful song. He didn't know what to say. He just stood there as people clapped and whooped at Liz. She bowed elegantly and removed the microphone from its stand, then held it to her lips.
"What do you guys say we hype this place up a bit?" she yelled. The cheers escalated as she said this, and the guitarist matched the drumist's steady but fast beat. The scene changed as people screamed and began dancing again, leaving Liz's friends sticking out like sore thumbs.
'Now I will tell you what I've done for you
50 thousand years I've cried
Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me
Don't want your hand this time I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom
I'm dying again'
"She's got a set of pipes," Maria said unbelievingly. "I can't believe she never told me. We could have rocked doing a duet, especially with Alex on guitar. Speaking of which, Alex – shall we shimmy?"
Alex smiled brilliantly at her. "Absolutely."
Both Isabel and Michael's jaws dropped as their respective love interests walked out onto the dance floor together. Tess and Kyle looked at each other, shrugged, and followed their example. Michael squeezed his way through the crowd to find Maria and Alex grinding separately with people they weren't acquainted with. His anger rose as he saw Maria run her body along a random guy.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her.
"I'm dancing, what does it look like?"
"Maria, we're supposed to be inconspicuous!"
"I am Michael! You're the one drawing attention to yourself. I'm in a club, I'm dancing – how much more normal can you get? At least I'm not standing around like an idiot."
"But Liz might notice you!" Michael forced out.
Maria laughed heartily and shook her head. "Look at her Spaceboy – she's too wrapped up in the music to notice anything. Trust me, I've had that look before so I know. Just relax."
Michael snorted. "Says the girl throwing herself at a loser to get my attention."
Maria stopped dancing abruptly and the guy stepped forward to give Michael a piece of his mind... or fist. She stared Michael down and said, "Hit the road, Billy B," without so much as a glance in the guy's direction.
"I- I'm Bryce," the guy stammered.
"Whatever," Maria replied.
"You heard the lady. Fuck off." Michael spat out venomously.
The guy walked away grumbling to himself as Michael stepped closer to Maria. She eyed him suspiciously, but then she broke out into the most beautiful smile Michael had ever seen. She did a little dance and jumped up and down, laughing.
"What?" Michael finally asked her.
"You were jealous. It's so cute I could just pinch your cheeks."
"No. No. Please don't."
Maria could hear his dread at the thought of her pinching his cheeks, and laughed even harder. She held her hands up in surrender. "Truce."
"So you concede?"
"Never. Now dance with me! But don't think for a second that we're getting back together because we're not." Michael rolled his eyes at first, but as Maria began to grind against him he lost all conscious thought.
"You can feel it, can't you?" Max looked back and saw Kyle staring at him intently.
"You were right Kyle," Max said through gritted teeth. "It's exactly the way you described it to Michael – like I'd be better off not knowing what's going on in there."
"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you idiots all along!" Maria interrupted. "Now let's just go back to Roswell-"
"We didn't come all this way for nothing Maria," Isabel said, exasperated. "Don't deny that you want to know what she's doing in there. Now let's just observe and hopefully slip out unnoticed."
"I already know what she's doing in there. She's punishing herself." Maria's shoulders slumped for a moment as she stared at the ground. Her head jerked up though, as someone opened the clubs doors and let some of the loud music out, causing Maria's jaw to drop in astonishment.
"What is it?" Michael asked, resting a hand on Maria's shoulder.
"I've heard that song before... I was with Liz. She was humming it." She walked briskly towards the entrance, ripped open the door, and went inside.
As the others followed suit, Max turned to Kyle menacingly. "Why are you here?"
Kyle had previously planned to be on his best behavior but Max's comment stung, and Kyle could no longer hold himself in check. "Because I am one of the few people that is actually concerned about Liz. You on the other hand, are on a quest to find the truth about some big secret, and you don't care who you hurt in the process. Well, I do." Kyle growled and walked inside the club, leaving Max with no option but to follow.
The club was hot. The group squeezed past numbers of gyrating bodies as they followed Maria through the crowd, looking for Liz. Maria stopped suddenly, causing Max and the others to run right into her.
"Jesus, Maria! What the hell?" Michael yelled at her, rubbing his temple.
"I wasn't entirely correct when I said Liz was coming here to punish herself." Maria said as she stared into the crowd. The song ended and the club became a bit quieter.
"What do you mean Maria?" Max questioned her.
"Well, she's still punishing herself, but she's found a way to start coping too. She's venting." Maria pointed to the stage as the slow piano music started the next song. They looked to the stage as Liz began singing to the notes she was playing. Whatever it was that the friends believed she was doing here, this wasn't it.
'I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave, I wish that you would leave
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I've held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me'
Because your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone'
Her voice was warm, comforting, and safe. Max didn't know she could sing, or play the piano. None of them did. He listened to the lyrics intently, having the feeling that the song had to do with him.
'You used to captivate me, by your resonating light
But now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I've held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along'
Max shuddered as she finished the eerie but beautiful song. He didn't know what to say. He just stood there as people clapped and whooped at Liz. She bowed elegantly and removed the microphone from its stand, then held it to her lips.
"What do you guys say we hype this place up a bit?" she yelled. The cheers escalated as she said this, and the guitarist matched the drumist's steady but fast beat. The scene changed as people screamed and began dancing again, leaving Liz's friends sticking out like sore thumbs.
'Now I will tell you what I've done for you
50 thousand years I've cried
Screaming, deceiving, and bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me
Don't want your hand this time I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
Not tormented daily defeated by you
Just when I thought I'd reached the bottom
I'm dying again'
"She's got a set of pipes," Maria said unbelievingly. "I can't believe she never told me. We could have rocked doing a duet, especially with Alex on guitar. Speaking of which, Alex – shall we shimmy?"
Alex smiled brilliantly at her. "Absolutely."
Both Isabel and Michael's jaws dropped as their respective love interests walked out onto the dance floor together. Tess and Kyle looked at each other, shrugged, and followed their example. Michael squeezed his way through the crowd to find Maria and Alex grinding separately with people they weren't acquainted with. His anger rose as he saw Maria run her body along a random guy.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed at her.
"I'm dancing, what does it look like?"
"Maria, we're supposed to be inconspicuous!"
"I am Michael! You're the one drawing attention to yourself. I'm in a club, I'm dancing – how much more normal can you get? At least I'm not standing around like an idiot."
"But Liz might notice you!" Michael forced out.
Maria laughed heartily and shook her head. "Look at her Spaceboy – she's too wrapped up in the music to notice anything. Trust me, I've had that look before so I know. Just relax."
Michael snorted. "Says the girl throwing herself at a loser to get my attention."
Maria stopped dancing abruptly and the guy stepped forward to give Michael a piece of his mind... or fist. She stared Michael down and said, "Hit the road, Billy B," without so much as a glance in the guy's direction.
"I- I'm Bryce," the guy stammered.
"Whatever," Maria replied.
"You heard the lady. Fuck off." Michael spat out venomously.
The guy walked away grumbling to himself as Michael stepped closer to Maria. She eyed him suspiciously, but then she broke out into the most beautiful smile Michael had ever seen. She did a little dance and jumped up and down, laughing.
"What?" Michael finally asked her.
"You were jealous. It's so cute I could just pinch your cheeks."
"No. No. Please don't."
Maria could hear his dread at the thought of her pinching his cheeks, and laughed even harder. She held her hands up in surrender. "Truce."
"So you concede?"
"Never. Now dance with me! But don't think for a second that we're getting back together because we're not." Michael rolled his eyes at first, but as Maria began to grind against him he lost all conscious thought.
