AN:// Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you for everyone who has
reviewed!! I'm so sorry about how late this is, but I wanted my friend to
go over this for me and make sure it was good, or if I should change
anything, but she wouldn't answer me, so here it is. If I do get anyone to
be my Editor (My last one quit on my, I guess) than I will definitely be
doing a redo of this. It will be the same story line, but a lot leaner and
a lot sleeker. The other bonus to it is that I'll post the whole thing at
one time, instead of posting it by chapters like I've had to do for this. I
know it's taken me a long while, but I do have about16 pages, which is the
most I've done so far. Well enough for now, I'll finish when the chapter is
over. Happy Reading!!
I had always said that I would give up everything for her. I would do anything, risk anything. Why? Because it was her. It was Liz. How could I Not do just about anything for her? Along time ago when we first got together we had made a pact saying that we would never publicly display our secret. Who knew what kind of whack jobs would come looking for us, CIA, FBI, Jerry Springer . . . . But when the gun shot went off, I didn't have a choice. So that's why I did what I did. It wasn't because it was a reflex reaction; it wasn't because I didn't want to see anyone suffer, because it was her. I feel guilty about it. I saved her life, and I feel guilty. What's wrong with me? I feel like crying. I won't though because guys just don't cry and I'm supposed to be the leader. Leaders don't cry; even though they want to.
Someone was knocking on my window. I wonder who it is. An image of Liz in my leather jacket and in the pajamas comes to mind and I wonder if I'm just imagining it or if she really is the one tapping on my window. CIA wouldn't bother to tap on my window would they? They would've waited until I was sleeping and they would've just dragged me off to their underground lair. Do they have underground lairs? Or is that something only from a comic book? They've got to have underground Lairs. There is no way the government can have that much money and accidentally miscount a how million. Hey! Every man needs his space. I bet they got Plasma TVs, a fully stocked bar, pool, and God knew what else. 9/11 recession my ass.
I'm on my way over to the window. The hair on my arms is prickling in anticipation. It's her. There's no way it can't be. Whenever I'm even in the same building with her it's like I can't even think until she's right there. I reached out to open the window and as I was about to undue the latch I hesitated. Why was Liz coming to see me so late at night? I glanced at the clock to see that it was 11:47. Just as I was about to open the window it opened on its own.
"It was taking too long." She brushed some stray bits of hair from her face and proceeded to climb through my window. She had been in my room on numerous occasions, whether to study, to watch movies, to hang out with the rest of the gang. There had been nights where he would wake up and find her crawling under the covers with him. She would spend hours crying and I would simply hold her and try to comfort her as much as possible. Why was she here now?
"Where's the fire?" I asked. Why was she in such a big hurry to sneak in? It was early September. Desert nights can be cold but I really didn't live on the desert, more like in the suburbs with my adoptive parents, who were blissfully clueless about my whole otherworldly status.
"I just wanted to come see you," she replied. Liz wasn't a bad liar. On the contrary, when she wanted to lie she could do it easily and no one would suspect a thing. But it was different when we lied to each other. I knew when she was lying and vice versa. She knew that. Than why was she trying to lie to me now? I'll just humor her. Maybe she just needs someone to talk to. She did almost die after all.
~
OK, lying to him might not have been the best thing to have done. I mean, we can sense when we lie to each other. He's tilting his head to the side. He's confused. . . . Damn! He does know, but if I know him than he's just going to 'humor' me. How am I supposed to tell him? How am I supposed to tell him that I've been dreaming about this afternoon for weeks; that that was why I had been seeking his comfort in the night? How was I supposed to tell him that everything has been heightened; every molecule in my being could feel everything. How was I supposed to tell him that I was getting stronger?
Oh yeah, he's my soul mate. He's Max.
~
"Who the hell are you??!!" Maria de Luca shouted at the top of her lungs. "Who the fuck gave you the right to say what any of us can do?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!! You know for a fact that Max using his powers to heal Liz in the middle of The Crashdown like that just about exposed us to the whole world! The FBI is probably compiling files right now! Once they see who Liz and Max are, they're going to see who their four closest friends and we're going to be pinned down by association!! Do you want to go to some 'white room' and be taken apart piece by piece so they can examine you? Do you really want that 'Ria? Max just broke the most important rule we have! Why?? Because he's King and he can do any god damn thing he wants too!" Michael's voice was loud. He was shouting at Maria again. They had been arguing for the past 45 minutes. He was waiting for Maria to start her bantering. He was waiting . . . . Still waiting . . . . . again, waiting . . . . . but instead she did the most unexpected ting possible; she spoke calmly. Perhaps a little coldly, but she wasn't yelling.
"You son of a bitch," with that I walked away. We had been arguing for the past 45 minutes in the deserted park. It was nearing 6 o'clock in the afternoon. It had taken forever to answer all of the cops' questions, and then we had safely retreated to the nearest deserted park. It was deserted for a reason. It was one of the dirtiest pieces of Roswell and even the kids who lived close to the park in the trailer park walked the extra mile to hang out somewhere else after school.
It had been about four. We had just started out shift after class. It had been the first day of our sophomore year. I had had this strange vision and we had decided that we would meet at the Crashdown because Mr. Parker had us on call and when Edna and Agnes had called out we had had to cover their shift.
It was like most shifts. We took orders, we commented on Max and Michael who sat in their usual booth. Max had been staring at Liz the whole time and Liz wasn't much better when she wasn't busy taking orders. We passed around phony pictures that were supposedly taken from the '47 crash. What? They were tourists we had to do something to amuse ourselves.
There had been a huge commotion from the two truckers who had been seated at the window. Liz, ever the peace-maker went to settle the dispute. Suddenly the smaller man was waving a gun in the air and suddenly there was a loud shot and Liz was lying on the floor.
His hands were glowing and the blood that had been every where a moment ago was gone. The bullet that had launched it's self in her stomach was dissolved.
"Tell them that a ketchup bottle had slipped and broke. Tell them that you ducked just in time." Max's face was shinning with moisture. He looked like he was on the verge of crying.
Michael had kept the small crowed back and when Max was finished they had discreetly fled. Or, so Michael says, but Michael could never do anything discreetly. He blunders into everything without a care. He has this whole attitude that just says, that I feel this way about tit and if you don't like, oh well. I'm me and there's nothing that's going to change it. Nonchalant. That's the word. I know him better than that though. I know Michael. Not just the Michael that everyone else sees. I see the Michael who combs his hair to the side for Mum whenever she takes us over to Grandma Eliza's house. He knows how important making a good impression with Grandma Eliza is to mum. I know the Michael who worked all summer at Steve's Auto shop, so he could put his earnings into the Christmas Jar mum has stashed under the sink in the bathroom so she would have enough money for presents. He never told me, but I saw him do it. Just like the time he brought home the bird who broke its arm. He didn't know I knew. He's Michael and I know almost everything.
But this time it's different. This time I can't understand him at all. He's going on about how Max healed Liz. OK, he broke the rule. BUT SHE WAS DIEING!! Doesn't that make it an acceptation to the rule? How can he not see why I'm so pissed off at him? He's getting all worked up over this and he didn't even realize that I almost lost one of my best friends. He didn't realize the Liz almost died. He doesn't realize that I'm crying right now because he probably wouldn't do the same thing for me. It's against the rules.
What am I supposed to do now? She's obviously pissed. I can't go home just yet. I have to give her some time to cool down. I don't understand why she's so upset. It's like we're on two different wave links. That thought alone is unsettling. We had never been this disconnected before.
My hands are itching. I need to draw her. She's beautiful when she's upset. It's like her face is trying to contain all of that passion. I don't have any money though. I can't buy any sketching paper; and all my notebooks are still at Hanks. Well, I have some time to blow off. . . . .
~
I should've just taken all of my stuff to Maria's when I unofficially moved in. That way I wouldn't have ever to have seen Hank again. But I was a complete idiot, again. I hadn't wanted to risk the chance of 'Ria finding any of my sketches. It was embarrassing, the way I draw her. I didn't want her to see the way I saw her. I wanted to keep it to myself. I didn't want to feel stupid if she didn't feel the same way about me. It wasn't like I drew her naked or anything, but I had once shown Isabel and she had said that it was obvious, from the way I had drawn her, that I was head over heels. I hadn't wanted 'Ria to know that. I was a stone wall. I didn't get emotional. So, we made-out a lot. That didn't mean it was true love. We lived under the same roof and we shared the same secret, it was probably like those kids in that movie who were stranded. They basically grew up all alone. Of course they were going to turn to each other. But still, I should've just taken the notebooks to 'Ria's.
When I got to the trailer park, where Hank my legal foster father lived, I stood in front of the door for what seemed like infinity. I went back every now and then. I used to come back a few times a week when 'Ria and I were younger and as I got older the visits became even more infrequent. I hadn't been back in a month, and that had been after school. I had promised myself I would never be back. I had a new life now, one that had friends, and perhaps a family; one that had 'Ria.
I opened the swinging screen door that was obviously in need of repair. At first I thought it was odd that he would keep the door unlocked and than after taking a look at the place I realized no one would ever want to steal anything from Hank. It was worse than I remembered. At my feet were piles of empty beer bottles. The couch was well worn and the counters and what looked like had once been a stove was smeared with grease and god only knew what else. The trailer was empty. Hank was no where in sight and I heaved a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure if Hank was still working at the Cheese Factory still or even what shift he had. It was dark out and since Hank drank from sun-up to sun-down hw would've been in a deadly mood if he had been here.
I definitely didn't want to stall in this room; in this . . . . Place. I headed over to what once been my room. When I had first left, a few days after 'Ria had first made me promise that I wouldn't come back here, I had locked the door with my alien skills. No one would be able to get into the room. It was more like a large janitor's closet 'Ria and I spent hours in instead of AP Chem. That Liz had signed us up for. When I opened the door, I looked around and to my satisfaction found the room the way I had left it last. The covers on my bed were a mess (just in case my 'alien skills' hadn't worked and Social Services had gotten in. This way it looked like I was still staying there) and the closet held a few clothes from when I was younger and my sweaters that mum . . . . I mean Ms. De Luca had given me a few Christmas' ago.
When I had first moved in, I soon realized that my mattress had a large hole in it. When I discovered my passion for drawing (mostly 'Ria) I decided to hide my drawings there. It was an ideal hiding place, and made the thin mattress a little more comfortable. I slipped my hand between the thin cloth coverings and pulled out a large notebook. In it I had dedicated it only to the most beautiful things. There were sunsets, sunrises, 'Ria, and a few pictures of the four of us as a family. There was a noise in the background. I wasn't paying attention. The picture of 'Ria's face captivating me, drawing me in. That's when he started yelling.
~
I had just gotten out of the shower and put on my pajamas. I was now sitting at my vanity and was combing my hair back. It was short and wet and was a way for me to relax and to think. Think about school, Michael, the shooting, Michael, Liz, Michael, and yes Michael. It was nine o'clock and he still wasn't home. Mum had been on edge for a while and that was starting to scare me. What were also starting to scare me were the symptoms. I was going to be sick again and I had been taking all the precautions. I ate lots of fruits and vegetables, took my vitamins, made sure that all my vegetarian meals had been thoroughly washed, and had taken long bathes to release tension. Not to mention that I had been burning relaxing incense like crazy. Mum was starting to notice the signs, and she was waiting for me to tell her, but I felt that I had to Michael first. I was about to him today during my shift, but then Liz got shot and than he was being an insensitive prick, and well we had gone our separate ways since then.
It wasn't like I was having symptoms for the usual stuff. No way. When I got sick, it was deadly. Antibiotics didn't work. We found that one out after the third time I got sick. I had almost died and as a last resort mum had taken me to the hospital. They tried everything but nothing worked. They took blood samples, but in the end we had to use mums blood instead of mine. After I was administered in the hospital, Lizzy had thought about the blood test. I couldn't very well not leave, I mean, anyone who looked at me knew that I was on my death bed and since my otherworldly status gave me different blood cells, I was forced to use someone else's blood. It was that day I found out that mum's blood was different than ours. They released me thinking that it would be better for me to die in comfort. I did eventually get better and after long grueling hours of summer school, and hours of study sessions with Liz I passed that year, and that was the end of it. Whenever I did get sick, we found that the best remedies were herbal ones. It was strange but they seemed to work the best. I was having dreams about the sickness and from what I saw this one was going to be a dozy. I remember I was about to tell Michael . . . . .
Michael. Where the hell was he? He never misses dinner. Especially when mum lets him cook and he had already prepared some hamburger meat for the occasion. He made mum worry and she never really worried, unless she called in too many sick days in which she would worry about how big her paycheck was going to be. On top of that he was starting to make me worry. When he came home I was gonna . . . .
TAP, TAP, TAP.
I looked up from my vanity mirror and looked into the deep green eyes of Michael Guerin. The tapping could've been the rain that was falling outside my window but there was the pull. The pull that told me Michael was nearby. His hair was plastered to his head and he was soaked. He was looking at me with those large, green, expectant eyes. He was obviously waiting for me to let him in. I went over to the window.
"Oh no, you don't! I know exactly what you want! "It's not going to work! I know what this is all . . ." And than I took a closer look at his face. It was dark and splotchy in some places, and in others the rain was rolling of in red tracks. Why would the rain be red? It wasn't red rain; it was blood. Suddenly it hit me. The park we had visited earlier, the long lapse of time he had been away, the bruises that covered his face. He had gone to Hank's and Hank had beaten the shit out of him, again. Hastily I opened the window and he crawled inside.
He was staring at me. It was strange to see him looking at me like that. We had been going out since that first day in seventh grade, but had never stared at me. I took a step closer to him and reached a hand out and took his hand. Reflexively he flinched backward, but when I didn't let go he pulled me close to him. He wasn't shaking, he was convulsing. Wetness found its way in my hair. He was crying, I realized. I had never seen Michael cry in all the time I had known him, and here he was sobbing. Seconds later I realized that the rest of me was also becoming soaked. I tried to pull away but he pulled me closer and wasn't letting go.
"Michael I have to get you out of these wet clothes. I don't want you to get sick. C'mon let me get you some nice dry clothes. There ya go . . . ." Rather hesitantly he let me go and I quickly dashed about. I grabbed some towels from the bathroom closet and some pajamas for him to wear. He usually only slept in his boxers but that was when he slept on the floor. There was no way he was going to wear just boxers, especially for what I had planned.
I gave him the towel and the pajama bottoms and boxers and turned around waiting for him to get dressed. It was a slow process, but I dutifully kept my head turned and kept my eyes on the floor and was a little regretful that I had forgotten the vanity mirror. How was I not supposed to look? But this wasn't some kind of sex thing and I had resolved not to make a move when he was in such an emotional state. He had finally got him self fully dressed and cleared his throat. I turned around and looked at him. He was so sexy, and with the body of a sex god. Ahhhh, how did I get so lucky. Stop that Maria! Stay focused, Michael crying. C'mon you can do it! His hair was still dripping do I took the towel from him and began to dry his hair. I kept staring at him though, and I wasn't doing a good job. I finally got frustrated and lifted my other hand to dry him off. . . . magically. Before I could though, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close. I let him hold me and after awhile I pulled him over to my bed and turned back the covers.
~
I rolled over and snuggled closer. M-mm he smelled so good; just like rain. He was nice and warm. Wait . . . . He? I cracked and eye and found an emerald one staring back at me. I was just contemplating why Michael was in bed with nothing but pajama bottoms on, wit h me entangled in a mass of arms and legs; and then memories came rushing back. I closed my eye and sighed. There was no way anything could ever be better than this.
~
They couldn't look happier if they were on a commercial for Disney World. They looked sickening and a part of her wanted to be apart of that, but the other part of her, the part of her who remembered Antar, the part of her who was raised by Nesado wanted to end it as soon as possible. She wanted him and she wanted to go back to how things had been before everything was screwed up. Now was her chance and she was going to make sure that everything turned out according to plan if it killed her.
"Admiring the Royal Six?" asked the boy next to her. He had the word Geek written all over him. His hair was blonde and was constantly in his eyes. His eyes were a dark shade of blue. He had to have been around 5"9' and he wore a pentagram necklace around his neck. He had been the first person to talk to her and having just moved here she had to talk to someone. The first rule was to get the lay out. She had to fit in and not be noticed. No one had to know she was here at the school. She had to blended in and pretend she had been there for awhile and no one had noticed. If they were right than she would make her big debut. Did he just say "The Royal Six??" Even breaths, don't let him notice that you recognize that. Keep a straight face. Impenetrable, remember? Everything was riding on this; I have to get this right.
"The Royal Six?"
"Yeah," replied the blonde haired kid "It's a nickname we gave them last year. They all have their quirks. There's The Queen: Liz Parker. She's the one with the long dark hair, just to the left. She's real pretty and any guy who knows her would love to date her. Only she's untouchable because of the King: Max Evans. She's real nice and was president of The Science Club last year. She's a shoe in this year. I don't know her personally but my friend Erlinda VP and she always has something nice to say about her and she never has anything positive to say. Max is kind of over-protective but you have to go through Liz first. Last year some kid touched her bum and she had him in the place-where-the-sun-shouldn't-shine- area. He was in the hospital for a week after that. During which she got to skip school and deliver baked goods to the retirement home. When the poor kid finally got out Max fractured his nose and almost killed him but Maria and Alex found him. That kid had to get home-schooling after the whole Liz Incident as it's known around here, but after Max he hasn't come outside. They've been going out since 5th grade and they've been dating since 7th grade. No breaks or anything. It's like they never fight. Which is completely different than Maria and Michael.
"Michael Guerin and Maria de Luca started dating since the seventh grade. She's hot but a little weird; she has this whole thing for tofu and being a vegetarian. The first week of seventh grade some kid kept trying to get with Maria for sex and when she said 'fuck off' he spread rumors about her saying how she a little whore. Michael hadn't heard them but when the kid said it out loud in front of him Michael gave him a bloody nose. When Maria found out she kicked the shit out of him. Turns out Maria and Michael had just started going out and since they really don't talk to a lot of other people but those in their group no one really knew. No one picks on Michael because he took out some kids when he first moved here. After the whole incident in seventh grade no one messes with Maria. It's not just that she could kick ass, but Michael is the typical way-over protective type. I think it has something to do with her being sick all the time."
"What do you mean she's sick all the time?" queried Tess.
"I remember in 5th grade she got real sick and the doctors all thought she was going to die. She got over it though and almost got held back because she missed so many days of school. Michael had been overprotective then, but after that he went just about everywhere with her."
Tess couldn't believe it. There was no explanation for it other than the fact that it was happening all over again. Everything that had happened then was about to happen again. Tess forced herself to listen to the annoying boy sitting next to her. She had to find out what was going on somehow.
"Next are Isabel Edmunds and Alex Whitman. Isabel's a goddess really. No one can really understand why she hangs out with them. She's probably going to be voted 'Prettiest Girl,' or something. She could be one of the popular kids but she sticks with the Royals over there. Alex plays base but he really hasn't done anything with it. I only know that because he started talking about starting a band and I play keyboard. He's a nice guy and he lets just about anyone cheat off of him in a test situation. That's how Matt Sullivan passed all last year. Because of Alex he was able to go to championship. Ever since then Matt makes sure that no one messes with him or anyone in their little group. He's a really nice guy and he can make you laugh. He's good with computers too. They've been dating since 6th grade. Isabel can be a real bitch though. This girl named Erica once started rumors about Alex and Isabel. Supposedly Isabel and Alex made a trip to the Eraser room. It's a room we have that the teachers use to clean dust off of the erasers and we, students, use it as a make-out room. Anyway it was reported that they snuck into it and Isabel could be heard moaning. In 24 hours there were mysterious posters hanging up all over the school, and on them were pictures of Erica making out with this really old guy. It was gross to say the least. No one really knows who put up the posters but everyone pretty much guessed it was Isabel. She's like an Ice Queen if you catch her at the wrong moment. But she can be pretty nice too. I remember this one time . . . . "He rambled on.
Tess started to zone out and was trying to remember everything he had just said. This guy knew everything about them and it seemed to be common knowledge. This town was a perfect place to set up base. They would be close to them and perhaps she would be able to infiltrate the group this way. Tess looked at the idiot sitting next to her. He was a complete idiot. But he did have his uses. He had told her everything she had wanted to know and more; besides killing was such a messy process and it took a lot of work. She did need the practice. Wouldn't it be odd that she had hung around with him all day and the next day she would be gone and him dead? That would surely alert them. Perhaps she should just spare him. It would give her some more practice on erasing memories if she choose not to kill him. Perhaps he would prove to be useful later if anything . . . . . unexpected . . . . Were to occur.
Without blinking an eye Tess erased his memories and those of her teachers. She hadn't really stood out and those she had had conversations with she had already erased their memory of it when she had been changing in the locker room.
She was gathering her stuff and gloating at her successful mission. The idiot boy, Randy had given her a startled look and hesitant smile. When she gave a glare back he quickly left and joined his moronic friends at another table. Her purse was weighed down with the small notebook she kept with her at all times and her jacket was in her arms and she was standing to leave. Mission accomplished. She thought snidely as she made her way to the cafeteria exit. Foolishly she looked back to the Royal Six and found to her amazement that Alex, Liz and Maria were staring back at her. Hurriedly Tess made the rest of the way to the exit and escaped. She was expecting all six of them to follow; for them to shout out for her to stop. When she rounded the corner and looked into the cafeteria window she found to her amazement that the three had simply gone back to eating their lunch and talking to the rest of the group. Tess gave a huge sigh of relief and smirked. Obviously they don't remember. And with that Tess made the biggest mistake of her life. She assumed that the six were ignorant and because of it, it would cost her, her life.
~
They had finally been able to get together and talk. With all the craziness with the shooting and everything the six really hadn't had much contact. Isabel felt more at ease but there was still a lot that needed to be said. It was lunchtime and the six of them were crammed at their usual table in the commons or the cafeteria. Just like every other lunch they talked about the usual stuff, Maria and Michael were at it again and Alex was trying to make me laugh while Max and Liz stated at each other most of the time until Alex through his fries at them. Liz laughed and Max looked abashed and guilty at the same time while his ear turned crimson.
There were certain topics of discussion that all of six of them had been tactfully avoiding not that they could really get into too much detail about what had been going on they were in public after all and there was a risk that they could be overheard but there were a lot of things they could talk about. It was a cafeteria, and because of such the noise around them could sufficiently drown out a lot of things they said but they still had to be careful. Hiding in plain sight which had been Max' plan since they had first started hanging out together was a pain in the ass; or so Isabel, and after it had been discussed with Alex, thought. They had to act like ordinary teenagers and the less secret meetings as possible the better. (So their parents would get suspicious.) So they were forced to talk about the majority of their otherworldly concerns in public which was difficult for Isabel. Today was different though. Today Isabel needed to call a secret meeting and she said so.
"OK, guys, I really think we need to meet at the fort. There have been a lot of things going on and we really need to discuss it all."
"I think so too," agreed Max "Where are we on shifts at the Crash Down?" he asked Maria and Liz. (When does Michael start working there??)
"Dad gave me the day off because he thinks that I had a near death experience. Since the gunshot just barely missed me and all. Maria managed to convince him that he didn't want her to work today because it was the beginning of the new school year and all and that she would need to start this year out right. Something like that. She was talking so fast and was practically on her knees begging he finally gave her the day off and didn't look like he knew what hit him."
"Oh, I know that look!" Alex claimed. "That's the look Michael gets when Maria wants him to do something for her!" Alex was than hit in the head with a few sporks that were sent in his direction by Maria and Michael.
"And your supposed to be telekinetic," muttered Michael upon seeing Alex' stunned face.
"In any case tonight would be a good night to go to the fort than," decided Max when he had finally stopped laughing with the rest of the group.
Alex was using one of the sporks that had been thrown at him to play with the lumpy mess of what was supposed to be mashed potatoes when he felt it. It was a prickling at his neck that he couldn't really explain. It was the same sort of feeling he got whenever anyone in the group (except Isabel because that feeling was much stronger) was near. He turned around and noticed a small, petite formed girl with curl hair gathering her things and leaving a table that was facing the commons exit. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the Liz and Maria were staring too. There was something in the way she moved and the way her curly hair bounced when she walked. Just as she was reaching the exit she turned and looked right him and he knew then, for sure that he knew her. There was something in the icy blue stare that he recognized. He shrugged and went back to fiddling with his 'mashed potatoes.'
~
Michael and I were in the Jetta on the way home from school. The car was silent which was a change for the two of us. We did tend to fight on occasion but with last night's occurrences made the two of us tense.
Flashback to this morning.
I rolled over and snuggled closer. M-mm he smelled so good; just like rain. He was nice and warm. Wait . . . . He? I cracked and eye and found an emerald one staring back at me. I was just contemplating why Michael was in bed with nothing but pajama bottoms on, wit h me entangled in a mass of arms and legs; and then memories came rushing back. I closed my eye and sighed. There was no way anything could ever be better than this.
His arms were wrapped around me and put my ear to his unadorned chest. It was smooth and well sculpted. I listened to his heat beating, over and over again. It was gentle and soothing. Silently I was slipping off to sleep when he whispered to me.
"Maria."
"Hmm??" I answered back.
"We need to talk about last night, I-"
"I saw what happened," I interrupted.
"What? How?"
"I accidentally dream-walked you and I saw the whole thing. Sorry," I said a bit sheepishly. Dream-walking was one of my major abilities but I hated to just enter into someone's dreams without permission. What dreaming is sacred and I hated violating, but with Michael it was different. I hadn't really tried to go inside of Michael's dreams. I was in such a close proximity of him and he was so emotional, I just kind of slipped into his dream. I told him so and he heaved a huge sigh of relief.
"Well, I guess I don't need to explain anything then. I wasn't even sure how I was going to be able to," he confided. "You're beautiful when you're sleeping," Michael murmured after a few moments. I smiled against his chest and went back to sleep.
End Flashback
"Michael," I started breaking the tension that had enveloped the car "It's coming again." He didn't say anything, and I wished that I could turn on the radio but we could never agree on what station to listen to so I left it off and kept on driving home.
"What's starting again?" he finally asked. It was like he had been in his own little world.
Flashback to earlier that morning
It was about time for school, but the bed was so warm and Maria was so soft. He couldn't believe it. He had come home expecting 'Ria to yell and scream at him but she had simply held him close and let him cry. He had never thought that anyone would ever be so gentle with him. He should get them both up, but against his better judgment, he decided against it and tried to go back to sleep.
The door opened and Michael opened his eyes. Amy de Luca was standing in the door way and she looked pissed; one green eye narrowing with her blue one.
She really hadn't been that mad at them or so he thought. Michael had thought that Amy de Luca would raise hell if ever caught anyone with her daughter in such a compromising position. However, she just paced around the house and objects whizzed around the house as she yelled at the two of them. When she had finally finished she listened to what Maria had to say, which the whole story was told in de Luca fashion (in a very fast and passionate way). Amy than looked at my face which held multiple bruises, and sighed.
"All right, let me heal them for you. But you guys, don't ever let me catch you that way again, and Michael we do have an extra room. You should sleep in there for now on, and I don't even want to have to talk about sex." That was that.
End Flashback
"The symptoms, they're starting again."
"What do you mean the symptoms are starting again?' questioned Michael.
"Michael-"
"Since when? When did they start?"
"About a week ago."
"Why didn't you tell me? Are you going to start keeping secret now? Maria I-"He called me Maria. He only called me Maria when he was pissed, emotional, or being especially tender. I had to cut him off. There was no way I was going to listen to this.
"Michael, I thought I was just going to start my period and than it got worse and I checked my calendar, and I realized it wasn't that time. That was part of the reason I was so pissed off yesterday, because I was about to tell you about it and then you started yelling. I am sorry, but with everything going on . . . ." I trailed off lamely.
"I'm sorry 'Ria, I didn't mean to be so gruff. I'm sorry. Why were so mad at me last night any way?"
"You were just so upset about Max using his powers to heal Liz and I was afraid that if the same thing ever happened to me you wouldn't heal me."
"Oh god. Of course I would heal you, I never even thought about it that way. I'm just afraid that we're all going to be taken away. I'm sorry. Do you know how bad it's going to be?"
"It's going to be real bad. Michael I don't know what I'm going to do anymore." We were sitting in the driveway. I was glad that we had pulled up before I had made my whole confession earlier after we had pulled up. My hands were shaking and I was trying to stop it by griping the steering wheel. Michael noticed and took my hands in his.
~
Liz and Alex were waiting for the rest of the group to arrive at the fort. They shared a special connection. It was different than that of just friends and different than what they felt of their significant other.
"Did you notice the girl with the curly blonde hair?" Liz asked.
"Yeah. She was kind of familiar looking."
"I thought so too," confided Liz.
"Have you seen her around before?"
"No, why?"
"Alex isn't it strange that the day after I get shot that we notice a mysterious girl whom we both sort of recognize?"
So what are proposing Lizzy? An invasion?" with that he chuckled and hugged her. He could see his breath and the cold wood floor did nothing to warm him. Yeah an invasion, he thought to himself. Why did that thought also feel like a part of deja vou?
What did you think?? I know it was shoddy, but please review, I do know what you think.
Coming up: What happened between Max and Liz? The Meeting, and what do the 'Protectors' have to do with this?
7,282
I had always said that I would give up everything for her. I would do anything, risk anything. Why? Because it was her. It was Liz. How could I Not do just about anything for her? Along time ago when we first got together we had made a pact saying that we would never publicly display our secret. Who knew what kind of whack jobs would come looking for us, CIA, FBI, Jerry Springer . . . . But when the gun shot went off, I didn't have a choice. So that's why I did what I did. It wasn't because it was a reflex reaction; it wasn't because I didn't want to see anyone suffer, because it was her. I feel guilty about it. I saved her life, and I feel guilty. What's wrong with me? I feel like crying. I won't though because guys just don't cry and I'm supposed to be the leader. Leaders don't cry; even though they want to.
Someone was knocking on my window. I wonder who it is. An image of Liz in my leather jacket and in the pajamas comes to mind and I wonder if I'm just imagining it or if she really is the one tapping on my window. CIA wouldn't bother to tap on my window would they? They would've waited until I was sleeping and they would've just dragged me off to their underground lair. Do they have underground lairs? Or is that something only from a comic book? They've got to have underground Lairs. There is no way the government can have that much money and accidentally miscount a how million. Hey! Every man needs his space. I bet they got Plasma TVs, a fully stocked bar, pool, and God knew what else. 9/11 recession my ass.
I'm on my way over to the window. The hair on my arms is prickling in anticipation. It's her. There's no way it can't be. Whenever I'm even in the same building with her it's like I can't even think until she's right there. I reached out to open the window and as I was about to undue the latch I hesitated. Why was Liz coming to see me so late at night? I glanced at the clock to see that it was 11:47. Just as I was about to open the window it opened on its own.
"It was taking too long." She brushed some stray bits of hair from her face and proceeded to climb through my window. She had been in my room on numerous occasions, whether to study, to watch movies, to hang out with the rest of the gang. There had been nights where he would wake up and find her crawling under the covers with him. She would spend hours crying and I would simply hold her and try to comfort her as much as possible. Why was she here now?
"Where's the fire?" I asked. Why was she in such a big hurry to sneak in? It was early September. Desert nights can be cold but I really didn't live on the desert, more like in the suburbs with my adoptive parents, who were blissfully clueless about my whole otherworldly status.
"I just wanted to come see you," she replied. Liz wasn't a bad liar. On the contrary, when she wanted to lie she could do it easily and no one would suspect a thing. But it was different when we lied to each other. I knew when she was lying and vice versa. She knew that. Than why was she trying to lie to me now? I'll just humor her. Maybe she just needs someone to talk to. She did almost die after all.
~
OK, lying to him might not have been the best thing to have done. I mean, we can sense when we lie to each other. He's tilting his head to the side. He's confused. . . . Damn! He does know, but if I know him than he's just going to 'humor' me. How am I supposed to tell him? How am I supposed to tell him that I've been dreaming about this afternoon for weeks; that that was why I had been seeking his comfort in the night? How was I supposed to tell him that everything has been heightened; every molecule in my being could feel everything. How was I supposed to tell him that I was getting stronger?
Oh yeah, he's my soul mate. He's Max.
~
"Who the hell are you??!!" Maria de Luca shouted at the top of her lungs. "Who the fuck gave you the right to say what any of us can do?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!! You know for a fact that Max using his powers to heal Liz in the middle of The Crashdown like that just about exposed us to the whole world! The FBI is probably compiling files right now! Once they see who Liz and Max are, they're going to see who their four closest friends and we're going to be pinned down by association!! Do you want to go to some 'white room' and be taken apart piece by piece so they can examine you? Do you really want that 'Ria? Max just broke the most important rule we have! Why?? Because he's King and he can do any god damn thing he wants too!" Michael's voice was loud. He was shouting at Maria again. They had been arguing for the past 45 minutes. He was waiting for Maria to start her bantering. He was waiting . . . . Still waiting . . . . . again, waiting . . . . . but instead she did the most unexpected ting possible; she spoke calmly. Perhaps a little coldly, but she wasn't yelling.
"You son of a bitch," with that I walked away. We had been arguing for the past 45 minutes in the deserted park. It was nearing 6 o'clock in the afternoon. It had taken forever to answer all of the cops' questions, and then we had safely retreated to the nearest deserted park. It was deserted for a reason. It was one of the dirtiest pieces of Roswell and even the kids who lived close to the park in the trailer park walked the extra mile to hang out somewhere else after school.
It had been about four. We had just started out shift after class. It had been the first day of our sophomore year. I had had this strange vision and we had decided that we would meet at the Crashdown because Mr. Parker had us on call and when Edna and Agnes had called out we had had to cover their shift.
It was like most shifts. We took orders, we commented on Max and Michael who sat in their usual booth. Max had been staring at Liz the whole time and Liz wasn't much better when she wasn't busy taking orders. We passed around phony pictures that were supposedly taken from the '47 crash. What? They were tourists we had to do something to amuse ourselves.
There had been a huge commotion from the two truckers who had been seated at the window. Liz, ever the peace-maker went to settle the dispute. Suddenly the smaller man was waving a gun in the air and suddenly there was a loud shot and Liz was lying on the floor.
His hands were glowing and the blood that had been every where a moment ago was gone. The bullet that had launched it's self in her stomach was dissolved.
"Tell them that a ketchup bottle had slipped and broke. Tell them that you ducked just in time." Max's face was shinning with moisture. He looked like he was on the verge of crying.
Michael had kept the small crowed back and when Max was finished they had discreetly fled. Or, so Michael says, but Michael could never do anything discreetly. He blunders into everything without a care. He has this whole attitude that just says, that I feel this way about tit and if you don't like, oh well. I'm me and there's nothing that's going to change it. Nonchalant. That's the word. I know him better than that though. I know Michael. Not just the Michael that everyone else sees. I see the Michael who combs his hair to the side for Mum whenever she takes us over to Grandma Eliza's house. He knows how important making a good impression with Grandma Eliza is to mum. I know the Michael who worked all summer at Steve's Auto shop, so he could put his earnings into the Christmas Jar mum has stashed under the sink in the bathroom so she would have enough money for presents. He never told me, but I saw him do it. Just like the time he brought home the bird who broke its arm. He didn't know I knew. He's Michael and I know almost everything.
But this time it's different. This time I can't understand him at all. He's going on about how Max healed Liz. OK, he broke the rule. BUT SHE WAS DIEING!! Doesn't that make it an acceptation to the rule? How can he not see why I'm so pissed off at him? He's getting all worked up over this and he didn't even realize that I almost lost one of my best friends. He didn't realize the Liz almost died. He doesn't realize that I'm crying right now because he probably wouldn't do the same thing for me. It's against the rules.
What am I supposed to do now? She's obviously pissed. I can't go home just yet. I have to give her some time to cool down. I don't understand why she's so upset. It's like we're on two different wave links. That thought alone is unsettling. We had never been this disconnected before.
My hands are itching. I need to draw her. She's beautiful when she's upset. It's like her face is trying to contain all of that passion. I don't have any money though. I can't buy any sketching paper; and all my notebooks are still at Hanks. Well, I have some time to blow off. . . . .
~
I should've just taken all of my stuff to Maria's when I unofficially moved in. That way I wouldn't have ever to have seen Hank again. But I was a complete idiot, again. I hadn't wanted to risk the chance of 'Ria finding any of my sketches. It was embarrassing, the way I draw her. I didn't want her to see the way I saw her. I wanted to keep it to myself. I didn't want to feel stupid if she didn't feel the same way about me. It wasn't like I drew her naked or anything, but I had once shown Isabel and she had said that it was obvious, from the way I had drawn her, that I was head over heels. I hadn't wanted 'Ria to know that. I was a stone wall. I didn't get emotional. So, we made-out a lot. That didn't mean it was true love. We lived under the same roof and we shared the same secret, it was probably like those kids in that movie who were stranded. They basically grew up all alone. Of course they were going to turn to each other. But still, I should've just taken the notebooks to 'Ria's.
When I got to the trailer park, where Hank my legal foster father lived, I stood in front of the door for what seemed like infinity. I went back every now and then. I used to come back a few times a week when 'Ria and I were younger and as I got older the visits became even more infrequent. I hadn't been back in a month, and that had been after school. I had promised myself I would never be back. I had a new life now, one that had friends, and perhaps a family; one that had 'Ria.
I opened the swinging screen door that was obviously in need of repair. At first I thought it was odd that he would keep the door unlocked and than after taking a look at the place I realized no one would ever want to steal anything from Hank. It was worse than I remembered. At my feet were piles of empty beer bottles. The couch was well worn and the counters and what looked like had once been a stove was smeared with grease and god only knew what else. The trailer was empty. Hank was no where in sight and I heaved a sigh of relief. I wasn't sure if Hank was still working at the Cheese Factory still or even what shift he had. It was dark out and since Hank drank from sun-up to sun-down hw would've been in a deadly mood if he had been here.
I definitely didn't want to stall in this room; in this . . . . Place. I headed over to what once been my room. When I had first left, a few days after 'Ria had first made me promise that I wouldn't come back here, I had locked the door with my alien skills. No one would be able to get into the room. It was more like a large janitor's closet 'Ria and I spent hours in instead of AP Chem. That Liz had signed us up for. When I opened the door, I looked around and to my satisfaction found the room the way I had left it last. The covers on my bed were a mess (just in case my 'alien skills' hadn't worked and Social Services had gotten in. This way it looked like I was still staying there) and the closet held a few clothes from when I was younger and my sweaters that mum . . . . I mean Ms. De Luca had given me a few Christmas' ago.
When I had first moved in, I soon realized that my mattress had a large hole in it. When I discovered my passion for drawing (mostly 'Ria) I decided to hide my drawings there. It was an ideal hiding place, and made the thin mattress a little more comfortable. I slipped my hand between the thin cloth coverings and pulled out a large notebook. In it I had dedicated it only to the most beautiful things. There were sunsets, sunrises, 'Ria, and a few pictures of the four of us as a family. There was a noise in the background. I wasn't paying attention. The picture of 'Ria's face captivating me, drawing me in. That's when he started yelling.
~
I had just gotten out of the shower and put on my pajamas. I was now sitting at my vanity and was combing my hair back. It was short and wet and was a way for me to relax and to think. Think about school, Michael, the shooting, Michael, Liz, Michael, and yes Michael. It was nine o'clock and he still wasn't home. Mum had been on edge for a while and that was starting to scare me. What were also starting to scare me were the symptoms. I was going to be sick again and I had been taking all the precautions. I ate lots of fruits and vegetables, took my vitamins, made sure that all my vegetarian meals had been thoroughly washed, and had taken long bathes to release tension. Not to mention that I had been burning relaxing incense like crazy. Mum was starting to notice the signs, and she was waiting for me to tell her, but I felt that I had to Michael first. I was about to him today during my shift, but then Liz got shot and than he was being an insensitive prick, and well we had gone our separate ways since then.
It wasn't like I was having symptoms for the usual stuff. No way. When I got sick, it was deadly. Antibiotics didn't work. We found that one out after the third time I got sick. I had almost died and as a last resort mum had taken me to the hospital. They tried everything but nothing worked. They took blood samples, but in the end we had to use mums blood instead of mine. After I was administered in the hospital, Lizzy had thought about the blood test. I couldn't very well not leave, I mean, anyone who looked at me knew that I was on my death bed and since my otherworldly status gave me different blood cells, I was forced to use someone else's blood. It was that day I found out that mum's blood was different than ours. They released me thinking that it would be better for me to die in comfort. I did eventually get better and after long grueling hours of summer school, and hours of study sessions with Liz I passed that year, and that was the end of it. Whenever I did get sick, we found that the best remedies were herbal ones. It was strange but they seemed to work the best. I was having dreams about the sickness and from what I saw this one was going to be a dozy. I remember I was about to tell Michael . . . . .
Michael. Where the hell was he? He never misses dinner. Especially when mum lets him cook and he had already prepared some hamburger meat for the occasion. He made mum worry and she never really worried, unless she called in too many sick days in which she would worry about how big her paycheck was going to be. On top of that he was starting to make me worry. When he came home I was gonna . . . .
TAP, TAP, TAP.
I looked up from my vanity mirror and looked into the deep green eyes of Michael Guerin. The tapping could've been the rain that was falling outside my window but there was the pull. The pull that told me Michael was nearby. His hair was plastered to his head and he was soaked. He was looking at me with those large, green, expectant eyes. He was obviously waiting for me to let him in. I went over to the window.
"Oh no, you don't! I know exactly what you want! "It's not going to work! I know what this is all . . ." And than I took a closer look at his face. It was dark and splotchy in some places, and in others the rain was rolling of in red tracks. Why would the rain be red? It wasn't red rain; it was blood. Suddenly it hit me. The park we had visited earlier, the long lapse of time he had been away, the bruises that covered his face. He had gone to Hank's and Hank had beaten the shit out of him, again. Hastily I opened the window and he crawled inside.
He was staring at me. It was strange to see him looking at me like that. We had been going out since that first day in seventh grade, but had never stared at me. I took a step closer to him and reached a hand out and took his hand. Reflexively he flinched backward, but when I didn't let go he pulled me close to him. He wasn't shaking, he was convulsing. Wetness found its way in my hair. He was crying, I realized. I had never seen Michael cry in all the time I had known him, and here he was sobbing. Seconds later I realized that the rest of me was also becoming soaked. I tried to pull away but he pulled me closer and wasn't letting go.
"Michael I have to get you out of these wet clothes. I don't want you to get sick. C'mon let me get you some nice dry clothes. There ya go . . . ." Rather hesitantly he let me go and I quickly dashed about. I grabbed some towels from the bathroom closet and some pajamas for him to wear. He usually only slept in his boxers but that was when he slept on the floor. There was no way he was going to wear just boxers, especially for what I had planned.
I gave him the towel and the pajama bottoms and boxers and turned around waiting for him to get dressed. It was a slow process, but I dutifully kept my head turned and kept my eyes on the floor and was a little regretful that I had forgotten the vanity mirror. How was I not supposed to look? But this wasn't some kind of sex thing and I had resolved not to make a move when he was in such an emotional state. He had finally got him self fully dressed and cleared his throat. I turned around and looked at him. He was so sexy, and with the body of a sex god. Ahhhh, how did I get so lucky. Stop that Maria! Stay focused, Michael crying. C'mon you can do it! His hair was still dripping do I took the towel from him and began to dry his hair. I kept staring at him though, and I wasn't doing a good job. I finally got frustrated and lifted my other hand to dry him off. . . . magically. Before I could though, he grabbed my hand and pulled me close. I let him hold me and after awhile I pulled him over to my bed and turned back the covers.
~
I rolled over and snuggled closer. M-mm he smelled so good; just like rain. He was nice and warm. Wait . . . . He? I cracked and eye and found an emerald one staring back at me. I was just contemplating why Michael was in bed with nothing but pajama bottoms on, wit h me entangled in a mass of arms and legs; and then memories came rushing back. I closed my eye and sighed. There was no way anything could ever be better than this.
~
They couldn't look happier if they were on a commercial for Disney World. They looked sickening and a part of her wanted to be apart of that, but the other part of her, the part of her who remembered Antar, the part of her who was raised by Nesado wanted to end it as soon as possible. She wanted him and she wanted to go back to how things had been before everything was screwed up. Now was her chance and she was going to make sure that everything turned out according to plan if it killed her.
"Admiring the Royal Six?" asked the boy next to her. He had the word Geek written all over him. His hair was blonde and was constantly in his eyes. His eyes were a dark shade of blue. He had to have been around 5"9' and he wore a pentagram necklace around his neck. He had been the first person to talk to her and having just moved here she had to talk to someone. The first rule was to get the lay out. She had to fit in and not be noticed. No one had to know she was here at the school. She had to blended in and pretend she had been there for awhile and no one had noticed. If they were right than she would make her big debut. Did he just say "The Royal Six??" Even breaths, don't let him notice that you recognize that. Keep a straight face. Impenetrable, remember? Everything was riding on this; I have to get this right.
"The Royal Six?"
"Yeah," replied the blonde haired kid "It's a nickname we gave them last year. They all have their quirks. There's The Queen: Liz Parker. She's the one with the long dark hair, just to the left. She's real pretty and any guy who knows her would love to date her. Only she's untouchable because of the King: Max Evans. She's real nice and was president of The Science Club last year. She's a shoe in this year. I don't know her personally but my friend Erlinda VP and she always has something nice to say about her and she never has anything positive to say. Max is kind of over-protective but you have to go through Liz first. Last year some kid touched her bum and she had him in the place-where-the-sun-shouldn't-shine- area. He was in the hospital for a week after that. During which she got to skip school and deliver baked goods to the retirement home. When the poor kid finally got out Max fractured his nose and almost killed him but Maria and Alex found him. That kid had to get home-schooling after the whole Liz Incident as it's known around here, but after Max he hasn't come outside. They've been going out since 5th grade and they've been dating since 7th grade. No breaks or anything. It's like they never fight. Which is completely different than Maria and Michael.
"Michael Guerin and Maria de Luca started dating since the seventh grade. She's hot but a little weird; she has this whole thing for tofu and being a vegetarian. The first week of seventh grade some kid kept trying to get with Maria for sex and when she said 'fuck off' he spread rumors about her saying how she a little whore. Michael hadn't heard them but when the kid said it out loud in front of him Michael gave him a bloody nose. When Maria found out she kicked the shit out of him. Turns out Maria and Michael had just started going out and since they really don't talk to a lot of other people but those in their group no one really knew. No one picks on Michael because he took out some kids when he first moved here. After the whole incident in seventh grade no one messes with Maria. It's not just that she could kick ass, but Michael is the typical way-over protective type. I think it has something to do with her being sick all the time."
"What do you mean she's sick all the time?" queried Tess.
"I remember in 5th grade she got real sick and the doctors all thought she was going to die. She got over it though and almost got held back because she missed so many days of school. Michael had been overprotective then, but after that he went just about everywhere with her."
Tess couldn't believe it. There was no explanation for it other than the fact that it was happening all over again. Everything that had happened then was about to happen again. Tess forced herself to listen to the annoying boy sitting next to her. She had to find out what was going on somehow.
"Next are Isabel Edmunds and Alex Whitman. Isabel's a goddess really. No one can really understand why she hangs out with them. She's probably going to be voted 'Prettiest Girl,' or something. She could be one of the popular kids but she sticks with the Royals over there. Alex plays base but he really hasn't done anything with it. I only know that because he started talking about starting a band and I play keyboard. He's a nice guy and he lets just about anyone cheat off of him in a test situation. That's how Matt Sullivan passed all last year. Because of Alex he was able to go to championship. Ever since then Matt makes sure that no one messes with him or anyone in their little group. He's a really nice guy and he can make you laugh. He's good with computers too. They've been dating since 6th grade. Isabel can be a real bitch though. This girl named Erica once started rumors about Alex and Isabel. Supposedly Isabel and Alex made a trip to the Eraser room. It's a room we have that the teachers use to clean dust off of the erasers and we, students, use it as a make-out room. Anyway it was reported that they snuck into it and Isabel could be heard moaning. In 24 hours there were mysterious posters hanging up all over the school, and on them were pictures of Erica making out with this really old guy. It was gross to say the least. No one really knows who put up the posters but everyone pretty much guessed it was Isabel. She's like an Ice Queen if you catch her at the wrong moment. But she can be pretty nice too. I remember this one time . . . . "He rambled on.
Tess started to zone out and was trying to remember everything he had just said. This guy knew everything about them and it seemed to be common knowledge. This town was a perfect place to set up base. They would be close to them and perhaps she would be able to infiltrate the group this way. Tess looked at the idiot sitting next to her. He was a complete idiot. But he did have his uses. He had told her everything she had wanted to know and more; besides killing was such a messy process and it took a lot of work. She did need the practice. Wouldn't it be odd that she had hung around with him all day and the next day she would be gone and him dead? That would surely alert them. Perhaps she should just spare him. It would give her some more practice on erasing memories if she choose not to kill him. Perhaps he would prove to be useful later if anything . . . . . unexpected . . . . Were to occur.
Without blinking an eye Tess erased his memories and those of her teachers. She hadn't really stood out and those she had had conversations with she had already erased their memory of it when she had been changing in the locker room.
She was gathering her stuff and gloating at her successful mission. The idiot boy, Randy had given her a startled look and hesitant smile. When she gave a glare back he quickly left and joined his moronic friends at another table. Her purse was weighed down with the small notebook she kept with her at all times and her jacket was in her arms and she was standing to leave. Mission accomplished. She thought snidely as she made her way to the cafeteria exit. Foolishly she looked back to the Royal Six and found to her amazement that Alex, Liz and Maria were staring back at her. Hurriedly Tess made the rest of the way to the exit and escaped. She was expecting all six of them to follow; for them to shout out for her to stop. When she rounded the corner and looked into the cafeteria window she found to her amazement that the three had simply gone back to eating their lunch and talking to the rest of the group. Tess gave a huge sigh of relief and smirked. Obviously they don't remember. And with that Tess made the biggest mistake of her life. She assumed that the six were ignorant and because of it, it would cost her, her life.
~
They had finally been able to get together and talk. With all the craziness with the shooting and everything the six really hadn't had much contact. Isabel felt more at ease but there was still a lot that needed to be said. It was lunchtime and the six of them were crammed at their usual table in the commons or the cafeteria. Just like every other lunch they talked about the usual stuff, Maria and Michael were at it again and Alex was trying to make me laugh while Max and Liz stated at each other most of the time until Alex through his fries at them. Liz laughed and Max looked abashed and guilty at the same time while his ear turned crimson.
There were certain topics of discussion that all of six of them had been tactfully avoiding not that they could really get into too much detail about what had been going on they were in public after all and there was a risk that they could be overheard but there were a lot of things they could talk about. It was a cafeteria, and because of such the noise around them could sufficiently drown out a lot of things they said but they still had to be careful. Hiding in plain sight which had been Max' plan since they had first started hanging out together was a pain in the ass; or so Isabel, and after it had been discussed with Alex, thought. They had to act like ordinary teenagers and the less secret meetings as possible the better. (So their parents would get suspicious.) So they were forced to talk about the majority of their otherworldly concerns in public which was difficult for Isabel. Today was different though. Today Isabel needed to call a secret meeting and she said so.
"OK, guys, I really think we need to meet at the fort. There have been a lot of things going on and we really need to discuss it all."
"I think so too," agreed Max "Where are we on shifts at the Crash Down?" he asked Maria and Liz. (When does Michael start working there??)
"Dad gave me the day off because he thinks that I had a near death experience. Since the gunshot just barely missed me and all. Maria managed to convince him that he didn't want her to work today because it was the beginning of the new school year and all and that she would need to start this year out right. Something like that. She was talking so fast and was practically on her knees begging he finally gave her the day off and didn't look like he knew what hit him."
"Oh, I know that look!" Alex claimed. "That's the look Michael gets when Maria wants him to do something for her!" Alex was than hit in the head with a few sporks that were sent in his direction by Maria and Michael.
"And your supposed to be telekinetic," muttered Michael upon seeing Alex' stunned face.
"In any case tonight would be a good night to go to the fort than," decided Max when he had finally stopped laughing with the rest of the group.
Alex was using one of the sporks that had been thrown at him to play with the lumpy mess of what was supposed to be mashed potatoes when he felt it. It was a prickling at his neck that he couldn't really explain. It was the same sort of feeling he got whenever anyone in the group (except Isabel because that feeling was much stronger) was near. He turned around and noticed a small, petite formed girl with curl hair gathering her things and leaving a table that was facing the commons exit. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the Liz and Maria were staring too. There was something in the way she moved and the way her curly hair bounced when she walked. Just as she was reaching the exit she turned and looked right him and he knew then, for sure that he knew her. There was something in the icy blue stare that he recognized. He shrugged and went back to fiddling with his 'mashed potatoes.'
~
Michael and I were in the Jetta on the way home from school. The car was silent which was a change for the two of us. We did tend to fight on occasion but with last night's occurrences made the two of us tense.
Flashback to this morning.
I rolled over and snuggled closer. M-mm he smelled so good; just like rain. He was nice and warm. Wait . . . . He? I cracked and eye and found an emerald one staring back at me. I was just contemplating why Michael was in bed with nothing but pajama bottoms on, wit h me entangled in a mass of arms and legs; and then memories came rushing back. I closed my eye and sighed. There was no way anything could ever be better than this.
His arms were wrapped around me and put my ear to his unadorned chest. It was smooth and well sculpted. I listened to his heat beating, over and over again. It was gentle and soothing. Silently I was slipping off to sleep when he whispered to me.
"Maria."
"Hmm??" I answered back.
"We need to talk about last night, I-"
"I saw what happened," I interrupted.
"What? How?"
"I accidentally dream-walked you and I saw the whole thing. Sorry," I said a bit sheepishly. Dream-walking was one of my major abilities but I hated to just enter into someone's dreams without permission. What dreaming is sacred and I hated violating, but with Michael it was different. I hadn't really tried to go inside of Michael's dreams. I was in such a close proximity of him and he was so emotional, I just kind of slipped into his dream. I told him so and he heaved a huge sigh of relief.
"Well, I guess I don't need to explain anything then. I wasn't even sure how I was going to be able to," he confided. "You're beautiful when you're sleeping," Michael murmured after a few moments. I smiled against his chest and went back to sleep.
End Flashback
"Michael," I started breaking the tension that had enveloped the car "It's coming again." He didn't say anything, and I wished that I could turn on the radio but we could never agree on what station to listen to so I left it off and kept on driving home.
"What's starting again?" he finally asked. It was like he had been in his own little world.
Flashback to earlier that morning
It was about time for school, but the bed was so warm and Maria was so soft. He couldn't believe it. He had come home expecting 'Ria to yell and scream at him but she had simply held him close and let him cry. He had never thought that anyone would ever be so gentle with him. He should get them both up, but against his better judgment, he decided against it and tried to go back to sleep.
The door opened and Michael opened his eyes. Amy de Luca was standing in the door way and she looked pissed; one green eye narrowing with her blue one.
She really hadn't been that mad at them or so he thought. Michael had thought that Amy de Luca would raise hell if ever caught anyone with her daughter in such a compromising position. However, she just paced around the house and objects whizzed around the house as she yelled at the two of them. When she had finally finished she listened to what Maria had to say, which the whole story was told in de Luca fashion (in a very fast and passionate way). Amy than looked at my face which held multiple bruises, and sighed.
"All right, let me heal them for you. But you guys, don't ever let me catch you that way again, and Michael we do have an extra room. You should sleep in there for now on, and I don't even want to have to talk about sex." That was that.
End Flashback
"The symptoms, they're starting again."
"What do you mean the symptoms are starting again?' questioned Michael.
"Michael-"
"Since when? When did they start?"
"About a week ago."
"Why didn't you tell me? Are you going to start keeping secret now? Maria I-"He called me Maria. He only called me Maria when he was pissed, emotional, or being especially tender. I had to cut him off. There was no way I was going to listen to this.
"Michael, I thought I was just going to start my period and than it got worse and I checked my calendar, and I realized it wasn't that time. That was part of the reason I was so pissed off yesterday, because I was about to tell you about it and then you started yelling. I am sorry, but with everything going on . . . ." I trailed off lamely.
"I'm sorry 'Ria, I didn't mean to be so gruff. I'm sorry. Why were so mad at me last night any way?"
"You were just so upset about Max using his powers to heal Liz and I was afraid that if the same thing ever happened to me you wouldn't heal me."
"Oh god. Of course I would heal you, I never even thought about it that way. I'm just afraid that we're all going to be taken away. I'm sorry. Do you know how bad it's going to be?"
"It's going to be real bad. Michael I don't know what I'm going to do anymore." We were sitting in the driveway. I was glad that we had pulled up before I had made my whole confession earlier after we had pulled up. My hands were shaking and I was trying to stop it by griping the steering wheel. Michael noticed and took my hands in his.
~
Liz and Alex were waiting for the rest of the group to arrive at the fort. They shared a special connection. It was different than that of just friends and different than what they felt of their significant other.
"Did you notice the girl with the curly blonde hair?" Liz asked.
"Yeah. She was kind of familiar looking."
"I thought so too," confided Liz.
"Have you seen her around before?"
"No, why?"
"Alex isn't it strange that the day after I get shot that we notice a mysterious girl whom we both sort of recognize?"
So what are proposing Lizzy? An invasion?" with that he chuckled and hugged her. He could see his breath and the cold wood floor did nothing to warm him. Yeah an invasion, he thought to himself. Why did that thought also feel like a part of deja vou?
What did you think?? I know it was shoddy, but please review, I do know what you think.
Coming up: What happened between Max and Liz? The Meeting, and what do the 'Protectors' have to do with this?
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