Sorry for the long wait, I just had no idea what to do with this chapter.
I came really close to discontinuing the story, but then I realized how
much I hate it when other people do that. Anyway, I wanted to let you guys
know that I might be changing a lot of things on the story and it might not
follow the challenge that I originally came up with. I still want to show
the girls and their leadership in the war, but I think I might add and take
away a few things from the challenge. I hope you guys will still like
it!!!!
Chapter 6
A Week Later.
"Maria, come on, you can't keep ignoring me," Michael whispered to Maria during their Physics class. It had been a week since their encounter with Khivar and Maria still hadn't said one word to him. None of the girls spoke to him or his brothers. Everyday since then, he had tried to talk to her at any given opportunity, but she would always ignore him and turn the other way. After getting yelled at by a few teachers, he resulted to passing notes during class. Maria would simply tear up the piece of paper before she even bothered to read it. However, Michael was on a mission to gain Maria's forgiveness and he wasn't about to quit anytime soon.
"You're going to have to speak to me eventually. You said it yourself, you need our help," he said.
"We don't need a damn thing from you," she said icily.
"I knew you couldn't stay quiet for too much longer," Michael said with a smile. He quickly removed it when he saw the glare that Maria was giving him.
"Don't talk to me, Michael," she said before turning back to the teacher.
"Come on, Maria, how many times do I have to apologize for the way my brothers and I acted?"
"I don't want your apologies, it's too late," Maria replied.
"You're being unreasonable," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"Excuse me?" she asked sharply.
"What the hell did you expect us to do? If you just found out that four of your friends turned out to be aliens just like you and that you're on the hit list of some big alien leader, how the hell would you have reacted?"
"I sure as hell wouldn't have stood there while you were insulted by complete strangers," she bit back.
"I know, and I realize that we were wrong for not defending you, but I've trying to apologize for a week! What more do you want?" he asked, exasperated.
"I want to know that we can trust and depend on you guys, all of you! The only way we're going to defeat Khivar is if we work together and trust each other. If you guys couldn't even defend us to your human family, how the hell are we supposed to believe that you'll defend us against Khivar and his army if it comes down to it?" she asked.
"We will!" he insisted.
"Just like you did at the Crashdown?" she asked. "You don't understand how important this is to me. My sisters and I, along with our mom, have been running from this man all our lives. We finally found the other four of us and we think that this whole thing with Khivar will end, only to find out that you want nothing to do with this. How do you expect me to act?" she asked.
"I don't know!" he exclaimed a bit loudly, attracting the attention of the entire class.
"Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Mrs. Jackson asked.
"No, not really," Michael replied, lowering his head.
"Then please keep quiet," she said before turning back to the board.
"You guys need to lower your voices before someone hears your conversation," Kyle whispered from behind Michael and Maria.
"Shut up!" they said at the same time.
"Geez, I was just trying to help," he said, raising in hand as though he were surrendering.
"Well you're a little too late for that, Valenti," Tess muttered from her seat next to him.
"So you finally decided to acknowledge my presence?" Kyle asked turning to Tess. Tess simply rolled her eyes and turned back to the teacher without responding.
"See what I mean? We try to apologize and you girls give us the cold shoulder," Michael said pointing to Kyle and Tess.
"Would you please just shut up!" Maria said, exasperated.
"This coming from Ms. Chatterbox herself?" Michael asked with a smirk.
"Shut up, Michael," Tess said.
"Look, we're sorry. And if you girls don't forgive us now, then that's too bad because I for one refuse to continue apologizing to someone who won't even look at me," Michael said.
"Is that your way of making us forgive you?" Maria asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Is it working?" Kyle asked hopefully.
"No," Tess said as the bell rang. She picked up her things and headed out the door with Isabel and Liz.
"Maria, wait," Michael said, grabbing her hand before she could leave the classroom.
"What do you want?" she asked, clearly annoyed.
"Excluding what happened a week ago, I would always defend you. Over the last two months you have become one of my best friends and even if we weren't in this war together, I'd still protect you with my life. I don't want you to ever think I wouldn't," he said before letting her go. Maria stared at Michael in shock before slowly walking out of the room.
"Did Michael Guerin just get emotional in a room filled with more than two people?" Alex asked, surprise evident in his voce.
"If any of you even think of bringing this up again, I'll kill you," Michael said before walking out of the room.
"There's the Michael we all know and love," Alex said as he, Kyle, and Max followed Michael out of the room.
Later That Day.
Maria and Tess walked into the crowded Crashdown a few hours after school and took a seat on the stools by the counter. Kyle was the first one to notice them so he made his way over to them.
"Are you here to eat or just glare at us for an hour?" he asked.
"Neither," Tess replied. "We're here to apologize for the way we've been treating you guys for the past week."
"Really?" Kyle asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Maria said, smile at his shocked expression. "We acted like complete bitches and although you guys deserved it, it was still childish. We have more important things to worry about than these trivial arguments."
"Wow," Kyle said, still surprised. "Well, you're forgiven," he said, quickly regaining his composure and look of nonchalant. Maria and Tess exchanged a smile at Kyle's behavior.
"Well, look who decided to grace us with their presence," Alex said walking over to them.
"We're sorry," Maria and Tess said at the same time before going over to hug Alex. Out of all the guys, they knew Alex would be the easiest to apologize to; it was almost too hard for them to stay mad at him.
"Don't even worry about it. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you realized you couldn't resist the wonder that is Alex Whitman," he said smugly.
"Yeah right," Max said, rolling his eyes as he walked over to them with Michael by his side.
"Does that apology go for all of us?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Tess said. "Even though it was your adopted mother that started all of it," she added.
"Tess," Maria said in a warning tone.
"I know, I know," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry Max, for the way we've been acting and the comment I made," she said.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile.
"Where's my personal apology?" Michael asked with a pout.
"You don't get one," Maria said.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because, aside from what happened last week, you've done nothing but piss me off," she said.
"You make it too easy," he replied with a smile.
"That's exactly why you get no apology from me," she said turning away from him.
"Oh, just go ahead and say sorry, Blondie. You know you want to," he said, getting in front of her face.
"No, I don't. Now, leave me alone."
"Yeah you do," Michael said looking Maria in the eyes. Maria couldn't help but notice how easy it was to get lost in his eyes. Michael was thinking the same exact thing. They continued to stare at each other and ignore the people around them for a few more seconds. Finally, Kyle spoke up, interrupting them.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" he asked.
"Nothing!" Maria said, startled out of her Michael reverie.
"Um, sure," Alex said sarcastically. "Anyway, where are Isabel and Liz?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," Tess said looking at her watch. "They were supposed to meet us here so that they could apologize also, but they're not here."
"When was the last time you talked to either one of them?" Maria asked with worry in her voice.
"I talked to Liz about an hour ago, and I haven't seen Isabel since school ended," Tess replied. "Do you think that Khivar went after them?" she asked with fear in her eyes.
"Let's just try and remain calm until we're certain," Maria said.
"Calm? They could be dead right now!" Alex said in a loud whisper.
"Calm down, there's no way Isabel or Liz would go down without a fight," Maria said, not fully convinced that they were safe.
"Maria! Tess!" Liz yelled running into the Crashdown. She immediately slowed down and started to walk when she noticed the looks she was getting from the other customers.
"What's wrong?" Maria asked immediately, already knowing that something happened from the look in Liz's eyes.
"Isabel. She called me on my cell and told me that a few Skins were following her. She told me that she was going to drive to an empty road and kill them, but right before we hung up she told me that she saw another group of them. Before I could say anything, I heard her scream and we got disconnected," Liz said all in one breath.
"Oh my God, Izzy!" Tess said.
"Did she say what roadway she was heading to?" Maria asked as she headed toward the door.
"I think she said something like Stratford," Liz said as she and Tess followed Maria. "I don't even know where that is."
"None of us do," Tess said. "Even if we did, we still have no way of getting there. Isabel has the car." Maria cursed under her breath after Tess's statement.
"So basically, we're screwed," she said. "Damn Khivar!" she yelled.
"We could help," Max said as he walked out of the restaurant with Michael, Alex, and Kyle.
"How?" Maria asked.
"Well, we know where Stratford is, and we have two cars - mine and Michael's jeeps," he replied.
"I don't know," Maria said warily.
"Ria, we don't have a choice. Isabel could be a lot of danger," Tess said.
"Fine," Maria said hesitantly. "But you guys can't get in our way. We're used to fighting Skins, you aren't and we can't worry about Isabel, Skins, and all four of you at the same time."
"Fine, you won't even know we're there," Max said.
"All right," Maria said with a sigh. "Where are your cars?" she asked. Michael and Max led them to their jeeps.
"All right, Kyle, Tess, and Maria can ride with me while Liz and Alex ride with Max," Michael said as he got in the car. Maria got into the passenger seat next to him as Tess and Kyle entered the back seat. Once everyone was situated they pulled unto the road and headed off in search of Isabel.
"Why are you so worried," Michael asked Maria after they had been driving for twenty minutes.
"Umm, hello! My sister could be dying, and you ask me why I'm worried?" Maria asked.
"But according to you, all of you are used to Khivar and his surprise attacks. But you, Liz, and Tess look way too nervous about something that you're supposedly used to dealing with," Michael said, as he glimpsed at Maria briefly.
"We're always this worried," Maria said turning her head to the window.
"You're keeping something from us. I know you Ria, and you would never get this worked up over something that you consider a daily ritual. Not only that, but I also know that Isabel would never let allow herself to be captured or killed, and I know that you know that too. So what are you guys really worried about?" he asked.
"He's right, there's more to this story than what you're telling us," Kyle said from his seat.
"What's really going on?" Michael asked.
"It's a trap," Maria finally said.
"What?" Kyle panicked voice asked.
"Khivar never attacks us alone. He's always attacked us when there were at least two of us together; he called it his "two-by-two" policy. He said that it made his job easier to go after two of us as the same time than to go after one of us, one at a time. The fact that he went after Isabel while she was alone shows that it's a trap. He knew that Isabel would probably forget about his two-by-two policy out of fear and end up calling us. And he knows us well enough to know that even if we figured out that it was a trap, we'd still come because of our love for Isabel."
"So you're telling me that you're leading us to our deaths?" Michael asked.
"It may be possible. Or Khivar could just be leading us to him for another reason, such as the Granolith," she said.
"Wha- What?" Kyle asked suddenly. "How do you know about the Granolith?" he asked.
"We don't. Khivar's been mentioning it to us since day one. He thinks we're hiding it from him, but we honestly have no idea where the hell it is," Maria replied taking her eyes away from the window to look into the worried eyes of Michael and Kyle. "Do you guys know where the Granolith is?" she asked. Kyle and Michael stayed quiet for a few seconds, each deep in thought.
"Yeah, we do. It's hidden in the cave that we hatched from," Michael said.
"Really?" Maria asked with shock. "What the hell is so important about it that has Khivar going crazy?" she asked.
"We have no idea," Kyle said. "We only recently discovered it and we haven't been able to figure out its' use yet. The only thing we know is that it's powerful and that's only because Michael always gets a strong feeling whenever he's around it. So we protect it."
"This is ridiculous!" Tess yelled. "Isabel is out there somewhere being used as bait so that Khivar can get some stupid machine that we know nothing about, but are supposed to protect with our lives!"
"Well, Khivar's not going to get Isabel or the Granolith, we'll make sure of that," Maria said steely.
"You're damn right we will," Michael said with a hard stare and he focused his attention back on the road.
TBC
Please leave feedback!!!!
Chapter 6
A Week Later.
"Maria, come on, you can't keep ignoring me," Michael whispered to Maria during their Physics class. It had been a week since their encounter with Khivar and Maria still hadn't said one word to him. None of the girls spoke to him or his brothers. Everyday since then, he had tried to talk to her at any given opportunity, but she would always ignore him and turn the other way. After getting yelled at by a few teachers, he resulted to passing notes during class. Maria would simply tear up the piece of paper before she even bothered to read it. However, Michael was on a mission to gain Maria's forgiveness and he wasn't about to quit anytime soon.
"You're going to have to speak to me eventually. You said it yourself, you need our help," he said.
"We don't need a damn thing from you," she said icily.
"I knew you couldn't stay quiet for too much longer," Michael said with a smile. He quickly removed it when he saw the glare that Maria was giving him.
"Don't talk to me, Michael," she said before turning back to the teacher.
"Come on, Maria, how many times do I have to apologize for the way my brothers and I acted?"
"I don't want your apologies, it's too late," Maria replied.
"You're being unreasonable," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"Excuse me?" she asked sharply.
"What the hell did you expect us to do? If you just found out that four of your friends turned out to be aliens just like you and that you're on the hit list of some big alien leader, how the hell would you have reacted?"
"I sure as hell wouldn't have stood there while you were insulted by complete strangers," she bit back.
"I know, and I realize that we were wrong for not defending you, but I've trying to apologize for a week! What more do you want?" he asked, exasperated.
"I want to know that we can trust and depend on you guys, all of you! The only way we're going to defeat Khivar is if we work together and trust each other. If you guys couldn't even defend us to your human family, how the hell are we supposed to believe that you'll defend us against Khivar and his army if it comes down to it?" she asked.
"We will!" he insisted.
"Just like you did at the Crashdown?" she asked. "You don't understand how important this is to me. My sisters and I, along with our mom, have been running from this man all our lives. We finally found the other four of us and we think that this whole thing with Khivar will end, only to find out that you want nothing to do with this. How do you expect me to act?" she asked.
"I don't know!" he exclaimed a bit loudly, attracting the attention of the entire class.
"Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Mrs. Jackson asked.
"No, not really," Michael replied, lowering his head.
"Then please keep quiet," she said before turning back to the board.
"You guys need to lower your voices before someone hears your conversation," Kyle whispered from behind Michael and Maria.
"Shut up!" they said at the same time.
"Geez, I was just trying to help," he said, raising in hand as though he were surrendering.
"Well you're a little too late for that, Valenti," Tess muttered from her seat next to him.
"So you finally decided to acknowledge my presence?" Kyle asked turning to Tess. Tess simply rolled her eyes and turned back to the teacher without responding.
"See what I mean? We try to apologize and you girls give us the cold shoulder," Michael said pointing to Kyle and Tess.
"Would you please just shut up!" Maria said, exasperated.
"This coming from Ms. Chatterbox herself?" Michael asked with a smirk.
"Shut up, Michael," Tess said.
"Look, we're sorry. And if you girls don't forgive us now, then that's too bad because I for one refuse to continue apologizing to someone who won't even look at me," Michael said.
"Is that your way of making us forgive you?" Maria asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Is it working?" Kyle asked hopefully.
"No," Tess said as the bell rang. She picked up her things and headed out the door with Isabel and Liz.
"Maria, wait," Michael said, grabbing her hand before she could leave the classroom.
"What do you want?" she asked, clearly annoyed.
"Excluding what happened a week ago, I would always defend you. Over the last two months you have become one of my best friends and even if we weren't in this war together, I'd still protect you with my life. I don't want you to ever think I wouldn't," he said before letting her go. Maria stared at Michael in shock before slowly walking out of the room.
"Did Michael Guerin just get emotional in a room filled with more than two people?" Alex asked, surprise evident in his voce.
"If any of you even think of bringing this up again, I'll kill you," Michael said before walking out of the room.
"There's the Michael we all know and love," Alex said as he, Kyle, and Max followed Michael out of the room.
Later That Day.
Maria and Tess walked into the crowded Crashdown a few hours after school and took a seat on the stools by the counter. Kyle was the first one to notice them so he made his way over to them.
"Are you here to eat or just glare at us for an hour?" he asked.
"Neither," Tess replied. "We're here to apologize for the way we've been treating you guys for the past week."
"Really?" Kyle asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Maria said, smile at his shocked expression. "We acted like complete bitches and although you guys deserved it, it was still childish. We have more important things to worry about than these trivial arguments."
"Wow," Kyle said, still surprised. "Well, you're forgiven," he said, quickly regaining his composure and look of nonchalant. Maria and Tess exchanged a smile at Kyle's behavior.
"Well, look who decided to grace us with their presence," Alex said walking over to them.
"We're sorry," Maria and Tess said at the same time before going over to hug Alex. Out of all the guys, they knew Alex would be the easiest to apologize to; it was almost too hard for them to stay mad at him.
"Don't even worry about it. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you realized you couldn't resist the wonder that is Alex Whitman," he said smugly.
"Yeah right," Max said, rolling his eyes as he walked over to them with Michael by his side.
"Does that apology go for all of us?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Tess said. "Even though it was your adopted mother that started all of it," she added.
"Tess," Maria said in a warning tone.
"I know, I know," she said with a sigh. "I'm sorry Max, for the way we've been acting and the comment I made," she said.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile.
"Where's my personal apology?" Michael asked with a pout.
"You don't get one," Maria said.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because, aside from what happened last week, you've done nothing but piss me off," she said.
"You make it too easy," he replied with a smile.
"That's exactly why you get no apology from me," she said turning away from him.
"Oh, just go ahead and say sorry, Blondie. You know you want to," he said, getting in front of her face.
"No, I don't. Now, leave me alone."
"Yeah you do," Michael said looking Maria in the eyes. Maria couldn't help but notice how easy it was to get lost in his eyes. Michael was thinking the same exact thing. They continued to stare at each other and ignore the people around them for a few more seconds. Finally, Kyle spoke up, interrupting them.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" he asked.
"Nothing!" Maria said, startled out of her Michael reverie.
"Um, sure," Alex said sarcastically. "Anyway, where are Isabel and Liz?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," Tess said looking at her watch. "They were supposed to meet us here so that they could apologize also, but they're not here."
"When was the last time you talked to either one of them?" Maria asked with worry in her voice.
"I talked to Liz about an hour ago, and I haven't seen Isabel since school ended," Tess replied. "Do you think that Khivar went after them?" she asked with fear in her eyes.
"Let's just try and remain calm until we're certain," Maria said.
"Calm? They could be dead right now!" Alex said in a loud whisper.
"Calm down, there's no way Isabel or Liz would go down without a fight," Maria said, not fully convinced that they were safe.
"Maria! Tess!" Liz yelled running into the Crashdown. She immediately slowed down and started to walk when she noticed the looks she was getting from the other customers.
"What's wrong?" Maria asked immediately, already knowing that something happened from the look in Liz's eyes.
"Isabel. She called me on my cell and told me that a few Skins were following her. She told me that she was going to drive to an empty road and kill them, but right before we hung up she told me that she saw another group of them. Before I could say anything, I heard her scream and we got disconnected," Liz said all in one breath.
"Oh my God, Izzy!" Tess said.
"Did she say what roadway she was heading to?" Maria asked as she headed toward the door.
"I think she said something like Stratford," Liz said as she and Tess followed Maria. "I don't even know where that is."
"None of us do," Tess said. "Even if we did, we still have no way of getting there. Isabel has the car." Maria cursed under her breath after Tess's statement.
"So basically, we're screwed," she said. "Damn Khivar!" she yelled.
"We could help," Max said as he walked out of the restaurant with Michael, Alex, and Kyle.
"How?" Maria asked.
"Well, we know where Stratford is, and we have two cars - mine and Michael's jeeps," he replied.
"I don't know," Maria said warily.
"Ria, we don't have a choice. Isabel could be a lot of danger," Tess said.
"Fine," Maria said hesitantly. "But you guys can't get in our way. We're used to fighting Skins, you aren't and we can't worry about Isabel, Skins, and all four of you at the same time."
"Fine, you won't even know we're there," Max said.
"All right," Maria said with a sigh. "Where are your cars?" she asked. Michael and Max led them to their jeeps.
"All right, Kyle, Tess, and Maria can ride with me while Liz and Alex ride with Max," Michael said as he got in the car. Maria got into the passenger seat next to him as Tess and Kyle entered the back seat. Once everyone was situated they pulled unto the road and headed off in search of Isabel.
"Why are you so worried," Michael asked Maria after they had been driving for twenty minutes.
"Umm, hello! My sister could be dying, and you ask me why I'm worried?" Maria asked.
"But according to you, all of you are used to Khivar and his surprise attacks. But you, Liz, and Tess look way too nervous about something that you're supposedly used to dealing with," Michael said, as he glimpsed at Maria briefly.
"We're always this worried," Maria said turning her head to the window.
"You're keeping something from us. I know you Ria, and you would never get this worked up over something that you consider a daily ritual. Not only that, but I also know that Isabel would never let allow herself to be captured or killed, and I know that you know that too. So what are you guys really worried about?" he asked.
"He's right, there's more to this story than what you're telling us," Kyle said from his seat.
"What's really going on?" Michael asked.
"It's a trap," Maria finally said.
"What?" Kyle panicked voice asked.
"Khivar never attacks us alone. He's always attacked us when there were at least two of us together; he called it his "two-by-two" policy. He said that it made his job easier to go after two of us as the same time than to go after one of us, one at a time. The fact that he went after Isabel while she was alone shows that it's a trap. He knew that Isabel would probably forget about his two-by-two policy out of fear and end up calling us. And he knows us well enough to know that even if we figured out that it was a trap, we'd still come because of our love for Isabel."
"So you're telling me that you're leading us to our deaths?" Michael asked.
"It may be possible. Or Khivar could just be leading us to him for another reason, such as the Granolith," she said.
"Wha- What?" Kyle asked suddenly. "How do you know about the Granolith?" he asked.
"We don't. Khivar's been mentioning it to us since day one. He thinks we're hiding it from him, but we honestly have no idea where the hell it is," Maria replied taking her eyes away from the window to look into the worried eyes of Michael and Kyle. "Do you guys know where the Granolith is?" she asked. Kyle and Michael stayed quiet for a few seconds, each deep in thought.
"Yeah, we do. It's hidden in the cave that we hatched from," Michael said.
"Really?" Maria asked with shock. "What the hell is so important about it that has Khivar going crazy?" she asked.
"We have no idea," Kyle said. "We only recently discovered it and we haven't been able to figure out its' use yet. The only thing we know is that it's powerful and that's only because Michael always gets a strong feeling whenever he's around it. So we protect it."
"This is ridiculous!" Tess yelled. "Isabel is out there somewhere being used as bait so that Khivar can get some stupid machine that we know nothing about, but are supposed to protect with our lives!"
"Well, Khivar's not going to get Isabel or the Granolith, we'll make sure of that," Maria said steely.
"You're damn right we will," Michael said with a hard stare and he focused his attention back on the road.
TBC
Please leave feedback!!!!