Part 6
It is the middle of the night when she arrives in New York and, because of it, the worst happens. She is barely off the bus and out on the street, looking for a hotel, when she is mugged. Her assailant is short, and blonde, with a pierced lip - and a knife.
For a moment, she considers fighting. This is not Pierce, after all, and she survived him. Even if she is unsure what this means, she knows that it means more than a girl with a knife. Beth needs her money more than this person needs it. But, when she meets the short blonde's eyes, she senses that this is untrue. She cannot be any older than Beth, but there is a hunger in the other girl's blue-eyed gaze that she knows she has never felt. She knows this, even though she has no memory of who she really is. Crazily, she suddenly feels sorry for the other girl. Without another thought, she hands over her money, and the blonde disappears down a nearby subway staircase, not looking back.
She is unhurt, but everything she expected to use to support herself, until she finds a job, is gone. She returns to the bus station, and spends the night on a bench, trying not to close her eyes, because she is now frightened. What has that other girl seen, what has she lived, that has made her desperate enough to do what she did? What has Beth gotten herself into by coming here? She has not expected to find fear in New York. She was sure that she left fear behind in New Mexico; that by getting as far away from Pierce as she could, the cold hand, which has wrapped itself around her heart since she awoke beside the river, would finally unclench. She is disappointed.
She has another fright, close to dawn. Her eyes have finally drifted shut, but she jerks out of her half-sleep state when she senses that she is being watched. She is not wrong. He has spiky dark hair, side-burns, a pierced eye-brow, and a goatee, and is sitting on a bench across from her. She feels her heart start to thump in dismay. But, when she meets his gaze, it is kind.
For one, heart-stopping moment, as their eyes lock, she feels a sense of recognition. She literally feels the urge to throw herself into his arms.
But, when he opens his mouth, the feeling goes away. The voice she, strangely, expected to know does not come.
"You okay?" he asks, his New York twang heavy, even in those two words.
"Yes, thank you," she replies, getting quickly to her feet. "I'm just waiting for my ride."
"All night?" he asks, making her heart jump again. He has obviously been watching her for a while.
"Yes," Beth snaps, looking around nervously. She knows that there is a security guard in the bus station. Where is he?
"Need this?"
She looks back at the strange young man, sees him holding out a wad of bills. Her eyes widen. "What is that? I can't take that!"
"It's yours."
"Thanks, but I can't," Beth replies, moving away. She is surprised that she does not wrench away when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Instead she stops and looks back at him.
"I ain't kidding. It's really yours. That girl, who took it... She's my sister."
Beth cannot believe it. The guy is associated with her mugger. She reaches out, and takes the money, counting it. It is all there. "But, why...?"
He replies seriously. "I don't hold with taking money from girls."
"Well, thank you." She does not know what else to say. Because his comment implies that he doesn't mind taking money from others.
He grins slightly. "Welcome to New York." With that, he turns on his heel and walks away.
She does not see him again for three years. At least not in the flesh. Because he starts appearing in her dreams - and sometimes in her nightmares - that very night.
***
"So, you've been in New York this whole time?" Maria asks, sounding amazed. "God, Liz, I just can't believe it."
"Yes. For five years," Beth replies. She does not contest them calling her Liz. It is, after all, her name. She will adjust to it, will hopefully start to think of herself as the mystery that is [I]Liz.[/I] She quickly tells them the story about waking up beside the river, and all that led to her arrival in the city.
She is sitting on a couch in Maria's hotel suite, alone. Maria, Alex, and Isabel are lined up on another sofa, across from her. Maria's stiff posture indicates that she is over there under duress; that Alex has somehow convinced her that she should keep a distance from Beth, until everything is cleared up. Beth is not sure how she knows that this must be Alex's idea, but somehow she does. She feels bad that they do not think that they can be natural around her. She senses that Maria's place is beside her; that, before, it was where she would have been.
There is a long moment of silence. They do not seem to want to pressure her for answers. She is certain that the ones she has to give them will prove disappointing anyway. Her life has not been particularly interesting, or exciting, or dangerous. She has not been unhappy, since arriving in New York. Sometimes, yes, but not all the time. She wonders if this will hurt them. She wonders if they have expected her to pine for them, as they have clearly done for her.
"Can..." she pauses, then forges ahead. "Can you tell me about myself?"
"What do you want to know?" Maria asks. "I've known you for your whole life. I can tell you anything!" This is not the calm, collected, famous singer that Beth has seen interviewed on television. This woman is nervous, afraid of making a mistake, desperate to do the right thing.
It makes Beth feel warm again. She relaxes, which seems to signal to the other three that they can do so as well, because the tension in the room eases noticeably.
"I want to know everything," she admits. "But, start with the night I..." She glances at Isabel. "We," she amends meaningfully, "disappeared."
Alex and Isabel exchange a glance. "Okay," Alex finally agrees. "But, first, we need to know what you know." He grimaces slightly, obviously still a little uncertain. "I mean, it's pretty clear that you know the truth about..." He trails off, looking frustrated.
Beth smiles slightly. She then raises her index finger and points upwards. "You mean, how do I know about this?"
A strange look crosses Alex's face. Beth's smile falters. "Is something wrong?" she asks, wondering what has gone amiss. If there was one thing she was certain they have all acknowledged, it is the fact that there is a reason that there are two Zans, and two Lonnies, and two Raths, and two Avas.
"Sorry," Alex says quickly. "It's just...You did that exact thing when you first told me about Max." He quirks a wry grin. "We were in jail at the time."
Beth's eyes widen. Her heart starts to thump. "Because of Pierce?" she demands.
The trio across the table all tense, in unison. But all Alex says is, "No."
Beth frowns. "Who is Pierce?"
"How do you know that name?" Isabel demands. "He...I mean, he didn't hurt you, did he?" She sounds horrified.
"No," Beth replies quickly. "Not that I remember. But you know who he is?" She feels amazed that, after all this time, she will finally understand why she fears this name so much.
"Yes," Isabel whispers. "He's the head of something called the Special Unit. They're alien hunters. They..." Her voice cracks slightly. She continues, after Alex takes her hand. "They kidnapped Max. They tortured him. I dream-walked him, though, and we found him. We managed to get him out, because you told Kyle's father, Sheriff Valenti, what had happened. He helped us. Anyway, after we rescued him, we split up. You took Max with you..." Her voice hitches again. It is clear that she cannot go on.
"We never saw you again," Alex finishes. There is another long pause, as Beth absorbs this. Finally, she becomes aware of Alex's intense gaze on her face. She meets his eyes. "Lizzie, how do you know about Pierce, if you don't remember any of this?"
"I woke up beside the river, and after I started walking, I eventually came to a bridge," Beth replies quietly. She looks at Isabel. "There were men there, pushing a red car off it. They said they didn't need it anymore, because Pierce had found what he wanted."
When she hears Isabel gasp, Beth is prepared for it. Because she has finally understood exactly what - exactly who - Pierce had found.
"Oh my God," Isabel moans. "You said that you know that Max is alive," she says, leaning forward. Isabel's tone suddenly implies that this might not be the miracle she is hoping for. "How? Liz, how do you know this?"
"He's in my dreams," Beth replies, choking on her own tears now. "When I met Zan, I thought it was him, but I know now that it wasn't. It was Max. He has always been with me. He left for a little while," - she decides not to explain that her dreams - that Max - left when she committed to Zan, knowing that Max's sister will not understand - "But last week he came back." Maria has moved now, and is sitting beside her, her arm around Beth's shoulders. Beth barely notices though. She touches her heart. "He's here. I know he's alive."
"But from what you just told us, Pierce found him again. He must have!" Isabel is beginning to sound a little hysterical. Beth understands. She is starting to feel that way herself. Even though Max is still simply a name, a figment of a dream, not really a recollection, he is already more than that.
No, not already. He always was.
She knows, quite simply, with no memory of it, that he is, was, and always will be, her heart. She has been mislead by Zan, probably not on purpose, but it was enough that, for a time, she lost her way. She lost Max. The guilt of it is almost beyond her comprehension.
How could she have forgotten him? How could she have forgotten someone who, it is now so clear to her, means everything?
And, if they are right, then Max has spent the last five years in captivity, under the control of the one person she crossed the continent to evade. She ran away. She was the one they trusted to get him to safety, and she had failed him.
She knows he is alive, and she knows that he has haunted her, and she knows why. She left him behind, but he is still depending on her to free him. He has been calling to her for help for five years, and she has ignored every cry. She has lived with his double, mostly happy; he has lived in misery, alone and forgotten.
Beth reaches out, grabs Isabel's hand. The tall blonde meets her eyes. "Isabel, he is alive. I know he is. We've found each other for a reason. I know it. It's fate. We are meant to save him. It's not too late."
"But where do we even start?" Isabel wails.
Beth trembles slightly, finally understanding why she has never let Lonnie into her dreams. It is because Lonnie does not belong there. This woman is the one she has been waiting for. Lonnie would never have understood Beth's dreams anyway. But this woman will.
Her dreams are the key.
And, when she tells Isabel this, the other woman simply nods, as though she has known it all along.
It is the middle of the night when she arrives in New York and, because of it, the worst happens. She is barely off the bus and out on the street, looking for a hotel, when she is mugged. Her assailant is short, and blonde, with a pierced lip - and a knife.
For a moment, she considers fighting. This is not Pierce, after all, and she survived him. Even if she is unsure what this means, she knows that it means more than a girl with a knife. Beth needs her money more than this person needs it. But, when she meets the short blonde's eyes, she senses that this is untrue. She cannot be any older than Beth, but there is a hunger in the other girl's blue-eyed gaze that she knows she has never felt. She knows this, even though she has no memory of who she really is. Crazily, she suddenly feels sorry for the other girl. Without another thought, she hands over her money, and the blonde disappears down a nearby subway staircase, not looking back.
She is unhurt, but everything she expected to use to support herself, until she finds a job, is gone. She returns to the bus station, and spends the night on a bench, trying not to close her eyes, because she is now frightened. What has that other girl seen, what has she lived, that has made her desperate enough to do what she did? What has Beth gotten herself into by coming here? She has not expected to find fear in New York. She was sure that she left fear behind in New Mexico; that by getting as far away from Pierce as she could, the cold hand, which has wrapped itself around her heart since she awoke beside the river, would finally unclench. She is disappointed.
She has another fright, close to dawn. Her eyes have finally drifted shut, but she jerks out of her half-sleep state when she senses that she is being watched. She is not wrong. He has spiky dark hair, side-burns, a pierced eye-brow, and a goatee, and is sitting on a bench across from her. She feels her heart start to thump in dismay. But, when she meets his gaze, it is kind.
For one, heart-stopping moment, as their eyes lock, she feels a sense of recognition. She literally feels the urge to throw herself into his arms.
But, when he opens his mouth, the feeling goes away. The voice she, strangely, expected to know does not come.
"You okay?" he asks, his New York twang heavy, even in those two words.
"Yes, thank you," she replies, getting quickly to her feet. "I'm just waiting for my ride."
"All night?" he asks, making her heart jump again. He has obviously been watching her for a while.
"Yes," Beth snaps, looking around nervously. She knows that there is a security guard in the bus station. Where is he?
"Need this?"
She looks back at the strange young man, sees him holding out a wad of bills. Her eyes widen. "What is that? I can't take that!"
"It's yours."
"Thanks, but I can't," Beth replies, moving away. She is surprised that she does not wrench away when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Instead she stops and looks back at him.
"I ain't kidding. It's really yours. That girl, who took it... She's my sister."
Beth cannot believe it. The guy is associated with her mugger. She reaches out, and takes the money, counting it. It is all there. "But, why...?"
He replies seriously. "I don't hold with taking money from girls."
"Well, thank you." She does not know what else to say. Because his comment implies that he doesn't mind taking money from others.
He grins slightly. "Welcome to New York." With that, he turns on his heel and walks away.
She does not see him again for three years. At least not in the flesh. Because he starts appearing in her dreams - and sometimes in her nightmares - that very night.
***
"So, you've been in New York this whole time?" Maria asks, sounding amazed. "God, Liz, I just can't believe it."
"Yes. For five years," Beth replies. She does not contest them calling her Liz. It is, after all, her name. She will adjust to it, will hopefully start to think of herself as the mystery that is [I]Liz.[/I] She quickly tells them the story about waking up beside the river, and all that led to her arrival in the city.
She is sitting on a couch in Maria's hotel suite, alone. Maria, Alex, and Isabel are lined up on another sofa, across from her. Maria's stiff posture indicates that she is over there under duress; that Alex has somehow convinced her that she should keep a distance from Beth, until everything is cleared up. Beth is not sure how she knows that this must be Alex's idea, but somehow she does. She feels bad that they do not think that they can be natural around her. She senses that Maria's place is beside her; that, before, it was where she would have been.
There is a long moment of silence. They do not seem to want to pressure her for answers. She is certain that the ones she has to give them will prove disappointing anyway. Her life has not been particularly interesting, or exciting, or dangerous. She has not been unhappy, since arriving in New York. Sometimes, yes, but not all the time. She wonders if this will hurt them. She wonders if they have expected her to pine for them, as they have clearly done for her.
"Can..." she pauses, then forges ahead. "Can you tell me about myself?"
"What do you want to know?" Maria asks. "I've known you for your whole life. I can tell you anything!" This is not the calm, collected, famous singer that Beth has seen interviewed on television. This woman is nervous, afraid of making a mistake, desperate to do the right thing.
It makes Beth feel warm again. She relaxes, which seems to signal to the other three that they can do so as well, because the tension in the room eases noticeably.
"I want to know everything," she admits. "But, start with the night I..." She glances at Isabel. "We," she amends meaningfully, "disappeared."
Alex and Isabel exchange a glance. "Okay," Alex finally agrees. "But, first, we need to know what you know." He grimaces slightly, obviously still a little uncertain. "I mean, it's pretty clear that you know the truth about..." He trails off, looking frustrated.
Beth smiles slightly. She then raises her index finger and points upwards. "You mean, how do I know about this?"
A strange look crosses Alex's face. Beth's smile falters. "Is something wrong?" she asks, wondering what has gone amiss. If there was one thing she was certain they have all acknowledged, it is the fact that there is a reason that there are two Zans, and two Lonnies, and two Raths, and two Avas.
"Sorry," Alex says quickly. "It's just...You did that exact thing when you first told me about Max." He quirks a wry grin. "We were in jail at the time."
Beth's eyes widen. Her heart starts to thump. "Because of Pierce?" she demands.
The trio across the table all tense, in unison. But all Alex says is, "No."
Beth frowns. "Who is Pierce?"
"How do you know that name?" Isabel demands. "He...I mean, he didn't hurt you, did he?" She sounds horrified.
"No," Beth replies quickly. "Not that I remember. But you know who he is?" She feels amazed that, after all this time, she will finally understand why she fears this name so much.
"Yes," Isabel whispers. "He's the head of something called the Special Unit. They're alien hunters. They..." Her voice cracks slightly. She continues, after Alex takes her hand. "They kidnapped Max. They tortured him. I dream-walked him, though, and we found him. We managed to get him out, because you told Kyle's father, Sheriff Valenti, what had happened. He helped us. Anyway, after we rescued him, we split up. You took Max with you..." Her voice hitches again. It is clear that she cannot go on.
"We never saw you again," Alex finishes. There is another long pause, as Beth absorbs this. Finally, she becomes aware of Alex's intense gaze on her face. She meets his eyes. "Lizzie, how do you know about Pierce, if you don't remember any of this?"
"I woke up beside the river, and after I started walking, I eventually came to a bridge," Beth replies quietly. She looks at Isabel. "There were men there, pushing a red car off it. They said they didn't need it anymore, because Pierce had found what he wanted."
When she hears Isabel gasp, Beth is prepared for it. Because she has finally understood exactly what - exactly who - Pierce had found.
"Oh my God," Isabel moans. "You said that you know that Max is alive," she says, leaning forward. Isabel's tone suddenly implies that this might not be the miracle she is hoping for. "How? Liz, how do you know this?"
"He's in my dreams," Beth replies, choking on her own tears now. "When I met Zan, I thought it was him, but I know now that it wasn't. It was Max. He has always been with me. He left for a little while," - she decides not to explain that her dreams - that Max - left when she committed to Zan, knowing that Max's sister will not understand - "But last week he came back." Maria has moved now, and is sitting beside her, her arm around Beth's shoulders. Beth barely notices though. She touches her heart. "He's here. I know he's alive."
"But from what you just told us, Pierce found him again. He must have!" Isabel is beginning to sound a little hysterical. Beth understands. She is starting to feel that way herself. Even though Max is still simply a name, a figment of a dream, not really a recollection, he is already more than that.
No, not already. He always was.
She knows, quite simply, with no memory of it, that he is, was, and always will be, her heart. She has been mislead by Zan, probably not on purpose, but it was enough that, for a time, she lost her way. She lost Max. The guilt of it is almost beyond her comprehension.
How could she have forgotten him? How could she have forgotten someone who, it is now so clear to her, means everything?
And, if they are right, then Max has spent the last five years in captivity, under the control of the one person she crossed the continent to evade. She ran away. She was the one they trusted to get him to safety, and she had failed him.
She knows he is alive, and she knows that he has haunted her, and she knows why. She left him behind, but he is still depending on her to free him. He has been calling to her for help for five years, and she has ignored every cry. She has lived with his double, mostly happy; he has lived in misery, alone and forgotten.
Beth reaches out, grabs Isabel's hand. The tall blonde meets her eyes. "Isabel, he is alive. I know he is. We've found each other for a reason. I know it. It's fate. We are meant to save him. It's not too late."
"But where do we even start?" Isabel wails.
Beth trembles slightly, finally understanding why she has never let Lonnie into her dreams. It is because Lonnie does not belong there. This woman is the one she has been waiting for. Lonnie would never have understood Beth's dreams anyway. But this woman will.
Her dreams are the key.
And, when she tells Isabel this, the other woman simply nods, as though she has known it all along.
