Disclaimer: I don't own the series Roswell or the original characters. All
I own is my imagination and the plot.
A/N: Hey! :-) I know that it has been two weeks since I updated, but I'm working on three stories at the same time, so I can't always update all three in one week. I mean, I don't want the chapters to end up too bad..... I hope you like this chapter. :-)
Bye, smile :-)
-x-x-x-
''I saw Max,'' Liz said, while sitting down at her usual table. A table she normally shared with only Maria, but lately Kyle had been spending a few of his lunches with them.
Both Kyle and Maria didn't look up at her words. Maria just kept flipping through one of those many paranormal magazines that you could find in almost every store in Roswell. They mostly informed you about aliens and told you what to do when one of their spacecrafts landed in your backyard. Maria had bought one every week ever since she had discovered them in the local supermarket. She had always been interested in the paranormal, although she never truly believed in aliens. She just wanted to read about them and their powers, which had been made up by some creative mind. But after meeting Michael, Max and Isabel, the magazine had lost its purpose. After all, now she could ask them about their actual powers, which were much more practical and believable than the ones described in the magazine.
The only reason why she still read the magazine was to stir up memories of her and Michael. Memories of when they still had been together, although they had never officially broken up. They had just grown attached to the large distance that had been created between them. And the magazine reminded her of him. It reminded her of how annoyed he would get when he would catch her reading one of these magazines. He didn't comprehend why she had to keep reading them when she could ask him anything she wanted. Anything she wanted to know. But what she wanted to know right now would never get an answer from him that would satisfy her. She didn't even think that she would give him a fair chance to explain why he had believed Tess over her.
While Maria was tangled up in her own thoughts, Kyle was busy rearranging the contents of his sandwich. Something he did often and used to bother both Maria and Liz a lot, because they didn't understand why he couldn't change the way he arranged the topics on his sandwich before he came to school. But they had gotten used to it by now. It was something to look at when there was nothing but silence between them.
''I saw Max,'' Liz repeated, hoping to get a response this time.
Kyle shrugged. ''I see him right now, want me to wave?''
Liz ignored his response and looked over at Maria, who still hadn't looked up from her magazine. ''No, I saw him last night.''
''At the Crashdown?'' Maria asked, finally showing some interest in what Liz had just said, although her eyes were still scanning the page in front of her.
Liz shook her head. ''No.......... well, yeah, at the Crashdown,'' she said, emphasizing the last three words. When Maria threw her a confused look, she continued. ''I saw him in the alley actually.''
''Max?'' Maria asked.
''Yeah, I saw him, in the alley when I was taking out the trash,'' Liz explained. ''And I called him, but he didn't respond. He just...... left.''
''Well, maybe he was afraid or he..........''
''He came back,'' Liz interrupted. ''A few minutes later, when I went to my room, he knocked on my window.''
''Did you let him in?'' Maria asked.
Liz nodded. ''Yeah, he wanted to talk, but we ended up getting into another argument.''
''About?''
''Tess,'' Liz answered. ''I started it, although I really didn't mean to..... I just, I'm..........''
''Jealous,'' Kyle pointed out, which earned him a glare from Maria. He put up his hands in defense. ''Hey, it happens to every girl.''
''He told me he loved me,'' Liz stated, causing both Kyle and Maria's gaze to fly back over to her. ''And I told him that....... that he didn't. Then he left.''
Both Kyle and Maria didn't say anything for a short while. Maria because she was trying to analyze Liz's response and Kyle, because he didn't know what to say to make Liz feel better. He didn't know what to say, because it was hard to say anything. Liz had been his girlfriend before she met Max, after all. And in a way, he was jealous of him. Even now, because even though Max and Liz had detached themselves from each other, Liz couldn't stop thinking about him.
Finally Maria looked at her best friend again. ''Do you want my opinion?''
Liz nodded.
''I think that you and Max are making things too hard for each other. You two are trying too hard to forget about everything that has happened between the two of you. I mean, it'll fade, but it will take time.''
''So, how will I make time go faster?'' Liz asked, her eyes lowered.
''Forget about him. Get your train of life back on the rails.''
Kyle raised an eyebrow at Maria's words, but didn't say anything. He wouldn't have done a better job.
''I'm trying,'' Liz started. ''But lately I have been seeing him everywhere..... I mean, yesterday when I was sitting in class, Max was sitting beside me, but still I saw him standing outside when I looked out the window.''
Maria hesitated before saying anything. ''You're just stressed and you want things to work out between you and Max so badly, so your mind created an illusion. The way you want to see Max, alone, without Tess.''
Liz nodded, deciding to believe Maria on that one. ''Yeah, that's probably it.''
Maria smiled. ''Just try not so hard to not think about him. Things will fall into place after that.''
Liz returned Maria's smile, although she knew that she would never be able to stop thinking about Max. Not when he was giving her a reason to think about him. Him and Tess.....
-x-x-x-
At a table, only a few feet away from where Liz and her friends were sitting, Max and the pod squad sat. Max, Michael and Isabel had hardly ever sat together during lunch before Tess came to town. She had brought the four of them closer, making it clear to them that they only had each other to depend on, because no one would accept them if they found out what they really were. And although Liz, Maria and Kyle seemed to, Tess thought that they were really afraid of them, afraid of what they would do if they would be treated like true outsiders. Something that Max felt they were, aliens or not. None of them had ever really fitted in with the rest of the crowd. But he thought that they had fitted in with Liz, Maria and even Kyle, because they knew who they truly were, but they didn't judge. They had never treated them as outsiders, until now.....
Max couldn't help but look over at Liz. His eyes seemed to be automatically drawn to her every time she was near. He only looked at her this often, because he had a goal. He was looking for a flaw. He had been looking for one ever since he had first seen her, at the Crashdown. She had been standing behind the counter, lightly resting her weight on her elbows, while glancing around the diner.
The first thing he had noticed about her appearance were her long, dark locks. Unlike all the other waitresses, she refused to put her hair up and out of her face. She liked to have something to hide behind when there were too many gazes resting upon her and she felt comfortable having something to conceal her emotions behind. Although Max had seen past her wall of seriousness and carelessness the moment he had looked down into her eyes. Eyes which always seemed to be full with life and always stood understanding. That was the second thing he had found attractive about her, her warm personality, which consisted mostly of her kindness and sensitivity.
That was why he had fallen for her in the beginning, and that was why he had so quickly begun to love her. Foolishly love her, because last night it had seemed as if she had already gotten over her feelings, which had to mean that they had never been as strong as his. Although judging her feelings like this was anything but fair, because he had also seen the hurt in her eyes last night. Hurt that was caused by her own stubbornness and jealousy. She was too stubborn to admit that she might be wrong about Tess and she was too jealous to even try and get along with her. Max sighed and wondered if he had made the right decision by sticking up for Tess, simply because he felt like he was expected to, because he and Tess shared a bond that seemed ancient compared to the bond he and Liz used to share.
''Max!....... Max!''
Max turned his head a little, so he could look at Isabel, who had an impatient look on her face. ''Finally.''
''I'm sorry, Iz. I was just thinking.''
Isabel's impatience turned into concern, which he brushed off with a small smile, reassuring her that he was okay. With one last look Isabel went back to her conversation with Tess.
''You okay, Maxwell?'' Michael asked, as if he had read Isabel's mind.
Max nodded, although his eyes wandered back to Liz soon after. Michael followed his gaze just as swiftly, only his eyes rested on Maria.
-x-x-x-
Maria's eyes were fixed on the small trinkets that were hanging from her keys, while she was heading towards her car. Every single one of them had been made by her mom, who made her money by selling these trinkets to local stores and tourists. Maria had gotten one for her birthday ever since her mom found out that she was interested in the paranormal, especially aliens, although Maria hadn't believed in them until she had met Max, Michael and Isabel. They had made her look differently at the green alien heads with their almond shaped eyes and the silver spacecrafts that were jingling with every one of her steps.
She had never been afraid of aliens, but she couldn't picture herself welcoming them with open arms either, unlike most of the UFO freaks in Roswell. And she knew that most of them would probably change their minds if there was even a slight possibility of an actual UFO landing here. Their curiosity would turn into fear within seconds, simply because the thought of actual life on other planets was unknown and unreal to them. Maria had thought about life on other planets on the nights she found herself not being able to sleep. She wondered about what the aliens would look like and in what language they would speak. Things that had been foreign to her until she had met the pod squad, until she had met Michael. An actual alien, a guy who wasn't from this world. Someone who looked just like everybody else and was like every other human being, except for the powers that lay hidden beneath the surface.
Maria smiled, as she thought about how unpredictable Michael really was. Every day he seemed to be another person. Every day he seemed to test her boundaries with his stubbornness, impatience and coolness, but nevertheless her heart still sped up whenever he was around. And sometimes, on Michael's better days, he would throw her one of his laid back smiles, letting her know that he felt the same and that all the fights and arguments didn't matter in the end. He was there when it would count the most and after every fight he would leave, but he always came back. But he didn't come back after their last feud. He had just left, without looking back, making it seem as if he was finally fed up with their relationship.
Maria's smile faded. Her dislike for Tess was evident in her tense features and the anger that flickered in her eyes. Realizing that her keys were hurtfully pressing into the palm of her hand, because she had been holding them so tight, she released them, letting them drop to the ground without thinking. She clenched and unclenched her hand, before lowering herself down in front of her car to retrieve her keys. She reached for them and lifted her head a little, so her hair would fall back into its former place. Her eyes immediately recognized the familiar figure that was being reflected in her car door. She got up swiftly and turned around to face him.
''What are you doing here, space boy?'' Maria asked, pretending not to be affected by Michael's sudden presence and the fact that he was standing only a few feet away from her, closer than he had been for weeks. ''Cause the last time I checked we weren't exactly communicating. Not that we ever were, but you took it to a whole other level.''
''I came to talk,'' Michael responded, his eyes looking directly at her.
Maria crossed her arms and countered his gaze. ''About what?''
''Max.''
Maria rolled her eyes. ''I should have known that the oh so mighty leader would send his messenger boy to try and convince me of his opinion. It's a relief to know that you can't mindwarp people like Tess.''
''Maria,'' Michael warned, on the verge of losing his patience with her.
''Cause otherwise you would probably windwarp me too with your hypothetical voodoo powers and let me commit suicide or something without me knowing it,'' Maria continued, not caring if Michael would lose his temper or not. She wanted him to get angry at her. At least then he would show some emotion towards her.
''I should have known that you would be to stubborn to listen.''
''Listen to what?''
''My proposal,'' Michael said, while taking another step towards her.
''Spill, space boy,'' Maria responded, not intimidated by him at all.
''You and I both know that Max and Liz are.......''
''Heartbroken? Lost without each other? Drowning in their own sorrow?'' Maria interrupted.
Michael glared at her, causing her to remain silent once more. ''Max is thinking about Liz too much, it's affecting him more than he will admit. He's distracted and if we were attacked right now he wouldn't have the focus to win.''
''So, it's all tactics? You don't think that you should help him just because he's your friend?''
''I'm here, aren't I?''
''So, what do you suggest, Mr. Sensitivity?'' Maria asked.
''I think that you should convince Liz to stop blaming Tess for Alex's death, just because she needs someone to blame and is jealous of the fact that Max and Tess do get along.''
Maria shook her head. ''I'm not convincing Liz of something that isn't true.''
''Would you stop being so stubborn,'' Michael said, frustrated at the fact that Maria had to put up such a fight. ''I know that you took Liz's side, because she's your friend and all, but........''
''I chose her side, because she's right!''
Michael sighed and ran both of his hands through his hair. ''Maria, Alex is dead.''
Maria lowered her eyes briefly, before locking eyes with him once more. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her eyes were raging with a handful of different emotions.
''Don't you think I know that?! Don't you think that I realize that when I wake up every morning or when I look for him during classes? Don't you think that I miss him?'' Maria softly said, causing for Michael's features to slightly soften.
''He was one of my best friends and now he's not here anymore. It hurts, but it isn't blurring the picture that's right in front of me. We had the evidence, Tess knew and I blame her and nobody else for Alex's death.''
Michael nodded, finding peace with her words and knowing that this conversation had gotten him nowhere. It hadn't gotten him closer to Maria. It had just widened the distance between them. It had just increased the longing he felt for her. She was standing so close, but yet he refused to walk over to her and apologize for believing Tess instead of her. He was just as stubborn as her.
''I'll see you around.''
Michael turned around and started to walk in the direction he had come from. Maria watched him for a few seconds, before wiping away a stray tear and getting into her car.
-x-x-x-
Liz had just finished wiping another table, when there was a knock on the door. She dropped her rag, knowing instantly who it was, since only one person would knock before entering the Crashdown, and headed over to the door, while wiping her hands on the side of her uniform. She looked up to see if it was really Max, before opening the door. She took a few steps back to give him more room to enter, although he remained standing in the doorframe, his figure slightly threatening by the darkness that was cascading around him.
''Max, what are you doing here?'' Liz greeted, not wanting to fall into another one of their subtle but hurtful arguments.
Max took another step towards her, causing the light to accentuate only half of his figure. ''I wanted to show you something.''
''What?''
''You will have to come with me in order to see it,'' Max answered, his voice holding no emotions at all.
Liz shook her head, not trusting his words or behavior. ''I can't. I promised my parents that I would lock up.''
''Don't be such a goody-two-shoes,'' Max said, his voice bitter with frustration and impatience.
Liz immediately took a step back, knowing that something wasn't right. Max had never talked to her like this, not even when he had been mad at her. ''Max, are you okay?''
Max flashed her a grin and nodded. ''Yeah, it's just this body..... It's so not me.''
And before her eyes his image started to change. The skin of his face seemed to ripple, creating a new smooth piece of skin with each pulse. Slowly his face returned to its natural form, while he quickly blinked, revealing a pair of grey eyes when he opened them again. And with one quick shake of his head, his hair turned lighter and became slightly longer. When he was done, Liz brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Nothing of Max's image was left, but his clothes.
''Everybody's always changing their image, so I decided to go with the flow, know that I'm saying?'' The man smiled at her, before taking a few more steps towards her. He came to a stop a few feet in front of her and started to pull his sleeves up to his elbow. He wiggled his fingers, before holding them up, with his palms in her direction.
''I have been practicing on this trick for a while now and I want to show it to you. It's not as fancy or elegant as pulling a rabbit out one of those black hats, but it'll do.''
Liz tried to back up some more, but she was caught between him and a table. All she could do was watch as his hands started to glow. First the tip of his fingers and from there it spread throughout the rest of his hands.
''Normally I don't hurt little girls, but you didn't want to come and see the surprise I had for you.''
His hands started to glow even more and the light became so bright, that Liz had to shield her eyes from it with her hands. Subconsciously she placed them with her palms facing his. When she could see nothing but the emerald color of the light, the burning started. It was as if the flames of candles were licking at her skin. It was a slow process. One that made her want to scream, but she didn't. Instead she bit her lip and imagined herself pushing the light away with her hands. At first her hands went right through the green blanket, but with each try she got stronger, until she finally felt it move away from her. The burning stopped and the light started to dim.
Liz's eyes flew open at the sound of a scream. A scream that wasn't hers. The man was now trapped in a green room. One that became smaller with every second. The walls started to push against him, slowly burning him. His screaming stopped, when he realized that he couldn't escape. He just looked at her until both he and the green light disappeared, leaving no evidence for her. Liz forced herself in the direction of the door. She knew that it wouldn't be wise to go outside right now, but she didn't want to be alone. So, after locking the door behind her, Liz ran.....
-x-x-x-
REVIEW! Please? :-) So, this chapter was kind of a pain, because this isn't the original version. I deleted the original version..... by accident. And since I was kinda pissed about that, it took me even longer to finish. So, it's not as good as the other one, but I'm pretty satisfied, especially with the Michael/Maria part, but that's probably just me. Thanks anyway for reading and for reviewing the last chapter. :-)
A/N: Hey! :-) I know that it has been two weeks since I updated, but I'm working on three stories at the same time, so I can't always update all three in one week. I mean, I don't want the chapters to end up too bad..... I hope you like this chapter. :-)
Bye, smile :-)
-x-x-x-
''I saw Max,'' Liz said, while sitting down at her usual table. A table she normally shared with only Maria, but lately Kyle had been spending a few of his lunches with them.
Both Kyle and Maria didn't look up at her words. Maria just kept flipping through one of those many paranormal magazines that you could find in almost every store in Roswell. They mostly informed you about aliens and told you what to do when one of their spacecrafts landed in your backyard. Maria had bought one every week ever since she had discovered them in the local supermarket. She had always been interested in the paranormal, although she never truly believed in aliens. She just wanted to read about them and their powers, which had been made up by some creative mind. But after meeting Michael, Max and Isabel, the magazine had lost its purpose. After all, now she could ask them about their actual powers, which were much more practical and believable than the ones described in the magazine.
The only reason why she still read the magazine was to stir up memories of her and Michael. Memories of when they still had been together, although they had never officially broken up. They had just grown attached to the large distance that had been created between them. And the magazine reminded her of him. It reminded her of how annoyed he would get when he would catch her reading one of these magazines. He didn't comprehend why she had to keep reading them when she could ask him anything she wanted. Anything she wanted to know. But what she wanted to know right now would never get an answer from him that would satisfy her. She didn't even think that she would give him a fair chance to explain why he had believed Tess over her.
While Maria was tangled up in her own thoughts, Kyle was busy rearranging the contents of his sandwich. Something he did often and used to bother both Maria and Liz a lot, because they didn't understand why he couldn't change the way he arranged the topics on his sandwich before he came to school. But they had gotten used to it by now. It was something to look at when there was nothing but silence between them.
''I saw Max,'' Liz repeated, hoping to get a response this time.
Kyle shrugged. ''I see him right now, want me to wave?''
Liz ignored his response and looked over at Maria, who still hadn't looked up from her magazine. ''No, I saw him last night.''
''At the Crashdown?'' Maria asked, finally showing some interest in what Liz had just said, although her eyes were still scanning the page in front of her.
Liz shook her head. ''No.......... well, yeah, at the Crashdown,'' she said, emphasizing the last three words. When Maria threw her a confused look, she continued. ''I saw him in the alley actually.''
''Max?'' Maria asked.
''Yeah, I saw him, in the alley when I was taking out the trash,'' Liz explained. ''And I called him, but he didn't respond. He just...... left.''
''Well, maybe he was afraid or he..........''
''He came back,'' Liz interrupted. ''A few minutes later, when I went to my room, he knocked on my window.''
''Did you let him in?'' Maria asked.
Liz nodded. ''Yeah, he wanted to talk, but we ended up getting into another argument.''
''About?''
''Tess,'' Liz answered. ''I started it, although I really didn't mean to..... I just, I'm..........''
''Jealous,'' Kyle pointed out, which earned him a glare from Maria. He put up his hands in defense. ''Hey, it happens to every girl.''
''He told me he loved me,'' Liz stated, causing both Kyle and Maria's gaze to fly back over to her. ''And I told him that....... that he didn't. Then he left.''
Both Kyle and Maria didn't say anything for a short while. Maria because she was trying to analyze Liz's response and Kyle, because he didn't know what to say to make Liz feel better. He didn't know what to say, because it was hard to say anything. Liz had been his girlfriend before she met Max, after all. And in a way, he was jealous of him. Even now, because even though Max and Liz had detached themselves from each other, Liz couldn't stop thinking about him.
Finally Maria looked at her best friend again. ''Do you want my opinion?''
Liz nodded.
''I think that you and Max are making things too hard for each other. You two are trying too hard to forget about everything that has happened between the two of you. I mean, it'll fade, but it will take time.''
''So, how will I make time go faster?'' Liz asked, her eyes lowered.
''Forget about him. Get your train of life back on the rails.''
Kyle raised an eyebrow at Maria's words, but didn't say anything. He wouldn't have done a better job.
''I'm trying,'' Liz started. ''But lately I have been seeing him everywhere..... I mean, yesterday when I was sitting in class, Max was sitting beside me, but still I saw him standing outside when I looked out the window.''
Maria hesitated before saying anything. ''You're just stressed and you want things to work out between you and Max so badly, so your mind created an illusion. The way you want to see Max, alone, without Tess.''
Liz nodded, deciding to believe Maria on that one. ''Yeah, that's probably it.''
Maria smiled. ''Just try not so hard to not think about him. Things will fall into place after that.''
Liz returned Maria's smile, although she knew that she would never be able to stop thinking about Max. Not when he was giving her a reason to think about him. Him and Tess.....
-x-x-x-
At a table, only a few feet away from where Liz and her friends were sitting, Max and the pod squad sat. Max, Michael and Isabel had hardly ever sat together during lunch before Tess came to town. She had brought the four of them closer, making it clear to them that they only had each other to depend on, because no one would accept them if they found out what they really were. And although Liz, Maria and Kyle seemed to, Tess thought that they were really afraid of them, afraid of what they would do if they would be treated like true outsiders. Something that Max felt they were, aliens or not. None of them had ever really fitted in with the rest of the crowd. But he thought that they had fitted in with Liz, Maria and even Kyle, because they knew who they truly were, but they didn't judge. They had never treated them as outsiders, until now.....
Max couldn't help but look over at Liz. His eyes seemed to be automatically drawn to her every time she was near. He only looked at her this often, because he had a goal. He was looking for a flaw. He had been looking for one ever since he had first seen her, at the Crashdown. She had been standing behind the counter, lightly resting her weight on her elbows, while glancing around the diner.
The first thing he had noticed about her appearance were her long, dark locks. Unlike all the other waitresses, she refused to put her hair up and out of her face. She liked to have something to hide behind when there were too many gazes resting upon her and she felt comfortable having something to conceal her emotions behind. Although Max had seen past her wall of seriousness and carelessness the moment he had looked down into her eyes. Eyes which always seemed to be full with life and always stood understanding. That was the second thing he had found attractive about her, her warm personality, which consisted mostly of her kindness and sensitivity.
That was why he had fallen for her in the beginning, and that was why he had so quickly begun to love her. Foolishly love her, because last night it had seemed as if she had already gotten over her feelings, which had to mean that they had never been as strong as his. Although judging her feelings like this was anything but fair, because he had also seen the hurt in her eyes last night. Hurt that was caused by her own stubbornness and jealousy. She was too stubborn to admit that she might be wrong about Tess and she was too jealous to even try and get along with her. Max sighed and wondered if he had made the right decision by sticking up for Tess, simply because he felt like he was expected to, because he and Tess shared a bond that seemed ancient compared to the bond he and Liz used to share.
''Max!....... Max!''
Max turned his head a little, so he could look at Isabel, who had an impatient look on her face. ''Finally.''
''I'm sorry, Iz. I was just thinking.''
Isabel's impatience turned into concern, which he brushed off with a small smile, reassuring her that he was okay. With one last look Isabel went back to her conversation with Tess.
''You okay, Maxwell?'' Michael asked, as if he had read Isabel's mind.
Max nodded, although his eyes wandered back to Liz soon after. Michael followed his gaze just as swiftly, only his eyes rested on Maria.
-x-x-x-
Maria's eyes were fixed on the small trinkets that were hanging from her keys, while she was heading towards her car. Every single one of them had been made by her mom, who made her money by selling these trinkets to local stores and tourists. Maria had gotten one for her birthday ever since her mom found out that she was interested in the paranormal, especially aliens, although Maria hadn't believed in them until she had met Max, Michael and Isabel. They had made her look differently at the green alien heads with their almond shaped eyes and the silver spacecrafts that were jingling with every one of her steps.
She had never been afraid of aliens, but she couldn't picture herself welcoming them with open arms either, unlike most of the UFO freaks in Roswell. And she knew that most of them would probably change their minds if there was even a slight possibility of an actual UFO landing here. Their curiosity would turn into fear within seconds, simply because the thought of actual life on other planets was unknown and unreal to them. Maria had thought about life on other planets on the nights she found herself not being able to sleep. She wondered about what the aliens would look like and in what language they would speak. Things that had been foreign to her until she had met the pod squad, until she had met Michael. An actual alien, a guy who wasn't from this world. Someone who looked just like everybody else and was like every other human being, except for the powers that lay hidden beneath the surface.
Maria smiled, as she thought about how unpredictable Michael really was. Every day he seemed to be another person. Every day he seemed to test her boundaries with his stubbornness, impatience and coolness, but nevertheless her heart still sped up whenever he was around. And sometimes, on Michael's better days, he would throw her one of his laid back smiles, letting her know that he felt the same and that all the fights and arguments didn't matter in the end. He was there when it would count the most and after every fight he would leave, but he always came back. But he didn't come back after their last feud. He had just left, without looking back, making it seem as if he was finally fed up with their relationship.
Maria's smile faded. Her dislike for Tess was evident in her tense features and the anger that flickered in her eyes. Realizing that her keys were hurtfully pressing into the palm of her hand, because she had been holding them so tight, she released them, letting them drop to the ground without thinking. She clenched and unclenched her hand, before lowering herself down in front of her car to retrieve her keys. She reached for them and lifted her head a little, so her hair would fall back into its former place. Her eyes immediately recognized the familiar figure that was being reflected in her car door. She got up swiftly and turned around to face him.
''What are you doing here, space boy?'' Maria asked, pretending not to be affected by Michael's sudden presence and the fact that he was standing only a few feet away from her, closer than he had been for weeks. ''Cause the last time I checked we weren't exactly communicating. Not that we ever were, but you took it to a whole other level.''
''I came to talk,'' Michael responded, his eyes looking directly at her.
Maria crossed her arms and countered his gaze. ''About what?''
''Max.''
Maria rolled her eyes. ''I should have known that the oh so mighty leader would send his messenger boy to try and convince me of his opinion. It's a relief to know that you can't mindwarp people like Tess.''
''Maria,'' Michael warned, on the verge of losing his patience with her.
''Cause otherwise you would probably windwarp me too with your hypothetical voodoo powers and let me commit suicide or something without me knowing it,'' Maria continued, not caring if Michael would lose his temper or not. She wanted him to get angry at her. At least then he would show some emotion towards her.
''I should have known that you would be to stubborn to listen.''
''Listen to what?''
''My proposal,'' Michael said, while taking another step towards her.
''Spill, space boy,'' Maria responded, not intimidated by him at all.
''You and I both know that Max and Liz are.......''
''Heartbroken? Lost without each other? Drowning in their own sorrow?'' Maria interrupted.
Michael glared at her, causing her to remain silent once more. ''Max is thinking about Liz too much, it's affecting him more than he will admit. He's distracted and if we were attacked right now he wouldn't have the focus to win.''
''So, it's all tactics? You don't think that you should help him just because he's your friend?''
''I'm here, aren't I?''
''So, what do you suggest, Mr. Sensitivity?'' Maria asked.
''I think that you should convince Liz to stop blaming Tess for Alex's death, just because she needs someone to blame and is jealous of the fact that Max and Tess do get along.''
Maria shook her head. ''I'm not convincing Liz of something that isn't true.''
''Would you stop being so stubborn,'' Michael said, frustrated at the fact that Maria had to put up such a fight. ''I know that you took Liz's side, because she's your friend and all, but........''
''I chose her side, because she's right!''
Michael sighed and ran both of his hands through his hair. ''Maria, Alex is dead.''
Maria lowered her eyes briefly, before locking eyes with him once more. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her eyes were raging with a handful of different emotions.
''Don't you think I know that?! Don't you think that I realize that when I wake up every morning or when I look for him during classes? Don't you think that I miss him?'' Maria softly said, causing for Michael's features to slightly soften.
''He was one of my best friends and now he's not here anymore. It hurts, but it isn't blurring the picture that's right in front of me. We had the evidence, Tess knew and I blame her and nobody else for Alex's death.''
Michael nodded, finding peace with her words and knowing that this conversation had gotten him nowhere. It hadn't gotten him closer to Maria. It had just widened the distance between them. It had just increased the longing he felt for her. She was standing so close, but yet he refused to walk over to her and apologize for believing Tess instead of her. He was just as stubborn as her.
''I'll see you around.''
Michael turned around and started to walk in the direction he had come from. Maria watched him for a few seconds, before wiping away a stray tear and getting into her car.
-x-x-x-
Liz had just finished wiping another table, when there was a knock on the door. She dropped her rag, knowing instantly who it was, since only one person would knock before entering the Crashdown, and headed over to the door, while wiping her hands on the side of her uniform. She looked up to see if it was really Max, before opening the door. She took a few steps back to give him more room to enter, although he remained standing in the doorframe, his figure slightly threatening by the darkness that was cascading around him.
''Max, what are you doing here?'' Liz greeted, not wanting to fall into another one of their subtle but hurtful arguments.
Max took another step towards her, causing the light to accentuate only half of his figure. ''I wanted to show you something.''
''What?''
''You will have to come with me in order to see it,'' Max answered, his voice holding no emotions at all.
Liz shook her head, not trusting his words or behavior. ''I can't. I promised my parents that I would lock up.''
''Don't be such a goody-two-shoes,'' Max said, his voice bitter with frustration and impatience.
Liz immediately took a step back, knowing that something wasn't right. Max had never talked to her like this, not even when he had been mad at her. ''Max, are you okay?''
Max flashed her a grin and nodded. ''Yeah, it's just this body..... It's so not me.''
And before her eyes his image started to change. The skin of his face seemed to ripple, creating a new smooth piece of skin with each pulse. Slowly his face returned to its natural form, while he quickly blinked, revealing a pair of grey eyes when he opened them again. And with one quick shake of his head, his hair turned lighter and became slightly longer. When he was done, Liz brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Nothing of Max's image was left, but his clothes.
''Everybody's always changing their image, so I decided to go with the flow, know that I'm saying?'' The man smiled at her, before taking a few more steps towards her. He came to a stop a few feet in front of her and started to pull his sleeves up to his elbow. He wiggled his fingers, before holding them up, with his palms in her direction.
''I have been practicing on this trick for a while now and I want to show it to you. It's not as fancy or elegant as pulling a rabbit out one of those black hats, but it'll do.''
Liz tried to back up some more, but she was caught between him and a table. All she could do was watch as his hands started to glow. First the tip of his fingers and from there it spread throughout the rest of his hands.
''Normally I don't hurt little girls, but you didn't want to come and see the surprise I had for you.''
His hands started to glow even more and the light became so bright, that Liz had to shield her eyes from it with her hands. Subconsciously she placed them with her palms facing his. When she could see nothing but the emerald color of the light, the burning started. It was as if the flames of candles were licking at her skin. It was a slow process. One that made her want to scream, but she didn't. Instead she bit her lip and imagined herself pushing the light away with her hands. At first her hands went right through the green blanket, but with each try she got stronger, until she finally felt it move away from her. The burning stopped and the light started to dim.
Liz's eyes flew open at the sound of a scream. A scream that wasn't hers. The man was now trapped in a green room. One that became smaller with every second. The walls started to push against him, slowly burning him. His screaming stopped, when he realized that he couldn't escape. He just looked at her until both he and the green light disappeared, leaving no evidence for her. Liz forced herself in the direction of the door. She knew that it wouldn't be wise to go outside right now, but she didn't want to be alone. So, after locking the door behind her, Liz ran.....
-x-x-x-
REVIEW! Please? :-) So, this chapter was kind of a pain, because this isn't the original version. I deleted the original version..... by accident. And since I was kinda pissed about that, it took me even longer to finish. So, it's not as good as the other one, but I'm pretty satisfied, especially with the Michael/Maria part, but that's probably just me. Thanks anyway for reading and for reviewing the last chapter. :-)