AN: Hey everyone thanks for the feedback!

Reddrum: nope, you weren't going crazy, I had posted it before but I wanted to revamp it a little.

Chapter 2:

Liz POV:

"September 23, Journal entry one, I'm Liz Parker and 5 days ago, I almost died, after that, things got really weird."

By the time we got back to the restaurant, almost the whole sheriff's department was there. Max and I spent the next hour answering questions and giving descriptions.

We had to lie to the police about where I was let off, saying that it was a mile father than where it really was to keep the location of the cave a secret. It was about 5:00 before most people cleared out. Then it was just me, Max, and the rest of the group.

"Spill, something's up with the two of you ever since you got back and I know it isn't just about the near shooting, I can feel it coming off you Max, what's going on?" Isabel asked. I remembered how well she has always been at reading her brother's emotions.

We sat down and started explaining everything, from the time that I was pushed out of the car, to Max finding me, to opening the cave, to the fact that there were four, not three pods. We told them everything. The whole time Michael is expressionless and Isabel started to tear up a little.

When we had finished explaining how we found the cave Michael jumped up wanting to go right away.

"I have to see this place," he said.

"Michael, it's late, we can go back in the morning, your parents are freaked out as it is over what happened to Liz, taking off again now for hours is not such a great idea," Max replied.

"Fine, we'll go tomorrow, first thing in the morning," he replied.

Maria and Alex helped clean up while Michael went upstairs. Max sat in a booth with Izzy talking to her, of the three of them she was always the most connected to Earth.

She had an amazingly close bond with her adoptive parents and she'd always had a lot of friends besides our group. Her life was here, but still there was always a part of her that resented not knowing her real mother. Max sat there, hugging Izzy and talking softly, just like he always does when he gets serious.

Finally we were done cleaning and Maria and Alex offered to give Isabel a ride home, knowing that Max would want to stay with me.

He left with them so my parents wouldn't ask questions like they would if he came upstairs with me. He went around to the back alley and climbed up the fire escape onto my balcony. That's where I found him when I came into my room. We sat in my lawn chair and looked up at the stars in each others' arms.

"I almost died today," I say, and he looks at me with those eyes and I know that he was more scared then I was.

"I almost lost you today," he says and he looks into my eyes knowing that I was more scared of losing him than of dying.

He leans in and kisses me and I start to cry a little. He wipes away my tears, not needing to ask why I'm crying, he just knows.

It's been like that for a while now, our relationship. It's scary to me sometimes how much he means to me, knowing that I could never live without him.

We started dating in the 8th grade. I was 13 and he had just turned 14. It was the spring dance. The six of us had gone together, and we were hanging out by the punch bowl, dancing and swaying around to the music. A slow song came on and people started to pair off. Max looked at me and asked if I wanted to dance. It was sweet the way he seemed so shy about it. I gave him my hand and we went out on the dance floor.

He put his hands on my hips when we danced and I remember thinking that he had never done that before. He was already really tall so I easily put my head on his chest and I could hear his heart beat very faintly. That was the first time I got a flash. I heard his heartbeat and I looked up and we just kissed, softly. It was like a sudden rush of images all at once. Images of us when we were younger, a few of him and Isabel before we knew them, shooting stars, and then I saw dozens of images of me. I realized then that he was in love with me and something about seeing into his soul that night made me love him.

Ever since that night we've been beyond close. I guess the only word for it is soulmate. Max Evans is my soulmate.

We spent the night like that, out in my chair on lawn chair on the balcony. I guess Michael or my parents saw us out there and called Max's parents to let them know he was with me, or Izzy told them when she got home because when Max came into the kitchen with me the next morning in the clothes he had worn the night before, my parents didn't say anything. Later on though, they mentioned that letting him stay was a one time only thing, having had a near death experience that day. Michael also made a comment about kicking Max's butt if he ever did it again. We laughed and knew it wasn't true.

We all met the next morning at the quarry by the creek that we'd used as a meeting place so many times before.

"So Maxwell, where is this place, let's go," Michael was urgent.

"It's about a mile or so up from here, amazing that we were always so close but never knew it." I answer him, trying to quell his anxiety.

"We'll take two cars, Liz and I will lead in the Jeep with Isabel and Maria will take Alex and Michael in the Jetta. I wanted to meet here first because I know we're all nervous. Liz and I didn't get a chance to really look around and we don't know what we might find, I just want to make sure that we know we have to be careful that no car sees where we're going, especially tourists. The Crash festival's in a week and all the loonies are gonna be on the highways." That's my Max, the cautious one.

We climbed into our cars and Max got back onto the highway, going north to where the cave was. We pulled off into the desert when we saw the large rock formation in the distance. We pulled up and everyone got out of the cars.

I looked up towards the ledge that led to the wall with the handprint on it. Max led the way and we were in front of the wall a minute later. Max showed Michael and Isabel where the handprint was and how to open the door by putting your hand over it.

When the cave opened, we stepped in, all of us adjusting to the light inside. The four pods were still there, glowing a pale bluish green. Isabel walked up to the pods and touched one.

"This one was mine, I feel it," she said.

I walked around and sat on a rock by the door, watching as the aliens closely examined the pods, figuring out whose was whose and scrutinizing the structures that had sustained their lives for almost 40 years.

Michael ran his hand over the wall, looking for something.

"Maybe there's another door, or something." I know he wanted there to be more, something else from his home that he could examine.

It was Isabel that found the compartment next to the pods. In it was what looked like the body of a small blonde girl.

A/N: Cliffhanger, I know… o well Read and Review and I'll update soon!