When Maria looked in the mirror in the morning, she screamed, but it wasn't really out of shock, her escape to her fantasy world, or to the past, she wasn't sure what it had been yet, had prepared her for the change, but she didn't think it would happen this soon.
Tracing her fingers delicately across the tattoo's that now wound around her forehead, she wondered how the hell she was going to be able to hide these, turned her back to the mirror finding the tattoo's had indeed gone all the way around to her back. Luckily her skin was so tanned she thought. With a little covering, she could hide them, but the thing was she really wanted to show them off.
Her mother was away for the weekend at some production weekend, and suddenly Maria decided to hell with it.
She wanted to show them off, there was nothing to be ashamed about, and besides tattoos were all the rage these days, maybe not the ones on her forehead, but those could be hidden with a scarf, however the ones on her neck and her back just above the stone, could be shown. Taking out her shortest denim mini, and her highest heels, she put on her white halter neck and smirked in the mirror.
She wasn't full of herself, but even she knew she looked damn good.
It was times like this that she wished she had a guy to drive insane, but she only had Micheal and at times she even questioned him. He had never been jealous, and on too many occasions had broken up with her for the littlest things, a dream, a vision, a drawing, words spoken by an outsider who later turned out to be well evil.
Sometimes she wondered was he even worth the effort.
Picking up her mobile and her bag, she grabbed the keys from the counter and drove to Liz's somehow knowing that she was the first person she wanted to share these changes with.
Mean while Liz tried to block the panic that was threatening to come pouring out of her in one long scream that was sure to wake up the whole of Roswell.
As she calmed her breathing down, she started to examine her features in the mirror more closely. Okay so she now had a damn big black tattoo on her forehead, and turning around all the way down her back, with some kind of stone in it half way down.
Okay she thought, nothing to panic about, and then, then she noticed her hair.
It was white, and she wasn't talking old people's white, she was talking pure white in colour, not little hints of anything else, no hints of the brunette she had been up to last night.
It was kind of cool she thought.
But then she panicked. There was no way she could hid this from her parents, and they were already worried about all the time she was spending with the Evans boy, and all the trips she was going on lately.
Wouldn't they just love to know what she was actually doing?
The running from the FBI, impersonating agents, chasing more aliens, killing….
No, she didn't think they'd be too impressed; probably send her to a nice little padded room, with a lovely straight jacket as her only companion, she thought sardonically.
As the downstairs doorbell rang, Liz tied her hair up, with some difficulty considering overnight it seemed to have tripled in length. Tying her hair up in a towel, she took one last look in the mirror; there was nothing she could do about her alabaster skin colour. She looked, she thought, like all the colour had been washed out of her.
Muttering underneath her breath, she held the towel tightly in one hand, because it was just her luck that she had just after come out of the shower trying to wake up, when the doorbell had rang.
Opening the door with an angry click of the latches, she starred at the same woman in front, waiting for her to burst into her spiel about selling something to her, or perhaps try to change her religion or something.
Minutes passed in what seemed like a few seconds, and just as Liz was about to demand what the hell the woman wanted, when the woman winked at her. That wink was very familiar so familiar Liz felt a burst of recognition.
No she thought in shock, it can't be and still the wink was so familiar.
Shocked, Liz whispered "Maria?"
The woman nodded her head in mock disappointment. "Chica, how could you not recognise me?" laughing at the shock on Liz's face.
When words still didn't pass Liz's lips, Maria began to worry. "Liz, you don't really look that well?"
Liz shook her head once, and it seemed to shake her out of her shock.
"Maria you have no idea?"
Maria shook her head in disagreement. "Sweetie, I think I might." Looking behind her, she grimaced "But this is not the place to have this conversation." Pushing her way into the house, Maria took one glance at Liz as she unwound her towel from around her head, and smiled in delight. Maria hadn't been the only one to change it would seem.
Showing each other the other changes they found that they had remarkably similar changes, as if what was changing them, was in both of their bloods.
Jumping on Liz's bed, she gripped the pillow to her and watched as Liz went through her wardrobe obviously looking for something specific.
Liz obviously had the same need to be as free as she could in her clothes, which Maria had had in the morning.
Pulling out a combat mini, and a red halter, she stopped when she looked in the mirror after tying impossibly high stiletto sandals, with little silver chains loosely decorating her food.
Tracing her face where the black tattoos were very much evident, she blew out an annoyed breath. Just what the hell was she supposed to do with these, she thought. And then there was her hair.
Impossible situations just liked to come in pairs she thought sardonically.
Seeing Maria out o the corner of her eye, she caught what had been thrown at her without even looking, looking down at her hand in wonder. It was just perfect, if she could just get it to sit right.
Tying her hair in a bun, with enough clips to set of a metal detector, she wound the green scarf carefully around her forehead making sure the tattoos were well hidden, then brought the scarf around to her bun to cover the hair sticking out.
Looking it the mirror, she smiled in satisfaction. It had a certain ethnic feel to it, plus it hid everything that needed to be hidden and the scarf left free covered most of the tattoos going down the back of her neck. It was a win win situation she thought.
Looking at Maria in the mirror, it occurred to her like a bolt out of the blue. This was permanent.
This is what she could look like for the rest of her life.
Turning quickly, and looking in Maria's face, she realised it had just occurred to Maria as well.
But Maria seemed to like the idea more.
After all, she wasn't the damn colourless wonder.
Just sitting quietly for a few minutes, Maria almost screamed in frustration.
This was just so annoying.
Grabbing her handbag from the ground, she grabbed Liz's bag and her hand, and dragged her down the stairway and out the door.
Pushing her into her car, she started the engine and set of down the road only speaking to Liz when she queried were they were going.
"Sister if I'm stuck like this for the rest of my life then I need some new clothes to show of the new body."
Meanwhile the pod squad finally got back to their homes, puling outside each of them and doing a quick run in to get changed before they went looking for Liz and Maria.
They figured there was safety in numbers.
Going to Maria's house first they checked, but found no one there, even after trying her phone and nobody answered, they still weren't worried.
She was probably at Liz's.
But she wasn't.
They then went looking for Alex but he couldn't be found either.
They tried Liz's phone, but no answer.
Eventually they tracked down Kyle through his phone and he reminded them Alex and Maria had a concert that evening and was in most likely hood practicing.
Micheal, Tess, Isabel and Max went home after this for some rest, realising they couldn't exactly do anything about it till then and not being really satisfied that they would actually see them in the evening.
Six o'clock didn't come fast enough for the pod squad, and they got ready to go to the club.
In another part of the town, Maria and Liz were trying to explain their changes to Alex, but for some reason he seemed to know more about the changes then they did. He actually listed them out before they showed him. What was even weirder was that he suggested that Liz join in on the bands performance that night.
Maria noticed that he had gone all out for the performance that night. Dying his hair a bright blue, she thought it actually suited him, more then the ordinary brown he had since childhood ever had.
At precisely nine o'clock the light dimmed in the club, preventing Isabel, max and Micheal from continuing their search for their friends.
Tess had gone home with Kyle to help him clean the house for his fathers return from a seminar.
The music started first, slowly winding its way through the crowds, calming them, making them listen to the notes, taking them places where good music would always go. The guitars strings sound echoing through the halls, bouncing of the thick brick walls.
Soon drums followed suit, the spot lights roaming around the room, not focussing on the stage as the first notes of the song, huskily sung by a female were broadcasted though the microphone.
I wake up to find myself after all these years
And when all the time has gone
I still seem so unclear
Cause there's no one else since i found you
And I know it's been so hard
You should know
If I die tomorrow
As the minutes fade away
I can't remember
You're my everything
You make me feel so alive
If I die tomorrow
Suddenly the drums became heavier, the guitar's sound more pronounce, switching the base on in the background. And then she erupted on to stage, her energy ricocheting through out the club, making people wake up, start to pay attention to the words, finding different meanings to the words, or so it seemed to Micheal.
There was something about the woman; he thought that appealed to him the same way that Maria had when they had first started going out. She was so full of life, wasn't fearing for her existence ever second because of him. He had hurt her so much by staying in her life but he couldn't stay away from her, without her he was nothing and he didn't want to go back to that empty existence ever again.
Fingering the receipt in his pocket with intent, he smiled happily, his decision finally made. He would go get it tomorrow.
Maria was amazed at the audience, they weren't drinking, or talking or anything, they were just listening with preoccupied looks on each of their faces.
Spotting the pod squad, she nearly stopped in shock, even Micheal had a preoccupied look on his face, and she had never really thought of him as a deep thinker.
This song was the bomb she thought, yet again amazed at Alex's talent.
It was just right with the instruments, to give it an alternative rock appeal while still being a ballad kind of song, just the way she like it.
Stepping back into the shadows, she pulled her at her top making sure it remained place. Maybe going for the short skirt and back less, nearly totally share top had been a bad idea when she was performing, especially considering she would be moving around a lot, and she wasn't all that sure of the strings. But soon she was caught up in Liz's performance to notice her tops precarious nature.
Damn she thought, the girls had skills, and she had never shared them with the rest, she was almost as good as her, but Liz she could tell was holding back a bit, afraid of the reaction she would get. It was still amazing she thought, how Alex had all but badgered her into performing tonight. Eventually getting her to agree to one song, and if she didn't like the feeling then she could go of stage and wait for them to finish there set.
But watching as Liz worked the crowds, Maria didn't think that was going to happen anytime soon.
Listening to her sing, Maria realised Liz was the whole package, the singing, getting the crowd involved with the songs, even the outfits thanks to Maria's helping hand.
How she had gotten her into a light green top similar to Maria's backless top, she would never know, but she had. And now she couldn't help but notice the girl was toned, as in from the lighting on the shade, Maria could see a faint pack trying to emerge, not realising her stomach was the same.
Liz couldn't believe it, she was singing and no one was booing at her or throwing tomatoes or anything. Now she understood why Maria put her self thought this, it was exhilarating. It was liberating, hell she thought, it was just damn fun.
Putting her emotions into the songs words, she couldn't believe the words, they felt like they were describing everything she was feeling since she had met Max.
It brings out the worst in me
When you're not around
I miss the sound of your voice
And silence seems so loud
Cause there's no one else since I found you
And I know it's been so hard
You should know
If I die tomorrow
As the minutes fade away
I can't remember
Have I said all I have to say
You're my everything
You make me feel so alive
If I die tomorrow
She smiled her thanks to Maria as she came back on for the chorus, helping her sing through it, making it louder, more important then the rest of the words, the words a song on its own.
Turning to face each other, they waited for the cue from Alex who was playing his guitar solo, then the drums, the base, and then finally back to them.
I spent all my life
Looking for our real selves
And I got nothing to loose
One thing is clear
I wont make the same mistakes
Now I know
That everything will be okay
If I die tomorrow
Maria and Liz thought about the words they were singing, knowing that they both felt this way, the experiences they had faced and realised they would change nothing, nothing about the lives they had lived since they had meet them, Micheal and Max. They had only existed till they had met them, they hadn't lived, not really.
Turning to the crowd, they slowly scanned the area, there eyes adjusting to the lights, and the darkness beyond it, spotting in the back corner, the two they were looking for, starring at the stage as if in a daze.
Facing them, never taking there eyes of them, daring them to do something, they focused all there feelings, into the words, taking aim at the guys hoping they wouldn't be as dense as many of the other guys they had known. Subtly be damned when it came to them.
If I die tomorrow as the minutes fade away
You're my everything
You make me feel so alive
You're my everything
You make me feel so alive
Turning so there backs were to one, another Liz and Maria starred down at the back, wondering what the guys were thinking.
If I die tomorrow.
They sang eight more songs after that, each to a loud round of applause, Liz singing along side Maria every step of the way, knowing the words to some of them from the times she had supported Maria's ambition to make it big by being resent at nearly every one of her gigs.
Jumping of the stage, after the last song, they went back stage, grabbing something to drink as the next band had their set.
Taking a long drink of the bottles of water presented, Maria noticed a tattoo on Alex's arm were he had pushed up his close fitting ribbed shirt.
"When you get that?" pointing to the tattoo on his arm, or at least what she could see of it.
Looking down at his arm, Alex grimaced. Damn he thought, he hadn't meant to show that to them until after the show.
Looking around to make sure no one was listening in on the conversation, he answered almost grudgingly "About the same time you changed!"
Maria was shocked and slightly hurt, "How could you not tell us? I thought we…."
Liz interrupted from the sidelines, catching the innuendo behind the words that Maria had been too upset to hear.
"The hair, its not a dye is it?" her voice wasn't questioning merely factional.
Alex nodded sadly "I was going to tell you, but then you appeared, and you had a lot more changes then me so I decided to wait to tell you. At first it was only the dreams, then the tattoo and then when you told me about your changes and pointed out my hair, then I realised I must be going through the same thing as you." He finished his explanation with one breath, realising at the end he had been spending too much time around Maria's.
He spends way too much time around Maria, Liz thought, focusing her brain on what he had said "Dreams?" she questioned.
He nodded, just as he was about to explain, the lights flickered, signifying that they were wanted back on stage.
Shelving the conversation for later, they went back on stage, immediately engulfed in the feeling of exhilaration that accompanied every performance.
As the first band ended Max looked at Micheal. "weren't Maria and Alex supposed to be playing first?"
Micheal was confused also, because at certain points I the first song played, he had been sure that the singer had been Maria, but she couldn't have changed that much in less then two days.
"Yeah, according to Kyle." Micheal thought for a moment "Maybe they were late, and they had to go on later on?"
Max nodded, not entirely convinced and yet having the more pressing thought of his attraction to the white haired singer. There was something about her that brought out all of his protective instincts, like with Liz, and yet without any doubt, he knew the woman could take care of herself.
He felt an arrow of jealous shoot through him, as he had looked around the room and seen all the guys gazing at her with lust during her verse of the first song.
And then there was the song; there was just something so poignant about it, something that called to him, something that told him that this was what Maria and Liz were feeling.
Somewhere in the middle of there songs, Isabel had disappeared, probably to see if she could find Alex, he thought.
Maybe that should be what he should be doing, getting up to leave, when she came back on the stage.
And he had no choice but to sit down. And by no choice, he meant it. It was like his body had a mind of its own, and as soon as she had come on stage, it had decided it was not moving. Looking around, it appeared his wasn't the only body misbehaving.
Liz. Grabbed the microphone in her hand, wrapping each one of her fingers around the metal handle, loving the sense of power it gave her.
Leaning into the microphone, she looked up playfully out into the audience, having no idea the effect she was having on the male population that were listening to her.
Her husky voice, something that only seemed to happen when she stood in front of the microphone floated through the room tickling the audience's ears.
"I case you haven't guessed, this is my first time on stage" giggling at the sounds of disbelief echoing through the room. "Yeah, my first time. And I've been given a chance to so a song on my own, so I hope you'll like it. It was originally written by one of my friends after a particularly bad relationship with someone." Looking out into the crowd, she leaned back against the bar stool that she had brought out with her. "This is for you Ker," she murmured into the microphone.
You look into my eyes
I go out of my mind
I can't see anything
Coz this love's got me blind
I can't help myself
I can't break the spell
I can't even try
I'm in over my head
You got under skin
I got no strength at all
In the state that I'm in
And my knees are weak
And my mouth can't speak
Fell too far this timeA thought rushed through the head of the audience, who the hell was this Ker?
Baby, I'm too lost in you
Caught in you
Lost in everything about you
So deep, I can't sleep
I can't think
I just think about the things that you do (you do)
I'm too lost in you
(Too lost in you)
Maria joined in on the chorus as she had been instructed, petering out at the last lost in you. Liz had whipped this out of her bag at half time, and they had even less time to learn the chorus, but strangely enough, they all seemed to know what to do, keeping the music simple, and yet haunting, Maria could feel the song getting under her skin. Somehow knowing that it related to someone she knew, someone… her mind drew a blank.
Who the hell was this Ker, Liz had dedicated the song to? Maria knew everybody inn Roswell and she definitely knew no one named Ker.
Ooh
Well you whispered to me
And I shiver inside
You undo me and move me
In ways undefined
And you're all I see
And you're all I need
Help me baby (help me baby)
Help me baby (help me now)
Coz I'm slipping away
Like the sand to the tide
Falling into your arms
Falling into your eyes
If you get too near
I might disappearI might lose my mind
Liz could feel the words of the song affecting her, as if she had personally experience of something like this, somewhere she felt over whelmed by what someone else was doing, that she was lost in their problems.
Max, she thought in wonder, the song could have been specifically about her and Max, She thought as she sang the last verses of the song, the most difficult and consequently the longest bit of the song, needing to be sung fast and with feeling, and considering this was her first time singing it, she needed to dedicate all of her concentration to it.
Baby, I'm too lost in you
Caught in you
Lost in everything about you
So deep, I can't sleep
I can't think
I just think about the things that you do (you do)
I'm too lost in you
(Too lost in you)
I'm going in crazy in love for you baby
(I can't eat and I can't sleep)
I'm going down like a stone in the sea
Yeah, no one can mess with me
(No one can mess with me)
Oooh, my babyOooh, baby, baby
Chorus:
Baby, I'm too lost in you
Caught in you
Lost in everything about you
So deep I can't think
I just think about the things that you do (you do)
I'm too lost in you
I'm lost in you
I'm lost in you
I'm lost in everything about you
So deep (so deep), I can't sleep
I can't think
I just think about the things that you do (you do)
I'm too lost in you
(Too lost in you), I can't sleep
Caught up in the words of the song, it was a few seconds after the music had ended that she realized the loud applause that was blasting towards the stage.
Liz walked quickly of the stage, winking at Maria's shock. It seemed all those mornings singing in the shower had paid of.
Going through to the bands hide away, she stopped in shock, somebody was already in there, going through her stuff.
Her handbag, to be more precise.
Her voice steely, her hand automatically going to her side searching for something that hadn't been there in many decades, she asked "Just what the hell do you think your doing in my stuff?"
The blonde woman looked up, an innocent look on her face, and Liz would have believed her if she hadn't seen the cold calculating look in the woman's eyes before a mask had come down over them.
Picking up a biro from the ground, she smiled as if to say she had been doing nothing wrong. "I was just looking for something for you to autograph"
Liz wasn't fooled "In my hand bag?" her voice was disbelieving.
Shrugging her shoulders good-naturedly, or at least trying to, she grimaced "Okay I was looking for stuff I could sell on e-bay, but you caught me!" grabbing something from the ground she brushed past Liz, just as the other band came in the door, she mumbled on her way out, obviously hoping Liz wouldn't hear her.
"I wouldn't be so cocky, Vi-Sara, you'll get what's coming to you, if it is really you."
Before disappearing through the doorway.
Liz looked around the room, trying to see what the woman has saw, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Grabbing a bottle of water, she wandered out into the bar, watching Maria's performance from a distance. Maria was so at home with the limelight focused on her, she thought. Her thoughts automatically going to the woman she had interrupted in the band room. There was something she didn't like about the woman, she was going to have to tell Maria and the other. Not strangers in Roswell were to be trusted, especially since the Topolsky incident.
But that was another thing, she thought watching as Maria weaved trough the crowds drawing wolf whistles from the guys, but Liz could see she had a destination.
Listening to the song, she smirked. It was one of their favorites, and was oh so right that she finish their set with this song. Smirked because it was clear whom it was intended for, who she was singing it for.
"I can feel it calling in the air tonight,
my lord,
I know I've been waiting al of my life
Oooh lord, my lord.."
She let the song carry the words, listening to the beat instead, and watching the uncomfortable look come over Michael's face, as she stopped beside him, singing to him.
Leaning into his side, she finished the song, and as the band played its final notes she spoke into the mike "It was a pleasure singing for you tonight, and I hope to see ya'll again real soon" before the band finished, and the spotlight left her.
Maria sat down at the table and grabbing Michael's drink took a sip of it, nearly spitting it out when she heard him ask, "That was a really good set. I haven't seen you around before, were you come from?"
No freaking way she thought, she hadn't changed that much, had she. Looking into his honest open face, she knew he would never joke around. The idiot was actually dead serious.
He didn't recognize her…
Well…. And then the humorous part of her mind started to work, employing the evil side at the same time…
Wait she thought, she could have some fun with this…
See how far he would let this go…
"Well," she began…"I'm actually from a little place called…."
Okay that's it for now… please please review…
Anyway, something big is coming up, but I need reviews to prompt me to write…
Laters and for the love of god review
Willow1986
