I own absolutely nothing that has to do with it.
On a day much like every other in Northern California a dusty VW van pulled up to a little diner. The diner was nothing special, except for the fact that the special listed outside was clearly labled "Tabasco Burgers - WARNING: Extra Spicy!". From the van climbed six people, three men and three women. They weren't even men and women really, for they couldn't have been any older than twenty-one, still young. The six entered the diner and stood by a faded sign that said "Please Wait to be Seated". Eventually an odd-looking girl of about eighteen walked toward them. She had dark hair and blue eyes and was dressed in a ridiculous diner uniform which looked even more ridiculous with black and white striped tights and combat boots. She wore black rimmed glasses and a locket and cut her hair short. The name tag on her uniform read Paige W. She surveyed the crowd before her.
"Will you follow me?" she asked and led them to a booth. A blonde woman who appeared to be the oldest slid in first on one side followed by a dark-haired man who was then followed by a dark-haired woman. Paige noted that all three were wearing wedding rings, but that the dark-haired man was holding the hand of the dark-haired woman. Across from these three sat a man with lighter shaggy hair and a woman with longish dirty blonde hair. They too were holding hands but seemed to be glaring at each other as if they'd had some sort of argument. They were followed by another man with dirty blonde hair. Paige handed them the menus.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked. The dark-haired man ordered a Cherry Coke while the rest either stuck with water or regular Coca Cola. The men and the blonde woman with the wedding ring also ordered the Tabasco Burgers immediately. The others looked at each other and shrugged. They ordered cheeseburgers. Paige disappeared behind the counter to send in the order. When she came back with the drinks the couple who weren't married were fighting.
"Look Michael, I don't see why we had to leave!" the woman said. "I could've gotten a gig there."
"Sorry Maria," Michael said, "ask Maxwell. So what's up Max?" Max shrugged.
"We ran into one of Liz's friends from boarding school," he said. "Couldn't risk getting recognized."
"I still can't believe that girl remembered me," said the dark-haired woman who must be Liz. "I was barely there."
"Who knows?" said the other blonde woman. "You never know who's going to remember you. Remember when we were in L.A.? That guy who was at the same resort as Jesse and me during our honeymoon?" Paige interrupted them.
"Here's your drinks," she said, and returned to the kitchen for the burgers. When she came back to the table she didn't notice that the floor had been mopped while she was gone and slipped on the water. Liz caught her tray before it went down but Paige collapsed, catching her locket on the table. The cook glanced out at her.
"You okay Whitman?" he asked. She nodded. She felt for her necklace. It must have fallen off. She glanced at the table. The blonde woman was holding it and staring at a picture inside. It was of a young man of about seventeen with dark hair and blue eyes.
"Who is this?" she asked shakily. Paige reached for the locket but the woman held on.
"My cousin, Alex," Paige replied. "He died a few years ago."
"And did that guy call you 'Whitman'?" Michael asked. Paige nodded.
"Yeah, that's my last name. Paige Whitman. Alex's last name too. What's going on?" The blonde woman sighed.
"Alex was-"
But at that moment the sounds of sirens sounded outside. A man dashed into the building carrying what looked like a large gun.
"Nobody move!" he cried. Paige spun around to face the man.
"Look," she said, stepping toward him. "No one's gonna-"
"I said nobody move!" And with that he fired. She collapsed against the table, a large red spot appearing on her already ugly uniform.
"Oh god," Maria said. "Max, help her." Max nodded. He turned to the blonde woman.
"Isabel?" Isabel nodded.
"You know what to do Michael?" she asked. He nodded.
"One, two, THREE!"
And with that the salt shakers around the diner began to explode. The fugitive freaked out, pointing his gun wherever there was a noise. Liz raised her hand and a green light appeared, knocking the man off his feet. Max put his hand over Paige's wound, successfully closing it then wrapped his jacket around her. The police rushed in.
"Is everyone okay?" An officer asked. Max nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "My friend rushed the guy. Must've been a maniac. He started firing at the salt shakers." The officer saw Paige, who was a bit woozy.
"You okay Miss?" he asked. Before she could answer the last man picked her up.
"Fainted sir. Mind if we take this girl home?" The officer nodded.
"Can't see how it'd hurt seeing as we got the guy." The man nodded. They walked out to the van, surveying the scene. There were about six cop cars in the parking lot, flanking a beat-up Chevy. The got in the van, Max and Liz in the front. The rest kneeled around Paige.
"Think she's okay, Kyle?" Isabel asked. Kyle nodded.
"Max's healing seemed to have work. But did you see her necklace?" Maria nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "Alex." At that moment Paige woke up.
"What the hell happened?" she asked. Maria stroked her head.
"Do you remember anything sweetie?" Paige nodded.
"I remember...Oh God, was I shot?" she looked at Michael. "What did you do to the salt shakers?"
"How do you know Alex Whitman?" he asked.
"He's my cousin," Paige replied softly. "Or he was. He died."
"We know," Maria said. "Alex was one of my best friends."
"Maria DeLuca?" Paige asked. Maria nodded. "So who's Liz Parker?" Liz turned from the front.
"You know about us?" she asked. Paige nodded.
"Alex told me all about you. It got slightly vaguer closer to his death, but let me see: Max and Isabel Evans?" They nodded. "Kyle Valenti and Michael Guerin?" They nodded. "What about Tess?" A dark look came over Isabel.
"She's dead," Michael said. "She's the reason Alex died."
"Who ARE you people?" Paige asked. "Where are we going?"
"Anywhere but here," Max said. "Do you have an apartment or somewhere you can change?"
Paige looked around and out the window. They were speeding down the streets, barely following the speed limit.
"My apartment's down the next street," she said. "Turn left on Decker. That's it." Max parked outside a small, slightly run-down apartment building. They all got out, Paige still wearing Max's jacket. As Paige fiddled with her key an elderly woman came out with a shopping cart.
"Who are your friends Miss Whitman?" she asked.
"Friends of the family," Paige replied. They entered a small apartment on the third floor.
"Find somewhere to sit," Paige said. "I'dve cleaned if I knew guests were coming." She entered a closed door that had been painted black and shut it. Immediately the others started talking in hushed tones.
"Alex's cousin?" Maria and Liz said in unison.
"What are we gonna do about her?" Kyle said. "Tell her the truth?"
"Absolutely not," Michael said. "When she finds out what happened with Tess she'll be angry and we can't risk another knowing our secret."
"I think she could be trusted," Liz said. "She IS Alex's cousin."
"Which means very little since we don't know much about her," Max said. He turned to his sister. "What do you think Isabel?"
Isabel had remained quiet during this and finally looked up.
"I don't know if she can be trusted," she said, "but I think she has the right to know how her cousin died. What did you see when you healed her Max?"
"A lot," Max replied. "Many scenes with her and Alex. I think they must've been close." Michael walked over to a bookcase and picked up a framed photograph.
"You're right Maxwell," he said.
"Of course he is," replied Paige Whitman. "Now what the hell is going on here?"