Connections 19
Liz peered out into the apartment's living room. Nasedo had already left for his 'work' that day. Quickly, she grabbed her bag and her purse and walked into the room. She sat down on the floor for a moment and closed her eyes. She made a fake image of herself going to a friend's house after school and spending the night there. The image would work for the time being. It wasn't very strong, which is why she couldn't have it interact with Nasedo himself, but it would last until she got home.
She stood up carefully and stepped towards the door to the apartment. She opened it and walked out and down to the street below. She quickly walked to the airport, where her ticket was waiting for her at the front desk.
When she had gotten her ticket, she ran to her plane and boarded. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment. The image was taking a lot out of her and her mind began to wander over the last year.
She was a senior in high school now, just as her true friends back home were as well. She had never made any friends at Kaylieville high. She spent her time doing schoolwork and honing her powers, by charge of Nasedo. He had taken on a new form and called himself Gregory Harding. She had been forced to take on a new name as well. She hated the name; it connected her to the man she hated and had to live with far away from anyone whom she loved.
"Miss, can I see your ticket please?" the stewardess asked her kindly. Liz nodded and handed it to her.
"Thank you, Ms. Samantha Harding. Is there anything I can get for you?"
"No, no, nothing. Thank you though." The stewardess nodded and smiled before turning to her next passenger. Liz watched her through her now blue eyes, another gift from Nasedo. He had changed her hair and eye color, so that no matter where they went, she would not be recognized. Blue eyes, Liz cringed as she thought of how many times she had tried to get rid of them. The blonde hair too. It never worked, Nasedo always made it fail. She hated everything about the life that the man had forced her to live.
The plane took off and Liz fell asleep while she waited for it to land in Roswell New Mexico. She dreamt of the small town where she had grown up. The people there, the secret they had all kept, and the feelings connected to every part of it.
When the plane landed in the New Mexico town, Liz was wide-awake and nervous. She had planned everything for her return there. She knew that she couldn't just burst back into everyone's lives. It had been a year. To long, for everyone, and she just wanted to be home again. Unfortunately, she had no courage to go ahead and walk back into their lives with no warning.
Liz reviewed the transfer papers she had printed out from her old school back in California. They were perfect and foolproof, so the government could not come after her.
-- This certifies that Samantha Harding is qualified to enter the 12th grade, senior year, of high school at any high school of her choice. She has successfully completed all prior grades. From the Kaylieville High School of California. --
Her identity would be concealed until she was sure that they were all still living in Roswell, as she assumed they were, and until she believed it was safe. Her reasons were also selfish, for she didn't trust herself to reveal her true identity immediately, especially since she no longer looked the same as she had when she had been kidnapped.
She walked off the plane with her carry-on and found herself needing to sit down. Liz seated herself on a bench outside the airport and awaited the cab she had called a few moments earlier. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the image in Nasedo's mind. It was getting weaker, but it was not only because of her powers being under Nasedo's control, it was also because the distance between herself and the alien was greater than it had been nearly a year. This distance was breaking down his control over her, forcing her to completely use her own powers which she was not used to doing.
The cab came presently and whisked her away to the alien themed hotel where she'd previously called to reserve her room. She paid the cabby and got out in front of the hotel. Finding her room, she flopped on the bed and cried herself to sleep, out of the familiar pains of missing her friends and family and the weariness of keeping the image up in her fake father's mind.
'Tomorrow...tomorrow I will finally see him...all of them. I'm so scared...' and she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.