Chapter Sixteen

"There she is, Rath" Zan said looking at a group of woman, pointing to one in radiant gold color in the middle. Rath after being manipulated by Zan once again, found himself stuck in the middle of this festival in the middle of noway. This village was built decades ago but since lived like one did decades ago, didn't think any of them knew what the word technology meant. The villagers rather glad of the honor of having the prince of Antar had decided to honor the arrival of Zan and Rath. Two of the dances by the villagers had been rather boring, right now he wished he was in battle, fighting the good fight aside his father.

Rath looked at the creature Zan was pointing and found himself enchanted, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, before Valendra with all her faults had been the most beautiful thing ever but this woman, she surpassed even that. Her skin was flawlessing golden witch glowed to a certain instant, with bright glitter on her cheeks and her shoulder and most of her body. On both sides of her eyes, small art of the Antarian bird. He watched as she started the dance with her fellow tribe girls. Watched as she moved her body from one side to the other, showing her back first, which had a large tattoo of a river, two rivers with a tree in the middle. The way she moved was entralling, she turned around moving her hips and looked right at him, gave a small smile and a wink.

"Did you see that?" Zan asked in a whisper wearing a bright smile, "She winked at me, she remembers me"

Rath didn't answer, not taking his eyes of her, the way she moved her feet, her hands, her body. It was pretty amazing actually, the seductive gesture of her eyes, the warm feeling she cast all over his body, his heart. Noone had ever made him feel that way about anything. Then she started singing, her voice soft and full of laughter as she sang the words beautiful. She was singing any ancient song with a new twist, and knew sound to it, he could not understand half of what she was saying but he got the idea. The song was about love, and finding a way to possess that love. Maybe it was the light or the sound of her voice as she sang but Rath was starting to feel a burning need to take her in his arms and kiss her, touch her, carress her skin from head to toe.

"Such beauty" Zan whispered again, "Have you ever seen an enchanting creature, Rath?"
Rath looked back at Zan, watching his expression, it was definately obvious that his attention was focused on her as so was his, "No, my lord, not such beauty" Before turning back as the vision twilled around and around and around then she stopped, turning back until her eyes where on them again, as she gave another smile. Everyone began to clap and shout. Rath and Zan along with them, the woman began to walk over to them, even the way she walked was sensual and seductive, she stopped right infront of them staring at Zan.

"Do you always get what you want?" She asked with a smile, when Zan gave no answer, she turned to Rath, "Please keep you friend on a leash"

"Impossible, My lady" Rath smiled at the comment and found an easy comeback, "Our Zan is a different kind of animal, it would take more than a leash to hold him back."

The girl gave him a look of disbelieve then before she started laughing, Rath turned to Zan giving him a look with a raised eyebrow. But surprisingly Zan was most cheerful as he kept his eyes on her.

Michael woke up with a start. Another dream about Ava, this was starting to get rather ridiculous. Michael shook his head to clear himself, he had a sinking thought that maybe his memories where coming to him in a fast pace because he wasn't fighting his past the way Max was. And he had to wonder, was it because he wanted to remember loving Ava or because his love for Maria was greater than his past with Ava.

In another part of town.

Isabel Evans woke up after having another dream about Alex, but this dream was different, unlike that romantic dream that had taken hold of her mind a few weeks ago, this one was more a nightmare about Alex's murder that anything else. She cursed Tess again, that beach had killed Alex, Alex of all people, what kind of a threat was Alex that she had to kill him. Isabel hated Tess, for everything she had done, especially to Max. Killing Max's spirit the way she had, taking his son away, what kind of a person did that. She took a shallow breath, pulling out a picture of Alex from under her pillow, gazing at his face. This wasn't fair, she and Alex were finally together, finally happy and now he was gone. That was not fair, she wanted to scream as more than anything, she wanted to hurt someone, Tess, she wanted to cause Tess the same kind of pain That Tess had caused her.

"I wish you where here, Alex" Isabel said out loud, she frooze as her bedroom door open, she didn't have to be a genious to know who it was. She could always tell when Max was around, another Alien connection maybe.

"I wish he was here too" Max whispered coming over and sitting on bed, looking at Isabel in concerned. "You know, we had another memory, two actual..."

"I don't care" Isabel said calmly interupting Max, she turned from the picture and looked at Max, trying not to cry, "I told I am not interested"

"I know how you feel about Tess" Max said trying not to flinch as Isabel gave him a cold look, "But I need you, Isabel, our power combined, yours, mines and Michael. I may be able to remember my past and maybe be able to find my son."

"You will remember a past where you loved her" Isabel pointed out, trying to breath normally, It wasn't that she didn't want to find Max's son, but his memories of his past life will compromise everyone's feeling about Tess.

"It doesn't matter, Tess isn't Ava" Max said with conviction taking Isabel's hands into his, offering comfort the only way he knew, "Just like I am not Zan and Michael isn't Rath and You aren't Valendra"

Isabel looked at Max again, "Fine, let's say we find her, will she be punished for what she did? Will she pay for killing Alex?"

Max was silent for a moment, then looked at Isabel's tears. He wasn't sure he could give her what she wanted, Tess even after what she did. He still didn't think he could completely hurt her, after all she was the mother of his child. Then again she did kill Alex, and everyone wanted her to feel that what she did was wrong.

"I knew it" Isabel said with a small laugh, pulling her hands from his, "You wouldn't hurt her even if you wanted to"

Max shook his head, he had claimed that Tess and Ava weren't the same person but he wasn't sure that was true. He wouldn't have had feelings for Tess if she hadn't been Ava, if they hadn't been the same person. Just he was Zan even he was starting to feel the same way Zan did about Ava. But he had to find his son, he had to get him back anyway possible, and to get him here where he could be safe.

"Fine, you hate Tess" Max said gravelly, "Do you hate me or my son?"

Isabel turned to Max shock obvious on her face, "What?"

"It's a simple question, maybe you hate me too" Max said with a frown, "Tess is a murder, she killed Alex and she has my son. Why are

so resistant to finding a way to get him away from her?"

"Max, that's not fair" Isabel claimed, whiping her tears away still surprised by Max's question.

"Isabel, you aren't the only one who hates Tess for what she did" Max said trying not to shout at all and wake up his parents, it was way to early in the morning, "But the others are willing to do what they can to help me find my son, yet you are willing to do nothing, Maybe you blame me too"

Isabel opened her mouth but she didn't know what to say, Max accusation hurt so much, but she didn't do anything to stop Max when he stomped out of her room. Did she really blame Max for what Tess did, of cause not, Tess was the one who murdered Alex. Then why was she so relunctant to help Max find his son. Was she really willing to leave that poor baby with someone like Tess, seriously. No, the word pierced through her mind, of course not. That baby was after all her nephew, Max's son, why wasn't she willing to help Max find that his son? Isabel gave another sigh. Yes, she was going to help Max find his son. Alex would have done the same thing and Max wan't his brother.

Max was already sitting on the kitchen table eating breakfast when Isabel walked in, Max said nothing but watched Isabel for a while. He realized that he had totally been wrong for what he had said before, he had never been one for manipulating any situation for his own end. But Zan had been that way, every king is good at doing that, Max could practically feel Zan esence within him, ever since the Memories started everything had been harzy and confussing, but he knew he had to get his son back. And manipulating Isabel's emotions, using her feelings of hatred for Tess and making her question herself had worked. He could tell by the way she kept glancing at him as if she wanted to say something.

Isabel went and sat across from him, eating her cereal, then looked up at Max again, "I don't blame you Max" Isabel stated causing Max to look up at her with an raised eyebrow, "I blame me"

"You?" Max asked actually surprise, he had not considered the fact that Isabel could actually be blaming herself.

"Out of all of us" Isabel shook her head trying to put her feelings into words, "I befriended Tess and trusted her and liked her, I mean she understood what it was like to be me. The only other girl alien in our little group. I befriended her Max and she ended up killing Alex."

Max watched as tears began to foam in Isabel's eyes, he couldn't stand to see her in such a state so he finally said the thought forming in his mind, "She will pay for what she did"

Isabel looked up at Max in surprise and found Max was very serious, "What?"

"If we find Tess and my son, she will pay for what she did" Max stated again, taking Isabel hand and offering her a small smile as Isabel whiped her tears again, "I promise"

Isabel returned a smile as well and nodded her head, "Thanks, actually I wasn't telling you that so Tess could be punished but to let you know that I will help you find your son"

"Really?" Max question with a smile, checkmate, he thought as Isabel nodded her head again, "Thank you Isabel"

As the two sibling where coming to an agreement after weeks of the silent treatment, their father Philip and their mother Diana come in the kitchen. And looked at their children in surprise, Today was saturday, it was early, and two teenagers where sitting on the breakfast table eating, that early in the morning. That was weird and probably meant something was wrong.

"You guys are up early" Diana was the first to say somthing, looking at both her children with a surprised look.

"You know mom just because we are teenager, doesn't mean that we don't know how to wake up early on a saturday" Isabel said in a playful voice.

"Yeah" Max said in agreement.

Diana and Philip glanced at each other, finally noticing the different vibe in the room. Knowing their children as well as they did, it meant that Isabel and Max had gotten over their little fight and where back to being nasty little smartmouths they knew and loved so much.