A/N- The response to this story isn't as great as I'd hoped it would be, but at the same time you guys have been completely amazing. I know it's been a bit since my last update, but I hope you all enjoy it. Please keep up the support, I hope this chapter intrigues you and keeps your interest.
Chapter Four
Liz's eyes slowly drifted open, the blurry figures around her beginning to clump together, forming shapes, their edges beginning to sharpen as she slowly awoke and pushed herself up on her elbows. She looked around the small room, her head spinning in confusion at the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. Slowly the past day came back to her and she fell back on the lumpy mattress of Michael's sofa couch. She stared up at the cracks in the ceiling, allowing her mind to wander over the events of the previous day.
She heard a stirring in the next room and a minute later Michael wandered out of his room, scrubbing his face with his hands, his hair tossed about haphazardly. Liz smiled slightly at the sight of his disheveled appearance as he headed for the kitchen. He glanced back at the bed and stopped abruptly when he saw her staring back at him.
"Oh, hey," he said, smiling lazily. "I didn't expect you to be awake. You want some breakfast?"
Liz smiled and nodded, pushing herself up from the bed. "Yeah, breakfast sounds great."
She followed Michael into the small kitchen and watched as he opened the refrigerator, leaning down to peer in at its contents. "So what do you like?" He asked, his head still stuck inside of the refrigerator.
"Uh..." Liz's words trailed off and Michael turned his head, looking over his shoulder at her. "I guess... I don't really know what I like," she said, laughing. "God, I sound like a five-year-old. I don't even know what I want for breakfast."
Michael gave her a sympathetic smile and pulled a carton of milk out of the refrigerator with some eggs. "Well, I make a mean scrambled egg that hardly anyone can resist," he said with a chuckle. "Sounds like a good place to start."
Liz smiled as he turned toward the stove, pulling out a pan and cracking the eggs into it.
"So how did you sleep?" He asked, his back turned towards her as he mixed the contents together in the pan.
"Oh, it was just fine. I appreciate you letting me stay here, Michael. It's really generous of you." Liz said. "I don't really know what would have happened if I hadn't ended up outside of Max's room. You guys have been so nice to me; I'm sure no one else would have cared so much."
"Don't worry about it Liz," he said, turning toward her with a smile fixed on his face. For a moment Liz saw a hint of something in buried deep within his eyes as he looked at her. She only caught a glimpse of it before he quickly turned around and worked on the eggs again, but for a moment his eyes had revealed the thing that none of them would say. For a brief second, Liz saw fear in Michael Guerin's eyes. Liz had been perplexed by the group's willingness to help her out and give her a place to stay, and at that moment Liz knew that Max, Michael, and the entire group were scared- scared of something bigger and more frightening than Liz could ever imagine.
Later that day
After breakfast Michael cleaned the kitchen as Liz went to take a shower. She stripped off her worn, filthy clothes and got into the shower, closing her eyes and letting the hot water run down her tired body. She sighed, letting the water wash away the thick layer of dirt that covered her body from roads she could not remember traveling but had left their mark on her. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked down, examining her legs. Hundreds of scratches ran up and down her legs, falling haphazardly around her knees, calves, and thighs in no particular sequence or pattern. She glanced at the thin red lines around her wrist, and then back at the scratches on her legs. Instinctively she knew that their cause was not the same. The marks on her wrists were cuts- their pattern was clear, more deliberate. Liz couldn't remember a thing, but she knew that however the cuts had gotten there they had been intentional.
After washing the dirt off of her body and out of her hair, Liz stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in the towel that sat next to the shower. She quickly dressed in the clothes that Maria had left for her the night before and pulled her wet hair up into a pony tail. She examined her face in the mirror, turning her head to look at her thin profile. Her face looked tired. Foreign. She sighed in irritation, turning away from the mirror and heading out into the living room where Michael was watching the television.
He looked up at her and chuckled as she entered the room. "You look like Maria," he commented, his eyes lighting up in a smile. "Feel better?" He asked.
She smiled gratefully. "Immensely." She flopped down on the sofa next to him with a sigh. "So, what are you watching?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "You know, just channel surfing." He clicked off the TV and turned toward her. "Max called while you were in the shower. He wants us all to meet for lunch at the Crashdown." He paused, "that's a restaurant downtown. Anyway, he thought it would be nice if you could get to know everyone. So he said we should meet there at about 12:30."
Liz nodded slowly. "Sounds like a plan," she said, turning toward him with a smile on her face.
12:30- Crashdown Café
Max sat with the others at a table in the back corner of the Crashdown. He looked from face to face, noticing the worry lines still creased in Isabel's forehead and the anxiety of the others around him. He knew that Liz's arrival had been upsetting for each of them, especially so soon after everything in their lives had turned upside down.
The bell on the door clanged and every set of eyes quickly turned toward the entrance. Max looked back and saw Michael leading Liz into the restaurant. He felt his stomach stir lightly and he shook his head, unable to understand why this unknown girl could cause him to feel such a longing deep within him.
The pair slid into the two empty seats across from Max, saying their hello's to the group and settling in.
"Well Liz, I believe some formal introductions are necessary right now," Maria announced, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of her. "Over in the corner we have the witty yet slightly annoying Mr. Alex Whitman."
The group laughed and Alex placed his hand over his heart in mock horror. "Maria! I'm quite offended by that statement," he said and then laughed, reaching out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Liz," he said, shaking her hand.
"Next to Alex we have the beautiful and alluring Isabel Evans. And yes, she always looks that gorgeous... it's sickening." Isabel smiled, reaching across the table to punch Maria lightly in the arm.
"It's nice meeting you, Liz," She said, turning her attention back to Liz who sat watching in amusement.
"And of course, you've already met Max, who we like to call Mr. Serious. And then there's always my lovable yet vain boyfriend, Michael Guerin." Maria finished off, pointing to each boy. Max smiled faintly as Maria introduced him and Liz held his eyes for a moment before turning toward Maria.
"Thank you, Maria. Those were lovely introductions," Liz said, smiling at her. Maria took a small bow and Liz laughed, feeling her stomach ease. She could feel the trepidations of the others as they sat around her. They wanted to seem so willing to let her in and trust her, but she could sense their fears holding them back. She still did not understand how she could comprehend so much about a group of people she'd never met before.
"Hey guys, what'll it be?" The voice interrupted Liz's thoughts and she quickly turned toward the girl standing beside their table.
There was a pause of silence before Max finally spoke up. "Uh... just a round of Cokes, please Tracey," he said flashing the girl a smile.
"Sure Max," she answered, smiling back. Her eyes quickly scanned the faces at the table and she stopped when she met Liz's shy gaze. "Well, I don't believe we've met. Who do we have here?" She asked, nudging her notepad toward Liz.
Liz could feel the group shift in nervousness, pausing. No one knew the answer to give. Finally Max spoke up, breaking the silence. "Uh... this is Liz," he said. "Liz is..." he paused, his brain falling over the possible explanations he could give. "Liz is Tess's cousin." He said finally, his stomach instantly falling. He could feel the gazes of the other four quickly landing on him. He shifted his eyes toward the group and saw Maria's mouth hanging open in shock and Michael's head slowly falling downward. Isabel tensed beside him and he heard Alex's arm quickly slide around her shoulder.
"Oh, Tess," Tracey's voice trailed off, an uncomfortable expression forming on her face. "Well, I'll be back with your drinks." She quickly ducked away, but the rest of the eyes remained on Max.
No one said a word, but Liz could feel the tension among the group. Tess. The name slid through her brain as she repeated it over and over. Tess, Tess, Tess...
Suddenly a thought slithered quickly through Liz's brain, a glimmer of recognition. Tess. Quickly Liz reached out for it, but it slid away as quickly as it had come, leaving her silent and perplexed. She stared down at her hands clutched tightly in her lap, refusing to watch the others cast accusatory glances toward each other, refusing to ask herself what it was that they tried so hard to hide, and refusing to think that she might be responsible for the dark look of sadness that stayed fixed on Max Evans' face.
A/N#2- When I started this story, I never expected to write Tess into it but as the ideas formed in my head, it became more and more clear to me that she would be a part. Whether she's a positive or a negative in this story, you'll just have to wait and see.