Chapter Seven
Over the next few days Maria tried to keep to herself. They had all heard about Hank, and everyone at school stared at her. Max kept staring at her, and it scared her, but she wouldn't actually admit that to anyone. And no one seemed to notice, they were all absorbed in their own grief, and that suited Maria just fine. Maria had spent a lot of time just walking around town. And a lot of time at Calhoun park, sitting on the swings. Which was exactly where she was headed. She had just left Liz's funeral. But she felt claustrophobic being around all those people.
She sat on the swing pushing herself slightly with the toe of her black shoe. Her head was rested against the chain and her eyes were closed tightly. She was wishing, hoping, praying, for anything.
"Maria." She heard a voice and jerked her head up, a girl, who looked to be a few years older than her was sitting beside her.
"Do I know you?"
"Yeah." The girl sighed. "But you probably don't remember me." Maria just stared at her. She had no idea. The girl reached out and touched the back of Maria's hand that was gripping the chain.
Maria gasped at the shock of electricity that shot through her hand. "Who are you?" Maria shook her head and stood up quickly. "Whatever, whoever you are, leave me alone." This couldn't be good. She looked down at her hand, there was no mark, but the pain was still there. Maria turned and quickly started walking away from the strange girl.
"Ava!" She yelled and Maria froze. She spun around and shook her head.
"Who are you? How do you know that name?"
"Oh my sweet Ava." The girl walked forward but Maria backed away cautiously. "Ava, it's me." She reached out and grasped Maria's hand in her own, this time not letting go.
Maria gasped softly. "Serena?" Neither moved for several long moments before Maria stepped forward and threw her arms around her, around the woman that was her sister. "Serena!" Serena held onto Maria tightly before pulling back a little.
"We need to talk." Maria nodded quickly and Serena kissed her forehead. They walked for a little while, back into the center of town and found a little coffee shop where they camped out at the back corner table.
"Tell me everything." Maria whispered.
"After..." She sighed softly. "After I was killed... they wanted to try the whole pod thing. Just in case, because they realized their royalty could be killed and that was that. So, they sent me down here for safe keeping. And then ... you were all killed." Serena reached across the table and squeezed Maria's hand. "I am so sorry, I tried to keep you safe, I tried to get you out of there, I failed."
"I don't blame you Serena." Maria squeezed back. "It was my own fault... I had an affair with Rath. I was pregnant. Zan... killed me."
"I know. After that all happened, the deaths. The kingdom was taken over, Vilandra was betrayed by Kivar, he killed her. They sent you all down here, with protectors, but, they protectors didn't survive. So they sent this... thing. That told me of what had happened, told me where you had been hidden."
"Why didn't you come sooner?" Maria asked, with tears in her eyes.
"I came out of the pod just a few years before you guys did. I've been living in Arizona. I was having the dreams... I knew something was wrong. So I went back to where they had found me, I was actually in the forest outside of Flagstaff. I found my pod. I found that thing that told me where to find you. Here, in Roswell. So I came as soon as I could."
"Everything is so messed up Serena. Everything."
"I know it is. And I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you on Antar, I couldn't protect you here. You ended up with... that man. And... if I had known, Ava, I would have come sooner, please believe me, Ava. I never wanted you to get hurt."
"I know." Maria nodded a little. "He's dead." Maria whispered softly. "I think... I did it." Serena lifted her head and then shook it slowly.
"You didn't."
"How do you know?"
Serena looked down at her lap before lifting her head again to meet her sister's eyes. "Because I did. I went there, you were both unconscious. You ... there was so much blood." Serena's jaw trembled. I took him, and I killed him, and I buried him in Frasier woods. And then I went back, and you still hadn't moved. I was so afraid, so afraid that you were dead, but you weren't. You were healing yourself, very slowly. There was so much damage, and you had used so much of your energy... I put you in the closet, I knew you would heal, but I couldn't risk being found there, or else all eyes would have been on me for Hank."
Maria gripped Serena's hand tighter. "You did?" She nodded slowly, and then Maria nodded. "For me?"
"Everything is always for you Maria, you're the most important thing to me... you're the only thing I have."
Maria was walking down the hallway, caught up in her own world. Thinking about Serena, her sister. It had been a about two weeks since Liz's death. Since her sister suddenly appeared. She pulled away from everyone even more than before. She was hiding Serena from them. Serena was her secret. Not theirs. She felt a hand grab her arm and shrieked in surprise. And then she came face to face with Michael. "What are you doing?" She hissed.
"I need to talk to you. And since you keep avoiding me, and not letting me say a damn thing."
"What makes you think you deserve to!?" She opened her mouth, ready to yell at him, and scream and argue, but suddenly she felt his lips crashing down against hers. She gasped, and then moaned and melted into his arms. Completely unaware to the audience that had gathered around the couple, kissing quite passionately in the middle of the hallway.
He broke the kiss and looked at her. "I like you. I wasn't hiding you. Courtney was a friend. I didn't know you saw that. I didn't know it would bother you. Friends, that's all we are. So I am sorry." He told her and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Forgive me?"
"Michael..." She whispered, still obviously to the crowd.
He stepped back and wiggled his eyebrows. "I would like to make an announcement." He proclaimed loudly, and it was only then that Maria realized the other people. "I made a mistake. I hurt one of the nicest people I've ever met." He moved closer to her again and rested his hands on the sides of her neck. "The most beautiful young woman that ever bothered to look at me." He leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers. "Maria... Ava. We're supposed to be together, and you know it." He whispered.
"Oh Michael." Her voice cracked and she kissed him back passionately.
"Alright, break it up." Principal Forrester said as he walked down the hallway. "Don't you have a class to get to?"
"Sorry sir." Michael smirked and grabbed Maria's hand and dragged her with him down the hallway and pulled her into the eraser room. "Now, before you say anything. I'm sorry. I hurt you and I never meant to. Maria you are the first girl I actually cared about. I want to be with you. I want you to stop pulling away from us, from me. I've barely seen you for more than a minute at a time since," he sighed. "Since Liz was shot."
"She was one of the first friends I made Michael."
"I know Maria.'
"Hank is dead."
Michael sighed. "I know."
"Do you think I did it?" She asked quietly as she sunk down to the floor.
"What?" He shook his head quickly. "Maria, the thought never crossed my mind."
"Why not?"
"Alex told me that you refused to use your powers against Hank, you didn't trust them."
"But you talked about it."
"I asked if you would use your powers to protect yourself if you had to. He said no."
"But I did." Michael slid down to the floor in front of her.
"Used your powers?" She nodded. "Against Hank?" She nodded again. "Did you kill him?" Michael asked softly as he reached out to push some hair back from her face.
"No." Maria shook her head. "But I wanted to... Oh god I wanted to. He came at me with a knife..."
"A knife?"
"After he hit me... over and over. He tried to touch me... tugged at my jacket... touched my thigh." Michael saw red. Hank was a very lucky man, that he was already dead, because Michael was plotting how to destroy him piece by piece. "I screamed, and I tried to get away from him. The knife. My powers, they... I couldn't control them. The furniture was floating... like hovering off the ground. He went for his gun, and ... In that instant I wanted him dead. I saw this bright light, and I hit my head on the cabinet, and Hank was unconscious on the floor on the other side of the trailer." Maria had tears rolling down her cheeks but she hadn't even noticed, until Michael wiped them away.
"Do you know how he died?" Maria nodded very slowly.
"How?"
"Serena." Maria whispered.
"Serena? Who is that?" Michael shook his head. He didn't know of any Serena's.
"My sister." She whispered even quieter.
"Sister?"
"Like us. She died before I met you. She was... trying to save me. I ended up with Zan, and... they sent her to Earth. Then... then our affair, and... they sent us. She is twenty-five."
"Are you sure it's her Maria? I mean... are you sure?"
"I am positive Michael. It's her. It's my sister. I have real family." She smiled a little.
Michael sighed and pulled Maria against his chest in a hug. "You've always had a family, you just didn't know. We are your family too, please stop shutting us all out."
"Max scares me." She whispered.
"What?" Michael pulled back and looked at her, but before she could respond the door opened and Max was standing in the doorway, an angry expression on his face.
"Do you really think that public display was necessary?"
"Yes." Michael told him simply. "Now fuck off."
Isabel was smiling across the table at Alex as they ate dinner at Senior Chows. He had insisted on taking her someplace nice, after all the drama of the last few weeks. "You're sweet you know that?"
"Well, I try." He chuckled. After they finished eating they continued to just sit in the dimly lit booth. "You know I love you."
"Yes." Isabel nodded.
"Then marry me." She smiled and laughed softly.
"I thought we'd already discussed this. You're going to marry me after college."
"Yeah, I've been thinking about it, a lot. I still plan to marry you officially after college, big wedding and all that. But I want you to be my wife. Right after graduation." Isabel looked at him a little surprised, and watched in awe as he pulled out a diamond ring. "It had better fit, I hocked one of my guitars to afford this." He held the ring out towards her. A simple band with a three stones, the one in the center was larger than the two on either side.
"Oh my god Alex." She gasped out and grabbed his hand to look closer at the ring.
"Are you going to say yes? Or are you going to just stare?" Alex laughed nervously.
"Oh my god, Alex! What do you think?" She stuck her hand out for him to slip the ring onto her hand. The ring was a perfect fit. She smiled, and felt the tears well up in her eyes. "I love you." She whispered and leaned across the table to capture his lips in a soft kiss.
"I love you too." He stroke her cheek and smiled. "So much."
Maria was sitting close to Michael as they sat on the couch at the Evans', he had his arm around her shoulders, keeping her against his side. Kyle and Tess were at the other end, Max was sitting in a chair by himself, and Isabel and Alex were standing in front of them, smiling like idiots. "We're getting married!" Isabel shrieked and held her hand out. Michael's jaw dropped. Tess shrieked and jumped to her feet. Max just glared.
"You're what?"
"We're getting married, officially right after graduation, And then Alex is going to school, and then when he's done, we're going to get married, a big fancy wedding." Isabel smiled as Tess exclaimed about the beauty of the ring.
"You can't be serious." Max said crossing his arms over his chest, Isabel was taken aback.
"Yes, I am." She said giving him a dirty look. "Either be happy, or shut up."
"You're supposed to be with Michael." He growled and Isabel shook her head.
"What are you talking about?"
"And Ava is mine." Max snapped giving Maria a look.
"Stop it Max. Stop it right now."
"What are you guys talking about?" Tess asked confused.
"She wasn't yours then man, she isn't yours now." Michael said climbing to his feet.
"Just drop it Max." Alex said, slipping his arm around Isabel's waist.
"And you never should have found out." Max raised his hand and Alex was flying across the room, his back slammed against the mirror hanging by the front door.
"Alex!" Isabel screamed.
"No!" Maria yelled and stood up.
"Holy shit!" Kyle exclaimed. "What the hell is going on!?" He started to stand up, but when Max directed his hand at him he suddenly was pinned down to the couch and couldn't move.
"Stop it Max!" Maria cried.
"You whore." Max roared and advanced towards her. Tess was in his way first, then Isabel and Michael. "Get out of my way." He said to Tess who just shook her head.
"I don't know what is going on... but you will not hurt her."
"Watch me." He lifted his hand and Maria's feet left the ground. She hit the ceiling and screamed.
"Max! Let me go!"
"Maria!" Michael yelled looking up at her. This wasn't happening. He reached up and grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back down to him, but she wouldn't budge. He could see the fear in her eyes, and it matched his own.
Max smirked and backhanded Tess before grabbing his sister's wrist. "You won't marry him. I won't allow it." He grabbed her ring and tried to pull it off, but was caught off guard by Alex who tackled him.
"Won't allow it?! Who the hell are you?" Alex punched Max hard in the face and for a split second, his concentration was lost. Maria fell to the ground, and Kyle managed to get to his feet. Alex stood up and shook his head. He looked at Isabel and it was long enough for Max to get to his feet. He darted into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a large knife in his hand.
Maria screamed. "You're going to die the same way you did before. But tell me... did he knock you up this time?" Max raised an eyebrow and started towards Maria. Alex went towards Max, but was blasted into the wall again, this time he didn't get back up. Michael stood in front of Maria, but soon found himself flying backwards as well. Isabel lifted her hand to Max, but he knocked her back first.
Maria backed up, trying to get away from Max, until she bumped against the door. She couldn't get out in time. She knew it. It was her fate. So she stared at him and waited. Max roared and lunged at her, but Maria never felt the pain of the knife, only the weight of Tess being pushed against her. "No." She whispered and looked down and saw the knife sticking out of Tess' stomach. "No!" She screamed. Tess slumped down to the ground and Maria lifted her head up to look at Max.
"How could you? You killed me once... you let Liz die. You watched her die! And now this?! All of this pain and suffering!" She looked around the room at all of her wounded friends. The anger was building up inside of her. Hotter and hotter. More and more. Maria screamed and all of the pent up energy came out. Max went flying backwards, and into the wall.
Maria dropped down to her knees and pressed her hands desperately against the wound in Tess' stomach. "Tess? Sweetie? Open your eyes?" They fluttered open slowly. "Stay with me okay? We're going to get you help." Maria stared at the knife and then carefully wrapped her hand around it and pulled it out. Tess let out a wail of pain and Maria pressed harder against the wound. "Michael!? Isabel?! Please!" Michael scrambled to his feet and rushed to her. He dropped down on the other side of her and pressed his hands against the wound as well. "Help me." She whispered and he nodded. Together they began to focus, trying to heal the wound. After a moment their concentration was interrupted when Isabel joined them.
Several moments later the wound was healed and Tess was crying softly. She threw her arms around Maria and held on as tightly as she could, and Maria just hugged her back. Michael's hand was resting on Maria's back, rubbing gently, while Isabel got up to see to Alex and Kyle, and lastly Max, who was still unconscious.
"We all need to talk later." Michael sighed as Kyle rubbed his head and held Tess' hand in his.