Chapter Three
By June Goddess
It was official. Liz and Max were friends. They could be seen walking together, talking together, eating together, and studying together. He was around when she was working. She would drop take-out on the nights he spent working. Everyone was just thrilled with the news.
Well, not Isabel Evans. Isabel was, in fact, rather peeved with the whole affair. She had finally confronted Liz about her dreams, and what did Liz do? She did not appear to be dreaming. If Isabel were the suspicious type, she would think it was a deliberate attempt on the other girl's part to keep her privacy intact.
Hah! It did not fool the tall blonde, however. She knew this game. And she would take Parker down!
She was so wrapped up in her feverish thoughts, she failed to notice her mother resting the back of her hand against her forehead. She also did not hear a thing Diane Evans said, including that Isabel should stay home for the day. Of course, Isabel also did not even realize the time, so she had no idea she was very late in her usual regimen for getting ready. Very late, indeed.
"Hey, Mom?" Max inquired softly of his adoptive mother.
Diane smiled gently in return. "Yes, dear?"
He shot a questioning look at his sister. Her eyes were unblinkingly wide open and glazed. She was also muttering to herself strangely. "Is Izzy going to be all right? She really doesn't look so great." His worried tone and furrowed brow earned him a one-armed hug from the surprisingly strong smaller woman.
"Oh, don't worry about a thing." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I've noticed Izzy hasn't been sleeping well lately. I was expecting something like this a lot sooner, actually, but you both seem to have excellent immune systems." She sighed dramatically. "There is only so much the human body can take, however. These restless nights of hers are finally catching up to her, that's all." With a slight push towards the front door, Max found himself easily dismissed.
He walked to the jeep, more than a little perturbed. The drive to school was quiet, allowing him to brood to his heart's content. The first part of the day passed so quickly, he was in lunch before he knew it. A quick perusal of his notebook proved he had taken notes, and he had written down the homework. Glancing over the homework assignments, he rather wished he had simply forgotten to pay attention at all. Tonight's work load was not going to be fun at all. He groaned and focused instead on the food in front of him.
It was not until Liz was half-way through her apple and ranting about the evils of gym class that a comment his mother had made finally registered. Izzy hasn't been sleeping well lately. Like a connect-the-dots game, it was clear to Max that his sweet sister, his sweet, conniving sister, was frolicking about in people's dreams. A cold anger seeped into his mind as he contemplated with his own photographic memory just how long Isabel had been "not sleeping well."
The once cold anger burned a fiery path through his veins. A part of him realized that he was over-reacting. That same part of him wondered at the quick spread of anger and the niggling feeling of betrayal he was feeling. Betrayal was not an altogether unfamiliar feeling, which left him with the distinct notion of getting as far as possible from the chattering brunette sitting across from him. He stood abruptly and walked off.
Liz shivered at the cold glare in his eyes. Bitterness swelled once more as she fought with regret over having hurt him, as well as the hint of suspicion always lurking in the eyes of her one-time boyfriend. Once again, she had seen that suspicion full force. And things between them had been going so well. Without thought, Liz sank into her familiar depression. Another bite of her apple convinced her lunch was over. Everything tasted like ashes. Again.
Hours later, Isabel had become rather irritated with all the attention her worry-wart mother was doting on her. Pleading a headache, which was very real, she sought refuge in her room. She paced her room before flopping onto her bed.
The strange connection she had forged with Liz over the past weeks with her dreamwalking had left a permanent impression on her mind of Liz's moods. Another mood swing in the "Liz" section of her brain was giving her a major migraine. A wave of swamping desolation nearly drowned her in her mind. Isabel gasped sharply at the pain it provoked.
For some reason, and she believed Max was at the root, Liz had gone from jubilant that morning to bleak at lunchtime. School had already been let out, and she knew Liz would be working at the Crashdown for the next several hours. She also knew Max would be working till late at the UFO Convention Center.
So, with nothing better to do, Isabel popped a couple sleeping pills and fell into dreamless slumber. If nothing else, she would rid herself of the Liz-induced migraine.
Being asleep, she had no sense of time. But, being in the habit of seeking Liz's mind as soon as sleep struck, she found herself invading Liz's preoccupied and conscious mind. Vague impressions filtered through her mind. Strangely, Liz felt as though she were being watched. Being in her mind, somewhat, Isabel also felt the same. She wished she could see through Liz's eyes, or, better, that she could walk out the house and visit the Crashdown.
Neither wish was a possibility, however. In her mind, she sighed deeply. She sighed again at the thought that she had been sighing a lot since deciding to figure out her brother's ex-girlfriend. Sleep for Isabel was gentle and easy, with the constant presence and awareness of a girl she did not really know, yet to whom she was connected. Diane looked in on her later and smiled at the relaxed girl.
After his shift, Max came home and crept silently into his sister's room. For long moments he stood over her, watching her peaceful smile, trying to rid himself of his still lingering anger.
Liz, across town, never did sleep that night. She stared at the stars, hoping to find her secret desires in the darkness. She was unaware of the connection to the blonde woman in her head. She was only aware of the chasm of pain and loneliness that had once been her strong, shining connection to Max.
On the rooftop of a building adjacent to the Crashdown, a young man watched the brunette watching the stars. His eyes drank in the vision of her. He remained still, just watching her as he had since overhearing a conversation in the alien-themed restaurant below her. For so many years, he had been searching. He had never been able to find what he was looking for, but now he knew. He had been searching for her. Liz Parker.