Thanx to RedJewel2662 for the nice feedback.
Chapter 46 Meeting the family
The next few weeks the friends were very much busy with training every day for three hours. All they did was going into their seminars, learning in their rooms or in the library, meeting in the gym for exercise and if time was still available just relax in front of the tv or slouch on the bed. But most of the time they just fell into their beds and slept as soon as their heads hit the pillow, because they were so exhausted. Nolak had stipped off his velvet gloves and was giving them all a hard time. He was stern, adamant and damn rough. Now they knew how the people on boot camps must feel or the soldiers in the army. He wasn´t making a difference between humans and aliens, he was treating everyone the same, although he wasn´t so nasty towards Liz actually. Yes, Alex, Kyle and her had joined the alien squad like Nolak had put it. They hadn´t even thought about it for a second before they jumped at the chance to help out. Maria had been against it and she still was. But nobody had listened to her and so she was keeping her mouth shut and trained extra hard to protect her friends. Sometimes she watched her brother pummel the punching bag in the form of an alien which Nolak had gotten from Larek and she was impressed. He was moving his body exactly like a boxer and his blows were direct and if the sand bag would be a real living person pretty hurtful if not deadly. The daily exercise didn´t harm him in any way and it wasn´t too bad that he had practise, because he had been in the wrestling team of his school for a few years and after that he was football captain. He knew how he could take his short size and make it into a advantage for him. Alex on the other hand was reminding Maria of Larek. He was rather clumsy in his attempt to defend himself. More than once they had to heal an ugly bruise on his face or at his arms. He was pretty smart and he was the best in technology. His weapon was the computer and he could do real damage with it. It just didn´t entail bodily harm. Fighting wasn´t one of his more distinct traits. But he didn´t want to give up and endured the torture. It had probably more to do that he could be closer to Isabel, who by the way had made an improvement with her powers. At first she had been reserved and was just watching the others. She was worried that she couldn´t compare with her lousy powers. All she ever was good at was dreamwalking and that wasn´t really helpful in a battle. But after Nolak took her aside and told her that this wasn´t a competition, that she was capable of so much more than she even knew, she finally brought herself more in. Strangly she was pretty powerful when she concentrated enough. She even surprised the others with it when she almost blew a hole in the wall near the entrance. Thankfully nobody had heard it or noticed anything unusual going on. Liz had been glad that she was so well protected with such a powerful roommate, because she wasn´t so strong. She had been always the quiet one in gang and shied every confrontation. She tried to stay more in the background and blend in so that nobody noticed her. She thought it was better for her. You can´t get harassed if nobody knows you´re there. That was her philosophy. She left the fighting to her best friend Maria, who seemed to be born warrior. In a way it was like that. She was the daughter of a commander in her past life and now the daughter of a sheriff. Self defence and battling was so much part of her nature that it was a wonder that she didn´t want to step into the shoes of her father and make career in the police sector. Nolak was shocked how much Marianna was in her. And it got more visible when she fought with Michael. He was moving with her like they never had done anything else in their lifes. Like they were two sides of the same coin. Ying and Yang. Two connected parts of a puzzle. They both were meant to be together that was for sure. She was balancing him and he did the same to her. He was, without knowing it, the only one comparing to Marias power. Together they could wipe out earth and not even break out in a sweat or get weak. They were still pretty clueless what strength they possessed or how they could work them. But that was the reason for Nolak to be here. His assigment was to prepare them for their upcoming challenge and to make sure that they were save. It wasn´t a pleasure for him to be so rough with them or to push them so hard. But he knew what layed ahead of them and he wanted to be sure that they wouldn´t fail this time. The surviving of an entire race was laying on the shoulders of these young teenagers and he had promised himself to do everything in his powers to shape them into powerful adults. Even if they sometimes acted like little brats and made him crazy with it. He had been anything but happy when he heard that his charges would go back home over thanksgiving and interrupt their training. However after he got persuaded from three whining femals he caved in and allowed a little break from all the exercise.
Girls Building
Tess was sitting on her little suitcase in front of the door. She was so excited to finally join a real thanksgiving celebration. Her grandfather was always working and they never had a real holiday party like others families. The only thing was a little get together from all of her grandfathers business partners and their families at new years eve. It was a formal dinner with all the nick nack like dressing in expensive gowns or suits and pretend to listened to the boring topics. Tess hated this things and often disappeared as soon as she could. Most of the time Michael went with her, because he liked this as much as her. They spent thanksgiving usual with the servants or were watching tv. But not this this year. This year they had been invited to the traditional Valenti dinner.
" Hey Maria. What is taking you so long? The guys are already waiting outside".
Maria finally appeared with a backpack on her shoulders and a bag full of laundry in her right hand. " Hold your horses. I´m here".
Tess eyed the bag with an amused expression. It was much bigger than the backpack. " Are you planning to move back home?".
" No. I´ll take up the opportunity to wash my dirty clothes at home and save money", Maria didn´t see anything strange at this. Many students took their laundry back home and she was no exception. Besides like she knew her brother he was doing the same.
Tess smiled knowlingly. " You mean saving doing it yourself?".
Maria just grinned as answer. What was so bad when she wanted to give her mother the feeling she was still needed in her life? She was just doing a favour. And her mother used this really great fabric softener, which smelled like flowers. " You know me. But let´s go now before Kyle gets cranky".
" Don´t worry, I packed a little food for the drive", Tess stood up from her suitcase and lifted a small basket, which had been hidden until now.
Maria shook her head laughing. Her roommate already figured her brother out. If he´s busy with eating he´s pretty bearable. And they had a long drive in front of them after all. Her friend needed all the help she could get. Without saying anything she walked away with Tess trailing after her.
Parking lot
Michael and Kyle were standing at the black Dodge Dakote Pickup and waited for their girlfriends. They had already packed their bags into the trunk and were now talking about the upcoming thanksgiving dinner. Kyle was used to his slightly crazy family, but an outsider could get intimidated easily. It wasn´t just his parents or his little sister his roommate had to face, it was almost the whole family. That meant the grandparents from both sides, uncles, aunts, cousins and their partners. Usually it was really crowded in their home when a holiday was coming. Except for christmas, that was the only celebration they spent alone.
" So. You should keep away from my aunt Muriel, she´s smooching everyone and leaves a really big imprint of her lipstick on your cheek. My uncle Robert will try to palm you one of his insurance, don´t let yourself get talked into something. Aunt Victoria will probably be drunk at the end of the evening and will try to lure you into her bed. She likes her men young. My little cousins are a pain in the ass, but they´re playing outside most of the time, hence they´re not a real problem. My parents are really cool, but my father will bombard you with question, after all you´re dating his little daughter".
Michael listened intently to Kyle and tried to memorize everything. He was wondering how many people he would be meeting. He couldn´t remember having so much family and seeing them all together. All he ever had was his sister and his grandfather, his aunt Meredith, her husband Bobby and their daugter Laurie. But other than that they were pretty much alone. Strange that he was looking forward to join a real family dinner. " All right. I think you should write that down for me, because I gotta tell you, before we arrive at your home I have already forgotten everything again".
Kyle smirked at his friend. Yeah it was a tad bit much information and he knew it. " Don´t worry. Maria and I will be with you and help".
" Thank god. Are you sure your parents don´t mind us tagging along?", after all it sounded like the house would be very full and he wasn´t so sure if there was still a place for them.
" No. They insisted that you come actually. They want to meet you and Tess", yeah, especially his father. He wanted to get to know the man who stole the heart of his daughter and see if he was worthy of her. His mother was more interested to meet Tess and see if she was as pretty as her son always told.
Before Michael could reply something, he saw the girls walking in their direction. Amused he noticed the big bag of probably dirty clothes in Marias hand. Kyle and her were more alike than he thought at first. His roommate had spent the whole morning looking for his clothes that needed to get washed. Now there was a huge black bag in his trunk, full of things he didn´t want to know. In a few minutes it would get company. Quietly sniggering he shook his head at his girlfriend, who was in a deep conversation with his sister. He loved watching her like that. Her face was animated and her hands were flying through the air. She was always talking with her complete body and he wondered if even deaf-mutes could understand her.
" Hy Honey", Kyle embraced Tess briefly before he kissed her a little more heated, forgetting the audience of their siblings for a moment.
Disgusted Michael looked away and focused his attention on his own girlfriend, who seemed to be as happy about the public exposure as he was. " They are so sick. Can´t they wait until they´re alone?", then he wrapped his arms around Marias middle and pulled her at his body with a small smile. " Hey gorgeous".
Maria liked his nickname for her. It gave her such a warm feeling inside when he called her that. The last few weeks had been a tad bit hard on their blossoming relationship, because they didn´t have any time alone. But now they had no obligations, except for eating food, talk to people and try to sneak away without anyone noticing it. It would be hard to find time for them, but it wasn´t impossible. " Hey commander. Are you ready to meet my family?".
" Yes, although your brother scared me off a bit. He told me which person I should be careful of", Michael enjoyed it to be finally able to hold Maria in his arms and not be tired or wasted again. It had been too long that they had really time to talk or do other things couples would do in this stage of their relationship.
Maria could´t hold it back any longer. His face was so adorable when he was confused that she had to kiss him. It wasn´t intense or pretty long, more of a light smoochie, but for more they had to wait until they were among themself. " So Kyle warned you from Aunt Muriel, Uncle Robert, Aunt Victoria and Aunt Lorelai".
Michael nodded his head at the first three names. But at the last name he stopped and looked at her questionly. " Aunt Lorelai? No Kyle forget mentioning her. What should I be aware of with her?".
" She´s a cheek-pincher. And believe me it´s not just for a few seconds, she holds it for minutes. If you´re lucky your skin becomes numb at some point and you don´t feel any pain. But it´s best if you try to avoid her all together. It´s healthier"
Michael made a mental note to keep close to his girlfriend at all times. It was easier than remembering the names. " I hope I still know everything when we arrive at your house".
Maria broke away from his embrace and tenderly patted his belly. " You will do fine. I have faith in you", then she turned to her brother and her roommate. " Yo, break it up you two. We want to go".
Startled Kyle and Tess released each other instantly. Both with swollen lips and glowing cheeks. A little embarrassed they faced their siblings and tried to act normal. At least as normal as they could, considering they forgot that they weren´t alone and couldn´t control themself.
" Finally. Now that you finished your suck fest, we can actually go", Michael took Marias things and put them in his trunk, while Maria did the same with Tess things.
Kyle´s blood hadn´t found his way back to his head yet, hence he just showed them his finger to tell them what he thought of them. After he heard laughing, he knew that they received his message. Then he took Tess by the hand, opened the door for her and got her inside before he got in himself. Michael and Maria watched them through the open trunk and noticed that Kyle was sulking for a moment. At least until Tess continued what they had started earlier. At this point the trunk closed with a loud thud.
" They´re worse than us and that means something coming from me", Michael was glad that he was driving and had to concentrate on the road. The last thing he needed was seeing his sister making out with her boyfriend behind him in his car, because then he either had to beat his friend up or stop at a restroom to get rid of his food.
Maria kissed him quick to take his mind off things. Well that and they wouldn´t have the chance to exchange caresses the next few hours. " Just think about tonight. We both alone under the stars. Maybe naked and doing things to each other that those two could just dream about".
Michael´s eyes started to twinkle full of anticipation. He couldn´t wait until then. Slowly he snaked his hands around Maria and tried to trap her in his embrace. But she knew what he wanted to do and jumped away from him and his evil arms. " You´re mean".
" Yeah. But remember. The good girls come into heaven. Bad girls everywhere", smiling she winked at him, before she disappeared in the car.
Michael rubbed his face with his hands. Damn that girl would be the death of him. Now he had all those fantasies in his mind and they weren´t nice or even innocent. Damn her and damn his hormones. With a quiet cursing he walked to the driver´s side and got in.
4 hours later
The black Dodge just passed the " Welcome in Roswell" sign, when the conversation in the car died down. The whole drive Kyle and Maria told stories about their childhood and things that happened in their town. The strange people that came every year for the alien convention in the UFO-Center and the Crashfestival afterwards. There was even a voting for an election of Miss Crash, which Maria won two years in a row. Kyle had much fun telling this part, because there were even pictures from this moment in their home, in the Crashdown, their former school and in the UFO-Center. Suddenly blue and red lights were flashing behind the car and a horn was heard. Shocked Michael eyed the speedometer to see if he had been to fast. But he was driving the legal minimum speed.
" You better stop", Kyle looked over his right shoulder at the light brown jeep, a car he knew rather well. He even sat in it a few times. Especially when he tried to have fun at some party or when Maria went missing once again.
Michael was slightly nervous when he parked his car at the sidewalk and lowered the pane. The feeling intensified when he saw a man getting out. He wasn´t extremely tall or even athletic built. But it was the whole presence that appeared like he was meaner than he looked. Despite that his eyes where hidden behind mirrored sunglasses and a cowboy hat was throwing shadows on his face, he knew that it wouldn´t be smart to against this man. His footsteps where loud and calculated.
When the man was besides the window and bent down to look into the car, everybody noticed the golden star at his beige shirt. " Good evening.Registration and driver license, please".
Immediately Michael searched for his wallet where he kept this things. Sweat was forming on his forehead and his hands shook like crazy. Until he heard the quiet laughing coming from his girlfriend.
" Hey Dad".
Jim Valenti startled for a moment. Then he noticed his daughter sitting besides this young man. Surprised he took his sunglasses off and put them on his shirt. " Maria? What are you doing in this car? And where is your brother?".
Before Maria could answer the question Kyle stretched his head through the car seats. " I´m here Dad".
" What happened to your car?", Jim hoped it was still in one piece. He knew his son and he already put a few dents in his mothers little red Jetta, although he had a light suspicion that Maria had something to do with it, too.
Kyle smiled at his father. He expected this question already. Like the dents in the Jetta were his faults. Maria had caused most of them, but he as the perfect brother had put his neck on the line to protect his sister from punishment. Besides they couldn´t tell their parents the truth how the dents came into the car. It wasn´t like they could explain it with " Sorry, but Maria had to practise her strange powers and the Jetta was in the way". That was out of the question, so Kyle told that he was racing against a few of his friends and that was the reason for the damage. " Don´t worry, my baby is still intact and standing outside campus".
Now Maria butted in, because she knew the next question that would be coming every second. Why they didn´t take Kyle´s car if it wasn´t damaged? " And before you ask, we couldn´t take the camaro, because our bags wouldn´t fit in the small car", she had to make a little pause until she was sure that her brother was finished with his rant about the insult to his beloved baby. " That´s the reason why we took Michaels much bigger car".
" So, you are the young man who´s dating my little angel", Jim eyed Michael with his sheriff glance. He only wore it when he had to interrogate a criminal and it usually worked. He didn´t trust this boy yet. Well, he didn´t trust any male who was interested in his daughter and he didn´t like them.
Michael wet his dry lips and wiped his sweating hands on his jeans. Nervously gulping he stretched his hand out. " Yeah. Michael Dupree. Nice to meet you, Sir".
Jim grasped his hand and squeezed it firmly while he gave him a warning with his eyes. If Michael knew what was good for him, he shouldn´t hurt his daughter. He owned a few guns and he wouldn´t hesitate to use them. " Same here".
" And that´s Tess, my girlfriend", Kyle noticed the tension between his roommate and his father. He was glad not to be in Michael´s shoes right now. His father was normally pretty cool and he was more like a carebear. But throw Maria in the mix and he mutated to a snarling pitbull, who tried to protect his pups.
Immediately Jims complete aura changed and he smiled at the girl in the back. She was really pretty and had similarities with Maria. He liked her already. Pleasantly he put his hand out to her. " It´s a pleasure to meet you".
Tess hesistantly took the offered hand and shook it. For a moment she had been scared, because he had been a little rude to her brother. But now he was friendly, at least to her. " It´s a pleasure for me, too".
" Where is Mom? Is she still in her shop?", Maria was a little upset that her father had been so unkindly to her boyfriend, whereas he was all smiling with Tess. It was so unfair that he always tried to scare the boys in her life away.
Jim turned his attention to his daugther again. " Yes, she´s doing inventory before she closes the shop over Thanksgiving. But she should be home soon". He looked at his watch and noticed that it was getting late. " If you´re already on the road, could you get Lindsey from the crashdown? Her shift ends in ten minutes".
Maria had to bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. Her little sister was following in her footsteps and started working as a waitress. Who would have thought? " Yeah, no problem. We have to drive through the street anyway".
" All right. Then be careful and we´ll see each other tonight", Jim knocked threetimes lightly on the roof of the car, before he made his way to his jeep again.
Michael waited until the sheriff drove past them. After that he started the car and guided it back on the street again. He was a tad bit miffed about the fact that Marias father was obviously against him. It wasn´t to overlook and he received the hidden message in the mans eyes. " Your father hates me".
Maria faced him rather perplex. She hadn´t ever heard him using this tone in his voice. Like a little boy that was just told that he would be sent to the scary aunt for the holidays. Reassuringly she laid a hand on his thigh and squeezed it. She didn´t want him to feel unwelcomed in her home. " No. He doesn´t hate you. He just needs time to get to know you, that´s all".
" She´s right. I wouldn´t take this meeting too personally. He treats every boy that way. At least those dating Maria or even showing an interest in her", Kyle was used to his fathers behaviour by now. Now Michael finally saw where he got the overprotectiveness. It was in his genes.
Despite the encouraging words from his friend Michael was still not feeling any better. Every father in Tucson was always trying to force their daughters on him. He was the best catch for the girls from his status. But now he was treated like a homeless man who tried to steal the daughter of a rich man. He didn´t understand it. However he was determind to prove Marias father that he was worthy of her and wouldn´t do something to hurt her. " Great".
The rest of the drive was pretty quiet, except for a few directions from Maria here and there. Tess was observing the buildings at the sidewalk, because she had been never to Roswell before. She liked the little stores with the alien decoration. Although she should be offended, they didn´t look like green creatures with big black eyes, she was amused about it. Every town had their history, it was just fate that there were rumours about a UFO crash in 1947 here. If something different would have happened, Roswell would be like every other town in this state. Kyle saw the excitement in the eyes of his girlfriend and slid closer to her. Slowly he put his arm around her and whispered stories about a few shops in her ear. He knew almost every citizen and could tell some interesting things. Minutes later the car stopped in front of a restaurant with a UFO sticking out of the building. It looked like the flying object had crash into it. That would at least explain the name, because it was called the " Crashdown ". Without saying anything the four got out of the car and walked to the entrance. Immediately when they opened the door, the sound of " close encounter of the third kind " was heard and the smell of fries and hamburgers were wafting through the air. For a moment Maria stopped in her tracks and soaked up the scent. It brought back a lot of funny memories and she knew what she had missed all this time at the university.
Michael looked around and regarded the decoration of this joint. It was neat as much as he could see. Not the three stars noble restaurant he visited with his family, but it was not bad either. He noticed aliens painted on the walls and the alien theme which was following through the whole establishment. Then he saw the waitresses and their short uniforms. " Now that´s what I call service".
Maria turned to her boyfriend and realized that he was oggling the waitresses in their uniforms, which was showing lots of legs. " You´re such a pig".
" What? I just like the outfit, not the person in it", carefully he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. " Maybe you can talk your sister in borrowing her uniform so that I can see you in it and tell you how it looks on you".
At that Kyle tapped his shoulders. He pointed at a photo that was hanging at the wall at the right of them. It was in the middle of other pictures from different holidays as it appeared. " You don´t need that. Maria worked here through highschool. Look".
Michael bent towards the picture and observed it thoroughly. He almost swallowed his tongue. There was Maria standing with her arms around Liz, she also was in the teal short uniform with an alien headband on their heads. They both were smiling at the camera and although his girlfriends hair were shorter, just above her shoulders, she looked absolute gorgeous. " Oh Shit. I hope you still have your uniform. You look hot".
Maria rolled her eyes at him. He was a real guy, always thinking with his dick. Just as she wanted to say something, a person caught her eye. A man in his forties, with short black hair, blue friendly eyes and a ever smiling face. " Mr. P!".
" Maria! ", the man made his way through the tables and walked in her direction with outstretched arms. She meet him halfway and embraced him wholeheartly. For a minute they both held each other. After that the man stepped back from her. " What are you doing here? You want your job back?".
Maria laughed while she made a horrified expression. " No. Although I miss the greasy food and the pick up lines from Jose. I´m just here to get Lindsey".
Just as the sentence was finished, a little girl with brown hair, which were bound into two braided pigails and blue eyes was stepping through the swinging door, which lead into the back. She was dressed in a pair of white jeans, a black t-shirt with the picture of some boygroup on it and white sneakers.
" Hey squirt. You need a ride home?", Kyle called almost through the whole restaurant. A few people at the tables stopped what they were doing and watched him. But he didn´t care about them, instead he looked at the girl
She on the other hand was glaring at him, before a smile broke out on her face and she ran in their direction. " Oh my god!", she squealed happily and jumped into the awaiting arms of Kyle. Then she turned to Maria and threw her arms around the other girl. " When did you arrive?".
Kyle was still a little shocked about the joyful welcoming from his little sister. She was usually doing like it was a burden to be related to him or Maria. But now she was glad to see them. Go figure. What a few weeks apart could do. " Actually just now. We got pulled over from Dad and he told us to get you".
" When did you decide to work here? Didn´t you tell me that you would rather die than wearing this ugly uniform?", Maria raised a eyebrow at her sister. She often had been the reason for a laughing fit, because of her work appearance. It wasn´t as much the dress, as it was the antennas on her head.
Lindsey blushed slightly and dropped her face. She remembered all the teasing and the jokes she made about her sister. Now she regretted all the time she did that. " That was before I got told that if I wanted a car I had to earn the money for it".
Kyle and Maria exchanged amused glances. Their parents did the same to them at this age. They even received a long " nothing in this world is for free" speech. Something about working hard to get what you want or something. It had been pretty boring and they both had been miles away with their minds. They didn´t hear the whole speech, but the main part was still there.
Finally Lindsey noticed the added persons standing behind her siblings. She brightend instantly when she saw the most gorgeous boy standing there. His dark hair was spikey and sticking in all directions, his hazel eyes were sparkling like two gems and his body seemed to be built like a greek statue. Shyly she leant closer to Maria. " Hey who´s the guy".
Maria had almost forgotten that they hadn´t come alone. Slowly she pointed at the girl first " That´s Tess, Kyle´s girlfriend" ,then she pointed at the guy. " And that is Michael, my boyfriend". She smiled at him. " Guys, this is Lindsey, my little sister".
A few greetings were exchanged. Immediately Kyle picked up the pining from his little sister in the direction of his roommate. What was up with the females of his family that they were almost drooling after Michael? He wasn´t that good looking.
Tess noticed that something was wrong with Kyle and looked at him. She realized right away that he was upset, because Lindsey had obviously fallen in love with Michael. It was one thing for him to loose his twin sister to his roommate, but it was another if his underaged sister was doing the same, although he knew that Lindsey wouldn´t have a chance with Michael. " Come on Kyle. I think we should go. It´s getting dark".
" Yeah. I´m already starving", Maria rubbed her belly. Contrary to her brother she hadn´t eaten anything since the departure four hours ago. And now her stomach was reporting a warning, because he was empty. Besides she had pity with Kyle. He was looking so heart broken. His baby sister finally grew up and noticed the other gender. Poor boy, first he saw the prove that she was sexually active and now Lindsey was making eyes at his friend.
Kyle faced Tess and then Maria. They both were pleading with him to get his ass in gear. Shrugging his shoulders he gave in and made his way out of the restaurant all the while keeping a tight grip on Lindseys wrist and dragging her with him, much to her protest, which he didn´t listen to. Tess shook her head at her boyfriend and followed them. Maria stayed back for a few seconds to say goodbye to Mr. Parker and Jose. After that she left with Michael, who had been waiting for her. He was pretty clueless what happened in the crashdown. He hadn´t even noticed anything unusual. Only when Maria pointed out that her sister had developed a little crush on him did he finally understand the tension. Cockily he got in the car and brushed his hand through his hair. Yeah baby, he was the man.
In front of the Valenti Residence
Michael parked the car at the sidewalk, because the driveway was already occupied with two automobiles. One maroon coloured Jetta, who had seen better days and an ugly green painted Beetle. Confused Maria and Kyle stepped out of the black dodge and faced each other. The first car was their mothers, but the other they hadn´t seen in ages. Not since the owner was send into juvie four years ago. Tess and Michael also got out of the car and eyed the house while their beloved ones were still busy with staring at the ugly vehicle. It was a simple two story building, held in the usual colour of brown and beige, except for the roof of course, which was maroon. A big porch with a small white bench was circling around the house. Two big windows where at the front on the first floor, while the windows in the second floor were a little smaller. A little path made of stones was surrounded on both sides with neat trimmed lawn and here and there were multicolored flowers growing. Tess fell immediately in love with the house and the " cutest curtains". It was nothing compared to their palace at home, but it was emitting this cosy vibes, which was missing in the mansion since their parents died.
" I love it here. What about you?", Tess was grinning from ear to ear while she got her suitcase out of the trunk. She was already starting to like her new surroundings.
Michael fetched his own backpack and looked around to the other houses in the street. He could like to live here. Not that he intended to do it anytime soon, but if he had to, he could live with that. " It´s nice".
Finally Maria turn up to get her backpack and bag with her laundry. But she was obviously in a conversation with her brother. " Do you think he escaped?".
" Don´t be ridiculous! Dad wouldn´t let him under his roof if he would be on the run", Kyle snorted loudly while he grasped his things out of the trunk. He didn´t even register the people standing close to him. He was too busy with thinking about the implication of the situation.
Now Lindsey stepped closer to her siblings and shook her head at them. " He´s living with us now. He was released because of his good behaviour four weeks ago. Aunt Sheryl and Uncle Paulie have kicked him out of the house and mom had pity with him".
Maria groaned annoyed. No, her mother couldn´t do that to her. She couldn´t just take him in without giving her a heads up about it. " Shoot me, please".
" Oh come on. It will be fun", Kyle laid the arm with his bag over his sister shoulders. He didn´t understand why she was so damn irritated. It wasn´t like his parents gave shelter to a stranger. At least he was family. Besides he liked having another male around.
Maria glared at him. Yeah he could talk, at least he liked their new guest. She on the other hand had always been the center of his jokes and more than once she had been tempted to blast him to another country or preferable another planet. " Great. Can´t wait".
Kyle just laughed at her. She couldn´t forget their childhood and the things she had to endure through the attacks of two boys. Slowly he steered his sister in the direction of the house. Tess and Michael followed the siblings rather baffled. They were still trying to understand what just happened and who the new arrival was and why Maria was against the idea. Lindsey was trailing behind them and admired hotties nice butt in the tight black jeans. She watched the way it moved with the steps. Holy cow, why couldn´t the boys in her class look like that? Suddenly she bumped into Michaels backside, because she had been miles away with her thoughts. Embarrassed she realized that they already were at the door and she hadn´t even noticed it.
" Everything okay with you?", Michael bent down to look at her. His hands were grasping her shoulders to keep your upright. She didn´t appear like she was pretty stable on her feets right now.
Lindsey blushed so much that she had similarities with a tomatoe. Oh god, why didn´t the earth open up and swallow you when you want it? " Yeah. I was just distracted".
Michael gave her his charming one hundred watt smile, while Maria knocked at the door total obvious to the little accident moments ago. She was mentally counting to ten and was quite busy with it. In a few seconds she would be confronting her childhood nemesis. Just as the thought was finished, the door swung open and a young man with short blonde hair, a slight beard and piercing blue eyes was standing in front of her. He was wearing blue sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt. The smile on his face was contagious.
" Hey, what took you so long? We already expected you an hour ago".
Maria rolled her eyes and breathed deeply in before she plastered a smirk on her face. " Hello to you, too. I´m glad that a few things never change".
The guy grinned at her. Now that was the young girl he remembered. Although she had gotten more beautiful since he last saw her, on the inside she was still the same. " Oh, don´t be like that M. I really missed ya".
" I wish I could say the same, but sadly I can´t", Maria pushed past him without giving him a chance to step out of the way. She almost flung him on the ground with her shove.
Kyle sighed loud before he paid attention to the guy at the door. " Hey Sean. I´m glad you´re here".
Sean, who had been staring after Maria, turned around and smiled at him. Then they both did their usual greeting ritual, what entailed much movement with their hands and a strange bump with their backsides. " What´s up with your sister?".
" She still hasn´t forgiven you for setting her hair on fire. Because of you she had to wear hats for months", Kyle giggled at the memory. It had something to do with an experiment. They just wanted to check if they could create a big flame if they sprayed hairspray on a lit lighter. It wasn´t their fault that Maria decided to get in the way just in the moment when a really huge flame jumped out of the cane. Thankfully she had been so quick to protect her face. Unfortunately her hair didn´t have so much luck and it burned almost to her nape. After that the barber had to cut it pretty short.
Sean couldn´t keep his own grin off of his face. Man, those had been the days. " It was an accident. How long does she want be pissed about that?", suddenly he registered the two people standing behind Kyle. " Hey. I´m Sean, Kyle and Marias Cousin".
Michael nodded at the other man. " I´m Michael", he pointed with his thumb besides him. " And that´s my sister Tess".
" Oh yeah, the roommates", Sean opened the door wider and stepped aside. " Come on in. Aunt Amy is excited to get to know you".
Kyle went immediately inside and dropped his bags near the entrance. Then he sniffed the air, which was suspiciously smelling after his favourite meal, chicken with grilled corncob, mashed potatoes and probably some salad. Happily he rubbed his belly and licked his lips. How he missed homemade food.
Tess and Michael were uncomfortable standing in the den of the house. They eyed the walls, which had been painted in a nice terracotta color. Some pictures from the family, everybody or seperated were hanging on it. A small chest of drawers was standing near the door with a small vase of yellow flowers on top. The corridor was leading into like it appeared the kitchen. Before that were two closed doors. Besides the den was a staircase, which reached into the second floor. Suddenly they were thrown from their staring when Kyle moved towards the end of the corridor. Instantly they both trailed after him. When they stepped into the kitchen, the first thing they noticed was the size of it. It was pretty huge and open. In the middle of the room was a wooden countertop with pans and other things hanging from the ceiling. The wooden kitchen range was almost taking half of the space. At the southwall was a glass door, which lead into the garden outside. In front of that door was a white table with six matching chairs.
" Keep your hands away", rang out a commanding female voice. Michael and Tess turned to the owner and saw a young woman, probably in her midthirties. She had short brown hair and was petite built. Her clothes were trendy, but not too youthfully. She was just wearing blue jeans and a white tight t-shirt and yet it looked really good on her.
Maria nursed her hand, which had been slapped from a wooden spoon. She just wanted to snatch some cucumber from the salad. But no, her mother had to destroy her hand to protect the food. " Oh come on Mom. I´m starving. Nobody will noticed if a slice cucumber is missing".
Amy shook her head at her daughter and threatend her again with the spoon. " I will notice it. And now be a good girl and set the table".
With a quiet huff Maria went to a cupboard and got plates from it. Kyle meanwhile had observed the battle between his sister and his mother. Everytime it was the same. Maria tried to steal something and their mother busted her. When would she finally learn that she couldn´t win? " Hey Mom".
" Oh my", Amy spun around and ran towards her son. She embraced him tightly and kissed every part of his face, to the general dislike of the said person. " Finally my babies are home again".
Kyle tried to escape the glutches from his mother. She was embarrassing him in front of his friend and girlfriend. " Mom. Stop that. We have visitors".
That stopped Amy immediately. She let go of her son and stared at the two person behind him. The young man was really handsome and the kind of partner she always wanted for her daughter. " Nice to meet you. I´m Amy Valenti".
Michael took the offered hand and slightly squeezed it. He instantly noticed that Maria was coming after her father, because her mother looked the opposite from her. Her eyes were green, whereas her mothers were a nice brown. " Michael Dupree. And it´s a pleasure to meet you".
" And you must be Tess. Kyle told me so much about you", Amy already had a liking to the shy girl in the background. She was looking a little like her daughter. She would be really good for her son and keep him out of trouble.
Tess´ face graced a slight blush, which she tried to cover with a nervous giggle. " Don´t believe everything. I´m actually pretty nice".
Amy laughed about the little joke. Yeah, she had a feeling that she would be seeing those two a lot in the near future and for the first time she didn´t have a bad feeling about it. " Good to know", then she noticed the bags in their hands. " Kyle, show our guest their quarters, so that we can eat in a little bit".
" Sure thing", Kyle took Tess by the hand and led her away from the kitchen, while Michael followed after them.
Maria walked to her mother and looked over her shoulder. " Why do you make such a fuss? You don´t cook so much during the week. What gives?".
Amy turned around and glanced at her daughter like another head was growing from her throat. " We have guests. I want them to feel at home. Nothing more".
" Uhuh. I don´t buy it. Try it again and this time tell me the truth".
Amy gave in. She knew she was the worst liar on earth and especially towards her own daughter, who smelt a lie miles away. " All right. The whole family will be eating together at the table".
Maria´s eyes widened at that. " Everybody everybody? Even Dad?".
Amy just nodded. Her husband had been even the one who suggested this dinner. He wanted to see if the young man his daughter would bring home was good enough for her. He already ran a background check on him. But he couldn´t find anything, the boy had a clean slate.
" Holy Shit!", Maria knew the implication of this get together. It was just to scare her boyfriend or drive him out of this house. Damn this dinner would be hell or something close to it.
TBC