Thanx to RedJewel2662.
Chapter 54 Lonely with a broken heart
Hours later Maria was still lying in her bed and thinking about the implication of her dream. Had it been a sign for the upcoming war ahead of them or was it rather a symbolic message from her subconsciousness? That would at least explain the two children, who were looking like her and Michael, the people she trusted the most. But what did it mean exactly? Alright, it was about the granilith and the power it held. She was somehow the key to this thing, theoretically. Which in turn meant she was the one that could end this war by using it as a weapon. Why hadn´t Larek or Nolak told her about this thing? Didn´t they trust her with it? Or was she too " young" to know about it? One day she would have a serious talk with them both about the lack of trust in her. And then there was another question plaguing her mind. Why hated the boy from the dream her so much? She didn´t do anything to him and he treated her like the enemy. The next time she would see him, she would forget that she was the mature one and behave the same way. Shaking her head she rolled to the side to look on her alarm clock and make out how late it already was. Wow, it was almost 10 in the morning and she hadn´t even packed her things together. Sadly her eyes wandered for a few seconds besides her alarm clock and to the picture with Michael she had put there last night again. For a moment she was tempted to lay it face down so that it couldn´t taunt her anymore. They didn´t have any chance from the beginning and she had known it. Yeah, that was the result when you tried to beat destiny, you were lying in your bed and nursed a broken heart. Cursing her weakness she took the photo complete with frame and threw it with all her might at the door. Just then Tess open it and barely got hit from the flying object. Startled she ducked and the frame hit the wall behind her with a loud clash.
" Woah. What possessed you?".
Maria hadn´t meant to hurt anybody. She just wasn´t in the best mood right now and the strange look she got from her roommate wasn´t making it better. " Sorry. That wasn´t meant for you".
Tess turned around and saw the broken frame lying on the ground. Glas splinter were around it and a single photograph in the middle. It was of Maria and Michael, both lost in their kiss. Walking to the spot, she kneeled down and picked it up. Why had her friend thrown it? Confused she stood up and marched back into the room. " What is wrong with you? First you break up with my brother and then you destroy a picture of you both. It´s like I don´t know you anymore".
" I don´t wanna talk about it", Maria flung the blanket from her body and jumped out of bed. Angrily she walked to her wardrobe and started to rip her clothes from the hanger. Carelessly she dropped them behind her, not even paying attention where they landed. It didn´t matter anyway, she just wanted to look busy, so that her roommate would leave her alone.
Tess knew a diversion when she saw one, she had enough practice with Michael. But she wouldn´t let herself shake off so easily. " Tough! I won´t leave this room until you tell me why you had to break my brothers heart. And believe me, when it comes to patience nobody can beat me".
Maria stopped clearing her wardrobe and slumped on the ground defeated still with her back turned to her friend. Tears were slowly making its way down her face. " Can´t you drop it, please".
" No. Not when it obviously hurts you as much as it hurt Michael. I know your reason isn´t the absence of feelings. But I don´t understand why break something so beautiful off when it´s obvious that you´re both feeling the same", Tess softened instantly when she heard the sadness in her roommates voice and saw the shaking of the body.
Maria tried to wipe her face dry. But everytime a new wave of tears were making it impossible for her. Why couldn´t they just leave her alone. She had her reasons and they had to accept it. " You wouldn´t understand it. You weren´t there the last time. You didn´t see everyone you loved die around you or held your lover in your arms as he took his last breath".
Tess almost got knocked over from the intensity of the emotions coming towards her. There was so much pain and sorrow mixed with fear and fury. It was strange, she wasn´t an empath like Michael but she could feel it like they were her own feelings. How could Maria live like this? She just experienced a small part of it and it was already too much for her. Tears were shooting in her eyes and she immediately kneeled behind her friend and wrapped her arms around her. " I´m sorry. I didn´t know".
" I´m sorry, too. I didn´t want to hurt Michael in any way. But in the long run it´s for the best. For the both of us. Although I feel like someone is tearing my heart apart piece by piece at the moment, I think I did the right thing", Maria let everything out. She cried for the people who had died for her, for the people who would still die for her and for the people she lost. She cried for Rath, for Zan, for Vilandra, for Ava, for Salem, for Mael, for her mother, for Lutezia, for Hewik and for herself. So many lifes lost because she hadn´t been strong enough.
Tess held on tighter onto her friend and tried to give her a bit of her strenght. She had been through so much in the last few days that it was even a wonder that she hadn´t broken down before. Soothingly Tess stroked the back of her roommate and rocked her gently while whispering comforting things in her ear. Suddenly the door behind them opened quietly and Kyle stepped into the room, just in time to witness his sister crying openly in the arms of his girlfriend. At first he thought about making his presence known, but then changed his mind. Maybe he should leave the two girls alone and come back later. Unfortunately for him his big clumsy feet upset his plans and he tripped over a shirt Maria had thrown over her shoulder. Loudly he crashed to the ground and made a noise that would have even awoken the dead. Startled both girls jumped to their feets and stretched their arms out to defend themself with their powers.
" Stop. Don´t shoot. It´s just me", Kyle covered his head with his hands. He wanted to prevent them from ruining his good looks. Damn, now he was slowly turning into Alex, falling on his face everytime and behaving like a wimp.
Tess was the first one to crack. Even if she had been sad seconds ago, this picture chased it away. Slowly releasing her fighting stance, she bit her lip from breaking out in laughter before kneeling down to her boyfriend. " Everything alright?".
Kyle broke off his cover and looked up at the amused face above him. Yeah now she was mocking him, too. A minute ago she was all weepy and now she was two seconds away from laughing her ass off at him. Damn women and their damn mood swings. " Yeah. Nothing hurt. Except for my pride".
" Oh big baby", Tess help the wounded man on his feet and checked him for any injuries, which weren´t there. He was just making a big fuss like always. " Why did you sneak up on us like that? We could have easily killed you, you know".
Kyle looked past his girlfriend and watched his sister trying to destroy any evidence of her tears. But he could still see the red sopping nose and the red rims around her eyes. The last time he had seen her in this condition had been when she was ten and her goldfish Gordy had been lying on his back in the water glass. The worst thing was to pity her, then she would feel more aweful. " Hey, I wanted to make an escape before you got the idea to cry on me or something".
Maria was grateful for the little humour. He always was the only one knowing how to handle her moods, no matter which it was. " Oh Kyle, for that comment I will tell mom about your headwound and that you need bed rest for a few days".
" Oh come on. You can´t do that", he hoped that she didn´t, because as much as he loved his mother, she could totally overreact when one of her children was ill or had just a small scratch. Then she called every two minutes to see if everything was alright, almost drowned them in her strange tea and didn´t let them leave the bed.
Maria saw the panic in his eyes and she already felt a little better. She was so damn glad to have him as her brother, even if she often complained about him. He was most of the times a freaking pain in the ass, but when it push came to shove he was the most loyal person you could have at your side. " I can and I will".
Kyle stuck his tongue out at his sister. Sometimes he wondered what he did wrong in his last life to deserve her. But he was relieved to see her in a better shape again. He hated when she was sad or cried, because then he felt helpless to do something. " You´re mean, you know that?".
" Yeah", Maria finally noticed the mess she had made with her clothes. Everywhere on the floor were lying t-shirts, jackets, sweater and tops. She was glad that she hadn´t been starting with the bureau where her underwear was in. " Oh my god! What have I done!".
Tess followed the view of her roommate and saw the destruction herself. She hadn´t even realized that it had been that much clothing. The floor looked like the wardrobe exploded and flung everything out. " Great. Now we have to clean the mess and pack our things together".
Kyle backed slowly towards the door. He had already all his things in the trunk of his car, but he promised his girlfriend to stow away everything from Michael. Thankfully his roommate wasn´t like his sister or else he would have needed the whole day to pack. " Now that you mention it, I have to go. We´ll see each other at the Camaro in two hours", a short wave of his hand and he disappeared through the door faster than lightning.
Tess and Maria laughed about his hasty escape. Just the mention of work and he scramed. Rolling their eyes they took care of the many items lying on the ground and threw them on the bed. After that they used their powers to fold their clothes to a seize that they fit perfectly in their suitcases.
Two hours later
Kyle was already waiting at his car and passed the time with making weird faces when Tess and Maria walked in his direction, loaded with their suitcases and small bags. They were rather funny looking with the rushed expressions and their hands full, trying to be on time for once. Like usual they had to discuss something, because they were chattering while balancing their things and almost running towards him. He wondered if he would see the day when girls had nothing to say, but he was sure that it wouldn´t give such a day ever. No matter what religion, skin color, height, weight or age every woman had to express herself.
" Finally. What have you been doing? Packing for the whole building?".
Tess shot his boyfriend a look that meant he should keep his mouth closed if he ever wanted to lay a hand on her in any kind again. " Shut up and help us".
Kyle raised an eyebrow at her. He was a sick sick boy, because this commanding tone was really turning him on. But he couldn´t let her know this or he would be her slave for eternity. Although the thought wasn´t so bad at all, he didn´t think that the guys would overlook it and tease him with it. " You forgot the magic word"
" Please still today", Tess smiled sweetly at him and fluttered her eyelashes seductively. Blowing him a hand kiss she turned her attention back to roommate, who was in the process to squeeze her luggage in the trunk of the car and the rest on the backseat. " You sure you won´t change your mind?".
Maria fought out a battle with the damn backpack of hers. The damn thing didn´t want to fit into the trunk, although she knew that it worked the last time. Fed up with the freaking shit, she used her powers to shrunk the suitcase of her brother. Now everything was nicely stowed away. Grinning she closed the trunk and knocked softly on it. " For the upteenth time yes. I won´t say goodbye to your brother. Tell him I hope he feels better soon, but nothing else".
Tess knew that her friend could be stubborn, but that was ridiculous. She was as bad as Michael if not worse. But there was still one trump in the game. " But you will be at the hospital anyway. You will say goodbye to Alex, won´t you?".
" Sorry to disappoint you. I phoned with Alex while you had been showering. He´s feeling better by the way and the doctor told him that they would transfer him to the hospital in Roswell and I will visit him there", Maria had everything covered. As much as she wanted to see how Michael was, she couldn´t do that, not when the pain was still so fresh. Maybe she would call him in a few days to hear about his well being, but not now.
Tess was close to stomp her feet like a little brat, who didn´t get her way. She wouldn´t give up and if she had to stay here until they were old. " And what about his things? We can´t just leave it in his room".
Maria was prepared for every question thrown her way. Amused she glanced quickly to her brother, who was watching them and then back at her friend. " Liz already took care of that. She´s probably already on her way to Roswell by now. And before you ask Max and Isabel have also their luggage. We´re the last to leave from our group".
" Dammit. Okay you win this time, but don´t think I will be giving up", Tess relented her urge and really stomped her foot. But after her quick trip to her childhood she came back to the present and hugged her roommate wholeheartly. After all it would be a while before they would see each other again. " Do me a favour and keep an eye on Kyle. And take it easy for a few days. I want to see you rested and healthy the next time".
Maria squeezed her tightly at her body. She was so used to have her around that it would probably get boring without her. Fastly she blinked away the tears threatening to spill when she thought about being apart from Michael. " Yeah right back at ya. And tell your brother that his life will be better without me".
Tess released her friend and wiped the wet spots from her cheeks. She had to laugh when she saw tiny teardrops hanging on the others girl eyelashes. Great, they were behaving like they would never see each other again. They just parted for a week top. " Like he will believe that".
" Someday he will realize I was right", Maria just hoped that she could believe it herself. At least long enough that she could keep Michael safe and stay away from him. She shook her head when she heard a cough that sounded like her brother. Rolling her eyes she pushed her friend towards Kyle. " Yeah yeah. Here´s your damn girlfriend".
Tess almost tripped over own feet and half fell, half walked in the awaiting arms of her lover. She would miss him to pieces. They already exchanged phone numbers and promised to call daily until they would see each other again. But it was hard to part under these circumstances. " I hope you´ll stay out of trouble and no other women".
Kyle smirked at her while his arms pulled her tighter at his body. Like he needed another woman in his life. It was already bad enough that he was surrounded by three of them at home. " Don´t worry about that. You´re all I need".
" You better or else you have to deal with me, my brother and your sister", and she was dead serious about that. He made a wrong move or even looked at another woman funny, he was getting into trouble with her, Michael and Maria, three people he shouldn´t piss off.
Kyle noticed that his girlfriend wasn´t kidding and was kind of relieved that he was the faithful type in a relationship. If he gave somebody his heart and got one in return he made sure that it stayed this way as long as it was possible. " Ok, I´ll try to remember that", slowly he bent down and kissed her. Long and tenderly. " I love you".
A little dazed about the mind blowing kiss she received Tess needed a few seconds to register what her boyfriend just told her. Giddily she grinned happily at him. " I love you, too".
" Great, now that´s cleared we can finally get a move on", Maria was a little bit miffed about the sick display of affection. Angrily she huffed while she slumped back in the front seat after closing the window. But then she felt bad for getting jealous at her brother. It wasn´t his fault that he had a good going relationship.
Kyle bit back a reply that was lying on the tip of his tongue. He would cut her some slack because she just broke up with her boyfriend, but as soon as she was better he would letting her comments slide so easily. With a last kiss for Tess he said goodbye and watched her walking to the Dodge. After she was inside the car, he himself got into the camaro and started it.
Close to Roswell
The long drive had been pretty quiet and that was strange, because Maria usually couldn´t keep her mout shut for a few seconds. Except for three small breaks, she had to pee and one was for throwing up the many food she ate an hour before, she didn´t utter a word. At one point Kyle was concerned with the shape of his sister. He had never seen her that way and definitely not in this bad condition. All his question if she was ill or if she caught something were anwered with monosyllables. Just before they reach their hometown she started to feel better and even talked a few sentences with her brother. It was just something unimportant, but at least she said something. She told him about the things she wanted to do as long as they were at home, namely spending more time with Lindsey and their family in general. She wasted too much time with meeting friends, working, shopping and engaged in her hobbies, that she needed this time out. It would do her good. She would enjoy the small vacation and if it would kill her. Kyle just hoped that she would stick to her plan, because he didn´t like his sister like that, so sickly and weak. Tess told him about her condition before he and the others came. She had been extremely worried about her friend and that in return made him pretty worried.
" Can we stop at the crashdown. I´m hungry".
Kyle startled out of his thoughts and turned his head in the direction of his sister. She looked healthier than a few hours ago and her skin color wasn´t that ashen anymore, the cheeks appeared rosier and her eyes seemed to have gotten their shine back, even if it was just tiny. " But you threw up your last food. Maybe you should eat something not so greasy".
Maria glanced at him and if she would have the power to kill him with her eyes she would have done so in this moment. If she wanted a greasy burger with greasy fries she would eat them, if he wanted or not. She was old enough to know what she could expect her stomach. Right now he was craving for unhealthy food. " That had been nothing. Besides I feel a lot better now".
" I´m worried about you. You´re looking bad since yesterday and even Tess noticed that somethings not right. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want to talk about something with me? You know I´m here for you right? You can tell me everything", Kyle took her hand and squeezed it lovingly. As much as they annoyed each other constantly, they stuck together like glue when one of them was sad, angry or sick. Maybe it was part of their twin bond, but it was comforting to know that at least one person would always be at your side, no matter what.
Maria was touched about the offer, but she wouldn´t need it. She was just in a down right now, nothing too serious or even to worry about. After all she went through the last few days it was even a wonder that she was standing at all and then the break up with Michael. Her body just reacted to that. It wasn´t like she had a deadly illness or something. " I know that. But I can assure you that I´m fine. I just ran out of steam. You´ll see, a few days at home and pampered from Mom and I´m as good as new".
Kyle wasn´t so sure if he should believe her or not. He knew that there was more than she told everybody. Although Tess told him that Nolak said everything was under control and they shouldn´t concern themself with this problem, he was wondering if they didn´t take everything too lightly. Especially when he remembered the story about their past lifes and what happened there. " Promise me that. I want my sister back".
" Don´t sound so melodramatic. I´m just feeling a bit under the weather", at least she hoped that was the problem at all. Since the attack and the things that happened afterwards she didn´t feel like herself anymore. It was like some other person was at her place and she was just watching from the outside. Sometimes she wondered if Nicolai or even Rath were trying to manipulate her mind from afar. But as much as she knew Rath didn´t have the gift to do that and Nicolai wasn´t that powerful.
Kyle seemed to accept that and finally steered the camaro in the direction of the crashdown. If his sister wanted something to eat, she would get something to eat. But she wouldn´t move one leg out of the car. He didn´t trust her to walk yet. " Okay. What do you wanna eat?".
Maria went through the menu mentally and everything was sounding delicious to her at the moment. She could stomach something really rich in calories with no vitamins. Something that was spicy and hot and fat. " I can´t decide yet, but that will change as soon as I step foot in the crashdown".
" You´re not going inside. I´ll get something for us and then we´ll drive straight home where you lie down immediately", and this time he wouldn´t take a no for an answer or some silly excuse. This time she had to do what he said and if he had to knock her out to manage that. Although she could kill him without lifting a finger, he had his ways to bring his arguments across, especially when it came to his family.
Maria was slightly amused about the behaviour of her brother. He was sometimes so overprotective towards his sisters that she wondered if it was a sibling thing or if it was a male trait. If she wouldn´t be so hungry and tired she would protest, because she didn´t need him hovering over her like a mother hen. But thankfully she wasn´t herself right now and so she swallowed her reply. " Ok. Then bring me an eclipse burger with saturn rings, a piece of men in black pie and a really thick chocolate shake".
Kyle was momentarily shocked, because his sister didn´t fight him or give him hell for treating her like an invalid. But then he saw that she didn´t have the strength to put up a fight with something so small. Now he worried more than before. Maybe he should call Brody and tell him about Maria. If someone could help it was him. " Your order is noted", he let his gaze wander back to the road and he detected an parking spot in front of the crashdown. Quickly he put his car there and turned off his engine. " Stay here. I´ll be back soon".
" Alright", snuggling her body deeper into the car seat she closed her eyes and tried to find a little sleep. She had made an attempt to do that during the drive, but her stomach had rebelled everytime she came to the deep sleep phase. But now, except for the tiredness, she was feeling better.
Kyle eyed his sister concerned and hoped that she was soon back to her old self. This version of her was kinda scaring him. Withouth saying anything he stepped out of the car and tried to close the door as quietly as possible. Then he walked into the crashdown to get something to bite for the both of them.
Maria meanwhile found her way into the dreamzone, that´s what she always called the stage where you´re between wake and sleep. When she had been a child she often had imagined herself in some fairytale land where pixies, unicorns and speaking flowers lived. The river was made out of limonade, the grassland from bubble gum and cotton candy was growing on the trees. The sun always shone and it never got dark, everybody was happy and they were dancing all day long. She had enjoyed to spent her time at this place. But when she looked now at the world she created a shiver went down her spine. Everything was grey and dead. No sun, no trees, no magical creatures, no river and no green. It was a sight that reminded Maria about a picture somebody had drawn in her class in Highschool. It had been about the world after an atombomb was fired. The place had been dark, bleak and without any hope. That was exactly what she felt when her eyes wandered around. What happened here? Why was everything beautiful gone? Where was it? And how could she get it back again? Suddenly she cringed when she heard a loud banging. Startled she turned around to see from where the noise was coming. But unfortunately she couldn´t find anything. Then she heard her name being called and she whirled in all direction. All of the sudden the ground beneath her opened up and arms shot out of it to pull her down. With a cry Maria opened her eyes and looked wildly around her. Her heart was beating out of control, sweat was on her forehead and her hands were shaking. Trying to get as much air in her lungs as possible she turned to the window to wind it down. Surprised she let out another yell when she saw a face there. Putting her hand on her chest she cursed quietly for being so jumpy. Calming down slightly she opened the door.
" Dammit Larek! What are you trying to do? You almost gave me a heart attack".
Larek usually would have let off some backhanded comments, but this time he just faced the girl in front of him with a worried expression. His normal mischief sparkling eyes were clouded with something dark. " Nolak had been right. You look like hell".
Maria was just in the process to look in the mirror to straighten her hair when she heard that. Why did everybody say that as soon as they saw her? Looking in the review mirror the first thing she noticed was the black rings under her eyes and the almost grey skin. " Oh shit. I can make the girl from the exorcist competition".
" Well, it´s not that bad yet", he winced slightly when he saw the glare directed at him. He should have just kept his mouth shut. Everytime he tried to make a compliment some part of his brain twisted the words around and what came out of his mouth was usually something totally different. Corly already kicked him out from her apartement a few times because of that. " Don´t you get enough sleep? Or is it because of the break up with Michael?".
Maria was close to explode or let somebody else explode, she hadn´t decided yet. But she was so sick to explain the same thing over and over again. " Bloody hell! Is there anybody not knowing that I parted with my boyfriend? Was it in the news or already in the morning mail?".
Larek stepped back in case she decided to kill him. Geez, he was just asking a question and she almost ripped his head off of his shoulders. What bug crawled up her butt and died there? " What is wrong with you? Why are you attacking me?".
" I´m sorry, I didn´t want to sound so angry. But everyone is asking me how I am or tells me that I look bad. My brother already treats me like I´m on the death bed, the others are afraid I´m about to crack and most of the time I don´t know what´s going on with me right now", Maria felt like a different person once in a while. It was like something possessed her and made her act out of control. She hated to feel like that and she didn´t know how she could stop it.
Larek would have gladly helped her if he would have known what was wrong with her. It seemed that whatever was going on with her was not of physically nature. It had been everything that happened the last days. It was just too much for her, the pressure, the worry, the fear and more importantly the thought she wasn´t strong enough. Carefully he pulled her in an embrace and caressed her hair. " It´s ok. It´s ok. I´m here if you need me. You can always come to me if everything is too much for you".
Maria felt tears prickling on the back of her closed eyelid. He was probably one of the only three people knowing how she had to feel at the moment, because he had been present when everything went down the last time. He saw the destruction, the meaningless fight they put up and the many mistakes they had made. Children, they had been too young to lead a battle, too naive to see the consequences of their actions and too stupid to know that they never stood a chance against Khivar and his army. " I know that. But I don´t need it. A little rest and a lot of mothering and I´ll be back on my feets again".
" What had the bastard done to you? Where is he so that I can rip his balls off of him and feed him with them".
Larek and Maria jumped apart when they heard the angry comment. Shocked they turned to the voice and saw a furious Corly standing near them, clad in her teal uniform and a sheepish looking Kyle in the background. She seemed to be ready to spit nails or at least smack someone, while the boy behind her just shrugged his shoulder.
Maria was glad to be in the car, in case it could get dangerous in the next few minutes. " What are you talking about?".
" About the bastard who had broken your heart! How could Michael break up with you after what happened", Corly was on the brink to strangle the closest person to her, which was Kyle right now and he seemed to sense that it could get ugly, because he made his way to the driver´s side, quickly.
Maria raised her right eyebrow questionly. How on earth did she come up with that? He didn´t drop her, it was the other way around. Suddenly a thought occured to her and she turned around to face her brother, who was grinning innocently at her. Yeah, innocent my ass. Sending him a mean glare she drew her attention on Corly again. " He didn´t. I was the one ending the relationship".
Corly´s anger disappeared instantly after she knew that fact. The furious expression made place for one of sympathy. Now she understood what was going on better. She had been shocked when she saw the building in Las Cruces crash. If not for the help of Lykus, who heard about the attack, more people would have been hurt or even died. Nolak had informed her already about everything. The news about Michaels injury had been a surprise for everybody, that Nicolai was behind it not so much, but that they had Rath on their side had been pretty bad. And the deal Maria got offered was worrying all, because they feared that Khivar might knew about her. " If you need a shoulder to cry on or someone listening to your problems, I´m here for you".
" Funny, I heard that a few times today. But at least you had the decency to not mention how bad I´m looking", glancing at her brother and Larek for emphasis her point she told them with her eyes that it wasn´t nice to say something so cruel to a girl. Especially in her condition.
Corly got the message and slapped her boyfriend on the back of his head. He was sometimes such a clumsy oaf. But he meant well most of the time and he had thankfully other qualities that made him so irresistible. " You have to excuse the male gender. They never learned to keep their mouth shut when it was suitable".
Kyle was affronted by that comment. Hey, he was worried about his sister and he was honest. He couldn´t just say that everything was fine, when it wasn´t like that. " I´m sorry to interrupt your man bashing conversation, but we have to go before our food gets cold".
" Ok. My offer still stands. If you need a friend, call me", Corly bent down and kissed Maria on the cheek. Then she closed the car door and watched the camaro driving away with a loud roar of the engine. For a few seconds she winked after them until they were out of sight. Only then she turned to her boyfriend. " Do you think she will make it? She looks so weak right now and Í´m afraid she´s not strong enough to stand a full blown war".
Larek laid an arm around her shoulder and pulled her at his side. He wanted to believe that everything would be going smoothly this time. But the more Maria tried to not make the same mistakes again, the more she made other mistakes. " We just have to wait and see".
Valenti Residence
Kyle and Maria finally made it home and parked the car in the driveway. Along the way they had to stop a few times, because people wanted to see for themself that they were unharmed. The story about the exploding building had spread like a wild fire and now every citizen of Roswell knew about the incident. Yeah, that happened when one lived in a small town and to top of it was the child of the sheriff. They both shook probably a hundred times the hand of someone or got their cheeks pinched. The food they had got from the crashdown was surely already cold and so was Kyle´s mood. He just wanted to go home, eat his burger and rest before the rest of the family was coming home. So at one point he just ignored everyone, stepped on the gas and didn´t stop until he stood in front of their house, which was looking strangly deserted. Of course that was usual at this time of the day, it was after all afternoon and Lindsey was in school, Jim roaming the streets looking for criminals and Amy was selling alien artifacts in her little shop. What Sean did the whole time neither of the siblings knew and were probably glad about that. Maria felt more at ease since she saw her home and she was so happy to see that it was still there. When she opened the door she breathed deeply in. The air here was smelling a lot better than it did in Las Cruces or maybe it was just her imagination. Just as she was in the process to get her things out of the backseat she was startled when her brother stormed towards her and pushed her from the car.
" Oh no. You´re not carrying these heavy things into the house. You take our food inside and eat. I´ll take care of everything else".
Maria was sick to be treated like a child, she wasn´t deathly ill or some weak little girly. " You know, I hate it that everybody looks at me like I´m on the brink to drop dead every minute or go ballistic. I´m not breaking down, I´m feeling fine and I won´t go crazy".
Kyle was aware of that and his head was telling him that his sister was the last person who would need his help. But he couldn´t fight against his protector nature. He was her brother and as that felt responsible for her. " We all love you and that´s the reason why we worry. You didn´t see you last night or else you wouldn´t be mad at us"
" Okay, yesterday wasn´t exactly my day, but that was to be expected. Neither of us had been on its best. I was even lucky to be out of the building when it crashed. And still everybody worries about me, although Alex had been in surgery and Michael broke a few rips", how logical was that? Two from their group were lying in the hospital, Tess and Kyle had been wounded and she hadn´t been there when the library tumbled down. Was she slowly losing her mind or were the other afraid of her, because she behaved so strange? Maybe something weird was going on here and she didn´t get it?
Kyle couldn´t understand why she downplayed herself so much. Did she think he wouldn´t find out about her meeting with her half brother and the bruised wrists? Max had told him everything and he had been shocked to even think about the possibility that his sister could have been dead right now. This Nicolai didn´t just kidnapp her for the fun of it. He must be having an agenda. The question was only, what? " They´re boys. They can take care of themself", he put up his hands, already knowing that this statement would result in a protest from his sister. " I know you´re not defenseless or weak either, yadda yadda, teflon babe, blah blah. But I was afraid yesterday. You were gone and I didn´t know where you had been or if you was hurt or even alive. I knew where to others were, just not you. So if I want to pamper you a little, let me".
Maria had to smile at her brother. He was slowly talking like her. How could she be mad at him when he was so adorable cute? Sometimes she wondered if he did this to soften her. She thought about kicking his ass for a second. But then she decided for another approach. Slowly she stepped closer to him, kissed his cheek and embraced him. " You´re a great brother and I love you. But as soon as I´m feeling better you stop with this helping a damsel in mistress act immediately, okay".
" Right away, promise".
Maria released her brother and grinned evily at him. Why shouldn´t she take advantage of his offer. He wanted to play her protector, he had to count with consequences. A few days top and he would wish he never had uttered a word about spoiling her. Carefully she took the bag with their food in it, threw her hair with a flick of her wrist over her shoulder. " Alrighty then. I will drag my frail body in the house and you can take the luggage, James", quickly she made a dash for the front door before Kyle noticed that she shrunk his suitcase a little to fit her things in the trunk. He wouldn´t be too delighted to see his clothes two numbers smaller.
Kyle shook his head while he pulled the backpack and his gym bag from the backseat. It seemed since they arrived in Roswell, his sister was looking a bit more herself again. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he thought she was more stronger than this morning. Hopefully a few days at home would bring her back on her feet and then there was a slight chance that she would change her mind about Michael. Last night he talked almost all night with Tess about everything that had been going on, about the crashing building, the kidnapping of Maria, the deal and the strange behaviour. His girlfriend had voiced that she was sure that his sister was somehow the key, because why else would Nicolai capure his biggest enemy and let her leave in one piece again? As strange as it sounded, he found the thought not so wrong, on the contrary it seemed be the only explainable answer. Now he was making his first priority to keep an eye on Maria and never leave her out of his sight too long. She might be powerful, but she was as vulnerable as anybody else and that notion was making him afraid. Rubbing his face wearily, he finally remembered that he shouldn´t think too much. It just tired him out. Walking to the trunk he opened it and the first thing that leaped to his eyes was the small suitcase. To be exact his narrowed suitcase. Usually he would have thrown a fit, but in this case he was glad. Now he didn´t have to carry two large and heavy trunks with the added small luggage. Why didn´t think Maria about something like that before? It would have spared him backaches at Thanksgiving. Smiling at the antics of his sister he took the remaining baggage and tried to balance everything at once. Oddly enough he managed to get everything inside without losing a piece or falling flat on his face. Dropping the things on the ground in the hall, he made his way into the living room, where his sister was already seated on the big beige couch and had the burger and the saturn rings spread on the low glas table in front of her. Her eyes were clued straight ahead to the tv, where Jerry Springer was on. Today the topic seemed to be about married couple who were living a double life with another families. Wrinkling his nose at her choice of tv station, he flopped on the spot besides her and pulled his food out of the bag.
" How can you watch this shit? It´s always the same. Either a boy cheated on his girlfriend, wife or fiance with the sister, the mother or even the brother or a woman earns her money on the streets selling her body".
Maria turned to her brother amused, her face stained with mustard and ketchup dapples. And the cheeks blown up like a chipmunk. Quickly she swallowed her food. " And how do you know that fact? Mmhhhh?".
Kyle smiled with his mouth full at her. Then he chewed it thoroughly and with all the time in the world. He was so thankful that his sister had so many useful gifts like heating things up. So he could enjoy every bit and would stall the answer as long as possible. There still had to be a few mysteries in their lifes after all. And his answer wasn´t that unusual. Tess loved this show and didn´t miss one if she could. Besides talkshows were identical, no matter who was presenting it. Slowly he licked his fingers after he finished his food and noticed the persisting glance from the side. Letting out a pretty loud burp he stood up from the couch. " Do you want something to drink, too?".
" Yeah. A bottle of water would be nice", Maria was glad that somewhere a small part from her brother had survived. Now she could finally relax, because she had been thinking that he had been possessed. But after he gave her audio proof that he was full and with that behaved like a pig, she was sure that she had been wrong in her assumption. Chuckling quietly she destroyed the evidence of their unhealthy meal and leant back. Bending her legs close to her body and laying her head on the armrest she watched a young man beating on another man. A woman was trying to interfere, but was easily pushed aside. Even the securities had problems keeping the wranglers apart. The audience was cheering and screaming at the bullies. Maria wished her problems would be so easy. A nice harsh rumble and everything was over. Unfortunately she didn´t have that luck, not in this life and not in her last. Sometimes she wished Larek would have known sooner about her curse and wouldn´t have carried out their plan. At least then Michael could live a happy, normal and safe life. Far away from her and the danger lurking inside her. She knew that somewhere deep inside where lying to answers she needed and that in time she would find them step by step. She just hoped she had enough time to figure everything out before it was too late. " Yeah. All I need is time".
Kyle came just in the room when he heard his sister. Looking around he searched for the person she was talking to, but found none. Great, either she was starting to get all Haley Joel Osment on him with her sixth sense and seeing dead people or it was finally time to call the guys with the white jacket. " Who are you talking to?"
Maria didn´t take her eyes from the tv while her brother was putting a small bottle of water on the table and took his seat besides her again. " Nobody. I was just thinking loud".
" I told you already you shouldn´t do that, your single brain cell won´t stand this much pressure", that earned him a small smile from her, although it wasn´t as geniune as it should be. Maybe it was the fact that she appeared like she would fall asleep every minute. Her eyes were just partly open and her reaction was rather slow. Softly he brushed her hair out of her face and eyed her properly. " You should go to bed and sleep. You look like you need it. Badly".
Maria snuggled her head more comfortable on the armrest. Her brother was right, she was pretty tired and all she wanted was too close her eyes and rest for a while. But she was afraid that her time was running out and she wasted it with minor things, instead of spending it with her family. " No. It´s alright".
Kyle sighed irritated. That girl was the most pain in the ass sibling on earth, maybe even in the universe. Why couldn´t she for once do as he said? Was it too much to see things his way? He was two minutes older and with that a little wiser than her. She was so damn stubborn in some things and it was reminding him about a special person in their lifes. No wonder Michael was so attracted to her, she was from the same batch as him and it was like they shared a brain or something. They were more alike than it was good. The world was doomed if his sister didn´t take back his roommate, because they were so made for each other that nobody else would have a chance with them. " Fine. Why do I even try?".
" Because you love to annoy me", Maria felt sleep pulling her deeper and deeper into the abyss of darkness and quiet. She wanted to fight it until after she had talked to her family and enjoyed their presence. But she noticed that it was harder than she thought, especially when her brother pulled her legs on his lap and made her more comfortable.
Kyle raised his eyebrow when he turned to her. Unfortunately she didn´t see his questioning face anymore, because sleep finally claimed her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing even. Really careful he put her legs aside, stood up from the couch and went to the closet in the hall. There he got a warm blanket from it before walking back into the living room and covering his sister with it. For a few moments he stayed with her and observed the relaxed expression on her face. The worry lines had disappeared and she just looked like an angel. A strange contrast to her wake self, where she rather appeared like a dark angel or even a cranky angel. He wished that she would open up and tell them what was bothering her, because he was sure as soon as she poured her heart out, she would feel better. But as usual she wanted to deal with everything herself until it would be too much for her and she had to ask for help. Sadly she always came when it was almost too late to do something. Bending down he kissed her forehead and prayed that she wouldn´t wait too long this time. It was looking like it was the only thing they didn´t have anymore.
Hours later
Maria heard a door closing pretty loud somewhere near her. Confused she opened her eyes and saw a shadow passing her quickly. Still slightly dozing she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Scanning her surrounding she realized she had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room. Strangly the tv was out and it was dark around her. Noticing the blanket on her body she wondered if Kyle had been covering her with it. Putting her feet on the nice, soft tan coloured carpet beneath her, she stretched her limbs from her body. She hated to sleep on the couch, because she always looked so wrinkled after it. Standing up and straightening her clothes, which seemed to be everywhere, she turned around and saw a small beam of light shining in the hall. Carefully she walked in the direction and noticed that someone was in the kitchen. The closer she got, the clearer the voices became and the more she could understand. Keeping in the dark she leant against the wall besides her and listened.
" I want to know what´s going on. I have a right. I´m still your father".
" I know that Dad. But Maria is my sister and sorry to tell you that, she´s more important to me right now. I won´t break her trust in me. If you want to know something ask her, but this lips keep closed".
" We just want to help, honey. I´m worried about my children. You and your sister are like stranger to me right now. Me, your mother. If you can tell us something, no matter how small, we would appreciate it".
" Sorry. You´re not getting something out of me. You can threaten me with chores or grounding, but I won´t spill. Not now, maybe never".
" Dammit son! If something happens to my daughter and you could have prevented it, I will personally kill you, do you understand me!".
" Jim, calm down. We won´t get far with this tactic. Maybe we should wait until Maria wakes up and try to talk to her".
At that Maria made a hasty retreat. Quietly she sneaked down the hall towards the front door to escape the intervention of her parents. It was bad enough that they were pump their own son for information, but then to do it behind her back that was low. Thankfully her brother was sticking to her, even with the prospect of getting punished. In that moment she was so glad to have such a loyal person at her side. For that she would stop teasing him for at least a week or maybe even two weeks. Slipping carefully out of the house without making too much noise, she was surprised to see that she wasn´t alone. Her loser cousin Sean was sitting on the bench and smoked a cigarette or rather what she hoped was one. He startled and tried to hid the nasty thing.
" Don´t worry. It´s just me".
Sean relaxed again and put the cancer stick back in his mouth. Inhaling deeply the ash on the end of the stem was glowing red in the darkness and illuminated his face a little. " What are you doing out here?".
Maria wrapped her arms around her middle, already cursing herself for forgetting her jacket and looked back inside the house. Her parents were obviously still grilling her brother. The light was still visible and the living room was dark. " Avoiding my parents. What about you?".
" The same", Sean slid a bit aside to make room for his younger cousin. Then he patted the spot besides him and waited until she was seated before he took off his dark blue jacket and threw it over her shoulders. " Feeling better?".
Maria was blown away for a second about the strange behaviour. Oh shit, she was still dreaming or she went loco. There was no other explanation. Everything was just too unreal. Pinching herself she winced when she felt pain shooting through her arm. Damn, there went her theory. " Yeah. I´m good", squinting her eyes at him she regarded him warily. " Are you on drugs?".
Sean laughed and it sounded so weird coming from him. He wasn´t the happy and smile kinda guy, he was more the I´m angry at the world so better stay out of my way kinda guy. " Why? Do I look high to you?".
" No. But your acting odd and it´s a little scaring me. You´re almost nice", and that wasn´t a word she would normally associate with him. Maybe bold, criminal, annoying and definitely strange. But never nice or something in this direction.
Sean took another drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out in the night. His face changed from smiling to hurting. His jaw was moving under his skin and his eyes were glinting in the moonlight. " Yeah. Juvie will do that to you. Believe me, four years in there and you think differently about everything. Besides I got older and see a few things clearer now".
Maria nodded her head at him. She could relate to that. She had to mature in a short span of time, too. Even if she had to do it in freedom and not locked up in some cell. " I kow what you mean".
" Are you in trouble?".
The answer was so sudden and quick that it caught Maria off guard for a moment. She hadn´t realized that even her cousin noticed that anything was going on. Oh hell, maybe she should spare anyone the gossiping and write an article for the Roswell Gazette, where stood that she was an alien slash goddess, who was sent here to save the earth and her home planet. " Not yet. But it´s just a matter of time".
Sean was finally finished with smoking and flicked the stogie away with his fingers. For awhile he watched it fly through the air and out of their sight. After that he turned to the side to eye his cousin. " I know you won´t tell me what you´re hiding from us. But if you need help, I know a few people who love to break some kneecaps. Just say a word, you don´t even have to explain anything and I will call them immediately".
" Why are you doing that?", Maria was a little suspicious, although she had to most honest and longest conversation with her cousin ever. It was like some part of her understood a part of him. Well, maybe he was an alien, too?
Sean jumped to his feets and put himself in front of her. Ruffling her hair and getting a glare in return, he smiled. Not the sarcastic or evil one, no it was a earnest smile. " Because we´re family. And family sticks together", and with that he disappeared inside.
Shocked and a little bewildered she watched after him. Now that was something that she hadn´t expected to find at home. She actually had been having a really good conversation with Sean. And she liked it, even found her first answer. If she wanted to do something different this time, she had to be honest with her parents and tell them everything they wanted to know. Shaking her head she stood up from the bench and went inside, where her father was already waiting for her. His expression didn´t bode well for her. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes just two small slits. " Hey Dad".
" Don´t hey Dad me. I´m not happy with you right now young lady", his voice didn´t raise like it usual did when he was angry with her. No, he used his you disappointed me voice. That was more cruel than his screaming, because it felt like she lost his trust in her.
Maria looked down on the floor and shuffled with her feet. She was trying to distract her father with her little girl number. Slowly she lifted her head and gave him her puppy dog face. That worked everytime. Yeah, until now. " What did I do this time?".
Jim had a hard time keeping his angry expression up. But he wouldn´t look away any longer, not after his children almost got killed in an accident, which didn´t seem to appear like it was coincidence either. He wanted to truth, no bullshiting him and no beating around the bush. " You know what. I want answers right now".
" Not now okay. I will tell you everything, I promise. But give me a little more time and I´m happy to be honest with you and Mom", to add a little dramatic she let her lower lip tremble slightly and her eyes sparkle with unshead tears. Okay, he might have resisted her Daddy´s little girl trick, but he wouldn´t do the same to her sad daughter number.
Jim relented, because he couldn´t see his angel cry. It always broke his heart to witness her green eyes filling with tears and the aweful sound of her sobs. Going to her he embraced her and kissed her head. He couldn´t stay mad at her anyway. " I´m so glad that nothing happened to you. I couldn´t stand losing you or your brother".
Maria enjoyed the warm hug from her father and the unmistakable scent from him. She always wondered what it was. She smelled Old spice, his aftershave, but there was another odor mixed into it. Something that was reminding her about the ocean. But she couldn´t quite put her finger on it. " You don´t have to worry about me or Kyle".
" Yeah I think I heard that sentence before", and still it didn´t convince him. Besides they were his children and he would always worry about them, if they wanted it or not. He was father and he would be that until he died. That would probably the time when he stopped fretting over them.
Maria released her father and wriggled her finger in front of his face with a mischieve twinkle in her eyes. " Maybe you should finally start believing it, then I don´t have to remind you over and over again".
Jim nudged his daughter softly in the direction of the staircase. " I´ll think about it. But now drop by your sisters room for a moment. She´s waiting to talk to you".
" I love you. Good night", kissing her fathers cheek quickly she turned around and sprinted up the stairs without waiting for a reply. She almost fell on her face on the last step, but thankfully she could catch herself in time. Looking down she noticed her father was gone and she was glad that he let her off the hook for now. But soon she would spill her secret. She just had to find the guts to do that. Taking a deep breath she went to Lindsey´s room and knocked on the door before entering. Curious why her baby sis wanted to talk to her.
TBC