Ch 3
"Liz?" Max tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and launched into his arms giving him a hug. Then she pulled away and hit him. "Ow!"
"Why didn't you call last night? We were worried sick."
"It was a late night- there was a lot to do. Tess planned to call everyone but she got a little busy experimenting with memory retrieval."
"Hmmph. Better tell Michael that if he wants to live he better steer clear of Maria."
"Why's she mad now?"
"Last night. She doesn't like to admit it anymore but she still cares about Michael's sorry ass."
"That's all? I know that."
"Well make sure Michael knows. I hate to admit it but I'm still kind fond of him myself."
Max smiled bitterly. "Aren't we all? I'll warn him, for all the good it'll do."
"Okay. See ya later okay? Oh come to my house today after school and bring Tess, Michael, and Isabel."
"Why?" he questioned.
"Leo wants to meet you guys."
"Leo?" Max suffered a spike of jealousy.
"My whitelighter."
"Whitelighter?"
"Ask Tess," Liz managed to keep her tone not snappish. "She's the expert these days, isn't she?"
"Liz just please tell me?"
"Whitelighters are guardian angels for good witches."
"I'll see you later then Glinda," he teased, naming the first good witch he could think of.
"Very funny, Mork."
hr
"Bout time," Lonnie snapped.
"Stuff it," Rath said.
Ava sighed mildly as the two practically attacked each other in a savage embrace.
"What took you two so long anyway?" Lonnie asked once they'd come up for air.
"She didn't want to come."
"Ava?" Lonnie snapped.
The small young woman shrank inside herself. "What we got to do here, botherin' some guy cause he looks like Zan?" she mumbled, so low Lonnie could barely hear her.
"Look Zan's gone and Max is our only way home."
"Is that his name?" Rath asked.
"Yeah. Max Evans. My double's name is Isabel."
"We all have doubles?" Ava asked.
"Yeah- dude who looks like Rath is called Michael Guerin- chick like you is Tess. They're shacking up together."
"Gross."
"Don't worry I doubt there's anything going on. Michael is to gone on some blonde named Maria."
"How long you been watching?"
"A week. Everywhere they go, I go. Except for last night."
"Why not last night?"
"They're here," she paused, letting that sink in.
"They?" Rath asked. "They who?"
"She means the Skins," Ava said.
"How do you know?" he snapped.
"I actually read the 'history' book."
"How? Why?"
"I don't know what's going on. All I know is that their protector is dead."
"You or them?"
"The Skins you dope," Lonnie snapped. "They're all goody two-shoes."
"And we all know you'd never kill anyone right Lonnie? Well at least not a stranger. You just kill your family," Ava said.
Lonnie's hand clenched and grabbed at Ava's throat.
"It would be very, very easy for your neck to snap," Lonnie snarled. "What happened to Zan was an accident. Accidents happen. Wouldn't it be a shame if an accident happened to you?"
Ava's leg shot straight out and landed in Lonnie's stomach. "Don't screw with me," Ava snarled at the doubled up girl before she left the hotel room.
"When did she develop a spine?" Lonnie growled.
"Right around the time her lover died," Rath said. "You okay?"
"Fine- what's with just sitting there?"
"If I thought you couldn't handle it I would've stepped in."
"Thanks for the support."
"Anytime. Wanna show me how much you missed me?"
"Thought you'd never ask."
hr
"Knock-knock," Tess said as she knocked on Liz's bedroom door and poked her head in.
"Out here Tess," Liz called from the roof.
Tess approached shyly. She still wasn't completely comfortable around Liz. "What's going on?"
"Leo?" Liz called. "They're here."
The air sang and Leo orbed in. Tess jumped back.
"What-who-how-" Michael was having a hard time expressing his thoughts.
"Whitelighter," Max said. "I wasn't aware the entrance would be quite that flashy."
"Sorry if I scared you. So which one is which?" Leo asked.
"Tess. Isabel. Michael. Max," Liz nodded at each of them.
"And he is?" Tess asked.
"Leo."
"Pleasure," Isabel drawled. "What exactly do you do?"
"He guides good witches."
"Like you?"
"Like me."
Tess shrugged. "Um, has Kyle seen this yet?"
"Last night."
"No wonder," she shrugged. "I assume he flipped."
"Sorta. He asked for a strawberry milkshake."
She laughed. "Sounds like him. Can I assume that Maria and Alex dealt with it as a daily occurrence?"
"Yeah they were cool about it. I think Leo was a little disappointed that he didn't shock them."
Leo grinned. "You guys made up for it."
"So are you alive?" Isabel asked.
"No he died in the war," Liz said.
"Which war? Vietnam?"
"No. World War II."
"You're really well preserved," Michael muttered.
"Thanks," Leo said. "So are you four really aliens?"
"Liz, you told him?"
"He's an angel and he's dead. Who's he going to tell?" Isabel pointed out.
"Besides her cousins?"
"He's not going to tell my cousins. It's this whole confidentiality thing. Sorta like attorney/client privilege."
Tess stood up suddenly. "I think I need some air," she said. "I'm going to go- I'll see you later."
"I'll go with you," Michael said following her over the side and down the ladder.
"What's with them?"
"Michael doesn't like being kept in the dark," Liz said. "He also doesn't like exposure."
"There's an understatement," Max said.
Leo nodded. "I would've found out even if she hadn't told me. I can look in on her any time."
"You so better not be looking when I'm in the shower."
"I would never do that on purpose- ask Phoebe."
"I got an earful."
"Oh boy," Leo rolled his eyes before cocking his head.
"Gotta go?"
"Yeah. They say it's important."
"Who does?" Isabel asked. "I don't hear anything."
"It's a message from a higher power," Liz explained. "Bye Leo."
"Bye," Leo disappeared.
"At least life is never boring."
"Who wants boring?" Max said.
hr
"It happened again," Liz whispered to Alex when she came into the Crashdown after her meeting with Leo and the pod squad.
"What did?"
"I saw the gang banger."
"Isabel?"
"No this time it was Michael. Hair up in the air, worse than last year, piercings, and tattoos."
"Was he alone?"
She shot him an exasperated look.
"OK, dumb question," Alex conceded. "Did he talk to you?"
"No. I saw him when I was up on the roof with Max and Isabel. They didn't see him and I only saw him for a second."
"Do you think there's something special about the way you see now?"
"Maybe. I mean I was trained all summer to always be on the lookout for weird things. You know things that don't belong or make sense."
"Well, that's helpful. What do you want to do about it?"
"I'm not sure but I think we should tell Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess just in case I'm not losing it and they are real."
"Max for sure. Michael could handle it, but let's let them tell Isabel. I don't think she would take kindly to hearing about a stranger who looks like her, but has tattoos."
"You know what was really strange?"
"Besides the fact that you saw a carbon copy of Michael only his hair was far worse?"
"One of the tattoos the duplicate Michael had was of that four square thing we saw last year."
"Do you think that means that there's a Max look alike and a Tess look alike and they're actually following destiny?"
"Two Tess'. God just shoot me now," Liz groaned.
"Don't worry, it might not be like that," Alex offered. "Besides, didn't you say that she's stopped throwing herself at Max?"
"Well yeah. But what if Max has a double and his double and Tess' double are together and it starts giving Max and Tess ideas?"
"Max is so gone on you it won't matter anyway. Besides, aren't you the one who's insisting that you and Max can't be together?"
"I agreed to give him a chance to prove that things could work between us."
"And now you don't want to lose that."
"No."
"Well I think the first thing to do is to get everyone together and let them know what's going on."
"That's my plan, after my shift is over. Why don't you spread the word for me?"
"Sure. Where do you want to do this?"
"UFO center," Liz nodded before looking around. "God I'd love to just freeze everyone and split."
"Liz that might cause a few raised eyebrows," Alex pointed out dryly. "Holy- there goes the hope that there was only one Tess," he said, as a girl with violet hair and Tess' face entered the Crashdown.
"No way," Liz backed away from the counter. Then she threw her hands up. The room froze.
She ducked into the room next to the kitchen, separated from the restaurant. Then she unfroze things. She watched through the keyhole as the girl moved straight to Alex.
"Yo, where's that waitress that was just here?"
"What waitress?" Alex asked.
"Never mind," Liz heard the girl's voice and heavy accent. "I need to find a girl- she might look like me. Her name's Tess."
"Sorry, can't help you. I'm not from around here. I live in Arizona."
The girl cocked her head. "Right... You hang around with locals and lust after Isabel Evans for fun. Tell Tess to contact me the way her protector taught her to look for Others. Got it?" The girl spun on an impossibly high heel and nearly strutted out of the Crashdown.
Liz slid out of the back room. "We've got trouble."
"No kidding," Alex said.
hr
Liz pulled her hair back as she and Alex waited inside the UFO center for Maria, Michael, Tess, Isabel, Max, and Kyle.
She was tapping her foot lightly. This was freaky. Why had that girl made an attempt to contact Tess when Isabel and Michael's duplicates had not tried to communicate with anyone?
"Liz calm down," Alex said.
"I can't. This is too freaky for words."
Alex yawned. "What happened to your 'no big deal, this is an everyday kind of a thing' attitude?"
"That stopped about the time I started seeing duplicates of our alien friends."
"Duplicates?" Maria, who had just arrived, yelped. "What are you talking about?"
"Where is everyone?"
"You can relax, we have arrived," Kyle announced grandly. Max, Michael, and Isabel were behind him.
Isabel rolled her eyes. "Shut up Kyle. Tess'll be here in a sec, she left her purse in the car and had to run back and get it."
"Go make sure she's okay, Kyle," Liz said.
"Okay," Kyle went back outside and a few minutes later he came back in with Tess. "So what's going on?"
"A few days ago, the day I told you guys what I was, I saw someone at lunch who looked like Isabel only different."
"Right, the gang banger," Maria nodded.
"Why didn't I hear about this?" Isabel asked, angrily.
"Well for one I didn't think it was real. I thought maybe I was hallucinating. For another I kinda thought you'd lost it."
"So you kept another secret from us, but told people it didn't concern, like that Leo character. Nice going Liz," Michael said sarcastically.
"Shut up Michael. Keep going Liz," Alex said.
"Thank you. Anyway it happened again earlier today. Only this time it was Michael I saw but didn't see."
"Me?"
"And he had tattoos, and worse hair than ever. One of the tattoos was the four square pattern from last spring. Then today..," Liz looked at Alex, turning it over to him.
"A girl with violet hair and blue eyes came into the Crashdown looking for Tess. I tried to play like I didn't know who you were but she seemed to know I lusted for Isabel already."
"Really?" Tess looked disturbed. "Isabel, do you have the book with you?"
"Yeah, it's here," Isabel pulled it out.
Tess flipped through a few pages, and then scanned the page. "Here it is- I think you're seeing the other set of the Royal Four. Our home planet sent both sets so there'd be a greater chance of success. The questions now are what do they want, why are they here, and what do we do about it?" she spoke directly to Max.
Max looked vaguely disturbed. "Did you see a duplicate of me?"
"No not yet," Liz said. "Although wouldn't that be fun? Two control freaks."
"Be nice," Tess admonished.
Seven heads snapped to stare at her, fourteen eyes scrutinized her.
"What did the person looking for Tess want?" Kyle asked protectively.
"For her to contact her the way her protector taught her to look for the others."
"Tess you knew about this?" Michael asked.
"No," she said. "Nasedo tried to teach me how to meditate and search for others like us. He wanted to use it as a tool to find you three- but it didn't really work. I had to know what to look for to find anything."
"Guys don't stop talking or start acting weird but I think we're being watched," Liz said.
Isabel rolled her shoulders. "Oh?" she said, trying to play it off as no big deal.
"Yeah the hairs on the back of my neck are starting to stand up."
"So behind you?" Michael ventured.
Maria grabbed Michael's hand. "We'll be right back," she said. "I suddenly need to go check that the front door is locked."
"It wouldn't matter. You know that Maria," Liz stood up. "Whoa."
"Liz you okay?" Alex said standing in front of her.
"A little dizzy," With that she fell into his arms.
hr
"The brown-haired chick's down for the count," Lonnie said.
"Lonnie, you shouldn't a done that," Ava whispered. "They'll be on their guard big time now. Killin' em off one at a time is beyond screwy. He won't come with us if he thinks we'll hurt him."
"I didn't do nothing," Lonnie snapped.
"Rath?"
"Nothing. Maybe she's just a wimp."
None of them noticed Liz appear and then disappear behind them.
hr
"Liz?" Max touched her face and in the next instant her eyes opened.
"They're here."
"Who are?" Michael asked.
"Who do you think? The gang bangers."
"Where?"
"Up there at the observation window," Liz let Max pull her to her feet. "Nice performance by the way Alex."
"I thought so," he said. It would have been called 'smugly', but it was Alex.
"Liz, I'll go get something for you. I have aspirin in the car," Maria said loudly.
Michael realized her plan. "You little goofball- stay here," he ordered. In a whisper he said, "You can't confront them on your own! Have you lost your mind?"
"It's okay Maria," Liz said with what looked like an innocent gesture of her hand but in reality it was to let loose the banner above the observation window. "If that doesn't force them out of hiding nothing will."
They waited for five minutes. Michael finally stood. "Let's go Max, Kyle."
"Wait. One more idea," Liz said. "Okay well I'm ready to go," she said in a louder voice so it sounded like they were getting closer. "I should probably go lie down."
"Yeah, you must be really tired," Maria said brightly.
"That's what I get for giving you the afternoon off and handling the rush by myself."
"How's that new cook working out?" Isabel asked.
Still nothing from the dupes. Liz made a motion at Max, who moved so that the people in the observation room couldn't see her. Her head dropped on her chest.
hr
"We should go down there," Ava said.
"Why? We're not ready to give up the advantage of secrecy yet."
"I doubt we have that advantage anymore," Ava said. "I think that dark-haired kid with the blue eyes saw me today."
"Idiot," Rath snapped.
Lonnie's hand flashed out, leaving a dark red mark on Ava's cheek. Ava's eyes narrowed.
hr
"You okay?" Maria asked once her friend was back in her body.
"The Isabel look alike is violent."
"What?" Isabel looked disturbed.
"She hit the Tess look alike, after the Tess look alike suggested they lost the advantage of surprise."
"What about the guy who looks like me?" Michael asked disturbed.
"I don't know. Not violent but definitely not big with the self esteem building or knowing how to use a comb."
Michael made a small noise. Anything further was stopped by the duplicate's descent of the staircase.
"Yo up here."
They all turned.
The Michael look alike was leading. The Isabel look alike was on his left, a half step behind. The Tess look alike was nowhere in sight.
"Jesus," Maria muttered.
"That about says it," Kyle agreed softly.
"Who are you?" Max asked.
"Rath. This here's Lonnie."
"I'm Max."
"Isabel."
"Michael."
"Tess."
"These are our friends. This is Alex, Maria, Liz, and Kyle."
Tess stepped up. "You're the other set, aren't you?"
"You know about that?" Rath asked.
"My protector told me that there was another set. He didn't mention that you'd look like us though."
"But there's only two of you," Liz pointed out.
"Our- Zan- the one who looks like you-" Lonnie began. "He's dead."
"And the one that looks like me?" Tess asked.
"She stayed outside. She got shy 'bout seeing someone looked like her lover."
A lie. They all knew it. Who would call them on it?
"I'd like to meet her. Do you think she'd mind if I came outside?"
Rath was about to make a smart remark. And that would just screw things up. Lonnie subtly elbowed him in the side. "No problem," he said easily.
"Tess I'll go with you," Kyle said putting an arm around the small blonde.
"Okay," The two went up the stairs.
"We got to talk, you and me," Lonnie said to Isabel. "Rath, tell the boys why we're here."
"Let's talk in private," Rath said.
"Back here," Max lead Michael and Rath into the back while Lonnie pulled Isabel aside.
Liz turned to Maria and Alex. "I don't trust them," she whispered.
Alex cast a wary eye at the identical girls. "Me neither."
"That Lonnie chick gives me the heebee jeebies. She looks like Isabel but her eyes are totally different. Even when she's pissed you can see how much goodness Isabel has in her. Lonnie doesn't have that," Maria said.
Liz nodded. "I didn't know how to put it into words but that's exactly what it is Maria. What do you think about that guy?" Liz tilted her head towards Rath.
"You know all the horrible things my mother thinks Michael is?" Maria asked.
"Yeah."
"Well I think Rath actually is all those things."
"I couldn't have put it better," Alex agreed. "But the one who looks like Tess? When I talked to her in the Crashdown there was something that made me think she's different."
"What was it?"
"I can't really put my finger on it," he shrugged. "It was like- like she could've said a lot of things, could've done a lot of things to make me tell her what she wanted to know but she didn't."
"When I saw her interact with Lonnie and Rath she did seem to be more caring then they were. Truthfully I think she's afraid of them."
"I would be," Maria confessed. "I never thought I'd say it, but thank God we got Michael and Isabel."
"Tell me about it," Liz said as they all looked over at Isabel and Lonnie.
hr
"You're sure you want to do this?" Kyle tried to slow Tess down.
"Yes."
"What if she's like they are-I so don't trust them- what if she tries to hurt you?"
"I don't think she will," Tess said. "Ava?"
"How did you know my name?" The girl jumped down from the wall with the grace of a cat. "Lonnie and Rath don't ever use it. They just call me idiot or her."
"I know what my name was on the other world. Since Lonnie is obviously short for Vilondra I figured you'd be using Ava," Tess smiled. "I'm Tess and this is Kyle."
Ava nodded jerkily. "You're a bit like me then- you know more than the other three?" her voice almost seemed to tremble.
"Yes. I remember some. And I read the destiny book."
"History book," Ava corrected. "You close to your version of Zan?"
"Not really. But it is getting better. Were you and Zan close?"
"Yeah we were. Sorta anyway. I always thought he was waiting for someone else."
"I know what you mean," Tess's lips curved slightly at her dry words. "But it always was like that, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. I don't remember any unkindness just..."
"Distance," Tess filled in.
"Well, if you're like me, even with all that distance, you care about him some, right?"
"Yeah I do," Tess smiled. "So what are you all doing here?"
"We need your help. But Rath's probably tellin' your Zan-"
"Max. His name is Max."
"Right. Rath's telling Max what we need. Just wanted to warn ya, don't let on about where the granolith is," she whispered it in the alien language.
Kyle felt a shiver go down his spine. "Human present. Clarify please."
"The Holy Grail basically," Tess said.
"Don't tell Lonnie and Rath where it is."
"I don't know where it is. They never told Nasedo."
"Oh well that's a good thing I guess. Also don't let Lonnie to close to her double. What's her name? Irene?"
"Isabel."
"Lonnie can get to people in the weirdest way."
"Thanks," Tess said.
"Yeah. I probably won't see you again- just listen, if you go to New York, avoid trucks and look both way if you drop something in the street."
Tess didn't understand why tears welled up in the other girl's eyes. "Hey, Ava."
"I'm fine," Ava turned. "Bye."
"Bye," Tess turned to Kyle. "Let's go back inside. I suddenly want to be around the others."
He wrapped her in his arms for a second. "I'm here- don't forget I'm here."
"I won't," Tess hugged him back.
hr
"So what did he want?" Isabel asked Max and Michael once Tess had rejoined them. Kyle, Liz, Alex, and Maria were over by the homemaker display and Lonnie and Rath were on a bench across the room.
Max looked at her, seriously. "Michael, would you like to explain?'
"There's some kind of summit that they want Max to attend in New York."
"Just Max?"
"We said no already."
"Why just Max? What kind of summit?" Isabel asked anxiously.
"Something to do with ending the war and getting us home."
Isabel turned to look at Lonnie. "Max, you should go," Isabel encouraged. "Don't you know how many questions this could answer?"
"I don't trust them," Tess said quietly. "I don't think you do either," she directed her statement to Michael.
"I don't," Michael agreed softly. "What did the girl who looks like you have to say?"
"Her name's Ava. She wanted us to watch out for trucks and look both ways before picking something up in the street."
"Well that's cryptic," Isabel said. "On second thought maybe you shouldn't go Max."
"I get the feeling I don't have a choice where they're concerned."
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked urgently. "There's always a choice."
"Rath didn't look to happy when I said no. I don't think they're gonna take no for an answer."
hr
"You were right. He's got that same brick head as Zan."
"We gotta get him to come."
"I know that. I'll handle it."
"Like you handled Zan? Do not screw this up Rath."
"I said I'll handle it Lonnie," he snapped, irritated.
"Make sure you do. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life here."
hr
"That Lonnie makes me want to dig out Grandma Melinda's spell for dealing with the enemy," Liz muttered to Kyle.
He snickered. "I'd love to see that."
"Cursed into a locket for all eternity?" Maria ventured. "That's the one right?"
"Yeah. There's always the one that incinerates her and spreads the ashes throughout time and space."
"Save that one for Rath. He's probably got the same temper as Michael," Alex said.
Maria smirked. "You could write your own spell," she suggested quietly. "I wonder what they want?"
"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Isabel looks worried and Tess looks scared."
"Guerin looks homicidal," Kyle commented. "Evans is the only one who looks completely calm."
"Max always looks calm. It's the control freak in him, right Liz?" Maria said.
Liz pursed her lips. "I don't like this," she muttered.
"Freeze them," Maria said.
"What?"
"Freeze them and then unfreeze Michael or Max and find out what's going on."
"Won't they catch on to something?" Kyle asked.
"No not if I'm in the same place I was when they unfreeze. Here goes," Liz threw her hands up and everyone froze. Then she went over to Max and whirled her hand at him. "What did they want?"
Max looked around. "You froze them?"
"What's happening Max?"
"I don't know if that deserves an answer," Michael, who had also been unfrozen, said.
Maria poked him.
"Just answer please before they unfreeze and I have to come up with some plausible reason of how I got from there to here in seemingly the blink of an eye."
Max sighed. "There's a summit in New York."
"A summit? What kind of a summit?"
"The kind that could take us back home."
"Oh."
"Liz-"
"No it's okay. Besides you two have to get back into your original stances and we have to go back over there," Liz took Maria's arm and the two girls jetted away.
Everything seemed to come unglued. "What's your decision man?" Rath called.
"I need a day to think. Come here tomorrow around five," Max said. "We better get going."