| Part 3: Monday Liz sat in front of her bathroom mirror, carefully getting ready for school. Shallow as it was, image was important. She stared at her reflection. “Don’t screw it up this time,” she whispered to herself. “Come on Lizzie! Time to go!” Nacedo called from downstairs. “Coming!” she replied before grabbing her bag and running down the stairs. Her Uncle Nacedo had been taking care of her for about 10 years now, ever since her parents had died. He was her only family and she didn’t remember anything before living with him. She didn’t even know what her parents had looked like since all her belongings had been destroyed in the house fire that had claimed their lives. Nacedo didn’t have any pictures either, as he and her father hadn’t spoken in years. “Don’t we look nice,” Nacedo smiled as he put down the newspaper. Liz rolled her eyes and smiled. “Thanks Nacedo.” He could be so sappy sometimes. “Grab some breakfast and let’s go. Don’t want to be late, do we?” he said rising from the table and tossing her a croissant. In the car Liz sat picking at her breakfast, too nervous to eat anything. She’d been in a different school each year, sometimes more than that. They never stayed anywhere long enough to grow roots and she’d never had any real friends. But Uncle Nacedo promised that Roswell would be different, that they’d be staying here for good. Which meant she had to get out and meet people. Keeping to herself wouldn’t work anymore. “Well, we’re here,” Nacedo said, pulling into a parking space and throwing the car into park. Liz nodded but didn’t move to get out. Her eyes swept over the crowd of teenagers moving towards the building. Would they treat her like all the others? “Want me to go with you?” Her eyes snapped to his and she shook her head vehemently. Having her Uncle escort her in would only make the new kid bashing worse. Nacedo chuckled and he smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll make friends. You’ll meet people.” Then he felt a familiar prickle, a sensation he hadn’t felt in years from anyone besides Liz. His eyes darted to the throng of students in the schoolyard before resting on a small group of teenagers. 3 boys, 2 girls. One of the boys looked up suddenly and started looking around, his eyes squinted against the sun. Nacedo turned back to Liz, a confident smile on his face. “Now get going. I’ll see you at home after school. Call me if you want me to pick you up.” Liz picked up her bag and stepped out of the car. “Bye. Wish me luck,” she said, still holding the door open. He smiled knowingly. “You won’t need luck,” he replied. Liz smiled and rolled her eyes. She shut the door and turned towards the school building, taking a deep breath as she walked to the front doors. Across the quad the boy was still searching the crowd. ---------------- The day wasn’t going as bad as most 1st days Liz had had. True, no one had spoken to her, but no one had been messing with her either. As Liz shut her locker door a girl spoke from behind. “You have got to tell me where you got that skirt.” “What?” Liz asked as she turned around. A blond, just a bit taller than Liz, wearing a funky vintage flower dress was standing before her. “Your skirt,” the girl said, pointing to the jean skirt Liz was wearing. “Oh, um… Macy’s? I really can’t remember,” Liz replied with an apologetic smile. “Well, it looks great on you. My name’s Maria DeLuca,” she finished, extending a hand. “Liz Parker,” replied Liz, shaking the girl’s outstretched hand. “You’re new, aren’t you?” Maria asked, tilting her head to the side. Liz nodded and pursed her lips, ready for the blow-off she always got. “Where are you from?” Maria asked. “We, um, move around a lot. Most recently we were in Houston,” Liz replied, slightly taken aback that Maria was showing genuine interest. “That’s cool. I’ve been stuck here my whole life.” A moment lapsed as the two girls looked at each other, each at a loss for words. “Well, I’m headed to lunch so I guess I’ll see you around,” Maria finally said, breaking the silence. Liz nodded and Maria turned to walk down the hall. Maria paused and looked back. “You want to come to lunch with me?” Liz hesitated. “Really?” Maria nodded and pointed her head in the direction of the quad. “Come on.” Maria led them to an empty table in the shade of a tree and sat down on the bench. She patted the seat next to her and Liz sat down, thankful for Maria’s kindness. “So do you like it here?” Maria asked. Liz shrugged. “I haven’t really looked around much. I moved in a few days ago and have been home unpacking mostly.” She took out a coke and popped the tab, sipping at it. It didn’t taste good without the Tabasco, but she didn’t want to add it with Maria in front of her. “What do your parents do that makes you have to move around so much?” Maria asked, munching on a carrot. “My parents are dead. I live with my Uncle,” Liz replied. Her jaw tightened and she looked away from Maria’s gaze. Nacedo never liked to talk about her parents and no one had ever asked before. In fact, she’d never really talked to anyone about her parents. It felt strange. Maria was immediately apologetic. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Liz shook her head and forced a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know.” “Hey DeLuca,” said a tall, lanky brunette as he sat down on the other side of Maria. “Hey Alex. This is Liz Parker, she’s new to Roswell,” Maria said motioning to Liz. “Welcome to Roswell, Liz,” Alex said, flashing her a smile and shaking her hand. “Hi Maria, Alex,” a female voice sounded. Liz turned in her seat to see a blond who could easily be the object of every man’s fantasy. She sauntered over to the table, followed by a dark, quiet guy. The two sat down and eyed Liz. Liz got really nervous suddenly. There was something about them, like they didn’t want her there and had no problem showing it. But there was something more. The hairs on the back of her neck stuck up and she suddenly got a very strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Isabel, Max, this is Liz Parker,” Alex said. Isabel nodded slightly and Max smiled. Liz smiled shyly in return and everyone started sharing first day stories. Max was staring at Liz, his eyes soft and questioning. Isabel kept eyeing her warily. Then a humming started in Liz’s mind, steadily getting louder. Liz sat up straight and glanced around, her breath quickening. What was that? She looked at the others at the table but they hadn’t noticed anything different, although Isabel and Max were exchanging looks and glancing at her. Liz fought to slow her breathing, but the humming was getting stronger, more insistent. It was like something in her mind was whispering, trying to tell her something. She glanced at the others and realized their mouths were moving but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. The humming was blocking them out. “Excuse me,” Liz said suddenly, standing up and grabbing her bag. Her hand flew to her temple as she tried desperately to block the sound. She backed up two steps before turning around, knocking into someone. The noise was louder than ever and she began mumbling an apology as she looked up at the person she’d run into. Liz stopped dead in her tracks as the whispering tapered off, now only a low hum in the back of her mind. Her eyes were locked with his, both of them staring at each other in wonder. She searched his eyes, trying to see if he had somehow heard it too, or if she was just going insane. For a moment she though she saw a flash of recognition in his eyes, but he quickly guarded himself and squinted down at her. Liz took a step back and bowed her head, tucking her bag in front her. “Sorry. I should watch where I’m going,” she mumbled and then she was gone, ducking past him quickly and disappearing into the building. He watched her leave, his brow wrinkled in concentration. What was that? Who was that? “Hey Michael!” Max shouted, bringing him back to reality. Michael walked to the table and sat down next to Max, his body turned in the direction the girl had left. “What was that?” Isabel hissed, making sure Maria and Alex weren’t paying attention. Michael just shrugged and leaned forwards, resting his forearms on his knees. “Who was that?” Michael asked, darting his eyes to Max and Isabel. “Her name is Liz. She’s new,” Isabel supplied. “Maria invited her to join us, but after a few minutes she just jumped up and left. Then she ran into you.” Michael just nodded, the wheels in his head grinding. “Michael,” Max whispered, catching his friend’s eyes. “What just happened?” --------------------- Across town Nacedo was flooring his Jeep down the highway towards the desert. He hadn’t been there since he found Liz, but he would never forget how to get to the cave. He had to know if it was still safely hidden, and if anyone else had been there in his absence. |