| PART FOUR Monday afternoon Do you have any idea how boring car rides can be? I mean, I didn’t think it’d be this bad, but I’m in absolute agony. We’ve been on the road all day. Michael and Alex have been bickering off and on about what music to play the entire time. And if it’s not music, it’s how Alex is driving. I fell asleep a little earlier, as did Ava, but now I can’t even keep my eyes shut for more than a minute. I’ve read two National Geographics cover to cover and even looked at the NYU catalog my parents gave me. But now not even the fashion magazines Isabel gave Ava are interesting. I’m hungry, my muscles ache, and I am so sick of being in the car! “Pull off at the next stop, Alex,” I said, leaning forward to make sure he’d hear me. Michael turned to me. “We’ve hardly made any headway. Why are we pulling off?” “Because I’m hungry, we need get gas, and if I have to stay in this car for one more minute I’m going to hurt someone!” Did I also mention that car rides make me bitchy? Ava nodded. “Girl’s got a point.” Michael turned to Alex. “Fine. Pull off.” So I’d pissed Michael off. Big deal. It’s not like I haven’t done that before. While Alex filled up the car and Michael washed the windows, Ava and I took a walk to stretch our legs. “So how’d you guys find out?” Ava asked, giving me a sideways glance. “About the other set of pods?” I asked, stopping to pick a wildflower. “Naw, about the whole alien thing.” “Oh, that,” I said with a smile. “Well, um, I found out first. Last year. Maria and I were working at the Crashdown one day when these two guys came in. They got into an argument and one of them shot a gun …” Ava just nodded, like guns were no big deal. I guess that’s what comes with living in New York. “And the bullet hit me.” Her eyes widened a bit and I continued. “I was going to die, but Max saved me, brought me back. After that he had to tell me and I spilled it to Maria. Later we had to tell Alex. Then Valenti. Then Kyle.” I mumble the last part since I still hate that I was the one who had to tell so many people. Especially since it was never my secret to tell. When I glanced at Ava again, she was staring straight at me, her eyes wide. “What’s wrong?” I asked, getting a little worried. “He …” she swallowed deeply, “he saved you?” It was barely a whisper. I nodded slowly, a little unnerved by her reaction. What’s the big deal? I know it’s not an everyday event, but she must realize their powers are advanced enough to do that. She licked her lips and parted them like she was going to speak … “Quit your yakkin’ and come get some grub!” Michael yelled from the car. “Be there in a sec!” I replied before turning back to Ava. “What were you going to say?” “Nuthin’, don’t worry bout it,” she replied. She turned away from me and walked quickly back towards the guys. I stood there a moment, wondering what had just happened. But I shrugged it off and figured I could ask later. -------------- Monday night Dinner was pretty uneventful. Ava was quieter than usual, Alex and I talked about school, and Michael’s conversation input was nonexistent. He voted himself as next driver and me as his copilot. Alex and Ava fell asleep in the back. I tried to read, but after a while it was too dark. I was finally sick of the quiet and started fiddling with the radio stations. “There’s nothing on,” Michael whispered. “Just grab a CD.” I opened my CDs and started flipping through. “We are not listening to your music.” I wrinkled my noise at his tone and decided to defend myself. “And why not? It’s much better than some of the stuff you listen to.” He snorted in reply. “Fine,” I said. “We’ll try one of your CDs. And then one of mine.” He nodded in agreement. I grabbed his CD case and started thumbing through it. He didn’t have much that I recognized, mainly heavy metal music. Since I didn’t know any of the bands I thumbed through waiting for a name to grab my attention. My fingers lingered on a CD. “What’s this?” Michael glanced over to see what I was pointing at. “That’s Soulfly. They’re pretty good. You won’t like them though.” My jaw clenched in annoyance. What is it with boys and deciding things for you? “Well, I’ll just pop it in and have a listen for myself.” I put the CD in and noticed the smirk on Michael’s face. “What?” I said, smiling at his behavior. A second later, guitars, drums, and a guy yelling at the top of his lungs filled the car. I jumped, as did Alex and Ava. Michael was cracking up as I reached to eject the CD. When I finally got the CD out, I turned to the back and started apologizing for waking them. Michael was still laughing so hard that his cheeks were turning red and his eyes were watering. “I told you that you wouldn’t like them,” he laughed. “What the hell are you doin’?” Ava was not happy. And her purple hair was matted to the side of her face. Michael laughed harder. “I know we shouldn’t have left you two in charge,” Alex mumbled. “Waking us up in the middle of the night … don’t want us getting any rest …” “I am so sorry, Alex. I swear I didn’t know. We’ll be quiet, I swear.” “It’s ok, just … try and keep it down.” And with that he turned to Ava and they leaned on each other to fall back asleep. I nodded and turned back to the front. I crossed my arms and gave a little “huff”. Michael looked at me and started to chuckle. “I’m guessing no more CDs, huh?” He laughed a little more and then stopped when I turned and glared at him. His smile shrank but was still lingering on the surface. I couldn’t keep my hard look long, and turned away before he could see me smile. “No, no more CDs. Well, not yours anyway.” He nodded in resignation and I popped in a Radiohead CD to play quietly. ----------- After another few hours, I was starting to nod off. And Michael’s constant yawning told me he was worn out too. I leaned over and whispered, “You ready for a break?” “Yeah, let’s stop for some gas. It’ll give me a chance to walk around some.” I nodded and he pulled off the next exit. “We stopping?” Alex half-yawned from the back. Ava started to stir next to him. “Yeah sleeping beauty, we’re getting some gas.” Michael and his smart comments. I’d smile if I weren’t so exhausted. We spent about 20 minutes at the gas station and when it was time to get on the road again, Alex and Ava insisted on taking over the driving responsibilities. They’d had a couple candy bars each and were both wired. So Michael and I climbed in the back. I’m sure everyone is aware of this, but I’d just like to stress how uncomfortable cars are for sleeping. Even a big Cadillac. I’ve been changing positions for like, 20 minutes, and still haven’t found any position comfortable enough to stay in. Why didn’t I think to bring a pillow? “Come here, Liz,” Michael whispered. His right arm tugged on my sleeve, pulling me towards him. He shifted so his back was against the door and he tugged on my arm again. Was he being serious? I hesitated a second. Actually, it was less than that. To be honest, I didn’t even pause. I scooted to the middle seat and leaned against him, letting my head rest on his chest. His arms went around me, his left hand lying gently on my stomach and his right arm wrapping around my front, resting across my collarbone. His body enveloped mine perfectly. I smiled a little and snuggled in closer, which prompted him to squeeze me gently and bury his face in the back of my neck. I felt his lips curve into a smile, sending shivers down my spine. How am I supposed to sleep now? ------ Amazingly, I did fall asleep. The steady rhythm of Michael’s breath and heartbeat helped me doze off finally. When I woke, I opened my eyes slowly, not wanting to move from where I was. The sun was just beginning to rise, spreading pinks and oranges across the horizon. Alex was driving and Ava was looking out the window. A K’s Choice CD played softly in the CD player. I felt Michael stir behind me. Even though we’d shifted during the night, his arms were still around me. I closed my eyes, memorizing the feel of his body pressed against mine: His arms wrapped around me, his breath warm against my cheek, the way his thumb twitched against my back every minute or so. When he stirred again, he made a little grunt noise and pulled me closer. I twisted so my body fit into his curves a little better and so I was facing him. My eyes were still closed and I squeezed back. I opened my eyes to look straight into his face. He was still asleep. His head leaned down some, turned slightly towards me. I took in his features. The dark crescents his eyelashes made. The slight stubble on his chin. The dark pink of his lips. Lips that were only a couple inches from mine. I could feel his breath on my lips. Warming them. Silently begging for a kiss. My heart beat faster. And I breathed deeper. I couldn’t take my eyes off his mouth. Then I saw more movement. His eyes fluttered open and looked into mine. I fought to control my breathing and slow my heart down. We looked at each other. Straight into each other’s eyes. I couldn’t think, couldn’t even fathom what he must be thinking. I was just lost. Drowning in his eyes, in his gaze. It took me a few moments to realize his breathing had gotten deeper too. And I could feel his heartbeat speed up. His thumb twitched again, against the small of my back, making my breath catch a little. My gaze flickered back to his lips, lips that were still so close to mine. When I looked back up, his gaze had changed. It was like he was taking every part of me in, memorizing every detail just like I had been. I shivered from the intensity. His arm pulled me in closer. My lips parted slightly. God, my heart was about to burst it was pounding so hard. “Hey you guys, wake up. It’s time for breakfast.” Michael and I snapped out of it. I blushed. He looked away guiltily and pulled his hands away slowly. I moved back into my seat and turned to the front. “We’re up.” |