Maria closed her eyes. “Great. Now we’re stuck in here.”
“What do you mean we’re stuck in here? All we have to do is yell out and Max or someone will hear us? It’s simple.” Michael stated.
“No, it’s not.” Maria informed him. “This place was a bar up until about seventeen years ago when Max’s grandparents turned it over to his parents before Max was born. That was when they turned it into a cafe. This room used to store booze as well as napkins. For insurance reasons, they had to have a room or closet that could store liquor when the bar was closed. This room is like Fort Knox. There’s a small vent to let in air but they won’t hear us if we yell. And if your powers don’t work, then we’re stuck in here until one of the Parkers come to get stuff to open up.”
“Don’t you have parents that’ll notice you’re not at home? It’s not like you’re quiet.” Michael said gruffly. He did not want to be stuck all night in a small room with Maria and a bunch of food. It was not exactly his ideal Friday night or any other night for that matter.
“Yes, I have a mother but she’s not home this weekend. She’s in Sante Fe at a vendor for her store.” Maria informed him snidely. “Look I’m not happy about all this either.”
Michael looked around the room at all of the food on the shelves as well as some bottled water and pop. “Well at least I won’t starve.”
“Yeah, because that’s something I’m really worried about.” Maria said sarcastically. She looked up and was glad that at least the light was still on and hadn’t gotten turned off or broken somehow. It would just be too strange to be in here all night with him in complete darkness.
The room was quiet for some time; the only sounds were of the occupants breathing and their shuffling around. Michael thought he was going to die of boredom. He had even tried to unlock the door with his powers just to have something to do, but it hadn’t worked and they were still locked in. Deciding he had nothing better to do, he grabbed a bag of chips, a bottle of Tabasco, and a bottle of cherry coke.
Maria watched him as he ate and couldn’t help but grimace at the mess he was making. But instead of commenting she asked, “So you guys have normal appetites and needs? Like eating and sleeping?”
“No, I’m eating for the fun of it.” Michael griped. He saw that she was taking him serious and shook his head. “I was joking about that.”
“I knew that.” Maria said quickly, unable to believe she had fallen for such a lame joke. She had just been asking him a simple question that she hadn’t thought of asking Liz before, and now she felt stupid.
“Sure you did.” Michael said then decided to answer her question. “We have to eat and sleep just like humans do, except we don’t need to sleep quite as much.”
“Mmnn…” Maria said.
“What’s the ‘mmnn’ for?” Michael asked.
“Nothing. Just absorbing it all.” Maria stated. She continued to watch him finish up his chips for a little bit before she said, “You’re not happy about any of this are you? Not being stuck in here but about us three humans knowing your little secret.”
“No. I’m not.” Michael answered simply.
“Why not? I would think it would be nice to get things off of your chest.”
“The more people that know, the bigger the risk that the wrong people will find out. And those wrong people would love to get their hands on us. So you can see why I don’t feel like I can trust humans.” Michael explained.
“But we’re not going to tell anyone.” Maria argued.
“We’ll see.” Michael said cryptically.
Silence stretched over the next few minutes until Maria started speaking again. “I couldn’t help but notice how close the three of you are. I mean you’re almost always together. Except now Alex and Max hang around. So is it because you can’t be friends with someone without telling them?”
Michael couldn’t believe how much this girl talked but answered her anyway. “The three of us made a pact, years ago, that we wouldn’t have any attachments. That way when someone comes for us, we can just leave. We’ve done it except for the Evans, Liz and Isabel are close to them.”
“How did you guys end up separated?” Maria asked. “Why didn’t the Evans adopt you too?”
Michael didn’t answer at first. It was a sore subject for him. He wished things had gone differently that night that he hadn’t let go of Isabel and Liz’s hands. “It’s simple, the Evans found the girls and not me. I got picked up in the desert after a few days of wandering around and was taken to a children’s home. Liz and Isabel were there too but we couldn’t talk yet so we couldn’t tell anyone that we didn’t want to be separated. They got adopted and I got sent to a Foster home.”
“You live on your own now don’t you?” Maria asked.
“For about six months.” Michael said. He was surprising himself about how much he was talking. There must not be as much oxygen in there with them because he was loosing his mind.
Maria seemed to think something over before saying, “So if you guys don’t get close to anyone what about dating? It kind of limits the options to Liz or Isabel…”
“Do not finish that thought. If I even wanted to date, Liz and Isabel are like my sisters. And being with one of them would just be wrong.” Michael exclaimed and was surprised when Maria burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?”
“It’s just what you said, I said something similar to my Mom not too long ago. She thinks I should date either Alex or Max. I know it’s just because she thinks that they’re safe and can trust them. But being an only child, they’re the closest things I have to brothers and that’s just gross.” Maria stated as she let out a large yawn. She leaned against some bags and said, “I’m going to get some sleep, see you in the morning.”
Maria heard what she thought was a good night before she drifted off to sleep.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)
The next morning Jeff Parker got quite a surprise when he went into his supply cabinet. Inside was one of his son’s best friends Maria asleep, leaning against a spiky haired guy that he recognized came into the café a lot. He thought his name was Michael. It took him a few minutes of staring at them before he realized that they had gotten themselves locked inside and had been there for the whole night.
He bent down and gently shook Maria’s shoulder. It took some shaking but he finally was able to rouse her. She started to try and explain but he waved her off and told her she should wake Michael and get home. Maria nodded and as soon as Jeff left, she shoved Michael over to wake him up. “Come on, we’re free.”
Michael slowly woke up and looked around until his eyes settled on the door. He got up and started for it. “It’s about time. Maybe now I can go get some decent sleep in my own bed.”
As Maria watched him go, she couldn’t help but wonder if they would talk again like they had the night before. It had been nice. And he was a lot more interesting than she had thought.
PART 22
In the month that followed, the dynamics of the group started to settle into a pattern. Liz’s friendship with Max kept growing not to mention she got to know Alex and Maria better. Although she loved her sister, Liz was glad to have a girlfriend to talk to. The school got quite a shock when Isabel Evans started turning down dates from every guy who asked her. Especially when they found that she was spending quite a bit of time with Alex Whitman. Everyone thought Alex was nice enough but was flabbergasted that one of the most popular, beautiful girls were hanging out with him. But neither of them seemed to pay any attention to what people said.
As hard as they tried, they were unable to find out much about the illusive Ms. Pierce. All Isabel could find out from when she was in the office was that the school had hired an outside firm to work on the files and they had assigned her. Then before they could check in more, she was gone. The official report was that she had to go back to her company’s office to create the system the school needed but would be back. So the group put off her investigation until she made an appearance.
Liz and Isabel were surprised by how Michael’s attitude seemed to change around Maria. Ever since they had been locked in the storage room, which the whole group knew about, Michael seemed somewhat nicer. He was still sarcastic, and gruff but it almost seemed like when he and Maria would snap at each other, it was like they were flirting. Something Liz and Isabel couldn’t help but smile at.
The three humans helped the aliens go through the files from the sheriff’s office and they began to see a pattern emerging during the year after they came out of the pods concerning the pictures taken in the woods. Once a year although never on the same day, a flash of what was reported to be dry lightening. What made the people who reported it think it was more than that was the fact that marks on the ground could be found exactly where the lightening supposedly struck. While that was not unusual, the shape of the marks was, they were not just ordinary scorch marks. Burned into the ground were what looked to be designs or symbols. The rest of the pictures that Michael had taken from the office were of the marks. The three aliens would have blown them off like the crop circle reports except that they recognized the symbols. They didn’t know how but they all knew them.
It was a good thing that they had the pictures because the reports stated that within a few days like the silver handprint, the symbols disappeared. The ground appeared to be unmarred just like before the reports. They could only figure out that it was some kind of sign. Some one out there, possibly whoever killed that man in 1959 as well as the other victims throughout the years, was trying to let them know since they came out of the pods that they were out there.
Michael had wanted to run out right away to explore the area of the sightings. But Liz had stopped him explaining that they covered a large area, most of Frasier Woods, and they needed to plan if they were going out there. Which Liz started working on and it wasn’t long before things started coming together.
The three went through what Liz had come up with as they drove home from school on Friday afternoon. Roswell had been hit with an uncommon winter heat wave and the temperature was somewhere between the nineties to a hundred. “The plan is that we’ll tell our parents that we decided we wanted to escape all of the heat by having a campout in the woods. It’s hotter to be inside than outside since the air conditioners can’t keep up with the heat so they’ll buy it. Even if the thought of Isabel going camping is a little off.” Liz laid out as she drove. Things had been crazy the last couple of days because of the heat. Everyone had school even the teachers seemed to be pairing up and it made Liz feel a little lonely. Especially after she had accidentally walked in on Alex and Isabel kissing heatedly in one of the empty classrooms. But she still stuck by her decision to stay just friends with Max. Tess hadn’t been around much but Liz didn’t want to get her curious again. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her or her father but she did her best to stay under their radar.
“Alex is going to met us at seven on the north end of Main Street just as you leave the town limits. I didn’t think that Mom or Dad would be okay knowing that he was going.” Isabel explained.
“Max is going to be with him. His gear is going to be in Alex’s car.” Liz added.
“What about that Maria girl?” Michael asked from his position in the backseat.
Liz and Isabel glanced at each other for a minute, both holding back a smile before Isabel said, “You really need to stop calling her that Maria girl. I’m sure she doesn’t appreciate it.”
Michael didn’t say anything so Liz just answered his question. “Maria will be with the guys. She’s not exactly enthusiastic about going into the woods but she said she wanted to help. Does that work for you?”
“Why would I care?” Michael asked gruffly.
“You asked.” Isabel retorted.
“I just wanted to know if I’d have to hear her mouth all night.” Michael said. “If you guys thought it was something more, the heat must be getting to your brain.”
They pulled into the Evans driveway then and as soon as the jeep stopped they separated to start gathering their stuff. Michael to his apartment, Liz and Isabel to the house.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)
The six of them met up just as planned and headed for the woods. It was still light out when they reached the spot Liz had figured to be the best place to start. It was in middle of the area where the marks had been and since there were nine spots, and they wanted to check them out it was the most logical place.
It was too hot to sleep in tents or to have a fire so they laid out all of their sleeping bags around the fire pit. They placed three large camping lamps inside the pit so that they’d have light without the added heat from a fire. They didn’t need a fire to cook from either since Max had brought a bunch of sandwiches. Once camp was set up, Liz stood up and announced. “We’re going to break up in three groups. I think it’d be better if the groups were one alien and one human. That way if something is found, you can signal to the others.”
“How are you going to do that?” Maria asked.
“We can use our powers to create balls of energy like this.” Liz said cupping her hands. Inside of them was a tiny ball about the size of a teaspoon; it glowed brightly with an unworldly light. The three humans stared in awe before Liz extinguished the light. “Okay, if you find something just send up a small flash of light and the rest of us will come running.”
“What are the groups?” Alex asked, “Because I want to go with Isabel.”
“You and Isabel, me and Max, and Michael and Maria.” Liz answered as she handed Isabel and Michael each a list of spots they were to check out.
“Great.” Maria mumbled. She grabbed a bottle of water and a flashlight as they headed off in the different directions. “Why do I always get stuck with you?”
“Just lucky I guess.” Michael smirked.
The two walked on for a little while until they reached their first spot. The sun was just starting to set so there were shadows over the area they needed to search but they had their flashlights. Michael kneeled on the ground to get a closer look but there was nothing. “Damn it.”
Maria watched as he gave it one last look before he started off to their second spot to check out. “So these markings, do you guys really think they’ll lead you to some answers.”
“At least someone who should have the answers. I know that whoever left the marks was doing it to try and contact us, why else would they start only after we got out of our pods?” Michael asked.
“Why would someone from another planet come to Earth let alone Roswell?” Maria asked.
“How do we know that they meant to come to Roswell? After all we crashed, maybe something was wrong with the ship while it was flying and they had to land at the first place they could find.” Michael explained.
“But why Earth? What would be the purpose?” Maria asked not satisfied with his answer.
“To wipe out the population of big mouth blondes?” Michael grumbled.
“Hey! I’m just trying to make conversation here. I have to talk to keep my mind off being in the dark woods with Lord knows what kind of creepy crawly things around and maybe just next to my feet.” Maria exclaimed in outrage. “I have to keep my mind off the fact that I’m scared okay?”
Later Michael wouldn’t know if what he did was to shut her up or just to get her mind off things but at the time he thought it was a good idea. He turned to face her before he quickly grabbed her and crushed his lips to hers. It took a minute for her to relax and respond but when she did, the two kissed deeply.
Michael finally broke away from her and let go. Maria just stared in confusion as he walked away. “What was that?”
“That was a way to calm you down.” Michael said as he looked around their second spot. They were in a hilly area and it was right next to a large rise in the ground. As he looked around something caught his eye.
“You can’t just grab someone and kiss them like that! You just…”
“Will you shut up for a minute? I think I found something.” Michael said as he moved some vegetation and rocks aside. Behind them was the opening to a cave. He made his way inside cautiously and ran his light across the walls. Maria followed him and heard him gasp in surprise. She followed his line of sight and saw that one of the cave walls were covered in the symbols from the photos.
“Let’s go outside, I’ve got to get the others.”
PART 23
Max and Liz were strangely silent as they explored their areas. Things had been tense between them since the start of the heat wave had begun. Maria had told Max that it was unresolved sexual tension brought on more intensely by the heat and Max was starting to agree with her. Deciding to break the silence he said, “I haven’t heard you say anything about what’s going on between Isabel and Alex. What do you think about it?”
“Well, I’m happy that Isabel is opening up some but I’m worried what’s going to happen.” Liz stated. “I think it’s either going to or is getting pretty serious.”
“Would it be bad if it were?” Max asked for
“Yes!” Liz exclaimed then seeing his hurt she tried to explain. “I mean...I don't know. It’s just like I said before Max. We may have to leave and it wouldn’t be far.”
“Don’t you think that Alex knows that and is willing to take the risk?” Max asked. “It’s not only your or Isabel’s decision to make but mine and Alex’s as well.”
Liz looked up into his eyes and said, “Why do you have to be so persistent?”
“Because I want to be with you. And I don’t want to give up on the idea of us as easily as you do.” Max said as he moved closer to her. He was slightly surprised that she didn’t pull away but took it as a good sign and thought she had finally given in. He could feel her breath on his lips but before they could take the final step, a light illuminated the trees.
Max and Liz saw the chosen signal and Liz knew it was Michael by the direction it came from. “Come on, Michael’s found something.”
She grabbed his hand and the two started trudging through the woods. It was slow going since it was fully dark now and there were all kinds of things they could trip over on the ground. They were about half way there when they collided with Isabel and Alex. They did not appear to be looking around; they were more concerned with exploring each other’s mouths. Liz couldn’t believe it! It was so unlike her sister. “Isabel! We came out here to look for clues to our existence, not for you and Alex to satisfy your urges. This heat is making people nuts.”
Alex and Isabel looked away guiltily and Isabel was strangely silent. So Liz just said, “Since you were otherwise occupied I’ll tell you that Michael sent us a signal, he must have found something.”
The four headed off towards in the direction where Liz and Max saw the signal. Alex and Max took the front and lead while Liz kept Isabel behind to talk. “Isabel, what has gotten into you lately? You used to not even kiss a guy you liked and all of sudden I’ve caught you and Alex pawing at each other. I just thought we had guidelines about this. We agreed that we wouldn’t act on any... desires.”
“You’re one to talk about reacting Liz.” Isabel snapped. “If I remember right it was the object of your ‘desires’ that brought us to this point. So don’t get all high and mighty when I act on mine.”
“Isabel…I’m just trying to remind you that things can just start off as a kiss and it can lead to more. And we can't let things spin out of control.”
“It's more than that.” Isabel stated.
“How much more?”
“I care about Alex. It’s not just a physical thing. I don’t know how to explain it but I feel like I can let my guard down around him.” Isabel said.
“Are you sure that you’re just not attracted to him because he knows our secret?” Liz asked.
“No!” Isabel exclaimed in outrage that Liz could think she was that low. “Him knowing our secret just gave me the opportunity to get to know him.”
“Just be careful Isabel.” Liz warned “I can’t believe you and I are talking about this. After all the lectures you and Michael have given me over the years.”
The conversation died when they reached where Michael and Maria were standing. Isabel just looked at the two and asked, “What did you find?”
“It’s better if you see it.” Michael said anxiously. He guided them a short distance away and into what looked like a cave. The opening wasn’t very wide but it opened out into a good size cavern.
Everyone shined their flashlights around but Liz’s landed on one wall the one Michael had obviously found. She handed Max her flashlight and held her hands close together. She used her powers to create a ball of light and let it go. It floated up until it halted just above them. It was bright enough to illuminate the entire chamber so that they didn’t need the extra lights.
Alex eyed the new lighting fixture above them and said, “Cool, who needs flashlights and lanterns when you have a handy dandy alien around.”
But if anyone heard him they weren’t paying attention at least not the aliens. They were staring, fixated on the images drawn on the wall. Michael was the first one to speak, “They’re so much more detailed then the pictures.”
Liz couldn’t help but reach out and run her fingers over the drawings. As she did they started to glow, like they were made with glowing paint. Max freaked and grabbed her arm to pull her away. “No, it’s okay Max.”
“What is it?” Maria asked.
The three aliens looked it over. Instead of being individual symbols, they were grouped together and that’s when it clicked to Liz. “I think it’s our language. I don’t know how but I recognize it. And I think this is a message.”
“It has to be.” Michael said excitedly. “There’s someone out there like us and they left this for us to find. Whoever it is, they are trying to find us.”
Alex reached into the backpack he had brought and pulled out a digital camera. “I thought you guys might need this if we found anything, and I guess you found something.”
“Thanks Alex.” Liz said. “Could you snap the whole wall?”
Alex nodded as he started taking pictures. While he did Liz, Michael, and Isabel started poking around. As they looked around, Liz got a flash.
**Flash**
Someone digging into the earth in front of the wall with what looked like human hands. Whoever’s eyes she was looking through dropped a bag into the whole before covering it up again.
**Flash**
Liz snapped out of the flash and came back to reality. “We have to dig, right here. There’s something buried underneath that I think is important.”
No one argued as Liz started digging with her hands. Max kneeled down next to her and helped. It took some time but Max finally felt his fingers encounter something other than the dirt. He wrapped his hand around it and started to pull it loose. “I’ve got something.”
When whatever Max had found was finally free and in his hands the group finally got a look at what he found. It appeared to be a large leather pouch and it looked heavy. He handed it off to Liz who used her powers to undo the tight knots and dumped out the contents in her lap.
Five citrine or amber colored stones, what looked like a large metal egg about the size of an ostrich egg and a necklace fell out of the bag. Michael reached for the metal egg while Isabel, Maria, Max, and Alex picked up the stones. Liz didn’t know why but something compelled her to pick up the necklace. It was on a black cord and the pendant looked to be about two or three inches long. One of the symbols was on it. It was made of metal and as Liz marveled at how warm it was when she touched it. The warmth sent a tingling up her arm and caused her to drop it.
“Liz, what’s wrong?” Max asked noticing what had happened.
“The pendant. When I touched it, I felt this strange tingling and it was really warm.” Liz said. Michael bent down to retrieve it and turned it over in his hand. “I don’t feel anything, and it’s not warm. It’s not an ice sickle either but I would say it was unusual or anything.
He handed it to Isabel who shrugged. “I don’t feel anything different either.”
Liz decided maybe it was just her and reached to get it back. As soon as the metal surface she got the same feeling. But this time it didn’t scare her instead she lifted it up and slid it around her neck. It lay nestled between her breast and she felt an odd comfort from it. Maybe whoever had written the message had left the necklace for her. She looked over at the other stuff the others were holding and asked, “Can you guys tell what those are?”
“This looks like it might be a cylinder that stores something. Like one of those time capsule things.” Michael stated. He ran his finger over the indentation on the smooth surface, “This symbol is on your necklace, this thing and on the wall. It must be one of the important ones.”
Liz nodded agreeing with him before she looked at the others. “What about the stones? Are they from Earth or somewhere else like our planet?”
“They don’t look like any rock that I’ve seen.” Alex stated.
“They look kind of like the crystals I read about in one of the books in Mom’s shop. The book was a guide to using crystals to help channel yourself but I didn’t see any this color inside.” Maria explained.
“Well let’s keep looking around and see if anything else was left behind.” Liz stated as the group got to work.
PART 24
Hours of searching the cave and the floor turned up no more treasures for the aliens. The later it grew, the more the group diminished until Liz was the only one left inside. She sat crossed legged in the middle of the cave staring up at the drawings as if their meaning would suddenly come to her. Of course, the rational part of her brain reminded her that it wouldn’t happen. She knew that if she hadn’t remembered yet, she probably wasn’t going to. It was a forgotten memory.
She heard some shuffling at the entrance and turned in alarm. When she spotted a pair of familiar amber eyes she relaxed. “Max, I thought everyone went to bed.”
“Couldn’t sleep, it’s too hot.” Max explained as he made his way inside. The later the hour, the lower the temperature was but that didn’t say much since it was still like lying in an oven. It wasn’t the best way to try and get a good night’s sleep. “Everyone else is knocked out though.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Liz said. “Isabel could fall asleep in a middle of a battlefield if she’s tired. And Michael, he’s still used to be able to sleep wherever he can.”
“He had to do it a lot?” Max asked.
“Yeah. His foster father wasn’t the nicest of guys and he used to drink a lot. Most of the time Michael would sneak into either Isabel or my room but other times he slept out in the desert or something like that.” Liz explained.
“Sounds rough.” Max admitted. “And it kind of reminds me of Maria. After her dad left and she came to accept that he wasn’t coming back, she got really upset with her Mom. She came to my house and ended up living with me and my parents for almost a month.”
“Have you noticed how weird Michael and Maria were acting earlier?” Liz asked. “I mean neither of them were snapping at each other or anything like they usually do.”
“Yeah, I noticed. It’s like they were embarrassed or shy around each other. I wonder why they suddenly changed so much.” Max realized that he still had something for Liz in his hand and said, “Here. You’ve been in here a while and I thought you might want something to drink.”
Max handed her a cold bottle of water, which she gratefully accepted. She unscrewed the top and took a healthy swig of it. She looked back at Max and said, “Thanks.”
Max looked over at the wall again then back at Liz, “You know you can’t just stare at this thing forever, eventually you’re going to have to come out of this cave.”
“I know.” Liz stated. “It’s just that all of my life, out of the three of us, I’ve always been the one who denied what we were. I always did my best to pretend that I’m human. Even when we started this whole search, I kept up the idea. But finding this cave and this necklace…” Liz said fiddling with her pendant. It was still warm to her touch but she had gotten used to it. “And my whole reaction to it, I can’t deny it anymore.”
“Liz, you don’t have to deny who you are anymore, at least not around us. We care about you.” Max stated passionately. “I care about you.”
“I know, Max and I care about you.” Liz confessed as she got up to stretch her legs. She paced the small space as she explained what she was thinking. “I think that might be part of the reason why I wanted to act like I was human, because I never thought you would want to be with me if I was an alien.”
“And you know that isn’t true.” Max confirmed as he too stood.
“Yeah, I know.”
“And yet, you still won’t give in and let yourself be happy.” Max declared as he walked closer to her. “Don’t you ever just want to say screw it and give in?”
Liz looked up and said, “All of the time.”
Max turned his face to look into her brown eyes. The two of them stood there staring at each other, taking in every feature. Max felt his heart beating like it was going to come through his chest. She was so beautiful. He lifted his hand to her cheek. As he did, she closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. He wanted to kiss her, but didn’t know if she wanted him to or at least allow him to do it. “Liz?”
“Hmmm?”
“Can I… Can I kiss you?” Max asked.
She smiled and watched his face as she leaned toward him not verbally answering his question. He closed his eyes as he felt her soft lips meet his. It was only for a second and he pulled slightly away. He wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going to move away from him. Neither one of them had felt anything like this. Not that either had had a lot of experience, this was Liz’s first kiss and Max had only kissed Tess and Maria. And Maria had only been to settle his curiosity about kissing.
He tangled his fingers into her thick hair, pulling her back in for a deeper kiss. Max could hear little moans coming from the back of Liz’s throat. He parted her lips gently with his tongue and she reciprocated the action. Their tongues raged a warm sensuous war on each other. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He felt her hands rub over his back softly, making him quiver under her touch.
Liz had known if the two of them had ever kissed, it would be spectacular but never as this passionate. Her brain was only focused on him from the feeling of his warm body to the softness of his lips. She didn’t want the kiss to end but it did. He brought his hand up to her face and gently released the kiss. Her eyes were burning into his. But although the kiss had ended, he pulled her in for a tighter embrace as he leaned his forehead against hers, “Wow.”
“I think that’s the understatement of the year.” Liz muttered against his chin. She studied him for a minute before asking, “So what now?”
“We’re together,” Max stated straightforwardly. He didn’t get a chance to argue before he added, “Please say it Liz. I don’t think I can go back, to being friends.”
“Me either.” Liz said. She couldn’t deny what her heart was telling her anymore. Every fiber of her being was telling her to be with Max, and she was determined to get what she craved. She tilted her face down and captured his lips with hers again. She felt his surprise at her forwardness but he quickly relaxed and returned the kiss.
For a short time, the two did nothing else but familiarize each other with the feeling of their lips as well as their taste. Things didn’t go beyond kissing but they were perfectly happy with that. When the make out session was finally ended, Max sat against one of the walls while Liz curled up next to him.
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)
The next morning Max felt himself wake up thanks to something hitting him in his leg and he opened his eyes. When he did, he saw a not too happy face of Michael. He was about to ask him why he looked so upset when he became aware of a weight on his chest. He looked down and saw the top of a well-known head of brown hair, Liz. It hit him then why Michael was probably upset. “Michael, I know how this looks but it’s not...”
“You mean you’re not currently sleeping with one of two girls I consider my sister, alone with no one to make sure you keep your hands to yourself?” Michael asked.
Max realized how much truth was in his words and knew he had a point. “Okay, yeah maybe it is what it looks like but nothing happened.”
“Nothing?” Michael asked raising an eyebrow.
“Okay we kissed, but that’s it.” Max confessed.
“Michael, leave him alone.” Liz mumbled as she made them aware that she had woken up. “What Max and I do is so none of your business.”
Michael was about to argue when she gave him a look that said he best not. He held out his hand to help her up which she took. As he pulled her up he heard her gasp and look at him in surprise. “What?”
“You. And Maria?” Liz asked surprised. She saw him look away, and wouldn’t meet her eyes. It was a sign that proved she was right.
“What are you talking about?” Max asked.
“When Michael grabbed my hand, I got a flash of him and Maria. They were kissing.” Liz informed him. She looked back at Michael and added, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, I was just surprised.”
“You’re not the only one.” Michael said.
“Max, can you give me and Michael a minute alone?” Liz asked. Max nodded, kissed her on the forehead before getting up and leaving the cave. When he was gone, Liz addressed Michael, “I know you’ve always been the biggest supporter of the not getting intense thing but I think you should try and see what could happen between you and Maria. If you stepped back and looked at the whole thing, you’d see that the two of you have been dancing around each other ever since you got locked up in that store room at the Crashdown.”
Michael shifted uneasily as what Liz said hit home. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”
“Just think on it, you don’t have to decide right now. Although Maria doesn’t strike me as a person who will put off talking about it for long.” Liz said. “Michael, eventually you have to let someone in. And it seems that despite the impression you give, I think you are attracted to Maria. All I’m saying is think about it.”
“Come on, we better head back to the others.” Michael said gruffly. Liz knew that she had at least gotten her say and dropped the subject as they headed back to the campsite.
(*(*(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)*)*)
As they headed back to town split up, the aliens in the jeep, the humans in Alex’s car. They figured it was better that way since their parents didn’t know that the six of them had been together. They were just inside Roswell City limits when the sounds of police sirens blasted through the air. Liz looked in the rearview mirror and saw that it was the Sheriff himself. She panicked for a minute until she looked down at her speedometer and realized that she had been speeding. “Don’t worry, guys. He’s just doing a routine traffic stop, I was speeding.”
“I highly doubt that’s why he’s pulling us over. Most of the kids in school drive faster than we were and he never busts them.” Michael muttered but just sat back and waited as the Sheriff walked up. He passed Alex’s car and came straight to the jeep, “Can I see your license and registration, please.”
Liz handed him her documents and waited for him. He glanced at them before saying, “Miss Evans do you realize you were going fifteen miles over the speed limit?”
“No, I’m sorry. I was trying to hurry up and get home.” Liz said politely.
The Sheriff looked at the three of them for a minute. To anyone else they’d look like three normal kids returning from a road trip. But he knew better. At least one of them, Liz, was more than they appeared. He had observed them over the past few weeks and could see how close the three of them were, and now they had added three more to their group. He hadn’t even bothered trying to question Max Parker again nor Alex Whitman or Maria Deluca. He had a feeling they were dead ends. There was no way to infiltrate that group. So instead he’d just keeping investigating them and see what he turned up. “You three do look a little road worn and tired. So I’m going to let you off on a warning but be careful with your speed. We wouldn’t want you to have a car accident and get hurt now would we?”
The Sheriff tipped his hand before strolling back to his cruiser. He passed Alex’s car on the way where he repeated the motion. Liz glanced over at Isabel before starting the jeep again. “See I told you. Just a routine stop.”
“That was more than some routine speeding warning.” Michael stated gruffly to her. “It was his way of saying that he’s still watching us.”
Liz was about to argue with him when her cell phone started ringing. She quickly dug it out of her pocket before she flipped it open, “Hello?”
“Are you three alright?” Max’s panicked voice asked.
“Yeah, we’re fine. Look I think we should separate as we head back. You guys go on ahead.” Liz instructed. “I’ll talk to you later, Max.”
“Count on it, Liz.” Max said before he hung up. Liz flipped the phone shut and pulled off the side of the road after Alex’s car sped by.
As she did she said, “He doesn’t know anything, we just need to act normal. We won’t be going back to the cave, at least not for a little while. Alex took enough pictures that we can study them if we need to.”
PART 25
The rest of the weekend was uneventful for the group. They didn’t even get much chance to see each other. Alex came over to the Evan’s house so that he could give them a CD with the pictures of the cave while Michael, Maria, and Max were busy with work. So the first time they saw each other was on Monday at school.
Liz had just walked into school when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist. She smiled as she turned around, “You better be careful, if my boyfriend sees you he might get angry.”
“I’m not worried,” Max said playing along. “I’m sure I can take him.”
“I don’t know, he’s pretty strong, for a human.” Liz whispered.
“Then I’ll just have to have you protect me.” Max said before finally lowering his mouth to give her a quick kiss. It wasn’t nearly enough but it would have to do.
“Oh please. I think I’m going to gag from all of the sweetness between you two.” Isabel commented from where she stood next to the happy couple.
Liz broke away from Max still smiling to look at her sister, “Oh please Izzy, like you and Alex don’t act like this and worse. Remember, I’ve walked in on you.”
“We’re not so cheesy.” Isabel stated. She was about to say more when she spotted something actually someone behind Liz’s shoulder. “Don’t be obvious about it but look behind you.”
Liz positioned her and Max so that when she hugged him, she could see behind them. It was a feet since Max was somewhat taller than she was but she was able to do it. And when she did, she saw the familiar face of Ms. Pierce down the corridor. “Oh no, not now.”
“What is it?” Max asked.
“Ms. Pierce is back and she’s walking this way.” Liz informed him. She pulled back from him but kept hold of his hand as she watched Ms. Pierce walk towards them. Liz felt pinned by the sterile look in her eyes or she would have pulled Max and her sister away. Instead they were still there when she approached them, “Liz & Isabel Evans?”
“Yes.” Both girls said.
“My name is Ms. Pierce and I’m working on some of the school files. You and your sister’s files have a few holes in them that I’d like to talk to you individually about them. Can you come to my office?” Ms. Pierce asked.
Isabel and Liz looked at each other for a minute, not knowing what to do. They could refuse but they were sure she had the backing of the school administration and if they did it might raise red flags. And that was the last thing they needed after their run in with the Sheriff. “Sure. When?”
“I can take you now and your sister later.” Ms. Pierce stated. She smiled at them but they could all tell that it was faked and a forced one.
“I have to go to my locker. Can I meet you in the office in five minutes?” Liz asked.
“That would be great. Just tell the secretary who you are and she’ll let you in. I’ll tell her I’m expecting you.” Ms. Pierce informed them.
The three of them watched as she walked away with uneasiness. Max waited until she was out of earshot before speaking. “Liz, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Max, I have to go. She works for the school and it won’t look right if I refuse.” Liz explained. “Besides she’s probably just some simple information.”
“Why does she have to talk to the two of you?” Max asked. Despite the fact that she was the one with powers, he wanted to protect her.
“I don’t know, maybe she needs different information from each of us.” Liz stated.
“Then why doesn’t she just give you a form to fill out?” Max asked.
“I don’t know.” Liz answered.
“I have to side with Max on this.” Isabel cut in. “I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either but we have to do it.” Liz said. She ended the argument by walking away and towards her locker. Isabel didn’t follower her but Max did. He didn’t say anything, just waited for her as she got her things from her locker. When she was done, he walked her to the office. He kissed her on the forehead before saying; “Just be careful Liz.”
“Always.” Liz said before she slipped into the office.”
(*(*(*(*(*(**)*)*)*)*)*)
Liz gave her name to the secretary who directed her down to the second door. She knocked gently and heard Ms. Pierce tell her to come in from the other side. As she entered she heard her Ms. Pierce say, “Right on time. Please sit down.”
Liz took a seat in the only other chair in the room. “So what kind of information did you need?”
“The program I’m creating is going to help the guidance counselors next year help their students with achieving their college dreams. I was looking over your file and I noticed that both you and your sister missed the day that the school administered questionnaires about your plans after college.” Ms. Pierce informed her.
Liz breathed a sigh of relief when she was done explaining. It was just about a simple standardized test that her and Isabel missed a few weeks ago when her parents had let them off of school on a Friday. Their dad had some business to take care of in Alburqueue and their mom had thought the girls might want to go shopping with them. She watched as Ms. Pierce handed her a pencil and a few pieces of paper that held the questions.
She worked quickly wanting to get out of there and tell the others that her trip to Ms. Pierce office was nothing to worry about. After she finished the last question, she handed the paper over to Ms. Pierce. “Well I’ll just be going.”
“Wait as I look over your answers.” Ms. Pierce ordered.
Liz stayed in her seat s she watched the older woman scan her paper. She saw her eyebrows rise before looking up to address her. “You wrote that you plan to attend to attend a university in this state, either at Sante Fe or Las Cruces.”
“Yes.” Liz stated.
“I’m curious as to why, your grades are extraordinary and you wouldn’t have any problem getting into any college you wanted to. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, any of them would be glad to have you so why settle for one of the ones you listed.” Ms. Pierce asked inquisitively.
Liz shrugged, “Just felt like sticking close to home.”
Pierce seemed to study her for a minute before asking. “Your family means a lot to you doesn’t it?”
“Of course they do.”
“Have you ever thought that it might be because you’re adopted?”
“No, I haven’t.” Liz stated. “What does this have to do with my file?”
“It doesn’t. I also have a psychology decree and I’m just curious why an obviously intelligent young woman is so adamant about staying home when the world is so open to her. It makes me think that there’s another reason then family.” Ms. Pierce stated. “According to a transcript from an interview with your guidance counselor, you don’t remember anything before your adoption when you were six.”
“Yes.” Liz answered.
“Your sister’s file says the same thing.” Ms. Pierce declared. “I find that very interesting. Usually suppressed memories resurface over time and it’s been ten years. It makes me curious that you might want to stay close to Roswell in case your birth parents come looking for you.”
“Why would I want to do that? Whoever they were just abandoned us and left us for dead.” Liz lied. She knew that she sounded convincing and made sure that her tone sounded annoyed and not guarded like she had secrets. “Can I go now? I don’t want to miss too much of class.”
“Sure, I think I have everything I need.” Ms. Pierce said dismissing her. Liz grabbed her stuff and quickly headed from the office in search of Isabel to warn her what her meeting would be like.
After Liz left Ms. Pierce pulled out the small cassette recorder she had hidden in her desk. She brought it closer to her mouth and said, “Primary subject: Elizabeth Evans. When asked about her past she appears to become anxious and guarded. Further observation to see if she is the intended target is warranted but by all accounts, she is what we’re looking for.”
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