Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to Melinda Metz, Jason Katims, etc. I'm not making money, this is for entertainment only.
Rating: R (for language, sexual content, and violence)
Author's Note: This is the sequal to "Matters of Trust." If you haven't read that, than I advice reading it before reading this, because otherwise you'll be really confused.
Spoilers: Up through "Blood Brothers" of the tv show, the first five books of Roswell High by Melinda Metz, and my fanfic, "Matters of Trust."
Background: This takes place four years after the final events of "Matters of Trust." Liz, Max, Michael, Maria, Isabel and Alex have gone to the fictional town of Blueridge, Colorado, for college. Blueridge is a small suburb of Denver.
Dedication: To everyone who emailed me with their thoughts and feelings on "Matters of Trust," but especially to Linda, Mel, Betsey and Bec! Thanks, guys!
Other: Feedback is always appreciated greatly! :)
Ghosts (Part One)
Max Evans waited outside the psychology room for Liz Parker. He watched the flood of people pouring out of the room. As the last student ran out, Max peeked his head inside the classroom.
"Can I help you?" Prof. Draya asked.
"Um...Yeah, I was looking for Liz Parker."
"She wasn't in class today." Prof. Draya studied him for a moment. "Your name is Max, right?"
He nodded.
"I thought you looked familiar. You're a friend of Liz's?"
"Yeah."
"Well, when you see her, tell her I missed having my favorite student in class this morning." Prof. Draya gathered her briefcase and papers and left.
Max frowned and looked down at his watch. It was 9:54. He bit his lip and headed down the hallway to the advanced composition classroom. He spotted Isabel sitting at her usual desk, getting ready for class. There were a few other students already there, as well.
"Isabel!" he whispered.
She looked up in surprise and met his gaze. He motioned her over.
"Max. What's up?" she asked.
"Have you seen Liz?"
"No. Why?"
"She didn't go to psych this morning. I was hoping you'd seen her."
Isabel shook her head, noting the worried expression on her brother's face. "Maybe she's sick."
"Yeah. Maybe," he echoed.
A group of students moved past them and into the room. Max looked at his watch again. "If you see her, tell her I'm looking for her. I'm going to head over to her room and see if she's there."
"Okay. Hey, if she's not in her room, check with Michael or Maria. Neither of them have early classes. Maybe she went over to hang out or something."
Max nodded, knowing she was trying to keep him from panicking. But they both knew Liz wouldn't be with Michael or Maria, not when she had classes. Out of the six of them, Liz was the most academically disciplined. She never missed class unless something was wrong. "Right," he answered finally. He turned around and hurried off down the hallway.
Max knocked on Liz's dorm room door, paused and listened. Liz never called, "Come in." He glanced at the erasable marker board on the door. No message had been written on it saying where she went or when she'd be back.
This was very unlike her.
Max glanced up and down the hallway. Then he moved his hand over the lock and turned the door handle. He quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
He looked around the room. The bed was unmade, the blankets had been shoved to the end of the bed in a twisted heap. The closet door was flung open and clothes and hangers were discarded on the floor. Liz's portable phone reciever was on the bed. The window was open a crack, letting in the chilly October air.
Max moved over to the phone and picked up the reciever to put it back on the charger, but when he picked it up, he had a vision.
Liz sat up in bed, and stared at the glowing red digits. 3:26 a.m. The phone was ringing. She reached over and picked it up. "Hello?" She listened for a moment. "Yeah, I'll be right there." She dropped the phone onto the bed, shoved the covers down and jumped out of bed, hurrying to the closet.
Max set the phone back on the charger and swallowed hard. Well, at least she hadn't been kidnapped. He drew in a deep breath and busied himself by picking up clothes, and hanging them back on their hangers and placing them back in the closet.
He ran his fingers over the silver necklace that lay on her nightstand. Alex had gotten the necklace for her for her birthday last year, and she always wore it. He studied the rose pendant that dangled from it. It was small, and had the initials E.M.P. engraved on the back. He moved his hand to pick up a gold-framed picture of her and him on Christmas Eve the year before. He smiled.
Then he glanced over and studied the pictures that hung on the billboard on the concrete wall next to the bunk bed, by her pillow. There were several pictures of her and Maria and Alex, and then a single one of Isabel, and one of Michael, one of Michael, Isabel, and Max at lunch, and then one of the six of them at prom, and another of the six of them at graduation.
Max remembered graduation night. The six of them had gone to the desert together, instead of going to one of the party's they'd been invited to. They'd only wanted it to be the six of them. Their family. They'd had a picnic under the stars, with soft music on the radio, and they'd danced for hours. He smiled at the memory.
Just then, he heard the door open and close again, and he stood up to face Liz. He stared at her and her lower lip trembled. Her eyes were filled with tears that spilled over. She dropped her purse on the ground and he opened his arms as she rushed into them.
He just held her for a long time, stroking her hair gently. "Liz?" he whispered finally as she started to calm down.
She buried her face in his shoulder and held onto him tightly. "Oh, Max."
Max kissed the top of her head. "What is it?" he asked gently, pulling away from her.
"One of our clients from the clinic tried to commit suicide last night," she whispered, her face crumpling again.
He swallowed hard and then brushed her tears away with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead and she wrapped her arms around his waist again and began to sob.
He held her tightly. "It's okay. It's okay," he whispered. "Tell me about it."
She nodded her against him slightly. "She's fourteen. Her uncle..." Liz's voice trailed off.
Max sucked in a breath and held her even tighter.
"No one would believe her, Max. No one believe her and she couldn't handle it."
"Someone does believe her, Liz," he said softly.
Liz looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed. She touched his face and he pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Max."
"You don't have to worry about it. You have me. Always," he promised, gazing into her beautiful brown eyes.
She nodded. "Could you just hold me for awhile?"
"Yeah." They moved over to the bed, and Max and Liz slipped off their shoes and crawled under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin on the top of her head as she laid her head on his shoulder. Max pulled the blankets up around them and rubbed her back softly in a soothing circular motion.
He remembered four years ago when he found out what Liz's uncle had done to her and he supressed a shudder.
The very thought of anyone touching Liz, of hurting her that way made him sick. And it had happened. He hadn't been there to stop it from happening. And now it had happened to someone else, someone Liz knew and cared about. He held her protectively and she snuggled up against him.
A wave of fear washed over him. Something was coming, Max could feel it. And he knew it was only a matter of time before the ghosts returned.
Go to Part 2