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 Two)
Max gently shook Liz awake. She stirred and then rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What time is it?"
"It's time for dinner. It's after six."
Liz sighed. "Why don't you go on without me? I'm not really hungry."
Max frowned. "You should eat, Liz."
"Really, I'm okay. I just want to take a long, hot shower."
"You're sure?"
Liz pulled herself out of bed and stretched. "Yeah. Can you just tell everyone I said hi?"
"Sure." Max studied her for a moment, his brow furrowed with worry.
She saw the look he had on his face and she touched his cheek gently. "I'm okay, Max. I promise."
"Okay. I'll be back after dinner."
Liz watched as Max left the room and shut the door behind him. She sighed and grabbed her basket of shampoos and soaps and then she pulled a clean towel out of her closet and reached for her bathrobe just as her telephone rang.
She walked back across the room and picked up the reciever. "Hello?" There was no answer. "Hello?" she said again, impatiently. Still no answer. "Stupid jerk," she muttered into the phone before slamming it down on the charger. It was no doubt one of the guys in North, the all guys dorm on campus. They were famous for prank calls and wild parties.
Liz grabbed her dorm room keys and stepped into the hallway with her bath stuff, locking the door behind her. She looked up and down the hallway. She listened carefully. Not a sound was being made. Everyone in her hall must have gone to dinner already. The flourescent light flickered above her and she glanced up at it, noticing it was getting very dim. She felt a chill run down her spine.
She hurried down the hallway and pushed open the bathroom door. This was one of the few things she hated about college life--public restrooms. There were five stalls in the front part of the room, and in the back were four showers, with only curtains seperating them. She hated the lack of privacey. Of course, right now I have the place all to myself, she thought.
She quickly undressed, hung her bathrobe and towel on the provided hook and stepped into the shower. She turned the water on hot, but was instantly blasted by cold water anyway. She'd forgotten why she usually took early morning showers--it was the only time there was hot water. She groaned and realized that instead of having a long, hot shower as she'd planned, she was now going to have to hurry through a cold one just to avoid getting hypothermia.
Liz reached for her shampoo and quickly lathered up her long dark hair, clenching her jaw tightly to keep her teeth from chattering. Just as she was rinsing her hair, she thought she heard footsteps coming towards her. She froze, her eyes wide. "Hello?" she called. She reached for her shampoo bottle, ready to squirt whoever it was in the eyes with it if she had to. She poked her head out of the curtain.
No one was there.
You're being paranoid again, Liz, she told herself. You've seen Psycho and Scream too many times. Just chill out.
She reached for her bar of soap and quickly scrubbed herself with it and rinsed off. She shut the water off, her anxiety growing. She swallowed hard, grabbed her robe without trying to dry off and pulled it onto her with great difficulty. She tied the sash around it, and quickly gathered her things. She left the shower area cautiously, her hair dripping wet and leaving a trail behind her.
Liz looked around the bathroom, but no one was there. It must have been her imagination. She pulled open the bathroom door and quickly padded down the hallway in her bare, wet feet. She fumbled with her keys until she found the one to her dorm room and then she unlocked her door, shutting it behind her quickly and then locking it.
She breathed a sigh of relief and set her basket of shower items on her desk and hung her towel on the rack under the mirror so it could dry. She plugged in her hair dryer and grabbed her brush as she ran it through her hair to get the tangles out as it dried. Just as she finished, there was a knock on her door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's me," the voice answered.
Liz couldn't help smile at the response as she unlocked the door and opened it. "Hey, Alex. What's up?"
"I passed Max on my way from the cafeteria. He said you weren't feeling so great."
"You ate dinner already?" she asked, avoiding the question.
"Yeah, I have to work in the computer lab in a little while," he said, glancing at her clock. All the students at Blueridge University had jobs on campus and were required to work at least ten hours a week in exchange for a reduction of tuition.
"Oh."
Alex didn't let her sidestep the question for long. "So, what's going on? Are you all right?" he asked in concern.
Liz nodded. "Yeah, I just got called out on a case in the middle of the night. I'm just tired."
"Oh. Isabel said she came to check on you earlier, something about you not being in class. She said she found you and Max sleeping. That explains why," he said in understanding.
She frowned. "I'm sorry I caused everyone to worry. But I'm okay."
"That's all that matters. And now that I know you're okay, I have to get to work. So, I'll see you tonight sometime when I get done working?" he asked.
"Yeah, you can come over and watch E.R. with me if you want."
Alex smiled. "All right. Count on it." He waved at her one last time and then left. She closed the door behind him and locked it again.
Liz dug around in her dresser drawer and retrieved a pair of sweatpants and an old baggy night shirt. Her comfort clothes. Then she peeled off the robe and got dressed. She picked the robe off the floor and hung it next to her towel. That's when she noticed her answering machine was flashing.
She sighed and crossed the room. She hit play. "You have four new messages." She listened carefully. All four were hang up calls.
Liz peeked through her mini-blinds and out the window. She could see North from her window, and even though it was only Thursday night, she could see the dorm was active with a party. She strained and she could hear the sounds of Metallica blasting from one of the stereos over there. She rolled her eyes in disgust and flopped down on her bed.
She picked up her psychology text book and opened it to the chapter they'd been studying. She leapt off the bed when she heard the blood-curdling scream.