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| Maria tapped her foot impatiently against the tiled floor, waiting for Miss Green to finish her lecture on proper oral hygiene. Like anyone cared about that. Half the students had already drifted away and Maria swore she saw Liz's head actually droop. The bell finally rang, its sound filling the school. It was lunch, the most important module of the day for her. She was finally going to find out the truth about Max Evans, like how he was able to heal Liz and the glow that had emitted from his hands. No one she knew had glow in the dark hands. Questions had swirled around inside her head and she had been mentally picking out the best ones, knowing that these would give her the answers she wanted. Inhaling, she walked down the hall with her best friend, ready to find the teenage boy. Max felt an arm latch onto his hand, pulling him into the Eraser Room. The sound of a door being locked sent alarm bells off in his head but when he turned, all he saw was Liz Parker and Maria DeLuca. Max tensed up, knowing what was going to come next. It was what he had feared all day, even though he had told Isabel and Michael about his decision. But saying that you were going to do something and actually doing it was a completely different matter. And he was certainly feeling that difference now. 'Max, we'd like to ask you a few questions,' Maria started, her voice breaking the tense silence in the room. Max swallowed but managed to nod his head, preparing himself for what would happen next. 'Remember yesterday at the Crashdown? Remember Liz? Yeah, she was practically bleeding to death when all of a sudden you place your hand over the wound, your hands glow, and then it's gone. The wound just vanished. Now, even though I fail Science, it doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out that what you did wasn't human. So would you mind explaining this to me because I know I wasn't crazy back there, I saw it happen Max and all I want to know is how .' Max stared at Maria, thinking of an answer. 'Max,' Liz whispered to him. He turned his head towards her, his hands already clammy. Slowly, he saw her lift up her shirt to reveal a silver handprint. 'I found this on me today morning,' she said, her voice slightly shaky. Max sighed. Raising his hand, he pointed a finger up, hoping that they would catch his point. 'What? You're from Canada? Canadians aren't alie-' Maria stopped, her face getting noticeably paler. She let out a small laugh. 'You're not an alien right? I mean they don't actually exist,' Maria said, looking at him closely, her eyes wide. Liz simply stood there, waiting for his answer. 'I prefer the term not of this earth,' he joked, a chuckle escaping his lips. The two girls stood in front of him, their faces showing no emotion whatsoever. Liz stared at Max. Did he just say that he was an alien? She certainly hadn't expected to find an alien on earth, especially considering since it was not even humanly possible. Her mind rationalized what she had just heard. Him being an alien explained why he had been able to heal her but Liz's thoughts were far from that. She could only stare at him and wonder how he had survived on their planet . how he had adapted and had been able to form a life as a normal teenage boy. Millions of questions teemed inside her, waiting to spill out. Maria closed her eyes, desperately trying to calm herself down. Had she heard him right? Had Max Evans, as close to human as you could possibly get, admit that he was an extraterrestrial? She got hold of the bottle of cypress oil in her pocket and breathed in the scent, but her nerves were on the brink, ready to be pushed over the edge. Suddenly, she grabbed the doorknob and yanked hard, forgetting to undo the lock. She fell but quickly regained her composure and shot out of the room, anxious to get away. Liz watched in astonishment as her best friend bolted out the door, leaving her and Max alone in the Eraser Room. The realization that they were the only two left in the cramped space finally hit Liz and she eyed Max with a new sense of caution. He had confessed to her his alien status and yet she did not feel that he could do anything to her, anything that might hurt her. She flicked her gaze over his face, searching for any signs of emotion. A thin sheen of sweat had formed above his brow and his eyes shifted around the room, looking at anything but her. The thought of what Max had entrusted her and Maria with somehow sent a wave of joy over her, knowing that Max had trusted them both enough to even say anything like what they had just heard. She wanted to ask him so many questions but right now, the moment seemed fragile, like if she said anything wrong she might just break that bond he had formed with her. Walking towards the door, she gently touched his sleeve, her mind finding words of reassurance. 'Don't worry, your secret's safe with us,' she finally said, sending him a warm smile. She saw the tension slowly fading away from his face, leaving behind a smile similar to her own. Taking that as a sign, she opened the door and went in search of Maria, hoping her friend had not completely lost her mind. Max walked through the quad, oblivious to the noise and chatter of the student body. He had finally told them the truth about him and it felt good to know that they would never tell anyone. But Maria had practically run away from him after finding out the truth . he shook his head. Liz had told him that they would keep mum about it and he trusted her, fully and completely. He couldn't believe he had actually managed to have a somewhat normal conversation with Liz Parker and not stutter or just plain stare at her like a complete idiot. The feel of Liz's fingertips through his sleeve still remained fresh in his mind. It had felt good . right, like as though they belonged together. Max shook his head. He was obsessing about Liz again when he should be concentrating about his upcoming conversation with Michael and Isabel. He sighed. He knew he had to tell them exactly what had happened, right down to the last detail. After all, telling Liz and Maria put them in as much danger as himself. But what would they interpret Maria's reaction as? Fear? Disgust? Or simply freaked out? There was only one way to find out. Isabel squirted hot sauce on her pizza, hoping the added zest would make the cafeteria food seem edible in some way. Tossing aside the empty packet, she took a small bite, savouring the mix of cheese and spice. Chewing, she scanned the quad, hoping to spot her brother. He must have told them something by now and she wanted to know what. Noticing the turning of female heads, she spotted Michael making his way to her. She rolled her eyes. He was obviously in a bad mood, judging by the scowl he had etched on his face. Of the three of them, Michael trusted no one besides her and Max and he intended to keep it that way. Max deciding to tell complete strangers their secret had not sat well with him and he was still feeling that way, knowing Michael. 'Iz,' he greeted her in his usual way. He looked around. 'Max isn't here yet,' she said, immediately knowing his reason for being here. Michael simply shrugged and directed his gaze away from her. Was he really that uncomfortable about letting others know about him, about the three of them and where they came from? Although she had never admitted it to anyone, she was actually glad that Max wanted to tell the two humans. Somehow knowing that they weren't the only ones battling the fear of being discovered seemed comforting, like as though there were others that could help them whenever they needed help. Maybe now that dream would finally come true. Michael watched as Max neared the stone table he and Isabel were at, his eyes taking in Max's nervous body language. Great, something must have happened, something that could put an end to his already miserable life. 'So what happened Maxwell? Everything go alright?' Michael asked anger and hurt evident in his tone. To his amazement, a small smile formed on Max's face. 'Everything's going to be alright,' Max simply said, like as though it was no big deal. Michael blinked. How could Max be so calm . so Max about this? Didn't he realize what he had just done? 'What did you tell them Max?' Isabel asked, sensing that Michael was about ready to explode. 'I told them who I was. They don't know a thing about the two of you so just relax okay?' Max answered her, the goofy grin still on his face. Michael wished he could just reach over and give him a hard shake, bring him back to reality. Instead, he settled on sarcasm. 'Wow. That means a lot to me Maxwell, it really does. What do you want? A medal? Heck, why not a trophy?' Michael said bitterly, glaring straight at his friend. He heard a sigh escape from his friend, a frustrated one. 'Look, we can trust them okay? Don't ask me how I know, I just do,' Max told him, stressing his words. 'Whatever Maxwell,' Michael said, getting up from the chair. The noise around him now seemed way too loud. 'See you guys later,' he said before heading towards the school gate, wanting to get back home to his apartment. Maybe then he would have woken up because everything that was happening right now seemed like a bad dream, a really bad one. Isabel felt dejection settling over her as she watched Michael disappear behind a bunch of stubby trees. Why couldn't he see that maybe Max had done them both a favour by telling the Liz and Maria? Isabel knew that Michael's short temper sometimes clouded his judgment but she had never seen him so angry before in her entire life . it was almost scary. 'I suppose you're going to tell me that I did the wrong thing too?' She heard her brother whisper softly, sounding tired. Isabel turned to face him, placing her hand firmly over his. 'No, for some reason I think you did the right thing,' she told him, hoping that her approval of his actions might take some of the weight she knew was heavy on his shoulders. Max always assumed that he had to look out for her and Michael and that he had to share in their anger, sadness, fears, happiness . but sometimes it looked as if her brother was taking things way too seriously, like as though everything bad that had happened to the three of them was all his fault. And anything she could do to ease that burden was like a happy moment for her, seeing the warmth and affection reflected in his eyes right now. 'Thanks Iz, you don't know how much that means to me,' Max told her, squeezing her hand in return. She watched as his gaze wandered to the direction where Michael had taken off. 'Don't worry about Michael. Eventually, he'll see the light,' she said to him. Max gave her a tiny smile and bit into his sandwich. Now if only she could believe what she had just said. Maria slowed, her thudding footsteps becoming softer with each passing moment. Fragments of the previous conversation swirled around and around in her head, making her dizzy. Maria had always prided herself on her strong will. No matter what happens, she would always be there by her friends sides, even if she herself was quaking in her high tops. But that will had just crumbled when she had heard Max say he was an alien. An alien? At first she had thought he was joking, just kicking her around but when she had saw the silver handprint on Liz's stomach, her mind had just simply froze. She just simply couldn't accept the fact that aliens really did exist and she had been sitting next to one for the past three years and not even know it. This coming from the daughter of Amy DeLuca, who sold alien merchandise for a living. The irony of the situation made her laugh. 'Ria? Are you okay?' Liz's concerned tone brought her out of temporary insanity. She had never been so grateful to hear Liz's voice in her life. 'If okay means freaking out then I'm doing just fine,' Maria replied, slowly sliding down to the floor. Liz crouched down in front of her, her brown eyes intense. 'Maria, you know that what Max told us is really important and that if the wrong people find out .' Maria shuddered. She would never utter a word, she would never place Max in danger like that just because her humanoid brain had yet to come to terms with the news. 'I know Liz. Don't you think I know that? I guess I just kind of freaked or something . it's not like as though I have people coming up to me everyday and telling me that their from another planet. Relax okay? These lips are sealed,' Maria finished, pretending to draw a zip across her pink glossy lips. Liz looked visibly relieved that Maria wasn't going to lose her mind and cracked a small smile at her friend. 'Come on, let's go. The bells going to ring any minute,' Liz told her, pushing herself up. Maria watched her best friend walk off, hoping she would learn to accept Max's true origins for Liz's sake, and Max's. Michael kicked at a can, sending the metal object flying across the pavement. It landed with a metallic clang on the other side, the sound soft yet distinctive. The sun beat down on his back, seeping through his thin shirt and spreading it's warmth over his body. Beads of sweat had already started to form on his collarbone and his mouth screamed for something tall and cool to drink. Taking a sharp right, he headed towards a nearby soda machine and dug through his pocket for a dollar. Slipping in the coin, he traced his fingers over the buttons before finally pushing one. The machine gurgled and a Pepsi can landed heavily into the hollow groove. Reaching for the can, he realized his situation resembled him buying the can of soda. Before, choices had presented itself before the three of them, whether they should tell someone or keep it to themselves. For seventeen years, no one had bothered to slip in a coin to make a choice until Liz had gotten shot. The coin had finally fallen into the machine and Max saving her was like him pushing a button, making a choice. He stared at the can, rolling it back and forth between his hands. So had it been the right one or the wrong one? That was something Michael himself had been trying to figure out. Having someone there to cover his back seemed okay. Not that Max and Isabel weren't enough. But just knowing that there were other people out there to watch him and make sure he was alright seemed appealing. But that meant revealing his true identity, showing who he really was. An alien. Michael had finally come to accept himself for who he was and he had never bothered to think about how others might see of him, others of the non- alien variety. Now, that thought alone seemed to control his mind. Would they view him as a freak or just someone like them, only different in a way? Would they recoil in fear and disgust or acknowledge him when he was near? He crunched the can in frustration, sending a spray of Pepsi from the spout. Watching the carbonated water hit the ground, the sudden realization that as far as Liz and Maria were concerned, Max was the only alien. They didn't know a thing about Michael or Isabel. But Max had said everything had gone alright, which must mean that Liz and Maria hadn't run screaming from him when he had first uttered the word "alien". Maybe he could try and be a little receptive towards Max's new "friends", try and accept the fact that the three of them needed all the help they could get on this planet. He sighed, now knowing what he had to do. Liz, for the first time in her life, felt glad to hear the shrill ring of the dismissal bell. Today had been a roller coaster for her, to say the least. Max and his confession aside, Liz felt a rush of concern for Maria. Lately, Maria had been acting weird, more than her usual Maria weird. Constantly disappearing from school, at work. It was even harder to get hold of her at her own house seeing as how her mother hardly knew her daughter's whereabouts. Amy DeLuca and her daughter had a "don't ask, don't bother" rule which Liz found ridiculous seeing as how Amy's daughter was constantly vanishing from the face of the earth. Slight exaggeration on Liz's part but lately, that was what it felt like. She and Alex Whitman, her other best friend, had tried talking to her but Maria had remained tight lipped about where she had been, stressing that it was none of their business. And now with what Max had told the two of them, Liz was afraid her friend would become more withdrawn and less bubbly, the way Liz did not like Maria. Why were things always so complicated? Max stared blankly at the TV, his mind wandering. He had tried looking for Maria or Liz after school but had failed to find either of them. At first, panic had gripped him, latched onto his chest and refused to let go. What they had said before . about them never spilling his secret, could they really at all be trusted? His paranoid self had refused to let that possibility slide, but the greater part of him fully trusted the two girls, knowing they would never betray him like that. The buzz of the doorbell brought him straight to reality. Weird. He wasn't expecting anyone. Getting up, he walked towards the door and peered through the peephole. His first reaction was shock, and then it slowly gave way to curiosity. He unlocked the door and swung it open. 'Hey Michael,' Max said, noting his friend's obvious discomfort. Although they were the best of friends, Michael hardly ever stopped by the Evans household unless it was of sheer importance. Other then that, he tried as hard as he could to stay away from the house, preferring the solitude of his apartment. 'Maxwell,' he greeted his friend, giving his head a curt nod. Max stepped aside, allowing Michael to enter. Together, they headed towards the kitchen with Max taking out a bottle of Tabasco sauce along with a bag of tortilla chips, their usual afternoon snack. 'So are you going to tell me what you're going here or do I have to interrogate?' Max joked, placing two glasses of soda on the table. 'You telling Liz and Maria seems like an okay idea,' Michael finally said. Max blinked. Was this Michael? Max was speechless, not knowing what to say. Had Michael actually apologized to him? Or was this all a dream? Max pinched himself and winced. This definitely wasn't a dream. 'Why the sudden change?' Max asked, somehow able to get the words out of his mouth. Michael simply shrugged. And that was the end of their discussion. Max knew that his friend would never say flat out why he had suddenly changed his mind, it was Michael after all. Knowing the topic would never again be pursued, he settled down across from Michael, still wanting to make sure it was really his friend. Yup. It was. No one knew about the tiny scar under Michael's chin except him. When they were young, Michael's chin had slammed into a brick wall, though Max couldn't remember what had actually happened before the incident. 'Well . I gotta go. Gotta find a job,' Michael said, standing up abruptly. Then, without a word, he walked out of the house, closing the front door behind him. Liz sighed in frustration as the door to the Crashdown opened, sending the bell above it ringing. It had already been a long day, with tons of spills and messes to clean up and now, she could just add a few more to the list. She looked up at the new customers, a hand wiping away the sweat dripping from her brows. A slow smile spread across her face. It was Max. Her stomach seemed to have a million butterflies in it, the tiny creatures flying around inside, their wings tickling her stomach wall. She shook her head. Why did Max Evans have this weird effect on her every time after the shooting? Did it mean that she liked him or that it was just nice seeing the guy who had saved her life? Or was it both? *You have a boyfriend remember?* She mentally chided herself. She and Kyle Valenti had been going out for the past few months but even though she always looked love struck around him, she knew deep down the feeling wasn't there. But seeing the way Kyle's face lit up every time he saw her . Liz just couldn't bring herself to break up with him. So now, she was stuck in a dead-end relationship with Kyle that she dreaded being in. Her life was a complete joy wasn't it? Maria watched in fascination as Liz straightened her apron and fixed her ponytail, even glimpsing at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked alright. This was interesting, very interesting. She looked on as her friend walked over to where Max had seated himself, her pen poised and ready to take down his order. Recently, she had noticed a distinct change in Liz's behavior around Max. She seemed more self-conscious and would sometimes blush whenever he was around. Also, when she thought no one was looking, she would just stare at him, like as though there was nothing more fascinating then his head. Those were definite signs that she liked him. And she knew Max liked her two. Mentally, she pictured Max and Liz together. They looked almost perfect for each other, too perfect. But if Max made Liz happy, Maria could deal with the two of them being all lovey- dovey with each other. She just wished she could also be lovey-dovey with someone. But she knew that would never happen, seeing as how Roswell High was infested with jerks. Granted, there were a few that weren't but not one of them had held her interest for long. The bell tinkled. Someone had come in. She straightened and directed her gaze from a giggling Liz to a scowling Michael Guerin. What was he doing here? |
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