Disclaimer:
These characters do not belong to me, but to the writers and producers
of Roswell
Spoilers:
After Chant Down Babylon, changes happening where Max is successfully
rescued, and Michael was the one who broke up with Maria.
Pairings: You’ll have to wait and see!
Pronunciation Guide:
Author’s notes: Queen Fadilia
Kedar: Max/Isabel’s mother
King
Alaric Kedar: Max/Isabel’s father
Andaria: Tess’ mother
Radim:
Tess’ father
Kedrans: race from which Royal Four descended
Iturians: race from which Khivar descended, and
overthrew and killed Zan and the Kedrans
Cerideans: special core ops of the Iturian army, mostly
psyonics and telepaths
Kaptar’s
Jewel: constellation in the
Antarian’s star system
Yun’s
Garment: Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights
Saren Dari: desert plain on Antar
**** Mixer @
FF : I can’t believe you
counted. Lol. I do have it on paper, and I do realize it’s been long…even for a
novel. Tis quite an epic, isn’t it?
**** TA
Medley: Yup. Definitely a UC fanfic must for Rebels.
**** Kaotic: Well what can I do? I can’t make it that simple for our Rebel
readers? Do I seem like a clichéd kind of fanfic author? Hmmm? ;oP
*****
To all of my fanfic readers: I know
what a hard labor it is to sit and wait and wait and…well wait some more. Thank you all for putting up with me and my
silliness. It’s all in my head…and most
of the time, I haven’t thought about it before hand. This might explain that 215 subtotal right now. Lol. But you have all inspired me, as have the
characters. And I cannot be a typical
author…I’ve tried…hasn’t succeeded so far though. And I love you guys to death!
Special thanks to Lori – for all of her undying loyalty and
nagging (well maybe not the nagging part ;oP); Dobs – even though you
lock me in a room, you still manage to do it in a ‘loving’ way lol; ukspacegirl
– your wonderful insights have always kept me going; KathyW – your inspired
writings of the prequel have kept me on the straight and narrow. You have not spurred me on to uncompromising
fealty to my characters and the story.
And for this, I joyful write.
And all of this I have committed to the One who inspires me daily…and no
it’s not JK! *****
Chapter Fifty
***
The beginning and endings of all human undertakings are untidy.
-
John Galsworthy
***
Tess lowered her eyes as she walked
into the brightly lit room. She
appreciated Michael's support before they were faced with Queen Fadilia; his
gentle, yet firm hand wrapped around hers somehow gave her the courage to stand
before the only true, living Royal of yester-year. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, as she tried to get a
handle on her feelings of inadequacy and fear.
Fadilia would be the final word in judgment of her ability to lead their
people into war, especially since she had no blood ties to the Royal
family. She held her head aloft, and
told herself to breathe - just breathe, as the General stepped aside, revealing
a tall, regal and stately, golden-haired beauty.
The first thing Tess noticed were
eyes that glowed of burnt copper - a colour she had never seen before - with
startling flecks of golden amber. Her
tan complexion was framed by four rows of neatly, braided gold, coiled around
her fair head, all equidistant from the first; and the remaining volume was
curled into one-inch sections that fell just above her waist. The Queen was even more beautiful than she
imagined.
She evoked an unexplainable
reverence and awe to all who stood in her presence. It was the same with Andaria, though the response her mother
produced was more of humbleness than awe.
But one aspect both of these women shared was an air of wisdom - they
had lived long lives, seen much - though their bodies did not easily betray the
infinite span of time in which they had lived.
Tess lowered her head placing her
right hand above her breast and knelt on one knee before the Queen. "Your Majesty," she breathed in
veneration, unable to meet her gaze.
~~~
Fadilia clasped her hands to her
chest as she inhaled sharply with delight.
Rath and Ava's hybrid forms were not hideously malformed as she
imagined. Their bodies were not far
from their own molecular structure; though she observed the human DNA created an
added density to their bodies, due to the vast epidural layers and cell
structure. The architects had been able
to retain many of Ava and Rath's familiar features - she praised the One for
that blessed grace.
Words could not express the relief
and fear that dissipated in that one moment.
Fadilia's gaze first fell upon
Rath. The former Second in Command
stood in front of her, tall and strong, and at attention. He looked remarkably true to his former self
in the Royal garb. His face was dark
and shadowed; it was from years of brooding.
Fadilia stifled the overwhelming desire to laugh. How amusing that some things never change.
Finally her gaze fell upon Ava, whom
she had received many reports of from Andaria and General Steren. The beauty which had captured her son's
heart remained within the child, though hidden further beneath the surface of
her hybrid form. Fadilia recognized the
ambitious and unyielding bride of her son.
Her strong qualities were often to her and Zan's benefit, but many times
Fadilia had believed it was to their detriment.
"Your Highness," General
Steren announced with a hint of pleasure in his voice, "I present to you
Commander Rath and Queen Ava."
Fadilia exhaled happily, unable to
control her emotions any longer. She
took a step forward, closing the 'appropriate' distance between them, and
reached out motioning Ava to rise and stand before her. "I have waited so many seasons for this
moment," she sighed contently.
The joy she felt was
indescribable. It was a time of
celebration!
But, however wondrous this moment
was, masked beneath her glowing face, Fadilia felt the pang of disappointment;
her joy was not complete. Zan and
Vilandra had yet to walk through that very door and fulfill the dream every
mother of a lost child possessed.
Oh when will you return to me my
children?
Fadilia closed her eyes, pushing her
anxious thoughts aside, and looked upon Rath and Ava once more. She must have faith. And as she gazed upon two of the Four,
Fadilia felt her hope renewed, and promise fill her heart. She reached out her hands, one toward each
of the 'returned'. The One had
fulfilled half of the Prophecy; she had but to remain patient for the
completion of the whole.
"Come now, we will celebrate
your return," Fadilia smiled sincerely.
"Our people have waited long for this." She motioned for General Steren to lead the
way to the Assembly Hall within the mountain, where the vast number of the
Loyalists had congregated to greet Rath and Ava to their humble abode.
~~~
Michael had been overwhelmed by the
whole situation. He mentally kicked
himself for his inept ability to address Queen Fadilia; even Tess had managed a
couple of words. Now they were headed
down the unfamiliar corridors once more, and he was sure that they must have doubted
his ability to lead an army after that timid display.
Tess walked alongside him, as they
were in the middle of the entourage heading to an unspecified location. General Steren led the way, while Queen
Fadilia and her attendants followed on his heels; Michael and Tess walked
behind her, and lastly the attendants who served him, and only one of Tess'
attendants behind them. They passed
through many narrow archways, which were dimly lit by stylish, hanging
lanterns. When it felt like they had
exhausted the tunneling system, Michael noticed the corridors had begun to
expand, allowing them the luxury of personal space, as he and Tess were
practically attached at the side.
"Where do you think we're
going?" Michael leaned down and whispered to Tess. She looked up at him with her big, blue
eyes, and shrugged. "I'm guessing
we're going to a meeting place, since she said there was a celebration,"
Tess surmised.
Michael furrowed his brow while he
contemplated where they were being led.
Just as he peered towards the head of the company of people, the
corridor expanded into an oval cavern.
There were no other entranceways leading to another maze of
corridors. The only door was behind
General Steren, who had stopped and turned around to face the group of
followers.
"This is the Assembly
Hall," he announced, while his hand hovered above the familiar silver
imprint. "Do not be startled by
the large numbers; many have travelled far to celebrate with us today."
Michael was apprehensive after
General Steren's announcement. It
seemed like more of a warning than anything else. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever might be
hiding behind those bronze doors.
As the door slid open, it revealed a
clear, smooth, open-ended glass tubing running parallel to the wall. General Steren stood silently as he assisted
Fadilia into the narrow compartment.
Michael assumed the attendants would follow behind her, but he watched
both attendants step aside, one to the right of the shaft, and the other, to
the left. When he and Tess were
standing in front of the enclosed compartment, Michael was hesitant. Was he supposed to wait?
But General Steren eased his concern
by gesturing him to follow Fadilia into the compartment. As he stepped into the transparent room, he
could see that it was comparable to 'elevators' on Earth. The glass tubing ran upward from the ground
level to an unforeseeable end, above.
General Steren trailed after he and Tess, with the metal door closing
with a 'swish'.
General Steren mumbled a couple of
words, which Michael was unable to discern, that caused the 'elevator' to
propel upwards. While he waited for the
mobile flat to stop, Michael peered through the glass tubing behind him. Below were hundreds of beings, milling
about. Their heads were like the size
of his thumb. He could discern certain
facial features in the crowd, but not well enough to pick someone out of the
assembly.
Suddenly the transport whistled to a
stop. The doors opened, revealing the
attendants whom they had left behind, waiting patiently for their arrival. Michael frowned at this. How did they get there so quickly? And if
the transport was not the shortest route, why did they take it?
Soon Michael realized they were on
the move again. This time the
attendants were in the lead. They
strode swiftly through an archway to the left of the transport tube, leading
them onto a balcony pathway, which jutted out from the monstrous, assembly
hall. Michael could hear the roar of
the people as he, Fadilia, General Steren, and Tess filed by the congregation
of hundreds.
It was deafening. Where they walked was only a few stories
above the clamoring crowd. Michael
watched in disbelief as Antarians stood on the tables below, and also attempted
to scale the pillars, which seemed to be designed for structural
integrity. They were in a passionate
frenzy.
Michael shortened his stride as the
attendants veered off to the left, onto a circular platform protruding from the
third-story balcony. Situated on the
greyish brown platform was an elaborately set table. It was arranged in a semi-circle, facing the throng of
people.
The attendants remained on the
balcony, as General Steren motioned Tess and Michael to sit at the places of
honor. Michael slid Tess' chair in
behind her, as General Steren executed the same chivalrous gesture. Michael and Tess were placed in the centre
of the table, with General Steren flanking him on his left; Tess had Fadilia
seated next to her on her right.
Just as he was settling into his
place at the table, out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of Fadilia's
attendants, who happened to also attend to Tess earlier in the day, pull a
lever suspended upon a nearby pillar.
Michael was about to question the woman when the platform they were
seated upon began to shift forward. He
felt Tess' hand grasp his wrist in surprise.
He glanced uneasily at her, acknowledging her apprehension at the
movement.
"What's happening?" he
inquired uncomfortably. Michael did not want to appear troubled at the
unexpected, even though he was.
"This platform was created for
the speaker of the assembly," General Steren answered informatively. "It is so that the assembly can look
upon him or her from wherever they stand.
It extends into the middle of the hall." He gestured to cavernous chamber within one of the mountains they
had flown over. Fadilia added, "We
thought it would give them great delight to see you in such away."
Michael sighed uncomfortably. "Great," he replied dryly.
General Steren looked
concerned. "Is this a
prob..." Before he could finish
his question, Tess jabbed Michael in the side and shook her head
agreeably. "Oh, Micha...Rath is
just being his disagreeable self," she replied, shooting an evil glare at
Michael. "He's just cranky...I
mean, irritable after that long journey."
"Uh, right," Michael
nodded, rubbing his bruised ribcage. He
had made another 'faux pas'.
"Of course," Fadilia
smiled courteously. "I cannot
imagine how weary you must be."
Michael shrugged. "It's all right," he said
dismissively. "So...are we
expected to address the people?"
He was livid at the thought, but he knew that the people would want to
hear from them at some point.
Fadilia looked upon him as a mother
would, smiling softly, and shook her head slowly. "No, you will not have to address the assembly yet. Tonight we're here to celebrate your
arrival!" she stated firmly.
"We have waited long enough for such a celebration. And tonight we eat and speak of better
days."
Michael smirked, cocking his head to
the side. "Well bring on the
food!"
~~~
"Nicholas!" Khivar barked,
as he waited irritably for the slow rat.
"Yes?" the short, impy
Second in Command huffed, as he barreled into Khivar's study. He hadn't realized how out of shape he was
until he ran from the courtyard to Khivar's study.
"Have we located Ava yet?"
Nicholas shook his head. "No, Your Highness. There are rumors that she returned to Earth,
right under our noses."
"What?" Khivar
roared. "And where is this
information coming from?"
Nicholas shrugged, still trying to
catch his breath. "Just rumors, Your
Highness," he said, unable to give him a specific answer.
Khivar scowled, clenching his fist
in frustration. "And what reports
do you have about Zan then?" He
knew if Ava had returned to Earth, the only possible reason she would have
would be Zan. It made him furious to
realize that she had been able to sneak under his radar. Though he had hopes that Zan was already
dead.
Nicholas hesitated when asked the
question. "Uh, not good
news," he hedged; knowing Khivar would not like the Intel he had just
received.
"What is it?"
"Well, you know how Zan should
have died from that molecular deterioration...?"
Khivar folded his arms across his
chest and narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. Is he dead?"
Nicholas contorted his face, as if
his answer was unwilling to be spoken.
"W-weelll, not exactly," he blurted out. "It seems that a few weeks ago, he had
a miraculous recovery."
Khivar closed his eyes, taking deep
breaths, trying to stifle the urge to strangle the messenger. "W-what?" he stuttered, trying to
maintain a level voice. "And why
am I just learning about this now?"
Nicholas bit his bottom lip as his
mind scrambled for a satisfactory answer.
"Uh, well, Sir," he chuckled nervously. "Funny story. A few weeks ago, some of our equipment faltered..."
"How is it I didn't know this
either?" Khivar shouted, leaping towards Nicholas, who shrunk back.
"Uh, well, we thought it was a
minor problem and that it was fixed," Nicholas said shrilly. "We didn't want to trouble you with the
small details."
It was small details such as this
that had seen Ava slip from his grasp. Khivar's anger was
now simmering below the surface. He
could not afford mistakes, not at this point in the game. Now Khivar knew there was a slight
chance that Zan could return; when before, it was only the hopes of the
simpering Kedrans holding out for a lost cause.
No. Khivar
shook his head agitatedly. His plan
would not be derailed.
Nicholas watched Khivar carefully;
he knew the telltale signs of when Khivar was about to blow. "But we have some good news," he
exclaimed, remembering why he had come to the Citadel in the first place.
Khivar's head perked up at the
thought "What is it?” he growled,
reluctant to release the anger he had stored up.
"Uh, well," Nicholas
stammered. "W-well, the architects
believe that Pilan shall be operational by the Festival of New Moons."
Khivar narrowed his eyes, and turned
away from the tense Iturian.
"Really?" he muttered, as his thoughts returned to the largest
weapon in his arsenal. It would play a
critical role in his ability to control the whole galaxy.
Nicholas was unable to read his
Master's thoughts. He wasn't convinced
this news had pleased the powerful Lord in the light of Zan's unexplainable
recovery. Though he was Khivar's right
hand, the ruler was not apt to taking his rage out on him.
Khivar spun around, turning from his
thoughtful musing, and smiled happily.
"This is good news, Nicholas," he roared with sudden
delight. "How perfect is the timing
of it all?" Khivar clapped his
hands together and approached Nicholas, whose posture had lazed, and he
appeared almost content.
"The House of Ituria will have
its true coronation yet!"
Nicholas stood at attention as
Khivar clapped his arm around his shoulder, patting him on the back. "It has been a day your army has been
waiting for, Your Highness." He
stumbled forward as Khivar pulled Nicholas alongside him, in his usual periodic
vocal musings. "We will celebrate
until our voices are heard in the heavens," Nicholas exclaimed.
Khivar nodded, as they made their
way down the grand, marble staircase.
"True, true, my dear Nicholas," he chuckled
incredulously. "To think that I
had any remote concerns. My plans are
in place; and my Generals and army have the people subdued. How could I possibly believe the benign
words of a deceased madman?"
"Everything is under control,
Sir." Nicholas nodded
confidently. "There is no
possibility of Zan's return. The
Granolith has been spent, and the repulsive hybrids the Loyalists have bred are
relegated to live out their miserable existence on that dust-filled planet of
theirs." Nicholas shivered. Even the mention of that planet and its
beings made him itch.
"I think we can do better than
that," Khivar grinned wickedly.
"Living is such a pedestrian consequence for making my rise to the
throne more difficult than I would have liked." He shook his head, sucking the warm afternoon air through his
teeth, causing an eerie 'hissing' sound.
The more he thought about the Royal Four, the option of letting them
survive, even though Zan had shown no signs of challenging his place on the
throne, was non-existent.
"What are your plans for the
Four, assuming they are on Earth?"
Khivar turned and smirked. "Nicholas, you've been away for so
long," he chided. "You've not
heard about our troops taking residence on Earth."
Nicholas was taken aback by the
information. "No," he
drawled. "You have not informed me
about that move."
"Well," Khivar patted him
on the back, "in retrospect, I suppose Ava's disappearance and unexplained
communications from Earth with Antar were the catalyst. In fact, I irritated with the fact that I did
not see Ava's disappearance coinciding with movement on Earth."
"Why didn't you Sir?" Had Nicholas been privy to this Intel, he
could have informed Khivar of the considerable likelihood that Ava had returned
to Earth. He bit his tongue on the
subject though; despite Khivar's admittance that he should have connected the
pieces of loose information, the confirmation from him would not be
appreciated.
Khivar frowned. "There were reports of Ava's physical
presence on Antar, so I had no reason to suspect there was any deception on her
part," he explained. "Nicholas,
weigh the reality of Ava's position.
She 'killed' a human companion, and she betrayed Zan to me. What possible motivation would she
have?"
Nicholas swallowed uneasily. He recalled the day he informed Ava of Zan's
illness; even though she seemed satisfied with the results of Zan's base
betrayal...he just had this feeling that something was not right. "Maybe we were erroneous in our
assumption that her loyalties had completely reversed itself?"
Khivar stepped onto the black marble
floor and folded his arms across his chest.
"How perceptive of you?" he said dryly. "Obviously, since we believe that Ava
returned to Earth because of Zan."
"No," Nicholas
sighed. "I mean, maybe Ava never
intended to deliver Zan to us?"
Khivar's expression turned sour. "What are you saying?" he growled.
"Could Ava have figured out
that you had no intention of keeping Zan alive?"
The thought churned inside his head,
bringing with it an ominous feeling. Ava
had acted strange midway through the plan.
He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Why hadn't he seen it?
Many times Khivar had debated whether he should probe her mind, but each
time, she seemed to prove herself trustworthy.
"Arghh," Khivar roared in
frustration. "That wench!"
Nicholas' eyes darted around the
room. There were a few attendants
standing at a couple of entranceways leading to various rooms. They shuddered during Khivar's shout of
anger. And Nicholas knew his house was
in order because of the fear the servants held for their King and Master.
Khivar felt his rage roll in like a
tide being pulled into shore. The folly
of his trust made Ava's disappearance even more aggravating. But at the peak of boiling fury, the image
of a helpless child formed in his minds eye, acting as a vent for his pent up
anger. Yes. Khivar grinned maliciously. Oh that would definitely do.
Nicholas frowned, as an
uncomfortable heaviness weighed on his chest, making it difficult to
breathe. Khivar seemed unusually calm;
and the expression on his face spelled certain pain, grief, and/or torture for
the intended target. It wasn't an
unpleasant thought, as long as it wasn't him.
Khivar snapped out of the
self-induced trance. He slowly turned
to Nicholas, who seemed anxious for a glimpse of the inner workings of his
mind, and pointed, at his eager lap-dog.
"I want you to go back to Saren Dari."
"But I just returned,"
Nicholas whined. "There's nothing
there...it's so boring."
Khivar glared at him; then as if
nothing had happened, he smiled at Nicholas.
"You will be taking along some companions."
Nicholas frowned. "Companions?"
Khivar nodded. "Yes.
You will be taking our prisoners from Tel Edrei along for the
trip," he paused gleefully.
"And Zander."
~~~
Max dropped to the floor, drained
from the use of his powers. He was
amazed he held out so long, let alone being able to finish projecting the
entirety of Tess' memory of that night. It took all of his willpower not to
break concentration. Max knew there was
some commotion going outside of Maria's mind, but he knew that he had to
know the truth; he had spent enough time living in a web of lies.
As he propped himself up by his
elbow, footsteps approached, and familiar arms tugged him into a sitting
position. Max leaned up against Liz,
who gazed concernedly at him.
"Are you all right?" she
gasped.
Max nodded. "Yeah.
I'm just worn out."
Suddenly before he could say another
word, he felt a pair of strong arms lift him to his feet; Kyle placed his right
arm around his neck, helping him move to the couch. "That was the second most eerie thing I've ever seen
Max," Kyle said bemused.
"Nothing could top the spaceship though, man."
Max closed his eyes and chuckled,
leaning back against the worn cushions.
"Yeah, so sorry I missed that," he groaned. "Is Maria okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine," Max
heard Liz reply.
When he opened his eyes, Liz was
sitting to his right and Kyle on his left.
Maria, though, was resting comfortably in a nearby, matching chair. "Can you guys tell me what happened out
here?" he inquired curiously.
"I thought I heard some screams." Max noticed the hesitant glances between Kyle and Liz, as if they
were debating whether to tell him.
"Uh, Kyle had something happen
to him," Liz explained. "I
don't know what, but he was watching the projection one minute and then the
next thing I know, he was bent over in pain."
Max rubbed his tired face, steadying
his mind, which was having a hard time focusing on anything. "What happened? Did I do something?"
Kyle looked at him strangely, and
then shook his head. "No, it wasn't you," he answered warily. "I think it was Tess."
"I should have known," Max
heard Liz mutter under her breath. He
ignored the remark.
"What do you mean it was
Tess?"
Kyle licked his lips, as his eyes
stared at the floor, as if trying to find the words to explain what had
happened. "When those images began
to flash," he paused. "It was
like I was reliving the moment. I
remembered everything..." His
voice trailed off, as his eyes became clouded and distant. Then after a moment of silence, Kyle seemed
to snap out of the trance he was in.
"But when you showed Alex coming at me, it was like an piece of my
brain was on fire."
The description of what happened in
Kyle's head wasn't familiar; it definitely was something he had never
experienced before. Max swallowed
hard. What had Tess done to Kyle?
"Then what happened?" Liz
asked worriedly.
"It was weird." Kyle
furrowed his brow. "I could see
Alex coming right at me, as if I was there again." He scratched his head and laughed nervously. "I saw a lot of images after
that," he explained, glancing up at Max, Liz and Maria. "I could see myself dragging Alex's
body into my car, and then arranging it so that his car would get into an
accident."
"But that's what you remembered
from before," Maria stated dryly.
"Why would your head hurt now?"
Kyle shook his head. "But it
wasn't," he protested. "This
time I didn't see Tess mindwarp Alex to his death. Instead what I saw was Alex coming at me and then suddenly Alex
collapsed onto the floor.
There was an awkward silence in the
room.
Max didn't understand why Kyle's
memories were changing so suddenly. It
was as if he was changing his story, and supporting Tess' memories.
"But that doesn't change the
fact that she made you do it," Liz exclaimed. "It doesn't change anything."
She stared at Max, as if asking for
support. But Max couldn't give it to
her. He had thoroughly gone over Tess'
memories with a 'fine-tooth comb', as it were.
"Liz," his tone
apologetic, "I went through her memories, and nothing was distorted or
edited."
Liz looked at him like he had just
spat on her. "You must have missed
something," she breathed.
"I...I know this is some trick." Her eyes twitched as she turned away from him.
Max reached out to console her, but
she pulled away, hiding her face in her hands.
"Liz, I know how you feel..."
Liz's head snapped up when he said this. "You understand?" she said skeptically. Liz's lips remained parted, unable to say
anymore.
"You're right, he
doesn't," Maria jumped in. Max
glanced appreciatively at his newfound ally.
"But I do," she finished.
"I know how sure you were about
Tess because I was just as sure."
Liz bit her bottom lip and turned to
Max. "I still don't see any proof
that all," she gestured to Maria, Max and Kyle, "of this isn't
some kind of mindwarp."
Max glanced at Maria and Kyle, who
seemed to share his concern over Liz's inability to accept the truth. "But she didn't mindwarp me," he
reminded her. "There was no way
she could have mindwarped me while I was away with Isabel." Liz seemed to pause and take this into
consideration.
"Fine, maybe you weren't
mindwarped," she hedged, "but it doesn't mean these two weren't. Tess did it to Kyle once, why not a second
time?"
Max grasped her hand. "Do you believe that Tess couldn't have
possibly mindwarped me?" he asked.
Liz seemed to hesitate with her answer, as if it were a trick
question. "Y-yes," she said
suspiciously.
"Then why won't you believe me
when I tell you that what we just saw was not a lie?"
Liz pulled her hand out from under
his. "Because I have Kyle telling
me that it is!" she cried defiantly.
Max sighed. He could see the hurt and the fear in her
eyes. The closer he came to the truth,
the closer he was to losing Liz; and she knew that.
"But the things I'm seeing
now," Kyle said uncertainly.
"They don't seem to matching up now."
"Could she not have mindwarped
you again?" Liz countered.
Max waited for Kyle's reply. It was important. He could not truly believe Tess completely, not when she had lied
to him so many times - and even this truth revealed her lies.
"Except that it's like my head
is clearing for the first time," Kyle said tentatively. "Liz, I don't feel like I did when I
realized she mindwarped me. Everything
seemed muffled, even when I 'remembered'; this doesn't feel like that."
Max turned to see what Liz's
reaction to Kyle's thoughts on what was happening to him. Her face was pale, and her eyes were clouded
and distant. She was looking at him,
but he knew she wasn't seeing him at all.
After a few minutes, Liz swallowed hard, brushing away the long, dark,
silky hair of hers, and closing her eyes and nodded. "I can't stop you from believing this," her voice
trembled as she spoke, "but don't ask me to believe. She did this once before, trying to cover
her tracks. But showed you...I...I
showed you how wrong you were."
The tears that were brimming from the corners of her eye spilled down
her cheeks when she stood up and backed away from Max - staring at the other
two like they had just stabbed her in the back. Her lips pursed as she wiped the tears defiantly before them. Liz furrowed her brow and shook her brow, as
if trying to stave off any more tears.
She licked her lips and bit the inside of her cheek. "I can't do this right now, "Liz
croaked. "I have to get out
here."
Max and the others watched Liz turn
heel and run out of the apartment. He
knew the information they had seen would upset her, but how could he make her
understand? This was something bigger -
much bigger. He looked over at Kyle and
Maria hesitantly - he was the only one who could possibly help her understand.
The light brown-haired jock and the
willowy blonde nodded their heads.
"You should go after her," Maria mumbled, waving her hand
towards the door.
"Are you sure?"
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Guy, you have to chase after
her," he said somewhat reluctantly.
"She just needs to understand like we do...or sort of do,
anyway."
Max smiled gratefully at two of his
confidantes. As he was about to step
out the door, Max shook his head and groaned.
"I almost forgot why I came over," he groaned, kicking himself
about the other situation at hand.
Kyle and Maria frowned. "What?" Maria asked
apprehensively.
Max rested his forehead against the
ledge of the door. "Jesse's been
taken again."
Kyle dropped his head low and
Maria's expression remained blank.
"Does Isabel know?" Kyle asked, rising to his feet.
Max nodded. "I shouldn't have even left her alone
for this long," he admitted guiltily.
"I...I should proba..."
Maria shook her head and waved at Max to leave. "We'll take care of her," she
sighed.
Max again smiled, appreciating the
loyalty and steadfastness of his friends.
He nodded with a serious expression arising from his already uncertain
state. "Uh, but she has no idea
Michael and Tess are gone." The
added stress of Michael's departure would only serve to make her more
emotionally unstable. He turned and
gazed adamantly at the twosome.
"You cannot tell her until I get there," he ordered.
Kyle and Maria nodded in
unison. "Yeah," Maria
breathed uncomfortably.
"Sure," Kyle added.
Max closed his eyes and closed the
door behind him. Now how was he
going to sort out the mess he had created with Liz?