Killer.
Killer.
The word rages through his mind, never pausing. Incessant. Unstopping. He wakes with a sudden jerk, striving to escape the white-hot rage that surrounds him, pins him to the bed. He is awake, but the word is still there, pressing on him until he can hardly bear it.
In desperation he pulls himself inward, trying to flee the word, the thought, the idea. It chases through his mind, taunting him until he can endure no more. He doesn't notice the blood on his palms or in his mouth. His will pushes, pushes...and SNAP! The word fades down into a low murmur in the back of his brain, so low he can barely hear it, although he knows it's there. He lies, panting, afraid to open his eyes, concentrating on breathing in...out...in...out...until finally his eyes flicker open to face the dim shadows of the room.
He can no longer hear the word, but he knows it is still there.
Killer.
CHAPTER 1
"Why can't things be normal?" Maria DeLuca complained to her best friend Liz Parker, who smiled sympathetically as they walked down the hall of West Roswell High. "I mean, with everything we've been through lately, you'd think we'd be granted just one week of normal. Everyone gets a break sometime! Isn't it our turn?" she pouted.
Liz stopped by her locker and picked up her trig book as she thought over the grueling events of the previous spring and summer. "Maria," she said calmly, "things are pretty normal. At least normal to everyone else in Roswell. We go to school, we work at the Crashdown after school, and have the occasional Ben & Jerry bingefest...What's not normal about that?"
"C'mon, Lizzy. I don't mean boring normal--you know, pre-Czechoslovakian normal. I'd be perfectly happy with 'Being Questioned By The Sheriff And Chased By The FBI' normal." She took a moment to actually hear what she'd just said. "On second thought, maybe I'd even settle for a week of boring normal."
Liz studied Maria's face. "Is it Michael?"
"Oh, please. Not everything in my life is about Michael!" the blonde scoffed. "Just because he hasn't so much as spoken to me in three and a half months..." Her voice trailed off and she let out a heartfelt sigh. "Yeah, so maybe it is Michael," she admitted. "Fine. He has this ridiculous idea that he's dangerous, that I'm going to get hurt by being around him, so he completely avoids me. I can't shake him out of it. It's driving me crazy, but you know Mr. Stone Wall Guerin. After everything that's happened, the least he could do is..."
She stopped abruptly as she caught Liz's sympathetic glance. "Okay, you've only heard this rant about a million times already," she admitted sheepishly. "I'm just gonna sniff some cedar oil here, and calm down." She rummaged through her backpack for the oil, uncapped the tiny vial, and, breathing in, smiled shakily at Liz. "At least you and Max actually speak to each other."
"Maria, it's not you. Max says Michael's been avoiding everyone else, too," Liz began, but was interrupted by a friendly voice from across the hall.
"What's up, ladies?"
"Maria's having another spazzout, Alex," answered Liz, smiling.
"I am not spazzing out!" retorted Maria, giving Liz a friendly poke in the shoulder. "I am just trying to take my mind off things. You know, like be a normal teenager."
"A normal teenager, huh?" Alex Whitman smiled. "Well then, I have the perfect opportunity for you. Made to order for Roswell's biggest drama queen, in fact."
"Alex..." warned Liz.
"No, seriously, Maria. Have you checked out the bulletin board today?" the gangly teen asked.
"No. Why?"
"Then come with me," he said, pulling her by the arm back down the hallway the way he'd come. Liz followed silently in their wake, her brown eyes curious.
"What are you talking about, Alex?" Maria said as she was towed along. "And I am not a drama queen! I just, like, react fully to things, okay?"
Alex snickered as he stopped before the large bulletin board on the wall outside the principal's office. "React fully, huh? Well, react to this, DeLuca!"
"What?" Maria said, suspiciously eyeing a colorful poster tacked to the center of the board. "You want me to join the Latin Club? Please! I can barely stand English."
"No, Maria, it's perfect for you," Liz said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "Look."
Liz pointed to an announcement pinned in the lower left-hand corner of the bulletin board. The headline read
The West Roswell High School Drama Club
announces auditions for its fall production of
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Maria stared at the flier for a moment and then slowly looked up at Alex, who was grinning at her. She glanced over at Liz, then back at Alex, shaking her head, before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Okay, let me get this straight, Alex," she said, gasping for breath. "You know just how happy I am with a certain...Czechoslovakian... and now you want me to hang out with one on stage? Even if said Czechoslovakian is a giant man-eating plant from outer space--Are you trying to make me insane?
"Hey, I'm just trying to tell you to go for it. You know, keep those vocal chords in shape until The Whits can get another gig. It'll put your singing ability to good use and keep you out of trouble at the same time," he said, straight-faced.
"But I haven't been in a play since the fifth grade...and besides, Snow White wasn't exactly high art," she protested. "And I am not in trouble! Although you will be if you're not careful, Mr. Whitman," she added, a smile reducing the effect of her threat.
Liz spoke up. "Maria, you wanted to do something normal. Well, this is normal. Why don't you try it? It might be fun."
The light left Maria's eyes as she stared down at the floor. "Look, Liz, this is nice and all, but I don't think it's for me. Don't you remember how much stage fright I had when I tried singing with The Whits? Besides, I have to work after school, anyway, so I don't think--"
"Don't think. Do. Just say yes!" quipped Alex. He looked at Liz, and raised one eyebrow. Liz's eyes narrowed slightly; then she gave a quick nod and turned to Maria.
"So we'll rearrange your work schedule so your shifts don't conflict with rehearsals. It just so happens that I know the boss. I'll talk to him tonight." Liz grinned mischievously at her friend.
"Now don't go jumping the gun here," Alex interrupted. "She has to audition first. Don't put the cart before the horse."
A small spark of indignation coursed through Maria. "What, you don't think I can do it?" she said, giving him a mock glare. "It was your idea in the first place!"
"Hey, don't go all Hurricane DeLuca with me," he replied, putting his hands out to shield himself from her wrath. "I break easily."
Maria glanced from friend to friend and then shrugged nonchalantly. "You know, guys, you're going to have to work harder than that if you think you're going to get away with this sort of thing." She gave them an innocent look. "What? You didn't think I'd notice the tag-team attempt to cheer me up?" She turned to look again at the announcement flier.
As two pairs of eyes met guiltily over her head, a wide smile slowly spread across Maria's face.
* * * * *
Maria swallowed one last time before looking out into the auditorium. Sure, she'd had stage fright before singing with Alex's band on the night of Liz's infamous blind date, but this felt even worse. The nausea and clammy hands were the same, but at least with the band, it was a bunch of them on stage. This was just her. Being watched. Judged. Her panicked eyes flickered out across the mostly empty seats in search of a familiar face, then settled on Liz, who nodded to her supportively.
After a full week of hints, mock threats and bribes from her so-called two best friends, Maria had finally agreed to give the audition a shot. Truth to tell, she was actually kind of excited about it--at least up until this afternoon, when suddenly the dry, dusty town of Roswell, New Mexico seemed to put out to sea. And seventeen years in the desert had definitely not made her into a sailor; the shaky legs and queasy stomach that came along with this nerve-induced seasickness were a sure sign of that. Wishing she had her cedar oil, she dragged her attention away from her churning stomach and dry mouth and tried to get her mind in order for this suddenly mindnumbing ordeal.
She'd chosen to sing 'As Long As He Needs Me' from the musical Oliver! for her audition piece. As a kid, she'd watched the movie over and over with her mom; it had been one of her favorites in the sixth grade. She wasn't sure what had caused her to think of the movie when she was hunting through some old sheet music books in search of an audition song, but was happy to find something that she could really put her heart into.
Of course, Nancy was only bludgeoned to death by the man she loved. She didn't have to deal with a too stubborn for his own good, follicly-challenged loner from another planet...No, she was not going there! Audition time. She had to sing. Okay. She could do this. She could do this. Okay. She just had to breathe...
Taking a shaky breath, she turned and nodded to Aaron Davis, who was playing the piano for the auditions. She had begged him a week earlier to make a tape of her song for her to practice with, and he had cheerfully agreed in return for the promise of a free Galaxy Melt and order of Saturn Rings at the Crashdown. Maria had practiced the song in her bedroom during every minute that was free from school or her waitress job. She'd even spent some time singing when she should have been doing homework, to the detriment of a French quiz grade.
As Aaron began the song's intro, she looked out and caught Liz's eye, then looked down the row. Although Liz and Alex, in a fit of guilty remorse, had agreed to come along to the audition for moral support, Maria was surprised and pleased to see Isabel Evans sitting next to Alex. Isabel smiled warmly at her, Alex gave her a double thumbs-up, and she began to sing.
"As long as he needs me
Oh, yes, he does need me
In spite of what you see
I'm sure that he needs me..."
Bill Sykes be damned, this could almost be about her and Michael. Thinking of the taciturn alien, she felt her nervousness melt away as her annoyance grew. Talk about being able to relate to a song. She loved a guy who couldn't, or wouldn't, give her what she wanted, what she needed. And yet that didn't change how she--or Nancy--felt.
Caught up in her thoughts, Maria came to the end of the song, not quite remembering getting there. She looked up, almost startled, and saw Liz, Alex and Isabel applauding wildly for her.
"Thank you, Maria," said Ms. Bedinger, the drama teacher. "Pamela Harris, you're next."
Maria climbed down the stairs that led to the stage, and went to sit next to Liz. "That was great, Maria!" Liz whispered in to her ear as Pamela started to sing 'I Feel Pretty'. "I wish I could stay for the rest of your audition, but I've got to get to the Crashdown. I'm on the dinner shift today."
"Thanks, Lizzy," Maria whispered back. "I'll give you a call tonight and let you know how the rest went."
Liz gave her a big hug and snuck quietly up the aisle as Maria, along with the other auditionees, climbed back onto the stage to read some scenes from the play.
An hour and a half later, a very tired Maria picked up her bookbag and walked to the back of the auditorium, where Alex and Isabel were now standing. Alex gave her a high five, saying, "Well, DeLuca, I expect to be fully acknowledged in your Oscar speech. Told you you could do it! Yessir, it was all my idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you." He took bows to an imaginary audience as Isabel shook her head at him.
"You were great, Maria. I had no idea you could sing like that--or act! You have a great shot at getting a part," the tall blonde said with a smile.
"Thanks, Isabel. Audrey will probably be played by a senior, like Pamela Harris. I'm just hoping to be one of the three doo-wop girls. It would be a lot of fun. Plus take my mind off...other things."
"Well, I think you were fantastic. I'm really impressed," Isabel told her.
Alex grinned, putting an arm around Maria. "Hey, you impressed Isabel, the Queen of Roswell High! Accomplishments like this do not happen every day, you know. Ladies, I believe a celebration is in order! What say we hit the Crashdown, my treat? Then you can give Liz the scoop."
Maria gave him a regretful smile. "Thanks, Alex, but I'd better get home. I've got some studying to do to make up for my last French quiz, or my mom will kill me."
"Isabel?" He turned to the other girl.
"No thanks, Alex. I've got some errands to run. But I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
* * * * *
Isabel pulled the Jeep up next to the self-service pump at the Lift Off gas station, where Michael Guerin had worked all summer. Liz had kindly helped to rearrange his schedule so he had minimal shifts with Maria, but even so, he couldn't handle seeing her. He'd stayed at the caf� until Mr. Parker could find another cook, and then found both a full-time summer job stocking shelves at the local supermarket and this part-time job at the station.
His lamebrain plan to keep as busy as possible in the hope of not having time to think hadn't really worked, but at least he had some decent money coming in for a few months. Enough to keep him in Tabasco sauce and pay the rent, anyway. Now that school was back in session, he was down to just the part-time job.
Glancing around, Isabel frowned. Michael had been acting strangely all summer, but for the past few weeks, he had been weird. Well, even weirder than normal. Plus he'd been completely avoiding Max and her. Now she was determined to get to the bottom of things. Not that she didn't know what was wrong with him. Time to do something about it.
Isabel stopped the Jeep and honked the horn. A moment later Michael stepped out of the building and saw her.
"What, Iz, you can't even pump your own gas now?" he asked dispassionately.
"The Jeep needed a fill-up, so I thought I'd come by and see how you're doing," she replied, not at all affected by his tone...or lack thereof.
"Fine. I'm just fine." Michael put the nozzle into the Jeep's gas tank and began pumping unleaded.
"Max and I thought it might be good to get together over dinner for another planning session," she ventured.
His voice remained impassive as he put her off. "No can do, Iz. Gotta work late tonight."
Isabel looked at him suspiciously. He was acting strangely calm, not at all like the Michael she knew. Where was the tension, the pent-up energy that always filled him? She decided to push his buttons a little.
"Guess who auditioned for the fall musical this afternoon?" she asked. Her tone was nonchalant, but she watched Michael carefully. He didn't answer, just shrugged his shoulders as if he was totally uninterested in the subject--which in fact he was. Giving up on a stronger reaction from him, she finally burst out, "Maria."
"So?"
"She was good. Really good. Alex said she could sing, but wow!" Still getting no response, she went on, hotly, "I just thought you might be interested."
"Well, Isabel, you thought wrong."
"Oh, come on, Michael, I know you better than that. You care about her. You pretend not to, but we all know better. You've been closed off from her--from all of us--all summer. It's time you started..."
"What do you know about it? Nothing," he said dully, his eyes finally meeting hers. His voice rose slightly as he continued, "So just back off, Isabel. It's none of your business, anyway."
Pleased at getting a reaction of some sort, she shouted back. "It is my business! You're part of my family, and you're being a total idiot!" She stopped, hating how defeated he suddenly looked.
Michael closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and said tonelessly, "Look, Iz, I need to get back to work. Just drop it, okay?"
He pulled the nozzle out of the tank, placed it back in its slot on the pump, and screwed on the gas cap. Isabel handed him a $20 bill, and he wordlessly handed back her change.
Climbing into the driver's seat, Isabel looked back at him, torn between wanting to hug him and wanting to pound some sense into his thick skull. "Thanks for pumping the gas," she finally said.
"Yeah."
CHAPTER 2
Maria walked down the hallway on the way from French class to her locker to grab the lunch she'd packed that morning. She'd actually had a good class for once; she'd been working extra hard to make up for her pre-audition grade funk and had been able to garner some unaccustomed praise from Mme. Fraser when called on to translate a short passage from the textbook. Her eyes sparkled as she remembered the teacher's words. She bounced as she moved down the hall, feeling almost giddy.
Her happiness was suddenly checked by a sudden familiar tingle deep within her and then the sight of a spiky brown head moving at the other end of the hall. For one split second green eyes met brown; then Michael abruptly turned and walked in the other direction.
Maria's good mood faltered. This fleeting glance was the most direct contact she'd had with Michael in weeks. He usually managed to completely avoid meeting her in the hallway. Even in the two classes they shared, English and World History, he avoided her, entering the room at the last minute, never so much as glancing in her direction during the class, and bolting for the door the moment the bell rang. He spent both periods staring down at his desk, silent except when called upon. Only then would he look up and respond in short growled phrases. His seeming ability to ignore her without a problem annoyed Maria to no end. She, the one who could fake anything with anybody, wasn't able to feign anything remotely like his unconcern.
For a moment, she almost wished for the early days of their off-again, on-again, off-again relationship. Even his constant running away wasn't as bad as this. When she thought he hated her, it hurt, but knowing he loved her and still refused to acknowledge her hurt even worse.
Her good mood received a second blow a moment later; the scorching glare from a group of girls who were gathered by the football team's trophy case stopped her in her tracks. Maria mentally cringed for a moment before summoning up her pride, determined not to let them--or anything, for that matter--bother her. Lifting her chin, she continued down the hallway to her locker.
Grabbing her lunch and slamming her locker shut, she moved back down the hall, staring at the spitefully chattering girls in defiance, then headed out to the quad to join Liz and Alex for lunch.
The brown-haired computer geek lifted a hand and waved casually as she approached the table. "Hey, 'Ria," he said.
"What is up with everyone today?" she responded crossly. "I feel like I ran over the team mascot or something. If looks could kill, Melanie Royer and Pamela Harris would be in jail and I would be on the way to the Roswell morgue."
"Dunno," Alex replied, taking a swig of his root beer. "Maybe it's a full moon."
"Uh, we're in Roswell, Alex. We deal in aliens, not werewolves," the blonde girl shot back. "Where's Liz?"
"Hark! Our Lady of the Sciences doth approach. And with Queen Isabel and Lord Max, no less," Alex replied dramatically, looking across the quad.
"Spending too much time at the Renaissance Festival, Alex?" Isabel asked as she sat down across from Maria. "Hey, Maria."
"Isabel. Max. Liz. What's up?"
"We have a problem," Max said soberly.
"See, Liz, I told you things weren't normal! What is it now? FBI? Nasedo? Attack of the Killer Czechoslovakians? What?" Maria demanded heatedly.
"None of the above. It's Michael," replied Max
"Oh, god. What's Spaceboy done this time?"
"It's not what he's done, Maria," Isabel cut in. "It's what he's not done. He's not acting at all like himself. You know Michael, Mr. 'React Without Thinking'. Well, right now he's not reacting to anything. Max and I can barely get him to talk to us, and when he does, he's so calm and collected...It's really creepy."
Alex suggested, "Maybe he's just accepted what's going on. With Tess and your destiny and all."
"Alex, he's almost polite."
The humans were silent for a full three minutes while they digested this news.
"What do you want us to do?" Liz asked finally, her brow wrinkling in worry.
"We need to get him to talk, to tell us what's going on. He won't talk to either of us, so we thought maybe if we'd all gang up on him, we could make him open up to us," the tall blonde explained.
"You mean, like an intervention?" snorted Alex. "Besides, since when has anyone ever been able to make Michael do anything he didn't want to do?"
"I just don't know what else to try. I'm really worried about him. This isn't just Michael being moody. Something is wrong."
Maria slowly suggested, "What about dreamwalking him, Isabel?"
"We've always promised not to do that to each other. It's hard to get in anyway, and Michael and Max always know when I'm there and can kick me out."
"But maybe it's worth a try."
"Maybe..."
Maria stared at her hands uncomfortably. "I think you should try, Isabel. If something really is wrong, and he's too contrary to admit it..." Her voice trailed off.
Max spoke up decisively. "Okay, here's the plan. If he's too stubborn to talk to us, we'll have to go to him. We'll wait for him at his apartment after school, and see if the five of us can make some sense of this. If not, Isabel will try to dreamwalk him."
"What about Tess, Max?" asked Liz quietly.
"We're not bringing her into things at this stage of the game. I don't trust her and her little mind games. So we'll see everyone at Michael's at 3:30?"
Four heads nodded as the group broke up to head back to class.
Maria tossed her uneaten lunch in a nearby garbage can on her way towards the building, suddenly not at all hungry.
* * * * *
Mrs. Lyons, the History teacher, was droning on about Magellan. Maria looked up from the doodle she'd drawn in place of the notes she should have been taking, and snuck a glance across the room at Michael. Once again, he'd waltzed into class at the last minute, and sat looking down at his desk. She stared at him, her eyes burning an imaginary hole into his spiky head, willing him to look up at her. Of course, since she was not possessed of superpowers, it didn't work. She sighed, and then started as the bell rang. Gathering up her things, she quickly headed for the door, intent on getting to her locker and meeting Liz.
She practically ran down the hall and barely missed knocking into Kyle Valenti, who put out an arm to steady her. "Hey, slow down there, DeLuca."
She shook his hand off her arm and blurted out, "Can't talk now, Kyle. In a hurry." She started towards her locker again.
"I know," he responded. "Ms. Bedinger's putting the Little Shop cast list up."
"What? I don't have time for that. Things to do."
She barely got two steps further before Kyle stopped her again. "Maria, I think you'll want to see this."
Okay. Fine. "What?"
Kyle took her by the arm and pulled her down the hall, just as Alex had several weeks earlier. As they neared the bulletin board, Melanie Royer glared at her and then stalked off in the opposite direction. Maria looked at where Kyle was pointing, and stood, speechless.
"Maria, I've been looking for you. We need to get over to--" Liz's voice cut off abruptly as she saw Maria staring, transfixed, at the board. Her eyes joined the blonde girl's. "Oh my god, Maria!" she whispered, and then turned and hugged her silent friend. "You got the lead, Maria! You're playing Audrey! Maria! Maria?"
"Congratulations, Maria," said Kyle.
"What? Oh, yeah," responded Maria, smiling weakly. "Thanks, Kyle."
"This is just great, Maria. Just what you wanted," Liz enthused.
"Yeah. Yeah, it is," replied Maria. "Umm, Liz? We need to head over to...We need to meet Alex now, don't we?"
"Yep. See you, Kyle!"
After stopping by Maria's locker to drop off her history text, the girls headed out to the front sidewalk where they'd agreed to meet Alex. He stood by the bicycle rack, waiting patiently. Looking at Liz's broad smile, he said, "Someone's in a good mood!"
Since Maria was still being uncharacteristically silent, Liz quickly told him about their friend's coup. Putting an arm around Maria's shoulders, Alex congratulated her. "Fantastic, Maria. I told you you could do it!"
"Actually," Liz cut in, "I believe you were the one with doubts. Remember? Cart? Horse? Something about not putting one before the other?"
Alex opened his mouth to respond but was silenced when Maria quietly said, "Guys, we need to get to Michael's."
As the three of them headed down the sidewalk towards the parking lot, Liz thought she heard Maria mutter, "Fantastic. Now Spaceboy can get in the way of this, too."
* * * * *
As Liz raised her hand to knock on Michael's door, it opened suddenly. Pulling back quickly, Max barely avoided Liz hitting him in the face. "Oops. Sorry, Max." She blushed slightly.
He smiled down at her and said, "Come on in. Michael's not here yet."
Maria sat quietly on one end of the couch, trying not to look around. This was the first time she'd been in his apartment since...well, since the whole destiny mess. Trying not to think too much about it, she looked up as she heard her name.
"Maria! Congratulations!" Isabel gave her a quick hug, and she smiled tightly back at the taller girl.
"Thanks, Isabel."
"You had a great audition. You really deserved it! Who else is in the cast?" Isabel asked, sitting next to her.
"I don't actually know. I didn't get that far down the cast list," Maria admitted.
"She was a little in shock at the time, " Liz said, smiling. "You should have seen her! She actually couldn't speak--" She stopped abruptly as Maria stiffened.
"He's here," she said tersely.
Alex looked at her curiously. "How do you...?"
"I just know," she replied, as the lock clicked and the door swung open.
Michael stepped into the apartment and paused at the sight of the group lying in wait. One eyebrow rose slowly.
Max was the first to speak. "Hey, Michael."
"Hey."
An uncomfortable silence filled the small room.
Finally Isabel stood and smiled, her patented big fat fake smile, the one she saved for snowing the teachers. "Michael! It's been a while since we've gotten to say hi, so we stopped by to say hi. So hi!" she laughed loudly. Michael just looked at her.
Liz smiled, and Alex spoke up. "How's it going, man?"
Michael shrugged.
"Look Michael, we need to talk."
"I don't think so, Max. Got lots to do. Sorry." But he didn't seem particularly repentant.
Maria looked around at the others, who were all beginning to look worried now. She turned back to study the spiky-haired alien she cared so much about. As usual, he wouldn't meet her eyes.
Isabel tried again. "Michael--"
"I'm really kinda busy right now, Isabel. I'd appreciate it if you'd go."
Maria finally spoke up. "Umm, guys? I need to talk to Michael for a minute, okay?" She caught Liz's eye, and nodding, Liz moved to the door, Alex in her wake.
Max took Isabel by the arm, saying, "We'll wait for you outside, Maria." His sister allowed herself to be pulled from the room, her eyes locking with Maria's and silently pleading--no, insisting--that she fix things.
The door shut behind them. Maria looked closely at Michael, who hadn't moved and still wouldn't meet her glance. She took in the circles under his eyes and the furrow of his brow. He looked very, very tired and much older. Only his hair still stood to attention in its usual haphazard manner.
"Michael," she began. "I don't pretend to know what's going on with you, but I lo--We all care about you. A lot. And we're worried about you. So what is going on?"
His shrug and continued avoidance of her eyes began to annoy her. "Look, Michael, you can run from me if you want to. God knows you're good at that. If you want to ignore our relationship, that's fine; I should be used to it by now. But if you think you can get away with ignoring Max and Isabel, you've got another think coming. You need each other, now more than ever. You should be planning, preparing for your big destiny that you all seem so enamored of."
She moved to stand directly in front of him, but he continued to stare at the wall. Her voice rose. "So get with the program, pally, because this too important to screw around with!" Reaching up, she took his face in her hands and turned it towards hers.
He spoke one cold, unemotional word. "Go." His eyes finally met hers. She looked into his eyes for one quick moment before her hands flew away from his face and she ran from the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
Leaning against the door, she slid to the ground and began to shake. She looked up at Max, whispering, "Something is really wrong. That's not Michael."
CHAPTER 3
Wordlessly, Max reached out a hand to pull Maria to her feet, and the five of them climbed down the stairs. Heading outside, they turned around the corner of the building where they'd parked the Jeep and the Jetta earlier, hoping not to scare Michael off before they got the chance to talk to him. Maria's hands shook as she pulled out her keys and handed them to Liz. Alex gave her a hug before taking Isabel's hand and climbing with her into the back of the Jeep. With Max in the driver's seat, the Jeep led the two-vehicle caravan straight to the Crashdown.
Once there, they headed up to the Parkers' living room, nodding at Jeff Parker, who was going over some paperwork in the employee lounge, on the way.
"Hi, kids," the tall man said. "You and your friends want a snack, Liz?"
"No thanks. We're just heading upstairs for a quick study session, Dad," the girl replied.
"Sure. Let me know if you change your mind," her father offered.
Upstairs, the group sat down, Alex still holding Isabel's hand. Without even thinking about it, Max put his arm around Liz, who nestled into him. Maria sat numbly on the other end of the couch.
Isabel finally voiced what they were all thinking. "Nasedo?"
Maria shook her head. "No, I don't think so," she said slowly.
Max suggested, "Another alien? Another...shapeshifter?"
Again she shook her head.
"Maria, you said it wasn't Michael," Alex pointed out. "If not Nasedo or another alien, what could it be? Weird as things have gotten around here in the last year, I'm not willing to believe in demonic possession, so..." He stopped speaking as Isabel's elbow made a minor dent in his ribs.
"It's not Michael, and it is," Maria tried to explain. "I mean, there he is, standing there, and he's not, all at the same time." Her voice caught as she said, "He looked me in the eye, and there was nothing there. No spark, no anger, nothing that makes Michael Michael. I...I couldn't feel him."
"Feel him?" Isabel burst out. "This is no time to be playing touchy-feely games!" She sprang up and began to pace across the room.
Alex put a stop to the girl's frenetic pacing by reaching out, grabbing her hand, and holding it tightly. "Calm down, Isabel. That's not what she means. Is it?" he asked Maria, who shook her head again.
"No, it's just that I can always tell when he's there, you know? I don't have to see him, I just know he is."
"When did this start?" Max asked quietly.
"I don't know exactly...Sometime last fall, I guess. I just thought it was nerves at first. I mean, Michael can be pretty scary when you don't know him. Then when I did get to know him, I figured it was just a Czechoslovakian thing. I got used to it."
"And you never told me?" Liz questioned.
"I never told anybody. I never even told Michael. You and Max started getting those visions, and I thought maybe this was related, but...I don't know. It was just private." Her eyes dropped to the floor. "It...I felt special, you know?"
"This is how you knew when he was at the apartment this afternoon, isn't it?" said Alex gently. She nodded.
"I could feel it when he was outside the door. But when I looked into his eyes, nothing."
Maria glanced at the close-knit group of friends around her. She was relieved to see that they seemed to believe her.
"Well, what now?" asked Isabel, once more pacing across the room.
"Max, could you and Isabel try and read him? Maybe you can get a flash from him and see what's going on," suggested Liz.
Max frowned rubbed his forehead. "He's hardly likely to let us get close enough to do that. I don't think we'll be able to ambush him like that again."
Alex tried to break the tension in the room. "Well, going back to demonic possession, we could always try a little exorcism. Burn a few herbs, chant a little Latin, sacrifice a few little green alien dolls..."
Liz smiled, shaking her head, as Isabel picked up a pillow and smacked Alex in the head with it. Maria gave a small chuckle.
"Hey, a little help here!" begged Alex, grinning between blows from the pillow. Neither girl moved to aid their beleaguered friend.
Max smiled and tightened his hold on Liz, lacing his fingers through hers. She looked up at him and nodded. He gazed for a moment into her warm brown eyes before turning to his sister, his face serious. "I think it's time to dreamwalk, Isabel."
* * * * *
Once again, Maria rushed through the halls toward her locker, paying no attention to the people around her. Grabbing her lunch, she headed out towards the quad, her mind on Isabel and the previous night's dreamwalk. Hoping Isabel had been able to get some clue as to what was going on, she marched along, lost in thought.
She stopped abruptly to avoid running into a tall, male form that was planted in the hallway in front of her.
Looking up, she took in the dark brown hair and worried eyes. "Hey, Max," she said, concerned. "You look like you got about as much sleep as I did."
The tall alien shook his head slowly. "I stayed up most of the night with Isabel. She had trouble getting into Michael's dreams. Evidently he's not sleeping much, either."
"Did she get through?" questioned Maria impatiently. "What did she see? What was he dreaming about? What--"
"Hold on a minute, Maria," Max said, putting his hand out to stop her impatient queries. "That's why I was waiting for you. We're meeting on the quad. If Michael's not around, Isabel can tell everyone what happened."
Maria nodded and started down the hall. "How are you doing?" she asked, studying him carefully. "You're carrying enough on your shoulders already without having this weirdness to deal with." Putting her hand on his arm, she went on, "I know Liz has been worried about you, but so have Alex and I. You're our friend, too, you know? You mean a lot to us. So we worry."
Max covered her hand with his own. "I know. Your friendship, and Alex's, and Liz's, are helping me get through this. You all mean a lot to Isabel, too. And whatever is going on with Michael, he cares about you, in his own clumsy way. No matter how confused he gets, you should know how much you mean to him."
"Max, stop trying to make me feel better and let me know how you are!"
"I'm doing okay. We just need to get through this a day at a time."
Maria nodded. "Yeah, I know."
By this time, the two had reached their normal table on the quad. Liz, Alex and Isabel were already sitting and starting on their lunches. The other two humans looked almost as tired as Maria felt. She was inwardly amused, however, to see that despite her late night, Isabel was her usual perfectly made up and coifed self.
"You know, it's really not fair," she told the taller girl. "You've got to be as worn out and stressed as the rest of us, and look at you! Straight from a magazine cover."
Isabel smiled softly back at her. "I guess it's one of the few benefits of our genetic background. Instant beauty aids."
"Boy, if you could package that, you could make a fortune! Maybelline, look out!" teased Alex.
"And just how come you are familiar with Maybelline, Alex?" asked Maria, holding in a chuckle. "Been holding out on us?"
Alex snorted. "Oh yeah, I am such the beauty queen. Come on Maria, I've been hanging out with you and Liz for the last six years. I had to pick up something by osmosis."
Ever the leader, Max changed the subject. "Anyone seen Michael this morning?"
"He was in English. No change," said Maria soberly.
Liz added, "I saw him in the hall earlier, but he seemed to be avoiding me."
"Big surprise there," Maria grumbled.
Max turned to the scowling girl. "Is he around right now? Can you tell?"
She sat for a moment, concentrating. "I don't think so. I'd know if he were," she finally answered.
"Okay," he decided. "Isabel, tell everyone what happened last night."
His sister nodded. "It took a long time to get in," she said. "I mean, I can't dreamwalk him if he isn't asleep. I tried quite a few times before I could reach him at all."
"Well, what did you find out?" demanded Maria impatiently. Liz took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
Isabel slowly began to describe her experience. "It was strange. Usually people's dreams have a...well, dreamlike quality to them. Nothing seems quite real. But Michael's was very sharp and very focused, almost too real. It was the desert, but not the desert around here. No rock formations, no pod cave. The only things I could see were the flat sand and a very bright, empty sky."
"Did he realize you were in his dream?" asked Liz. "How did he react?"
"He wasn't in his dream. Nobody was, just sand and sky. I stayed in the dream for over an hour, wandering around, looking for him. I thought he might be hiding somewhere, and if I looked hard enough, I'd find him, or at least signs of him, but nothing. No people, no animals, not even any stars. Nothing at all. It was frightening. And as worried as I was about him, I couldn't find the energy to leave. Max had to wake me up."
"So Michael's not only avoiding us, now he's avoiding his own dreams?" asked Alex. "Strange is right, Isabel."
"How can you not be in your own dreams? What does that mean?" Liz thought aloud.
"I think my mom has some dream interpretation books. Maybe they could give us some clues," Maria offered.
"Actually, Isabel and I had another idea," said Max slowly. "If you can always sense when he's around, we thought you might be able to tell if he's really in his dream or not."
"Oh yeah," scoffed Maria. "I'll just crank up my Czechoslovakian superpowers and hop right on into Michael's head. Hey, remember, human, okay?"
"Cut it out, Maria!" Isabel said in exasperation. "We don't expect you to dreamwalk; we just thought that maybe I could take you with me when I do."
"What?"
"We think it might be possible," added Max.
"It's worth a shot, Maria," said Liz. Her brow wrinkled. "But only if it's not dangerous. If Isabel couldn't get out without you waking her, Max..."
Max looked at her understandingly. "We certainly don't want Maria to get hurt--"
Isabel broke in, "If she did, Michael--whenever he comes to his senses--would kill us."
Giving his sister a chiding glance, Max continued, "But we think it can be done. There are no guarantees, though, Maria. We haven't done anything quite like this before. It's up to you whether or not you want to try."
"Well, we don't have any other ideas, do we? And I am not going to spend the rest of my life worrying about what happened to Michael. He's screwed up enough of it already." Her eyes grew serious. "Besides, I trust you. So yeah, if there's a chance it will help, of course I'll do it."
Isabel smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks," she said simply. Maria nodded at her.
"Hey, I care about him, too, remember? No matter what is going through that twisted head of his. So when do you want to do it?"
"How about asking your mom if you can spend the night on Friday? It may take a while to get through if Michael's still not sleeping much, so it could be a long night. Liz could come, too," she went on. "We could tell our parents it's a sleepover."
"Well, I guess that leaves me out," said Alex. "I don't think any of our parents would go for a coed slumber party."
"If you can sneak out, you can always come in by my window and use the sleeping bag. Michael's done it hundreds of times," suggested Max.
"Great! Now I'm modeling myself on Michael Guerin of all people. Next thing you know, I'll be listening to Metallica and spiking my hair."
Liz and Maria took one look at each other and then back at Alex. "Naaahh."
Continue to CHAPTERS 4, 5, and 6
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