"Maria! Wait up!" cried Alex later that afternoon as he lugged his bass and amp down the hall from the band room. She paused, waiting for him to catch up. "Thanks," he panted.
"No problem."
"So, you decided to show up on time today, huh?" he teased.
Maria responded in kind. "Well, seeing as no one tried to push me down any stairs, I figured the least I could do was show up." She almost skipped down the hallway. "It's going to be a good rehearsal today, Alex. I can feel it!"
"Well, since you're busy anticipating good things, I'll give you something else to look forward to. Talk to me afterwards. I've got some news that you'll really like."
"What? Tell me now!" she begged, her eyes dancing with curiosity.
"Uh-uh. We're here. I've got to set up," he replied. "Get the door, will you?"
Maria planted herself squarely in front of the doors to the auditorium. "Not until you tell me what's going on. Don't hold out on me!"
Alex chided her. "Well, I was going to tell you at lunch, but you were a no-show."
"I was in the library doing research for my term paper. You can't penalize me for doing my homework; it isn't fair. C'mon, Alex, give!"
"Patience, patience, DeLuca."
Maria made a mental note to get Alex back for his teasing at the earliest possible opportunity, and then gave in gracefully, knowing that she would have the whole afternoon to plot her revenge. Swinging one of the doors open, she moved aside and held it for Alex and his equipment to pass through, her mind working busily. She frowned a little. Something was niggling at the back of her brain. Had she forgotten something? She double-checked her bag for her script and a pencil; it wasn't that. Was she supposed to have done something? She shook her head. Maybe if she didn't think about it, it would come to her. But she couldn't escape the nagging feeling that kept plucking at her attention...
"Thanks, Maria," said Melanie as she and Pamela walked through the door that Maria was still holding open. Pamela shot her a superior look, as if to suggest that doorman was a job Maria was particularly suited to. Sighing, Maria followed them into the auditorium, determined to keep her spirits up. Yesterday's rehearsal had been rewarding--even if it wore her out--and she was hoping today's would be just as good.
She hadn't made it three feet into the auditorium when she realized what that nagging little feeling actually was. Oh god. So much for a good rehearsal. Could her life get any worse?
Carefully focusing on Alex, who was setting up his amp in front of the stage, she headed directly towards him without looking around. Catching him by the sleeve, she pulled him a few steps away from the rest of the combo and hissed, "Tell me it's not true. That what I think is happening is not happening." A hint of desperation colored her voice. "Because I don't think I can handle it."
"It's okay," said Alex. "You can deal with this. You can handle it--you're the strongest person I know."
Maria groaned and asked rhetorically, "Why is it that my life has to suck this badly?" Alex gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"Just suck it up and get through the afternoon. We'll talk then and I'll tell you the good news, remember?"
"It had better be more than good. It better be mind-bogglingly fantastic," she warned before turning resignedly to face the empty seats in front of her. Yep. There they were, standing in the side aisle by the twelfth row, deep in discussion. Ms. Bedinger and Michael Guerin. Maria watched as the teacher pointed out something in a sheaf of papers she'd handed Michael, talking in a low voice. Michael studied the papers for a moment and then nodded. Maria couldn't make out what they were saying, but she knew it couldn't be good. At least not for her peace of mind.
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" called the drama teacher, heading towards the stage. "Some of you may have heard that we've had a problem with the theater company that was renting us the Audrey II plants; they've reneged on our agreement. Obviously, Little Shop of Horrors is impossible to perform without the plant puppets. For the past few days, I've been scrambling to find a solution. Today I am happy to announce that I have one, and that the show will go on as scheduled. I'd like you all to give a round of applause to Michael Guerin who, with only three weeks to go, has volunteered his time and artistic talents to build them." Maria stood, shell-shocked, as the other company members broke out in applause.
"Now since the full-size puppet will need to be worked with the most, I want to run Act II, scenes one and three, so Michael can get a good idea of what the plant will need to be able to do. Jon, since you're not on until the end of scene three, go with Megan and have a costume fitting. Be back in time for your scene. Okay, people, places."
Maria was glued to the floor. She could barely breathe, much less move. It just wasn't fair! The one thing in her life that was Czechoslovakian-free, and now the jerk had to come along and foist himself off on her again. If she weren't ignoring his existence, she could just kill him. Painfully. And slowly. With knives, and an axe, and maybe an anvil like in the old Road Runner cartoons. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her reverie.
"Hang in there, Maria. Don't let this throw you," advised Alex quietly.
"How could he do this to me?" she seethed. "Why did he have to horn in on the one thing in my life that was going really well? I don't get it, Alex. What could have possessed him?" Throwing up her hands, she headed for the stage, missing Alex's uncomfortable look and how he averted his eyes. Okay. She'd follow Alex's advice. She wouldn't let this bother her. She would focus on what she was supposed to be doing...and by god, she'd give the performance of her life. She would show that badly groomed, selfish, unmannered ex-boyfriend of hers just what Maria DeLuca was made of!
What was in Act II scene one, anyway? She fumbled in her script for the correct page. Okay, it was 'Call Back in the Morning', and the scene with Mark and 'Suddenly Seymour', and 'Suppertime'...
Wait a minute. The 'Suddenly Seymour' scene...An evil idea began to percolate in her brain. That was the scene that ended in the big clinch. Ha! She would show Mr. 'I Love You Too Much And Goodbye' what was what. Just what he was missing. And she would wager that, no matter what he was or wasn't feeling, he missed kissing her. He was too good at it not to enjoy it, wasn't he? He was really good at it, and he had to be a natural; it's not like he'd been swimming in girlfriends to practice on before she came along. Not that she'd had all that much opportunity before Michael, but she'd had some. Nobody else could compare to him, though. Darn it! She had to get him out of her system.
"Maria? We're waiting for you." She looked guiltily up at Mark.
"Sorry, I was just trying to...trying to get into character," she said in a rush. He grinned at her and took his place at the makeshift counter for the opening of the act. She followed suit, but not before sneaking a peek into the auditorium. Michael was sitting towards the back, flipping through the script and design sketches Ms. Bedinger had given him. Did he even know what Little Shop of Horrors was about? She didn't think he'd seen the movie. Was he ever in for a surprise...Then her music cue began, and she became Audrey.
* * * * *
Alex glanced up from his music to watch Maria on stage. She was really good, he noted without surprise. She'd done well in rehearsal yesterday, but something today had lit a fire within her. He was pretty sure what it was, too. Glancing to his left, he caught Michael out of the corner of his eye. The alien was sitting, mesmerized, as Maria put her whole heart into the song. Focusing once again on his music, Alex mentally congratulated himself. This had been an excellent idea. Now if the whole dreamwalking thing would just work so that they could all concentrate on Maria's problem...
The duet wound to a big finish and Alex suddenly swallowed. He'd either forgotten or hadn't realized what was about to happen. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. He watched as Mark took Maria--no, as Seymour took Audrey into his arms and kissed her. Ouch. He forced himself to look back into the house, towards Michael. The alien was staring fixedly at the seat in front of him, hands gripping the papers he held tightly. Way too tightly, Alex could tell, even at a distance.
Looking back up at the stage, he noted with surprise that the pair was still in a clinch. Okay. That was enough. If that guy didn't stop mauling his friend, he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. If only to save the actor from the wrath of Michael Guerin, Power Ranger.
Alex gave a sigh of relief as Dennis Cooper finally entered the stage and gave the next line, causing the embracing couple to break apart. Thank god. Maria had told him that, unlike the movie, the stage play ended tragically, with everyone dead, so maybe he would be spared any more of watching his friend swapping spit with Mark Blumenthal. It had been weird enough the few times he'd seen her and Michael together, but at least that felt right, somehow. This was just...wrong.
Noticing that Dennis was getting ready to do his bit of stage business with the bloody dentist's uniform, Alex turned the page in his music and got ready to play the next number.
* * * * *
Maria peered out of the wings into the house. Since they weren't using the stage lighting yet, she could clearly see Michael. Ms. Bedinger had moved to where he sat, and was gesturing towards the stage as Mark and Brian sang 'Suppertime'. She was probably explaining all the necessary stage action. Michael would probably get the idea fairly quickly. He was very bright, even though he didn't like to show it. And she had to admit that he might very well make great plant puppets. He was good with his hands, after all. Ruthlessly she pushed her next thought back out of her head. No, she wasn't thinking of that. She just meant that he'd done a good job on the napkin holder he'd made her last year. That was all. Yeah, that was convincing, DeLuca.
Watching the pair talk, she wondered what he'd thought while she was on stage. He'd missed The Whits' performance during Liz's blind date, so he'd never really heard her sing before. And somehow she knew she'd never sung better than she had just a few minutes ago. It had seemed almost effortless.
Michael pulled a pencil stub from his jacket pocket and made a few marks on the pages in front of him before turning them towards Ms. Bedinger. Maria watched absorbedly as the teacher seemed to ask something; Michael shook his head in response and turned the page over, drawing on the back of it with firm strokes. After a moment, he handed it to Ms. Bedinger, who studied it and then smiled warmly at him, nodding as she spoke. Huh. It looked like Michael was making a hit with the teacher, improving on her plant designs. She had known that he'd be good at this.
A feeling of pride welled up inside her until she caught herself smiling. Tearing her eyes away from her ex-boyfriend, she looked rather wildly around the room, hoping no one had caught her staring. Unfortunately, someone had. At least it was only Alex, although that didn't keep her from reddening under his amused gaze. Fantastic. She stepped further back into the wings, out of sight, and leaned against the wall. She could get through this rehearsal. No problem. Only two more hours to go.
* * * * *
"Don't feed the plants!" sang the Little Shop cast in harmony, finishing the show's last scene for the third time that afternoon. Holding their positions on the stage, they looked expectantly at Ms. Bedinger.
"Good work," she said. "We need to spend a little more time polishing Audrey and Seymour's death scenes, and I'd like to re-block the end of the show, but that will all wait until we have the plant to work with. Other than that, we're in pretty good shape on these sections of the show. So go home and look over your lines for Act II Scene 2; we'll start there tomorrow." Turning to the dark figure hunched in a seat near the back of the auditorium, she continued, "Michael? A word with you, please."
The adrenaline that had carried Maria through the rehearsal drained away without warning, leaving her feeling quite shaky. She sank down onto the edge of the stage, her feet dangling into the orchestra pit, and watched Alex unplug his bass from the amp. To think that she'd felt tired after yesterday's rehearsal. That had been a day at Disneyland compared to today. A broken ankle was starting to look pretty good. Would Max be willing to un-heal?
"Pretty great of Guerin to step in," Mark said from behind her. "Does he actually know anything about theater?"
Maria let out a sarcastic little snort. "I very much doubt it."
"Interesting that he should suddenly volunteer. Did you talk him into it?"
She turned her head in astonishment. Where had he gotten that idea? "No way! I didn't even know there was a problem in the first place. Did you?"
"Yeah, Melanie and Pamela were talking about it yesterday. The theatrical company double-booked the plants or something." He looked out at Michael, who was conferring with Ms. Bedinger. "Look, we need the plant puppets as soon as possible so we can get used to using them, and I know making them is a huge project. So tell Guerin to let me know if he needs any help. I'll round some guys up."
"What? I am not his social secretary," Maria said harshly. "Tell him yourself."
Mark looked at her in surprise. "I would, but he's kind of busy right now," he pointed out, gesturing at the pair deep in discussion. "And he's your weird friend, remember?" He gave her a sly grin. "Besides, something tells me he's not too pleased with me right now."
"What? I...he...What do you mean?" she sputtered.
"Just give him the message, okay?" He leaned down to ruffle her hair and walked away.
Somehow Maria found the strength to rise to her feet and shout indignantly at Mark's retreating back. "You can do it yourself, you lazy bum!" His amused laugh floated back to her ears, but he continued on his way.
Maria looked around to find a number of interested--and two suspicious--eyes focused on her. The suspicious pair flickered away as she met them, leaving her feeling suddenly very cold. In an attempt to hide her uneasiness, she turned to Alex, who had finished packing up, and gifted him with a particularly brilliant smile. "All ready?" she asked a trifle too cheerfully.
Alex nodded and picked up his equipment. "I've just got to drop the amp off in the band room. Mr. Lewis said I could leave it there overnight."
Together, they headed up the aisle, Maria chattering madly about nothing in particular. Unfortunately, her careful plan to escape the auditorium without having to acknowledge Michael was put on hold. "Maria?" Ms. Bedinger said. "One moment, please." The girl turned and looked inquisitively at the director, very aware of Michael towering over the woman, unfortunately well within the scope of Maria's peripheral vision.
"I'll go stash this stuff and meet you in the hallway," offered Alex as he continued towards the doors.
"I've got a drama major from UNM coming in next week to do the hair and makeup design for the show. I'll want her to work with you; we want to achieve a real period look here, and she'll need to see what she's got to work with."
Maria nodded, saying, "Sure." Dismissed, she carefully avoided looking over the teacher's shoulder and turned to follow Alex's path to the back of the house. As she went, she could hear Ms. Bedinger resume her discussion with Michael, who responded in a low, halting voice.
In the hallway, she waited tiredly for Alex to reappear from the band room, and together they walked out to the parking lot. Climbing into the Jetta, they sat staring out the windshield at the empty lot around them. Finally Alex spoke.
"You did good in there, 'Ria." He shifted in his seat, turning towards her. "I'm sorry it was so hard on you."
Maria replied softly, "Yeah. It was."
In an effort to cheer her, he went on, "Maybe you need this kind of pressure more often." She raised angry eyes to his, and he continued, "I just mean that it provoked one hell of a performance. You were great."
Maria's expression lightened and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. "Thanks."
"Although I could do without the tournament-length kissing scene," Alex mused.
"That was not my fault!" Maria protested. Catching his knowing eye, she continued, "Well, not entirely. I mean, Dennis really was late for his cue. I didn't mean for it to go on that long."
"If it makes you feel any better, I think it had the desired effect."
Maria tried to play dumb for a moment, but her knew her too well to fall for it. Exasperated, she burst out, "Okay, so I wanted to show him up. I admit it."
"And do you feel any better about it?"
"No. I just feel...well, kind of slimy actually," she groaned. Alex patted her shoulder in sympathy.
"Don't worry about it. It's in the past. And we do have something else to discuss."
She attempted to look enthused. "Oh yeah. The way my day is going, you're probably going to tell me I only have three weeks to live. Which might not seem so bad, when you think about it."
Alex eyed her carefully, then asked, "What do you want most right this minute?"
"You mean besides twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep? And a giant Acme anvil?"
"Yep."
"Well, duh, for Michael to be his old, complicated, annoying self again." She paused, then snorted, "As opposed to his new, complicated, annoying self."
Alex grinned triumphantly. "Well, I think we may be on the right track."
She sat upright. "What do you mean?"
"He agreed to let you and Isabel dreamwalk him."
"Stop kidding around," she crabbed.
"I'm not kidding. I asked; he said yes."
"He did? When? How? What did you do to him?" she burbled, an expression of hope mixed with joy and uncertainty blooming across her face. The questions came faster than Alex could answer them. Finally he was able to break in.
"I just reasoned with him, that's all."
"You reasoned with Michael?" she laughed happily. "I didn't know he was capable of that. No, it has to be some sort of spell. Or hypnosis. Can aliens be hypnotized?"
"Calm down. I talked to the others, and we're set for Saturday night, if that works for you."
"Of course it works for me. Even if it didn't, I'd make it work," she exclaimed. "I'm on a double shift at the Crashdown, but we wouldn't be able to start until he's asleep, anyway. What's the plan--another slumber party?"
"Yes, but this time I won't have to sneak through the window. Mr. & Mrs. Evans are going to be in Phoenix for the weekend, and Max and Isabel each have permission to have a few friends over. As long as we don't trash the place."
"Oh my god, Alex, I can't believe it!" she cried, practically chortling with joy. "I never thought he'd agree. It's so unlike him." She tensed suddenly. "It is unlike him, isn't it? It's not true. It's all a plot to drive me insane, and you're in on it."
Alex rolled his eyes, Isabel-style. "It's not a plot. If you don't believe me, then ask the source." He gestured to the school, where Michael was emerging from the building. She sat frozen for a minute. "Go ahead," he prodded.
After one moment of hesitation, the car door was flung open and a blond pixie was tearing back across the parking lot. With a happy laugh, Maria flung her arms around the unprepared alien, who dropped the papers and script he was holding and tried to maintain his balance.
"Michael!" she cried. "I can't believe you said it was okay! That's wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tightening her arms around him, she held on for dear life.
She was still clinging to him a moment later when she noticed that he wasn't clinging back. Indeed, he was standing stiffly, looking upwards with a resigned expression on his face.
Pulling back slightly, she asked, "Michael? When we dreamwalk you we'll be able to get you fixed up. Aren't you happy? Isn't that what you wanted?"
Michael continued to gaze upward, saying coldly, "If I had wanted you dreamwalking me, I would've agreed to it the first time."
She began to protest. "But--"
"Don't worry, I'll do it. I told Alex I would, and I will. But until then, I've got a lot of work to do. So why don't you let me do it, all right?"
Startled, she dropped her arms and took a step backward. He didn't look at her, instead crouching to gather the fallen papers. For a moment she thought he would just walk away, but finally he looked down at the things in his hands and opened his mouth to speak. She held her breath, half in fear and half in anticipation.
"Look," he said roughly, as if his vocal chords were unused to working, "for what it's worth, you're really good. In the play." Maria's mouth fell open and she struggled to stammer out a coherent response.
"Th..thanks."
Michael's mouth worked as if he were about to speak again. Instead, he pressed his lips together firmly and looked off into the distance. Finally, without looking at her, he said brusquely, "See ya," and took off down the sidewalk. Maria stood in confusion, watching him go.
This had been a very bizarre afternoon. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But deep inside her was a growing warm, comforting sensation, as if her soul was at peace. A smile of genuine happiness spread across her lips. Everything was going to be all right. She could feel it.
CHAPTER 20
The next few days passed interminably for Maria. She got up, went to school and sat through class, her mind only half on what the teachers were saying. The rest of her mind was usually on Michael and the upcoming dreamwalk. It wasn't helped by his sudden devotion to dogging her footsteps. Suddenly, she could almost always feel him nearby. She didn't necessarily see him, but she knew he was there. The only time she was really able to focus on things was at rehearsal. After his unexpected appearance there on Wednesday, Michael hadn't shown back up in the auditorium. Alex had said he was probably in the shop room, working on building the plants, but who knew for sure? She'd gotten so used to feeling Michael around at unexpected moments; now she found she missed that little tingle during play practice.
She'd even had the feeling he was nearby when she woke up this morning, but when she peered out her window, there was no one to be seen. By the time she'd started her double shift at the Crashdown, the feeling had disappeared.
Sighing, she carried a tray of burgers over to a table and served them with a smile. Heading back to the counter, she asked Alex if he wanted another refill on his drink. Filling his glass, she placed it back in front of him and asked suspiciously, "Okay, Alex. What's going on? It's now 4:37, and you've been here since I came on duty at 11:00. When Isabel and Max left after lunch, how come you stayed on?"
He looked at her calmly and said, "I'm just killing time until Liz finishes her shift."
"Oh," she said, somewhat mollified. "She gets off at 5:00."
"I know. We're going to head over to Isabel and Max's. Get things ready for tonight."
Maria nodded. "I wish this day would hurry up and end. I'll be over there as soon as I can after we close up."
"You're driving, right?"
"No, my mom needed the car today," she began.
Alex said sternly, "Well, you shouldn't be walking around town by yourself at night. Not when there's someone out there who doesn't seem to like you."
"Hey, I never said I was walking. I already talked to Isabel; I'll give her a call when I'm done and she'll come pick me up," Maria said before she turned around in response to Jos�'s bell. "Got to go. More food to serve."
About forty minutes later, Liz, now dressed in street clothes, headed over to the counter where Maria was preparing an Alien Blast. "I'm off," she announced. "You ready, Alex?"
The teen took one last sip of his root beer before climbing off the stool and joining Liz. He reached into his pocket for his wallet, but Liz forestalled him with a smile. "It's on the house, Alex."
"Thanks," he said. Turning to Maria, he said, "We'll see you later. Be careful, all right?"
She snorted. "And what exactly could happen to me here? What, do you think the alien decorations are going to come to life and abduct me?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I foresee," he joked. "Only it'll only be one. And she'll be driving a Jeep. You can expect her in about six hours."
She pretended to threaten him with the milkshake glass she was holding, and he ducked behind Liz in mock fear. Liz shook her head and pulled him out of the caf�. Maria laughed at their antics and watched them go.
They hadn't been out of her sight for three minutes when Maria felt it again. Michael was around. She didn't see him, of course, but she knew he was nearby. For a moment she was pleased, but then she began to contemplate the strangeness of the situation. Why did he persist on being near her, but just out of sight? He knew she could feel him; was he purposely trying to annoy her, or what? As she served the milkshake, her mind was busy working. Forget whoever was sending her the notes, she already had a stalker. He was around all the time. She could swear he was even somewhere near her house at night. Well, most of the time, and when he wasn't, Alex--
She stopped dead in her tracks. Whenever Michael wasn't around, Alex was. What was going on? Her mind flashed to the notes she'd gotten. Alex knew about them, but Michael didn't. Well, the sketch, yes, but not the other note or her fall down the stairs. And Alex wouldn't have broken his promise and told him about it, she was sure of it. She ground her teeth. On top of everything else, it looked like she was going to have to have a little talk with those two...
The next six hours or so didn't pass any more quickly than the preceding two and a half days, but finally the restaurant was closed and Maria could change out of her uniform. She jumped when a knock came on the back door, but relaxed as she heard Isabel call, "Maria? Are you ready?" Grabbing the things she'd packed for overnight, she hurried to the door and swung it open, greeting Isabel. She followed the taller girl to the nearby Jeep and threw her things into the back, but didn't climb in.
"Maria, I can't drive you anyplace if you don't get in the Jeep," Isabel pointed out.
"Just a minute," Maria insisted, and then raised her voice. "Michael? We're leaving now. If you want a ride, you'd better make an appearance."
There was no movement in the alleyway, and she huffed, "I know you're there; I can feel it, remember?" Another moment of silence, with Isabel eyeing her appraisingly. Then a figure detached itself from the shadows in the corner and wordlessly climbed into the back seat.
"Hello to you, too, Michael," said Isabel, turning in the driver's seat to look at him. He gave a grunt in reply. "Need a ride to your place?"
"Oh, no," insisted Maria as she got in. "He agreed to this dreamwalk, and I am going to make sure he does it. He can sleep just as well in Max's room as he can on that lumpy old couch of his."
Isabel looked at him in the rearview mirror. When he didn't say anything, she shrugged and started the Jeep for a quick--and very silent--trip back to the Evanses'.
* * * * *
Max, Alex and Liz were waiting in the family room for their arrival. They seemed surprised when the girls entered with Michael in tow, but saw the determined look on Maria's face and didn't comment.
"Okay, let's get started," Maria ordered. "Michael, go to sleep." He looked silently at her for a few moments, then around the room resignedly.
Max took pity on him. "Give him a little time, Maria. We don't have to be in such a hurry." She opened her mouth to protest, but he went on, "Hungry, Michael?"
The spiky-haired alien growled, "No. Let's get this over with."
"Aha!" cried Maria triumphantly, almost dancing in place. "See, Max? He's tired. He wants to go to sleep."
Michael looked at her in disbelief and shook his head slightly, but turned his attention back to Max when he spoke. "Why don't you crash in my room?" Max suggested. "The rest of us will be in Isabel's, so you can use the bed instead of the sleeping bag." With an abrupt nod, Michael headed out of the room.
The others sat down, Maria glancing repeatedly at the doorway where Michael had disappeared.
"Give the guy a break," Alex said. "You don't just fall asleep on command."
"I know that," she shot back. "I'm just anxious, that's all."
Isabel decided to play hostess. "Why don't we head into the kitchen and get a snack? We can watch TV or something for a while. Relax until he's asleep."
The others agreed, and followed her from the room. They settled back down a little while later, with drinks and munchies in hand. Max turned on the TV with its sound down low and idly flipped through the channels.
"Warm milk!" said Maria suddenly. "My mom always used to make me warm milk when I couldn't sleep. I'd be out like a light. Let's make some for Michael."
"My mom does that, too," mused Alex. "But she puts a shot of brandy in hers."
"We do not want to give Michael any brandy," warned Isabel. "We can't handle alcohol, remember?"
Everyone looked at Max, who reddened and then spoke. "It's only been fifteen minutes, anyway. Give him a chance. He's not used to sleeping this early."
"It's almost 11:30. That was about when we dreamwalked him the first time," commented Alex. "And somehow I don't think he's gotten a whole lot of sleep since then, either. He still looks beat."
Maria muttered something unintelligible under her breath. Of course Michael looked beat. He was hanging around her house at all hours of the night, wasn't he? Setting her glass down with a thump on one of Mrs. Evans's coasters, she said, "I'll be back in a minute," and headed out of the room.
"She's probably just gone to get some air," she heard Liz say as she headed to the door. Liz knew her so well. Sitting on the front stoop, she looked up at the night sky. She'd never really studied it, not before finding out about Max, Michael and Isabel; but since then she'd spent many hours staring up and wondering. About their home, about where they'd come from, about the family Michael had once had. As much as it scared her that the three of them would leave, it gave her comfort, too, knowing how much Michael needed to know where he belonged. And as much as she wanted him with her, she knew that he had to find that place, a place where he was at home. Content. Where he could allow himself to love someone, and be loved back. But first he needed to be whole again...
Sighing, she took one last look at the stars and headed quietly back inside. Ignoring the voices coming from the family room, she moved towards Max's room, trying not to make a sound. She'd just peek in on him and see how he was doing.
Reaching the door, she put her ear against it, listening. No sound from within. She reached out and eased the door open a crack. Just enough light filtered in from the hall to allow her to make out the still form on the bed. He'd taken his shoes off and lain back, his hands folded across his stomach. He didn't move. Silently she moved to the foot of the bed, picking up the quilt that was folded across it and draping it over him, tucking it gently under his chin as she used to do with her dolls.
"I'd have a better chance of falling asleep if you'd stop bugging me," he informed her dryly, his eyes still closed. "Go sniff some oil or something and leave me alone."
She flushed. "How did you know it was me?"
"I've slept in Max's room a lot, and believe me, he isn't the tucking-in type."
"But I could've been Isabel, or Liz."
"But you weren't."
"But--"
He opened his eyes and narrowed them at her. "If you want me to be able to do this, then go away," he said coldly. Biting her lip, she moved to the doorway, looking back to see his eyes once more closed. She shut the door softly behind her, smiling softly. He might not have been aware of it, but he'd clutched the blanket she'd placed over him as if he'd never been tucked in before. Well, maybe he hadn't. A sad expression crossed her face. "Sweet dreams," she whispered, and then headed back down the hall.
CHAPTER 21
"I'm not sure I like this," Maria heard as she approached the Evanses' family room. "We still don't know enough. It could be dangerous."
"You don't know that, Max," his sister pointed out evenly. "Maria, Alex and I agree it's the right thing to do. Even Michael agreed to it. We're going to do it so why don't you stop coming up with reasons we shouldn't, and help? Maria and I can do this. Trust us."
"It's not that," Max said with a frown. "I do trust you. I just don't like taking foolish risks. I don't want you to get hurt. Any of you."
"We won't," Isabel assured him. "I won't let it happen."
"I can't believe Michael actually agreed to it. He was so adamant about it before," mused Liz. "How on earth did you talk him into it, Alex?"
"Yes, Alex, how did you?" asked Maria from the doorway.
"Oh, let's just say that he fell victim to my powers of persuasion," replied Alex glibly. He could tell by looking at her that this answer wasn't enough. "Seriously, we just talked about the situation, and he decided to go ahead with it." Maria gave him a stern look, and he continued, "That's all you're getting from me. You want more, you'll have to get Michael to tell you."
Maria let out a huff of exasperation. "Like I could get him to do anything he didn't want to. Some of us don't have your 'powers of persuasion'," she mocked.
Isabel turned a considering eye upon her. "So was he asleep?" she asked.
"How did you..." Maria flushed. "Okay, so I checked on him. No. He wasn't."
"Uh-huh."
"But he will be soon, I'm sure of it. He wants our help. Anyway, he promised Alex," Maria said. She didn't really convince anyone.
Alex spoke, his voice soothing. "That he did."
"Then all we need to do is wait," put in Liz.
"We can do that," said Alex cheerfully. "Got a deck of cards?"
* * * * *
Liz crowed as she laid down her three of a kind and swept up the pile of M&Ms with which they'd been wagering. "It's a good thing we're not playing for money," Isabel told her. "Who knew you were such a card shark?"
"I did," said Alex, who'd long since folded. "But it passed the time, didn't it?"
"Sure it did," said Isabel, motioning with a small nod of the head to Maria, who was tensely pacing in the corner. "Maybe we should try the dreamwalk now."
Alex considered the situation. "Well, since he's right here in the house, it'll be easy enough to tell if he's asleep. Does he snore?"
"No," said Max and Maria simultaneously. Maria turned red as four very interested pairs of eyes focused on her. "It was just the one night," she protested. "Before he was emancipated. All we did was sleep."
Max went on smoothly, "But he gets nightmares. He doesn't exactly sleep easy. It shouldn't be too difficult to tell if he's out or not."
"You check on him," suggested Isabel. "You're used to his sleep patterns. The rest of us will head into my room and get ready." The humans and an alien quietly moved into Isabel's bedroom. Maria immediately went to lie stiffly down on the bed, in the same spot from which she'd dreamwalked the last time.
Alex grinned and took his place on Isabel's desk chair. "You're not at all impatient, are you?"
Maria gave him a disgruntled look and settled deeper into the pillow. "I'm just ready, that's all." She sat upright, however, when they heard voices coming from outside Isabel's room. "What now?" she said, getting up and stalking to the doorway. Max was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, talking in a low voice to...Michael? She pushed past Max in a fury.
"You! Why are you not asleep?" she shouted at Michael, who was sitting up on the bed. "It's been hours! The rest of us are tired; why aren't you?"
He refused to look at her. "I've been trying."
"You have not tried! If you had, you would have done it!" She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down onto the bed. He sat back up the moment she let go of him.
"It's not that easy," he complained.
"It never is with you, is it?" she hissed. "So tell me why, Michael. Why isn't it easy? I know you're tired. You look like hell, and I know you've been up at night hanging around my house all week, so why can't you fall asleep? And exactly why were you hanging around, anyway, you stalker?"
From the hall, Alex began, "Maria, if you--"
"You're one to talk, Alex! If it's not Michael nearby, it's you. Do you two think I'm stupid? That I wouldn't notice? I want answers!" she raged, once again pushing Michael into a reclining position. "And I want you to go to sleep, dammit, and I want things to be right!" With that, the tension and pent-up emotion she'd been feeling came to a crest and she burst into angry tears, collapsing onto his chest. Liz began to move towards her, but stopped as Max put a hand up and motioned for the others to leave. Michael, looking completely trapped, raised his head off the pillow to stare helplessly at Max, who shrugged.
"You did it," he said calmly. "You fix it. This is one mess I'm not cleaning up for you, Michael. You can handle this one on your own."
"Do you think that was a good idea?" asked Liz in the safety of Isabel's room.
"We had to do something. Maria was so tense it hurt to look at her. She's got to relax, or Isabel won't be able to pull her into the dreamwalk," Max explained. "If Maria can get through to him, she'll calm down. Or they'll kill each other. Either way, it's got to be better than having them constantly at loggerheads."
Alex let out an amazed whistle. "Very sneaky, Max. I never knew you had it in you."
"Well, someone's got to take charge of these things," Max replied with a slow smile.
* * * * *
Inside Max's room, things were not going too well for Michael. He lay still for a moment, wishing he were someplace, anyplace, else, where he didn't have to hear Maria's sobs. Where for once he hadn't hurt her. Finally he put his arms up and awkwardly patted her back. "Hey," he said. "Don't. It's not worth it."
"It is to me," she managed to get out, her cheek pressed to his chest. He continued to hold her, one hand gingerly making gentle circles on her back, all the while heaping mental curses on himself.
"It shouldn't be," he insisted softly.
Maria raised her head and wiped the back of her hand across her reddened eyes. "Well, it is. You can't arbitrarily change the way I feel about you. It doesn't work that way. If you could, I never would have fallen in love with you in the first place."
"You didn't."
"I think I can be trusted to know my own feelings!" she said angrily, sitting up.
"No, the guy you think you're in love with isn't me. He's someone else." His hands fell back to the bed. "I'm not even a real person. I don't know what I am."
Maria scooted closer, leaning over him. "You are real," she said firmly. "You're part of him, or he's part of you, or something. Whichever way it is doesn't matter. If I love him, then I love you. It's one and the same." She peered into his dark unfathomable eyes, wishing she could make him understand. "You drive me absolutely insane, but it doesn't change things. I love you," she repeated, and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.
She pulled back and watched the doubt and confusion in his eyes. Feeling very uncomfortable, he broke their gaze and unconsciously dropped his eyes to linger on her lips, which began to twitch in amusement. Her amusement faded into something quite different as his eyes darkened and he reached up a tentative hand to stroke the tearstains from her cheek. His other hand came up to frame the other side of her face, and looking into her eyes he began to slowly pull her down to him...
...only to stop with a muffled curse, her lips scant inches from his.
"Michael?" she questioned.
He took her by the shoulders and set her gently but firmly aside, then rose from the bed and padded over to the window. He stared out at the night, unseeing.
"Tease," she muttered. He didn't appear to hear her.
Maria watched, wide-eyed, as he fought an inner struggle with himself. Finally something seemed to come over him, and he straightened up to his full height. Not knowing who or what had won, she braced herself for whatever would happen.
What did happen was that he turned and strode out of the room. Anger mixed with panic rose in Maria. He wasn't leaving, was he? Then she realized that his worn boots were still on the floor at the foot of Max's bed, and she breathed more easily. She scurried out of the room, following Michael's path.
"It's not working," she heard him say gruffly. "I can't do it." She walked into Isabel's room to see Liz sharing a concerned glance with the others.
"Of course you can," the petite brunette assured him. "You just need the right circumstances. Is the room too dark? Too warm?"
"No," he said ungraciously.
"Have you tried counting sheep? Or spaceships? How about giant man-eating plant puppets?" asked Alex irrepressibly. The alien gave him a disgusted look and didn't deign to answer.
"What about some sort of relaxation technique?" suggested Liz. "Meditation or something." Alex chuckled at the mental image this created, but cut it short at Michael's terse reply.
"It doesn't matter. None of that will work."
"You mean you don't want it to work," Maria accused from the doorway. He turned to look at her.
"No, I don't. But I said I'd do it, and I'm trying."
"This is not trying! This is lying in the dark and sulking, that's what this is!" she shot back.
"Okay, I guess we're going for the 'killing each other' scenario," Alex heard Max say under his breath.
Maria looked wildly about the room before focusing on its owner. "Isabel! Does he have to be asleep for you to dreamwalk him? Does unconscious count? Because right now I would be more than happy to personally knock him into oblivion!"
"Maria," Liz said warningly, but was ignored by the two combatants.
"Go right ahead," challenged Michael in an icy voice. "I'd rather be unconscious than have to deal with this."
"Don't tempt me!" hissed Maria.
"Stop it!"
Five pairs of eyes turned to an infuriated Isabel. "You," she said, pointing at Maria, "over there. Sit. And you," turning to Michael, "stop telling us what won't work and help us figure out what will." Maria abashedly took a seat on the bed and Michael ducked his head and stared at the floor. Alex was impressed.
"Okay," said Isabel into the quiet, "Now let's work together, shall we? Michael." He raised his head. "You're having trouble getting to sleep, even though you're tired. You are tired, right?" A nod. "I thought so. Then we have something to work with. How did you fall asleep last night?"
"Didn't," he muttered.
She gave him an appraising look. That explained a lot. "Well then, the night before." No answer except a shake of the head. "Before that?" She looked around the room and then back at the scowling figure by the door. "Michael, when was the last time you slept?"
"I don't know. A week, a week and a half," he answered in a low voice.
A concerned furrow appeared in Isabel's forehead. "Michael! You can't function without sleep."
"I'm not human. I don't need sleep," he insisted obstinately. Isabel turned to the others in frustration.
"Somebody help me out here!" she said. Alex, who had a pretty fair idea of what Michael had been doing instead of sleeping, kept his mouth shut.
Liz spoke up. "Why haven't you been sleeping? Because you can't?"
He shifted uncomfortably, but answered. "I've got things to do."
"What could be so important that you would go without sleep for so long?" Isabel cried in distress. "For that matter, how are you still on your feet? Why haven't you collapsed? Passed out?"
Michael gave her a disgusted look wordlessly making it quite clear that guys, even human-alien hybrid guys, do not pass out. Isabel rolled her eyes in frustration.
Liz continued the questioning. "What's keeping you so busy? How can we help?"
He looked at her in mild surprise for a moment. "You can't."
"Why don't you let us be the judge of that?" asked Max. "You've got school, and the gas station. Can't cut down on those. Knowing you, I doubt you're spending much time on homework. So what else is there?"
Michael looked around uneasily and clamped his mouth shut. Deciding to try and help him out, Alex said, "There's the whole plant thing. For the show."
"So speed up the building process by using your powers," suggested Isabel.
Michael swallowed. "I can't."
"Yes, you can," she said in support. "You can do a lot more than you think you can."
"No. I can't," he pronounced decidedly.
From her position on the bed, Maria spoke. "Does this have to do with the whole napkin holder thing? It's okay, Michael. Forget what I said then, you can cheat on this one. Wave your hand and make the problem go away. We give you blanket permission."
Michael ran an unsteady hand through his already tousled hair. "What part of 'I can't' do you people not understand?" Putting his right hand out, he closed his eyes in concentration. Not wanting to be fried to a crisp, the five ducked out of the path his hand delineated. They watched as he struggled to use his powers, to do something, anything, even if only to blow up part of Isabel's room. A sweat broke out on his forehead. Nothing. Finally he let his hand drop back to his side and opened his eyes. "Do you get it now? No powers. They're gone. I can't do anything."
There was silence in the room as the others tried to absorb this news. Finally, Liz spoke. "I'm sorry, Michael." He shrugged and tried to look like he didn't care. None of them were fooled.
Alex cleared his throat. "Well, your powers may not be an option, but your friends are. We can help. Granted, some of us aren't very artistic--" Maria snorted. "But we'll do what we can."
Maria piped up. "Tell Mark Blumenthal you need help. He said he'd round some guys up."
Michael stiffened. "I don't need help. I can do it myself."
"Yes, at the expense of sleep, health and sanity!" she shot back. "Oh, I forgot, you only had two of those to begin with. God, Michael, what are you trying to prove?"
Trying to diffuse the situation, Max said, "Okay, you won't ask for help with the plants. But still, school, work and building them can't possibly be taking twenty-four hours a day. What else are you doing?"
Once again, Michael clamped his mouth shut. "He's stalking me, that's what," Maria burst out.
He looked up at the ceiling and refused to respond.
"Go on, admit it!" she said. "You know I can tell when you're around. Which is practically all the time, you...you stalker."
His jaw clenched. "I am not stalking you."
"Oh yeah? Well, what do you call it then?"
"Maria," Alex began.
"Oh no, don't you start with me, Alex. You're just as bad. If E.T. here isn't around, you are. And I want to know why. Right now."
Alex looked at Michael, a question in his eyes. Michael, stony-faced, did not assent. Alex sighed. "I'd explain it to you if I could, Maria. I would. But I made a promise not to, and I can't break it."
"That's just great. Like we can't guess who made you promise." Maria crossed over and stood directly in front of Michael. She looked up at him defiantly. "And I suppose you're too busy building your relatives to explain?"
His hands clenched and he said through gritted teeth, "Be very grateful I can't use my powers any more."
Isabel, who had watched the argument escalate, said suddenly, "But you can. Or at least you did, when we went into Maria's dream. You and the other Michael used your powers to break a hole in the invisible wall."
"Well, I can't do it now," he said bitterly.
Maria caught her breath. "Of course you can't. And the other Michael--when he tried to use his powers, they backfired on him, and he got hurt. It took the two of you together to make them work. You need each other."
"Max, do you think--?" Michael asked hesitantly.
"Maybe. It makes sense, anyway," he answered.
"So there's yet another reason to dreamwalk you and help you pull yourself together!" cried Maria triumphantly. "You want your powers back, don't you? You'll need them to fight off the evil aliens and all that. Well, suck it up, Michael Guerin, and go to sleep already."
She turned to the people around her and began issuing orders. "Isabel, go heat some milk. We'll give my mom's remedy a try. Max, go turn the TV off; we need quiet. Liz, fluff up his pillow. I want it nice and plump. Alex, you're the musician, start thinking up lullabies." Nobody moved. "Let's get hopping, people! We're on a mission. Operation 'Get Michael Back Now' is underway."
Michael looked down at her, a disgruntled look on his face. "And just what are you going to do?"
She smiled saucily back up at him. "Why, tuck you back in, of course."
He groaned. "Max? Be a buddy and clock me one, will you? Unconsciousness is sounding better all the time."
Continue to CHAPTERS 22, 23 and 24
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