| Maria's retelling of her L.A. experience to Michael took hours. Of course she left out any mention of using her powers to help her survive life in the warehouse, but confessed every shameful detail about the start of her marijuana addiction. She ended with, "So then I came back to Roswell and found Johnny. I just needed� Oh God." She sat up from where she was lying on the grass next to Michael and buried her head in her hands. Michael raised himself up on one elbow and reached across his body to rub her arm, "What?" Maria turned her head to stare at the boy lying beside her. He had no idea what she had done tonight, what she was. Stumbling to her feet she mumbled, "I've got to� I've got to go." "Maria, wait," he said, following her to a standing position. She was already hurrying away from him, across the park in the direction of her house. "Maria," he called, running to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm as he neared, turning her to face him. "Michael, let me go," she said softly. "What? What's up? One minute you're telling me about L.A. and then�" Maria jerked her arm away from him, raising her voice to say, "I killed someone tonight Michael. Don't you get that?" "What?" he asked incredulously. "No, that guy� that piece of dirt," Michael said, screwing up his face at the very thought of Johnny Eagle, "he attacked us and then he had an accident or whatever. You didn't kill him." Michael stared at the small girl standing in front of him � she looked so scared, terrified even. Sure someone had died in their presence but blaming herself � where was that coming from? Maria stepped out of his grasp, shaking her head as tears coursed down her cheeks, "No, I did." She stopped speaking, biting her lip to quell the sobs threatening to escape. "Please, I can't explain. Just�" she looked up into his eyes, "I'm trouble Michael. Stay away from me." Maria turned and ran out of the park. Michael didn't follow this time; something told him that she needed to be alone right now. But her words? Saying those things about herself? He turned in the opposite direction and started walking to his apartment. His hand idly fingered the slit in his T-Shirt as he walked. That was another thing that didn't make sense � he was so sure that Johnny had knifed him, but yet� he raised his shirt to verify that his skin was still intact. He shook his head as he walked, he was too tired to sort through his muddled thoughts tonight, or today he thought, looking up to see the beginnings of sunrise on the horizon. Later, after sleep, then I'll figure out exactly what happened in that alley. ~~~~~ Michael groaned as the pounding noise increased. God, who was hammering at this hour? He pushed his face further into the pillow and then heard a voice accompanying the hammering. "Michael?" the voice yelled. "Michael come on, I know you're in there." "What the�" he muttered under his breath. He rolled over, pulling his pillow from his face to open his eyes. 12:08 blinked at him from the alarm clock on his night table. Suddenly he realized where the noise was coming from and clumsily lifted himself from the bed to make the noise stop. Absently rubbing his hand over his bare chest as he walked through his living room, he called out, "Relax, don't blow a gasket." Opening the door he revealed a very red-in-the-face Max standing there. "Michael, we are seriously late� you just got up?" Max's eyes were bugging out of his face. Michael didn't have to turn from where he was retrieving a drink from his fridge to know exactly what the expression on Max's face looked like. Laughing he turned, "Relax, give me five minutes." The bug-eyed expression he had expected was there all right, but as soon as he turned it changed to a narrow-eyed questioning glare. "What's that?" Max said, pointing towards Michael's chest. "What's what?" he replied, looking down to where Max pointed. Seeing what Max saw he muttered, "What the f@%k?" TBC |
| Part 16 |
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