| Maria volunteered to finish cleaning up the Crashdown after they closed that night. She had been able to steal about 15 minutes earlier to spend with Michael but all in all it wasn't a very impressive first date, if you could call it a date at all. Maria sighed as she looked around the messy restaurant. She knew how much Liz hated her using her powers at work but she was just too tired to deal with manual labour tonight. One quick wave of her hand left the restaurant sparkling, cleaner than it had been in years, she thought to herself. She waved her had again, leaving a little dust and grime in the corners so as not to make Mr. Parker too suspicious of her newfound cleaning abilities. She exited through the back entrance, turning to lock the door behind her. She was startled when she felt hot breath on her neck. She turned around quickly only to be pinned against the door by a forearm sporting an eagle tattoo � Johnny Eagle. Maria raised her eyes to meet his, crystalline blue-green staring into cold steely grey. She willed herself not to show fear, to remain in control of the situation. "I've got your money," she said, reaching into her uniform pocket. Johnny pressed his arm harder against her throat. Maria coughed at the sudden pressure, struggling to take enough air into her lungs. "The price just went up," he snarled. Maria clutched the money in her hand and waved it in front of Johnny's face. It took every ounce of restraint that she possessed not to blast his ass but she remained calm. Johnny reached up with his free hand to grab the bills but didn't release his hold on her. He stuffed the money into his pocket and before she could even gasp another breath he was pressing down on her, harder this time. His hand was free again and he pushed her legs apart, finding her centre and plunging his fingers inside of her. Maria was choking; any impulse she had to use her powers washed away by the complete lack of oxygen to her brain. She thumped on his chest with her fists, clutched the arm pinning her down with her hands, and tried to pull her body away from his invasive fingers. Tearing her delicate skin where his rings ripped into her, Johnny finally, mercifully, pulled out and let the gasping girl fall to the ground. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the bills she had given him. Satisfied that she had more than paid her $350 debt he reached into his jacket again and threw a small bag at her feet. "This should get you through tonight, darlin'," he whispered. He spit on the ground near her body before walking away into the darkness of the alley. Maria lay on the ground for 10 minutes before moving. Slowly, painfully, she reached down to assess the damage Johnny had inflicted. She winced as she moved her fingers over her rough skin, letting a sob escape her lips when she removed her hand to see wine-red blood staining her fingers. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand back onto the source of her anguish. Concentrating, she was able to heal herself in a few seconds. She staggered to her feet, the physical injury nothing but a memory now, but the emotional scars bleeding as profusely as the wound had. She bent over again to retrieve the bag left behind by Johnny. Through all of her pain she actually felt grateful to him for at least providing her with a means of solace. She started the walk home, stopping in the park between her house and the restaurant to roll her first of what would be many joints in the next few days. She yearned for an escape, a passage out of the miserable existence that had somehow become her life. She lay back on a picnic table, content to smoke herself into a stupor before attempting to face her mother. Not that she'd even notice that I was late, she thought to herself. Unwillingly her thoughts drifted back to that night a few months ago when she had needed her mother so much and a few simple words had changed their relationship forever. She was in L.A., staying with her Dad; a complete stranger to her. She had only been there for a week when he came home one night announcing that he had to leave on a business trip and would be gone for six weeks. "Maria, feel free to stay here with Kimberley," he had offered. Kimberley was his tartlet, 24 years old with more plastic surgeries under her belt than Maria knew the names of. She was a nice catch, sure, for a 24-year-old man � not a 40-year-old father. Maria hated her and it was killing her to even be civilized to her when her father left them alone. Now he expected her to spend six weeks alone with her? Maria didn't think so. "That's okay, I'll just go back to Roswell," she said. "Okay, whatever you want," her father offered no argument. "Maybe you can come out again when I get back, before school starts." "Yeah, maybe," Maria had agreed. Maria called her Mom that night, telling her of her father's plans and that she wanted to come home. "Well, can't you stay with his play-toy?" Amy had asked. Maria was stunned for a second, "But I want to come home." "Well Maria that's all fine and good but I made plans. I'm leaving for a cruise tomorrow and you can't come back and stay here by yourself." "I'm 17, I'm old enough to stay by myself, Mom. It's not like you're there every night when I'm home anyway," Maria countered. "Don't push it missy. The cruise is for six weeks Maria. You cannot stay here by yourself for six weeks." "But�" Maria begged. "No buts," Amy's tone was final. "Your father paid for that ticket, now stay put and I'll see you in August. I love you." Amy hung up before Maria could get another word in. She stared at the phone for a full five minutes, wondering if there was any point in calling her mother back again. He mother sounded pretty firm about her not coming home, and she definitely wasn't staying here with Kimmy. A sharp pain ran through Maria's core and she clutched her blankets to her face, muffling her sobs in the thick cotton. She was completely alone; both her mother and father had made it completely clear that they didn't want her around. She had nowhere to go. She mulled over her situation for a few minutes before adding another statement to her predicament � nowhere to go, and no one to care. That didn't have to be such a bad thing, she decided. As long as she sent Liz and Alex a postcard every few weeks, no one else would even bother to wonder where she was. Maria got up and started packing her belongings. She took only a small bag, pushing her packed suitcase to the back of the guest room closet. Kimberley didn't seem to be one for housework and Maria doubted she'd notice it while her father was gone. She wrote her father a quick note, thanking him for the trip and saying that she was cashing in her ticket for a return trip to Roswell. She left the mansion in the hills of L.A. and started walking. Not knowing where she was going and caring even less. TBC |
| Part 7 |
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