"They still hired the shooters, but they found a way to change things�the way things should have been�they think it will help them win�"
"You're not making any sense." Isabelle pleaded.
John Doe closed his eyes and seemed to be in a lot of pain. He moaned and groaned. Max tried to heal him but it wasn't working.
"I can't fix it this." He told his sister.
The condition of John Doe rapidly deteriorated and the nurses rushed in. His skin became irritated to the point where he looked mutated in some way. Their eyes watched on in horror.
"He can have your faces�and look out for the others like me."
"What others like you?" Kyle added.
"The Skins." Isabelle replied, looking at each of her accomplices, as the word shot into her brain.
At the end of her word, John Doe turned into ashes before their very eyes.
A very astonished Jim drove back home without asking any questions. The silence in the vehicle said almost too much about the situation. Kyle could only lend Max and Isabelle sympathetic eyes. Some time passed and the car stopped. Not a word was spoken. The Evans' got out of the car, they were home. From the drivers seat, dark eyes stared probingly at a rather disgruntled Max Evans, his face begging for empathy. Isabelle was empty at this point. The siblings headed into the house silently. Not a word was spoken to Kyle until father and son arrived home, to also be joined by Maria. Being prompted by his father, Kyle told Maria everything that had happened so that she understood her father's position now.
"What I saw tonight�I can't explain, and I can't say I'm all to happy that my own children would keep something this dangerous a secret from me."
"Dad�you're seeing this wrong. I hated knowing all of this even worse than you, at first, honest. Kyle was almost as bad. But after a long time of thinking and self-questioning, I realized that I had nothing to fear for. In fact I had less. Now you can tell me not to go anywhere near them and you can tell me that this is bigger than any of us. But those people�aliens or not�they saved my life, probably a few of ours, when they didn't have to. And they are my friends. That's with or without your consent. Without them I wouldn't be here right now, with you. So instead of calling people out because of things you can't explain that you've seen them do, why not first shake their hands for saving your daughters life."
"Maria�those people are aliens."
"That's right�they're not from here. But they've never known anything else, never seen anything else. They are just like us dad. You can hate me but you can't stop me from seeing them, there is only one High School in Roswell."
"Fine, take that attitude, but I will stop you from seeing them as much a s I can till you finally accept that your father knows what's best for you�and it is not getting caught up with them."
"You're talking about this as if you know something more�you have some sort of grudge with them don't you? What is it that YOU are hiding from US dad?" Maria is answered with nothing but silence.
"Fine you know what, whatever, I'm out of this conversation." Maria exits.
Kyle looks at his father for a while, like a puppy watches it's father for protection. No words are spoken and soon after, Kyle goes to bed.
"Your mother isn't to hear a word about this�you hear me?" He shouted, so all could hear and perfectly understand him.
Jim then poured himself a drink. He hadn't drunk in a long time but he found it to be a means of release for what he had just experienced. Maria was right though. He hated that about her sometimes. She always read between the lines. There was something more to Jim's feelings than he let on. He lifted a plank out of the floor and obtained from beneath it, a large box. He opened it up. Inside it were old pictures of several dead people with silver handprints on them, and various files. Jim looked into the box, looked away and sighed. Jim then went to his daughter's bedroom feeling guilty, and not wanting to be on bad terms with her. After apologizing to each other he had one final question for her.