Disclaimer: Roswell belongs to first to Melinda Metz, then to Jason Katims and 20th Century Fox. She created them; they killed them. I’m just borrowing them. The beginning excerpts are taken from End of the World, written by? All excerpts taken from End of the World will be written in italics. They are not my creation, nor am I attempting to plagiarize. The inclusion of this excerpt is necessary for the storyline.
Author’s Note: I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. There’s no secret about my utter HATE for EotW and Tess, but I also believe that Tess is a victim of circumstance. She is a classic case of nurture vs. nature. I wanted to see what would happen if I changed her childhood environment. Now, I know I’m usually really good about updating, but I make no promises on this one at all. I’m working on several personal projects that I want to complete as well.
Consanguinity
1. Relationship by blood or by a common ancestor.
2. A close affinity or connection.
Prologue
“I won't leave you,” Max said.
“No, no, no. Max, you have to,” Liz said, her voice ripe with anguish.
“If I'm successful, if I can do this, you and I won't exist. Not as we do now,” Max said.
Liz wiped a tear from her eye. “Max, if you don't do this, we're gonna die. Everyone will. Max, you have to do this. You have to try it.”
“I'll never see you again,” Max said. He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Liz asked.
“For every kiss, every smile.”
“Max, I don't have any regrets,” Liz whispered.
Liz watched as Max slid a crystal into the base of the granolith, causing it to come to life. Max reached up and touched it’s glowing sides, and a vortex opened, pulling him inside. He pressed his hand against the side, and Liz reached up with hers, trying to touch him one last time.
Without warning, Liz was thrown to the ground, and Max was pulled upward inside the granolith, only to vanish from sight. His last conscious thought was not of Liz, but of the Terminator movies.
‘I hope I don’t go back, naked,’ he thought just before losing consciousness.
Last edited by majiklmoon on Tue Mar 27, 2007 8:23 pm, edited 32 times in total.
Max woke slowly, his body stiff from resting on the hard dirt floor. Unsure of where he was, or why, he sat up slowly and looked around, afraid he had been returned to the white room. His vision sharpened and he looked around. He was in some sort of cave, but he didn’t know why.
Max pulled his legs up to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them, trying to figure out where he was, and why, but the only thing that kept echoing in his head was a foreign voice chanting ‘I’ll be back.’
“I’ll be back,” he said, trying the words out. He adjusted the timbre of his voice and tried again. “I’ll be back.” With that, a flood of memories came rushing back. “Terminator!” he shouted, remembering the movie he Michael, Kyle and Alex loved to watch over and over again.
This isn’t the alley behind the CrashDown, he said to himself. Shit, it’s the pod chamber. How the hell did I end up here?
Resigned to a long hike back to town, Max opened the chamber door and stepped out into the desert. He started walking toward the highway, but stopped when he realized he couldn’t walk in the daylight. He couldn’t take the chance of anybody seeing him. It would cause a paradox, according to Liz and Serena.
He went back into the pod chamber, and the door slid shut behind him, enveloping him in darkness. He wandered aimlessly around the small chamber for several minutes trying to ignore the memories of Liz that assailed his memories. Trying to banish them, he walked over to examine the pods he had ignored up to now, and received the shock of his life. Each pod contained a child.
Max stepped back in shock, trying to make sense of the scene before him. It couldn’t be possible, he couldn’t have traveled so far back in time. It wasn’t possible. He looked again at the four children in stasis in the pods and knew it was true. He had traveled back to Roswell, but before he, Michael, Isabel and Tess had emerged from his pods.
A seed of an idea began to germinate in his mind, but he knew that he would have to find out the exact date before he did anything else. He used his powers to turn his hair blond, his eyes blue, and give himself a beard, and stepped back outside. He started walking down the highway, trying to look as unthreatening as possible. He was hoping he’d find a driver nice enough to pull over. He didn’t want a ride; he only wanted to know the date.
The original plan had been for him to convince Liz to make him fall out of love with her and make him turn to Tess. This would keep Tess part of the group – part of the foursquare. But for whatever reason, he overshot his mark and ended up here. Now, he had to do something. Liz had a theory that Tess was the way she was because of how she grew up and who she grew up with. If his plan worked – no, there was no if, it had to work.
It wasn’t long before a car pulled up along side of him and slowed down. Max tried to quell the fear that rose up inside of him at the site of the Roswell Sheriff Department vehicle. The window rolled down and a familiar voice called out.
“You okay, son?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Max said, forcing himself not to bodily rip Jim Valenti from the car and hug him. “A few of us are doing some desert camping, and my watch broke. I was just going to hike to the road to see if we could find someone who could tell me what day it was.”
Max groaned internally at the lame cover story he came up with. If it had been anyone but Jim Valenti to stop, he would have been fine, but seeing the Sheriff again really threw him. The last time he had seen Jim, it was with a blast hole in his back, his arms wrapped around what was left of Kyle’s body.
“Camping, huh?” questioned the Sheriff. “That’s it?”
“Yes sir, that’s it, I promise. No drugs or anything,” said Max.
“I believe you,” said Jim. “It’s Saturday, January 16th,” said the Sheriff.”
“Thanks Sheriff,” said Max.
“No, thank you for the promotion,” said Jim. “I’m Deputy Jim Valenti.”
“Oh, sorry, uh, Deputy,” said Max. He paused for a second, trying to figure out what year it was. He didn’t want to ask and arouse the Sheriff’s suspicion, but he had to know the year. “Well, uh, thanks again,” Max said.
“No problem,” said Jim. “If you need anything else, just stop by the Sheriff’s department and ask for Jim Valenti.”
“Great, thanks,” said Max, his eyes scanning the interior of the car. “Hey, uh, Deputy Valenti, do you have a newspaper or anything?”
“Yeah, actually, I do,” said Jim. “It’s yesterdays, but I suppose if you’ve been out camping for a bit, even old news is better than no news. Here you go.”
“Thanks again,” said Max. “Have a great day.”
Max watched until the Sheriff’s car was out of site, trying to quell the feeling of loss that welled up inside of him. Jim was the first adult they ever trusted, and it hurt when he died. Max had pushed all those feelings down deep inside, and seeing Jim brought them all back to the surface again. Scanning the newspaper while he walked, he headed back to the pod chamber.
Once inside, he began to work, feverishly. Using his powers, he erased the newsprint on several pages of the newspaper. Using the stump of a pencil he found lodged in his pocket, he began to scribble a message to his future self. When the message was complete, he fastened it to the rock wall, using his powers to drive the pencil into the rock.
The next part of the plan was risky. He didn’t know if he should do it. Would it cause the paradox Liz and Serena had cautioned him about. He didn’t see how it would, but still – physics wasn’t his forte, and his lack of knowledge made him hesitant to continue.
My younger self shouldn’t recognize me, so I should be safe, he mused. But do I do it myself, or wait for it to happen. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Max sat down on the ground, opposite the pods and began his vigil. Besides, if a paradox did happen, and he and his younger self ceased to exist, it would change the future anyhow. He had no choice he had to try.
It wasn’t long until he saw some signs of movement in three of the pods. He watched in amazement as a tear appeared in his pod and a small hand emerged. There was a gush of fluid, and his younger self crawled out awake from his forty-year plus stasis. There was a look of fear in they eyes of the child that would become him, a fear Max remembered too well.
Taking a chance, Max moved, slowly and carefully, drawing the attention of his younger self. He held his breath; afraid of what would happen if the paradox Liz had warned him about occurred. He sighed with relief when nothing happened, and moved slowly and carefully toward the frightened child.
Max quickly shrugged off the shirt he was wearing and used it to wipe the shivering child down, trying to sooth him with his hands, since communication was impossible. The child relaxed imperceptibly in his grasp, and Max exhaled, unaware that he had, up to know, been holding his breath.
A tearing noise alerted Max to the fact that another one of them was emerging, and he turned his child self in the direction of the pods to watch. Max stepped forward and helped Isabel climb out of her chamber, and young Max rushed over and wrapped his arms around her. Almost immediately, Michael’s pod began to tear, and he climbed out, looking very scared.
Young Isabel and Max moved to him and took his hands, and Max felt his breath catch watching this moment of bonding between himself, his sister and his best friend. Realizing that there was no time to lose, Max stepped forward and used his powers to break Tess’ pod open. The fluid gushed out, soaking his feet, but Tess didn’t move. Afraid that she was hurt, he reached in and pulled her body out and laid it on the ground. He knelt down and pressed his head to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a heart beat.
Max looked up to see his younger self, Isabel, and Michael watching him curiously. He held his hands over Tess’ unconscious body and began to use his powers to feel for damage. He found nothing, and had sat back on his heels, unsure of how to proceed when his younger self stepped forward hesitantly and knelt down beside Tess. Mimicking Max’s motions, he passed his hands over Tess’ body and Max watched in amazement as Tess’ eyes fluttered open.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Max smiled. Obviously, these four shared a connection all ready. Now he just had to get them, all of them out on to the road when his parents drove by. Max tried to stand, and promptly fell back to the ground.
“Oh shit,” he said out loud, causing stares of wonderment from the four children. “It can’t be happening yet. I haven’t changed things enough!” Max focused with every ounce of energy he had, trying to will his body to not fade from existence. “NO!” he shouted as watched his hand start to disappear, and then suddenly grow firm. He had no idea what happened, but he was thankful that he had a reprieve.
“Okay guys, this is what we’re going to do,” Max said. “Yeah, I know you can’t understand me, or can you?” he wondered.
He stood up and walked carefully over to his young self, reached out and touched his face, forcing a connection between the two of them. He tried to let his other self see into the future. Seeming to understand, young Max stood quietly, trying to comprehend the strange things he was seeing, and in turn, Max was able to view some of memories of their other life that his younger self still had access to.
Young Max held out a hand, and Isabel reached out to take it. She in turn held out a hand to Michael who held Tess’ hand in his, and a connection between the five was formed. He could feel their confusion as they struggled to make sense of a world they knew nothing about.
When the connection ended, Max stepped back and looked down at the four children. He hoped they understood – he hoped he understood and that he was doing the right thing. He felt reassured when Isabel released Michael’s hand and took his. The gesture was so comforting, and so like his sister, that he felt reassured.
Certain that he was making the right decision, Max opened the door and lead the others to the outside world. It was difficult, traveling in the dark, across Pullman Ranch with for naked children, but he pressed on. They didn’t know it, but they had a date to meet their future parents, because Max had no doubt that if Philip and Diane Evans found all four children on the road later that night, they’d open their hearts and their home to all of them, and not just Max and Isabel.
They waited, hidden from sight until Max saw the Evans car approach. He shot a small burst of energy at the car, causing it to stall. He watched as his father coasted the car to the side of the road. When Philip Evens stepped out of the car, Max gave the four children a small nudge and sent them out of the shadows, toward the car.
He ducked out of sight and watched as Philip turned his head toward the approaching footsteps. The last thing he saw before he faded from existence was Diane Evans climb from the car and gather the four children in her arms in a welcoming hug.
Diane Evans smiled as she made a final check of the house. She paused to straighten a throw rug that was kicked to one side of the room. She’d rather have her houseful of children and be constantly cleaning and straightening instead of the sterile childfree environment in which she and Philip used to live.
After four miscarriages, she had given up on ever having a family, until the night she found those four wonderful gifts from God that now slept in their home. She opened the door on what she now called the girl’s room and looked inside. A splash of light from the hallway illuminated the room, and the two young girls that now resided inside.
Diane felt her heart catch as she gazed down at the two blond heads resting in the hastily purchased twin beds. She walked in quietly and gently pulled the covers up over the one they had decided to call Tess. Well, they hadn’t really decided, she amended to herself. All four of the children, even though they spoke no English, managed to give close approximations of American names. And so they were named, Tess, Isabel, Michael and Max.
“Mama,” Tess whispered in her sleep.
Diane reached a hand down and brushed a golden curl away from the child’s face. She was so beautiful, and wanted to be loved so desperately. She clung to Diane almost constantly, and failing that, she needed to be with one of the other children at all times.
Isabel on the other hand, was independent, but seemed to have a burning inner desire to please them. She struggled to master everything they taught her. It was as if she craved their approval and their acceptance.
Diane adjusted the covers over Isabel and smiled down at the child. So young, and yet she carried herself with the regal bearing of someone who had been born into royalty. She was like a little princess.
Closing the door softly, Diane moved down the hall and opened the door to the room the boys shared. Already it bore the mark of their two distinct personalities. The little boy who named himself Max kept his belongings very tidy, while the other little boy, Michael, had his things flung all over the room. Not that Diane minded, she enjoyed knowing that little Michael was comfortable enough with them to be himself.
Max was an enigma however. Many times, he just sat and watched, like he was looking for something, or for someone. Diane wasn’t sure who or what it was. Maybe it was the person who abandoned them so callously in the desert. What she did know was these children these poor abandoned children would never feel lost or alone again.
Diane reached down and picked up the small stuffed rabbit that Michael had become attached to, and slipped it back into the bed with him, and kissed him lightly on the forehead. She gave Max’s cheek a quick caress and stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her.
“Are they still there?” Philip asked, half jokingly when she joined him in the living room. He, like Diane was afraid that they would disappear from their lives as quickly as they had joined them.
“Yes, they’re still there, and sleeping like little angels. Philip, we have to be able to keep them. Isn’t there something you can do; some strings you can pull?”
“Social Services consented to them staying with us,” said Philip. “I really think we should just petition to become their foster parents.”
“No!” Diane said. “Not foster parents. We are their parents Philip. We were meant to watch over them. I want to adopt them.”
“All four of them?” Philip said, dubiously. “That’s an mighty big undertaking.”
“Philip, we agreed we wanted a big family when we got married. I’ve already had four miscarriages. Can’t you see what I see? To me, those four children are the children we lost. There was a reason why we found them.”
The doorbell rang, and Philip jumped up to answer it rather than address the issues Diane had brought up. He was afraid she was going to get her heart broken if she let herself get too attached to these kids. He didn’t really think Social Services would let them adopt all four of the kids. He opened to door to find Deputy Jim Valenti standing on the other side, holding his hat in his hand.
“Evening, Mr. Evans,” the deputy said.
“Deputy,” said Philip, inclining his head, slightly. “Is this an official visit?”
“Yes and no,” said Jim. “May I come in?”
“I’m sorry, of course. Come on in, would you care for some coffee?” Philip asked, trying to sound unconcerned. Faced with someone from the Sheriff’s Department standing in front of him, he started to realize just how much those four children had come to mean to him.
“No, thanks, I’m good. Evening, Mrs. Evans,” said Jim. “I’m sorry to intrude, I just have a couple of questions for you.”
“About the kids?” Diane asked, her heart sinking.
“How are they doing?” Jim asked. “Any problems settling in?”
“No, not really,” said Diane, smiling. “They’re great kids.”
“Good, good, that’s good,” said the deputy. “Now, I know you’ve been asked all these questions, and I apologize for asking again, but I’ve got another angle I’m working on. The night you found them, you weren’t to far from the Pullman Ranch, correct?”
“That’s right,” said Philip.
“And you didn’t see anybody else around?”
“No, Deputy, of course we didn’t. If we had, we would have reported it right away,” said Diane.
“I know, I didn’t mean to imply that you wouldn’t,” said Jim. “But earlier that day, I was out that way, and I came across a man walking on the side of the road. I had our sketch artist draw a picture of him, and I was wondering if you’d take a look at it, on the off chance that you recognized him.”
Jim reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He passed it first to Philip, and then Diane and gave them a chance to examine it.
“No, I’m sorry,” Diane said after they had both viewed the picture. “I’m afraid we haven’t.”
“How about this one?” asked Jim, pulling out another paper. “It’s the same guy, but I had the artist try and draw him without the beard.”
“You know, he reminds me of someone,” said Diane, “But I can’t put my finger on it. Do you mind if I keep this?” she added holding up the sketch of the beardless man.
“Sure thing,” said Jim. “It’s just a copy anyhow. But if you remember anything, please contact me.”
“We will,” said Philip. “Deputy, do you think this man had anything to do with the children?”
“I don’t know,” said the deputy, rising to leave. “But if he did, we’ll find him.”
“Deputy,” Diane said, putting a hand out to stop him. “You work within the system. Can you think of anything that would help us to adopt these kids. We love them already, and all we want to do is give them a good home.”
Jim looked at Diane, and saw the longing and desperation in her eyes, and his heart went out to her.
“I may be able to help,” Jim said. “Let me call a few people and see what I can do.”
“Thank you, Deputy Valenti, and I’m sorry we weren’t more help.”
Philip Evans stood up and walked to the door with the deputy.
“I really would appreciate anything you could do to help us with the kids,” he said to Jim. “Diane and I have both already grown very attached to them.”
“Like I said, I’ll see what I can do,” said the Deputy. “Chances are, Social Services will jump at a chance to have them all placed together.”
“Thanks, Deputy, I really appreciate it.”
“Thank you again for your time, Mr. Evans. I appreciate it, and I’ll get back to you if I can do anything with Social Services.”
** * ** * ** *
Three weeks later the phone in Philips office rang, and he answered it absentmindedly, his thoughts on the law brief in front of him.
“Philip Evans.”
“Philip! Philip! It happened! They’re ours, the kids are ours!” Diane’s voice shouted over the phone. Oh God, Philip, they’re ours. Social Services agreed to our petition. We just have to go to court and a few other formalities.”
“Formalities, what formalities?” asked Philip.
“Well, an official home study, and the kids need physicals, and they want to try and to some academic assessments on them to see what grades they should be in.”
“Sounds good,” Philip said, smiling in relief. “When does the process start?”
“Well, actually, I think our new friend Deputy Valenti pulled some real strings,” said Diane. “Someone from Child and Family Services is going to come by today for the first visit. Oh Philip, I can’t believe it. They’re going to be ours.”
** * ** * ** *
“Well, Mrs. Evans, this is totally off the record, but I can’t see any reason why you and Mr. Evans shouldn’t be awarded custody of these four children,” said Mrs. Longworth, the social worker. “They seem remarkably well adjusted, especially when you consider what they’ve gone through. I’m sure that can only be contributed to the sense of security you and your husband have given them.”
“Oh, I’m so glad, Mrs. Longworth,” Diane said. “We’ve already grown to love them so much.”
“Yes, that is obvious. Well, the home environment is suitable, and we will have to have several more visits here, but everything seems to be in order. I hope you don’t mind, but Child and Family Services thought it would be best if the preliminary physicals were done here at home, so I arranged for one of our physicians to come out. We thought, given all they’ve had to deal with, it would be less stressful for the children if the exams were done here.”
“No, no, of course not,” said Diane. “That makes so much sense. When will he be here?”
“Any second,” said the social worker. “We’ll get the preliminaries out of the way and you can schedule office visits at your convenience.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Longworth, you are being so helpful,” said Diane.
“Diane, honey?” a voice called. “I had some free time so I decided to swing by and see you and the kids.”
“Oh, Philip’s home,” said Diane. “We’re in here, Philip.”
Mrs. Longworth watched as Philip entered the room, and the two girls ran up two him. Philip knelt down and opened his arms wide and scooped both girls up for hugs. The two boys hung back a bit, but this didn’t appear to bother Philip. He set the girls down and reached out and tousled Michael’s hair and patted Max on the shoulders.
“Hi guys,” he said. “You keeping an eye on our little girls?” He paused for an answer, even though he knew one was not forthcoming - something that did not go unnoticed by the social worker. She was pleased to see the potential for interaction between the father and the children.
“Philip, this is Mrs. Longworth from Child and Family Services. She’s going to be our caseworker.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Evans,” Mrs. Longworth said. “I was just telling Mrs. Evans that the office is sending over a physician to perform physicals on the children. We felt it would possibly be traumatic to them if they were to go to the doctor’s office at this stage.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” said Philip. “It’s good to know we all have the children’s welfare at heart. I’m just going to go and grab a quick sandwich, if you don’t mind. Can I bring anybody anything?”
Both adults demurred and Philip went to the kitchen. He returned quickly carrying a tray with five glasses of milk, several sandwiches, some fruit, cheese and crackers.
Looking a bit sheepish at the quantity of food, he smiled. “I thought the kids might want a snack,” he said, placing the tray on the coffee table. He gave each of the children a glass of milk, carefully enunciating the words. In between bites of his sandwich, he gave the children different foods to try, telling them the names of each food product, stopping only when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” he said, jumping up. He walked quickly to the door and opened it revealing the CFS doctor on the other side. Philip escorted the doctor to the living room and moved quickly to Diane’s side to see what would happen next.
At first, things appeared to go smoothly, as the doctor took the heights and weights of the children. Isabel was afraid of the blood pressure cuff and had to be coaxed into allowing it on her arm, and Michael wanted nothing to do with the thermometer the doctor carried. It was only after Philip and Diane both had their temperatures taken did he allow the doctor near him. But when the doctor took out four vials and lancets to do blood tests, chaos ensued.
Max took one look at the doctor’s equipment and began to scream. He kept pointing at the lancets and vials and shaking his head. The other three children quickly picked up on Max’s fears and began to cry as well. The doctor reached out to try and grab Michael, who let out with a tremendous shout and caused all the glasses on the table to fall over.
Diane reacted quickly. She grabbed a blanket off of the chair and tossed it over the spilled milk to try and absorb it, and focused her attention on the children. She and Philip each took two children in their arms and hugged them, trying to calm them down.
Mrs. Longworth quickly stepped in and urged the doctor to pack the vials and took charge of cleaning up the mess. It pleased her to no end to see that the Evans’ chose to focus their attention on the children, rather than the spilled milk. It spoke volumes for their parenting skills.
“I think we’ll hold off on the blood work for now,” she said to the adults in the room. “The children are obviously very afraid of the idea, and I don’t see any sense in getting them anymore worked up. Mr. and Mrs. Evans, we’ll be in touch about the next home visit. And maybe when the children are more comfortable and secure, your family physician can finish up their medical exams.
“Thank you, Mrs. Longworth,” Diane said over Michael’s cries.
“I’ll show myself and the doctor out,” the social worker continued. “And I’ll be in touch.”
Diane and Philip made their brief goodbyes, their attention focused on the children. Once the doctor was out of sight, their screams began to lessen, until finally they were all sniffling intermittently with an occasional sob. They lined the four children up on the sofa and finished cleaning up the mess. Philip carried the sodden blanket to the kitchen, and Diane followed carrying the tray with the glasses and the remains of the food.
With the adults out of the room, Max looked at Michael and shook his head.
“The needles are bad,” he said to Michael in Antarian. “I don’t know why, but when that man showed me the pictures in my head, one of the pictures was of him being afraid of the needles and the blood. We have to stay away from them.”
L
“I don’t want to go,” the young boy said, hanging back at the door. “Why can’t we just stay here?”
“Well, I can take you, if you want, sweetie, but you have to go. It’s time. You really need to be around children your own age,” Diane Evans said, her voice calm and reasonable.
“I’m around Michael, Isabel and Tess. Their my age,” said Max, logically. “Why can’t we just be by ourselves?”
“Because Max, you need to go to school. Honestly, honey, you’re too smart for me to keep home schooling you. I can’t keep up with any of you.”
“It’ll be okay, Max,” Michael said, his face set in a mask of resignation. “We’ll be okay; we have each other.”
“That’s right,” Diane said, patting Michael on the head. “You have each other, and I’m sure you’ll make all kinds of friends.”
Michael squirmed a bit at Diane’s praise. He wasn’t comfortable having any type of attention focused on him, but he loved the woman who took them in, so he forced himself to not pull away from her touch.
“Do you kids want me to drive you?” Diane asked. If the truth were told, she was very anxious to drive the kids to school, but she wanted the choice to be theirs.
“We’ll take the bus, Mom,” Isabel said. “We know you have a lot to do today.”
“You’ll be here if we need you though, right?” Tess asked, tugging at Diane’s arm. “I mean, if something happens or something?”
“Tess, baby, don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen, but yes, I’ll be home all day in case anybody needs me. Okay?” She smoothed the curls of the little girl and gave her a quick cuddle. Tess more than all the others seemed to crave physical contact, and Diane was more than happy to oblige.
“Look, here comes the bus,” she said, pointing down the street. “Does everybody have everything? Do you have your lunches?”
“We’re all set, Mom, don’t worry,” said Max, though his eyes clearly showed that he was worried. “We’ll be fine.”
Squaring his little shoulders, Max marched, there was no other word for it, out the door like a prisoner on his way to his execution. One by one, the others took a deep breath and followed their leader to what was for them, certain doom.
Diane watched from the doorway, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched her babies board that big yellow bus for the first time. Michael hung back, allowing the others to board first, and turned toward the house for one final surreptitious wave. The look of fear on his face was so intense that Diane had all she could do to not run out there and drag him, and the others off of the bus.
Instead, she waited until the bus turned the corner before she grabbed her keys and dashed out of the house. She climbed into her car and backed out of the driveway and followed the path set by the bus. She followed at a safe distance, following the bus as it stopped to pick up the students and bring them to school. She wished she could be on the bus to see if her babies were okay. Were the other children welcoming them, ignoring them or worse, ridiculing them.
She loved her children, but they were different than other children. Not all the time, but sometimes, she’d watch them when they didn’t know anybody was looking, and there was something about them. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it was there. She only hoped the other children didn’t pick up on it and ostracize them.
Diane pulled to the side of the street and watched as the bus pulled into the elementary school. She climbed out of the car and stood beside it, shading her eyes with her hand as she struggled to catch sight of her kids. She sighed with relief when she saw Max step off the bus, with Isabel and the others trailing behind. He paused and surveyed the playground, looking for all the world like a king, surveying his dominion.
** * ** *
Max stepped off of the bus, trying hard to contain his fear. He wanted nothing more than to stay on the bus, and force the driver to bring him back to the security of home. But that wasn’t an option, and he knew it. To do so would draw attention to them, and he knew that was a bad thing. The most important thing they could do was blend in.
“Come on,” said Isabel. “We look stupid just standing here. Let’s go over there and play or something.’
“You go ahead,” said Max, his attention captured by a small figure across the playground. “I’ll be right over. Michael, take care of Tessie and Isabel. I just want to look around.”
“Okay Max, but be careful,” said Michael.
The other three ran off to the swings, while Max stood and stared across the playground at the figure of a small little girl. She had dark hair and was playing rock, paper, scissors with another little girl with long blond hair. He didn’t know who she was, but he couldn’t help but feel that she was going to be important to him later on.
The bell rang, and the children scurried to line up – all except the four Evans children who didn’t know what to do, or where to go.
“Are you lost?” a voice asked. Michael spun around and stared at the petite blond who stood beside him.
“No!” he said, belligerently. “I’m not lost.”
“Are you sure you’re not lost?” she asked again. “Because you look like your lost.”
“I’m not lost,” Michael said. “I – uh, I just don’t know where to go,” he finally admitted.
“Is this your first day?” the girl asked.
“Yeah,” Michael admitted. It is.”
“You need to go to the office. See that tall lady over there, that’s Mrs. Nelson. Tell her you’re new. She’ll tell you what to do.”
“Maria! Maria, come on!” a voice called.
“I gotta go,” the girl said. “Coming, Liz!”
Michael watched as the small blond ran off. She was bossy, and nosy, but deep down, he was glad of her help.
“We need to go tell that lady we’re new,” he said to Isabel and Tess. “Let’s go get Max.”
“You’re not the boss of me, Michael Evans,” Isabel said. “How do you know we have to go tell that lady we’re new?”
“That girl over there told me,” Michael said, pointing to the retreating figure of Maria.
“Right, like she looks like she even knows what she’s talking about,” Isabel said. “Let’s just wait here and see what Max says.”
“Please, don’t fight,” pleaded Tess. “I hate it when we fight.”
“You do what you want,” Michael said to Isabel. “I’m going to go tell that lady I’m new and don’t know where to go.”
Michael started to walk toward the woman when Max finally joined them.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I think we should go tell that lady we’re new and don’t know where to go,” said Michael. “Isabel thinks we need to wait for you to tell us what to do. Tess just doesn’t want us to fight,” he added with disgust.
“Michael, we can’t just go and start bothering people,” said Michael. “Maybe we should just wait here.”
“But that girl said we should,” said Michael, pointing to the small blond girl walking into the school. She paused at the entrance and looked back and waved and pointed to the duty teacher one last time.
“Oh. I guess if someone said we should do it, we probably should,” said Max, looking relieved. Michael’s ideas didn’t always work out they way he’d planned. But if this were someone else’s idea, maybe it would be okay. Summoning his courage, he walked over to the teacher.
“I’m Max Evans, and this is Michael, Isabel and Tess,” he said. “We’re new and we don’t know where to go.”
“Well, come on then,” said the teacher. “I’m Mrs. Nelson. I’ll just take you into the office and get you settled. Didn’t your mom come with you?”
“She wanted to,” said Isabel, but we knew we could do this. She came over yesterday and,” she paused, not sure what it was her mother had actually done at the school yesterday.
“Registered you?” asked Mrs. Nelson. She scanned the street and saw Diane Evans watching anxiously from the curb. She gave a casual wave to let Diane know that everything was fine, but not alert the children that their mother was right there. “That’s fine, come on into the office and we’ll get you all taken care of. I’m sure you’re going to love Roswell Elementary School.”
Within an hour, the children were settled in their new classrooms. Not the original classrooms that the principal had assigned. At first, she had chosen to split the children up based upon their estimated age and academic ability, but the smallest girl, Tess, had cried so much at the thought of being separated, she decided to rethink her original plan. She put the two boys in one of the third grade classrooms, and the two girls in another, even though academically, the taller girl, Isabel was academically more advanced.
She wished now that she had just gone along with the mother’s wishes to have the children placed together, but she felt strongly that siblings should not be together in an academic setting. Too often, it led to hard feelings. But she cared about children, and knew when to put her personal beliefs aside; this was one of those times. Picking up the phone, she quickly dialed the Evans home. Getting no answer, she left a message on the machine.
“Mrs. Evans, this is Sarah Carpenter, the principal at Roswell Elementary. I just wanted to let you know that we did end up putting Max and Michael in the same classroom, and Isabel and Tess are together. Tess seemed especially distraught at the thought of being separated, so we decided to err on the side of caution and keep them together. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me, and again, we welcome you and your family to Roswell Elementary School.”
** * ** * ** *
He pressed the button on the answering machine and rewound the message. Things were not going according to plan. He needed those kids. If he didn’t have those kids, everything would be lost, and he’d be stuck on this God forsaken planet forever.
But, he wasn’t stupid, and one thing he knew how to do was wait. He’d been waiting for over fifty years; he could wait a few more to get what he wanted.
Again - thank you all so much for the fantabulous feedback everyone. And while I don't want to give too much away, the note that Future Max left in the pod chamber is very important, if they find it in time. If any of you want to speculate on this fic, we have a fic spoilers and specuation thread over at my board, and I'll happily start a thread for this story.
__________________ Title: Consanguinity
Chapter Four
“Isabel, are you awake?” Tess asked.
“I am now, Tess. What’s the matter?” Isabel asked. She rolled over in bed and propped herself up on one elbow to look at her sister. “Bad dreams?”
“Not bad, just weird,” Tess said.
“Which one was it?” Isabel asked. All of them suffered from the occasional bad dreams, but Tess more than the others seemed to be plagued by a series of nightmares with an abandonment theme.
“It was the one where I’m fighting to get out of this gooey, sticky thing, and the three of you are just watching,” Tess said. “I was so afraid that you’d leave me, but then that big monster came and pulled me out of the goo and sent me with you.”
“Well, if he helped you, he couldn’t be a monster, could he?” Isabel asked, reasonably.
“I know, it’s just weird,” said Tess. “Why do I keep having these dreams, but you guys don’t?”
“Want me to see if I can figure it out?” Isabel asked. She had recently figured out how to visit people in their dreams and she was anxious to practice her new skill.
“That’s another thing, Isabel. Who are we, really, and why can we do the things we do. Other people can’t, it’s not normal.”
“I don’t know, Tess,” Isabel said. She climbed off of her bed and crossed the short distance to go sit on Tess’ bed. She hugged the smaller girl tightly. “I know we can’t just be regular kids,” she continued. “You’re right, regular people can’t do the things we do.”
“But don’t you want to know who we are, and where we really come from?” Tess asked.
“What is it with you and Michael?” Isabel asked. “You’re always so concerned about where we came from, and who we are. Mom and Dad are great. Can’t you just be happy knowing they love us?” Isabel asked. “Now come on, let’s get some sleep. School starts tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to go to school,” Tess said, her stomach clenching in a familiar knot. “What if I’m not in class with you guys?”
“Tessie, it will be okay,” Isabel said. “Fifth grade is going to be great. We’re in middle school now. That’s practically high school. Now let’s get some sleep, and tomorrow night, I’ll visit your dream and see if we can figure anything out.”
“Thanks Isabel. I’m glad you’re my sister,” Tess said.
Isabel jumped off the bed and quickly climbed into her own, and pulled the covers up around her. She smoothed them out perfectly, and made sure that the stuffed animals she slept with were arranged just right. She glanced over at her nightstand to make sure her alarm clock was set, and facing in the right direction. She leaned over and rearranged the box of tissues and her glass of water. Satisfied that everything was arranged perfectly, she finally lay back down and drifted off to sleep.
Tess looked over at her sister, jealous of her ability to just drift off to sleep without any hesitation. Tess wished she could, but she was afraid. Not only of the monster who pulled her from the sticky goo, but from the other dreams – the ones about war.
** * ** *
“Hey Max, you ready?” Michael asked. “Mom’s got breakfast on the table.”
“Oh,” Max said, sounding thoroughly disgusted. “I love mom, I really do, but she is the worst cook in the world.”
“Yeah, I know,” Michael said, glumly. “But,” he added, brightening a little, “It’s been better since she went back to work, lots of take out. Even Mom can’t mess that up.”
“Yeah, but we still have to get through breakfast,” said Max. “Let’s go face the firing squad.”
The two boys walked down the short hallway to the kitchen to be greeted by the sight of Isabel removing waffles from the toaster. Max’s eyes shifted from the stack of crisp steaming waffles on the plate to the yellow waffle box on the counter. He nudged Michael and smiled.
“How’d that happen?” he asked Isabel, happily helping himself to several of the waffles.
“Tess convinced mom it would be quicker and easier if we got our own breakfast in the morning. That way she could get ready for work,” Isabel said, smiling happily.
“Good going, Tessie!” Michael said.
“Thanks, Mikey.” Tess shot back.
“Don’t call me Mikey!”
“Well then don’t call me Tessie,” Tess said. “My name is Ava.”
The other three exploded with laughter, while Tess sat there with a shocked look in her face.
“That’s funny, Tess,” said Max, not unkindly. “Good joke.”
“I don’t think I was joking,” Tess said, her face a mask of confusion. “I think my name used to be Ava.”
Max and Michael laughed, still thinking Tess was teasing them, but Isabel looked thoughtful. She wondered if this tied into Tess’ nightmares in some way.
“Come on, kids,” Diane Evans said hurrying into the kitchen. She had a bag tucked under her arm and was fastening an earring as she spoke. “You don’t want to miss the bus, do you?”
“Don’t worry, Mom, everything’s fine,” said Max. “We ate, and we’ll put our stuff in the dishwasher. Just go to work, we’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know,” Diane worried out loud. “I’m your mother, I should be here for you.”
“Mom, you are here for us,” said Isabel. “Millions of moms in America work, and their kids survive without any problems. We can too.”
“I know, I just feel bad,” said Diane.
“Don’t, Mom,” Michael said. “We’ll be fine. You go to work, and we’ll come right home after school, just like you told us.”
“And we’ll lock the door behind us,” said Max.
“And we’ll call you right away,” said Tess.
“But if the phone rings, we won’t answer it,” finished Isabel.
“Okay, okay, I concede,” laughed Diane. “You can handle this. I’m sorry for being such a worry wart.”
“Don’t be sorry, Mom, that’s your job,” said Max.
“You are too sweet,” Diane said, kissing Max on the cheek. “You all are. Now, I love you, and remember to call when you get in from school.”
“We will, Mom,” Isabel said. She handed Diane her purse and they all watched as she rushed out the door.
“My waffles are cold,” Michael complained after Diane had pulled away.
“Well, heat them up,” Tess said.
“I am,” said Michael. “Watch this.”
He held his hand over the waffles and within seconds, they were again warm and crispy.
“Hey, that’s cool, how’d you do that?” Tess asked.
“I just think about it, and it happens,” said Michael.
“Cool, I want to try!” Tess cried.
“Me too!” said Isabel, and within seconds, both of them had heated their waffles.
“Stop it!” Max yelled. “We shouldn’t be doing this. If anybody saw us, we could get in trouble. We have to hide stuff like this.”
“Oh, come on Max,” Isabel said, her voice disparaging. “We’re only playing.”
“Yeah well, we have to go get the bus,” said Max. “So hurry up.”
The four kids quickly ate their waffles, grabbed their belongings and walked out the door just as the bus was pulling up in front of their house. They dashed across the lawn and climbed on, ready to start a new year at school.
** * ** *
The teacher stood at the front of the room, droning on about the joys of middle school and the many opportunities that were available to them. Michael drummed pencil quietly against the desk while the teacher droned on. He shifted in his seat and poked Max in the back, trying to get his attention.
Max turned around and glared and turned back and focused all his attention on the teacher. Michael sighed with boredom and tried this time to get Isabel or Tess to turn around. Because homerooms were set up alphabetically, all four Evans children were in the together.
“And these are your class schedules,” the teacher droned on, dropping slips of paper on their desks. “Now I know from experience, you’re about to ignore everything I say while you compare schedules, so I’m going to give you five minutes, and then I want your full attention again.”
Michael glanced with disinterest at the paper lying on his desk. He couldn’t care less about what classes he had, but he knew the others would care, so he picked it up and feigned interest. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to learn, but he’d much rather be doing things. Knowing that there was no point in delaying the inevitable, he asked Max, “So, who do you have for Language Arts?”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Max. “We have a bigger problem.” He pointed to Isabel who was doing her best to comfort a very distraught Tess.
“It will be okay, Tess. We’ll all still have lunch together every day,” she said.
“I-I know,” Tess sniffed. “It’s just weird. I mean, we’ve been together forever, and”
“And we always will be,” Michael said, firmly. “Don’t worry, Tess, we take care of each other.”
“Th-thanks, Michael,” Tess said. “I’m sorry I’m such a whiney baby.”
“You’re not a whiney baby, Tess,” Max said. “Now, let’s look at your schedule.” He reached out and grabbed the now mutilated paper from Tess and compared it to his own. Okay, see, we have science together.”
“Yeah, and you’re in my social studies and math classes,” said Michael.
“And we have language arts together,” Isabel chimed in. “And we all have lunch together, so it’s not too bad. You’re on your own for music and gym.”
“Thanks guys,” Tess said. “You’re all probably so sick of me.”
“We’re family, Tess,” Max said, firmly. “We stick together.”
The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom, and the four stood and joined the masses streaming towards the door.
“Come on, we have science first today,” said Max, gently propelling Tess down the hall.
Together they walked into the room and sat down and watched the other students enter the room, their faces displaying varying degrees of nervousness.
Beside her, Tess felt Max stiffen, and she saw Liz Parker walk through the door followed by a tall skinny boy with short dark hair. She looked out of the corner of her eye and watched Max watch Liz, and tried not to laugh. Her brother was so obvious. He’d had a crush on Liz since forever.
The teacher quickly brought the class under control and took attendance. Tess sighed with relief, most of the faces were familiar, except for the boy that had walked in with Liz. During roll call, she learned his name was Alex Whitman, and he had just moved to Roswell.
When class was over, Tess said goodbye to Max and prepared to make her way down to the music room. She was grateful that her parents had brought them over to the school several times to take advantage of the tours for new students. She felt confidant she could find the music department without any problems.
“Excuse me,” a voice behind her said. “Do you know where the music room is?”
“Uh, yeah,” Tess said. “Oh, your that new guy, Al, right?”
“Actually, it’s Alex, and yeah, I’m new,” he said.
“Well come on, Alex,” Tess said, feeling cheerful all of a sudden. “The music room is this way.”
yeah, this part kind of well, sucks, but I really wanted to address the doctor/physical issue that was never touched in the show.
Title: Consanguinity
Chapter Five
“Are you sure you want to try this?” Isabel asked again. She and Tess had been working every night, trying to solve the mystery of her nightmares, and while Isabel’s ability to move through the dream world had grown, they were unable to access Tess’ nightmares.
“Oh, why bother,” Tess said. “It’s not going to work anyhow. Let’s just go to sleep.” She flopped back against the pillows in frustration and shut her eyes. “Good night, Isabel.”
“Fine, good night, Tess,” Isabel said. She was frustrated. She knew she could find the answers to Tess’ nightmares. They just had to keep trying. And they would, she decided – just as soon as Tess fell asleep. It didn’t take long before Isabel heard the slow even breathing that signaled her that Tess was asleep. She reached under her pillow and pulled out a picture of herself and Tess playing in the back yard.
Isabel followed Tess down the crowded halls of Roswell Middle School. Tess was laughing and joking with a group of kids, and Isabel smiled, happy to see her sister feeling so comfortable and secure. One by one, the kids drifted away to the different classrooms until only one other person was left. Isabel looked at him carefully, trying to place him, but she couldn’t, it wasn’t until Tess spoke that she realized who the boy was.
“Thanks for your help with the piece, Alex,” Tess said. “No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get the rhythm.”
“You try to hard, Tess. You play well, but don’t worry about being perfect, just enjoy the music.”
“Hey, are you two coming?” a voice yelled.
Isabel looked past Tess and Alex and saw a small blond girl at the end of the hall. She came closer, and Isabel realized that it was Maria, the girl who had approached Michael on their first day at Roswell Elementary.
“Come on,” the girl yelled. “We’re waiting for you!”
Isabel watched, smiling as the three ran down the hall, smiling.
Isabel pulled herself out of Tess’ dream. There wasn’t anything useful there, other than the fact that it looked like Tess was making friends; weird friends to be sure - but friends never the less. Though there was something about that boy Alex. She wasn’t sure what it was, but when she looked at him, she felt safe and secure.
Her exploration of Tess’ dreams over for the night, she began her nightly ritual of arranging the items on her nightstand. It was silly, she knew, but she never slept as well knowing that her things were out of order. Fixing her covers so they were just so, Isabel slid down underneath them without putting so much as a wrinkle or crease in them. Satisfied, she gave them one last pat to smooth them out and drifted off to sleep.
** * ** *
“Isabel, Tess, it’s time to get up,” Diane Evans whispered softly. She brushed a strand of hair away from Isabel’s face as she quietly woke her daughter up. She still couldn’t believe, even after two years, that these wonderful children were hers and Phillips. “Girls, wake up, I have to go to work early today, and I want to make sure you’re awake before I leave.”
A sleep fogged Isabel raised her head from the pillow and looked at her other blearily.
“Why do you have to go in early, Mom? I mean, you work with Dad, what’s he going to do, fire you?”
“I’m going in early, because I’m leaving early to take the four of you for physicals,” Diane said, gently. She knew the four of them had an inexplicable fear of anyone in the medical profession.
“Why?” Tess asked, completely wide away, her eyes wide with fear. “We’re not sick.”
“Because to go to school, you need to have physicals, and they need to make sure you’ve had all your immunizations,” Diane explained. “The school has been really lax about letting the four of you slip through because of your circumstances, but we can’t put it off any longer. And so, I’m getting you dismissed from school today, and you’re getting your physicals.”
Tess opened her mouth to protest, but Isabel shook her head imperceptibly behind Diane.
“Okay, Mom,” she said instead. “What time.”
“That’s my girl, well, both my girls,” Diane amended. “I’ll pick you up around 2:00 p.m. The boys already know. Now don’t forget your lunches, okay?” She kissed both girls on the forehead.
“I love you both.
“Love you too, Mom,” said Isabel.
“I love you too, Mom,” echoed Tess.
Both girls waited until they heard the front door close and the car leave the driveway before they allowed panic to set in.
“What are we going to do?” Tess asked.
“I- I don’t know. We’d better check with Max,” said Isabel. She jerked open the bedroom door and screamed when she saw Max and Michael standing on the other side.
“Come on, we have to leave,” Michael said.
“Michael, we’re not leaving,” Max said, trying to remain calm.
“Well we can’t stay. You’re the one who keeps telling us how important it is to stay away from needles and stuff.”
“I know,” Max cried, his voice full of frustration. “I don’t even know why. I just know we’re not supposed to let anybody find out about us.”
“It’s too bad we couldn’t make them think we had those stupid shots and tests and stuff,” said Isabel.
“We can,” Tess said, suddenly. “Or I can. I- well, I can make people think things and see things.”
“You can not,” said Michael.
“I can too,” Tess retorted. “Just because you can’t doesn’t mean I can’t! You’re just a big jerk, Michael Evans.”
“Tess, don’t make things worse,” said Max. “We have to figure out what we’re…”
“Ah, ah!” Michael shouted. “Snakes, there are snakes everywhere. Max, do you see them?”
Max and Isabel looked around the room, confused, while Tess smothered a giggle.
“There aren’t any snakes here,” said Max. “Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked suddenly while Michael continued to shout. “Who let you into our house?”
“Max, who are you talking to?” Isabel asked. “Hey, why are all my socks hanging out of my drawer? Tess did you do that?”
Finally, Tess couldn’t stand it any longer and she exploded with laughter. When she did, the snakes disappeared, as did Max’s stranger, and Isabel’s drawers returned to their normal pristine state.
“Still think I can’t do it?” Tess asked.
“Tess, that is so cool,” said Isabel. “How did you learn how to do that?”
“I don’t know,” Tess admitted. “Remember a few weeks ago when mom made that really horrible dinner?”
“Which one,” said Michael. “Most of mom’s dinners are really horrible.”
“The really bad one with the peppers and the olives,” said Tess. “Anyhow, it doesn’t matter. I was just sitting there wishing there was some way I could just make it disappear so mom would think I ate it. The next thing I knew, mom was taking away my plate and telling me how happy she was that I had eaten all my dinner.”
“You couldn’t have done that for us, too?” Michael asked, still fuming over the snakes Tess had made.
“You were already done,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. “Anyhow, it doesn’t matter. I can do it, now we just have to figure out a way to use it.”
“This is cool,” said Max. “Let me think about it for a while. I’ll have a plan by lunch. Now let’s get ready for school.”
“Hey,” Michael said as the two boys returned to their room. “What did Tess make you see?”
“Nothing much,” Max said, thinking of the dark haired girl he frequently dreamed about. “Just that there was a stranger in the house.”
** * ** *
The four siblings were subdued in school as each of them tried to figure out a way to use Tess’ new power to their advantage at the doctor. In fact, Tess was so caught up in ways to use her new power, that she didn’t notice the boy crossing the cafeteria carrying a tray loaded with food, until she collided with him. The tray went flying, and Tess fell to the ground, her white shirt covered in ketchup. Laughter rang out in the cafeteria causing Tess’ already red face to turn and even deeper shade of red.
“Hey, are you okay?” the boy asked, holding out his hand to her
“Yeah, I guess,” Tess said, allowing him to help her up. “Except for my shirt.”
“I’m really sorry,” the boy said.
“No, it was my fault. Look, I have to go try and clean this up,” Tess said, trying to get away.
“Hey, Kyle’s got a girlfriend!” a voice yelled, and it was the boy’s turn to flush with embarrassment.
“Well, as long as you’re okay, I gotta go get more food,” the boy said.
Tess watched him retreat back to the food line before making her way out of the cafeteria. She paused only when she heard Isabel calling to her.
“Tess, wait up! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” the girl said. “I’m just going to go clean this up.”
“I’ll come with you,” Isabel offered. “I’m better at cleaning up than you are.”
Tess agreed, because it was true. Isabel had quickly learned how to keep her clothing in pristine condition using her powers. They walked to the nearest bathroom, talking softly about Max’s plan for the afternoon.
“Max thinks it will work best if you sneak in to each of our rooms and do that thing to whoever’s in there, and make them think they gave us all the tests or shots or whatever. Max went to the library and got a list of all the immunizations we should have up to now, and he made us copies. We just need to fill them in on the doctors’ charts. Can you do it?”
“Do you need to see your sock drawer all messy again?” Tess asked.
“No, no, that’s okay,” said Isabel, while she used her powers to remove the ketchup from Tess’ shirt “You can do it.”
The door banged open, and Isabel quickly pretended to fix her hair in the mirror.
“And then Alex said,” a voice said as two people entered the bathroom.
“Oh, sorry, we didn’t know anybody was in here,” the girl said.
“Hi, Maria, hi, Liz” Tess said, tentatively. She liked both girls but wasn’t sure how to act around them. They always seemed so tight.
“Hi Tess,” Maria said. “Are you staying after for extra band today?”
“Can’t,” Tess said, regretfully. “We have doctor’s appointments today.”
“Nothing’s wrong, is it?” Liz asked quickly. Her brown eyes expressed concern. “Max looks, I mean you all look like you’re okay.”
“Just physicals,” Isabel said, ignoring Liz’s slip, but not forgetting it. “Come on, Tess, let’s go.”
“Yeah, great, Max. We can’t even drive yet, I can’t really see Mom and Dad buying us a car,” said Michael. “Besides, what do we need a car for? Mom or Dad are always happy to take us just about anywhere.”
“Last night, Isabel was practicing again,” said Max. “This time, she brought me into Tess’ dream – well, nightmare actually.”
“Yeah, so, we’ve all been there before,” said Michael. “What does this have to do with your sudden urge to get a car? You just want to take that Liz chic out on a date, don’t you?”
“Shut up, Michael, that has nothing to do with it,” Max denied while color crept up on his cheeks. If you must know the truth, I remembered something. And besides, it wouldn’t hurt for us to be able to go some place where we can practice and learn to control these powers of ours. Last night when you sneezed, you blew up Mom’s favorite vase.”
“Hey, I can’t help it!” Michael shouted as books tumbled off the shelf above his bed. “I’m working on it!”
“See,” Max said.
“Jack ass,” Michael answered, lobbing a pillow at his brother. “So what did you see in Tessie’s dream, anyhow?”
“I wouldn’t call her that,” said Max. “Remember the snakes? Anyhow, it was just like she’s always telling us. The three of us were standing there looking at her in some sort of bubble thing and this big tall guy comes out of nowhere and breaks the bubble open and pulls her out.”
“Did he seem scary or anything?” Michael asked.
“No, but we were in a dark place. A cave or something, and I saw him put something on the wall. I wish we could find it.”
“Max, get real,” Michael said. “Some boogy man from Tess’ dream put something on a wall, and you think it really exists?”
“I don’t think it’s a dream, Michael, I think it’s a memory.”
“Max, Michael, come on!” Philip Evans called. “We’re ready to head out.”
Max groaned, their father had promised to drive all of them to the mall at Isabel’s request. He and Michael didn’t want to go, but their parents said the girls couldn’t go if they didn’t go as well.
“Coming, Dad!” he called, his voice breaking a little bit.
Philip smiled as he watched his two sons gallop out of the house to the family minivan. Puberty had hit the Evans house hard, and along with it, all the afflictions that were typical of that phase in life. The boys’ voices were cracked and squeaked so often, Philip never knew whom he was speaking to if he called home. The girls had more mood swings than he thought could happen in one day. If my mood fluctuated that much, he thought to himself, I’d implode from stress.
“You know the rules,” he said, driving down the road. “Stay together, and nobody goes to the bathroom alone.”
“Yes, Dad, we know,” said Max.
“Humor me, Max. I’m your father,” Philip said. He pulled in front of the entrance to the food court and put the car in park. “What time do you want me to pick you up?” he asked.
“Now,” Michael grumbled.
“Is five o’clock okay, Dad?” Isabel asked.
“Five is fine, sweetie. “Do you have enough money,” Philip added, reaching for his wallet.
“Yeah, Dad, we’re good,” said Michael, pushing Max out of the van.
“Shut upMichael,” Isabel said. “If you want to give us more, Dad, we won’t say no.”
“Here’s another five for each of you to get something to eat,” Philip said. “Have a good time, and I’ll see you later.”
They watched their father drive off and entered the mall. The cool air conditioning made a pleasant change from the oppressive heat outside.
“Come on,” said Tess. “I want to go to the book store.”
“Well, I want to go to the sports store,” said Michael. “And then that new hobby place. Come on, Max.”
Max looked from Michael to Tess, and then to Isabel who was tapping her foot impatiently.
“Come on, Max, you know you don’t want to go to the book store, or to look at shoes or whatever dumb thing Isabel wants to do. We can just meet them later.”
“Yeah,” Max said, brightening at Michael’s suggestion. “How about if we just meet you guys in an hour out front of the cookie place?”
“Fine,” Isabel huffed. She didn’t care where they went, just as long as she was able to get the shoes she’d had her eye on. “Whatever, you guys go do your man things, and Tess and I will go have fun.” She turned on her heel, grabbed Tess by the arm and pulled her down the walkway.
“I guess we’re not staying together?” Tess said, finally.
“Oh, they just make me so mad sometimes,” said Isabel. “They think they’re so great because their boys, and we’re just girls that can’t do anything. Well, I’ve got news for them, we can do anything they can do!”
“And a few things they can’t,” Tess giggled. “Like walking through their dreams and messing with their minds. They can only blow stuff up.”
“Shhh, Tess,” Isabel said, looking around. “We aren’t supposed to talk about that stuff in public.”
“Because Max said so,” said Tess. “And we don’t care what Max says, remember?”
“Well, maybe he’s kind of right,” said Isabel. “I mean, you never know who could be listening.”
“Right, like evil government agents in their stupid blue suits and sunglasses with those little ear pieces in their ears, right?” mocked Tess. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and within seconds, those very same images appeared in front of Isabel.
“It’s not funny, Tess,” Isabel said. “Make them go away.”
“You’re no fun either,” Tess grumbled as the vision faded away.
“Tess, stop behaving like a child,” Isabel said.
“And don’t talk to me like I am a child, I’m your age!” Tess shouted.
“We think you’re my age,” Isabel shot back. “But if we based it on the way you’re acting, I’d say you were six!”
“Oohh, you’re such a bitch,” Tess said in a low angry voice. “I really hate you sometimes. Go look at you’re stupid shoes. I don’t want to hang out with you anyhow.”
With that parting shot, Tess pulled away from Isabel and stomped off into the crowded mall. Without looking over her shoulder to see if Isabel was watching, she ducked into the music store. Pausing to catch her breath and calm her pounding heart, Tess flipped idly through the sheet music. She’d never stood up to Isabel like that before and it felt different – good, but different. She paused for a moment to revel in the feeling of knowledge – she didn’t need Isabel to tell her what to do – she was a strong enough person to do what she wanted, when a hand came down on her shoulder.
“Tess,” the man said. “I’ve been dying to meet you.”
** * ** *
An hour later, Max, Michael and Isabel waited in front of the bakery for Tess to appear.
“How could you let her go off on her own?” Max said.
“For crying out loud, Max, she’s not a baby, none of us are, and she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself,” Isabel said. “We had an argument, and she took off. What was I supposed to do, chase after her?”
“Yeah, maybe you should have,” Michael said. “I bet you got all stuck up on her or something. You’re turning into a stranger lately Isabel. We’ve all noticed it.”
“Just because I don’t want to stand out, you think I’m being stuck up?” Isabel practically shouted. “I just don’t want to be a freak, is there anything wrong with that?”
“There isn’t anything wrong with that, Isabel,” Max said, trying to diffuse the tense situation. “But right now, we need to figure out where Tess is.”
“Tess, Tess, Tess!” Isabel said. “Fine, go find the little baby. She’s probably hiding somewhere waiting for us to come looking for her. Well, I’m not. I’m going to wait here!” She pulled a chair away from a nearby table and sat down in it, defiantly.
“Good, stay here,” Max said. “And if Tess shows up, don’t let her leave. We’ll be back as quick as we can.”
Isabel sat, drumming her fingers nervously on the table. She knew she had been wrong, but lately, she couldn’t seem to control the words that came out of her mouth. It was like some evil pod person was living in her body, making her say terrible things. She just felt like her entire world was spinning out of control, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.
“Hi Isabel,” a voice said. There was a scraping of chairs, and three girls sat down at the table with Isabel.
“Where are the others?” the same girl asked. “You’re never very far away from those cute brothers of yours.”
“They went to go find Tess,” Isabel said. She looked at the three girls and wondered why they had decided to join her. They represented the so-called beautiful people of Roswell Middle School. They were in fact, the very group of people she wanted to be a part of.
“Oh, did the poor little baby get lost?” the first girl, named Ashley,” said.
“No, she didn’t get lost,” Isabel said, wanting desperately to be a part of their group, but not at the expense of her sister. “She just lost track of time, that’s all.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said the second girl, Michelle. “So tell me, Isabel, you’re brother, doe he like, you know, like anybody?”
The three girls giggled and Isabel smothered a groan. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her brothers and their crushes.
“Yeah, does he like anybody, because Ashley said he’s really hot, and she’d love to go to the dance with him,” said Maureen, the third girl.
“Sorry,” she said, an artificial smile playing upon her lips. “Max hasn’t said anything about liking anyone.”
And it’s the truth, she thought. Max hadn’t said anything about liking anybody, he’d just had about a million dreams of Liz Parker. Not that she’d reveal that to them.
“Max!” squealed Ashley. “I was talking about Michael.”
“Oh,” Isabel said over the giggles. “Well, sorry, he hasn’t either. Look, I hate to break this up, but I have to go,” she added, noticing Michael waving at her from the other end of the food court. “I’ll see you later.”
She made her way quickly across the food court to where Michael stood waiting.
“It took you long enough to notice me,” he gripped. “What were you doing with them?”
“Listening to them beg me for information about you,” she said, making gagging motions. “Did you find Tess?”
“Yeah, and she’s really shaken up,” said Michael. “Some guy tried to grab her.”
“What, she couldn’t stop him?” Isabel asked, incredulously.
“No, she got away, but not before he told her that he knows all about us – who we are, and where we come from. Isabel, he says he knows everything.”
Last edited by majiklmoon on Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Author’s Note: This part has been long and coming and for that, I apologize. I’ve had a lot of real life stuff going on, and those of you who know me well know some of what I’m talking about. I will try to update with more frequency, but as I said at the beginning of this story, I make NO promises or guarantees. Thanks for not giving up on me. Majiklmoon
Chapter Seven
“I’m worried about her,” Isabel whispered. “We can’t fool Mom and Dad for much longer. If we keep saying she’s sick, they’re going to take her to the doctors.”
“She’ll snap out of it,” Michael said. “She was really freaked by what happened.”
“Can you blame her?” Isabel asked. She got up off the sofa and began to plump the floral pillows as Michael talked.
“No, I don’t blame her,” Michael said. “I’m just glad she held it together long enough to get away from him. That was really great.”
“Yeah, and I, oh, I’ll get it,” Isabel abruptly switched gears and crossed the living room to the front door. She reached the door as the bell rang again, and yanked it open forcefully, her normally beautiful features marred by a scowl.
“What?” she asked, without really looking.
“H-hi, Isabel,” a voice said, cracking, slightly. “Is – is Tess home?”
“Oh, hi, Alex,” Isabel said. “Tess is in bed, sick.”
“Yeah, I know,” Alex said. “I – I uh, brought some of her work home.” He swallowed convulsively. “This is from band. She – well – she auditioned for a solo, and Mr. Marshall picked her. He asked someone to bring the music to her so she could start practicing.”
“Well, that’s really nice of you,” Isabel said. She reached out and plucked the papers from her hand and started to shut the door. Alex was a nice enough guy, but she didn’t have any time to waste on him.
“Can I talk to Tess, please?” Alex said. He reached out and stopped Isabel from closing the door, and she looked at him in amazement.
“Why do you need to talk to her?” asked Isabel. “Do you think I’m not capable of giving her the music?”
“No, I know you’re capable of giving her the music,” Alex explained, patiently. “But I still have some junk to explain to her”
“Fine,” Isabel sighed, opening the door again. “But don’t be too long. Tess needs her rest.”
Alex walked through the open door wondering if he was going to do anything to embarrass himself in front of Isabel. He pushed the door closed behind him, only to have it stop with an abrupt thump as it came in contact with something. Twin giggles made Alex realize that it wasn’t a something, but a someone, rather two some ones that the door had come in contact with.”
“Liz and Maria,” he groaned to himself. He knew full well he wasn’t going to have to worry about embarrassing himself any longer. He knew for a fact that Maria and Liz would do a fine job of that on their own.
“Alex, you weren’t going to leave us out there, were you?” Maria asked. “Hi Isabel, don’t mind us. We’re with him.”
“Yeah, we’re with, oh, hi Michael,” said Liz, blushing. She smiled slightly, revealing a mouthful of metal.
“Oh great, it’s Laverne and Shirley,” said Michael. “Max isn’t here.”
“You know, Michael, it wouldn’t hurt you to be nice once in a while,” Maria snapped while Liz continued to blush at the mention of Max’s name.
“I’m nice all the time,” said Michael. “But only to people I like,” he added, pointedly.
“You wouldn’t know nice if it jumped up and bit you in the face,” said Maria.
“Come on,” said Isabel. “Our room is this way. Sounds like those two are going to be at it for hours.”
She directed Liz and Alex down the hall, following behind them. Alex was a nice enough guy, she guessed, but there was something about him, Liz, and even Maria that made her feel, well, uneasy seemed like a good word. For some peculiar reason, she wanted to tell them all their secrets. Something that Max had made them all swear they’d never do.
Alex and Liz stopped in the hallway, unsure of which door to choose. Isabel pushed past them and knocked on one of the doors softly.
“Tess, you awake? You have visitors?” she called softly.
The door opened as if by magic, or least that’s how it seemed because when they entered the room, Tess was sitting on the bed with papers and photographs all around them.
“Tess, Alex and Liz came by to visit,” Isabel said. She glared at Tess to let her know that her little trick with the door hadn’t gone unnoticed, at least by her.
“Oh, uh, hi,” Tess said. “I, uh, I wasn’t expecting anybody to come and visit. Sorry for the mess.”
“It’s no problem, and I’m real sorry to just show up,” said Alex. “But you got the flute solo you auditioned for, and Mr. Marshall asked me to go over the music with you.”
“I got the solo?” Tess squealed. She jumped off the bed, scattering the pictures and papers all over the floor, covering the blue carpet in a sea of white. “I really got the solo? This isn’t some cruel joke, is it?” She grabbed Alex around the neck and almost strangled him as she attempted to hug him.
“I think she’s happy,” Isabel said, looking down at Liz who had knelt down and started to pick up the scattered photos. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind,” said Liz, tapping the handful into a neat pile. “Oh look,” she said. “Isn’t this right about the time you started at Roswell Elementary?”
”Yeah,” said Isabel, taking the photos from Liz. “Mom went totally camera crazy.”
“Yeah, my mom’s like that too,” Liz admitted shyly. She gathered up some more of the pictures and papers to cover her discomfort, glancing at them idly as she did.
“Who’s this?” she asked Isabel. She stared at the picture, confusion dancing across her face.
“I don’t know,” Isabel replied, barely glancing at the image. “Why?”
“Because it sort of looks like Max,” Liz said. “Or what Max would look like as a grown up. I mean, the hair color is wrong, and Max doesn’t have a beard, but it just looks like Max,” her voice faded out and color suffused her face as she realized just how much attention she actually paid to Max Evans.
“Let me see that,” Tess said, reaching from her spot on the bed for the paper. “I remember this,” she almost whispered. “I know this guy.”
“What’s that, Tess?” Liz asked.
“N-nothing,” Tess said, slipping the sketch in with some other papers. “Alex, did you want to give me the music?”
“Y-yeah,” Alex said, his voice breaking a bit. He sat down on the bed beside Tess, and pointed out some of the changes that Mr. Marshall had made.
Isabel and Liz watched, amused as the two hummed various parts of the music and Tess scribbled notes, marking changes. While they watched, Isabel struggled to make small talk with Liz. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the petite brunette beside her was important. She just couldn’t figure out why.
“Are you guys going to the dance this Saturday?” Liz asked.
“What dance?” questioned Tess. Having not been at school for the past several days, she found she was missing out on a lot of news. She shot an angry look at her sister. Isabel’s idea of important news clearly wasn’t the same as hers.
“The Middle School Mixer,” Liz explained. “It should be a lot of fun. Maria, Alex and I are all going.”
“Is it like a date thing?” Tess asked nervously.
“It can be,” Isabel said, deciding to have some fun. She’d recently noticed guys noticing her, and it gave her a heady sense of power – a power she decided she wanted to practice on Alex.
She moved closer to Alex, tossed her hair and smiled at him in as seductive a manner as she could manage.
“How about you, Alex, are you brining anybody?” she said, trying to make her voice low and sultry.
“Oh, uh,” Alex said, his voice cracking unmercifully. “Yeah, well there was someone I kinda wanted to ask.”
“Well, you should just do it,” said Isabel. “You might be surprised at the answer you get.”
“Um,” Alex said.
Liz stared in amazement at her friend, watching his face flush with utter embarrassment.
“You know, you’re right,” Alex said, gulping. “I should just do it. Tess, you want to go to the dance with me?”
Liz smothered a giggle and watched Isabel’s face take it’s turn at changing colors. She glared at Alex and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
“That was great, Alex,” Tess said, trying unsuccessfully to smother a fit of giggles. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Isabel so angry before. But you know, you don’t really have to take me,” she added.
“What if I want to take you,” said Alex. “You’re my friend – friends can go do things together.”
“I am your friend Alex, but that’s it,” Tess said, trying to be gentle. She liked Alex a lot, but she didn’t likelike him.
“So we go as friends – all of us. You, me, Liz and Maria,” Alex said. “Does that sound like a plan?”
“Yeah, it does,” Tess laughed, smiling at Liz and Alex. “But I should warn you, I love to dance.”
“Uh, yeah, about that,” said Alex, his face flushing again. “I can’t dance.”
“Alex, I told you, my dad’s going to let us use the CrashDown on Friday after it closes to practice. Maria and I will teach you everything you need to know. Tess,” she added, “Do you want to come, too?”
“That would be fun,” she said. “Kind of like a practice date or something,” she added, winking at Alex.”
“Come on, Alex, we need to get going. Maria’s mom said she’d pick us up at 4:00. Besides, I think Maria’s probably abused Michael enough. Are you coming to school tomorrow, Tess?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be feeling better,” she said. “Thanks for bringing the music.” She waited until Liz was out the door before she called out to Alex. “And Alex, don’t worry,” she said. “Your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell Isabel you like her.”
Alex blushed again, but smiled. “Thanks.”
** * ** **
“Tell me again why we’re doing this,” Michael grumbled half-heartedly.
“For a bunch of different reasons,” Max explained, carefully bushing his hair as he spoke. “Liz was the only person to ever see a resemblance between me, and that sketch Mom has of the guy the Sheriff saw in the desert the day before we were found.”
“Yeah, so what,” said Michael. “One of us would have noticed it eventually.”
“Michael, come on, there’s something about them. All of us feel a connection to them. To Liz, Maria and Alex. Isabel feels it, Tess feels it and I feel it. I bet you do too, you just don’t want to admit it.”
“Maybe,” Michael said, grabbing a shirt off the floor. “Hey, is this clean?”
“You are such a slob,” Max sighed. “Here, wear this.” He reached into the closet and pulled out a clean shirt and passed it to Michael. “Why do you care about a clean shirt, anyhow?”
“Well, I, uh, I just do! Forget about it. Fine, I get the connection thing, but why are we doing this.”
“Boys, are you almost ready. It’s time to head to the CrashDown,” Diane Evans called. “I’m so glad to see you getting involved with such a nice group of kids,” she added standing outside their door. “But if you don’t hurry, we’re going to be late, so move it.”
Max and Michael followed their mother down the hall, through the kitchen and out into the mini-van where Isabel and Tess were already waiting. They climbed in the van, Max with a look of impending excitement on his face while Michael’s wore a look of impending doom. Tonight looked to be anything but dull.
The impromptu dance practice proved to be rather anticlimactic. The girls all danced together and the boys sat at the counter eating Saturn Rings as fast as Liz’s father could make them. Occasionally, Mr. Parker threatened to cut of the supply of Saturn Rings in order to get the boys onto the dance floor, but it was a losing proposition. The night ended early, and the small group was on excellent terms. The girls were, anyhow. The boys mostly glowered and wished they were anywhere but the CrashDown.
** * ** *
The night of the dance arrived, and as prearranged, Alex Liz and Maria, driven by Maria’s mother, Amy stopped at the Evans household to pick up Tess. The three girls giggled and admired each other’s outfits while Alex sat uncomfortably beside them in the back of Mrs. Deluca’s car. The drive to the middle school was short, and they soon found themselves standing in line, along with Max, Isabel and Michael who had arrived right behind them.
They paid their entrance fee, and got their hands stamped and a card with a number on it.
“What’s this for?” Max asked.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” said their gym teacher, Mr. Bolduc.
The cafeteria was decorated with streamers and posters and the traditional flashing strobe lights, and a deejay from the high school radio station played music, but the dance floor was deserted. Boys and girls, clustered together in groups ringed the dance floor, each of them waiting for another to make the first move.
Alex finally worked up the courage and asked Tess to dance, and together they moved out to the center of the floor and began to gyrate to the music. Alex and Tess broke the ice, and people began to move to the dance floor and dance. The dancing continued for several songs until Mr. Bolduc took the microphone from the deejay and called for everyone to listen.
“You were all given numbered cards when you came in,” he said. “I want you to line up in order, in two lines. Odds on one side, evens on the other.” As soon as the kids were lined up, he continued with his instructions. “Walk across the cafeteria to the person directly across from you. That will be your partner for the first slow dance of the evening. And remember, I want to see daylight between your bodies when you’re dancing.”
“Max, come on, switch with me,” Michael whispered.
Max looked across the floor at his partner and glared at Michael. “No way! Suck it up and deal with it.”
“I’m not dancing with Isabel. She’s my sister. How freaking gross is that? Hey, you wanna dance with Isabel?” Michael called further down the line.
“Dance with Isabel Evans?” the kid asked, scanning the line across the gym. “Sure!”
Max watched as Michael quickly switched places and numbers with the other student just as the teacher blew his whistle. The lines surged across the gym, and Michael looked up to find that his new partner was Maria Deluca.
“Somebody really must hate me,” he heard Michael whisper under his breath. “I don’t dance,” he said, when Maria met him in the center of the gym floor.
“You do now,” Maria said, grabbing his hands. She placed them on her waist and put her hands on his shoulders. “Now, move to the music,” she ordered.
Max watched in amusement as Michael shuffled awkwardly around the floor.
“Uh, we’re supposed to dance,” a voice said, and Max looked down to find Liz Parker standing in front of him.
“Sure,” he said, his voice cracking on the simple word.
Max looked around helplessly, unsure of where to put his hands. Liz took pity on him and reached up and put her hands on his shoulders and smiled. Max’s face flushed with color as he slid his hands around her waist.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m not really good at this.”
“Well, it would help if you looked at me,” said Liz with a smile.
Liz, look at me, you have to look at me.
“What?” Max asked, stopping in shock.
“I said it would help your dancing if you looked at me,” Liz repeated.
“Oh, I uh, I thought I heard something else.”
“Are you okay,” Liz asked. “Maybe you should sit down or something? You look like someone got shot or something.”
“Shot!” Max all but shouted as a wave of images flashed through his mind.
He saw Liz lying on the floor, blood pouring from her abdomen. The image shifted and he saw himself in a laboratory, strapped to a table screaming. The image shifted again and he and Liz were jumping from a bridge. He saw Kyle lying on the floor bleeding and then he say Kyle in bed with Liz. Another shift and he was kneeling over Alex Whitman’s bloody body trying to heal him. His mind began to whirl as he tried to process the information that assaulted his senses. He couldn’t make sense of it. He didn’t know what was real, and what wasn’t
“Max!” Liz shouted. “Max, I think you need to sit down.”
Liz took control of the situation and led Max out of the crowded cafeteria and into the hallway. Within seconds, Michael, Maria, Alex and Isabel were with them.
“Max, what’s wrong?” Michael asked. “What did you do to him?”
“Me?” Liz asked. “I didn’t do anything. We were dancing, that’s all. He just freaked out all of a sudden. He got this glassy look in his eyes and it’s like he wasn’t here or something.”
“I’m okay, I, uh, I just got dizzy or something. Maybe I’m allergic to the perfume you’re wearing or something,” Max said, pulling himself together.
Liz was about to say she wasn’t wearing any perfume when the sounds of an argument captured their attention. They all took off running down the hall toward the sound of the disturbance and stopped short when they found Tess, crying in against a wall, and Kyle staring down three boys from West Roswell High who had decided to crash the middle school dance.
“She said to leave her alone,” Kyle said. “Now get out of here.”
“Sure, right, little boy,” one of them jeered. “And who’s going to make us.”
“We are,” said Michael.
“That’s right, all of us,” Liz added.
“Come one, let’s leave the little babies to their fun,” one of them said, trying to save face.
They watched as the small group left the building and walked back down the hall into the café. An odder group you never saw, but one that felt perfectly natural, at least to four of them.
He stalked through the halls of the deserted school, bellowing in fury. This was the second time he’d tried to make contact with her. The first time, she’d fought back and this time they’d come to her rescue. He needed her, she was too important to his plans. Everything hinged on her compliance. She’d been so easy to manipulate before, but this time, something was different. She was more secure, more sure of herself, and he didn’t know how to deal with that.
He opened the door to a bathroom, practically ripping it off its hinges. He paced back and forth, muttering to himself, until he caught sight of his reflection in a mirror. An adolescent, schoolboy’s body stared back at him. Grimacing in disgust at his reflection, he used his powers to revert back to a more mature human form. When the change was complete, he opened the bathroom door and stepped back into the hallway, and then out into the night.
** * **
The sweat poured off Max Evans’ forehead as he pedaled his bike down the stretch of highway. It was stupid, he knew, but ever since the night of that middle school dance, he felt something pulling him – calling him out to the desert. He didn’t know what it was, but he was powerless to ignore it.
Ignoring his discomfort, he pushed on, determined to make it to his final destination. Not that he knew exactly where that was. He was hoping instinct and a dim eight-year old memory would help him. He pedaled furiously as he tried to make sense of the feelings and images that had been assaulting his brain ever sine that night. The night he danced with Liz Parker.
Max pushed on, his physical endurance pushed to the limit, determined to reach his destination when fate took matters into her own hands. Without warning, the bike became incredibly difficult to pedal. Max quickly came to a stop. As soon as he got off the bike, the problem became apparent. He had not one, but two flat tires. Cursing to the empty desert, Max placed his hand over one tire, and used his powers to inflate it. He’d just started to inflate the second tire when a car pulled up beside him.
He turned to look but the glare of the sun made it impossible for him to see. The car door slammed and a figure moved to stand beside him.
“Having trouble, Mr. Evans?” a voice said. “You’re awfully far from home.”
Max tried to look but the figure was standing with the sun directly behind him, causing Max to squint.
“No, I’m good, really,” Max said. “Just taking a little rest.”
“Do you’re parents know you’re out here?” the voice continued.
Feeling intimidated, Max stood up and ended up staring Sheriff Valenti in the face.
“Oh, hi Sheriff,” he said, trying to act relieved. “I didn’t know it was you. Um, no, I didn’t specifically tell my parents where I was riding, but they won’t care.”
“Well, maybe not, but I do care, and it isn’t safe for you to be out here alone in the hot sun. Let’s throw your bike in the back and I’ll give you a ride back to town.”
“Oh, but uh, I really wanted to see how far I could go,” Max said.
“You know, Max, you’re a good kid. You’ve never been in trouble; let’s keep it that way. Why don’t you stop lying to me and tell me the truth,” said the Sheriff.
Max felt his heart pummel in his chest. He didn’t know what to think, for one brief moment, he thought the sheriff knew their secret. Forcing himself to relax, Max took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.
“You’re right, Sheriff Valenti, I wasn’t being completely honest with you. But I really don’t want my parents to know why I’m out here. See, I know we were found not too far from here, and I really just wanted to look around and see if I remembered anything.”
“Max, you don’t think you’re going to find any clues to where you came from, do you?” the sheriff asked, kindly. “We scoured the area completely after your parents found you.”
“I know,” Max said, adopting a crestfallen expression. “I just wanted to, you know, see it. Maybe it would trigger something in my memory.”
“Is there any reason you don’t want your parents to know about this, Max?”
Max scuffed at the ground with his sneaker, raising a small cloud of dust. “I- well, I don’t want them to think I’m not happy with them, because I am.” He lifted his eyes and looked imploringly at the sheriff. “I am happy, I can’t imagine living anywhere else, or wanting anybody else as parents, I just, I,” he paused.
“You just want to know, is that it?” the sheriff asked, filling in the silence left by Max.
“Yeah, exactly,” Max admitted. “I don’t want to hurt mom and dad, they’re great, but I’d really like to know who left us out here, and I thought maybe if I came out here, something would, you know, like trigger some suppressed memory or something.”
“I’ll tell you what,” the sheriff said. “Let’s load your bike up, and I’ll take you for a ride, and then I’m taking you back to town. And Max, I don’t want to see you out here alone again. It’s too dangerous. Is that clear?”
Max knew when to give in, and this was a good time. He smiled at the sheriff and wheeled his bike over to his SUV. The Sheriff opened the back and lifted Max’s bike up into the back hatch. Once the bike was secure, the sheriff opened the passenger side and waited for Max to climb in. The sheriff quickly came around the SUV and climbed in the driver’s side and pulled out onto the empty stretch of highway.
** * ** * ** *
The stranger watched from behind the small outcropping of rocks. He’d used his powers to stop Max. He’d hoped to get the young king alone and make him see reason. He hadn’t counted on the sheriff stopping to help, or Max letting him. These kids were too immersed in their lives here in Roswell. He needed to get them and bring them home. His life depended on it.
** * ** * ** *
“Here’s right about where your parent’s found you,” the sheriff said, pulling his SUV over to the side of the road. “Does it spark any memories?”
“No,” Max admitted glumly.
“I didn’t think that it would,” the sheriff said. “Don’t feel bad, Max. I still think our best lead was the hiker I saw not too far from here.”
“Hiker?” Max asked, trying to quell the excitement from his voice.
“Didn’t your parent’s tell you about that?” the sheriff asked.
“Well they said that there had been some guy seen in the desert, but not that he was a hiker,” said Max.
“Okay,” the sheriff said. “I was just a deputy back then, and I was driving out here when I found this guy hiking on the road. He said he and some friends were doing some desert camping and had lost track of what day it was, and that he was hiking back to town to get a paper. I gave him an old paper that I had, and he took back off into the desert. I wish now that I had held him, but I didn’t really have any cause to do so.”
“Would you mind showing me where you found him?” Max asked.
“I figured you’d ask that,” the sheriff said. “Of course I will, but Max, I want you to promise me you’ll talk to your parents about this. They should know you have questions. They know you love them, and I think they’d be more hurt to know you’re keeping this from them more than they would be by knowing you were curious about where you came from.”
“I will, Sheriff Valenti,” Max promised. “Please, can you take me out there.”
The sheriff eyed Max curiously. He seemed consumed by his desire to find out as much of his history as possible. Maybe it was normal, he didn’t know. But he felt a sense of responsibility to this boy and his siblings. If he’d followed his instincts before, he would have detained the stranger and maybe he’d have some answers for the kids. He pulled out onto the road and drove several miles out into the desert, and stopped at a mile marker sign.
“It was around here,” the sheriff said.
Max climbed out of the SUV and looked around. The landscape was barren and evoked no memories in him at all. A feeling of loss welled up inside of him. He had felt certain that he needed to come out here. The drive to explore the desert was almost a compulsion with him and now that he was here, it appeared that it was all for nothing.
He walked around the front of the SUV staring up and down the road like he was searching for him.
“Are you sure it was here?” he asked the sheriff.
“Positive,” he replied.
“Maybe you got the mile marker wrong,” Max said hopefully.
“I wasn’t going by the mile marker,” said the sheriff. “I remember that.” He pointed off into the distance across the road.
Max followed his outstretched arm and saw a large sandstone outcropping.
That’s it, he thought to himself, excitement welling up inside. That’s it.
“Thanks, Sheriff Valenti. I guess this was all just a big waste of time.”
“No, it wasn’t, Max. Not if it helps to put your mind at rest. Now come on, I’ll take you home.”
Max climbed into the SUV and tried not to stare at the rock formation as they drove away.
