Lethal Whispers (AU,M/L,MATURE,WA) A/N 2/15/06 {WIP}

[max and liz believer]

You guys are just too sweet!! You are the best! Your feedback is a big highlight of my days right now, since I'm currently working 12 h a day. Starting at 8 a.m. and finishing at 8 p.m. I was so tired today driving home that I couldn't figure out if the car suddenly appearing in front of me had passed me or if had turned out from one of the smaller roads . Fortunately, I have a lot of parts already written on my stories so, even if I'm working too much, (as one psychic on Roswell once said) "you will not be left wanting"

Since my brain is already asleep (must be since I can't contact it at the moment...) I will not be held accountable for all the typos in this message

We are now returning to the Interlude. Just a brief recap. Aliandra is a princess, hating that role. Her best friend is Soria, who admires Aliandra's life and would love to be a princess. A plan forms and for one day Aliandra pretends to be Soria (the princess and Soria are very similiar in appearance). Wishing to do the most normal thing there is, Aliandra ends up at the market. And ends up in a small accident. She bumps her head in the plank and suffers a milder concussion. She is brought to one man's house, Zan. When waking up she tells him that she is Soria, because she doesn't want to reveal her true identity. From the instant that their eyes meet there is an attraction between Zan and Aliandra .

Aliandra is to be found a suitable husband - one of her own class. Even though she has known this all her life, the reality slaps her in the face when her father informs her that it is now time for her to get married. Simultaneously, Zan is recruited to be one of Aliandra's protectors.

This is basically where we left off...



End of Interlude I...

And with a nod she was dismissed. Aliandra forced back the tears as she stood up from the chair. She felt as if she were drowning. As if they were suffocating her. If she didn’t get air soon she would pass out.
“I need to go out,“ she told her father’s advisor.
“Londrì Aliandra, your father ordered you to meet with the protectors.“
“I don’t care what my father ordered,“ Aliandra spit out and brushed past the advisor. Her face was downcast to hide the tears that were threatening to fall, so she didn’t see the person standing in her way until she rammed straight into him.
“Princess Londrì Aliandra?“
She was just about to continue her walk when his voice caught her focus. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she asked, “Zan?“
There was a pause and she realized the mistake she had made. Princess Aliandra had not met Zan. Soria had.
“I’m sorry,“ she murmured and pushed him away.
As her legs carried her down the vast green grass carpet, her thoughts were churning fervently in her head. What was Zan doing at the palace?



INTERLUDE II


She had been crying. She had been so close that her scent had enveloped him. Her warmth had wrapped around him. And he could have sworn that she had whispered his name. Zan. How did she know his name? They had never met before. He had only studied her from afar. But they had never been introduced to each other and there was no way she could have heard about him. No way she could have found out his name. He was just a simple person of the lower class. She didn’t associate with people like him.

But she had said his name. And it had made shivers run down his spine. It had been the way his name had been whispered over her lips. As if he were something safe. A savior. But then the moment had disappeared. She had pulled away and he was now watching her run down the lawn.

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It was the night of the ball. Her role was something that was admired by million girls all over the planet. This night was described as the most romantic one and girls described it with stars in their eyes. This was the night the princess was attended by suitors. This was the night she was to wear a beautiful dress and her hair would be perfect. It was the night taken from a dream.

To Aliandra, this was the worst night of her life. She was in for a long night of polite smiles and nice comments. She was in for a long night of being tracked down by every man in the upper class. She was in for a long night with an endless number of dances. And suitable candidates for her future husband would be chosen. It was going to be a nightmare.

“Aren’t you excited?“ Soria squealed beside her.
Aliandra closed her eyes and forced down the taste of bile in her throat, before putting a forced smile on her lips. It was the first of many that evening.
“Yes, of course I am,“ she answered.
“You look so beautiful,“ Soria sighed as she admired Aliandra’s reflection in the mirror.
Aliandra met Soria’s eyes in the mirror and wondered how Soria could say such a thing. How was it that her best friend, who had known her since they were three, couldn’t see how miserable she was?
“You look stunning too,“ Aliandra smiled.
Soria returned her smile and then plopped down on Aliandra’s bed. “So, do you think we are going to meet any nice boys tonight?“
“I am forced to meet someone,“ Aliandra murmured under her breath.
“What was that?“ Soria asked.
“Nothing,“ Aliandra said.
“Londrì Aliandra. Miss Soria. The guests are expecting your entrance.“
“Well, I guess we have a duty to fulfill,“ Soria said with a big smile and breezed out of Aliandra’s room.
Aliandra took a deep breath before following Soria, leaving the quiet and calm haven of her bedroom behind her.

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The night became an endless stream of dances, smiling and small talk. Aliandra lost count of how many times she had said how lovely night it was and how good the food tasted. Her life consisted of an endless number of repetitive acts. The same things, over and over again. She had reached a point where she didn’t know if she was even living anymore. She felt like a walking shell, going on autopilot. And she could feel the nausea rising in her throat. Her feet ached and she grimaced as she saw yet another man walking in her direction. She was caught in indecision about whether she should try to slip away or endure yet another dance. The choice really wasn’t that difficult to make. But just as she was getting up, she caught her father’s eyes across the room. He was staring intently at her, as if he knew that she was about to skip one dance. Aliandra bit back her tears of frustration and sank back down on the chair.
“Princess Londrì Aliandra? Could you please come with me for a moment?“

Her breath caught in her throat as she heard his voice and she slowly turned her head to find him looking at her. The soft and compassionate look in his eyes made her want to let go of the strict control she held of her tears.
“Yes,“ she whispered, her voice barely holding up.
With one glance over her shoulder at her father, she rose and walked after Zan.
“Where are we going?“ Aliandra asked as they walked out onto the terrace.
“I want to show the princess something,“ Zan said quietly.
Aliandra followed, feeling the energy returning to her body and her curiosity peaking.
There was a stone stair leading down from the terrace to the big lawn.
“Uhm.... Are you sure we should go so far away from the palace?“ Aliandra asked as they walked further and further away from the palace. Suddenly she wasn’t so sure what she was doing. Sure, she had a good feeling about Zan, but she didn’t know him. She had only met him once and she knew now that he was one of her protectors, but could she be sure that she could go off alone with him?

“It is not so much further, Princess,“ Zan said, taking her hand. Heat exploded from the place where he touched her and traveled up her arm, making her gasp.
“Is something wrong, Princess?“ Zan asked, trying to ignore the electricity he had felt running up his arm when his fingers had wrapped around her small hand.
“No, I’m fine, I’m fine,“ Aliandra answered, “Are you sure this is safe?“
An easy smile spread over his face and he nodded. Aliandra’s eyes lingered on his face. The light of the yellow second moon was shifting over his face, illuminating some parts while putting shadow over others. Aliandra had never seen a more beautiful man.
“It’s safe,“ he answered and tugged on her hand.
Two trees reached towards each other, their branches linking together to form a gateway. Zan pulled Aliandra under the trees and she found herself down by a small stream. She remembered playing at this stream when she was little, but she hadn’t been there in years.

“Come here, Princess,“ Zan said and pulled her towards one of the bigger trunks. As they got closer she could hear a small beeping sound. Aliandra watched as Zan knelt by one of the trunks and pulled up a baby zori. Zoris were small animals. They didn’t get too big. They had soft fur ranging from the colors of white to black, small ears hanging down their faces. And they were very rare.
“Oh my,“ Aliandra whispered as Zan placed the little zori in her hands. It beeped and looked up at her with large blue eyes. “It’s beautiful.“
“I found them a couple of days ago and I just had to show you,“ Zan said, speaking before thinking.
“Why?“ Aliandra looked up at him in confusion.
Zan realized his mistake and cleared his throat. “Pardon me?“
“Why me? Why would you want to show me?“ Aliandra asked.
“Because I want you to be happy,“ Zan answered quietly, dropping his eyes to the zori in her hands, slowly stroking its fur.

Aliandra’s jaw dropped at his statement. No one had ever said that to her before. No one had ever done something to make her happy. It had always been about duty. Fulfilling what everyone else wanted. Living up to everyone’s expectations.
“How...Why did you... How did...Why did you take me out here? It’s in the middle of the ball.“
“You looked like you needed a break,“ Zan answered.
“My father is not going to be pleased,“ Aliandra’s eyes dropped to the zori and her voice filled with sadness, “He is going to pick my husband tonight.“
Zan swallowed. He wanted to take that sadness away from her eyes so badly it hurt.
“You deserve so much more,“ he said softly.
The tears that had been threatening to fall all night spilled over and ran down her cheeks.
“Please don’t cry,“ Zan whispered.
“It’s just... I don’t want to get married. I want to be free. I want to feel what it’s like to be in love. I want to live.“

“You will,“ Zan said with conviction.
Aliandra shook her head and put the zori in his hands. “No I won’t. Thank you, Zan for taking me here, but I need to go back.“
His hand on her upper arm stopped her. The hot tears were running down her cool cheeks as her gaze fixed on her midnight blue colored evening dress, her eyes unseeing.
“How do you know my name?“ Zan asked. “You said it yesterday too.“
Aliandra took a deep breath and lied, “My father told me. I need to go.“
And she left him standing there, looking after her with sorrow in his eyes, his heart crying for the loneliness, utter desperation and hopelessness in her eyes.

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The following days elapsed in a haze for Aliandra. Aliandra’s emotional state grew so bad that she became physically ill. Zan was always around, guarding outside her door or watching over her as she went on short walks in the garden. He didn’t let her out of his sight, something the king noticed and applauded him for. He was soon placed as the leader in the protector squad, despite his young age. He was only one year older than Aliandra. He played his role to perfection. He would die before he let anything happen to her. But his loyal attitude towards the princess wasn’t merely based on duty. He was falling in love with her and he felt torn.

Because on his days off, he was at the market and he met this other girl, Soria, who, on the outside, was so much like princess Aliandra. But on the inside she was so different. And he found himself having feelings for Soria too. And it felt like a betrayal. To both Aliandra and Soria. Somehow, he was falling head over heels in love with them both. But you couldn’t be in love with two people, could you?

“Zan! Zan!“
He turned around and found Soria running towards him, a big smile on her face and her dark hair flying in the wind.
“Soria,“ he smiled. She stopped in front of him, grinning at him.
“What are you doing today?“ she asked brightly.
Zan’s thoughts drifted to the bleak replica of the beautiful princess he had left earlier that morning and he felt a sting in his heart. Aliandra watched the emotions flicker over his face and she bit her lower lip. She wondered if he had figured out her secret yet; she and Aliandra were one and the same. She felt a pang of guilt in her heart for deceiving him. But she couldn’t let him know. Then he would stop seeing her. She needed this fantasy world or she wouldn’t survive. And she needed him to be a part of her fantasy world. For it to work, he couldn’t know about her. He couldn’t know her true past, her true place in society.
“Uhm...I was planning on only looking around. I need to find a fishing net for my father.“
“Oh, let me help you,“ Aliandra said.
Zan shook his head in amusement at her barely contained energy. She was almost bouncing in place.
“If it would make you happy, then I will make it my duty to let you assist me,“ Zan said.
“Great,“ Aliandra brightened and snaked her slender hand in his. Zan unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand and, hand in hand, they started to walk over to the market place.


Three hours later they were on their way to Zan’s house. The soft breeze was flowing around them, carrying fragrances from all corners of the surrounding fields. The sun was blazing down on them and Aliandra had never felt more at peace.
“I love this,“ she mused.
“What?“ Zan asked, lacing his fingers with hers.
“Walking here with you. With the birds chirping all around me, the wind blowing in the trees, the smell of wheat filling the air.“
Zan smiled at her in amusement. It was as if she had never experienced a beautiful day before.
“It’s just perfect,“ Aliandra continued.
“It is,“ Zan agreed, contentment filling him at the easy swinging of their clasped hands between them and the joy he found in the occasional glances he sneaked at her profile and her billowing hair.
They walked a couple of minutes in peaceful silence before Aliandra spoke again.
“Do you believe in true love?“

Zan looked at her, trying to read her expression. “Yes,“ he answered.
“I mean,“ Aliandra continued as if she hadn’t heard his answer, “Do you think that there is a love that two people can feel for each other which makes them always want to be together?“
“I do,“ Zan answered without hesitation.
He frowned as Aliandra abruptly stopped. She looked up in his eyes with such determination that he could have sworn it was the princess in front of him, not Soria.
“I want you to kiss me,“ she said.
Zan choked on the breath he was just about to inhale. “What did you say?“
Without releasing his eyes, she repeated, “I want you to kiss me.“
Zan frowned and searched her face. “What...why...where is this coming from?“
He could see the hurt flash in her eyes before she had a chance to drop her gaze and start to walk. “You don’t want to kiss me.“

Zan reached out with his hand and stopped her. “Soria, stop. Yes, I do.“
He could see her biting her lower lip in that adorable way she did as she turned her face halfway towards his.
“I just...are you sure?“
Aliandra laughed. It was meant to come out assertive, but it sounded nervous to her ears. “Zan, it’s only a kiss. I’ve just...I’ve never been kissed before.“ And I want to feel what it feels like to kiss someone I love before my father marries me off to someone I don’t even know, she added in her mind.
She was afraid to meet his eyes. Suddenly, she felt shy and a little embarrassed. It wasn’t until his finger gently pushed her chin upwards that she met his eyes. His eyes. They were so soft and so warm. She could drown in them. Get lost in their safety. They were a place for her to feel completely content and happy. And now they were looking directly at her. Dominated by something she had never seen in anyone looking at her before. It made her legs go weak and she knew. She knew that he was as in love with her as she was. And she pulled away. She laughed nervously and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“No, this is ridiculous. You don’t have to kiss me, Zan. I’m being ridiculous. I’m not gonna force you into anything you-“
She didn’t have the chance to finish that sentence before she felt his lips on hers. His incredibly soft and warm lips. They brushed against hers so easily, so gently. And the feeling was so familiar and yet so new that it made her legs buckle under her and she sagged against him. His arms moved around her waist, holding her securely against him. And she allowed herself to lose herself in his touch, in the gentle caresses of his lips against hers, in the silent explosions going off in every corner of her body. In the heat his hands elicited on the skin of her back, the heat blazing through her clothes warming her cold body. And she knew she had lost the battle. She knew that she could never go back. She was helplessly and irrevocably in love with Zan.

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Tune in on...uhm... Friday, Saturday something for chapter 39 - back to Liz and her...nightmare...

[max and liz believer]

Hi!!

Firstly, I would like to say a big Thank you! to everyone who has congratulated me over at BW for getting in on the university! You are sooo sweet!! My happiness doubled every time I read another congratulation, if that's even possible since I'm in a state of blissful explosive happiness right now. I might just burst soon..

And thank you soo much for the feedback!! I'm so happy that you are enjoying the interlude. I hope you don't find it too confusing that I'm jumping between two stories like this.. But then, on the other hand, they are pretty different from each other so it might not be that hard to separate them in your mind...

PS: I swear those interlude could be a fic of their own, they're so good!

Thank you!! My intention actually was to sort of make it into a fic on its own – within “Lethal Whispers”. I wrote all the interludes in the same day and I put LW far away from my head while doing it. Only concentrating on the lives of Aliandra and Zan. I had some elements I had to keep in mind that bind the interlude to “Lethal Whispers”, but other than that the interludes are pretty independent...

I have a question, when Aliandra goes out as Soria, Soria takes her place right? Has Aliandra father seen Soria dressed up as Aliandra? If he has, apparently he hasn't noticed the switch.

That’s right. Soria takes Aliandra’s place when Aliandra dresses up as Soria. About Aliandra’s father. He rarely sees his daughter, is always on meetings and away on travels. So, him missing that Soria is portraying his daughter isn’t that hard for him to do . Besides, Soria and Aliandra are very much alike – in appearance. They could be identical twins.

Are u going to be linking the interludes to the main story somehow?

Yup, I am...


Steph (Dreaming of Roswell Forever) – You wrote this at “Broken Wings”;

I know how you feel... I to got accepted to go to university in Australia, to become a Veterinarian.. I'm soo excited because I have wanted to go to Australia and be a vet since I was little... (its sorta like a two for one deal)

This is such a coincidence!! The program I just got into was also the veterinarian program!! In Australia. Have you already started the studies or are you starting this February?



Yes, so here we go. Back to Liz’s prison...



Chapter 39

She was sitting on a big green meadow. She could smell the sweet fragrances of the summer flowers floating through the air. The breeze was humid and played in the tendrils of her long hair. She was waiting. Waiting for him.

She watched a lonesome butterfly flap its colorful wings to withstand the puffs of air that was trying to steer it into the wrong direction. As she watched the butterfly fly from one flower to the next, she felt him. His presence was like a warm light beam, directed at her neck, where she knew his gaze would be directed.

“You came,“ she breathed, “I knew you would come.“
She could feel him getting closer, but it was as though the sounds were muffled, made softer and more beautiful. As his hand came into contact with her skin, she lightly gasped.
“I’ll always come for you,“ he whispered, and she could feel his breath on the side of her neck, making goosebumps spread over her skin. She closed her eyes as he pulled back the curtain of hair, exposing her neck. Holding her breath, she anticipated his touch before it came.

“Max,“ she whimpered as his lips brushed over her exposed skin.
“I miss you,“ he whispered, his lips vibrating against her skin with the sound. .
“Where are you?“
His lips left her skin and she slowly opened her eyes and turned her head so that she could see him.

He was beautiful; even more beautiful than she remembered. He was looking at her in that intense way he usually looked at her and she felt her insides warm up. He was slowly thawing her soul with the emotions he was embedding her in. He slowly came around her and sat down in front of her, his eyes never leaving hers. She could see everything in those eyes. She could see the love and his happiness at seeing her, but she could also far too clearly see his concern and worry.
“I’m right here,“ he answered. She had never thought of how soft his voice was. It could make her feel safe and protected in a way nothing she’d ever could’ve imagined. She cradled his face with her hand, feeling the warmth of his skin seep into her hand.
“He said you didn’t exist,“ she murmured.
“I’m as real as you are,“ Max answered and then paused before asking, “Who’s he?“
“Some doctor,“ Liz answered, and then frowned, “Max, what’s Isabel doing here?“

Max didn’t even turn his head in the direction Liz’s was nodding. As soon as Liz had opened her eyes to look at Max she had not only seen Max but also his sister. But she remained in the background, sitting under a large oak. When Liz caught Isabel’s eyes, Isabel gave a small wave with a soft smile on her face.
“Um...she’s just tagging along,“ Max said.
“Okay...Max, are you ready to tell me the truth now?“ Liz asked as she traced his jaw line with her finger. He captured her hand in his and slowly brought the back of her hand to his lips, marking it with a soft kiss.
“Later,“ he breathed.
And suddenly Isabel was standing beside them. She was wearing a lime colored dress and her long blonde hair was blowing around her face. She looked so different. So carefree. She gave Liz a warm smile as she placed her hand on her brother’s shoulder.
“Hi Liz,“ she said.
“Hi Isabel,“ Liz smiled. Isabel turned her head towards Max.

“Max, we have to go now.“
“You’re leaving?“ Liz asked, her voice stricken with panic.
Max gave Isabel a look and getting the unspoken message she took a few steps away from the couple. Max turned his face back to Liz and cradled her face in his hands.
“Liz, listen to me very carefully. Whatever they’re telling you is not true. You have to listen to your inner voice, what your intuition is telling you. Isabel and I have to go right now, but we are not leaving you. We are all coming to get you.“
Liz nodded, feeling a sense of relief and security in his voice and eyes.
“Before you know it, we’ll be together again,“ Max whispered and leaned forward to softly brush his lips over hers.
She could taste the saltiness of her own tears as she sunk into Max’s kiss. He pulled away and softly brushed some of her tears away.
“I’ll be waiting,“ Liz whispered.
Max nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead before standing up. With one last glance at her he turned away and walked away towards Isabel.

And with a snap, she was awake.

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Liz watched the hatchway open in the wall as it had done the last couple of days. A tray was pushed inside. She already knew what would be on it: some pieces of bread, water, and vegetables. She was hungry all the time. She could literally feel the pounds falling off her. The man she had met the first time she had become conscious had only visited her one more time. She had asked him when she would get released, but he had given her some cryptic answer about they having to wait until the side effects had worn off and they were able to see if the treatment had been successful. She had asked him why she couldn’t get some meat or potatoes or something like that. She had been given the vague reply that vegetables, bread and water were basically the only things that went well together with her medications.

She didn’t believe a word of it.

He hadn’t visited her since then. It was probably because they had to sedate her the last time he did too, because she had insisted on them taking her outside or something. She didn’t know how exactly they were able to monitor her sleep, because there were no electrodes fastened to her head or body. Nothing connected her body in any way to any machines that could monitor her brain waves and hence her sleep.

When you’re trapped in a small room with nothing at all to do for several days, and according to her calculations ten days had elapsed since she had first woken up, you had a lot of time on your hands to think. And that was what she had done. When she had really started to try and puzzle everything together she wondered why she hadn’t put things together before. She practically already had all the pieces. Now she just had to fit them together into a comprehensible picture.

Max, Isabel and Michael were different. They had a secret that they were so desperate to hide that they were even willing to risk their own lives to keep it from getting out. She had thought long and hard about what the secret might be. She had to admit that they were good at not letting anything slip, but that didn’t mean that Max hadn’t given her any clues. Because he had. She didn’t know why he had done that. Maybe he wanted her to know, but it would be safer if she found out on her own, instead of him telling her. Then Michael and Isabel wouldn’t have anything to blame Max for. It actually made some sense.

There was this thing about Tabasco. Never before in her life had she heard about someone putting Tabasco on everything they ate. Sure, some people had weird eating habits, but this was way beyond eccentric eating. Once, Alex wanted to see how it tasted to put ketchup on ice cream. He had smiled and swallowed, but then quickly reached for the glass of water to wash the taste away. Some combinations just didn’t work for the human taste buds and Tabasco in a milkshake had to be one of those.

Then there was that time when she had fallen asleep after spending the evening watching “Notting Hill“ with Alex. She had been half asleep and she hadn’t thought about it much at the time, but the next day it had been running through her head over and over again. She always locked the door. She lived in New York City and that wasn’t exactly the place to forget to lock the door. Besides, she had a very clear memory of locking the door after Alex. But somehow, Max had gotten in. Without her letting him in and without a key. He could just have good burglar abilities, but that didn’t explain how had gotten past the safety chain.

And then there was their general bizarre behavior. How they could sometimes just clam up the moment she and Max entered the room. She was sure that it wasn’t because of Max, but because of her, and something the others didn’t want her to know. Like when Max had gotten those seizures in the CrashDown. She had never seen Michael and Isabel so upset before. Of course, she didn’t know them all that well, but their reactions were frightening. Suddenly she was the enemy and with a frightening clarity she had later realized that if Maria hadn’t been there she wasn’t sure what Michael would have done to her to get her out of there.

Max’s mysterious visions about the future weren’t too regular either. All the circumstances surrounding him were just out of place. They didn’t fit together. She might not have studied psychics too much, but she had never heard of any psychics having seizures as they got their visions. And the way he had looked at her the first time they had really talked. When she had found him convulsing in an alley and brought him to her apartment. He had looked at her as if she was going to hurt him. Not that she was directly going to hurt him. But like she was going to call someone and have them take him away. What made him so afraid? What had scared him so much that he had a problem trusting the people around him?

Liz sighed and slowly started to get up from the bed. Her body still hurt, but at least she could feel her body parts now. She shuffled her feet over the floor. There was one thing that wouldn’t leave her alone though. The memory of the green flickering in her hands. What had that been? There was no use in denying that she had somehow gotten David off her without using her hands or legs, or any other part of her body for that matter. As she lifted the tray and started to walk back towards the bed she started to push all those memories of green flickering lights to the back of her head. She couldn’t allow herself to think about that too much because then she would start to believe that everything she had experienced the last couple of days had indeed been a trick of her imagination. That Max had really only been a part of her fantasy.

She could stimulate her brain by putting together all the pieces about Max, Michael and Isabel, but she couldn’t allow herself to reach the final answer. Because if the clues she was working with were any indication whatsoever about what the answer would be, she was sure that if she got to know the answer she would probably start to believe in that she had in fact dreamt it all. Because she would’ve come up with the explanation that Max, Michael and Isabel weren’t completely human. It didn’t make sense in her head, because they looked completely human. They moved in a human way, behaved in a human way, spoke in a human way. And if she were to say that they were not human, she would have to say that she herself wasn’t completely human either. And that was just crazy, because she knew herself. She had always been human. There was nothing overtly weird about her.

She sat down in the bed and put the tray in her lap. Despondently, she stared at the food. Her stomach was starving, but every day it got harder and harder to eat. She could feel reality slipping away from her. She was spending her days thinking and talking to herself. She was spending the nights dreaming that she was talking to Max.

Sleep constitutes of several sub-levels. Some are more known and studied than others like REM-sleep, which is when you dream. But there are many levels of sleep that are unexplored.

Maybe the explanation to why she was trapped in here wasn’t such a bad one. It certainly felt safer to say that she had dreamt it all instead of admitting to herself that she and the man she loved wasn’t completely human.

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She was certain that if they didn’t let her out soon, she would die from boredom. She had promised herself that when her body started to regain its strength she would start pounding the walls and not quit until they let her out. All she asked was to be treated like a person instead of some criminal. They had no right to lock her up like this, even if it was for her own good.

She sighed as she leaned back against the pillow and stared up into the white, flawless ceiling.

God, she was bored.

That’s when the wall started to move, revealing the man.

“Oh, how nice of you to stop by,“ Liz said sarcastically but she couldn’t help but frown. The man wasn’t dressed in his usual white coat. He was wearing some kind of protective suit and a mask over his face. He reminded Liz of an astronaut. Or a person going into an area contaminated with a deadly disease.

“What’s the occasion?“ she asked, staring at the man as he approached the bed.
“I’m just gonna take some of your blood,“ his voice was muffled by the mask.
“Why do you need my blood? Since when do you need blood samples to study sleep disorders?“
“The reasons to us taking your blood are confidential.“ He stepped up to her and took a hold of her arm. Liz ripped her arm away from him.
“Yes, that might be so. But it’s my blood and it’s up to me if you should take it or not.“
“Ms. Parker. Give me your arm now, or extreme measures will be taken. I don’t think you want to experience that.“

Liz frowned. “Are you threatening me?“
“Ms. Parker,“ the man warned.
“No,“ Liz said simply, and started to climb out of the bed on the side opposite the side the man was occupying. “Before you take my blood, I want to know what the hell is going on here!“
At the end of her sentence more doors opened in the room and several men walked in.
“Take her down. Keep her semi-conscious.“
Before Liz could react the men were surrounding her and her struggling didn’t do much against three fully-grown men. She felt the now unmistakable prick when the needle penetrated her skin. But the darkness didn’t come this time. She suddenly felt very dizzy and nausea bubbled up in her throat. Without knowing how she had gotten there, she realized that she was now back in the bed and the man was leaning over her.

“Listen to me very carefully, Elizabeth. I have tried to be patient with you, but since you are not willing to cooperate, my patience ends here. We are not afraid of what you are able to do, because you won’t be able to do it anyway. We have disabled all of your special abilities. This is where the playing ends and the reality begins. I tried to be your friend, but you just didn’t want to cooperate. You would have wanted me on your side, Elizabeth. So, the silk gloves are gone and you will be regretting ever standing up to me. Now, get some rest. You’ll need it for what I have in mind for you. Till next time.“


TBC...

__________________________

Interlude III next... Please, tell me what you think...

[max and liz believer]

Hi!

First of all, I would like to thank those of you who have nominated “Lethal Whispers” in the Fanfic Awards. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!! It means sooo much to me!! Thank you!!

And, of course, thank you everyone for leaving feedback!!

HBGO, Steph (You’re having surgery? *shivers* That doesn’t sound too pleasant. I hope it’s nothing serious... About Australia, I don’t think we’ll be in the same part of Australia, since where I’m going they only have submissions in February. I’m going to Western Australia – Perth. Are you going to Melbourne? Queensland? You’re twenty? Well, me too . My birthday is on the same day as the orientation period starts Congratulations to you too for getting in!! ) frenchkiss70, extingman (:shock: That was a lot of questions you had there for me... Let me see. Some I can answer. Have Isabel and Max dreamwalked Liz every night? No, only the time you read about, and they don’t know where she is being held. That’s about all I can answer for now Elizabeth, Lorena, roswelluver, Shari, Kaela, BabDreamer, BehrObsession, LPorter, Kendra (Hej Kendra! Thank you sooo much for the feedback! I’m so happy you delurked . Your feedback really made me blush. Thank you!! If you want you can come and chat with Lelle (Chipsflickan) and me on the Swedish thread. Du är mycket välkommen! ) Lelle (Don’t stress, Lelle. The parts are waiting here for you when you find the time to read them...)

I probably won't be able to update in a while because I have to take care of preparations for the university and I'm working pretty much as well. Just so you know... So you don't think I've just abandoned you...



INTERLUDE III


The following weeks passed in a whirl of emotions. Aliandra and Zan spent every second they could together. Aliandra even started to sneak out of the palace at night to spend time with Zan. She never considered how Zan was always waiting for her, as if he knew when she would come.

It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that Aliandra was his Soria. That while Aliandra portrayed the quiet and solemn princess at the palace, she was the carefree, laughing free girl at the market. It was his job to know everyone whom Aliandra kept in contact with so he had gotten to know Soria. The real Soria was Aliandra’s best friend. To the casual observer they looked very much like each other but he could see the difference clearly. Their eyes weren’t the same. Aliandra’s eyes were bigger than Soria’s, deeper, and her lips were fuller. And even if they had been as similar as two peas, Zan would have figured it out by the difference in their personalities. At first he had suspected that the Soria he had met at the market, the girl he was kissing under the stars, was actually Aliandra’s best friend. But he had quickly discarded that thought. It was all in the looks and the stolen glances. Soria looked at him with mild interest, whereas Aliandra’s looks were filled with passion and longing. And love.

But he hadn’t told her that he knew. He understood why she had done it. She needed to escape the duties of the palace, the chains her father kept her in. She needed to feel what it was like to be a normal person. And if that was what she needed, Zan was going to give it to her. Zan watched her leave in the nights and he quietly followed her in the shadows until he could see her tense shoulders relax and he knew that she felt safe. Then he would approach her and they would escape reality. They spent hours and hours talking and laughing. Under the open sky they were kissing, touching, filling each other with love. They were springing to life.

Aliandra felt more alive then she had ever felt before. She felt like she was walking around on clouds. On numerous occasions she had to struggle to stifle a laugh at dinner because Zan would be standing at the far end of the room making faces at her. She was truly happy for the first time in her life. But one day her father called her into his office and it all ended.

“Aliandra, I would like you to meet your future husband,“ her father announced, with a self-satisfied smile. He was probably immensely proud of himself for picking her a suitable husband. Aliandra tensed and looked at the man standing beside her father. His eyes were boring into her, but not as Zan’s did. Zan’s eyes softly eased into her soul, filling her with peace. The eyes of this man were full of conquest and arrogance. On the outside he was Zan’s counterpart. Fair-haired, bright blue eyes, tall and lean. It didn’t take Aliandra long to realize that he was Zan’s counterpart on the inside too.
“What a wonderful creature,“ the man said.
Aliandra swallowed, her eyes skittering between the man and her father. She didn’t register the stern and disapproving look her father cast at her for her silence.
“Maybe you two should get more acquainted,“ her father said. That snapped Aliandra back to reality. She winced and her hand flung to her forehead. “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m suddenly having this terrible headache. I think I need to lie down.“
Her father’s forehead creased in a mixture of doubt and concern. “Are you certain, Aliandra? Vandor’s time is very precious.“

“I’m so sorry, Mr...“
“Nera,“ the man filled in.
Aliandra could feel the nausea building in her throat. This was preposterous. She didn’t even know the full name of the man she was supposed to marry.
“Mr. Nera,“ Aliandra continued and forced herself to smile, “I hope we can do this some other time.“
“Well, of course. I wouldn’t pass on an opportunity to spend some time with you.“
Aliandra smiled her award-winning smile again and nodded. “Thank you for your understanding and I apologize for the inconvenience.“
She barely stayed long enough to hear the man’s reply. Her tears were filling her eyes as she rushed out of the room. A pair of familiar arms stopped her and she fell into his embrace.
“Shhh,“ he hushed, consolingly stroking her hair. “Let’s go somewhere.“
She sobbed and nodded against his chest and let him lead the way. Not caring where he led her. Her life was over anyway.

“Tell me what happened,“ Zan coaxed as he gently got her to sit down beside the running stream.
The tears had stilled and she was staring off into the air, at some point over his shoulder that didn’t exist.
“Good news,“ she said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. “My father found me a suitable husband.“
Zan’s heart stopped in his chest. “No...“ he whispered.
“His name is Vandor Nera. I don’t know him. I don’t know what he likes and what he dislikes. And yet I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with him. I’m supposed to share my...bed with him. I’m suppose to be ki...kissing...“ her voice broke with contained tears and she looked up into his eyes. “Please save me, Zan.“
He wanted nothing else than to obey her wish. “You don’t know how much I wish I could. But...I can’t, Aliandra. Your father wouldn’t stop until he found us. We would be on the run and when he found us, I would be executed.“
Aliandra let out a heart-breaking sob and covered her face in his shirt, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I know,“ she sobbed, “I know. I would be happy even if it meant being on the run, as long as I was with you. But I couldn’t bear with putting you in danger. I couldn’t bear losing you.“
She was too upset to notice that she was revealing more and more of her disguise. It was Soria who was in love with Zan. Not Aliandra. It was his response that brought her back to reality.
“I can’t watch you living your life trapped. There is too much life and beauty in your soul to keep you locked up.“ Zan softly kissed her forehead, his lips continuing down her face, raining kisses all over her face. Kissing away her salty tears. It wasn’t until he pulled back and met her wondrous gaze that he realized that he had just revealed what he knew.

“You know,“ Aliandra whispered. “How long?“
“Since the day after our first kiss,“ Zan answered.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?“ Aliandra asked.
Zan ran a finger down the side of her cheek, causing shivers of pleasures to run down her spine and goosebumps to spread over her skin. “Because the role of Soria was too important for you. You needed to be her in order to be happy. They are the only times I see you truly happy. When you are Soria.“
“That’s the only time I am truly happy,“ Aliandra admitted, “When I’m Soria; when I’m with you.“
Zan cradled Aliandra’s delicate face in his hands and looked her deeply in the eyes. A look that made her heart flutter erratically in her chest and her breath catch in her throat. “I will never leave you, Aliandra. Wherever you will go, I will follow. I promise you that. No marriage is going to change that.“
“I love you,“ Aliandra breathed quietly.
“Nîmre, I love you,“ Zan said, leaning forward and sealing their emotions with a powerful kiss.

<center>--------------------------------------------------</center>

“Aliandra, what is happening?“
“What do you mean?“
Soria frowned. “You know what I mean. Do you take me for a complete fool? You are seeing someone!“
Aliandra laughed lightly. “Soria, I’m supposed to get married in two days. Did it ever cross your mind that maybe I’m seeing Vandor?“
“No,“ Soria shook her head, “No, it’s not Vandor. There is someone else. You’ve been asking me to impersonate you for weeks now and your father just recently introduced you to Vandor. Besides, it cannot possibly be that great to visit the market every day.“
“I’ve made some friends,“ Aliandra answered, waving her hand over her hair, making it fall down over her slender shoulders. She watched Soria scrunch her nose in disgust in the mirror.
“With ordinary people?“ she asked, as if she was talking about a plague instead of actual people.
“Yes, with ordinary people,“ Aliandra answered. How could her friend be so judgmental? She never saw below the surface.
Soria pouted and put her arms over her chest in defiance. “Well, I don’t think you should meet with them anymore. Who knows what kind of diseases you might get?“
Aliandra sighed at her ignorance. “They’re not any different from us, Soria. They just don’t have any jewels or boring balls every other night.“
Soria snorted. “They are uncivilized.“

“They are real,“ Aliandra countered. “They care and they live. What are the people of our class doing all day? We feed off other’s misery. We entertain ourselves with gossip about other people’s misfortune and discussing the latest clothing collection. It’s ridiculous.“
Soria stared at her. “What happened to you?“
“Nothing happened to me,“ Aliandra answered and pulled off her earrings.
“You used to be fun,“ Soria continued.
“I haven’t changed,“ Aliandra protested weakly.
“Yes, you have. Now you’re just... When was the last time we did something fun together? You are always on the market and I’m left here in the palace, covering your back-“
“I thought you liked being the princess.“
“I do,“ Soria sighed, “But I... I don’t want you to hang out in the market anymore. I will not cover for you anymore.“
Aliandra quickly turned around in her chair, her eyes big with fear. “No, Soria. Please. You have to cover for me!“

Soria squinted her eyes at Aliandra with suspicion. “You are seeing someone!! Who is it?!“
“No, Soria. I’m not seeing anyone. Just, please. You have to help me! I need to get out of the palace!“
Soria shook her head stubbornly. “I’m not helping you until you tell me who you’re seeing.“
Aliandra thought fervently. She couldn’t tell Soria. Soria couldn’t keep a secret of that magnitude. And it was a matter of life and death to keep this secret.
“Please, Soria.“
Hurt settled itself over Soria’s face. “I thought you were my friend. Why can’t you tell me?“
“I can’t,“ Aliandra whispered desperately, “But you are my friend. You are the dearest friend of mine. That’s why I need your help.“
Soria shook her head. “No.“
Aliandra kneeled in front of Soria’s sitting form. “Please, Soria. Just trust me. I will tell you. Just not right now. It’s too dangerous.“
Soria looked into her eyes and then slowly shook her head. “I can’t trust you when you don’t trust me.“
Irritation flared to life in Aliandra. This was a matter of saving her sanity and Soria was being a stubborn rascal. “You and I both know that you would tell someone. It’s not your intention to do so, but you just can’t keep quiet.“
Tears sprang up in Soria’s eyes and she stared at Aliandra as if she had never seen her before. “Well, if that’s how you feel, then I guess you are better off left alone.“

With that she rose from the bed and walked towards the door. In the doorway she turned and looked at Aliandra with hurt in her tear-filled eyes. “You know, I counted on you to always be there for me, like I have always been there for you. But I guess I was wrong.“
The door slammed shut and Aliandra sank down on the floor. What had she done?


<center>-------------------------------------------------------</center>

“Isn’t he just gorgeous?“
“Yes, he is.“
“Yes.“
“Very gorgeous.“
“Just look at that body. And those eyes! Have you seen those eyes?!“
“Oh, I love it when he looks at me with those eyes!“
“He doesn’t look at you! He only looks at me!“
“Whatever, Trandia.“
“I promise you one thing, girls. I’m gonna make him mine!“
Laughter. “Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen!“
“Oh, you don’t think I’m pretty enough?“
“Oh, you’re pretty enough all right. But anyone with eyes can see that Zan has his interest set on the princess.“
Snort. “The princess? Well, that can never happen anyway! Besides, the princess is getting married to another man in two days.“
“That doesn’t mean Zan and the princess can’t be lovers.“
“Well, I’m gonna change that. I’m gonna make sure that he sees no one besides me.“
“This is going to be entertaining...“

<center>-----------------------------------------------------</center>

“Hello, Zan.“
Zan snapped his head away from watching Aliandra walking in the garden, picking flowers. He awarded the blond girl with two seconds of his attention.
“Hello.“
“Don’t you recognize me?“
Zan frowned and turned to look at her again. She was in a black dress with a white apron. She was obviously one of the maids and he couldn’t claim that he remembered her.
“Should I recognize you?“ he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. His head turned back to Aliandra. He didn’t like it when people were disturbing him at his post.
“Of course you do,“ the girl answered and slowly traced a long nail down his bare arm. He shot her another irritated look.
“I’m sorry, miss. But I don’t know who you are and I’m currently on my shift. So we’ll have to have this chit chat some other time.“
Trandia was known for her emotional outbursts. But she also had an iron control and she had to use a great deal of that to keep check on the anger that flared up inside of her at Zan’s nonchalance.
“But Zan,“ she pouted, “It’s Trandia.“
Zan sighed inwardly. Who was this annoying person and what was she still doing here? Was she incapable of taking a hint?
“I’m sorry. I still don’t remember you. Could we talk about this later?“
Trandia was fuming at the chilliness with which he was callously brushing her off. ‘You just wait, Zan. After I’m done with you, you will be on your knees begging me to kiss you,’ she thought, stomping off.


TBC...

[max and liz believer]

Hi everyone!

I managed to drag myself away from work and discovered that my dear b-reader had edited the next chapter of LW for me. So, after food and some peeks at “Graduation” on my brother’s computer (he’s not at home, so I take every chance I can get to watch the Roswell episodes I have stored on his computer), I decided to come here and give you a new part.


extingman, roswelluver, ...<< B >>..., frenchkiss70, Liz, BehrObsession, Elizabeth, Steph, Liz Parker Evans, Lelle, kendra

THANK YOU for the feedback!! Love ya guys!!


Yes, so we've arrived at chapter 40. And I who had planned on this story to be only be about twenty chapters in length... Hmmm...

And everyone who has suspicions about that Trandia girl in the interlude... Well, she reminds us all of Tess, doesn't she... Grrr...


Back to the chapter...


Chapter 40


Her mind felt muffled, like she was wrapped in cotton. But the cotton wasn’t soft as it usually is. It was sticky and rough. It was scraping against her mind, making her want to scream until the feeling disappeared. But she couldn’t scream. She couldn’t remember how. She knew that there was something she should do, but she was just so tired. Drained. She couldn’t feel anything except the pain in her head. Vaguely, she knew that she should feel other parts of her body, but she couldn’t figure out how that was supposed to feel. She didn’t know which feeling she was looking for.
“Liz...“
Her thoughts jumped at the voice. It was soft. It was sifting through her damaged mind, trying to comfort her. But even its soft texture was painful to her damaged mind.
“Liz...“

She knew that voice and she wanted to respond so badly but she didn’t know how.
“I’m here.“
And she knew. And her eyes opened.
“Max,“ she croaked. She could feel the cold hard floor press into her cheek as her gaze looked over the concrete floor. A prickling sensation that started in her shoulders spread down through her whole body, making her body aware of its position. She was on the floor in a white room. In one terrifying moment it all came flooding back to her and she wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to die.
“Max...“
His name was spoken in a sob, her voice small and lost. The sound of his name disappeared in the devouring silence of the empty room.

She could feel herself slipping and she tried desperately to cling to the thin thread that could take her to reality, but the pull was too strong and she was too weak. Her eyes closed, a tear rolling down her cheek and his name was lost on her lips.

<center>------------------------------------------</center>

“Elizabeth...“
So far away, yet so loud.
“...conscious....out of her system...“
Why couldn’t they leave her alone? She just wanted to sleep.
“...up...give her something.“
She vaguely felt someone grab her arm and something penetrating her skin. Slowly, everything started to clear inside of her, like a fog dissipated.
“Elizabeth, wake up!“
The voice was harsh and cold and she really didn’t want to comply, but she found herself slowly opening her eyes. The blinding light forced her to close her eyes again and she heard someone moan. It wasn’t until he spoke that she realized that it had been her.
“Elizabeth, wake up now or we are going to have to sedate you again and you don’t want that, do you?“

She couldn’t think. Did she want that? She slowly opened her eyes again and blinked repeatedly until her eyes had somewhat grown accustomed to the light.
“Ah, welcome back, Elizabeth,“ the voice said and slowly the contours crystallized in front of her and she recognized the man, the doctor, who had spoken to her earlier. “Sleep well?“
“Wh...“ But her throat was just too dry. It felt like sandpaper was being brushed against sandpaper and it hurt.
“We have some simple tests for you today as a warm up. Unfortunately, the future tests might not be as pleasant. Bad for you, good for us.“
She watched him nod to a man standing to his right and suddenly she was moving. Her whole body tensed in fear of what was happening. She was so afraid that she couldn’t think a coherent thought. She was merely acting on instincts. Survival.
“Relax, Elizabeth,“ the man said with a cold smile.

She gathered her strength and looked down on her body. She was lying on a bed which they had just partially elevated, placing her in a sitting position. She was wearing a thin hospital gown and her wrists were restrained to the bed with metal fetters, as were her ankles. She watched as a monitor went up in front of her bed.

She mentally flinched as she felt a pair of cold hands against her temples but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t escape. She had been deprived of her free will. Something was placed on her head, creating a pressure against her temples. She wanted to scream at them, to demand to know what they were doing to her, but she didn’t know how to form the words. She didn’t know how to speak with the tarnished state of the insides of her throat.
“I want you to look at the monitor over there,“ the man whispered and Liz closed her eyes against the feeling of his hot breath behind her ear, his voice making her nauseous. “That’s all you have to do. Easy enough, right?“
Liz slowly opened her eyes again and looked at the monitor in front of her. What was going to happen? She heard a loud beeping sound, the sound so sudden that it gave her a fright and, had her body responded to the impulses of her brain, she would have jumped in her seat.

“Just relax, Elizabeth,“ the man said and the second the last letter crossed his lips, images started to flicker over the screen. At first they were images of nature: green meadows in the summer, the soft lapping of water against an ocean shore. A sunset. A desert. Snow. A waterfall. Then animals were added: kittens playing in the high grass, leopards running over the terrain in Africa, baby birds in nests being fed with worm by their mother.

Children.

Children playing in the water. Children playing in a sandbox. A little baby boy kissing a little baby girl squarely on the lips. A sleeping child. Children laughing, singing.

And then the screen went black. Liz automatically relaxed, and then tensed again. She had expected something really bad. But the images had actually made her feel better about herself. Why did that make her feel even more at unease? Being strapped down in a bed while watching puppies and singing children didn’t really give off a fuzzy warm feeling.

As if to confirm the feelings of unease that was striking through her the monitor flared to life again. And she was assaulted with completely different images. First there was an image of someone cutting through raw meat lying on a table. The image changed to blend together with the shrill sound of a pig being killed and then sliced open. Liz closed her eyes, feeling the nausea build up in her throat.
“I suggest you keep looking, Elizabeth,“ the man threatened quietly. There was something about the way he said it that made her certain that something terrible would happen if she didn’t look. She had already experienced a lot at the hands of these cold humans that held her captive. She swallowed back the nausea and looked at the monitor again. Images of darkness and death flashed before her.

“Please,“ she whimpered as a child stumbled and fell, scraping the side of his cheek, ripping the skin open, and staining his Mickey Mouse T-shirt red with blood.
But Liz’s plea was ignored. Tears stung her eyes as she watched a child struggled under the water’s surface to reach up to the inviting air.
“What are you doing?!“ she cried, her voice hoarse and strained, as she watched the child give up and lifelessly float to the bottom.
“Just watch,“ the man said slowly.
“I don’t want to watch anymore! Why should I watch any more of this?! Did you hurt those childr-“
Her words caught in her throat as a familiar face went up on the monitor. A fear stronger than anything she’d ever felt gripped her.

“Nooo...“ she whispered, hoping that her eyes were deceiving her. On the screen she saw his face. He was happy and laughing. He was walking down the road, the road that was now so familiar to her. The road that lead to the CrashDown. By his side Maria was walking, giggling, her arms over her head as she was pulling her hair into a loose bun at the base of her scalp. Liz forgot to breathe. Tears were silently running down her cheeks as she watched him walk down the street. Watched his carefree face. His warm smile and his soft laughter. Her whole body tensed in anticipation of what was going to be displayed to her next. Her heart stopped in her chest as she watched a car pull up beside him and Maria on the street. Her blood froze in her veins as she watched two men in suits walk out of the cars and raise guns towards Max and Maria. As if by some unknown force, her hands and legs began to struggle in their confines, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the monitor.

“Nooo!“ she cried, her voice breaking on several levels with tears and soreness.
The sound of the gunfire ripped through her body and she watched Max’s smile slip of his face and momentary surprise drape over his beautiful features before changing into pain. The men had moved up from behind him and he hadn’t anticipated the attack. The headset that was placed on top of her head registered everything she was feeling, feeding the information into a computer.
“Nooo!!!“ she screamed, struggling to get out of the bed as she with blurry vision watched blood starting to drench through Max’s shirt, just over his heart. Animalistic sounds of sorrow slipped over her lips as she watched him stumble and then sag to the ground, where Maria was already laying, her eyes staring unseeingly and deadly into the monitor.
“So you see. Neither Max Evans nor Maria Deluca are going to save you. We have taken care of them as well as Isabel Evans and Michael Guerin. There is no need in fighting us anymore. We will keep you here as long as we want to and it will only be for longer if you resist.“

<center>------------------------------------------------------</center>

The long dark-haired man walked into the small office room, slumping down in one of the chairs. The man sitting behind the desk raised one eyebrow in question.
“Nothing,“ the dark-haired man answered.
The man behind the desk slammed his fist into the wooden surface. “Damnit!!“
He stood up and rounded the desk. The dark-haired man watched him start pacing the floor. “How difficult can it be to keep track of one man?“ he mumbled.
The man in the chair sighed. “We have some incompetent people to eliminate.“
“Damn straight we have,“ the pacing man snapped, “There’s no sign, no trace at all?“
The sitting man shook his head in negative. “Since his departure from Roswell ten days ago, there has been no trace of him.“
“No witnesses? Nothing?!“
“Nothing.“
“He can’t just fucking disappear!“

“What do you want me to do with the men?“
“Fire them, erase their minds. Whatever. Just get them out of my sight!!“
“And Elizabeth Parker?“
“What were the recent reports on her special abilities?“
“She hasn’t shown any signs of any powers since we started to gradually remove the block in her cerebral cortex. It might be the sedative interfering.“
“And you’re sure it’s originated from her cerebral cortex?“
“If her powers had not been immobilized, why hasn’t she used them?“
“Ever heard of deception and planning? She might be planning an attack. She’s smart. We have reports of that.“
“I don’t really think that’s what she’s doing. She’s really weak and she hasn’t shown any strange responses at all.“
“Then remove the anesthetic and keep her clear. But I want the security tripled. She might try something and she is far too precious to lose. We have a lot of experimentation left to do.“
“Are we still leaning towards the brain wash?“
“Of course, how else are we going to be able to control her and use her to our advantage?“
“All right. Consider it done.“


TBC...

________________________

Sorry... I promise brighter times are ahead. Just hang in there...

*Hugs*

Josephin

[max and liz believer]

Hi there!

How’s it going? I barely know what day it is, and it’s only thanks to the Roswell Fanatics that I know what date it is... since the replies are dated

I have a new part for you though. The next part in the interlude sequence...

Firstly, from the bottom of my heart (I know I say it a lot but I can’t say it enough) thank you for reading, replying and leaving feedback!!!

I miss some people here (Lynn... are you caught up yet? Cassandra? I_LOVE_NICK...mrsjbehr – are you still reading? I haven’t seen you in a long time moonlight, rossieaddicted..geez there are so many people I miss seeing here) but I guess I only have myself to blame because I went posting maniac on you.. I hope you’re still reading, though. Even if you don’t have the ability to leave fb...

And my faithful readers and feedbackers who almost always takes the time to leave me a couple of words (you know who you are ). Love you!!


And Liz... (LPorter) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! *gives big (electronic) birthday hug* I hope you have a great one!! This one’s for you...




INTERLUDE IV


“Ah, londrì Aliandra. What a coincidence to meet you here!“
Aliandra gave him a polite nod. “Mr. Nera.“
“Aliandra, please, you are to be my wife; call me Vandor.“
Aliandra forced herself to smile. “Of course. Thank you, Vandor.“
Vandor smiled and sat down in one of the chairs on the terrace. “Don’t you want to join me up here in the chairs?“
It was late evening and the stars had begun to show on the dark night sky. Aliandra was sitting in the grass, putting together bouquets of flowers she had picked earlier that day.
“No, thank you. I think it’s much more comfortable to sit on the ground,“ she answered.
“Really?“ Vandor asked. “Well, then. I can’t stop you, can I?“
“I guess not,“ Aliandra answered, wishing with all her might that someone would come and rescue her from this boring man.
“Why are you not with your friend...Soria was it? I believe I saw her in the ball room earlier.“
“I wanted to get these bouquets ready,“ Aliandra answered evasively. She barely exchanged two words with her friend since their fight a week before. But that wasn’t exactly something she wanted to become common knowledge.
“Ah...“

Aliandra rolled her eyes, relieved that she was sitting with her back towards Vandor. What a great conversationalist. She slowly stood up, placing the bouquets in the crook of her arm and smiled in Vandor’s direction.
“Well, thank you for your company, Vandor. But I think I’m going to retire.“
She started to walk but his hand on her elbow stopped her. His touch chilled her to the bones. “Aliandra. I feel like you are pulling away from me.“
There was never anything to pull away from to begin with, Aliandra thought, annoyed.
She laughed lightly. “No, Vandor. I’m just tired. I need to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.“
“Our wedding,“ Vandor said, with victory in his voice.
Aliandra turned her head away from him as a grimace of pain flew over her face. As if she didn’t know. Tomorrow was her wedding and the last day of her free life, her first day in a lifelong prison.
“Yes, and I want to be thoroughly rested,“ Aliandra answered.
“Yes, we wouldn’t want you to fall asleep on your wedding night,“ Vandor said. Aliandra’s stomach turned and the disgust those words triggered made her physically ill. “Why don’t we get into the mood for that one right now?“
Aliandra barely had time to register what his words meant before he had turned her around and his cold and damp lips were pressing down on hers. She pressed her hands in his chest to push him away, but he crushed her tightly to him. She could feel his tongue trying to break through her tightly pressed together lips. Her stomach was turning and she felt like she was about to throw up. With one hard shove she pushed him away.

“Why are you so resistant, my princess?“ Vandor asked, his voice dark and husky.
“I’m tired. I need to go,“ Aliandra whispered. She was close to tears and the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him
“Yes, rest for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to marrying you,“ Vandor said slowly, his fingers lingering at the side of her cheek. Aliandra took a step back, away from his snakelike fingers and nodded.
“Yes, see you tomorrow, Vandor,“ she said, before she walked down the stone stairs with one destination in mind. The stream. She needed to get away. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time, following her and it made her shudder. And the tears came. The last couple of feet, she ran, her dress billowing out around her, threatening to trip her. She tried to get the taste of him out of her mouth by violently rubbing the back of her hand against her lips. She stumbled forward in one of the bushes and hurled. Her whole body was trembling. She leaned back on her heels and fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks. What had she done to deserve such a cruel fate?

But that wasn’t even the worst thing. The one thing she had expected to be there for her, to lighten her burden, wasn’t. Since Soria had decided that she wasn’t going to cover for Aliandra anymore, Aliandra had been forced to cut off all private contact with Zan. She had barely spoken to him since her fight with Soria had started. She saw him every day, but she never got a chance to talk to him, to feel his arms around her, to laugh with him, to feel his protective hands gently thread through her hair or his warm lips moving against hers.

And to top it all off, there was this girl. Aliandra had done a little research of her own. Her name was Trandia and she was one of the maids. She was beautiful with soft blonde curls, full red lips, crystal blue eyes, and a curvy body. From what Aliandra had found out, Trandia was a man-eater, playboy disguised as a woman, and her aim was currently set on Zan. It seemed as though every time Aliandra turned around, there Trandia was, clinging all over Zan.

The most frustrating thing about it was that Aliandra couldn’t stop Trandia from doing it. She was allowed to pursue Zan. They were, after all, of the same class. And it wasn’t really as though Zan and she had a future. She was to be married the next day and it would certainly put an end to their relationship.

Still, it hurt. She wanted to be the one adored by Zan. She wanted to be the one who laughed with him. She wanted to marry him, have his children. She wanted to grow old with him.

A beeping sound pulled her out of her reverie and she saw one of the zoris she had come to adore stumble out of its lair at the base of the tree trunk. It was the same zori that Zan had put in her hands weeks before. Now the baby was almost full-grown.
“Hi sweetie,“ Aliandra coaxed and the zori’s short stubby tail started to move back and forth with great speed as it saw Aliandra. It walked up into Aliandra’s lap and curled up; its purring filled the silence around them.
“Ali?“
Aliandra closed her eyes and swallowed back the fresh tears that rose at his voice.
“Are you all right?“
“If I asked you now to take me away, would you?“ Aliandra asked.
Silence filled the air. It was so quiet that she could hear the pounding of her own heart in her ears. After a couple of seconds she heard him move behind her and he came into her line of vision and sat down in front of her. His eyes were full of sorrow and regret as he looked into her eyes. He lifted his hand to her face and slowly brushed the tears away.
“Yes,“ he said.
Aliandra’s heart leaped in her chest; she never expected him to say yes. She dropped her eyes.
“He kissed me today.“

She heard him inhale slowly and she looked up at him. His eyes were trained on her face, waiting for her to continue.
“And I realized that I would rather be dead than live my entire life with him. Locked up. Trapped.“
“Then I’ll take you away,“ Zan said slowly.
“Is that possible?“ Aliandra asked, hope in her voice.
Zan didn’t let go of her eyes and answered her truthfully, “It’s going to be difficult but it’s not impossible. You know what that would mean, right? You would never see your mother or father again. You would always be on the run, looking over your shoulder.“
“Yes, but I would be with you,“ Aliandra said adamantly.
Zan smiled sadly. “Yes, you would.“
“PRINCESS ALIANDRA!!“

Both Zan and Aliandra’s heads jerked in the direction of the calls. They could hear several other voices come together.
“How long have I been gone?“ Aliandra whispered with fear in her voice.
“Three hours,“ Zan answered.
“Oh my,“ Aliandra put the zori back on the ground and stood up, taking Zan’s hand. “Don’t let them find me.“
Zan’s frowned. “But, I need more time to organize this, Ali. Otherwise they will find us too easily.“
“No, I don’t mean escaping tonight,“ Aliandra whispered, the voices of the search squad getting closer. “Just hide me for a couple of hours. I can’t go back there. Not yet. If we can’t succeed in running away, this will be my last day in freedom.“
“We will succeed,“ Zan said with conviction.
“Please, Zan,“ Aliandra begged. There was really no need for begging. Zan would do whatever she wanted anyway.
“Come here,“ he said, taking her hand.
She held on tightly to his hand as he pulled her with her, towards the stream.

“They will look everywhere, except one place,“ Zan explained hurriedly, keeping his voice down.
He tugged on her hand and she stumbled after him, her long dress getting caught in her legs. Her eyes widened in surprise as Zan started to walk into the stream. He turned around and looked at her when she stopped.
“Come on, Ali,“ he said softly.
“It’s too cold,“ Aliandra whispered.
Zan smiled. One of those rare smiles that made her heart beat at a double speed. “I’ll keep you warm.“ Just as soon as the sentence had left his lips, she felt a warmth spread from the hand that was connected to his, up her arm, and throughout her body all the way down to her freezing toes.
“How did you...?“
“Hurry, they will be here soon,“ Zan interrupted.
Aliandra took a deep breath and summoned her strength and then stepped into the water. The water filled her shoes and it was cold. Ice-cold. She grimaced and her body instantly started to shiver.
“Aliandra?“

Aliandra took another deep breath then started to walk deeper into the water. The water soaked her dress, wrapped around her legs. The water surface reached her waist, her breasts and finally stopped at her collarbone. Zan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her the last few feet towards a tree that had roots hanging down in the water, creating something that resembled a dome. It was the perfect hiding place.
“Are you cold?“ Zan asked as they came to a stop under the trees. The leaves were shaking softly in the wind and the water was lapping around their bodies.
She nodded, her clattering teeth making it difficult for her to speak. Zan pulled her closer to him so her body was flush against his. He dipped his head and tasted her lips. Her eyes drifted closed and she let the sensations he created fill her senses. She felt how he somehow warmed her from the inside out, the heat starting in his lips and moving out to her every cell. They were forced to pull away as air became an issue.

“Are you...are you a healer?“ Aliandra asked.
Zan nodded slowly.
“I thought there were no healers left,“ Aliandra said breathlessly.
“Just me,“ Zan answered.
They grew quiet as they heard the voices from the search squad get closer. Zan moved them closer to the tree and gestured for Aliandra to move further down under the surface. The ice-cold water was now touching her lower lip, but it wasn’t making her cold any longer. She could feel the constant energy Zan kept feeding her body to keep her warm. Twenty minutes of quiet breathing later, the voices grew quiet and Zan and Aliandra both relaxed.
“We can get up now,“ Zan said and started to pull away from Aliandra. But she held on to him, preventing him from moving.

“Aliandra?“ Zan’s concerned eyes moved to her face and he frowned in confusion at the darkness of her eyes. “Are you all right? Are you still cold?“
“No,“ Aliandra shook her head, “I’m not cold.“
Zan wasn’t really aware of what happened after that. Aliandra more or less attacked him. Her lips clamped down on his and her hands moved under his shirt. Zan managed to pull them both up on the shore and dry their bodies, but the desire had finally been awakened. The desire that had been simmering just below the surface since the first day they met, and on this last day of freedom, she wanted to experience it all. She didn’t want the man who was to be her husband the next day, whom she didn’t know, to be her first. She wanted Zan. She wanted to know what it felt like to be touched, adored, caressed and loved by someone who loved her as unconditionally as Zan did and who she loved with the same intensity. Under the stars, with the soft lapping of the water against the shore, a princess and a soldier crossed boundaries they weren’t allowed to cross and felt feelings they weren’t allowed to feel.

Under the stars, Zan and Aliandra committed themselves to each other. Sealed their love. They formed a connection stronger than anything else, letting their love guide their way. And in the throws of passion, in the midst of intense pleasure something was created. Something that would be a part of sealing their tragic fate.


TBC...

___________________

I'll be back when RL gives me permission...

[max and liz believer]

Hi everyone!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful feedback!!

I know that I should leave feedback, but I don't have time I only have time to leave a "bump" or "good chapter", however, I don't like to leave just those words.

Girlfriend, that's perfectly fine with me if you only leave a "bump" etc. Of course, I love the lengthy ones, but if you don't have the time to leave them, then I can't force you . If you just leave a word or something, at least I know that you are still reading and that's more than enough for me . I'm so happy to hear from you again, moonlight, I've missed you around here!

And Liz (LPorter), thank you so much for the bumps!!


Here's the next part, you guys! Oh, and there's a little confusion warning on this one (this whole story should run with a confusion warning maybe lol). It's skipping back and forth, but I've tried to make it as clear as possible with the use of italics and bold.



Chapter 41


When your body wears out, the natural progression is a gradual deterioration of the mind.

That was the plan.

If they could wear her out, make her weak, her mind would be feeble enough to be satisfactorily susceptive to the brain wash. They would indirectly replace her ordinary dreams with nightmares, just by changing her surroundings and killing the life inside of her.

It was all done strategically.

One: Insert doubts into the subject’s head that an escape is possible.
Two: Remove all subjects that the subject carries some sort of affection towards, thereby demolishing all lingering hopes of rescue. Consequently, the subject will have nothing to long for on the outside.
Three: Convince the subject more forcefully that emancipation is non-existent and the most appealing solution is to cooperate.

After a while the subject would be too weak and too indifferent to care about what happens. The subject will comply with the wishes of its captors only to avoid aversive punishment. Some would call it torture. The men at the facility called it education.

<center>-------------------------------------------------</center>

Her room was dark. Pitch dark. It looked like the inside of a grave. That was exactly what it was like. She could be dead for all she knew.

Buried alive under layers and layers of damp soil.

She wasn’t even sure she was still living. If she was, she must be in hell. She hardly registered the cool breeze chilling her bare skin. Her body responded to the icy breeze with violent shivers.

Yesterday it had been clammy and hot. Today it was cold. However, she barely noted the difference. Her main purpose, her only purpose, was to stay awake so that she wouldn’t see the dreams. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. His beautiful face contorted in pain before he sank down to the pavement.

Dead.

But she was so tired and her body wanted to escape the never-ending torture of being held in a room where the temperature was only slightly above zero and her body was merely clad in a tank top and panties. It would be much easier to escape the physical pain by cutting off consciousness. But if the unconscious ruled, the mental pain would take over. She had watched him die over and over again, and she couldn’t see it one more time.

But her mind was pounding and her eyes were stinging from the constant empty staring she did into the darkness. She couldn’t rest her eyes for a second, because then his pained face would return. If her eyes were open, she could paint his face in the darkness. His face as it was before. Smiling, laughing. Beautiful.

Alive.

Her mind gradually succumbed to the fatigue and her eyes blinked repeatedly before they closed.

The rain was striking her face. Hitting her hard. Drop after drop.

She was on her back and she couldn’t move. She was only able to move her head. She angled her head to look at the rest of her body. She was wearing hospital scrubs, which were clinging moistly to her skin. Her eyes traveled to her hands. Her arms were aligned along the sides of her body, but she couldn’t see her hands. They disappeared into the mud.

Her mouth filled with a metallic taste and she was quelled with the instinctive need to spit. She turned her head to the side and tried to open her mouth. But she couldn’t.

Panic.

Raw, cold panic surged through her. Why couldn’t she move?

I’m gonna kill you, that’s a promise.

Her head snapped upwards at the sound of the voice echoing through her head. Fearfully, her eyes flickered from side to side. But all she could see was complete darkness.

Fluid of some kind was now moving down her throat and she turned her head to the side to prevent it from clogging her throat and choking her.

We’ll be together again before you know it.

The voice seeped through her surroundings, surrounding her. The words bounced around her and lingered in the air. A smothering weight she hadn’t even been aware of was dispelled and air flew into her strained lungs as she opened her mouth with a hoarse cry. The next second she was on her side, coughing and spitting, ridding her mouth of the red substance that filled it… her blood.

She lay there for a while, mud clinging to the side of her face, trying to catch her breath. Her hands, covered in mud, were now resting against her stomach.

Well, we can’t let a bastard child like that live, can we?

With a groan of pain, she rolled up into sitting position. The darkness was hard around her. Menacing, and so thick that no light dared to penetrate it.

Aliandra...

Her head whipped to the sound of the voice and she saw the contours of someone lying on the ground beside her. The darkness had crawled closer. It was now so dark that she couldn’t see her hand in front of her. But she could see him.

Her mind screamed out in familiarity. She had been here before so many times… in her dreams, but also in reality. She had watched him die over and over again. She reached out with her hand towards him, but was interrupted by another voice. Slightly different.

Liz...

She turned her head and he was there. Max. He was standing no more than two feet away from her. Her mind whispered his name and she tried to move her legs. But they were glued to the ground. Like strong roots chain the tree to one particular spot.

Ali...

Her head turned back to the familiar form of the man on the ground. She turned her head back to Max. She could feel their anguish slash through her. The powerful emotions would have bowled her over if her feet had not been chained to the ground.

In that instant, when she was trying to decide which way to turn, the sky opened and the rain came down in waves of cold water.

The man on the ground started to twist in pain and, agonized, she watched Max fall to his knees, his head bent. She wanted to scream. She wanted to make it stop. But she couldn’t.

Hold her up.

She whimpered as she fell to her knees.

You have to want to live.

Is she still unconscious?

She’s coming to, sir.

The water was washing over her, but it couldn’t wash away the dried blood on her hands.

I need you to be strong. I’ll come back for you.

And just like that, the mud under her body was transformed into hard white tiles. The darkness disappeared and was replaced with a painful brightness. The water was still falling on her, although it wasn’t rain any longer.

She started to scream when her senses snapped back into focus.

“Nooo!! What have you done to him?! What did you do?!! Let go of me!“
“Help me hold her, she is too strong!!“
“Let go of me!!“
“Do we have any sedatives?“
“No, we have to keep her completely clear. The sedative is not to interfere.“
As her body was struggling to get away, she vaguely registered that she was in a shower. She felt strange hands grabbing her bare skin to keep her from getting away.
“Where’s my baby?!!“
“She delusional.“
She struggled in their hands and kicked backwards with her foot. A small sense of satisfaction surged through her as she heard a yelp of pain behind her.
“Elizabeth, calm down! Brown, get the boss!“
“Yes, sir!“

“What have you done to him? I want to see him!!“
“Elizabeth, listen to me. There is no use in you fighting us. There is no one out there waiting for you. No one knows you exist. You are dead to the world so you might as well cooperate with us.“
“No!!“ she cried forcefully and tried to wiggle out of their grip.
“Clothes.“
She felt more hands on her naked skin and then she felt some fabric going around her, rasping against the open wounds on her back. The gown clung to her still wet skin. They hadn’t even dried her off before.
“I want to see my baby!! What have you done to him?! Where is he?“
“There is no baby. You were never pregnant and you didn’t give birth-“
“NO! You stole him from me-“
“Elizabeth, calm down or we are going to be forced to sedate y- Brown, what did he say?“
“He’s on his way, sir.“
“Good.“

“You are fucking liars all of you!!! Why did you kill him? Did you kill him? Why?!!“
“What is she talking about?“
“She’s hallucinating about some baby and that guy Max.“
“Max? Where’s Max? Do you have him here? I want to see him?!!“
“Should we really wait for the boss? She seems pretty out of it...“
“LET GO OF ME!!!“

Suddenly, there were no people within ten feet of Liz. Dull thuds echoed through the room as heavy bodies hit the walls. Screams filled the air as the running water turned scorching hot, burning into the skin of the men lying in the danger-zone. The leaden door melted and men started screaming when their clothes caught fire. There was no escape. Everything and everyone in her surroundings was doomed, because now she was in control.


TBC...

__________________

Interlude..um... V (?) next... lol

[max and liz believer]

Hi!

Thank you thank you thank you for the feedback!! Wow, what you write could really boost one's confidence

I forgot to welcome new readers last time (I don’t know where my mind was when I posted the previous chapter lol).

So, a big WELCOME to all new readers!!

;Ner, roswellian137, Creative Nickname and noelani

okay, first off let me tell you that I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts on what I read. So I'll just sum it up...WOW

Lol! Well said!


Okay, people... We have two interludes left (this one included) and things are probably starting to clear even more. I hope... lol



End of Interlude IV

Under the stars, with the soft lapping of the water against the shore, a princess and a soldier crossed boundaries they weren’t allowed to cross and felt feelings they weren’t allowed to feel.

Under the stars, Zan and Aliandra committed themselves to each other. Sealed their love. They formed a connection stronger than anything else, letting their love guide their way. And in the throws of passion, in the midst of intense pleasure something was created. Something that would be a part of sealing their tragic fate.






INTERLUDE V


It wasn’t until early morning, that Zan and Aliandra left their own private haven. Aliandra felt more alive than she ever had, but her feelings were easily subdued with what she knew would happen in a couple of hours.
“Na nothríe vir,“ Zan whispered and softly brushed his lips against hers. His heart ached. This girl had given herself to him and it had been even more beautiful than he ever thought imaginable. To be forced to leave her outside her balcony with the knowledge that she was to be wed to another man a couple of hours later was like a sharp knife cutting through his heart, stabbing him repeatedly. As he saw the tears begin to roll down her cheeks he wanted kill each and every person that made her cry like that.
“Please don’t go,“ she whispered, even though the both knew that he had to go.
“I’ll be back. I have to take care of some things,“ Zan said softly, his fingers softly threading through her soft strands of silky brown hair. “We’ll be together again before you know it.“
She nodded, but her face was still dubious. “I hope so.“
“Hey,“ he cradled her cheek against his hand and forced her to look at him. “I need you to be strong. I’ll come back for you.“
A sob broke over her lips and she nodded again.
“Now, try to get some sleep,“ he whispered and leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss.
She took a deep, shuddering breath before she reluctantly turned around and walked into her bedroom. She held Zan’s gaze for a couple of seconds before turning around and heading off to the bathroom to get out of her dress.

Zan was just about to start walking away as the sharp sound of a twig breaking caught his attention. With feline movements he quietly moved in the direction of the sound, casting occasional quick glances behind him towards Aliandra’s window to make sure that it wasn’t just a diversion tactic to get him away from Aliandra. Behind one of the bushes he caught a blond head hiding and he felt his whole world crash to the ground.
“Trandia?! What are you doing here?!“ he hissed.
The blonde curls of the girl who had been all over him lately bobbed up and looked at him innocently. “I could ask you the same thing,“ she said venomously.
“I’m doing my job,“ Zan snapped, silently hoping that she hadn’t seen too much.
“Ohh... I didn’t know copulation with the princess was part of your job,“ she quipped, a smug smile draping over her face.
All color drained from Zan’s face.
“Buuut... I’m willing to compromise here,“ Trandia continued, reaching out with her hand and slowly tracing the exposed skin along his poorly closed shirt with one of her long fingers.
“What do you want?“ Zan asked, anger in his voice.
“It’s quite simple actually. I want you.“

“No,“ Zan stated simply.
“Or,“ Trandia continued, ignoring Zan’s reply, but the flash of anger in her eyes revealed that she hadn’t missed it, “your dear princess’ father and husband will be informed of some highly interesting aspects about their innocent princess’ double life.“
“You leave her alone,“ Zan threatened, his voice low and dangerous as he stepped closer to Trandia.
Trandia swallowed, but she wouldn’t let him intimidate her.
“I will, if you do what I want,“ Trandia answered.
“Why would you want to be with someone you forced to be with you?“ Zan asked incredulously.
“Ah, you will want to be with me of your free will. I just have to take away that spell that little princess of yours has placed over you.“
“It’s called love and I will never stop loving her. Know this, Trandia. I might agree to your proposal, but I will execute it with the same passion as I have while cleaning the pig sty.“
Trandia’s eyes darkened with anger. “You better watch what you say, Zan. Or else, some information might just accidentally slip from my lips.“

<center>---------------------------------------------------------</center>

Two days had passed since the sermon. Two days had passed since the night of passion with Zan out by the stream. Two days of humiliation had gone by. Of embarrassment. Of sorrow, pain, hopelessness and loneliness. It hadn’t seemed to matter too much to her husband that she had been almost completely unresponsive as he had completed their wedding vows on their wedding night. She had lain under him, imagining his hands to be Zan’s. Imagining that it was Zan who was touching parts of her body that were only Zan’s to touch. She felt as if Vandor was poisoning her body, littering what was growing inside of her. Because she and Zan had not only confirmed their love for each other that night; they had also created a child. Aliandra was pregnant with Zan’s child. If Zan succeeded in taking her away from this bottomless desolate existence that was sucking the life out of her, they would be their own little family. But if he failed, the child would grow up in the palace. Weighed down by the duties, believing that Vandor was its father. Never knowing about Zan.

Aliandra was merely going through the motions. She was like a statue and everyone would have noticed if they had only paid attention. The only one who saw the difference was Zan. He watched over her day and night, as soon as he could get away from Trandia’s traitorous hands. But he was sure that Aliandra noticed that Trandia was all over him. He could visibly see another piece of her die every time she saw Trandia move around him. Flirting with him. But the hardest thing he had to do was to actually respond to Trandia. To return her smiles, to talk to her. He knew that if he didn’t he would put Aliandra in jeopardy and if they were to get out of this, if his plan was going to work, he needed to put up a strong facade and pretend that he was putty in Trandia’s hand. He needed to fool her, so that she wouldn’t tell anyone. If only it didn’t hurt so much to watch Aliandra’s eyes shine with unshed tears. He so desperately wanted to go to her and tell her, to assure her that there was nothing between Trandia and him, and that his plans were almost finished. Soon they would be able to leave. He snapped his head up towards the door as he heard the door-handle being pressed down. His eyes caught hers for a brief second before she turned her face away and began to walk towards the dining room. She looked sick, which made him even more concerned.

He followed her from the distance that made her feel safe, yet not suffocated by his presence. He didn’t know how much she wanted him to come closer, to kiss her or just hold her hand.
“Londrì Aliandra. What do you wish to eat today?“ one of the servants asked.
“I’m not hungry,“ Aliandra said, and Zan took an instinctive step forward at the weak tone of her voice before he caught himself. “But I would love something to drink.“
“Yes, princess. Right away.“ The servant excused itself with a bow and disappeared off into the kitchen.
They were both painfully aware that they were now alone. And they were both trying very hard to not let it show that they knew. Aliandra slowly moved over to the window and stopped there. Staring out, with a far off look on her face.
“It’s a beautiful day today,“ she said wistfully.
Zan looked around himself in confusion to see if someone else had entered the room. But there was no one else.

“Yes, it is,“ he answered slowly, cautiously.
“They say it’s going to rain soon,“ she continued.
Zan looked at her intently, trying to read her. She was trying to tell him something.
“I heard that the sun is going to shine through soon,“ he said.
“Really? I didn’t hear that,“ she said, her voice dropping.
“I think it will be sunny tomorrow. And the evening will be wonderful. The wind will still at dawn and the stars will break out in the sky.“
She closed her eyes against the tears of relief in her eyes and he knew that she had gotten his message. It was going to happen tomorrow evening. They were going to escape.
“That sounds wonderful,“ she breathed, “I will be sure to take a stroll in the evening then.“
“At dawn,“ he said softly, “I would recommend it.“
“Here is your juice, londrì Aliandra.“
Zan stepped back in the shadows and Aliandra gave the servant a grateful smile as she accepted the glass.

<center>---------------------------------------------------------</center>

But something went terribly wrong. A girl who didn’t know what serious repercussions her jealousy could have for the objects of her rage spoke and revealed the truth without thinking. The word spread and soon it reached the wrong person.

And the rain came. By dinner it was softly raining. As the day turned into afternoon, the soft rain also turned into a furious rain that pelted the ground. The wind had grown sharper, angrier, and it was howling around the palace. When the day turned into evening, it was almost a full-blown storm outside.

Aliandra shivered and put on another cardigan over her dress. A small bag was hidden under the bed, the only clue to what her plans for the evening were. Her husband was away on a meeting with her father. The palace was filled with servants and maids, but most of them were downstairs, cleaning up after dinner. He was close by. She could feel his presence. She threw another glance at the rain through the window. How were they going to be able to escape in this weather? She looked down at her neatly folded hands in her lap. How was she going to be able to move in her long dress? But she had to admit that it was the best circumstances to run away in. The rain would hide them from unwanted eyes.

A commotion outside her door made her shoot up from her sitting position. Her hands started to shake with nervousness. This was it. She didn’t know what Zan had planned, but she felt it deep in her bones. This was it.

The door flew open and her eyes locked with Zan’s.
“Londrì Aliandra. We need to get you out of here,“ he said hurriedly.
Aliandra looked past Zan and found the other protectors standing in her doorway, looking around them.
“What is happening?“ she asked, putting the right amount of worry in her voice. She caught a faint smile from Zan from the corner of her eye before he responded but his voice revealed nothing of the true situation.
“We have received word that someone is planning an attack on the palace. We need to hurry!“ He turned towards the men in the doorway. “Check the hallways and the adjoining rooms! I want every door and window locked!“
The men scurried off and Zan quickly stepped up to Aliandra. He took her hand in his and looked her deeply in the eyes. “You need to pack some clothes. We might have to hide some days.“
She nodded, reading the message in his eyes instead of that in his voice. She vaguely gestured with her head towards her bed and Zan nodded. He released her hand and knelt down by the bed, pulling out her small bag.

“Are you warm enough?“ he asked, stepping up to her again.
“I will be,“ she answered. He couldn’t stop the small smile from forming over his lips at the first flash of life he had seen in her eyes since her marriage.
“Then let’s go.“ He took her hand in his and pulled her with him. As they stepped out in the hallway, he called one of the protectors to him.
“I’m taking the princess somewhere safe. I will keep in contact. When I consider it’s safe enough, we will return.“
“Yes, sir,“ the man answered.
“Good,“ Zan said. “Londrì Aliandra, let’s go.“

<center>--------------------------------------------------------</center>

She stumbled forward, the rain was pelting down around them. Her hand was tightly clasped in his. At least she wasn’t wearing her dress any longer. Zan had given her a pair of his pants instead. He had adjusted their length and the size of their waist to fit her. At first, Zan had been pouring his energy into her, keeping her warm. But since she, through their connection, had felt how much it was draining him, she had asked him to stop. The rain was now chilling her skin, seeping through her tissues, freezing her bones.
“I’m cold,“ she sobbed.
“I know, love, but we have to keep moving,“ Zan answered, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her. Four hours had elapsed since they had left the palace. They were both soaking wet and tired. One hour ago Zan had noticed that they were being followed, and they had begun running. Aliandra was so weak that Zan was afraid that she couldn’t move any further. But they had to keep moving.
“Zan,“ Aliandra whispered.

“Try to think of something else. Imagine a warm fire and you won’t feel the coldness.“
“No, I want to tell you something,“ Aliandra said.
“You can tell me later, love. We’ll have much time to do that later.“
But something was nagging at her to let him know. He needed to know. Now.
“I’m carrying your child.“
The shock was so great that Zan stumbled and almost fell. If Aliandra’s weak arms hadn’t stopped him, he would have. “What did you say?“
“I’m with child, Zan.“
“It’s mine?“ Zan whispered, his voice cracking.
She nodded. “I wanted you to know.“
“Oh lord...“ How could he be so stupid to take her out on this when she was pregnant? No wonder she was so weak.
“Are you disappointed?“ Aliandra whispered, insecurity cracking her voice.

Zan stared at her as if she were insane. “Disappointed?“ He captured her face between his hands and forced her to look at him. “Nothing we create could ever disappoint me. I love you so much.“
A teary laugh of relief escaped her lips. “I knew I shouldn’t doubt you.“
He smiled weakly. “Never doubt me.“ He paused and glanced around. The rain was dripping in his eyes and he brushed the wet bangs away from his forehead. “We need to find a place to rest.“
She looked around herself and found a group of bushes further away. “How about there?“
“Yes,“ Zan agreed and pulled her with him. Just as they were about to duck down behind the bushes Zan’s trained eyes noticed movement further down the road. He quickly turned to Aliandra and addressed to her quietly, “Ali, you need to stay here. Don’t move for anything and keep absolutely quiet. Don’t come after me; I’ll find you. Do you understand?“
“Yes,“ she answered.
He looked at her one last time, letting his fingers brush over her sweet lips. “I’ll be back.“
“I love you,“ she whispered. But he was already gone.

Aliandra crept further down into the shield of bushes. Mud drenched her clothes and slipped inside the confines of her clothing, sticking to her damp and cold skin. She curled up to make herself as small as possible and closed her eyes, waiting for things to be okay again. They never would be.

Ten minutes passed before she felt the first hit. It coursed through her whole body, making her hurl forward with a whimper of pain. The second hit came soon after as pain exploded in her head. She brought her hand up to her forehead, convinced that she would find blood there. But there was nothing. She looked around, panic filling her. There was no one there. No enemy.

Zan.

It was Zan. They had hurt Zan. She didn’t think. It was only one thing that kept her moving. Get to Zan. Get to Zan. She had to take him away. Save him. As she climbed out of from the bushes she felt another blow shake her whole body and she fell to her knees.
“Noo...“ she whimpered.
“Oh there she is. Worried about your boyfriend, whore?“


TBC...

[max and liz believer]

Hi!!

Thank you all so much for the feedback! You are great, you know that? Well, you are!!

I also wondering is Liz seeing this while she is in the white room or is Max reliving this on his journey to save her or are they both? Or am I just way off base and you are just an amazing writer that is giving us the background that they both have had some visions on but nothing like what you have described but at a later date may remember?

Okay, let me explain this. Actually, neither Liz nor Max is reliving the interludes. That is just my way of showing you the past. Liz and Max are not on any level aware of what's happening in the interludes. They only know the parts that they are shown in the "ordinary" chapters - through dreams and feelings etc. For instance, Liz has been having these dreams about someone killing her baby, but she has never been pregnant - not in this life at least. And then there's her uneasiness with rain... We actually know more about what's going on than Liz and Max. I hope I made it somewhat clearer. If not, feel free to ask...


Moving on...

Liz has now been held captive for ten days, so in this chapter we go backwards ten days to see what was going on with Max and the others...




Chapter 42


Ten days earlier

His heart was pounding in his chest as he raced up the familiar stairs to her apartment.

Please let her be there. Please let her be there.

But he knew with a frightening certainty that she wouldn’t be there. It was too late. He had felt something a couple of hours ago. A coldness had washed over him, an emptiness. And now he felt vacant, his essence desperately searching for something it had lost and he feared that it was Liz. Something had happened to Liz, but he didn’t dare think that she might be...

No! He forcefully pushed the thoughts to the back of his head as his hand swept over the lock, unlocking the door.

In the same instant as he crossed the threshold he knew that something was different. Just like his heart knew that something was missing, so was something missing from her apartment. It was spotless, but the atmosphere was chaotic. The air in the apartment was erratic, confused and empty. Lifeless and cold. The sweet soft fragrance of the scent that was so uniquely Liz was missing and had been replaced by an unnerving void.

His legs were moving forwards as his eyes, agitated, scanned everything he passed. His mind was sharp and his attention was focused. He pushed his fears to the back of his head and instead pulled out the part of his brain that consisted of cold logic and rationality so he could find clues in the best possible way.

There was nothing. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The bed was neatly made. The blinds were pulled up. Everything was tidy. His emotional state couldn’t decide if the orderliness was a good or bad thing. His feelings were wavering between relief and panic.

He stepped into the bathroom and had to grab onto the doorframe for support as the panic got the upper hand and paralyzed him. His eyes were frozen on the mirror over the sink. A couple seconds later, his heart started to work again and he got his legs moving. Absent-mindedly his hand drifted over the lock and locked the door behind him before he moved towards his next destination. Liz’s work.

<center>---------------------------------------------------------</center>

“He has gone to New York, hasn’t he?“
“Would it be so bad if he had?“
“Yes! I mean, no.. It’s just... He’s so damn stubborn. He can’t continue putting himself in so much danger. His traveling from one spot to another is going to seem suspicious.“
“Suspicious to whom?“
She sighed. “I don’t know. I have no idea. But you have to understand, Maria, that we have been so careful all our lives to not raise any suspicions. To appear normal. And now he’s destroying it all. Just because of a girl.“
“I thought she was your friend in New York.“
“Yes..yes...she was. I have nothing against Liz personally. But she’s just... It’s better if she was kept out of this!“
“He loves her, Isabel. And she loves him. They are going to be together whether you and Michael want it or not.“

“Miss, may I get you something?“
Isabel snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the stewardess standing by her chair. She forced a smile on her face and shook her head. “No, thank you.“
She sighed and leaned back in her seat, her thoughts returning to her departure from Roswell.

“I don’t understand what’s going on.“
“Mom. I need to get him back. He’s gone after Liz-“
“Yes, that’s what I don’t understand. Why did she leave so early?“
“She... They had a fight and she left.“
“Yes, Max told me that much. Tell me Isabel, is there something going on between them?“
Pause.
“I don’t know, mom. I don’t know. That’s what I have to find out.“

Isabel stared out the window at the blue sky and the white clouds forming a soft looking carpet below the plane, her thoughts miles away. Liz was dangerous to them. Not Liz personally, but what she made Max do. She had awoken a side in Max that he had never shown before. She had seen it, Michael had seen it, Maria had seen it and she suspected that even her mother had noticed. This side was so warm and caring, but also impulsive. So focused on Liz and her happiness.

Isabel picked up one of the magazines that someone had left behind in the empty seat beside her and started to flip through the pages. She would never really admit it to herself, but she was jealous; jealous of Liz and what she managed to bring out in Max. They shared something special and it hurt Isabel that she hadn’t been the one to bring her brother that happiness. She and Max had always been close. They had talked about almost everything, having a closer sibling relationship than most siblings. He was more than just a brother to her. He was her best friend, the one she always counted on being there for her. To love her, care for her and protect her.

At the plane-wide announcement in the loudspeakers, Isabel fastened her seat belt around her waist and started to prepare for the descent and the arrival into New York City.

Her thoughts began to drift again. Since Liz had stepped into their lives, Max had changed. His focus had changed. He hadn’t spent as much time with Isabel, Michael and Maria anymore. It was like he had forgotten them. As if they weren’t as important to him any longer, now that he had Liz.

The plane touched ground with a slight bump and soon she was moving down the airport towards the exits. Outside she caught a cab and gave the driver the address of Liz’s apartment.

<center>-------------------------------------------------------</center>

Isabel paused outside Liz’s door. Would Max already be there? He hadn’t called since he left Roswell and he wasn’t answering his cell phone. Isabel had no clue to what was going on. Had Max found Liz and talked to her, or was she still missing? Maybe Liz was at work. Isabel bit her lower lip and knocked on the door. She felt as if she didn’t belong here. For the first time since this whole thing with Liz had started she felt as if she was intruding. That maybe, just maybe, Max’s business wasn’t hers. That perhaps she and Michael should butt out. Let Max live his own life. He had proved on numerous occasions that he could take care of himself and make wise decisions. But then she was reminded of every impulsive decision Max had made when it came to Liz and she straightened her shoulders and knocked again. She had to talk some sense into Max.

But there was still no answer. She frowned and wondered what she was going to do. Should she go to Liz’s work and search for her there? Nah. She shook her head to herself and then waved her perfectly manicured hand over the lock. She could look around some first. Maybe she would find something that showed that she could trust Liz. She stepped inside. The apartment seemed empty. There was a thick silence, the kind of silence that sighed with the absence of any other living creatures.
“Liz?“ she spoke into the air, to be on the safe side. She really didn’t want someone walking up behind her. “Liz? Are you here?“
“Who are you?“
A gasp of fear and surprise escaped over her lips and she quickly turned around, putting her hand out in front of her to ward of possible enemies. In front of her stood a long lean man, his hair short, his eyes kind but now open in surprise. His hands flew up in a defensive stance in front of his chest.
“Whoa, calm down there!“
Breathing heavily, she demanded, “Who are you?“
“I asked first,“ he answered matter-of-factly.
Isabel frowned. There was something familiar about him. She pressed her lips together. “A friend of Liz’s. Who are you?“

“A friend of Liz’s,“ the boy answered stoically. He was frowning too, as if he was trying to place her face somewhere. Then his face shone up. “Hey, you’re that girl. Umm... Isabel right? Darn, I can’t believe I forgot that! There should be a law on not forgetting a face like yours.“
A flush spread itself over her cheeks despite herself. She swallowed and then put on her most menacing face. “We’ve met?“
But the boy didn’t seem intimidated by her facial expression at all. It was as if the floodgates had been open. He was suddenly bubbling with excitement. “Yes, that night when Liz was going to that party with her office, remember?“
A light went on in her head. “You’re Alex? Liz’s friend from school.“
He lit up with a proud smile. “That’s me.“
“Okay, you’re definitely talking more this time around than the other,“ Isabel muttered. “What are you doing here?“
“Friendly, aren’t we,“ Alex said at her hostile tone, but his voice was warm. And it made Isabel’s legs go weak. There was something uncontrollably attractive about him. The warm twinkling of his eyes. The way his eyes moved appreciatively over her body, but not arrogantly like most men, but with adoration that made the color on her cheeks turn a darker red.
“I was looking for Liz,“ Alex filled in. “You?“
“Yeah,“ she licked her suddenly dry lips, “Looking for her too.“
He nodded and then gestured towards the front door. “So, how did you get in?“
“I-I had a key,“ Isabel murmured.

The expression that passed over Alex’s face told her that he didn’t quite believe her.
“Oh, me too,“ Alex answered with a quick smile. But Isabel could read the apprehension there. He might be flirting with her, but she didn’t know him. She wasn’t prepared to let her guard down yet.
“You wouldn’t know where she is?“ Isabel asked, turning ninety degrees to nonchalantly finger on a photo frame on a small table standing against one of the walls. She kept close watch on Alex from her peripheral vision. Energy was sparkling just below the surface of her skin, ready to be used if necessary. She didn’t trust anyone. Especially not if she was alone with that someone in a foreign apartment in New York City of all places. There was a short silence and Isabel sensed his eyes moving over her body. She silently scolded herself for the blush she felt rise on her cheeks and the tingle moving through her body. What was wrong with her? Relationships had always been casual to her and it had not been difficult to keep it that way. She had never met anyone who was worth her genuine interest and attention. She had certainly never met anyone that had made her blush before. That scared her at the same time as it made a warm comfortable feeling spread in her stomach.
“No...“ Alex answered slowly, “I’ve been trying to reach her for days but she has had her phone off or something. So I thought I would swing by here today and see if everything was okay.“

Isabel frowned and turned to look at Alex. “You mean, you don’t know where Liz has been the last couple of days?“
“No,“ Alex answered, then asked confused, “Should I?“
“You came looking for her in Roswell,“ Isabel answered.
“Roswell, New Mexico?“
Why did he look so confused? It seemed as if he didn’t have a clue to what she was talking about.
“Yes,“ she answered, somewhat annoyed by his inability to remember.
“I don’t know from where you’ve gotten that notion. I have never been in Roswell in my entire life,“ Alex said.
Isabel stared at him, feeling pieces falling to place inside her head. Like ice cubes falling with a heavy thud against her heart. That day in the CrashDown. The man that Michael and Maria had said had been asking for Liz. It hadn’t been Alex. It had been someone else and Isabel really didn’t feel good about that.
“Oh,“ Isabel forced an apologetic smile on her face, “I guess I was mistaking then. Probably a doppel-ganger.“

Alex returned her smile with a warm and genuine one. “We all have one of those. So, that’s where Liz has been hiding, huh? Hanging with the aliens?“
“What?“ Isabel snapped sharply.
Alex’s smile slipped of his face and he looked at her funny. Isabel quickly recovered. This thing with Liz had really shaken her. She was usually much better at this. Or maybe it wasn’t Liz at all. Maybe it was those blue eyes of the man standing in front of her that suddenly made her brain turn into jelly.
“I-I mean, yeah. Lots of aliens in Roswell. You really get sick and tired of them.“
Alex gave her the brave attempt of a smile, but his eyes were still looking at her funny. Her hands fumbling, she brushed a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear before turning around again.
“She- I was just going to get her some stuff that she forgot,“ Isabel said, her mind distracted with thoughts about who the man searching for Liz had been and where her brother was right now. She had to find him. Why couldn’t he realize that he needed her help? Why couldn’t he just ask for her help?

Because you wouldn’t give it to him.

The voice in the back of her head was right. If Max had come to her to ask her to help him to find Liz and get her back, Isabel would have tried to talk Max out of it. She would argue that they were putting themselves in danger by going on a wild goose-chase after Liz. Liz had probably just wanted to be alone anyway, and that was why she left. Liz did leave because she and Max had a fight. So it wouldn’t be that weird to assume that Liz just wanted some time on her own.

Isabel realized that maybe she hadn’t been very supportive. Not when her brother really needed her to be. She had only been supportive when it had been convenient for her and in keeping their secret. That’s why he hadn’t asked for her help. That’s why Max had left without telling her. He had told Maria and their mother but not her or Michael. She was brought back to reality by Alex’s voice.

“...with you?“
“I’m sorry, what did you say?“
“Did she come with you?“
Isabel shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. What were they talking about? “Um...no.“
By the crease appearing on Alex’s forehead she knew that she had given the wrong answer.
“If she didn’t come with you, then why are you looking for her?“ he asked.
Isabel thought quickly. “No, I mean. She did come with me here to New York, but then we split up. She was going to...um...work and get some stuff, and I was to buy something and then we would meet up here. So, I was just looking for her...here.“
Alex scanned her empty hands. “Did you find what you were going to buy?“
“Yeah,“ Isabel answered.
“Then why don’t you have a bag?“ Alex asked slowly.
Isabel swallowed. She had really tied a knot on herself this time.
“I have,“ Isabel persisted quickly, before forcing herself to slow down or she would sound suspicious. “I forgot it in the bedroom. Thank you for reminding me! I would’ve forgotten it otherwise, I’m sure.“

She fired off her most brilliant smile in his direction and hoped that it would have its desired effect. That smile never disappointed her when it came to the male race with the exceptions of Max and Michael, of course. Max, because he was her brother and Michael because - he was just Michael. Her smile brightened as she saw a goofy grin spread over Alex’s face. Mission accomplished.
“No problem,“ he answered, “Maybe you should go and get it. Liz doesn’t seem to be here anyway.“
No. She couldn’t leave. She needed to search through the apartment. Maybe Liz had left some clue. Or maybe Max had been here and left her something.
“You go,“ Isabel said, “and I’ll stay here and wait for Liz.“
Alex plopped down in the armchair with a wide smile, stretching from ear to ear. Casually putting his arms over his head, he said, “Then I’ll stay too. I need to speak with Liz and I don’t want to give her a chance to disappear on me again.“
He winked at her and Isabel’s smile faltered. It seemed as if Alex was making himself comfortable to stay for some time. She inwardly sighed.
“Okay, I’ll go and get my bag,“ she said. She just had to investigate a little quieter.
“Okay,“ Alex answered, picking up a scratch book from Liz’s table.
Taking a final peek at Alex, Isabel headed for the bedroom. If there was something interesting to find, it would be found in a woman’s bedroom, that was for sure.

But Isabel was in for a big disappointment. After going through the neat bedroom for twenty minutes, the only interesting she ended up with was a diary, and not even that seemed all that interesting. With a sigh, she stepped out into the living room.
“Found what you were looking for?“ Alex asked, looking at her intently.
Isabel shrugged nonchalantly. “No, but I think she has it in the bathroom.“
“Oh,“ Alex said deadpanned, “Wouldn’t it have been better if Liz had told you where she kept it?“
“She told me,“ Isabel answered evasively, the sound of her voice gradually growing quieter as she disappeared into the bathroom, “She must’ve moved it, that’s all.“
Alex frowned as he stared at the slightly ajar door to the bathroom, where Isabel had disappeared. Anyone who knew Liz Parker at all must know that she kept an almost scary order on things. She had a system for almost everything and she always, and then he really meant always, knew where she kept her things. If she had moved something she would’ve remembered and told Isabel. Something about this whole thing didn’t make sense. He had thought so even before Isabel’s stuttering and bad cover up lie earlier.

His was violently ripped out of his thoughts as he heard a yelp and a bang when Isabel fell against the wall. He was quickly on his feet and was by her side on the floor in the fraction of a second.
“Isabel? Isabel? Are you all right?“
He took her by the arm, afraid that she would fell if he didn’t steady her. Her confused eyes locked with his and his heart doubled in speed.
“Hey, are you all right?“ he prodded again.
She shook her head, as if trying to shake her thoughts back into place. “Mi-mirror,“ she whispered breathlessly, moving a trembling hand to her forehead.
Alex worriedly scanned her pale face. “Isabel? What happened? Are you feeling sick?“
“Mirror,“ she said again and raised her shaking hand in the air. Alex slowly followed the direction of her pointing finger. His eyes fell on the mirror.

In red color, probably lipstick, large capital letters covered the reflective glass.

LIMBRÀ

The word made chills run down his spine.
“What?“ he whispered, mostly to himself, “What does that mean?“ It wasn’t English. Of that he was positive.
“Help,“ Isabel whimpered.
Alex eyes moved back to her face. She was blinking violently and her eyes were moving from side to side. She was really scaring him. He cradled the back of her neck with his hand, trying to force her to look at him.
“Isabel! Calm down!“
“Help,“ she moaned, and her eyes rolled back in her head before she dropped out of consciousness.
“Isabel!“


TBC...

[max and liz believer]

Thank you for the feedback!!! I will try to not let you wait too long to see what's happening with both Isabel and Liz. But real life just has a way of getting in my way lately . Fortunately, my wonderful b-reader edited all parts of the interlude a while ago, so they are ready to be posted.

And Liz (LPorter), just to answer your question. The words (like lìmbra and na nothrie vie) are not Swedish. They are just words of my imagination.


We have arrived at the last part of the "interlude chapter", people. We are now leaving Zan and Aliandra behind us, but I'm sure that they will still be present in the other part of the story - in some way or another...

Here we go...


Thank you again for all the wonderful feedback!!



INTERLUDE VI


It was Zan. They had hurt Zan. She didn’t think. It was only one thing that kept her moving. Get to Zan. Get to Zan. She had to take him away. Save him. As she climbed out from behind the bushes she felt another blow shake her whole body and she fell to her knees.
“Noo...“ she whimpered.
“Oh there she is. Worried about your boyfriend, whore?“

No, no, no. He had found her. He had found them.
“Go away,“ she mumbled while refusing to look up to confirm her suspicions.
“Huh? What was that? Sorry, I don’t take commands from a simple slut!“ His hard and cold hands took a hold of her shoulders and pushed her on her back. “There, that’s the position I like you in. One you are the most familiar with, I assume. Being on your back!“
Her eyes closed as he spat in her face. Next her cheek exploded in pain as his hand slapped over her face.

“I’m gonna teach you just what happens to wives who cheat on their husbands.“
“We weren’t even married yet,“ Aliandra spat out.
His response to her act of defiance was a kick in her stomach. She whimpered and rolled herself up.
“You liked that, huh?“ he mocked and aimed a kick in her back.
She cried out in pain and whimpered, “What did you do to him?“
“Him? Oh, you mean your protector,“ he said with disgust, “I taught him one or two things too.“
“Leave him alone, he has nothing to with this,“ Aliandra got out as the pain rippled through her body.
“Funny. That’s what he said about you,“ he said incredulously and kicked her hard in the stomach.
“No, please don’t,“ she cried out.
“Please don’t what?“ Vandor taunted.
“Don’t hurt my baby,“ Aliandra whispered.

“Baby? Ah, this is getting more and more interesting,“ Vandor said and knelt down beside her. He forced her on her back again and pulled up her shirt.
“No,“ she hissed and tried to pull her shirt back down.
His fist connected with her face and she heard the cracking sound of her nose breaking and felt the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.
“Now, let’s take a look shall we?“
She watched his hand beginning to glow over her stomach. “No! NO!! Get away!!“ she cried, panic building inside of her.
Vandor used his powers to hold her struggling arms over her head as he scanned the baby in her uterus.
“So,“ he opened his eyes and the look he gave her was chilling her very soul. “It’s his.“
She pressed her lips together to keep herself from crying.
“Well, we can’t let a bastard child like that live can we?“

Her eyes widened with terror and she started moving to get away from him.
“Oh no, you don’t,“ Vandor hissed and put one of his hands around her frail neck, cutting of her air.
But it wasn’t the sudden lack of vital air that was hurting the most. It was the pain that was ripping through her as Vandor’s powers surged through her uterus, and she felt him slowly sucking the life out of her unborn child. Hot tears rolled down her tears and she wanted to scream. She wanted to kill him for killing her child. The beautiful child Zan and she had created. But she couldn’t do anything. She felt her own hot blood simmer out between her legs and she knew that her child was dead. Vandor released the grip he had on her with a smug on his face.
“You bastard,“ Aliandra whispered, her voice slightly impaired by the force he had used to compress her airway.
“Oh now. No need to resort to name calling.“ She scrambled away from him, the pain in her abdomen almost making her pass out. Almost. She had to get to Zan first. After she killed her husband, that is. She raised her hand and started to gather her powers. Vandor was just smiling smugly at her, chuckling under his breath. The rain pelting down around her, she realized that he had immobilized her powers. And even if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have any strength left to use on him.

“I’m gonna kill you. That’s a promise,“ Aliandra promised coldly. Vandor just smiled coldly at her. Her breathing was erratic as she turned away from him and on wobbly legs started to follow the pull she felt towards her soulmate. She soon fell on her knees, her strength failing her. She was numb. She was dying inside. She wasn’t aware of anything around her. All she knew was that she had to get to him. Get him out of here. Otherwise she would die, because she would have nothing left to live for.

Silence.

In her world everything was silent. She was being emptied. Her soul was being ripped away from her, piece by piece.

The scalding hot blood, the only remnants of her child, was trickling out between her legs, destroying another hope within her with every drop of blood. She saw his contours in the dark night. He was on his knees, his body bent over and covered in mud. Within two long painful seconds she was by his side.
“Zan?“ she whispered.
She reached out her hand to touch his hair. Her hand became covered in the warm blood trickling down his cheek from the fatal wound in his head. At her touch, he looked up at her.
“Aliandra,“ he choked.
“What has he done to you?“ Aliandra sobbed.
“Aliandra, you have to hide,“ Zan whispered, his last words ending with a death rattle.

His eyes were dark and mournful, shimmering with tears. He was not crying at the realization that he was going to die. He was not crying because of the pain in his chest that was spreading through his whole body. The pain was too numbing for his mind to grasp. He was crying because of everything he had lost. Everything he was about to lose. At the future that was going to take away the only bright light he knew, and it was only a matter of minutes before that future would arrive.
“You have to fight! Don’t leave me,“ Aliandra begged.
“I...love...you,“ Zan whispered.
“Don’t say that!“ Aliandra angrily brushed the water droplets out of her eyes. “You can’t leave me!“
“I...can’t...“
“Yes, you can. You have to want to live.“
Zan looked up at her. She was so beautiful. He could see her so clearly. She was the only thing completely clear to him. He could see the sun shining on her face as she, laughing, ran over the green meadow. He could see her hair flying freely in the air as she walked beside him on the road. He could hear her softly giggling at something he said while lying with her under the stars. He could feel the texture of her soft lips against his. He could feel her warm body pressing up against his. He could hear his name being spoken by her velvety voice. He could see her hopeful eyes gazing into his while she whispered that she loved him.

She could feel him reaching for her. He was grabbing onto his only thread to life. It was the only thing that was making his heart still beat, even though the extent of his injuries should have forced him to draw his last breath a long time ago.
“I love you,“ she whispered, her tears melting in the stream of water flooding down her face.
He reached out his hand towards her face and she captured it, pressing it against her dirty cheek.
“Please...stay safe,“ he whispered, his words sounded like a gasp as he reached for the air that was incapable of inflating his air sacs due to the punctuated state of his lungs. He slumped down, his eyes leaving hers, and, with a freezing realization, she felt him faltering. He couldn’t hold on any longer. He was leaving this world.

He was leaving her.

“Noooooooooooo!! Please don’t die! Please don’t die!! I need you!! We are going to get married! We are going to have children together! You can’t leave me!“ she cried, her hands grabbing his torn clothes, trying to straighten his tired body up. Trying to save it from sinking down into the dark solace. His voice was so soft that it was almost an impossibility that she had heard him. But her whole attention was intently focused on him. She could hear nothing but him.
“This isn’t farewell, love.“

And he was gone.

“Please don’t leave me! Please!! Noooooo!“

But she knew he was gone. The removal of his soul was devouring her soul, covering her in a cold darkness. She was dying. She pressed her fever-flushed face to his cooling body and felt his comforting warmth start to leave him.
“Why? Why are you doing this to me?!“ she sobbed into his shirt. But he was so quiet. So cold.
The slow clapping made her head jerk up. Vandor was standing in front of her, clapping his hands together with a conceited smile on his face.
“Oh, that was a such a beautiful scene,“ he said sarcastically, “Now, let’s get home, Aliandra.“
“I’d rather die than going home with you,“ Aliandra said venomously.
“Not that tone, darling,“ Vandor said softly.
“Just kill me and get it over with,“ Aliandra hissed.
Vandor narrowed his eyes as he looked at her bloody and muddy face.
“I did you a favor, Aliandra. I removed the object that would have caused your father much heartache. Thanks to me, your affair will remain a secret and you will avoid disgrace. You made a mistake and I made it go away. It’s like it never happened. You should be grateful.“

Aliandra was so angry that she was trembling. The energy was too great to be contained within her body. It was slowly bundling up within her.
“You should consider yourself lucky that I even consider taking you back!“
Aliandra slowly stood up and raised her hand towards him, her eyes cold and empty as she aimed on his chest.
“Grateful? Lucky?“ she repeated with a bitter laugh. “Well, then I guess you should be grateful that I’m letting you off easily. I’m letting you die right now. Consider yourself lucky.“
Vandor merely jeered at her and it was evident that he didn’t realize that the energy gathering within her was, in fact, lethal. At least, he didn’t realize it until it hit him squarely in the chest and sent him flying six feet through the air. Aliandra knelt down by Zan and pressed a warm kiss on his lips, completing his earlier promise with one of her own. “We will meet again. I will find you.“
She closed her eyes and started to gather new energy within her. When it had reached a proportion that could barely be contained within her, she turned the aim towards her own insides and released the energy. Death was instantaneous. Her body slumped over Zan’s and the rain pelted down on them, washing away the blood and the mud.

<center>-----------------------------------------------------</center>

Two hours earlier, Soria found out from one of the servants that Aliandra had been having a love affair with her personal protector, Zan. It didn’t take her long to find out that the same information had also reached Vandor’s ears and she knew disaster was impending. Vandor was well known for his bad temper and his impulsive decisions. In earlier relationships he had often let jealousy govern his thinking. When one of Aliandra’s protectors informed her that Zan and Aliandra had taken off, she knew that she had to find them. And warn them.

But she had been too late.

Vandor had found her first. With the rain beating their faces, she had resembled her best friend more than ever and she had been the target of Vandor’s raw rage. Before he had realized what he had done he had killed her. It had taken him a couple of minutes before he had realized his mistake.

Working behind the scenes were the scientists, hired by the king to ensure the survival of the royal heritage. Four years prior to the first meeting between Zan and Aliandra, Aliandra’s older brother Amar died in battle. Aliandra had grieved for her brother, his death making her even more isolated and lonely. What she didn’t know was that his body was frozen, being conserved for the future. If something happened to Aliandra, they would do the same thing to her and whomever she might have formed a relationship with.

That fateful day, with the rain falling hard to the ground, obscuring everyone’s vision, mistakes were made. Mistakes that would be proven to be just the right mistakes. Soon after Aliandra’s death, someone took her body. No one knows who it was. And it’s really not important, because it didn’t change the fact that she was dead and her soul had already left her body. But as men were sent out to collect bodies for preservation, Soria’s body was found instead of Aliandra’s. Since Vandor’s body had also disappeared from the place, the men made the simple mistake of collecting Zan’s body instead. Many of the people had yet to see who their new prince was. Their marriage had not been open to the public and the one that the scientists and the common men had seen Aliandra together with on most occasions was the dark-haired boy. Hence, it was believed that he was the new prince.

The people loved their princess. She always treated them fairly and with respect. With her death, rebellion broke out and a civil war started. Fearing for the security of the pods containing their royalty, the scientist became desperate and decided to try an experimental method that they had been investigating recently: mixing the DNA of their people with that of human beings of the planet Earth. That way they could revive their royal family. The experiments were conducted and the results were seemingly successful. But the situation became so bad that the king ordered the scientists to build a space ship and send the pods to Earth to ensure their safety. On Earth, their beloved rulers could grow up safely in order to return to their home planet and reinstate peace.

The only problem was that the civil war magnified into a fight between countries and weapons similar to the atomic weapons on Earth were used. It wiped away all the vegetation and life on the planet and left it dead. The only things left from that once prospering planet were three fetuses in three pods.

Amar, Soria, and Zan.

But that night under the stars exactly four days before the death of Zan and Aliandra, a deep soul-binding connection was made. Two halves became one whole. Their souls became one and a promise was made in the stars. They would never let go of each other, and if they did, they would find their way back to each other. Because soulmates belong together; without their other half they couldn’t live. They couldn’t survive.

Zan’s body was brought to Earth, but seven years before the day of his emergence from the pod, Aliandra’s soul came to rest. It had found it’s other half and in an abandoned shackle in New York City, she was reborn in the baby that would soon grow up to become Elizabeth Parker.

____________________

Hmm.. it wouldn't be correct to write "TBC" here because the interludes are now over. But then, on the other hand, "Lethal Whispers" continues...

See ya soon (hopefully). I will be glad every time you decide to stop by though ...

{{hugs}}

Josephin

[max and liz believer]

Hey you guys!

Sorry about the long wait... But here's the next chapter...

Hugs,

Jo



Chapter 43


I thought you were my friend. Why can’t you tell me?

“Hey there.“
Isabel quickly sat up, the room starting to spin at the sudden movement, the nausea rising in her throat evidence of how intensely her body protested against the motion. Her hand flew to her forehead in a desperate attempt to stop the spinning.
“Where am I? Who are you?“ The questions ripped violently through her trembling lips. She could feel the energy gathering inside of her as she tried to keep her eyes open in the bright light. Energy that was only waiting for her to give the cue and it would destroy whoever was leaning over her right now.
“Alex,“ the soft voice answered, “I’m Alex. And you’re at Liz’s. You fainted or something and you’ve been out for about ten minutes. I was about to call an ambulance.“
The thoughts were tumbling around in her head, making her dizzy.

I can’t trust you when you don’t trust me.

What was that voice in her head? There was something different about it. Like it had another fingerprint than usual language. Like it was a foreign language, but she understood it just as easily as English. What was happening?

She felt panic grip her. She had to get out of her. She tried to stand up, but fell against the man who had called himself Alex when her legs gave out from underneath her.
“Careful,“ Alex murmured. She felt an arm move around her waist and her first natural instinct was to push it away and try to get as far away from him as possible. But she didn’t have the strength and the small fight she put up only made his arm tighten more firmly around her waist.
“No you don’t,“ he said, “You can’t walk on your own. Let’s get you to the couch. You need to lay down.“
“Don’t tell me what to do,“ Isabel gritted out. Her head was throbbing intensely and there was something nagging her at the back of her head.
Alex didn’t answer her. He just calmly led her over to the couch and Isabel had no other choice but to follow.

The soft couch was really a good alternative to the cold tile floor in the bathroom. She leaned back in the couch and closed her eyes, trying to focus her powers onto herself. She never was any good at healing. It had always been Max’s area of expertise. She could heal simple things. Like paper cuts and bruises. But she had never had a headache before and, thus, never tried to heal one. Focusing, she tried to picture her brain, like Max had told her to do. Always picture what you are going to heal and the problem will present itself to you. Right. After a couple of seconds she slumped back in the couch again, even more tired and with a worse headache than before.
“Here,“ that voice said and she slowly opened her eyes to see Alex hovering above her, a glass of water in his hand, “You should drink something.“
Swallowing her pride, Isabel stretched out her hand and gave him a weak attempt of a smile, “Thanks.“
“No problem,“ Alex answered.
She watched as Alex plopped down in the armchair beside her through her glass as she drank. He watched her patiently as she emptied the glass.
“So, what happened in there?“ Alex asked as she put the glass down on the table in front of her.

You know, I counted on you to always be there for me, like I have always been there for you.

Isabel shook her head in a fruitless attempt to rid her mind of the intruding whispers, and murmured, “I don’t know.“
Why did she have a strong feeling that she shouldn’t be here at all? That she should be somewhere else?
“I guess I fainted,“ Isabel continued, staring at the glass.
Alex nodded and they sat in silence for a while, the pounding in Isabel’s head echoing around her.
“So, that word...on the mirror. Was that weird, or what? What do you think it was? Why would Liz write something like that on her mirror?“
“What?“ Isabel asked. She should know this. She knew at the back of her head that she should know what he was talking about.
“Um... Limbrà, I think it said,“ Alex whispered.

Limbrà.

Help.

I was too late.

I can’t trust you when you don’t trust me.

Well, if that’s how you feel, then I guess you are better off left alone.

Limbrà.

I was too late.

Help.

Help.

Help.

“Oh my God,“ Isabel whispered and covered her face in her hands.
“What?“ Alex frowned.
“Oh my God,“ Isabel repeated, her voice stronger. Her head lifted from her hands and she stared straight at Alex. “Liz... Oh my God.“

I thought you were my friend. Why can’t you tell me?
I can’t. But you are my friend. You are the dearest friend of mine. That’s why I need your help.
No.

“What?“ Alex asked again, concerned with her behavior. “What’s wrong with Liz?“ He could feel his apprehension grow as Isabel struggled up from the couch and wobbled towards the front door.
“I have to find Max,“ Isabel whispered.
“What’s going on? Isabel? Is something wrong with Liz? Why did she write that?“

I, Aliandra, promise to be your best friend forever. Now it’s your turn.
I, Soria, promise to be the best friend in the whole wide world.

“Aliandra,“ Isabel whispered, “she’s Aliandra.“
“Huh?“ Alex asked, stepping up behind her. “Who’s Aliandra?“
“Oh my God. She’s one of us. She’s one of us.“
“What are you talking about?“ Alex asked.
Isabel flung the door open, only to be faced with her brother’s aggravated face.
“Max!“ she burst out.


TBC...


__________________

I apologize for the short chapter... I will try and post the next one ASAP