That evening, Tess was surprised to find Alex and Liz on her doorstep when she answered the doorbell.
“Hey! To what do we owe the honour?” she asked.
“Maria asked us to come over to help her finish unpacking,” Alex explained, and just then Hurricane De Luca descended the stairs. Tess watched the three of them greet each other loudly, and then go upstairs, chattering away like monkeys. She then turned back to the kitchen table where her homework was spread out. All was silent, except the occasional roar from the living room where Kyle was watching a game of football. After about ten minutes, the doorbell rang again. Once again, Tess answered it, to find Michael, Max, and Isabel on the doorstep.
“What's up?” she asked.
“We need to talk,” Max replied, and Tess automatically let them in. She noticed that Isabel was uncharacteristically wearing an enormous gray sweatshirt, no make up, and her hair was pulled into an untidy ponytail. It was only at that moment that Tess realised she hadn't seen Isabel at school that day.
“Ok, Maxwell, are you going spill now or what?” Michael asked as they headed into the living room.
“You don't know what's going on either?” Tess asked, surprised.
“Hey, guys. What's up?” Kyle asked.
“You might want to turn that off. Max says we all need to talk,” Michael said abruptly. Kyle muttered something about nothing being sacred any more, and did as he was asked. Everyone turned to look at Max, except Isabel, who hadn't been more than two feet away from him ever since she had entered the house, and was sitting next to him on the couch. Max sighed, and looked around.
“I really wish we could have gotten hold of Alex. He should be here for this...” Max began, but Tess interrupted.
“Alex is here, though- he and Liz came to see Maria. They're up in her room. I can go get them if you want...”
Three lots of footsteps could be hear thundering down the stairs, and the five in the living room looked at each other, knowing that Tess needn't go find them after all. A moment later, Liz, Alex, and Maria burst into the room, laughing at one of Alex's jokes. They stopped short when they realised that the others were there. Alex surprised everyone by heading straight over to Isabel and kneeling beside the couch she shared with Max. He took one of her hands between both of his.
“How are you doing? I noticed you weren't in school today,” he asked softly. She raised her eyes to his, and smiled at him.
“Mom said I could stay home and sleep in,” was all she replied. He smiled in response.
“If there's anything I can do...?” he began.
“Alex, you've already been amazing.”
Max cleared his throat, and Alex glanced at him.
“Seeing as everyone's here, Alex, I was wondering if you could show the others what we discovered last night?” Max asked, producing the octagon. Alex swallowed nervously, and looked around his friends before doing as Max asked. The others watched in wonder as Alex touched the device and it began to glow red.
“How...?” Maria began, as always the first to find her voice.
“There was... a situation last night,” Max began, glancing at Isabel, “Unrelated to anything alien, and Alex got punched, so I healed him- and afterwards, when he touched the device, it worked.”
“Alex got punched?!” Maria demanded, horrified.
“Are you ok? What happened?” cried Liz. Alex looked sheepish, but to his surprise, Isabel answered for him.
“Don't worry, he hit the bastard back much harder.”
Kyle smirked at that. “Way to go, Whitman!”
“You ok?” Michael asked Isabel in his most detached tone, but Isabel knew simply from his question that he was genuinely concerned. She nodded in response.
Liz had been thinking. “Does that mean that if you were to heal Maria, we could make the whole device work?” she asked Max.
“No way am I getting hurt just for your hocus-pocus,” Maria began, but Michael interupted her.
“It's completely out of the question. If needs be, we can find someone else.”
Despite the fact that she had played the ice princess role around him for the last few days- she had taken her inspiration from Isabel- the deep hurt caused by his statement flashed clearly across her face. It took her a moment to find her voice.
“I'm glad we finally agree on something. Excuse me,” she replied quietly, and left the room. Alex rounded on Michael a moment later.
“What was that about? I know you two aren't getting along just now, but that was plain rude!”
“Was it?” Michael asked, stepping forward until he was toe to toe with Alex. “Yet you, claiming to be her friend, are willing for her to be physically hurt?”
“I never said that,” Alex replied, responding to the challenge. “And you obviously don't know me very well if you think I would agree to that for a second. But at least I can express that to her without making her feel ostracized.”
“That isn't what I meant,” began Michael irritably, but Alex interrupted him.
“...Well then, what was she meant to take from your input- especially considering your track record of dumping her every time something alien comes up?”
“Stop it, both of you!” commanded Isabel- the only person that both boys, even in the heat of an argument, would listen to at this point. They both stepped back, and there was an awkward silence.
The silence was broken by a crash and the sounds of breaking glass, liquid splashing, and Maria cursing, coming from the general direction of the kitchen.
As one group, the seven in the living room all raced to the kitchen, and stopped short as a crowd in the doorway to find broken glass and juice everywhere, and Maria sitting in the middle of the mess nursing a very nasty jagged cut that started on her hand and went halfway up her forearm.
“What happened?” Liz asked, her voice etched with concern.
“I slipped,” Maria replied, clearly a little bit dazed. She glanced up at Max, who was the first to step close to her. “Looks like you get to heal me after all,” she said, but before he could, he was stopped by Michael.
“No,” was all Michael said.
Putting things right(CC,All,Mature) Ch 25 - 6 June 2010[WIP]
Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
“In case you hadn't noticed, Space boy, I'm kind of losing a lot of blood here,” Maria began heatedly, but Michael cut her off.
“I'll heal you.”
“You'll heal me?! Do you even know how??”
“I don't want anyone else connecting with you, Maria,” he replied, and, taking advantage of her speechless surprise, placed one hand over the arm that was covered in blood and placed his other hand on the side of her head. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated very hard, and after a few moments he was in. He received several flashes from her in quick succession- the deep hurt and frustration of their recent fight, and two or three of their previous fights, her own parents arguing in a very similar manner, and her deep feeling of loss and abandonment the day her father walked away, and then what seemed like a monatage of their most intimate moments of them as a couple, sharing kisses and passion, and occasionally whispering words that tried yet failed to put express the way she truly felt about him.
Michael pushed past the sea of Maria, and searched for the cut on her arm. He pictured it in his mind, and willed the flesh to restore itself without so much as a mark.
He had never had that much control of his powers, and Maria could feel his uncertainty as he tried to heal her. She also experienced her first flashes of him ever- his frustration at himself for not expressing himself more clearly earlier, him watching her from across the playground when they were eleven years old- the first time he had ever thought a girl could be a thing of beauty, Hank yelling at him in a drunken rage, telling him he was worthless- and Michael believing him, and finally, Tess's answer in class that morning, and the thoughts and feelings he had experienced as he analyzed his feelings and motivations towards Maria with honestly for possibly the first time. And underneath all of that, she saw- she truly saw- how he felt about her, how he cared for her in the very depths of his soul, in a place so buried beneath layers and layers of feelings of rejection and worthlessness and lack of belonging- of always being the outsider. And in that moment, she knew he loved her.
Slowly their connection faded, and they found themselves simply staring into each other's eyes, completely blown away by the experience they had just shared. Shouts of joy from their friends brought them back to earth, and Michael removed his hand so that he could examine her arm. There was no sign of her injury. They looked at each other again, a tender expression coming into Maria's eyes as she searched his.
“It's real, isn't it? What I was feeling just now? That's how you truly feel about me, isn't it?”she asked him. He nodded, and dropped his eyes from hers- ever defensive of his innermost feelings. A moment later, her lips were on his in a passionate but all too short kiss. Max cleared his throat discreetly, and once again they were made aware of their audience. Michael gently assisted Maria off the floor, and Tess and Max made quick work of the mess. The eight of them then filed back into the slightly more spacious living room, and looked expectantly at Max.
“Well, now is as good a time and place as anything- it's not like we can go out to the pod chamber at this time of night, and with the Sheriff and Mrs. De- Mrs. Valenti, sorry, gone on honeymoon...” Max took a deep breath, and picked up the octagonal device that had been forgotten during the drama. It began to glow it's usual green.
Tess stepped up to his elbow, and joined him, causing her yellow symbol to light up. Then Michael and Isabel joined them, and then Kyle and Alex. Liz and Maria looked at each other, and slowly Liz stepped forward and joined the others. The device had been glowing brighter and brighter as each person lit up their own symbol. Maria took a deep breath and touched her symbol. It immediately glowed orange, and began to hum quietly.
Suddenly, the device emitted an dazzling blue flash of light that seemed to go out in every direction, and then the device broke itself into eight perfect pieces, and each teen found themselves holding onto their own symbol.
=Meanwhile, out in a very secluded part of the desert=
It had been a quiet shift in the observation tent. Just like every other, in fact, for the last ten or twelve years. To be honest, no one expected the alert to sound that night, but sound it did. The leader of the shift hurried to the receiver, and watched the beam of light that it emitted in awe for just a moment. It was what he had been waiting for. He ordered his second in command to stay, and he left the tent and crossed the hidden compound quickly, entering a larger meeting tent.
In the middle of the tent, a group of men were involved in deep discussion. He approached one of the central figures, and whispered five words in his ear.
“The octhar has been activated.”
The other man made a single gesture with his hand, causing those surrounding him to leave in a hurry. He waited until they were gone, before turning to the informant.
“Take as few men as possible, and bring them in. Go now, in case they scatter- I want them all.”
The informant nodded his understanding, and left the tent in a hurry. He gathered a few of his best men, and they climbed into four SUVs and headed towards the highway that would eventually take them into Roswell, New Mexico.
“In case you hadn't noticed, Space boy, I'm kind of losing a lot of blood here,” Maria began heatedly, but Michael cut her off.
“I'll heal you.”
“You'll heal me?! Do you even know how??”
“I don't want anyone else connecting with you, Maria,” he replied, and, taking advantage of her speechless surprise, placed one hand over the arm that was covered in blood and placed his other hand on the side of her head. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated very hard, and after a few moments he was in. He received several flashes from her in quick succession- the deep hurt and frustration of their recent fight, and two or three of their previous fights, her own parents arguing in a very similar manner, and her deep feeling of loss and abandonment the day her father walked away, and then what seemed like a monatage of their most intimate moments of them as a couple, sharing kisses and passion, and occasionally whispering words that tried yet failed to put express the way she truly felt about him.
Michael pushed past the sea of Maria, and searched for the cut on her arm. He pictured it in his mind, and willed the flesh to restore itself without so much as a mark.
He had never had that much control of his powers, and Maria could feel his uncertainty as he tried to heal her. She also experienced her first flashes of him ever- his frustration at himself for not expressing himself more clearly earlier, him watching her from across the playground when they were eleven years old- the first time he had ever thought a girl could be a thing of beauty, Hank yelling at him in a drunken rage, telling him he was worthless- and Michael believing him, and finally, Tess's answer in class that morning, and the thoughts and feelings he had experienced as he analyzed his feelings and motivations towards Maria with honestly for possibly the first time. And underneath all of that, she saw- she truly saw- how he felt about her, how he cared for her in the very depths of his soul, in a place so buried beneath layers and layers of feelings of rejection and worthlessness and lack of belonging- of always being the outsider. And in that moment, she knew he loved her.
Slowly their connection faded, and they found themselves simply staring into each other's eyes, completely blown away by the experience they had just shared. Shouts of joy from their friends brought them back to earth, and Michael removed his hand so that he could examine her arm. There was no sign of her injury. They looked at each other again, a tender expression coming into Maria's eyes as she searched his.
“It's real, isn't it? What I was feeling just now? That's how you truly feel about me, isn't it?”she asked him. He nodded, and dropped his eyes from hers- ever defensive of his innermost feelings. A moment later, her lips were on his in a passionate but all too short kiss. Max cleared his throat discreetly, and once again they were made aware of their audience. Michael gently assisted Maria off the floor, and Tess and Max made quick work of the mess. The eight of them then filed back into the slightly more spacious living room, and looked expectantly at Max.
“Well, now is as good a time and place as anything- it's not like we can go out to the pod chamber at this time of night, and with the Sheriff and Mrs. De- Mrs. Valenti, sorry, gone on honeymoon...” Max took a deep breath, and picked up the octagonal device that had been forgotten during the drama. It began to glow it's usual green.
Tess stepped up to his elbow, and joined him, causing her yellow symbol to light up. Then Michael and Isabel joined them, and then Kyle and Alex. Liz and Maria looked at each other, and slowly Liz stepped forward and joined the others. The device had been glowing brighter and brighter as each person lit up their own symbol. Maria took a deep breath and touched her symbol. It immediately glowed orange, and began to hum quietly.
Suddenly, the device emitted an dazzling blue flash of light that seemed to go out in every direction, and then the device broke itself into eight perfect pieces, and each teen found themselves holding onto their own symbol.
=Meanwhile, out in a very secluded part of the desert=
It had been a quiet shift in the observation tent. Just like every other, in fact, for the last ten or twelve years. To be honest, no one expected the alert to sound that night, but sound it did. The leader of the shift hurried to the receiver, and watched the beam of light that it emitted in awe for just a moment. It was what he had been waiting for. He ordered his second in command to stay, and he left the tent and crossed the hidden compound quickly, entering a larger meeting tent.
In the middle of the tent, a group of men were involved in deep discussion. He approached one of the central figures, and whispered five words in his ear.
“The octhar has been activated.”
The other man made a single gesture with his hand, causing those surrounding him to leave in a hurry. He waited until they were gone, before turning to the informant.
“Take as few men as possible, and bring them in. Go now, in case they scatter- I want them all.”
The informant nodded his understanding, and left the tent in a hurry. He gathered a few of his best men, and they climbed into four SUVs and headed towards the highway that would eventually take them into Roswell, New Mexico.
A/N: Glad you all seem to be enjoying it! This part's only short, sorry...
-------------
It took the group a few moments to recover from the experience. Kyle, for one, was disappointed. He was the first to speak.
“That was it?” he asked. “Just a flash of light and the damn thing breaks?!”
The others either glared at him or nodded sympathetically, except Liz, who laid her piece in her palm to examine it. She flipped it over so that she could see the symbol on the front again, when it suddenly melted into her palm and disappeared. Liz gasped.
“What? What happened?” Maria asked.
“I was holding it in the palm of my hand, and all of a sudden it just sank in.”
“What do you mean, sank in?” Michael asked.
“As in, I was holding it, and it is now physically inside of me. If you don't believe me, try it yourself.”
Michael looked at her for a long moment, then did as she had demonstrated. A moment later, his, too, sank into his palm. Everyone looked at each other in wonder, and finally Max spoke.
“I don't know if we should all do it or not, seeing as we're still not sure if these things are friendly. On the other hand, it can be argued that if this is what they're meant to do, we should all do it together. What do you think?”
Slowly, Isabel nodded. “I want to try it,” she replied. Alex immediately spoke up.
“Then I will, too.”
They both did as Michael had done and laid their piece of the device on their open palm. In a moment, both dissolved into their respective hands. Tess had been watching with growing excitement, and she looked at Kyle.
“I will if you will,” she said challengingly. Kyle swallowed nervously, still not totally convinced, but he nodded, and they both allowed their pieces of the device to do it's thing.
Finally, Max looked at Maria. “I understand if you don't want to...” he began, but she shook her head.
“I think I do. I can't explain it, but for some reason I really want to do this.”
Max smiled and watched as her piece melted into her palm, and then allowed his to do the same.
It was then that the phone rang. Kyle went to answer it, and he returned in a moment.
“Liz, that was your folks asking what time you'd be home.”
“Oh... right... um... tell them I'm leaving now.”
“I think we'd all better get going,” said Max. He looked at Tess, Kyle, and Maria. “Is it ok if we meet here after school tomorrow so we can talk about all of this?”
The three members of the Valenti-De Luca- Harding residence nodded their permission, and their guests all headed for the door, never for a moment thinking that, by the time school got out tomorrow, they would all be many miles away.
-------------
It took the group a few moments to recover from the experience. Kyle, for one, was disappointed. He was the first to speak.
“That was it?” he asked. “Just a flash of light and the damn thing breaks?!”
The others either glared at him or nodded sympathetically, except Liz, who laid her piece in her palm to examine it. She flipped it over so that she could see the symbol on the front again, when it suddenly melted into her palm and disappeared. Liz gasped.
“What? What happened?” Maria asked.
“I was holding it in the palm of my hand, and all of a sudden it just sank in.”
“What do you mean, sank in?” Michael asked.
“As in, I was holding it, and it is now physically inside of me. If you don't believe me, try it yourself.”
Michael looked at her for a long moment, then did as she had demonstrated. A moment later, his, too, sank into his palm. Everyone looked at each other in wonder, and finally Max spoke.
“I don't know if we should all do it or not, seeing as we're still not sure if these things are friendly. On the other hand, it can be argued that if this is what they're meant to do, we should all do it together. What do you think?”
Slowly, Isabel nodded. “I want to try it,” she replied. Alex immediately spoke up.
“Then I will, too.”
They both did as Michael had done and laid their piece of the device on their open palm. In a moment, both dissolved into their respective hands. Tess had been watching with growing excitement, and she looked at Kyle.
“I will if you will,” she said challengingly. Kyle swallowed nervously, still not totally convinced, but he nodded, and they both allowed their pieces of the device to do it's thing.
Finally, Max looked at Maria. “I understand if you don't want to...” he began, but she shook her head.
“I think I do. I can't explain it, but for some reason I really want to do this.”
Max smiled and watched as her piece melted into her palm, and then allowed his to do the same.
It was then that the phone rang. Kyle went to answer it, and he returned in a moment.
“Liz, that was your folks asking what time you'd be home.”
“Oh... right... um... tell them I'm leaving now.”
“I think we'd all better get going,” said Max. He looked at Tess, Kyle, and Maria. “Is it ok if we meet here after school tomorrow so we can talk about all of this?”
The three members of the Valenti-De Luca- Harding residence nodded their permission, and their guests all headed for the door, never for a moment thinking that, by the time school got out tomorrow, they would all be many miles away.
It was in the early hours of the morning when the four SUVs rolled quietly into Roswell. They moved swiftly along the silent streets, one making a beeline for the main street and the Crashdown, one turning off towards the Evan's household, and two going towards the Valenti-De Luca- Harding residence. It only took a matter of moments for the black-clad figures unlock each house, silently move up the stairs, touch the temple of the teenager in each bed, and carry them downstairs and out into the waiting vehicles. The one that had first gone to the Crashdown then moved on towards Michael's apartment, and one of the two that had stopped at the Valenti residence then moved towards Alex's house. Once each vehicle had collected two additional passengers, they headed aback out to the desert, as swiftly and silently as they had come in.
Diane Evans glanced at the clock as she sipped her coffee, and, noticing the time, set it down and headed up the stairs to her children's rooms. She knocked on Max's door first.
“Max, honey, you're running late for school,” she called through the door. No response. She opened the door slowly, always cautious of her son's privacy, and came into the room. The bed had been slept in, that much was obvious. But she couldn't see any of his clothes gone, and his shoes and keys had been dropped in their usual spots. Where could he have gone in his pyjamas?
She didn't ponder this point for too long just yet, as an awful premonition overtook her. She crossed the hall to Isabel's room and knocked.
“Isabel? Time for school,” she called, and entered her daughter's room. Once again, the bed had clearly been slept in, but none of her clothes or shoes had moved. The shirt Isabel had asked Diane to wash as she had wanted to wear it to school that day was still folded neatly and sitting on her desk chair, and the red silk pajamas she had worn to bed were no where to be found. Diane slowly sat on the edge of her daughter's bed, trying to think logically where her children could possibly have gone in their night ware.
The phone startled her out of her concentration. She rushed over to pick up the hallway extension, hoping it was Max or Isabel.
“Diane? Nancy Parker here. This may sound odd, but do you have any idea where Liz might be? I went up to wake her for school, and when I went in, she wasn't there.”
“I have no idea, I'm sorry- but my guess is that my Max and Isabel are both with her. They've both disappeared, and as far as I can tell, neither of them stopped to even get dressed.”
Nancy sighed, worried. “Well, thanks, Diane. I guess I'll try the Whitman's now. There was no answer at Maria's.”
“It's just Maria, Kyle, and Tess there this week, isn't it?” Diane asked.
“Yes- Amy and Jim aren't back from their honeymoon yet.”
“I might call in to work and let them know I'll be late today, and stop by their house to check on those kids.”
“I'll call the Whitman's- and can you call me and let me know what you find?”
“Sure. In fact, I'll stop by the Crashdown.”
“Bring Philip, too, if you like.”
“He left for work early, but I will call him and let him know what's happening.”
Diane wasted no time in getting ready, and was soon on her way to Jim and Amy's house. When she arrived, she found the front door unlocked, but the three teenagers were nowhere to be found. Next to the phone, posted on the wall, were Jim and Amy's mobile phone numbers, and the number for their hotel. Diane quickly jotted down all three, and, seeing Tess's keys on the table where her homework was still spread out after last night, picked them up so she could lock the door, left a note in case they returned, and headed for the Crashdown.
Nancy looked at her hopefully as she entered, but her face dropped at Diane's words.
“They aren't there. The door was unlocked, but no one was home. I found Jim and Amy's mobile numbers, and the hotel number.”
Nancy nodded. “You sit yourself down and have a cup of coffee. I tried calling Alex's parents, and I got Charles Whitman- and he was helpful as always.”
“I'm afraid I don't know the Whitman's that well, so I don't know what you mean.”
“I'll tell you about it in a second. I'll just call Jim first- I think I'd rather talk to him than Amy- she's going to... well... freak out, as Liz would say.”
Diane settled herself at the corner, and glanced around the cafe, which was fairly quiet at this time of morning. Jeff Parker brought her a cup of coffee, and offered her breakfast. Nancy had picked up the cordless phone, and dialled Jim's number. After several rings, he answered.
“Good Morning!” he was awfully chirpy- but that wasn't surprising, considering.
“Good morning, Jim. There's no easy way to say this, but... well... it seems like all of our children are missing.”
“Missing?” he repeated, astonished.
“Yes. They were all home at a fairly reasonable hour last night, and their beds were all slept in- but wherever they've gone, they none of them appear to have stopped to get dressed. This morning they were just... gone.”
“All of them?” he asked, beginning to sound worried. Nancy could hear Amy's voice in the back ground asking “Jim, what is it, sweetie?”
“I have Diane Evans here, and she says its the same with Max and Isabel- and she stopped by your house, and there was no sign of Tess, Kyle or Maria.”
“And Alex and Michael are gone too?”
“Charles Whitman told me not to snoop around his family when I asked, which probably means yes, and we hadn't got as far as checking on Michael. Jim, should we report them?”
“Nancy, I'm still the Sheriff, even if I am on honeymoon. Consider it reported- I'll take care of it,” Jim reassured her. “Look, I'll explain it to Amy and make a couple of phone calls, and then we'll head back to Roswell- we should get there around lunch time.”
“Thanks, Jim. See you then,” Nancy replied, and hung up the phone. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to Diane. “You asked about the Whitman's? Charles Whitman is a hard man. Ex- military, and he hit the bottle when he left them. He has four sons, and the first three are as big and as hard as he is. He walks all over his poor wife- she's a very sweet, gentle lady- Alex takes after her in a lot of ways. Just quietly, I understand Charles has actually laid hands on her on occasion- or tried to, until young Alex stepped in, and took it for his mother. He considers Alex to be a complete loss after the other boys, but Alex is so much like his mother- except he actually has a backbone. Anyway, when I found out about that incident, you can imagine how pleased he was about that. Having said that, he's pretty well given up on Alex- lets him do whatever he likes, so long as he doesn't bother him.”
“How awful. I had no idea... and Alex is such a sweet boy.”
“That he is. He's been a very loyal friend to my Lizzie. Jeff and I consider him and Maria to be members of the family, which is why I'm so worried about them all. What do we do now?”
“We wait, I guess.”
“That's what I was afraid you were going to say.”
It was late in the morning by the time the four SUVs rolled into camp. They immediately attracted a crowd as the passengers- still apparently unconscious- were carried into the rooms prepared for them, within the only permanent structure on the site- what looked like an old warehouse from the outside. As they were laid out, each of them were touched on the temple once again, and then left to wake in their own good time.
Jim and Amy drove straight to the Crashdown to see if there was any news. Jim left Amy with Nancy, Jeff, Diane, and Philip- who had taken the afternoon off when Diane had called him- and then left for the station to see if anything had turned up. By calling in a few favours, Jim had managed to get every surrounding county, as well as his own, searching for the missing kids- most of them without filing any unnecessary paper work. As always, Jim was cautious about drawing too much attention to the alien teenagers, and he was positive that this was alien- related.
“Max, honey, you're running late for school,” she called through the door. No response. She opened the door slowly, always cautious of her son's privacy, and came into the room. The bed had been slept in, that much was obvious. But she couldn't see any of his clothes gone, and his shoes and keys had been dropped in their usual spots. Where could he have gone in his pyjamas?
She didn't ponder this point for too long just yet, as an awful premonition overtook her. She crossed the hall to Isabel's room and knocked.
“Isabel? Time for school,” she called, and entered her daughter's room. Once again, the bed had clearly been slept in, but none of her clothes or shoes had moved. The shirt Isabel had asked Diane to wash as she had wanted to wear it to school that day was still folded neatly and sitting on her desk chair, and the red silk pajamas she had worn to bed were no where to be found. Diane slowly sat on the edge of her daughter's bed, trying to think logically where her children could possibly have gone in their night ware.
The phone startled her out of her concentration. She rushed over to pick up the hallway extension, hoping it was Max or Isabel.
“Diane? Nancy Parker here. This may sound odd, but do you have any idea where Liz might be? I went up to wake her for school, and when I went in, she wasn't there.”
“I have no idea, I'm sorry- but my guess is that my Max and Isabel are both with her. They've both disappeared, and as far as I can tell, neither of them stopped to even get dressed.”
Nancy sighed, worried. “Well, thanks, Diane. I guess I'll try the Whitman's now. There was no answer at Maria's.”
“It's just Maria, Kyle, and Tess there this week, isn't it?” Diane asked.
“Yes- Amy and Jim aren't back from their honeymoon yet.”
“I might call in to work and let them know I'll be late today, and stop by their house to check on those kids.”
“I'll call the Whitman's- and can you call me and let me know what you find?”
“Sure. In fact, I'll stop by the Crashdown.”
“Bring Philip, too, if you like.”
“He left for work early, but I will call him and let him know what's happening.”
Diane wasted no time in getting ready, and was soon on her way to Jim and Amy's house. When she arrived, she found the front door unlocked, but the three teenagers were nowhere to be found. Next to the phone, posted on the wall, were Jim and Amy's mobile phone numbers, and the number for their hotel. Diane quickly jotted down all three, and, seeing Tess's keys on the table where her homework was still spread out after last night, picked them up so she could lock the door, left a note in case they returned, and headed for the Crashdown.
Nancy looked at her hopefully as she entered, but her face dropped at Diane's words.
“They aren't there. The door was unlocked, but no one was home. I found Jim and Amy's mobile numbers, and the hotel number.”
Nancy nodded. “You sit yourself down and have a cup of coffee. I tried calling Alex's parents, and I got Charles Whitman- and he was helpful as always.”
“I'm afraid I don't know the Whitman's that well, so I don't know what you mean.”
“I'll tell you about it in a second. I'll just call Jim first- I think I'd rather talk to him than Amy- she's going to... well... freak out, as Liz would say.”
Diane settled herself at the corner, and glanced around the cafe, which was fairly quiet at this time of morning. Jeff Parker brought her a cup of coffee, and offered her breakfast. Nancy had picked up the cordless phone, and dialled Jim's number. After several rings, he answered.
“Good Morning!” he was awfully chirpy- but that wasn't surprising, considering.
“Good morning, Jim. There's no easy way to say this, but... well... it seems like all of our children are missing.”
“Missing?” he repeated, astonished.
“Yes. They were all home at a fairly reasonable hour last night, and their beds were all slept in- but wherever they've gone, they none of them appear to have stopped to get dressed. This morning they were just... gone.”
“All of them?” he asked, beginning to sound worried. Nancy could hear Amy's voice in the back ground asking “Jim, what is it, sweetie?”
“I have Diane Evans here, and she says its the same with Max and Isabel- and she stopped by your house, and there was no sign of Tess, Kyle or Maria.”
“And Alex and Michael are gone too?”
“Charles Whitman told me not to snoop around his family when I asked, which probably means yes, and we hadn't got as far as checking on Michael. Jim, should we report them?”
“Nancy, I'm still the Sheriff, even if I am on honeymoon. Consider it reported- I'll take care of it,” Jim reassured her. “Look, I'll explain it to Amy and make a couple of phone calls, and then we'll head back to Roswell- we should get there around lunch time.”
“Thanks, Jim. See you then,” Nancy replied, and hung up the phone. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat down next to Diane. “You asked about the Whitman's? Charles Whitman is a hard man. Ex- military, and he hit the bottle when he left them. He has four sons, and the first three are as big and as hard as he is. He walks all over his poor wife- she's a very sweet, gentle lady- Alex takes after her in a lot of ways. Just quietly, I understand Charles has actually laid hands on her on occasion- or tried to, until young Alex stepped in, and took it for his mother. He considers Alex to be a complete loss after the other boys, but Alex is so much like his mother- except he actually has a backbone. Anyway, when I found out about that incident, you can imagine how pleased he was about that. Having said that, he's pretty well given up on Alex- lets him do whatever he likes, so long as he doesn't bother him.”
“How awful. I had no idea... and Alex is such a sweet boy.”
“That he is. He's been a very loyal friend to my Lizzie. Jeff and I consider him and Maria to be members of the family, which is why I'm so worried about them all. What do we do now?”
“We wait, I guess.”
“That's what I was afraid you were going to say.”
It was late in the morning by the time the four SUVs rolled into camp. They immediately attracted a crowd as the passengers- still apparently unconscious- were carried into the rooms prepared for them, within the only permanent structure on the site- what looked like an old warehouse from the outside. As they were laid out, each of them were touched on the temple once again, and then left to wake in their own good time.
Jim and Amy drove straight to the Crashdown to see if there was any news. Jim left Amy with Nancy, Jeff, Diane, and Philip- who had taken the afternoon off when Diane had called him- and then left for the station to see if anything had turned up. By calling in a few favours, Jim had managed to get every surrounding county, as well as his own, searching for the missing kids- most of them without filing any unnecessary paper work. As always, Jim was cautious about drawing too much attention to the alien teenagers, and he was positive that this was alien- related.
Max was the first to awaken, and he found himself in a richly furnished bedchamber decorated in a restful forest green. He sat up to take in the unfamilar surroundings, having no recollection of how he could have gotten here. He was still wearing the same sweatpants he had worn to bed the night before, and he knew this wasn't a dream. A noise that sounded something like a cross between a snore and a grunt came to him from the far side of the room. It was then that Max realised there was another bed there. He carefully approached it, to find Michael curled up and sleeping like a baby. His mind flew to the others, but he could see no door to the room, so he comforted himself that at least Michael was with him, and whatever this place was, it wasn't the white room- or any form of government facility for that matter. After giving the room a brief examination, he returned to the bed he had woken up in, and lay there, trying to figure out what to do next.
If only Max could have known, in the red room on the far side of the suite, a similar scene was taking place as Tess woke slowly, to find herself sharing a room with Isabel, who stirred as Tess sat up. Tess crept over to Isabel's bed.
“Isabel! Wake up!” she shook her friend. Isabel's eye's flew open.
“Tess...? What's going on?” it took her a moment to realise she wasn't in her own room at home. She sat up very suddenly, narrowly missing bumping into Tess. “Where are we?” she demanded.
“I don't know. I only woke up about two minutes ago myself, to find myself in that bed over there. Do you have any idea how we got here? All I remember is going to bed at home, and then I woke up here.”
“No, I don't. What should we do?”
“Perhaps you could dreamwalk one of the others?” Tess suggested. Isabel nodded.
“I'll try Max,” she replied, and, lying back on her pillow, concentrated very hard. It took a while for her to begin to form a connection- she figured he must be at least partially awake- but she eventually managed it.
Max and Isabel, being siblings, had always had a very strong connection between them, and Max felt her trying to dreamwalk him. He closed his eyes as he lay there, and did what he could to form the connection. Soon it was as if they were having a conversation with their minds.
*Max, are you ok? I woke up and found myself in a strange room*, she 'said' to him, and sent him an image of her room.
*I'm in something similar- only I couldn't find a way out. My room's much the same as yours, only it's green. I have Michael here with me...*
*Tess is here with me.*
*Do you think any of the others are here?*
*Surely not- why would they want them? They aren't... different...*
*It's too much coincidence that this happened so close to us activating the device. Do you think you could dream walk one of them? Or better yet, one of the guys and one of the girls- they seem to be putting us in pairs.*
*I'll see what I can do*
Isabel's image faded then, and Max opened his eyes slowly, thankful that, although his sister was in the same predicament as he was, for the moment he knew they were all ok. Michael awoke shortly afterwards, and Max explained as much as he knew of the situation.
The boys spent the next half hour thoroughly exploring their room, looking for any possible means of escape. None could be found. After that they sat there, for what felt like a couple of hours, only occasionally speaking to each other. It was a frustrated silence, as, although the room itself was furnished in a slightly odd but nonetheless luxurious fashion, they were being held against their will- and there was nothing to do but sit, in the sweatpants they had both worn to bed. There was no food available, either, and by this time, both boys were getting very hungry- after all, it was mid-afternoon, and they hadn't eaten since dinner the night before.
It wasn't until after 5pm- not that the boys had any way of telling that- that a panel of the wall slid back quietly, and a group of men entered. Michael and Max both stood at the sound, and Michael automatically took a defensive position slightly in front of Max, raising his hand just in case. In response, the two on the outside also raised their hands, and most of the group froze, tense. The one in the center stepped forward, however, and signaled the guards to lower their hands. Michael waited until he was satisfied that they had lowered their hands, and then glanced at Max, who nodded. Only then did Michael lower his own hand and step back so that the man in the center could speak to them both.
The man bowed low. Max and Michael looked at each other.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, for what must have been a confusing day. We are most apologetic for the methods we have used, but we hope that you will be able to forgive us, given the circumstances. My name is Davryth. I am the Prime Minister and Chief Advisor of the Royal Family of Antar.”
If only Max could have known, in the red room on the far side of the suite, a similar scene was taking place as Tess woke slowly, to find herself sharing a room with Isabel, who stirred as Tess sat up. Tess crept over to Isabel's bed.
“Isabel! Wake up!” she shook her friend. Isabel's eye's flew open.
“Tess...? What's going on?” it took her a moment to realise she wasn't in her own room at home. She sat up very suddenly, narrowly missing bumping into Tess. “Where are we?” she demanded.
“I don't know. I only woke up about two minutes ago myself, to find myself in that bed over there. Do you have any idea how we got here? All I remember is going to bed at home, and then I woke up here.”
“No, I don't. What should we do?”
“Perhaps you could dreamwalk one of the others?” Tess suggested. Isabel nodded.
“I'll try Max,” she replied, and, lying back on her pillow, concentrated very hard. It took a while for her to begin to form a connection- she figured he must be at least partially awake- but she eventually managed it.
Max and Isabel, being siblings, had always had a very strong connection between them, and Max felt her trying to dreamwalk him. He closed his eyes as he lay there, and did what he could to form the connection. Soon it was as if they were having a conversation with their minds.
*Max, are you ok? I woke up and found myself in a strange room*, she 'said' to him, and sent him an image of her room.
*I'm in something similar- only I couldn't find a way out. My room's much the same as yours, only it's green. I have Michael here with me...*
*Tess is here with me.*
*Do you think any of the others are here?*
*Surely not- why would they want them? They aren't... different...*
*It's too much coincidence that this happened so close to us activating the device. Do you think you could dream walk one of them? Or better yet, one of the guys and one of the girls- they seem to be putting us in pairs.*
*I'll see what I can do*
Isabel's image faded then, and Max opened his eyes slowly, thankful that, although his sister was in the same predicament as he was, for the moment he knew they were all ok. Michael awoke shortly afterwards, and Max explained as much as he knew of the situation.
The boys spent the next half hour thoroughly exploring their room, looking for any possible means of escape. None could be found. After that they sat there, for what felt like a couple of hours, only occasionally speaking to each other. It was a frustrated silence, as, although the room itself was furnished in a slightly odd but nonetheless luxurious fashion, they were being held against their will- and there was nothing to do but sit, in the sweatpants they had both worn to bed. There was no food available, either, and by this time, both boys were getting very hungry- after all, it was mid-afternoon, and they hadn't eaten since dinner the night before.
It wasn't until after 5pm- not that the boys had any way of telling that- that a panel of the wall slid back quietly, and a group of men entered. Michael and Max both stood at the sound, and Michael automatically took a defensive position slightly in front of Max, raising his hand just in case. In response, the two on the outside also raised their hands, and most of the group froze, tense. The one in the center stepped forward, however, and signaled the guards to lower their hands. Michael waited until he was satisfied that they had lowered their hands, and then glanced at Max, who nodded. Only then did Michael lower his own hand and step back so that the man in the center could speak to them both.
The man bowed low. Max and Michael looked at each other.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, for what must have been a confusing day. We are most apologetic for the methods we have used, but we hope that you will be able to forgive us, given the circumstances. My name is Davryth. I am the Prime Minister and Chief Advisor of the Royal Family of Antar.”
Putting things right(CC, All, Mature) Ch 15- 3 March 2010
A/N: The fact that any more of this story has been written, let alone actually updated, is totally thanks to RhondaAnn PMing me and encouraging me to continue. So this is dedicated to her. Sorry it's been three years coming!!
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Max looked at him for a moment before he spoke. “My name is Max Evans. I may have been your king in a past life, but that's not who I am now.”
Pievryth's eyes softened. “Sire, believe me, I understand. I would not have dared interrupt your lives here had it not been a matter of the utmost importance. I hope to explain it all to you in due course. But, to begin with, if you will excuse the impertinence, I must, for security purposes, make sure that you are each who you say you are. Would you mind holding out your left hand- the one that carries your symbol from the Octhar?”
“The what?”
“The piece of the octagon device that embedded itself in your hand.”
Max held out his left hand, palm facing up. Pievryth waved his right hand above it, and the symbol glowed green through the palm of Max's hand.
“Now you, Prince Rath,” Pievryth said.
“Michael,” Michael grunted in response, and held out his hand. Pievryth made the same action, and Michael's symbol glowed orange from under his skin. Satisfied, Pievryth nodded to the men behind him, and they all visibly relaxed, and then bowed to Max and Michael.
“Where are the others?” Max demanded, ignoring the bows.
“There a four bed chambers and a communal reception room in this suite, Your Majesty. We will be visiting each of them to check their identities as soon as we leave you. Talon will stay here and assist you dressing. He will be your bodyguard and valet, Your Majesties. A meal will be served in the reception room in half an hour.”
With that, the group all left the room, except for one of the guards, Talon, who showed them the bathroom door that opened in much the same way as the other, and gave them a small bundle of clothes each. Max let Michael have the bathroom first, and had to work very hard at not bursting out laughing when he came out again.
Michael scowled at him. “Just wait ‘til we see what you look like when you put yours on,” he growled. Max looked down at the bundle of clothes in his hands, and the suppressed amusement changed to a look of horrified distaste. Talon cleared his throat discreetly, and looked from Max to the bathroom door. Slowly, holding the bundle away from him distastefully, Max headed for the bathroom.
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Max looked at him for a moment before he spoke. “My name is Max Evans. I may have been your king in a past life, but that's not who I am now.”
Pievryth's eyes softened. “Sire, believe me, I understand. I would not have dared interrupt your lives here had it not been a matter of the utmost importance. I hope to explain it all to you in due course. But, to begin with, if you will excuse the impertinence, I must, for security purposes, make sure that you are each who you say you are. Would you mind holding out your left hand- the one that carries your symbol from the Octhar?”
“The what?”
“The piece of the octagon device that embedded itself in your hand.”
Max held out his left hand, palm facing up. Pievryth waved his right hand above it, and the symbol glowed green through the palm of Max's hand.
“Now you, Prince Rath,” Pievryth said.
“Michael,” Michael grunted in response, and held out his hand. Pievryth made the same action, and Michael's symbol glowed orange from under his skin. Satisfied, Pievryth nodded to the men behind him, and they all visibly relaxed, and then bowed to Max and Michael.
“Where are the others?” Max demanded, ignoring the bows.
“There a four bed chambers and a communal reception room in this suite, Your Majesty. We will be visiting each of them to check their identities as soon as we leave you. Talon will stay here and assist you dressing. He will be your bodyguard and valet, Your Majesties. A meal will be served in the reception room in half an hour.”
With that, the group all left the room, except for one of the guards, Talon, who showed them the bathroom door that opened in much the same way as the other, and gave them a small bundle of clothes each. Max let Michael have the bathroom first, and had to work very hard at not bursting out laughing when he came out again.
Michael scowled at him. “Just wait ‘til we see what you look like when you put yours on,” he growled. Max looked down at the bundle of clothes in his hands, and the suppressed amusement changed to a look of horrified distaste. Talon cleared his throat discreetly, and looked from Max to the bathroom door. Slowly, holding the bundle away from him distastefully, Max headed for the bathroom.
Last edited by Lou on Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Putting things right(CC, All, Mature) Ch 16- 3 March 2010
A/N Due to the fact that I forgot where I was going and then remembered again, you'll have to forgive me if the history I have created doesn't quite completely fit with the strictest conventional look at a show. I'm begging just a little poetic license here, and that you'll forgive me. And if you find the exposition a little tough in the next couple of installments, it picks up again after, so stay with me!!
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“You know, these clothes really aren’t that bad- they’re actually comfortable,” Max whispered to Michael as they were ushered into the reception room. Max was in dark green, Michael in orange, but both were wearing loose fitting cotton pants and undershirt, with a beautifully embroidered tunic over the top, complete with a flowing cape attached from the shoulders. Michael didn’t respond verbally, just gave his friend a death glare. Max smirked back in response, but only for a moment, because just then Maria and, more to the point, Liz came gliding into the room, both of them wearing stunning long dresses, simply cut, that had similar embroidery around the bodice, and then flowed loosely down to their feet. A moment later, Tess, Isabel, Alex, and Kyle joined them. They all stood around awkwardly for a moment, not sure how to act in these unfamiliar surrounding, and not sure if they looked goofy or gorgeous in these unfamiliar clothes.
It was Alex who broke the silence. “Well, the girls all look gorgeous, as usual, but if word gets out at school I was dressed like this, I will disclaim all knowledge and move to another state.” His woeful expression was enough to make them all laugh, and suddenly the ice was broken. The girls gathered in a huddle immediately to admire each other’s dresses- all in the same simple cut, but with their different shapes from petite Liz to elegant Isabel, they might as well have been a completely different design. The guys gathered together on the other side of the room, conversing quietly if at all. Maria was just wailing about how it was just her luck to have struck orange, even though the shade she was wearing looked simply stunning on her, when a door panel slid open and in came a procession of about half a dozen people, who laid a round table at one end of the room with what seemed like the most amazing feast any of them had ever seen. Then the servants bowed politely, the leader made a sweeping invitational gesture towards the table, and they all slipped away again, leaving the teens to their food.
Dinner was a subdued affair, although the food was simply wonderful, and it wasn’t until Michael finally finished his fourth helping that the panel slid open again, and Pievryth re-entered the room. He bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesties, may I invite you to come and seat yourselves over here, as it is time for me to answer at least some of your questions. This may take some time.”
Everyone looked at each other and then at Max, who nodded, and they got up from the round table to the semicircle of couches at the other end of the room. As soon as they moved from the table, the door panel slid open and the same half dozen servants came and silently cleared the table, then disappeared. Once the teens were settled, Pievryth spoke.
“I’m sure you have many questions, and I shall do my best to answer them all. There is much you do not know, and, to make matters more confusing for you, we believe that there is some false information you have been given. But if Your Majesties will allow me to speak first, and hold your questions for later, we will get through this faster. I have a lot of information for you, and it may require the occasional break for you to process all of this.” He looked into each of their eyes as he spoke, his tone filled with humility and his eyes with compassion. He waved his hand over what they had thought was a mere coffee table in the middle of the semicircle, and images began to project there as he spoke, illustrating his story.
“We will begin with the basics. The royal four are, as you are aware, from another planet, namely Antar. There are five planets in our system, all with very different cultures and races. Politically, throughout history, there have been times of peace and times of war. The worst of these placed the royal family in such grave peril that you, the royal four, were killed. However, a group of our scientists, using top secret technology, were able to capture your-- essences, for lack of a better word, and place you in incubation pods on a space ship, taking you to the only other known inhabited planet, earth. We chose earth for many reasons- first, because it was away from the eyes of our enemies, second, because it was habitable, thirdly, because according to our ancient legends, the people of Antar came from the same place as the people of Earth, so genetically it was simpler to mix your DNA with that of a human, creating the delicate and intricate hybrids that each of you are. Our aim was for you to truly fit in here on earth, yet still be a member of our race.”
“So what about you? Are you skins or what?” Michael asked. Pievryth smiled warmly at him.
“Highness, the technology we used to create you and send you here was still in its infancy when it was necessary to use it with the four of you. It has since then grown and developed to make it possible for us to absorb human characteristics in much the same way that my Lords and Ladies here are human, and yet by absorbing the Octhar will soon discover that they can take on some Antarian traits. While you are genetic clones of your former selves, you are yet unique from them- you have been raised in a different environment, with different values and cultural conditioning. I am the same person who was once your Prime Minister and advisor, only I have been physically changed to look human.”
“Just how human are you, then?”
“As human as you, almost. We have similar biology, similar functions- the primary difference is that Antarians have access to a different part of their brains to humans, and this produces some simple biological differences such as on a cellular level, for example, what our blood cells look like, as well as explaining your special abilities. On an emotional level, you are more human than we, but, speaking broadly, there is very little difference between me and you, or between you and a normal, healthy, human being.” Pievryth smiled as the faces in front of him seemed to relax into thoughtful contemplation for a moment, and then he grew serious.
“Unfortunately, there was a leak, and just before we reached our destination, the ship was attacked, forcing a crash landing. This occurred, as you know, in 1947. Some of our scientists and soldiers were able to get the four pods to safety in a specially designed chamber, but were unable to stay without leading our enemies to you. Some of them got very close, and it is they who were captured by your government. To our knowledge, only one escaped them, and has been on the run ever since. He didn’t know exactly where to find the pod chamber, although he had a good idea of it’s general whereabouts, it wasn’t until you came out of the chamber that he worked out its exact location. By the time he found it, three of you had hatched and left the chamber, and only one remained.”
“Me,” whispered Tess. Kyle silently reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Why didn’t he kill her?” Michael asked.
“It is so difficult to explain to humans on earth, but I shall try. Antar was so pure. It valued purity in a way that is foreign to this culture, as well as to our enemies. Our enemies would not gain nearly as much from killing you as they would by corrupting you. It would have devastated our people, had they been successful. Fortunately, they were not.”
“So what happened?” Kyle asked, as Tess was too tense to ask for herself.
“He waited until she came out of the pod and took her and raised her, according to their plan. He told her from the very first day that she was destined to marry her brother- in short, he brainwashed her, to lead her into incest, until she was unable to remember anything else. This individual is the man you knew as Nascedo.”
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“You know, these clothes really aren’t that bad- they’re actually comfortable,” Max whispered to Michael as they were ushered into the reception room. Max was in dark green, Michael in orange, but both were wearing loose fitting cotton pants and undershirt, with a beautifully embroidered tunic over the top, complete with a flowing cape attached from the shoulders. Michael didn’t respond verbally, just gave his friend a death glare. Max smirked back in response, but only for a moment, because just then Maria and, more to the point, Liz came gliding into the room, both of them wearing stunning long dresses, simply cut, that had similar embroidery around the bodice, and then flowed loosely down to their feet. A moment later, Tess, Isabel, Alex, and Kyle joined them. They all stood around awkwardly for a moment, not sure how to act in these unfamiliar surrounding, and not sure if they looked goofy or gorgeous in these unfamiliar clothes.
It was Alex who broke the silence. “Well, the girls all look gorgeous, as usual, but if word gets out at school I was dressed like this, I will disclaim all knowledge and move to another state.” His woeful expression was enough to make them all laugh, and suddenly the ice was broken. The girls gathered in a huddle immediately to admire each other’s dresses- all in the same simple cut, but with their different shapes from petite Liz to elegant Isabel, they might as well have been a completely different design. The guys gathered together on the other side of the room, conversing quietly if at all. Maria was just wailing about how it was just her luck to have struck orange, even though the shade she was wearing looked simply stunning on her, when a door panel slid open and in came a procession of about half a dozen people, who laid a round table at one end of the room with what seemed like the most amazing feast any of them had ever seen. Then the servants bowed politely, the leader made a sweeping invitational gesture towards the table, and they all slipped away again, leaving the teens to their food.
Dinner was a subdued affair, although the food was simply wonderful, and it wasn’t until Michael finally finished his fourth helping that the panel slid open again, and Pievryth re-entered the room. He bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesties, may I invite you to come and seat yourselves over here, as it is time for me to answer at least some of your questions. This may take some time.”
Everyone looked at each other and then at Max, who nodded, and they got up from the round table to the semicircle of couches at the other end of the room. As soon as they moved from the table, the door panel slid open and the same half dozen servants came and silently cleared the table, then disappeared. Once the teens were settled, Pievryth spoke.
“I’m sure you have many questions, and I shall do my best to answer them all. There is much you do not know, and, to make matters more confusing for you, we believe that there is some false information you have been given. But if Your Majesties will allow me to speak first, and hold your questions for later, we will get through this faster. I have a lot of information for you, and it may require the occasional break for you to process all of this.” He looked into each of their eyes as he spoke, his tone filled with humility and his eyes with compassion. He waved his hand over what they had thought was a mere coffee table in the middle of the semicircle, and images began to project there as he spoke, illustrating his story.
“We will begin with the basics. The royal four are, as you are aware, from another planet, namely Antar. There are five planets in our system, all with very different cultures and races. Politically, throughout history, there have been times of peace and times of war. The worst of these placed the royal family in such grave peril that you, the royal four, were killed. However, a group of our scientists, using top secret technology, were able to capture your-- essences, for lack of a better word, and place you in incubation pods on a space ship, taking you to the only other known inhabited planet, earth. We chose earth for many reasons- first, because it was away from the eyes of our enemies, second, because it was habitable, thirdly, because according to our ancient legends, the people of Antar came from the same place as the people of Earth, so genetically it was simpler to mix your DNA with that of a human, creating the delicate and intricate hybrids that each of you are. Our aim was for you to truly fit in here on earth, yet still be a member of our race.”
“So what about you? Are you skins or what?” Michael asked. Pievryth smiled warmly at him.
“Highness, the technology we used to create you and send you here was still in its infancy when it was necessary to use it with the four of you. It has since then grown and developed to make it possible for us to absorb human characteristics in much the same way that my Lords and Ladies here are human, and yet by absorbing the Octhar will soon discover that they can take on some Antarian traits. While you are genetic clones of your former selves, you are yet unique from them- you have been raised in a different environment, with different values and cultural conditioning. I am the same person who was once your Prime Minister and advisor, only I have been physically changed to look human.”
“Just how human are you, then?”
“As human as you, almost. We have similar biology, similar functions- the primary difference is that Antarians have access to a different part of their brains to humans, and this produces some simple biological differences such as on a cellular level, for example, what our blood cells look like, as well as explaining your special abilities. On an emotional level, you are more human than we, but, speaking broadly, there is very little difference between me and you, or between you and a normal, healthy, human being.” Pievryth smiled as the faces in front of him seemed to relax into thoughtful contemplation for a moment, and then he grew serious.
“Unfortunately, there was a leak, and just before we reached our destination, the ship was attacked, forcing a crash landing. This occurred, as you know, in 1947. Some of our scientists and soldiers were able to get the four pods to safety in a specially designed chamber, but were unable to stay without leading our enemies to you. Some of them got very close, and it is they who were captured by your government. To our knowledge, only one escaped them, and has been on the run ever since. He didn’t know exactly where to find the pod chamber, although he had a good idea of it’s general whereabouts, it wasn’t until you came out of the chamber that he worked out its exact location. By the time he found it, three of you had hatched and left the chamber, and only one remained.”
“Me,” whispered Tess. Kyle silently reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Why didn’t he kill her?” Michael asked.
“It is so difficult to explain to humans on earth, but I shall try. Antar was so pure. It valued purity in a way that is foreign to this culture, as well as to our enemies. Our enemies would not gain nearly as much from killing you as they would by corrupting you. It would have devastated our people, had they been successful. Fortunately, they were not.”
“So what happened?” Kyle asked, as Tess was too tense to ask for herself.
“He waited until she came out of the pod and took her and raised her, according to their plan. He told her from the very first day that she was destined to marry her brother- in short, he brainwashed her, to lead her into incest, until she was unable to remember anything else. This individual is the man you knew as Nascedo.”
Last edited by Lou on Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Putting things right(CC, All, Mature) Ch 17- 3 March 2010
A shocked silence met this speech, followed by a babble of voices.
“Nascedo?” “Her brother?” “Does that mean…” “I suppose that if you’re taught something your whole life, you’d believe it…” “Ewww!” “So what else did he say to us that wasn’t true?”
Only Liz and Tess were silent. Pievryth noticed this, and took pity on them, holding up his hands to calm the babble. He knelt before Tess, and spoke to her gently. “Your Majesty, if this is too much for you, we can discontinue for now so that you may have time to collect yourself.”
Tess felt her cheeks redden as the others turned sympathetic gazes upon her. “I’ll be all right,” she whispered. “It’s just… a bit of a shock, I guess.”
Pievryth smiled at her. “You always were brave, my lady.” She raised her eyes to look at him, and he patted her hand in a fatherly fashion, before getting up and addressing the group. He knew his next statement would shock them again.
“The royal four are all siblings to each other. You four were the princes and princesses born to our king and queen, and when your father was lost in battle, you, Z—Max, as the oldest, were crowned king in his place, at the age of twenty two.”
The four looked at each other, not sure what to say. Isabel reached past Alex to squeeze Michael’s hand, unable to speak. Max looked at Tess, who was carefully avoiding his gaze. Michael cleared his throat twice, his eyes full of emotion. It was Maria who broke the silence in the end.
“So the whole destiny thing is crap? They really are brothers and sisters to each other?”
“Yes, My Lady,” Pievryth spoke to her with the same respectful tone he had used with Tess.
“So… you said Max was the oldest- how old were the others?” Alex asked. Pievryth smiled.
“King Zan was the oldest of the royal four, then came Princess Vilandra, then Prince Rath, and finally Princess Ava. You were born in successive years, and the four of you grew up very close.”
Max finally found his voice then, wanting to ask the question that was closest to his heart. “Were we… did any of us… was there a queen?” he asked, carefully avoiding Pievryth’s eyes to hide the urgency with which he wanted to know the answer.
“No, Your Majesty. None of you married. You reigned for six years, but never married or produced an heir.”
Max lifted his eyes as Pievryth spoke, assessing his answer, then looked at Liz, his heart in his eyes. She avoided his gaze.
“Everything I was taught to believe, my whole life, was a lie,” Tess whispered. Michael stood up abruptly, crossed to her, and knelt before her. Taking one of her hands awkwardly between his, he willed her to look at him.
“You aren’t the one to blame, Tess. Not for any of the destiny crap, not for being the one Nascedo found, none of it. We were six years olds when we came out of those pods, and he fed you lies, every day. It’s not your fault. We should never have left you. We should have stayed and protected you, and we didn’t. I’m so sorry, Tess,” this last came out as a hoarse whisper, and Tess, with tears running down her cheeks, flung herself into his arms. “Just be thankful the bastard is dead. Otherwise, so help me, I would hunt him down,” Michael muttered into her hair. A moment later, a weeping Isabelle joined them. Max stood, watching them for a moment. Feeling his eyes on them, they all looked at up at him, and stood slowly.
“I always knew Michael was my brother. I don’t know how, I just knew. And I bet that Tess was one annoying little baby sister.”
Tess looked up at him, and hesitantly stepped forward. Max more than met her halfway, opening his arms and engulfing her in a hug that lasted for a long moment. Then Max broke it so he could pull Michael into his embrace, too. Isabel joined them, and the four reunited siblings stood holding each other for a long time. Maria and Liz were both watching the scene with tears rolling silently down their faces, and Alex was muttering something about getting an eyelash in his eye. Kyle cleared his throat a couple of times, and seemed preoccupied by the ceiling, his eyes also suspiciously misty.
It was several minutes before the teenagers returned to their seats, and when they did, they found two silver trays on the coffee table- one with a pile of warm, damp face towels, obviously to be used to dry their eyes, and the other with eight beverages and a plate of tasty-looking nibbles. None of the teenagers had any idea how they had appeared there, but they quickly made use of them. Pievryth, who had been standing to the side to allow them the time they needed, stepped forward again.
“Would Your Majesties like me to continue, or do you need a break?” he asked in his usual humble tone. Max glanced at the faces of his friends, before answering for all of them.
“I think we all want to hear more. We’ve had so many questions for so long…”
Pievryth nodded in understanding. “Before we move on, do you have any questions?”
“Actually, yes,” it was Alex who spoke. “Why are the four of us here? And what’s the deal with that oc-thingamee that I now have a piece of inside of me?”
Pievryth smiled. “I wondered when one of you would ask about that, My Lord. Let me first start with the mating rituals on our planet. Now, I have already mentioned that none of you married, that you were in your mid or late twenties when your former selves were killed, and that our people place a value on purity in a way that cannot be explained to other cultures. What I didn’t mention is that traditionally we have what might be described as arranged marriages in our culture. I use this term with trepidation, as I believe it has some negative connotations in your society. Marriage partners are selected carefully, with heavy consideration given to the individual’s temperament and preferences. It is actually dangerous to one’s physical health to be bonded to a person who you actively dislike, so there are certain legal protocols that must be undertaken before the ceremony to ensure that this does not happen. Traditionally a girl’s betrothal is announced on her 12th birthday, and she is usually married in her 14th year- sometimes there is variation with ages and finding an ideal match and so on, but it is extremely unusual for any girl to marry older than 16.”
“That’s so young!” Maria exclaimed.
“It may seem young to you, but that is the tradition. And it works, because of the way in which the bonding ceremony works. There is no divorce on Antar. I believe there is some concept here on earth of marriage making the couple one flesh. On Antar, we go a little bit further- when a couple marries, a connection is formed between them, making it possible to feel each other’s presence, and, when in very near proximity, hear each other’s thoughts. Also, it has been reported in some cases that an individual has developed some of their partner’s abilities or preferences. You see, because the couple is married at a young age- usually there is no more than a two or three year age gap- their brains are still forming, which means they can better adjust to this connection. It becomes a part of who they are. And because they can hear each other’s thoughts and motivations, marital disharmony is extremely uncommon, as miscommunications do not occur as regularly as they do for other races.”
“So why weren’t we married?” Max voiced the question they had all been pondering.
“There was a prophecy given to your parents when they were married, that in essence foretold the four of you having a second chance of life, and that none of you would marry your own race. We didn’t understand at the time how it would all work out, but we did clearly see no available matches for any of you at the age when you were traditionally meant to be married. In fact, only one of you had one serious suitor, and that was Princess Vilandra. She was not interested in the match, but Khivar was persistent- and furious when she turned him down. Unfortunately, he was king of his race, and made a formidable enemy. Not that this made the ensuing war your fault in any way, My Lady- it had more to do with technology than matters of the heart.”
“Technology?” Isabel asked.
“The granolith. The single greatest source of power in the known universe. I will not go into detail about all it is capable of, but it is necessary you understand that protecting it is one of the most vital parts of our mission here on this planet. It must not fall into the wrong hands.”
“Would it be possible to use the granolith to travel through time?” Liz spoke for the first time.
Pievryth turned his kind gaze upon her. “In theory, My Lady, if one knew how to program it, yes. I know that before the war there was a top secret department of scientists working on just that theory, and that they had been having some success.”
“So why did you bring us here? To take us back?” Michael asked.
“No, Your Majesty. Our people lost the war, and our planet was taken over by our enemies. Those of us who were able to escape did so. We have only been here a short time- and we have greatly regretted that our enemies nearly found you first, and were so cunning in their lies to you. There are over five hundred of us in small settlements scattered across the desert. We do not at this time see any possibility of returning.”
“While this is all very fascinating, it still doesn’t explain what the hell I’m doing here,” Kyle interrupted, bringing Pievryth’s attention back to the original point.
“Ah, yes. When it became clear that we would have to send the four of you here, we sent with you a device that would allow you to bond with someone from this planet in our traditional way, so that you might have a full relationship with them. Essentially, we needed you to pick people that you trusted enough to share some of yourself with. Antarians value honesty and trust- they are part of what builds the truest, purest kind of loving relationship. When the pieces of the octhar divided into pieces and embedded itself into each of you, it was in essence an announcement of your betrothals. Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that our enemies also picked up the announcement, and now have some knowledge of your existence and location at the time.”
“Wait… did you just say betrothals?” Alex asked.
“Yes.”
An awkward silence followed this, as the eight of them took in what this really meant.
“But… but we’re only 17!!” Maria, typically, was the first to find her voice.
“Yes, and it greatly concerns us for your own health that the marriages have been put off for this long. I understand that you are confused, and had no idea that this is what you signed up for, but it extremely important for your physical wellbeing that the marriages take place as soon as possible. Your brains need to be developmentally capable of adjusting to being so deeply connected to another individual.”
Max was the next to speak up. “So I’m betrothed to…?”
“Lady Elizabeth? Yes, Your Majesty.”
This announcement sent the biggest thrill through Max that he had ever experienced. To find out in a short afternoon that his so-called ‘destiny bride’ was never meant to have been his bride at all- that it was a sick and twisted hoax on the part of their enemies- that he really had not just one sister, but two sisters and a brother- a real family- and now, to top it off, he was not only free to pursue the only girl he had ever loved- he was actually already betrothed to her, without even knowing it!
Max’s excitement was cut short, however, by Pievryth’s next announcement. “In order to complete the ceremony, we will need the people you consider your parents to be present when it takes place.”
“But our parents don’t even know who we are,” said Isabel, worried.
“Honesty is necessary. They must be told. All of them.” Pievryth said gently.
Max felt like cloud he had just been floating on turned to lead beneath his feet, sending him hurtling towards the ground. Pievryth seemed to sense some of his turmoil.
“I think we will cut this session short here, as it is getting late. Each of you have a lot to process, and some of you have some very deep issues that need resolving. Some supper will be brought in shortly. I will ask you, Your Majesties, to remain within this suite. The less you know about this facility, the better, both for you and for us- at least for now. We will begin again mid morning. In the meantime, I bid you all goodnight.”
With that, he bowed deeply, and silently left the room, leaving the teenagers looking at each other awkwardly.
“Nascedo?” “Her brother?” “Does that mean…” “I suppose that if you’re taught something your whole life, you’d believe it…” “Ewww!” “So what else did he say to us that wasn’t true?”
Only Liz and Tess were silent. Pievryth noticed this, and took pity on them, holding up his hands to calm the babble. He knelt before Tess, and spoke to her gently. “Your Majesty, if this is too much for you, we can discontinue for now so that you may have time to collect yourself.”
Tess felt her cheeks redden as the others turned sympathetic gazes upon her. “I’ll be all right,” she whispered. “It’s just… a bit of a shock, I guess.”
Pievryth smiled at her. “You always were brave, my lady.” She raised her eyes to look at him, and he patted her hand in a fatherly fashion, before getting up and addressing the group. He knew his next statement would shock them again.
“The royal four are all siblings to each other. You four were the princes and princesses born to our king and queen, and when your father was lost in battle, you, Z—Max, as the oldest, were crowned king in his place, at the age of twenty two.”
The four looked at each other, not sure what to say. Isabel reached past Alex to squeeze Michael’s hand, unable to speak. Max looked at Tess, who was carefully avoiding his gaze. Michael cleared his throat twice, his eyes full of emotion. It was Maria who broke the silence in the end.
“So the whole destiny thing is crap? They really are brothers and sisters to each other?”
“Yes, My Lady,” Pievryth spoke to her with the same respectful tone he had used with Tess.
“So… you said Max was the oldest- how old were the others?” Alex asked. Pievryth smiled.
“King Zan was the oldest of the royal four, then came Princess Vilandra, then Prince Rath, and finally Princess Ava. You were born in successive years, and the four of you grew up very close.”
Max finally found his voice then, wanting to ask the question that was closest to his heart. “Were we… did any of us… was there a queen?” he asked, carefully avoiding Pievryth’s eyes to hide the urgency with which he wanted to know the answer.
“No, Your Majesty. None of you married. You reigned for six years, but never married or produced an heir.”
Max lifted his eyes as Pievryth spoke, assessing his answer, then looked at Liz, his heart in his eyes. She avoided his gaze.
“Everything I was taught to believe, my whole life, was a lie,” Tess whispered. Michael stood up abruptly, crossed to her, and knelt before her. Taking one of her hands awkwardly between his, he willed her to look at him.
“You aren’t the one to blame, Tess. Not for any of the destiny crap, not for being the one Nascedo found, none of it. We were six years olds when we came out of those pods, and he fed you lies, every day. It’s not your fault. We should never have left you. We should have stayed and protected you, and we didn’t. I’m so sorry, Tess,” this last came out as a hoarse whisper, and Tess, with tears running down her cheeks, flung herself into his arms. “Just be thankful the bastard is dead. Otherwise, so help me, I would hunt him down,” Michael muttered into her hair. A moment later, a weeping Isabelle joined them. Max stood, watching them for a moment. Feeling his eyes on them, they all looked at up at him, and stood slowly.
“I always knew Michael was my brother. I don’t know how, I just knew. And I bet that Tess was one annoying little baby sister.”
Tess looked up at him, and hesitantly stepped forward. Max more than met her halfway, opening his arms and engulfing her in a hug that lasted for a long moment. Then Max broke it so he could pull Michael into his embrace, too. Isabel joined them, and the four reunited siblings stood holding each other for a long time. Maria and Liz were both watching the scene with tears rolling silently down their faces, and Alex was muttering something about getting an eyelash in his eye. Kyle cleared his throat a couple of times, and seemed preoccupied by the ceiling, his eyes also suspiciously misty.
It was several minutes before the teenagers returned to their seats, and when they did, they found two silver trays on the coffee table- one with a pile of warm, damp face towels, obviously to be used to dry their eyes, and the other with eight beverages and a plate of tasty-looking nibbles. None of the teenagers had any idea how they had appeared there, but they quickly made use of them. Pievryth, who had been standing to the side to allow them the time they needed, stepped forward again.
“Would Your Majesties like me to continue, or do you need a break?” he asked in his usual humble tone. Max glanced at the faces of his friends, before answering for all of them.
“I think we all want to hear more. We’ve had so many questions for so long…”
Pievryth nodded in understanding. “Before we move on, do you have any questions?”
“Actually, yes,” it was Alex who spoke. “Why are the four of us here? And what’s the deal with that oc-thingamee that I now have a piece of inside of me?”
Pievryth smiled. “I wondered when one of you would ask about that, My Lord. Let me first start with the mating rituals on our planet. Now, I have already mentioned that none of you married, that you were in your mid or late twenties when your former selves were killed, and that our people place a value on purity in a way that cannot be explained to other cultures. What I didn’t mention is that traditionally we have what might be described as arranged marriages in our culture. I use this term with trepidation, as I believe it has some negative connotations in your society. Marriage partners are selected carefully, with heavy consideration given to the individual’s temperament and preferences. It is actually dangerous to one’s physical health to be bonded to a person who you actively dislike, so there are certain legal protocols that must be undertaken before the ceremony to ensure that this does not happen. Traditionally a girl’s betrothal is announced on her 12th birthday, and she is usually married in her 14th year- sometimes there is variation with ages and finding an ideal match and so on, but it is extremely unusual for any girl to marry older than 16.”
“That’s so young!” Maria exclaimed.
“It may seem young to you, but that is the tradition. And it works, because of the way in which the bonding ceremony works. There is no divorce on Antar. I believe there is some concept here on earth of marriage making the couple one flesh. On Antar, we go a little bit further- when a couple marries, a connection is formed between them, making it possible to feel each other’s presence, and, when in very near proximity, hear each other’s thoughts. Also, it has been reported in some cases that an individual has developed some of their partner’s abilities or preferences. You see, because the couple is married at a young age- usually there is no more than a two or three year age gap- their brains are still forming, which means they can better adjust to this connection. It becomes a part of who they are. And because they can hear each other’s thoughts and motivations, marital disharmony is extremely uncommon, as miscommunications do not occur as regularly as they do for other races.”
“So why weren’t we married?” Max voiced the question they had all been pondering.
“There was a prophecy given to your parents when they were married, that in essence foretold the four of you having a second chance of life, and that none of you would marry your own race. We didn’t understand at the time how it would all work out, but we did clearly see no available matches for any of you at the age when you were traditionally meant to be married. In fact, only one of you had one serious suitor, and that was Princess Vilandra. She was not interested in the match, but Khivar was persistent- and furious when she turned him down. Unfortunately, he was king of his race, and made a formidable enemy. Not that this made the ensuing war your fault in any way, My Lady- it had more to do with technology than matters of the heart.”
“Technology?” Isabel asked.
“The granolith. The single greatest source of power in the known universe. I will not go into detail about all it is capable of, but it is necessary you understand that protecting it is one of the most vital parts of our mission here on this planet. It must not fall into the wrong hands.”
“Would it be possible to use the granolith to travel through time?” Liz spoke for the first time.
Pievryth turned his kind gaze upon her. “In theory, My Lady, if one knew how to program it, yes. I know that before the war there was a top secret department of scientists working on just that theory, and that they had been having some success.”
“So why did you bring us here? To take us back?” Michael asked.
“No, Your Majesty. Our people lost the war, and our planet was taken over by our enemies. Those of us who were able to escape did so. We have only been here a short time- and we have greatly regretted that our enemies nearly found you first, and were so cunning in their lies to you. There are over five hundred of us in small settlements scattered across the desert. We do not at this time see any possibility of returning.”
“While this is all very fascinating, it still doesn’t explain what the hell I’m doing here,” Kyle interrupted, bringing Pievryth’s attention back to the original point.
“Ah, yes. When it became clear that we would have to send the four of you here, we sent with you a device that would allow you to bond with someone from this planet in our traditional way, so that you might have a full relationship with them. Essentially, we needed you to pick people that you trusted enough to share some of yourself with. Antarians value honesty and trust- they are part of what builds the truest, purest kind of loving relationship. When the pieces of the octhar divided into pieces and embedded itself into each of you, it was in essence an announcement of your betrothals. Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that our enemies also picked up the announcement, and now have some knowledge of your existence and location at the time.”
“Wait… did you just say betrothals?” Alex asked.
“Yes.”
An awkward silence followed this, as the eight of them took in what this really meant.
“But… but we’re only 17!!” Maria, typically, was the first to find her voice.
“Yes, and it greatly concerns us for your own health that the marriages have been put off for this long. I understand that you are confused, and had no idea that this is what you signed up for, but it extremely important for your physical wellbeing that the marriages take place as soon as possible. Your brains need to be developmentally capable of adjusting to being so deeply connected to another individual.”
Max was the next to speak up. “So I’m betrothed to…?”
“Lady Elizabeth? Yes, Your Majesty.”
This announcement sent the biggest thrill through Max that he had ever experienced. To find out in a short afternoon that his so-called ‘destiny bride’ was never meant to have been his bride at all- that it was a sick and twisted hoax on the part of their enemies- that he really had not just one sister, but two sisters and a brother- a real family- and now, to top it off, he was not only free to pursue the only girl he had ever loved- he was actually already betrothed to her, without even knowing it!
Max’s excitement was cut short, however, by Pievryth’s next announcement. “In order to complete the ceremony, we will need the people you consider your parents to be present when it takes place.”
“But our parents don’t even know who we are,” said Isabel, worried.
“Honesty is necessary. They must be told. All of them.” Pievryth said gently.
Max felt like cloud he had just been floating on turned to lead beneath his feet, sending him hurtling towards the ground. Pievryth seemed to sense some of his turmoil.
“I think we will cut this session short here, as it is getting late. Each of you have a lot to process, and some of you have some very deep issues that need resolving. Some supper will be brought in shortly. I will ask you, Your Majesties, to remain within this suite. The less you know about this facility, the better, both for you and for us- at least for now. We will begin again mid morning. In the meantime, I bid you all goodnight.”
With that, he bowed deeply, and silently left the room, leaving the teenagers looking at each other awkwardly.
Last edited by Lou on Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Putting things right(CC, All, Mature) Ch 18- 3 March 2010
Liz, who had been silent throughout all of this, bar her one seemingly random question about time travel, had felt Max’s eyes on her ever since Pievryth had told him they were betrothed. A heart wrenching pressure had been building in her chest, and now that the explanations had ceased for now, she knew she needed to be alone to process. Leaping up from the couch, she bolted to her room.
“Liz!” Max had been watching her turmoil, and raced after her into her room just before the panel door slid shut.
Michael was the next to stand. Maria watched sadly as he didn’t even look in her direction, just headed for his room. She knew he had a lot to process, but she really wished he’d let her in to help him do just that, instead of keeping everything inside of him. At his door he paused, and looked back at her.
“You coming?”
A brilliant smile flashed across her features, and a moment later the door to his room slid shut behind them. The remaining four smiled and looked at each other without speaking. Finally Isabelle stood, pulling Alex up by the hand.
“We’ll take our room,” she said, leaving Tess and Kyle alone on the couch.
“Liz!” Max had been watching her turmoil, and raced after her into her room just before the panel door slid shut.
Michael was the next to stand. Maria watched sadly as he didn’t even look in her direction, just headed for his room. She knew he had a lot to process, but she really wished he’d let her in to help him do just that, instead of keeping everything inside of him. At his door he paused, and looked back at her.
“You coming?”
A brilliant smile flashed across her features, and a moment later the door to his room slid shut behind them. The remaining four smiled and looked at each other without speaking. Finally Isabelle stood, pulling Alex up by the hand.
“We’ll take our room,” she said, leaving Tess and Kyle alone on the couch.
Last edited by Lou on Wed Mar 03, 2010 4:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.