Deceptive Appearences (MATURE/ADULT) *Kyle, Tess OPEN*

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

A few moments later we’re entering my room, and I note that Max makes sure we do this outside, providing him with a chance to deal with the box I’m guessing. For appearances sake, I make sure I do go outside, although a trip inside is going to be necessary shortly to do my part… We need a ‘diary’ of sorts…and for that I need a glamour spell…

Still, for now we just have to get everyone here, and get as far as the explanation… Michael’s getting impatient, and if it weren’t for Maria and Alex still to wait on I’m certain he would be demanding answers much more firmly than he is at the moment.

As it is, he’s still not going to wait much longer though, and as Maria and Alex finally join us, I know time is slowly ticking down. Max appears a few moments later, climbing out, moving to lean against the wall. I move over slightly on the chair for Maria to join me, and resist the urge to go stand with him. I don’t understand this want to be with him at the moment, it’s more than usual, and right now it’s really not helpful…

Maria and Alex both look at me questioningly, apparently wondering what’s happening, and I have to fight to keep from closing my eyes as I hold my breath, waiting for Max to begin. His part first, and then mine… I take a deep breath, watching Michael and Isabel carefully to try and gage if they are buying this… Maria and Alex are a potential problem too of course, but Michael is the real loose cannon if he disbelieves us…and I dread to think what he might try…

[StormWolfstone]

I'll be back later and I'll try to come up with a post lol

[isabelle]

I had been hoping for a Michael post before I did another Max ... should I go on?

[StormWolfstone]

OOC: My reasons for being lacking slightly were placed on the vacation thread... sorry it took so long and sorry so short...

BIC:

~Michael~

"Okay, okay," Max starts as he glances around, more then likely wanting to be certain it was safe to talk. Still, it was something that was simply making me more irate. It's taking more time as far as I am concerned and all this stalling makes me wonder whether what I'm going to hear will even be the truth. "I'll start by apologizing to Michael. I should have told him what this was about earlier, but I hadn't expected you to come along at all and as long as you were there ... It just seemed more realistic if you didn't know."

"What the hell are you talking about, Maxwell? Just get to the point already and stop beating around the damned bush." I say simply, his words not easing this sense that something isn't right. It still seems as though he is stalling. Maria was seated not far from Liz and I wanted to ask her about that guy too. It was just getting frustrating. Forcing my gaze from her, I look back at Max and cross my arms knowing that I look as impatient as I feel and not giving a damned.

[isabelle]

OOC -- Storm, I understand why you were delayed. I wasn't trying to rush you. It was because I knew you might be having trouble that I was wondering if I should go ahead without you. That's all.


*Max*

Michael is majorly pissed off. That's not surprising. I only hope that we can control this. I have to do everything I can to keep from exposing Liz. Especially to Maria and Alex. They've been best friends with Liz and Serena since they were toddlers. I don't even want to think about what they'll be thinking if they discover she's been hiding a secret that big.

"Michael, relax," I tell him, sounding just a bit amused. His attitude is predicatible. "It's not that big a deal. I asked you not to tell anyone because I didn't want it to blow up into something that it really isn't -- but here we are." I sigh and shake my head, showing just minor frustration at the way it has involved everyone.

"You see," I start to explain. "It has to do with the time that Liz's journal was missing. We were all so concerned that Serena or Kyle or -- yeah, Alex -- had found it." I give Alex a sideways shrug. He's in on the secret now and we're all glad about that, but back then it had been a major worry. "So Liz and I have been working on a way to make sure that nobody accidentally finds it again."

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

Max continues to explain, I allow myself to drift a moment, searching for the words I need to make the deception with the diary complete. It takes me a while, I’m not the best at phrasing spells, but when I think I’ve got it, I tune back into he conversation just as Max is getting to the actual explaining. I can see from Michael’s face that he’s getting fed up, but to give him credit, he isn’t saying anything right now… Of course when it comes out what supposedly happened, that’s a complete other matter…

I stand up, moving towards Max so that I can take my part in it too, and offer a part of the explanation. I look up at him and smile, standing slightly in front of him and reaching back with one hand to interlace my fingers with his. “We thought that maybe hiding it wasn’t the only thing we should be thinking about, but what might happen if the hiding place were found…” I volunteer, looking round. I’m struggling to find the right words, and when I look around, I wonder if I haven’t just made this worse… I was trying to explain, but I don’t know if it made any sense….and I certainly don’t know if I’ve succeeded in helping… “I’m sorry Michael, I know that me writing in that is probably not the best idea, but it’s done, and I’m just trying to make sure it doesn’t cause problems again…”

I really want them to buy this…if the secret comes out, if Alex and Maria realise how long Serena and I have been lying… One day it’s going to come to the point where they have to be told, and I can only hope they will understand our need for secrecy just as Max, Isabel and Michael need it too, but that day isn’t today…

“Is that Nancy…?” Turning as though I hear something, I murmur a few words, putting the next part of the plan into action and a moment later a voice you would swear was Nancy’s seems to drift up the stairs, calling my name. You wouldn’t hear it even in my bedroom in actual fact, but the audio illusion is all I need right now, and I use it to excuse myself back into my bedroom, telling them I’m going to see what she wants.

Luckily no one seems to object, and as I climb inside, I hurry over to the closet. My gaze takes in the box which Max has begun to prepare, and I scan my shelves for what I’m looking for. There at the back of the middle one… It’s a plain, empty notebook, much like the ones we get at school, but for now it’ll do nicely. Placing my hand on it, and pulling a few herbs from my pocket where I slipped them earlier, I murmur a few words, preparing my part of the ‘prop’, and then clearing up after myself and preparing to go back outside. I explained what I’d do to Max earlier, so he knows what to look for, and I’ve made sure it’s right on top of the box, so he can’t mistake it for one of the others. Now if only this plan will work… I wait a moment, trying to calm my nerves before facing the others once more.

[isabelle]

Borrowed Maria a bit.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*Max*

I listen as Liz tries to further my explantion but then suddenly leaves when Mrs. Parker calls. I frown at that. There are things that she and I need to do to make this illusion work. I only hope she gets back soon. Maybe she can use the short diversion to do her bit with the book. I just hope she's not gone for too long. The group isn't going to want to wait before we show them what Michael saw...

Turning back to the others, I continue the 'explanation,' hoping that this works.

"So we made a box. A trick box to keep the book in. It would have false openings -- I mean, stuff that looked like it would open would really be solid, and what looked solid would be the real opening." I told them, watching all their faces, especially Michael's.

"That sounds really cool!" Maria says, seeming to understand. She bounces slightly in her seat next to Michael. "I would love to help."

"That's great, Maria," I tell her, silent laughter bubbling through me at her enthusiasm. "But we weren't really sure what would work and we wanted it to be secret. This morning, Liz told me that she thought it was finished," I say, turning my attention back to Michael. "So I came here at lunch time to check it out. I didn't expect Michael to be coming along."

[isabelle]

*Max*

I look at Michael, waiting for a reaction -- Something to tell me if he's buying this -- while I keep my expression open and amused. He doesn't speak, but he looks skeptical, his eyes narrowing as he looks at me.

I shake my head, shrugging and not losing my easy smile. "We might have gotten a bit too carried away with it all, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'll go get it and be right back," I tell them. "You can all tell me what you think. It'll just be a sec."

With that, I turn and head back through the window, praying nobody decides to come 'help' me. If they do, I think I'll say that I have to close the closet door to get it off the shelf ... then I'll be in there alone. That should work...

[KatnotKath]

OOC: borrowing Maria a little

~Liz~

Just as I turn back to the window, preparing to rejoin the others, Max comes climbing through into my room from the balcony and I offer him a weak smile. To my relief, no one seems to be following him, and I’m going to take that as a good sign for the moment. I don’t know whether Michael is actually buying all this, but if we can at least get as far as showing them our ‘box’, that’s a start…

“Hey…the book’s all ready for you…” I tell him softly, unable to keep myself from greeting him with a kiss. Stepping back, I move back towards the closet, stopping just in front to provide some cover if any of the others did decide to check on us while Max was doing his part. “Do you think…will they believe us…?”

I try and sound calm and collected as I wait to see how he will answer, but inside I’m nervous as anything… This could change everything forever… If they don’t believe me, if I have to tell them… I swallow and chew on the inside of my lip. No, it is going to work…it has to!

“Max…is Liz back ye-“

Maria sticks her head thorugh the window, and I feel exceedingly happy that I’m standing where I am.

“Oh there you are…” She grins. “I didn’t know if your mom had finished with you yet…”

I nod. “Yeah…Nancy just wanted to know if we wanted some drinks…” I tell her, using the first excuse which comes to mind. I’ve often wondered about the fact that no one ever picks up on how I call Nancy by her name…not ‘mom’… I guess sometimes people hear what they want to hear…or that they expect to…

She nods. “Okay, well are you coming back out…?”

“In a minute…” I really hope she’s not going to push…

Maria seems to think a moment, and then nods. “Okay Chica…but don’t take too long you two… Spaceboy out here is getting impatient…” She winks before retracting her head from the window and I look round at Max, letting out a sigh of relief. “Well…so far so good…do you think this is really going to work…?” I ask with an edge of trepidation, fully aware of just how badly this could all backfire on us.

[StormWolfstone]

~Michael~

"Michael, relax," Max seems amused, but I'm not in the least bit tickled about any of this. "It's not that big a deal. I asked you not to tell anyone because I didn't want it to blow up into something that it really isn't -- but here we are."

"You see," he begins to explain and I simply lean back and listen, narrowing my eyebrows, "It has to do with the time that Liz's journal was missing. We were all so concerned that Serena or Kyle or -- yeah, Alex -- had found it." He glanced toward Alex, "So Liz and I have been working on a way to make sure that nobody accidentally finds it again."

"So we made a box. A trick box to keep the book in. It would have false openings -- I mean, stuff that looked like it would open would really be solid, and what looked solid would be the real opening." Max looked around at all of us and I sighed as Maria began her little bouncy tirade.

"That sounds really cool!" She bounces slightly in her seat next to me and I simply look over at her, "I would love to help."

"That's great, Maria," Max replies. "But we weren't really sure what would work and we wanted it to be secret. This morning, Liz told me that she thought it was finished," he looks back at me and I simply look at him. I'm not sure whether I should buy it or not. This is definitely not something I would think Max would do without discussing it with Isabel and I. After all, we are a part of this whole thing. In fact, Maria, Liz and Alex shouldn't have ever become a part of our secret. "So I came here at lunch time to check it out. I didn't expect Michael to be coming along."

I simply shrug and watch as Max does to, something about his countenance wasn't right, but for the moment, I still decided to remain silent. "We might have gotten a bit too carried away with it all, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'll go get it and be right back," Max says and I watch him go back in through the window. I'm actually tempted to go back inside myself. "You can all tell me what you think. It'll just be a sec."

I'm not sure what to think, but as I wait for him to return, I stand and begin pacing slightly, my hands balled into fists. If all it was, was something to help protect the hybrid secret, then why the hell would Max have kept it from Isabel and I? I don't know if I should buy it.