Doo 'awéé ééhoozIIh da-The Lost Child(M/M,TEEN)155 - 8/24/19 - Complete

[Timelord31]

interesting chapter

[ArchAngel1973]

Cjsl8ne – Thanks for the holiday wish. We have tried to use the hiatus to work on updates.

Eva – It’s true, Isabel is getting closer. She has a plan in mind and when she is focused, the girl is unstoppable.

Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.

DeDe PR – There are huge chances that Isabel will find something.


Author’s Note: After much debate we have decided to alternate TLC with our other fic TMWDB. We will post both fics this week and beginning next week we will post a new part of TLC followed by a new part of TMWDB the next week. While we post on this new schedule we will be posting on Mondays. Our hope is to return to our normal posting schedule soon and we will keep you updated on that front.


Part 90

Maria pulled up in front of Michael’s house and parked in the empty space where the truck was usually parked. Both vehicles were gone which was unusual for a Saturday afternoon and she wondered if she should have called before coming out. She heard voices coming from the back of the house and she walked around, following the sounds until she saw Michael, Maggie, and several of their cousins riding in from who knew where.

Her eyebrows lifted when she noticed that Michael was covered in mud and he looked less than happy about it. He dismounted and turned to lead Sundance to the barn when he saw Maria leaning on the gate watching him. She hid a smile when she saw his expression run through several changes before settling on acceptance as he glanced over his shoulder at his family.

“Should I ask what you’ve been doing?” Maria asked as she unlatched the gate and stood back to hold it open for them.

“Grumpy’s been playin’ in the mud,” Colton answered for him. He glanced back over his shoulder to locate his youngest brother. “Shane, let’s get a move on; Becca will be here to pick us up in a few minutes.” He grinned when the teenager rolled his eyes, but he hurried his pace just a bit.

“Oh, c’mon, Colt, give him a break,” Summer called from further back.

“Yeah, he was showing you up until that cow pulled him right off of his horse and dragged him through that muddy creek,” Sierra added helpfully.

“No one asked for any of your input,” Michael snarled as he attempted once again to brush the drying mud from his clothes.

“All hail the conquering hero,” Maggie said with a grin. “You really showed that cow who was boss.”

“Shut it, Maggie.”

“Are you hurt?” Maria asked, concerned when she heard that he had been dragged.

“No, I’m not hurt,” he grumbled, feeling foolish the longer she stared at him. “I need to go shower so I can make lunch.”

“Are you making lunch for everyone?”

“No, just me and Maggie… the rest of them are goin’ home.” He turned to look at them. “Do you hear me? Go home, all of you!” He glared at his sister. “Matter of fact, you can go away, too.”

“Oh, he’s just so, so… grumpy!” Summer muttered.

Colton just laughed and checked his watch. “C’mon, you guys, let’s get these horses taken care of before Becca gets here.”

Maggie reached out to take the reins out of her brother’s hand and smiled sweetly at him. “Hopefully that shower will put you in a better mood and don’t forget that I don’t want some crappy sandwich that you just throw together and call food.”

Maria took Michael’s arm, making a face when she came into contact with the mud that was everywhere as she pulled him back towards the house. “C’mon, why don’t I get lunch started while you go get cleaned up because you’re a mess.”

“I didn’t fall off of my horse,” he denied before she could ask.

“I didn’t think you did.” She was fighting to keep a straight face as he explained how he had been viciously pulled out of the saddle and then dragged face-first through several hundred feet of sand and brush before the humiliation of the muddy creek put an end to the afternoon’s unexpected activities.

“Sandwiches,” he growled as he kicked his boots off on the front porch and leaned over to pick them up.

“Excuse me?”

“That’s what’s for lunch. If Maggie’s really lucky I might open a bag of chips to go with ‘em, but I had no intention of makin’ anything more complicated before she laughed at me over this and I can promise you that now it’s really nothin’ more than friggin’ sandwiches.”

“Alright, well, I’m more than capable of making sandwiches, so go get cleaned up and I’ll get them started.”

“Just sandwiches!” he hollered over his shoulder when he was halfway down the hall.

Maria rolled her eyes after him and walked into the kitchen to start pulling out what she needed to make sandwiches. She was slicing tomatoes when Maggie came inside a little while later and she glanced over her shoulder when the girl paused in the doorway. “Lunch should be ready soon,” she said, pointing at the fresh vegetables with the knife in her hand.

Maggie nodded and pointed over her shoulder. “I’m gonna run clean up if I can kick Grumpy outta the bathroom.”

“Good luck, he was pretty dirty.”

The other girl just laughed and hurried down the hall to her bedroom with the intention of evicting her brother from the bathroom.

Maria pulled a couple of slices of bread out of the bag and dropped them in the toaster, sliding the selector over to a light setting and lowering the bread into the appliance. She glanced up when Michael entered the kitchen, bare feet slapping on the floor as he crossed the room to stand behind her.

“Did your sister kick you outta the bathroom?”

“Um-hmm, but since she was in such a hurry, I left mud in the shower.”

“Michael, tell me – “ An angry shout came from down the hall before she could finish putting her question together, verifying Michael’s claim and Maria shook her head at him.

“What? My boots were covered with mud.” He shrugged. “I had to get the worst of it off.” He shook his head at her when she started to speak. “She knows how I react when she gets pushy, so she knew to expect the consequences.”

“Well, I don’t have any brothers or sisters so I don’t really understand some of the weird relationship quirks you guys have.”

Michael’s gaze slid over her features and he smiled slowly. “Can we not talk about my sister right now?”

Maria grinned up at him. “You got something else in mind?”

“Maybe.” He reached up to cradle her face in his hands and he felt her arms slide around his waist, tugging him closer and holding him against her. He lowered his head to kiss her, taking his time to explore her mouth and draw it out.

“Mud in the shower, making out over lunch… are there any other things I could possibly find to complain about today?” Maggie muttered as she came in behind them.

“I’d be surprised if you couldn’t find somethin’ to complain about,” Michael muttered, aiming the comment at his sister as he leaned back away from his girlfriend.

“The mud in the bathtub… great work, Michael. I’ll remember that for later.”

He smirked. “It was a nice touch, wasn’t it?”

Maggie just sent him an evil look and went to get something to drink. “So, Maria, what brings you out here today?”

Maria motioned for Michael to go sit down at the table while she finished putting the sandwiches together. “I actually came out here because I wanted to talk to Michael about the symbol from last night.”

“What about it?” he asked as he grabbed a bag of chips. He opened it and grabbed a handful of chips as he looked at her expectantly. He shook his head when he realized where she was going with her comment. “You went back out there? Alone?”

“Well, I was alone when I went out there, yes. I ran into Isabel when I got to the clearing.”

“Isabel,” Michael mused slowly. “She’s one of the new friends, right?”

“Um-hmm, she was in the woods this morning; we ran into each other at the clearing.”

He looked up from his sandwich and frowned. “So, she was there but the symbol wasn’t?”

“Well, no, she got there right after I did.” She shrugged one shoulder. “The symbol was already gone… it looked like it had never even been there. The grass didn’t look like it had ever been disturbed.”

Michael looked at her when she sat down next to him. “So, what d’you think?”

“You said when you touched it the grass felt as if it had been burnt, right?”

“Uh-huh, why?”

“The grass in the clearing was as soft as butter, there was no indication that anyone had ever even been there, and I don’t know how to explain that. If it had been a hoax then there should’ve been evidence that someone had been there, and if it was real and the sheriff had found it there would’ve been cops all over the place and they most likely would’ve dug up that whole section of the ground and taken the symbol as evidence.”

Michael tamped down the excitement that shot to the surface. “You think it was real.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense; I don’t know how else to explain the way that symbol disappeared.”

“What d’you think the symbol was?” Maggie asked. “Someone making contact? Some type of language maybe?”

“Could be,” he said, unconsciously crunching up the chips on his plate and creating a rather large pile of crumbled bits. “Any idea why she was there?”

“No, not really. She doesn’t strike me as the UFO chasing type, and I still don’t know why Alex and Liz were there last night, but… I don’t think them being there is related in any way to the disappearance of that symbol.” She watched Michael for a while. “You haven’t recognized it or remembered it or anything?”

“No, but I haven’t really had time to do anything with it because my day started off busy.”

Maggie glanced between them and realized that Michael wanted to talk so she made her exit and left them alone.

“You were planning to work on that symbol today, what happened?” Maria asked when they had been left alone.

“Dakota was arrested early this mornin’ and my parents went to see if there was anything they could do to help Uncle Randolph and Aunt Dawn.” He rubbed a hand over his face as he stared at his plate. “He got into a fight with some other guys and one of them’s in intensive care… Mom said the doctor’s don’t think the guy’s gonna make it.”

“Oh, Michael, I’m so sorry,” Maria said as she stood and walked over to sit in his lap, her hands coming up to frame his face as she studied his expression.

He shrugged one shoulder as his arm came around her, his hand curving over her hip. “It’s not a complete surprise that he’s gotten involved in somethin’ like this; it’s only been a matter of time.” He sighed. “It’s just…”

Maria nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “It’s gonna hurt your uncle,” she said, knowing what he was thinking.

“Yeah. I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t come after me or Shyanne. I mean, I can defend myself, but if he had come after me with that kind of intent I don’t know what I would’ve had to do to stop him. And he could’ve seriously hurt Shyanne if he had gone after her.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, offering silent comfort as she held him and let him decide whether he wanted to say more.

[ArchAngel1973]

Eva – Sorry for keeping you waiting. But it’s getting closer and closer now.

Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.

DeDe PR – Dakota’s father hasn’t done anything wrong but he still lost his son. Now, Dakota might realize what he has done, but it means jail time for him.

Cjsl8ne – Isabel will play a key part in the future, for Michael, for Max, and for everyone.


Part 91

Max was slouched down in his desk chair, his pensive gaze locked on the sleeping monitor in front of him. Things were changing so fast and he wasn’t sure that he was comfortable with all of those changes. His parents knew there was something different about him and Isabel, the letter that had been translated indicated that they had some sort of pre-determined destiny, they had found some sort of alien symbol in the woods, and just to complicate things Maria and her friends had been there when that symbol had been found.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind,” Isabel commented as she leaned against the doorframe.

“Where’ve you been all morning?” he asked.

“I went back out to Frasier Woods to erase any evidence of that symbol but it was already gone when I got there.”

Max sat up straighter and stared at her. “What do you mean it was already gone?”

“I mean exactly that; when I got to the clearing where we found the symbol last night it was like it had never even been there. Maria was there…”

“Maria? What was she doing there?”

“Well, we didn’t really have a discussion about it, Max. It would’ve been pretty stupid to demand to know why she was there when she could’ve easily turned it around on me and wanted to know why I was there as well.”

“We need to find out what she was doing out there.”

“I’ve already talked to Alex about it and he’s pretty confident that it’s most likely something that her boyfriend’s into because – “

“Wait, you went to Alex with this first?” He watched her as she made a show of studying her fingernails and he recognized the avoidance tactic. “What’s going on between you two?”

“I fail to see how that is any of your business.”

“Maybe it’s not, but he’s not like the rest of the guys you normally spend time with, Isabel; he’s actually decent and he cares about you. He’s a good guy and if you’re just playing your usual games then you should stop because he’s gonna get hurt and he doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. He knows the truth, he’s helped us – “

“I do not need your advice in any matters concerning Alex,” she interrupted, her tone frosty. “But, just to clarify, things are different with him; I can be honest with Alex about anything and I enjoy just spending time with him and talking to him because he actually listens and he doesn’t treat me like some empty-headed girl with nothing of substance to say.”

“You like him,” Max observed, his tone teasing.

“You’re not as smart as you think you are.”

“If you say so.” He leaned back in his chair and looked up at her. “So, does this mean you’ll be trying to help repair the damage that’s been done to his relationship with Maria?”

“What?”

“You have to admit, you were largely responsible for creating the amount of distance that exists between them now.”

“It seems to me that I wasn’t the only one who was against Maria learning the truth.”

“Maybe not, but you’re the one who was going into their dreams and trying to scare them so they wouldn’t say anything; I didn’t start a campaign of terror to prevent them from telling a trusted friend – “

“Don’t pull that with me, Max!” she argued. “You may not have been as vocal in your belief that she couldn’t be trusted with our secret, but you didn’t want her to know either. If it hadn’t been for me, Liz would’ve convinced you with very little effort and Motormouth DeLuca would’ve been part of the I-know-an-alien club months ago.”

“And you’re that certain it would’ve been a mistake?” He stared at his sister as she began to pace, her movements agitated. “You do realize that if you decide to actually pursue a relationship with Alex at some point you may have to accept Maria and that we may have to reveal the truth to her?”

“Do I need to remind you that I’m the one who suggested speaking to her after the game?”

“A game where we were surrounded by a lot of people,” he reminded her. “It’s not like we could’ve had a serious conversation with her in that setting.”

Isabel couldn’t believe the way he had turned this around on her! Alex had been patient with her; he had been understanding and adamant in his belief that his childhood friend could be trusted as he had slowly made his case for Maria in a way that hadn’t seemed pushy. She had started to accept that if nothing else he deserved to have his friend back in his life and he had been pleased by her suggestion that they should stop and say hi to Maria after the game.

She knew that the situation with Maria would need to be resolved if she and Alex were ever to move beyond the realm of friendship. But that was not what she was there to discuss and she didn’t appreciate Max turning the conversation in this direction.

“So, any thoughts on that symbol from last night?” he asked before she could speak up.

“Other than it obviously being alien? No, but Alex is confident that we’ll figure it out.” She shrugged. “He was right about the letter, so I have no reason to doubt that he’s right about this, too. If he says we’ll find the answer, then we will.”

Max decided to drop the subject because the last thing he wanted to do was to put her on the defensive about her feelings for Alex. “You seem to have become quite adept at this investigation business, so what’s next?”

“We’re searching through yearbooks, looking for more information on Maria’s boyfriend, Michael.”

Max felt himself tense up at the mention of the other guy. “Why?”

“Your reaction to him for one thing,” Isabel tossed out carelessly, continuing when he just glared at her. “Look, that night at the game when I got between the two of you I got this weird feeling. I brushed it off at the time, thinking it was just the stress of the situation, but it happened again when we ran into them last night. At first I discounted it because I thought it might be related to the symbol, but then I realized that both times that I’ve had that feeling he’s been right there. I think there’s a connection and Alex agrees with me.”

Max’s eyebrows lifted at her matter of fact tone but he didn’t push any further on the Alex subject. He could see that she was still adjusting to having a connection with the guy so there was no reason to put her on the defensive.

“Now, what about you and Liz? Will you be researching that symbol like Alex suggested?”

He bit his bottom lip and nodded. “She’s gonna come by this afternoon and we’re gonna start working on it. She’s staying for dinner.”

Wonderful, Isabel thought, she could spend the evening watching them make out over dinner. “Let me know if you need any help with your research,” she said as she turned and left his room.

*****

Michael was chewing on the cap of his pen as he navigated the websites related to the paranormal, searching for anything resembling the symbol he had drawn from memory. He hadn’t found a single thing that came anywhere close to the design and he was beginning to get frustrated with the afternoon’s fruitless search.

Maria had gone home a little while after lunch because she had promised to help her mother with something at the shop, his parents had called to say that they wouldn’t be home for several more hours, and Maggie had left for her date with Jesse. He was enjoying the relative peace and quiet of the early evening as he walked into the kitchen with his notebook, tossing it on the island and going to the refrigerator.

The doorbell rang before he could begin searching for something to eat so he switched directions and walked back through the house. He pulled the front door open without bothering to check the identity of the person on the other side and he stood back when he recognized his grandfather standing on the porch.

“River Dog,” he greeted, nodding at the older man as he stepped inside.

“Magnum.” The nickname was spoken with a hint of teasing in the old man’s gravelly voice and he followed his grandson into the kitchen.

“What’s up?”

He smiled when the younger man resumed his search of the cabinets and refrigerator and he leaned back against the counter near the entrance to watch him. “I thought I would come by and see how Maggie’s handling her last game; your father mentioned that she was upset over the,” he smiled, “loss.”

“Well, she’s out on a date with Jesse right now.” He shrugged and started pulling out leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. “She’ll get over it before long… Christmas is just around the corner and you know how goofy she gets around that time of year.” He rolled his eyes and turned the oven on so he could warm his dinner. “You hungry?” he asked as an afterthought.

River Dog shook his head and motioned for the boy to continue with his dinner preparations. “How are things going with your mother?”

“Okay, I guess. She still isn’t fully supportive of my relationship with Maria, but… there’s not much I can do about it.”

“And how are things with Maria?”

Michael finished making his plate and set it in the oven to warm as he turned around to look at his grandfather. “Good… she gets me.”

The old man simply smiled at the boy’s short answer and moved around the room. “And other than the women in your life, how’re things going?”

“S’okay. I’ve been tryin’ to figure out how to talk to Mom an’ Dad about what I wanna do after graduation.” He reached up to scratch his eyebrow with his thumb and the overhead light glinted off of the silver rings he wore. “I know how important college is to them, but…” He shook his head. “I can’t spend the next four years locked up like that, River Dog, I need to get out and look for answers.”

“You have a plan for this search?” he asked as he watched the boy fidget restlessly.

“Nothin’ definite… yet.”

“Um-hmm,” River Dog mused as he leaned against the island and his gaze was drawn to the notebook. He tapped one finger against the page with the design sketched out, unable to look away from it as he asked, “Where did this come from?”

Michael looked up from checking his dinner when he heard his grandfather’s tone and he tossed the oven mitt on the counter as he hurried over to stand across from the old man. “It’s from the sighting the other night,” he answered as he studied River Dog’s expression. “You recognize it.”

“Nacedo drew this same symbol.” His fingertips ghosted over the drawing as he remembered back to the time the visitor had been among his people.

“Really? So, he could potentially be here?”

River Dog looked up at his grandson and nodded. “If you found this symbol at the sighting then yes, I would say it’s possible.” He saw the light of anticipation enter the boy’s eyes and he straightened up to meet his gaze directly. “I know what it means to you to be able to find the answers, but you should be cautious about Nacedo; there was a darkness in him and the fact that the animals were nervous around him…” He shook his head and tapped the notebook once more. “Animals are very instinctive, Michael. They know when danger is near and they know when they are safe. Animals feel safe with you, they’re drawn to you; the exact opposite is true of Nacedo, and you have to remember that he may very well be dangerous.”

[ArchAngel1973]

Eva – Yes, River Dog knows Nacedo. The story happened exactly as in the show for him. So he can warn his grandson about how dangerous the alien can be.

Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.

Cjsl8ne – Thanks! It certainly took time for Isabel to stop seeing Maria as a threat, she is really a tough one to crack. But she didn’t stand a chance against Alex.


Part 92

Tuesday afternoon was just warm enough to sit at one of the tables outside at lunchtime and Isabel was drumming her perfect fingernails against the tabletop while she waited for Alex to join her. She knew he had gym class before lunch and he hated the hour he spent being forced to participate in sports and activities he had no interest in. It always amazed her that despite his dislike of the class he was normally still in a good mood afterwards and it appeared that today would be no different.

He came around the corner of the building carrying his tray, one strap of his backpack slung over his left shoulder, and his wallet chain making the metallic rustling sound that followed him everywhere he went. His movements were perfectly coordinated as he settled on the bench next to her, backpack hitting the ground at the exact same moment that his tray hit the table.

“How was that Psyche quiz?” he asked as he unfolded his napkin.

“I could’ve taken it in my sleep. How was gym?”

Alex snorted and shook his head. “As humiliating as it always is.” He smiled as he motioned to his tray, offering her a slice of his pizza. “You think they actually get a degree in teen humiliation so they can teach that class?”

“Well, I’d be inclined to say no, but…” She shrugged and reached for one of the slices. “Climbing a rope and dodge ball? I can’t imagine how either of those things are gonna help you or anyone else in the future.”

“It’s not.” He took a bite of his pizza and chewed thoughtfully for several seconds. “Any idea what your homework’s gonna look like on Friday?”

“Based on what I’ve got for today and what I had yesterday it probably won’t be much.”

He nodded. “Yeah, same for me. I thought maybe we could take a drive out to Ruidoso and hit the library there, check out their archives and see if we can find anything.” He popped the top on his soda and took a drink before continuing. “We’ll have a last name before the end of the week.”

“You think so?” she asked, hoping he was right.

“Yeah. It’s not gonna take much longer to finish goin’ through the yearbooks online and once we do that we’re gonna have our answer.”

“What’s the question?”

Isabel looked up and Alex turned his head to look at the owner of the new voice. His gaze slid over the girl, taking in the blonde hair, the blue eyes, and the too-friendly expression on her face.

“You’re the new girl, right?” Isabel asked, turning the focus away from the conversation she and Alex had been in the middle of.

“Yeah, Tess Harding. Can I join you?”

Alex was on the verge of telling her that no, she couldn’t join them because they were in the middle of a conversation when Isabel suddenly smiled and nodded, giving her permission. What the hell?!

Tess made it a point to glance at Alex and her features shifted into something resembling hesitation before she looked at Isabel once more. “Are you sure? If you guys were in the middle of something…”

“No, sit down and join us,” Isabel insisted, waving her right hand towards the seat across from her. “I’m Isabel, this’s Alex.”

“Hi,” she said as she took a seat and the smile surfaced once again.

Alex forced his own expression to remain neutral as he spoke to the intruder. “So, welcome to Roswell.”

“Thanks, Al.”

“It’s Alex,” he corrected, hating the abbreviated version of his name.

“Sorry,” she apologized, chagrined. “I always hate the first day at a new school.”

“Done this before?” Isabel asked, glancing at Alex when she picked up on his annoyance. It was subtle but she could sense it and she had the strangest feeling that the new girl was aware of it as well.

“Only about a hundred times.” She wrinkled her nose. “Everyone’s always so nice.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Alex asked.

Tess completely ignored Alex and directed the answer to Isabel instead. “Well, the guys are usually nice because they want to jump my bones. And the girls are usually nice because they want to find out if I want to jump their boyfriends’ bones. You must get that a lot.”

Isabel nodded. “Yeah. How about the girls who hang out with you to meet a better class of guys?”

The new girl was obviously warming up to her topic. “Or the guys who say they understand you and really just want to be your friend, but all they really want is 15 minutes alone with you in the janitor’s closet.”

“We have an eraser room,” Isabel said with a knowing smile.

“Thanks for the warning.”

Alex was watching the girls as they talked, certain that he was in the middle of a nightmare as he was completely ignored and treated as if he weren’t sitting right there between them. A few months ago the behavior would have been expected, but they had made a lot of progress since then and he expected better from her. He was on the verge of excusing himself and making his escape when the new girl pulled several packets of sugar out of her bag and tore them open, mixing the sweetener into her container of yogurt.

“Oh, my God,” Isabel said, her tone expressing surprise, “I do that, too.”

Tess looked up and smiled. “Good. I can’t stand people who use fake sugar. Nothing can ever be too sweet. Don’t you think?”

“Let me see your schedule. I wonder if we have any classes together.”

He continued to observe their interaction as they discussed class schedules and other things that he could quite honestly care less about. He was more concerned with the way that Isabel was opening up around the new girl because it was too out of character for her; her behavior wasn’t… normal.

He knew girls had a different way of interacting with other girls than guys did with other guys, but even that didn’t explain her sudden enthusiasm for a complete stranger. The only girls he had ever really hung out with were Liz and Maria; neither of them harbored a secret like Isabel’s and even they didn’t get this talkative with a virtual stranger.

Maybe he just needed to keep an eye on things, see how it played out before he said anything. He didn’t want to come across as jealous and he knew that was what it would look like if he spoke up right then. Instead he contented himself with observing, paying attention to small details so that he would be able to remember them later when he talked to Isabel.

*****

Michael leaned over and scooped up the wayward puppy that had an incredibly short attention span and placed it back in its original spot. He pressed one hand over the animal’s rump and firmly pushed down until the puppy was sitting once again. He shook his head and took a couple of steps back, one hand outstretched in a bid for the puppy to do as he wished.

“Sit,” he commanded.

The small black and tan head tipped to one side and the oversized ears flopped over as the puppy regarded him, dark eyes sparkling playfully as it made a little hopping motion and leapt up onto all fours once again.

“She’s only eight weeks old, Michael,” Maggie said, shaking her head at her brother as she sat down on a bale of hay to watch him.

“And she listens just about as well as every other female in my life,” he grumbled.

Catherine had insisted he and the puppy relocate after she had discovered the shredded newspaper littering the living room floor. The animal had been happily laying under the coffee table, contentedly chewing on one of her shoes that had been confiscated from her bedroom. The barn had been the best option because the area was contained, but the puppy was still managing to find distractions.

Maggie whistled to get the puppy’s attention and the traitorous animal ran to her, tail wagging, tongue hanging out of her mouth, and with less than a foot between them she tripped over her oversized feet.

“Aw, you clumsy little girl,” Maggie soothed as she picked the puppy up and cradled her in her arms.

“C’mon, Maggie, stop givin’ her all that attention. She’s gotta learn a few basic commands before Christmas or Uncle Elijah’s gonna kill me for askin’ if we could get a dog for Joey.”

“You’ve still got a little more than two weeks to teach her the basic commands, Michael. Give her a break and let her be a puppy for a while. Teach her something fun like how to fetch; that’ll be entertaining for Joey.”

“You teach her to fetch.” He gave up and sat down next to her. “The dog’s from both of us, so you should teach her how to do somethin’, too.”

“I’m teaching her how to show love.”

Michael snorted and pulled a tennis ball out of his jacket pocket, tossing it to his sister. “Here, give it a shot.”

“You and Maria made a good choice, Michael; the puppy’s perfect for Joey.”

He shrugged. “Maria picked her out. I was actually lookin’ at a different pup, but she convinced me that this was the one we should get. Figures,” he mumbled, “damn animal’s as headstrong as she is.”

Maggie laughed and placed the puppy on the ground, showing her the ball before bouncing it a couple of times and tossing it across the floor. “So, have you found anything matching that symbol?”

“No, not yet.”

“What about what Grandpa said?” She rolled her eyes when the puppy settled down several feet away to chew on the tennis ball. “If that Nacedo guy is dangerous…” She let the words trail off, unwilling or unable to finish the thought.

“I’ll be careful, Maggie, but I still need answers.”

“What’d Maria say?” she asked, wondering if he had talked to Maria about it yet.

“River Dog came by after Maria left and I haven’t talked to her about it.” He shrugged and stood up again.

“But you’re going to, right?”

“Yeah.” He reached up to scratch his right eyebrow. “I was thinkin’ about drivin’ out to see her after school tomorrow.”

Maggie stared at him suspiciously. “You’re not about to ask me to do your chores tomorrow, are you?”

“No, but if we work together we can knock yours and mine out in half the time and you can ride with me. Maria’s workin’ every day this week, so I’ll have to catch her for her dinner break. But, if you wanna go I’ll pay for dinner.”

“You really buying dinner or are you gonna conveniently forget your wallet again?” Maggie rolled her eyes when Michael just grinned and snapped his fingers to get the puppy’s attention before walking outside. She knew well enough to always carry her money with her because in true brother fashion he had a tendency to let her pay whenever they went anywhere together.

Oh well, if it meant he was going to talk to Maria about what their grandfather had said in regards to Nacedo then she supposed it was worth it. She knew Michael’s girlfriend would talk to him and he would listen to her because she was very persuasive. She would tell him to be careful, to not get in too deeply without knowing more, and her stubborn, hard-headed brother would listen.

*****

Alex stood at the counter in the kitchen, fingers drumming against the surface as he waited for his toast to pop up. He had expected to have company while he went through the last yearbook but Isabel had sent him a text to let him know that she had made plans with Tess after school. For the past couple of days she had been attached to the new girl and he still wasn’t sure what was going on. When Tess was around it was like he didn’t exist. And it wasn’t just him; it was true of anyone else, too.

As soon as his sandwich was put together he grabbed a drink and went to his room, slouching down in his desk chair and staring at his computer. He didn’t even know if they were still going out to Ruidoso on Saturday but he wasn’t sure how to ask her. He pulled up the yearbook and started going through it page by page, studying the faces and continually coming up empty-handed. He minimized the screen after more than an hour of fruitless searching and he leaned back, staring at the blank screen thoughtfully.

He suddenly sat up and pulled up the Internet, typing a request into the search engine and following the links. He frowned when he finally found the link he was looking for and it wouldn’t open. He glanced at his modem and sighed when he saw the lights blinking furiously and realized that his connection wasn’t working.

He waited for almost an hour to see if it would come back online and when his service still remained out he put in a call to the cable company. By the time he hung up he knew that the outage in his neighborhood was going to last for several more hours so he packed up his laptop and prepared to head over to the Crashdown. Liz had convinced her dad that having wi-fi available for the customers would be an advantage and he had taken her advice after researching it himself.

He went into the kitchen to get his keys and paused when his mother came in through the side door that led out into the backyard. “Hey, Mom.”

“And where are you off to?” Elaine asked with a smile.

“Over to the Crashdown; our Internet’s out and I’ve got some stuff I need to work on.” He paused when he saw the smile on her face. “You look happy… what’s up?”

“Your dad called a little while ago.”

“He’s gonna make it home for Christmas?”

“A week before; his flight gets in next Tuesday and I’ll be picking him up from the airport early in the afternoon so don’t make any plans for that night.”

“No problem.” He shifted the strap for his laptop case higher on his shoulder and reached for the doorknob, stopping again when his mother called him.

“Alex?”

“Yes ma’am?”

“Where’s your shadow?”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you ‘hmm’ me, young man,” she chastised. “You know exactly who I’m talking about. Where’s Isabel?”

“She’s um… she’s hangin’ out with her new friend.” He picked at a crack in the edge of the door as he struggled to keep the annoyance out of his voice. “There’s a new girl at school and she’s just…” How could he tell his mother how he felt without giving the truth away?

“Just monopolizing Isabel’s time?” Elaine asked.

“Yeah,” he admitted after several seconds.

She watched her son, taking in his behavior and her right eyebrow lifted in interest. “You don’t like this girl, Alex?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t really know her, but, I don’t like the way she’s always around.”

[ArchAngel1973]

Eva –

Alex has a good right to be suspicious when it concerns Tess. In this view of the Roswell story he's closer to Isabel than in the real thing. So it's very normal he knows Isabel inside out and that he notices when she's acting out of character. I hope he will do something with his suspicion though 'cause his feelings are correct: Tess is dangerous.

That’s spot on. Everything you said. You get the characters very well.

Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.

PML – Well, Tess had to show up at some point.

DeDePR – Tess is around and Alex is worried, even if Isabel isn’t. But it won’t last.


Part 93

Max dropped his backpack on one of the kitchen chairs and walked over to look for something to snack on. He pulled the refrigerator door open and leaned down to scan over the available food, shaking his head when he didn’t see anything he wanted. He leaned over further to pull out the drawers at the bottom and was once again disappointed when nothing appetizing leapt out at him.

“Should’ve just gone straight over to the café,” he muttered to himself. “It would’ve just made things so much simpler.”

“Simple is good,” a female voice spoke up from behind him.

He moved to straighten up so quickly that he smacked the back of his head on the edge of the freezer door and he winced as he reached up to rub the sore spot. He stared at the blond-haired girl who was standing in the doorway smiling at him. “Who’re you?” he asked as he waited for the pain to subside.

“She’s my friend, Max,” Isabel answered, annoyed at his questioning tone.

He glanced back at the girl again, not realizing he was staring at her until Isabel walked past him and gave him an unsubtle shove as she reached into the refrigerator to grab a couple of drinks. He shook himself out of his stupor when his sister’s voice penetrated the weird fog that seemed to have settled over his mind. “I don’t remember her being one of your friends,” he said as soon as he realized that the other girl had left the room.

“She’s new; she just moved here with her father.” She frowned at him. “Why’re you acting so strange?”

Max just shook his head. “I’m gonna go over to the Crashdown.”

Isabel rolled her eyes and grabbed a handful of the sugar packets her mother kept on hand for her as she walked out of the kitchen and went back to her room. She handed several of the packets to Tess and then proceeded to mix the sweetener into her own drink while she watched the other girl do the same.

“So, what’s the story with you and Al?” Tess asked.

“Alex,” Isabel corrected unconsciously. “He’s my friend… my best friend, actually.”

“Nothing more there?”

“Um, I don’t know yet.” She cleared her throat. “What about you? Anyone you’re interested in?”

“Well, to be honest, I’m kinda bummed that your brother’s unavailable.” She smiled and shrugged. “I’m really into those serious types.”

Isabel couldn’t stop the eye roll that followed Tess’s comment. “Yeah, well, you can forget all about that; Max is a total goner. You should hear him talk about her.” Her voice changed into a high-pitched whine, “Oh, Liz is my soulmate. I’ve never felt like this before.” She sighed and made a face. “It’s enough to make you want to gag.”

“Hmm, that’s weird. I thought I felt…”

She looked up at Tess when she suddenly fell silent. “What?”

“Nothing. I’m sure it was nothing.”

Isabel watched her guest as Tess started to move around her bedroom, looking at her things almost as if she was memorizing them. She had the strangest feeling that something wasn’t right about the girl but the feeling was fleeting and disappeared just as soon as Tess turned around and focused on her again.

“So, where did Max go?”

“Oh, he went to the Crashdown. No doubt Liz is working today.”

“We should go over there.”

“What? Why?”

“I’ve heard a lot of the kids at school talking about it and it seems to be one of the most popular places to go for a burger here in town. Why don’t we finish our homework and then we’ll just go on over there? You probably have friends who hang out there, right? And Al will… I mean, Alex, will be there, too.”

“Well, yeah…” Something about Tess’s smile felt contrived and she found herself watching her warily.

“So, you can introduce me around and I can get to know them.”

Isabel found herself agreeing even though there was a part of her that was resistant to the idea. Something inside of her wanted to say no, but for some reason she couldn’t get the negative response to come out.

*****

Liz was delivering an order to a table of customers when the bell above the door jingled, signaling new arrivals and she took a quick look to see if it was another large group. She was surprised to see Maria’s boyfriend stepping inside with a girl that looked vaguely familiar. She quickly pushed the thought aside when one of the other waitresses hurried to seat them in Maria’s section and she turned her attention back to her customers.

It only took a matter of seconds before Maria realized that she had new people to wait on and a huge smile graced her lips the moment she recognized them. Liz took care of a couple of out-of-towners who came in and sat at the counter before leaning on the counter between the kitchen and the front so she could recite the orders back to Jose.

She glanced at the clock on the wall and knew that Maria would be taking her ten-minute break soon and her dinner break about an hour after that. Looked like she had someone to spend her half hour break with, Liz thought.

She was picking up a new order when the door opened again and Max stepped inside, shrugging out of his jacket as he crossed the floor and headed for his usual booth at the back. She knew the moment he noticed their visitors from Ruidoso and she delivered the tray of food before going back to talk to him for a moment.

“Hi, Max,” she greeted, leaning over to kiss him before sitting down beside him.

“Hi. I thought I’d come by to see if you wanted to go out for dinner tomorrow night.”

“I have to work tomorrow night.” Liz smiled, confused. “That’s why we agreed to go out on Friday night.”

Max reached for her hand, holding it in both of his as he looked up to meet her gaze. The meeting with Isabel’s friend had left him unsettled and he couldn’t explain it but he felt the need to be close to Liz, to reinforce his feelings for her. “I just… I’d really like it if we could go out tomorrow night, Liz.”

“Max, are you alright?” she asked, concerned by the undertone of desperation in his voice.

“Liz, please, go out with me tomorrow night.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to my dad and tell him that I need the night off.” She leaned in to kiss him before standing up again. “I need to see if I can get someone to cover my shift first though, okay?”

He nodded, relieved that she had agreed without requiring further explanation.

*****

Michael smiled at Maria when she stood up again, leaning over to give him a quick kiss before going back to work.

“You’re getting dangerously close to falling into the cute category,” Maggie said as she browsed through the menu.

“Whatever,” he grumbled and slouched down far enough to prop his booted feet up on the bench seat next to his sister.

“You want me to get lost for a while when she takes her dinner break?”

He shook his head at her offer. “No. I don’t want you wanderin’ around outside by yourself at night; you can stay here and we’ll probably take a short walk.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “You’re just gonna get far enough away from everyone so you can make out for a while.”

Michael shrugged, refusing to confirm or deny his sister’s statement. What business was it of hers if he wanted to make out with his girlfriend? “You figure out what you want for dinner yet?”

“Are you gonna talk to Maria about that situation we were discussing the other day?”

“At some point, yes. Not necessarily tonight since we have limited time.”

“Wasn’t that the whole point for this little trip?”

He pretended to be interested in the menu for several long seconds before he glanced up at his sister. “It was potentially the reason for the trip… I don’t know if I wanna bring it up when we don’t really have a lot of time to talk about it.”

“Uh-huh, you are so full of it, Michael.”

He was just about to shrug again when he glanced up and recognized the guy entering the café and he heard Maggie shift in her seat as she turned to follow his gaze.

“He’s one of Maria’s old friends, isn’t he?”

“Um-hmm.” Michael watched Alex as he moved to take a seat nearby and it was only a matter of minutes before Liz noticed he was there and after just a few hand signals she nodded and moved to give the cook a new food order.

*****

Alex sat sideways in the booth and leaned back against the wall, turning his laptop so no one else could see the screen as he opened it up. He was connected to the Internet before Liz came back with his drink and he quickly pulled up the search engine and typed in a few words before starting the search.

Locating the link he had been attempting to access earlier he selected it and his mind started to wander as he waited for the page to load. He didn’t know what was going with Isabel but her sudden lack of interest in their investigation didn’t make any sense and he was reluctant to make the trip to Ruidoso without her.

So, he had to find a way around that, he thought as he opened up the home page for the Ruidoso Chronicle. Um-hmm, look at that… the archives. He smiled to himself as he clicked on the link for the archives but within moments he was frowning. He read the information in the little box that popped up and he sighed in frustration.

How could the newspaper require people to order a three-month trial subscription just to view the archived section? He shook his head as he considered his next move. He definitely didn’t want to do anything that would link Isabel to the search so even a trial subscription was out of the question.

Now what?

“Whatcha working on, Alex?” Liz asked as she brought an order of Saturn Rings over and slid the plate on the table.

“History project,” he answered with a quick glance at their surroundings.

She nodded, understanding what he was leaving out. “So, where’s Isabel?”

“You got a minute?” Alex motioned for her to sit down when she nodded. “Have you met the new girl?”

“No, but she’s in a couple of my classes. Why?”

“She’s been spendin’ a lot of time with Isabel.” Alex shrugged. “Just somethin’ about her I don’t trust.”

“You sure it’s not just the fact that Isabel’s spending time with someone who isn’t you?” Liz teased with a smile.

“I don’t think so.” He sighed and let the subject drop. He didn’t think it was jealousy but he hadn’t completely ruled that possibility out either.

She reached over and patted his hand as she stood up again. “I’ve gotta get back to work.”

He nodded. “Hey, Liz?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you run up against any sites requiring a trial subscription to – “

“Yeah, a couple of the newspaper sites, but so far I’ve been able to bypass them by calling the office directly and getting a temporary student password that allows me to access the sites. Call the number on the home page and you should be able to get the same type of access; they do it for students.”

“Cool, thanks, Liz.”

He did as she had suggested and then pulled his cell phone out, making the call and luckily finding someone still in the office who could help him out with the necessary password that would allow him to complete his ‘assignment’.

*****

Maggie waved absently at her brother when he asked if she would be alright while he and Maria went for a walk. She moved to change seats, taking the one Michael had vacated and looking around at the other people in the café. She recognized the two guys that they had run into in Frasier Woods and she wondered why they weren’t hanging out together.

She looked at Max, taking in his brooding expression as he stared at his girlfriend and after several moments of watching him she turned to look at Alex. His eyes had been locked on the screen of his laptop for quite a while now and she wondered what could be so interesting.

“They cram a lot of homework on you guys before the holidays here, too?” she asked, drawing his attention.

Alex looked up when someone spoke to him and it took a moment for it to register that the voice belonged to the girl that they had watched playing basketball on a Saturday night not so long ago. “Sorry, what?”

She motioned to his laptop and tipped her head to one side. “Our teachers always pile a ton of homework on us the last couple of weeks before the holidays.”

“Oh, yeah, us, too.” He smiled faintly as he hid his curiosity about her interest in what he was doing. Time to turn the tables, he thought. “What brings you to Roswell?”

Maggie bit back a smile at his question. Oh, he had questions and he was trying so hard not to ask them! “My brother wanted to see his girlfriend.” She rolled her eyes. “He just couldn’t wait for the weekend.”

Your brother, huh? That’s right, keep talkin’. “You guys seem really close.”

“Yep, he just can’t go anywhere without me. So, where’s your girlfriend tonight?”

“My girl…” He shook his head and smiled wryly. “Isabel’s not my girlfriend; we’re just friends.”

“You guys enjoy the game the other night?”

“Would’ve enjoyed it more if we’d won the game,” he admitted with a shrug of his right shoulder.

“That makes two of us… well, not that I wanted your team to win.”

“I don’t recall seein’ your brother playin’ basketball or football… he out for an injury this season?”

Fishing for information? “It’s highly doubtful you’ll ever see my brother racking up points for Ruidoso unless they happen to introduce eating as a high school sport.” She looked up when one of the waitresses brought her plate over. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your homework,” she said as she turned around in her seat.

Alex just nodded, but his mind was shifting gears at an increasingly fast pace. Damn, he had wasted time searching through team pictures and old articles in the sporting section of the Chronicle all for nothing! Well, at least now he knew that he wasn’t looking for an athlete, he was looking… his head lifted as he stared at the back of the girl’s head. The guy didn’t like being the center of attention, but he was strangely aware of his surroundings, and he watched everything like a hawk.

No, it wasn’t possible… it was too easy! He quickly minimized the screen he had been browsing and he pulled up his favorites, selecting the Ruidoso yearbook and pulling it up. He scanned through, searching for the photography credits and flicking his finger against the screen when he found it: Michael Guerin. He finally had a name! He had completely overlooked the photography credits when they had been searching over the past few days, so busy looking for a photograph that he had missed the obvious, and now he was mentally kicking himself for it.

His triumph was short-lived as he realized that the one person he wanted to share the news with was unavailable. He sighed as he filed that information away and went back to searching the archives from 12 years back. Isabel had given him the date that she and Max had been found in the desert so he had started with the same time frame, working forward, day by day as he searched for anything that would give them a clue as to who the third and possibly the fourth alien children were.

His gaze rested on Michael’s sister for several minutes as he stared at her, lost in thought. Was it possible that the answer had been right in front of them the entire time? There was no way that he and his sister were related by blood; there was no evidence of familial resemblance at all between them.

The evidence started to pile up as he went over things that should have been so obvious and yet they had overlooked all of it. Maria’s boyfriend lived on the Reservation but he wasn’t Native American, she had become just as secretive as they had over the past several months, Isabel had gotten a strange feeling around the guy on two separate occasions, Max had responded to the guy’s baiting tactics in a way that he had never responded to anyone else, and most importantly, he had been at the sighting and seen the symbol on the ground, but they seemed to have been the only people to have viewed it.

What if Maria was dating one of the other aliens?

[ArchAngel1973]

PML – Alex is too easily overlooked. He is an intelligent guy, it’s no wonder that he is the one connecting the dots about Michael.

Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.

Cjsl8ne – Don’t worry, Isabel and Max are aware that their reactions to Tess aren’t normal and they are in relationships with two very intelligent humans.

Eva – Alex has won Isabel’s trust, he won’t have any problems working on the Tess problem with her.


Part 94

“What’s on your mind, Michael?” Maria asked as she watched him, waiting for him to speak. It was too cool to be outside for long so they were sitting in the truck with the engine running and the heat pouring out of the vents.

Michael stared at the steering wheel cover, his thumbnail picking at it as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. “That symbol we found in the woods…”

“Yeah?”

“River Dog saw it in my notebook; he said this Nacedo guy drew the same symbol.”

“Okay,” she said slowly, wondering why he was taking so long to say what he had to say. “What else did he say?”

“He said he’s dangerous.” His thumb stilled and he turned to look at her.

Maria bit her bottom lip as she thought about what he had said. It wasn’t the first time she had considered that the other alien could be dangerous, but it was the first time she could remember him admitting the possibility. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Michael, I think it’s a risk, and I’m not sure it’s one we’re equipped to handle.”

“What d’you mean?”

“This other alien… we don’t know what powers he has and he’s had decades to hone his abilities. What if his powers are nothing like yours? What if they’re more dangerous, more advanced?”

“What if he has all the answers to my questions?” he countered, inching across the seat. “He could very well be the only person who can tell me what I need to know about where I come from and why I’m here.” His right arm slid down from the backrest to settle around her shoulders. “C’mon, Maria,” he whispered, his tone persuasive as he let his lips roam over the sensitive skin below her left ear. He was pretty confident that he could convince her to see things his way if he could keep her distracted long enough.

“I know that’s important…” She trailed off when his cheek brushed against hers and she felt just the slightest hint of stubble graze her skin. Damn, he was making it hard to concentrate, she thought as she reached up to cradle his chin and redirect his attention.

Michael was on the verge of protesting until she moved and captured his mouth with hers, allowing her to turn the tables and distract him from his mission. He easily lost interest in the conversation when she shifted onto her knees and her arms slid up over his shoulders, her fingers threading into his hair.

His hands settled on her hips and she gasped in surprise when he pulled her over to straddle his lap. The tiny sound was immediately followed by a satisfied moan as he deepened the kiss and she melted against him.

*****

Alex glanced up from his research when someone paused next to his booth and he smiled as he recognized Isabel standing there. The smile slipped just a bit when he realized that she had brought company with her.

“How’s the homework?” she asked.

He shrugged, sensing that she wanted him to redirect the conversation. “About the same as usual, I guess.” He reached out to close out what he had been working on and then pulled up his most recent calculus homework before turning his laptop towards her.

“Homework?” Tess asked, wrinkling her nose. “Are you serious?”

“Well, if I get enough of a jump on it I won’t have anything to do this weekend.”

“Do you still have tomorrow night free?”

He glanced at Isabel when she spoke and he nodded. “Wanna go ahead and knock out that paper for your government class?”

“Yes,” she breathed, relieved that he had understood. “Yes, government class.”

“I don’t remember any assignments for that class,” Tess said, glancing between them.

“It’s for extra credit,” Alex answered without missing a beat. “The class bores Isabel to tears so she’s not doin’ as well as she could be.”

“Oh, look, Iz, there’s your brother.” She placed her hand on the taller girl’s arm. “I’m just gonna go say hi.”

Alex watched her as she turned and waved to Max and he frowned when the guy raised his right hand to return the greeting, the gesture almost forced. He looked trapped when Tess slid into the booth across from him and his gaze darted around as he looked for Liz. “Okay, what’s goin’ on, Isabel?”

“I don’t know, Alex,” she whispered as she sat down next to him. “Come to my locker after school tomorrow, okay? Say it’s because we arranged for you to give me a ride home or because we’re working on homework, whatever, just don’t let me tell you no and don’t let me leave with her.”

“Okay,” he said slowly.

“How’re you doing with the research? No, wait, don’t tell me; we’ll talk about it tomorrow. I don’t wanna know anything about it while she’s with me.”

Alex glanced at Tess again, studying her for several seconds before looking back at Isabel. “You don’t trust her.”

Isabel lowered her voice to make sure it wouldn’t carry. “No, no, there’s something not right about her, Alex. I don’t know what it is, but I feel… I don’t know… off when I’m around her, like I’m agreeing to things because she’s suggesting them not because I’m even remotely interested in doing them.”

“She seems to have taken an interest in Max.”

“I know, and I’ve already told her he’s with Liz. We were at my house earlier, before we came here, and she went to get a drink, right? Well, it was taking so long that I finally went to see what she was doing… she was just standing there, staring at Max and he looked like he was in a trance or something, even after she left the room. And afterwards when she started asking me about Max I started telling her all about him and Liz.” She sighed and shook her head. “I’ve never made any secret that their nauseating PDA’s are something that I could live without, but I don’t normally just go on about it to someone who isn’t in our little circle.”

Alex nodded. “Okay, you sure you don’t wanna just tell her you’re gonna start workin’ on that homework tonight?”

“No, we’ve already made plans to hang out tonight and I don’t want to make her suspicious by suddenly changing plans.”

“What time d’you think you’ll be home?” He looked at her and smiled sheepishly. “So I can call and make sure you got there okay.” He shrugged. “I know you don’t need me to, but I’d like to. If you don’t mind.”

They glanced up when Tess slid into the booth across from them and raised one eyebrow in question. “What’re you two over here whispering about?”

“Oh, Alex was just asking if I was gonna be home in time to catch some show he’s been hounding me about.” She shrugged. “But, since it comes on at nine I assured him that I’ll be home.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s a school night so my parents would have a fit if I was out later than that.”

Tess made a noncommittal sound as she turned her head to watch Liz walk across the dining room to talk to Max.

*****

Liz sat down beside Max and she frowned when he didn’t respond to her comment. She turned to follow his gaze and she was surprised to realize that he was staring at the new girl that Isabel had been hanging around with recently. Okay, she thought, that was unusual. Max wasn’t the type to stare at other girls and she wasn’t sure exactly how to respond to the odd behavior.

“Um, Max?”

No response.

“Max,” she called him a little louder as she reached over to lightly pinch his forearm.

“Huh? What?” He shook his head as he turned to look at Liz and he frowned at her while reaching over to rub his arm. “What’re you doing?”

“Since when do you just stare at other girls, Max?” she insisted, her voice low.

“What’re you talking about?”

“Max, you were just sitting here staring at the new girl.”

“What? No, I wasn’t,” he denied.

“Yeah, you were.” She shook her head at him and stood up again. “I’ve gotta get back to work.”

“What’d you come over here to talk about?” he asked.

“I wanted to let you know that I found someone to cover my shift tomorrow night.” Her confusion mixed with irritation when his attention started to drift and the next thing she knew he was staring at the new girl again. “Although I don’t know why I bothered,” she muttered as she went back to work.

Max barely noticed that Liz had moved away until Tess stood up with Isabel and they walked towards the entrance. Tess turned and tossed a smile at him over her shoulder and when she stepped outside he felt that foggy feeling start to lift again. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and he glanced at Liz when she walked past him to take an order from a new customer.

He frowned when she went to take the order back to Jose and she completely ignored him as she passed by. He flagged her down when she took a plate out to a truck driver sitting near the door and he sat back with a confused expression on his face when she acted as if she hadn’t seen him wave to her.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be drooling over other girls while your girlfriend’s sitting with you.”

He turned his head to look at the girl who had spoken and he recognized her from the night they had run into Maria and her friends in the woods. He was spared having to make conversation with her when Alex suddenly stood up, checking his watch as he gathered up his laptop, notebooks, and some other small items that he shoved into his backpack.

*****

Maria smiled and waved as Michael and Maggie left the Crashdown and as the door closed behind them the little bell jingled, reminding her that she was still working. She shook her head as she realized that Michael had managed to completely change her mind with a few kisses. Well, his kisses weren’t exactly the kind that were easily forgotten, she thought, building up a defense for being so easily swayed to see things his way.

She fixed her apron, grabbed her order pad and went to greet a new group of customers that had just entered the restaurant. Based on the time and the number of people who were slowly beginning to filter in and the time she knew they had most likely come from the nearby theater. The early evening movie had just let out and now the masses were in search of greasy food to fill the hunger that had been temporarily appeased with popcorn and soda.

It wasn’t until there was a lull in the rush that she realized that Liz was ignoring her boyfriend despite his occasional attempts to get her attention. She briefly wondered what was going on between them, shrugging it off when Liz walked through the swinging door and Max gave up trying to be subtle and followed her.

Liz threw her headband into her locker and leaned against the cool metal as she tried to bring her emotions under control. She missed Maria even more at times like this, times when something was going on and she needed advice. As much as she loved Alex he just couldn’t see things from the female perspective.

“Liz?”

She sighed when Max spoke up from behind her, his voice quiet and hesitant. “Why, Max?”

“I can’t explain it, Liz. I don’t understand it; I don’t even realize I’m doing it until after she’s gone.”

She turned her head and stared at him incredulously. “That’s your explanation?”

“I don’t know what else to tell you.” Max shrugged helplessly. “When she’s around I get this really weird feeling. It happened earlier today when she was at my house.”

“What was she doing at your house?” She knew her tone was accusatory and that Isabel had been spending a lot of time with the new girl, but she couldn’t help it.

“She and Isabel are friends I guess… I don’t know, Liz! I’m telling you, there’s something not right about her. I get these weird feelings around her and I don’t know – “

“Feelings?”

“Yes! No! Not feelings like I have for you!” He was explaining it poorly and he was only making things worse. “They’re different, Liz… they’re… primal… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Primal,” she said slowly. “Like… sexual?”

“I don’t know!” He desperately wished he had someone to talk to about things like this, someone who had the ability to understand from his unique position. But the only other alien he knew was his sister and he just couldn’t go to Isabel with this. “All I know is that when she’s around I don’t feel like I’m in control of myself.”

“Max, that’s ridiculous!” she hissed.

He held his hands out at his sides, completely helpless to explain the situation any better. “I need you to help me find a way to figure out what’s going on.”

Liz bit her bottom lip as she studied his expression; he looked distraught and it didn’t take long before she decided that he had to be telling the truth. Max wasn’t the kind of guy who would go behind his girlfriend’s back to pursue another girl. He had come to her for help and she couldn’t just turn him away.

She was just about to smile and assure him that they would work everything out when she suddenly realized that he hadn’t come to her because of the new girl. “You didn’t even mention her when you came in earlier tonight,” she mused, almost to herself. “When you got here you were begging me to change my schedule so we could go out tomorrow night… was that because of her?” She shook her head when he opened his mouth but no sound came out.

He could see he was losing her and he reached out to grab her arm when she started to move past him. “Liz, please!”

She paused beside him and looked up to meet his pleading gaze. “We’ll go out tomorrow night, Max, but I want you to stay away from her.”

He nodded. That’s what he wanted, too.

[ArchAngel1973]

Cjsl8ne – Don’t worry, Michael will fit just fine. Trust Alex and Isabel, they are taking care of the problem that Tess is.

Timelord31 – Thanks for reading.


Part 95

Isabel felt relief wash over her when she turned the corner and saw Alex leaning against the locker next to hers. She had ducked out of class before the final bell had even finished ringing in hopes of getting to her locker before Tess caught up with her.

“Where’s the fire?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Tess suddenly appeared at her side. She forced a laugh and hoped it didn’t sound as nervous as she feared it had sounded. “What?”

“You seem to be in an awful big hurry,” Tess said. “I thought maybe you were trying to avoid me.”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Uh-huh, well, I called you but you practically ran from class. I thought we could hang out.”

“I have plans with Alex,” Isabel said insistently.

“You can hang out with him later.” Tess rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he isn’t doing anything other than studying anyway.”

Alex observed them for several seconds, not missing Isabel’s small retreat when Tess moved to stand in front of her. He heard the shorter girl’s tone change, lowering and becoming persuasive as she attempted to change Isabel’s mind. He could see the internal struggle and in that moment he knew for certain that Tess wasn’t who she claimed to be.

He intentionally bumped into Tess’ shoulder as he brushed past her to stand next to Isabel. “Hey, my mom wanted me to invite you to stay over for dinner since we’re gonna be workin’ on that homework assignment.”

“We were just discussing that,” Tess said as she turned to glare at him. “Before you interrupted.”

“Um-hmm, well, we’ve already lost crucial study hours because she’s blown me off so the two of you could hang out, so unless you’re plannin’ to explain her failing grade to her parents then you can go hang out with someone else today.”

Her blue eyes narrowed. “Why don’t we just ask Isabel what she wants to do?”

“Fine.” He turned his head to look at her. “Isabel?”

She was fighting the strange feeling, unable to look away from Tess’ intense gaze. She was vaguely aware of Alex shifting next to her and her fingers twitched when she felt the back of his hand brush against hers. “Um, we can probably study later…”

Alex frowned at Tess and he moved very slowly as he wrapped his hand around Isabel’s, linking their fingers and squeezing just enough to draw her attention away from Tess.

“But I think Alex is right,” she said, feeling relief wash over her as she met his steady gray gaze. “My parents are gonna kill me if I fail this class.”

Tess lowered her gaze to their joined hands, musing over the strength of their connection before she gave in and nodded. “Alright, it’s your loss. I’ll catch up with you later, Isabel.” She looked up at the guy who was staring back at her, his gray eyes placid, yet watchful. “You too, Al.”

“It’s Alex!” they both corrected as she walked away.

“There is definitely somethin’ not right about her,” Alex said when they were alone.

Isabel sighed and squeezed his hand tightly. “Thanks, Alex.”

“Anytime.” He motioned to her locker. “You need to get anything?”

“My textbook for my government class, just in case we run into her again. Hey, how’s the research been going?”

He paused a moment when she turned to her locker, letting the suspense build until she finally turned to look at him.

“Alex?”

“I think it’s finally paid off.”

Her eyes widened as she whirled around to look at him. “You’ve found something?”

He grinned and nodded. “I think I’ve found one of them and you’re not gonna believe who it is! C’mon, I left everything at home, didn’t wanna risk havin’ it around with Tess anywhere in the vicinity.”

Isabel hurried to shove everything in her hands into her locker and grabbed her book for her government class so they could leave. She couldn’t believe he had found something and she had missed out on it!

*****

Isabel settled into her usual chair in Alex’s room while he rummaged in the kitchen for drinks and something to snack on. She turned the computers on and reached for the binder with all of the information they had gathered and he had compiled for their report. She smiled as she flipped through the plastic sleeves, fingers tracing over the papers they had written together and individually. She had been amazed when he had shown it to her recently and she still couldn’t believe how well it had come out.

“Isabel, I didn’t know you were here,” Elaine said from the doorway.

She turned and smiled at Alex’ mother. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Whitman. We’re gonna do some more work on our report.” She hesitated. “Is that okay?”

“Oh, of course, dear! I just didn’t hear the two of you come in; I’ve been busy getting things ready for Charles since he’ll be coming home soon.” She stepped into her son’s room and moved to stand next to Isabel as she looked down at the open binder. “Alex showed me your report the other day when he was asking about interviewing his great aunt Irene; she was a WASP during the war.”

Isabel nodded. “I’m gonna interview my grandfather.”

“Alex said it was your idea to close the report out with personal interviews.” She smiled. “That was a wonderful idea, Isabel.”

“Thank you. Alex is the one who came up with this idea though…”

“And Alex couldn’t have done it alone,” he said as he joined them with a couple of drinks and a small plate with several pieces of fudge. “Hey, Mom.”

“Don’t you ‘hey, Mom’ me, young man. I can see that fudge perfectly well from here.”

He kissed her cheek as he passed her on his way to his chair. “I only got a few pieces and it’s not enough to ruin my dinner.”

“Speaking of dinner,” she said, looking back at Isabel, “did Alex invite you to stay for dinner?”

Isabel smiled as she glanced at Alex from the corner of her eye. “In a roundabout way,” she answered.

Elaine shook her head. “Well, consider yourself invited in a direct way. Now I’m going to leave the two of you alone so I can run and do a few errands. I’ll be back in about an hour to get dinner started.”

“Thanks for the invitation, Mrs. Whitman. I’ll call my mom and ask her if it’s alright.”

“You’re welcome, dear, just let me know what she says. You two behave yourselves and I’ll be back in a bit.”

Isabel waited until she heard the front door close followed by Elaine’s car leaving the driveway before she turned to look at Alex. He was slouched down in a comfortable sprawl as he devoured the fudge that he had brought upstairs with him.

“Wanna piece?” he offered, nudging the small plate across the surface of his desk.

“You said you think you’ve found one of them,” she said impatiently as she shook her head and returned the binder to its spot on the back of his desk.

Alex grinned at her as he sat up straighter and reached for a folder filed in the cabinet next to his desk. He handed it to her and leaned back, waiting for her reaction.

Isabel frowned at the plain manila folder, recognizing the tiny label he had written on the tab at the top right corner. He had uploaded the pictures he had taken that night in the woods, the night they had chased the sighting and been forced to leave the symbol without a closer examination because of the others who had also been there. She glanced up at him as she opened the folder and lifted out the photos of the symbol and her gaze lowered to them as she flipped through them to find the single photo of Maria and her friends.

Her gaze zeroed in on Maria’s boyfriend Michael and she slowly looked up at Alex once more. “It’s him?”

“I met his sister a couple nights ago at the Crashdown.” He shook his head as he leaned forward to tap the picture. “Look at them, Iz, they don’t look anything like each other. She’s obviously Native American, full-blooded most likely, judging by her features; her brother, Michael? He’s White and it’s doubtful he’s got much Native American blood in his veins if he has any at all. The guy’s probably adopted, Isabel, and, he’s also the same age as you and Max. He’s credited for a lot of the photographs in the yearbooks, but he’s not in a single shot himself. And, and, every time we’ve run into them you’ve gotten that weird feelin’ from him.”

She braced her elbows on her knees as she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. It made sense, she realized. “What do we do now?”

“Go out and meet him, see if he’ll talk to us.”

“You found out where he lives?”

“No, we’ll have to catch him after school, before he has time to leave. I’ve got a free period at the end of the day tomorrow, but…”

“But I don’t,” she finished for him.

“Right.”

She nodded. “I’ll figure something out.”

*****

The next afternoon at school Isabel sat at her desk, watching the clock and trying to come up with a way to get out of her last class of the day without someone in the office calling her parents. She was down to less than five minutes before the bell rang, ending her current class and sending her scurrying to the next one before the bell rang again. She had only been able to come up with one plausible scenario and while she did feel bad for it, she couldn’t really think of anything else that would work.

She knew that being a senior had its advantages and if the teacher went home during last period they would most likely be given a free period or a study hall. Either one would work, she mused. Both were easy to get out of and she could get away undetected with little effort on her part.

As soon as the bell rang she gathered up her books, not bothering to stop at her locker to exchange them for the ones she needed for her next class since she had no intention of needing them. She made her way to the classroom on the opposite side of the building and paused near the corner to take a calming breath.

Ms. Harper always stood just inside the doorway so that she could greet each of her students as they entered the classroom and today was no different. Isabel forced down the moment of guilt that reared its ugly head again and plastered a smile on her face as she started to walk the last few feet that separated them.

“Isabel, you’re early today,” Ms. Harper said, her tone surprised. “You usually skate into class just as the bell is ringing.”

“Oh, well… I…” Isabel made it a point to drop one of the textbooks and a notebook, quickly leaning down to pick them up. She hid a smile when the teacher knelt down and started to collect the items at the same time and as she accepted her notebook from the woman she let her hand move to her wrist and linger for just a moment. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Isabel, although it looks like you’ve got the wrong books for this class.”

She feigned surprise. “Really? Because I thought we had a quiz today, so I didn’t think I would really need my textbook.”

Ms. Harper smiled and nodded. “You make a very good point.”

Isabel made her way to her preferred desk and took a seat, waiting for class to start as the other students filed into the classroom and settled down for the last class of the day. Two minutes before the bell rang Ms. Harper reached up to rest her palm against her forehead and a moment later she excused herself.

The principal arrived with the final bell and Isabel barely remembered to control her smile when he announced that Ms. Harper had gone home early and he was granting them a free period.

*****

Alex was sitting in the library, trying to focus on a book and failing miserably, when a pair of hands came around him to cover his eyes.

“Guess who.”

“What’re you doin’ outta class?” he asked as he reached up to cover her hands, pulling them away from his eyes so he could tip his head back and look up at her. He had his suspicions, but he wouldn’t make accusations.

“Ms. Harper went home; she wasn’t feeling well.” She smiled brightly. “So, now I’ve got a free period.”

“Um-hmm, that’s convenient.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Little bit too convenient if you ask me.” He shook his head at her. “What’d you do?”

Isabel dropped down into the chair next to him. “Nothing serious, Alex. Look, I know you don’t approve, but if we don’t get out to Ruidoso before school lets out we’re gonna have to wait until next week.”

No, he didn’t approve of those tactics, but he knew this business with Tess was making her edgy and waiting several more days wasn’t an option. “Alright, let’s get goin’ then because it’s a long drive.”

She was relieved that he wasn’t going to give her a lecture because it would only lead to a fight and she wasn’t interested in fighting right now.

[ArchAngel1973]

Araxie HRH

If Isabel & Alex have deduced that Michael is the third alien, haven't their minds leapt to the next conclusion that Maria also knows his secret (I mean she was out in the woods that night hunting for clues with them) which would also equal Maria is trustworthy.

Yes, this will be mentioned later on. Kind of ironic, huh? That Alex and Liz had to give up on Maria because they couldn’t give her answers, only to find out that she was protecting the same secret.

Timelord31 – Isabel will do something she never thought she would do, especially when you consider how she started at the beginning of this story. But Alex has been a good influence on her and she desperately needs help, for her and her brother, if they have to team up against Tess.

Eva – Yes, we thought that Tess trying to control Isabel and Max would freak them out, especially Isabel who is herself a control freak. But with Tess around, she has no control at all, and she is more than worried.

Cjsl8ne – Yes, they are FINALLY going to meet. Hope you enjoy this part.


Part 96

Michael took the steps two at a time as he hurried to his locker to shove the books he didn’t need inside before heading for the entrance and a weekend of freedom. Maggie had practice and she had already arranged to catch a ride with Linda and Christina so he was under no obligation to hang around school on a Friday afternoon. He shoved a couple of textbooks he needed for homework into his backpack and had just reached up to slam his locker shut when he realized he was being watched. He slowly closed his locker and silently groaned when he saw Shadow leaning up against the locker next to his.

“What’s up, Cuz?” Shadow asked as he grinned.

“Nothin’,” Michael answered cautiously. “Why? You need a ride or somethin’?”

“Huh-uh, just wanted to remind you about the Christmas pageant tomorrow evening.” He followed Michael when his cousin turned and walked toward the school’s entrance without a word to him. He had expected as much, but he also knew that despite Michael’s behavior he had given his word and he wouldn’t go back on it.

Michael knew there was no getting out of his agreement to take the pictures at the pageant, but it didn’t mean he had to enjoy it either. He glanced to the side when Shadow caught up with him as they stepped through the wide double doors and he moved back out of the way of other students when it became apparent to him that his cousin wasn’t going anywhere until he at least acknowledged him.

“What?” he growled.

“So, the pageant’s at seven o’clock at the Community Center, but I’d like for us to be there at least an hour early so we can get set up.”

“Shadow, did I tell you I’d do this stupid thing?”

“Um-hmm.”

“And when I agreed, did you tell me where it takes place?”

“Yeah.”

“Then do I need any other information from you?”

Shadow studied him and after a moment he grinned. “Just that I’m gonna need a ride, so I’ll be ready to go about quarter after five.”

Michael nodded and stared at Shadow, waiting for him to realize that he was testing his patience. “Is there anything else?”

He shrugged. “You can invite Maria if you want.”

“Uh-huh, because I want to expose her to this ridiculous experience.” He made a choppy, waving motion with his right hand. “You’re holdin’ me up, Shadow.”

“Later, Cuz!” Shadow nodded and hurried around the side of the school where his sister had parked that morning.

Michael just shook his head and ambled down the steps and across the campus to the parking lot on the opposite side of the building. He took his time, letting the parking lot empty out as other students hurried to escape the school and begin two days without classes or teachers, and by the time he reached the parking area there were only a couple dozen vehicles still in the lot.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and tossed them up in the air, catching them and hooking the ring on his forefinger. He was less than a hundred feet from the truck when he looked up and noticed the two people standing next to it, obviously waiting for him. He didn’t know why they were there, but he was sure it was probably related to the situation with Maria.

“Not really interested in anything you’ve got to say,” he muttered as he walked right by them and unlocked the truck door.

“Well, you may not think so,” Alex said, “but we’re pretty sure you’ll change your mind once you hear what we’ve got to say.”

“You incorrectly assume that I intend to stick around and listen to you plead your case.” He tossed his backpack into the truck and slid in behind the steering wheel. “You’re the one who threw your friendship away, so don’t come out here expectin’ me to give a damn about you wantin’ to fix it now.”

Alex grabbed the door before Michael could shut it. “It’s very important that we talk to you.”

“Uh-huh,” Michael said, unconvinced. “And again, I’m not helpin’ you; what you did to Maria is unforgivable and there’s no excuse for it.”

Isabel glanced around the parking lot when it became apparent that he wasn’t going to listen to reason. “We know what you are,” she said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.

Michael froze and his hands gripped the steering wheel as her words registered. She hadn’t said they knew who he was; she had said they knew what he was. He slowly turned to look at them, his eyes cold as he stared at them. “I don’t know what you think you know, but whatever it is you can – “

“Look,” Alex interrupted, “you have a problem with us and I can appreciate your need to protect Maria from us since you feel that we pose a threat, but we’ve got to talk to you about some things.”

“Like what?” Michael asked carefully.

“Like you’re adopted and not… Native American.”

Michael could hear what the guy wasn’t saying and he tamped down the fear that was trying to push to the surface. What should he do now? How could they have figured it out? He shook his head and glanced around the nearly deserted parking lot. “Follow me,” he said and leaned forward to start the truck. He had to get them somewhere far away from here, someplace where they could talk without the fear of being overheard.

*****

The miles flew by as Michael led the way out into a secluded area of the desert where he knew they wouldn’t be overheard or interrupted by anyone else. He was driving without really thinking about where he was going; his mind was going in a dozen different directions, trying to come up with something, anything, that would rationalize this unexpected turn of events.

He could pretend he wasn’t worried on the surface, but doubts were nagging at him deep inside where no one could see the fear. What could they know? he wondered. They had only met a couple of times and he couldn’t recall doing anything that would have given him away.

They had passed each other in the hall at the basketball game and then in the parking lot after the game, but nothing overt had happened. He had been antagonistic when they had approached Maria after the game, but he hadn’t done anything that would have required the use of any of his alien abilities. They had run into each other in Fraiser Woods recently when they had been chasing that sighting… the sighting that had led them to what he knew was an alien symbol burned into the ground. A symbol that had been gone the next day when Maria had gone back to the location of the sighting… and run into Isabel again.

If it had just been the eight of them that had been in the woods that night he might find it more suspicious, but the woods had been crawling with people searching for the elusive sighting. It had been like some kind of party for freaks out there that night, he thought as he shook his head. They had just been a part of the bigger picture, racing through the woods looking for something that they weren’t even certain existed.

In the car behind him Isabel was nervously biting her lips as she stared at the scenery passing by without really seeing any of it. She wasn’t paying attention to where they were going, too busy going over everything that had led up to this moment and trying to decide what to say when they reached their destination. What happened next could be crucial to not only her life, but her brother’s as well.

She frowned as she thought about Max. Tess seemed to be exhibiting the same control over him that she had used on Isabel herself and that made her anxious. She knew that Liz hadn’t overlooked the attention that Tess was paying to Max, but Isabel had stayed away, worried that if she tried to intervene she’d be sucked back into that weird abyss.

She had seen Tess corner him at lunchtime, seen the way he immediately fell under her control, sitting and talking with her despite the fact that Liz had obviously been waiting for him at a different table. It hadn’t taken long for Max’ girlfriend to join them and her expression had been less than understanding when he had basically ignored her in favor of talking to Tess.

Halfway through lunch Liz had said something to Max and for a moment her hand had rested on his shoulder as she stood up. It had been enough to draw his attention away from Tess and after a quick glance at the blonde he had scrambled madly to move back away from the table and hurry after Liz. She had seen the look of annoyance on Tess’ face and she hoped that Max had been able to explain in some manner that the attention he was paying to Tess had nothing to do with him, but she had stayed away from all of them, scared that she would run into Tess and not be strong enough to fight her when the other girl exerted the control she seemed to have where she and Max were concerned.

Her gaze shifted back to the truck they were following. What if she and Alex were wrong about this guy? She tried to swallow past the lump in her throat as the fear of discovery reared its ugly head again. She knew they were out of options and if they were right about Michael he might be able to help them find a way to deal with Tess. But, what if he wasn’t who they thought he was? Or what if he was, but he was dangerous? No one knew where she and Alex had gone and they were about to reveal her biggest secret to a virtual stranger.

“Hey,” Alex said when he noticed her silence, “you okay?”

“Do you think I should’ve said something to Max?”

“No.” He shook his head and reached over to take her hand, squeezing it supportively. “You couldn’t risk it, Iz. We don’t know how she’s able to do what she’s been doin’ to you and now that she’s targeting Max, too? Huh-uh, that’s the same reason why I didn’t say anything to Liz to try and reassure her that Max payin’ so much attention to Tess doesn’t mean anything.”

“Yeah, it’s too risky,” she said, her tone indicating that she was trying to convince herself.

“Right, we don’t know enough about her to risk our investigation. I don’t think Max or Liz is in any immediate danger and hopefully we’ll know more after talkin’ to Michael.”

She nodded and looked around at the desert that stretched out around them. “Where is he taking us?”

“Probably someplace he feels safe,” Alex answered. He wasn’t completely comfortable with the secluded area the other guy had chosen because they didn’t know enough about him to know if he was dangerous. But, he was trusting his instincts and he hoped they weren’t leading him in the wrong direction. He took a deep breath when they turned onto another overgrown ‘road’ and after a few minutes the truck ahead of them stopped.

Isabel shifted in her seat to look at the rocky formations surrounding them on three sides and she swallowed hard when Michael stepped out of the truck and turned to stare at them. “He doesn’t look happy,” she muttered.

“Would you if you were in his place?”

“No.”

He nodded and followed her lead when she reached for the handle to open the door. They moved to the front of his car and stood together as Michael crossed his arms over his chest and glared at them.

“Let’s walk.”

Isabel’s mouth dropped open when he turned and walked through an opening in the large rocks, leaving them behind without a moment of hesitation.

Alex nudged her. “We should probably follow him.”

She nodded and they hurried after him as he led the way through the desert, winding his way around an area that he was clearly familiar with. “Where the hell are we going?” she asked after they had been walking for almost fifteen minutes. She could understand his need to ensure privacy, but this was ridiculous!

Alex remained silent, taking mental notes of their path and their companion’s behavior as he moved ahead of them.

Michael’s mind was racing as he led them around in circles, hoping to disorient them, but he had a feeling that as much as her highness was bitching about everything from insects to wild animals to the inconvenience of hiking through the desert in a pair of shoes that probably cost more than several months worth of his allowance, that she probably had no idea that he was trying to confuse them.

Isabel swore when a mosquito buzzed past her ear and then settled on her neck and she smacked her palm against it, pulling it away and staring at the smeared remains of the tiny insect. “Do you see the size of this thing?” she demanded, showing it to Alex before brushing it away. “Have you noticed that we haven’t seen any of these things at home? But, we come out here to the middle of nowhere and here they are! Now we know where they go during the winter…”

Michael glanced back over his shoulder in time to see Alex pull a little packet out of one of his jacket pockets and tear it open. He rolled his eyes when the guy shook out what was obviously an antibacterial wipe and handed it to her. But did the complaining stop there? No, before her hands had time to dry she was off and running about the next topic.

“You do realize that there are snakes out here, don’t you?” she complained. “Scorpions, snakes, and who knows what else? Poisonous creatures, Alex, not to mention the kind of carnivorous animals roaming around out here!”

Alex took it all in stride, knowing that it was just her way of dealing with the stress and nervous tension the situation was causing. He could tell that it was annoying Michael though and he hid a smile when he noticed the way the guy’s shoulders were tensing up.

After another ten minutes of listening to her tirade Michael stopped and jerked around abruptly, almost smirking when she fell into a shocked silence. “And you’re datin’ her? How do you put up with all this talkin’? Good luck, man.”

Alex grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Uh-huh, well, you’re datin’ Maria DeLuca, so if one of us needs luck, it’s definitely you.”

Michael ignored that comment and turned away, leading them to the destination he had in mind for the meeting. They reached it a few minutes later and he turned to face them, feet planted wide, arms crossed over his chest, and his scowl firmly in place. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”

Alex cleared his throat and glanced at Isabel, nodding in response to her silent request to start the conversation. “We’ve been doin’ some research on adoption,” he started and went on to explain how their investigation had led them to the Reservation.

“Uh-huh,” Michael said, his tone indicating that he didn’t believe the explanation. “So, you’ve come all this way to talk to me about bein’ adopted?” His eyes narrowed when they remained silent. “Which I’m not, by the way… adopted, I mean.”

Alex exchanged a quick look with Isabel. “Um…”

Isabel had been studying Michael, analyzing his expressions and behaviors, and examining her own feelings and reactions to him. Something about him was definitely speaking to her alien side and that combined with her fear of what had been happening with Tess had her taking a step forward and starting to talk.

“Twelve years ago I was found abandoned in the desert… wandering around naked, unable to communicate, and with no memory of anything before being found by my adoptive parents.”

Michael was startled, but he hid it as he continued to observe her and try to determine where she was going with her information. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the way he had been found in a very similar manner, but he refused to let himself get lost in the memories.

Isabel couldn’t believe that hadn’t gotten a comment or a reaction out of him and she felt her fingers beginning to twitch as her frustration grew.

“You were found the same way,” Alex bluffed. They hadn’t found any evidence that it was true, but if they were right about him chances were good that his discovery had been somewhat similar.

“Alone, in the desert,” Isabel picked up from where he had left off. “No recollection of where you came from or how you ended up in the desert.”

He didn’t move or do anything overt that would give him away, but Alex saw the slight darkening of his eyes as they focused solely on Isabel and he wondered if they should’ve given this plan more thought before coming out here to confront him. His eyes moved over him, taking in every single movement no matter how seemingly insignificant and he reached out to place a warning hand on Isabel’s arm when he noticed the way Michael’s hands were clenching and unclenching.

Isabel shook his hand off, annoyed with the lack of response that she was getting from someone who quite possibly had at least some of the answers they were looking for. “I don’t need you to confirm what we already know,” she snapped. “I grew up with so many questions and no one to answer them… you know what that’s like!”

“Isabel…”

“No, Alex!” She intentionally moved away from him to prevent him from distracting her. “He knows something and he’s gonna tell us what it is.”

Michael snorted as he leaned back against a large rock, his posture deceptively relaxed. “I don’t know what you think I’m gonna tell you.”

Isabel could feel her temper rising in the face of his disinterested tone. She thought about Tess and the strange influence she seemed to have over both her and Max and before long that feeling of desperation began to seep back in. “Tell us what you know about what you are!” she shouted finally and without thinking her hands shot up and several rocks and small desert plants exploded around them.

[ArchAngel1973]

Mezz – Thanks for reading.

Eva –

The way Isabel started talking about her childhood and adoption, was the best move to convince Michael to trust her. And the fact she lost control over her powers, will be the cherry on top of the cake. If he doesn't believe her after that, there's something wrong. With his brain that is

You can breathe, there’s nothing wrong with Michael’s brain. So he won’t go into denial land about Isabel and her powers.

Cjsl8ne – let’s just say that Tess isn’t aware, for now, of Michael and that once she is, things are going to turn… not telling a single thing, sorry!

M – Thank you for your compliments. Don’t worry, this fic will be completed. When exactly, I can’t say because we are very busy but we do our best.

PML – Thank you and yes, the two groups are slowly gravitating toward each other.

Timelord – Thanks for reading.


Part 97

Michael stared at the bits and pieces of shattered rocks and plants lying scattered around them. How was it possible? He had spent years searching for others like him and they had just been a few towns away the whole time!

“Well, that was subtle,” Alex mused drily. “I don’t recall that bein’ one of the options we discussed.”

Isabel was watching Michael as he processed the last few minutes, his expression incredulous as he looked around them. Her gaze was challenging when he looked up and their eyes met and locked. She wondered what he was thinking as he stood there, arms crossed over his chest, that same scowl on his face, and a dozen different questions burning in his dark eyes.

Michael’s gaze slowly moved between them as he assessed the situation, his sharp mind turning the questions over rapidly as he sought the answers. What should he do? Maybe he shouldn’t do anything, he thought. He wasn’t the one who had just blown his cover. Should he say anything? Before he had fully considered his last question his mind connected the dots and things suddenly made sense.

“You’re the reason,” he mused aloud as he leaned back against the boulder at his back.

“Excuse me?”

He shook his head at her question. “You’re the reason why he,” he nodded at Alex, “and what’s-her-name aren’t friends with Maria anymore. You, your secret… it’s why they chose to cut Maria out of their lives.”

Alex and Isabel remained unmoving, frozen to the spot when he made his accusation. It was almost comical when their eyes met and he could almost see the doubts and questions being tossed back and forth between them. He laughed suddenly and even he could hear the nervousness that underlined it.

If this wasn’t irony he didn’t know what was. Maria and her friends had been hiding the same secret all along. Wait, what about the other one? he questioned silently. Maria’s problem had started with the other two, hadn’t it?

“The other one,” Michael snapped his fingers, waiting for one of them to give him the name he was searching for. “What’s his name?”

Isabel frowned when he spoke again. “Max?”

“You’re related to him, right? He’s your brother?”

Her protective instincts kicked into overdrive. “Why?”

“I’m gonna assume that the two of you share certain… abilities. Your differences, for lack of a better word, were somehow discovered by him,” he motioned to Alex again, “and what’s-her-name, which rather quickly led to them shuttin’ Maria out.” He shook his head at the other guy. “You knew what that would do to ‘er.”

Alex winced at the accusation.

Isabel saw the look on Alex’ face and she frowned at Michael. “You just assume you know why they didn’t say anything to Maria, but you’re wrong.”

“So, it wasn’t a matter of trust?” he asked sarcastically.

“No,” she denied. “At least not on Alex and Liz’ parts. It wasn’t their trust that was ever in question; the trust issue was mainly mine.”

“I wasn’t talkin’ to you.”

“It wasn’t a matter of trust for me or Liz,” Alex said, repeating what Isabel had already offered as an explanation. He took a step forward, facing Michael directly. “How would you have felt if Maria had shared your secret with us against your wishes?”

Michael ignored the question. “Why didn’t you tell her?”

“At first we couldn’t say anything because it’s not our secret to share and eventually it grew to include concern for Maria’s safety.” He immediately realized that he might have been better off not including that last bit of information because Michael’s posture changed subtly, giving him a dangerous air, and Alex quickly shook his head. “She was never hurt – “

“Not physically anyway, huh?” Michael wasn’t giving an inch. “You seem like a pretty smart guy, so you have to know there’s more than one way to hurt someone.”

“There was some concern – “

“I was worried Motormouth DeLuca wouldn’t be able to keep her trap shut and our secret would end up all over town,” Isabel interrupted.

Michael’s sharp bark of laughter was so unexpected that it startled them. They had been worried that Maria wouldn’t be able to keep a secret, he thought, mentally shaking his head at their stupidity. The girl could talk a person’s ears off, but she had proven her trustworthiness when she had learned the truth about him and never spoken a word of it to another living soul.

“Look, you can’t blame – “

“I can blame all four of you,” he interrupted, “and I do.” His narrowed gaze locked on Alex and he turned the glare on full force. “You and what’s-her-name knew – “

“Liz,” Alex interjected.

“I don’t really give a damn what either of your names are! My point is that the two of you didn’t have to just shut ‘er down the way you did. Do you even have any idea what your behavior did to Maria? I don’t care how big the secret is, you could’ve easily explained that it wasn’t somethin’ you could talk to her about and she’d have understood that… she might not have liked it, but she would’ve respected it and she wouldn’t have felt like you had just tossed her out with the garbage.”

“You would’ve been fine with her tellin’ us about you if our situations were reversed?” Alex challenged him.

Michael smirked. “Had there been any reason for the situations to be reversed you know as well as I do that she wouldn’t have treated you the way you treated her.”

“Look, I already told you that Alex isn’t to blame,” Isabel started only to be silenced when Michael turned his glare on her.

“Let me repeat myself once more, Martian Barbie,” he grated out. “I’m not talkin’ to you… this conversation is between me and your Earthling counterpart.”

“You’re right, okay?” Alex stepped between them before Isabel had enough time to pull herself together and retaliate for that last remark. “The situation wasn’t handled the way it should’ve been and we can’t go back and change it, all we can do is try to repair our friendship with Maria and hope she can forgive us so we can all move forward.”

“I hope you’re not expectin’ my help with that.”

“What we’d like is for you to listen to us, farm-boy,” Isabel snapped. “We already know what you are.”

He tuned her rant out as he watched her with an expression of disinterest on his face. What they wanted was his trust, he thought. Should he talk to them? She had already shown her hand, revealed her secret, so he couldn’t exactly deny that she was like him. But at the same time he had a strong dislike for the group from Roswell; they had hurt Maria badly and now, somehow, they had figured out his secret.

He had his family to consider too, though, and making the wrong decision could put them in danger. He had to carefully weigh his options because he wouldn’t risk hurting his family or putting them in a precarious position. What if he made the wrong decision? What if he couldn’t trust her?

“How do I know I can trust you?” he asked finally.

Isabel pulled back, insulted by the question. “The fact that we took the first step and came to you or maybe the fact that I revealed my powers…” Her expression quickly shifted to irritation when he appeared unimpressed. “Fine,” she huffed, “how about the fact that I have a family, too? I am completely endangering my relationship with my brother just by coming here, Michael! You have no idea how badly he’s gonna react when he finds out why we came out here.”

“I hope you’ve got somethin’ better than that because I’m really not interested in your little drama.” He rested his elbow on the boulder and stared at them. “What made you start investigatin’ me? What is it about me that drew your interest?” He went on before she had time to begin answering him. “And why come out here without your brother?”

Alex could see what Michael was doing, easily identifying the baiting tactics he was using to get Isabel to talk. There was no denying that the guy was suspicious of their motives and he was studying Isabel, pinpointing every single hot button she had, his intention to push her and irritate her until she started to share information without even realizing it. The guy was good, he thought when Isabel started talking.

Isabel couldn’t imagine that telling him everything that she knew could be any riskier than revealing the truth about herself. She was desperate, terrified of Tess and what she might be capable of beyond what she had already witnessed. Alex had been adamant in his belief that Maria was completely trustworthy and that her loyalty was unquestionable, so if she was dating Michael he had to be someone who could be trusted.

He knew the moment she really had his attention though, because Michael suddenly straightened up and his expression intensified when the topic changed over to Tess.

Michael was worried as he listened to her explaining about the new girl, Tess, and the control she had been exhibiting over both Max and Isabel. He held no illusions that all aliens were friendly beings because his grandfather had told him about Nacedo. He could see the fear in Isabel, and the fact that she was willing to talk to him even though they weren’t anywhere close to being friends spoke volumes.

Could this Tess person be Nacedo? River Dog had never said anything about Nacedo exhibiting any type of mind control, but was it really out of the realm of possibility? It sounded like Isabel had good reason to be wary of Tess’ intentions and if there was any chance that Tess and Nacedo was the same person he had to speak up. The girl, alien, whatever, was residing in the same town as Maria, attending the same school, using some form of mind control over two aliens, and he didn’t believe in coincidence.

If Tess had found two aliens in Roswell, how close was she to locating him? If she were to learn of his existence it could put Maria and his family in danger and that was too much to risk. As the only two other aliens he knew of, it was possible that he might need Isabel and her brother to back him up at some point.

“My grandfather… he met Nacedo.”

Alex and Isabel exchanged an incredulous look at his admission, but before either of them could speak he started speaking again. They listened as he told them about the alien his grandfather had met and how the old man was certain that the other alien was dangerous. In return they told him about their investigation into the letter and how it had led them to the code talker and another piece of the puzzle.

“So, the letter you found… there was a key with it?”

Isabel nodded.

“What’d it go to?” The couple exchanged another look and Michael rolled his eyes when he recognized their shock. “You didn’t follow the key?”

“Hey, it’s taken us this long to locate a code talker and get that letter translated,” Alex said, shaking his head at Michael. He went on to share what Robert Silver Fox had been able to translate and he was surprised when Michael didn’t have anything to say about them having a stranger read the letter.

Michael mused over what Alex had said for several minutes as he stared out into the desert. He wasn’t concerned about the old man translating the letter; the man was not only a Navajo code talker, he was Native American. “So, according to the letter that this Atherton guy wrote, he knew Nacedo and after learnin’ about this destiny thing he disagreed with it and began to believe that his life was in danger?”

Isabel nodded. “What do you think we should do?”

Michael turned his head to look at her once more, annoyance crossing his features. “How the hell should I know?” he snapped. She didn’t know him but she was coming here expecting him to just have all the answers and solve the problem? How the hell was he supposed to do that? They were gonna have to work together because he just couldn’t see any other way around it. Damn it!

“Okay, maybe we could start by investigating Tess,” Alex suggested. “Whatever her motives are, it’d be better for all of us if we could find out more about her… know your enemy and all that.”

Michael nodded. “That’s the first semi-intelligent thing you’ve said today.” He glanced at his watch and noted the time. “What we’ve talked about here… I won’t keep it from Maria.”

Alex shrugged his right shoulder. “And I won’t keep it from Liz.”

Isabel glanced at Alex as her thoughts wandered to her brother and she wondered if she would be able to tell him about this new development. Tess had focused her attentions on him and she had openly admitted to Isabel that she was attracted to him… could they trust Max since Tess seemed to have targeted him? Her brother had been crazy in love with Liz for years, but the new girl shows up and distracts him with ease? It just didn’t make sense. Nothing had ever been able to pull his attention away from Liz, but Tess shows up and suddenly Max is following her around like a lost puppy.

“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” she said. “Maybe we could meet at the old rock quarry outside of town. That way we can get Max away from home without Tess finding out and you can bring Maria – “

“I’m not springin’ this on her tomorrow with all of you around,” Michael growled.

“Look, I don’t care when you spring it on her,” Isabel yelled. “Just get her there so we can figure out what we’re gonna do about Tess!” She stalked several yards away and stared at the sun as it began its evening descent.

“She’s on edge,” Alex said when Michael straightened up once more. “I’ve seen the control that Tess has used on Isabel and Max and I can’t explain it, but I can tell you it’s scared the hell outta her.”

Michael nodded shortly. That would freak him out too. “We’ll meet tomorrow,” he agreed.

[ArchAngel1973]

Eva

From all the things he could say after he heard he wasn't the only one of his kind, he choose that one. I smirked when I read it. It was at the same time the most unusual AND the most typical kind of thing Michael would think of.

Always expect the unexpected, with Michael.

Araxie HRH – Yep, it’s starting to all fall into place.

Ok, it's Monday. Where are you?

We try to update The Lost Child one Monday out of two, alternating with our other fic “The Man Who Didn’t Belong”.

Cjsl8ne

I like the way Michael took control of the situation from the beginning.

It’s like when Max was out of it, just after Nacedo’s death. Michael was the one deciding at that time. He did good. He can do good, when he doesn’t have the seal making him act like a lunatic.

Phantomrhiannon

I popped over here after reading The Man Who Didn't Belong, and I just wanted to say that I'm loving your alternate Michaels - they're very cleverly and believably done!

Thank you. Did you read the whole fic in such a short time? Ouah!!!


Part 98

Michael stared at the front door of Maria’s house as if it had offended him in some way. As soon as he had led the others back out to the highway he had pressed the accelerator to the floor and he hadn’t let up until he had reached the city limits of Roswell. He had driven straight to his girlfriend’s house, barely remembering to turn the truck off and grab the keys before running up to the front door and banging on it to get her attention.

He growled under his breath and after several more minutes of useless pacing and glaring at the door he turned and jogged back to the truck. He slid in behind the steering wheel and scratched his eyebrow as he debated what he should do next. He finally decided to drive over to Main Street and located a payphone, parking in front of it and digging the necessary change out of the cup holder. He fed the change into the slot and punched in her cell phone number, listening to it ring several times before it went to voicemail.

When he had left the others he hadn’t stopped to think that he should call to see if she was at home; his only concern had been getting to her with the information he had learned. He glanced at his watch and winced when he noticed the time. Damn it! He needed to call and let his parents know he was going to be late for dinner. He quickly made the call, relieved when Maggie answered the phone and said that their father was sleeping and their mother had picked up a few extra hours and wouldn’t be home until after eight o’clock. He quickly hung up and started to drive back over to Maria’s house to wait for her, but he did a u-turn at the next intersection and went to the Crashdown instead.

He ran inside and checked to see if she was working, but the waitress behind the counter informed him that Maria wasn’t on the schedule until the next evening. He checked his watch again and drove back over to her house, certain that she would be home soon because, really, where else could she be? It wasn’t long before he was out of the truck and pacing restlessly, watching the sky as daylight began to fade and dusk began to settle around him.

A pair of headlights caught his attention when a car turned onto the street and he nodded to himself when he recognized the Jetta. He moved away from the house as she swung into the driveway and just barely avoided getting hit when she slammed on the breaks. They really needed to do something about the way she drove, he thought, annoyed.

“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded before she had fully stepped out of the car. “And why didn’t you answer your phone when I called you?”

Maria narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. “I don’t recall making plans with you for tonight,” she snapped, irritated by his tone.

“We didn’t have plans, but somethin’ important came up and I needed to talk to you.” He stalked around the car and grabbed her purse, rooting around until he found her cell phone. “Why do you even carry this stupid thing around if you’re not gonna charge it?”

“Let’s go inside,” Maria insisted.

As soon as they were inside Michael threw the useless cell phone across the room, ignoring it when it bounced off of the couch cushion and fell to the floor. “What I’ve got to tell you is important, Maria! I drove all the way out here to talk to you and where’re you at? Who knows! You’re not at home, you’re not at work, your stupid cell phone’s dead and – “

“Oh, no, buddy!” she yelled, marching up to him and emphatically stabbing him in the chest with an insistent forefinger. “Don’t come in here demanding to know where I am like you’re the boss of me… like some… some overbearing, overprotective, Neanderthal, cretin!”

She was pacing around the room as she worked herself up to a full head of steam and Michael knew if he didn’t stop it right away it was only going to get worse.

“Uh-uh, Michael Guerin, no way! And then you come in here and just throw my phone, probably damaging it, and you have no idea how much I’ll have to pay if it’s broken. No, no, let me rephrase that, you have no idea how much you’ll have to pay if you broke my phone! You might have something to tell me, but that is no excuse for – “

Silence was a beautiful thing, Michael thought when he grabbed her arm and pulled her up against his chest, kissing her before she could get one more single word out.

Maria completely forgot all about her irritation with him as she melted against his big body and her hands fisted in his shirt to pull him closer.

He felt her relaxing and he gentled the kiss as he slowly backed away from her, gauging her expression to make sure she was calmer than before. He could easily lose himself in kissing her, but he had an important reason for being there and he needed to keep that in focus, so… mission accomplished.

“So, why did you say you were here?” Maria asked, running her fingertips over her lips.

“Where the hell have you been? I’ve been waitin’ here for you because I’ve got somethin’ important to tell you and you’re nowhere to be found!”

“I’ve already explained that to you and I’m not gonna keep going over it again and again, you thick-headed alien! I can’t believe that you’re still going on about where I’ve been! You can’t just come in here and kiss me like that’s gonna silence – “

“I’m tryin’ to tell you that your friend Alex and his girlfriend came out to see me, Maria. They know about me… that I’m an alien! And as it turns out, Isabel and her brother… they share that unearthly status, Maria!”

Well, that was possibly more effective than the kiss had been, he thought and then quickly retracted it when she opened her mouth.

“What?”

Michael watched her closely. He had been expecting another rant, but she was silent as she processed the information.

Maria was incredulous. How was that possible? Incredulity and shock quickly turned to anger at the realization that she and her friends had been keeping the same secret. All of the distance, the pain, the hurt… all because Liz and Alex had been hiding the same thing that she had been hiding. Fate, the universe, some incredibly cruel genie had been let out of the bottle and was playing havoc with them. To split them up for the very same reason seemed like the worst prank imaginable.

“That was never one of the possibilities that I would’ve guessed,” Michael admitted.

“Ha! You were wrong about them being involved in drugs!”

He frowned, displeased that she had remembered that and was now pointing out that he had been wrong about something. “We’re supposed to meet them at some old rock quarry tomorrow,” he said to distract her.

“The one outside of town,” she mused. “Of course, it’s deserted and no one even goes out there for anything anymore.” She paced around the room as she considered what he had told her. “So, we’re meeting them… all of them?”

“Yeah, early; around 8am.”

“Why so early?” She shook her head before he could answer. “Forget that, tell me everything from the beginning.”

Michael nodded and launched into the story, starting from the moment he had noticed his visitors in the parking lot at the school.

*****

The old rock quarry outside of Roswell was silent as the six people stood facing each other. Wariness, suspicion, and hostility filled the cold air around them and it was Alex who finally made the first move, taking several steps to stand in the middle of the group.

“What’re we doing here?” Max snapped irritably. His sister had woken him up at the crack of dawn and insisted that they needed to go meet Alex and Liz. The past few nights he hadn’t slept well and he had the feeling that something was going on with Tess that was out of his control. If there was anything he hated it was feeling like he had no control over a situation.

Liz moved closer to Max and took his hand, hoping to calm him down so he would listen to what they had to tell him. She was still in shock after learning that Maria had been keeping the same secret she and Alex had been harboring for the past few months. When he had told her the night before she had been certain he was joking.

Liz stared at Alex for several long seconds and then she suddenly burst out laughing. It wasn’t until she noticed that he wasn’t laughing that she realized he wasn’t joking and she had immediately sobered up. “No, Alex, that’s not possible.”

“Why would I come to you with this if it were a joke? I could come up with somethin’ a lot funnier than this if that was the case.”

“You’re serious…” she said slowly. “Maria’s boyfriend is an alien.”

“We’ve been lookin’ for answers,” Alex said, pulling her attention back to the present. “And so – “

“What’re you doing?” Max asked, cutting him off.

“Max, let him talk,” Isabel insisted. “He knows what he’s doing.”

Maria glanced at Michael when the others started arguing amongst themselves. He was at the end of his patience with the situation and she was expecting it when he moved, pushing past Alex to face Max directly.

“Why don’t you back off an’ let him talk,” he muttered, shoving the guy’s shoulder.

Maria winced when he pushed Max, but Alex quickly moved to intercept him when he started to return the gesture.

“Okay, look, you two need to cut it out!” he shouted, standing between them with his arms outstretched to keep them apart.

“Getting between two confrontational aliens probably isn’t the smartest thing to do, Alex,” Isabel said.

Max’s head snapped to the side when his sister’s words registered. What was wrong with them? Why were they revealing such sensitive information to this guy?

“That’s right, the big secret’s out,” Michael said mockingly.

Max turned to Liz and he saw the truth in her expression. His gaze slowly moved over the others until it settled on Michael. “Prove it,” he challenged.

“What, that you’re an alien?”

Liz took her boyfriend’s hand again. “Max, just let them explain.”

“You knew about this?”

“Alex told me last night what he and Isabel had found out.”

“But, you didn’t tell me,” Max said, his expression stony.

Liz chewed on her lips, worried about his behavior. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him; it was Tess that she didn’t trust. Tess and the way she acted around Max. “No. Tess has shown an unusual interest in you and she’s had a strange effect on both you and Isabel, so we couldn’t risk it. She’s always showing up unannounced and we had to get you away from home before she came looking for you. We were worried that she might follow us and since we don’t know enough about her we felt it was too dangerous.

“Max, we’ve been looking for answers,” Isabel said. “This’s where all the information has led us… to someone else like us. The stuff in the letter gave us what we needed to find him and he’s looking for the same things we are. Look, the only reason we didn’t tell you what we were doing was because of Tess. The more time I spent with her the more influence she seemed to have over me… at times I wasn’t sure if I was doing things because I wanted to or because she was somehow making me do them. It was the same thing when she would ask questions; it’s like she’s looking for something and I’d be telling her too much before I realized it, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

Max studied her features as she talked and he realized that he knew exactly what she was talking about. “Did you ever feel like you were missing time? Like you couldn’t remember what you had been doing or where you’d been?”

“Yeah, several times.”

“Did she ever ask you about all the research you’ve been doin’?” Michael asked, frowning.

Isabel shook her head. “Not me, no. Anytime something like that came up she quickly lost interest.”

“What about you?”

Max bristled when Michael turned to look at him. “I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Uh-huh.” Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “How d’you know?” He glanced at Isabel. “How do either of you know? You’ve both admitted there were instances where you lost time, so how can you be sure you didn’t tell her anything?”

“We just told you – “

“No, Max, he’s right,” Isabel interrupted. “We don’t know for sure.”

“Okay, guys, we don’t know what information she has,” Alex said, trying to get them back on track. “Depending on what she knows and what she intends to do with that information we’re all potentially in danger.”

“How could you guys think that I couldn’t be trusted with this?” Maria asked, suddenly interrupting the conversation going on around her. She had intended to stay cool and not let them know how much it still hurt, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“They couldn’t – “

“No!” she shouted, holding a hand up when Isabel tried to explain. “I want an answer from them, not you!” She shook her head sadly. “We were best friends our whole lives… how could you not trust me? Maybe you couldn’t have told me what the big secret was or who you were protecting, but you didn’t have to just shut me out! I would’ve respected that you had something going on that you couldn’t share with me, you know that! Yeah, okay, it would’ve driven me crazy, but you didn’t have to just treat me like that!”

Liz took a step towards Maria, desperately wanting to explain but having a difficult time trying to find the words. Before she could gather her thoughts Michael interfered and the opportunity passed by.

“Hey, hey, c’mere,” Michael muttered, tugging her into his arms. He could see the telltale signs of an impending emotional outburst, the kind that would have her crying in front of all of them, and he knew she’d hate that. “Why don’t we focus on why we’re here and leave the rest of it for later.” He glared at the others. “I don’t really give a damn about you or your reasons for doin’ what you did. I’m just here to find out what you know.”