Eve: Thank you! Yes, poor Kyle, always made fun of . . . You love Alex, huh? Me, too, he's just such a lovely person and I love to write about him.
There's no shame in being organized, lol.
Chapter Eleven – The Root of All Evil
The door squeaked softly on its hinges when Maria pushed it open. The first thing that struck her was the darkness inside. With all the windows covered by shades and curtains, the only light came from the small crack of the open door, and even that was mostly blocked by her own shadow. She took a hesitant step inside, letting more light fall into what she now recognized as the cluttered living room. The furniture was old; a worn out couch, its pattern so faded as to be almost unrecognizable, an armchair of similar state, an ancient TV and a broken dresser with most of the drawers hanging askew and one of them, the lowest, missing altogether. Everywhere she looked was garbage; empty bottles on the coffee table, full ash trays on the windowsills and on top of the TV, pizza cartons on the floor. Tiny dust particles merrily danced in the single band of weak light that invaded the depressing scene from behind her. The air had the stale smell of a room that hadn’t been aired out in a long time, but beneath that hung the pungent odor of something else. Maria knew the smell, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
The weather outside was getting worse by the minute, the light fading when dark clouds obscured the sky. Maria heard the rustling of the leaves outside increase as the storm approached, but was completely caught off guard when a sudden gust of wind slammed the door shut behind her with a deafening crash, leaving her frozen in utter darkness. Her heart fluttered madly in her chest like a little bird trying to escape its cage. Get a grip, Maria, this is Michael’s home, not a haunted house in a horror movie, she berated herself, forcing air into her lungs in slow, deep breaths.
“Mrs. Guerin?” she called again while her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim gloom. A faint noise could be heard from the doorway at the faraway wall, making her jump. It’s coming from the kitchen!
She slowly made her way through the room, careful not to step on any of the trash. Before she entered the windowless kitchen, she reached around the doorway and felt for the light switch, flipping it on after her probing fingers had finally found it.
“Mrs. Guerin!” she exclaimed, shocked at finding the woman half-sitting, half-lying on her knees amid a myriad of broken glass. Not a vase, then. A bottle. She hurried to crouch beside her, the shards crunching under her shoes, and reached for her shoulder. “What’s wrong? Can I help you?”
At first, the woman didn’t react at all, her head hung, her dark stringy hair obscuring her face almost completely. Then she raised her head and turned it into Maria’s direction, her eyes empty and unfocused. After a second, and seemingly with considerable effort, she focused her attention on the girl beside her. “Wha-?” she mumbled. “Who’re you?”
“We met at the hospital, Mrs. Guerin. Don’t you remember?” Maria tightened her hand on the woman’s shoulder. She tried hard not to make a face at the almost overwhelming smell in the tiny kitchen. She now noticed the puddle of brown liquid on the floor. With a start she realized what it was, and everything suddenly fell into place: Michael’s weird avoidance tactics, the sudden silences whenever she asked about his mother, his volatile moods and his exhaustion. Whiskey. She’s a drinker.
Sandra’s bleary look now cleared a little. “Righ’. You’re Sarah.”
“Maria,” she corrected.
“Wha’ever,” came the indifferent answer. Her gaze slowly wandered to the floor, taking in the broken bottle and its spilled contents. “I dropp’d m’ drink.” Her eyes zeroed in on Maria again. “Hel’ me pick i’ up!” she ordered and vaguely gestured on the floor.
“No, Mrs. Guerin,” Maria said helplessly, trying to steady the swaying woman by gripping her upper arm. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Let me help you up.” She tried to pull her into a more upright position, so she could sling her arm around the woman’s waist and heft her up, careful of the sharp edges of the glass shards. But it was like trying to heave a sack of potatoes; one with arms and legs. Sandra didn’t do anything to aid Maria’s efforts, reminding her uncomfortably of her ordeal with a drunk Isabel. With increasing desperation, she tried to pull her up. “Come on, Mrs. Guerin, we got to get you to the couch, okay? It’s not that far,” she puffed. What do I do? I can’t leave her like this!
Just as she was contemplating calling help – But who?! she thought in desperation, - Maria heard the front door slam, and Michael’s voice, calling, “Maria?”
He must have seen the Jetta parked out front. The brief flash of guilt for being caught practically invading his home was quickly replaced by relief. Thank God I don’t have to deal with this on my own. She felt bad for thinking it, but she honestly had no idea how to handle the unresponsive woman. “In the kitchen!” she called.
She heard his quick, sure footsteps cross the living room, then he appeared in the doorway behind her. “Maria, what-” He became aware of the huddled form on the ground and stopped short. “Mom!”
Sandra raised her head at his voice, and crowed, “Mickey!” like a child catching sight of its favorite toy.
“Mom, what did you do?” he hurried to her, kneeling down, completely disregarding the mess on the floor. He glanced at Maria, wearing a worried frown, but quickly returned his attention to his mother. “You promised not to do that anymore!”
“T’was just one little drink,” Sandra replied in a muffled voice.
He pressed his lips together into a white line. “Yeah, it’s always just one little drink. Come on,” he said and hefted her into his arms. “I’ll help you get to bed.”
“No!” Sandra struggled weakly to get out of his arms. “I wan’ another drink.” Her eyes fell on Maria standing in the corner, watching mutely. “Lucy! Lucy wants a drink, too!” she told Michael.
For a second he looked puzzled then he understood who she meant. “No, I don’t think so,” he muttered. Half-turning to Maria, he fixed his eyes on her face, wearing a pained expression, and pleaded, “Can you wait in the car for me?” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Please.”
She just nodded, her throat too dry to answer. Then she abruptly turned and fled through the oppressive living room and out the front door into the now fully-fledged thunderstorm. Rain pelted her arms and face as soon as she stepped over the threshold, the drops cold and biting like ice. By the time she reached her car, she was almost completely drenched, shivering from cold and from the scene she had just witnessed.
It was raining buckets now, and the water quickly formed large puddles on the dirt path while she watched the front door for any movement. Her mind reeled with what she had seen inside. The neglect and oppressing atmosphere she had experienced left her feeling heavy-hearted and sad, making her chest tighten when she realized that Michael had to live in this loveless home every day, and she had to force herself to take slow, even breaths in hopes of calming herself. Why on earth didn’t he tell me?
After ten minutes of waiting, the door opened at last. Michael stepped out, shoulders hunched against the weather. He cast a quick, assessing glance at the sky, then jumped over a large puddle and hurried to climb into the passenger seat of the Jetta.
For a moment, they just sat there, not speaking, not looking at each other.
Finally she spoke, unable to take the silence any longer. “Did you get your mom to lie down?”
“Yeah. Took a while, but she’s sleeping now.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye then returned to staring out the windshield, clearing his throat. “I didn’t mean for you to find out like this.”
“How did you want me to find out?” The question came out more biting than she had intended, and she regretted it instantly when she saw him flinch. He was the last person that could be blamed for this mess, and she knew that. So she reached over the center console and threaded her fingers through his, squeezing lightly in apology. It was easier to talk when they were touching, she realized.
He squeezed back and made a small gesture of acknowledgement. “I. . .” He hesitated. “Hell, I don’t know, Maria. It’s not something you talk about on the first date. Not that we actually had one of those,” he added with a brief, unhappy smile. Then he extended his hand and moved it up and down in front of him in a parody of a handshake. “Hi, my name is Michael,” he said in a mockingly chipper voice. “Oh, and by the way, my mother is best friends with Jim Beam and Johnnie Walker.”
She snorted softly. No, that wouldn’t work. “I understand.” Haltingly, she kept going. “But. . . we’ve known each other for several weeks now, and I know that that’s not actually a really long time. . . but we’ve spent so much time together, and I. . .” She exhaled in frustration, and continued in a quieter voice, “I don’t know. . . I trust you, you know? So much. And I guess I just wish you would’ve trusted me enough to tell me.”
“This has got nothing to do with trust, Maria!” he emphasized, his brown eyes boring into hers, willing her to believe him. “I trust you, too! With my life, if it came down to that.” He tightened his hold on her hand before going on. “When I’m with you, I’m happy. We laugh and joke around, and we bicker and fight, and you make me forget all about my problems.” He made an all-encompassing gesture in the direction of the shabby bungalow, then sighed. “I just didn’t want any of this to touch us.”
He looked so lonely and miserable that she had to bite back the sudden tears that were stinging her eyes. With a decision, she then withdrew her hand, startling him, opened her door and sprinted around the car through the rain to climb into his side of the Jetta and folded herself onto his lap, hugging him hard. Sometimes holding hands just isn’t enough.
He returned the gesture after a moment of surprise, shifting around to get more comfortable in the narrow space. Their wet clothes were clinging together unpleasantly, but neither of them cared. The rain still pouring down outside in combination with the approaching twilight made it impossible to see farther than a yard or two, transforming the crammed insides of the car into a warm cocoon of solace and protection for both of them.
After a moment of taking comfort from each other, she asked quietly, “How long has your mom been an. . . alcoholic?”
He sighed deeply, rubbing his cheek into her wet hair. “Since I was a born, I think. Maybe even before that. I don’t really remember a time when she was. . . like other moms.” After a moment, he amended, “But it’s not always as bad as today.”
“It isn’t?”
“No. Sometimes she tries to quit, and there are long periods of time when she’s sober, going to AA and even tries to work a regular job. But it never lasts.”
“Is this the reason you’ve been so tired lately?” She absently traced the pattern of his shirt with her pinky finger, feeling his chest rise and fall with his breathing.
He gave a faint, one-sided shrug, not answering directly. “It’s been bad since she met that douche-bag, Hank. I told you he’s not good for her. He’s lazy and aggressive and he encourages her addiction. Together they’re a living hell, drinking and yelling and fighting every night.”
One word caught her attention, and she raised her head to look at him in alarm. “Aggressive? Does he hurt her?”
“Not yet,” he answered, his hesitation apparent. “But I think that may only be due to the fact that I’m always around. I’m afraid of what happens when I leave her alone with him,” he admitted, and added apologetically, “That’s why I can’t go camping right now. I gotta stay here and think of a way to convince my mom to get rid of him.”
“She didn’t forbid you to come, then?”
“No, that was a lie. I’m sorry.”
Tenderly, she stroked his cheek then kissed him. “’S okay. We’re gonna think of a solution together. The others will just have to go camping without us.”
The last sentence made his expression turn into an irritated scowl. “No, Maria, I don’t want you to stay! Your mom’s gonna go to that convention and you’d be all alone in the house all week.” Gentler, he added, “I won’t be able to spend that much time with you, anyway.”
“Yes, but. . .” She chewed on her bottom lip, frowning. “I don’t want to leave you alone with this,” she insisted stubbornly. “I want to help you.”
“You can help me,” he agreed. “And you will. By not giving me another reason to worry.”
Her brief moment of hope collapsed like a tower of bricks, and she was surprised not to hear the accompanying crash. “No, that’s so unfair! You said it yourself: Hank’s dangerous. What if he hurts you, hm? Have you even considered that?”
“And what would you do about it if he did?” He circled her wrist with his thumb and forefinger, smiling wryly. In direct contrast with his big hand, hers looked delicate and fragile. “Beat him up?”
“Damn right I would!” she answered fiercely and gripped his chin, completely disregarding his attempted joke. “I would do anything to stop anyone from hurting you!”
“Brave Maria.” He smiled slightly, but his eyes were serious. She shivered under his gaze, and he pulled her close again in response. Clearing his throat, he returned to the topic at hand. “But I really don’t think it’ll come to that. I just exaggerated when I said I thought he’d beat her, you know? Seriously, I’m sure that he wouldn’t really get violent with her.”
Leaning against him, her head on his shoulder once again, she was wondering if he was trying to convince her, or himself. “But I don’t wanna go without you.” She was fully aware of the whining tone in her voice, but didn’t care. “I want to be here for you.”
“Please, Maria. I’ll be much happier if I know you’re having fun battling against squirrels and bunnies than having you all alone in your house on the other side of town, worrying about me.”
She swallowed hard against the thickness in her throat, and begged in a small voice, “Don’t make me leave you, Michael. Please.”
“Maria. . .” He sighed. “You can borrow all of my camping gear, alright? And I’ll call you every day,” he tried to bribe her.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. “Maybe I can convince the others of a change of plans. Just a tiny one,” she added when she felt him get ready to argue. “We don’t actually have to camp out at Frazier Woods, you know? The garden behind our house is pretty big, there would be enough space for a few tents,” she rambled. “Think about it: We’d have a real bathroom just in our reach, and TV, and blankets if it gets too cold. And a kitchen! A kitchen is important, I’m sure the girls would agree with me on that, and. . .” She trailed off when she heard his disbelieving snort and raised her head to stare at him, bright-eyed and pleading. The expression on his face lay somewhere between amusement and exasperation. Knowing full well she had lost the argument already, she finished anyway. “And I could be here in no time if you needed me.”
Laughing faintly, he bent to kiss he cheek. “That would turn the whole camping endeavor into one giant sleepover, with the seven of you hiding out there, jammed together in your garden like a SWAT team, waiting to come to the rescue. That wouldn’t be much fun for anybody, would it?”
“I don’t care,” she grumbled. “I won’t have any fun in Frazier Woods, either.”
Naturally, he picked up on her choice of words, smelling easy victory. “So, you’re going?”
“Do I have a choice?” She sighed angrily, giving in at last. “But I want you to call me every day. Really,” she demanded. “And if I try to call you and you don’t pick up your phone, I’ll have Kyle or Alex drive me back to Roswell in no time flat.” The way she said it, it actually came out more as a threat than a promise.
Relieved, he chuckled. “Agreed. But I think I have to warn you: Reception is horrible out there. We’ll be lucky if we can get a connection at all.”
“We’ll manage,” she promised, and didn’t only mean the phone connection. She clung to his neck, asking in a small voice, “Can you kiss me now?” Make me forget. Just for a while.
He obediently lowered his lips to hers with a small smile, and did just that. He smelled like warm male and rain and he tasted like coffee and chocolate and she never, never wanted to let go of him again. One of his hands lay warm on her thigh, the other held her securely on his lap.
Loathe to end the kiss, she drew back nonetheless after a while, taking deep breaths. Though she was reluctant to ask, she had to know regardless, “Were you ever gonna tell me? About your mom?”
“Of course! Well, eventually,” he amended. “Hell, Maria, it took me over a year to tell Kyle and Tess!”
“Do the others know as well? Max and Isabel?”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, they know. I wasn’t very good at hiding it when I was a little kid, so they found out pretty fast. I made them swear not to tell anyone, though. Max may have told Liz, but that’s okay, I guess. She can keep things to herself. I don’t really know if anyone told Alex, but I’m pretty sure he knows, anyway. Most of the time, he picks up on more than you would think.”
“Have you. . . have you ever considered getting help?”
“Not really,” he said, brows pulled together in a troubled frown. “I mean, I can’t force her to go to a rehab center or anything, can I?”
“No, I guess not. But I wasn’t really talking about your mother, Michael.” She reached out to sweep a wet strand of hair from his temple, watching his face. “I meant help for you.”
“What, you mean going to the authorities and telling them she’s an alcoholic?” He looked appalled. “They would’ve taken me away from her in a heartbeat! They still might, I’m not yet eighteen.”
She nodded, feeling bad for even suggesting it.
“I couldn’t do that, Maria.”
“Yeah, I know. . .” She bit her bottom lip. “But why not?”
“Because. . .” he hesitated, “because she’s my mom. And she needs me, even if she doesn’t want to admit it most of the time.”
The rain was still running down the windshield in wet streaks, crying the tears of sorrow and regret she had to fight so hard to hold in for his sake.
He looked at his house, sighing deeply. “I guess I should go in again and check on her.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, but made no move to leave her position on his lap. The wet clothes clung to her skin, cold and sticky, but she didn’t care. Burrowing her face in his neck, she asked, “Just. . . hold me for a few minutes longer, will you?”
He gently caressed her back and leaned his head against hers, inhaling deeply. “Alright,” he whispered.
As they sat there in silence, the rain continued to fall, weeping for them. For the girl who held another so close to her heart, and was still unable to protect him from pain; and for the boy who was, to her, so easy to love, and yet had never known the affection and care of his own mother.
*****
The tears began to fall when she was almost back at her house, spilling into her lap, hot and hard like bullets. Unable to contain the sobbing any longer, she pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road. There, she locked her arms around her torso, holding herself together while she slowly went to pieces inside. She cried freely. For him, for herself, and for people like Sandra Guerin who threw away the most precious thing given to them without knowing that some things, once lost, can never be restored.
By the time she was able to drive home, the rain had stopped.
*****
Saturday morning greeted the citizens of Roswell with blindingly bright sunshine, and an unusually warm breeze. White, fluffy clouds tracked lazily across the pale blue spring sky, and the first thrushes struck up their tentative songs from their perch on the branches. It seemed almost as if the weather wanted to make up for the all the rain of the last night.
Alex was puttering around in the driveway of his parent’s house, trying to fit the last bag of luggage into the trunk of his Toyota, happily whistling a tune under his breath. He had his shirt sleeves rolled up over his forearms, and a baseball cap on his head to shield his eyes from the bright blaze of the sun. A short glance at his wristwatch assured him that he was just in time to pick up his friends. Isabel had charged him and Max with buying the groceries for the trip, and they had dutifully done just that on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, Max had lost the shopping list his sister had given him, so the two boys had ended buying much more junk food and snacks than fresh fruit and vegetables. Alex chuckled under his breath when he envisioned the girls’ reaction upon discovering they were supposed to live off of candy bars and marshmallows for a whole week. The roar of an approaching engine made him look up from his task.
Michael pulled his motorcycle up beside the grey car, killed the engine and pulled off his black helmet. When he dismounted, his foot caught on the seat of the bike, making him almost fall down on the sidewalk, only narrowly winning the fight against the combined pull of gravity and the bulging duffel bag he wore slung across his back.
Alex laughed at the spectacle, but reached out to steady his friend. “Hi, Michael,” he chortled. “Have you ever considered a career in comedy? ‘Cause that there looked really funny.”
“Ha ha,” Michael retorted dryly, hefting his burden into a more secure position on his back.
Alex curiously regarded the enormous, brown bag, eyebrows lifted. “What is all this?”
“My camping stuff.” Michael lifted the shoulder strap over his head and let is slide to the ground in front of his feet, releasing a relieved sigh while stretching his shoulders. “For Maria. I wanted to leave it with Kyle first, but with that tiny trunk of his convertible and Tess’ pack rat tendencies I thought I’d better try with you.”
“Well. . .” Alex doubtfully eyed the huge bag. “You can try your luck.” He took a step aside, revealing the open trunk of the Toyota together with its contents.
Michael’s eyes widened at the sight. “Holy. . .” He whistled through his teeth, leaning forward to peer into the bags that took up nearly all of the space in the car’s trunk. “Is that all yours?”
Alex snorted ironically. “Of course not. Iz came by last night and dropped it off. Seems that what you see here are the bare essentials a true beauty queen needs to survive in the wilderness.”
“Is that. . .” Michael’s eyes narrowed at the piece of metal that was sticking out from the open flap of one of the bags in the very bag. “Is that a curling iron?!”
Alex just shrugged helplessly. “She also packed a portable TV, a blow dryer and an epilator. At least I think that’s what I saw when I took a glimpse into one of the bags,” he added, frowning uncertainly.
“She does know that there aren’t actually sockets strewn around the ground where she can plug all this in, doesn’t she?”
Alex made a face, squinting at the sunlight. “I didn’t dare tell her. You know how she can be; she has it in her to cancel the whole trip.”
Michael critically eyed the bags in the trunk, noticing how little room was left in there. He glanced at his own bag, asking, “Can we tie my stuff to the roof, then?”
“We’re gonna have to.” Alex said. Thankfully, his Toyota’s roof was already equipped with a luggage rack. “Just out of curiosity, Michael, what is in here?” He groaned when they lifted the heavy bag up. “God, this weighs a ton!”
Michael just shrugged casually, beginning to secure the bag with the fastening straps. “Just my tent, sleeping bag, air mattress with a foot-operated pump, ground pad, extra pillows and blankets, bug spray, high-performance flashlight, battery powered radio with spare batteries, chocolate, cookies, potato chips, books, magazines, CDs. . .” He trailed off upon seeing Alex’ expression. “What? What is it?”
“Nothing.” Alex cleared his throat. “Um, Michael, you do know that this is just a simple camping trip in Frazier Woods, do you? Not a three-month expedition to the north pole or anything.”
“I just want her to be as comfortable as possible out there,” he said defiantly, scowling at his friend. “Even more so, because I can’t be there, too.”
Alex lightly squeezed his shoulder, quietly saying, “We’ll keep an eye on her for you.”
Smiling wryly, Michael remarked, “Like you did the last time?”
Alex exhaled on a ghost of a laugh. “No, nothing like that. I promised I’d take better care of her next time, and I will,” he promised.
“Okay.” Michael turned to leave, but stopped himself once again. “Alex?” he asked. “Can you try to make her have a little fun out there?”
Alex looked at him earnestly. “I will,” he said again, adding, “Michael?” When his friend looked at him questioningly, he said emphatically, “Take care of yourself while we’re gone, will you?”
“I will.”
*****
“Promise me again!” Maria urged, standing with Michael on the front porch of her house half an hour later, arms locked around his waist.
He sighed theatrically, a small smile tugging at his mouth, but obeyed. “I promise to call you every day, every night, at dusk, at dawn, before you eat, after you eat, before I eat- Ouch!” He laughed when she hit him on the arm.
“Don’t make fun of me.” She scowled at him. She was not in the mood for jokes, even though he did his best to lighten the mood.
From the corner of her eye she could see Kyle and Tess patiently sitting in the red convertible, its top down to allow the balmy breeze to tug at their hair and shirts. They had said goodbye to Michael earlier and were now waiting for her to tear herself away from him and get in the car. Amy had left earlier that morning, wishing her daughter fun on her trip.
“Sorry,” Michael chuckled with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He leaned in close, and his breath ghosted warmly over the skin of her neck when he whispered into her ear, “I really do promise to call, Maria. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“Well, I certainly hope so,” she murmured, smiling against her will. She gripped his ears when he tried to pull away, bringing his mouth down to hers in a deep kiss full of longing and passion. Her tongue swept over his bottom lip before demanding entrance. He parted his lips and touched his tongue to hers, silky soft and hot. She clung to him, pressing her body flush against his while holding his face between her hands. I’ll make sure he won’t forget me while I’m gone.
When he drew back, he was panting for air, wearing a dazed expression. “Wow,” he breathed.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?” she joked, her own breath coming in gasps.
He smiled regretfully. “No. I want you to go hunt down the wild animals of New Mexico. Bring me the head of your first prey as a trophy,” he added with a brief grin.
She sighed deeply in defeat. “Okay.” Hugging him hard, she laid her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. “I’ll miss you,” she mumbled.
His arms came around her waist, holding her while he pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. “I’ll miss you, too.”
Reluctantly, she pulled out of the embrace at last, kissing him goodbye one last time. Then she gave him a sad, quivering smile and turned to sprint across the lawn to join Tess and Kyle.
Tess threw her a sympathetic smile when Maria fastened her seatbelt, while Kyle pulled out onto the road, honking in farewell. Maria sat stiffly in her seat, stoically staring ahead in her resolve not to look back at Michael. She feared that if she did that, she’d have to cry, and she didn’t want to do that in front of the couple in the front seat.
Shortly before their car rounded the corner at the end of the street, she threw her resolve over board. To hell with it! She hastily turned around in her seat, just in time to catch a last glimpse of his lonely shape standing in the street, one hand raised in goodbye.
~TBC
One of Us (M/M, CC, AU, Adult) Chapter 26 - Oct 25 [WIP]
Moderators: Anniepoo98, ISLANDGIRL5, truelovepooh, Forum Moderators
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 11 - May 26, 2011
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 12 - May 27, 2011
Eve: Michael is in a terrible situation. Usually, he would take any chance he go to escape the abuse, but since, despite everything, he loves his mother, it isn't so easy for him. 
Aw, the girls are not very experienced with camping, so they don't realize what will be usefull out there and what better to leave at home.
As for Michael packing all of his stuff for Maria . . . well, he just wants her to have all the comfort he can give her.
Jeannie: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. Please keep the feedback coming, I love to read what you think.
Moomin: You're right, leaving would be best for him. But where is he supposed to go? He's not legal, yet, so technically he is still under the "guardianship" of his mother.
Haha, Alex and Isabel . . . Well they are being a bit slow about the whole business of finally getting together, aren't they? But trust me, it's not going to be long now until they talk about it.
Chapter Twelve – Heart to Heart
Maria sat in her tent at noon that Saturday, arranging the last few items to her satisfaction; the bag with her clothes to the right, the radio and flashlight to the left, with the stack of books and CDs Michael had also packed for her stashed beside them. His duffel bag with its remaining contents lay in easy reach beside the tent flap.
Most of the space in the tent was being taken up by the truly enormous sleeping bag. Michael wasn’t kidding when he said he likes his space, she thought when she stretched out on her makeshift bed. The sleeping bag could easily accommodate two persons of his size, and would probably have room for three of hers. Under it she had put the ground pad and air mattress, each big enough to match the sleeping bag. The additional blankets were stored on the foot of the bed for now, easily accessible for when it got cold at night, and the pillows provided a comfortable cushion for her on the head section of her camp, on which she now lay down with a satisfied sigh, looking up at the roof of her shelter. Mr. Bear was sitting perched on her bag beside her, goggling blindly into space with his button eyes.
The sun was shining directly down on her tent, its light filtered through the walls, dousing everything inside into a soft, bright, bluish green gleam. With the shadows of countless leaves fanning across the canvas in slow strokes, she felt like being underwater, resting on the bottom of the turquoise sea in a hidden Caribbean lagoon, with the soft rustling of the trees around her resembling the sound of waves.
She felt serene. Not happy. For how could she be happy with the thought of Michael left by himself constantly in the back of her mind? But by the time the poor convertible had rumbled over the uneven path that led to the camping ground in Frazier Woods, following Alex’ Toyota, she had calmed down enough to realize that she ought to at least try not to be miserable throughout the whole trip. It wouldn’t help Michael any if she moped around the camp, putting everybody in a bad mood around her. Though it had only been a few hours since they had parted company, she missed him already. Is it too soon to call him? she wondered.
She glanced at the screen of her cell phone, and smiled. Two bars. Just enough to have a proper phone conversation. She grinned at the memory of how she had marched along the path at the head of their group earlier, phone outstretched before her like a dowser, waiting for the bars to appear on the display as an indication for at least satisfactory reception. Half an hour they had trudged along the declared hiking paths, going more or less in circles from campsite to campsite, with the boys carrying the bulk of their luggage, puffing and grumbling under their burden. Finally, after almost giving up hope for the magic bars to appear, she had stopped short on the edge of a sunny clearing, making Max stumble into her from behind. The display showed one bar. She took a careful step to the left. The bar disappeared. She stepped to the right. The bar reappeared. Another step to the right. Two bars!
“Ha! This is where I’ll put up my tent!” she had announced, and that was that.
The others had filed into the clearing behind her, looking around excitedly while dropping their luggage down on the grass, and the girls had promptly begun to assign places for the individual tents.
The clearing was roughly circular, approximately 25 yards across, with a stone fire pit for cooking and building campfires put up in the middle, complete with wooden benches surrounding it. The grass covering the ground was short and trimmed, providing an excellent surface for them to pitch their tents in a ring around the outer edges of the clearing, facing the fire pit. It was obvious that the campground had been whipped into shape for the new season to begin. The well-groomed, cleared paths leading away into the wood were marked with signs saying “Parking lot”, “Showers” or “Creek”. You probably couldn’t even get lost if you tried, she had thought amusedly when seeing this.
They were the only campers on this clearing, and, so far, hadn’t come across other people after leaving the administration office beside the parking lot, armed with a map of the path network and an information sheet stating the rules for the place.
A loud crash from nearby pulled her out of her thoughts, followed by a cackling laugh from Tess and a mumbled, whining complaint from Kyle. They had chosen the place beside Maria’s tent and were now, by the sound of it, in the process of completely destroying their camping gear.
She saw the shadow appear on the flap of her tent just before she heard the quiet rapping on the canvas and Liz’s voice, asking, “Maria?” The flap lifted, and the head of the brunette appeared in the opening. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” Maria sat up, waving her in.
Liz crouched down low and began awkwardly waddling into the tent like an oversized duck, making Maria giggle at the sight. Flopping down onto the sleeping bag beside Maria, she took in the huge bed with its abundance of pillows and blankets, the tidily stashed entertainment supplies and the bags of snacks and clothing with big, wondering doe eyes. “Wow, this is comfy.”
Maria nodded. “It is,” she agreed, smiling down onto the phone she still held in her palm. “Michael packed it for me.”
Liz followed her gaze, understanding dawning on her face. “Were you about to call him? I can leave you alone if you want.”
“No, no,” Maria quickly denied, putting the cell down. “It’s too early to call him, anyway. It’s only been a couple of hours since we left, after all.”
“But you miss him already, hm?” Liz’ soulful eyes just looked at her, full of patience and understanding.
After a second of trying to resist the kind question, Maria gave in. “God, Yes!” she moaned, supporting her head in her hands. “My god, Liz,” she whined. “How am I supposed to spend a whole week out here when all I can think about is him being alone in that crappy house of his?”
Liz reached for her shoulder in a gesture of consolation, saying, “I’m sorry, Maria. I wish I could help.”
“But you can’t,” Maria mumbled dejectedly.
“No. But maybe you’ll feel a little better after you talk to him.” She gestured at the phone lying on the floor between them.
“I don’t want to get on his nerves like some needy little girl clinging to her boyfriend, begging him to make her feel better.”
Liz chuckled. “Trust me, you won’t. He’s probably sitting at home right now, staring at his own phone and contemplating if it’s too early to call you.”
Maria raised her head slowly and smiled at the mental picture. “You think?”
“Yes, of course! You-”
They were interrupted by another, louder crash from outside, followed by another hysterical giggle from Tess.
“What on earth are they doing out there?” Maria inquired, eyes wide.
Liz laughed. “Tess made a bet with Kyle that he wouldn’t be able to put up their tent blindfolded.” She glanced at the canvas behind her when a frustrated curse reached their ears. “Sounds like he’s losing.”
“Apparently.” Maria dubiously squinted in the direction the racket was coming from, shaking her head.
“Tell you what,” Liz decisively announced then. “You give Michael a quick call, and then you come out of hiding and we’ll see what we can make for lunch, alright?”
“Alright, Liz,” Maria smiled. “Thanks.”
The other girl had already begun waddling towards the opening flap, throwing a quick grin over her shoulder.
Maybe someone should tell her that crawling on all fours would be way easier, and a lot less ridiculous-looking to boot. Maria chuckled under her breath and reached for her cell phone.
He picked up in the middle of the first ring, growling, “Hey, you.”
When she heard his gruff voice, she couldn’t help but smile into her phone. “Hey, baby.”
“How’re you doing? You like the campsite?”
She made a face. Of course he has to ask that. How on earth am I supposed to tell him how amazing it is out here when he can’t be here to see it himself? She crossed her fingers and lied, “It’s crap. It’s dirty and neglected and there are bugs everywhere. Oh, and it’s pouring rain,” she added, just to make it sound even more awful.
His deep, amused chuckle rumbled through the line, making it clear that he didn’t believe her one bit. “It is?”
“Yup, it’s raining cats and dogs.”
“Huh. That’s sad.” But he didn’t sound overly sympathetic.
“It is,” she insisted, stretching out on the sleeping bag. Quietly, she admitted, “I wish you were here.”
“At a rainy, dirty campground?” he asked incredulously. “No thanks, I’d rather stay in sunny Roswell.” After a pause, he asked in a serious tone, “Is it really that bad?”
She sighed deeply. “No, it isn’t. It’s beautiful, Michael, I wish you could see it. We have a clearing all on our own, and there’s a fire pit in the middle, and-” Suddenly, the canvas to her right dented in dangerously when something big and heavy fell against it, making the whole tent quiver and shake. She shrieked and dropped the phone.
The dent promptly disappeared, and she heard Kyle’s muffled apology when he removed himself again, presumably to finish wreaking havoc on his own tent.
“Maria? What was that?” Michael’s loud, concerned voice sounded tinny from the earpiece on the floor. “Maria! Pick up the damn phone!”
She scrambled to lift the cell to her ear again, soothing, “Relax, Michael. That was just Kyle. He’s in the process of losing a bet against Tess.”
“A bet?” She could practically hear the puzzled frown through the line. “What’s it about?”
She laughed, dropping her head back on the pillows. “Oh, trust me, you don’t want to know.”
He chuckled. “What are you doing right now?”
“Me? Talking to you, silly.”
“No, I mean. . .” He sounded exasperated. “Where are you? I want to picture it.”
“Uh. . .” She looked at her surroundings. “I’m in your tent, laying on my bed – or rather yours – and snuggling into the pillows. Seriously, Michael, thank you so much for packing all this stuff for me!” She rolled onto her stomach, gesticulating animatedly with her free hand, even though he couldn’t see her. “Max helped me put up the tent and I’ve built me my own little cozy cave with all the blankets and pillows and that monumental sleeping bag. It’s so lovely!”
“I bet it is,” he answered, and there was a smile in his voice and something else.
Longing, she recognized sadly. “Where are you right now?” she asked.
“I’m at home, in my room. Mom’s still asleep and Hank has gone God knows where, so it’s at least quiet.”
She had just opened her mouth to reply, when someone loudly called her name from across the clearing.
“Who was that?” he asked curiously, clearly having heard the shout through the phone.
“Liz. We’re supposed to make lunch together.”
He sighed regretfully. “Okay, then, you should go.”
“Okay.” But she didn’t want to. Sitting here in his tent, on his sleeping bag that still held a faint whiff of his scent and hearing his voice almost made her feel like he was really there with her. But not quite.
“I’d say I’ll call you tonight, but since I don’t really know when you’ll go to bed out there, how about you just call me when you lie down to sleep?”
“Alright,” she agreed. “Michael?”
“Yes?”
“I. . .” I miss you. She couldn’t say it, because all of a sudden the tears that were all too ready to spill over lately threatened to do just that.
But he understood anyway. “I know, Maria,” he said quietly. “Me, too. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
*****
When she emerged from her tent and slowly trudged up to Liz, the other girl took one look at her face and sighed, “Oh, dear.” She made Maria sit down on one of the benches around the fire pit, settling down beside her, one arm around her shoulders. “That bad?” she asked sympathetically.
Maria shook her head curtly, covertly wiping her eyes. “Can we talk about something else?” she asked. “Otherwise I’m gonna bawl like a baby.”
“Sure.” Liz squeezed her shoulder lightly, then let go and stood up, starting to rummage in the bag with the groceries. “What do you think we should make for lunch? I was thinking just sandwiches. That’s simple enough and we won’t have to wash up so much afterwards. What do you think?”
Maria cleared her throat, coming to stand beside her. “Sounds good. Just put me to work.”
Liz grinned. “Alright. Let’s feed the hungry masses.”
The two girls set upon preparing the sandwiches with different toppings for everyone, using the folding table Alex had brought as a work surface while watching their friends build their tents. Max and Alex, after putting up their own tents, were now standing beside a very annoyed Isabel, instructing and supervising her progress in pitching hers. Kyle had finally given up, furiously yanking down the scarf from his eyes, accompanied by the ringing laughter of his girlfriend. Both were now busy repairing the inflicted damage to their camping gear, throwing insults and jokes back and forth.
When Maria and Liz had finished preparing the food, the result being a huge pile of perfectly prepared sandwich halves – It’s so obvious that Liz grew up in a restaurant, Maria thought with a smirk when she placed the plate on the table – they called for the others to come and eat.
Isabel, who had, after many helpful suggestions – and some not so helpful – succeeded in putting up her tent next to Max’ and Liz’, threw her brother and Alex a look of death as she stalked over to the middle of the clearing and collapsed onto one of the benches with a loud moan. Tess and Kyle temporarily abandoned the haphazard pile that was supposed to eventually transform itself into their tent in favor of some much needed nourishment.
Aside from the occasional mumbled remark it was quiet while they ate, slouched down around the cold fire pit, enjoying the midday sun. The wood around them was filled with birdcalls and the buzzing of little insects, lending the place a peaceful aura.
After lunch, the four girls hit the trail leading to the creek while the guys set upon trying to repair the damaged tent of Tess and Kyle. Isabel led the way into the forest, stepping out in long, adventurous strides and attentively observing their surroundings.
Liz and Tess followed, the plastic box with their perishable foods and drinks carried between them. They had been instructed by the boys, most of them at least semi-experienced campers, to sink the box into the creek as an improvised fridge. The container had a top hatch and was supposedly waterproof when closed, so they didn’t need to worry about drowning their groceries.
Maria brought up the rear, idly wandering through the woods behind her friends and enjoying the peaceful, green silence surrounding them.
The trail was easy to stroll along, the ground soft beneath their feet with very few fallen branches they had to step over. It was obvious that the paths in the camping area were being maintained on a regular basis. The walk was short; they reached their destination after only five minutes, stepping out at last next to a wide, shallow riverbank. The creek measured maybe ten feet across, and, to the inexpert eyes of the girls, didn’t seem to be very deep, its water clear as glass so they could see as far as down to the pebbles lying on the ground. The bank was overgrown with plants, but the trees had retreated a few yards on both sides of the shore, leaving room for the sunlight to penetrate the thick forest at this place and glint off of the streaming water in golden sparks before it vanished into the dark green wood again.
“It’s so beautiful!” Isabel exclaimed when all of them stood side by side next to the creek, awed by the natural beauty before their eyes.
Liz let her side of the box slide to the ground, agreeing, “Amazing!”
Isabel shook her head, propping her hands on her hips. “I don’t understand why the guys didn’t think we’d like to go camping.”
“Me neither,” Maria stated, then stepped near the bank, eying the water. It looks freezing. She turned and looked at the other girls expectantly, pointing at the container. “So, who’s going to wade in there and deposit this?”
“What do you mean, ‘wade in there’?” Isabel asked, coming closer. “Can’t we just put it in here near the bank?”
“No, we can’t,” Liz, who had also approached the water with Tess, denied. “See how shallow it is? The water is only going to cover the bottom quarter of our box, that’s not enough to cool it sufficiently.”
“Well . . .” Isabel eyed the creek skeptically then looked back at the others.
Maria, Tess and Liz smiled at her broadly, each trying to appear as innocent and unassuming as possible.
“Think about the money we paid for all the groceries-” Liz prompted, just to be heatedly interrupted by Isabel.
“You mean for all the junk food? If you think I didn’t notice that they didn’t buy half of what I wrote on that list-”
“-It would be a shame to let it spoil,” the brunette continued unwavering, keeping her voice soft and unthreatening on purpose.
“So what are you saying?” Isabel looked at them uncomprehendingly, taking in the united front of her friends before her, each of them sporting a deceptively innocent smile. Her eyes widened. “What, ME?! No way! Do you have any idea how cold that water still is at this time of the year?”
Tess dipped one finger into the stream and made a face. “I do now.”
“There’s no way I’m going in there!” Isabel was still shaking her head vigorously.
“But you have the longest legs of us,” Liz tried, making big doe eyes. “You’ll barely get wet to mid-calf. Think about it this way, Izzy: If you do this, we can brag it up in front of the guys. Alex will be impressed with a woman who clearly knows how to handle herself in the wilderness.” She nodded wildly.
“Well . . .” The tall blonde wavered, looking back and forth between the food container and the merrily running water. Then she sighed resignedly. “Okay. But I’m not doing this to impress Alex!” she hurried to add.
“No, of course not,” Maria agreed readily, shaking her head simultaneously with Tess and Liz.
Isabel eyed this display of eager consent with suspicion, but began to take off her shoes and socks and rolled the cuffs of her jeans up to her knees. “So, give me that.” She reached for the plastic box and, after a moment’s hesitation, stepped into the water. “Ooooch!” she squealed when the first foot sank under water and settled onto the squishy mud. “God, that’s cold!”
After the tall blonde had taken a few cautious steps into the water, Maria suddenly spied a shadow under the surface, moving past behind Isabel, swift as an arrow. She leaned over to Tess and Liz and quietly inquired, “How well does she handle fish?”
“WHAT?!” Isabel shrieked, hectically looking around, trying to detect any telltale shadows under the bubbling surface of the water. “Where?”
Ooops. Not quiet enough, apparently. “Nowhere, Iz,” she amended hastily. “You’re good. I think that’s far enough.”
“Thank God!” Isabel hastily dropped the heavy box into the stream. While it sank and solidly settled onto the mossy pebbles, she quickly made her way back to the shore, hopping out of the water as fast as possible, fastening cord in hand.
The cord was attached to the box on one end and served as a makeshift anchor, sporting a tent peg on the other end which Tess now drove into the ground with the heel of her shoe.
“What is that?” Maria asked all of a sudden, drawing the attention of Tess and Isabel when she leaned over to peer down into the overgrown riverbank, eyes narrowed intently.
Tess came to stand beside her, curious. “Where?”
“There.” Maria pointed to the place. “On that stone behind the clump of grass.”
“Oh, I see it!” Tess crowed excitedly. “Is it a frog?”
“No, frogs are green, aren’t they?” Isabel asked uncertainly.
“Liz!” Maria called after the brunette who had wandered off unnoticed to explore the water plants. “Come over here! We have something you should take a look at!”
Liz looked up. “What is it?” She dropped a couple of leaves she had been examining and came closer.
“There, you see it?” Maria pointed again to the flat stone hidden between the grasses. All four girls were now gathered around the little amphibian, watching it closely. “Is that a frog?”
“Hm, no, I don’t think so,” Liz contemplated. “It looks more like a toad. Look how brown it is and all the ugly warts on its back?”
“Ew, Liz!” Isabel made a disgusted face.
“What? I’m just telling you what I see. But there’s an easy way to see if it’s a frog or a toad.”
“And that would be?” Tess inquired.
“Well, frogs can jump.” Liz reached out with her forefinger cautiously to tap the little animal with a light touch.
It did not jump. The toad, surprised into action upon being poked, shot into the grass towards Isabel’s feet, scrambling madly to get away.
“AAAARRRGH!!” the tall girl screamed, hectically jumping out of the way. Unfortunately, in doing so, her foot caught onto a clump of grass growing near the water, making her loose her balance. Isabel landed, butt-first, in the water with a loud splash, just to emerge again after a few seconds, dripping and spluttering.
Maria, Tess and Liz were holding their sides, hee-hawing with laughter at the sight.
“LIZ!” Isabel accused, emerging from the creek and looking like a drowned rat. An angry drowned rat. “You did that on purpose!”
“Oh my God . . .” The short brunette was still wheezing with laughter. “Izzy, you . . . I’m so sorry.”
“That’s. Not. Funny!” Isabel’s face flushed a deep, angry red while she tried to wring out her hair. “Look at me, I’m soaked!”
Tess, who was the first to gain control of her laughter, replied in a cool voice. “Chill, Iz! The clothes will dry again.”
“Come on, I’ll help you pick out something new to wear,” Liz said amiably, taking her friend’s arm and leading the still fuming Isabel away to the path. “That’s the perfect opportunity to check out the facilities in this place.”
Tess smirked after them, calling, “Make sure you think of some heroic story to tell the guys. Maybe something along the lines of how Izzy fearlessly jumped into this riptide after a poor little toadie fell in to save it from an excruciating death by drowning. That’ll impress Alex!”
Isabel turned around to face her, her icy expression only slightly compromised by her soggy appearance. “Has anyone ever told you how funny you are, Harding?”
“Nope.” Tess grinned unrepentantly.
“That’s ‘cause you aren’t.”
*****
After Liz had escorted a ranting Isabel off to their campsite and the path behind them lay quiet again, Maria and Tess sat down on the riverbank, letting their bare feet dangle in the stream and enjoying the sunshine.
After several minutes of mutual silence, in which Tess had repeatedly glanced over at Maria questioningly, she finally spoke up. “So what’s up with you, hm? Is it only that you miss Michael or is there something else?”
For a few moments, she hesitated, watching her toes playing in the current, unsure whether to speak. But who else am I going to talk to if not Tess? “Have you ever cared for someone, and that someone needed help so badly, but weren’t able to do anything about it?”
Tess looked at her earnestly. “Yes, Maria, I have.”
Maria nodded unhappily, not looking up. “Tess?” she said quietly, glancing at her friend. “I went to his house yesterday when he was at work.”
“Oh.” Tess looked apprehensive.
Maria exhaled her breath in a dejected laugh. “Exactly. His mom was there, and she was . . . plastered.”
Tess swallowed, looking worried. The light breeze ruffled her locks, but the rest of her body was quite still. “And then?”
“I tried to help her to the couch, but I couldn’t lift her. And then Michael came home. He sent me out to wait in the car while he took care of her and then we . . . talked.”
Tess sighed. “He told you?”
“Hm-mm.” Maria nodded absently, while pulling individual grass stalks out by the roots.
After that admission, they fell silent. The weight of what they both now knew over Michael’s situation loomed over them, oppressive like a big, black rain cloud, though the bright afternoon sky merely sported the odd fleecy cloud, white and oblivious. Now that it was finally possible for either girl to talk to the other about what was on her heart, neither of them spoke.
After the silence had stretched on for a long while, only interrupted by the rustling of the trees and the occasional birdcall, Tess stated quietly, “I know how you feel.”
“Yeah?” Maria laughed ironically. “Then tell me please, ‘cause I have no idea.” She felt so confused.
“Sad. And angry,” Tess said, looking at her with unblinking, blue eyes. “Heartbroken, maybe. It’s what I felt when he told us.”
“I wish there was something I could do to help him.” One tear slipped down her cheek against her will. Again! She angrily wiped it away.
“But you do! Maria, you have no idea!” Tess gripped her arm. “He’s changed so much since you moved to Roswell! He’s laughing and joking now, and he’s not so angry all the time. He’s gentler, and more open. Less stand-offish. Maybe you don’t see it the way we do because you didn’t know him before, but knowing you has changed him. To the better.” She tried a smile, but it came out a little shaky.
Maria returned the smile, covering Tess’ hand on her arm with her palm. “Thanks, Tess. Hearing you say that means a lot to me.”
“It’s the truth,” she simply answered. “I’m really glad you moved here, Maria.”
“Thank you. Though on my first day, when I met Michael, I just wanted to turn on my heel and go straight back to Albuquerque.” Maria snorted at the memory. “He was such a prick, then.”
“Oh, come on!” Tess smirked, clearly relieved. “He just wanted to get a rise out of you because he liked you!”
“Uh-huh?” Maria eyed her dubiously. “And you know that because . . . ?”
“Please!” Tess laughed, throwing her hands into the air. “You guys were so obvious! One must have been blind not to see the chemistry between the two of you. I knew right off the bat that you were supposed to be together.”
“Oh, you knew, huh?” She smiled teasingly.
“Of course,” Tess bragged with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I probably knew before Michael knew it. But, to give him credit, he caught onto it pretty fast.”
“Yeah, he did that.” Maria smiled gently. “You know, I wondered why you were so welcoming to me at the beginning. I mean, I didn’t expect you to be mean or anything, but . . . well, with Isabel and all that . . .”
“Maria,” Tess assured her, “I really don’t think that had much to do with you specifically. Did she explain to you about . . . ?”
“Alex,” Maria filled in. “Yes, a little. But why doesn’t she just go for it? I mean, it’s obvious that he likes her, too.”
“That’s what I say! But do they listen to me? Of course not. But what it comes down to, I guess, is that they’re both afraid of rejection. He’s afraid he isn’t good enough for her, mostly because of her looks, and she thinks she isn’t good enough for him, because . . . well, because he’s Alex and he’s amazing.”
Maria laughed freely at that. “Do you think they will get it together soon?”
“Well, if not, I will tie them together and lock them in the eraser room until they do,” Tess joked, but grew serious almost instantly again. “About what she said at the soap factory, Maria . . . The most part of it was Alex. But, like all of us, she knows Michael’s situation, and she wants to protect him the best she can. She feels responsible for him and it just about kills her that there really isn’t that much she can do.” Quieter, she added, “Any of us, for that matter.”
“There isn’t . . .” Maria hesitated, but she had to know, “more to her feelings for him, is there?”
Tess chuckled at the notion. “No, trust me, it’s nothing like that and as far as I know, it’s never been. The day those two shack up is the day the world ends. Especially since we’ve all been together as a group.”
Maria nodded, relieved, and prompted, “Tell me more about how he was before I met all of you.”
“Well . . .” Tess leaned forward to hold her fingers into the water, turning her face to Maria and squinting when the bright light blinded her. “You might have noticed that we’re all pretty much paired up, haven’t you? Me and Kyle, Max and Liz and Izzy and Alex? Well, sort of,” she added, cheerfully dismissing the fact that the latter two weren’t actually a couple.
Maria grinned. “Yeah, I might have noticed that.”
“Yeah,” Tess answered the grin with her own, but went serious again before continuing, “Anyway, we often did things as a group; going to the movies or hanging out at the CrashDown or something like that. But despite that, Michael’s always been the odd man out, you know? Kyle and me – and the others, too, of course – try to include him as much as possible, but there are just times when a couple is . . . well, a couple, and there’s no room for a third.” She shrugged helplessly.
Maria narrowed her eyes at her critically. “So, what you’re saying is he wasn’t really a part of your group?”
“What I’m saying, Maria,” Tess stressed emphatically, “is that he was lonely. So lonely.” She paused then a smile appeared on her features, slow and bright, matching the brilliance of the sun. “But he isn’t anymore, is he?”
“No,” Maria agreed and beamed at her friend. “And me neither.”
~TBC
Aw, the girls are not very experienced with camping, so they don't realize what will be usefull out there and what better to leave at home.
As for Michael packing all of his stuff for Maria . . . well, he just wants her to have all the comfort he can give her.Jeannie: Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. Please keep the feedback coming, I love to read what you think.
Moomin: You're right, leaving would be best for him. But where is he supposed to go? He's not legal, yet, so technically he is still under the "guardianship" of his mother.
Haha, Alex and Isabel . . . Well they are being a bit slow about the whole business of finally getting together, aren't they? But trust me, it's not going to be long now until they talk about it.
Chapter Twelve – Heart to Heart
Maria sat in her tent at noon that Saturday, arranging the last few items to her satisfaction; the bag with her clothes to the right, the radio and flashlight to the left, with the stack of books and CDs Michael had also packed for her stashed beside them. His duffel bag with its remaining contents lay in easy reach beside the tent flap.
Most of the space in the tent was being taken up by the truly enormous sleeping bag. Michael wasn’t kidding when he said he likes his space, she thought when she stretched out on her makeshift bed. The sleeping bag could easily accommodate two persons of his size, and would probably have room for three of hers. Under it she had put the ground pad and air mattress, each big enough to match the sleeping bag. The additional blankets were stored on the foot of the bed for now, easily accessible for when it got cold at night, and the pillows provided a comfortable cushion for her on the head section of her camp, on which she now lay down with a satisfied sigh, looking up at the roof of her shelter. Mr. Bear was sitting perched on her bag beside her, goggling blindly into space with his button eyes.
The sun was shining directly down on her tent, its light filtered through the walls, dousing everything inside into a soft, bright, bluish green gleam. With the shadows of countless leaves fanning across the canvas in slow strokes, she felt like being underwater, resting on the bottom of the turquoise sea in a hidden Caribbean lagoon, with the soft rustling of the trees around her resembling the sound of waves.
She felt serene. Not happy. For how could she be happy with the thought of Michael left by himself constantly in the back of her mind? But by the time the poor convertible had rumbled over the uneven path that led to the camping ground in Frazier Woods, following Alex’ Toyota, she had calmed down enough to realize that she ought to at least try not to be miserable throughout the whole trip. It wouldn’t help Michael any if she moped around the camp, putting everybody in a bad mood around her. Though it had only been a few hours since they had parted company, she missed him already. Is it too soon to call him? she wondered.
She glanced at the screen of her cell phone, and smiled. Two bars. Just enough to have a proper phone conversation. She grinned at the memory of how she had marched along the path at the head of their group earlier, phone outstretched before her like a dowser, waiting for the bars to appear on the display as an indication for at least satisfactory reception. Half an hour they had trudged along the declared hiking paths, going more or less in circles from campsite to campsite, with the boys carrying the bulk of their luggage, puffing and grumbling under their burden. Finally, after almost giving up hope for the magic bars to appear, she had stopped short on the edge of a sunny clearing, making Max stumble into her from behind. The display showed one bar. She took a careful step to the left. The bar disappeared. She stepped to the right. The bar reappeared. Another step to the right. Two bars!
“Ha! This is where I’ll put up my tent!” she had announced, and that was that.
The others had filed into the clearing behind her, looking around excitedly while dropping their luggage down on the grass, and the girls had promptly begun to assign places for the individual tents.
The clearing was roughly circular, approximately 25 yards across, with a stone fire pit for cooking and building campfires put up in the middle, complete with wooden benches surrounding it. The grass covering the ground was short and trimmed, providing an excellent surface for them to pitch their tents in a ring around the outer edges of the clearing, facing the fire pit. It was obvious that the campground had been whipped into shape for the new season to begin. The well-groomed, cleared paths leading away into the wood were marked with signs saying “Parking lot”, “Showers” or “Creek”. You probably couldn’t even get lost if you tried, she had thought amusedly when seeing this.
They were the only campers on this clearing, and, so far, hadn’t come across other people after leaving the administration office beside the parking lot, armed with a map of the path network and an information sheet stating the rules for the place.
A loud crash from nearby pulled her out of her thoughts, followed by a cackling laugh from Tess and a mumbled, whining complaint from Kyle. They had chosen the place beside Maria’s tent and were now, by the sound of it, in the process of completely destroying their camping gear.
She saw the shadow appear on the flap of her tent just before she heard the quiet rapping on the canvas and Liz’s voice, asking, “Maria?” The flap lifted, and the head of the brunette appeared in the opening. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.” Maria sat up, waving her in.
Liz crouched down low and began awkwardly waddling into the tent like an oversized duck, making Maria giggle at the sight. Flopping down onto the sleeping bag beside Maria, she took in the huge bed with its abundance of pillows and blankets, the tidily stashed entertainment supplies and the bags of snacks and clothing with big, wondering doe eyes. “Wow, this is comfy.”
Maria nodded. “It is,” she agreed, smiling down onto the phone she still held in her palm. “Michael packed it for me.”
Liz followed her gaze, understanding dawning on her face. “Were you about to call him? I can leave you alone if you want.”
“No, no,” Maria quickly denied, putting the cell down. “It’s too early to call him, anyway. It’s only been a couple of hours since we left, after all.”
“But you miss him already, hm?” Liz’ soulful eyes just looked at her, full of patience and understanding.
After a second of trying to resist the kind question, Maria gave in. “God, Yes!” she moaned, supporting her head in her hands. “My god, Liz,” she whined. “How am I supposed to spend a whole week out here when all I can think about is him being alone in that crappy house of his?”
Liz reached for her shoulder in a gesture of consolation, saying, “I’m sorry, Maria. I wish I could help.”
“But you can’t,” Maria mumbled dejectedly.
“No. But maybe you’ll feel a little better after you talk to him.” She gestured at the phone lying on the floor between them.
“I don’t want to get on his nerves like some needy little girl clinging to her boyfriend, begging him to make her feel better.”
Liz chuckled. “Trust me, you won’t. He’s probably sitting at home right now, staring at his own phone and contemplating if it’s too early to call you.”
Maria raised her head slowly and smiled at the mental picture. “You think?”
“Yes, of course! You-”
They were interrupted by another, louder crash from outside, followed by another hysterical giggle from Tess.
“What on earth are they doing out there?” Maria inquired, eyes wide.
Liz laughed. “Tess made a bet with Kyle that he wouldn’t be able to put up their tent blindfolded.” She glanced at the canvas behind her when a frustrated curse reached their ears. “Sounds like he’s losing.”
“Apparently.” Maria dubiously squinted in the direction the racket was coming from, shaking her head.
“Tell you what,” Liz decisively announced then. “You give Michael a quick call, and then you come out of hiding and we’ll see what we can make for lunch, alright?”
“Alright, Liz,” Maria smiled. “Thanks.”
The other girl had already begun waddling towards the opening flap, throwing a quick grin over her shoulder.
Maybe someone should tell her that crawling on all fours would be way easier, and a lot less ridiculous-looking to boot. Maria chuckled under her breath and reached for her cell phone.
He picked up in the middle of the first ring, growling, “Hey, you.”
When she heard his gruff voice, she couldn’t help but smile into her phone. “Hey, baby.”
“How’re you doing? You like the campsite?”
She made a face. Of course he has to ask that. How on earth am I supposed to tell him how amazing it is out here when he can’t be here to see it himself? She crossed her fingers and lied, “It’s crap. It’s dirty and neglected and there are bugs everywhere. Oh, and it’s pouring rain,” she added, just to make it sound even more awful.
His deep, amused chuckle rumbled through the line, making it clear that he didn’t believe her one bit. “It is?”
“Yup, it’s raining cats and dogs.”
“Huh. That’s sad.” But he didn’t sound overly sympathetic.
“It is,” she insisted, stretching out on the sleeping bag. Quietly, she admitted, “I wish you were here.”
“At a rainy, dirty campground?” he asked incredulously. “No thanks, I’d rather stay in sunny Roswell.” After a pause, he asked in a serious tone, “Is it really that bad?”
She sighed deeply. “No, it isn’t. It’s beautiful, Michael, I wish you could see it. We have a clearing all on our own, and there’s a fire pit in the middle, and-” Suddenly, the canvas to her right dented in dangerously when something big and heavy fell against it, making the whole tent quiver and shake. She shrieked and dropped the phone.
The dent promptly disappeared, and she heard Kyle’s muffled apology when he removed himself again, presumably to finish wreaking havoc on his own tent.
“Maria? What was that?” Michael’s loud, concerned voice sounded tinny from the earpiece on the floor. “Maria! Pick up the damn phone!”
She scrambled to lift the cell to her ear again, soothing, “Relax, Michael. That was just Kyle. He’s in the process of losing a bet against Tess.”
“A bet?” She could practically hear the puzzled frown through the line. “What’s it about?”
She laughed, dropping her head back on the pillows. “Oh, trust me, you don’t want to know.”
He chuckled. “What are you doing right now?”
“Me? Talking to you, silly.”
“No, I mean. . .” He sounded exasperated. “Where are you? I want to picture it.”
“Uh. . .” She looked at her surroundings. “I’m in your tent, laying on my bed – or rather yours – and snuggling into the pillows. Seriously, Michael, thank you so much for packing all this stuff for me!” She rolled onto her stomach, gesticulating animatedly with her free hand, even though he couldn’t see her. “Max helped me put up the tent and I’ve built me my own little cozy cave with all the blankets and pillows and that monumental sleeping bag. It’s so lovely!”
“I bet it is,” he answered, and there was a smile in his voice and something else.
Longing, she recognized sadly. “Where are you right now?” she asked.
“I’m at home, in my room. Mom’s still asleep and Hank has gone God knows where, so it’s at least quiet.”
She had just opened her mouth to reply, when someone loudly called her name from across the clearing.
“Who was that?” he asked curiously, clearly having heard the shout through the phone.
“Liz. We’re supposed to make lunch together.”
He sighed regretfully. “Okay, then, you should go.”
“Okay.” But she didn’t want to. Sitting here in his tent, on his sleeping bag that still held a faint whiff of his scent and hearing his voice almost made her feel like he was really there with her. But not quite.
“I’d say I’ll call you tonight, but since I don’t really know when you’ll go to bed out there, how about you just call me when you lie down to sleep?”
“Alright,” she agreed. “Michael?”
“Yes?”
“I. . .” I miss you. She couldn’t say it, because all of a sudden the tears that were all too ready to spill over lately threatened to do just that.
But he understood anyway. “I know, Maria,” he said quietly. “Me, too. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
*****
When she emerged from her tent and slowly trudged up to Liz, the other girl took one look at her face and sighed, “Oh, dear.” She made Maria sit down on one of the benches around the fire pit, settling down beside her, one arm around her shoulders. “That bad?” she asked sympathetically.
Maria shook her head curtly, covertly wiping her eyes. “Can we talk about something else?” she asked. “Otherwise I’m gonna bawl like a baby.”
“Sure.” Liz squeezed her shoulder lightly, then let go and stood up, starting to rummage in the bag with the groceries. “What do you think we should make for lunch? I was thinking just sandwiches. That’s simple enough and we won’t have to wash up so much afterwards. What do you think?”
Maria cleared her throat, coming to stand beside her. “Sounds good. Just put me to work.”
Liz grinned. “Alright. Let’s feed the hungry masses.”
The two girls set upon preparing the sandwiches with different toppings for everyone, using the folding table Alex had brought as a work surface while watching their friends build their tents. Max and Alex, after putting up their own tents, were now standing beside a very annoyed Isabel, instructing and supervising her progress in pitching hers. Kyle had finally given up, furiously yanking down the scarf from his eyes, accompanied by the ringing laughter of his girlfriend. Both were now busy repairing the inflicted damage to their camping gear, throwing insults and jokes back and forth.
When Maria and Liz had finished preparing the food, the result being a huge pile of perfectly prepared sandwich halves – It’s so obvious that Liz grew up in a restaurant, Maria thought with a smirk when she placed the plate on the table – they called for the others to come and eat.
Isabel, who had, after many helpful suggestions – and some not so helpful – succeeded in putting up her tent next to Max’ and Liz’, threw her brother and Alex a look of death as she stalked over to the middle of the clearing and collapsed onto one of the benches with a loud moan. Tess and Kyle temporarily abandoned the haphazard pile that was supposed to eventually transform itself into their tent in favor of some much needed nourishment.
Aside from the occasional mumbled remark it was quiet while they ate, slouched down around the cold fire pit, enjoying the midday sun. The wood around them was filled with birdcalls and the buzzing of little insects, lending the place a peaceful aura.
After lunch, the four girls hit the trail leading to the creek while the guys set upon trying to repair the damaged tent of Tess and Kyle. Isabel led the way into the forest, stepping out in long, adventurous strides and attentively observing their surroundings.
Liz and Tess followed, the plastic box with their perishable foods and drinks carried between them. They had been instructed by the boys, most of them at least semi-experienced campers, to sink the box into the creek as an improvised fridge. The container had a top hatch and was supposedly waterproof when closed, so they didn’t need to worry about drowning their groceries.
Maria brought up the rear, idly wandering through the woods behind her friends and enjoying the peaceful, green silence surrounding them.
The trail was easy to stroll along, the ground soft beneath their feet with very few fallen branches they had to step over. It was obvious that the paths in the camping area were being maintained on a regular basis. The walk was short; they reached their destination after only five minutes, stepping out at last next to a wide, shallow riverbank. The creek measured maybe ten feet across, and, to the inexpert eyes of the girls, didn’t seem to be very deep, its water clear as glass so they could see as far as down to the pebbles lying on the ground. The bank was overgrown with plants, but the trees had retreated a few yards on both sides of the shore, leaving room for the sunlight to penetrate the thick forest at this place and glint off of the streaming water in golden sparks before it vanished into the dark green wood again.
“It’s so beautiful!” Isabel exclaimed when all of them stood side by side next to the creek, awed by the natural beauty before their eyes.
Liz let her side of the box slide to the ground, agreeing, “Amazing!”
Isabel shook her head, propping her hands on her hips. “I don’t understand why the guys didn’t think we’d like to go camping.”
“Me neither,” Maria stated, then stepped near the bank, eying the water. It looks freezing. She turned and looked at the other girls expectantly, pointing at the container. “So, who’s going to wade in there and deposit this?”
“What do you mean, ‘wade in there’?” Isabel asked, coming closer. “Can’t we just put it in here near the bank?”
“No, we can’t,” Liz, who had also approached the water with Tess, denied. “See how shallow it is? The water is only going to cover the bottom quarter of our box, that’s not enough to cool it sufficiently.”
“Well . . .” Isabel eyed the creek skeptically then looked back at the others.
Maria, Tess and Liz smiled at her broadly, each trying to appear as innocent and unassuming as possible.
“Think about the money we paid for all the groceries-” Liz prompted, just to be heatedly interrupted by Isabel.
“You mean for all the junk food? If you think I didn’t notice that they didn’t buy half of what I wrote on that list-”
“-It would be a shame to let it spoil,” the brunette continued unwavering, keeping her voice soft and unthreatening on purpose.
“So what are you saying?” Isabel looked at them uncomprehendingly, taking in the united front of her friends before her, each of them sporting a deceptively innocent smile. Her eyes widened. “What, ME?! No way! Do you have any idea how cold that water still is at this time of the year?”
Tess dipped one finger into the stream and made a face. “I do now.”
“There’s no way I’m going in there!” Isabel was still shaking her head vigorously.
“But you have the longest legs of us,” Liz tried, making big doe eyes. “You’ll barely get wet to mid-calf. Think about it this way, Izzy: If you do this, we can brag it up in front of the guys. Alex will be impressed with a woman who clearly knows how to handle herself in the wilderness.” She nodded wildly.
“Well . . .” The tall blonde wavered, looking back and forth between the food container and the merrily running water. Then she sighed resignedly. “Okay. But I’m not doing this to impress Alex!” she hurried to add.
“No, of course not,” Maria agreed readily, shaking her head simultaneously with Tess and Liz.
Isabel eyed this display of eager consent with suspicion, but began to take off her shoes and socks and rolled the cuffs of her jeans up to her knees. “So, give me that.” She reached for the plastic box and, after a moment’s hesitation, stepped into the water. “Ooooch!” she squealed when the first foot sank under water and settled onto the squishy mud. “God, that’s cold!”
After the tall blonde had taken a few cautious steps into the water, Maria suddenly spied a shadow under the surface, moving past behind Isabel, swift as an arrow. She leaned over to Tess and Liz and quietly inquired, “How well does she handle fish?”
“WHAT?!” Isabel shrieked, hectically looking around, trying to detect any telltale shadows under the bubbling surface of the water. “Where?”
Ooops. Not quiet enough, apparently. “Nowhere, Iz,” she amended hastily. “You’re good. I think that’s far enough.”
“Thank God!” Isabel hastily dropped the heavy box into the stream. While it sank and solidly settled onto the mossy pebbles, she quickly made her way back to the shore, hopping out of the water as fast as possible, fastening cord in hand.
The cord was attached to the box on one end and served as a makeshift anchor, sporting a tent peg on the other end which Tess now drove into the ground with the heel of her shoe.
“What is that?” Maria asked all of a sudden, drawing the attention of Tess and Isabel when she leaned over to peer down into the overgrown riverbank, eyes narrowed intently.
Tess came to stand beside her, curious. “Where?”
“There.” Maria pointed to the place. “On that stone behind the clump of grass.”
“Oh, I see it!” Tess crowed excitedly. “Is it a frog?”
“No, frogs are green, aren’t they?” Isabel asked uncertainly.
“Liz!” Maria called after the brunette who had wandered off unnoticed to explore the water plants. “Come over here! We have something you should take a look at!”
Liz looked up. “What is it?” She dropped a couple of leaves she had been examining and came closer.
“There, you see it?” Maria pointed again to the flat stone hidden between the grasses. All four girls were now gathered around the little amphibian, watching it closely. “Is that a frog?”
“Hm, no, I don’t think so,” Liz contemplated. “It looks more like a toad. Look how brown it is and all the ugly warts on its back?”
“Ew, Liz!” Isabel made a disgusted face.
“What? I’m just telling you what I see. But there’s an easy way to see if it’s a frog or a toad.”
“And that would be?” Tess inquired.
“Well, frogs can jump.” Liz reached out with her forefinger cautiously to tap the little animal with a light touch.
It did not jump. The toad, surprised into action upon being poked, shot into the grass towards Isabel’s feet, scrambling madly to get away.
“AAAARRRGH!!” the tall girl screamed, hectically jumping out of the way. Unfortunately, in doing so, her foot caught onto a clump of grass growing near the water, making her loose her balance. Isabel landed, butt-first, in the water with a loud splash, just to emerge again after a few seconds, dripping and spluttering.
Maria, Tess and Liz were holding their sides, hee-hawing with laughter at the sight.
“LIZ!” Isabel accused, emerging from the creek and looking like a drowned rat. An angry drowned rat. “You did that on purpose!”
“Oh my God . . .” The short brunette was still wheezing with laughter. “Izzy, you . . . I’m so sorry.”
“That’s. Not. Funny!” Isabel’s face flushed a deep, angry red while she tried to wring out her hair. “Look at me, I’m soaked!”
Tess, who was the first to gain control of her laughter, replied in a cool voice. “Chill, Iz! The clothes will dry again.”
“Come on, I’ll help you pick out something new to wear,” Liz said amiably, taking her friend’s arm and leading the still fuming Isabel away to the path. “That’s the perfect opportunity to check out the facilities in this place.”
Tess smirked after them, calling, “Make sure you think of some heroic story to tell the guys. Maybe something along the lines of how Izzy fearlessly jumped into this riptide after a poor little toadie fell in to save it from an excruciating death by drowning. That’ll impress Alex!”
Isabel turned around to face her, her icy expression only slightly compromised by her soggy appearance. “Has anyone ever told you how funny you are, Harding?”
“Nope.” Tess grinned unrepentantly.
“That’s ‘cause you aren’t.”
*****
After Liz had escorted a ranting Isabel off to their campsite and the path behind them lay quiet again, Maria and Tess sat down on the riverbank, letting their bare feet dangle in the stream and enjoying the sunshine.
After several minutes of mutual silence, in which Tess had repeatedly glanced over at Maria questioningly, she finally spoke up. “So what’s up with you, hm? Is it only that you miss Michael or is there something else?”
For a few moments, she hesitated, watching her toes playing in the current, unsure whether to speak. But who else am I going to talk to if not Tess? “Have you ever cared for someone, and that someone needed help so badly, but weren’t able to do anything about it?”
Tess looked at her earnestly. “Yes, Maria, I have.”
Maria nodded unhappily, not looking up. “Tess?” she said quietly, glancing at her friend. “I went to his house yesterday when he was at work.”
“Oh.” Tess looked apprehensive.
Maria exhaled her breath in a dejected laugh. “Exactly. His mom was there, and she was . . . plastered.”
Tess swallowed, looking worried. The light breeze ruffled her locks, but the rest of her body was quite still. “And then?”
“I tried to help her to the couch, but I couldn’t lift her. And then Michael came home. He sent me out to wait in the car while he took care of her and then we . . . talked.”
Tess sighed. “He told you?”
“Hm-mm.” Maria nodded absently, while pulling individual grass stalks out by the roots.
After that admission, they fell silent. The weight of what they both now knew over Michael’s situation loomed over them, oppressive like a big, black rain cloud, though the bright afternoon sky merely sported the odd fleecy cloud, white and oblivious. Now that it was finally possible for either girl to talk to the other about what was on her heart, neither of them spoke.
After the silence had stretched on for a long while, only interrupted by the rustling of the trees and the occasional birdcall, Tess stated quietly, “I know how you feel.”
“Yeah?” Maria laughed ironically. “Then tell me please, ‘cause I have no idea.” She felt so confused.
“Sad. And angry,” Tess said, looking at her with unblinking, blue eyes. “Heartbroken, maybe. It’s what I felt when he told us.”
“I wish there was something I could do to help him.” One tear slipped down her cheek against her will. Again! She angrily wiped it away.
“But you do! Maria, you have no idea!” Tess gripped her arm. “He’s changed so much since you moved to Roswell! He’s laughing and joking now, and he’s not so angry all the time. He’s gentler, and more open. Less stand-offish. Maybe you don’t see it the way we do because you didn’t know him before, but knowing you has changed him. To the better.” She tried a smile, but it came out a little shaky.
Maria returned the smile, covering Tess’ hand on her arm with her palm. “Thanks, Tess. Hearing you say that means a lot to me.”
“It’s the truth,” she simply answered. “I’m really glad you moved here, Maria.”
“Thank you. Though on my first day, when I met Michael, I just wanted to turn on my heel and go straight back to Albuquerque.” Maria snorted at the memory. “He was such a prick, then.”
“Oh, come on!” Tess smirked, clearly relieved. “He just wanted to get a rise out of you because he liked you!”
“Uh-huh?” Maria eyed her dubiously. “And you know that because . . . ?”
“Please!” Tess laughed, throwing her hands into the air. “You guys were so obvious! One must have been blind not to see the chemistry between the two of you. I knew right off the bat that you were supposed to be together.”
“Oh, you knew, huh?” She smiled teasingly.
“Of course,” Tess bragged with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I probably knew before Michael knew it. But, to give him credit, he caught onto it pretty fast.”
“Yeah, he did that.” Maria smiled gently. “You know, I wondered why you were so welcoming to me at the beginning. I mean, I didn’t expect you to be mean or anything, but . . . well, with Isabel and all that . . .”
“Maria,” Tess assured her, “I really don’t think that had much to do with you specifically. Did she explain to you about . . . ?”
“Alex,” Maria filled in. “Yes, a little. But why doesn’t she just go for it? I mean, it’s obvious that he likes her, too.”
“That’s what I say! But do they listen to me? Of course not. But what it comes down to, I guess, is that they’re both afraid of rejection. He’s afraid he isn’t good enough for her, mostly because of her looks, and she thinks she isn’t good enough for him, because . . . well, because he’s Alex and he’s amazing.”
Maria laughed freely at that. “Do you think they will get it together soon?”
“Well, if not, I will tie them together and lock them in the eraser room until they do,” Tess joked, but grew serious almost instantly again. “About what she said at the soap factory, Maria . . . The most part of it was Alex. But, like all of us, she knows Michael’s situation, and she wants to protect him the best she can. She feels responsible for him and it just about kills her that there really isn’t that much she can do.” Quieter, she added, “Any of us, for that matter.”
“There isn’t . . .” Maria hesitated, but she had to know, “more to her feelings for him, is there?”
Tess chuckled at the notion. “No, trust me, it’s nothing like that and as far as I know, it’s never been. The day those two shack up is the day the world ends. Especially since we’ve all been together as a group.”
Maria nodded, relieved, and prompted, “Tell me more about how he was before I met all of you.”
“Well . . .” Tess leaned forward to hold her fingers into the water, turning her face to Maria and squinting when the bright light blinded her. “You might have noticed that we’re all pretty much paired up, haven’t you? Me and Kyle, Max and Liz and Izzy and Alex? Well, sort of,” she added, cheerfully dismissing the fact that the latter two weren’t actually a couple.
Maria grinned. “Yeah, I might have noticed that.”
“Yeah,” Tess answered the grin with her own, but went serious again before continuing, “Anyway, we often did things as a group; going to the movies or hanging out at the CrashDown or something like that. But despite that, Michael’s always been the odd man out, you know? Kyle and me – and the others, too, of course – try to include him as much as possible, but there are just times when a couple is . . . well, a couple, and there’s no room for a third.” She shrugged helplessly.
Maria narrowed her eyes at her critically. “So, what you’re saying is he wasn’t really a part of your group?”
“What I’m saying, Maria,” Tess stressed emphatically, “is that he was lonely. So lonely.” She paused then a smile appeared on her features, slow and bright, matching the brilliance of the sun. “But he isn’t anymore, is he?”
“No,” Maria agreed and beamed at her friend. “And me neither.”
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 13 - May 28, 2011
Moomin:
Well, in my imagination, camping is wonderful, though I can't say that I have much experience with it, lol. I love nature, and that particular camping ground would be the place of my dreams if I ever got to really go camping.
Michael's friends may be able to help him, if he'd let them . . .
Eve: Too much luxury for you, huh? Well, they're girls and I wanted them to have all the comfort they can get on their first camping trip.
Izzy and the little toad. It's save to say that this won't be the last adventure the girls will have in the wilderness.
Author's note: The song used in this part is "Need you now" by Lady Atebellum. None of the song belongs to me (unfortunately).
Chapter Thirteen – Stranger in the night
Maria sat in her tent again that evening, Ulysses lying flipped open on her crossed legs, Metallica blaring in the CD player. Above her, the little lantern she had borrowed from her mother’s garden swayed in the cool breeze, the candle within casting a soft glow on her surroundings, illuminating the inside of the tent just enough for Maria to be able to make out the black letters on the page before her. She had read the first paragraph for the tenth time now, her eyes glazing over after the first few sentences every time. Finally, she gave up, slapping the book shut resignedly. How can anyone read this, anyway? She stared unseeingly at the canvas, mulling over her very first day of camping.
It had been more fun than she would have expected. The others had done their best not to make her feel left out, and some situations, not least of all Isabel’s toad attack, had been truly hilarious. After Isabel had changed into dry clothes, the group had spent their afternoon mellowing out in the sun in their little clearing and exploring the surrounding woods with its many paths and trails. A short expedition to the “bathroom” had resulted in a horrified outburst by Tess and Isabel who complained bitterly about the lack of luxury. The showers were clean, but simple, with a little toilet and a sink in a separate room. The best thing about the sanitary cube was, the girls decided, that it was – much like the creek – only a few minutes to walk from their camp. None of them liked to entertain the thought of having to scurry through endless depths of dark forest at night if she had to go pee. So the closer the toilets, the better.
Maria had laughed and joked with her friends, enjoying herself and mostly succeeding in avoiding thinking about Michael. After dinner, which had, to the girls’ dismay, consisted of canned ravioli heated up on a metal rack over the fire, the wind had suddenly picked up and brought new clouds with it. The sky had turned black in mere moments, threatening to pelt down any second, the thunder rumbling menacingly in the distance. The first drops fell when they were still hurriedly stashing away their provisions, dousing the fire and driving all of them to hide out the coming rain storm in their tents.
And here she sat now, listening to Michael’s favorite band and trying to read his favorite book. In other words, she was missing him terribly.
All of a sudden, the tent flap opened, and Tess head appeared at the opening, hood drawn deep into her face against the pelting rain. “Can we come in?” she asked, the question clearly more a gesture of courtesy than anything else, because she was already crawling in while speaking.
“Sure,” Maria answered, grateful for the distraction and smiling when the other girl shed her outer clothes and dropped down at the foot of the bed, making room for Liz and Isabel who crawled in behind her.
After a little shifting around in the tight confines of the tent, finally all of them were huddled down on the air mattress, Tess and Liz sitting at the foot of the sleeping bag, facing Maria and Isabel on the head. Each of the girls had a blanket pulled up around her shoulders to keep out the cold while the drops pattered down on the canvas above their heads.
“So . . .” Maria said unsurely, looking at their faces in turn. “What’s up?”
“The boys are all penned up in Alex’ tent planning their hiking trip, so we thought we’d have a girls’ night.” Isabel grinned. “We even brought drinks.” She held up two bottles of soda and a few plastic cups.
“Yeah,” Tess barged in, “we thought you could use a little break from moping around and eating your heart out for Michael.” She grinned lopsidedly.
“I’m not moping!” Maria scowled, inconspicuously trying to hide Ulysses behind her back.
“Uh-huh,” Tess replied skeptically, one eyebrow raised. “You usually listen to Metallica?”
Damn. “Maybe,” she sulked, accepting her cup of soda from Isabel, one corner of her mouth turning up involuntarily when the other girls laughed at her.
They sipped in silence for a few moments, listening to the rock music blaring from the radio.
After a moment, Liz sighed. “I’d give anything for a gallon of vanilla ice cream.”
“You’re right,” Isabel agreed. “Girls’ night without ice cream sucks big time.”
That made Maria remember her secret stash of sweets still hidden in Michael’s bag. “Well, I don’t know about ice cream, but . . .” She crawled over Isabel’s legs, reaching for the duffel bag and pulling it into her lap. “What about cookies?” She grinned at the others’ enthusiastic crows. Pulling the zipper of the side pocket open, she reached inside, digging through the various sweets. God, if I ate all of this, I’d gain a ton. Michael had provided her with everything she could wish for, making sure she didn’t want for anything. When her fingers pushed aside a pack of peanut chocolate bars, they encountered a flat, square object, smooth with straight edges. She peered into the bag to look at the thing, tilting it so that the soft light of the candle fell onto it.
It was a picture of her and Michael in the CrashDown, encased in a simple, wooden frame. She recognized the scene immediately from last week, when Max had tried out his new camera after closing. In the photograph, she was standing behind Michael who was sitting on one of the barstools in the dining room of the café. She was wearing her ridiculous uniform with the antennas, her arms around his shoulders, laughing down at him while he reached up to touch her clasped hands on his chest, half-turned around to her, smiling. Max had managed to capture them in a moment when both of them felt completely unobserved.
We look so happy, she thought, smiling while tracing her thumb over the smooth surface of the picture frame. There was no bow around the photograph and no note, yet clearly he had intended for her to find it in his bag, doing the only thing he could think of to be there with her. She grinned goofily down at the picture, feeling her heart swell at the loving gesture.
“What are you grinning about?” Tess asked curiously, leaning over to peer into the duffel bag.
“Nothing.” Maria replied and let the photograph vanish into the depths of the sweets pocket again, grabbing a bag of coconut cookies and pulling the zipper closed. Somehow she doubted that Michael would appreciate all of the girls gushing about his small, romantic present. “What do you think about these?” She held the cookies up in the air.
Liz promptly snatched the package out of her grasp with a triumphant shout, ripping it open and starting to munch down on the sweet cookies, carefully holding her open palm under her mouth to catch the falling crumbs.
The other girls laughed at her, reaching for the goodies as well.
For a while, the four of them chatted back and forth. About school, parents, and boys which inevitably led them back to the topic of Michael.
“So, Maria, did he tell you how we met, he and I?” Tess asked, laughing while swatting away the last coconut cookie which Liz waved under her nose enticingly.
Not wanting to be rude, Maria carefully thought about how to word her response. Tess shouldn’t feel as if Maria wanted to imply that she was a thief. “Um, he said you met at the mall.”
Tess chuckled amusedly. “Is that all he said?”
“Well . . . no. He also mentioned some sort of conflict with a store clerk,” she admitted.
Tess laughed. “Yes. Do you want to hear about it?” After Maria nodded, Tess shifted to get more comfortable and started in on her tale. “Well, you know that I’m orphaned, right? After my parents’ accident, I spent some months with my grandparents, but they just couldn’t handle me. I was twelve, and . . .”
*****
. . . she had been out for trouble. Her grandparents had soon realized that she was much too angry and out of control for them to be able to tame her, so they had reluctantly sent her to live in the orphanage, hoping for her to find a new family soon. The Santa Fe state orphanage, though, was hopelessly overcrowded with children, many of them younger and cuter than her. That was the reason she had gladly accepted when her caseworker had offered a transfer to Roswell. She had known that she wouldn’t be able to see her grandparents very often anymore, but the chance to get out of the crowded quarters in Santa Fe had more than compensated for that.
When she had arrived in this small alien tourist trap a week before, she had felt relieved. Like she was finally able to breathe freely again, now that she had escaped her old neighborhood where every store and every corner reminded her of what she had lost when her parents died. The orphanage here was much smaller, and the children lived in small family units with an assigned caretaker as a “parent” who they could come to with their needs and problems.
So far, Tess thought when she dug through the rack of bright colorful scarves at one of the little boutiques in Roswell’s only mall, it wasn’t all that bad. The other kids were okay, though she hadn’t found a friend among them yet, and her “mother” was a nice young woman who wasn’t too strict with things like rules and curfews.
She took a bright canary yellow scarf from the rack, admiring the soft texture and the pretty color. It would go perfectly with her blonde hair and blue eyes. She took a glance at the price tag and her eyes widened. $35! She didn’t have that much money on her. To be honest, she didn’t have that much money at all. The orphanage only allowed their charges a very small amount of pocket money each month, and she had already spent a good part of it when she had bought a hair clip and a little chocolate last week. But the scarf was so pretty! She sighed regretfully, glancing around her in search of the store clerk. When she didn’t see him anywhere, she slowly but determinedly let the yellow scarf vanish into her bag.
Just as she made about to unobtrusively stroll out of the store, a large hand clamped down on her shoulder, holding her in place. Shit! She turned around slowly, wearing an apprehensive expression to find the angry store clerk standing behind her, wearing a thunderous expression.
“Please come with me to the back room, young lady,” he growled, taking her upper arm and trying to pull her into the direction of the employees’ section.
She resisted, playing innocent. “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong!”
“Only if you don’t consider it to be wrong to bag clothes without paying for them,” he retorted.
“I haven’t stolen anything!” she insisted, her eyes darting around in search of a quick escape. If that clerk called the orphanage, she was in major trouble! Her eyes fell on a tall, skinny boy who was standing near the entrance of the store, watching the scene with interest. His clothes looked to be old and didn’t fit him very well and his hair was standing up in defiant spikes, crowning a pretty face with sensitive lips and deep brown, sparkling eyes.
The clerk finally let go of her arm, exasperation showing on his face when he said, “Well, then why don’t you open your bag and let me have a look?”
Her eyes went back to the strange boy. He had stepped to a rack of shirts near the store’s exit. Now he winked at her and deliberately reached for one of the black tees. He took it and stepped back through the exit, thus setting off the alarms.
The store clerk turned to the noise, yelling at the grinning boy and starting to follow him, obviously completely forgetting about the girl he had wanted to arrest just seconds ago. Tess didn’t think twice. She turned on her heel and ran out of the store, vanishing into the crowd of people strolling through the mall, the clerk’s shouts fading behind her. She ran past a long row of shops and up the escalator until she was sure she wasn’t being followed. Then she dropped down on a bench beside an indoor fountain, catching her breath.
“Hey.” The voice came from the left. When she looked up, the spiky-haired boy was standing next to her, smirking slightly.
“Hey.” She grinned back. “Thanks for helping me out there.” She vaguely waved in the direction of the site of crime.
“No problem,” he replied, looking her up and down. “Next time, you might want to wait until the employees aren’t standing directly behind you before you pocket anything.”
She just shrugged, unconcerned. “Wanna go get popsicles? My treat.” She thought she could just scrape up enough coins from the depths of her pockets.
“Sure,” he accepted. “I’m Michael, by the way.”
“Tess,” she said, coming to stand beside him. “Nice to meet you.”
*****
“And that was that,” Tess concluded, smiling. “We’ve been friends ever since he rescued me from the evil store clerk.”
Isabel made a face. “I still can’t believe that you were stealing.”
Tess shrugged. “I’m not proud of it, either. But neither of us had any money back then, so we just took little things now and then.”
“Wait,” Maria interrupted, frowning. “Does that mean you and Michael continued shoplifting together?”
A big point in Tess’ favor was that she actually looked uncomfortable when she admitted, “Just little things. A chocolate bar for him, a fashion magazine for me, and only every once in a while.” She saw the look of dismay on her friends’ faces, and defiantly challenged, “Do any of you know how it feels to not even be able to buy a small present for your best friend’s birthday?”
All of them looked down abashedly, not answering.
After a while, Tess quietly said, “We stopped doing it when I went to live with the Valentis. Michael got his job at the garage then and Jim let me have some money from my inheritance.”
Suddenly, Maria remembered the scene she had witnessed a few weeks back in front of the soap factory when they had returned the jeep to its rightful owner. She looked up. “Does Max know?”
“Hm-mm,” Tess affirmed and rolled her eyes. “He’s lectured us about a million times about it.”
“He just can’t understand someone doing something that goes so completely against his moral concept,” Liz defended her boyfriend in a soft voice.
“I guess I’d have the same problem if I would’ve had everything I could ever wish for crammed up my ass since the day I was born,” Tess said in a bitter voice.
Isabel’s face immediately turned to stone, and she replied in an icy tone, “That was uncalled for.”
Maria shifted uncomfortably in the suddenly cold atmosphere, looking from Isabel’s frozen face to Liz who had her eyes downcast, looking uneasy, to finally let her gaze rest on Tess.
The small blonde’s cheeks were blazing in embarrassment at her remark, and she looked apologetically at Isabel. “I’m sorry, Izzy,” she said remorsefully. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have said that.”
After a second, Isabel’s features softened. “It’s alright. We all know that you and Michael didn’t have it easy.”
To change the conversation to a lighter topic, Maria remarked on another thing she had noticed while listening to Tess’ tale. “So . . . spikes, huh?”
Tess snorted with laughter. “You should have seen him, Maria. He looked like a walking, talking, stubborn porcupine.”
“How fitting.” She grinned. “I would give anything to be able to see him like that.” It would be great ammunition to tease him with.
Isabel laughed. “I’ll try to dig up an old photograph for you. But trust me, his hair looks so much better now.”
“I bet.” Maria just loved threading her fingers through his long hair. “He must have looked like a little hedgehog.”
The girls giggled.
*****
Maria lay snuggled up into her warm sleeping bag a few hours later, staring at the picture of her and Michael. She had taken it out of her bag after returning from the girls’ joint trip to the bathroom and saying good night to them a few minutes earlier. She raised her bottle of water to her lips, but hastily put down again without drinking. It was one thing to make the five-minute walk to the bathroom in the bright sunshine, accompanied by birds and butterflies. Making the same trip at night and all by herself in the rain, where every branch looked like the axe of a mass murderer raised in attack and every bush resembled a crouching bear . . . She put the bottle away decisively. Then she carefully propped it up beside the radio before reaching for her cell phone to collect her good night call from Michael. She pushed speed dial and waited for him to pick up on the other end. After a seemingly endless time of listening to the ringtone, the line was finally picked up. She was about to draw breath to greet him, when his curt voice cut her off.
“This is Michael. Leave a message.”
Mailbox. She was so surprised to suddenly be speaking to the mailbox that she didn’t speak at all for several seconds after the beep. After she finally got a grip on herself, she stuttered, “H-hi Michael . . . Uh, this is Maria. Um . . . yeah, well . . . call me back when you get this okay? Bye.” She hung up abruptly, slapping her hand on her forehead. Yeah, that was real smooth, Deluca. She stared at the illuminated display in her hand. Where the hell is he?
After impatiently waiting for the longest fifteen minutes of history, Maria tried again, just to be disappointed by the same, rude message of the mailbox.
“This is Michael. Leave a message.”
“Uh . . . hi, baby, it’s me again. Um, I don’t really know why you’re not answering your phone. You got me kind of worried here.” She gave a short, nervous giggle. “So, anyway, call me back as soon as you get this, okay? No matter how late. Bye.” She sighed after she ended the call. Better. Not really composed and cool, but better than stuttering like a first-grader.
She snapped her phone shut and lay there for a moment, staring at the canvas over her head. What do I do? She didn’t want to be the hysterical girlfriend that freaked out whenever her boyfriend didn’t jump at her beck and call, but she had a bad feeling about this. If he knew that I was going to call, why didn’t he pick up? She glanced at the display of her cell again, noting that it was almost midnight. Usually Michael didn’t go to bed early, but maybe today was an exception. Maybe he was tired and fell asleep waiting for me to call, she thought with an instant stab of guilt. If she hadn’t chatted with the girls for as long as she had, she would have been able to reach him before he went to sleep. Desperately, she tried to shove back the thought that Michael might not have gone to bed early, but that he couldn’t answer her phone because something happened to him at home. Something bad.
Tired of waiting, and even more tired of worrying, she began to dig out of her cozy sleeping bag, reaching for the still wet jacket and her gumboots and putting them on over her sleeping attire, not bothering with pants or socks. She crawled to the tent flap and zipped it open, reaching for her cell phone at the last moment and dropping it in her pocket before stepping out into the rain.
The distance to the neighboring tent was short, but the rain had formed large puddles on the ground that Maria tried to sidestep. The heavy jacket covered her to mid-thigh, but her bare legs bore the brunt of the pelting drops, soon beginning to shiver and becoming covered in goosebumps.
She hastily rapped her knuckles on the canvas of the other tent, fidgeting from foot to foot in the cold. “Tess? Kyle?” she called. “Can I come in?”
A hasty rustling could be heard from within, followed by a few whispered remarks, before Tess’ slightly breathless voice answered. “Sure, come on in!”
Maria opened the tent and hurried to enter, eager to get out of the cold. She raised her head and took in her surroundings. The inside of the couple’s tent was distinctly messier than her own tent. In other words, it was total chaos: Blankets and pillows were strewn about everywhere, intermingled with various candy wrappers and cookie boxes, both unopened and partially empty ones. Tess and Kyle were peeping out of the depths of their sleeping bags which they had zipped together, cheeks flushed and looking caught.
“Um, hey Maria,” Kyle said and grinned goofily.
“Is something wrong?” Tess inquired, pushing back her ruffled mop of blonde curls and sat up.
“Well . . .” Maria felt her face heat up and tried not to look at them directly. Tess’ shirt hung loosely off of her shoulder, revealing several bite marks, and Kyle didn’t wear a shirt at all. Maria had the uncomfortable feeling of having interrupted the couple while making out. She crouched down at the foot of their bed and took a deep breath. “Michael’s not answering his phone and I don’t know what to do,” she blurted.
“Oh.” Tess and Kyle shared a look.
“Yeah, I know that’s normally no big deal,” Maria hastily explained, “but he’s all alone there in that god-awful house of his and I’m just really, really worried that something might have happened to him.” She looked up at Kyle and pleaded in a small voice, “Can you drive me back?”
“Um . . . okay. . .” Kyle wearily ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “How often have you tried calling him?”
“Twice.”
“Try again,” he said and gestured at her hand that now held her cell phone.
She nodded, pushing the redial button and lifting the cell to her ear. Her face fell with every beeping of the dial tone, and when the mailbox picked up once again she ended the call without leaving another message, looking at her friends with a worried expression. “Nothing. Only the mailbox.”
Tess worried her bottom lip nervously, expectantly waiting for Kyle to decide.
“Okay, listen,” Kyle said after a moment’s hesitation, addressing both girls equally. “If you haven’t reached him by tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you back then.”
“But-,” Maria began.
“Maria, no,” he cut her off firmly, but softened his voice almost immediately, trying to make her see reason. “It’s still pouring outside. Neither mine nor Alex’ car are made for the kind of roads we had to take to get here. It was barely manageable at day time and in dry weather, but at night with this kind of rain and with the roads consisting almost completely of mud, it’d be suicide.” He reached out to squeeze her shoulder lightly. “I’m sorry, Maria. Maybe it’d be different if we had the jeep, but as it is . . . It’s just too dangerous right now.”
She looked down at the phone clasped in her hands, nodding dejectedly. “Okay.”
“Hey.” He nudged her arm lightly. “Michael would kill me if I took you out in this kind of weather. You’re pretty special to him, you know?” He chuckled. “Since you are the only girl that’s ever let him put his hands on your- Ow!” He howled when both girls slapped him for his last remark.
“Shut up,” Tess said and shoved his shoulder. To Maria, she said, “But he’s right, maybe we should wait till tomorrow. It’s probably nothing,” she tried to reassure them both. “Maybe he’s just in the bathroom.”
“For half an hour?” Maria asked skeptically.
Tess just shrugged helplessly.
“Okay,” Maria sighed and resigned herself to a long night of waiting. “I’ll leave you two alone again.” She opened the flap, starting to crawl out. “Good night.”
“Good night, Maria.”
Morosely, she sloshed back through the pelting rain into her own tent, deliberately stomping into the large puddles to get rid of her frustration, but only managing to wet herself up to her thighs.
Once inside again, she quickly took of the boots and jacket and crawled into her warm sleeping bag, shivering from the residual dampness on her skin. She snuggled into the pillows, lying on her back and staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. After a few minutes, she reached for her phone once more and tried to reach Michael again, only to get the same brisk message of the answering machine. Her eyes were wide open, and though it was late, she didn’t feel sleepy at all. Her sight had quickly adjusted to the darkness, so that she was able to make out the pale contours of the tent poles and the little moth that was peacefully sitting in the right corner above Maria’s face.
To keep her mind off of her worry about Michael, she reached over and turned the little, portable radio on, turning it to a station that played a song she liked, the sound low. Funny how you can listen to several radio stations out here, but have serious difficulties getting reception for your cell, she thought sarcastically. Just at that moment, a new song started to play, and she turned the sound up lightly. How fitting. She smiled sadly, clutching her phone to her chest while listening to the music intermingling with the light patter of the rain drops on the canvas.
After the song ended and she felt satisfactorily depressed, she turned the radio off and tried to go to sleep, resisting the urge to call him again. And though she did her best to persuade herself that Michael was surely fine, it took a long time before she was able to fall asleep.
She dreamt she was standing in the middle of a huge tent. She wasn’t quite sure if it was either the size of a circus tent or she herself was as small as a mouse. All around her sat green frogs, croaking and gawking at her, some of which were as large as she herself which was a distinct point in favor of the mouse theory, she thought. Liz was running around between the frogs, shouting “It’s a toad, it’s a toad! If it can’t jump, it’s a toad!” into their unimpressed faces. Even in her dream, Maria couldn’t help but shake her head at the craziness of this dream. Her dream-self looked up when she heard an odd, high ripping noise like the sound of a zipper pulled down, but couldn’t find the origin of it. Suddenly, the tent, Liz and the frogs vanished and Maria was standing in the middle of a snowy landscape. The wind was howling around her, making her shiver, and when she looked down she realized that she was standing up to her knees in a snowdrift, wearing only her panties and a t-shirt. A cold draft raised gooseflesh on her bare thighs, only to be replaced by-
Hair?! Her eyes snapped open to the sudden, horrifying realization that she was not alone in her sleeping bag anymore. In complete, blind panic, she pushed against the big body next to her with her with her fists. A large hand clamped over her mouth before she could let out an ear-splitting shriek, muffling her yell to a stifled squeal.
“Shhhhh! It’s me!” he whispered while his free arm came around her upper body, stilling her flailing arms. As soon as she stopped trying to hit him, he released her.
“Michael! Oh my God!” As soon as her arms came free, she took his head into her hands and kissed him outrageously, feeling her heart thump madly against her rib cage. “You’re here! Oh my God! Don’t you ever, ever scare me like that again, you hear?”
He chuckled. “Sorry. I thought I could sneak in without waking you.”
Her arms came around his shoulders and she pressed herself against him in joy. He stiffened, hissing in pain, making her let go at once. “What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.
“Nothing,” he reassured her. “Just stiff muscles from the ride.”
“Then I’d better give you a massage tomorrow, hm?” She gently stroked her palms up and down his arms, unwilling to stop touching him. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” he asked, playfully disgruntled. He was propped up on one elbow beside her while his other arm still lightly lay around her waist.
“Of course I am, you idiot!” She pulled him down again to kiss him, careful not to put any pressure on his back. “But what about your mom?”
“She got into a big fight with Hank, and I mean a colossal fight. Then she took off for a few days to visit my aunt in Santa Fe, so I thought you maybe wouldn’t mind me coming here.”
“You have an aunt in Santa Fe?” she asked, frowning, but dismissed the question almost immediately. “Nevermind. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been when I couldn’t reach you on the phone? I tried to make Kyle drive me back!”
“In this weather?” It was pitch-black in the tent, but his face was only a few inches from hers so she could see his scowl. “Are you insane?”
“Are you insane?” she countered. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Because it was kinda a last minute decision and I wanted to surprise you! What the hell is wrong with that?”
“Nothing!” Their voices had risen in exasperation. Now, she pulled him in close, whispering into his ear as if telling him a secret. “I was just worried.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “So, you’re glad to see me?”
“Haven’t I just said that?” She took his face between her palms and smilingly said, “I’m really, really glad that you’re here, Michael.” She hugged him again. “I’ve missed you so much! I know it’s kind of stupid since we’ve only said goodbye this morning, but still- Wait!” She drew back. “How did you find us?”
“Well, you told me that you were camping near the creek, so I didn’t have to look for long.” He shrugged, the motion restricted by her nearness and the sleeping bag around them.
She reached up to brush a damp strand of hair from his forehead. “Your hair’s wet.”
“Yeah, well, in case you haven’t noticed, it’s still raining.”
She smiled lovingly. “Smartypants.”
One of his hands had wandered down to lightly stroke her bare thigh. “So . . . I like your pajamas.”
She could feel her cheeks heating up at that and was momentarily thankful for the darkness. Suddenly, she was very aware of his big, warm body next to hers. The sleeping bag, which had felt so vast before, now barely seemed to provide enough room for them both. She could tell that he was only wearing his boxers and a thin cotton t-shirt and the coarse hair on his legs brushed against her skin. She had, in his presence, never before worn as little clothes as tonight, and all of a sudden a brief, unexpected attack of shyness overcame her.
“Uh . . . thanks. I like yours.” She gingerly laid her hand on his boxer-clad hip.
He laughed quietly and scooted closer, his long body now fully outstretched beside her, touching her from chest to knee. A little unsure, he asked, “Are you okay with this?”
She didn’t need to be able to see his face to know what he meant. It occurred to her that he was quite possibly as nervous about their close proximity as herself. “Yes, baby,” she said with a small smile, feeling her own tension vanish. “This is okay. I like having you close.”
He kissed her then, deeply and thoroughly, and his hand wandered up her thigh and hip to play with the hem of her shirt. While he placed little kisses against her cheek and neck, his fingers slipped under the fabric and began stroking her stomach, drawing tiny patterns against her skin.
She threaded her fingers through his wet hair, enjoying his delicate touches. Never before had she let anybody touch her as intimately as he did right now, but somehow, in this dark tent under the dripping trees, it felt completely right. More right than anything had ever felt before. She sighed and relaxed in his embrace, and her palms slowly wandered down his body, mapping the beautiful muscles of his back through the thin fabric of his shirt, lingering for a while in the dip in the small of his back before going on down to cup the smooth, muscled roundness of his buttocks.
While his moist, velvety tongue danced with hers, his fingertips continued to stroke her stomach in a repetitive motion. Up, and down again, up and down, farther up, down to her bellybutton. When he went up again, his fingertips brushed lightly against the underside of her small, bare breasts, hesitating.
He broke the kiss then, asking in a hushed voice, “Uh . . . um, you’ll tell me when to stop, right?”
She emitted a light giggle and squeezed his ass briefly, feeling daring. “Yes.”
He still didn’t move. “So?”
“So what?” She frowned, puzzled. “What is it?”
“Do you want me to stop?”
She arched her back slightly into his touch in illustration, threatening, “Michael, if you stop now, I might just have to kill you.”
He chuckled faintly into her ear, nibbling on the soft lobe. “Understood.” His palm settled onto her breast then, his skin hot and rough, but with a gentleness that belied his occasional gruffness. He squeezed lightly, and began tracing circles around her sensitive nipple, making it stand up hard before flipping his thumb over the small bud, eliciting a small, breathless moan from her. “Maria,” he whispered passionately, “you’re so beautiful.”
She sighed his name in response, pressing herself against him. This feels so good!
“I missed you so much,” he murmured while he continued to caress her, pressing his body against her side.
She could feel his hard erection brushing against her thigh, making her realize with a start just how much he had missed her. The thin cotton of his boxers did absolutely nothing to conceal the size of him. Wow! She laid her hand against his chest. “Um . . . Michael?”
“Hm?” he asked, kissing the sensitive skin below her ear.
“Do you think you’re . . . big?” She felt the tiny, nervous flutter reappearing in her stomach again when he shifted and accidentally brushed against her once more.
“What do you-” he asked uncomprehendingly. Then it dawned on him. “Oh! Ah . . . I don’t know, I’ve never really . . . A little more than average, maybe?” He scratched his brow self-consciously.
“Oh,” she answered faintly. “Okay.” Her thoughts immediately turned to the point sometime in the future when they would finally have sex. Because she was sure they would. She wanted him to be her first, but she felt a little apprehensive nonetheless when she was so unexpectedly confronted with this immediate display of his real size. Well, they do say big is good, right? The bigger the better, is what they say. But they also say the size doesn’t matter as long as he knows what to do with it. But it’ll probably hurt like hell. She chewed her bottom lip. On the other hand, if he’s not really experienced in that area, and I’m not really experienced, it’s good if he’s at least big, right? Right?
While she was occupied with her thoughts about sex, Michael hadn’t moved, clearly made insecure by her question. “Is this too fast?” he asked uncertainly. “I mean . . . do you want me to . . .” He pulled away, retreating as far as the sleeping bag would let him.
She snapped out of her musings, not liking the sudden separation at all. “No! Come back here.” She pulled him back into her arms again, stroking his side. “I said I like you close, didn’t I?”
He nodded, relaxing into her gentle touch, and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. Then he shifted to lie on top of her, his weight braced on his elbows, and sighed when she parted her legs to let him rest fully against her. His hardness pressed urgently against her center when he started to nibble on her bottom lip and she grabbed a firm hold of his ass cheeks again, pulling him closer. He hissed at the stimulation and began to slowly rock his hips in a rhythmic motion, creating a delicious friction between her legs. She sighed in pleasure, enjoying the hotness that originated between her thighs and spread out to wherever he touched her. She moaned once again, his name on her lips.
The sound of a twig snapping just in front of their tent made them freeze.
“Maria?” a muffled voice asked from outside the closed tent flap.
Michael groaned and dropped his head onto her shoulder. Her own voice sounded a trifle breathless when she raised her voice to respond, “Yes, Kyle?”
“Is everything alright?” he asked from outside. “I thought I heard something.”
Michael was still pressing up against her, his hard penis riled up between them, throbbing in need, and she had a hard time concentrating on what Kyle was saying. “Yes, Kyle, Everything’s fine! Perfect, actually!” She slapped Michael on the shoulder when he started to shake in silent mirth.
“Okay.” Kyle’s voice floated through the darkness.
“Good night, Kyle!” she said firmly, hoping to get rid of him as quickly as possible.
After it was quiet outside for several moments, they felt safe enough to move again. Michael placed hot, open-mouthed kisses all over her face and neck and she crossed her legs behind his back, holding him firmly in place above her. They were both panting by now, turned on and excited.
“Have you talked to Michael, yet?”
They stilled again when Kyle spoke up once more, mere yards away. He was not finished with the conversation, apparently. Michael groaned again in exasperation, and shook his head sharply against her shoulder. No, she wasn’t in the mood for long explanations right now, either. She patted his backside soothingly, answering Kyle, “Uh, yes, I have.”
“So he’s okay?”
“Yes, he’s . . .” She gasped when Michael suddenly pressed hard up against her center, a ghost of a laugh mingling with a sigh of pleasure on his lips while he started to rub himself against her. “Great! He’s great!” She reached down - very low - to take a bit of the thin, vulnerable skin of his belly between thumb and forefinger in warning, ready to pinch. He stopped instantly.
“Oh, uh, good,” Kyle answered, sounding relieved, and she heard him retreat in the direction of his own tent at last. “That’s good. Good night, Maria.”
“Good night, Kyle.”
When they were sure that he was finally gone, they broke down in a fit of giggles, shaking in each others arms.
“Oh, God!” Michael snorted with laughter “That must have been the worst timing ever!”
“Yeah,” Maria agreed, still chuckling. “It was nice of him to check on me, though.”
“Hm-mm,” he nodded, going back to nibbling on her neck. “God, I love your skin.”
She purred a little in pleasure and pushed his shirt up in the back to do a little exploring on her own.
As soon as her palms settled onto the bare skin of his back and began to trace upwards, he drew back, gently dislodging her arms from around his waist. “Maybe we should stop this here,” he said regretfully.
“No!” she protested weakly.
He laughed, but didn’t budge. “Maria, I don’t want us to move too fast and do something we’ll regret later. Maybe we’re not ready for this, yet.”
“But . . . but . . .” She thought hard, brows furrowed. “But what about . . . that?” She jerked her chin down, indication his rock-hard erection.
“Oh, that.” He smirked ironically, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him to rest onto his chest. “That,” he paused, emphasizing the word wryly, “will settle down in a few minutes.”
Reluctantly, she relaxed onto his chest, laying her hand over his heart and sighing in resignation. “Well, okay, if you’re sure.” She did feel a little tired.
“I’m sure.” He kissed her forehead gently, and whispered. “Sleep now, Maria.”
*****
Maria awoke to the sound of a faint, rhythmic rustling, the sound stealthy and almost silent, but not quite. She drowsily looked over at Michael, her eyes squinted and bleary from sleep. He was lying beside her, his back turned to her, his broad shoulders in front of her nose. She noticed his breathing, which was not slow and calm like that of a person deep in sleep, but fast with a slight hitch to it. He’s awake. In the dark, she could make out his upper arm moving back and forth in a tiny, repetitive motion, the sleeping bag rustling quietly as a result. What is he doing? She inched closer, trying to peer over his body.
He’s . . . He can’t be . . . Oh my God! She held her breath when she finally realized just what exactly he was doing.
~TBC
Aw, you don't know how much of a compliment that is for me. Thank you!I am normally a big dreamer fan and don't read many M/M centric stories, but I am really enjoying this!
Well, in my imagination, camping is wonderful, though I can't say that I have much experience with it, lol. I love nature, and that particular camping ground would be the place of my dreams if I ever got to really go camping.
Michael's friends may be able to help him, if he'd let them . . .
Eve: Too much luxury for you, huh?
Well, they're girls and I wanted them to have all the comfort they can get on their first camping trip.Izzy and the little toad.
It's save to say that this won't be the last adventure the girls will have in the wilderness.Author's note: The song used in this part is "Need you now" by Lady Atebellum. None of the song belongs to me (unfortunately).
Chapter Thirteen – Stranger in the night
Maria sat in her tent again that evening, Ulysses lying flipped open on her crossed legs, Metallica blaring in the CD player. Above her, the little lantern she had borrowed from her mother’s garden swayed in the cool breeze, the candle within casting a soft glow on her surroundings, illuminating the inside of the tent just enough for Maria to be able to make out the black letters on the page before her. She had read the first paragraph for the tenth time now, her eyes glazing over after the first few sentences every time. Finally, she gave up, slapping the book shut resignedly. How can anyone read this, anyway? She stared unseeingly at the canvas, mulling over her very first day of camping.
It had been more fun than she would have expected. The others had done their best not to make her feel left out, and some situations, not least of all Isabel’s toad attack, had been truly hilarious. After Isabel had changed into dry clothes, the group had spent their afternoon mellowing out in the sun in their little clearing and exploring the surrounding woods with its many paths and trails. A short expedition to the “bathroom” had resulted in a horrified outburst by Tess and Isabel who complained bitterly about the lack of luxury. The showers were clean, but simple, with a little toilet and a sink in a separate room. The best thing about the sanitary cube was, the girls decided, that it was – much like the creek – only a few minutes to walk from their camp. None of them liked to entertain the thought of having to scurry through endless depths of dark forest at night if she had to go pee. So the closer the toilets, the better.
Maria had laughed and joked with her friends, enjoying herself and mostly succeeding in avoiding thinking about Michael. After dinner, which had, to the girls’ dismay, consisted of canned ravioli heated up on a metal rack over the fire, the wind had suddenly picked up and brought new clouds with it. The sky had turned black in mere moments, threatening to pelt down any second, the thunder rumbling menacingly in the distance. The first drops fell when they were still hurriedly stashing away their provisions, dousing the fire and driving all of them to hide out the coming rain storm in their tents.
And here she sat now, listening to Michael’s favorite band and trying to read his favorite book. In other words, she was missing him terribly.
All of a sudden, the tent flap opened, and Tess head appeared at the opening, hood drawn deep into her face against the pelting rain. “Can we come in?” she asked, the question clearly more a gesture of courtesy than anything else, because she was already crawling in while speaking.
“Sure,” Maria answered, grateful for the distraction and smiling when the other girl shed her outer clothes and dropped down at the foot of the bed, making room for Liz and Isabel who crawled in behind her.
After a little shifting around in the tight confines of the tent, finally all of them were huddled down on the air mattress, Tess and Liz sitting at the foot of the sleeping bag, facing Maria and Isabel on the head. Each of the girls had a blanket pulled up around her shoulders to keep out the cold while the drops pattered down on the canvas above their heads.
“So . . .” Maria said unsurely, looking at their faces in turn. “What’s up?”
“The boys are all penned up in Alex’ tent planning their hiking trip, so we thought we’d have a girls’ night.” Isabel grinned. “We even brought drinks.” She held up two bottles of soda and a few plastic cups.
“Yeah,” Tess barged in, “we thought you could use a little break from moping around and eating your heart out for Michael.” She grinned lopsidedly.
“I’m not moping!” Maria scowled, inconspicuously trying to hide Ulysses behind her back.
“Uh-huh,” Tess replied skeptically, one eyebrow raised. “You usually listen to Metallica?”
Damn. “Maybe,” she sulked, accepting her cup of soda from Isabel, one corner of her mouth turning up involuntarily when the other girls laughed at her.
They sipped in silence for a few moments, listening to the rock music blaring from the radio.
After a moment, Liz sighed. “I’d give anything for a gallon of vanilla ice cream.”
“You’re right,” Isabel agreed. “Girls’ night without ice cream sucks big time.”
That made Maria remember her secret stash of sweets still hidden in Michael’s bag. “Well, I don’t know about ice cream, but . . .” She crawled over Isabel’s legs, reaching for the duffel bag and pulling it into her lap. “What about cookies?” She grinned at the others’ enthusiastic crows. Pulling the zipper of the side pocket open, she reached inside, digging through the various sweets. God, if I ate all of this, I’d gain a ton. Michael had provided her with everything she could wish for, making sure she didn’t want for anything. When her fingers pushed aside a pack of peanut chocolate bars, they encountered a flat, square object, smooth with straight edges. She peered into the bag to look at the thing, tilting it so that the soft light of the candle fell onto it.
It was a picture of her and Michael in the CrashDown, encased in a simple, wooden frame. She recognized the scene immediately from last week, when Max had tried out his new camera after closing. In the photograph, she was standing behind Michael who was sitting on one of the barstools in the dining room of the café. She was wearing her ridiculous uniform with the antennas, her arms around his shoulders, laughing down at him while he reached up to touch her clasped hands on his chest, half-turned around to her, smiling. Max had managed to capture them in a moment when both of them felt completely unobserved.
We look so happy, she thought, smiling while tracing her thumb over the smooth surface of the picture frame. There was no bow around the photograph and no note, yet clearly he had intended for her to find it in his bag, doing the only thing he could think of to be there with her. She grinned goofily down at the picture, feeling her heart swell at the loving gesture.
“What are you grinning about?” Tess asked curiously, leaning over to peer into the duffel bag.
“Nothing.” Maria replied and let the photograph vanish into the depths of the sweets pocket again, grabbing a bag of coconut cookies and pulling the zipper closed. Somehow she doubted that Michael would appreciate all of the girls gushing about his small, romantic present. “What do you think about these?” She held the cookies up in the air.
Liz promptly snatched the package out of her grasp with a triumphant shout, ripping it open and starting to munch down on the sweet cookies, carefully holding her open palm under her mouth to catch the falling crumbs.
The other girls laughed at her, reaching for the goodies as well.
For a while, the four of them chatted back and forth. About school, parents, and boys which inevitably led them back to the topic of Michael.
“So, Maria, did he tell you how we met, he and I?” Tess asked, laughing while swatting away the last coconut cookie which Liz waved under her nose enticingly.
Not wanting to be rude, Maria carefully thought about how to word her response. Tess shouldn’t feel as if Maria wanted to imply that she was a thief. “Um, he said you met at the mall.”
Tess chuckled amusedly. “Is that all he said?”
“Well . . . no. He also mentioned some sort of conflict with a store clerk,” she admitted.
Tess laughed. “Yes. Do you want to hear about it?” After Maria nodded, Tess shifted to get more comfortable and started in on her tale. “Well, you know that I’m orphaned, right? After my parents’ accident, I spent some months with my grandparents, but they just couldn’t handle me. I was twelve, and . . .”
*****
. . . she had been out for trouble. Her grandparents had soon realized that she was much too angry and out of control for them to be able to tame her, so they had reluctantly sent her to live in the orphanage, hoping for her to find a new family soon. The Santa Fe state orphanage, though, was hopelessly overcrowded with children, many of them younger and cuter than her. That was the reason she had gladly accepted when her caseworker had offered a transfer to Roswell. She had known that she wouldn’t be able to see her grandparents very often anymore, but the chance to get out of the crowded quarters in Santa Fe had more than compensated for that.
When she had arrived in this small alien tourist trap a week before, she had felt relieved. Like she was finally able to breathe freely again, now that she had escaped her old neighborhood where every store and every corner reminded her of what she had lost when her parents died. The orphanage here was much smaller, and the children lived in small family units with an assigned caretaker as a “parent” who they could come to with their needs and problems.
So far, Tess thought when she dug through the rack of bright colorful scarves at one of the little boutiques in Roswell’s only mall, it wasn’t all that bad. The other kids were okay, though she hadn’t found a friend among them yet, and her “mother” was a nice young woman who wasn’t too strict with things like rules and curfews.
She took a bright canary yellow scarf from the rack, admiring the soft texture and the pretty color. It would go perfectly with her blonde hair and blue eyes. She took a glance at the price tag and her eyes widened. $35! She didn’t have that much money on her. To be honest, she didn’t have that much money at all. The orphanage only allowed their charges a very small amount of pocket money each month, and she had already spent a good part of it when she had bought a hair clip and a little chocolate last week. But the scarf was so pretty! She sighed regretfully, glancing around her in search of the store clerk. When she didn’t see him anywhere, she slowly but determinedly let the yellow scarf vanish into her bag.
Just as she made about to unobtrusively stroll out of the store, a large hand clamped down on her shoulder, holding her in place. Shit! She turned around slowly, wearing an apprehensive expression to find the angry store clerk standing behind her, wearing a thunderous expression.
“Please come with me to the back room, young lady,” he growled, taking her upper arm and trying to pull her into the direction of the employees’ section.
She resisted, playing innocent. “Why? I haven’t done anything wrong!”
“Only if you don’t consider it to be wrong to bag clothes without paying for them,” he retorted.
“I haven’t stolen anything!” she insisted, her eyes darting around in search of a quick escape. If that clerk called the orphanage, she was in major trouble! Her eyes fell on a tall, skinny boy who was standing near the entrance of the store, watching the scene with interest. His clothes looked to be old and didn’t fit him very well and his hair was standing up in defiant spikes, crowning a pretty face with sensitive lips and deep brown, sparkling eyes.
The clerk finally let go of her arm, exasperation showing on his face when he said, “Well, then why don’t you open your bag and let me have a look?”
Her eyes went back to the strange boy. He had stepped to a rack of shirts near the store’s exit. Now he winked at her and deliberately reached for one of the black tees. He took it and stepped back through the exit, thus setting off the alarms.
The store clerk turned to the noise, yelling at the grinning boy and starting to follow him, obviously completely forgetting about the girl he had wanted to arrest just seconds ago. Tess didn’t think twice. She turned on her heel and ran out of the store, vanishing into the crowd of people strolling through the mall, the clerk’s shouts fading behind her. She ran past a long row of shops and up the escalator until she was sure she wasn’t being followed. Then she dropped down on a bench beside an indoor fountain, catching her breath.
“Hey.” The voice came from the left. When she looked up, the spiky-haired boy was standing next to her, smirking slightly.
“Hey.” She grinned back. “Thanks for helping me out there.” She vaguely waved in the direction of the site of crime.
“No problem,” he replied, looking her up and down. “Next time, you might want to wait until the employees aren’t standing directly behind you before you pocket anything.”
She just shrugged, unconcerned. “Wanna go get popsicles? My treat.” She thought she could just scrape up enough coins from the depths of her pockets.
“Sure,” he accepted. “I’m Michael, by the way.”
“Tess,” she said, coming to stand beside him. “Nice to meet you.”
*****
“And that was that,” Tess concluded, smiling. “We’ve been friends ever since he rescued me from the evil store clerk.”
Isabel made a face. “I still can’t believe that you were stealing.”
Tess shrugged. “I’m not proud of it, either. But neither of us had any money back then, so we just took little things now and then.”
“Wait,” Maria interrupted, frowning. “Does that mean you and Michael continued shoplifting together?”
A big point in Tess’ favor was that she actually looked uncomfortable when she admitted, “Just little things. A chocolate bar for him, a fashion magazine for me, and only every once in a while.” She saw the look of dismay on her friends’ faces, and defiantly challenged, “Do any of you know how it feels to not even be able to buy a small present for your best friend’s birthday?”
All of them looked down abashedly, not answering.
After a while, Tess quietly said, “We stopped doing it when I went to live with the Valentis. Michael got his job at the garage then and Jim let me have some money from my inheritance.”
Suddenly, Maria remembered the scene she had witnessed a few weeks back in front of the soap factory when they had returned the jeep to its rightful owner. She looked up. “Does Max know?”
“Hm-mm,” Tess affirmed and rolled her eyes. “He’s lectured us about a million times about it.”
“He just can’t understand someone doing something that goes so completely against his moral concept,” Liz defended her boyfriend in a soft voice.
“I guess I’d have the same problem if I would’ve had everything I could ever wish for crammed up my ass since the day I was born,” Tess said in a bitter voice.
Isabel’s face immediately turned to stone, and she replied in an icy tone, “That was uncalled for.”
Maria shifted uncomfortably in the suddenly cold atmosphere, looking from Isabel’s frozen face to Liz who had her eyes downcast, looking uneasy, to finally let her gaze rest on Tess.
The small blonde’s cheeks were blazing in embarrassment at her remark, and she looked apologetically at Isabel. “I’m sorry, Izzy,” she said remorsefully. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have said that.”
After a second, Isabel’s features softened. “It’s alright. We all know that you and Michael didn’t have it easy.”
To change the conversation to a lighter topic, Maria remarked on another thing she had noticed while listening to Tess’ tale. “So . . . spikes, huh?”
Tess snorted with laughter. “You should have seen him, Maria. He looked like a walking, talking, stubborn porcupine.”
“How fitting.” She grinned. “I would give anything to be able to see him like that.” It would be great ammunition to tease him with.
Isabel laughed. “I’ll try to dig up an old photograph for you. But trust me, his hair looks so much better now.”
“I bet.” Maria just loved threading her fingers through his long hair. “He must have looked like a little hedgehog.”
The girls giggled.
*****
Maria lay snuggled up into her warm sleeping bag a few hours later, staring at the picture of her and Michael. She had taken it out of her bag after returning from the girls’ joint trip to the bathroom and saying good night to them a few minutes earlier. She raised her bottle of water to her lips, but hastily put down again without drinking. It was one thing to make the five-minute walk to the bathroom in the bright sunshine, accompanied by birds and butterflies. Making the same trip at night and all by herself in the rain, where every branch looked like the axe of a mass murderer raised in attack and every bush resembled a crouching bear . . . She put the bottle away decisively. Then she carefully propped it up beside the radio before reaching for her cell phone to collect her good night call from Michael. She pushed speed dial and waited for him to pick up on the other end. After a seemingly endless time of listening to the ringtone, the line was finally picked up. She was about to draw breath to greet him, when his curt voice cut her off.
“This is Michael. Leave a message.”
Mailbox. She was so surprised to suddenly be speaking to the mailbox that she didn’t speak at all for several seconds after the beep. After she finally got a grip on herself, she stuttered, “H-hi Michael . . . Uh, this is Maria. Um . . . yeah, well . . . call me back when you get this okay? Bye.” She hung up abruptly, slapping her hand on her forehead. Yeah, that was real smooth, Deluca. She stared at the illuminated display in her hand. Where the hell is he?
After impatiently waiting for the longest fifteen minutes of history, Maria tried again, just to be disappointed by the same, rude message of the mailbox.
“This is Michael. Leave a message.”
“Uh . . . hi, baby, it’s me again. Um, I don’t really know why you’re not answering your phone. You got me kind of worried here.” She gave a short, nervous giggle. “So, anyway, call me back as soon as you get this, okay? No matter how late. Bye.” She sighed after she ended the call. Better. Not really composed and cool, but better than stuttering like a first-grader.
She snapped her phone shut and lay there for a moment, staring at the canvas over her head. What do I do? She didn’t want to be the hysterical girlfriend that freaked out whenever her boyfriend didn’t jump at her beck and call, but she had a bad feeling about this. If he knew that I was going to call, why didn’t he pick up? She glanced at the display of her cell again, noting that it was almost midnight. Usually Michael didn’t go to bed early, but maybe today was an exception. Maybe he was tired and fell asleep waiting for me to call, she thought with an instant stab of guilt. If she hadn’t chatted with the girls for as long as she had, she would have been able to reach him before he went to sleep. Desperately, she tried to shove back the thought that Michael might not have gone to bed early, but that he couldn’t answer her phone because something happened to him at home. Something bad.
Tired of waiting, and even more tired of worrying, she began to dig out of her cozy sleeping bag, reaching for the still wet jacket and her gumboots and putting them on over her sleeping attire, not bothering with pants or socks. She crawled to the tent flap and zipped it open, reaching for her cell phone at the last moment and dropping it in her pocket before stepping out into the rain.
The distance to the neighboring tent was short, but the rain had formed large puddles on the ground that Maria tried to sidestep. The heavy jacket covered her to mid-thigh, but her bare legs bore the brunt of the pelting drops, soon beginning to shiver and becoming covered in goosebumps.
She hastily rapped her knuckles on the canvas of the other tent, fidgeting from foot to foot in the cold. “Tess? Kyle?” she called. “Can I come in?”
A hasty rustling could be heard from within, followed by a few whispered remarks, before Tess’ slightly breathless voice answered. “Sure, come on in!”
Maria opened the tent and hurried to enter, eager to get out of the cold. She raised her head and took in her surroundings. The inside of the couple’s tent was distinctly messier than her own tent. In other words, it was total chaos: Blankets and pillows were strewn about everywhere, intermingled with various candy wrappers and cookie boxes, both unopened and partially empty ones. Tess and Kyle were peeping out of the depths of their sleeping bags which they had zipped together, cheeks flushed and looking caught.
“Um, hey Maria,” Kyle said and grinned goofily.
“Is something wrong?” Tess inquired, pushing back her ruffled mop of blonde curls and sat up.
“Well . . .” Maria felt her face heat up and tried not to look at them directly. Tess’ shirt hung loosely off of her shoulder, revealing several bite marks, and Kyle didn’t wear a shirt at all. Maria had the uncomfortable feeling of having interrupted the couple while making out. She crouched down at the foot of their bed and took a deep breath. “Michael’s not answering his phone and I don’t know what to do,” she blurted.
“Oh.” Tess and Kyle shared a look.
“Yeah, I know that’s normally no big deal,” Maria hastily explained, “but he’s all alone there in that god-awful house of his and I’m just really, really worried that something might have happened to him.” She looked up at Kyle and pleaded in a small voice, “Can you drive me back?”
“Um . . . okay. . .” Kyle wearily ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “How often have you tried calling him?”
“Twice.”
“Try again,” he said and gestured at her hand that now held her cell phone.
She nodded, pushing the redial button and lifting the cell to her ear. Her face fell with every beeping of the dial tone, and when the mailbox picked up once again she ended the call without leaving another message, looking at her friends with a worried expression. “Nothing. Only the mailbox.”
Tess worried her bottom lip nervously, expectantly waiting for Kyle to decide.
“Okay, listen,” Kyle said after a moment’s hesitation, addressing both girls equally. “If you haven’t reached him by tomorrow morning, I’ll drive you back then.”
“But-,” Maria began.
“Maria, no,” he cut her off firmly, but softened his voice almost immediately, trying to make her see reason. “It’s still pouring outside. Neither mine nor Alex’ car are made for the kind of roads we had to take to get here. It was barely manageable at day time and in dry weather, but at night with this kind of rain and with the roads consisting almost completely of mud, it’d be suicide.” He reached out to squeeze her shoulder lightly. “I’m sorry, Maria. Maybe it’d be different if we had the jeep, but as it is . . . It’s just too dangerous right now.”
She looked down at the phone clasped in her hands, nodding dejectedly. “Okay.”
“Hey.” He nudged her arm lightly. “Michael would kill me if I took you out in this kind of weather. You’re pretty special to him, you know?” He chuckled. “Since you are the only girl that’s ever let him put his hands on your- Ow!” He howled when both girls slapped him for his last remark.
“Shut up,” Tess said and shoved his shoulder. To Maria, she said, “But he’s right, maybe we should wait till tomorrow. It’s probably nothing,” she tried to reassure them both. “Maybe he’s just in the bathroom.”
“For half an hour?” Maria asked skeptically.
Tess just shrugged helplessly.
“Okay,” Maria sighed and resigned herself to a long night of waiting. “I’ll leave you two alone again.” She opened the flap, starting to crawl out. “Good night.”
“Good night, Maria.”
Morosely, she sloshed back through the pelting rain into her own tent, deliberately stomping into the large puddles to get rid of her frustration, but only managing to wet herself up to her thighs.
Once inside again, she quickly took of the boots and jacket and crawled into her warm sleeping bag, shivering from the residual dampness on her skin. She snuggled into the pillows, lying on her back and staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. After a few minutes, she reached for her phone once more and tried to reach Michael again, only to get the same brisk message of the answering machine. Her eyes were wide open, and though it was late, she didn’t feel sleepy at all. Her sight had quickly adjusted to the darkness, so that she was able to make out the pale contours of the tent poles and the little moth that was peacefully sitting in the right corner above Maria’s face.
To keep her mind off of her worry about Michael, she reached over and turned the little, portable radio on, turning it to a station that played a song she liked, the sound low. Funny how you can listen to several radio stations out here, but have serious difficulties getting reception for your cell, she thought sarcastically. Just at that moment, a new song started to play, and she turned the sound up lightly. How fitting. She smiled sadly, clutching her phone to her chest while listening to the music intermingling with the light patter of the rain drops on the canvas.
Picture perfect memories
Scattered all around the floor
Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I've lost all control
And I need you now
And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now
She rolled to her side, pulling the blanket up around her ears to keep the cold out, ironically wondering how come, when a girl feels like crap as it is, she has the strong urge to listen to a sad song that makes her feel even worse.Scattered all around the floor
Reaching for the phone 'cause
I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I've lost all control
And I need you now
And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now
Another shot of whiskey
Can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping
In the way you did before
And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
It's a quarter after one
I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I've lost all control
And I need you now
She pushed the redial on her phone again, but had no real hopes of him picking up. When the mailbox answered, she sullenly tossed the cell into the bag at her feet.Can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping
In the way you did before
And I wonder if I
Ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time
It's a quarter after one
I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
Said I wouldn't call
But I've lost all control
And I need you now
And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now
Whoa, whoa
Guess I'd rather hurt
Than feel nothing at all
It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call
But I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now
I just need you now
Oh baby, I need you now
I can do without
I just need you now
Whoa, whoa
Guess I'd rather hurt
Than feel nothing at all
It's a quarter after one
I'm all alone
And I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call
But I'm a little drunk
And I need you now
And I don't know how
I can do without
I just need you now
I just need you now
Oh baby, I need you now
After the song ended and she felt satisfactorily depressed, she turned the radio off and tried to go to sleep, resisting the urge to call him again. And though she did her best to persuade herself that Michael was surely fine, it took a long time before she was able to fall asleep.
She dreamt she was standing in the middle of a huge tent. She wasn’t quite sure if it was either the size of a circus tent or she herself was as small as a mouse. All around her sat green frogs, croaking and gawking at her, some of which were as large as she herself which was a distinct point in favor of the mouse theory, she thought. Liz was running around between the frogs, shouting “It’s a toad, it’s a toad! If it can’t jump, it’s a toad!” into their unimpressed faces. Even in her dream, Maria couldn’t help but shake her head at the craziness of this dream. Her dream-self looked up when she heard an odd, high ripping noise like the sound of a zipper pulled down, but couldn’t find the origin of it. Suddenly, the tent, Liz and the frogs vanished and Maria was standing in the middle of a snowy landscape. The wind was howling around her, making her shiver, and when she looked down she realized that she was standing up to her knees in a snowdrift, wearing only her panties and a t-shirt. A cold draft raised gooseflesh on her bare thighs, only to be replaced by-
Hair?! Her eyes snapped open to the sudden, horrifying realization that she was not alone in her sleeping bag anymore. In complete, blind panic, she pushed against the big body next to her with her with her fists. A large hand clamped over her mouth before she could let out an ear-splitting shriek, muffling her yell to a stifled squeal.
“Shhhhh! It’s me!” he whispered while his free arm came around her upper body, stilling her flailing arms. As soon as she stopped trying to hit him, he released her.
“Michael! Oh my God!” As soon as her arms came free, she took his head into her hands and kissed him outrageously, feeling her heart thump madly against her rib cage. “You’re here! Oh my God! Don’t you ever, ever scare me like that again, you hear?”
He chuckled. “Sorry. I thought I could sneak in without waking you.”
Her arms came around his shoulders and she pressed herself against him in joy. He stiffened, hissing in pain, making her let go at once. “What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.
“Nothing,” he reassured her. “Just stiff muscles from the ride.”
“Then I’d better give you a massage tomorrow, hm?” She gently stroked her palms up and down his arms, unwilling to stop touching him. “What on earth are you doing here?”
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” he asked, playfully disgruntled. He was propped up on one elbow beside her while his other arm still lightly lay around her waist.
“Of course I am, you idiot!” She pulled him down again to kiss him, careful not to put any pressure on his back. “But what about your mom?”
“She got into a big fight with Hank, and I mean a colossal fight. Then she took off for a few days to visit my aunt in Santa Fe, so I thought you maybe wouldn’t mind me coming here.”
“You have an aunt in Santa Fe?” she asked, frowning, but dismissed the question almost immediately. “Nevermind. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been when I couldn’t reach you on the phone? I tried to make Kyle drive me back!”
“In this weather?” It was pitch-black in the tent, but his face was only a few inches from hers so she could see his scowl. “Are you insane?”
“Are you insane?” she countered. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“Because it was kinda a last minute decision and I wanted to surprise you! What the hell is wrong with that?”
“Nothing!” Their voices had risen in exasperation. Now, she pulled him in close, whispering into his ear as if telling him a secret. “I was just worried.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “So, you’re glad to see me?”
“Haven’t I just said that?” She took his face between her palms and smilingly said, “I’m really, really glad that you’re here, Michael.” She hugged him again. “I’ve missed you so much! I know it’s kind of stupid since we’ve only said goodbye this morning, but still- Wait!” She drew back. “How did you find us?”
“Well, you told me that you were camping near the creek, so I didn’t have to look for long.” He shrugged, the motion restricted by her nearness and the sleeping bag around them.
She reached up to brush a damp strand of hair from his forehead. “Your hair’s wet.”
“Yeah, well, in case you haven’t noticed, it’s still raining.”
She smiled lovingly. “Smartypants.”
One of his hands had wandered down to lightly stroke her bare thigh. “So . . . I like your pajamas.”
She could feel her cheeks heating up at that and was momentarily thankful for the darkness. Suddenly, she was very aware of his big, warm body next to hers. The sleeping bag, which had felt so vast before, now barely seemed to provide enough room for them both. She could tell that he was only wearing his boxers and a thin cotton t-shirt and the coarse hair on his legs brushed against her skin. She had, in his presence, never before worn as little clothes as tonight, and all of a sudden a brief, unexpected attack of shyness overcame her.
“Uh . . . thanks. I like yours.” She gingerly laid her hand on his boxer-clad hip.
He laughed quietly and scooted closer, his long body now fully outstretched beside her, touching her from chest to knee. A little unsure, he asked, “Are you okay with this?”
She didn’t need to be able to see his face to know what he meant. It occurred to her that he was quite possibly as nervous about their close proximity as herself. “Yes, baby,” she said with a small smile, feeling her own tension vanish. “This is okay. I like having you close.”
He kissed her then, deeply and thoroughly, and his hand wandered up her thigh and hip to play with the hem of her shirt. While he placed little kisses against her cheek and neck, his fingers slipped under the fabric and began stroking her stomach, drawing tiny patterns against her skin.
She threaded her fingers through his wet hair, enjoying his delicate touches. Never before had she let anybody touch her as intimately as he did right now, but somehow, in this dark tent under the dripping trees, it felt completely right. More right than anything had ever felt before. She sighed and relaxed in his embrace, and her palms slowly wandered down his body, mapping the beautiful muscles of his back through the thin fabric of his shirt, lingering for a while in the dip in the small of his back before going on down to cup the smooth, muscled roundness of his buttocks.
While his moist, velvety tongue danced with hers, his fingertips continued to stroke her stomach in a repetitive motion. Up, and down again, up and down, farther up, down to her bellybutton. When he went up again, his fingertips brushed lightly against the underside of her small, bare breasts, hesitating.
He broke the kiss then, asking in a hushed voice, “Uh . . . um, you’ll tell me when to stop, right?”
She emitted a light giggle and squeezed his ass briefly, feeling daring. “Yes.”
He still didn’t move. “So?”
“So what?” She frowned, puzzled. “What is it?”
“Do you want me to stop?”
She arched her back slightly into his touch in illustration, threatening, “Michael, if you stop now, I might just have to kill you.”
He chuckled faintly into her ear, nibbling on the soft lobe. “Understood.” His palm settled onto her breast then, his skin hot and rough, but with a gentleness that belied his occasional gruffness. He squeezed lightly, and began tracing circles around her sensitive nipple, making it stand up hard before flipping his thumb over the small bud, eliciting a small, breathless moan from her. “Maria,” he whispered passionately, “you’re so beautiful.”
She sighed his name in response, pressing herself against him. This feels so good!
“I missed you so much,” he murmured while he continued to caress her, pressing his body against her side.
She could feel his hard erection brushing against her thigh, making her realize with a start just how much he had missed her. The thin cotton of his boxers did absolutely nothing to conceal the size of him. Wow! She laid her hand against his chest. “Um . . . Michael?”
“Hm?” he asked, kissing the sensitive skin below her ear.
“Do you think you’re . . . big?” She felt the tiny, nervous flutter reappearing in her stomach again when he shifted and accidentally brushed against her once more.
“What do you-” he asked uncomprehendingly. Then it dawned on him. “Oh! Ah . . . I don’t know, I’ve never really . . . A little more than average, maybe?” He scratched his brow self-consciously.
“Oh,” she answered faintly. “Okay.” Her thoughts immediately turned to the point sometime in the future when they would finally have sex. Because she was sure they would. She wanted him to be her first, but she felt a little apprehensive nonetheless when she was so unexpectedly confronted with this immediate display of his real size. Well, they do say big is good, right? The bigger the better, is what they say. But they also say the size doesn’t matter as long as he knows what to do with it. But it’ll probably hurt like hell. She chewed her bottom lip. On the other hand, if he’s not really experienced in that area, and I’m not really experienced, it’s good if he’s at least big, right? Right?
While she was occupied with her thoughts about sex, Michael hadn’t moved, clearly made insecure by her question. “Is this too fast?” he asked uncertainly. “I mean . . . do you want me to . . .” He pulled away, retreating as far as the sleeping bag would let him.
She snapped out of her musings, not liking the sudden separation at all. “No! Come back here.” She pulled him back into her arms again, stroking his side. “I said I like you close, didn’t I?”
He nodded, relaxing into her gentle touch, and pressed a soft kiss against her lips. Then he shifted to lie on top of her, his weight braced on his elbows, and sighed when she parted her legs to let him rest fully against her. His hardness pressed urgently against her center when he started to nibble on her bottom lip and she grabbed a firm hold of his ass cheeks again, pulling him closer. He hissed at the stimulation and began to slowly rock his hips in a rhythmic motion, creating a delicious friction between her legs. She sighed in pleasure, enjoying the hotness that originated between her thighs and spread out to wherever he touched her. She moaned once again, his name on her lips.
The sound of a twig snapping just in front of their tent made them freeze.
“Maria?” a muffled voice asked from outside the closed tent flap.
Michael groaned and dropped his head onto her shoulder. Her own voice sounded a trifle breathless when she raised her voice to respond, “Yes, Kyle?”
“Is everything alright?” he asked from outside. “I thought I heard something.”
Michael was still pressing up against her, his hard penis riled up between them, throbbing in need, and she had a hard time concentrating on what Kyle was saying. “Yes, Kyle, Everything’s fine! Perfect, actually!” She slapped Michael on the shoulder when he started to shake in silent mirth.
“Okay.” Kyle’s voice floated through the darkness.
“Good night, Kyle!” she said firmly, hoping to get rid of him as quickly as possible.
After it was quiet outside for several moments, they felt safe enough to move again. Michael placed hot, open-mouthed kisses all over her face and neck and she crossed her legs behind his back, holding him firmly in place above her. They were both panting by now, turned on and excited.
“Have you talked to Michael, yet?”
They stilled again when Kyle spoke up once more, mere yards away. He was not finished with the conversation, apparently. Michael groaned again in exasperation, and shook his head sharply against her shoulder. No, she wasn’t in the mood for long explanations right now, either. She patted his backside soothingly, answering Kyle, “Uh, yes, I have.”
“So he’s okay?”
“Yes, he’s . . .” She gasped when Michael suddenly pressed hard up against her center, a ghost of a laugh mingling with a sigh of pleasure on his lips while he started to rub himself against her. “Great! He’s great!” She reached down - very low - to take a bit of the thin, vulnerable skin of his belly between thumb and forefinger in warning, ready to pinch. He stopped instantly.
“Oh, uh, good,” Kyle answered, sounding relieved, and she heard him retreat in the direction of his own tent at last. “That’s good. Good night, Maria.”
“Good night, Kyle.”
When they were sure that he was finally gone, they broke down in a fit of giggles, shaking in each others arms.
“Oh, God!” Michael snorted with laughter “That must have been the worst timing ever!”
“Yeah,” Maria agreed, still chuckling. “It was nice of him to check on me, though.”
“Hm-mm,” he nodded, going back to nibbling on her neck. “God, I love your skin.”
She purred a little in pleasure and pushed his shirt up in the back to do a little exploring on her own.
As soon as her palms settled onto the bare skin of his back and began to trace upwards, he drew back, gently dislodging her arms from around his waist. “Maybe we should stop this here,” he said regretfully.
“No!” she protested weakly.
He laughed, but didn’t budge. “Maria, I don’t want us to move too fast and do something we’ll regret later. Maybe we’re not ready for this, yet.”
“But . . . but . . .” She thought hard, brows furrowed. “But what about . . . that?” She jerked her chin down, indication his rock-hard erection.
“Oh, that.” He smirked ironically, rolling onto his back and pulling her with him to rest onto his chest. “That,” he paused, emphasizing the word wryly, “will settle down in a few minutes.”
Reluctantly, she relaxed onto his chest, laying her hand over his heart and sighing in resignation. “Well, okay, if you’re sure.” She did feel a little tired.
“I’m sure.” He kissed her forehead gently, and whispered. “Sleep now, Maria.”
*****
Maria awoke to the sound of a faint, rhythmic rustling, the sound stealthy and almost silent, but not quite. She drowsily looked over at Michael, her eyes squinted and bleary from sleep. He was lying beside her, his back turned to her, his broad shoulders in front of her nose. She noticed his breathing, which was not slow and calm like that of a person deep in sleep, but fast with a slight hitch to it. He’s awake. In the dark, she could make out his upper arm moving back and forth in a tiny, repetitive motion, the sleeping bag rustling quietly as a result. What is he doing? She inched closer, trying to peer over his body.
He’s . . . He can’t be . . . Oh my God! She held her breath when she finally realized just what exactly he was doing.
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 14 - May 30, 2011
Moomin: Loool, well, in a small sleeping bag there really isn't any way to hide something like this, isn't there? Michael really should have known that, but, oh well, he's still young. Let's see how Maria will react, shall we?
Max is a good guy here, but, as you said, he had a different upbringing than Michael and Tess, so he doesn't naturally agree with everything those two think up. Will that become a problem between them? I can't tell you, because, honestly, I don't know, yet.
Eve: It's a . . . loaded situation for both of them, isn't it. Let's see how Maria will "handle" it, lol.
Author's note: I feel compelled to mention that I have no idea about the actual wildlife existing in New Mexico, though I imagine it's nothing like that in Germany, where I live. Please kindly overlook any errors in that department.
Chapter Fourteen – Interlude
I can’t believe he’s doing that, Maria thought in bewilderment as she stared at his back in the dark, listening to the faint rustling of the sleeping bag and the soft rush of his breath as Michael masturbated beside her. She was stunned and, admittedly, a little intrigued. Okay, make that a lot, she admitted to herself when she leaned a little closer to be able to see him better in the darkness.
The stealthy sound of her movement must have alerted him to the fact that she was awake, for his whole body froze in an instant, his shoulders stiff and unmoving in front of her face. He held his breath, apparently waiting for whatever she was about to do next.
“What are you doing?!” Maria whispered, the question coming out sharper than she had intended. She wasn’t really angry with him, only confused. And she wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation she found herself in so suddenly.
“Uh . . . um, nothing.” He didn’t turn around, though. He didn’t move at all.
Yeah, right. She almost let out an unattractive snort, but caught herself in time. Instead, she scooted closer, pressing her front to his tense back and resting her chin on his shoulder. Softer, she murmured, “I don’t believe you.” Her right hand came up to slowly stroke down his biceps, lingering briefly on the crook of his arm before continuing down his forearm.
“Um, Maria . . .” Michael began hesitantly, falling silent again when her fingers stopped at his wrist, having reached the point where his hand vanished under the waistband of his boxers.
“I thought you said it would settle down?” she breathed against his neck, drawing small circles on the skin of his arm with one finger. To her surprise, she enjoyed having him writhing under her, so to speak. His breathing came in small, ragged pants and he was shifting slightly under her touch, uncertain of her mood.
“Yeah, well, it didn’t,” he bit out and let out a quiet gasp when her fingers slipped under the elastic waistband, coming to rest on the back of his hand that was still motionlessly wrapped around his cock.
“Yes,” she whispered against his ear. “I kind of noticed that.” The tips of her fingers were now dangerously close to his erection, only inches away from his most intimate place. His body usually resembled a human furnace, as if a fire burned within him at all times; sometimes simmering deep inside, sometimes close to the surface of his skin. Now it seemed that all his heat had concentrated between his legs, radiating warmth to her fingertips.
“Maria . . .” he protested weakly when her fingers crept forward fractionally. His breathing quickened. Despite his objections, she could tell that he was not at all unwilling; just unsure.
“Shhh,” she nipped his ear, silencing him. “Let me do this.”
When her fingers first came into contact with him, it was the most peculiar feeling. Never had she touched a man’s penis before, so she was surprised by the stark contrast between the soft skin and the hardness underneath it, like velvet over hot steel. She slowly traced down the length of him, feeling him gradually relax under her touch. His hand fell away, making room for her, and she wrapped her hand fully around him, eliciting a small moan from his lips. Slowly, she stroked him from tip to base, smiling when he made a needy sound deep in his throat.
“You like that?” she whispered, repeating the motion with a little more pressure. He only moaned in response, already too far gone to give coherent answers.
The moisture leaking from the tip of his cock aided her movements, making his skin slick and smooth. She began to stroke him in a steady rhythm, letting herself be guided by his responses until she had found the perfect pressure. After a while, he started rocking his hips against her hand in counter-motion, creating even more friction. His hand came up to clutch the sleeping bag tightly and he pressed his face into the pillow and moaned.
She could tell that he was nearing his peak, so she stroked him even faster, whipping her fist up and down his cock with more force. It only took half a dozen strokes more until he climaxed. She felt his whole body grow rigid, and his balls draw up tight against his body before his hot semen shot over her hand in a spurt of wetness.
When he spilled himself into her hand, it was the most intimate and at the same time exhilarating feeling she had ever experienced. She felt powerful, yet utterly tender towards him. She held him in her arms, sheltering his body in its moment of vulnerability while his ragged breathing slowly began to quiet down, leaving his body limp and heavy beneath her. Her fingers still lay curled loosely around his now flaccid penis and she leaned down to press a soft kiss to the point below his jaw where his pulse beat strong and steady just below the surface.
A low chuckle made his chest vibrate under her touch when he shifted to lie on his back. “Wow,” he murmured dazedly. “That was . . . wow.”
She grinned, feeling oddly smug. “You liked that, didn’t you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I freaking loved it.”
She laughed and kissed him deeply. Then she withdrew her hand from his boxers, holding her sticky hand up in front of her. “Uh, can you reach into my bag and grab me a tissue?”
“Oh, um, sure.” He dug around in the side pocket of her duffel bag for a minute before triumphantly coming up with a package of tissues. He didn’t hand her one, though, but took her hand in his and cleaned her fingers with gentle touches. Then he looked down at himself, making a disgusted face that she could just barely make out in the dark. “Ugh, I guess I should change my boxers, or else I’m gonna feel all icky in the morning.”
Maria flopped down on the bed, smiling. “Please, go ahead.” She laughed. “I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Too bad there’s so little light . . . She would’ve liked very much to watch him change. Maria, you’re a perv, she thought and chuckled tonelessly into her pillow when he unzipped the sleeping bag and pulled a fresh pair of boxers out of his duffel.
He stood, bending over to avoid hitting his head on the canvas and quickly dropped his underwear.
It was still pitch black in the tent, but her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light just enough to catch a brief glimpse of the perfect white roundness of his buttocks, with the dark shadow of his scrotum visible between them when he leaned forward to step into the new boxers and pulled them up.
When he had climbed back into the sleeping bag again, she snuggled up closely beside him, resting on his strong chest, listening to his heart beat. A deep sigh made his chest rise under her when he settled in with a satisfied groan, his body growing limp and heavy in mere moments. His lips brushed against her forehead as he whispered a “Good night”.
They fell asleep holding each other.
*****
Maria woke at the first light of dawn. An early bird or two were already striking up their songs in the woods, and the morning light penetrated the canvas and tinted the insides of the tent in oddly colorless shades of grey. The moisture of their breath had collected on the canvas in tiny drops, and the crisp morning air touched her cheek with cold fingers.
Michael had rolled over in his sleep and folded himself around her, one arm slung across her waist, in what she assumed to be his favorite sleeping position. His left leg lay heavily between hers, the fuzzy hair on his thigh tickling the sensitive skin just below the edge of her panties, and he was snoring peacefully into her neck.
It felt cozy, lying with him like this, and she would’ve liked to just stay in their makeshift bed for a little while longer, wrapped in his warmth, listening to the woods waking up around them. But he shifted in his sleep and his hip pushed against her, reminding her uncomfortably of the fullness of her bladder. She sighed and carefully dislodged herself from his embrace, wriggling slowly out of the sleeping bag, trying not to wake him. When she climbed over him, he grumbled sleepily, but didn’t rouse. The fact that he held on so tightly to his sleep was a clear testament of how worn out he was, she thought when she pulled on her jeans, socks and sweater. Before she headed out, she pressed a light kiss to his neck and pulled the blanket up around his ears to protect him from the cold. Then she crawled out into the clearing, zipping the tent flap closed behind her.
There were surprisingly few puddles among the tents. The forest floor had soaked up the water like a sponge, and the soft moss gave way with a squishy sound beneath her booted feet when she walked to the fire pit, inspecting the pile of wood the boys had stacked beside it the afternoon before. Satisfied, she discovered that there were enough dry twigs at the bottom of the heap that she could start a fire to prepare breakfast when she returned from her bathroom trip. Not that I have any idea how to build a fire, she thought with amusement when she stepped onto the trail that led to the “bathroom”, her shower supplies clutched under one elbow.
The forest surrounding her was just barely waking up. The trail where she walked still lay in shadow, shielded from the light by the tall trees lining both sides like a row of guards, protective and still. When Maria looked up, she could see the rising morning sun light up their crowns like torches of bright green and gold. Now and then a ray of light was able to penetrate the thick canopy of leaves, throwing a single spot of white on the ground before her feet like stepping stones, guiding the way.
It was quiet in the way the trees are quiet when a soft breeze moves the leaves against each other in a slow, whooshing dance. It was quiet in the way the birds are quiet when they begin to raise their voices in songs of life and courting. And it was quiet in the way the bees are quiet when they crawl out of their hiding place to start their day’s work, humming softly among the wild flowers.
It was waiting for her when she rounded a clump of bushes, standing frozen in the middle of the trail, staring at her. The huge, dark eyes were wide and alert, but showed no trace of fear. The only thing moving were the large ears and moist nose, twitching in her direction. Maria stood unmoving, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible while watching the big, powerful body covered in shiny, brown fur and the long, graceful legs. The doe looked back at her attentively, observing her as if to determine if she was friend or foe.
Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes just off the trail and as Maria looked, a tiny fawn blundered onto the path on shaky legs, coming to stand beside its mother. Maria held her breath. For a moment, all of them stood immobile, like three life-size sculptures displayed in the museum of nature’s beauty among the trees, spellbound by the magic of the moment. Then, the doe turned her head and walked off into the wood, followed by her kid; and in the blink of an eye they were gone, melted back into the shadows. The spell was broken.
Releasing her breath in a rush, Maria walked on, throwing one last searching glance into the underbrush.
*****
When she returned from the sanitary cubicle, freshly showered and dressed and feeling like a new person, she was surprised to find that she wasn’t the only one awake anymore. Alex was crouching beside the fire pit, his back turned towards her, poking the small pile of firewood he had built up in the middle and apparently trying to seduce the tiny, flickering flame to eat away at the bigger, damp branches.
“Morning, Alex,” she greeted cheerfully.
“AHHHHH!” he yelped, startled, and fell forward, just barely able to catch himself before he dropped face-first into the fire. He turned around, wide-eyed. “Jesus, Maria!” he blurted, clapping a hand to his heart. “Are you trying to kill me?”
She laughed, shaking her head apologetically. “Nope, sorry.” She reached out a hand to help him get up from the wet grass. “I thought you’d heard me. Didn’t think I’d managed to be quite so sneaky,” she added with a wink. “What are you doing up already?” She glanced at her wristwatch. Barely eight o’clock.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied, grinning, the earlier scare already forgotten. “Didn’t sleep well?”
“Oh, no, it wasn’t that. I just couldn’t sleep anymore. The fresh air and all . . .” And the man in my bed . . . She smiled and shrugged.
“Same here,” he said. “But then again, I never sleep late, anyway.” He looked around at the tents of their friends, flaps still closed and no sound coming from within. “I wonder how long it’ll take for them to crawl out of there.”
“No idea,” she said cheerfully, thinking of Michael snoozing contentedly in their tent. Her smile widened when she imagined the reaction of the others when they saw him. “They’ll probably come out once they smell breakfast.”
“You’re gonna make breakfast?” Alex asked eagerly.
“Only if you can get that fire going,” she answered with a nod towards the dwindling flame. “Little hard to make coffee and pancakes without heat.”
“Oh, okay . . .” he said, scratching his head and watching the pile of wood dubiously. After waking up, he had just quickly pulled on his clothes, but his hair still stuck out haphazardly in all directions from sleep, making him look like a mad scientist trying to figure out a complicated physics problem.
“You have been camping before, haven’t you?” she inquired, watching him.
“Yes, but . . .” he hesitated, blushing slightly. “I’m usually more in charge of planning, you know? The guys rarely ever let me actually do anything.”
I wonder why that is, she wondered, but managed not to say it out loud. She grinned encouragingly. “Well, then that’s your chance, MacGyver.” She pointed at the fire pit. “Get me that fire going while I make a trip to the ‘fridge’.”
He saluted then turned decisively back to his pile of sticks and the reluctant flame.
She trudged off onto the path that led to the creek, smiling to herself when she heard him mutter contemplatively under his breath. As soon as she was out of earshot, she started whistling the melody of her favorite song, happy at having delegated that particular task to someone who was – if not more capable than her – at least eager to prove himself in the fire making department.
At the creek, she reluctantly stepped into the freezing water to retrieve some of the items she needed to make the famous Deluca-apple pancakes from the box drowned in the stream. All the non-perishable groceries were stashed in a similar box at the camp grounds, near the entrance to Max’ and Liz’ tent, so she didn’t have to carry that many things back to the fire pit.
When she returned, she was relieved to find that Alex had indeed managed to light a small, lively fire. The flames were slowly licking at the thicker branches he had placed on top of his original pile, growing stronger and brighter by the second. Alex himself was standing beside his accomplishment, hands braced on his hips and wearing a huge smile. He turned when he heard her approach and proudly said, “Look at that. I really built a fire!”
“Awesome.” She grinned and dropped her load on the small table. He looked really cute like that, she thought, all happy smiles and dimples. “No sign of the others, yet?” she asked.
“Max and Liz are up and awake,” he said and sat down on the bench beside the fire, watching her preparations. “They went to take a shower before breakfast.”
Maria just nodded, concentrating on filling the metal pot that was used for making coffee with water from one of the bottles and setting it on the metal rack over the fire to boil. Then she began mixing the ingredients for the batter in a bowl.
Alex watched her with an interested gaze. “You’re making pancakes?”
She smiled. “Apple pancakes. Mom’s special recipe.”
“Yummy.” He smacked his lips and grinned cheekily.
They heard a rustling behind them, and turned to find Isabel sticking out her head into the morning air. “Good morning, you two.” She crawled outside, yawned and stretched, then walked over to them. “What’s yummy?” she asked, having caught the tail end of their conversation.
Alex just stared at her in amazement for a moment. Then he shook himself out of it and answered, “Apple pancakes.”
Maria smiled inwardly at his goofy behavior. Though having spent a rainy night in a sleeping bag in Frazier Woods, Isabel still looked every bit the supermodel, ready to begin modeling a campaign for camping gear any second. Not one hair was in disarray, her skin looked clear and fresh and her perfect teeth were glinting brightly when she threw her Hollywood smile his way.
“I love those.” Isabel said and let herself sink onto the bench beside Alex. Looking at Maria, she asked, “Can I help you with anything?”
Maria shook her head and placed the pan over the fire to heat up. Both girls were still careful around each other, always polite and zealously friendly towards the other, anxious not to do anything to destroy the fragile peace between them. “Did you sleep well, Isabel?” Maria asked.
“No,” Isabel groaned theatrically. “There was a huge rock somewhere beneath my air mattress, poking me in the back all night. It was absolutely horrible!”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a pea, my princess?” Alex teased.
“Funny, Alex,” she replied with a humorless smile, rolling her eyes when he laughed himself silly over his own joke.
“Peas?” Kyle’s voice reached them. He closed the flap of the tent he shared with his girlfriend carefully behind himself before trudging over to his friends. “Please don’t tell me there’s gonna be peas for breakfast, or Tess is going to puke all over the place.”
Isabel made a disgusted face at the mental image, but Alex only shook his head. “Apple pancakes,” he stated for the second time that morning, munching on a bit of fruit he had unobtrusively snitched from Maria.
“Oh, good.” Kyle reached for the pot of boiling water, adding instant coffee powder to it and stirring until it had dissolved completely. Then he started filling the mugs his friends held out to him while Maria placed the first batch of pancakes on a plate, putting it between them so they could help themselves.
Just then Max and Liz strolled out of the woods, hand in hand. They greeted everyone before sitting down and grabbing their own cups of coffee.
“So, where’s your other half?” Max asked Kyle.
“Still asleep.” His friend grinned impishly, revealing a mouth-full of half-chewed pancake. “Wore her out last night.”
“Ew, Kyle!” Liz threw a piece of apple at him, shaking her head rebukingly. “Don’t you have any class?”
He just shrugged unconcernedly and stuffed the piece of apple into his mouth. “We can’t all be Prince Charming.”
“I guess not,” she said dryly and speared a pancake with her fork.
The argument died and the six of them were munching peacefully for a while, each of them absorbed in the sweet spiciness of the pancakes and the steaming hot coffee.
After Kyle had polished off the last of his breakfast – he had even used his thumb to gather up the crumbs from his plate, which Maria took as a huge compliment for her cooking skills – he leaned back on his seat, sipping on his coffee. His lazy, blue gaze fixed on Maria, and he smiled one of his goofy smiles.
“So, what did Michael say?” he asked.
Maria looked at him uncomprehendingly. Had he already caught on to the fact that Michael was sleeping in the tent just a few feet away? “What do you mean?”
“When you talked to him on the phone,” he clarified. “What did he say about why you couldn’t reach him earlier?”
“Oh, that.” So he didn’t know, yet. She smiled again at her little secret. The others, not having witnessed the drama the night before, were listening intently. “He didn’t hear his phone because he was . . . riding his bike,” she finished lamely.
Kyle looked puzzled. “Where was he driving at that time of night?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she replied, grinning. She indicated the entrance of her tent, where the canvas had just been pushed aside and a head full of tumbled, light brown locks emerged.
Heads were turning in his direction when he stood up in front of his tent, rubbing his face sleepily before lowering his hands and taking in the baffled faces of his friends. He was wearing an old pair of jeans, a sweater, his boots and a sunny smile. Obviously he was very pleased at their apparent surprise.
“Michael!” Isabel exclaimed.
Liz just squealed happily and both girls jumped up from their seats, ran to him and threw themselves into his arms, one of them clinging to his neck from each side.
He groaned and puffed exaggeratingly under their combined weight, but his grin resurfaced very quickly and he put his arms around them and began awkwardly stomping across the wet grass with them. He winked at Maria over their heads, but just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, a deafening, jubilant yell resounded and Tess crashed into him from behind, her momentum making him stagger several steps forward, almost causing him to loose his footing under the burden. On top of Isabel and Liz hanging from his neck, Tess was now clinging to his back like a monkey, laughing and kissing his cheek. When he finally reached the others and the girls released him, he remarked dryly, “Wow. Didn’t know I was so missed.”
Tess smacked his arm playfully before settling down beside Kyle. “You always are, doofus.”
The guys limited their expressions of joy to manly claps on their respective shoulders that made Maria wince in sympathy when she remembered his sore back.
Kyle watched his friend curiously. “Not that I’m not happy to see your ugly face,” he remarked, grinning, “but what are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay in Roswell?”
Michael shrugged. “Change of plans.”
“When did you arrive?”
Michael hesitated for a moment, looking at Maria. “Sometime last night.”
“Around one a.m.,” she clarified.
“Wait a minute.” Kyle held up his palm. “That means you were there when I came over and asked . . . Why didn’t you say anyth-” he stopped, frowning. “On second thought, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
Michael had come to stand behind Maria’s seat, one hand resting on her shoulder and playing with a strand of her hair, the other covering his mouth while he let out a huge yawn.
Now Maria leaned back against him, looking up at his face. “Michael, would you like some apple pancakes? I could make a fresh batch for you.”
He nodded. “Yes, thanks. But I need to take a shower first.”
“Alright,” she agreed and covered his hand on her shoulder with her own, squeezing lightly. “Afterwards, then.”
After downing the last drops of his coffee, Max interrupted them. “Hey Michael, what would you say about going on that hiking trip we talked about last time? Alex found a map that shows some really interesting trails around here. We could take some provisions and head right out after breakfast. Just you and me and Alex and Kyle.”
“Excuse me?” Liz looked at him, her tone indignant. “And what are we lowly women gonna do while you guys head out to conquer the wilderness? Collect mushrooms and berries, maybe?”
Before Max could make the mistake of suggesting she do just that, Michael barged in, saying in an effort to prevent a fight, “Not today, Max. Today I want to show Maria something.”
Isabel looked at him in amusement. “This is not a museum, Michael. It’s a forest.”
He just shrugged in answer.
“What are you going to show me?” Maria inquired, mortally curious. After his surprise arrival last night, she had not expected for him to have any specific plans for today.
One corner of his mouth twitched, but he controlled it and answered in a grave voice, “It’s a surprise.”
Her eyebrows went up at that, and she was turning around on her seat so that she was facing him, face upturned to watch his expression. “Really? Can’t you give me some kind of hint?”
“Nope,” he replied, but lost the fight to hold in the smirk. His white teeth glinted in the morning sunlight. “Since you’ve never been to Frazier Woods, you’re never gonna guess it, anyway. So all the hinting would be for nothing.”
“You could always just tell me.”
“And ruin the surprise? Never in a million years.”
She pouted. “You’re no fun.”
The grin widened when he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I am too fun. I’ll prove it to you as soon as we’re alone . . .”
“Ew, you two,” Maria heard Kyle’s voice behind her, followed by his muttered “Get a room!” when he removed himself to pester Tess.
Michael kissed her cheek, then straightened up and presented her with a breathtakingly beautiful smile that lit up his whole face before turning to the trail that led to the showers, ordering over his shoulder, “Pack up some food for us, baby, this trip is gonna take a while.”
*****
“So . . .” Alex looked around the deserted clearing, taking in the abandoned tents and the quiet trees surrounding them before turning back to Isabel sitting on one of the wooden benches beside him. “What are we gonna do now?” After breakfast, the three couples had quickly and separately taken off into the woods in search of some solitude from their friends, leaving him and Isabel by themselves.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Any suggestions?”
He eyed the pile of dirty plates and coffee cups, left over after their earlier meal. “Maybe we should start with doing the dishes before we make any other plans.”
Isabel sighed. “Right.” She began listlessly gathering the dishes to take them to the creek for rinsing.
Alex had to hide his smile at her barely concealed lack of enthusiasm when he hurried to give her a hand. “The others probably think that because they have their couple-y things to do, they can get out of mundane things like washing up,” he joked. “How rude of them to leave that to us poor, single people.”
She snorted softly in agreement.
Together, they carried their load the short way through the woods until they reached the little creek. The midmorning sun touched the running water with sparks of fire, lending the place an aura of indestructible cheerfulness. Quietly, they began working side by side.
While her hands were occupied with rinsing the dirty dishes in the creek, Isabel’s mind was free to wander back to Michael’s sudden arrival at the campground. She had certainly been delighted to see him and he had seemed cheerful enough, but she couldn’t help but wonder what had made him decide to come after all. The fact that he had declined to give even the briefest explanation raised all of her alarm bells, but sadly, she knew him well enough to realize that he wouldn’t come to her to seek help if he needed it.
She threw a covert glance at her friend, working quietly beside her. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Alex?”
He looked up, eyebrow arched in inquiry. “Yeah?”
“Do you think he’s happy?”
Perceptive as he was, he immediately caught on to the direction her thoughts had taken. “Who, Michael? Well, not all the time, obviously.” All of them knew that it was hard for him living like he did in Roswell. Alex looked at her, his grey eyes serious. “But right now, with him being here with Maria and us, he’s probably able to forget for a little while. It helps him deal.” After a pause, he quietly asked, “Do you still think it’s wrong for him to be with Maria?”
Isabel put down her towel, frowning when she sat back at the riverbank. “I never thought it was wrong, I just . . . it just happened really fast. He saw her that first day and BAM!” She clapped her hands to emphasize the word, drawing a smile from Alex, “She had him right then and there. Didn’t even have to lift a finger. It was so uncharacteristic for him, that’s all. I was afraid with that much power over him she’d be able to hurt him.”
He sat back next to her, hugging his knees and lifted his face into the warn sunshine. After a moment, he asked, “And are you still afraid of that?”
“No,” she answered without hesitation, thinking of the way Maria’s face lit up whenever she was around Michael. “She’s just as far gone.”
“She is,” he agreed, chuckling. In a more sober tone, he continued, “Maybe it’s just that he feels he can be himself around her without her judging him. He doesn’t have to pretend to be someone he’s not.”
She bristled at that. “He doesn’t have to pretend with us, either!”
He turned to face her, not the least bit offended by her tone. “No, but in a group of people as close as ours – any group that’s together for any length of time, really – there are always certain expectations. You automatically accept a role that best fits your personality, and you act accordingly. That’s just how people work. We need structure, we need to know what to expect from others, and we want others to know what to expect from us. In most cases, that’s a positive thing, because it gives us stability.” He broke off, a deceptively sweet smile lighting up his features as he went on, “Kyle’s the Clown, obviously. You’re the Princess,” she lightly slapped him with her towel, but he ignored her and resumed, “and Michael is the dark, untouchable loner that doesn’t need help from anyone. And once your role is established, it’s not easy to break out of it.”
She looked over the water thoughtfully. After a moment, she mused, “And he didn’t have that . . . role . . . with Maria, because she didn’t know us yet.”
He nodded like a proud teacher witnessing a student suddenly grasping a problem she’d been struggling with for a long time. “That’s right.”
She pondered that realization for a few minutes, absently pulling out blades of grass by the roots one by one. Finally, she turned her dark brown gaze to him, asking with a touch of teasing, “And what would your role be in this group?”
“Mine?” Alex laughed, surprised. He thought about it for a second before answering, “Well, how about ‘the voice of wisdom’? Or maybe just ‘the good friend’?”
She smiled warmly, watching him. “Yes, you’re definitely that.” Her heart skipped a beat when he looked directly into her eyes. She took a deep breath. Now or never, Isabel. Don’t be a baby. When she spoke, her voice quivered only slightly. “But . . . maybe you are not only that. Not to all of us.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She turned her body to face him completely, looking at him openly, not hiding anything. “I mean, Alex, that you are maybe a little more than a friend for me.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, looking like a child that was told, despite knowing better, that Santa Clause did exist after all. Highly skeptical, but wanting very badly to believe.
“Yes, of course!” she insisted. “I would never joke about something like this, Alex.”
“Right.” He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
An impish grin appeared on his features when he winked at her. “Why you’ve been undressing me with your eyes all this time . . .”
She gasped, slapping him silly with her towel in outrage. “You wish!”
“Stop! Please!” He rolled away from her, hands held over his head in protection, trying to fend off her assault while laughing so hard he was barely able to speak. “Stop! Have mercy on me!”
She finally paused, her hand holding the towel poised threateningly above his head, the other braced next to his shoulder while she leaned over him where he rested in the grass. “Will you take it back?”
“Yes!” He giggled faintly, raising his hands in defeat. “I take it back.”
“Alright.” She let the towel sink, but remained where she was, her face a mere foot from his. “So, what do you think, Alex?”
“What do I think about what?”
She felt the exasperation rising again, along with the insecurity. “About what I just told you!” Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, Iz. He probably doesn’t feel the same, but is too polite to say it.
“Oh, that.” His eyes still glinted with hidden mirth.
“Yes, that.”
He smiled a bright smile and softly said, “I think that you’re maybe a little more than a friend for me, too.”
“Oh.”
~TBC
Max is a good guy here, but, as you said, he had a different upbringing than Michael and Tess, so he doesn't naturally agree with everything those two think up. Will that become a problem between them? I can't tell you, because, honestly, I don't know, yet.
Eve: It's a . . . loaded situation for both of them, isn't it.
Let's see how Maria will "handle" it, lol.Author's note: I feel compelled to mention that I have no idea about the actual wildlife existing in New Mexico, though I imagine it's nothing like that in Germany, where I live. Please kindly overlook any errors in that department.
Chapter Fourteen – Interlude
I can’t believe he’s doing that, Maria thought in bewilderment as she stared at his back in the dark, listening to the faint rustling of the sleeping bag and the soft rush of his breath as Michael masturbated beside her. She was stunned and, admittedly, a little intrigued. Okay, make that a lot, she admitted to herself when she leaned a little closer to be able to see him better in the darkness.
The stealthy sound of her movement must have alerted him to the fact that she was awake, for his whole body froze in an instant, his shoulders stiff and unmoving in front of her face. He held his breath, apparently waiting for whatever she was about to do next.
“What are you doing?!” Maria whispered, the question coming out sharper than she had intended. She wasn’t really angry with him, only confused. And she wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation she found herself in so suddenly.
“Uh . . . um, nothing.” He didn’t turn around, though. He didn’t move at all.
Yeah, right. She almost let out an unattractive snort, but caught herself in time. Instead, she scooted closer, pressing her front to his tense back and resting her chin on his shoulder. Softer, she murmured, “I don’t believe you.” Her right hand came up to slowly stroke down his biceps, lingering briefly on the crook of his arm before continuing down his forearm.
“Um, Maria . . .” Michael began hesitantly, falling silent again when her fingers stopped at his wrist, having reached the point where his hand vanished under the waistband of his boxers.
“I thought you said it would settle down?” she breathed against his neck, drawing small circles on the skin of his arm with one finger. To her surprise, she enjoyed having him writhing under her, so to speak. His breathing came in small, ragged pants and he was shifting slightly under her touch, uncertain of her mood.
“Yeah, well, it didn’t,” he bit out and let out a quiet gasp when her fingers slipped under the elastic waistband, coming to rest on the back of his hand that was still motionlessly wrapped around his cock.
“Yes,” she whispered against his ear. “I kind of noticed that.” The tips of her fingers were now dangerously close to his erection, only inches away from his most intimate place. His body usually resembled a human furnace, as if a fire burned within him at all times; sometimes simmering deep inside, sometimes close to the surface of his skin. Now it seemed that all his heat had concentrated between his legs, radiating warmth to her fingertips.
“Maria . . .” he protested weakly when her fingers crept forward fractionally. His breathing quickened. Despite his objections, she could tell that he was not at all unwilling; just unsure.
“Shhh,” she nipped his ear, silencing him. “Let me do this.”
When her fingers first came into contact with him, it was the most peculiar feeling. Never had she touched a man’s penis before, so she was surprised by the stark contrast between the soft skin and the hardness underneath it, like velvet over hot steel. She slowly traced down the length of him, feeling him gradually relax under her touch. His hand fell away, making room for her, and she wrapped her hand fully around him, eliciting a small moan from his lips. Slowly, she stroked him from tip to base, smiling when he made a needy sound deep in his throat.
“You like that?” she whispered, repeating the motion with a little more pressure. He only moaned in response, already too far gone to give coherent answers.
The moisture leaking from the tip of his cock aided her movements, making his skin slick and smooth. She began to stroke him in a steady rhythm, letting herself be guided by his responses until she had found the perfect pressure. After a while, he started rocking his hips against her hand in counter-motion, creating even more friction. His hand came up to clutch the sleeping bag tightly and he pressed his face into the pillow and moaned.
She could tell that he was nearing his peak, so she stroked him even faster, whipping her fist up and down his cock with more force. It only took half a dozen strokes more until he climaxed. She felt his whole body grow rigid, and his balls draw up tight against his body before his hot semen shot over her hand in a spurt of wetness.
When he spilled himself into her hand, it was the most intimate and at the same time exhilarating feeling she had ever experienced. She felt powerful, yet utterly tender towards him. She held him in her arms, sheltering his body in its moment of vulnerability while his ragged breathing slowly began to quiet down, leaving his body limp and heavy beneath her. Her fingers still lay curled loosely around his now flaccid penis and she leaned down to press a soft kiss to the point below his jaw where his pulse beat strong and steady just below the surface.
A low chuckle made his chest vibrate under her touch when he shifted to lie on his back. “Wow,” he murmured dazedly. “That was . . . wow.”
She grinned, feeling oddly smug. “You liked that, didn’t you?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I freaking loved it.”
She laughed and kissed him deeply. Then she withdrew her hand from his boxers, holding her sticky hand up in front of her. “Uh, can you reach into my bag and grab me a tissue?”
“Oh, um, sure.” He dug around in the side pocket of her duffel bag for a minute before triumphantly coming up with a package of tissues. He didn’t hand her one, though, but took her hand in his and cleaned her fingers with gentle touches. Then he looked down at himself, making a disgusted face that she could just barely make out in the dark. “Ugh, I guess I should change my boxers, or else I’m gonna feel all icky in the morning.”
Maria flopped down on the bed, smiling. “Please, go ahead.” She laughed. “I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Too bad there’s so little light . . . She would’ve liked very much to watch him change. Maria, you’re a perv, she thought and chuckled tonelessly into her pillow when he unzipped the sleeping bag and pulled a fresh pair of boxers out of his duffel.
He stood, bending over to avoid hitting his head on the canvas and quickly dropped his underwear.
It was still pitch black in the tent, but her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light just enough to catch a brief glimpse of the perfect white roundness of his buttocks, with the dark shadow of his scrotum visible between them when he leaned forward to step into the new boxers and pulled them up.
When he had climbed back into the sleeping bag again, she snuggled up closely beside him, resting on his strong chest, listening to his heart beat. A deep sigh made his chest rise under her when he settled in with a satisfied groan, his body growing limp and heavy in mere moments. His lips brushed against her forehead as he whispered a “Good night”.
They fell asleep holding each other.
*****
Maria woke at the first light of dawn. An early bird or two were already striking up their songs in the woods, and the morning light penetrated the canvas and tinted the insides of the tent in oddly colorless shades of grey. The moisture of their breath had collected on the canvas in tiny drops, and the crisp morning air touched her cheek with cold fingers.
Michael had rolled over in his sleep and folded himself around her, one arm slung across her waist, in what she assumed to be his favorite sleeping position. His left leg lay heavily between hers, the fuzzy hair on his thigh tickling the sensitive skin just below the edge of her panties, and he was snoring peacefully into her neck.
It felt cozy, lying with him like this, and she would’ve liked to just stay in their makeshift bed for a little while longer, wrapped in his warmth, listening to the woods waking up around them. But he shifted in his sleep and his hip pushed against her, reminding her uncomfortably of the fullness of her bladder. She sighed and carefully dislodged herself from his embrace, wriggling slowly out of the sleeping bag, trying not to wake him. When she climbed over him, he grumbled sleepily, but didn’t rouse. The fact that he held on so tightly to his sleep was a clear testament of how worn out he was, she thought when she pulled on her jeans, socks and sweater. Before she headed out, she pressed a light kiss to his neck and pulled the blanket up around his ears to protect him from the cold. Then she crawled out into the clearing, zipping the tent flap closed behind her.
There were surprisingly few puddles among the tents. The forest floor had soaked up the water like a sponge, and the soft moss gave way with a squishy sound beneath her booted feet when she walked to the fire pit, inspecting the pile of wood the boys had stacked beside it the afternoon before. Satisfied, she discovered that there were enough dry twigs at the bottom of the heap that she could start a fire to prepare breakfast when she returned from her bathroom trip. Not that I have any idea how to build a fire, she thought with amusement when she stepped onto the trail that led to the “bathroom”, her shower supplies clutched under one elbow.
The forest surrounding her was just barely waking up. The trail where she walked still lay in shadow, shielded from the light by the tall trees lining both sides like a row of guards, protective and still. When Maria looked up, she could see the rising morning sun light up their crowns like torches of bright green and gold. Now and then a ray of light was able to penetrate the thick canopy of leaves, throwing a single spot of white on the ground before her feet like stepping stones, guiding the way.
It was quiet in the way the trees are quiet when a soft breeze moves the leaves against each other in a slow, whooshing dance. It was quiet in the way the birds are quiet when they begin to raise their voices in songs of life and courting. And it was quiet in the way the bees are quiet when they crawl out of their hiding place to start their day’s work, humming softly among the wild flowers.
It was waiting for her when she rounded a clump of bushes, standing frozen in the middle of the trail, staring at her. The huge, dark eyes were wide and alert, but showed no trace of fear. The only thing moving were the large ears and moist nose, twitching in her direction. Maria stood unmoving, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible while watching the big, powerful body covered in shiny, brown fur and the long, graceful legs. The doe looked back at her attentively, observing her as if to determine if she was friend or foe.
Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes just off the trail and as Maria looked, a tiny fawn blundered onto the path on shaky legs, coming to stand beside its mother. Maria held her breath. For a moment, all of them stood immobile, like three life-size sculptures displayed in the museum of nature’s beauty among the trees, spellbound by the magic of the moment. Then, the doe turned her head and walked off into the wood, followed by her kid; and in the blink of an eye they were gone, melted back into the shadows. The spell was broken.
Releasing her breath in a rush, Maria walked on, throwing one last searching glance into the underbrush.
*****
When she returned from the sanitary cubicle, freshly showered and dressed and feeling like a new person, she was surprised to find that she wasn’t the only one awake anymore. Alex was crouching beside the fire pit, his back turned towards her, poking the small pile of firewood he had built up in the middle and apparently trying to seduce the tiny, flickering flame to eat away at the bigger, damp branches.
“Morning, Alex,” she greeted cheerfully.
“AHHHHH!” he yelped, startled, and fell forward, just barely able to catch himself before he dropped face-first into the fire. He turned around, wide-eyed. “Jesus, Maria!” he blurted, clapping a hand to his heart. “Are you trying to kill me?”
She laughed, shaking her head apologetically. “Nope, sorry.” She reached out a hand to help him get up from the wet grass. “I thought you’d heard me. Didn’t think I’d managed to be quite so sneaky,” she added with a wink. “What are you doing up already?” She glanced at her wristwatch. Barely eight o’clock.
“I could ask you the same thing,” he replied, grinning, the earlier scare already forgotten. “Didn’t sleep well?”
“Oh, no, it wasn’t that. I just couldn’t sleep anymore. The fresh air and all . . .” And the man in my bed . . . She smiled and shrugged.
“Same here,” he said. “But then again, I never sleep late, anyway.” He looked around at the tents of their friends, flaps still closed and no sound coming from within. “I wonder how long it’ll take for them to crawl out of there.”
“No idea,” she said cheerfully, thinking of Michael snoozing contentedly in their tent. Her smile widened when she imagined the reaction of the others when they saw him. “They’ll probably come out once they smell breakfast.”
“You’re gonna make breakfast?” Alex asked eagerly.
“Only if you can get that fire going,” she answered with a nod towards the dwindling flame. “Little hard to make coffee and pancakes without heat.”
“Oh, okay . . .” he said, scratching his head and watching the pile of wood dubiously. After waking up, he had just quickly pulled on his clothes, but his hair still stuck out haphazardly in all directions from sleep, making him look like a mad scientist trying to figure out a complicated physics problem.
“You have been camping before, haven’t you?” she inquired, watching him.
“Yes, but . . .” he hesitated, blushing slightly. “I’m usually more in charge of planning, you know? The guys rarely ever let me actually do anything.”
I wonder why that is, she wondered, but managed not to say it out loud. She grinned encouragingly. “Well, then that’s your chance, MacGyver.” She pointed at the fire pit. “Get me that fire going while I make a trip to the ‘fridge’.”
He saluted then turned decisively back to his pile of sticks and the reluctant flame.
She trudged off onto the path that led to the creek, smiling to herself when she heard him mutter contemplatively under his breath. As soon as she was out of earshot, she started whistling the melody of her favorite song, happy at having delegated that particular task to someone who was – if not more capable than her – at least eager to prove himself in the fire making department.
At the creek, she reluctantly stepped into the freezing water to retrieve some of the items she needed to make the famous Deluca-apple pancakes from the box drowned in the stream. All the non-perishable groceries were stashed in a similar box at the camp grounds, near the entrance to Max’ and Liz’ tent, so she didn’t have to carry that many things back to the fire pit.
When she returned, she was relieved to find that Alex had indeed managed to light a small, lively fire. The flames were slowly licking at the thicker branches he had placed on top of his original pile, growing stronger and brighter by the second. Alex himself was standing beside his accomplishment, hands braced on his hips and wearing a huge smile. He turned when he heard her approach and proudly said, “Look at that. I really built a fire!”
“Awesome.” She grinned and dropped her load on the small table. He looked really cute like that, she thought, all happy smiles and dimples. “No sign of the others, yet?” she asked.
“Max and Liz are up and awake,” he said and sat down on the bench beside the fire, watching her preparations. “They went to take a shower before breakfast.”
Maria just nodded, concentrating on filling the metal pot that was used for making coffee with water from one of the bottles and setting it on the metal rack over the fire to boil. Then she began mixing the ingredients for the batter in a bowl.
Alex watched her with an interested gaze. “You’re making pancakes?”
She smiled. “Apple pancakes. Mom’s special recipe.”
“Yummy.” He smacked his lips and grinned cheekily.
They heard a rustling behind them, and turned to find Isabel sticking out her head into the morning air. “Good morning, you two.” She crawled outside, yawned and stretched, then walked over to them. “What’s yummy?” she asked, having caught the tail end of their conversation.
Alex just stared at her in amazement for a moment. Then he shook himself out of it and answered, “Apple pancakes.”
Maria smiled inwardly at his goofy behavior. Though having spent a rainy night in a sleeping bag in Frazier Woods, Isabel still looked every bit the supermodel, ready to begin modeling a campaign for camping gear any second. Not one hair was in disarray, her skin looked clear and fresh and her perfect teeth were glinting brightly when she threw her Hollywood smile his way.
“I love those.” Isabel said and let herself sink onto the bench beside Alex. Looking at Maria, she asked, “Can I help you with anything?”
Maria shook her head and placed the pan over the fire to heat up. Both girls were still careful around each other, always polite and zealously friendly towards the other, anxious not to do anything to destroy the fragile peace between them. “Did you sleep well, Isabel?” Maria asked.
“No,” Isabel groaned theatrically. “There was a huge rock somewhere beneath my air mattress, poking me in the back all night. It was absolutely horrible!”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a pea, my princess?” Alex teased.
“Funny, Alex,” she replied with a humorless smile, rolling her eyes when he laughed himself silly over his own joke.
“Peas?” Kyle’s voice reached them. He closed the flap of the tent he shared with his girlfriend carefully behind himself before trudging over to his friends. “Please don’t tell me there’s gonna be peas for breakfast, or Tess is going to puke all over the place.”
Isabel made a disgusted face at the mental image, but Alex only shook his head. “Apple pancakes,” he stated for the second time that morning, munching on a bit of fruit he had unobtrusively snitched from Maria.
“Oh, good.” Kyle reached for the pot of boiling water, adding instant coffee powder to it and stirring until it had dissolved completely. Then he started filling the mugs his friends held out to him while Maria placed the first batch of pancakes on a plate, putting it between them so they could help themselves.
Just then Max and Liz strolled out of the woods, hand in hand. They greeted everyone before sitting down and grabbing their own cups of coffee.
“So, where’s your other half?” Max asked Kyle.
“Still asleep.” His friend grinned impishly, revealing a mouth-full of half-chewed pancake. “Wore her out last night.”
“Ew, Kyle!” Liz threw a piece of apple at him, shaking her head rebukingly. “Don’t you have any class?”
He just shrugged unconcernedly and stuffed the piece of apple into his mouth. “We can’t all be Prince Charming.”
“I guess not,” she said dryly and speared a pancake with her fork.
The argument died and the six of them were munching peacefully for a while, each of them absorbed in the sweet spiciness of the pancakes and the steaming hot coffee.
After Kyle had polished off the last of his breakfast – he had even used his thumb to gather up the crumbs from his plate, which Maria took as a huge compliment for her cooking skills – he leaned back on his seat, sipping on his coffee. His lazy, blue gaze fixed on Maria, and he smiled one of his goofy smiles.
“So, what did Michael say?” he asked.
Maria looked at him uncomprehendingly. Had he already caught on to the fact that Michael was sleeping in the tent just a few feet away? “What do you mean?”
“When you talked to him on the phone,” he clarified. “What did he say about why you couldn’t reach him earlier?”
“Oh, that.” So he didn’t know, yet. She smiled again at her little secret. The others, not having witnessed the drama the night before, were listening intently. “He didn’t hear his phone because he was . . . riding his bike,” she finished lamely.
Kyle looked puzzled. “Where was he driving at that time of night?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she replied, grinning. She indicated the entrance of her tent, where the canvas had just been pushed aside and a head full of tumbled, light brown locks emerged.
Heads were turning in his direction when he stood up in front of his tent, rubbing his face sleepily before lowering his hands and taking in the baffled faces of his friends. He was wearing an old pair of jeans, a sweater, his boots and a sunny smile. Obviously he was very pleased at their apparent surprise.
“Michael!” Isabel exclaimed.
Liz just squealed happily and both girls jumped up from their seats, ran to him and threw themselves into his arms, one of them clinging to his neck from each side.
He groaned and puffed exaggeratingly under their combined weight, but his grin resurfaced very quickly and he put his arms around them and began awkwardly stomping across the wet grass with them. He winked at Maria over their heads, but just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, a deafening, jubilant yell resounded and Tess crashed into him from behind, her momentum making him stagger several steps forward, almost causing him to loose his footing under the burden. On top of Isabel and Liz hanging from his neck, Tess was now clinging to his back like a monkey, laughing and kissing his cheek. When he finally reached the others and the girls released him, he remarked dryly, “Wow. Didn’t know I was so missed.”
Tess smacked his arm playfully before settling down beside Kyle. “You always are, doofus.”
The guys limited their expressions of joy to manly claps on their respective shoulders that made Maria wince in sympathy when she remembered his sore back.
Kyle watched his friend curiously. “Not that I’m not happy to see your ugly face,” he remarked, grinning, “but what are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay in Roswell?”
Michael shrugged. “Change of plans.”
“When did you arrive?”
Michael hesitated for a moment, looking at Maria. “Sometime last night.”
“Around one a.m.,” she clarified.
“Wait a minute.” Kyle held up his palm. “That means you were there when I came over and asked . . . Why didn’t you say anyth-” he stopped, frowning. “On second thought, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
Michael had come to stand behind Maria’s seat, one hand resting on her shoulder and playing with a strand of her hair, the other covering his mouth while he let out a huge yawn.
Now Maria leaned back against him, looking up at his face. “Michael, would you like some apple pancakes? I could make a fresh batch for you.”
He nodded. “Yes, thanks. But I need to take a shower first.”
“Alright,” she agreed and covered his hand on her shoulder with her own, squeezing lightly. “Afterwards, then.”
After downing the last drops of his coffee, Max interrupted them. “Hey Michael, what would you say about going on that hiking trip we talked about last time? Alex found a map that shows some really interesting trails around here. We could take some provisions and head right out after breakfast. Just you and me and Alex and Kyle.”
“Excuse me?” Liz looked at him, her tone indignant. “And what are we lowly women gonna do while you guys head out to conquer the wilderness? Collect mushrooms and berries, maybe?”
Before Max could make the mistake of suggesting she do just that, Michael barged in, saying in an effort to prevent a fight, “Not today, Max. Today I want to show Maria something.”
Isabel looked at him in amusement. “This is not a museum, Michael. It’s a forest.”
He just shrugged in answer.
“What are you going to show me?” Maria inquired, mortally curious. After his surprise arrival last night, she had not expected for him to have any specific plans for today.
One corner of his mouth twitched, but he controlled it and answered in a grave voice, “It’s a surprise.”
Her eyebrows went up at that, and she was turning around on her seat so that she was facing him, face upturned to watch his expression. “Really? Can’t you give me some kind of hint?”
“Nope,” he replied, but lost the fight to hold in the smirk. His white teeth glinted in the morning sunlight. “Since you’ve never been to Frazier Woods, you’re never gonna guess it, anyway. So all the hinting would be for nothing.”
“You could always just tell me.”
“And ruin the surprise? Never in a million years.”
She pouted. “You’re no fun.”
The grin widened when he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I am too fun. I’ll prove it to you as soon as we’re alone . . .”
“Ew, you two,” Maria heard Kyle’s voice behind her, followed by his muttered “Get a room!” when he removed himself to pester Tess.
Michael kissed her cheek, then straightened up and presented her with a breathtakingly beautiful smile that lit up his whole face before turning to the trail that led to the showers, ordering over his shoulder, “Pack up some food for us, baby, this trip is gonna take a while.”
*****
“So . . .” Alex looked around the deserted clearing, taking in the abandoned tents and the quiet trees surrounding them before turning back to Isabel sitting on one of the wooden benches beside him. “What are we gonna do now?” After breakfast, the three couples had quickly and separately taken off into the woods in search of some solitude from their friends, leaving him and Isabel by themselves.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Any suggestions?”
He eyed the pile of dirty plates and coffee cups, left over after their earlier meal. “Maybe we should start with doing the dishes before we make any other plans.”
Isabel sighed. “Right.” She began listlessly gathering the dishes to take them to the creek for rinsing.
Alex had to hide his smile at her barely concealed lack of enthusiasm when he hurried to give her a hand. “The others probably think that because they have their couple-y things to do, they can get out of mundane things like washing up,” he joked. “How rude of them to leave that to us poor, single people.”
She snorted softly in agreement.
Together, they carried their load the short way through the woods until they reached the little creek. The midmorning sun touched the running water with sparks of fire, lending the place an aura of indestructible cheerfulness. Quietly, they began working side by side.
While her hands were occupied with rinsing the dirty dishes in the creek, Isabel’s mind was free to wander back to Michael’s sudden arrival at the campground. She had certainly been delighted to see him and he had seemed cheerful enough, but she couldn’t help but wonder what had made him decide to come after all. The fact that he had declined to give even the briefest explanation raised all of her alarm bells, but sadly, she knew him well enough to realize that he wouldn’t come to her to seek help if he needed it.
She threw a covert glance at her friend, working quietly beside her. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Alex?”
He looked up, eyebrow arched in inquiry. “Yeah?”
“Do you think he’s happy?”
Perceptive as he was, he immediately caught on to the direction her thoughts had taken. “Who, Michael? Well, not all the time, obviously.” All of them knew that it was hard for him living like he did in Roswell. Alex looked at her, his grey eyes serious. “But right now, with him being here with Maria and us, he’s probably able to forget for a little while. It helps him deal.” After a pause, he quietly asked, “Do you still think it’s wrong for him to be with Maria?”
Isabel put down her towel, frowning when she sat back at the riverbank. “I never thought it was wrong, I just . . . it just happened really fast. He saw her that first day and BAM!” She clapped her hands to emphasize the word, drawing a smile from Alex, “She had him right then and there. Didn’t even have to lift a finger. It was so uncharacteristic for him, that’s all. I was afraid with that much power over him she’d be able to hurt him.”
He sat back next to her, hugging his knees and lifted his face into the warn sunshine. After a moment, he asked, “And are you still afraid of that?”
“No,” she answered without hesitation, thinking of the way Maria’s face lit up whenever she was around Michael. “She’s just as far gone.”
“She is,” he agreed, chuckling. In a more sober tone, he continued, “Maybe it’s just that he feels he can be himself around her without her judging him. He doesn’t have to pretend to be someone he’s not.”
She bristled at that. “He doesn’t have to pretend with us, either!”
He turned to face her, not the least bit offended by her tone. “No, but in a group of people as close as ours – any group that’s together for any length of time, really – there are always certain expectations. You automatically accept a role that best fits your personality, and you act accordingly. That’s just how people work. We need structure, we need to know what to expect from others, and we want others to know what to expect from us. In most cases, that’s a positive thing, because it gives us stability.” He broke off, a deceptively sweet smile lighting up his features as he went on, “Kyle’s the Clown, obviously. You’re the Princess,” she lightly slapped him with her towel, but he ignored her and resumed, “and Michael is the dark, untouchable loner that doesn’t need help from anyone. And once your role is established, it’s not easy to break out of it.”
She looked over the water thoughtfully. After a moment, she mused, “And he didn’t have that . . . role . . . with Maria, because she didn’t know us yet.”
He nodded like a proud teacher witnessing a student suddenly grasping a problem she’d been struggling with for a long time. “That’s right.”
She pondered that realization for a few minutes, absently pulling out blades of grass by the roots one by one. Finally, she turned her dark brown gaze to him, asking with a touch of teasing, “And what would your role be in this group?”
“Mine?” Alex laughed, surprised. He thought about it for a second before answering, “Well, how about ‘the voice of wisdom’? Or maybe just ‘the good friend’?”
She smiled warmly, watching him. “Yes, you’re definitely that.” Her heart skipped a beat when he looked directly into her eyes. She took a deep breath. Now or never, Isabel. Don’t be a baby. When she spoke, her voice quivered only slightly. “But . . . maybe you are not only that. Not to all of us.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She turned her body to face him completely, looking at him openly, not hiding anything. “I mean, Alex, that you are maybe a little more than a friend for me.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, looking like a child that was told, despite knowing better, that Santa Clause did exist after all. Highly skeptical, but wanting very badly to believe.
“Yes, of course!” she insisted. “I would never joke about something like this, Alex.”
“Right.” He nodded thoughtfully. “Well, that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
An impish grin appeared on his features when he winked at her. “Why you’ve been undressing me with your eyes all this time . . .”
She gasped, slapping him silly with her towel in outrage. “You wish!”
“Stop! Please!” He rolled away from her, hands held over his head in protection, trying to fend off her assault while laughing so hard he was barely able to speak. “Stop! Have mercy on me!”
She finally paused, her hand holding the towel poised threateningly above his head, the other braced next to his shoulder while she leaned over him where he rested in the grass. “Will you take it back?”
“Yes!” He giggled faintly, raising his hands in defeat. “I take it back.”
“Alright.” She let the towel sink, but remained where she was, her face a mere foot from his. “So, what do you think, Alex?”
“What do I think about what?”
She felt the exasperation rising again, along with the insecurity. “About what I just told you!” Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, Iz. He probably doesn’t feel the same, but is too polite to say it.
“Oh, that.” His eyes still glinted with hidden mirth.
“Yes, that.”
He smiled a bright smile and softly said, “I think that you’re maybe a little more than a friend for me, too.”
“Oh.”
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 15 - June 1, 2011
Jeanie: Hello there 
Another German, what a coincidence, lol. As long as you have no trouble understanding the fic, your english is just fine, don't worry about it.
Eve: Thank you! It's good for Michael to be away from home for a little while. It gives him a chance to relax a little. The same thing goes for the other characters. It's good to leave everything behind once in a while and just hang out with friends, isn't it?
Chapter Fifteen – Take me to the limit
Maria puffed heavily when her head finally emerged over the edge of the rock, looking around with wide eyes. “Wow! Michael, this is amazing! How did you find this place?” She took the hand he held out to her and pulled herself up the rest of the way until she was standing next to him.
“I stumbled upon it when I got lost in the woods,” he said, elaborating after noticing her raised eyebrow, “We were hiking and I made a bet with the guys that I could find a faster way back to the campground.”
The couple had hiked through the woods most of the morning, confidently led by Michael along narrow paths and through hidden passages until they had reached a tall stone wall, looming above them in the middle of the forest. Upon closer inspection, Maria had discovered that the stone wall in fact was part of a huge, cone-shaped rock that was sitting among the trees; a giant monolith, long since forgotten in its wooded hiding place. On one side, the craggy surface leveled off a little, and the stone there seemed somehow notched, forming a rough sequence of steps, leading to the top. It was impossible to tell if these steps were the result of a natural phenomenon, or the abandoned work of an ambitious sculptor.
They had made their way slowly to the top, Michael in the lead, carefully testing the ground for loose debris and trip hazards. The rock was, Maria estimated, ten to fifteen feet high, and she was a little embarrassed about just how out of breath she was when they reached the top. Michael however, like a mountain goat, didn’t seem at all affected with the physical exertion of climbing. On the contrary, he was looking at her proudly, hands on his hips, gauging her reaction, his face glowing with joy.
The top of the rock was completely flat, like it had been sawed cleanly off, creating a sun-filled, even surface the size of a small living room. The trees surrounding the rock were growing very close to the edge, hugging the rock, their crowns reaching over their heads in a circle of green.
Maria stepped closer to the edge, taking in the wall of leaves surrounding them in wonderment. “It’s like sitting in the trees . . .”
“Be careful!” Michael quickly came to stand behind her, hooking a finger in her belt loop to hold her back from the steep precipice. “I don’t want to have to tell your mom that I dropped you off a cliff.”
“She’d absolutely love that.” Maria snorted ironically, but took a small step back again, leaning against his front. “It kinda feels like flying, don’t you think? Like Peter Pan.” She turned her head to look at him with barely contained enthusiasm. “I can be Wendy Darling!”
His hands came to rest on her hips, and he looked down at her with a stern expression. “I absolutely refuse to let you compare me to some flying dude in green tights.”
She laughed at his put-on severe look. “You’re silly.”
“Maybe,” he allowed, shrugging slightly. One corner of his mouth turned up when he humored her, “And the others would be what? The Lost Boys?”
“Right.” Maria laughed out loud. “Except for Tess, she can be Tinker Bell. You know, because she’s small and . . . fairy-like.”
“And Liz would be Tiger Lilly, because of her brown hair.”
“And Isabel?”
“Don’t know,” he grunted, resting his chin on top of her head while he mused, “Too tall for a fairy, too fair for an Indian . . .”
“She could be the leader of the mermaids.”
“Or Captain Hook,” he remarked dryly.
Maria burst out laughing at his matter-of-fact tone, bending over and holding her stomach. Slowly, she turned around, letting out another snort of laughter when she saw his wide grin. “Oh, God, if she ever finds out we said that she is going to annihilate us!”
“Then we’d better not tell her,” he simply said, pulling her back into his arms.
“Right,” she agreed, still giggling faintly. “We’ll take it to the grave.” Slowly, she calmed down, resting her cheek against his strong chest, her arms coming around his waist to hug him. She could feel his hands moving up and down her back, leaving warm tingles in their wake, the heat of his skin even warmer than the sunbeams on her body. The trees around them were quietly rustling in the wind, always changing, and yet eternally the same.
She felt safe. In a low, dreamy voice, she murmured, “This reminds me of the tree house Sean and I had when we were little children.”
His arms tightened around her, and he made a small, interrogative sound in his throat. “You had a tree house?” he asked softly. “I thought you were living in Albuquerque?”
“We did. Mom and me, that is. Sean and his parents lived in a small suburban town a short distance away. They had a house and a large, overgrown garden with these huge, ancient trees. It was almost like a private forest. My uncle Dave, Sean’s dad, built the tree house for us. We would always go hide and play there when I visited them. It was our fortress. I was the princess and he was taking turns playing the villain, holding me hostage, and the gallant knight, rescuing me.” She smiled at the memory. “It was a little schizophrenic.”
His faint laughter ghosted across her skin. “And you never played anything other than the damsel in distress?”
Her smile widened, and she drew back slightly to look at him. “Damsel in distress, my ass. I was a very spunky princess. Sean always used to get kind of offended when I managed to free myself from his ‘prison’, which was in fact a very large tree hole.”
“Sounds like a lot of fun,” he said with a small smile.
“It was,” she agreed. Her smile turned sad at the thought that this kind of childhood joy was now barred to her forever.
He watched her earnestly for a moment then asked quietly, “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” she said, and then shocked herself when she suddenly burst into a flood of tears. She slumped against him, shaking with the sobs, clinging to him for dear life when the emotions she had tried so long to hide from him finally broke free.
He pulled her close, letting her sob into his neck, giving her comfort with his body. He murmured small, inconsequential things into her ear, calming her with his voice while his arms held her tightly as she cried. After a few minutes, when she had calmed down a little and the violent sobs had subsided, he cradled her head against his chest, softly saying, “I’m so sorry, baby.”
She only burrowed closer into him, taking comfort from his warmth.
“How did it happen?” he asked.
She swallowed hard against the thickness in her throat. “He was shot in an armed attack last fall.”
“Was that the reason you and your mom moved here?”
“Well . . .” She sniffled a little, wiping her eyes. “There were a few other things, but ultimately . . . Yes.” Only then she became aware of the large, wet spot on his shirt where her tears had soaked into the fabric. Her eyes widened in dismay. “Look at that, I cried all over you! I’m sorry.” She tried to blot up the moisture with her sleeve, frantically wiping at the neck of his shirt.
“I don’t mind.” He reached up and stilled her hand. Then he gently grabbed her chin, tilting her face up and asking, “Wanna sit down?”
She nodded, suddenly feeling wobbly around the knee joints.
He left her for a moment to spread out a blanket then he led her over to it and helped her to get comfortable. After she had sat down, he lowered himself beside her, zipping open her jacket and pulling it off. The day was warm enough that she didn’t freeze in her t-shirt. On the contrary, the warm sunshine on her skin soothed her, stroking her exposed skin.
Michael wordlessly bent to rummage around in his backpack and first came up with a package of tissues that he handed her, then with a bottle of water which he made her take small sips from. He did all this silently, stroking her with gentle touches, taking care of her as if it was the most natural thing for him.
After a few minutes, she had regained her composure sufficiently enough to be able to face him. She put away the bottle and made an effort to smile at him. “You’re very good with taking care of people.”
He didn’t return the smile, just watched her. “No. Just with you.”
And just like that, it didn’t take much of an effort to smile anymore. She touched his cheek, softy saying, “Thank you.” A sudden needle-sharp sting in her forehead made her grimace. Why is it you always have to get a nasty headache when you cry? As if you don’t feel bad enough as it is.
“Headache?” Michael asked, still watching her, frowning.
She waved his concern away with a dismissive gesture. “Just a little. I’m sure it won’t last long.”
“Lie down,” he ordered, allowing no argument, making her settle down with her head in his lap.
“What are you up to?” she inquired, looking up at him, squinting against the blinding bright sunlight.
“Close your eyes and shut up.”
She made a face at him, but complied, relaxing when she felt his hands on her face. His fingers lightly skimmed across her face for a moment, mapping her features. Chin and lips, cheeks and nose. Then he laid the pads of both fore- and middle finger of each hand above the hollow of her eyes, pressing upwards just below her eyebrows, slowly stroking outward towards her temples. He repeated the move.
Maria moaned softly when the pain increased at the pressure, but relaxed when she felt the headache recede after only few moments. “Hmmmm,” she purred. “Where did you learn to do that?”
His hands moved to draw small circles on her forehead with the pads of his thumbs. “Tess had a sudden – and thankfully brief – interest in Chinese massage last year. She made me her guinea pig after Kyle had conveniently fled for football camp.”
She sighed in pleasure at his touch. “I’m gonna have to thank her for that.”
“God, no!” he emitted in mock fear. “If you do that, she’s gonna be unbearable. I can practically hear her ‘I told you so’ already.”
She grinned at that, keeping her eyes closed. “Oh, suck it up,” she told him.
*****
Liz moodily trudged through another one of a seemingly endless chain of pine groves, following Max’ back, careful not to stumble over the roots and branches on the forest floor. A bug buzzed around her head, drawn by the scent of the sweat that was running freely down her face as a result of the unaccustomed exertion, and she angrily slapped it away.
“Max? Are we there, yet?” she asked with a distinct edge to her voice. When he had suggested going on a “little hike” earlier, she had certainly not expected an hour long trip through the underbrush, away from anything resembling a path. I didn’t sign up for this, she thought morosely, absently scratching the back of her hand. Since their departure, the temperature had steadily risen, making her sweat uncomfortably under her too thick clothing. Everything itched, and her feet felt like they were standing in pools of water in her boots. The thought of what it would be like to take them off again in the evening made her grimace.
She looked up, and a jolt of fear ran through her when she didn’t immediately detect his red jacket in front of her. “Max!” She hurried forward, accidentally stepping into one of the few remaining puddles and rushing around a huge boulder that was blocking her path where she ran smack into Max’ back. “There you are!” she exclaimed, her tone holding a touch of accusation. “You scared me!”
“You scared yourself.” He grinned unrepentantly. “Just because you were too busy nagging about the heat and the bugs and the branches that kept hitting you in the face . . .”
She gave his ass a hefty pinch in retaliation, drawing satisfaction from the small yelp he emitted. “I don’t nag.”
He glowered at her, and she almost laughed out loud at his affronted scowl. “Anyway, if you had paid attention to where I was going, you wouldn’t have lost me,” he stated.
“Forgive me that I was trying not to break my ankles by stepping around all of those homicidal wells,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “How much further is it?”
His expression softened. “We’re there.” He took her hand and led her around a thicket onto a small clearing.
The trees had given room to a large meadow, patches of fresh, green grass accentuated by islands of the first spring flowers. Blue and white and yellow and red and violet, all mingled together in a sea of color. In the distance, the gurgle of running water could be heard.
“Oh, Max!” Liz clapped her hands to her heart in delight, all her anger forgotten upon the sight of the perfect idyll in front of her eyes.
“Do you like it?” he asked, watching her with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Yes, of course!” she walked further into the clearing. “It’s so pretty! And there even is a little creek! Just like the one by the camp!”
“Actually, that’s the same one. The guys and I followed it one time when we were spending a weekend here and stumbled upon this place.”
“Do you think there are wild strawberries around here?”
“In spring?!” He looked at her as if was seriously doubting her intelligence. “Really, Liz, which one of us is the science whiz?”
“Haha.” She gave a humorless snort, rolling her eyes. “I meant the plants, so we can come back in the summer and eat wild strawberries.”
“Oh, right . . .” He scratched his head, aimlessly looking around the meadow. “Um, what do they look like?”
She laughed. “Forget it. We can look for them later.” She let her backpack sink to the ground with a groan. Even a blanket and a little food can get heavy after a while, she thought when she opened the zipper and pulled out colorful quilt she had packed for their picnic.
Max quickly gave her a hand in spreading the blanket on the soft grass, and soon the both of them were lying next to each other in the middle of the clearing, looking up at the clear, blue sky.
Liz turned her head and smiled at him, watching the warm breeze ruffle his hair. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead and a few strands of his hair clung to his temples with the moisture.
He smiled back and took her hand, squeezing gently. “Are you happy right now?” he asked in a soft voice.
She nodded. “You?”
His smile widened when he answered. “Hm-mm, yeah.”
Liz watched him. It was obvious that he was much more relaxed and carefree since the morning, and she knew him well enough to know the reason for it. “You’re glad that Michael is away from there, aren’t you?”
A shadow moved over his features, making the smile disappear. “Yes . . . but for how long, Liz? A couple of days and then he goes back?” His mouth tightened. “God, I hate that he won’t let me help . . .”
“You know how he is, Max,” she soothed. “There’s nothing we can do. Maybe he will let Maria in when it gets bad.”
“Maybe.” But he didn’t really sound like he believed it.
She sighed, looking up at a single, fleecy cloud wafting across the sky above them in a lazy flow like it didn’t know that rain clouds even existed. “What do you think they are doing right now?”
*****
Maria lay on outstretched on the blanket, watching Michael’s face as he slept. After the massage, they had unpacked their sandwiches and hungrily torn into their provisions. Being out in the fresh air and hiking really worked up a good appetite and Maria had polished off her food all the way to the last crumb. After lunch, they had lain down and talked a little until Maria had noticed Michael’s eyelids begin to droop. She had stopped talking and waited with rapt attention until he succumbed to sleep mere moments later.
The sun was standing directly above them, shining down on their heads. She briefly wondered if she should cover his skin to protect him from sunburn, but decided against it. To his great annoyance, she had coerced him to use sunscreen lotion earlier, forcefully anointing his arms and face before submitting herself to the same treatment. Combined with the light tan his skin had already obtained in the sun, it would suffice.
It was a wonderfully peaceful place, she mused; high above the ground, yet still not exposed due to the tight ring of trees around them.
Maria seized the opportunity and surveyed his motionless body, mentally congratulating herself that she was able to keep the ogling to a minimum. He lay sprawled on his back, one arm bent to cushion his head, completely at ease in sleep. She admired the long, elegant bones of his body, the smooth, flat muscles of his chest and belly outlined beneath the thin cotton of his shirt. Her gaze wandered upwards, taking in the wild hair, and his relaxed face. His eyelashes threw long shadows on his cheeks and his mouth was hanging slightly open.
Just as she was immersed in her observation, a butterfly descended and landed on his right eyebrow, lazily batting its wings.
She chuckled soundlessly. “You, my sweet lad, look exceptionally pretty like that,” she told his sleeping face.
“I do?” he said drowsily, opening one eye a fraction on an inch. He startled at the shadow of the butterfly, causing the little insect to take off in search of a more suitable landing place.
“Oh.” She smiled gently. “I didn’t know you were awake.”
He sleepily rubbed his face. “How long was I asleep?”
“Only for about half an hour.”
“Oh.” He looked a bit sheepish at that, but smiled wryly. “Well, what did you expect? I’m a guy. Give us a full belly and a blanket on a rock and we snooze off in record time.”
She grinned, rolling over to lie on her stomach, resting her chin on her crossed arms. “That doesn’t only work with food, you know? You were falling asleep pretty quickly last night.” She looked up at him, suddenly shy. “You know, after I . . .”
He blushed when he caught her meaning, scratching his brow in embarrassment. “Oh, right. That works, too, I guess.” He looked at her intently, and, after a moment’s hesitation, asked, “You don’t regret doing it, do you?”
She blushed at the memory, focused on drawing patterns on the blanket before her with her forefinger. “What would you do if I did?” She didn’t, but she was curious.
He was silent for a moment, considering. Then he let out a frustrated sigh, turning around to lie on his stomach next to her, mimicking her pose. His face was very close to hers when he answered. “Hell, I don’t know! I’d hate it if I did anything to make you feel uncomfortable around me. I meant what I said last night, you know?” He nudged her elbow lightly, making her look into his eyes. “That I was afraid we’re moving too fast with the . . . physical stuff. I mean,” he hastily continued when he saw her expression, “I’m glad that you didn’t leave me a choice there, because, truth be told, that was totally awesome, but I’d rather you’d kicked me out of the tent than have you have any regrets about it now.”
Maria took a deep breath. Her initial embarrassment faded in the wake of his honest speech. And she knew she owed him that as well. Honesty. She brought her face closer to his. “I don’t regret anything we did, Michael. And you have yet to do a single thing to make me feel uncomfortable around you. Irritated, yes, but not uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” he breathed, his eyes locked on her lips, mere inches from his.
She gently shoved his shoulder to make him roll over onto his back. She followed, lying on his chest and closed the distance between their lips. “And you?” she asked against his mouth.
“And I?” he echoed, craning his neck to bring their lips into full contact.
She evaded his move, pushing him back down on the blanket, laughing lightly. “Any doubts or regrets?”
“How could I ever regret anything like this?”
“That’s good,” she said, satisfied, and finally bent to kiss him. Like usual, she marveled at the feel of his soft, sensual lips moving beneath hers. There could never be another man that could make her heart beat out of control like this. He was truly unique. “Michael?” she asked when they paused to regain their breath.
“Hm?” He was wearing that dazed expression that told her he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying.
Her eyes narrowed in speculation, but she kept her voice light and unthreatening so as not to alert him to the fact that she was on an agenda. “Can I ask you a question?” Her fingertips lightly trailed down his torso, distracting him further.
His eyes followed the movement of her hand. “Yes.”
“And will you answer?” Her hand reached the waistband of his jeans, lightly plucking at the fabric.
“Yes.”
Her hand flattened against his stomach, and she looked at him in all seriousness. “Will you tell me about the fight between your mom and Hank?”
He raised his gaze from her hand to her face, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he spoke. “You tricked me!” he accused, his brow puckered in indignation.
Ignoring his outrage, she prodded, “Will you?”
He sat up and emitted a defeated groan. “Yes, but I’ll get back at you for that,” he told her, adding a muttered “Tease . . .” under his breath when he got into a comfortable position to begin his tale. “There really isn’t that much to tell. It was some time after you and me talked on the phone. I was out in the backyard working on my bike, when suddenly there was a loud crash from within the house, which usually means at least one of them is awake.” Meaning either Sandra or Hank, Maria added in her mind while she listened intently.
He had quickly abandoned his motorcycle and gone inside to check on his mother and Hank. They had been up late again the past night, drinking and arguing until the wee hours of the morning, so Michael wasn’t at all surprised that neither of them was up yet at three o’clock in the afternoon.
“So I went in to see what was causing all that racket,” he said, shrugging.
When he had placed his hand on the door knob and another loud crash sounded from within, followed by a piercing shriek from his mother, Michael had wasted no time rushing into the house, prepared to fight. He had found both of them in the living room, facing each other.
“The place was totally trashed,” he said, eyes unfocused when he recalled the scene. “The couch was turned over, and the cushions lay everywhere. Hank was standing there, in the middle of the room, holding my old baseball bat. The one I got from my aunt Esther when I was little. And as I was looking on, he just raised his arm, and smashed the bat right into the screen of our TV.”
His mother had caught sight of him standing in the doorway then, and promptly fled into her bedroom. Michael, shocked about what he had just witnessed, rushed forward to wrestle the baseball bat from Hanks grasp, his only concern to get the weapon away from the other man. Hank hadn’t fought him, though, had only stared at him with glazed eyes as if seeing him for the first time.
Michael looked at Maria then, his face a little paler than before, speaking with a quiet voice. “It was drugs. He looked strange, somehow. More than usual. I threw him out and told him to stay the hell away from our home.”
He had slammed the door in the other man’s face and turned to go find his mother to see if she was okay. She was in her bedroom, frantically throwing random articles of clothing into a bag. The place was in shambles, and the woman standing beside him almost hysterical. He had tried to extract information from her while at the same time doing his best to calm her down a little, confused and scared about her agitated state.
“She wouldn’t tell me much,” he confessed. “Only repeated over and over that she wanted to go visit Esther. I think it was about money. The fight, I mean. I asked her if he had hurt her, but she said no, and I didn’t see any marks on her. I called my aunt and asked if it was okay to send her there for a few days. She said yes, of course. And then I drove Mom to the train station, put her in the train to Santa Fe and waited for my aunt to call and tell me that she had arrived well. And that’s all.” He was staring at the ground, hugging his knees.
“Oh, baby . . .” She put her arms around his stiff shoulders, trying to give him some comfort through the embrace.
“No, don’t . . .” He hunched his shoulders, pulling away. “Just . . . don’t. I’m fine.”
She let him go, respecting his need for space, though he obviously wasn’t fine. “Have you talked to the police?”
He shook his head.
“Are you going to?”
He shrugged, avoiding her eye. “I don’t know, yet.”
“Michael, you can’t just let it go!” she urged. “That man is obviously dangerous. He could’ve seriously hurt you or your mother. He trashed your house! You need to go talk to the sheriff.”
“Alright!” he exclaimed, jerking his head unwillingly. “Just . . . let me talk to my mom first, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. “But you have to promise that you are going to call her as soon as we get back.”
“I promise,” he huffed with an annoyed roll of his eyes that would normally have made her slap him.
She bit back the rebuke. “And then we’ll figure out how to go on from there.”
His eyebrow raised when he looked at her. “We?”
Maria threw her hands up in exasperation. “I’m not letting you do this alone, Michael. Get used to it!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said dryly.
*****
Tess furiously ripped at another branch that had caught in her wild hair, causing it to painfully yank at her scalp. “Kyle!” she shouted, fuming. “I’m not going a single step further unless you tell me where we’re going!” They had been wandering around the forest for hours, and she was getting the unsettling feeling that Kyle was by now as lost as she was, though he had repeatedly claimed to know exactly where they were and, more importantly, where they were headed.
He came back and quickly freed her from the unwelcome embrace of the young oak. “Chill! We’re almost there!”
“We’re almost where?”
He grinned proudly and pushed aside a few more branches, pulling her through to the other side of a large clump of bushes with a grand gesture. “Here. Ta-da!”
She lifted one eyebrow skeptically, taking in her surroundings. “The parking lot?”
Kyle stood beside her, scratching his head in confusion while staring at the gravel lot whose two only inhabitants still were the convertible and the grey Toyota.
She watched his obvious bafflement, dryly asking, “I suppose this isn’t where you were headed?” Because if it was, she would have to seriously punish him for leading her around the woods for hours, just to get to a place that was only a few minutes’ walk away from the camp.
“Well . . . no,” he admitted. “I actually wanted to take you to this really cool, little lake with this amazing waterfall and the . . .” He trailed off when he got a good view on her expression.
She impatiently braced her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. “Well, where is it?”
“Uh . . . I don’t know exactly.”
“Brilliant!” she exclaimed. “Kyle, just so you know, I’m this close to hurting you!” She stepped closer to him threateningly, working up a good rage. “What are we gonna do now, huh?”
He actually backed off in the face of her fury, taking in her red face and stiff posture. And then he said the only thing he could think of that would maybe save his ass. “Wanna go shopping?”
Her face lit up like a candle. “Sure.” She turned on her heel, stomping over to the cars.
Kyle followed her, sending a quick, but heartfelt prayer of thanks up to the powers that be, grateful for the stroke of genius that had made him pocket his car keys in the morning.
Her voice reached him when she climbed onto the shotgun seat of the convertible, not bothering with the door. “I hope at least Michael knows how to get wherever it is he wants to go and doesn’t lead Maria around in circles in those creepy woods.”
“Oh, I think he does,” he said, climbing behind the steering wheel beside her.
“You know where they are headed?”
“More or less.” He shrugged, turning the key and starting the engine. “It’s pretty far out, though.”
“Hopefully they’ll be back by nightfall, then.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” He grinned mischievously, relieved to be in her good graces again. “I’ve got means to contact them.”
“What means?” She looked at him with raised eyebrows when he pulled out of the parking lot. “Kyle? Oh, no, you didn’t use that thing, did you?”
Her unbelieving stare made him chuckle gleefully in his seat.
“The one you bought last week?” she asked, adding in a sing-song voice, “Michael will be pissed.”
“It won’t be so bad,” he appeased, still grinning. “He’ll have the whole way back to cool off.”
“If you say so.”
*****
Maria and Michael had long since left the grave topics behind and addressed themselves to much more important matters.
The sun had moved across the sky in the course of the afternoon, and they had moved with it, changing location on their rock to avoid the spreading shadows. Now, late in the day, there was only a small sickle-shaped spot of sunlight left, barely enough for one person; everything else lay in shadows. To make the best of the available sunlight, Maria was lying on top of Michael, enjoying the last warming beams on her back. Their legs already lay in shadow, but she forgot to care, because she had other, more pressing, matters on her mind.
“Hmmm, Michael,” she sighed when he nibbled on her bottom lip, his hands moving down over her body to cup her bottom. The way she lay sprawled on top of him, she could feel every inch of his body through their clothes, and she absolutely loved it.
Michael’s palms came up and slipped under the fabric of her shirt, pushing up the hem, rough pads grazing her sensitive skin. “Think we could maybe get rid of that?” he asked, placing little kisses on her chin and cheek while he slowly pulled up her shirt in the back.
She smirked down on him. “Well, you-”
“Michael?”
Maria and Michael froze, just looking at each other, dumb-founded for a second when the tinny voice resounded once again.
“Michael! Come in, please!”
Michael’s eyes narrowed, and he pushed Maria off of him and sat up to begin digging through his backpack. After he came up empty-handed, he scratched his eyebrow in thought for a moment. Then, with sudden inspiration, seized the bag and zipped open the small side pocket and pulled out a rectangular, black object, looking like a cheap, outdated cell phone. Michael rolled an eye at Maria and pushed down the button before he spoke, his voice laced with annoyance. “Kyle?”
“Yeah? Over.”
“There is a walkie-talkie in my backpack. Any idea how that happened?”
“I put it there. It’s cool, isn’t it?” After a second, he obviously realized that he forgot something vital, for he hurriedly added, “Over.”
Michael covered his eyes with his hand. “Was there something you wanted, Kyle? Or did you just randomly decide to interrupt me and Maria at the most inconvenient time?”
“Actually I wanted to tell you to get your asses back here. It’s getting late and we – that is me and Alex and Max – want to go fishing for dinner.”
“And you need me for what exactly?”
“Aw, come on, Guerin, tell me you’re not dying to brag it up a little in front of your girlfriend with your hunting skills,” Kyle said, somehow managing to insert a wink into his voice.
Maria reached over Michael’s shoulder, snatching the little device out of his hand. She pressed the speaking button and, ignoring Michael’s scowl, said, “We’re coming back, Kyle. See you in a bit.”
“Awesome. Uh, I mean, over and out.”
Michael, with an unbelieving stare in her direction, took back the walkie-talkie, muttering under his breath, “Yeah, over and out yourself, you little-”
“Come on, Michael,” she interrupted him, laughingly getting to her feet. She stretched, pretending not to notice his interested look when her shirt rode up a little on her stomach. “Maybe I’ll let you take off my shirt later . . .”
His expression lightened instantly. “Really?”
~TBC
Another German, what a coincidence, lol. As long as you have no trouble understanding the fic, your english is just fine, don't worry about it. Eve: Thank you! It's good for Michael to be away from home for a little while. It gives him a chance to relax a little. The same thing goes for the other characters. It's good to leave everything behind once in a while and just hang out with friends, isn't it?
Chapter Fifteen – Take me to the limit
Maria puffed heavily when her head finally emerged over the edge of the rock, looking around with wide eyes. “Wow! Michael, this is amazing! How did you find this place?” She took the hand he held out to her and pulled herself up the rest of the way until she was standing next to him.
“I stumbled upon it when I got lost in the woods,” he said, elaborating after noticing her raised eyebrow, “We were hiking and I made a bet with the guys that I could find a faster way back to the campground.”
The couple had hiked through the woods most of the morning, confidently led by Michael along narrow paths and through hidden passages until they had reached a tall stone wall, looming above them in the middle of the forest. Upon closer inspection, Maria had discovered that the stone wall in fact was part of a huge, cone-shaped rock that was sitting among the trees; a giant monolith, long since forgotten in its wooded hiding place. On one side, the craggy surface leveled off a little, and the stone there seemed somehow notched, forming a rough sequence of steps, leading to the top. It was impossible to tell if these steps were the result of a natural phenomenon, or the abandoned work of an ambitious sculptor.
They had made their way slowly to the top, Michael in the lead, carefully testing the ground for loose debris and trip hazards. The rock was, Maria estimated, ten to fifteen feet high, and she was a little embarrassed about just how out of breath she was when they reached the top. Michael however, like a mountain goat, didn’t seem at all affected with the physical exertion of climbing. On the contrary, he was looking at her proudly, hands on his hips, gauging her reaction, his face glowing with joy.
The top of the rock was completely flat, like it had been sawed cleanly off, creating a sun-filled, even surface the size of a small living room. The trees surrounding the rock were growing very close to the edge, hugging the rock, their crowns reaching over their heads in a circle of green.
Maria stepped closer to the edge, taking in the wall of leaves surrounding them in wonderment. “It’s like sitting in the trees . . .”
“Be careful!” Michael quickly came to stand behind her, hooking a finger in her belt loop to hold her back from the steep precipice. “I don’t want to have to tell your mom that I dropped you off a cliff.”
“She’d absolutely love that.” Maria snorted ironically, but took a small step back again, leaning against his front. “It kinda feels like flying, don’t you think? Like Peter Pan.” She turned her head to look at him with barely contained enthusiasm. “I can be Wendy Darling!”
His hands came to rest on her hips, and he looked down at her with a stern expression. “I absolutely refuse to let you compare me to some flying dude in green tights.”
She laughed at his put-on severe look. “You’re silly.”
“Maybe,” he allowed, shrugging slightly. One corner of his mouth turned up when he humored her, “And the others would be what? The Lost Boys?”
“Right.” Maria laughed out loud. “Except for Tess, she can be Tinker Bell. You know, because she’s small and . . . fairy-like.”
“And Liz would be Tiger Lilly, because of her brown hair.”
“And Isabel?”
“Don’t know,” he grunted, resting his chin on top of her head while he mused, “Too tall for a fairy, too fair for an Indian . . .”
“She could be the leader of the mermaids.”
“Or Captain Hook,” he remarked dryly.
Maria burst out laughing at his matter-of-fact tone, bending over and holding her stomach. Slowly, she turned around, letting out another snort of laughter when she saw his wide grin. “Oh, God, if she ever finds out we said that she is going to annihilate us!”
“Then we’d better not tell her,” he simply said, pulling her back into his arms.
“Right,” she agreed, still giggling faintly. “We’ll take it to the grave.” Slowly, she calmed down, resting her cheek against his strong chest, her arms coming around his waist to hug him. She could feel his hands moving up and down her back, leaving warm tingles in their wake, the heat of his skin even warmer than the sunbeams on her body. The trees around them were quietly rustling in the wind, always changing, and yet eternally the same.
She felt safe. In a low, dreamy voice, she murmured, “This reminds me of the tree house Sean and I had when we were little children.”
His arms tightened around her, and he made a small, interrogative sound in his throat. “You had a tree house?” he asked softly. “I thought you were living in Albuquerque?”
“We did. Mom and me, that is. Sean and his parents lived in a small suburban town a short distance away. They had a house and a large, overgrown garden with these huge, ancient trees. It was almost like a private forest. My uncle Dave, Sean’s dad, built the tree house for us. We would always go hide and play there when I visited them. It was our fortress. I was the princess and he was taking turns playing the villain, holding me hostage, and the gallant knight, rescuing me.” She smiled at the memory. “It was a little schizophrenic.”
His faint laughter ghosted across her skin. “And you never played anything other than the damsel in distress?”
Her smile widened, and she drew back slightly to look at him. “Damsel in distress, my ass. I was a very spunky princess. Sean always used to get kind of offended when I managed to free myself from his ‘prison’, which was in fact a very large tree hole.”
“Sounds like a lot of fun,” he said with a small smile.
“It was,” she agreed. Her smile turned sad at the thought that this kind of childhood joy was now barred to her forever.
He watched her earnestly for a moment then asked quietly, “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” she said, and then shocked herself when she suddenly burst into a flood of tears. She slumped against him, shaking with the sobs, clinging to him for dear life when the emotions she had tried so long to hide from him finally broke free.
He pulled her close, letting her sob into his neck, giving her comfort with his body. He murmured small, inconsequential things into her ear, calming her with his voice while his arms held her tightly as she cried. After a few minutes, when she had calmed down a little and the violent sobs had subsided, he cradled her head against his chest, softly saying, “I’m so sorry, baby.”
She only burrowed closer into him, taking comfort from his warmth.
“How did it happen?” he asked.
She swallowed hard against the thickness in her throat. “He was shot in an armed attack last fall.”
“Was that the reason you and your mom moved here?”
“Well . . .” She sniffled a little, wiping her eyes. “There were a few other things, but ultimately . . . Yes.” Only then she became aware of the large, wet spot on his shirt where her tears had soaked into the fabric. Her eyes widened in dismay. “Look at that, I cried all over you! I’m sorry.” She tried to blot up the moisture with her sleeve, frantically wiping at the neck of his shirt.
“I don’t mind.” He reached up and stilled her hand. Then he gently grabbed her chin, tilting her face up and asking, “Wanna sit down?”
She nodded, suddenly feeling wobbly around the knee joints.
He left her for a moment to spread out a blanket then he led her over to it and helped her to get comfortable. After she had sat down, he lowered himself beside her, zipping open her jacket and pulling it off. The day was warm enough that she didn’t freeze in her t-shirt. On the contrary, the warm sunshine on her skin soothed her, stroking her exposed skin.
Michael wordlessly bent to rummage around in his backpack and first came up with a package of tissues that he handed her, then with a bottle of water which he made her take small sips from. He did all this silently, stroking her with gentle touches, taking care of her as if it was the most natural thing for him.
After a few minutes, she had regained her composure sufficiently enough to be able to face him. She put away the bottle and made an effort to smile at him. “You’re very good with taking care of people.”
He didn’t return the smile, just watched her. “No. Just with you.”
And just like that, it didn’t take much of an effort to smile anymore. She touched his cheek, softy saying, “Thank you.” A sudden needle-sharp sting in her forehead made her grimace. Why is it you always have to get a nasty headache when you cry? As if you don’t feel bad enough as it is.
“Headache?” Michael asked, still watching her, frowning.
She waved his concern away with a dismissive gesture. “Just a little. I’m sure it won’t last long.”
“Lie down,” he ordered, allowing no argument, making her settle down with her head in his lap.
“What are you up to?” she inquired, looking up at him, squinting against the blinding bright sunlight.
“Close your eyes and shut up.”
She made a face at him, but complied, relaxing when she felt his hands on her face. His fingers lightly skimmed across her face for a moment, mapping her features. Chin and lips, cheeks and nose. Then he laid the pads of both fore- and middle finger of each hand above the hollow of her eyes, pressing upwards just below her eyebrows, slowly stroking outward towards her temples. He repeated the move.
Maria moaned softly when the pain increased at the pressure, but relaxed when she felt the headache recede after only few moments. “Hmmmm,” she purred. “Where did you learn to do that?”
His hands moved to draw small circles on her forehead with the pads of his thumbs. “Tess had a sudden – and thankfully brief – interest in Chinese massage last year. She made me her guinea pig after Kyle had conveniently fled for football camp.”
She sighed in pleasure at his touch. “I’m gonna have to thank her for that.”
“God, no!” he emitted in mock fear. “If you do that, she’s gonna be unbearable. I can practically hear her ‘I told you so’ already.”
She grinned at that, keeping her eyes closed. “Oh, suck it up,” she told him.
*****
Liz moodily trudged through another one of a seemingly endless chain of pine groves, following Max’ back, careful not to stumble over the roots and branches on the forest floor. A bug buzzed around her head, drawn by the scent of the sweat that was running freely down her face as a result of the unaccustomed exertion, and she angrily slapped it away.
“Max? Are we there, yet?” she asked with a distinct edge to her voice. When he had suggested going on a “little hike” earlier, she had certainly not expected an hour long trip through the underbrush, away from anything resembling a path. I didn’t sign up for this, she thought morosely, absently scratching the back of her hand. Since their departure, the temperature had steadily risen, making her sweat uncomfortably under her too thick clothing. Everything itched, and her feet felt like they were standing in pools of water in her boots. The thought of what it would be like to take them off again in the evening made her grimace.
She looked up, and a jolt of fear ran through her when she didn’t immediately detect his red jacket in front of her. “Max!” She hurried forward, accidentally stepping into one of the few remaining puddles and rushing around a huge boulder that was blocking her path where she ran smack into Max’ back. “There you are!” she exclaimed, her tone holding a touch of accusation. “You scared me!”
“You scared yourself.” He grinned unrepentantly. “Just because you were too busy nagging about the heat and the bugs and the branches that kept hitting you in the face . . .”
She gave his ass a hefty pinch in retaliation, drawing satisfaction from the small yelp he emitted. “I don’t nag.”
He glowered at her, and she almost laughed out loud at his affronted scowl. “Anyway, if you had paid attention to where I was going, you wouldn’t have lost me,” he stated.
“Forgive me that I was trying not to break my ankles by stepping around all of those homicidal wells,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “How much further is it?”
His expression softened. “We’re there.” He took her hand and led her around a thicket onto a small clearing.
The trees had given room to a large meadow, patches of fresh, green grass accentuated by islands of the first spring flowers. Blue and white and yellow and red and violet, all mingled together in a sea of color. In the distance, the gurgle of running water could be heard.
“Oh, Max!” Liz clapped her hands to her heart in delight, all her anger forgotten upon the sight of the perfect idyll in front of her eyes.
“Do you like it?” he asked, watching her with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Yes, of course!” she walked further into the clearing. “It’s so pretty! And there even is a little creek! Just like the one by the camp!”
“Actually, that’s the same one. The guys and I followed it one time when we were spending a weekend here and stumbled upon this place.”
“Do you think there are wild strawberries around here?”
“In spring?!” He looked at her as if was seriously doubting her intelligence. “Really, Liz, which one of us is the science whiz?”
“Haha.” She gave a humorless snort, rolling her eyes. “I meant the plants, so we can come back in the summer and eat wild strawberries.”
“Oh, right . . .” He scratched his head, aimlessly looking around the meadow. “Um, what do they look like?”
She laughed. “Forget it. We can look for them later.” She let her backpack sink to the ground with a groan. Even a blanket and a little food can get heavy after a while, she thought when she opened the zipper and pulled out colorful quilt she had packed for their picnic.
Max quickly gave her a hand in spreading the blanket on the soft grass, and soon the both of them were lying next to each other in the middle of the clearing, looking up at the clear, blue sky.
Liz turned her head and smiled at him, watching the warm breeze ruffle his hair. A drop of sweat ran down his forehead and a few strands of his hair clung to his temples with the moisture.
He smiled back and took her hand, squeezing gently. “Are you happy right now?” he asked in a soft voice.
She nodded. “You?”
His smile widened when he answered. “Hm-mm, yeah.”
Liz watched him. It was obvious that he was much more relaxed and carefree since the morning, and she knew him well enough to know the reason for it. “You’re glad that Michael is away from there, aren’t you?”
A shadow moved over his features, making the smile disappear. “Yes . . . but for how long, Liz? A couple of days and then he goes back?” His mouth tightened. “God, I hate that he won’t let me help . . .”
“You know how he is, Max,” she soothed. “There’s nothing we can do. Maybe he will let Maria in when it gets bad.”
“Maybe.” But he didn’t really sound like he believed it.
She sighed, looking up at a single, fleecy cloud wafting across the sky above them in a lazy flow like it didn’t know that rain clouds even existed. “What do you think they are doing right now?”
*****
Maria lay on outstretched on the blanket, watching Michael’s face as he slept. After the massage, they had unpacked their sandwiches and hungrily torn into their provisions. Being out in the fresh air and hiking really worked up a good appetite and Maria had polished off her food all the way to the last crumb. After lunch, they had lain down and talked a little until Maria had noticed Michael’s eyelids begin to droop. She had stopped talking and waited with rapt attention until he succumbed to sleep mere moments later.
The sun was standing directly above them, shining down on their heads. She briefly wondered if she should cover his skin to protect him from sunburn, but decided against it. To his great annoyance, she had coerced him to use sunscreen lotion earlier, forcefully anointing his arms and face before submitting herself to the same treatment. Combined with the light tan his skin had already obtained in the sun, it would suffice.
It was a wonderfully peaceful place, she mused; high above the ground, yet still not exposed due to the tight ring of trees around them.
Maria seized the opportunity and surveyed his motionless body, mentally congratulating herself that she was able to keep the ogling to a minimum. He lay sprawled on his back, one arm bent to cushion his head, completely at ease in sleep. She admired the long, elegant bones of his body, the smooth, flat muscles of his chest and belly outlined beneath the thin cotton of his shirt. Her gaze wandered upwards, taking in the wild hair, and his relaxed face. His eyelashes threw long shadows on his cheeks and his mouth was hanging slightly open.
Just as she was immersed in her observation, a butterfly descended and landed on his right eyebrow, lazily batting its wings.
She chuckled soundlessly. “You, my sweet lad, look exceptionally pretty like that,” she told his sleeping face.
“I do?” he said drowsily, opening one eye a fraction on an inch. He startled at the shadow of the butterfly, causing the little insect to take off in search of a more suitable landing place.
“Oh.” She smiled gently. “I didn’t know you were awake.”
He sleepily rubbed his face. “How long was I asleep?”
“Only for about half an hour.”
“Oh.” He looked a bit sheepish at that, but smiled wryly. “Well, what did you expect? I’m a guy. Give us a full belly and a blanket on a rock and we snooze off in record time.”
She grinned, rolling over to lie on her stomach, resting her chin on her crossed arms. “That doesn’t only work with food, you know? You were falling asleep pretty quickly last night.” She looked up at him, suddenly shy. “You know, after I . . .”
He blushed when he caught her meaning, scratching his brow in embarrassment. “Oh, right. That works, too, I guess.” He looked at her intently, and, after a moment’s hesitation, asked, “You don’t regret doing it, do you?”
She blushed at the memory, focused on drawing patterns on the blanket before her with her forefinger. “What would you do if I did?” She didn’t, but she was curious.
He was silent for a moment, considering. Then he let out a frustrated sigh, turning around to lie on his stomach next to her, mimicking her pose. His face was very close to hers when he answered. “Hell, I don’t know! I’d hate it if I did anything to make you feel uncomfortable around me. I meant what I said last night, you know?” He nudged her elbow lightly, making her look into his eyes. “That I was afraid we’re moving too fast with the . . . physical stuff. I mean,” he hastily continued when he saw her expression, “I’m glad that you didn’t leave me a choice there, because, truth be told, that was totally awesome, but I’d rather you’d kicked me out of the tent than have you have any regrets about it now.”
Maria took a deep breath. Her initial embarrassment faded in the wake of his honest speech. And she knew she owed him that as well. Honesty. She brought her face closer to his. “I don’t regret anything we did, Michael. And you have yet to do a single thing to make me feel uncomfortable around you. Irritated, yes, but not uncomfortable.”
“Okay,” he breathed, his eyes locked on her lips, mere inches from his.
She gently shoved his shoulder to make him roll over onto his back. She followed, lying on his chest and closed the distance between their lips. “And you?” she asked against his mouth.
“And I?” he echoed, craning his neck to bring their lips into full contact.
She evaded his move, pushing him back down on the blanket, laughing lightly. “Any doubts or regrets?”
“How could I ever regret anything like this?”
“That’s good,” she said, satisfied, and finally bent to kiss him. Like usual, she marveled at the feel of his soft, sensual lips moving beneath hers. There could never be another man that could make her heart beat out of control like this. He was truly unique. “Michael?” she asked when they paused to regain their breath.
“Hm?” He was wearing that dazed expression that told her he wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying.
Her eyes narrowed in speculation, but she kept her voice light and unthreatening so as not to alert him to the fact that she was on an agenda. “Can I ask you a question?” Her fingertips lightly trailed down his torso, distracting him further.
His eyes followed the movement of her hand. “Yes.”
“And will you answer?” Her hand reached the waistband of his jeans, lightly plucking at the fabric.
“Yes.”
Her hand flattened against his stomach, and she looked at him in all seriousness. “Will you tell me about the fight between your mom and Hank?”
He raised his gaze from her hand to her face, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he spoke. “You tricked me!” he accused, his brow puckered in indignation.
Ignoring his outrage, she prodded, “Will you?”
He sat up and emitted a defeated groan. “Yes, but I’ll get back at you for that,” he told her, adding a muttered “Tease . . .” under his breath when he got into a comfortable position to begin his tale. “There really isn’t that much to tell. It was some time after you and me talked on the phone. I was out in the backyard working on my bike, when suddenly there was a loud crash from within the house, which usually means at least one of them is awake.” Meaning either Sandra or Hank, Maria added in her mind while she listened intently.
He had quickly abandoned his motorcycle and gone inside to check on his mother and Hank. They had been up late again the past night, drinking and arguing until the wee hours of the morning, so Michael wasn’t at all surprised that neither of them was up yet at three o’clock in the afternoon.
“So I went in to see what was causing all that racket,” he said, shrugging.
When he had placed his hand on the door knob and another loud crash sounded from within, followed by a piercing shriek from his mother, Michael had wasted no time rushing into the house, prepared to fight. He had found both of them in the living room, facing each other.
“The place was totally trashed,” he said, eyes unfocused when he recalled the scene. “The couch was turned over, and the cushions lay everywhere. Hank was standing there, in the middle of the room, holding my old baseball bat. The one I got from my aunt Esther when I was little. And as I was looking on, he just raised his arm, and smashed the bat right into the screen of our TV.”
His mother had caught sight of him standing in the doorway then, and promptly fled into her bedroom. Michael, shocked about what he had just witnessed, rushed forward to wrestle the baseball bat from Hanks grasp, his only concern to get the weapon away from the other man. Hank hadn’t fought him, though, had only stared at him with glazed eyes as if seeing him for the first time.
Michael looked at Maria then, his face a little paler than before, speaking with a quiet voice. “It was drugs. He looked strange, somehow. More than usual. I threw him out and told him to stay the hell away from our home.”
He had slammed the door in the other man’s face and turned to go find his mother to see if she was okay. She was in her bedroom, frantically throwing random articles of clothing into a bag. The place was in shambles, and the woman standing beside him almost hysterical. He had tried to extract information from her while at the same time doing his best to calm her down a little, confused and scared about her agitated state.
“She wouldn’t tell me much,” he confessed. “Only repeated over and over that she wanted to go visit Esther. I think it was about money. The fight, I mean. I asked her if he had hurt her, but she said no, and I didn’t see any marks on her. I called my aunt and asked if it was okay to send her there for a few days. She said yes, of course. And then I drove Mom to the train station, put her in the train to Santa Fe and waited for my aunt to call and tell me that she had arrived well. And that’s all.” He was staring at the ground, hugging his knees.
“Oh, baby . . .” She put her arms around his stiff shoulders, trying to give him some comfort through the embrace.
“No, don’t . . .” He hunched his shoulders, pulling away. “Just . . . don’t. I’m fine.”
She let him go, respecting his need for space, though he obviously wasn’t fine. “Have you talked to the police?”
He shook his head.
“Are you going to?”
He shrugged, avoiding her eye. “I don’t know, yet.”
“Michael, you can’t just let it go!” she urged. “That man is obviously dangerous. He could’ve seriously hurt you or your mother. He trashed your house! You need to go talk to the sheriff.”
“Alright!” he exclaimed, jerking his head unwillingly. “Just . . . let me talk to my mom first, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. “But you have to promise that you are going to call her as soon as we get back.”
“I promise,” he huffed with an annoyed roll of his eyes that would normally have made her slap him.
She bit back the rebuke. “And then we’ll figure out how to go on from there.”
His eyebrow raised when he looked at her. “We?”
Maria threw her hands up in exasperation. “I’m not letting you do this alone, Michael. Get used to it!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he said dryly.
*****
Tess furiously ripped at another branch that had caught in her wild hair, causing it to painfully yank at her scalp. “Kyle!” she shouted, fuming. “I’m not going a single step further unless you tell me where we’re going!” They had been wandering around the forest for hours, and she was getting the unsettling feeling that Kyle was by now as lost as she was, though he had repeatedly claimed to know exactly where they were and, more importantly, where they were headed.
He came back and quickly freed her from the unwelcome embrace of the young oak. “Chill! We’re almost there!”
“We’re almost where?”
He grinned proudly and pushed aside a few more branches, pulling her through to the other side of a large clump of bushes with a grand gesture. “Here. Ta-da!”
She lifted one eyebrow skeptically, taking in her surroundings. “The parking lot?”
Kyle stood beside her, scratching his head in confusion while staring at the gravel lot whose two only inhabitants still were the convertible and the grey Toyota.
She watched his obvious bafflement, dryly asking, “I suppose this isn’t where you were headed?” Because if it was, she would have to seriously punish him for leading her around the woods for hours, just to get to a place that was only a few minutes’ walk away from the camp.
“Well . . . no,” he admitted. “I actually wanted to take you to this really cool, little lake with this amazing waterfall and the . . .” He trailed off when he got a good view on her expression.
She impatiently braced her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. “Well, where is it?”
“Uh . . . I don’t know exactly.”
“Brilliant!” she exclaimed. “Kyle, just so you know, I’m this close to hurting you!” She stepped closer to him threateningly, working up a good rage. “What are we gonna do now, huh?”
He actually backed off in the face of her fury, taking in her red face and stiff posture. And then he said the only thing he could think of that would maybe save his ass. “Wanna go shopping?”
Her face lit up like a candle. “Sure.” She turned on her heel, stomping over to the cars.
Kyle followed her, sending a quick, but heartfelt prayer of thanks up to the powers that be, grateful for the stroke of genius that had made him pocket his car keys in the morning.
Her voice reached him when she climbed onto the shotgun seat of the convertible, not bothering with the door. “I hope at least Michael knows how to get wherever it is he wants to go and doesn’t lead Maria around in circles in those creepy woods.”
“Oh, I think he does,” he said, climbing behind the steering wheel beside her.
“You know where they are headed?”
“More or less.” He shrugged, turning the key and starting the engine. “It’s pretty far out, though.”
“Hopefully they’ll be back by nightfall, then.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” He grinned mischievously, relieved to be in her good graces again. “I’ve got means to contact them.”
“What means?” She looked at him with raised eyebrows when he pulled out of the parking lot. “Kyle? Oh, no, you didn’t use that thing, did you?”
Her unbelieving stare made him chuckle gleefully in his seat.
“The one you bought last week?” she asked, adding in a sing-song voice, “Michael will be pissed.”
“It won’t be so bad,” he appeased, still grinning. “He’ll have the whole way back to cool off.”
“If you say so.”
*****
Maria and Michael had long since left the grave topics behind and addressed themselves to much more important matters.
The sun had moved across the sky in the course of the afternoon, and they had moved with it, changing location on their rock to avoid the spreading shadows. Now, late in the day, there was only a small sickle-shaped spot of sunlight left, barely enough for one person; everything else lay in shadows. To make the best of the available sunlight, Maria was lying on top of Michael, enjoying the last warming beams on her back. Their legs already lay in shadow, but she forgot to care, because she had other, more pressing, matters on her mind.
“Hmmm, Michael,” she sighed when he nibbled on her bottom lip, his hands moving down over her body to cup her bottom. The way she lay sprawled on top of him, she could feel every inch of his body through their clothes, and she absolutely loved it.
Michael’s palms came up and slipped under the fabric of her shirt, pushing up the hem, rough pads grazing her sensitive skin. “Think we could maybe get rid of that?” he asked, placing little kisses on her chin and cheek while he slowly pulled up her shirt in the back.
She smirked down on him. “Well, you-”
“Michael?”
Maria and Michael froze, just looking at each other, dumb-founded for a second when the tinny voice resounded once again.
“Michael! Come in, please!”
Michael’s eyes narrowed, and he pushed Maria off of him and sat up to begin digging through his backpack. After he came up empty-handed, he scratched his eyebrow in thought for a moment. Then, with sudden inspiration, seized the bag and zipped open the small side pocket and pulled out a rectangular, black object, looking like a cheap, outdated cell phone. Michael rolled an eye at Maria and pushed down the button before he spoke, his voice laced with annoyance. “Kyle?”
“Yeah? Over.”
“There is a walkie-talkie in my backpack. Any idea how that happened?”
“I put it there. It’s cool, isn’t it?” After a second, he obviously realized that he forgot something vital, for he hurriedly added, “Over.”
Michael covered his eyes with his hand. “Was there something you wanted, Kyle? Or did you just randomly decide to interrupt me and Maria at the most inconvenient time?”
“Actually I wanted to tell you to get your asses back here. It’s getting late and we – that is me and Alex and Max – want to go fishing for dinner.”
“And you need me for what exactly?”
“Aw, come on, Guerin, tell me you’re not dying to brag it up a little in front of your girlfriend with your hunting skills,” Kyle said, somehow managing to insert a wink into his voice.
Maria reached over Michael’s shoulder, snatching the little device out of his hand. She pressed the speaking button and, ignoring Michael’s scowl, said, “We’re coming back, Kyle. See you in a bit.”
“Awesome. Uh, I mean, over and out.”
Michael, with an unbelieving stare in her direction, took back the walkie-talkie, muttering under his breath, “Yeah, over and out yourself, you little-”
“Come on, Michael,” she interrupted him, laughingly getting to her feet. She stretched, pretending not to notice his interested look when her shirt rode up a little on her stomach. “Maybe I’ll let you take off my shirt later . . .”
His expression lightened instantly. “Really?”
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 16 - Jun 06, 2011
Eve: I completely agree . And thank you!
Jeannie: Thanks!
Moomin: You felt with Liz and Tess and their struggle with nature in the last chapter? Well, just wait what they get into in this one, lol.
Michael's situation isn't only difficult for him, but his friends as well. It's putting stress on everyone who cares about him, because real friends of course can't just pretend like nothing is wrong when someone needs help.
Chapter Sixteen – Lost
Maria doubtfully eyed the small, sharp hook that was dangling from the fishing line in her hand. “So, how did we end up doing the fishing again?”
She was sitting at the edge of the small creek, surrounded by the boys’ fishing gear, while Isabel, Tess and Liz were standing around her, taking in the heaps of rods and bait and hooks with uncertainty.
When Maria and Michael had returned to the camp earlier, the dusk had already advanced enough to dip their tents and the paths among the trees in shadow. The other couples had been clustered around the fire pit, warming their hands on the fire and chattering while they started their preparations for dinner.
Maria had joined them, relieved at having reached the camp after the long, strenuous way back, Michael in tow, who had, wearing a sweet smile, slowly pulled out the walkie-talkie from his backpack and, in front of Kyle’s horrified gaze, dropped it into the flames. With an outraged cry, his friend had frantically tried to rescue the small device from the fire, but to no avail. When he had finally succeeded in fishing it out of the pit, the black plastic casing had already melted, destroying the walkie-talkie beyond repair. Kyle had unhappily regarded his broken toy, muttering something about “five bucks” and “wasted for nothing . . .” and scowled at Michael, who was, after he had had his revenge, once again in good spirits, laughing and joking with the others.
Maria smiled when she remembered that little scene. Boys can be so childish sometimes . . . She looked up, taking in the area of flat grassland on the other side of the bubbling water, glowing orange from the setting sun, with little flies and bugs overcrowding the air, illuminated like flying sparks over the fiery meadow.
She turned when she heard a snort behind her.
Isabel had been regarding the contents of a little chest with obvious distaste. Now she looked up, rolling her eye at the girl standing beside her. “Tess made another stupid bet with Kyle . . .”
“Of course . . .” Maria narrowed her eyes at the culprit. “What is it with you people and bets? Isn’t it bad enough that your tent is practically trashed? Do you have to drag us into this?” She helplessly lifted the knotted strand of fishing line from her lap, showing off the tangled mess she had made trying to sort the thing. “And what do we get if we can actually convince a fish to bite?”
Tess dropped down in the grass beside her. “Well, you get the honor of being able to provide your men with food. As for me . . .” She smirked smugly. “A lady never tells . . .”
“Figures,” Liz interjected, but didn’t lift her gaze from the pole in her hand and the complicated mechanism of the fishing reel attached to it.
“Stop bitching and give me that,” Tess said, standing up and taking the pole and line from her protesting friends. For a moment, she stood there, watching the items in her hands as if expecting them to begin sorting themselves out on their own. When they refused to do so, she looked up with raised brows. “So how does this work?”
“I think you have to hook up some bait,” Isabel offered.
“Right.” Tess nodded. “What kind of bait?”
The girls looked helpless for a moment. Liz scratched her head and mused, “Well, they usually use worms in movies and stuff, don’t they?” She looked around the grass as if expecting one to pop up and volunteer any minute.
“Maybe we’d better use one of these.” Isabel held up the box she was clutching to her stomach. Numerous tiny, artificial flies were lying inside, shining in all colors.
“You’re right.” Tess stepped closer, selecting a red fly from the box and trying to attach it to the hook.
Maria watched her progress with wrinkled brows. “That hook does look awfully sharp.” She glanced at the water, with its inhabitants safely hidden beneath the merrily gurgling surface, still peacefully oblivious. “Do you think it will hurt the fish if they swallow something like that?”
Tess looked at the hook in her hands, unsure for a second before she shrugged, saying, “Kyle says it doesn’t hurt them, because they don’t have pain receptors in their mouth or something like that.”
“Yeah, right,” Isabel scoffed, closing the box and putting it down. “That’s what they tell you so that you get off their backs for torturing the poor fish.”
The curly blonde girl dubiously regarded the utensils in her hands. “You think?”
Holding up her palms in defense, her friend clarified, “Well, I’m certainly not doing it. It’s your bet.”
“Maybe we could just catch them some other way?” Tess looked at them hopefully, her eagerness at going fishing dimmed considerably.
“How?” Maria asked. She, too, was keen on finding another - less traumatizing for all parties concerned - way to catch dinner. But catch dinner I will, she thought grimly. If only to prove to Michael that she could. He had laughed his ass off when Tess had announced that the girls were going to go fishing, leaving the guys to make the pasta salad they had agreed on.
“I don’t know,” Liz shrugged, looking around their surroundings in hopes of inspiration. “Do we have a net or something?” She jumped a little when she turned back to the others and found three pairs of eyes fixed on her in speculation.
All of the girls, except Liz, wore jeans and sweaters as protection against the rising cold. The brunette was the only one who had decided on a shirt and a colorful print blouse.
Isabel’s eyes narrowed like a hawk watching its prey. “Take it off,” she ordered.
“What?!”
Tess rolled her eyes in impatience. “Your blouse. We’re using it as a net. That way, we can catch the fish without hurting them.”
Liz looked surprised for a moment, but took off the garment readily enough. The chilly air raised instant goosebumps on her forearms. Obediently, she handed the blouse over to Tess, who shook it out and wrinkled her brow in consideration.
“Two of us will have to hold this into the water, like this,” she spread it out like a banner in front of her, “and the other two . . .”
“Oh, no way!” Isabel interrupted her. “I’m not going in there again. Especially not to catch fish.”
Maria giggled when she recalled Isabel’s reaction to the cold water and the possibility of live fish swimming around her bare lower legs. “The three of us can probably do it alone. Besides, Izzy already sacrificed herself when we put the box in here.” She returned the other girl’s grateful smile and turned to face Tess and Liz. “Tess and I are gonna hold the net and you,” she pointed at Liz, “will shoo them into our trap. How does that sound?”
After another minute of arguing, the girls agreed and began taking off their shoes and rolling up the legs of their pants.
Tess picked up the makeshift net and stepped into the creak, full of determination. “Och!” she squeaked when her leg sunk into the freezing water, wetting her to the knee.
“Yeah, it’s cold, isn’t it?” Isabel laughed gleefully, but jumped back, shrieking, when Tess tried to splash some of the cold water in her direction.
Liz and Maria followed into the creek, both of them hissing at the shocking cold. They waded into the middle of the creek, took their positions beside Tess and began their endeavor.
The first attempt at catching a fat bass swimming lazily by failed miserably. Liz tried to guide the surprised fish in the right direction, using her hands to almost push it into the “net” the other two girls held ready. But when the big, lidless eyes noticed the waving wall of flower-printed fabric blocking its way, the bass, that had seemed so plump and lazy before, swiftly turned and fled through Liz’ legs.
The brunette screamed in surprise when the slick, cold skin brushed her shins, then looked resentfully over to the riverbank where Isabel was rolling in the grass, gasping with laughter while the bass wasted no time hurrying down the stream and out of sight.
The next three tries ended in a similar manner. The girls, by now thoroughly annoyed from being outwitted by the uncooperative fish and Isabel’s constant mocking, decided to switch places. Now Maria was the one to chase the fish into the trap.
The first designated victim, a small catfish, didn’t even swim near enough for her to shoo it in the right direction, already wary of the strange creatures in the middle of the creek. It swam hurriedly past them, waving its tailfin in a mocking goodbye.
The lights were slowly fading and they realized that there wasn’t much time left before they would be forced to stop. So when the next fish, another bass, showed in her near vicinity, Maria carefully stepped around it, bringing it between her and Tess and Liz. She braced herself, thinking ‘Now or never’, and lunged forward onto the unsuspecting fish. And then everything happened very fast.
Maria’s fingers grabbed the startled fish, and for a second she wanted to yell in triumph because she had it, but it slipped from her grasp, the slippery body impossible to hold on to. The bass shot forward in shock, directly into the blouse stretched between the two girls. They looked at each other, dumbfounded, then dropped to their knees in unison, uttering excited shouts and shrieks, heedless of the splashing water soaking them, and gathered the blouse between them, thus succeeding in preventing the bass’ escape. Slowly, they struggled to their feet, dripping and happy, holding their prey securely between them, thrashing against its confines.
Maria stepped closer, watching the moving fabric curiously. A slow grin spread across her features. “We did it. We really caught a fish.”
“Yeah. The boys are going to be real impressed,” Isabel mocked from her safe, dry perch on the grassy riverbank, eying her three soaking wet friends and the resisting fruit of their labor.
Maria and the others ignored her.
“Let’s have a look at it,” Tess said quietly, so as not to frighten the bass further, and carefully pulled back the fabric while Liz held the small body clasped between her fingers. The three girls bent over it to see, their heads close together, and even Isabel leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the fish.
It was a small bass, not even ten inches long with shiny scales that shone like silver armor in the evening sun; clearly not anywhere near big enough to feed even one person. Its round eyes were staring back at them, the mouth gaping in a vain attempt to draw breath.
“It kinda looks like Fred from our Spanish class,” Isabel observed. “He has the same eyebrows.”
Tess frowned, coming nose to nose with the fish. “You’re right,” she agreed.
“Eyebrows?” Maria asked, her tone indicating that she seriously doubted their sanity. “It’s a fish, people! They don’t have eyebrows!”
“Can we discuss that later?” Liz cut them off. “It can’t breathe!” She carefully closed the blouse over the bass once more, keeping the ends together in one fist, and drowned the whole thing in the water at her feet.
“What now?” Maria asked, watching the odd movements of the colorful fabric under the surface.
“We’re going to have to kill it,” Tess stated, her expression betraying the matter-of-fact tone of her voice. Like her friends, she looked a little pale at the prospect.
“How?” Liz asked.
“We could slit its throat,” Isabel suggested, but she didn’t look very keen on witnessing - much less executing - such an act.
“Ew!” Liz scrunched up her nose. “That’s barbaric!”
“You’re going to have to gut and clean it anyway,” the tall blonde pointed out.
“I was kind of counting on one of the guys to do that,” Tess admitted.
“I think I heard somewhere that the fishers usually slam their fish against a rock to kill it,” Maria said hesitantly, looking around for any suitable rocks and releasing an internal sigh of relief when she didn’t detect one.
Liz, crouched over with one hand still holding the trapped fish under the water, was also skimming their surroundings. She narrowed her eyes at something by the edge of the trees on the other side of the creek. “Look, over there!” She jerked her chin at a little nondescript plant growing by the roots of a tall spruce. “Isn’t that the plant Mr. Seligman was talking about in Biology last week?”
Isabel, after a short glance at the puny weed, shrugged. “Maybe. Why?”
“Well, he said it was pretty rare around here.” Liz straightened a little. Her grip on the blouse slackened gradually while she was observing the plant. “Maybe we could go over and take some pictures to-”
“Liz!” Maria suddenly shouted when she saw the head of the bass peek out of the blouse’s folds. “Watch out! It’s getting away!”
Everyone’s attention immediately returned to the fish, and Liz frantically tried to keep the prisoner from fleeing its cage, but it was too late. The bass, slippery as it was, wriggled out of her grasp and fled down the stream, disappearing out of sight within seconds.
“Aw, no!” Tess groaned, staring after the escaped bass.
Maria just laughed, raising her hand to wave after the vanished bass. “Bye, Fred!” She wasn’t at all sad about this development, since it freed them from the dreaded task of killing the fish.
“Great!” Tess grumbled, bracing her hands on her hips. “Now all this fuss was for nothing . . .”
Liz looked at her apologetically while she was wringing the excess water out of her blouse. “Sorry . . .”
Maria rather thought that it would be more sensible to try to get her pants dry than fiddling with the dripping blouse. Both Liz and Tess were soaked to the waist from their struggle with the fish. Maria’s own clothes didn’t look much dryer, even though she hadn’t kneeled in the water. “It’s okay, Liz,” Maria said reassuringly, her voice holding a hint of a smile. “It’s probably gone home to eat supper with its family.”
“And what are we gonna eat for supper?” Isabel asked.
Maria waded over to their fridge box, and, after opening the lid, pulled out a pack of sausages in triumph. “How about these?”
“Sausages?” Isabel’s tone was clearly skeptical.
Tess took the package from Maria, turning it in her hands. “Somehow I doubt the guys are going to be very impressed by that.”
Maria shrugged. “They won’t be impressed if we come back empty-handed, either.” She looked around, taking in the growing shadows that were about to engulf the little clearing, eating away the last of the light as they spoke. “And it’s too late to go on another hunting session, anyway. So let’s just take these and get out of here before my legs are permanently frozen.”
Forced to see reason, all of the girls hurried out of the water and, with the prospect of dry clothes and warm food, wasted no time to get back to camp, carrying along their “prey”, the package of sausages.
*****
Later that night, Maria sat with her friends around the flickering fire, her belly full with a mixture of a couple of grilled sausages and the hideous pasta salad the guys had produced. Like the other girls, she had, upon their return, been submitted to some crude, if good-natured jokes about their hunting skills before being presented with the result of the boys’ cooking; a horrible mush consisting of overcooked noodles, diced cheese and various “secret ingredients” the guys refused to elaborate further on. Since none of them wanted to let the pasta salad go to waste – despite its possible toxic nature - the two parties had sat down to eat after a couple of minutes of back and forth teasing.
Now her belly felt wonderfully full and warm, making her drowsy. The heat from the flames warmed her front, almost burning her, making up for the biting night wind howling through the trees around them.
She was snuggled against Michael’s side. Her head lay on his shoulder, and his right arm lay securely around her waist while she dozed. Through half-closed eyes, she watched her friends through the flames.
Tess and Kyle were sitting beside her on the bench, huddled together in much the same position as her and Michael. They were quiet for once, their usual bickering ceased to enjoy the fire’s warmth in peace.
Across the fire pit Maria could see Isabel and Alex. Since their return earlier that evening, Maria had noticed that there was a closeness between them, a level of intimacy that hadn’t been there before. Now he sat beside her, their heads bent to each other, talking in low tones. The flames cast their flickering light on their profiles, making their cheeks glow orange and golden as they whispered to each other. Maria smiled faintly in her drowsy state, making a mental note to ask Isabel about this new development tomorrow.
Michael’s chest rumbled under her ear when he laughed quietly. He was easily conversing with Max on his left side, completely relaxed. She had listened to their talk for a while, but now the monotone vibration of his deep voice in his chest was slowly lulling her to sleep. The cold night wind freshened for a moment, stroking her thigh with cold, creeping fingers, and Maria burrowed deeper into Michael’s big body, sighing contentedly at the warmth and protection he provided. Her eyes slowly slid shut, and she relaxed against him as sleep engulfed her, the last coherent feeling the tightening of his arm around her in a promise of safety.
Some time later, Maria was pulled back to consciousness when she felt herself being lifted from the bench. She laid her head on Michael’s shoulder, shuddering when the warmth of the fire disappeared to be replaced by the night’s quiet coldness. She vaguely caught the mumbled words of farewell between the boys before Michael slowly carried her to their tent. He gently put her on her feet by the tent’s entrance, zipping it open and helping her to climb in.
Once inside, she promptly collapsed on the air mattress, thanking the powers that be that she had already finished her nightly bathroom routine earlier, on a joint bathroom trip with the girls.
She was too tired to move, so she just lay there, letting him pull off her shoes and socks and sweater with minimum cooperation. When he zipped open her jeans and began pulling them down over her hips, she heard him chuckle faintly. She made a small, interrogative sound in her throat, opening one green eye a fraction of an inch to see his form crouching over her, his face cast in shadow.
“I kind of thought you’d be more awake when we came to the undressing part,” he whispered, the amusement in his voice clearly audible.
“Sorry.” Maria yawned, helping him to pull off the jeans completely. “Next time. I promise.” She shivered in the chilly air, and gratefully crawled into the sleeping bag he held open for her.
“Don’t worry.” He laughed silently, and his hand found her cheek in a brief caress. “We have all the time in the world.”
She mumbled in agreement when her head hit the pillow, falling asleep in an instant, oblivious to his body sliding into bed beside her.
*****
There was nothing more boring than taking pictures of weeds, Tess decided when she stood next to Liz who was immersed in photographing the little plant she had detected the night before. It was mid-afternoon, and the two girls were alone in the small clearing.
After an early breakfast, the four boys had strapped on their backpacks and taken off into the woods on their “manly men hiking trip”, as Kyle had called it. Tess rolled her eyes at the memory of his smug grin when he had told her that there were “no girls allowed”. In truth, she was glad at being left behind. Her failed hiking experience the day before had cured her of any ambitions regarding “outdoorsy” skills, as she liked to call it. Though the straw hat Kyle had bought her in apology in a small store in the nearest town was really pretty, she mused.
So the girls had stayed back in camp after promising their respective partners not to wander off into the woods or leave the designated paths, more or less content with the arrangement. They had spent the day chatting, teasing Isabel about her newly developing relationship with Alex, reading magazines and using each other to try out different hair styles. While lounging on their blankets in the sunny clearing, Liz had suddenly remembered the plant she had seen and Tess had, after some convincing, reluctantly offered to go with her.
Now she was standing there, cooling her heels, looking around for something to occupy her while Liz finished her photo session. When she turned to face the wood behind them, her eyes caught on a small object, lying half buried in the ground some distance into the woods. The sun was glinting off of the thing, and she narrowed her eyes curiously. “Look!” she said to Liz who raised her head. “Do you see that?”
Liz followed her gaze, straightening up. “Uh-huh,” she agreed. “What do you think it is?”
Tess turned to her with a wink. “Maybe a hidden treasure? Come on, we’ll go find out!” She made off into the forest, but was forestalled by Liz’ grip on her wrist.
“No way, Tess! Since when do we play ‘The Goonies’?” She frowned and shook her head. “I’m not going into these woods with you. We promised the boys, remember?”
Tess groaned in exasperation, her gaze wandering between her friend and the strange object. “We’re not going very far. It’s only a couple of hundred feet.”
“A couple of hundred feet too much,” Liz insisted. “Tess, neither you nor me have any idea how to navigate in there. We could get lost.”
“Hogwash,” Tess replied curtly, waving away the brunette’s objections. For a moment, she stared into the forest in speculation, estimating the distance between them and her goal. Then she turned back to Liz resolutely. “Okay, here’s the plan. I go in and see what that thing is. You stay here to guide my way back.”
Liz was still not fully convinced. “I don’t know, Tess. Do you have any idea how easily people get lost in the woods?”
“Liz, please,” she begged with big, blue eyes. “I’m bored out of my mind here. And you are, too, I can see that. Don’t deny me . . . us” she corrected herself, “this little adventure. I will only go as far as I can still see you, okay? I promise!” After a second, she added, “Maybe it’s even something valuable. How cool would that be?”
Liz glanced at the glinting object, before she hesitantly agreed. “Okay. But don’t go too far, okay? I’ll stay here.”
“Okay,” the curly blonde said in a chipper voice, already bounding off into the depths of the wood. “See you in a bit!” She thrashed through the underbrush with determination, making a beeline to the mystery item, heedless of the little branches and thorns that kept pulling on her clothes. When she came closer, her steps slowed until she came to stand over the object of her desire. Disappointment spread through her when she realized what it was.
“So? What is it?” she heard Liz call from the edge off the wood. When she looked up she could only see a little of the colorful shirt her friend was wearing, realizing she had highly underestimated the distance she had walked.
She raised her voice to answer, staring down at the thing at her feet. “It’s just a piece of broken glass . . . Honestly, who smashes a bottle of glass in the middle of the forest?” She huffed. “Dammit, I thought that-” She let out an ear-piercing shriek when she felt a small, plump body drop onto her head. Her arms were flailing around her head in an effort to get rid of what ever had attacked her. Spider! Has to be a spider! she thought, horror and disgust causing her to jump around in panic.
Suddenly Liz was beside her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her still, her own eyes huge with fright and concern. “Tess! Tess, what’s wrong?”
“A spider!” she shrieked, turning her head alarm, trying to look everywhere at once. “Oh my God! It fell on my head! Do you see it? Where is it?”
“Shhh, calm down!” Liz soothed her, inspecting her head and back for any attackers. “I don’t see anything.”
“Are you sure?” Tess asked, gradually calming down. The spider, upon being received with so much loathing, had probably gone on the run as fast as possible, vanishing into the protection of the shrubbery at their feet. “It did that on purpose!”
“I’m sure. It’s gone.” Liz snorted when she caught sight of the pitiful heap of glass on the ground. “So now that you’ve investigated your treasure, can we go back?”
“Uh-huh,” Tess agreed, looking up. Her eyes widened when she took in the impervious forest around them, looking absolutely the same in each direction. “Um . . . Liz? Which way is ‘back’, exactly?”
“Oh, no!” Liz clapped her hands to her mouth in horror. Now it was her turn to freak out. “We’re lost! We’re going to die!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Tess rolled her eyes at her friend, though she didn’t feel very calm, either. “We can’t be more than a hundred yards from the creek. I can even hear the water running.” She turned her head in the direction the sound off bubbling water was coming from. “That way. Let’s go!”
“No!” Liz refused, not moving an inch. “You’re supposed not to move if you’re lost, so that others can find you.”
Tess turned back to her, trying to reason. “Liz, think about it. The boys are not going to be back before nightfall. That’s still a couple of hours away. And Maria and Isabel are certainly not going to come looking for us. They’d be as lost as we are.”
“But . . .” Liz glanced around unsurely.
At the end of her patience, Tess stomped her foot on the ground. The effect was somewhat lessened by the soft moss swallowing every sound, which only served to aggravate her further. “I’m not waiting here for hours when the creek is only a couple of steps away! I don’t want to be the laughing stock for everybody, because the ‘poor, stupid girls’ couldn’t find their way back home!” She gripped her friend’s wrist with determination, pulling her along. “Now come on!”
Reluctantly, Liz followed her. After a couple of minutes of stumbling through the forest, following the sound of running water, they finally came upon a little stream, merrily running along among the trees.
Liz took in the stream with disappointment, the fear audible again when she voiced what either girl had realized at once. “Tess, this isn’t our creek.”
“I bet you it is,” Tess insisted stubbornly. “It’s just a little downstream from the place we came from. We’re in New Mexico, Liz, how many creeks can there be? It has to be the same one.”
“Well . . . maybe,” she agreed, hoping against hope that her friend was right.
“Come on,” Tess called over her shoulder, already stalking off again. “We’ll just walk a little upstream and we’ll be back to camp in ten minutes flat.”
*****
“Izzy?”
“Hm?” the other girl lazily replied from where she was lying in the shadow of a tall tree, reading a fashion magazine.
Maria looked at her watch again, frowning. They had been sitting in the shadows for a while now, reading in amiable silence, waiting for the other two to return. “What do you think is taking them so long?”
Isabel took of her sunglasses and looked at her, shutting her magazine. “No clue. Liz is probably taking pictures of that little plant from all possible – and impossible - angles. She can get a little anal with her science stuff, sometimes.”
“Still, it’s been almost an hour . . .”
Isabel sighed, relenting. “You wanna go look for them?”
Maria nodded. “Would you mind?”
“Not at all,” her friend said, smiling. She rolled onto her knees and sat up. “Let’s go.”
They hurried along the path, their flip-flops slapping against their bare soles until they reached the beautiful, yet deserted, riverbank, quickly scanning the clearing for their friends.
But there was no sign of Tess or Liz.
~TBC
. And thank you!Jeannie: Thanks!
Moomin: You felt with Liz and Tess and their struggle with nature in the last chapter? Well, just wait what they get into in this one, lol.
Michael's situation isn't only difficult for him, but his friends as well. It's putting stress on everyone who cares about him, because real friends of course can't just pretend like nothing is wrong when someone needs help.
Chapter Sixteen – Lost
Maria doubtfully eyed the small, sharp hook that was dangling from the fishing line in her hand. “So, how did we end up doing the fishing again?”
She was sitting at the edge of the small creek, surrounded by the boys’ fishing gear, while Isabel, Tess and Liz were standing around her, taking in the heaps of rods and bait and hooks with uncertainty.
When Maria and Michael had returned to the camp earlier, the dusk had already advanced enough to dip their tents and the paths among the trees in shadow. The other couples had been clustered around the fire pit, warming their hands on the fire and chattering while they started their preparations for dinner.
Maria had joined them, relieved at having reached the camp after the long, strenuous way back, Michael in tow, who had, wearing a sweet smile, slowly pulled out the walkie-talkie from his backpack and, in front of Kyle’s horrified gaze, dropped it into the flames. With an outraged cry, his friend had frantically tried to rescue the small device from the fire, but to no avail. When he had finally succeeded in fishing it out of the pit, the black plastic casing had already melted, destroying the walkie-talkie beyond repair. Kyle had unhappily regarded his broken toy, muttering something about “five bucks” and “wasted for nothing . . .” and scowled at Michael, who was, after he had had his revenge, once again in good spirits, laughing and joking with the others.
Maria smiled when she remembered that little scene. Boys can be so childish sometimes . . . She looked up, taking in the area of flat grassland on the other side of the bubbling water, glowing orange from the setting sun, with little flies and bugs overcrowding the air, illuminated like flying sparks over the fiery meadow.
She turned when she heard a snort behind her.
Isabel had been regarding the contents of a little chest with obvious distaste. Now she looked up, rolling her eye at the girl standing beside her. “Tess made another stupid bet with Kyle . . .”
“Of course . . .” Maria narrowed her eyes at the culprit. “What is it with you people and bets? Isn’t it bad enough that your tent is practically trashed? Do you have to drag us into this?” She helplessly lifted the knotted strand of fishing line from her lap, showing off the tangled mess she had made trying to sort the thing. “And what do we get if we can actually convince a fish to bite?”
Tess dropped down in the grass beside her. “Well, you get the honor of being able to provide your men with food. As for me . . .” She smirked smugly. “A lady never tells . . .”
“Figures,” Liz interjected, but didn’t lift her gaze from the pole in her hand and the complicated mechanism of the fishing reel attached to it.
“Stop bitching and give me that,” Tess said, standing up and taking the pole and line from her protesting friends. For a moment, she stood there, watching the items in her hands as if expecting them to begin sorting themselves out on their own. When they refused to do so, she looked up with raised brows. “So how does this work?”
“I think you have to hook up some bait,” Isabel offered.
“Right.” Tess nodded. “What kind of bait?”
The girls looked helpless for a moment. Liz scratched her head and mused, “Well, they usually use worms in movies and stuff, don’t they?” She looked around the grass as if expecting one to pop up and volunteer any minute.
“Maybe we’d better use one of these.” Isabel held up the box she was clutching to her stomach. Numerous tiny, artificial flies were lying inside, shining in all colors.
“You’re right.” Tess stepped closer, selecting a red fly from the box and trying to attach it to the hook.
Maria watched her progress with wrinkled brows. “That hook does look awfully sharp.” She glanced at the water, with its inhabitants safely hidden beneath the merrily gurgling surface, still peacefully oblivious. “Do you think it will hurt the fish if they swallow something like that?”
Tess looked at the hook in her hands, unsure for a second before she shrugged, saying, “Kyle says it doesn’t hurt them, because they don’t have pain receptors in their mouth or something like that.”
“Yeah, right,” Isabel scoffed, closing the box and putting it down. “That’s what they tell you so that you get off their backs for torturing the poor fish.”
The curly blonde girl dubiously regarded the utensils in her hands. “You think?”
Holding up her palms in defense, her friend clarified, “Well, I’m certainly not doing it. It’s your bet.”
“Maybe we could just catch them some other way?” Tess looked at them hopefully, her eagerness at going fishing dimmed considerably.
“How?” Maria asked. She, too, was keen on finding another - less traumatizing for all parties concerned - way to catch dinner. But catch dinner I will, she thought grimly. If only to prove to Michael that she could. He had laughed his ass off when Tess had announced that the girls were going to go fishing, leaving the guys to make the pasta salad they had agreed on.
“I don’t know,” Liz shrugged, looking around their surroundings in hopes of inspiration. “Do we have a net or something?” She jumped a little when she turned back to the others and found three pairs of eyes fixed on her in speculation.
All of the girls, except Liz, wore jeans and sweaters as protection against the rising cold. The brunette was the only one who had decided on a shirt and a colorful print blouse.
Isabel’s eyes narrowed like a hawk watching its prey. “Take it off,” she ordered.
“What?!”
Tess rolled her eyes in impatience. “Your blouse. We’re using it as a net. That way, we can catch the fish without hurting them.”
Liz looked surprised for a moment, but took off the garment readily enough. The chilly air raised instant goosebumps on her forearms. Obediently, she handed the blouse over to Tess, who shook it out and wrinkled her brow in consideration.
“Two of us will have to hold this into the water, like this,” she spread it out like a banner in front of her, “and the other two . . .”
“Oh, no way!” Isabel interrupted her. “I’m not going in there again. Especially not to catch fish.”
Maria giggled when she recalled Isabel’s reaction to the cold water and the possibility of live fish swimming around her bare lower legs. “The three of us can probably do it alone. Besides, Izzy already sacrificed herself when we put the box in here.” She returned the other girl’s grateful smile and turned to face Tess and Liz. “Tess and I are gonna hold the net and you,” she pointed at Liz, “will shoo them into our trap. How does that sound?”
After another minute of arguing, the girls agreed and began taking off their shoes and rolling up the legs of their pants.
Tess picked up the makeshift net and stepped into the creak, full of determination. “Och!” she squeaked when her leg sunk into the freezing water, wetting her to the knee.
“Yeah, it’s cold, isn’t it?” Isabel laughed gleefully, but jumped back, shrieking, when Tess tried to splash some of the cold water in her direction.
Liz and Maria followed into the creek, both of them hissing at the shocking cold. They waded into the middle of the creek, took their positions beside Tess and began their endeavor.
The first attempt at catching a fat bass swimming lazily by failed miserably. Liz tried to guide the surprised fish in the right direction, using her hands to almost push it into the “net” the other two girls held ready. But when the big, lidless eyes noticed the waving wall of flower-printed fabric blocking its way, the bass, that had seemed so plump and lazy before, swiftly turned and fled through Liz’ legs.
The brunette screamed in surprise when the slick, cold skin brushed her shins, then looked resentfully over to the riverbank where Isabel was rolling in the grass, gasping with laughter while the bass wasted no time hurrying down the stream and out of sight.
The next three tries ended in a similar manner. The girls, by now thoroughly annoyed from being outwitted by the uncooperative fish and Isabel’s constant mocking, decided to switch places. Now Maria was the one to chase the fish into the trap.
The first designated victim, a small catfish, didn’t even swim near enough for her to shoo it in the right direction, already wary of the strange creatures in the middle of the creek. It swam hurriedly past them, waving its tailfin in a mocking goodbye.
The lights were slowly fading and they realized that there wasn’t much time left before they would be forced to stop. So when the next fish, another bass, showed in her near vicinity, Maria carefully stepped around it, bringing it between her and Tess and Liz. She braced herself, thinking ‘Now or never’, and lunged forward onto the unsuspecting fish. And then everything happened very fast.
Maria’s fingers grabbed the startled fish, and for a second she wanted to yell in triumph because she had it, but it slipped from her grasp, the slippery body impossible to hold on to. The bass shot forward in shock, directly into the blouse stretched between the two girls. They looked at each other, dumbfounded, then dropped to their knees in unison, uttering excited shouts and shrieks, heedless of the splashing water soaking them, and gathered the blouse between them, thus succeeding in preventing the bass’ escape. Slowly, they struggled to their feet, dripping and happy, holding their prey securely between them, thrashing against its confines.
Maria stepped closer, watching the moving fabric curiously. A slow grin spread across her features. “We did it. We really caught a fish.”
“Yeah. The boys are going to be real impressed,” Isabel mocked from her safe, dry perch on the grassy riverbank, eying her three soaking wet friends and the resisting fruit of their labor.
Maria and the others ignored her.
“Let’s have a look at it,” Tess said quietly, so as not to frighten the bass further, and carefully pulled back the fabric while Liz held the small body clasped between her fingers. The three girls bent over it to see, their heads close together, and even Isabel leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the fish.
It was a small bass, not even ten inches long with shiny scales that shone like silver armor in the evening sun; clearly not anywhere near big enough to feed even one person. Its round eyes were staring back at them, the mouth gaping in a vain attempt to draw breath.
“It kinda looks like Fred from our Spanish class,” Isabel observed. “He has the same eyebrows.”
Tess frowned, coming nose to nose with the fish. “You’re right,” she agreed.
“Eyebrows?” Maria asked, her tone indicating that she seriously doubted their sanity. “It’s a fish, people! They don’t have eyebrows!”
“Can we discuss that later?” Liz cut them off. “It can’t breathe!” She carefully closed the blouse over the bass once more, keeping the ends together in one fist, and drowned the whole thing in the water at her feet.
“What now?” Maria asked, watching the odd movements of the colorful fabric under the surface.
“We’re going to have to kill it,” Tess stated, her expression betraying the matter-of-fact tone of her voice. Like her friends, she looked a little pale at the prospect.
“How?” Liz asked.
“We could slit its throat,” Isabel suggested, but she didn’t look very keen on witnessing - much less executing - such an act.
“Ew!” Liz scrunched up her nose. “That’s barbaric!”
“You’re going to have to gut and clean it anyway,” the tall blonde pointed out.
“I was kind of counting on one of the guys to do that,” Tess admitted.
“I think I heard somewhere that the fishers usually slam their fish against a rock to kill it,” Maria said hesitantly, looking around for any suitable rocks and releasing an internal sigh of relief when she didn’t detect one.
Liz, crouched over with one hand still holding the trapped fish under the water, was also skimming their surroundings. She narrowed her eyes at something by the edge of the trees on the other side of the creek. “Look, over there!” She jerked her chin at a little nondescript plant growing by the roots of a tall spruce. “Isn’t that the plant Mr. Seligman was talking about in Biology last week?”
Isabel, after a short glance at the puny weed, shrugged. “Maybe. Why?”
“Well, he said it was pretty rare around here.” Liz straightened a little. Her grip on the blouse slackened gradually while she was observing the plant. “Maybe we could go over and take some pictures to-”
“Liz!” Maria suddenly shouted when she saw the head of the bass peek out of the blouse’s folds. “Watch out! It’s getting away!”
Everyone’s attention immediately returned to the fish, and Liz frantically tried to keep the prisoner from fleeing its cage, but it was too late. The bass, slippery as it was, wriggled out of her grasp and fled down the stream, disappearing out of sight within seconds.
“Aw, no!” Tess groaned, staring after the escaped bass.
Maria just laughed, raising her hand to wave after the vanished bass. “Bye, Fred!” She wasn’t at all sad about this development, since it freed them from the dreaded task of killing the fish.
“Great!” Tess grumbled, bracing her hands on her hips. “Now all this fuss was for nothing . . .”
Liz looked at her apologetically while she was wringing the excess water out of her blouse. “Sorry . . .”
Maria rather thought that it would be more sensible to try to get her pants dry than fiddling with the dripping blouse. Both Liz and Tess were soaked to the waist from their struggle with the fish. Maria’s own clothes didn’t look much dryer, even though she hadn’t kneeled in the water. “It’s okay, Liz,” Maria said reassuringly, her voice holding a hint of a smile. “It’s probably gone home to eat supper with its family.”
“And what are we gonna eat for supper?” Isabel asked.
Maria waded over to their fridge box, and, after opening the lid, pulled out a pack of sausages in triumph. “How about these?”
“Sausages?” Isabel’s tone was clearly skeptical.
Tess took the package from Maria, turning it in her hands. “Somehow I doubt the guys are going to be very impressed by that.”
Maria shrugged. “They won’t be impressed if we come back empty-handed, either.” She looked around, taking in the growing shadows that were about to engulf the little clearing, eating away the last of the light as they spoke. “And it’s too late to go on another hunting session, anyway. So let’s just take these and get out of here before my legs are permanently frozen.”
Forced to see reason, all of the girls hurried out of the water and, with the prospect of dry clothes and warm food, wasted no time to get back to camp, carrying along their “prey”, the package of sausages.
*****
Later that night, Maria sat with her friends around the flickering fire, her belly full with a mixture of a couple of grilled sausages and the hideous pasta salad the guys had produced. Like the other girls, she had, upon their return, been submitted to some crude, if good-natured jokes about their hunting skills before being presented with the result of the boys’ cooking; a horrible mush consisting of overcooked noodles, diced cheese and various “secret ingredients” the guys refused to elaborate further on. Since none of them wanted to let the pasta salad go to waste – despite its possible toxic nature - the two parties had sat down to eat after a couple of minutes of back and forth teasing.
Now her belly felt wonderfully full and warm, making her drowsy. The heat from the flames warmed her front, almost burning her, making up for the biting night wind howling through the trees around them.
She was snuggled against Michael’s side. Her head lay on his shoulder, and his right arm lay securely around her waist while she dozed. Through half-closed eyes, she watched her friends through the flames.
Tess and Kyle were sitting beside her on the bench, huddled together in much the same position as her and Michael. They were quiet for once, their usual bickering ceased to enjoy the fire’s warmth in peace.
Across the fire pit Maria could see Isabel and Alex. Since their return earlier that evening, Maria had noticed that there was a closeness between them, a level of intimacy that hadn’t been there before. Now he sat beside her, their heads bent to each other, talking in low tones. The flames cast their flickering light on their profiles, making their cheeks glow orange and golden as they whispered to each other. Maria smiled faintly in her drowsy state, making a mental note to ask Isabel about this new development tomorrow.
Michael’s chest rumbled under her ear when he laughed quietly. He was easily conversing with Max on his left side, completely relaxed. She had listened to their talk for a while, but now the monotone vibration of his deep voice in his chest was slowly lulling her to sleep. The cold night wind freshened for a moment, stroking her thigh with cold, creeping fingers, and Maria burrowed deeper into Michael’s big body, sighing contentedly at the warmth and protection he provided. Her eyes slowly slid shut, and she relaxed against him as sleep engulfed her, the last coherent feeling the tightening of his arm around her in a promise of safety.
Some time later, Maria was pulled back to consciousness when she felt herself being lifted from the bench. She laid her head on Michael’s shoulder, shuddering when the warmth of the fire disappeared to be replaced by the night’s quiet coldness. She vaguely caught the mumbled words of farewell between the boys before Michael slowly carried her to their tent. He gently put her on her feet by the tent’s entrance, zipping it open and helping her to climb in.
Once inside, she promptly collapsed on the air mattress, thanking the powers that be that she had already finished her nightly bathroom routine earlier, on a joint bathroom trip with the girls.
She was too tired to move, so she just lay there, letting him pull off her shoes and socks and sweater with minimum cooperation. When he zipped open her jeans and began pulling them down over her hips, she heard him chuckle faintly. She made a small, interrogative sound in her throat, opening one green eye a fraction of an inch to see his form crouching over her, his face cast in shadow.
“I kind of thought you’d be more awake when we came to the undressing part,” he whispered, the amusement in his voice clearly audible.
“Sorry.” Maria yawned, helping him to pull off the jeans completely. “Next time. I promise.” She shivered in the chilly air, and gratefully crawled into the sleeping bag he held open for her.
“Don’t worry.” He laughed silently, and his hand found her cheek in a brief caress. “We have all the time in the world.”
She mumbled in agreement when her head hit the pillow, falling asleep in an instant, oblivious to his body sliding into bed beside her.
*****
There was nothing more boring than taking pictures of weeds, Tess decided when she stood next to Liz who was immersed in photographing the little plant she had detected the night before. It was mid-afternoon, and the two girls were alone in the small clearing.
After an early breakfast, the four boys had strapped on their backpacks and taken off into the woods on their “manly men hiking trip”, as Kyle had called it. Tess rolled her eyes at the memory of his smug grin when he had told her that there were “no girls allowed”. In truth, she was glad at being left behind. Her failed hiking experience the day before had cured her of any ambitions regarding “outdoorsy” skills, as she liked to call it. Though the straw hat Kyle had bought her in apology in a small store in the nearest town was really pretty, she mused.
So the girls had stayed back in camp after promising their respective partners not to wander off into the woods or leave the designated paths, more or less content with the arrangement. They had spent the day chatting, teasing Isabel about her newly developing relationship with Alex, reading magazines and using each other to try out different hair styles. While lounging on their blankets in the sunny clearing, Liz had suddenly remembered the plant she had seen and Tess had, after some convincing, reluctantly offered to go with her.
Now she was standing there, cooling her heels, looking around for something to occupy her while Liz finished her photo session. When she turned to face the wood behind them, her eyes caught on a small object, lying half buried in the ground some distance into the woods. The sun was glinting off of the thing, and she narrowed her eyes curiously. “Look!” she said to Liz who raised her head. “Do you see that?”
Liz followed her gaze, straightening up. “Uh-huh,” she agreed. “What do you think it is?”
Tess turned to her with a wink. “Maybe a hidden treasure? Come on, we’ll go find out!” She made off into the forest, but was forestalled by Liz’ grip on her wrist.
“No way, Tess! Since when do we play ‘The Goonies’?” She frowned and shook her head. “I’m not going into these woods with you. We promised the boys, remember?”
Tess groaned in exasperation, her gaze wandering between her friend and the strange object. “We’re not going very far. It’s only a couple of hundred feet.”
“A couple of hundred feet too much,” Liz insisted. “Tess, neither you nor me have any idea how to navigate in there. We could get lost.”
“Hogwash,” Tess replied curtly, waving away the brunette’s objections. For a moment, she stared into the forest in speculation, estimating the distance between them and her goal. Then she turned back to Liz resolutely. “Okay, here’s the plan. I go in and see what that thing is. You stay here to guide my way back.”
Liz was still not fully convinced. “I don’t know, Tess. Do you have any idea how easily people get lost in the woods?”
“Liz, please,” she begged with big, blue eyes. “I’m bored out of my mind here. And you are, too, I can see that. Don’t deny me . . . us” she corrected herself, “this little adventure. I will only go as far as I can still see you, okay? I promise!” After a second, she added, “Maybe it’s even something valuable. How cool would that be?”
Liz glanced at the glinting object, before she hesitantly agreed. “Okay. But don’t go too far, okay? I’ll stay here.”
“Okay,” the curly blonde said in a chipper voice, already bounding off into the depths of the wood. “See you in a bit!” She thrashed through the underbrush with determination, making a beeline to the mystery item, heedless of the little branches and thorns that kept pulling on her clothes. When she came closer, her steps slowed until she came to stand over the object of her desire. Disappointment spread through her when she realized what it was.
“So? What is it?” she heard Liz call from the edge off the wood. When she looked up she could only see a little of the colorful shirt her friend was wearing, realizing she had highly underestimated the distance she had walked.
She raised her voice to answer, staring down at the thing at her feet. “It’s just a piece of broken glass . . . Honestly, who smashes a bottle of glass in the middle of the forest?” She huffed. “Dammit, I thought that-” She let out an ear-piercing shriek when she felt a small, plump body drop onto her head. Her arms were flailing around her head in an effort to get rid of what ever had attacked her. Spider! Has to be a spider! she thought, horror and disgust causing her to jump around in panic.
Suddenly Liz was beside her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her still, her own eyes huge with fright and concern. “Tess! Tess, what’s wrong?”
“A spider!” she shrieked, turning her head alarm, trying to look everywhere at once. “Oh my God! It fell on my head! Do you see it? Where is it?”
“Shhh, calm down!” Liz soothed her, inspecting her head and back for any attackers. “I don’t see anything.”
“Are you sure?” Tess asked, gradually calming down. The spider, upon being received with so much loathing, had probably gone on the run as fast as possible, vanishing into the protection of the shrubbery at their feet. “It did that on purpose!”
“I’m sure. It’s gone.” Liz snorted when she caught sight of the pitiful heap of glass on the ground. “So now that you’ve investigated your treasure, can we go back?”
“Uh-huh,” Tess agreed, looking up. Her eyes widened when she took in the impervious forest around them, looking absolutely the same in each direction. “Um . . . Liz? Which way is ‘back’, exactly?”
“Oh, no!” Liz clapped her hands to her mouth in horror. Now it was her turn to freak out. “We’re lost! We’re going to die!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Tess rolled her eyes at her friend, though she didn’t feel very calm, either. “We can’t be more than a hundred yards from the creek. I can even hear the water running.” She turned her head in the direction the sound off bubbling water was coming from. “That way. Let’s go!”
“No!” Liz refused, not moving an inch. “You’re supposed not to move if you’re lost, so that others can find you.”
Tess turned back to her, trying to reason. “Liz, think about it. The boys are not going to be back before nightfall. That’s still a couple of hours away. And Maria and Isabel are certainly not going to come looking for us. They’d be as lost as we are.”
“But . . .” Liz glanced around unsurely.
At the end of her patience, Tess stomped her foot on the ground. The effect was somewhat lessened by the soft moss swallowing every sound, which only served to aggravate her further. “I’m not waiting here for hours when the creek is only a couple of steps away! I don’t want to be the laughing stock for everybody, because the ‘poor, stupid girls’ couldn’t find their way back home!” She gripped her friend’s wrist with determination, pulling her along. “Now come on!”
Reluctantly, Liz followed her. After a couple of minutes of stumbling through the forest, following the sound of running water, they finally came upon a little stream, merrily running along among the trees.
Liz took in the stream with disappointment, the fear audible again when she voiced what either girl had realized at once. “Tess, this isn’t our creek.”
“I bet you it is,” Tess insisted stubbornly. “It’s just a little downstream from the place we came from. We’re in New Mexico, Liz, how many creeks can there be? It has to be the same one.”
“Well . . . maybe,” she agreed, hoping against hope that her friend was right.
“Come on,” Tess called over her shoulder, already stalking off again. “We’ll just walk a little upstream and we’ll be back to camp in ten minutes flat.”
*****
“Izzy?”
“Hm?” the other girl lazily replied from where she was lying in the shadow of a tall tree, reading a fashion magazine.
Maria looked at her watch again, frowning. They had been sitting in the shadows for a while now, reading in amiable silence, waiting for the other two to return. “What do you think is taking them so long?”
Isabel took of her sunglasses and looked at her, shutting her magazine. “No clue. Liz is probably taking pictures of that little plant from all possible – and impossible - angles. She can get a little anal with her science stuff, sometimes.”
“Still, it’s been almost an hour . . .”
Isabel sighed, relenting. “You wanna go look for them?”
Maria nodded. “Would you mind?”
“Not at all,” her friend said, smiling. She rolled onto her knees and sat up. “Let’s go.”
They hurried along the path, their flip-flops slapping against their bare soles until they reached the beautiful, yet deserted, riverbank, quickly scanning the clearing for their friends.
But there was no sign of Tess or Liz.
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 17 - Jun 08, 2011
Ginger: Thanks for feedbacking! Food? No, I'm afraid they didn't bring any, but hey . . . Maybe they can hunt down a fish,
Eve: As always, thank you for feedbacking! A night in the forest? Hmmm . . . could be. As for the boys being happy . . . Since they are obliged to go comb the forest for the missing girls, there won't be so much happiness, no.
Chapter Seventeen – Reunion
“So . . . Alex.” Max narrowed his eyes at his friend sitting beside him on a rock. “You and my sister, huh?” If he thought that Max had missed the looks between the two at the campfire last night, he’d better think again.
They had been hiking through the forest all day, goofing around and revisiting old haunts none of them had seen in a while, mostly staying on well-known paths, but also going off trail now and then in search of interesting places. Now it was already afternoon and the sun had wandered over the sky, throwing long shadows. They would have to turn back soon if they wanted to be back at camp by nightfall.
But first, they had decided to take one last break and polish off the last of their food to reduce the weight they’d have to carry back.
Alex glanced at him, but he placidly continued munching on his Twinkie. “None of your business.”
“It will be my business if you make her unhappy.” Better to be clear about that from the beginning. He scowled, trying to look intimidating. It didn’t help things that Kyle and Michael, sitting across from them, had begun snorting in mirth at his expression. His scowl deepened, only causing them to hoot in laughter. He turned back to Alex, ignoring them.
One corner of Alex’ mouth wavered, uncertain if it found the situation funny or not. “Come on, Max, aren’t we past the threats? I’m your friend, man. You know I wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Yeah, I know,” Max quickly relented, throwing an annoyed glance at the other two who were still giggling like little girls. “Just wanted to get things straight.”
“You did,” Alex agreed. “Now drop it.”
“What were you two even doing all day yesterday, huh?” Michael, having finally composed himself, butted in. His eyes were glinting with barely suppressed mischief. “I know you didn’t leave the camp.”
“We talked,” Alex answered, his tone too casual, with a warm blush rising to his cheeks. When he saw the eyebrows of his three friends raised in identical expressions of skepticism, he raised his palms. “What? Is that a capital offense now?”
“No, no,” Michael said with a knowing grin.
Max, watching Alex’ reaction, rather thought that he was lucky not to have his smirk slapped off of his face by Alex who had now taken on a ferocious blush.
“Talking . . .” Kyle nodded thoughtfully. “And was there any tongue involved in that?”
Alex narrowed his eyes at him. “No comment,” he bit out.
“Ha!” Kyle clapped his hands gleefully. “So there was!”
Alex rolled his eyes. “I said no comment!”
“So there wasn’t,” Michael assessed, trying to aggravate his friend even further.
Max silently admitted to himself that seeing old, good-natured Alex this flustered was kind of fun.
Alex rolled his eyes in annoyance, but before he could give a snide answer, the beeping of a cell phone resounded from the depths of Max’ backpack.
Max pulled it out and, after a short glance at the caller ID, flipped it open. “Hello? Iz?”
“Max, you have . . . get back here,” she said, her voice interrupted by static. “Tess and Liz are . . . don’t know where they are.”
His heart started to beat in his chest like a jackhammer at her words, and he gripped the phone tighter, ignoring the alarmed looks of his friends. Liz! “Izzy, the reception is for crap out here. Can you repeat that?” he asked urgently. “What is with Tess and Liz?”
“Liz . . . plant, while we went fishing yesterday. Her and Tess went to go take pictures of it and now they’re . . .” Her voice broke off for a second, but returned. The volume was very low. “So me and Maria . . . Max . . . back here? We’re really worried.”
“I don’t understand, Iz,” he said with a hollow feeling in his stomach. But he did. He understood perfectly well. “What happened to Liz and Tess?”
“They’re gone, Max. We don’t know where they are.”
Oh no! Liz! He forced himself to breathe deeply, forced himself to think when the only thing his brain wanted to do was panic. “Where are you, Izzy? Are you still at the camp?”
“Yes.”
Michael’s hand descended on his arm in an iron grip, and he looked at him urgently, apparently seconds away from taking the phone out of his hands. All trace of humor had left his face.
“Is Maria with you?” Max asked, unwillingly pulling away from his friend.
“Yes, she’s fine.”
“Okay, Izzy. We’re coming back as soon as possible,” he said curtly. Before he snapped his phone shut, he remembered one last thing. “Stay put.”
*****
“I’m not going any further, Tess!” Liz said with finality, planting her feet into the soft moss and crossing her arms in defiance. Following the little stream had, as of yet, failed to bring them back to their riverbank, and by now Liz had given up any hope that it would. She looked up, taking in the crowned trees around them, glowing in dark green and deep orange. The light was rapidly fading as dusk approached, and Liz felt the all too familiar fear rising to the surface again. Having to spend a night alone in the middle of the dark wood was one of her worst nightmares, and now it looked as if Tess had managed to make it come true. She glared at her friend who had turned around at her outburst and looked back at her in impatient annoyance.
“Liz, I’m telling you, it’s just around the next corner,” she said, trying to sound convincing, but unable to completely keep the uncertainty out of her voice.
“How do you know? You have never been here before!” Liz snapped, her voice rising in hysteria. “For all we know, we could be halfway to Arizona by now! And all this time, you keep on going and going instead of listening to me and just staying in one place so that someone can find us!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Tess retorted with a snort. “These woods don’t extend all the way to Arizona.”
“I don’t recall Geography being one of your strong suits.”
Tess opened her mouth to give a sharp response. Instead, she snapped her mouth shut, bracing her hands on her hips. “Fine,” she snapped. “We stay put. But there are wild animals around here, you know? It could be dangerous to stay out here with no protection.”
Liz looked around at the growing shadows, feeling a shiver run down her spine. “Wild animals?”
Tess took in her fearful expression, and her own face softened. “Probably nothing will even come near us,” she amended with an apologetic smile. “But we should look for some shelter nonetheless. Just in case, you know?”
Liz nodded and followed Tess, who had turned and began stalking along the stream again, attentively scanning her surroundings. She pushed through a thicket that was blocking her path, momentarily vanishing from Liz’ sight. From the other side of it, Liz heard her muffled exclamation.
“Whoa! Liz, come see this!”
Liz scrambled after her, nearly falling when her foot caught on an upturned root, and stumbled into her friend’s back. She looked up, and what she saw nearly took her breath away. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered in awe.
They were standing at the edge of a large clearing that was almost completely filled with water. There was no wind, so the surface lay quite undisturbed; smooth and cool in the middle of the forest with the last of the sunlight gathering in it like a pool of silver and gold. The stream they had been following originated here, as one of many small bands of running water emanating from the overflowed clearing into the woods. On the far side of the lake they heard water rushing, where a little waterfall precipitated from a rock formation.
“It’s Kyle’s waterfall . . .” Tess murmured softly. She took in the quiet beauty of the place, stepping closer to the water. “Let’s stay here and wait for them to find us.”
Wearily, Liz let herself sink into the soft, cool grass at their feet. She shivered, wondering how on earth they would get through a night out here in the chilly spring night with no blankets, no food, and no protection.
She only hoped it wouldn’t rain.
*****
“Tess!” Michael roared again into the dark, his voice cracking. “Liz!”
He bulldozed trough the thick forest like a steamroller, impatiently slapping the branches and twigs out of his way. He was disturbing the peace of the nightly forest, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was finding them. Faintly, he was aware of the sound of Kyle’s rapid breathing behind his back where his friend was following him. His own sweat was running down his back beneath the sweater, tickling uncomfortably. First a day of hiking, now this. He had been looking forward to a nice, languorous evening with Maria in the tent. Instead, he was now combing the forest for their two stray girls. Though he was feeling exhausted, he didn’t slow his pace in the least. There was no time.
After getting back to camp at just before sunset, they had begun searching the endless woods, starting from the point on the other side of the creek where Maria and Isabel had said the girls wanted to go. Max and Alex had opted to search in the east, while he and Kyle were going to go west, but none of the parties had, so far, found any sign of Tess and Liz.
Or had they? Michael glanced at the lit up display of his cell. No service. Fabulous. He grunted and shoved the phone back into his pocket. The bright cone of light from his flashlight flitted across the ground, lighting up the black surface for seconds before Michael pushed on through another thicket. They had been searching for close to two hours now, and he was getting desperate. He could only imagine how Kyle and Max must feel.
“Tess!” he yelled for what felt like the hundredth time. “Liz!” Kyle’s voice had gone hoarse a while ago, so he only managed a choked croaking now and then.
A twig whipped into his face, catching him right under the eye and making it tear up with the stinging pain. He absently wiped at the spot. He was angry. No, furious. How could they have been so stupid? Going into the wood when you have no idea how to get back was just insane. Tess. It had to have been Tess. Liz was way too cautious to pull a stunt like that. But not Tess. Not Tess. He only wondered how she had managed to pull Liz into this. Getting lost in the woods . . . He snorted derisively. Oh, he would have a word or two with them when they found them. If we find them. He quickly pushed the thought away. If they even got lost. You know what kind of creeps hang around out here in the wilderness . . . He felt the blinding anger push to the surface again, hot and all-consuming. He was thankful for it, because it kept him from dwelling on his worry too much. Anger. Yes, that was better.
He was almost always angry nowadays. Or afraid. Mostly both. He felt like his life was beginning to fall apart. Except when I’m with Maria. Everything’s fine when I’m with her. God, he wanted to be with her now. To not have a care in the world except trying to convince her to take off her shirt. Maria always made him feel better.
He was thankful that, for once, she was safe. She was safe back at camp with Isabel. Probably worrying about all of them coming back in one piece. And if we don’t find them? Or if one of them is hurt? He didn’t dare think about what would happen if Liz or Tess were harmed in any way. I should have never left them alone. A whole day alone at the camp, of course they were going to get into trouble. You knew that they never listen when you tell them to stay put, Guerin. You failed to protect them. Like you failed to protect Faith.
He was beginning to lose his breath, but pushed on in spite of it. It was my fault. Mine. Please let them be okay. Please, please, please. Oh, God!
*****
Tess shivered in the cold night air and huddled a little closer to Liz. Both girls were sitting with their backs against a boulder near the water edge, cowering close to each other and sharing their body heat. The sun had long since vanished behind the horizon, leaving the previously light-filled lake dark and eerie. Now and then, they could hear a quiet plop when a fish broke the surface of the water. There was no moon, so the only light came from the many stars, dipping the clearing in a faint, silver glow. Not enough to see through the shadows, but their eyes had adjusted sufficiently to the darkness, so that they could at least make out rough contours around them.
Tess’ stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her uncomfortably that she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. Almost twelve hours. She laid her hand on her belly soothingly, willing it to stop complaining. Liz shifted beside her, but said nothing.
They had talked for a while earlier while watching the light fade around them, thankful for the company of the other, but the conversation had ceased with the approaching darkness, and each girl’s thoughts had turned inwards to her own private contemplation.
Suddenly a twig snapped in the bushes to their right. Liz’ fingers dug painfully into her forearm and Tess could hear her flat breathing over the sound of her own rapid heartbeat. Both of them had gone rigid at the noise, heads turned blindly in the direction the sound had come from.
“What was that?” Liz whispered, her tone tinged with hysteria.
“P-probably just the w-wind,” Tess whispered back, but the light tremor in her voice betrayed her own nervousness. Oh, how she yearned to be home in her warm, comfy bed right now.
Another loud rustling from the same direction made them freeze again. Barely daring to breathe, Tess stared into the inscrutable darkness. “H-Hello?” she called timidly. Louder, she repeated, “Hello? Is someone there?”
“Shhh!” Liz hissed into her ear. “You’ll lead it right to us!”
Tess barely had time to wonder what on earth she meant by “it”, before a large, black form appeared next to them, blocking out what little light there was. She screamed in panic, feeling Liz being pulled from her side, also screaming.
Dimly, it registered to her that her friend was in fact not yelling in fear, but whooping with a joy one would not have expected to hear while being assaulted by a shadow monster. The monster in question had really large ears, and a deep, laughing voice that was very familiar to Tess.
“Max!” Liz shouted, hanging from his neck with all her might.
“Liz! I was so worried about you!” His soft voice was full of relief as he hugged her back.
“Thank God you found us!”
Max drew back slightly, looking her up and down. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine,” she laughed, all of the fear gone now.
Tess slowly came to stand on shaky legs as another shadow appeared next to Liz and Max. As she walked over to Alex, she caught a few shreds of the couple’s conversation and rolled her eyes.
“What are you doing out here?” Max asked.
“Tess saw some glass shards on the forest ground and thought it was something worth investigating . . .”
Liz voice faded when Tess approached Alex who was looking at her with a friendly smile.
“Hey there,” he said, softly touching her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“Hm-mm,” she nodded reluctantly, kicking some pebbles into the water with her toes.
“Nothing scraped? Nothing bruised?” He watched her kindly with no hint of accusation or reprimand.
“Just my ego . . .” she admitted.
He chuckled quietly. “That’s okay, then.”
She looked up at his shadowed face. “I’m sorry you guys had to go through all this trouble for us, Alex. It was all my fault.”
“Aw, don’t be sorry, Tessie.” He laughed and laid an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to his body, sharing his warmth. “I’m just glad you two aren’t hurt. And I don’t mind going on a little ‘treasure hunt’ at night. Makes life more interesting.” He winked at her.
Max and Liz came over to stand next to them, arm in arm. Liz was wrapped in Max’ sweater, smiling brightly as if she hadn’t been scared out of her skin mere minutes before.
“Hey, Tess,” Max said. “You okay? I just tried calling Kyle and Michael, but – Surprise! - there’s no service out here. Let’s get back to camp before we try to reach them again.”
“How far is it?” Liz inquired.
“Not that far,” he answered reassuringly. “We just have to follow the creek upstream for a little while, and then we’ll reach the camp in about twenty minutes.” He pointed to the little waterfall where the stream emptied into the lake.
Tess turned to Liz with smug satisfaction. “See? I told you it was the same creek.”
“Oh, shut up.”
*****
Maria glanced at her watch, the clock face illuminated by the weak light of the little lantern swinging gently back and forth from the ceiling of her tent. Almost midnight. She sighed.
Isabel was sitting across from her on the sleeping bag, absently fingering a loose thread on the corner of the blanket by her feet, her gaze turned inward.
They had been waiting for hours now, impatiently looking up at every small sound coming from the direction of the path leading to the creek. But so far, nothing.
Maria thought back to when the boys had arrived back at camp earlier, each of them obviously in a hurry and demanding to know what had happened in detail. Amidst the bedlam, it took some time before Maria and Isabel were able to relate the earlier events to them and their theory on what happened. Max and Kyle were barely able to pay attention, though, their minds already mulling over plans on how to go about getting their girlfriends back.
Michael had seemed outwardly calm, but Maria had seen the lines of worry on his face that he tried to hide for Max’ and Kyle’s sake. He had just quickly assured himself that she was okay, then he swiftly and efficiently divided them into two groups and made sure that every party was equipped with at least one cell phone and a flash light.
But he had barely seemed to hear her when she had told him to be careful, and she knew that all of his thoughts were already set on finding Liz and Tess.
Maria and Isabel had spent the evening talking, worrying and preparing sandwiches – again – for everyone. They reckoned that at least the two girls must be frozen and starved half to death and the guys also hadn’t eaten before embarking onto their search. They themselves had quickly realized that they couldn’t possibly stomach a single bite as long as they didn’t know everyone was safe back in their sleeping bags, so they tidily put away the stack of sandwiches and retreated into the tent Maria shared with Michael in search of some protection from the cold.
Now, Isabel let out a sudden, irritated snort. “I hate this! I wish we could go out there and look for them, too!”
Maria laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, we’d be a great help. Before long, the boys would have to look for four missing girls. They’d love that.”
“I know! But this waiting is just driving me insane.” She groaned.
“I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” Maria tried to reassure her friend as well as herself. She glanced at her cell. “Maybe we could try calling them? See if the boys have found any trace, yet?”
Isabel’s face lit up like a lantern and she reached for her phone, flipping it open without hesitation. “I’ll call Max.”
*****
Michael stopped abruptly, barely keeping his balance when his toes encountered no solid ground, but only thin air. He pointed the flashlight at the ground at his feet, illuminating the steep chasm he had nearly stumbled down. Damn. In his haste, he had almost made a fatal mistake. He hastily took a step back, feeling his heart begin to hammer with belated reaction at the danger he had averted by sheer luck.
Kyle, having finally caught up, stopped beside him and looked down the abyss with trepidation. “Shit,” he uttered, and Michael could only agree silently.
In a rocky landscape like this, it wasn’t unusual to come upon the odd rock or precipice. Normally, their adventurous nature would have welcomed a chance to go investigating a natural phenomenon like this. It was only unfortunate when you happened to be on a nightly search for two helpless girls.
Make that two helpless girls without flashlights, Michael thought as he continued to search the steep slope for a safe way down. As far as he could see, the ground here was covered with loose gravel, ready to detach itself from the unstable rock at the slightest disturbance. There was no way a person could go down there without being in danger of slipping and getting seriously injured.
He took a deep breath and yelled again for the girls, but the only response they got was the faint echo of his own voice. If they fell down here they might not be able to answer, he thought, trying not to let himself be overwhelmed by the fear and worry. He had to keep a clear head now.
Kyle’s thought process apparently ran along similar lines, for he squared his shoulders and determinedly stated, “We have to go down there.”
“Kyle . . .” he began. “It’s too dangerous. We don’t even have a rope to lower one of us down there.”
Kyle barely glanced at him, already edging closer to the brink. “I don’t care. I have to see if she’s down there.”
Michael gripped his wrist when a few pebbles loosened under his feet and rolled down into the blackness, making Kyle momentarily loose his balance. “Wait, dammit! Do you want to get yourself killed?”
“I’ll be careful,” Kyle mumbled, but glanced doubtfully down the precipice.
The phone began to vibrate in Michael’s pocket and he tightened his grip on his friend’s arm, growling “You wait” before pulling the cell out and lifting it to his ear. “Hello?”
“Michael, they found them. Tess and Liz. They’re fine.”
Never before had Maria’s voice sounded so sweet to him.
*****
Just a few minutes after Maria had talked to Michael, Max and Alex returned to camp with Tess and Liz in tow. All four of them seemed to be in good spirits, if a little frozen and starved. They attacked the food that Isabel and Maria provided, taking turns in telling their story while they sat around the cold fire pit. The relief that all of them felt was a tangible thing, causing them to goof around and tell each other jokes despite the lateness of the hour.
After the happy reunion, Max and Liz and Isabel and Alex retreated into their respective tents, yawning widely after an eventful day and an even more eventful night. Only Tess and Maria remained seated on the bench, each waiting for her significant other to return safely from their “hunt”.
It took at least another thirty minutes, or so Maria estimated, before the boys appeared in the clearing, stepping out of one of the trails. Kyle immediately ran to Tess and crushed her to his chest with all his might, making her laugh and giggle in his arms. He pulled back, but didn’t release her, asking, “What the hell were you thinking?!”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he swallowed her answer in a deep, outrageous kiss. When they broke apart again, both of them were panting breathlessly and grinning widely at each other.
“Don’t you ever do that again!” Kyle said, trying to be stern, but failing miserably. The joy of reunion was too great for him to suppress.
Michael, who had been watching the proceedings from a couple of yards away, wearing a stony expression, stepped closer to the couple. Maria watched his face anxiously. He had his arms crossed before his chest, with his posture stiff and erect, as if it was taking everything he had not to explode.
“So, did you have fun?” he asked in a dangerously calm voice, narrowing his eyes at Tess.
Her eyebrows went up at his tone. “Excuse me?”
“I asked if you had fun blundering around there for hours,” he repeated, louder now. “Did you at least break your leg or sprain an ankle?”
“We got lost,” she stated, flushing hot red with anger at his tone. Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. “It was an accident!”
“If you had stayed on the paths like we told you to, that would’ve never happened,” he growled. He looked so angry that Maria almost expected to see steam come out of his nose when he exhaled loudly.
“As if you always do what you’re supposed to do,” she snapped back, not backing down, even as he towered over her.
“At least I know how to find my back.”
“Of course, you always know everything, right?” she sneered. She also crossed her arms, mimicking his pose. If the situation weren’t so serious, Maria would have laughed at the picture of the two temper twins, so different in appearance, but so similar in attitude.
He glowered down at the unrelenting blonde before him, his jaw set. “If you would exercise your brain cells more often, then you-”
“Are you trying to tell me that you think I’m dumb?” she asked in outrage.
“If the shoe fits.” He shrugged. “A smart girl wouldn’t have left the camp because there was something ‘glittering’ in the forest! What are you? A magpie?”
Tess sent a quick, accusatory glance in Maria’s direction, who had related the story of the girls’ adventure to Michael on the phone, but Maria only raised her eyebrows and opened her palms in a gesture of innocence that clearly said ‘What do you want from me?’. Tess herself had told the story to the others in great detail while eating, so it would only have been a matter of time before Michael found out, anyway. There was no keeping secrets in this group.
Tess turned her attention back to Michael. “No! I-”
“I don’t care!” he yelled, taking no heed of the others trying to sleep in their tents. The color was slowly rising in his cheeks, making him go bright red with anger. A vein throbbed in his temple. “I’m sick of all this! First, Maria walks around in the desert at night, then you and Liz get lost in the woods! I feel like I can’t even let you out of my sight for one second anymore, because one of you might try to get herself hurt again!”
Now, that stung a little. Maria glowered when he mentioned her desert episode from a few weeks back.
Tess also frowned at him, offended. “You make it sound like we did all that on purpose . . .”
“Well, it certainly feels like it,” he snapped, the agitation making him pace in front of her, gesturing widely. “Maybe Iz can go and try to drown herself in the creek tomorrow, just to be thorough– Oh, wait! She already did that!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She threw up her arms in irritation. “That creek isn’t even two feet deep . . .”
“That’s not the point!” he shouted.
At the end of her rope, she turned on him, yelling, “Well, if it’s that much of a burden to you, please don’t feel obliged to rescue us again from our own stupidity!”
“Who else is going to do it, then?” he asked, deliberately getting into her face. “If me and the guys hadn’t combed the forest for you-”
“I didn’t ask you to!” she screamed in outrage and tried to hit him in the chest.
Michael easily caught her hand before she could make contact. “You didn’t . . .” he repeated in a toneless voice. Then his eyes darkened and Maria, too chicken herself, prayed for heavenly intervention before they tried to kill each other. Michael, still restraining Tess, hissed, “Oh, you ungrateful little bi-”
“Enough!” Kyle now shouted and got between them, shielding Michael from a furious Tess. Apparently he, too, had decided that an intervention was needed.
“You’re calling me a bitch?” Tess tried to get past Kyle, intent in sinking her fingernails into every part of Michael she could reach. To her immense fury, he seemed completely unfazed by her assault. “You overbearing, obnoxious-”
“Tess!” Kyle interrupted her firmly and forcefully turned her in the direction of their tent. “That’s enough! Go into the tent, will you?”
She turned on him. “I won’t let you tell me what to-”
“Now!” he insisted harshly, and after a minute of staring at him in defiance, she complied, stomping off to her tent, ripping the zipper open and vanishing behind the flap in a huff.
Maria turned around to Michael, but only caught the movement of their own tent flap where he had pushed aside the canvas and disappeared into the flimsy solitude of the tent.
She blinked at Kyle in bewilderment. “Well, that went just fabulous, didn’t it?”
~TBC
Eve: As always, thank you for feedbacking! A night in the forest? Hmmm . . . could be.
As for the boys being happy . . . Since they are obliged to go comb the forest for the missing girls, there won't be so much happiness, no.Chapter Seventeen – Reunion
“So . . . Alex.” Max narrowed his eyes at his friend sitting beside him on a rock. “You and my sister, huh?” If he thought that Max had missed the looks between the two at the campfire last night, he’d better think again.
They had been hiking through the forest all day, goofing around and revisiting old haunts none of them had seen in a while, mostly staying on well-known paths, but also going off trail now and then in search of interesting places. Now it was already afternoon and the sun had wandered over the sky, throwing long shadows. They would have to turn back soon if they wanted to be back at camp by nightfall.
But first, they had decided to take one last break and polish off the last of their food to reduce the weight they’d have to carry back.
Alex glanced at him, but he placidly continued munching on his Twinkie. “None of your business.”
“It will be my business if you make her unhappy.” Better to be clear about that from the beginning. He scowled, trying to look intimidating. It didn’t help things that Kyle and Michael, sitting across from them, had begun snorting in mirth at his expression. His scowl deepened, only causing them to hoot in laughter. He turned back to Alex, ignoring them.
One corner of Alex’ mouth wavered, uncertain if it found the situation funny or not. “Come on, Max, aren’t we past the threats? I’m your friend, man. You know I wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Yeah, I know,” Max quickly relented, throwing an annoyed glance at the other two who were still giggling like little girls. “Just wanted to get things straight.”
“You did,” Alex agreed. “Now drop it.”
“What were you two even doing all day yesterday, huh?” Michael, having finally composed himself, butted in. His eyes were glinting with barely suppressed mischief. “I know you didn’t leave the camp.”
“We talked,” Alex answered, his tone too casual, with a warm blush rising to his cheeks. When he saw the eyebrows of his three friends raised in identical expressions of skepticism, he raised his palms. “What? Is that a capital offense now?”
“No, no,” Michael said with a knowing grin.
Max, watching Alex’ reaction, rather thought that he was lucky not to have his smirk slapped off of his face by Alex who had now taken on a ferocious blush.
“Talking . . .” Kyle nodded thoughtfully. “And was there any tongue involved in that?”
Alex narrowed his eyes at him. “No comment,” he bit out.
“Ha!” Kyle clapped his hands gleefully. “So there was!”
Alex rolled his eyes. “I said no comment!”
“So there wasn’t,” Michael assessed, trying to aggravate his friend even further.
Max silently admitted to himself that seeing old, good-natured Alex this flustered was kind of fun.
Alex rolled his eyes in annoyance, but before he could give a snide answer, the beeping of a cell phone resounded from the depths of Max’ backpack.
Max pulled it out and, after a short glance at the caller ID, flipped it open. “Hello? Iz?”
“Max, you have . . . get back here,” she said, her voice interrupted by static. “Tess and Liz are . . . don’t know where they are.”
His heart started to beat in his chest like a jackhammer at her words, and he gripped the phone tighter, ignoring the alarmed looks of his friends. Liz! “Izzy, the reception is for crap out here. Can you repeat that?” he asked urgently. “What is with Tess and Liz?”
“Liz . . . plant, while we went fishing yesterday. Her and Tess went to go take pictures of it and now they’re . . .” Her voice broke off for a second, but returned. The volume was very low. “So me and Maria . . . Max . . . back here? We’re really worried.”
“I don’t understand, Iz,” he said with a hollow feeling in his stomach. But he did. He understood perfectly well. “What happened to Liz and Tess?”
“They’re gone, Max. We don’t know where they are.”
Oh no! Liz! He forced himself to breathe deeply, forced himself to think when the only thing his brain wanted to do was panic. “Where are you, Izzy? Are you still at the camp?”
“Yes.”
Michael’s hand descended on his arm in an iron grip, and he looked at him urgently, apparently seconds away from taking the phone out of his hands. All trace of humor had left his face.
“Is Maria with you?” Max asked, unwillingly pulling away from his friend.
“Yes, she’s fine.”
“Okay, Izzy. We’re coming back as soon as possible,” he said curtly. Before he snapped his phone shut, he remembered one last thing. “Stay put.”
*****
“I’m not going any further, Tess!” Liz said with finality, planting her feet into the soft moss and crossing her arms in defiance. Following the little stream had, as of yet, failed to bring them back to their riverbank, and by now Liz had given up any hope that it would. She looked up, taking in the crowned trees around them, glowing in dark green and deep orange. The light was rapidly fading as dusk approached, and Liz felt the all too familiar fear rising to the surface again. Having to spend a night alone in the middle of the dark wood was one of her worst nightmares, and now it looked as if Tess had managed to make it come true. She glared at her friend who had turned around at her outburst and looked back at her in impatient annoyance.
“Liz, I’m telling you, it’s just around the next corner,” she said, trying to sound convincing, but unable to completely keep the uncertainty out of her voice.
“How do you know? You have never been here before!” Liz snapped, her voice rising in hysteria. “For all we know, we could be halfway to Arizona by now! And all this time, you keep on going and going instead of listening to me and just staying in one place so that someone can find us!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Tess retorted with a snort. “These woods don’t extend all the way to Arizona.”
“I don’t recall Geography being one of your strong suits.”
Tess opened her mouth to give a sharp response. Instead, she snapped her mouth shut, bracing her hands on her hips. “Fine,” she snapped. “We stay put. But there are wild animals around here, you know? It could be dangerous to stay out here with no protection.”
Liz looked around at the growing shadows, feeling a shiver run down her spine. “Wild animals?”
Tess took in her fearful expression, and her own face softened. “Probably nothing will even come near us,” she amended with an apologetic smile. “But we should look for some shelter nonetheless. Just in case, you know?”
Liz nodded and followed Tess, who had turned and began stalking along the stream again, attentively scanning her surroundings. She pushed through a thicket that was blocking her path, momentarily vanishing from Liz’ sight. From the other side of it, Liz heard her muffled exclamation.
“Whoa! Liz, come see this!”
Liz scrambled after her, nearly falling when her foot caught on an upturned root, and stumbled into her friend’s back. She looked up, and what she saw nearly took her breath away. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered in awe.
They were standing at the edge of a large clearing that was almost completely filled with water. There was no wind, so the surface lay quite undisturbed; smooth and cool in the middle of the forest with the last of the sunlight gathering in it like a pool of silver and gold. The stream they had been following originated here, as one of many small bands of running water emanating from the overflowed clearing into the woods. On the far side of the lake they heard water rushing, where a little waterfall precipitated from a rock formation.
“It’s Kyle’s waterfall . . .” Tess murmured softly. She took in the quiet beauty of the place, stepping closer to the water. “Let’s stay here and wait for them to find us.”
Wearily, Liz let herself sink into the soft, cool grass at their feet. She shivered, wondering how on earth they would get through a night out here in the chilly spring night with no blankets, no food, and no protection.
She only hoped it wouldn’t rain.
*****
“Tess!” Michael roared again into the dark, his voice cracking. “Liz!”
He bulldozed trough the thick forest like a steamroller, impatiently slapping the branches and twigs out of his way. He was disturbing the peace of the nightly forest, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was finding them. Faintly, he was aware of the sound of Kyle’s rapid breathing behind his back where his friend was following him. His own sweat was running down his back beneath the sweater, tickling uncomfortably. First a day of hiking, now this. He had been looking forward to a nice, languorous evening with Maria in the tent. Instead, he was now combing the forest for their two stray girls. Though he was feeling exhausted, he didn’t slow his pace in the least. There was no time.
After getting back to camp at just before sunset, they had begun searching the endless woods, starting from the point on the other side of the creek where Maria and Isabel had said the girls wanted to go. Max and Alex had opted to search in the east, while he and Kyle were going to go west, but none of the parties had, so far, found any sign of Tess and Liz.
Or had they? Michael glanced at the lit up display of his cell. No service. Fabulous. He grunted and shoved the phone back into his pocket. The bright cone of light from his flashlight flitted across the ground, lighting up the black surface for seconds before Michael pushed on through another thicket. They had been searching for close to two hours now, and he was getting desperate. He could only imagine how Kyle and Max must feel.
“Tess!” he yelled for what felt like the hundredth time. “Liz!” Kyle’s voice had gone hoarse a while ago, so he only managed a choked croaking now and then.
A twig whipped into his face, catching him right under the eye and making it tear up with the stinging pain. He absently wiped at the spot. He was angry. No, furious. How could they have been so stupid? Going into the wood when you have no idea how to get back was just insane. Tess. It had to have been Tess. Liz was way too cautious to pull a stunt like that. But not Tess. Not Tess. He only wondered how she had managed to pull Liz into this. Getting lost in the woods . . . He snorted derisively. Oh, he would have a word or two with them when they found them. If we find them. He quickly pushed the thought away. If they even got lost. You know what kind of creeps hang around out here in the wilderness . . . He felt the blinding anger push to the surface again, hot and all-consuming. He was thankful for it, because it kept him from dwelling on his worry too much. Anger. Yes, that was better.
He was almost always angry nowadays. Or afraid. Mostly both. He felt like his life was beginning to fall apart. Except when I’m with Maria. Everything’s fine when I’m with her. God, he wanted to be with her now. To not have a care in the world except trying to convince her to take off her shirt. Maria always made him feel better.
He was thankful that, for once, she was safe. She was safe back at camp with Isabel. Probably worrying about all of them coming back in one piece. And if we don’t find them? Or if one of them is hurt? He didn’t dare think about what would happen if Liz or Tess were harmed in any way. I should have never left them alone. A whole day alone at the camp, of course they were going to get into trouble. You knew that they never listen when you tell them to stay put, Guerin. You failed to protect them. Like you failed to protect Faith.
He was beginning to lose his breath, but pushed on in spite of it. It was my fault. Mine. Please let them be okay. Please, please, please. Oh, God!
*****
Tess shivered in the cold night air and huddled a little closer to Liz. Both girls were sitting with their backs against a boulder near the water edge, cowering close to each other and sharing their body heat. The sun had long since vanished behind the horizon, leaving the previously light-filled lake dark and eerie. Now and then, they could hear a quiet plop when a fish broke the surface of the water. There was no moon, so the only light came from the many stars, dipping the clearing in a faint, silver glow. Not enough to see through the shadows, but their eyes had adjusted sufficiently to the darkness, so that they could at least make out rough contours around them.
Tess’ stomach grumbled loudly, reminding her uncomfortably that she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. Almost twelve hours. She laid her hand on her belly soothingly, willing it to stop complaining. Liz shifted beside her, but said nothing.
They had talked for a while earlier while watching the light fade around them, thankful for the company of the other, but the conversation had ceased with the approaching darkness, and each girl’s thoughts had turned inwards to her own private contemplation.
Suddenly a twig snapped in the bushes to their right. Liz’ fingers dug painfully into her forearm and Tess could hear her flat breathing over the sound of her own rapid heartbeat. Both of them had gone rigid at the noise, heads turned blindly in the direction the sound had come from.
“What was that?” Liz whispered, her tone tinged with hysteria.
“P-probably just the w-wind,” Tess whispered back, but the light tremor in her voice betrayed her own nervousness. Oh, how she yearned to be home in her warm, comfy bed right now.
Another loud rustling from the same direction made them freeze again. Barely daring to breathe, Tess stared into the inscrutable darkness. “H-Hello?” she called timidly. Louder, she repeated, “Hello? Is someone there?”
“Shhh!” Liz hissed into her ear. “You’ll lead it right to us!”
Tess barely had time to wonder what on earth she meant by “it”, before a large, black form appeared next to them, blocking out what little light there was. She screamed in panic, feeling Liz being pulled from her side, also screaming.
Dimly, it registered to her that her friend was in fact not yelling in fear, but whooping with a joy one would not have expected to hear while being assaulted by a shadow monster. The monster in question had really large ears, and a deep, laughing voice that was very familiar to Tess.
“Max!” Liz shouted, hanging from his neck with all her might.
“Liz! I was so worried about you!” His soft voice was full of relief as he hugged her back.
“Thank God you found us!”
Max drew back slightly, looking her up and down. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine,” she laughed, all of the fear gone now.
Tess slowly came to stand on shaky legs as another shadow appeared next to Liz and Max. As she walked over to Alex, she caught a few shreds of the couple’s conversation and rolled her eyes.
“What are you doing out here?” Max asked.
“Tess saw some glass shards on the forest ground and thought it was something worth investigating . . .”
Liz voice faded when Tess approached Alex who was looking at her with a friendly smile.
“Hey there,” he said, softly touching her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“Hm-mm,” she nodded reluctantly, kicking some pebbles into the water with her toes.
“Nothing scraped? Nothing bruised?” He watched her kindly with no hint of accusation or reprimand.
“Just my ego . . .” she admitted.
He chuckled quietly. “That’s okay, then.”
She looked up at his shadowed face. “I’m sorry you guys had to go through all this trouble for us, Alex. It was all my fault.”
“Aw, don’t be sorry, Tessie.” He laughed and laid an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to his body, sharing his warmth. “I’m just glad you two aren’t hurt. And I don’t mind going on a little ‘treasure hunt’ at night. Makes life more interesting.” He winked at her.
Max and Liz came over to stand next to them, arm in arm. Liz was wrapped in Max’ sweater, smiling brightly as if she hadn’t been scared out of her skin mere minutes before.
“Hey, Tess,” Max said. “You okay? I just tried calling Kyle and Michael, but – Surprise! - there’s no service out here. Let’s get back to camp before we try to reach them again.”
“How far is it?” Liz inquired.
“Not that far,” he answered reassuringly. “We just have to follow the creek upstream for a little while, and then we’ll reach the camp in about twenty minutes.” He pointed to the little waterfall where the stream emptied into the lake.
Tess turned to Liz with smug satisfaction. “See? I told you it was the same creek.”
“Oh, shut up.”
*****
Maria glanced at her watch, the clock face illuminated by the weak light of the little lantern swinging gently back and forth from the ceiling of her tent. Almost midnight. She sighed.
Isabel was sitting across from her on the sleeping bag, absently fingering a loose thread on the corner of the blanket by her feet, her gaze turned inward.
They had been waiting for hours now, impatiently looking up at every small sound coming from the direction of the path leading to the creek. But so far, nothing.
Maria thought back to when the boys had arrived back at camp earlier, each of them obviously in a hurry and demanding to know what had happened in detail. Amidst the bedlam, it took some time before Maria and Isabel were able to relate the earlier events to them and their theory on what happened. Max and Kyle were barely able to pay attention, though, their minds already mulling over plans on how to go about getting their girlfriends back.
Michael had seemed outwardly calm, but Maria had seen the lines of worry on his face that he tried to hide for Max’ and Kyle’s sake. He had just quickly assured himself that she was okay, then he swiftly and efficiently divided them into two groups and made sure that every party was equipped with at least one cell phone and a flash light.
But he had barely seemed to hear her when she had told him to be careful, and she knew that all of his thoughts were already set on finding Liz and Tess.
Maria and Isabel had spent the evening talking, worrying and preparing sandwiches – again – for everyone. They reckoned that at least the two girls must be frozen and starved half to death and the guys also hadn’t eaten before embarking onto their search. They themselves had quickly realized that they couldn’t possibly stomach a single bite as long as they didn’t know everyone was safe back in their sleeping bags, so they tidily put away the stack of sandwiches and retreated into the tent Maria shared with Michael in search of some protection from the cold.
Now, Isabel let out a sudden, irritated snort. “I hate this! I wish we could go out there and look for them, too!”
Maria laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, we’d be a great help. Before long, the boys would have to look for four missing girls. They’d love that.”
“I know! But this waiting is just driving me insane.” She groaned.
“I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” Maria tried to reassure her friend as well as herself. She glanced at her cell. “Maybe we could try calling them? See if the boys have found any trace, yet?”
Isabel’s face lit up like a lantern and she reached for her phone, flipping it open without hesitation. “I’ll call Max.”
*****
Michael stopped abruptly, barely keeping his balance when his toes encountered no solid ground, but only thin air. He pointed the flashlight at the ground at his feet, illuminating the steep chasm he had nearly stumbled down. Damn. In his haste, he had almost made a fatal mistake. He hastily took a step back, feeling his heart begin to hammer with belated reaction at the danger he had averted by sheer luck.
Kyle, having finally caught up, stopped beside him and looked down the abyss with trepidation. “Shit,” he uttered, and Michael could only agree silently.
In a rocky landscape like this, it wasn’t unusual to come upon the odd rock or precipice. Normally, their adventurous nature would have welcomed a chance to go investigating a natural phenomenon like this. It was only unfortunate when you happened to be on a nightly search for two helpless girls.
Make that two helpless girls without flashlights, Michael thought as he continued to search the steep slope for a safe way down. As far as he could see, the ground here was covered with loose gravel, ready to detach itself from the unstable rock at the slightest disturbance. There was no way a person could go down there without being in danger of slipping and getting seriously injured.
He took a deep breath and yelled again for the girls, but the only response they got was the faint echo of his own voice. If they fell down here they might not be able to answer, he thought, trying not to let himself be overwhelmed by the fear and worry. He had to keep a clear head now.
Kyle’s thought process apparently ran along similar lines, for he squared his shoulders and determinedly stated, “We have to go down there.”
“Kyle . . .” he began. “It’s too dangerous. We don’t even have a rope to lower one of us down there.”
Kyle barely glanced at him, already edging closer to the brink. “I don’t care. I have to see if she’s down there.”
Michael gripped his wrist when a few pebbles loosened under his feet and rolled down into the blackness, making Kyle momentarily loose his balance. “Wait, dammit! Do you want to get yourself killed?”
“I’ll be careful,” Kyle mumbled, but glanced doubtfully down the precipice.
The phone began to vibrate in Michael’s pocket and he tightened his grip on his friend’s arm, growling “You wait” before pulling the cell out and lifting it to his ear. “Hello?”
“Michael, they found them. Tess and Liz. They’re fine.”
Never before had Maria’s voice sounded so sweet to him.
*****
Just a few minutes after Maria had talked to Michael, Max and Alex returned to camp with Tess and Liz in tow. All four of them seemed to be in good spirits, if a little frozen and starved. They attacked the food that Isabel and Maria provided, taking turns in telling their story while they sat around the cold fire pit. The relief that all of them felt was a tangible thing, causing them to goof around and tell each other jokes despite the lateness of the hour.
After the happy reunion, Max and Liz and Isabel and Alex retreated into their respective tents, yawning widely after an eventful day and an even more eventful night. Only Tess and Maria remained seated on the bench, each waiting for her significant other to return safely from their “hunt”.
It took at least another thirty minutes, or so Maria estimated, before the boys appeared in the clearing, stepping out of one of the trails. Kyle immediately ran to Tess and crushed her to his chest with all his might, making her laugh and giggle in his arms. He pulled back, but didn’t release her, asking, “What the hell were you thinking?!”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he swallowed her answer in a deep, outrageous kiss. When they broke apart again, both of them were panting breathlessly and grinning widely at each other.
“Don’t you ever do that again!” Kyle said, trying to be stern, but failing miserably. The joy of reunion was too great for him to suppress.
Michael, who had been watching the proceedings from a couple of yards away, wearing a stony expression, stepped closer to the couple. Maria watched his face anxiously. He had his arms crossed before his chest, with his posture stiff and erect, as if it was taking everything he had not to explode.
“So, did you have fun?” he asked in a dangerously calm voice, narrowing his eyes at Tess.
Her eyebrows went up at his tone. “Excuse me?”
“I asked if you had fun blundering around there for hours,” he repeated, louder now. “Did you at least break your leg or sprain an ankle?”
“We got lost,” she stated, flushing hot red with anger at his tone. Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. “It was an accident!”
“If you had stayed on the paths like we told you to, that would’ve never happened,” he growled. He looked so angry that Maria almost expected to see steam come out of his nose when he exhaled loudly.
“As if you always do what you’re supposed to do,” she snapped back, not backing down, even as he towered over her.
“At least I know how to find my back.”
“Of course, you always know everything, right?” she sneered. She also crossed her arms, mimicking his pose. If the situation weren’t so serious, Maria would have laughed at the picture of the two temper twins, so different in appearance, but so similar in attitude.
He glowered down at the unrelenting blonde before him, his jaw set. “If you would exercise your brain cells more often, then you-”
“Are you trying to tell me that you think I’m dumb?” she asked in outrage.
“If the shoe fits.” He shrugged. “A smart girl wouldn’t have left the camp because there was something ‘glittering’ in the forest! What are you? A magpie?”
Tess sent a quick, accusatory glance in Maria’s direction, who had related the story of the girls’ adventure to Michael on the phone, but Maria only raised her eyebrows and opened her palms in a gesture of innocence that clearly said ‘What do you want from me?’. Tess herself had told the story to the others in great detail while eating, so it would only have been a matter of time before Michael found out, anyway. There was no keeping secrets in this group.
Tess turned her attention back to Michael. “No! I-”
“I don’t care!” he yelled, taking no heed of the others trying to sleep in their tents. The color was slowly rising in his cheeks, making him go bright red with anger. A vein throbbed in his temple. “I’m sick of all this! First, Maria walks around in the desert at night, then you and Liz get lost in the woods! I feel like I can’t even let you out of my sight for one second anymore, because one of you might try to get herself hurt again!”
Now, that stung a little. Maria glowered when he mentioned her desert episode from a few weeks back.
Tess also frowned at him, offended. “You make it sound like we did all that on purpose . . .”
“Well, it certainly feels like it,” he snapped, the agitation making him pace in front of her, gesturing widely. “Maybe Iz can go and try to drown herself in the creek tomorrow, just to be thorough– Oh, wait! She already did that!”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She threw up her arms in irritation. “That creek isn’t even two feet deep . . .”
“That’s not the point!” he shouted.
At the end of her rope, she turned on him, yelling, “Well, if it’s that much of a burden to you, please don’t feel obliged to rescue us again from our own stupidity!”
“Who else is going to do it, then?” he asked, deliberately getting into her face. “If me and the guys hadn’t combed the forest for you-”
“I didn’t ask you to!” she screamed in outrage and tried to hit him in the chest.
Michael easily caught her hand before she could make contact. “You didn’t . . .” he repeated in a toneless voice. Then his eyes darkened and Maria, too chicken herself, prayed for heavenly intervention before they tried to kill each other. Michael, still restraining Tess, hissed, “Oh, you ungrateful little bi-”
“Enough!” Kyle now shouted and got between them, shielding Michael from a furious Tess. Apparently he, too, had decided that an intervention was needed.
“You’re calling me a bitch?” Tess tried to get past Kyle, intent in sinking her fingernails into every part of Michael she could reach. To her immense fury, he seemed completely unfazed by her assault. “You overbearing, obnoxious-”
“Tess!” Kyle interrupted her firmly and forcefully turned her in the direction of their tent. “That’s enough! Go into the tent, will you?”
She turned on him. “I won’t let you tell me what to-”
“Now!” he insisted harshly, and after a minute of staring at him in defiance, she complied, stomping off to her tent, ripping the zipper open and vanishing behind the flap in a huff.
Maria turned around to Michael, but only caught the movement of their own tent flap where he had pushed aside the canvas and disappeared into the flimsy solitude of the tent.
She blinked at Kyle in bewilderment. “Well, that went just fabulous, didn’t it?”
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 18 - Jun 09, 2011
Moomin: Well, the ears are a very prominent feature of his, so . . .
You'll find out who Faith is right now. And you're right, Michael will have to learn to deal with his issues. Maybe Maria can help him with that.
Thanks so much.
Eve: Lol, the ears. Well, I never said I didn't like them, too. In fact, I think they are cute, but they make for great descriptions.
Michael and Tess kind of have a sibling relationship, they fight and make up fast and easy. But living together? No, I, too, think that would be a disaster waiting to happen.
Kyle knows exactly when to interfere and get that girl of his back on track.
Thank you.
Author's note: The angel prayer is taken from the novel "The fiery Cross" by Diana Gabaldon, book five in the "Outlander" series (check it out if you like reading historical novels with a little something extra). I should probably mention that I got the idea for the name "Faith" from that series, as well.
Amy's going-to-bed line is borrowed from a very dear friend that I met over on CID. You know who you are.
Chapter Eighteen – Faith
It was dark in the narrow space of the tent when the flap closed behind Maria, shutting out what meager light the stars provided, but she could still make out Michael’s long body stretched out on their sleeping bag, his back turned to her in an unmistakably forbidding pose. His chest heaved with every agitated breath he took, and he was still snorting with suppressed fury with every exhale.
Maria crawled over to him and, for lack of other options, let herself sink onto the bed behind him, careful not to touch him. The air mattress tilted with the added weight and the sleeping bag let out a quiet rustling, but Michael didn’t so much as acknowledge her presence. He knew she was there, of course. The slight tightening of his shoulders gave him away when she shifted to lie behind him, leaving as much space between them as the narrow mattress would allow.
Taking a deep breath, she contemplated how to start. Confusion about the sudden and unexpected fight was still the dominant emotion in her jumbled thoughts right now, followed closely by irritation at his display of temper and the almost compulsive need to comfort him that she was so used to by now.
His ragged breathing had slowed a little, so she reached out a hand hesitantly and laid it flat against the knotted muscles of his shoulder blade, but he flinched away from her, clearly having no desire to be touched right now.
“I forgot about your massage,” she murmured, her tone apologetic. “I’m sorry.”
Still, he did not speak, but his shoulder lifted fractionally, letting her know that he had heard her.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, trying a different approach.
“No,” he growled.
Well, at least he’s talking. Unwilling to let herself be repelled by his aloof demeanor, she gave it another go. “I made sandwiches for you. I can go get them if you-”
“I said no!” he bit out sharply.
She clenched her jaw to keep from giving a hefty retort. She had to remind herself that it was the anger speaking in him, and that he just needed an outlet for all the pent-up rage bottled up inside of him. Still, it was not fair to vent all his anger on her, and he seemed to realize that himself, because he half-turned his head back to her, muttering a curt apology.
“What’s got you so angry?” she asked quietly. “Is this only about Tess and Liz getting lost?”
He huffed, but answered in a relatively composed manner. “Going out in the forest by themselves was just plain stupid. They could have gotten hurt or even killed out there! Or they could have gotten one of us hurt or killed. Hiking through the forest at night is not a walk in the park, you know?”
“But thankfully everyone is fine,” she reasoned. “No one was hurt. It was an accident, and no one could have foreseen something like this happening.”
“Of course she could’ve foreseen it! She had to know how dangerous it was to go into the woods to begin with!”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But don’t forget that Tess isn’t as experienced out here as you are. How is she to know the danger of such a situation when she has never been camping before?” she asked, reaching out again to lightly stroke his shoulder. This time, he let her. “It’s easy to underestimate a situation when you haven’t got anything to compare it to.”
Michael grunted in half-reluctant acknowledgement.
“Why are you really mad at her?”
At first, she wasn’t sure if he would answer at all. She felt him tense up where her palm still lightly moved up and down his back, but he stayed quiet for a long time.
At last, after heaving a deep breath, he spoke, his tone low and hesitant. “I had a sister.”
Her hand stopped moving in shock, and her heartbeat picked up speed, drumming loudly in her ears, drowning out everything but the horrifying realization that she was about to learn a dark secret of his, one of those black spots in his past that he felt he needed to hide to protect himself from the world.
“What?” she asked in a toneless whisper.
“When I was four or five, my mom got pregnant,” he began hesitantly. “I had noticed her big belly before, of course, but I just assumed that it was because she had eaten too much chocolate.” He snorted at the memory and shifted restlessly on the sleeping bag, still facing away from her. “I knew where the babies came from, then, but the fact that she might be pregnant didn’t really register with me . . . Well, I was only a little kid. But one day, she told me that I was going to have a little sister or brother. She must’ve been six or seven months pregnant by then, I don’t even remember if she told me. What I do remember is that she didn’t have a boyfriend back then, and when I asked her where the baby’s daddy was, she told me that he had left and that I wasn’t supposed to ask about him anymore.”
His voice was low and monotone while he talked, and Maria scooted closer to his back, her hands picking up their gentle ministrations again while she listened with a heavy heart.
“Anyway,” he went on, “after she told me about the baby, she promised to me that she would do her best to be a good mom to both us, that she would change for the b-baby and that we would be our own, little family.” He swallowed hard, and took a few, deep breaths before continuing in a steadier voice. “And for a little while, she kept the promise. She really tried to do better. She stopped drinking, and she would take me with her to the doctor’s when she had an appointment, and to the playground in the afternoons. We even tried to renovate the house and build a room for the baby. Of course there wasn’t much money for that; mom only had a part-time job as a cashier, so we had to improvise a lot.” A smile inserted itself into his voice when he remembered those happier times.
Maria laid her forehead on his shoulder, breathing in his warm, unique scent mixed with a faint whiff of dried sweat. Her arm came around his body and she pressed her palm on his heart, feeling the steady beat drumming against her fingertips.
His own hand came up to squeeze hers before he carried on. “Naturally people talked. I didn’t really notice much of it at the time, but I did see the odd disapproving stare or whispered remarks. I guess the gossip behind our backs must have been really bad. On the front, people were friendly. They always used to tell me that I was the big brother now, that I had to be a good boy and take good care of my mom and the baby and all that crap.” He gave another, derisive snort. “You know how people are. And after hearing the same things over and over again, I really started to believe it. I saw myself as the protector, the man in the house. I thought it was my job to protect my family. . .”
Maria squeezed her eyes shut in the dark, fearing what came next.
“And then, one day, I came inside from the backyard and found her . . .”
*****
He came dashing inside on his chubby legs, triumphantly waving the old toy car he had found while playing in the dirt behind the house. He wanted to show it to his mom to show her that he could be a good boy. She had been so mad at him before, because he had accidentally dropped his glass of juice on the floor. After she had made him mop it up, she had sent him outside with the order not to keep out of her sight. She had been puffing with strain when she yelled at him, holding her big belly with both hands. The baby was going to come in four weeks, so Michael quickly obeyed and fled the house. He was always trying to be a good boy and help his mom, but sometimes it was just so hard when he didn’t understand why she was angry with him.
But now he had found the car and wanted to give it to his mommy as a present for the baby. If it was a boy, they could maybe play with it together. Michael had always wanted a car like that. A Matchbox car with shiny red paint and a rear spoiler. But they were too expensive, his mom had said, so he had never had one, until Aunt Esther had bought him one. It wasn’t one of the expensive ones, though. This one was made from plastic, not metal, with wheels that didn’t turn right and doors that wouldn’t open, but Michael had loved it and played with it every day until one of his mommy’s boyfriends accidentally stepped on it and broke it. And now he had found a new one, just lying there under a bush, half buried in a pile of old leaves and dirt. This one wasn’t shiny and new, either, but it had pretty yellow stripes running over it from front to back and all the wheels were still attached to it.
Michael smiled when he gave the right front wheel a light push and it spun flawlessly for several turns before slowly coming to a stop again. The temptation to just keep it to himself was there, of course, but his desire to prove to his mom that he wasn’t bad outweighed it. Michael bounded into the living room, calling out to his mom. As usual, the shades were drawn so the inside of the house was only dimly lit by the light filtering in through a crack in the curtains. He nudged the wheel again. Maybe, if the baby was a girl, he could keep the car after all. But then he would need to get hold of a doll for her. He bit his lip.
“Mommy, look!” he called again, finally catching on to the eerie quietness of the house. If mommy was there, it shouldn’t have been so quiet. “Mommy!”
It didn’t register at first when he saw the feet protruding from behind the couch, but after a second he realized that his mother was lying on the ground, motionless. He dropped the car, not even caring that one of the wheels broke off from the impact and rolled away under the dresser, and ran over to her. He knelt beside her head. Maybe she was just sleeping, he reasoned with himself. She was sleeping a lot lately. He shook her shoulder to wake her, but she didn’t stir. “Mommy, wake up!” His breath was coming short with the rising panic, and he shook her again, harder now. He didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t know what to do without his mommy. He didn’t have anyone else.
“Mommy!” His throat tightened, but he forced the tears down. He had to protect his mommy, he couldn’t be crying like a little baby. A jolt of shock ran through his system at the thought. The baby! Maybe there was something wrong with the baby and that was why his mom couldn’t wake up. He skidded over on his knees to sit beside the bulging belly and reached out to touch it, to comfort the baby. When his hand came into contact with his mother’s stomach, she emitted a quiet moan of pain. He pulled back, frightened.
What was he supposed to do? He needed to get help. She needed a doctor. Yes! Michael quickly scrambled to his feet, stumbling against the edge of the coffee table in his haste and painfully banging his hip. He reached for the phone, and dumbly stared at the numbers for a second. Panic flooded him when he couldn’t remember the number he was supposed to call for help. Why couldn’t he remember? Now of all times he had to forget, when his mommy needed his help! Stupid! Stupid Michael! Aunt Esther had told him many times what to do in an emergency situation, so why couldn’t he remember? His mother moaned again, louder now, and curled up on her side in pain. Michael could feel the sweat running down his face. He was so afraid. He screwed up his eyes, trying desperately to recall the words that Auntie Esther had always used. ‘When there is someone who needs help, you always have to help them, Michael, you understand? But don’t put yourself in danger in the process! You get to a phone as fast as you can and call-’
“911,” he murmured, relieved, and punched in the number.
When a woman with a nice voice picked up on the other end, he was so relieved that he just blabbered on about his mommy being sick and the baby, that he forgot to tell his name and address first. Stupid Michael! The woman had to interrupt him and ask for details. She calmly asked him about the situation, using a soothing voice and assuring him that help was already on their way. She told Michael not to hang up the phone, so he continued to hold the receiver to his ear as he sank down beside his mother again, listening to the comforting voice of the woman, calming him. He carefully stroked his mom’s stomach with his forefinger, letting the baby know that it wasn’t alone, and that the doctors would help them soon.
After a few minutes that stretched on for an eternity, he heard the sirens in the distance, coming closer. He laid down the phone on the floor and huddled up with his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth while he sat on the cold, hard floor beside his mother’s motionless form, whispering, “Hurry, hurry, hurry. . .”
*****
“They took me with them to the hospital, of course,” Michael said, his voice raspy. He was still facing away from her, but the tenseness of his shoulders had lessened while he talked, all of his being concentrated on the memory. Maria had stopped stroking him. She just lay behind him, holding him and listening to him reliving what had to be the worst day of his life.
“There was no one who could have taken care of me, so of course they couldn’t just leave me there.” He snorted. “And they wouldn’t have been able to separate me from her, anyway. When they took her to the ambulance, I clung to her leg like a magnet. I thought that if they took her away I’d never ever see her again. The ride to the hospital was short . . . I don’t remember any of it, at least, and when we arrived they immediately took her the emergency room. They didn’t let me go in with her, so I just sat down on the floor by the metal double doors and waited.” He laughed a humorless laugh. “I think the nurses forgot about me for a while, because nobody came to take care of me. Isn’t there supposed to be someone who looks after a five-year-old alone at a hospital? There was a large clock on the wall across from where I was sitting, so I can tell you exactly how long it took for someone to come to me. Two hours and twenty three minutes. I was waiting for almost two and a half hours before someone remembered me.”
Maria felt a tear run down her cheek when she imagined the little boy that he had been, so lonely and so afraid, waiting for someone to tell him about his mother and his little brother or sister.
“Finally a nurse came,” he continued. “She was actually really nice. She took me with her to the nurses’ room and offered me hot chocolate, but all I wanted was to see my mother. She told me that she was fine, but I couldn’t see her yet, and when I asked about the baby she just looked at me with that look people give you before they tell you something really awful and shook her head.” He paused for a moment, taking a few deep, calming breaths before going on. “The baby – it was a girl – had died in the womb, she told me. She said that sometimes children just don’t survive long enough in the belly of their mother to get born into the world, that sometimes God decides to take them to him very early. I didn’t understand any of that crap.” He snorted. “I didn’t understand why God would take my sister before I could even get to know her. To this day, I don’t know the medical reason why the child died, and I never asked. Maybe it was because of the alcoholism of my mom. I never knew if she really quit drinking during the pregnancy or if she was just more covert about it.
“After they told me about the baby’s death, I cried for a very long time. I was inconsolable, thinking that it was somehow my fault that she had died. Maybe my mom was so angry about me that she got too stressed and the baby couldn’t breathe because of that. Or I imagined that the baby would have survived if I had remembered the right telephone number right away. I made up the most unlikely scenarios, all having the one thing in common: It was my fault that she died. I just screamed and cried for hours, until my aunt came and picked me up. The hospital had called her, because she was listed as my mother’s emergency contact. She came and she took me with her to the waiting room and there she held me until I calmed down. She rocked me and told me that everything would be alright, but I couldn’t imagine anything ever being alright again. My sister was dead, and my mother somewhere in the hospital where I couldn’t see her, and I told that to my aunt. But she just continued to rock me and said that time would heal all wounds, even the really bad ones. After I stopped crying we talked for a while, about the baby and how we imagined it would be for her in heaven. And then Esther suggested that we pick a name for her so that she would have one in heaven. I asked if I could choose the name, and she said that I could.”
“What was the name?” Maria whispered against his neck, feeling her tears seep into the cloth of her pillow.
“I called her Faith.”
*****
“I hate him.”
“Tess . . .”
“Don’t ‘Tess’ me. I’m serious, I hate him.”
He sighed, watching his girlfriend furiously beating her innocent, white pillow to a feathery pulp, probably imagining it to be Michael’s face. “No, you don’t.”
She stopped what she was doing and rounded on him, glaring at him where he was sitting at the foot of their bed. “Did you hear what he said to me?” she asked, her voice shrill with anger. “He insulted me and you didn’t even lift so much as your little finger to defend me!”
He threw his arms up in irritation, wondering if Maria was dealing with a similar scenario right at this moment. “Defend you from what? The valid anger of our best friend? Don’t be ridiculous. I would’ve been squashed between you two like a bug.” He shook his head decisively. “I’m not stupid.”
“Did you say ‘valid’ anger?” she inquired, her blue eyes squinted to dangerous slits, fixing him like a cat would fix its prey. “He called me a bitch and insinuated that I got lost out there on purpose and you think that what he said was valid?!”
“Well, maybe not the way he said it,” he allowed, but pointed a finger at her when he continued in a firm voice, “but you did go into the forest on purpose. Nobody forced you to, and you willingly took the risk of getting lost because there was something you thought might be interesting. Couldn’t you have waited for us to come back before going there? Michael or me could have accompanied you and everything would have been fine.”
She snorted derisively. “As if your sense of direction is any better than mine. At least I found the waterfall.”
“That’s not the point here.” Kyle crossed his arms, looking at her with as much authority as he could scrape together.
Tess, however, was not the least bit impressed. “Oh, where have I heard that one before?” she mocked, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “And just so you know, I’m not some little girl needing parental supervision all the time!”
Kyle narrowed his eyes at her when something in him finally snapped. Enough was enough. “Maybe out here you do! Did it ever occur to you that you were not the only one put in danger by your actions?”
She gave a sharp, humorless laugh. “Please! Liz was in as little danger as I was . . .”
“I wasn’t talking about Liz,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was talking about Max, Alex, Michael and me.”
She looked at him in surprise then, taking in his obvious anger for the first time. Half-peaceable at last, she softened her tone a little. “Okay, Kyle, I understand that you weren’t exactly thrilled to go looking for us in the middle of the night, and I’m sorry for that, but-”
“No, Tess, you don’t get it,” Kyle interrupted her rudely, his voice raised. “I would go to the end of the world to find you, you know that. But I’m pissed that you don’t seem to see the danger you put us in!”
“You’re angry at me?” she asked, totally flabbergasted. Her finely shaped eyebrows rose up in astonishment. “Why? You guys go hiking all the time, why is it suddenly so dangerous?”
“There’s a reason that you don’t go hiking at night, Tess,” he bit out, gesturing with his arms to indicate the dark forest surrounding their little island of makeshift civilization. “This is a challenging terrain, even for experienced hikers like the guys and me. You wander off of the designated paths and you could easily stumble upon rocks and cliffs or chasms. In the dark, when you can’t see what’s right in front of you, every step could bring you falling down a precipice.”
Tess’ face had gone pale while she listened to him; the sudden, belated realization of real danger making her lose all color with the big, blue eyes huge in her face. “I . . . I didn’t . . .” she stuttered. “Kyle, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
His gaze softened, and the anger he had felt vanished as suddenly as it had appeared at the sight of her obvious remorse. “I know, Tessie,” he said, his voice soft, and he reached out to lightly stroke her thigh. “And I’m glad that you didn’t get hurt. But Michael and I almost did.”
“What happened to you?” she whispered, quickly scanning his body for any injuries that might have been overlooked in the commotion of their reunion and the resulting fight with Michael.
He instantly regretted having mentioned it at all. “Nothing much,” he backpedaled. “Don’t worry about it. It was just a gaping abyss crossing our path, waiting to swallow us alive,” he joked, glad when he saw the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement. “Michael saw it at the last possible second.”
“So you’re okay, right?”
“I’m fine.” He nodded. “Michael, too, but I guess he got a little freaked out there and the fear and the worry for you got him a little wired. That’s why he lost it a little when we got back.”
Tess sighed deeply, staring at the canvas of their tent, the side that faced the one of Michael and Maria. “I guess I have some major apologizing to do tomorrow, huh?” she said morosely.
He had to chuckle at her sullenness. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
Her blue gaze fixed on him, and after a second Tess scooted over to sit down in his lap, snuggling up to his body and purring in a low voice, “I want to apologize to you, too, Kyle. I was really stupid.”
He looked down at her small, curvy body, pressing into him at all the right places, and he was suddenly feeling very, very hot. “Uh, that’s okay, Tess.” His arm came around her waist to pull her a little closer. “I’m just glad that you’re not hurt.”
“No, that’s too easy.” She frowned. “I want to show you how sorry I am for having caused all this trouble. What do you want?” She looked up at him with a deceivingly innocent smile.
“What do I want?” he repeated dumbly.
“What do you want me to do for penance?” she clarified, batting her eyelashes at him. Oh, yes, she was undoubtedly having fun.
“Oh . . . ah . . .” He swallowed, his thoughts inevitably going in exactly the direction she had probably intended them to. “I could think of a thing or two.” Just then, his stomach emitted a sound that could best be described as a roaring, and he looked down at it in disapproval.
She giggled. “I bet you could. Maybe we should start with feeding you, huh? I put some sandwiches to the side for you earlier.”
When she started to slide off of his lap, he grabbed her, holding her in place with a hopeful grin. “But after that we get to the penance, right?”
She laughed and kissed him. “Yes, Kyle, I promise.”
*****
“How long was your mom in the hospital?” Maria’s voice was very low, almost a whisper. They were lying facing each other, still on top of the sleeping bag and she stroked his hair in a repetitive motion.
He lifted one shoulder a fraction of an inch. “I don’t know, a couple of days. They had taken the baby via C-section, so she had to stay longer because of the surgery. Esther stayed with me for that time. We went to visit mom every day in her hospital room. On the first day, when they finally allowed us in, I wanted to tell her about the name I had picked for the baby, but she forbid me to ever speak of her again. So I didn’t.”
He spoke with such finality that Maria had to bite her lip to keep from crying again. Through all of the story, he had not shed one single tear, and maybe that was because he couldn’t, she thought. Maybe the years and years of living with this secret had hardened him. Or maybe it was because he had already cried all the tears he could for the loss of his baby sister.
Maria leaned in and pressed her mouth to his, trying to kiss some of the hurt away. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
He sighed, shrugging again. “It’s all in the past.” He paused. “I just wanted to tell you the whole story. . . You know, because of Tess and all that. So that you know why I react strange sometimes.”
“You’re not strange,” she denied, her voice still thick with tears.
He searched her hand in the darkness and took it into his. “It’s just that, for me, Tess has somehow taken the place of Faith, and I often think of her as my sister. I just can’t lose her again.”
“Does she know? About Faith?”
“I don’t think so. I never told anyone about it, and unless one of the parents know and told them, none of my friends know.”
She smiled a watery smile, swallowing the last of the tears. “I’m glad you told me.”
“I bet Tess is pretty mad at me now,” Michael said, decisively ending their conversation about past tragedies and concentrating on the topic at hand, sighing in resignation.
“Probably,” Maria agreed. There was really no sense in denying that the fiery blonde girl was spitting mad at Michael right now. She didn’t envy Kyle one bit at the moment. Her sight had adjusted to the darkness in the tent, so she could make out Michael’s face a foot from hers.
“Do you think she’ll talk to me tomorrow?” he asked in a low voice. He looked at her insecurely, the need for reassurance clearly written on his features.
“Yes, she most definitely will,” she said with certainty. “She’ll calm down overnight, and then – provided you apologize nicely for basically calling her a dumb bitch and then grovel a little – she’ll forgive you.”
He rolled onto his back and groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. “I’m so screwed. You know I suck at this emotional crap. I’ll probably talk, and think I apologized, and she will hear the words and be convinced that I insulted her.”
She laughed faintly. He really had no idea how cute he was sometimes. She reached out to gently touch his cheek, turning his face back to her. It was true though, he didn’t always succeed in putting into words how he felt. Usually, showing it was more his area of expertise, so he dreaded having to talk to Tess about personal stuff come next morning. “You’ll do fine,” she tried to reassure him. “Just say what you want to say and try to leave out any cusswords and it’ll be okay. Trust me.”
“I do.” He pulled her closer, so that she came to rest on his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist. The insight into his past he had just given her had created a new level of intimacy between them. “I just don’t want anything to happen to her. Or any of them,” he added as an afterthought.
She sighed. “I think I know now why you feel the need to protect the people you care about so strongly. Part of it may be because of Faith, but the bigger part is just who you are by nature. I know that you have been through a lot. You can’t change who you are inside, and I wouldn’t want you to, but . . .” She pushed herself up on one elbow to peer into his face, mere inches away. “Baby, you can’t always prevent bad things from happening. You know that, right? And you need to stop taking all the blame for things that are not your fault. You couldn’t have done anything to save Faith, and you couldn’t have done anything to prevent Tess and Liz getting lost in the woods, either.”
“Yes, but-”
“No ‘buts’!” she said firmly. “Accidents happen, and people make mistakes. You will apologize to Tess tomorrow and she will forgive you and I absolutely forbid you to beat yourself up over this anymore, you understand me?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching. A little shyly, as if unsure whether to speak or not, he added, “You do know that I care about you a lot, right?”
Pleasantly surprised at his sudden admission, she smiled. “Yeah, I know. It’s nice to hear, nonetheless.”
“I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’d probably die without me,” she joked.
“I probably would,” he said, watching her with dark, serious eyes.
She frowned at him. “No, I was just kidding. You wouldn’t.” Gently, she drew her fingers down over his temple and cheek in a soft caress, cupping his jaw with her palm. “I care about you, too, you know? Very much.” She kissed him lightly.
“That’s good.” His eyes glinted in the darkness. “It would seriously suck to lay your heart out in the open and then have it trampled on by the person you just confessed your feelings to.”
She smiled down at him. “I’d never do that. Trample on your heart, I mean.”
“Good to know.” He then let out a huge yawn, stretching the aching muscles of his arms, but being hindered by the narrow confines of the tent. “God, I’m so tired.” He was not only physically, but probably emotionally exhausted as well.
“Then let’s get in the sleeping bag, baby.” Maria sat up on her knees beside him, shivering at the loss of body heat.
He smelled his shirt, his face contorting into a grimace. “I should go take a shower first.”
“That can wait till morning.” She had already pushed off her jeans and was now pulling at the zipper of the sleeping bag, impatiently looking forward to the soft warmth of their bed.
“But I stink!”
“You do,” she agreed, chuckling at his miffed expression. Apparently, he would have preferred for her to disagree vehemently. “But I’m tired, too, and I need you to warm me.”
She didn’t know if it was the promising coziness of the sleeping bag or the sight of goosebumps on her arms that swayed him, but he relented quickly. “Okay.” He scrambled out of his pants and crawled into bed beside her, groaning when his body was finally allowed to relax into the soft air mattress. They shifted around until his head came to rest on her chest and her arms were around his shoulders, cradling him to her.
She pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead. “Good night, Michael. Sleep tight, don’t let the dragons bite.”
He snorted. “What?”
“That’s what my mom used to say to me when she tucked me into bed at night when I was a kid.”
“Really? That’s cute.” He absentmindedly rubbed his stubbled cheek against her collarbone, making her giggle. “My aunt always put me to bed with an angel prayer when my mom needed me out of the house and I was sent to visit her.”
“How often did that happen?” Her hands began to lightly trace the shape of his shoulders and his back through the t-shirt.
“Not often. Only now and again, and Esther always told me cool bedtime stories, too.”
“How did the prayer go?” she asked softly, continuing to soothe his tense muscles with light caresses.
He sighed under her touch, and his body grew heavy against hers when he recited the old angel prayer. “‘May Michael be at my right, Gabriel at my left, Uriel behind me, Rafael before me – and above my head, the Presence of the Lord.’”
“That’s beautiful.”
“I always thought it was kinda funny,” he murmured in a drowsy voice, his breath warm through the cotton of her t-shirt, “because my name is Michael. Just like the archangel.”
She laughed faintly. Slowly, she let her fingers glide through his hair, feeling the reassuringly solid curve of his skull beneath the thick strands. “Sleep now, my angel,” she whispered into his ear. “Everyone’s safe tonight.”
*****
When Maria woke the next morning, she was alone in the tent. Still half asleep, she groped around the sleeping bag in search of Michael’s warm body, groaning in disappointment when she came up empty. It was only just beginning to get light outside and the feeble morning light weakly penetrated the canvas to touch her surroundings in grey. It was very early. Maybe he’s just stepped out for a second. But the sleeping bag was cold, with the space Michael had occupied long deserted.
Reluctantly, Maria sat up, shivering in the crisp morning air. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, then clumsily grabbed one of Michael’s sweaters and a pair of jeans and pulled them on before she crawled out of the tent on all fours. After fighting with her shoelaces for what felt like hours, she stood up, glancing around the clearing in search of her missing boyfriend, but to no avail. All the other tents were closed, their inhabitants still blissfully slumbering after the eventful night. No, not all of them. Maria turned to the right when she heard a zipper being pulled open and saw Kyle’s messy, brown haired head emerge from the tent he shared with Tess. He stood up and stretched, leaving the flap open behind him. Then he trudged the few steps to come standing beside Maria, wearing a sleepy frown.
“Morning, Maria,” he said, his voice pitched low to avoid waking the others. “Have you seen Tess?”
Maria returned the greeting and raised an eyebrow at him, indicating the tent she had obviously just emerged from. “Well, she’s not in here,” she offered, rather feeling like stating the obvious. “Have you seen Michael?” When she saw Kyle’s dismayed expression, her fuzzy mind finally caught up to the fact that both Tess and Michael were nowhere to be seen. A memory of last night flashed before her eyes. Both of them had been so furious, they had been ready to kill each other. If they were to continue their fight without either Kyle or Maria there to intervene, there was no telling what they were going to do.
“Oh, no!” Maria uttered. “Where are they?”
Kyle looked around the clearing helplessly and swore under his breath. His eyes fell on the path to the creek. He pointed in that direction. “Let’s try there,” he said and sprinted off without waiting for her to follow. Evidently, he had come to the same conclusion as her when assessing the situation. Urgency was in order.
Maria followed as fast as she could, trying to keep up with Kyle while at the same time watching out for obstacles in her path. She concentrated so hard on the mossy, uneven path beneath her feet and Kyle’s back in front of her that she didn’t have one glance to spare for the beauty of the awakening forest around her.
Finally, Kyle stopped just by the edge of the trees opening to the meadow bordering the riverbank, and she almost ran into his back, but caught herself in time. She stepped close to Kyle, who had frozen in place, blocking her view on the creek, and peered over his shoulder.
Jackpot.
Just a few yards away, Tess was sitting beside Michael at the riverbank, her petite body ridiculously small next to his large frame. They were talking in low tones, and even though Maria strained to hear what they were saying, she couldn’t make out the words. It was obvious, though, that, despite her and Kyle’s fears, the two hotheads were in fact not in the process of finishing each other off, but were having a calm and sensible discussion instead. Maria breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they would be able to settle things without someone from the outside having to step in.
As she watched silently, standing beside Kyle in the shadow of the trees, Michael’s tone changed to a husky whisper, and he leaned down closer to Tess as he was talking. His head was turned away from them, so Maria couldn’t see his expression, but Tess was facing them, her features contorted into an anxious frown. She whispered something in response to his words, then her arms came up to embrace him just as he hugged her small body to his. She pulled him down to her, light brown head bent to golden blonde, and the first ray of morning sunlight caught in the single tear that ran down her cheek when she buried her face in his shoulder.
Maria watched transfixed, only stirring when she felt Kyle move beside her.
“Come on,” he whispered and pulled her back into the shelter of the trees. “Give them some space.”
*****
Sometime later, Michael and Tess returned to the clearing, arm in arm, behaving as if nothing bad had ever happened between them. The peace was once again restored and there was a new undercurrent to their interaction. A softness where there hadn’t been before. Maria, who had been occupying herself with breakfast preparations to pass the time while Kyle was taking a shower, looked up, smiling when she saw the picture of amiable companionship they presented. Thank God. She stood up and, winking at Tess in passing, gave him a quick good morning peck before putting a piece of pineapple into his mouth.
Michael chewed with an appreciative groan, catching her before she could turn away again and planting a deep, thorough kiss on her mouth, sharing the rich, sweet taste of the fruit.
While they were thus preoccupied, Kyle returned from the shower and promptly started to pick through the breakfast preparations, intent on scarfing down the food before it had even been cooked. Maria quickly freed herself and laughingly sent Michael off to take a shower before trying to save her breakfast.
“Stop that!” she shouted and hit Kyle over the head when he reached for another piece of pineapple. “That’s for everyone, you know? You eat one more piece, and I’m going to ensure that you starve for the rest of the week,” she threatened.
“You had better hang out your towel to dry, or else it’s going to start to smell, and I’m not letting you use mine,” Tess ordered when she came to sit on the wooden bench next to Maria, taking a plate and beginning to cut bread.
Kyle stood before them, taking in the united front of womanly rigor before him and obviously decided that his chances of snatching any more food were near zero. So he sighed and turned to hang up his bath towel.
Maria and Tess exchanged a look of secret glee, raising their heads in unison when they heard him swear under his breath.
“What is it?” Tess asked, one eyebrow cocked in inquiry.
Kyle straightened up from the pile of clothes at his feet, scowling at the heap of fabric in derision. “I left my towel at the sanitary cubicle.” He shrugged. “Oh, well. Michael will probably bring it with him when he gets back.”
Tess snorted. “Are you kidding? He will use it as a foot mat, if he even notices it at all.”
“You think?” Kyle threw a helpless glance at Maria, hoping for her to disagree with Tess.
But Maria just lifted her shoulders unconcernedly. In addition to the fact that Tess was probably right about her assumptions regarding Michael’s attentiveness, she had the considerably diminished pile of pineapple pieces right in front of her face, so she smiled at Kyle, saying, “Tess is probably right. So if you don’t want your towel to smell like Michael’s feet all week, you should . . .”
“. . . go get it now,” he finished with a groan. He trudged past them with slumped shoulders, moaning exaggeratedly at the hardship that was his life, but the girls ignored him.
Maria and Tess still heard him muttering when he disappeared beneath the trees to retrieve his lost towel.
As he went back to the sanitary cubicle, someone else appeared in the clearing. Maria smiled when Isabel came crawling out of her tent, her shiny blonde hair hanging in tumbled knots all over her head, and her eyes still puffed from sleep. Looks like someone had a rough night, Maria thought. She couldn’t help but feel satisfaction at Isabel’s less than perfect appearance. It wasn’t that she wished anything bad on the other girl, just that, in Maria’s opinion, no one should be allowed to look as immaculate as Isabel usually did. Especially not after having just woken up.
Even disheveled from sleep, Isabel was still beautiful, though. She shuffled over to them with a sleepy greeting, the laces of her boots dragging through the trimmed grass because she hadn’t bothered to tie them properly, and slumped down on the bench.
Tess watched her, the amusement sparkling in her eyes. “So, Iz, how’s the tall and lanky one this morning?”
Isabel pointedly looked at the closed flap of Alex’ tent, from behind which they could hear a soft snoring. “How would I know?”
Tess grinned. “So you didn’t sneak into his tent tonight to steal one or two computer geek kisses?”
The tall blonde blushed furiously. “Tess,” she hissed with a nervous glance at the tent of said geek. The snoring stopped, then resumed undisturbed. Isabel relaxed slightly, but whispered with a distinct edge in her voice, “Could you be any louder if you tried?”
Tess raised her palms in appeasement, but grinned unrepentantly. “Sor-ry,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Didn’t know we were suddenly in prude-land.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “I’m not a prude.”
“Then tell us if Alex is a good kisser.”
“That’s personal.”
“Aw, come on, Izzy, we’re your friends. Friends tell each other personal stuff.” With a sly glance at Maria, she said, “Maria doesn’t mind if I ask her about Michael’s kissing technique.”
“Actually, I do,” Maria stated with narrowed eyes. Leave me out of this.
Tess waved off her objection. “That’s probably because Michael forbade you to tell us anything.”
Maria gave a short laugh at this and began preparing the coffee for later. “As if I’d let him forbid me anything.”
“Come on, girls,” Tess begged. “I’ll share if you share.”
Isabel made a face at her. “Ew, I don’t want to hear anything of what you do with Kyle.”
“Yeah, Tess,” Maria reinforced. “Please don’t.”
“You two are no fun at all,” Tess complained, looking from one to the other with a put-upon frown. “I think when we get back I need to find myself some new girlfriends. Girls I can have an actual girl talk with.”
“Knock yourself out.”
She groaned, getting up from the bench. “Okay, you party-poopers, I’m gonna- Kyle!” She blanched when she caught sight of her boyfriend stomping onto the clearing, the angry expression on his face made all the more frightening by the blood running from his nose and his puffy eye that was in the process of swelling shut. “What happened to you?” she asked, frightened when he rushed by her without slowing. She vainly tried to stop him by grabbing hold of his sleeve, but he just ripped himself free and vanished onto the path that led to the creek. In shock, she turned to face Maria and Isabel, who were still sitting by the cold fire pit, each of them gone pale as a sheet.
In that moment they heard the sound of heavy steps from the path, and Michael came storming past them wearing a stony expression, heading to his tent without acknowledging either of them. He had obviously come straight out of the shower, only taking so much time as to pull on his jeans and shirt. His hair was hanging in dripping snarls, wetting the collar of his t-shirt.
After taking a second to collect her thoughts – after the constant chain of emotional ups and downs with Michael over the past couple of weeks, she couldn’t help but think ‘What now?’ with a small, internal sigh at this renewed exhibit of drama - Maria hurried to follow him into their tent. She crawled through and stopped short when she saw what he was doing. He was kneeling in the middle of the narrow space, surrounded by his things, and hurriedly crammed his clothes into the duffel bag lying across his lap. Jeans and socks and t-shirts, sweaters and underwear, fresh and dirty clothes all flew higgledy-piggledy into the bag, with their owner as the master of chaos in the middle. He didn’t lift his head or stop his messy packing when she came in behind him.
“What are you doing?!” she asked incredulously, sitting back on her heels while watching his jerky movements.
“I’m packing.”
She rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to slap him for stating the obvious. “I see that. Why?”
“I’m leaving,” he replied curtly without interrupting his packing. The morning sunlight filtered blue-green through the canvas, giving his skin an unhealthy olive hue while illuminating his agitated movements. He was still stuffing random articles of clothing into the bag, not bothering to fold them.
“You what?” she asked again in confusion. She knew she really shouldn’t have been so surprised by his answer after seeing him collect all of his clothes, but she was. Absently, she noticed one of her shirts vanishing into the depths of the duffel, accidentally grabbed together with one of his, but her mind was busy reeling with what he had told her.
“I’m going back to Roswell. I’ll call you when I arrive.” He was careful not to look into her eyes when he reached around her to snatch one last shirt from behind her back and stuffed it into the bag before closing it.
She stared at his face, slowly shaking her head. “No . . . what . . . Why?” Another thing suddenly sprang to the front of her mind, having momentarily been pushed aside by Michael’s weird behavior. “What happened to Kyle? He looked like someone punched him in the face.”
Michael finally stilled, breathing deeply before quietly saying, “Well, that’s probably because someone did.”
“Who?” She gripped his upper arm, staring intently into his closed off features when she urged, “Michael, tell me who hit him!” She watched his eyes close for a second before he looked into her face, dark and unreadable; a faint flicker of emotion showed briefly in the depths of his eyes, quickly suppressed again. Regret? An uneasy feeling grew in her stomach when realization hit her that their group was the only one far and wide, so there was nobody around who could have done that to Kyle, except for-
“I did,” he said, his voice carefully emotionless.
Right. Except for Michael.
With that, he pushed past her, dragging the bulging duffel bag behind him out of the tent.
Maria just sat there for a minute, unseeingly staring at a little black spot in the far corner of the tent that could either be a bit of dirt or a very small moth, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She had the feeling she wasn’t succeeding very well with that. Michael hit Kyle. Michael hit Kyle. Why? Her thoughts constantly circled around that one little fact and the memory of the blood on Kyle’s face and the front of his shirt.
When she had finally gathered enough willpower to exit the tent, Michael was gone.
~TBC
You'll find out who Faith is right now. And you're right, Michael will have to learn to deal with his issues. Maybe Maria can help him with that.
Thanks so much.
Eve: Lol, the ears. Well, I never said I didn't like them, too. In fact, I think they are cute, but they make for great descriptions.
Michael and Tess kind of have a sibling relationship, they fight and make up fast and easy. But living together? No, I, too, think that would be a disaster waiting to happen.
Kyle knows exactly when to interfere and get that girl of his back on track.
Thank you.
Author's note: The angel prayer is taken from the novel "The fiery Cross" by Diana Gabaldon, book five in the "Outlander" series (check it out if you like reading historical novels with a little something extra
). I should probably mention that I got the idea for the name "Faith" from that series, as well.Amy's going-to-bed line is borrowed from a very dear friend that I met over on CID. You know who you are.
Chapter Eighteen – Faith
It was dark in the narrow space of the tent when the flap closed behind Maria, shutting out what meager light the stars provided, but she could still make out Michael’s long body stretched out on their sleeping bag, his back turned to her in an unmistakably forbidding pose. His chest heaved with every agitated breath he took, and he was still snorting with suppressed fury with every exhale.
Maria crawled over to him and, for lack of other options, let herself sink onto the bed behind him, careful not to touch him. The air mattress tilted with the added weight and the sleeping bag let out a quiet rustling, but Michael didn’t so much as acknowledge her presence. He knew she was there, of course. The slight tightening of his shoulders gave him away when she shifted to lie behind him, leaving as much space between them as the narrow mattress would allow.
Taking a deep breath, she contemplated how to start. Confusion about the sudden and unexpected fight was still the dominant emotion in her jumbled thoughts right now, followed closely by irritation at his display of temper and the almost compulsive need to comfort him that she was so used to by now.
His ragged breathing had slowed a little, so she reached out a hand hesitantly and laid it flat against the knotted muscles of his shoulder blade, but he flinched away from her, clearly having no desire to be touched right now.
“I forgot about your massage,” she murmured, her tone apologetic. “I’m sorry.”
Still, he did not speak, but his shoulder lifted fractionally, letting her know that he had heard her.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, trying a different approach.
“No,” he growled.
Well, at least he’s talking. Unwilling to let herself be repelled by his aloof demeanor, she gave it another go. “I made sandwiches for you. I can go get them if you-”
“I said no!” he bit out sharply.
She clenched her jaw to keep from giving a hefty retort. She had to remind herself that it was the anger speaking in him, and that he just needed an outlet for all the pent-up rage bottled up inside of him. Still, it was not fair to vent all his anger on her, and he seemed to realize that himself, because he half-turned his head back to her, muttering a curt apology.
“What’s got you so angry?” she asked quietly. “Is this only about Tess and Liz getting lost?”
He huffed, but answered in a relatively composed manner. “Going out in the forest by themselves was just plain stupid. They could have gotten hurt or even killed out there! Or they could have gotten one of us hurt or killed. Hiking through the forest at night is not a walk in the park, you know?”
“But thankfully everyone is fine,” she reasoned. “No one was hurt. It was an accident, and no one could have foreseen something like this happening.”
“Of course she could’ve foreseen it! She had to know how dangerous it was to go into the woods to begin with!”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But don’t forget that Tess isn’t as experienced out here as you are. How is she to know the danger of such a situation when she has never been camping before?” she asked, reaching out again to lightly stroke his shoulder. This time, he let her. “It’s easy to underestimate a situation when you haven’t got anything to compare it to.”
Michael grunted in half-reluctant acknowledgement.
“Why are you really mad at her?”
At first, she wasn’t sure if he would answer at all. She felt him tense up where her palm still lightly moved up and down his back, but he stayed quiet for a long time.
At last, after heaving a deep breath, he spoke, his tone low and hesitant. “I had a sister.”
Her hand stopped moving in shock, and her heartbeat picked up speed, drumming loudly in her ears, drowning out everything but the horrifying realization that she was about to learn a dark secret of his, one of those black spots in his past that he felt he needed to hide to protect himself from the world.
“What?” she asked in a toneless whisper.
“When I was four or five, my mom got pregnant,” he began hesitantly. “I had noticed her big belly before, of course, but I just assumed that it was because she had eaten too much chocolate.” He snorted at the memory and shifted restlessly on the sleeping bag, still facing away from her. “I knew where the babies came from, then, but the fact that she might be pregnant didn’t really register with me . . . Well, I was only a little kid. But one day, she told me that I was going to have a little sister or brother. She must’ve been six or seven months pregnant by then, I don’t even remember if she told me. What I do remember is that she didn’t have a boyfriend back then, and when I asked her where the baby’s daddy was, she told me that he had left and that I wasn’t supposed to ask about him anymore.”
His voice was low and monotone while he talked, and Maria scooted closer to his back, her hands picking up their gentle ministrations again while she listened with a heavy heart.
“Anyway,” he went on, “after she told me about the baby, she promised to me that she would do her best to be a good mom to both us, that she would change for the b-baby and that we would be our own, little family.” He swallowed hard, and took a few, deep breaths before continuing in a steadier voice. “And for a little while, she kept the promise. She really tried to do better. She stopped drinking, and she would take me with her to the doctor’s when she had an appointment, and to the playground in the afternoons. We even tried to renovate the house and build a room for the baby. Of course there wasn’t much money for that; mom only had a part-time job as a cashier, so we had to improvise a lot.” A smile inserted itself into his voice when he remembered those happier times.
Maria laid her forehead on his shoulder, breathing in his warm, unique scent mixed with a faint whiff of dried sweat. Her arm came around his body and she pressed her palm on his heart, feeling the steady beat drumming against her fingertips.
His own hand came up to squeeze hers before he carried on. “Naturally people talked. I didn’t really notice much of it at the time, but I did see the odd disapproving stare or whispered remarks. I guess the gossip behind our backs must have been really bad. On the front, people were friendly. They always used to tell me that I was the big brother now, that I had to be a good boy and take good care of my mom and the baby and all that crap.” He gave another, derisive snort. “You know how people are. And after hearing the same things over and over again, I really started to believe it. I saw myself as the protector, the man in the house. I thought it was my job to protect my family. . .”
Maria squeezed her eyes shut in the dark, fearing what came next.
“And then, one day, I came inside from the backyard and found her . . .”
*****
He came dashing inside on his chubby legs, triumphantly waving the old toy car he had found while playing in the dirt behind the house. He wanted to show it to his mom to show her that he could be a good boy. She had been so mad at him before, because he had accidentally dropped his glass of juice on the floor. After she had made him mop it up, she had sent him outside with the order not to keep out of her sight. She had been puffing with strain when she yelled at him, holding her big belly with both hands. The baby was going to come in four weeks, so Michael quickly obeyed and fled the house. He was always trying to be a good boy and help his mom, but sometimes it was just so hard when he didn’t understand why she was angry with him.
But now he had found the car and wanted to give it to his mommy as a present for the baby. If it was a boy, they could maybe play with it together. Michael had always wanted a car like that. A Matchbox car with shiny red paint and a rear spoiler. But they were too expensive, his mom had said, so he had never had one, until Aunt Esther had bought him one. It wasn’t one of the expensive ones, though. This one was made from plastic, not metal, with wheels that didn’t turn right and doors that wouldn’t open, but Michael had loved it and played with it every day until one of his mommy’s boyfriends accidentally stepped on it and broke it. And now he had found a new one, just lying there under a bush, half buried in a pile of old leaves and dirt. This one wasn’t shiny and new, either, but it had pretty yellow stripes running over it from front to back and all the wheels were still attached to it.
Michael smiled when he gave the right front wheel a light push and it spun flawlessly for several turns before slowly coming to a stop again. The temptation to just keep it to himself was there, of course, but his desire to prove to his mom that he wasn’t bad outweighed it. Michael bounded into the living room, calling out to his mom. As usual, the shades were drawn so the inside of the house was only dimly lit by the light filtering in through a crack in the curtains. He nudged the wheel again. Maybe, if the baby was a girl, he could keep the car after all. But then he would need to get hold of a doll for her. He bit his lip.
“Mommy, look!” he called again, finally catching on to the eerie quietness of the house. If mommy was there, it shouldn’t have been so quiet. “Mommy!”
It didn’t register at first when he saw the feet protruding from behind the couch, but after a second he realized that his mother was lying on the ground, motionless. He dropped the car, not even caring that one of the wheels broke off from the impact and rolled away under the dresser, and ran over to her. He knelt beside her head. Maybe she was just sleeping, he reasoned with himself. She was sleeping a lot lately. He shook her shoulder to wake her, but she didn’t stir. “Mommy, wake up!” His breath was coming short with the rising panic, and he shook her again, harder now. He didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t know what to do without his mommy. He didn’t have anyone else.
“Mommy!” His throat tightened, but he forced the tears down. He had to protect his mommy, he couldn’t be crying like a little baby. A jolt of shock ran through his system at the thought. The baby! Maybe there was something wrong with the baby and that was why his mom couldn’t wake up. He skidded over on his knees to sit beside the bulging belly and reached out to touch it, to comfort the baby. When his hand came into contact with his mother’s stomach, she emitted a quiet moan of pain. He pulled back, frightened.
What was he supposed to do? He needed to get help. She needed a doctor. Yes! Michael quickly scrambled to his feet, stumbling against the edge of the coffee table in his haste and painfully banging his hip. He reached for the phone, and dumbly stared at the numbers for a second. Panic flooded him when he couldn’t remember the number he was supposed to call for help. Why couldn’t he remember? Now of all times he had to forget, when his mommy needed his help! Stupid! Stupid Michael! Aunt Esther had told him many times what to do in an emergency situation, so why couldn’t he remember? His mother moaned again, louder now, and curled up on her side in pain. Michael could feel the sweat running down his face. He was so afraid. He screwed up his eyes, trying desperately to recall the words that Auntie Esther had always used. ‘When there is someone who needs help, you always have to help them, Michael, you understand? But don’t put yourself in danger in the process! You get to a phone as fast as you can and call-’
“911,” he murmured, relieved, and punched in the number.
When a woman with a nice voice picked up on the other end, he was so relieved that he just blabbered on about his mommy being sick and the baby, that he forgot to tell his name and address first. Stupid Michael! The woman had to interrupt him and ask for details. She calmly asked him about the situation, using a soothing voice and assuring him that help was already on their way. She told Michael not to hang up the phone, so he continued to hold the receiver to his ear as he sank down beside his mother again, listening to the comforting voice of the woman, calming him. He carefully stroked his mom’s stomach with his forefinger, letting the baby know that it wasn’t alone, and that the doctors would help them soon.
After a few minutes that stretched on for an eternity, he heard the sirens in the distance, coming closer. He laid down the phone on the floor and huddled up with his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth while he sat on the cold, hard floor beside his mother’s motionless form, whispering, “Hurry, hurry, hurry. . .”
*****
“They took me with them to the hospital, of course,” Michael said, his voice raspy. He was still facing away from her, but the tenseness of his shoulders had lessened while he talked, all of his being concentrated on the memory. Maria had stopped stroking him. She just lay behind him, holding him and listening to him reliving what had to be the worst day of his life.
“There was no one who could have taken care of me, so of course they couldn’t just leave me there.” He snorted. “And they wouldn’t have been able to separate me from her, anyway. When they took her to the ambulance, I clung to her leg like a magnet. I thought that if they took her away I’d never ever see her again. The ride to the hospital was short . . . I don’t remember any of it, at least, and when we arrived they immediately took her the emergency room. They didn’t let me go in with her, so I just sat down on the floor by the metal double doors and waited.” He laughed a humorless laugh. “I think the nurses forgot about me for a while, because nobody came to take care of me. Isn’t there supposed to be someone who looks after a five-year-old alone at a hospital? There was a large clock on the wall across from where I was sitting, so I can tell you exactly how long it took for someone to come to me. Two hours and twenty three minutes. I was waiting for almost two and a half hours before someone remembered me.”
Maria felt a tear run down her cheek when she imagined the little boy that he had been, so lonely and so afraid, waiting for someone to tell him about his mother and his little brother or sister.
“Finally a nurse came,” he continued. “She was actually really nice. She took me with her to the nurses’ room and offered me hot chocolate, but all I wanted was to see my mother. She told me that she was fine, but I couldn’t see her yet, and when I asked about the baby she just looked at me with that look people give you before they tell you something really awful and shook her head.” He paused for a moment, taking a few deep, calming breaths before going on. “The baby – it was a girl – had died in the womb, she told me. She said that sometimes children just don’t survive long enough in the belly of their mother to get born into the world, that sometimes God decides to take them to him very early. I didn’t understand any of that crap.” He snorted. “I didn’t understand why God would take my sister before I could even get to know her. To this day, I don’t know the medical reason why the child died, and I never asked. Maybe it was because of the alcoholism of my mom. I never knew if she really quit drinking during the pregnancy or if she was just more covert about it.
“After they told me about the baby’s death, I cried for a very long time. I was inconsolable, thinking that it was somehow my fault that she had died. Maybe my mom was so angry about me that she got too stressed and the baby couldn’t breathe because of that. Or I imagined that the baby would have survived if I had remembered the right telephone number right away. I made up the most unlikely scenarios, all having the one thing in common: It was my fault that she died. I just screamed and cried for hours, until my aunt came and picked me up. The hospital had called her, because she was listed as my mother’s emergency contact. She came and she took me with her to the waiting room and there she held me until I calmed down. She rocked me and told me that everything would be alright, but I couldn’t imagine anything ever being alright again. My sister was dead, and my mother somewhere in the hospital where I couldn’t see her, and I told that to my aunt. But she just continued to rock me and said that time would heal all wounds, even the really bad ones. After I stopped crying we talked for a while, about the baby and how we imagined it would be for her in heaven. And then Esther suggested that we pick a name for her so that she would have one in heaven. I asked if I could choose the name, and she said that I could.”
“What was the name?” Maria whispered against his neck, feeling her tears seep into the cloth of her pillow.
“I called her Faith.”
*****
“I hate him.”
“Tess . . .”
“Don’t ‘Tess’ me. I’m serious, I hate him.”
He sighed, watching his girlfriend furiously beating her innocent, white pillow to a feathery pulp, probably imagining it to be Michael’s face. “No, you don’t.”
She stopped what she was doing and rounded on him, glaring at him where he was sitting at the foot of their bed. “Did you hear what he said to me?” she asked, her voice shrill with anger. “He insulted me and you didn’t even lift so much as your little finger to defend me!”
He threw his arms up in irritation, wondering if Maria was dealing with a similar scenario right at this moment. “Defend you from what? The valid anger of our best friend? Don’t be ridiculous. I would’ve been squashed between you two like a bug.” He shook his head decisively. “I’m not stupid.”
“Did you say ‘valid’ anger?” she inquired, her blue eyes squinted to dangerous slits, fixing him like a cat would fix its prey. “He called me a bitch and insinuated that I got lost out there on purpose and you think that what he said was valid?!”
“Well, maybe not the way he said it,” he allowed, but pointed a finger at her when he continued in a firm voice, “but you did go into the forest on purpose. Nobody forced you to, and you willingly took the risk of getting lost because there was something you thought might be interesting. Couldn’t you have waited for us to come back before going there? Michael or me could have accompanied you and everything would have been fine.”
She snorted derisively. “As if your sense of direction is any better than mine. At least I found the waterfall.”
“That’s not the point here.” Kyle crossed his arms, looking at her with as much authority as he could scrape together.
Tess, however, was not the least bit impressed. “Oh, where have I heard that one before?” she mocked, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “And just so you know, I’m not some little girl needing parental supervision all the time!”
Kyle narrowed his eyes at her when something in him finally snapped. Enough was enough. “Maybe out here you do! Did it ever occur to you that you were not the only one put in danger by your actions?”
She gave a sharp, humorless laugh. “Please! Liz was in as little danger as I was . . .”
“I wasn’t talking about Liz,” he said through gritted teeth. “I was talking about Max, Alex, Michael and me.”
She looked at him in surprise then, taking in his obvious anger for the first time. Half-peaceable at last, she softened her tone a little. “Okay, Kyle, I understand that you weren’t exactly thrilled to go looking for us in the middle of the night, and I’m sorry for that, but-”
“No, Tess, you don’t get it,” Kyle interrupted her rudely, his voice raised. “I would go to the end of the world to find you, you know that. But I’m pissed that you don’t seem to see the danger you put us in!”
“You’re angry at me?” she asked, totally flabbergasted. Her finely shaped eyebrows rose up in astonishment. “Why? You guys go hiking all the time, why is it suddenly so dangerous?”
“There’s a reason that you don’t go hiking at night, Tess,” he bit out, gesturing with his arms to indicate the dark forest surrounding their little island of makeshift civilization. “This is a challenging terrain, even for experienced hikers like the guys and me. You wander off of the designated paths and you could easily stumble upon rocks and cliffs or chasms. In the dark, when you can’t see what’s right in front of you, every step could bring you falling down a precipice.”
Tess’ face had gone pale while she listened to him; the sudden, belated realization of real danger making her lose all color with the big, blue eyes huge in her face. “I . . . I didn’t . . .” she stuttered. “Kyle, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
His gaze softened, and the anger he had felt vanished as suddenly as it had appeared at the sight of her obvious remorse. “I know, Tessie,” he said, his voice soft, and he reached out to lightly stroke her thigh. “And I’m glad that you didn’t get hurt. But Michael and I almost did.”
“What happened to you?” she whispered, quickly scanning his body for any injuries that might have been overlooked in the commotion of their reunion and the resulting fight with Michael.
He instantly regretted having mentioned it at all. “Nothing much,” he backpedaled. “Don’t worry about it. It was just a gaping abyss crossing our path, waiting to swallow us alive,” he joked, glad when he saw the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement. “Michael saw it at the last possible second.”
“So you’re okay, right?”
“I’m fine.” He nodded. “Michael, too, but I guess he got a little freaked out there and the fear and the worry for you got him a little wired. That’s why he lost it a little when we got back.”
Tess sighed deeply, staring at the canvas of their tent, the side that faced the one of Michael and Maria. “I guess I have some major apologizing to do tomorrow, huh?” she said morosely.
He had to chuckle at her sullenness. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”
Her blue gaze fixed on him, and after a second Tess scooted over to sit down in his lap, snuggling up to his body and purring in a low voice, “I want to apologize to you, too, Kyle. I was really stupid.”
He looked down at her small, curvy body, pressing into him at all the right places, and he was suddenly feeling very, very hot. “Uh, that’s okay, Tess.” His arm came around her waist to pull her a little closer. “I’m just glad that you’re not hurt.”
“No, that’s too easy.” She frowned. “I want to show you how sorry I am for having caused all this trouble. What do you want?” She looked up at him with a deceivingly innocent smile.
“What do I want?” he repeated dumbly.
“What do you want me to do for penance?” she clarified, batting her eyelashes at him. Oh, yes, she was undoubtedly having fun.
“Oh . . . ah . . .” He swallowed, his thoughts inevitably going in exactly the direction she had probably intended them to. “I could think of a thing or two.” Just then, his stomach emitted a sound that could best be described as a roaring, and he looked down at it in disapproval.
She giggled. “I bet you could. Maybe we should start with feeding you, huh? I put some sandwiches to the side for you earlier.”
When she started to slide off of his lap, he grabbed her, holding her in place with a hopeful grin. “But after that we get to the penance, right?”
She laughed and kissed him. “Yes, Kyle, I promise.”
*****
“How long was your mom in the hospital?” Maria’s voice was very low, almost a whisper. They were lying facing each other, still on top of the sleeping bag and she stroked his hair in a repetitive motion.
He lifted one shoulder a fraction of an inch. “I don’t know, a couple of days. They had taken the baby via C-section, so she had to stay longer because of the surgery. Esther stayed with me for that time. We went to visit mom every day in her hospital room. On the first day, when they finally allowed us in, I wanted to tell her about the name I had picked for the baby, but she forbid me to ever speak of her again. So I didn’t.”
He spoke with such finality that Maria had to bite her lip to keep from crying again. Through all of the story, he had not shed one single tear, and maybe that was because he couldn’t, she thought. Maybe the years and years of living with this secret had hardened him. Or maybe it was because he had already cried all the tears he could for the loss of his baby sister.
Maria leaned in and pressed her mouth to his, trying to kiss some of the hurt away. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
He sighed, shrugging again. “It’s all in the past.” He paused. “I just wanted to tell you the whole story. . . You know, because of Tess and all that. So that you know why I react strange sometimes.”
“You’re not strange,” she denied, her voice still thick with tears.
He searched her hand in the darkness and took it into his. “It’s just that, for me, Tess has somehow taken the place of Faith, and I often think of her as my sister. I just can’t lose her again.”
“Does she know? About Faith?”
“I don’t think so. I never told anyone about it, and unless one of the parents know and told them, none of my friends know.”
She smiled a watery smile, swallowing the last of the tears. “I’m glad you told me.”
“I bet Tess is pretty mad at me now,” Michael said, decisively ending their conversation about past tragedies and concentrating on the topic at hand, sighing in resignation.
“Probably,” Maria agreed. There was really no sense in denying that the fiery blonde girl was spitting mad at Michael right now. She didn’t envy Kyle one bit at the moment. Her sight had adjusted to the darkness in the tent, so she could make out Michael’s face a foot from hers.
“Do you think she’ll talk to me tomorrow?” he asked in a low voice. He looked at her insecurely, the need for reassurance clearly written on his features.
“Yes, she most definitely will,” she said with certainty. “She’ll calm down overnight, and then – provided you apologize nicely for basically calling her a dumb bitch and then grovel a little – she’ll forgive you.”
He rolled onto his back and groaned, covering his eyes with his arm. “I’m so screwed. You know I suck at this emotional crap. I’ll probably talk, and think I apologized, and she will hear the words and be convinced that I insulted her.”
She laughed faintly. He really had no idea how cute he was sometimes. She reached out to gently touch his cheek, turning his face back to her. It was true though, he didn’t always succeed in putting into words how he felt. Usually, showing it was more his area of expertise, so he dreaded having to talk to Tess about personal stuff come next morning. “You’ll do fine,” she tried to reassure him. “Just say what you want to say and try to leave out any cusswords and it’ll be okay. Trust me.”
“I do.” He pulled her closer, so that she came to rest on his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist. The insight into his past he had just given her had created a new level of intimacy between them. “I just don’t want anything to happen to her. Or any of them,” he added as an afterthought.
She sighed. “I think I know now why you feel the need to protect the people you care about so strongly. Part of it may be because of Faith, but the bigger part is just who you are by nature. I know that you have been through a lot. You can’t change who you are inside, and I wouldn’t want you to, but . . .” She pushed herself up on one elbow to peer into his face, mere inches away. “Baby, you can’t always prevent bad things from happening. You know that, right? And you need to stop taking all the blame for things that are not your fault. You couldn’t have done anything to save Faith, and you couldn’t have done anything to prevent Tess and Liz getting lost in the woods, either.”
“Yes, but-”
“No ‘buts’!” she said firmly. “Accidents happen, and people make mistakes. You will apologize to Tess tomorrow and she will forgive you and I absolutely forbid you to beat yourself up over this anymore, you understand me?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he said, the corner of his mouth twitching. A little shyly, as if unsure whether to speak or not, he added, “You do know that I care about you a lot, right?”
Pleasantly surprised at his sudden admission, she smiled. “Yeah, I know. It’s nice to hear, nonetheless.”
“I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’d probably die without me,” she joked.
“I probably would,” he said, watching her with dark, serious eyes.
She frowned at him. “No, I was just kidding. You wouldn’t.” Gently, she drew her fingers down over his temple and cheek in a soft caress, cupping his jaw with her palm. “I care about you, too, you know? Very much.” She kissed him lightly.
“That’s good.” His eyes glinted in the darkness. “It would seriously suck to lay your heart out in the open and then have it trampled on by the person you just confessed your feelings to.”
She smiled down at him. “I’d never do that. Trample on your heart, I mean.”
“Good to know.” He then let out a huge yawn, stretching the aching muscles of his arms, but being hindered by the narrow confines of the tent. “God, I’m so tired.” He was not only physically, but probably emotionally exhausted as well.
“Then let’s get in the sleeping bag, baby.” Maria sat up on her knees beside him, shivering at the loss of body heat.
He smelled his shirt, his face contorting into a grimace. “I should go take a shower first.”
“That can wait till morning.” She had already pushed off her jeans and was now pulling at the zipper of the sleeping bag, impatiently looking forward to the soft warmth of their bed.
“But I stink!”
“You do,” she agreed, chuckling at his miffed expression. Apparently, he would have preferred for her to disagree vehemently. “But I’m tired, too, and I need you to warm me.”
She didn’t know if it was the promising coziness of the sleeping bag or the sight of goosebumps on her arms that swayed him, but he relented quickly. “Okay.” He scrambled out of his pants and crawled into bed beside her, groaning when his body was finally allowed to relax into the soft air mattress. They shifted around until his head came to rest on her chest and her arms were around his shoulders, cradling him to her.
She pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead. “Good night, Michael. Sleep tight, don’t let the dragons bite.”
He snorted. “What?”
“That’s what my mom used to say to me when she tucked me into bed at night when I was a kid.”
“Really? That’s cute.” He absentmindedly rubbed his stubbled cheek against her collarbone, making her giggle. “My aunt always put me to bed with an angel prayer when my mom needed me out of the house and I was sent to visit her.”
“How often did that happen?” Her hands began to lightly trace the shape of his shoulders and his back through the t-shirt.
“Not often. Only now and again, and Esther always told me cool bedtime stories, too.”
“How did the prayer go?” she asked softly, continuing to soothe his tense muscles with light caresses.
He sighed under her touch, and his body grew heavy against hers when he recited the old angel prayer. “‘May Michael be at my right, Gabriel at my left, Uriel behind me, Rafael before me – and above my head, the Presence of the Lord.’”
“That’s beautiful.”
“I always thought it was kinda funny,” he murmured in a drowsy voice, his breath warm through the cotton of her t-shirt, “because my name is Michael. Just like the archangel.”
She laughed faintly. Slowly, she let her fingers glide through his hair, feeling the reassuringly solid curve of his skull beneath the thick strands. “Sleep now, my angel,” she whispered into his ear. “Everyone’s safe tonight.”
*****
When Maria woke the next morning, she was alone in the tent. Still half asleep, she groped around the sleeping bag in search of Michael’s warm body, groaning in disappointment when she came up empty. It was only just beginning to get light outside and the feeble morning light weakly penetrated the canvas to touch her surroundings in grey. It was very early. Maybe he’s just stepped out for a second. But the sleeping bag was cold, with the space Michael had occupied long deserted.
Reluctantly, Maria sat up, shivering in the crisp morning air. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, then clumsily grabbed one of Michael’s sweaters and a pair of jeans and pulled them on before she crawled out of the tent on all fours. After fighting with her shoelaces for what felt like hours, she stood up, glancing around the clearing in search of her missing boyfriend, but to no avail. All the other tents were closed, their inhabitants still blissfully slumbering after the eventful night. No, not all of them. Maria turned to the right when she heard a zipper being pulled open and saw Kyle’s messy, brown haired head emerge from the tent he shared with Tess. He stood up and stretched, leaving the flap open behind him. Then he trudged the few steps to come standing beside Maria, wearing a sleepy frown.
“Morning, Maria,” he said, his voice pitched low to avoid waking the others. “Have you seen Tess?”
Maria returned the greeting and raised an eyebrow at him, indicating the tent she had obviously just emerged from. “Well, she’s not in here,” she offered, rather feeling like stating the obvious. “Have you seen Michael?” When she saw Kyle’s dismayed expression, her fuzzy mind finally caught up to the fact that both Tess and Michael were nowhere to be seen. A memory of last night flashed before her eyes. Both of them had been so furious, they had been ready to kill each other. If they were to continue their fight without either Kyle or Maria there to intervene, there was no telling what they were going to do.
“Oh, no!” Maria uttered. “Where are they?”
Kyle looked around the clearing helplessly and swore under his breath. His eyes fell on the path to the creek. He pointed in that direction. “Let’s try there,” he said and sprinted off without waiting for her to follow. Evidently, he had come to the same conclusion as her when assessing the situation. Urgency was in order.
Maria followed as fast as she could, trying to keep up with Kyle while at the same time watching out for obstacles in her path. She concentrated so hard on the mossy, uneven path beneath her feet and Kyle’s back in front of her that she didn’t have one glance to spare for the beauty of the awakening forest around her.
Finally, Kyle stopped just by the edge of the trees opening to the meadow bordering the riverbank, and she almost ran into his back, but caught herself in time. She stepped close to Kyle, who had frozen in place, blocking her view on the creek, and peered over his shoulder.
Jackpot.
Just a few yards away, Tess was sitting beside Michael at the riverbank, her petite body ridiculously small next to his large frame. They were talking in low tones, and even though Maria strained to hear what they were saying, she couldn’t make out the words. It was obvious, though, that, despite her and Kyle’s fears, the two hotheads were in fact not in the process of finishing each other off, but were having a calm and sensible discussion instead. Maria breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they would be able to settle things without someone from the outside having to step in.
As she watched silently, standing beside Kyle in the shadow of the trees, Michael’s tone changed to a husky whisper, and he leaned down closer to Tess as he was talking. His head was turned away from them, so Maria couldn’t see his expression, but Tess was facing them, her features contorted into an anxious frown. She whispered something in response to his words, then her arms came up to embrace him just as he hugged her small body to his. She pulled him down to her, light brown head bent to golden blonde, and the first ray of morning sunlight caught in the single tear that ran down her cheek when she buried her face in his shoulder.
Maria watched transfixed, only stirring when she felt Kyle move beside her.
“Come on,” he whispered and pulled her back into the shelter of the trees. “Give them some space.”
*****
Sometime later, Michael and Tess returned to the clearing, arm in arm, behaving as if nothing bad had ever happened between them. The peace was once again restored and there was a new undercurrent to their interaction. A softness where there hadn’t been before. Maria, who had been occupying herself with breakfast preparations to pass the time while Kyle was taking a shower, looked up, smiling when she saw the picture of amiable companionship they presented. Thank God. She stood up and, winking at Tess in passing, gave him a quick good morning peck before putting a piece of pineapple into his mouth.
Michael chewed with an appreciative groan, catching her before she could turn away again and planting a deep, thorough kiss on her mouth, sharing the rich, sweet taste of the fruit.
While they were thus preoccupied, Kyle returned from the shower and promptly started to pick through the breakfast preparations, intent on scarfing down the food before it had even been cooked. Maria quickly freed herself and laughingly sent Michael off to take a shower before trying to save her breakfast.
“Stop that!” she shouted and hit Kyle over the head when he reached for another piece of pineapple. “That’s for everyone, you know? You eat one more piece, and I’m going to ensure that you starve for the rest of the week,” she threatened.
“You had better hang out your towel to dry, or else it’s going to start to smell, and I’m not letting you use mine,” Tess ordered when she came to sit on the wooden bench next to Maria, taking a plate and beginning to cut bread.
Kyle stood before them, taking in the united front of womanly rigor before him and obviously decided that his chances of snatching any more food were near zero. So he sighed and turned to hang up his bath towel.
Maria and Tess exchanged a look of secret glee, raising their heads in unison when they heard him swear under his breath.
“What is it?” Tess asked, one eyebrow cocked in inquiry.
Kyle straightened up from the pile of clothes at his feet, scowling at the heap of fabric in derision. “I left my towel at the sanitary cubicle.” He shrugged. “Oh, well. Michael will probably bring it with him when he gets back.”
Tess snorted. “Are you kidding? He will use it as a foot mat, if he even notices it at all.”
“You think?” Kyle threw a helpless glance at Maria, hoping for her to disagree with Tess.
But Maria just lifted her shoulders unconcernedly. In addition to the fact that Tess was probably right about her assumptions regarding Michael’s attentiveness, she had the considerably diminished pile of pineapple pieces right in front of her face, so she smiled at Kyle, saying, “Tess is probably right. So if you don’t want your towel to smell like Michael’s feet all week, you should . . .”
“. . . go get it now,” he finished with a groan. He trudged past them with slumped shoulders, moaning exaggeratedly at the hardship that was his life, but the girls ignored him.
Maria and Tess still heard him muttering when he disappeared beneath the trees to retrieve his lost towel.
As he went back to the sanitary cubicle, someone else appeared in the clearing. Maria smiled when Isabel came crawling out of her tent, her shiny blonde hair hanging in tumbled knots all over her head, and her eyes still puffed from sleep. Looks like someone had a rough night, Maria thought. She couldn’t help but feel satisfaction at Isabel’s less than perfect appearance. It wasn’t that she wished anything bad on the other girl, just that, in Maria’s opinion, no one should be allowed to look as immaculate as Isabel usually did. Especially not after having just woken up.
Even disheveled from sleep, Isabel was still beautiful, though. She shuffled over to them with a sleepy greeting, the laces of her boots dragging through the trimmed grass because she hadn’t bothered to tie them properly, and slumped down on the bench.
Tess watched her, the amusement sparkling in her eyes. “So, Iz, how’s the tall and lanky one this morning?”
Isabel pointedly looked at the closed flap of Alex’ tent, from behind which they could hear a soft snoring. “How would I know?”
Tess grinned. “So you didn’t sneak into his tent tonight to steal one or two computer geek kisses?”
The tall blonde blushed furiously. “Tess,” she hissed with a nervous glance at the tent of said geek. The snoring stopped, then resumed undisturbed. Isabel relaxed slightly, but whispered with a distinct edge in her voice, “Could you be any louder if you tried?”
Tess raised her palms in appeasement, but grinned unrepentantly. “Sor-ry,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Didn’t know we were suddenly in prude-land.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “I’m not a prude.”
“Then tell us if Alex is a good kisser.”
“That’s personal.”
“Aw, come on, Izzy, we’re your friends. Friends tell each other personal stuff.” With a sly glance at Maria, she said, “Maria doesn’t mind if I ask her about Michael’s kissing technique.”
“Actually, I do,” Maria stated with narrowed eyes. Leave me out of this.
Tess waved off her objection. “That’s probably because Michael forbade you to tell us anything.”
Maria gave a short laugh at this and began preparing the coffee for later. “As if I’d let him forbid me anything.”
“Come on, girls,” Tess begged. “I’ll share if you share.”
Isabel made a face at her. “Ew, I don’t want to hear anything of what you do with Kyle.”
“Yeah, Tess,” Maria reinforced. “Please don’t.”
“You two are no fun at all,” Tess complained, looking from one to the other with a put-upon frown. “I think when we get back I need to find myself some new girlfriends. Girls I can have an actual girl talk with.”
“Knock yourself out.”
She groaned, getting up from the bench. “Okay, you party-poopers, I’m gonna- Kyle!” She blanched when she caught sight of her boyfriend stomping onto the clearing, the angry expression on his face made all the more frightening by the blood running from his nose and his puffy eye that was in the process of swelling shut. “What happened to you?” she asked, frightened when he rushed by her without slowing. She vainly tried to stop him by grabbing hold of his sleeve, but he just ripped himself free and vanished onto the path that led to the creek. In shock, she turned to face Maria and Isabel, who were still sitting by the cold fire pit, each of them gone pale as a sheet.
In that moment they heard the sound of heavy steps from the path, and Michael came storming past them wearing a stony expression, heading to his tent without acknowledging either of them. He had obviously come straight out of the shower, only taking so much time as to pull on his jeans and shirt. His hair was hanging in dripping snarls, wetting the collar of his t-shirt.
After taking a second to collect her thoughts – after the constant chain of emotional ups and downs with Michael over the past couple of weeks, she couldn’t help but think ‘What now?’ with a small, internal sigh at this renewed exhibit of drama - Maria hurried to follow him into their tent. She crawled through and stopped short when she saw what he was doing. He was kneeling in the middle of the narrow space, surrounded by his things, and hurriedly crammed his clothes into the duffel bag lying across his lap. Jeans and socks and t-shirts, sweaters and underwear, fresh and dirty clothes all flew higgledy-piggledy into the bag, with their owner as the master of chaos in the middle. He didn’t lift his head or stop his messy packing when she came in behind him.
“What are you doing?!” she asked incredulously, sitting back on her heels while watching his jerky movements.
“I’m packing.”
She rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to slap him for stating the obvious. “I see that. Why?”
“I’m leaving,” he replied curtly without interrupting his packing. The morning sunlight filtered blue-green through the canvas, giving his skin an unhealthy olive hue while illuminating his agitated movements. He was still stuffing random articles of clothing into the bag, not bothering to fold them.
“You what?” she asked again in confusion. She knew she really shouldn’t have been so surprised by his answer after seeing him collect all of his clothes, but she was. Absently, she noticed one of her shirts vanishing into the depths of the duffel, accidentally grabbed together with one of his, but her mind was busy reeling with what he had told her.
“I’m going back to Roswell. I’ll call you when I arrive.” He was careful not to look into her eyes when he reached around her to snatch one last shirt from behind her back and stuffed it into the bag before closing it.
She stared at his face, slowly shaking her head. “No . . . what . . . Why?” Another thing suddenly sprang to the front of her mind, having momentarily been pushed aside by Michael’s weird behavior. “What happened to Kyle? He looked like someone punched him in the face.”
Michael finally stilled, breathing deeply before quietly saying, “Well, that’s probably because someone did.”
“Who?” She gripped his upper arm, staring intently into his closed off features when she urged, “Michael, tell me who hit him!” She watched his eyes close for a second before he looked into her face, dark and unreadable; a faint flicker of emotion showed briefly in the depths of his eyes, quickly suppressed again. Regret? An uneasy feeling grew in her stomach when realization hit her that their group was the only one far and wide, so there was nobody around who could have done that to Kyle, except for-
“I did,” he said, his voice carefully emotionless.
Right. Except for Michael.
With that, he pushed past her, dragging the bulging duffel bag behind him out of the tent.
Maria just sat there for a minute, unseeingly staring at a little black spot in the far corner of the tent that could either be a bit of dirt or a very small moth, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She had the feeling she wasn’t succeeding very well with that. Michael hit Kyle. Michael hit Kyle. Why? Her thoughts constantly circled around that one little fact and the memory of the blood on Kyle’s face and the front of his shirt.
When she had finally gathered enough willpower to exit the tent, Michael was gone.
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 19 - Jun 10, 2011
Eve: Easy and relaxing? You thought it would be? No, they're not easy, and we will scratch the surface of what happened between the boys in today's chapter.
Maria knows how to handle Michael, doesn't she?
Chapter Nineteen – Meet me on my doorstep
The sky had clouded over and it looked like rain again when Maria crawled out of her tent, scanning the clearing for any signs of Michael. But of course there were none. Isabel was still sitting, alone, on the bench beside the fire pit, absently playing with a few grass stalks she had plucked from the trimmed greenery beneath her seat. Tess was nowhere to be seen, and the tents of Alex, Max and Liz still lay quiet.
Maria trudged over to the tall blonde girl and plopped down on the bench beside her. Her gaze caught on the plate of pineapple pieces and the rest of her half-finished breakfast preparations. She sighed. She had taken great pains to make this an enjoyable meal, to help everyone forgetting about last night and be cheerful again, and now it looked like no one was going to eat any of it.
“Where’s he gone?” Maria asked quietly. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to make sure.
“Parking lot.” Isabel’s voice was subdued as well and she didn’t lift her gaze when she nodded in the direction of the trail that led to their vehicles.
After a pause, Maria asked, “Has he said anything to you?”
Isabel shook her head and continued to rip apart the blades of grass in her hand.
“Tess?” Maria continued since she couldn’t make out a sign of her friend. She’s probably taking care of Kyle. I hope that at least he lets her. Not unlike a certain butthead of a-
Isabel confirmed her guess when she answered, “Has gone after Kyle after you and Michael went into the tent.”
Maria just nodded.
After a few minutes of mutual silence, Isabel looked up. “Did Michael do it?”
Maria looked at her sharply. “Why would you ask that? Has something like this happened before?”
Isabel shrugged. “Not that I know of. But I’m not stupid, Maria, I can put two and two together. So did he do it? Did he punch Kyle in the face?”
Maria nodded reluctantly.
“Why?” Isabel asked. She didn’t seem as shocked as Maria had felt when Michael had told her what he had done.
But then again, she’s known him a great deal longer than I. Maria shrugged. “Beats me.”
“And now he ran off just so he doesn’t have to deal with it,” Isabel stated with a disbelieving snort. “Typical.” She turned to Maria and laid a tentative hand on her arm in sympathy. “How are you feeling about this?”
Maria sighed and kicked a little rock by her feet so that it bounced a few yards across the grass. “Confused, mostly. And worried and angry.” She turned around so that she was facing the other girl, scowling. “I mean, I don’t even know what really happened! How am I supposed to help him when he runs away like a child every time things get tough? I don’t get why he always has to act like he’s all alone in the world! He closes himself off and I can’t reach him anymore. Doesn’t he know that I just want to be there for him? Why can’t he just open that big, fat mouth of his and talk to me about what’s bothering him?!”
Isabel’s mouth quirked a little at Maria’s outburst. “Because he’s a guy, Maria. They think that showing their emotions and talking about their feelings makes them weak. It’s stupid but it’s how they think.”
Maria frowned and couldn’t quite keep the accusation out of her voice when she said, “But Alex isn’t like that.”
“No,” Isabel agreed with a soft smile. “That’s because he’s special.”
“Michael is special, too,” Maria replied dryly, “but on a whole other level.”
Isabel laughed. “Michael is a moron,” she stated.
Against her will, Maria had to smile. “He’s a total drama queen.”
“A dumbass.”
Maria slapped the other girl’s arm in playful indignation. “Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about!”
“He’s still a dumbass.”
*****
Tess pushed the last of the leaves aside and stepped in the clearing that opened to the small creek.
Kyle was kneeling beside the running stream, repeatedly splashing his face with the ice cold water to wash away the signs of his fight with his best friend. The front of his sweater was soaked from his ministrations, and the hair at his temples stuck to his head like a shiny brown helmet.
Tess walked the short distance towards him and let herself sink down beside him on the riverbank. “Hey, lovey” she said gently.
He looked up at her, wiping a few drops from his chin with his sleeve. The angry swelling around his left eye lent his face a rough note and the few spots of dried blood on his upper lip he had missed only added to the look of harsh bitterness.
Despite her worry for him and for Michael, Tess tried to smile at him. She reached out to brush back the hair from his forehead. “Are you alright?”
His expression changed to a look of disbelieving surprise that was almost comical. “Am I alright?” he echoed, gesturing at his face. “Are you serious?”
She rolled her eyes, at the same time pulling out a paper tissue from her pocket and began dabbing at his still-wet face, removing the last traces of blood from his skin. “Kyle Valenti, you know damn well what I mean!”
He tried to pull away when she reached a particularly sensitive area in his beaten-up face, but she just gripped his ear to hold him in place and continued to wipe his face.
“Yes, I know what you mean,” he gritted out. “And the truth is, I don’t know.”
She finished cleaning him up and put the tissue away. “And are you going to tell me what happened, or what?”
He hesitated, his gaze fixed somewhere in the depths of the running water. “Michael . . .”
“I assume that he did this?” she prompted.
“He did.” Kyle nodded curtly.
“Why would he do that?” she asked. It really didn’t make any sense to her. Though Michael and Kyle had often fought about one thing or another, they had never gotten physically violent with each other. As far as she knew, Michael had never raised a hand against any of his friends in anger. It was the one line he always had been afraid to cross. Until today.
“Because I walked in on him in the shower . . .”
She stared at him, totally dumbfounded. “What, you surprised him in the shower and he beat you up?!” It didn’t make any sense to her.
“No!” Kyle shouted in exasperation. “I mean, yes, but . . . It wasn’t like that.”
She looked at him expectantly.
He groaned and put his face into his hands. His muffled voice reached her ears when he said, “I saw something. I saw something that I really wish I hadn’t seen because then I could still fool myself into believing that Michael’s situation isn’t as bad and as dangerous as it really is.”
She was almost afraid to ask, but she had to know. “What did you see?” she whispered urgently.
And then he told her the whole story.
*****
When Tess and Kyle returned to the camp, Maria and Isabel had already put away all of the food. They had agreed that neither of them would be able to stomach anything, and since the other three had still not made a single move to get out of their tents, they had decided to just stow away their breakfast for later use.
The two girls now looked up to see Kyle quietly vanish into his tent. Tess, after throwing a lingering gaze at his retreating back, walked over to them and sat down on the bench.
“How is he?” Isabel asked, her voice hushed so as not to carry over to Kyle in his sanctuary.
“He’ll be alright,” Tess answered, but she sighed heavily as if she carried a huge weight on her shoulders.
“Did he tell you why Michael hit him?” Maria asked, sitting down beside her.
“Yes, but . . .” Tess hesitated. “Maria . . . please don’t ask me to tell you,” she begged. “It’s kind of personal and I’d rather you ask Michael about it.”
“Great.” Maria sighed in frustration. “How long am I supposed to wait with that? I doubt he’s coming back here any time soon.” When she became aware of her friend’s unhappy expression, she relented. “Fine. I understand.” Quieter, she added, “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
The sound of thunder made all of them look up at the now threateningly dark sky. While they had been otherwise occupied, the weather had taken a turn for the bad, and the sky had cast over with giant black storm clouds, alight with an eerie, sulfur-yellow glow. It was not an encouraging sight.
“I’m so sick of this weather,” Isabel groaned.
Maria looked at her friends with determination, only marginally flinching when lightning lit up the sky above them for a split-second. “I want to go home,” she announced, looking at them defiantly. “I need to go find Michael and talk to him. And after what happened, none of us is going to enjoy the rest of our holiday, anyway.”
But, to her surprise, there was no resistance from the other two.
“Thank God!” Isabel exclaimed and jumped up, ready to take action.
“I’ll go wake up the others,” Tess said quietly. With an uneasy glance at the sky, she continued, “We should pack up as fast as possible before it gets really uncomfortable out here.”
*****
Maria swore when the numerous components of her tent – once again – refused to let themselves be pushed into their bag. Impossible! Who designs such a tiny bag for a tent?! She furiously wiped a strand of hair out of her face. The wind had picked up in the past quarter of an hour and started howling among the trees, blowing her loose hair into her face, thus making it difficult for her to see anything.
The only sounds that could be heard above the noise of the storm were the odd shouts among the others across the clearing.
After Max, Liz and Alex had reluctantly decided to emerge from the relative safety of their tents, they had quickly and unceremoniously been informed about the change of plans by Tess and Isabel, and had then proceeded to pack up all of their equipment with surprisingly little questions.
Maria herself had mostly ignored the action on the other side of the fire pit and begun packing up her own things as fast as she could. The two large duffel bags lay beside her in the grass, one with her own clothes, the other filled with Michael’s camping gear.
While she still fought with the uncooperative tent, the first raindrop landed on her neck, cold and wet, and she threw the tent onto the ground with a curse, rubbing at the spot where the water had hit. She stared down at the canvas resentfully, sorely tempted to just leave Michael’s stuff here in the woods. She felt a deep, irrational anger at him for leaving her to pack up all of his luggage on her own while being threatened by a rain storm. I should not have to do this! He should have been here with me! She kicked the innocent tent by her feet, instantly feeling better. She did it again. And again. And again.
A chuckling behind her made her pause.
“What did it do to you?” Alex asked.
“Huh?”
“The tent. What did it do to deserve this?” He pointed at the mud-stained fabric beneath her boots, the humor in his eyes clearly visible.
“Oh.” Maria followed his gaze. She felt her cheeks grow hot when she flushed red in embarrassment. “Um, it refused to let me put it in here.” She meekly lifted the slim bag in her hand.
“Need help?”
She smiled, relieved, and handed him the offensive bag. “Yes, please.”
Alex crouched down and quickly and efficiently began gathering the items on the ground, folding the canvas into a tight roll before sliding it into its bag with a triumphant grin. It was blatantly obvious that he was much more experienced with these things.
“Awesome.” Maria smiled gratefully when he handed her the bag. Before he could turn away, she asked, “Alex?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think Michael is alright?” She felt stupid asking, but right now, she just needed some reassurance. Alex had been filled in on the whole drama by Isabel earlier, so he knew what she was talking about.
After a brief, almost imperceptible hesitation, he smiled at her and said, “Sure he is. Don’t worry about him, Maria. He’ll be fine.”
But she had seen the flicker of doubt in his expression right before it had been covered up by his usual cheerfulness.
*****
Home, sweet home, Maria thought resignedly when Tess pulled onto the street that led to the Deluca house. Who would have thought that our holiday would come to an end this miserable?
The curly blonde had taken it upon herself to drive, since Kyle’s puffed up left eye made it impossible for him to see enough to take them safely home. His mood wasn’t the best, either. The usual light-hearted humor had made room for a dark and moody grimness that, though perfectly complementing the current New Mexico weather, didn’t fit his personality at all, Maria thought when she took in his profile. Earlier, after they had finished loading their bags into the cars, he had wordlessly flopped into the passenger side seat, crossed his arms and moodily stared out into the drizzling rain.
Tess had just watched him with a frown and beckoned Maria to get in the car before sliding behind the steering wheel herself. They had followed the Toyota off the parking lot and driven back to Roswell in silence.
Now Maria’s gaze was drawn back to the rain-wet scenery outside her window. The drops, first only a light drizzle, now grown into a full-out downpour, were chasing each other down her window. Some of them were faster than the others and heedlessly swallowed little water droplets in their wake in their haste to reach the bottom of the glass pane. She could not help but be reminded of herself and Michael. Wasn’t he like one of those fast racers, always running from something, to something, and never able to stop and blind to what – or who, she thought – got dissolved in his wake? And herself? Was she just a little raindrop that he had picked up on his journey, her only purpose to give him more substance and stability in his race to escape the drama that was his life? To be swallowed completely by his never-ending flight from reality?
No! She resolutely shook her head, the wall of water blurring her view outside. I’m not just an expedient for him! Despite the difficult situation he – and herself – was in, Maria could not deny that she had been happy since she had moved to Roswell with her mother, and a big reason for that had been her relationship with Michael. And even if they hadn’t made things easy for each other, they had still found their way to each other. And I’ll be damned if I let him pull out now! Maria clenched her hands into fists and chewed the inside of her cheek. She had tried to reach him on his cell phone a while ago, but he had – of course – not answered. She pushed the gnawing anger and worry back down when they neared their destination.
Now Tess pulled the convertible to a stop in front of the Deluca residence. She exhaled loudly and turned around in her seat, facing Maria. “I’m going to take Kyle home and talk to the Sheriff,” she said gently. “After that, I’ll come back and pick you up and we can go look for Michael, okay?”
Maria’s eyes filled with tears at the simple offer, because it made her realize that even though everything was so messed up right now, she wasn’t alone in this. She swallowed back the tears and made an effort to smile at her friend, reaching out to lightly squeeze her hand. “Thank you, Tess.” Then she briefly laid her hand on Kyle’s shoulder, who had still not spoken a word or even looked in her direction. “Bye, Kyle,” she murmured and stepped out of the car into the pouring rain.
She popped the trunk and dragged out her heavy bag, leaving the duffel with Michael’s camping gear with Tess’ and Kyle’s belongings. She turned and, after a quick wave at the retreating red car, hurried up the driveway, her shoulders hunched against the icy wet from above. Her feet made loud, crunching noises on the gravel. When a large shadow suddenly appeared in front of her on the doorstep, she froze in shock. It wouldn’t have taken much more for her to scream her lungs out and draw every neighbor in a three-mile radius out onto the street, but before she could catch her breath enough to do so, she recognized the man in front of her.
Michael was standing on her porch, completely soaked from head to toe, hands in his pockets, looking at her. He must have waited for her there, she thought, beneath the leaking canopy, half-hidden by the giant elder bush by the steps. While she stood there in the rain, staring at him, one drop detached itself from his wet hair and ran down his forehead, continuing down the bridge of his nose before falling from the tip to join its companions in a puddle by his feet.
He looked so lonely and hopeless there, standing in front of her in the rain, just waiting for her to say something, and she wanted nothing more than to take him inside, dry him with one of the soft bath towels that smelled like violets, take him into her bed and hold him while telling him that everything would be alright again.
But it won’t. It won’t be alright again. Not like this. She gritted her teeth and hardened her heart before stalking wordlessly past him. She unlocked the door, slipped inside without looking at him and slammed the door in his face with a satisfactory bang.
~TBC
No, they're not easy, and we will scratch the surface of what happened between the boys in today's chapter.Maria knows how to handle Michael, doesn't she?
Chapter Nineteen – Meet me on my doorstep
The sky had clouded over and it looked like rain again when Maria crawled out of her tent, scanning the clearing for any signs of Michael. But of course there were none. Isabel was still sitting, alone, on the bench beside the fire pit, absently playing with a few grass stalks she had plucked from the trimmed greenery beneath her seat. Tess was nowhere to be seen, and the tents of Alex, Max and Liz still lay quiet.
Maria trudged over to the tall blonde girl and plopped down on the bench beside her. Her gaze caught on the plate of pineapple pieces and the rest of her half-finished breakfast preparations. She sighed. She had taken great pains to make this an enjoyable meal, to help everyone forgetting about last night and be cheerful again, and now it looked like no one was going to eat any of it.
“Where’s he gone?” Maria asked quietly. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to make sure.
“Parking lot.” Isabel’s voice was subdued as well and she didn’t lift her gaze when she nodded in the direction of the trail that led to their vehicles.
After a pause, Maria asked, “Has he said anything to you?”
Isabel shook her head and continued to rip apart the blades of grass in her hand.
“Tess?” Maria continued since she couldn’t make out a sign of her friend. She’s probably taking care of Kyle. I hope that at least he lets her. Not unlike a certain butthead of a-
Isabel confirmed her guess when she answered, “Has gone after Kyle after you and Michael went into the tent.”
Maria just nodded.
After a few minutes of mutual silence, Isabel looked up. “Did Michael do it?”
Maria looked at her sharply. “Why would you ask that? Has something like this happened before?”
Isabel shrugged. “Not that I know of. But I’m not stupid, Maria, I can put two and two together. So did he do it? Did he punch Kyle in the face?”
Maria nodded reluctantly.
“Why?” Isabel asked. She didn’t seem as shocked as Maria had felt when Michael had told her what he had done.
But then again, she’s known him a great deal longer than I. Maria shrugged. “Beats me.”
“And now he ran off just so he doesn’t have to deal with it,” Isabel stated with a disbelieving snort. “Typical.” She turned to Maria and laid a tentative hand on her arm in sympathy. “How are you feeling about this?”
Maria sighed and kicked a little rock by her feet so that it bounced a few yards across the grass. “Confused, mostly. And worried and angry.” She turned around so that she was facing the other girl, scowling. “I mean, I don’t even know what really happened! How am I supposed to help him when he runs away like a child every time things get tough? I don’t get why he always has to act like he’s all alone in the world! He closes himself off and I can’t reach him anymore. Doesn’t he know that I just want to be there for him? Why can’t he just open that big, fat mouth of his and talk to me about what’s bothering him?!”
Isabel’s mouth quirked a little at Maria’s outburst. “Because he’s a guy, Maria. They think that showing their emotions and talking about their feelings makes them weak. It’s stupid but it’s how they think.”
Maria frowned and couldn’t quite keep the accusation out of her voice when she said, “But Alex isn’t like that.”
“No,” Isabel agreed with a soft smile. “That’s because he’s special.”
“Michael is special, too,” Maria replied dryly, “but on a whole other level.”
Isabel laughed. “Michael is a moron,” she stated.
Against her will, Maria had to smile. “He’s a total drama queen.”
“A dumbass.”
Maria slapped the other girl’s arm in playful indignation. “Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about!”
“He’s still a dumbass.”
*****
Tess pushed the last of the leaves aside and stepped in the clearing that opened to the small creek.
Kyle was kneeling beside the running stream, repeatedly splashing his face with the ice cold water to wash away the signs of his fight with his best friend. The front of his sweater was soaked from his ministrations, and the hair at his temples stuck to his head like a shiny brown helmet.
Tess walked the short distance towards him and let herself sink down beside him on the riverbank. “Hey, lovey” she said gently.
He looked up at her, wiping a few drops from his chin with his sleeve. The angry swelling around his left eye lent his face a rough note and the few spots of dried blood on his upper lip he had missed only added to the look of harsh bitterness.
Despite her worry for him and for Michael, Tess tried to smile at him. She reached out to brush back the hair from his forehead. “Are you alright?”
His expression changed to a look of disbelieving surprise that was almost comical. “Am I alright?” he echoed, gesturing at his face. “Are you serious?”
She rolled her eyes, at the same time pulling out a paper tissue from her pocket and began dabbing at his still-wet face, removing the last traces of blood from his skin. “Kyle Valenti, you know damn well what I mean!”
He tried to pull away when she reached a particularly sensitive area in his beaten-up face, but she just gripped his ear to hold him in place and continued to wipe his face.
“Yes, I know what you mean,” he gritted out. “And the truth is, I don’t know.”
She finished cleaning him up and put the tissue away. “And are you going to tell me what happened, or what?”
He hesitated, his gaze fixed somewhere in the depths of the running water. “Michael . . .”
“I assume that he did this?” she prompted.
“He did.” Kyle nodded curtly.
“Why would he do that?” she asked. It really didn’t make any sense to her. Though Michael and Kyle had often fought about one thing or another, they had never gotten physically violent with each other. As far as she knew, Michael had never raised a hand against any of his friends in anger. It was the one line he always had been afraid to cross. Until today.
“Because I walked in on him in the shower . . .”
She stared at him, totally dumbfounded. “What, you surprised him in the shower and he beat you up?!” It didn’t make any sense to her.
“No!” Kyle shouted in exasperation. “I mean, yes, but . . . It wasn’t like that.”
She looked at him expectantly.
He groaned and put his face into his hands. His muffled voice reached her ears when he said, “I saw something. I saw something that I really wish I hadn’t seen because then I could still fool myself into believing that Michael’s situation isn’t as bad and as dangerous as it really is.”
She was almost afraid to ask, but she had to know. “What did you see?” she whispered urgently.
And then he told her the whole story.
*****
When Tess and Kyle returned to the camp, Maria and Isabel had already put away all of the food. They had agreed that neither of them would be able to stomach anything, and since the other three had still not made a single move to get out of their tents, they had decided to just stow away their breakfast for later use.
The two girls now looked up to see Kyle quietly vanish into his tent. Tess, after throwing a lingering gaze at his retreating back, walked over to them and sat down on the bench.
“How is he?” Isabel asked, her voice hushed so as not to carry over to Kyle in his sanctuary.
“He’ll be alright,” Tess answered, but she sighed heavily as if she carried a huge weight on her shoulders.
“Did he tell you why Michael hit him?” Maria asked, sitting down beside her.
“Yes, but . . .” Tess hesitated. “Maria . . . please don’t ask me to tell you,” she begged. “It’s kind of personal and I’d rather you ask Michael about it.”
“Great.” Maria sighed in frustration. “How long am I supposed to wait with that? I doubt he’s coming back here any time soon.” When she became aware of her friend’s unhappy expression, she relented. “Fine. I understand.” Quieter, she added, “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
The sound of thunder made all of them look up at the now threateningly dark sky. While they had been otherwise occupied, the weather had taken a turn for the bad, and the sky had cast over with giant black storm clouds, alight with an eerie, sulfur-yellow glow. It was not an encouraging sight.
“I’m so sick of this weather,” Isabel groaned.
Maria looked at her friends with determination, only marginally flinching when lightning lit up the sky above them for a split-second. “I want to go home,” she announced, looking at them defiantly. “I need to go find Michael and talk to him. And after what happened, none of us is going to enjoy the rest of our holiday, anyway.”
But, to her surprise, there was no resistance from the other two.
“Thank God!” Isabel exclaimed and jumped up, ready to take action.
“I’ll go wake up the others,” Tess said quietly. With an uneasy glance at the sky, she continued, “We should pack up as fast as possible before it gets really uncomfortable out here.”
*****
Maria swore when the numerous components of her tent – once again – refused to let themselves be pushed into their bag. Impossible! Who designs such a tiny bag for a tent?! She furiously wiped a strand of hair out of her face. The wind had picked up in the past quarter of an hour and started howling among the trees, blowing her loose hair into her face, thus making it difficult for her to see anything.
The only sounds that could be heard above the noise of the storm were the odd shouts among the others across the clearing.
After Max, Liz and Alex had reluctantly decided to emerge from the relative safety of their tents, they had quickly and unceremoniously been informed about the change of plans by Tess and Isabel, and had then proceeded to pack up all of their equipment with surprisingly little questions.
Maria herself had mostly ignored the action on the other side of the fire pit and begun packing up her own things as fast as she could. The two large duffel bags lay beside her in the grass, one with her own clothes, the other filled with Michael’s camping gear.
While she still fought with the uncooperative tent, the first raindrop landed on her neck, cold and wet, and she threw the tent onto the ground with a curse, rubbing at the spot where the water had hit. She stared down at the canvas resentfully, sorely tempted to just leave Michael’s stuff here in the woods. She felt a deep, irrational anger at him for leaving her to pack up all of his luggage on her own while being threatened by a rain storm. I should not have to do this! He should have been here with me! She kicked the innocent tent by her feet, instantly feeling better. She did it again. And again. And again.
A chuckling behind her made her pause.
“What did it do to you?” Alex asked.
“Huh?”
“The tent. What did it do to deserve this?” He pointed at the mud-stained fabric beneath her boots, the humor in his eyes clearly visible.
“Oh.” Maria followed his gaze. She felt her cheeks grow hot when she flushed red in embarrassment. “Um, it refused to let me put it in here.” She meekly lifted the slim bag in her hand.
“Need help?”
She smiled, relieved, and handed him the offensive bag. “Yes, please.”
Alex crouched down and quickly and efficiently began gathering the items on the ground, folding the canvas into a tight roll before sliding it into its bag with a triumphant grin. It was blatantly obvious that he was much more experienced with these things.
“Awesome.” Maria smiled gratefully when he handed her the bag. Before he could turn away, she asked, “Alex?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think Michael is alright?” She felt stupid asking, but right now, she just needed some reassurance. Alex had been filled in on the whole drama by Isabel earlier, so he knew what she was talking about.
After a brief, almost imperceptible hesitation, he smiled at her and said, “Sure he is. Don’t worry about him, Maria. He’ll be fine.”
But she had seen the flicker of doubt in his expression right before it had been covered up by his usual cheerfulness.
*****
Home, sweet home, Maria thought resignedly when Tess pulled onto the street that led to the Deluca house. Who would have thought that our holiday would come to an end this miserable?
The curly blonde had taken it upon herself to drive, since Kyle’s puffed up left eye made it impossible for him to see enough to take them safely home. His mood wasn’t the best, either. The usual light-hearted humor had made room for a dark and moody grimness that, though perfectly complementing the current New Mexico weather, didn’t fit his personality at all, Maria thought when she took in his profile. Earlier, after they had finished loading their bags into the cars, he had wordlessly flopped into the passenger side seat, crossed his arms and moodily stared out into the drizzling rain.
Tess had just watched him with a frown and beckoned Maria to get in the car before sliding behind the steering wheel herself. They had followed the Toyota off the parking lot and driven back to Roswell in silence.
Now Maria’s gaze was drawn back to the rain-wet scenery outside her window. The drops, first only a light drizzle, now grown into a full-out downpour, were chasing each other down her window. Some of them were faster than the others and heedlessly swallowed little water droplets in their wake in their haste to reach the bottom of the glass pane. She could not help but be reminded of herself and Michael. Wasn’t he like one of those fast racers, always running from something, to something, and never able to stop and blind to what – or who, she thought – got dissolved in his wake? And herself? Was she just a little raindrop that he had picked up on his journey, her only purpose to give him more substance and stability in his race to escape the drama that was his life? To be swallowed completely by his never-ending flight from reality?
No! She resolutely shook her head, the wall of water blurring her view outside. I’m not just an expedient for him! Despite the difficult situation he – and herself – was in, Maria could not deny that she had been happy since she had moved to Roswell with her mother, and a big reason for that had been her relationship with Michael. And even if they hadn’t made things easy for each other, they had still found their way to each other. And I’ll be damned if I let him pull out now! Maria clenched her hands into fists and chewed the inside of her cheek. She had tried to reach him on his cell phone a while ago, but he had – of course – not answered. She pushed the gnawing anger and worry back down when they neared their destination.
Now Tess pulled the convertible to a stop in front of the Deluca residence. She exhaled loudly and turned around in her seat, facing Maria. “I’m going to take Kyle home and talk to the Sheriff,” she said gently. “After that, I’ll come back and pick you up and we can go look for Michael, okay?”
Maria’s eyes filled with tears at the simple offer, because it made her realize that even though everything was so messed up right now, she wasn’t alone in this. She swallowed back the tears and made an effort to smile at her friend, reaching out to lightly squeeze her hand. “Thank you, Tess.” Then she briefly laid her hand on Kyle’s shoulder, who had still not spoken a word or even looked in her direction. “Bye, Kyle,” she murmured and stepped out of the car into the pouring rain.
She popped the trunk and dragged out her heavy bag, leaving the duffel with Michael’s camping gear with Tess’ and Kyle’s belongings. She turned and, after a quick wave at the retreating red car, hurried up the driveway, her shoulders hunched against the icy wet from above. Her feet made loud, crunching noises on the gravel. When a large shadow suddenly appeared in front of her on the doorstep, she froze in shock. It wouldn’t have taken much more for her to scream her lungs out and draw every neighbor in a three-mile radius out onto the street, but before she could catch her breath enough to do so, she recognized the man in front of her.
Michael was standing on her porch, completely soaked from head to toe, hands in his pockets, looking at her. He must have waited for her there, she thought, beneath the leaking canopy, half-hidden by the giant elder bush by the steps. While she stood there in the rain, staring at him, one drop detached itself from his wet hair and ran down his forehead, continuing down the bridge of his nose before falling from the tip to join its companions in a puddle by his feet.
He looked so lonely and hopeless there, standing in front of her in the rain, just waiting for her to say something, and she wanted nothing more than to take him inside, dry him with one of the soft bath towels that smelled like violets, take him into her bed and hold him while telling him that everything would be alright again.
But it won’t. It won’t be alright again. Not like this. She gritted her teeth and hardened her heart before stalking wordlessly past him. She unlocked the door, slipped inside without looking at him and slammed the door in his face with a satisfactory bang.
~TBC
~bluejanuar
-
bluejanuar
- Enthusiastic Roswellian
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:06 pm
Chapter 20 - Jun 12, 2011
Eve: Yes, I understand Maria, too. In that particular moment, she just didn’t see another way than to be drastic and stop being supportive. At least for a short while.
Don’t worry, Michael’s a smart boy. He’ll understand that he needs to be more open or he’ll loose the support of his friends.
Moomin: Michael’s side of the fight between him and Kyle will be explained in this chapter.
And I don’t think that Maria and Kyle are the time to hold a grudge. But they will make Michael realize that he can’t go on shutting everyone out.
Author's Note: As of today, I'm out of pre-written chapters, so you might have to wait a little longer for the next update, sorry.
Chapter Twenty – Nothing but the truth
Maria stomped inside, snorting like an angry rhinoceros with agitation. How dare he show up here like that? She restlessly wandered up and down the narrow space of the kitchen, her booted feet making little squeaking sounds on the linoleum with every step. First he leaves and now he’s just . . . hanging out on my doorstep, looking all wet and pitiful! It’s not fair!
The wind was blowing the raindrops heavily against the kitchen window, the loud, clattering noise of it almost drowning out the insistent knocking on the front door.
What is with this frigging weather? She thought indignantly when lightning lit up the sky for seconds before a deafening thunder crashed seemingly right over her head. Grudgingly, she stomped back to the front entrance of the house where Michael was still thumping on the closed door. There was no use in letting him suffer out there any longer, since he showed no sign of giving up and going away. And truthfully, she didn’t want him to get sick in the wet weather, either, even though she was angry with him and fully intended to give him a piece of her mind once she had him warm and dry again.
His muffled voice reached her through the wood. “Maria, come on! Let me in!”
She took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. Okay, Maria, you can do this. Calm and composed. With much more force than necessary, she ripped open the door and took in his dripping form with a stony expression.
He tried to squeeze past her to get out of the rain, but she didn’t budge, forcing him to stay on the doorstep. He watched her face carefully, then stated, “You’re mad at me.” It was not a question.
She threw her hands up in exasperation, mocking, “Whatever gave you that idea?”
He watched her with narrowed eyes, but was wise enough not to answer.
Maria crossed her arms and clenched her jaw when another thunder rolled over their heads. With a carefully emotionless voice, she asked, “Are you here to tell me what’s going on?”
He sighed. “Maria-”
“Because if not you can just go right back where you came from!” she burst out. “I’m so sick of your half-truths and avoidance tactics!” So much for doing this in a calm and composed manner.
Michael heaved another deep sigh while hunching his shoulders against another gust of wind that brought even more rain with it. “Maria . . .”
“And don’t you dare act like I’m the difficult one here, mister!” She poked him the chest with her forefinger, still not making room for him to come in. “You just packed your stuff and left me and didn’t even think it necessary to tell me what happened! So you don’t get to play the part of the misunderstood soul here!”
She was not finished by far with her tirade, but he ruthlessly interrupted her. “I’m going to tell you, alright?” he said gruffly, furiously wiping away another drop of water hanging from his nose. “Now, can I come in? It’s freezing out here.”
“No,” she replied curtly, briefly reveling in his astonished expression before continuing in a softer voice, “Wait here.” She hurried out of the hall, returning a short while later with a huge, fluffy pink bath towel which she threw at him, aiming at his head.
He caught it a second before it connected to his face and eyed the soft fabric with skepticism. “Nice color,” he forced out.
She rolled her eyes, suppressing the fact that she had picked that particular color just to annoy him, but held open the door a little wider for him. “Now you can come in. But take off those shoes, you’re dripping all over the place.”
He obediently toed off his boots and stepped inside, dropping his duffel bag on the floor beside him.
In the gloomy hallway, Maria just now noticed that he had brought his luggage with him. “Didn’t you even go home before you came here?”
“I did,” he said in a tone she couldn’t quite make sense of. “Briefly.”
She nodded. “I see.” Though she didn’t. She would’ve thought that, after his quick escape from the camping site, he would hole up at home where he could easily hide from his friends. With his mother gone to visit her sister, he would have the house to himself, with no one to bother him. Unless . . . Maria looked at him sharply. “Was Hank here again?”
He exhaled strongly through his nose and shrugged while reaching up to scratch his eyebrow. “Can I . . . would you mind if I changed my clothes before we . . . you know, talk?” He made a face at the soaked shirt clinging to his torso like a second skin.
She took in his appearance for a moment, from the dripping strands of hair hanging in his face over the wet shirt down to the soggy legs of his jeans and, of course, couldn’t deny him the request. She pointed in the direction of the bathroom and softly said, “You can hang your clothes over the shower rod in the bathroom.”
“Thanks,” he said, picked up his bag and vanished down the hallway.
Maria gazed after his receding back, then ran her fingers through her own damp hair and began taking off her jacket and boots. Like usual, she hadn’t been able to stay mad at Michael for very long. Her anger had left her just as fast as it had appeared, leaving behind only a dull feeling of emotional exhaustion. She was so ready to have this emotional rollercoaster over with, but first she had to extract the whole story of what lay behind his fallout with Kyle from Michael.
She sighed heavily and trudged over into the living room where she flopped down into the soft cushions of the couch and reached for her cell phone to notify Tess.
*****
Tess hurried inside, shoulders hunched against the pelting rain, followed closely by Kyle who was loaded with their – or mostly, her – extensive luggage. He grunted under the weight and dropped the heavy bags on the floor as soon as both of them were safely inside the Valenti house.
While they were still occupied with taking off their outer gear, Jim Valenti stepped into the hallway from the kitchen, drawn by the noise of their arrival. A kind man of over forty, with numerous wrinkles around his eyes and mouth from laughing, he usually resembled a friendly Teddy Bear. Now, in his police uniform and with the sheriff star glinting on his chest, he looked more serious, ready to enforce the law whenever necessary. At the moment, he was watching the drenched teenagers with slightly confused, yet pleasant surprise.
“Kids,” he said, stepping closer. “What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay in Frazier Woods till Friday?”
“Hey, Jim.” Tess gave him a warm hug while exchanging a quick look with Kyle over his shoulder who was trying very hard to hide his black eye from his father.
Sheriff Valenti released Tess and turned to his son, but Kyle just hurriedly shuffled past him with a quick “Hi, Dad”, and all but fled down the hallway into his room.
The sheriff watched his son’s retreating back with a frown, then turned back to Tess who was standing next to him with an uneasy scowl. Though he was not an exceptionally tall man, he still towered over her and pointed at the closed bedroom door of his son when he asked her in an earnest voice, “Care to explain this?”
She nodded slowly, but decisively. It was time that she took matters into her own hands to get help for Michael, and thus for Kyle and both of their friendship, too.
When Sheriff Valenti caught sight of her serious expression, he immediately adapted what Tess and Kyle secretly referred to as his “cop personality”. His shoulders squared and his head lifted, as if he was getting ready to withstand whatever life would throw at him; a tower of strength for the weak and a formidable opponent for everyone who dared to challenge him. He took the blonde girl by the elbow and in a remarkably soft voice said, “Let’s get you inside first, Tessie, and then we can talk, alright?”
She just nodded mutely again. When she followed him into the living room, her cell phone gave a shrill beep from the depths of her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open, hastily scanning over the text message from Maria.
Michael’s with me. Don’t worry, he’s fine for now. Call you later. Maria.
“Than God!” she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good news?” Jim looked at her curiously, having followed her reaction to the written text closely.
“Yes, good news.” Tess smiled a weak smile, but immediately grew serious again. When she had sat down next to her foster father, she turned to him, taking a deep, cleansing breath. Now or never. “Sheriff? I think I need to tell you something.”
*****
By the time Michael finally decided to come out of the bathroom again, Maria had gotten restless with the waiting and begun pacing up and down the worn, red carpet behind the couch. When she heard the bathroom door open, she stopped at the window, expectantly turning to the doorway.
Freshly clad in a new shirt and jeans and towel-dried hair, he slowly came trudging down the hallway, stopping when he reached the living room and leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed across his chest defensively. He watched her in silence.
After a minute of both of them staring at each other from across the room, either of them mute as a fish, Michael finally broke the silence, “So . . . are you gonna tell my why you’re mad, exactly?” he asked quietly.
Maria exhaled sharply through her nose. Figures. Another avoidance tactic. But not with me, buddy. “Are you gonna tell me why you beat up your best friend and then fled like the devil was chasing you?” she countered.
“I already said I’d tell you, dammit!” he exclaimed angrily, uncrossing his arms and taking one step into the room.
“Then get on with it already!” she shouted, fed up with his attitude. She, too, stepped closer so that the both of them now stood only a couple of yards apart, facing each other like two boxers in a boxing ring.
“It’s not that easy!” He repeatedly ran his hands through his damp hair with agitated movements. His eyes darted around the room in search of something to settle on, avoiding Maria’s face. Finally, after taking a deep, pained breath, he looked at her again. “Okay, listen. Kyle came inside while I was showering . . .”
He stopped again, and she waved at him to go on.
“Okay . . . well, he saw something, and we got into a fight about it.” He swallowed hard. “I . . . didn’t want to hit him, but he just wouldn’t leave me alone about it, and I . . . I just wanted him to go away. We yelled at each other and then he shoved me and then . . .” Michael looked at her intently with dark eyes, willing her to believe him. “It just happened, okay? I didn’t want to hit him, but I did. Twice. I . . . tried to apologize, but he left and . . . well you know the rest.”
She slowly shook her head. The story didn’t make any sense to her. “I don’t understand, Michael. This doesn’t sound like Kyle, at all. What would make him attack you like this?”
He frowned, looking at his feet. “It wasn’t his fault,” he insisted.
Maria came to stand close before him, reaching out to tilt his chin up. “Michael, look at me,” she said in a low voice. “Why did you two fight?”
He bit his lip uncertainly. Then he clenched his jaw and burst out, “Because he saw this!” He took a step back and turned around, ripping his shirt off over his head in the process.
She gasped and clapped her hands to her heart in shock when she saw the large, colorful bruise on his back, its elongated shape almost as large as her underarm, but thicker on the upper end, ranging from just below his neck across his left shoulder blade almost to his armpit. It wasn’t a fresh injury, she realized when she reached out to run her fingertips across the discolored flesh. It must be at least a few days old. The blood under the skin had had time to spread out already, causing the bruise to be only a light purple in the middle, outlined by a darker area of blue and framed by several inches of green and yellow.
“Oh, God.” she whispered, shocked at the inconceivable brutality that was needed to cause a mark like that in front of her eyes. “What did this?”
“Baseball bat,” he answered flatly. He stood ramrod-straight, barely breathing as her fingers followed the outline of the bruise on his back.
“Hank?”
He nodded.
She sighed and laid her cheek against his shoulder blade, covering the worst of the injury with her hands and face. “Does it still hurt?” she asked against his skin.
“Not anymore,” he answered honestly. “It was pretty bad at first but now I barely feel it.” Yet, he shifted uncomfortably, as if he was wearing a too-tight shirt, reminding her how much it took for him to be so open about his weakness.
She pressed a soft kiss to the discolored skin while her arms came around his naked torso, hugging him. His hand came up to squeeze her clasped hands on his stomach. He sighed and relaxed a little against her.
Maybe he’s relieved, too, that the story is out now, she thought. When her gaze happened to land on the cuckoo clock her mother adored so much, she started at the time. Way past midday already. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “I could make us something to eat.”
He turned around in her arms and shook his head. At the same time, there was a loud, furious growl coming from is stomach. “Maybe a little,” he admitted, smiling wryly.
She made an effort to smile back and took his hands, pulling him in the direction of the kitchen. “Come on.”
*****
“Is that you?”
“What?” Maria looked up from where she was stirring the macaroni and cheese. It was one of the few edible things she had found in the kitchen cupboards since the Deluca woman both had planned to be away the whole week and had therefore disposed of any perishables before their departure. While she was cooking, Michael had wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, not talking much, but his whole posture conveyed a sense of calm that hadn’t been there before. He had put his t-shirt back on, covering the ugly bruise, and was now standing in front of the fridge, taking in the many pictures pinned to its front with magnets.
Maria’s gaze followed his pointing finger to a picture on the top, showing two blonde children, a boy and a girl, playing with two dogs, a Dalmatian and a large, black crossbreed of sorts with a fuzzy beard and fur like a wire brush. She smiled. “Yeah, that’s me and Sean, and our dogs.”
“Which one’s yours?” Michael asked curiously.
“The Dalmatian.” Maria pulled the pot from the stove and came to stand beside Michael, looking at the old photograph. She sighed wistfully. “God, I loved that dog.”
“What happened to it?”
“It got run over by a car in front of our house about eleven years ago. I was five or six or so when it happened.”
Michael put his arm around her shoulder in a consoling gesture and pulled her closer to his side. “I’m sorry.”
Maria’s gaze was still fixed on the picture. She went on talking in low tones, “Sean’s dog, Smilla, died of cancer soon after. They were almost the same age.”
“‘Smilla’?” he echoed, rolling the strange name on his tongue like a piece of butterscotch.
Maria smiled at his antics and nodded when she continued, “Uncle Dave used to read to us every time I was visiting. And he didn’t really care for children’s books, so he would read to us whatever he was reading at the time. And one day, he came to us with this huge novel, called ‘Smilla’s Sense of Snow’.” She chuckled at the memory. “It’s a thriller, and, let’s just say, not at all appropriate bedtime story material for children. We were both having nightmares for weeks, and auntie Bridget was terribly angry at uncle Dave for reading something like that to us. A couple of weeks later, my Mom and Sean’s parents gave the dogs to us, and he decided that ‘Smilla’ would be the perfect name for his.”
“What did you name yours?”
“Pongo.”
Michael just lifted an eyebrow at her, one corner of his mouth pulling up. “‘101 Dalmatians’?”
She felt herself blush and slapped his stomach with the back of her hand, defensively growling, “Yeah, so it wasn’t overly original, shut up.”
****
They ate in silence, sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, the only sound the occasional clattering of the silverware. The rain had lessened to a fine drizzle and the clouds, nearly black before, had changed to a light grey now that they had successfully unloaded their burden over Roswell.
After all of the macaroni had been polished off and both of them had shared the last, lonely chocolate pudding Maria had dug out of the depths of the refrigerator, she cleared away the dishes and sat down across from him again.
She openly looked at him and simply said, “Now talk.”
“Okay . . .” He hesitated briefly. “You know when I told you about the fight between my mom and Hank?” He waited for her nod before he continued, “Well, I didn’t tell you the whole story. After I brought my mom to the train station, I went back home to straighten up the mess they had made . . .”
*****
He stood in the open doorway of his house motionlessly, taking in the trashed living room in front of his eyes. In the heat of their fight, Hank and his mother had thoroughly destroyed most of their already ramshackle furniture, leaving behind a sea of broken glass and overturned chairs and tables, through which Michael now waded with careful steps, the orange glow falling through the open door at his back casting the only light on the wasteland around his feet.
After Michael had more or less stuffed his mother into her train compartment against her will – at the last minute she had decided that she wanted to go and talk to Hank again and try to fix things between them, at which suggestion Michael had made short work of pushing her into the train and calling Esther to ensure that his mother would stay with her for at least several days – he had driven back home, a feeling of dread rising in the pit of his stomach the closer he got to the house he had lived in for all of his life. Now he stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the chaos, knowing that he had to start straightening it up, but feeling completely overwhelmed for the moment and very, very alone. He didn’t have the slightest idea where to begin.
When he shifted, his left foot bumped against a heavy object, and he bent down to pick it up. It was one half of a formerly square glass ashtray, broken cleanly in two down the middle. Michael could still make out the image that had been painted on the bottom a long time ago, though the colors had faded in time to a pale imitation of the bright yellow sun and white clouds they had once depicted. He turned the piece of glass in his hand so that the evening sun fell on it from the doorway, lighting up the faded picture with orange and gold, blinding him.
He clearly remembered the day he had brought the painted ashtray home from elementary school as a present for his mother. Softly, he snorted when he recalled the reaction of Mrs. Sullivan, his handicrafts teacher, when all of the kids were supposed to bring a glass or porcelain object to school with them to paint it as a present for Mother’s Day, and he had appeared with the ash tray, innocently assuming this to be the perfect gift for his mom, since she was always smoking when she was home. Somehow, Mrs. Sullivan was convinced that a vase or a coffee mug would have been more appropriate, but Michael unwaveringly insisted on his gift of choice and cheerfully painted it with a large, smiling, yellow sun, framed with fluffy clouds.
And, indeed, his mom had at least been semi-delighted about the gift, probably due to the circumstance that she had broken her old ashtray a week before, and had placed the present on the coffee table. He had boasted with pride every time she made use of it. So for the past ten years, the yellow sun had smiled from the bottom of the ashtray and collected the ends of numerous cigarettes, always reminding Michael of the one good present he had been able to give her.
And now it was broken.
Michael sighed, reluctantly returning from his brief trip down memory lane to the distinctly more gruesome situation at hand. He walked over to the kitchen and dropped the half ashtray in the garbage can. He took the old, tattered broom from the corner and slowly began sweeping up the glass shards and other trash from the living room floor. After that, he righted up the furniture, shoved the dresser and the coffee table back to their designated places and tried to see if anything could be done for the TV. But it was beyond saving. Where Hank had hit the screen with the baseball bat, the glass had burst into a million pieces, leaving only a gaping hole where once there had been a TV. Michael wistfully regarded the old children’s bat in his hand. He had always liked to play with it. And even though he had never been very good at baseball, the wooden bat held a lot of fond memories for him. He carefully put it down on the dresser to clear it away later.
Michael straightened up, taking in the newly tidied up room. Some things, like the TV, were beyond repairing, but he thought he could probably fix the lowest drawer in the dresser with a few screws, and then it would be good as new.
He was almost done now, he thought and wiped his grimy hands on the side of his pants, sniffing against the dust that had collected in his nostrils. He wasn’t really attached to any of the ancient furnishing, but it was his home, and at the thought of someone – anyone – destroying it out of a bad mood, a deep, simmering anger gripped him.
When he grasped the back of the overturned armchair and stood it on his feet with slightly more force than was strictly necessary, the seat pad, usually solidly fixed in its place, fell out and tumbled to the floor at his feet, together with several small, square plastic packages that had been hidden beneath it.
Michael stared at the little parcels for several seconds, one thought repeating over and over in his head: Shit, shit, shit! He slowly reached down for one of the objects, hoping against hope that it wasn’t what it appeared to be. The package was made of transparent plastic foil, securely taped together at the edges to prevent the white powder that was inside to escape. Michael eyed the strange substance with horror and revulsion. He didn’t have any experience with drugs, but even with his limited knowledge he could see that this was way more than one or two persons could consume, and he dreaded the inevitable realization that he had just found a stock of drugs that was meant for selling. His heart began to beat faster and he bit the inside of his lip. So that was what the fight was about, he thought bitterly. But if Mom is into dealing drugs now-
A sound at his back made him start up. He turned around quickly to find Hank blocking the doorway, darkening the room to a gloomy half-dark. “What are you doing here?” he snapped at the man. He had a queasy feeling in his stomach from having been surprised by the beefy man, but he would be damned if he’d show it.
“I’m here to get what’s mine,” Hank snarled, his narrow eyes fixed on the package in Michael’s hand. The earlier disorientation in the man’s behavior was gone now after whatever trip he’d been on had worn of. “I see you’ve already found it. Now drop it, boy!”
“No!” Michael’s hand closed tighter around the plastic parcel, glowering at the other man with as much menace as he could muster. He wouldn’t give up the fight that easily. Hank was older than him and maybe a little heavier, but he was sure that he could take him in a fair fight, easily. I’m gonna show you the door, old man, he thought, widening his stance in preparation.
“No?” Hank repeated, laughing evilly. Apparently, he was not worried about the situation, at all. His shifty gaze left Michael for a moment, taking in the neat living room. “Nice cleaning job you did, boy,” he said, and for a second there he actually sounded like a normal person. Then his eyes landed on the children’s baseball bat on the dresser at his right, just within reach of his hand, and a slow, cruel smile transformed his face into a grimace. “Maybe this will convince you to be a little more cooperative.”
Michael watched in horror as his hand closed around the wooden handle, the broad fingers ridiculously large on the bat. Hank raised the weapon threateningly, slowly stepping closer to Michael until he was in reach of his opponent. “Come on, Mickey,” he coaxed like one would speak to a shy horse. “Hand it over.”
“Fuck you!” Michael spat, trying to permanently keep in sight the baseball bat looming over his head. He still thought that he could take the other guy, if only-
With a swiftness Michael had not anticipated, Hank’s foot shot out and kicked him in the crotch, making Michael double over and groan in pain. He slowly sank to his knees, clutching his hands to the unbearable pain originating between his legs. He looked up when he heard a whistling sound, like an object moving through air at a tremendous speed, just to see the baseball bat swinging directly at his head.
My god, he’s aiming for my face! In the last possible second, he turned away and was struck between the shoulder blades, the force of it knocking him to the floor, pushing all of the air out of his lungs.
He lay there, panting for air, not able to move, and felt the little package of white powder being taken from his slackened grip before Hank stepped over him and headed for the door. In the doorway, he stopped and turned back again, taking in the motionless form on the floor with a cold expression. “If I were you,” he threatened, “I’d keep my mouth shut. If you tell the cops about this, you’re mom’s gonna go to jail with me.” With that, he disappeared, and Michael listened to the sound of his car vanishing in the distance.
*****
“I couldn’t move my arm right for a while.” Michael dispassionately looked down at his left shoulder, flexing his arm as if testing its mobility. “That’s why I didn’t come to Frazier Woods right away.”
While he had talked, Maria had sat quietly across from him, not interrupting. Now, though, she couldn’t contain her feelings any longer. “That asshole!” she burst out.
He stared at her with a stunned expression. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before.” He smiled a little. “I like it.”
“This isn’t funny!” She violently pushed back her chair and went around the table to sit down on Michael’s lap, taking his face between her hands. “He could have killed you!”
“But he didn’t,” he replied earnestly.
“What are we gonna do now?” she asked, lovingly stroking his face. Now that the reality of the situation had sunk in, she couldn’t stop reassuring herself that he was fine. At least for now.
He shrugged. “I honestly have no idea.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to file for assault, of course, but first we’re going to speak to sheriff Valenti and you-”
“Maria, stop!” he interrupted firmly. When he saw her crestfallen expression, he continued in a softer voice, “I really have to talk to my mother first. Before that I can’t do anything. I have to know how much she is involved in this drug thing of Hank’s and if she really could go to jail if I report this.”
“And if she’s really that deep into this thing?” she asked. “What are you going to do then?”
He just shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”
“Well, you can’t just do nothing, Michael. Hank is dangerous.”
“I know,” he groaned exasperatedly.
She had pity on him and let the subject drop for now, but then another thought occurred to her. “Was Hank at your house earlier when you went home?”
He nodded. “I saw his car in front of the house, so I didn’t even go in there. He technically still lives there and I don’t have the authority to kick him out.”
“And then you came here,” she mused.
He peeked up at her shyly. “Yeah, uh . . . I was kinda hoping that you guys would cut your holiday short after what happened, so I waited for you to come home.”
“And if we hadn’t come?”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Then I would have slept in Max’ room.” He grinned mischievously at her. “The Evanses are on vacation this week and I just happen to know how to crack the window to his room.”
She snorted. “Figures. Well, breaking into someone’s house won’t be necessary now. You’re staying here with me,” she decided.
He looked at her doubtfully. “How’s your mom gonna think about that?”
Maria shrugged. “She won’t be home before Saturday. We can think of something to tell her, then.”
He still didn’t look completely convinced. “Well, if you’re sure . . .”
“I’m sure,” she stated and kissed him on the lips. “You’re staying here.”
He hugged her and sighed deeply into her neck. “Thanks.”
After a while of mutual silence in which each of them followed their own trail of thoughts, Maria voiced a question that had been constantly on the back of her mind since she had said goodbye to Kyle and Tess earlier, remembering the usually cheerful boy’s moody expression. “Do you think Kyle is still mad at you?”
“Maybe,” he said thoughtfully after a pause. “Mostly hurt and worried, though, I think. He was just angry hat I didn’t tell him right away.” He then looked up at her suspiciously when a thought occurred to him. “Why aren’t you more pissed at me? I mean, I basically lied to you.”
“Oh, I am pissed,” she assured him and smiled. “I just hide it better.”
He groaned exaggeratedly. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?”
She pretended to think about it, tapping her chin with her forefinger. “Maybe . . .”
He made a face, but obediently said, “Forgive me for lying to you and keeping things from you. I’m sorry.” Then, he added, “I’m an idiot.”
She innocently smiled and inquired, “What was that last thing?”
“I said I’m an idiot!”
“That’s the spirit!”
*****
“Hey, Princess.”
“Hey, Alex, What’s up?” Isabel let herself sink flat onto her bed, her cell phone clutched to her ear, carelessly pushing aside a stack of shirts, relieved about the interruption.
“Oh, you know . . . nothing much.” He hesitated. “Any news about Michael yet? I was thinking we should start looking at his house, but I have to speak to Kyle and Tess about that first.”
“You can save yourself the energy,” she told him soothingly. It was clear that he was just as concerned about Michael as the rest of them. “I just got off the phone with Tess. Michael showed up at Maria’s place, so we at least know where he is right now.”
“Oh, that’s good.” He sounded at least semi-relieved, if not completely carefree again. “Anything else?”
“No, Tess didn’t know anything, either. We’ll just have to wait for Maria to call, maybe go see him tomorrow.”
“Good plan.” He laughed through the phone, probably picking up on the unspoken ‘If she hasn’t called by tomorrow, we’ll show up on her doorstep’. “What are you doing right now?” he asked, changing the topic.
“Unpacking.” She groaned, eying her still half-full bag resentfully. “Seriously, that’s the part I hate the most after every holiday! Having to come home and being forced to immediately put away your things, do the wash and all that . . . It just sucks!”
“I know, tell me about it.” He sighed in sympathy. “At least you have your brother there suffering the same fate, right?”
“Uh, actually, no. He’s over at the Parkers’. Again.” She snorted. A very unwomanly sound, but she couldn’t help it. “Seriously, though, we got home, like, fifteen minutes ago and he can’t even unpack his bag before going over to see her? That’s pitiful.”
There was a brief hesitation on the other end of the line, then he asked, “So you wouldn’t want to see me again right now, either?”
“What?” She sat up abruptly on the bed, barely catching herself before she slid to the floor from the sudden movement. “No! I didn’t say that.” She felt her cheeks go warm with embarrassment and was immediately thankful that Alex couldn’t see her right now.
He chuckled at her emphatic response. “But wouldn’t that be . . . How did you put it? Pitiful?”
“Come on, Alex, you know it’s different with us.”
He was silent for a moment before he quietly admitted, “I like the sound of that.”
“The sound of what?” she asked, puzzled.
“‘Us.’”
“Oh.” Without her intention, the corners of her mouth lifted up, making her grinning like a fool. “Me, too. So, do you want to come over? Right now?” She clapped her palm to her forehead, realizing how desperate that had just sounded. Way to go, Iz. That was real smooth.
He breathed a soft laugh, but didn’t call her on her slip. Instead, he said, “Yes, I’d love to. Maybe we could start planning my birthday party together.”
Instantly, all of her awkwardness and uncertainty was blown out the window. “What do you mean by ‘start planning’?” She asked, alarmed. “Alex, your birthday is on Friday, that’s three days!! Are you telling me you haven’t started planning, yet?!” Her voice had adapted an unpleasant, shrill pitch, but she couldn’t do anything against that now.
“Well . . .” A long, uneasy silence followed. “Maybe a little?”
“Oh, thank God,” she breathed. She whipped out her pen and organizer, ready to take down notes. Already, she felt the familiar thrill of going into planning mode and arranging the perfect birthday party under serious time restrictions. “Okay, what do you have?”
“Uh . . . Um . . .” Alex, on the other end of the phone line, seemed momentarily overchallenged, but, after a moment’s groping for inspiration, triumphantly came up with an idea. “Cooking! I want to cook for you guys!”
“Alex, I already knew that,” she informed him with slight exasperation. “What are you going to cook? Do you know about any food allergies or the things the others don’t like to eat? How many courses are you gonna cook? Cold or warm food? What kind of drinks? Are you going to bake a cake, too? What about entertainment, music, decoration?” She impatiently waited for a response, but there was only awkward silence. “Alex? Alex, I need some answers here!”
He cleared his throat. In a timid voice, he asked, “Um . . . Help me, please?”
He sounded so pathetic that she had to laugh, already looking forward to the task at hand. “Alright. Get your butt over here and bring your phone and notebook. There’s much to do and little time!”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
~TBC
Author’s note: The dog mentioned briefly in this chapter, Smilla, really did exist. It was the dog of my family and a couple of weeks ago, she died of cancer at the age of fourteen. She was the sweetest old lady and this is my way to remember her.
Don’t worry, Michael’s a smart boy. He’ll understand that he needs to be more open or he’ll loose the support of his friends.
Moomin: Michael’s side of the fight between him and Kyle will be explained in this chapter.
And I don’t think that Maria and Kyle are the time to hold a grudge.
But they will make Michael realize that he can’t go on shutting everyone out.Author's Note: As of today, I'm out of pre-written chapters, so you might have to wait a little longer for the next update, sorry.
Chapter Twenty – Nothing but the truth
Maria stomped inside, snorting like an angry rhinoceros with agitation. How dare he show up here like that? She restlessly wandered up and down the narrow space of the kitchen, her booted feet making little squeaking sounds on the linoleum with every step. First he leaves and now he’s just . . . hanging out on my doorstep, looking all wet and pitiful! It’s not fair!
The wind was blowing the raindrops heavily against the kitchen window, the loud, clattering noise of it almost drowning out the insistent knocking on the front door.
What is with this frigging weather? She thought indignantly when lightning lit up the sky for seconds before a deafening thunder crashed seemingly right over her head. Grudgingly, she stomped back to the front entrance of the house where Michael was still thumping on the closed door. There was no use in letting him suffer out there any longer, since he showed no sign of giving up and going away. And truthfully, she didn’t want him to get sick in the wet weather, either, even though she was angry with him and fully intended to give him a piece of her mind once she had him warm and dry again.
His muffled voice reached her through the wood. “Maria, come on! Let me in!”
She took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. Okay, Maria, you can do this. Calm and composed. With much more force than necessary, she ripped open the door and took in his dripping form with a stony expression.
He tried to squeeze past her to get out of the rain, but she didn’t budge, forcing him to stay on the doorstep. He watched her face carefully, then stated, “You’re mad at me.” It was not a question.
She threw her hands up in exasperation, mocking, “Whatever gave you that idea?”
He watched her with narrowed eyes, but was wise enough not to answer.
Maria crossed her arms and clenched her jaw when another thunder rolled over their heads. With a carefully emotionless voice, she asked, “Are you here to tell me what’s going on?”
He sighed. “Maria-”
“Because if not you can just go right back where you came from!” she burst out. “I’m so sick of your half-truths and avoidance tactics!” So much for doing this in a calm and composed manner.
Michael heaved another deep sigh while hunching his shoulders against another gust of wind that brought even more rain with it. “Maria . . .”
“And don’t you dare act like I’m the difficult one here, mister!” She poked him the chest with her forefinger, still not making room for him to come in. “You just packed your stuff and left me and didn’t even think it necessary to tell me what happened! So you don’t get to play the part of the misunderstood soul here!”
She was not finished by far with her tirade, but he ruthlessly interrupted her. “I’m going to tell you, alright?” he said gruffly, furiously wiping away another drop of water hanging from his nose. “Now, can I come in? It’s freezing out here.”
“No,” she replied curtly, briefly reveling in his astonished expression before continuing in a softer voice, “Wait here.” She hurried out of the hall, returning a short while later with a huge, fluffy pink bath towel which she threw at him, aiming at his head.
He caught it a second before it connected to his face and eyed the soft fabric with skepticism. “Nice color,” he forced out.
She rolled her eyes, suppressing the fact that she had picked that particular color just to annoy him, but held open the door a little wider for him. “Now you can come in. But take off those shoes, you’re dripping all over the place.”
He obediently toed off his boots and stepped inside, dropping his duffel bag on the floor beside him.
In the gloomy hallway, Maria just now noticed that he had brought his luggage with him. “Didn’t you even go home before you came here?”
“I did,” he said in a tone she couldn’t quite make sense of. “Briefly.”
She nodded. “I see.” Though she didn’t. She would’ve thought that, after his quick escape from the camping site, he would hole up at home where he could easily hide from his friends. With his mother gone to visit her sister, he would have the house to himself, with no one to bother him. Unless . . . Maria looked at him sharply. “Was Hank here again?”
He exhaled strongly through his nose and shrugged while reaching up to scratch his eyebrow. “Can I . . . would you mind if I changed my clothes before we . . . you know, talk?” He made a face at the soaked shirt clinging to his torso like a second skin.
She took in his appearance for a moment, from the dripping strands of hair hanging in his face over the wet shirt down to the soggy legs of his jeans and, of course, couldn’t deny him the request. She pointed in the direction of the bathroom and softly said, “You can hang your clothes over the shower rod in the bathroom.”
“Thanks,” he said, picked up his bag and vanished down the hallway.
Maria gazed after his receding back, then ran her fingers through her own damp hair and began taking off her jacket and boots. Like usual, she hadn’t been able to stay mad at Michael for very long. Her anger had left her just as fast as it had appeared, leaving behind only a dull feeling of emotional exhaustion. She was so ready to have this emotional rollercoaster over with, but first she had to extract the whole story of what lay behind his fallout with Kyle from Michael.
She sighed heavily and trudged over into the living room where she flopped down into the soft cushions of the couch and reached for her cell phone to notify Tess.
*****
Tess hurried inside, shoulders hunched against the pelting rain, followed closely by Kyle who was loaded with their – or mostly, her – extensive luggage. He grunted under the weight and dropped the heavy bags on the floor as soon as both of them were safely inside the Valenti house.
While they were still occupied with taking off their outer gear, Jim Valenti stepped into the hallway from the kitchen, drawn by the noise of their arrival. A kind man of over forty, with numerous wrinkles around his eyes and mouth from laughing, he usually resembled a friendly Teddy Bear. Now, in his police uniform and with the sheriff star glinting on his chest, he looked more serious, ready to enforce the law whenever necessary. At the moment, he was watching the drenched teenagers with slightly confused, yet pleasant surprise.
“Kids,” he said, stepping closer. “What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay in Frazier Woods till Friday?”
“Hey, Jim.” Tess gave him a warm hug while exchanging a quick look with Kyle over his shoulder who was trying very hard to hide his black eye from his father.
Sheriff Valenti released Tess and turned to his son, but Kyle just hurriedly shuffled past him with a quick “Hi, Dad”, and all but fled down the hallway into his room.
The sheriff watched his son’s retreating back with a frown, then turned back to Tess who was standing next to him with an uneasy scowl. Though he was not an exceptionally tall man, he still towered over her and pointed at the closed bedroom door of his son when he asked her in an earnest voice, “Care to explain this?”
She nodded slowly, but decisively. It was time that she took matters into her own hands to get help for Michael, and thus for Kyle and both of their friendship, too.
When Sheriff Valenti caught sight of her serious expression, he immediately adapted what Tess and Kyle secretly referred to as his “cop personality”. His shoulders squared and his head lifted, as if he was getting ready to withstand whatever life would throw at him; a tower of strength for the weak and a formidable opponent for everyone who dared to challenge him. He took the blonde girl by the elbow and in a remarkably soft voice said, “Let’s get you inside first, Tessie, and then we can talk, alright?”
She just nodded mutely again. When she followed him into the living room, her cell phone gave a shrill beep from the depths of her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open, hastily scanning over the text message from Maria.
Michael’s with me. Don’t worry, he’s fine for now. Call you later. Maria.
“Than God!” she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good news?” Jim looked at her curiously, having followed her reaction to the written text closely.
“Yes, good news.” Tess smiled a weak smile, but immediately grew serious again. When she had sat down next to her foster father, she turned to him, taking a deep, cleansing breath. Now or never. “Sheriff? I think I need to tell you something.”
*****
By the time Michael finally decided to come out of the bathroom again, Maria had gotten restless with the waiting and begun pacing up and down the worn, red carpet behind the couch. When she heard the bathroom door open, she stopped at the window, expectantly turning to the doorway.
Freshly clad in a new shirt and jeans and towel-dried hair, he slowly came trudging down the hallway, stopping when he reached the living room and leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed across his chest defensively. He watched her in silence.
After a minute of both of them staring at each other from across the room, either of them mute as a fish, Michael finally broke the silence, “So . . . are you gonna tell my why you’re mad, exactly?” he asked quietly.
Maria exhaled sharply through her nose. Figures. Another avoidance tactic. But not with me, buddy. “Are you gonna tell me why you beat up your best friend and then fled like the devil was chasing you?” she countered.
“I already said I’d tell you, dammit!” he exclaimed angrily, uncrossing his arms and taking one step into the room.
“Then get on with it already!” she shouted, fed up with his attitude. She, too, stepped closer so that the both of them now stood only a couple of yards apart, facing each other like two boxers in a boxing ring.
“It’s not that easy!” He repeatedly ran his hands through his damp hair with agitated movements. His eyes darted around the room in search of something to settle on, avoiding Maria’s face. Finally, after taking a deep, pained breath, he looked at her again. “Okay, listen. Kyle came inside while I was showering . . .”
He stopped again, and she waved at him to go on.
“Okay . . . well, he saw something, and we got into a fight about it.” He swallowed hard. “I . . . didn’t want to hit him, but he just wouldn’t leave me alone about it, and I . . . I just wanted him to go away. We yelled at each other and then he shoved me and then . . .” Michael looked at her intently with dark eyes, willing her to believe him. “It just happened, okay? I didn’t want to hit him, but I did. Twice. I . . . tried to apologize, but he left and . . . well you know the rest.”
She slowly shook her head. The story didn’t make any sense to her. “I don’t understand, Michael. This doesn’t sound like Kyle, at all. What would make him attack you like this?”
He frowned, looking at his feet. “It wasn’t his fault,” he insisted.
Maria came to stand close before him, reaching out to tilt his chin up. “Michael, look at me,” she said in a low voice. “Why did you two fight?”
He bit his lip uncertainly. Then he clenched his jaw and burst out, “Because he saw this!” He took a step back and turned around, ripping his shirt off over his head in the process.
She gasped and clapped her hands to her heart in shock when she saw the large, colorful bruise on his back, its elongated shape almost as large as her underarm, but thicker on the upper end, ranging from just below his neck across his left shoulder blade almost to his armpit. It wasn’t a fresh injury, she realized when she reached out to run her fingertips across the discolored flesh. It must be at least a few days old. The blood under the skin had had time to spread out already, causing the bruise to be only a light purple in the middle, outlined by a darker area of blue and framed by several inches of green and yellow.
“Oh, God.” she whispered, shocked at the inconceivable brutality that was needed to cause a mark like that in front of her eyes. “What did this?”
“Baseball bat,” he answered flatly. He stood ramrod-straight, barely breathing as her fingers followed the outline of the bruise on his back.
“Hank?”
He nodded.
She sighed and laid her cheek against his shoulder blade, covering the worst of the injury with her hands and face. “Does it still hurt?” she asked against his skin.
“Not anymore,” he answered honestly. “It was pretty bad at first but now I barely feel it.” Yet, he shifted uncomfortably, as if he was wearing a too-tight shirt, reminding her how much it took for him to be so open about his weakness.
She pressed a soft kiss to the discolored skin while her arms came around his naked torso, hugging him. His hand came up to squeeze her clasped hands on his stomach. He sighed and relaxed a little against her.
Maybe he’s relieved, too, that the story is out now, she thought. When her gaze happened to land on the cuckoo clock her mother adored so much, she started at the time. Way past midday already. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “I could make us something to eat.”
He turned around in her arms and shook his head. At the same time, there was a loud, furious growl coming from is stomach. “Maybe a little,” he admitted, smiling wryly.
She made an effort to smile back and took his hands, pulling him in the direction of the kitchen. “Come on.”
*****
“Is that you?”
“What?” Maria looked up from where she was stirring the macaroni and cheese. It was one of the few edible things she had found in the kitchen cupboards since the Deluca woman both had planned to be away the whole week and had therefore disposed of any perishables before their departure. While she was cooking, Michael had wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, not talking much, but his whole posture conveyed a sense of calm that hadn’t been there before. He had put his t-shirt back on, covering the ugly bruise, and was now standing in front of the fridge, taking in the many pictures pinned to its front with magnets.
Maria’s gaze followed his pointing finger to a picture on the top, showing two blonde children, a boy and a girl, playing with two dogs, a Dalmatian and a large, black crossbreed of sorts with a fuzzy beard and fur like a wire brush. She smiled. “Yeah, that’s me and Sean, and our dogs.”
“Which one’s yours?” Michael asked curiously.
“The Dalmatian.” Maria pulled the pot from the stove and came to stand beside Michael, looking at the old photograph. She sighed wistfully. “God, I loved that dog.”
“What happened to it?”
“It got run over by a car in front of our house about eleven years ago. I was five or six or so when it happened.”
Michael put his arm around her shoulder in a consoling gesture and pulled her closer to his side. “I’m sorry.”
Maria’s gaze was still fixed on the picture. She went on talking in low tones, “Sean’s dog, Smilla, died of cancer soon after. They were almost the same age.”
“‘Smilla’?” he echoed, rolling the strange name on his tongue like a piece of butterscotch.
Maria smiled at his antics and nodded when she continued, “Uncle Dave used to read to us every time I was visiting. And he didn’t really care for children’s books, so he would read to us whatever he was reading at the time. And one day, he came to us with this huge novel, called ‘Smilla’s Sense of Snow’.” She chuckled at the memory. “It’s a thriller, and, let’s just say, not at all appropriate bedtime story material for children. We were both having nightmares for weeks, and auntie Bridget was terribly angry at uncle Dave for reading something like that to us. A couple of weeks later, my Mom and Sean’s parents gave the dogs to us, and he decided that ‘Smilla’ would be the perfect name for his.”
“What did you name yours?”
“Pongo.”
Michael just lifted an eyebrow at her, one corner of his mouth pulling up. “‘101 Dalmatians’?”
She felt herself blush and slapped his stomach with the back of her hand, defensively growling, “Yeah, so it wasn’t overly original, shut up.”
****
They ate in silence, sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, the only sound the occasional clattering of the silverware. The rain had lessened to a fine drizzle and the clouds, nearly black before, had changed to a light grey now that they had successfully unloaded their burden over Roswell.
After all of the macaroni had been polished off and both of them had shared the last, lonely chocolate pudding Maria had dug out of the depths of the refrigerator, she cleared away the dishes and sat down across from him again.
She openly looked at him and simply said, “Now talk.”
“Okay . . .” He hesitated briefly. “You know when I told you about the fight between my mom and Hank?” He waited for her nod before he continued, “Well, I didn’t tell you the whole story. After I brought my mom to the train station, I went back home to straighten up the mess they had made . . .”
*****
He stood in the open doorway of his house motionlessly, taking in the trashed living room in front of his eyes. In the heat of their fight, Hank and his mother had thoroughly destroyed most of their already ramshackle furniture, leaving behind a sea of broken glass and overturned chairs and tables, through which Michael now waded with careful steps, the orange glow falling through the open door at his back casting the only light on the wasteland around his feet.
After Michael had more or less stuffed his mother into her train compartment against her will – at the last minute she had decided that she wanted to go and talk to Hank again and try to fix things between them, at which suggestion Michael had made short work of pushing her into the train and calling Esther to ensure that his mother would stay with her for at least several days – he had driven back home, a feeling of dread rising in the pit of his stomach the closer he got to the house he had lived in for all of his life. Now he stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the chaos, knowing that he had to start straightening it up, but feeling completely overwhelmed for the moment and very, very alone. He didn’t have the slightest idea where to begin.
When he shifted, his left foot bumped against a heavy object, and he bent down to pick it up. It was one half of a formerly square glass ashtray, broken cleanly in two down the middle. Michael could still make out the image that had been painted on the bottom a long time ago, though the colors had faded in time to a pale imitation of the bright yellow sun and white clouds they had once depicted. He turned the piece of glass in his hand so that the evening sun fell on it from the doorway, lighting up the faded picture with orange and gold, blinding him.
He clearly remembered the day he had brought the painted ashtray home from elementary school as a present for his mother. Softly, he snorted when he recalled the reaction of Mrs. Sullivan, his handicrafts teacher, when all of the kids were supposed to bring a glass or porcelain object to school with them to paint it as a present for Mother’s Day, and he had appeared with the ash tray, innocently assuming this to be the perfect gift for his mom, since she was always smoking when she was home. Somehow, Mrs. Sullivan was convinced that a vase or a coffee mug would have been more appropriate, but Michael unwaveringly insisted on his gift of choice and cheerfully painted it with a large, smiling, yellow sun, framed with fluffy clouds.
And, indeed, his mom had at least been semi-delighted about the gift, probably due to the circumstance that she had broken her old ashtray a week before, and had placed the present on the coffee table. He had boasted with pride every time she made use of it. So for the past ten years, the yellow sun had smiled from the bottom of the ashtray and collected the ends of numerous cigarettes, always reminding Michael of the one good present he had been able to give her.
And now it was broken.
Michael sighed, reluctantly returning from his brief trip down memory lane to the distinctly more gruesome situation at hand. He walked over to the kitchen and dropped the half ashtray in the garbage can. He took the old, tattered broom from the corner and slowly began sweeping up the glass shards and other trash from the living room floor. After that, he righted up the furniture, shoved the dresser and the coffee table back to their designated places and tried to see if anything could be done for the TV. But it was beyond saving. Where Hank had hit the screen with the baseball bat, the glass had burst into a million pieces, leaving only a gaping hole where once there had been a TV. Michael wistfully regarded the old children’s bat in his hand. He had always liked to play with it. And even though he had never been very good at baseball, the wooden bat held a lot of fond memories for him. He carefully put it down on the dresser to clear it away later.
Michael straightened up, taking in the newly tidied up room. Some things, like the TV, were beyond repairing, but he thought he could probably fix the lowest drawer in the dresser with a few screws, and then it would be good as new.
He was almost done now, he thought and wiped his grimy hands on the side of his pants, sniffing against the dust that had collected in his nostrils. He wasn’t really attached to any of the ancient furnishing, but it was his home, and at the thought of someone – anyone – destroying it out of a bad mood, a deep, simmering anger gripped him.
When he grasped the back of the overturned armchair and stood it on his feet with slightly more force than was strictly necessary, the seat pad, usually solidly fixed in its place, fell out and tumbled to the floor at his feet, together with several small, square plastic packages that had been hidden beneath it.
Michael stared at the little parcels for several seconds, one thought repeating over and over in his head: Shit, shit, shit! He slowly reached down for one of the objects, hoping against hope that it wasn’t what it appeared to be. The package was made of transparent plastic foil, securely taped together at the edges to prevent the white powder that was inside to escape. Michael eyed the strange substance with horror and revulsion. He didn’t have any experience with drugs, but even with his limited knowledge he could see that this was way more than one or two persons could consume, and he dreaded the inevitable realization that he had just found a stock of drugs that was meant for selling. His heart began to beat faster and he bit the inside of his lip. So that was what the fight was about, he thought bitterly. But if Mom is into dealing drugs now-
A sound at his back made him start up. He turned around quickly to find Hank blocking the doorway, darkening the room to a gloomy half-dark. “What are you doing here?” he snapped at the man. He had a queasy feeling in his stomach from having been surprised by the beefy man, but he would be damned if he’d show it.
“I’m here to get what’s mine,” Hank snarled, his narrow eyes fixed on the package in Michael’s hand. The earlier disorientation in the man’s behavior was gone now after whatever trip he’d been on had worn of. “I see you’ve already found it. Now drop it, boy!”
“No!” Michael’s hand closed tighter around the plastic parcel, glowering at the other man with as much menace as he could muster. He wouldn’t give up the fight that easily. Hank was older than him and maybe a little heavier, but he was sure that he could take him in a fair fight, easily. I’m gonna show you the door, old man, he thought, widening his stance in preparation.
“No?” Hank repeated, laughing evilly. Apparently, he was not worried about the situation, at all. His shifty gaze left Michael for a moment, taking in the neat living room. “Nice cleaning job you did, boy,” he said, and for a second there he actually sounded like a normal person. Then his eyes landed on the children’s baseball bat on the dresser at his right, just within reach of his hand, and a slow, cruel smile transformed his face into a grimace. “Maybe this will convince you to be a little more cooperative.”
Michael watched in horror as his hand closed around the wooden handle, the broad fingers ridiculously large on the bat. Hank raised the weapon threateningly, slowly stepping closer to Michael until he was in reach of his opponent. “Come on, Mickey,” he coaxed like one would speak to a shy horse. “Hand it over.”
“Fuck you!” Michael spat, trying to permanently keep in sight the baseball bat looming over his head. He still thought that he could take the other guy, if only-
With a swiftness Michael had not anticipated, Hank’s foot shot out and kicked him in the crotch, making Michael double over and groan in pain. He slowly sank to his knees, clutching his hands to the unbearable pain originating between his legs. He looked up when he heard a whistling sound, like an object moving through air at a tremendous speed, just to see the baseball bat swinging directly at his head.
My god, he’s aiming for my face! In the last possible second, he turned away and was struck between the shoulder blades, the force of it knocking him to the floor, pushing all of the air out of his lungs.
He lay there, panting for air, not able to move, and felt the little package of white powder being taken from his slackened grip before Hank stepped over him and headed for the door. In the doorway, he stopped and turned back again, taking in the motionless form on the floor with a cold expression. “If I were you,” he threatened, “I’d keep my mouth shut. If you tell the cops about this, you’re mom’s gonna go to jail with me.” With that, he disappeared, and Michael listened to the sound of his car vanishing in the distance.
*****
“I couldn’t move my arm right for a while.” Michael dispassionately looked down at his left shoulder, flexing his arm as if testing its mobility. “That’s why I didn’t come to Frazier Woods right away.”
While he had talked, Maria had sat quietly across from him, not interrupting. Now, though, she couldn’t contain her feelings any longer. “That asshole!” she burst out.
He stared at her with a stunned expression. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you swear before.” He smiled a little. “I like it.”
“This isn’t funny!” She violently pushed back her chair and went around the table to sit down on Michael’s lap, taking his face between her hands. “He could have killed you!”
“But he didn’t,” he replied earnestly.
“What are we gonna do now?” she asked, lovingly stroking his face. Now that the reality of the situation had sunk in, she couldn’t stop reassuring herself that he was fine. At least for now.
He shrugged. “I honestly have no idea.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to file for assault, of course, but first we’re going to speak to sheriff Valenti and you-”
“Maria, stop!” he interrupted firmly. When he saw her crestfallen expression, he continued in a softer voice, “I really have to talk to my mother first. Before that I can’t do anything. I have to know how much she is involved in this drug thing of Hank’s and if she really could go to jail if I report this.”
“And if she’s really that deep into this thing?” she asked. “What are you going to do then?”
He just shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”
“Well, you can’t just do nothing, Michael. Hank is dangerous.”
“I know,” he groaned exasperatedly.
She had pity on him and let the subject drop for now, but then another thought occurred to her. “Was Hank at your house earlier when you went home?”
He nodded. “I saw his car in front of the house, so I didn’t even go in there. He technically still lives there and I don’t have the authority to kick him out.”
“And then you came here,” she mused.
He peeked up at her shyly. “Yeah, uh . . . I was kinda hoping that you guys would cut your holiday short after what happened, so I waited for you to come home.”
“And if we hadn’t come?”
He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Then I would have slept in Max’ room.” He grinned mischievously at her. “The Evanses are on vacation this week and I just happen to know how to crack the window to his room.”
She snorted. “Figures. Well, breaking into someone’s house won’t be necessary now. You’re staying here with me,” she decided.
He looked at her doubtfully. “How’s your mom gonna think about that?”
Maria shrugged. “She won’t be home before Saturday. We can think of something to tell her, then.”
He still didn’t look completely convinced. “Well, if you’re sure . . .”
“I’m sure,” she stated and kissed him on the lips. “You’re staying here.”
He hugged her and sighed deeply into her neck. “Thanks.”
After a while of mutual silence in which each of them followed their own trail of thoughts, Maria voiced a question that had been constantly on the back of her mind since she had said goodbye to Kyle and Tess earlier, remembering the usually cheerful boy’s moody expression. “Do you think Kyle is still mad at you?”
“Maybe,” he said thoughtfully after a pause. “Mostly hurt and worried, though, I think. He was just angry hat I didn’t tell him right away.” He then looked up at her suspiciously when a thought occurred to him. “Why aren’t you more pissed at me? I mean, I basically lied to you.”
“Oh, I am pissed,” she assured him and smiled. “I just hide it better.”
He groaned exaggeratedly. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?”
She pretended to think about it, tapping her chin with her forefinger. “Maybe . . .”
He made a face, but obediently said, “Forgive me for lying to you and keeping things from you. I’m sorry.” Then, he added, “I’m an idiot.”
She innocently smiled and inquired, “What was that last thing?”
“I said I’m an idiot!”
“That’s the spirit!”
*****
“Hey, Princess.”
“Hey, Alex, What’s up?” Isabel let herself sink flat onto her bed, her cell phone clutched to her ear, carelessly pushing aside a stack of shirts, relieved about the interruption.
“Oh, you know . . . nothing much.” He hesitated. “Any news about Michael yet? I was thinking we should start looking at his house, but I have to speak to Kyle and Tess about that first.”
“You can save yourself the energy,” she told him soothingly. It was clear that he was just as concerned about Michael as the rest of them. “I just got off the phone with Tess. Michael showed up at Maria’s place, so we at least know where he is right now.”
“Oh, that’s good.” He sounded at least semi-relieved, if not completely carefree again. “Anything else?”
“No, Tess didn’t know anything, either. We’ll just have to wait for Maria to call, maybe go see him tomorrow.”
“Good plan.” He laughed through the phone, probably picking up on the unspoken ‘If she hasn’t called by tomorrow, we’ll show up on her doorstep’. “What are you doing right now?” he asked, changing the topic.
“Unpacking.” She groaned, eying her still half-full bag resentfully. “Seriously, that’s the part I hate the most after every holiday! Having to come home and being forced to immediately put away your things, do the wash and all that . . . It just sucks!”
“I know, tell me about it.” He sighed in sympathy. “At least you have your brother there suffering the same fate, right?”
“Uh, actually, no. He’s over at the Parkers’. Again.” She snorted. A very unwomanly sound, but she couldn’t help it. “Seriously, though, we got home, like, fifteen minutes ago and he can’t even unpack his bag before going over to see her? That’s pitiful.”
There was a brief hesitation on the other end of the line, then he asked, “So you wouldn’t want to see me again right now, either?”
“What?” She sat up abruptly on the bed, barely catching herself before she slid to the floor from the sudden movement. “No! I didn’t say that.” She felt her cheeks go warm with embarrassment and was immediately thankful that Alex couldn’t see her right now.
He chuckled at her emphatic response. “But wouldn’t that be . . . How did you put it? Pitiful?”
“Come on, Alex, you know it’s different with us.”
He was silent for a moment before he quietly admitted, “I like the sound of that.”
“The sound of what?” she asked, puzzled.
“‘Us.’”
“Oh.” Without her intention, the corners of her mouth lifted up, making her grinning like a fool. “Me, too. So, do you want to come over? Right now?” She clapped her palm to her forehead, realizing how desperate that had just sounded. Way to go, Iz. That was real smooth.
He breathed a soft laugh, but didn’t call her on her slip. Instead, he said, “Yes, I’d love to. Maybe we could start planning my birthday party together.”
Instantly, all of her awkwardness and uncertainty was blown out the window. “What do you mean by ‘start planning’?” She asked, alarmed. “Alex, your birthday is on Friday, that’s three days!! Are you telling me you haven’t started planning, yet?!” Her voice had adapted an unpleasant, shrill pitch, but she couldn’t do anything against that now.
“Well . . .” A long, uneasy silence followed. “Maybe a little?”
“Oh, thank God,” she breathed. She whipped out her pen and organizer, ready to take down notes. Already, she felt the familiar thrill of going into planning mode and arranging the perfect birthday party under serious time restrictions. “Okay, what do you have?”
“Uh . . . Um . . .” Alex, on the other end of the phone line, seemed momentarily overchallenged, but, after a moment’s groping for inspiration, triumphantly came up with an idea. “Cooking! I want to cook for you guys!”
“Alex, I already knew that,” she informed him with slight exasperation. “What are you going to cook? Do you know about any food allergies or the things the others don’t like to eat? How many courses are you gonna cook? Cold or warm food? What kind of drinks? Are you going to bake a cake, too? What about entertainment, music, decoration?” She impatiently waited for a response, but there was only awkward silence. “Alex? Alex, I need some answers here!”
He cleared his throat. In a timid voice, he asked, “Um . . . Help me, please?”
He sounded so pathetic that she had to laugh, already looking forward to the task at hand. “Alright. Get your butt over here and bring your phone and notebook. There’s much to do and little time!”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
~TBC
Author’s note: The dog mentioned briefly in this chapter, Smilla, really did exist. It was the dog of my family and a couple of weeks ago, she died of cancer at the age of fourteen. She was the sweetest old lady and this is my way to remember her.
~bluejanuar