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

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

“Can you-?”

I don’t know what Max is about to ask, but right at this moment in time it’s not important… Nothing matters except for the fact that I’m with Max…it feels so right, how could it be anything to worry about…?

I feel Max’s arms tighten around me, his hands trailing down my back. It’s so perfect, just being there with him…knowing that I’m not lying anymore and that he still wants me. How could anything be better than this…? It’s nothing like I imagined…it’s soooo much better.

“I love you…” I whisper in his ear as I pull back slightly and I look up into his eyes. Without even intending to, the connection between us is opening, my heart slows slightly, slipping into sync with him and it’s almost as though we’re one person rather than two… Before I realise what’s happening, the flashes start. First simple and sweet…images of me in the corridor at school…by my locker…working in the lab… I never realised he’d noticed me before that day… It changed my life, and I can't say that I’m complaining… Then suddenly, the flashes change and I’m seeing the same as I did last night. Flying through space, looking through a viewscreen and seeing the earth coming crashing towards me. All these I have seem before although they are more now…clearer and more precise…almost as though the secret and trouble between us last night had created a barrier, through which part of the vision couldn’t pass…

Now the way is clear though, and it’s coming through, deep and intense. With the flashes come emotions too, those of great anxiety, and overwhelming fear. The ground comes rushing up then the image changes again. Someone climbing out and running away…they’re scrambling through the undergrowth and there’s a sense of urgency in their movements. A rock formation, and then a sign…all these details I try to focus on and hold onto…they’re important, somehow I know…I have to remember, I have to be able to give this to Max…

[liz_maria]

Isabel

"I think that it's high time we got some answers because it's obvious to me that Maxwell is hiding something and if it could be anything that may effect us, we have the right to know." Michael said.

He looked rather determined to do something about it, but then he suddenly thought of something.

"Is it me, or did it seem as though Max and Liz were in a rush to get away from us and maybe a bit nerved up?"

There's probably a logical explanation for that. "Maybe they were just called in by an angry teacher who wanted to talk them about their obvious public displays of affection?" I suggest. "Or maybe it was something else." I add.

[isabelle]

*Max*

“Wow,” I whisper as I pull out of the kiss. I feel that I’m nearly glowing myself from all the love I feel coursing through my body. I feel like we’re even more together than we were. Maybe it’s because she’s finally shared the truth about what she is, but I feel our connection stronger than ever. Nothing Serena or Isabel or Michael can say will convince me of anything else, now.

I’m seeing things that I never saw before. Not just simple memories, but important ones. Things involving magic and more. Her heart. That image from in the shower room wasn’t a memory, I know. I think it was a fantasy, a day-dream. I’d almost think it was my own imagination, but I felt her feelings. That she could look at me and feel that way…

The next one was more of a nightmare. She was hurt, stabbed in the stomach. I saw myself in the Crashdown, but she wasn’t thinking of me. Wasn’t expecting me to help her, but I did. I came to her and I put my hand on her … But it wasn’t a dream. It felt real, like a memory, like the day she was shot…

“Liz,” I say softly, brushing my thumb across her smooth cheeks, pushing my fingers into her gorgeous soft hair. I pause for a moment, not sure what to say. Sure, we’ve cleared up a lot of secrets and it’s all amazing and good, but I’m still a little uncertain about how to transition from a deep soul-touching kiss to questions about things I see in her mind. I know I’m not going to ask about the shower-room. That’s for sure. Not here in the middle of a classroom. But the stabbing in the Crashdown…

“There’s more, isn’t there?” And there’s still things I haven’t told her – the trip to her room over lunch. Maybe it would be easier once I’ve cleared that up first, I think with a slight frown. But I’d also felt her stiffen slightly in my arms. She saw something, too. “The flashes… You said you’ve gotten them before. So this, when we touch, it’s not just because of me, is it? What did you see?”

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

“Wow…”

Max’s voice is nothing more than a whisper as he finally pulls back. The connection we fell into was stronger than it has ever been before and I guess that has something to do with the fact I’m not holding back anymore…

I don’t think that it was ever conscious that I was doing that before…but I know that something must have been stopping him from seeing things before. It was only when I started questioning the fact that I hadn’t told him, that the flashes he received began to include such things…

I can feel his love for me flowing through the connection that still isn’t fully closed and it’s almost overwhelming…. Then again, I suppose that I could say the same about my own love for him… It’s not really something I can describe fully… I think that Ainsling may understand to some extent, and I just hope that Serena will come to as well…

I don’t want to lose my sister over this… As I have reinforced to myself over and over, I don’t feel guilty about having told Max, but I do worry about how it will effect my relationship with the second most important person in my life…

I say second… Before I met Max it would have been first, no doubt about it… I love my father, but he doesn’t understand what we go through, and the way that he moved on from mom so quickly…I don’t know that I will ever fully understand that… Nancy’s a lovely woman, but she’s not my mother… Up until that day at the Crashdown, Serena would always come first…as long as she was safe and happy, that was what was important for me. I know that sounds silly…I’m the younger twin, isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? – well yeah, but that’s the way it’s always been…I can’t explain it, I just know it’s true…

As much as I don’t want to hurt her though…I wont give up Max for anyone… Serena, Isabel, Michael… They all have objections, but that’s not going to change anything… I love Max, and he loves me… I’m not going to give that up for anyone…

“Liz…” His fingers slide through my hair and I look up at him.

Just looking into Max’s eyes tells me that he’s seen something, but before I have chance to ask, he speaks again. “There’s more, isn’t there…?”

He frowns a moment and I wonder what’s wrong. “Max…what do you mean…?” I ask softly.

“The flashes…you said you’ve gotten them before. So this, when we touch, it’s not just because of me, is it?”

I shake my head. “Honestly Max, I don’t know why for the glowing skin…and I don’t know why for some of the flashes either… I usually get visions of the future or past, but for a reason, not just general impressions as I have from you sometimes…”

“What did you see…?”

I take a breath, knowing that he somehow knows that I’ve seen something more and I nod to confirm this, before trying to explain. “I saw the ship…from the inside again…I saw the crash, and after…I saw someone running away…” Closing my eyes, I try to summon up the image of the rock formation and sign again. “There was a sign... Pullman Farms maybe…” I shake my head. No, that’s not right… “Wait no…Pullman Ranch…” I open my eyes and look at him, smiling triumphantly. I don’t know whether it’s going to help, but at least I remembered…

[isabelle]

*Max*

Liz describes her vision and I catch my breath. The crash. She's become an eye-witness to the crash of 1947. Now it starts to make sense. I couldn't understand where that was coming from last night, since they weren't in my memories, but now I realize it's probably all from her - powers. The kind of flashes we get from objects, rather than through a connection...

The other thing I realize is that I have to tell Michael and Isabel. Not about the witch stuff - they'd never believe that anyway - but about what Liz is seeing. I told Isabel a little last night, but now we're getting some real details. Stuff that might actually help us figure this out.

"Yes - Pullman Ranch," I confirm to her. We were near there. Michael saw the sign." I bite my lip, thinking hard. It's so strange the way our memories work. How we can remember writing on a sign before we knew how to read, and then go back in our memories and know what it said. The way Isabel and I can remember exactly what our parents said as they picked us up, even 'though we didn't know any English then.

"We've never been able to find the cave. We don't really know how close it is to the real crash, either," I tell her. I hardly need to explain that to her. She knows as well I do how many people in town are making a buck off the crash. There are at least three different locations being touted as the "actual crash site" by alien tour groups. I've always been convinced that they're all wrong. That the government would have covered up the actual site a long time ago. But if Liz's vision is true, maybe it really was near the cave. Maybe we can find them both.

"I'll have to tell them about this. It's the best clue we've had since Isabel found that necklace," I tell her.

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

I can see what I’ve said has effected Max… I guess it’s only natural… I’m saying that I’ve seen things that happened more than thirty years before either of us were born, and not only that, I’m seeing them through the eyes of someone on board… For all we know that could be one of their parents, or an uncle…it could be anyone, but one thing I know for certain is that it’s not a human…

“Yes – Pullman Ranch.” He seems certain that I’m right and what he says a moment later explains that to me. “We were near there…Michael saw the sign…”

I can see the intense look of concentration on his face and I guess he’s probably trying to remember what he can from his own memories. “We’ve never been able to find the cave. We don’t really know how close it is to the real crash, either…”

I nod, understanding what he means by this. I’d guess there have been at least half a dozen sites that have been claimed as the ‘real’ crash site over the years. I know of three that are being used now, and my dad’s mentioned a couple of others. The real one though – well my guess is that’s been covered up for a long time…

Of course a couple of months ago I thought the same as most other people who work in the businesses in Roswell… Most people think that we’re a bunch of UFO nuts, but in truth, as far as most of us go, they couldn’t be further from the truth… I mean Milton at the UFO centre sure, but he’s on of a minority I think. Most business owners taunt the Crash as a way to make a bit of money…most of them don’t even believe that anything happened, but since there’s a market, they’re not going to pass up the opportunity to make a quick buck…

Anyway, I guess that theory of mine was blown out of the water when Max saved me that day…just like I killed any thought in his head that witches are from fairytails… But I’m getting off the subject…since I found out that something did crash, I’ve thought a lot about the real crash site, and I think that the government will have been careful to clear up any sign of it…wouldn’t want some unsuspecting tourist coming upon some alien artefact now would they…?

I remember the flashes I saw of the cave last night…my conviction that it’s not some normal formation growing stronger by the minute…maybe I can help Max find it with these visions…maybe that’s why I’m getting them, to give him some answers…

“I’ll have to tell them about this. It’s the best clue we’ve had since Isabel found that necklace…”

I nod, knowing that Max is right, but at the same time worrying a little over how exactly we do that without telling them the truth about me… Maybe it sounds selfish, given the fact that when Max revealed himself, he revealed them too, but I’m not ready to break the rules again… For Max, yes…I needed him to know…I couldn’t let my secret come between us, but I need him to keep my secret as I keep his… Today is not the day to come out to the others… Today is not the day to give them all yet another secret to hide… Perhaps one day, yes I will be ready... Perhaps Serena and I will tell Alex and Maria, and I will follow that with Michael and Isabel, but that day has not yet come, and if we’re going to tell them about my visions, we need to find some other way to explain them…

I’m about to ask Max if he’s ready to go… I don’t think that Ainsling will be coming back with Serena anytime soon, and as he says, if I’m really seeing what we think I am, something needs to be done. As I open my mouth though, something stops me and I look up at him. “You saw something more as well didn’t you…?” I ask softly. The look in his eyes when we had pulled away had been unmistakable, and I need to know what he saw…

[M]

Sorry for the delay- I just got back and I'm updating on everything

~*AINSLING*~

"Or what? "What can you really do Ainsling? You are not our mother....and I'm tired of being the only one who gives 100% to our cause.....Liz is now 100% involved with Max, and you can be a good little teacher......what are you going to do to me? Ground me from doing what you've crammed into my head since I was little?"

The vitriol of Serena’s response shocks me and I take a quick step back, taking a deep breath to recover before responding. I understand that she is upset and I want to honour those feelings, but I also need her to understand things from another perspective.

‘Serena, I understand that you are upset, and probably very worried, but speaking to me and your sister in the way you are doing is inexcusable, even on those grounds. I have never claimed to be your mother, and I have never asked that you give up your identity to your destiny. I also don’t plan to do anything to you. You are becoming an adult and you will bear the consequences for your own actions- that is reward and punishment enough. I have not reprimanded Liz because that is precisely what she has chosen and is doing. She made a decision she thought was right for her, the consequences of that action have yet to be realised, but when they are she will understand if the decision she made was the right one, for her and everyone else involved. Please come back and talk. We cannot change what Liz has done, but there are actions that we must take and I think we should make the decisions together. I think you are important here- just as important, if not more so than Liz- your thoughts, feeling and input are invaluable and I would hate to lose your perspective through anger and an inability to resolve the situation. Please Serena, come back and talk, don’t run away from us. I’m not your mother, and I would never try to take her place, but I do love you, and I want to help, that’s all I’ve ever wanted- to help.

I hold out a hand to her and hope she will take it.

[isabelle]

*Max*

“You saw something more as well didn’t you…?” Liz asks. I nod, slowly. I'd almost forgotten about that strange vision as I was talking to Liz about hers. Afterall, the crash has been just about the most important thing in the world to us for as long as we've been walking the Earth, right after our need to stay secret and safe. Lately, 'tho, Liz has come first for me, even before my own safety....

"Yes, I saw something that definately wasn't a memory," I say slowly, thinking of that fantasy. "And I saw something-else that felt like a memory but it was wrong... I know it didn't happen, at least, not like that..." I pause, biting my lip.

"What was it?" Liz asks, gently urging me to continue.

I shake my head slowly, trying to deny what I saw, but it's not working. I stop and look Liz in the eye. 'You were at the Crashdown, in your uniform serving people. That guy was there. The one who shot you. But in this flash, he didn't have a gun. He stabbed you with a knife. I jumped up to help you and Michael was trying to stop me and you didn't understand what I was going to do - all just like that day. But it was a knife..."

I stop myself again, because I know I'm not making any sense. I look away for a moment, but then have to find Liz's face again, to see what she thinks of this bizzarre image.

[Liz_Parker]

~*Serena*~


I sigh frustrated and nod at Ainsling but don't take her hand. I really don't want people thinking I'm some kind of baby or something.


"Fine, we'll go talk to them, but I'm not promising you anything,ok?".

[KatnotKath]

OOC: there are definitely parts of this that I think could be better if I waited, but I wanted to get it out. Feel free to say if you want me to change anything, hope it'll be ok.

~Liz~

Max nods slowly. “Yes, I saw something that definitely wasn’t a memory,”

I look at him confused and am about to ask for more information when I realise that he hasn’t finished. “And I saw something else that felt like a memory, but it was wrong… I know it didn’t happen, at least not like that…” He pauses, biting his lip, but the look on his face is enough to tell me that the first thing he mentioned will wait until another time. It’s the second that’s bothering him, and it’s that which I need to understand…

I touch his arm, causing him to look at me and nod. “Go on…what was it…?” I ask gently. I don’t want to push him, but I need to know what he’s seeing… There are still things which are going to need explaining to him, and if I don’t know he’s seen them, I can’t explain them. I’m not intending to just wait until I have to, but some things it seems are coming out faster than I can bring them up in conversation…

I don’t want to overwhelm him too much… Max has already learnt a huge amount this afternoon and I know that it might take him a little while to get to grips with it all… I want to give him that time…I don’t want to hide things from him, but at the same time, I don’t want to press more information into him if he’s not ready…

Again Max shakes his head. What he saw I really don’t know, although there are plenty of things I’ve been trhough that might bring that sort of expression… What puzzles me though are his words – he knows it didn’t happen like that…” He sounds so certain as well…

I’m just about coming round to the conclusion that there’s only one possibility when Max finally looks at me again and I know he’s going to tell me. I wait to see if I’m right in silence – there’s only one thing I can think of…

“You were at the Crashdown, in your uniform serving people. That guy was there. The one who shot you. But in this flash, he didn’t have a gun. He stabbed you with a knife. I jumped up to help you and Michael was trying to stop me and you didn’t understand what I was going to do – all just like that day. But it was a knife…”

His confused tone causes me to bite my lip as I wait for him to look back. It takes only a moment, and immediately, as I knew he would, he’s looking into my eyes again, searching for answers…

I take a breath, trying to work out how I tell him this… Apart from the thing with my mother, I think this is probably the thing I was the most nervous about…the most uncertain… I knew it would come out sooner or later – it’s there in my memories and Max is seeing them – it’s full of intense emotion and that’s exactly the sort of thing he does see. I guess I didn’t expect it to be quite so soon though…

Slowly, I nod at him. “W-what you saw…it did happen Max… The guy who attacked me was a warlock, and he wanted my powers – mine and Serena’s…” I break off a moment, letting these first basic parts sink in first. I’ve told Max all about my powers, but what I haven’t said anything about is the fact that by real witch standards…we’re strong – and I mean really strong… I think Ainsling said it had something to do with us being twins… I shake my head mentally knowing that there’s plenty of time for that later – for now I need to explain this to max. “He attacked, but by doing so in a public place, and me trying to fight him – you might or might not remember that…” I trail off and shake my head. “Anyway…because we did all that in front of people, people who come to a UFO themed restaurant no less – ie conspiracy buffs - and unfortunately Serena wasn’t there to help, we – the warlock and I, between us, during our fight, managed to reveal the existence of magic to a few people who would actually believe in it… ‘They’ realised what had happened and after discussing with the other side, they changed things… A knife becomes a gun, and hey presto, just an everyday occurance.” I laugh weakly and wink at him. “Of course lucky for me, you saving me still stood…” I tell him softly as I wait to see how he’ll react.