The Forgotten (Adult,CC)*Zan Open*

[KatnotKath]

~Liz~

Zan and Ava are talking in the background I think, but it's Max I'm focused on although I shy away from his gaze.

"You didn't," He tells me and his tone speaks of a multitude of emotions... "You didn't have to."

I swallow and bit my lip, shaking my head. "You don't understand Max...I was told..." I break off, an image of FutureMax plaguing my thoughts... I suggested going to Max, explaining, but he rejected it saying it wouldn't work... Making Max fall out of love with me was the only way, and what I did was only way I could think of doing that...

Except even that didn't work either did it...? From the emotions I felt from him just now, and the pain I see in his eyes, I know the answer to the question is no... He accepted that I didn't love him - another lie - but he never stopped loving me it seems...

"I'm sorry..."

"Alright, you two outside now. Talk, fix the mirror, or whatever!"

I look round, surprised as Kyle's voice breaks into our conversation. Amazingly he doesn't seem to be that phased by all this, and after telling us to go, he turns back to Zan and Ava, concentrating on Serena now...

Max isn't quite so willing to accept that though, saying that he's part of it, before explaining briefly who people are to Alex who's stood there looking rather bemused.

I look over at Max as he gets up, attempting to do the same myself. Max thinks that he knows what happened, but he's wrong... "Kyle doesn't know...he just did what I asked..." I admit softly, knowing that it was unfair to drag him into this in the first place, and putting him between Max and I right now just isn't on... He did something for me without asking why, I didn't explain, just told him what I needed... He was a perfect gentleman, and a wonderful friend that night...

I also know that I owe Max the truth though...the truth about what I did, and why... He's seen that I lied, there's no point in remaining quiet anymore... "Kyle's right...we need to talk...but not here...not in front of everyone..." I look around the room at my friends, their doubles and Serena. From the looks of things, I don't think much more is going to happen tonight... "Could we...go somewhere maybe...? Not the Crahshdown, and not here...just...somewhere...?" I request although I know I really don't have the right to ask anything of him after everything that I've done.

[nickimlow]

Zan

“Yes, dying hurts, but only for a moment,” Serena replied after a moment of contemplation. I just looked at her with disappointment, feeling like it was just impossible to get my messages across to her.

“Oh good god,” I heard Ava mutter. Then, speaking to me now, she suggested in a hushed tone, “Zan maybe we should get out of here. This doesn’t seem to be doing any good at the moment and I’m not sure how they’ll react to the fact that Serena tried to kill one of their own.”

I nodded in agreement. They needed time now and Serena needed to calm down.

At that moment, Liz's soft words stood out quite distinctly, "I had to... I'm sorry Max...I just did what I had to..." Surely enough, the connection had sparked something. Memories, whatever. They did need time alone to fix things, to maybe fix Serena's mirror.

“Maybe you should make her sleep again,” Ava said now, but she really shouldn't have.

Serena protested instantly, “NO! Don’t make me sleep!” She pressed her face against my chest, her slender form trembling in my arms. There had to be something that haunted her in her slumber, something that scared her. Visions, perhaps. Visions that she shouldn't have to see.

Ava threw me a look before heading over to Lonnie and Raith, who had been silent observers throughout. Typical of those two. No, they weren't innocently keeping their distance- they were listening intently, catching the juicy details and storing them for later use.

I focused my attention on Serena, gently wrapping my arms around her. "It's okay," I whispered lightly, straightening out some of the tangles in her hair. "You don't have to sleep if you don't want to."

Carefully, I led her over to where the others (Ava, Vilondra, and Raith) stood.

"C'mon, let's leave," I said, nodding towards the exit.

We would find our dupes again later. Roswell was a small town anyhow.

[isabelle]

*Max*

"Kyle doesn't know...he just did what I asked..." Liz says. I wonder if it's true or if she's only trying to get him off the hook. Once, I wouldn't have ever doubted anything Liz told me, but now ...

"Kyle's right...we need to talk...but not here...not in front of everyone..." she says, looking very uncomfortable. "Could we...go somewhere maybe...? Not the Crashdown, and not here...just...somewhere...?"

I pinch my lips together looking at her. We should be working on figuring out how to help Serena. Maybe this distraction should wait for another time. Or maybe Kyle was on to something when he suggested that talking to Liz is what's needed to 'fix the mirror.' I'm not really sure what to do.

"We will talk. Anywhere you want," I promise her. "But I don't know if now is the time."

I think I know most of it, anyway. I know she loves me. She did that so we wouldn't be together. And it worked. She nearly destroyed me, but it worked. I've stopped trying to convince her to change her mind. The only question is why does she feel so strongly about me being with Tess? I just don't understand that.

Behind her, I see Zan getting up and moving towards his friends with Ava and Serena. "C'mon, let's leave," he says.

"Will she be all right?" I ask. I don't know how long she's been this way and I'm not sure if another few hours or a day will make a difference to her. "I want to help Serena. I need to talk to all of you." They seem to know so much more about us and our home than I do. Things Nacedo never said. Things he seems to have deliberately lied about.

[Athenea]

ooc: song lyrics from The Cult's Painted on my Heart...I have the MP3 if anyone would like me to email it to them so they can listen

Serena

"Will she be all right? I want to help Serena. I need to talk to all of you." Max says to the others and Serena just looks around with a strange look on her face, as if she was looking for something.

“You did this.” The voice from her dreams whispered in her ear and she turned her head sharply looking for the man who the voice belonged to, but their was nobody their.

“You killed them all.” And Serena looked around some more shaking her head ‘no’ as she did so. The mind the voice belonged to was an all too familiar one, filled with darkness, pain, and blood, so much blood. She looked up to Zan who was listening to his dupe, all thoughts of darkness disappeared when she looked at him. There was always so much guilt he carried she usually stayed clear of his head. He was always so strong. Her own hero, her lover, her king.

But being near him, messed with her head, too many memories flooded at once, too much for her to handle, but sometimes it was like she could focus on one moment in time and was able to concentrate on it long enough to make sense of it. A forbidden kiss which lead to passion, lust. His eyes looking into her very soul.

She reached up attentively and traced his jaw line down to his lips with her fingertips. And for a moment there were no voices, no one else in the world except him and her. Before she whispered, “I still can't let go, I've still got your face painted on my heart, scrawled upon my soul, etched upon my memory.”

It was the song that had been playing the night they had made love. It’s strange the way the mind works, the things that jar a memory. But then as if nothing had happened she turned away from him to stare off into space.

[magikhands]

~Rath~

"What are we going to do now?" Ava asked but she really wasn't talking to us.

I shrugged my shoulders not really caring. I looked over at Lonnie and our eyes met. I knew she didn't want to be here any more than I did, but we both had our reasons for following the others here.

Zan stood and walked over to us with Serena who'd fallen silent again.

"C'mon, let's leave," he motioned to the doorway.

"Whatever boss." I say standing up straighter and ready to get out of the creepy place. I know I'm an alien, but being surrounded by all these artifacts, articles, and displays gave me the heeby-jeebies.

But then Max spoke up, stopping my movements. "Will she be all right? I want to help Serena. I need to talk to all of you."

“I still can't let go, I've still got your face painted on my heart, scrawled upon my soul, etched upon my memory.” Serena starts her babbling again.

"Maybe we should let preppy boy here," I start indicating Max. "settle things with his crew." I tell Zan. "Now that they know 'bout us, they can find us when they need us." I offer my suggestion then look to Serena. "And maybe give her a break from all of this?" I know she senses things from people and I could care less about how she's doing but I'm hoping to appeal to Zan's affectionate side for her.

[nickimlow]

Zan

"Whatever boss," Raith said, sounding bored and ready to get out of the place.

"Will she be all right?" Max asked, stopping me in my tracks. "I want to help Serena. I need to talk to all of you." I was taken aback by the fact that he was still willing to help, after what Serena had just done. Liz's reaction, though, was yet to be determined.

"We -" I was cut off when I felt Serena's touch sending electricity through me. She was slowly tracing her fingertips over my face, from my jawline to my lips. They lingered there for a moment and she murmured, so softly, "I still can't let go, I've still got your face painted on my heart, scrawled upon my soul, etched upon my memory.”

. . . and I’ve got your kiss still burning on my lips . . .

This song was the one playing on that fateful night. I wondered if she was repeating it to me, or repeating it just because she remembered. The look in her eyes almost confirmed the former, but almost as quickly as it had come, it disappeared, and she looked away again. My spirits dropped a little, but I was determined to keep that part concealed.

"Maybe we should let preppy boy here settle things with his crew," Raith suggested, obviously itching to ditch the Centre. "Now that they know 'bout us, they can find us when they need us. And maybe give her a break from all of this?" Yeah, I knew what he was getting at.

I sighed and turned to Max. "It's your call, man," I said with a shrug, one arm still protectively around Serena. It was really up to them and their schedule and their willingness. We were, in way, at their mercy. "If you're up for it, by all means let's get on with it. If you're not, we'll find you later."

[isabelle]

*Max*

I frown at Zan's suggestion. 'If I'm willing...' I'm willing to help, but are they willing to share what they know? So far it's been clear that they do know more than they're telling, not that we've had much of a chance for that.

But as for helping Serena -- I look at Liz. Her face is unhappy, fearful, even. I don't understand why she did those things. Not entirely. But the fact is, we haven't changed anything in regards to Serena.

"I guess we can't," I say, sadly. "Not right now. Not until we figure out why Serena says that Liz can't do it yet. Maybe we can meet up again in an hour and brainstorm some more." I shake my head slowly. As much as I want to figure out what's going on with Liz's deception, the truth is, we've been dealing with this for a while. She's been incredibly stubborn and I'm not expecting her to suddenly change her mind.

Zan, on the other hand, is something new. New information. So much we don't know that they could help us with and I don't don't want to lose that. We don't even know where they grew up or anything about them. Maybe one of us should go with Zan and his group to get information while I talk to Liz? Or can it wait until we're all together again? We really do need Serena well, so she can explain what she's been warning us about. A deciever. It's not Liz, since she mentioned a 'he.' We need to know what that's about. We both do, Zan and I.

And maybe we know some things they don't -- like the Granolith, for instance. Wait. Courtney said the Granolith could fix her skin. Could it 'fix the mirror' too? I still don't know what kind of 'hurt' Liz needs to have healed.

"Serena," I say, trying to get her attention. She doesn't even look in my direction, although I'm guessing she still hears me. I'm not sure if I should even say this, since I don't know this group. I don't know if this is something they should know about, but truthfully, I don't think they're shape-shifters or skins. "Zan, do you think there's a way the Granolith can help Serena or make Liz able to help her?"

I'm guessing the answer is 'no,' but I have to ask.

[Athenea]

Ava

"Zan, do you think there's a way the Granolith can help Serena or make Liz able to help her?" Max asks. They have the Granolith. We don’t know much about it other than it’s very powerful and everyone seems to want to get their hands on it.

“It’s worth a shot..” I say looking to Zan. Not that we actually know how to work the thing but maybe seeing it will trigger the memory. “If something bad is heading our way, we need to be ready, and we will need her… well.”

“We’re going for a ride?” Serena questions us. I notice Zan’s arm wrapped around her. I wonder if its to protect her or to protect us from her. No, Serena would never harm any of us. Of course she did stab Liz with a letter opener but other than that she’s harmless. Right?

"Do you want to go for a ride?" I ask her, hoping maybe we will get something of a straight awnser out of her, but as usual we don't. "A ride in the desert under the stars." she just says and I shake my head. None of us had said anything about the desert but anyway.

"So where is the granolith?" I ask Max, I can't help but feel like we are running out of time with Serena, plus this UFO Center gives me the creeps.

[isabelle]

*Max*

"Do you want to go for a ride?" Ava asks Serena.

"A ride in the desert under the stars," she says.

Ava just shakes her head and asks me, "So where is the granolith?"

I'm not certain that taking him there is a good idea, but it's the only one I have a the moment. I look to Isabel and Tess, wondering if one of them have a thought on the subject.

"I do need to talk to Liz first," I tell him. I don't expect progress but I do want to try. "We can meet at the school in about an hour. Maybe the rest of you can spend some time getting to know each other," I suggest, looking from Isabel to Tess. I'd prefer to hear any information that Zan and his friends might want to share first hand, but I'm sure Isabel and Tess can sort it out. I'm sure they'll include Alex and Kyle, too, if they're interested. Or maybe it would be better to separate from our dupes for a bit so Serena can rest.

Actually, maybe the eight of us need to talk about this a bit among ourselves before we go any further, anyway. "Unless you want to have some time to yourselves," I suggest to Zan.

"We can call Michael and Maria so they can join us, later." I add. I'm a bit concerned that the two of them haven't returned. I would have thought that Michael would have cooled off by now. They've probably just stopped at the Crashdown to eat, or something, but I do want them involved if we actually do take these guys to the Granolith."

.

[nickimlow]

Zan

"I guess we can't," Max said, now frowning. "Not right now. Not until we figure out why Serena says that Liz can't do it yet. Maybe we can meet up again in an hour and brainstorm some more."

I was still a little distracted by Serena, but forced myself to snap out of it. Max tried to catch Serena's attention but she gave no response. Giving up, he turned to me instead. "Zan, do you think there's a way the Granolith can help Serena or make Liz able to help her?"

The Granolith. They knew about the Granolith. Did they know where it was? We didn't know its importance, but we did know that it was important. No, I didn't know if it could help Serena, but . . .

“It’s worth a shot,” Ava said to me. “If something bad is heading our way, we need to be ready, and we will need her… well.”

Serena looked up, asking, “We’re going for a ride?”

"Do you want to go for a ride?"

"A ride in the desert under the stars."

In the desert? Serena was becoming more and more of a mystery to me.

"So where is the granolith?" Ava asked Max.

He seemed reluctant to answer. Instead, he said, "I do need to talk to Liz first. We can meet at the school in about an hour. Maybe the rest of you can spend some time getting to know each other. Unless you want to have some time to yourselves. We can call Michael and Maria so they can join us, later."

He was right- he had to sort out things with Liz first, because she was going to be playing a key role in all of this. As for us- I figured Serena needed some time away from this for a little while. Max had suggested that we stay with the rest of his gang to talk, but that would probably be better done with everyone together.

I nodded slightly. "I think we all need some time alone now," I said, though I was thinking more for Serena. "You guys sort out your- whatever, and we'll meet up with all of you later."