Part 5
Max POV
Bet you thought I was dead, didn’t you? Surprise! I’ll let Liz
explain it to you later. Right now
all of my focus is on my little sister, Alexis.
“You’re here,” she murmurs with a huge grin on her face.
I smile and nod.
“Did you think I wouldn’t come?”
She shrugs and launches herself into my arms.
I hold her tight and stroke her hair.
“Its okay. I’m here
now,” I whisper.
“Ava?” I hear the dark haired boy with deep brown eyes say.
Ah, he must be Daniel. I
look up at Liz as she nods. She
pulls Daniel into a tight embrace and starts to cry along with him.
“Oh my God, I thought I’d never see you again!” he cries into her
hair.
Liz just holds him. Alexis
pulls away far enough to be able to see the two of them.
“Its good to see you again, Ava,” she says to Liz.
“Its Liz now, Alexis.”
“Oh. Well, I go by Lex
now.”
“Lex. I love it.
What do the rest of you go by?” I ask.
“I go by Danny, Zacariahs is Zac, and Serena is still Serena.”
“What about you, Zan?” Lex asks.
“Max.”
Lex nods and looks at Alex.
“And you are…?”
“Alex Whitman. I’m their
keeper.”
“Nice to meet you. I guess
I should introduce the others. The
twins are Zac and Serena; this is Jennifer Paxton,” she says pointing at a tan
5’11 blue eyes, sandy haired girl. “This
is Cindy Essary.” Cindy is a
5’5 dark blonde with light brown eyes. “This
is Lisa Mumberg.” Lisa is about
5’9 with dark brown eyes and light blonde hair.
“This is Jon Williams, Ian Smith and Bill Rodgers.”
I’m not good at describing guys, but they’re all tall.
“Thanks, but we already knew who everyone was,” says Alex.
“How?” Zac asks, speaking for the first time.
Before I can answer, Lex snorts.
“You followed me, didn’t you?”
I smile. I never could hide
anything from her.
“Yeah, over the past two days,” Liz replies.
Lex turns to her friends and smirks.
“And you guys said I was being paranoid! This teaches you to listen to
me from now on.”
I laugh and shake my head. Lex
hasn’t changed a bit.
Flashback- Liz POV
“Oh my God, I can’t do this!” I cry to myself as I walk out of
Michael’s apartment.
Poor Max, I just hope he doesn’t do anything drastic when he finds out.
I just have to let the others see him react naturally to my “death”,
and then I can tell him. He’s going to loose it.
I walk into my room and find Maria, my future daughter, waiting for me.
“Its about time,” she mutters.
I blink and stare at her for a moment.
Finally, I find my voice.
“Excuse me? ‘Its about time’? What the hell is that? I was with my
family for what was probably the last time and you expect me to rush? I’m
preparing to fake my own suicide for Christ’s sake! Cut me some slack, little
girl!” I shriek.
Whoa. Where did that come
from?
My sixteen-year-old daughter just stares at me.
“Wow, you never change, do you?” she whispers.
“I guess I don’t,” I reply. “Let’s
get this over with.”
We wait until I can feel Max approaching.
Maria goes into the bathroom and I begin my mind warp. Max walks in, followed by Michael, Maria, Isabel and Kyle.
Max takes one look at my “body” and starts to scream.
He runs over to me and tries to heal me.
Michael and Isabel rush up to help him, but its no use.
By this time Max and everyone else is hysterical with tears, but Max
above all. I watch as Michael calls
the police and takes Maria and Max outside.
I watch as Max fights Michael to stay by my side, screaming that it’s
his fault. I continue to watch as
my parents crumble and Valenti falls apart.
I watch them take my “body” out of my room in a body bag.
When everyone has finally left my room, I stop the mind warp and fall to
the floor, totally drained. Maria
peeks her head out of the bathroom.
“Mom? Are you okay?” she asks.
I look at her and shake my head.
“God, did you see them? They all looked so broken.”
“It’ll be okay, Liz,” Alex whispers from behind me.
“Don’t do that!” I hiss as I whack him upside the head.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Sorry. We better get over
to Max’s before he does something stupid.”
“Yeah-“I start to say, but am cut off by Maria’s whimper.
I turn around just in time to see her disappear.
Fresh tears spring to my eyes.
“I guess it worked,” I whisper.
Alex just nods and leads me out of the room through the balcony.
I only hope it wasn’t all in vain.
Part 6
Maria POV
Finally, we’ve reached San Antonio! I thought the drive was going to
kill me.
“Where are Iz and Kyle staying?” Michael asks.
I shrug.
“You don’t know?”
I nod.
“Great. Well, can you call
them and find out, ye of little words?”
I nod again and reach for my phone.
Whoa, I’m dizzy. I think
I’ll take a nap.
Michael
POV
Great, Maria just passed out. If
it were possible, I’d kill Liz and Max again for doing this to Maria, not to
mention the rest of us. I sigh and
reach for Maria’s phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey Kyle, Its Michael. Where
are y’all staying?”
Kyle snorts.
“I figured you’d follow us. We’re
staying at the Hyatt on the Riverwalk.”
“Okay, I drove past it earlier. See
you soon.”
Click.
I wonder how much this is going to cost me.
As I sit in traffic in front of the Hard Rock Café, I feel something
familiar. I look up and see a
gorgeous redhead standing with a tall dark haired boy with gray eyes and a girl
with the same coloring. Must be his
sister. I continue to stare at them
until the irritated driver behind me begins to honk.
I shake off the feeling of déjà vu and drive off.
That’s when I’m hit with a flash.
**Flash**
“Alexisana, please! Just go hide!” I scream.
The regal beauty with sparkling green eyes shakes her head and grabs onto
my arm.
“No, I won’t leave you. This
is my battle, not yours,” she says fiercely.
I look to my younger brother.
“Zacariahs, take Alexisana to a safe place, now!” I command.
“No, don’t do this! Please, Rath,” she pleads as my brother picks
her up and carries her away.
“I love you, Alexisana. I
always have,” I call after her.
“Rath! Rath, I love you!” she screams as she disappears into the
transporter. I wipe the tears from
my eyes and turn back to the battle before me.
“Well, this was a great idea,” I mutter to myself.
**End**
What the fuck was that?! I’ve never had memory flashes like that before
and why do I get the feeling that the boy and redhead I just saw have something
to do with it?
Liz
POV
“Wow, is the line always this long?” I ask as Max, Alex, Danny and I
join our fellow Antarians.
Danny grins. It feels good
to see him smile again.
“Yeah, the place is pretty popular.”
“I don’t see why, the food sucks,” Serena says.
God, she sounds so much like Michael.
I do believe she’s managed to become even more bitter and cynical this
time around.
“Give it a rest, sis,” Zac says.
Serena rolls her eyes and I laugh. It
feels like old times.
After we’re finally seated, Lex asks, “Why are you guys here? How did
you know to come?”
Max and Alex look at me and Max squeezes my hand.
I sigh and begin my tale.
**Flashback- 1 day before Liz’s “death”**
“Bye Max!” I call as he climbs down the ladder.
I shake my head and turn to go back into my room.
Max is never going to give up trying to makeup for what happened with
Tess. If only I was sure that I
could forgive him. A bright flash
of light sends me running into my room. God,
not again. I look around my room
and see a tall, tan, dark haired teenage girl dressed in combat boots, ripped
leather pants, a shredded and bloody white tank top and a beat up leather
jacket. What I notice the most,
though, are her eyes…they’re Max’s eyes.
“Who are you?” I stammer.
She stares back at me with wild, wide eyes.
“Mom,” she whispers.
I don’t think I heard her correctly.
“What?”
“Mom,” she repeats, coming out of her shocked state.
“Who are you?” I ask more forcibly.
She blinks a few times and sits on the edge of my bed.
“My name’s Maria Evans. I’m
your daughter.”
Somehow that didn’t surprise me.
“Okay, why are you here?”
“I took the Granilith and came to change the future.”
“Yeah, I got that. How?
Tess took the Granilith a few months ago.”
Maria grinned wryly.
“No, she didn’t. She
just mind warped y’all into thinking she did.”
“Oh. So what happened for
you to come back?”
I’m on autopilot now.
“The end of the world, only seventeen years from now instead of
fourteen. Mom, there’s some
things you need to know and I think you should sit down to hear them.”
I sit and look at her intently.
“Okay, you know how Dad and the others need Ava?”
I cringe and nod.
“Well, Tess isn’t Ava—you are.
No, don’t interrupt me. You’re
Ava and Tess’ real name is Latessa. She’s
a Skin from your past. She’s also
not pregnant, at least not with Dad’s kid.
Your brother, Daniel, mind warped Dad and Tess into thinking that they
slept together. Tess actually slept
with some ass named Sean and Dad was unconscious.
Wait, there’s more and it’s a big one.
Alex is alive.”
I have no words. I stare at
Maria in shock while she waits for me to react.
“H-how?”
Maria grins.
“Let’s just say that the younger half of the Royal Eight have been
busy.”
“Royal Eight?”
“That’s right, you haven’t met them yet.
Well, there are actually eight royals: you, your brother, Daniel, Dad,
Isabel, their sister, Alexisana, Michael, and his siblings, Zacariahs and
Serena.”
I can’t help but smile.
“I have a brother?”
“Yeah.”
“How did they save Alex?”
“I’ll let Alex explain that to you and Dad after our work is done.”
“Right, changing the future. What
do we need to do?”
“Make everyone, even Dad, think that you’re dead,” she replies
looking at her boots.
I blink in surprise.
“Why?”
“So they’ll buy it when Dad kills himself.”
“What?!” I shriek.
“I know it sounds completely crazy, but let me tell you a little
story…”
Part 7
“Two days ago in my time, you and Dad were killed.
Four days ago, Michael, Isabel, Lex and Zac died.
Alex, Serena, Danny and Kyle were assassinated three weeks before that,
but our most devastating loss took place sixteen years ago right before I was
born.”
She stops for a moment and seems to be fighting the tears that are
threatening to flow. Finally, she
sighs and continues with her story.
“A week before I was born, Jim and Maria were publicly executed on
every TV station on the planet by Nicholas.”
I burst into tears as she goes on.
“You, Dad, Lex and Zac were in New York having peace talks with Khivar,
Kathana, Larek, Sero and Hanar; Michael was with Isabel and Serena shopping for
an engagement ring for Maria; Kyle, Danny and Alex were in San Antonio at a
Spurs vs. Lakers game; and Jim and Maria were in Roswell planning for Jim and
Amy’s wedding. Nicholas snatched
the two of them and the Skins took over the airwaves.
He, um, he hung them in the middle of the Crashdown and broadcasted it
live on television. All ten of you
happened to be watching TV at the time and you saw it.
Afterwards, you all became heartless and merciless toward everyone except
each other. Amy was devastated and
killed herself because she had nothing left.
You see, over the course of this coming week, Khivar killed Sean, your
parents, Max and Isabel’s parents, Lex’s parents, and Zac and Serena’s
parents. Anyways, “she says,
desperate to escape that subject, “as important as everyone else is, you and
Dad are vital to our survival. Only
the two of you and your descendants can control the Granilith, unless you
perform a ceremony that hands it over to another bloodline.
That’s why we have to fake your deaths—we have to make Khivar loose
all hope at controlling the Granilith.”
I wipe away my tears and shake my head in confusion.
“How does that work? What would happen if we really died and didn’t
have an heir? Who would get the power?”
“No one. The Granilith
would basically die with you. If he
thinks that you’re dead and knows that you have no heir—“
“He’ll give up on the Granilith,” I finish for her.
“Exactly, which is really good for our team.”
“If I do this, will my parents still die?”
Maria frowns.
“I don’t think so since they won’t really be leverage, but the
Sean, the Evanses, the Johnsons and the Sykes might since Iz and the others will
still be alive.”
“Well, maybe we can stop that.”
“So, you in?”
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
**End flashback**
“I’m sorry we weren’t able to help your parents.”
The
other teens nod.
“Anyway,
Maria went on to help me with my powers and our plan for faking my and Max’s
deaths. After we pulled my
‘death’ off successfully, she disappeared and it was time to tell Max.
That’s when things got interesting.”
Max
POV
I
smile and continue the story where Liz left off.
**Max’s
Flashback**
I
lie on my bed drowning in my tears. Liz
is dead. My only reason for living
is dead. What am I supposed to do
now? Did she really expect me to go on with my life without her? I know; I’ll
join her, just like Romeo and Juliet. Now
we’re really star-crossed lovers. I
sit up and wipe my soaked face with my shirt.
Now, what’s the best way to go about this? I begin my search, but am
interrupted by a knock at my window. I
turn around and stop dead in my tracks at the sight before me.
Liz
and Alex.
A
wet Liz and Alex.
A
worried Liz and Alex.
An
alive Liz and Alex.
Holy shit, I’m seeing things.
All of a sudden the window opens and Liz and Alex step out of the rain.
“Thanks for letting us in, man,” Alex mutters.
Liz hits him and hisses, “He thinks he’s seeing things, retard.”
“Sorry.”
I stare at them in utter shock.
“Are you real?” I squeak out.
Liz smiles and nods her head. I
don’t hesitate; I know it’s the truth.
I begin crying all over again and hold her so tight I’m afraid I might
crush her, but I don’t care at this point.
“Shh, its okay. I’m
okay, Max. I’m never going to
leave you,” she whispers as she rubs my back.
“How? Why?” I ask without loosening my hold on her.
She sighs against my chest.
“I had another visitor from the future.”
I freeze. Oh no, I did not
cause myself this much pain.
“Who?” I ask, terrified that it was me again.
“Our future daughter,” she whispers.
I pull away and look at her in wonder.
“What?”
“She came to prevent our deaths in the future…”
**End flashback**
“Liz filled me in on the story and we faked my death the same way she
did hers.”
“Wow,” was all Lex could say while the others sat in stunned silence.
After a moment or two, Zac finally speaks.
“Dude, your lives suck,” he mutters.
Liz, Alex and I laugh genuinely for the first time in a while.
“At least we have each other,” I say in a cheesy voice.
The others laugh again and Liz mutters, “So cornball.”
If only the others were here, then life would be perfect.
Sucky, but perfect enough for me.
Part 8
Michael POV
I just woke from the strangest dream.
IT was really disturbing…
**DREAM**
“Alexisana, don’t make me come in there!” I yell at a massive door.
A short girl with bright green eyes and dark red hair pokes her head out.
“Go away!” she says crossly.
I sigh.
“Alexis, its not my fault—“
“Not your fault? Are you telling me that you don’t have a choice in
marrying my sister?” she asks incredulously.
“It was arranged!” I plead.
“So un-arrange it,” she says icily as she slams the door in my face.
“Rath? What’s going on?” a dark haired girl with crystal gray eyes
asks.
“God, Serena, Alexis is so mad at me.
You know I don’t want to marry Lonnie, but I have no choice.”
Serena frowns.
“Do you love Alexis?”
I nod.
“Have you told her?”
“No,” I admit sullenly.
“Well, that’s your problem. Alexis
needs to know that you love her. Stop
being a stonewall.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Serena rolls her eyes.
“I may be like that with everyone else, but at least I let Danny see
me. Let Alexis be your Danny.”
“Real deep, sis.”
“Oh, bite me!” she mutters as she walks down the hall.
I step toward the princess’ room, but Zan’s booming voice stops me in
my tracks.
“Rath! Ava! In the command room, now!”
A dark haired girl, who looks startlingly like Liz, and I run into a
grand room filled with complex computers and a large table.
A man I can only guess is Zan paces the length of the room.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asks with worry in her voice.
Zan turns to us and I’m surprised to see unshed tears in his eyes.
“Lonnie,” he chokes out.
“What? What’s wrong with her?” I ask.
“She has betrayed us,” Zan whispers.
“What?” Ava gasps.
“She’s been sleeping with Khivar and told him of our counter attack
plans.”
“No,” Ava whispers. “How
could she do this to us?”
“Its not her fault,” a quiet voice says from the doorway.
I turn to look at my brother-in-law.
“What do you mean, Daniel?” his sister demands.
“That bitch, Latessa, has been mind warping her.
Lonnie has no idea what she’s doing.”
“How do you know?” Zan asks with a glint of hope in his amber eyes.
“She’s been doing it to me, too.
I did some memory recovery today to figure something out for class when I
discovered hidden memories. I
overheard her and Khivar’s plans for all of us so she mind warped me.”
“Those Skin bastards will pay dearly for this,” Zan seethes with
hatred in his eyes.
I believe him.
**END**
Isn’t that fucked up? I
have no idea what to make of it. And
dammit, who the hell is Alexisana? I
don’t understand what’s happening to me, but like always, I will find out.
Lex
POV
Oh God, it’s starting. I
can feel their presences—Michael and Isabel are in San Antonio. What am I going to do? I love Zac so much, but Alexisana and
Rath were soul mates, which makes Michael and me soul mates.
What do I do if I can’t control my feelings for him? Liz says that
he’s in love with this human named Maria and I don’t want to mess that up.
“Lex?” Max’s soft voice brings me back to Earth.
“What’s up?” I ask.
He sits on the edge of my bed and looks a little uncomfortable.
“You know how the four of you, plus Liz and I, have fully recovered our
memories of the past?”
I nod. Where is he going
with this?
“Well, um, uh—damn this is hard.
Wh-what’s going to happen when you see Michael again?”
Talk about cutting to the chase, that’s blunt.
“I don’t know,” I sigh.
Max nods.
“I just want you to know that I’ll support whatever happens between
the two of you. I know what its
like to have a soul mate.”
I burst into tears. How do
you like my random displays of emotion?
“I’m just so confused! I love Zac, but a part of me will always love
Rath and I know that those feelings will multiply when we’re reunited. What about Maria and Zac? I would hate to do anything that
would hurt them.”
Max smiled.
“That’s my Alexisana. You
may have always tried to be a stonewall, but you care deeply about everyone. I mean, you haven’t even met Maria and you’re worried
about her feelings.”
I sigh.
“Maybe I care too much.”
“No you don’t. Look,
just follow your heart. A very wise
person once told me that and it works.”
“I guess. I think I’m
going to try and get some sleep now.”
Max nods and kisses my forehead.
“Goodnight, princess.”
“G’night Zan,” I murmur and fall asleep.
I have this feeling that I’ll need all my strength the next day.