by Melinda Metz
Of course, she didn't know that Valenti was even going anywhere important. He could just be joyriding through the desert, for all she knew. She decided she would wait awhile and check on him again.
Maria finished the social studies reading. She knew she should start on her Julius Caesar paper. It was due in a week. But she couldn't sit still any longer. She was way too hyped.
She put her favorite CD in the player and cranked it. She bopped around the room, having her own private dance party. "I'm going to find Michael's ship," she cried.
For once her mom was home. So was Kevin. But Maria knew they couldn't hear her over the blaring music. She jumped on her bed and bounced. "He's going to kiss me again. He's going to fall so in love with me."
Maria giggled. She knew she was being a total dork, but she didn't care. She kept dancing and shouting until the first song on the CD started up again. She clicked it off. She'd waited long enough. It was time to check on Valenti again.
She grabbed the pen from her desk. "Where's Sheriff Valenti?" she said. The floor under her feet dissolved and the colored dots raced around her, blowing her hair in her face. Then they clumped, and she found herself in a cement tunnel. Valenti was striding down it, his boot heels echoing in the narrow space.
The dots started to swirl again. "No!" Maria exclaimed. She didn't want to leave yet. This was important She could feel it. "Where's Valenti?" she cried.
The dots continued to swirl, but when they clumped, she wasn't back in her room. She was in a brightly lit corridor with the sheriff. As she watched, Valenti pulled out his wallet and showed his ID to the guard posted at the far end. The guard was dressed all in gray-just like the guard near the ship. She was so close.
Valenti, and the guard, and the corridor began to dissolve into dots. Maria let the dots re-form into her room. When the paralysis passed, she decided to take a break. She needed to rest for a minute, just for a minute. She could feel pressure building behind her eyes. She was about to get a monster headache.
But it didn't matter. Not when she was about to get some great info for Michael. Maria pulled the sheet of paper with the description of the strange rock toward her. She'd make a couple of quick notes on the tunnel and the corridor, then she'd go back.
A bright red dot fell onto the page. Then another. Am I going back to Valenti without even trying? Maria thought. But if I am, then why are the dots appearing so slowly?
Because those red dots on the page are blood, she realized suddenly. Her nose was bleeding.
Maria tilted back her head to stop the flow. This was so weird. She hadn't had a nosebleed since she was about three years old. She'd walked behind someone on the swings at the playground and gotten whacked.
She didn't have time for this right now. She had to get back to Valenti. Maria reached over to her dresser and grabbed a couple of tissues out of the box. She stuffed little pieces into her nostrils. That should stop the bleeding. If it didn't, she'd deal with it later.
She wrapped her fingers around the pen again. She pressed her free hand against her chest. She could feel the ring under her fingers. "Where is Valenti?" she asked.
***
Alex grabbed another dusty cardboard box and slammed it down on the top of the stack. He figured he'd sweep one half of the attic, then shove all the boxes over to the clean side and sweep the rest.
Are you ready to break down and get the ROTC thing rolling, bonehead? he asked himself. Because that's what it would take for his dad to stop coming up with work orders like this.
Alex grabbed the broom and started to sweep. He wondered what tomorrow's little job would be. He'd already cleaned the garage, the basement, and the attic. He'd done a ton of yard work, too. Maybe the Major would have him clean all the bathroom floors with a toothbrush. Alex knew there was no way he'd run out of ideas.
Being the last kid left at home sucks, Alex thought. Before his brothers had joined the military-making old dad very proud-they'd managed to do enough stupid stuff to get assigned their fair share of the grunt work.
Maybe I'll take a break and call Isabel, he thought. I should make sure she's okay. He yanked open the window and took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Oh, you're such a good friend, a little voice in his head mocked him. You want to talk to Isabel because you're so, so concerned about her. It has nothing to do with the fact that you start getting the shakes if you go too long without seeing her, just go into Isabel withdrawal.
There were footsteps on the stairs. Alex picked up the dustpan. It was probably his dad, coming to make sure he wasn't slacking off. He bent down and started to sweep his dust pile in the pan.
"Hi," a soft voice said behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder-and saw Isabel climbing into the attic with a bouquet of flowers in one hand. His heart gave its usual slam against his ribs.
"Keep doing what you were doing," Isabel said. "I'll just stand here and enjoy the view until you're done."
The view? Alex dropped the dustpan and straightened up fast. He was basically an equal opportunity kind of guy. But that didn't mean he was cool with Isabel giving him compliments on his butt.
"I can finish later," he mumbled. His face felt hot, and he prayed he wasn't blushing.
"The flowers are an apology present," Isabel explained. She thrust them into his hands. "I figured since it was my second apology in about a week, you deserved the deluxe version."
"Uh, thanks. If it's about calling me a charity case, don't worry about it. I know you were kidding." He set the flowers on the floor next to him.
"Actually, that's not what I'm apologizing for. Although I should apologize for that, too," Isabel said.
Oh no, Alex thought. She's going to say she's sorry about crying when I kissed her! This was awful. Couldn't they both just pretend that it never happened? Why did girls have to talk about stuff so much?
"What I wanted to say is that I've been totally using you to help me get through… what happened," Isabel told him. "I've taken up every second of your time just because I was afraid to be alone."
"That's not using me," Alex said. "We're friends."
"But the other thing… you know, me thinking about Nikolas when I was kissing you and crying and everything. I do owe you an apology for that," Isabel insisted.
It was bad enough that it happened. He really, really didn't want to do some postgame analysis of it all. "Forget about it," he muttered.
"I can't forget about it," she said. "I went to the mall after school. I wanted to look at the spot where Nikolas died, to prove to myself that I could take it." Isabel pulled in a long, shuddering breath. "It was horrible, but I did it."
"That took guts," Alex told her.
She shrugged. "Anyway, after that I went around to some of the other stores, places Nikolas and I had gone right before…"
Alex nodded. This had to be what hell was like. Listening to Isabel tell him all her special memories about Nikolas. He knew he told her he'd be there for her. And he wanted to be. But couldn't she do this part with Liz or Maria?
"I started thinking about him. And you. And I realized if Nikolas was still alive, and you were both standing right in front of me, I'd choose you," she said in a rush.
Yeah, she thought that now that Nikolas was dead. When they had really been standing right in front of her, she'd walked away from Alex and never looked back.
"Isabel, I… thanks for telling me that," Alex said. "But I don't think… I think…" Can you say babbling? he asked himself. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to try to be more than friends."
"Okay. I definitely understand," Isabel answered. "I just want to give you one more thing, then I'll take off." She pulled a little strip of photos out of her purse and handed it to him.
The photos were obviously taken in the same booth as the last set. Alex recognized the faded blue background. At least Nikolas won't be in these, he thought.
Isabel leaned forward and touched the top photo. "In this one I was thin
king about how you helped get Valenti away from Max-right after you found out the truth about us," she said.
She pointed to the next photo. "And in this one I was thinking about the sound of your voice when you told me all those stories. I was sitting right on the other side of the door, listening to every word."
She slid her finger down to the next picture. "This is the one where I was thinking about the way you touched me at the homecoming dance. Remember?"
Alex suddenly found it hard to breathe. Yeah, he remembered. He definitely remembered.
"And the last one, in that one I was thinking about how much I want you to kiss me again," she said.
Maybe she really meant it, he thought. Maybe she really would choose me over Nikolas.
He leaned forward slowly, then he kissed her, his lips barely brushing hers.
Isabel kept her eyes open, looking at him the whole time. At him.
*** 13 ***
Maria felt like someone was stabbing an ice pick into the back of her eyeballs. She couldn't get her nose to stop bleeding. But she had to hold out a little longer. Valenti was in the warehouse with the ship. She had to see him when he left. If she did, she might be able to give Michael the exact location of the ship, the thing he wanted most.
"Where's Valenti?" she asked, gripping the pen in both hands. The dots spun around her, making her head feel like it was about to explode. When they clumped, she was back in the warehouse. Valenti hadn't moved since last time. A few seconds later the warehouse began to dissolve into the dots, and she didn't try to stop it from happening. She would check back in a few minutes. She needed to rest.
The dots clumped, forming her room. Maria took a deep breath and realized the blood had completely soaked the tissues in her nostrils. She reached for the box of tissues on her dresser-and the paralysis hit. She couldn't stop herself from tumbling onto the floor.
Don't panic. All you have to do is wait it out, she told herself, fighting to stay calm. You're not going to get hurt lying on the floor of your own room, okay?
Maria could feel the blood dripping out of her nose and sliding down the side of her face. The sensation was driving her nuts. She wanted to reach up and wipe the blood away. But she couldn't even move her little finger.
It won't be much longer, she thought. Her eyes started to feel dry and itchy because she couldn't blink them.
Not much longer, she repeated. Her skin felt itchy, too, itchy and hot. She must have given herself a carpet burn when she fell. Except… except all of her skin felt hot. Not just the part touching the carpet.
The heat covered her body, sending pinpricks of heat into every pore.
And it was getting hotter.
***
Michael didn't know how he was even going to get his two hours of sleep tonight. He had to be living in the noisiest house in America. Dylan was doing his snoring thing in the other bed, and Amanda had the flu. Mr. Pascal kept bringing her into the bathroom across the hall, so Michael got to hear every moment of her puking. He felt bad for her, but still…
He rolled over on his side. He was going nuts. At least Sarah hadn't started her nightly scream fest. He had to be thankful for that.
Sarah must have been a mind reader because right then she started to wail. Michael heard Mrs. Pascal rushing into her room. Which meant the singing would start any second.
I'm out of here, Michael thought. With all this going on, the Pascals probably won't even notice. And if they do, I'll deal with them-and Cuddihy-tomorrow. He crept over to the window, opened it, and crawled out.
He didn't even have to think about where to go. He headed straight for Maria's. He wanted to find out if she'd had any luck with the pen. And maybe he'd try kissing her again. That quick one hadn't brought up any little-sister feelings. Maybe he was ready to move on to the real thing and really let himself taste Maria's raspberry lips.
Michael started to jog. He loved being out at this time of night. He felt like he owned the whole town. He picked up speed, running full out, flying. He turned onto Maria's street. It was after midnight, but he knew she wouldn't mind a late visit. She never did.
Her mom's car was parked in the driveway, so he tried to be extra quiet as he climbed over the fence. He crept around to Maria's window. It was still open, so he climbed on in.
And saw her lying on the floor. A sharp acid taste flooded his mouth as he rushed over to her. Maria's blue eyes stared up at him, blank and empty. Blood was smeared under her nose and down one cheek. And tiny red dots covered her skin-her face, her neck, her arms, her hands, everywhere that he could see.
"Maria!" He took her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. Her body was stiff and still under his hands. "Maria, come on! Say something." She didn't utter a sound.
He grabbed the sports bottle off her dresser and squirted some water on her face. He stared at her intently. Move, please, you've got to, he thought. But he didn't see even the tiniest response.
He didn't think this was another spell of paralysis. There'd never been any blood before. And those red dots-what were they? What had happened to Maria?
Michael pressed his head against her chest. Relief surged through him when he heard her heart beating, fast and sort of jumpy, but definitely beating. Okay, I can deal with this, he thought, fighting to stay calm. I can heal her. I just have to make a connection. Then I'll be able to figure out what's wrong.
He took a deep breath and studied Maria's still form. He wasn't as good at healing as Max was, but he knew he could do this. He had to. There wasn't any wound that he could see, so Michael rested his hands on Maria's forehead. He focused all his attention on her. He was expecting to get a rush of images from her mind.
Instead he saw two creatures. Their-faces didn't even seem like the right word-were wide at the forehead and narrowed down to pointed chins. Their mouths were gaping circles lined with thin earthworm-length tentacles. The tentacles waved in the air, searching, searching. They had no noses and shallow, bumpy depressions where their eyes should be.
No, Michael realized. Those bumps were their eyes. They had dozens of eyes.
In unison the creatures swung their heads toward Michael. The tentacles of their mouths stretched toward him, straining to reach him.
They see me, Michael realized. He jerked his hands away from Maria. He felt like his whole body was vibrating. His teeth kept knocking together.
What was that? What the hell was going on? Those… things weren't any memory of Maria's. And they saw him. It was impossible, but it happened.
Max. He had to call Max. Michael leaped to his feet and snatched Maria's phone off her dresser. He punched in the Evanses' number. Isabel answered on the second ring. "I need you and Max to get over to Maria's right away," Michael said. "And be quiet. I don't want her mom or her little brother waking up."
If Mrs. DeLuca saw Maria right now, she'd call an ambulance. And that would be a big mistake. Michael didn't know what was happening to Maria, but there was no way any hospital or doctor could deal with it. And while they were trying to figure out what to do, Maria could die.
Michael suddenly felt like he'd chugged a gallon of ice water. Coldness rushed through his body, cramping his stomach, making him ache.
That's not going to happen. Don't even think that, he ordered himself. Maria is not going to die. I won't let her.
"What happened?" Isabel exclaimed.
"Just get here," Michael ordered, keeping his voice low. He hung up the phone and returned to Maria. He sat down next to her. "You're going to be all right," he said softly. "I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to figure out a way to heal you."
He reached out and slid his palm down over her eyes, forcing the lids to close. He hated seeing her eyes all blank like that.
Michael decided he should go wait by the front door for Max and Isabel. It's not like they could ring the doorbell or anything. That would definitely wake up Maria's mom and brother.
He leaned close to Maria, her soft hair brushing
against his face. Her skin felt hot under his fingers, way too hot. "I have to go away for a minute," he whispered. "But I'll be right back." Then he kissed her. Her lips were soft and sweet, just like he'd thought they'd be.
"I should have done that before," he told her. Then Michael pushed himself to his feet and crept through the dark house to the front door. He unlocked it and stepped out onto the front porch. He'd wait for Max and Isabel out there.
But he couldn't stand still. He hurried out into the middle of the street and looked for Max's Jeep. Where was he? Didn't he know this was an emergency?
You talked to Isabel about two seconds ago, Michael reminded himself. They'll be here as fast as they can.
Michael wondered if he had time to check on Maria and get back out here before they showed up. He turned back toward the house and caught sight of a pair of headlights out of the corner of his eye. He stared down the street. Yeah, it was the Jeep. Max had obviously broken a few speed limits to get here.
Max pulled up alongside him. "What's going on?" he demanded.
"It's Maria. She's in a coma or something. When I made the connection to heal her, I saw two creatures, I don't even know what to call them, staring at me. They saw me. I know it," Michael explained, his words tumbling on top of each other.
"Okay, we need a plan," Isabel said, her voice calm and steady. "We are going to come up with a way to save her-now."
"Let's take her to Ray's," Max said. "His powers of healing might be stronger than ours."
Ray wasn't exactly Michael's favorite person. But if he could help Maria, Michael would get down on his knees and kiss the guy's feet.
"I'll go get her," Michael said. "You two wait here. There's more chance we'll get caught if we all go." He ran back to the front door and slipped inside. He made his way back to Maria's room and scooped her up in his arms. He cradled her tight against his chest. She still felt so hot. He didn't know if that was good or bad. At least it meant she was still alive.