by Kevin Ryan
"Okay," Jimmy said flatly.
Liz and Maria immediately started cleaning up the mess when Bell came over and said, "I'll get that.”
Going back to the kitchen, Liz picked up the order for her table. She looked at Jimmy sitting at his booth, staring brokenly out the window. He was waiting for his sister, but he somehow sensed that she wasn't coming. Whatever force that allowed Jimmy glimpses into the future was telling him that his sister's time was very short.
Liz had the same feeling about Jessica's future.
As she worked, Liz found herself thinking about Jimmy and the spilled sugar, then about the spilled coffee. Jimmy had known about each event before it happened, but had been unable to stop it.
Teiresias , Liz remembered. That was the name of the man from ancient Greece who was cursed with the ability to see the future but was powerless to change it. Well, Max had given Liz the power to see the future. Was that power… that incredible ability… going to be Liz's curse? She and Max had used the power just days ago to save the life of a woman who was attacked in an alley outside the Crashdown. Then they had used it to save themselves from the gunman on graduation day.
Were those two successes going to be the exception, not the rule? As Liz looked at Jimmy sitting by the window waiting for his sister, Liz was afraid that she already knew the answer.
15
That is it?" Max asked.
Isabel was silent for a moment. "Nothing that will help. She was dreaming about her brother. They were both younger. They were playing Candy Land.”
"So maybe she's okay for now," he said.
Isabel shook her head. "No, something's wrong. The dream was disjointed. She's… fading somehow. And I got the feeling that the monster was always just around the corner.”
Max put his hand on her shoulder. "You're doing every- thing you can.”
When she looked up, her eyes were ringed with tears. "She was playing with her brother, Max. He's very sweet, and she loves him a lot.”
Max didn't need telepathy to know what Isabel was thinking. Isabel had been his sister for as long as he could remember… and for a lifetime on another world that he couldn't recall.
How many rainy weekends had they spent playing Chutes and Ladders or Monopoly… sometimes with Michael, but always with each other? Was Jessica dying? Was that image of playing with her brother going to be her last thought on Earth? Max had not had visions of the missing girl like Liz, nor had he shared a dream with her like Isabel. Nevertheless, he felt like he understood her.
He wanted to say something else to Isabel but could think of nothing to say, nothing to make this better. So he kept silent, but he did something he hadn't done in longer than he could remember.
He took Isabel's hand in his.
A few minutes later, Michael approached the bench they were sitting on and said, "Looks like they won't be needing any help today meeting the community's laundry needs.”
Michael looked closely at Max and Isabel for a minute and said, "No way. Get up, you just can't sit here and stew. Come on, let's take a walk or something.”
Max shook his head. "No, I don't want to leave Liz and Maria. We should stay here," he said, indicating the bench outside of the diner.
It wasn't rational, Max knew. Liz and Maria were indoors, in a public place with plenty of people around. Max was certain that he was being unreasonable.
But he was equally certain that he wouldn't be going any- where. Michael didn't argue. "Okay. You're probably right.”
Michael sat down next to Max. After less than a minute, he said, "But we can't just sit here all day.”
Max nodded. "Come on, I have an idea.”
He led the trio back into the diner and approached Bell, who was working the register. When she smiled at him, he said, "Maybe there's some work we can do around here." "There's lots we need done, but I really can't afford… " "We'll work for free," Max said, before he could finish.
Immediately he felt Michael's elbow in his side. Bell looked surprised. "Free?" she asked. "Well, Maria tells us that you're cutting us a break for our food," Max said. "We'd like to thank you." He paused and then said, "And frankly, it would let us keep an eye on Liz and Maria.”
"Okay, hang around till the breakfast rush is over and we'll figure something out," Bell conceded.
Kyle walked into the office and saw Dawn sitting there. She looked up immediately and smiled broadly. "Hello, sugar," she said.
"Hi," he said.
She looked good, and he could immediately smell her perfume, but something had changed in him last night while he'd lain next to Isabel. Suddenly, Dawn looked like a dim shadow.
"What can I do you for?" she asked.
"Who's Johnny?" he asked, keeping his tone polite but neutral.
"Who?" she said.
"Johnny. You know, of Johnny's Garage," he said.
"Oh," she said, a look of recognition on her face. "That Johnny," she said with a smile.
Kyle didn't return the smile. "Who is he?" Kyle repeated.
Dawn's response was neutral. "He's Dan's brother. He was some kind of a war hero in Vietnam. He won a medal from Congress or something.”
"Congressional Medal of Honor?" Kyle offered.
"Yeah, I've heard my dad talk about him," she said.
"Did he open this place?" Kyle asked.
"No, Dan's father did when he was born, or when he was young, before Dan was born, I think," Dawn said.
Kyle nodded. "So where is he now?”
Dawn looked confused. "Where?”
"Yes, where is Johnny? Does he ever come in?" Kyle asked.
Dawn shook her head and said, "No. He's dead. He died in the war. They gave him the medal post… poss…”
"Posthumously," Kyle finished for her.
"Why are you interested?" she asked.
Kyle shrugged. "Just curious. I found this out back," he said, holding out the photo.
Dawn studied it for a moment and said, "You think it's Dan and his brother?”
"Maybe," Kyle said. "Anyway, I'll just give it to Dan.”
"Dan never talks about his brother. I just know because my dad knew them both when they were kids," she said.
"Okay, thanks," Kyle said, turning to go.
"Anytime," Dawn said as he stepped outside.
Kyle went back into the garage and approached Dan, who was getting ready to test-drive one of the cars.
"Dan, I just wanted to apologize for poking around without asking you," he said.
His boss didn't say anything for a minute, then said, "Don't worry about it.”
"I still would like to put our van in one of the bays tonight and check it out, work on it a bit," Kyle said.
It wasn't ideal. Without a new timing chain, he wouldn't be able to start the car, which made diagnosing other problems even tougher.
Dan nodded. "Sure, as long as you lock up.”
"And I still need a timing chain," Kyle said.
But even as he said it, Kyle sensed that Dan was sensi- tive about the van. It would never run again, of that much Kyle was sure. But it must mean something to Dan. Sud- denly he had the feeling that his boss wouldn't want to part with even pieces of it.
"Ill see if any of my suppliers have what you need," Dan said.
That was it, Kyle realized. Maybe it was just as well. He would pay more from a classic car parts dealer, but he couldn't afford trouble with his boss. He was making more money at the garage than either Liz or Maria were making at the diner.
The group needed him to keep this job. On the other hand, it would take longer to earn the money for the more expensive part. And it would take some time to have it shipped over.
More delays. And they did need to move on. The closer they stayed to Roswell, the more danger they were in. And then there were the disappearances in the town. He knew Isabel could take care of herself, but he also knew he would feel better when they were out of here.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Kyle said, holding out the pho
to. "I found this in the van," he added.
Dan took the picture and looked down. He was so startled when he saw the image, it looked to Kyle like Dan had just been struck. The color drained from his face, and he stared down blankly. Then he turned the photo over and read the back. Something moved on Dan's face and for a terrible moment, Kyle was afraid that his boss was going to burst into tears in front of him. Then Dan swal- lowed down whatever he was feeling, and his face was once again unreadable. Turning, he walked out toward the back door and said in a tight voice, "Get to work Kyle.”
Kyle stared after him for a moment, then he picked up the exhaust pipe he needed for his first car of the day and got started.
"Can you kids paint?" Bell asked.
Max nodded.
"Sure," Michael said.
"The outside?" Isabel asked.
Max had also noticed that the outside of the place needed it.
"I was going to wait until Sam got around to it, but I'm not getting any younger." Bell said.
"The front, side, and the back?" Michael asked.
"Yes, might as well do the whole thing," Bell said.
"It's pretty chipped. We'll probably have to scrape and prime it before we paint," Max said.
The building was red brick underneath but it had been painted many times since it was built. The last coat was white, but other colors showed through in a number of places as well as the original red brick.
"Just make it look nice. Match the white if you can. There's a ladder in the basement and some tools. Sam will show them to you. Then go see Harry at the hardware store to get whatever else you need. Tell him it's for me and that he can put it on my account," Bell said.
Then she turned toward the kitchen and shouted, "Sam!" A few minutes later they were rummaging around the basement, wading through old restaurant equipment. They found a tall, extendable ladder as well as a six-foot stepladder. There were also some drop cloths, old rollers, and one brush. They would be able to use all of it, and it would save Bell some money.
At the hardware store, Harry had looked at them with dis- trust. Max didn't mind. He was used to it in this town. And knowing what he did about what was happening here, he understood it.
But once Harry had called Bell, he had been helpful, if not particularly friendly.
Less than half an hour later, they were putting on three pairs of painter's overalls.
"I'll take the ground level," Isabel said.
Max put the extendable ladder in position, grabbed a scraper, and started climbing. They were working on the side of the building and Max started on the top left. He scraped at the chipped paint while Isabel did the same on the ground and Michael did the same from the stepladder.
The prep work is most of the job, his father's voice said in his head. Do it right, or you’ll be back at it again in an year. The sum- mer after sixth grade, his father had taught him to paint.
"Don't overwork it, Max," Isabel said from below. It was more of his father's advice.
When he looked down, he saw his sister; there was a slight smile on her face. He found himself returning it.
That summer when Max was thirteen and Isabel four- teen, Dad had announced that they were going to paint the house. Still, he was thirteen and there was a certain procedure for these things, so Max had protested. Isabel had too, but the next day the three of them were outside, surrounded by equipment and paint.
It was a clear day, early in the summer. And since it was pretty early in the morning (which had been a real sore point for Isabel), it was not hot yet. A few minutes into the job, Michael had shown up dressed in old shorts and a T-shirt.
"Glad you could make it, Michael," Dad had said.
"Sure," Michael replied.
No protests. Michael actually wanted to be there, Max had marveled. Well, Max knew things were tough with his foster father. Michael was hanging around more and more. Max's parents acted as if it was perfectly normal. In fact, they had taken to inviting him over themselves. A wave of feeling washed over him. He was surprised to find that he missed his parents.
He shook it off. It had only been a couple of days…
Yet, it would be much longer before he saw either of them again. Maybe never. He felt a stab in his stomach at that. It surprised him. Things had been rough with Mom and Dad after his and Liz's arrest for holding up the conven- ience store. Max had even moved out to live with Michael.
He had not been able to tell this father the truth about why they had really done it… or the more important truth about who he and Isabel really were. Finally, they had told their parents the whole truth. And then they'd had to leave Roswell, which just wasn't safe for them anymore.
But one summer before all of that… even before Liz… Max, Isabel, and Michael had painted the house with Dad.
And soon, the clear, warm air, the motion of the rollers on the side of the house, and some old rock and roll that was playing on the radio had begun to work on them all. Max had found all of his thirteen-year-old worries fading away. The group began to joke and laugh.
Michael burped once. Then Dad had made it a burping contest. Isabel had pretended to be disgusted at first, but she'd joined the game. In fact, Max remembered that she had won. It was a great summer, Max remembered. And that first day was one of the best days of his life, he realized.
Max glanced down at Isabel and Michael. They were working steadily. Maybe the work would take Isabel's mind off things.
Reminding himself to ask Bell if they could borrow a radio, Max got back to work.
16
Hey time to take a break, mister," Liz said from down below, a smile on her face.
Max climbed down as the others put down their tools. Shaking off the dust and paint chips, Michael said, "You know, we'd be done already if we used out powers.”
"That would be low profile," Isabel said.
"Just a thought," Michael said, raising his hands and smiling.
Max quickly scanned the wall. They had almost fin- ished scraping it smooth. As a result, they had made many patches that were bare brick or half a dozen different col- ors. It was already after the lunch rush now. With a break to eat, Max figured they would finish scraping the side and maybe the front by the end of the day.
"How's it going?" Liz said.
"We'll be at it a few days," Max said.
"I think it's nice. Bell really appreciates it," Liz said.
"Well, we appreciate the food," Max said.
"And you want to keep an eye on me," Liz said seriously.
Max shrugged as Michael said, "I would really appreci- ate some food about now.”
Inside, Max saw Jimmy sitting by the window of the nearly empty diner. The boy looked like he hadn't moved since that morning, when Max had seen him last. Jimmy was still looking out with the same forlorn stare. Max felt a stab of guilt at how much he had enjoyed working outside with his friends while Jimmy was inside thinking about his sister and worrying… with very good reason, Max knew.
Suddenly, he knew he had to help Jimmy, and the name- less others in town who were lost or who had lost loved ones. Just two days ago, he had said to Liz that he thought his path in life might be to use his powers to make a difference… to try to help people. Well, in front of Max was a person who needed help as badly as anyone he had ever seen. Helping him might be dangerous… that much, he had learned from Liz's visions and Isabel's dreamwalk. But since he had come out of the pod, his entire life had been dangerous.
Max didn't know if he really could help, but he knew he would try.
As soon as he finished eating with the group at the diner, Kyle headed back for the garage. He didn't want to do any- thing to tick off Dan. He had clearly upset his boss and he didn't want to add to the trouble. Unless he kept this job, they might never get out of Stonewall.
Outside Johnny's, Kyle saw Gomer for the first time that day. The bigger man glanced at Kyle and looked away quickly. Kyle hoped that meant his trouble with Gomer was over. He relaxed a littl
e when Gomer climbed into the garage pickup truck and pulled away.
When Kyle stepped into the garage, he saw Dan at work on an old station wagon. Dan had disappeared after Kyle had given him the photo, and Kyle was relieved to see him back at work. Kyle approached his next repair job… another tune-up… and Dan didn't even look up. Apparently, things were back to normal.
About an hour later, before he was finished with the tune-up, Kyle heard footsteps behind him. Immediately sure that Gomer was looking for trouble, Kyle spun around to find Dan standing behind him.
Relieved, Kyle let out a sigh that was louder than he had anticipated. Dan didn't seem to notice. Then Kyle saw that the older man was holding out something. For a sec- ond, Kyle's brain wouldn't register what it was. Then, it finally did…
Dan was holding out a timing chain.
For a second, Kyle found that his mouth wouldn't work. Fortunately, his hands still did, and he took the heavy chain from Dan.
"I pulled it from the van out back. You can put it in tonight after hours if you want," Dan said, his face as unreadable as ever.
"Thanks, I mean… this is great," Kyle replied.
"It's not free. It'll come out of your pay," Dan said.
"Of course," Kyle said.
"And here's a key for the padlock on the big garage door. Lock up when you're done. Dawn will lock up the office," he said.
"Thanks," Kyle said.
Dan grunted and turned back to head for the office.
Kyle carefully put the chain down. It was a very lucky break for them. He would probably be working late into the night to get it into the engine of their van. Once that was done, he would be able to get it started and really get it running right. If they had to, they could probably be out of Stonewall in a few days or a week at most, depending on how much Dan charged him for the parts he needed.
Kyle used to dread full shifts at the garage in Roswell. Then, he had seen his future ticking away every hour that he worked. Now, his future and the future of his friends depended on his ability with cars. Kyle found himself look- ing forward to the next job. If he finished his cars early, he might be able to pull the engine of the van before dinner. That meant he would have no trouble getting the timing chain in and getting the engine back in the van before bed.