Maria
wiped the sweat from her forehead and checked her watch for the 60th
time in less than ten minutes. She was having a hard time with the long shifts
she now had to take to help the Parkers. They were at least three waitresses
short, and until they could find new ones she had to keep working whenever she
had free time.
Her
feet were killing her. She prepared what seemed like the 1000th
Alien Blast that day, and serving it to a rather rude customer, she headed for
the bathroom.
She
sat on the toilet seat and her head fell to her hands in exhaustion. She
wasn’t going to last long if this continued. She could feel a flue coming to
top it all…
She
was about to doze off when she felt herself being lifted. She grabbed the arms
that was holding her in an instinct to not fall, and relaxed when she heard
the familiar soothing voice. “Sssshh… I got you.”
She
knew he would never let her fall.
“What
are you doing?” she asked sleepily when she noticed him heading for the
door.
“I'm
taking you home.”
She
shook her head. “No, you're not. Liz needs me here. And you know they're out
there, so you can't just carry me around. Just give me a couple minutes,
I’ll be okay.”
Michael
gave her an angry look, but knew he wasn’t winning. She was right.
Walking
back he sat on the toilet seat and placed her on his lap. She was so tired she
couldn’t even support her head; it was resting on his chest. Michael watched
her small frame in his arms, feeling desperate. There had to be something he
could do…
It
was his fault she was there. He could have been taking her home if he’d told
the others about them. But he
hadn't. “Not yet…” he'd kept telling her.
Not yet. As if there ever was going to be a right time. He knew that, but
she didn’t… So he kept stalling.
And
that was how he'd gotten himself into this mess. Maria needed him and he
wasn’t able to help because he'd been too chicken to tell people that he had
a girlfriend. His girlfriend… He
was getting used to the sound of that.
He
held her close to his body and forced his brain to think… To find a
solution… She was too pale, it couldn’t just be tiredness. He didn’t
want to think about it, but it could be serious.
“Maria?
Wake up baby…”
She
stirred and mumbled something about being too sleepy. Michael bent his head
down and placed a chaste kiss on her dry lips to tempt her away from sleep. It
took her only a moment to respond and her eyes opened slowly, lazily. That
worked every time…
“Do
I have to go?” she whined. She was feeling all her body, and it was so not
in a good way.
“Just
go out there and tell them you're going home…”
“I
can't… I… I have to help Liz close up.”
“Look,
I saw Liz out there, and she definitely didn’t look like she was having a
hard time standing. Now be a good girl and tell them you're leaving.”
Michael reasoned, his hands caressing her back in a soothing rhythm. “Then
come to my place.” He added softly.
“I
can't come, you know that. Mom’s home, I have to go.”
He
hated the fact that she had to explain everything to people. He wasn’t used
to that. He'd never had anyone asking him where he'd been or what he'd been
doing. He'd always been alone, on his own, free…
“Tell
her you'll stay with Isabel.”
More
lies. She was sick of lies. “Okay…”
Finding
the last shred of strength she had left in her Maria stood up and walked out.
To lie to her friends, her employer and her mother… Just to be with him…
-
- -
Michael
rushed home to get there and prepare the soup before Maria arrived. He
wasn’t really good at cooking, but since she was sick he needed to learn how
to make soup. Fast… Like in fifteen minutes.
How
hard could it be?
He
followed the instructions on the cover and decided to change the sheets while
he was waiting. He was looking for her favourite t-shirt to sleep in when the
doorbell rang.
He
ran to the door to let her in, but stopped to catch his breath before he
opened it. He noticed that he was actually panting from all the running
around. How pathetic was that?
He
calmed his features to appear nonchalant and opened the door. The sight that
greeted him wasn’t a nice one. She was paler than she’d been before. All
thoughts of keeping his cool left his mind.
He
took her petite form that was resting on the wall next to his door in his
arms, and carried her to his bedroom. Placing her on the bed, he remembered
the soup. He left her there with a small kiss on the cheek and rushed to the
kitchen.
She
was sleeping where he'd left her when he came back. He thought about leaving
her to sleep for a moment, but then remembered his main reason to not let her
go home. He needed to take care of her. Help her when she didn’t have enough
energy to help herself. For him that was the way a relationship was supposed
to work.
Ignoring
her protesting groans he stripped her from her clothes and carried her to the
bathroom. While filling the tub
with water he started taking off his own clothes. Well at least he tried. It
was a hard task considering he was trying to support a naked Maria at the same
time.
When
he was done, he lifted her in his arms once more and placed her slowly in the
tub on top of himself. She groaned and her eyes partially opened when her body
came in contact with the hot water. “Michael…” she said breathlessly and
he tried to ignore the pictures his mind connected to the sound. It so
wasn’t a good time for this…
“I'm
right here baby. Are you feeling okay?”
She
softly nodded and her hair brushed his chin. There was something about the
feeling of her body against his… It was addictive. He wasn’t feeling safe
enough to sleep when she wasn’t there. When her hair wasn’t tickling him.
When her small hands weren’t touching his skin. He had learned what it felt
like to be lonely –really lonely- only after he'd met her. His nights
without Maria were much more different than the ones he’d had in his room
avoiding Hank. He had always been alone, but now, without her, he was feeling
incomplete.
She
fit him perfectly. Her body, her soul, her character… She was made for him.
She belonged to him.
Michael
softly massaged her body with soap and water, and enjoyed the moans he
elicited from her. He shampooed her hair carefully, not letting water travel
down to her face and make her uncomfortable. He tried to wash away her
exhaustion, but it was clear now that this was deeper than water could ever
remove.
Placing
his hands on her chest he closed his eyes and reached with his mind to find
the connection he knew that laid dormant there somewhere. It was easy as
always. He wrapped his essence, his soul around hers as a protective shield,
and left himself open to her, to share.
He
could feel that she took instinctively what she needed from him. He was being
robbed from his energy but he surprisingly didn’t mind. He wasn’t usually
a one to share, being an only child. Not even that… Being an eternal loner
was more like it. But as he felt her take his energy, he could feel her grow
stronger and it was more than enough to pay him back.
Her
feelings were overwhelming him as they always did when they connected. Her
love, her awe, her gratitude… It warmed his heart like nothing else had
before. He had been living for that sensation since their first time.
Something
was different this time though and it worried him. There was something in her
that his energy couldn’t reach. Even when he focused on it, it stayed the
same. Sadness. That was all he could sense about it.
Coming
back to the real world he felt her body arch in his arms. He soothed her with
his hands till she rested on him again and her breathing returned to normal.
“Thank you.” She said with a contented sigh and he noticed that her hands
weren't resting limp around him anymore but were caressing his thighs.
“You're
welcome…” he mumbled as he kissed down her neck to her shoulder.
She
was fidgeting on top of him and he knew exactly why. For some reason she was
feeling frustrated after every time they connected. He wasn’t any better
himself… But it wasn’t a good time to give in to his urges. She still
needed her rest. He had planned the whole evening and that
wasn’t in the plan.
-
- -
“I'm
not really sure if I did it right… But just try it, I can go out and buy
some if it’s too bad.”
Maria
smiled at his babbling. How could someone not love him? He was so damn
adorable, and he was trying so hard to make things right. She tasted the soup
under his expectant gaze. It wasn’t bad. But she knew she would have liked
it even if it tasted like boiled mud. He somehow had that effect on her.
“It’s
great.” She said smiling at him and he let his muscles relax. He sat across
from her and watched her mouth as she ate, trying not to get too sidetracked
but of course failing miserably.
After
she finished her soup, he scooped her up in his arms. “Stop carrying me
around, I can walk!” she protested laughing. Then she looked in his eyes,
dead serious. “I know it’s just an excuse to touch my butt buddy!”
He
pinched her butt and winked at her. “You know me too well.”
He
placed her on his bed and sat her up, leaning her back to his chest. He pulled
the towel from her hair and inhaled deeply when the smell of shampoo assaulted
his senses. Somehow it didn’t smell this good in the bottle.
He
twined his fingers in her hair and pulled them down gently, giving just a
little bit of heat to dry them. Maria didn’t believe in drying her hair. But
it wasn’t good for her health, so he’d had to find a way to convince her
do it. After a lot of bickering and banter they’d settled on him doing it
for her. She seemed to not mind when he used his fingers instead of a hair
drier.
She
sighed happily when his fingers left her now dry hair and trailed down her
back. He found the hem of her –well technically his-
t-shirt and lifted it up her head. He lowered her body to rest on the bed and
carefully climbed on top of her.
His
body knew the exact places to touch to drive her wild. She felt his lips
beneath her ear. It amazed her every time that he could find that perfect spot
and could touch with his lips and tongue just so perfectly to make her feel
like she had just died and went straight to heaven.
His
hands travelled down her body, touching her skin ever so gently, almost like
he was afraid to break her. But she was glad that his hesitation was now gone.
His movements were gentle but firm. He was aware that it was only him on this
planet who was allowed to touch her that intimately, and it was only him who
knew how to do it best. Though it had taken time, she had finally taught him
that he was special for her.
She
felt his fingers graze her groin and could only moan her need. Words had left
her long ago. She wanted desperately to touch him, feel his skin, pull him
closer, but she didn’t have enough energy. She was lying motionless and it
didn’t feel like that could change any time soon.
“Michael…
Maybe we shouldn’t… I'm too tired…”
Michael
placed a finger on her lips to silence her and kept kissing down her neck. The
soft touches of his tongue set her skin on fire and incited the flame she
could feel growing in her abdomen.
Every
time. He could do it every time. He could make her squirm and crave for more
with just one simple touch of his hand.
She
wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
All
her body trembled with anticipation as his fingers caressed her centre and his
mouth worshipped her breasts.
She
had never liked her breasts. They were nothing like the girls’ on TV. And
they were way too small. She knew she would have had a panic attack that first
night as Michael unclasped her bra if her brain had been working properly.
But
it hadn’t been working, and she was now glad that she’d been in a Michael
induced trance that night. She didn’t regret a moment of it. Now, as Michael
touched her, she felt no insecurities. She was plain old Maria, and for him it
seemed more than enough. She was naked with him, vulnerable, and ready to risk
anything…
Nuzzling
her navel, Michael’s head travelled down. When his mouth found her dripping
core, a breathless scream erupted from Maria’s throat. At that moment she
couldn’t care less about the neighbours.
As
her hips rocked involuntarily, her head thrashed on the pillow and her hand
grabbed his hair in an attempt to pull him closer. He devoured her, letting
her heady scent cloud his mind. He unconsciously followed her silent requests,
guessing –or probably just knowing- the things she wanted him to do.
It was all about her tonight, that was the only coherent thought he had left
in his mind. That was the only thing keeping him from plunging deep inside
her.
Her
body contracted impossibly and for a moment she couldn’t breath. She
didn’t need to. All she needed was to let out that scream that’s been
building up in her throat. With one last touch of his tongue she felt herself
shudder and let go. His name left her lips in a cry, and it was all she could
think about. Michael. Michael. Michael.
His
face was a breath away from hers when she opened her eyes. A lazy smile spread
across her face at his worried expression, and not having enough energy to
handle anything more, she brushed her face against his as a silent thank you.
He
laid next to her without removing his arms from around her waist and pulled
the comforter to cover her naked body. She was sick, she needed to stay warm.
Kissing her neck, he buried his face in her hair and whispered to her softly.
“Sleep.”
He
watched her snuggle closer to him and mumble something unintelligible as she
drifted off to sleep, and tried not to think about the reason of his unusual,
uncharacteristic behavior towards her. He knew deep down there was no way he
would treat anyone like that without a reason. It wasn’t like him to be
caring. He hadn’t even known that he was capable of it. But apparently he
was when it came down to it. When he needed to relieve himself from unwanted
feelings such as guilt. And maybe love…
He
tightened his arms around his lover. He didn’t like the fear that covered
his body at the thought. He didn’t want to lie to her. He didn’t want to
lie to his friends. He didn’t want to deal with the real world. He just
wanted to freeze that moment in time and live in it forever.
-
- -
Maria
woke up the next morning feeling unusually refreshed and relaxed. She noticed
she was alone in the bed right before she noticed the voices that woke her up.
Michael. And another male voice. Max?
Maria
wrapped the sheet around her naked form and walked to the half open door. She
listened carefully before peeking through to make sure she wasn’t getting
caught. They were talking about a girl… And Max sounded worried.
“Her
mother’s really worried Michael.”
“I’m
sure she is, but why should that be my problem Maxwell?” Michael asked
sarcastically.
“Well
she is our friend! I assumed she’d be here when I spotted the Jetta
outside your apartment.”
Max’s
tone wasn’t accusing but still Maria felt shivers run down her spine. She
knew Michael wouldn’t tell him the truth, but couldn’t help the hope that
crept up on her.
“Why
would she be here?” Michael shrugged nonchalantly. “She just lent me the
car for the night.”
Max’s
eyebrow rose in question. “And why exactly did you need a car?”
“None
of your damn business…”
Max
just stared at his face like he was a puzzle to be solved. Getting up from his
chair Michael opened the door for Max.
“Now,
if you’ll excuse me I have a lady waiting for me…” he said in a tone
that made Maria’s stomach queasy. That wasn’t him. Either that guy out
there was some evil twin of her boyfriend or he was a really good actor. And
which one was the act she wondered; Michael the boyfriend or Michael the a-sshole
alien…
That
was a question she didn’t want answered…
“What?”
Max asked, his voice rising in surprise. “What lady?”
Michael
rolled his eyes and sighed, looking exasperated. “You don’t know her.”
“You’re
having sex?!” Max exclaimed trying to keep his voice down.
“So
what?” Michael snapped.
“We
don’t know what would…” Michael cut him off.
“Now
we do!” he said forcefully. “Nothing happens.”
“How
can you do this without telling us?”
“Look,
Max, no offence but you’re not exactly the person I would want to talk about
my sex life… Now please…” He gestured towards the door.
“Who
is she?” Max asked, not moving, determined to get some answers.
Michael’s
voice rose in irritation. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.
She’s just some hooker, and this is a conversation I could live
without. Now leave!”
Max
looked at him with his eyes opened wide in surprise. When he talked his voice
was laced with disgust. “I can’t believe you! You picked up a whore? In
Maria’s car?” He shook his head to make the thoughts go away, but it
didn’t work. So he stepped outside, not having anything better to do. “I
sometimes think I don’t know you at all…”
-
- -
Maria
forced her legs to stand up from her crouched position next to the door. She
calmly walked over to the chair where Michael had placed her clothes the night
before, and ignoring the protests of her body and the shaking of her hands,
she started to get dressed.
She
brushed away the unconscious tears that had spilled down her cheeks, and
grabbed everything in sight that belonged to her and put them in her bag. Her
chest tightened as her fingers brushed his t-shirt that she always wore at
night when she stayed with him. It never stayed on her all night though. He
would always find a way to get it off her. He liked her naked, to feel her
skin without constrictions. She willed the images of his sleeping face away,
that was going to be hard enough as it was, no need to make it any more
torturous.
Breathing
deeply to calm herself down, she walked out to the living room.
-
- -
Michael
was preparing breakfast and heard her soft footsteps before he saw her face.
“Good morning.” He said smiling, but it froze on his face as he noticed
the bag on her shoulder.
“Going
somewhere?”
She
nodded, scared that her voice would crack if she talked.
“You
don’t need to work today. Stay.” He said calmly. Too calmly in Michael
standards, Maria noticed. So he knew something was wrong…
“I’m
going.” She could see in his eyes that he knew what she meant.
“No.”
he said shaking his head, like a stubborn little kid.
“Yes,
Michael.” She smiled bitterly. “You’ll have to find another hooker.”
Michael
looked like he was hit by a truck. “No. Maria, you know, I didn’t mean any
of it. You know I would never…”
Maria
silenced him with a gesture. “That’s not the point. It’s not about
today. I was going to do this eventually. Not because I want to, but I have
to. I… I… can’t lie anymore…” her eyes filled with tears again, and
she cursed herself for being so weak, and breaking down in front of him. But
she had to finish this now or she would never going to be able to.
“I
can’t force you to do anything you’re not ready to do. And you know I
l…” she stopped herself before she could say the “l” word. She had
stopped saying it, cause she thought it would make him feel uncomfortable, and
that moment was definitely not a good time to start again.
“You
know I like being with you, but I can’t lie to them anymore. My mom, Liz,
Alex… They don’t deserve this. God! It’s been months, Michael. It hurts
every time I look at them and see that disbelieving look. It hurts, and I
can’t do it anymore.”
She
inhaled deeply and closed her eyes to prepare herself to walk out without
collapsing in his arms. “I can risk anything I have to be with you. But
their love and trust… That’s something I don’t have a right to break.
I’m sorry…”
Michael,
frozen in his spot, watched as Maria walked out of the apartment. Out of his
life…
He
felt numb, and at that moment all confusion left his mind and everything
became clear. The answer to his questions from the night before was right in
front of him. He knew which possibility was the worst to happen, which one
would hurt more, which one would really matter.
But
the answers had come too late, and he had already made the biggest mistake of
his life.
Michael
sat in the booth with Max and pretended to listen him. That was what he’d
been doing for the last week. For one week, two days and four hours to be
exact. He’d been pretending to be alive.
What
was Max talking about? Probably Liz. Liz f-ucking perfect Parker. He knew
there was no reason to be angry with Liz, but he didn’t care. He was so full
of rage, he needed to channel it towards someone, anyone. If he didn’t, he
knew it would all come crashing down, and he would start to put the blame
where it belonged. Himself. It was all his fault. But this wasn’t a good
time to become suicidal.
He
craved for a moment of peace. The voices in his head were driving him crazy.
He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, most of the time he even forgot to
breathe. All he could do was stare into a void and think about her. Fantasize
about her touch, her smell, her voice…
God!
How many times he’d swore he hated her voice? Her constant bickering, her
unexpected laugh at the stupidest things… He was suffocating now without
her. He was feeling as if he was wrapped tightly in a box to be delivered to
hell, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t find a way out of it.
She
hadn't talked to him since that day. Well, of course, she was talking to him,
but not like she used to. She was talking to him like he was… like… he was
just Michael. Not her boyfriend, not her lover… Just Michael. A guy
she knew. He was feeling less somehow. Now that he wasn’t her boyfriend he
wasn’t sure what he was himself. There were no more secret touches when
noone was looking, no meaningful glances across the room, no pointing the
clock to meet up after work…
His
life was suddenly empty. He didn’t want to go home, he didn’t want to go
out… His life had lost its purpose. He was lonely and incomplete. He had
tried to remember what he’d been doing before Maria had come into the
picture, but his quest for answers seemed even more meaningless. He couldn’t
possibly try so hard to find answers when he knew they would probably take him
away from her forever.
He
looked at the fries in front of him and grimaced. He had forgotten to eat
again and now they were cold. Whatever… They tasted like s-hit anyway. He
looked ahead and met Max’s worried eyes.
“Michael,
did you hear one word of what I’ve been saying?”
Michael
rolled his eyes. “Not really.”
Putting
down his cherry coke, Max straightened up and prepared himself for a serious
talk. Michael groaned inwardly. That was so not good.
“Michael,
what’s wrong with you? Don’t deny it, I know something’s up.”
Michael
tried hard to contain his laughter. The guy was serious. God. He wondered for
a moment what he would say if he’d told him the truth. He would flip! It
would be fun to watch though.
It
was so ironic, now that he'd lost Maria, he really didn’t care if anybody
knew or not. He couldn’t really remember why it had terrified him that much
before.
There
had to be a universal conspiracy to keep him from being happy. Because his
life was like an episode of a really bad soap opera. Looking at the major
turning points of his life he couldn’t find anything good. Or anything believable
for that matter.
The
Crash. Finding out that he was a freak. Finding out he was totally, literally
alone on this planet. Having Hank for a parent. Failing everything he tried.
Thanks to his stupid brother getting exposed. Meeting and soon after losing
Maria.
Maria.
God, what was he going to do?
Maybe
suicide was the best. Something dramatic to complete the tragic chain of
events that happened to be his life.
“Michael?”
Max scolded, crossing his arms. He must have tuned him out again.
“What
were you saying?”
-
- -
“Okay,
pull over here.” Isabel pointed a rock formation near the road. Maria
stopped the Jetta, and followed Isabel.
“Are
you sure you can find it?” she asked worriedly. It was a hot morning and
desert wasn’t her choice of place to be.
“I
saw it clearly, it should be around here.”
She
was looking around to find something familiar as Maria tried to catch up.
“We
should have taken the jeep.” Maria whined, almost ready to give up their
search so soon.
“Well
if my stupid brother had taken me seriously, I wouldn’t have to force you to
come with me! Idiot! I'm sure it means something. It has to.”
“Umm…
You know you didn’t really force me, I kinda volunteered.”
“Yeah.
I noticed. Why were you so eager to get out of there?” Isabel asked
curiously, not even slowing down a bit.
“Uuh…
It’s complicated.” Maria said trying to catch her breath and follow the
apparently way too healthy alien.
Isabel
laughed at her familiar words. “When is it ever not complicated? You have to
sort out that life of yours.”
“You
have no idea how I wish I could.”
-
- -
“We
should have brought water…” Maria said, trying to keep the whining tone
out of her voice. It wasn’t like it was Isabel’s fault that they were in
the middle of the desert, walking aimlessly for two hours. Oh wait… It was
Isabel’s fault!
She
just had to have that dream! How were they supposed to find a cave she had
only dreamt from inside, in a f-ucking desert that was full of caves?
She
could feel her shirt getting even more drenched with sweat. Why oh why had
Spaceboy felt like coming to The Crashdown today? Why? She could have stayed
there, holding a cool milkshake in her hand, watching Max and Isabel fight
over the meaning of the dream. But no… Of course he had to come, and force
her to offer a ride to Isabel, and end up in the f-ucking hell.
Her
life sucked big time.
“Iz?
Iz?” Even after two hours she still had to run to catch up with the
tall-blond-and-bitchy.
“Iz,
we’re lost.” She stated calmly.
“Oh
no we’re not! It’s gotta be somewhere around here.”
Maria
sighed. That poor alien was probably just trying to make herself believe.
“Isabel, forget the cave, we lost the car and we’re moving in circles!”
“We’re
not moving in circles!” she denied.
“Oh
really? How do you explain this then?”
Isabel’s
eyes followed the way Maria was pointing and her shoulders sagged at the
sight. Just a little ahead of them was a huge M drawn in the sand probably by
Maria's shoes. So they were lost…
“We’re
lost.”
“I
know, that’s what I’ve been telling you!”
Isabel
looked around in desperation, feeling Maria's expectant gaze on her.
“So?
What do we do now?” Maria asked, half expecting her to wave her hand and
make the desert disappear.
Isabel
narrowed her eyes in order to see around, that damned sun was too bright.
“We… uh…”
“We’re
screwed, aren’t we?”
“No!”
Isabel said forcefully. She wasn’t a one to accept defeat so easily.
“It’s just noon yet. We’ll keep walking, the car can't be far. I'm sure
we’ll find it before the sun sets.”
Maria
took off after her, mumbling to herself. “Yeah, sure… It’s just noon…
The f-ucking sun is frying my brain and my bra is boiling! God dammit!”
-
- -
“Where’s
Maria?” Max asked to Liz who was sitting uncomfortably next to Michael.
Michael
had been wondering that himself. He’d been at The Crashdown all day and
she'd been nowhere in sight. He was hoping that she’d gone home to rest.
Those bags under her eyes were starting to worry him.
“Oh
she left with Isabel.”
“What?”
Max’s
alerted face informed Michael that his first guess of their whereabouts
weren't quite right. He'd never seen Max flare with anger just because Iz went
to mall. This was something serious.
“Oh
god dammit! Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to me!” Calming down a little
he turned to Liz. “When did they leave?”
“Like
10 – 10:30?” Liz offered.
“It’s
5:45!” Max bellowed and ran to the phone.
Finally
finding his voice and calming the ever-present Maria protector in him, Michael
blurted out his first meaningful sentence all day. “Where did they go?”
Punching
Isabel’s cell phone number, Max answered through gritted teeth.
“Desert.”
“Why?”
“Iz
dreamed of a cave last night. She said it felt important and we should go
check it. I didn’t want to just jump into anything so I said we’d talk
about it first. It could be a set up, or just a regular dream… I don’t
know. It didn’t feel right.”
Who
gave a damn about the cave? “And she took Maria?”
“Apparently.”
Max said right before his jacket started to ring.
“S-hit!”
he said slamming the phone down. “She doesn’t have the phone!”
Michael
grabbed the phone and hurriedly dialled Maria's cell. “Maria has a phone.”
He explained at Max’s questioning look, but refrained from explaining why in
hell did he know the number.
The
phone rang and rang and rang… His heart felt like someone was squeezing it.
There was no answer.
-
- -
“Iz
I think I'm going to die.” Maria said, lying in the shadow of a rock.
“You’re
not gonna die! You're just… just… exhausted.” Isabel explained without
moving an inch. Even moving her eyes hurt.
“My
head is pounding, my throat and my lips hurt, and my breasts are roasted in
that bra. I want to die.”
Isabel
chuckled softly. “They’ll find us, don’t worry.”
“Yeah
I guess.” She muttered trusting Michael to find her. “Iz?”
“Yeah?”
“If
we don’t make it out of here, I want you to know I’m sorry.”
“For
what?”
“I
lied.”
“What?”
“Just…
I’m sorry okay?”
“O-kaay…”
“My
hair’s a mess…” Maria said after a moment’s silence.
“I
would have helped if I had enough energy to come there.” Isabel said
sarcastically. “Why did you change your hair back?” she asked curiously
after a slight pause.
“He
said it wasn’t me.” Maria answered bitterly. The things she did for
Michael…
“Who?
Jake?”
“No.
Mi… My mystery guy.”
“Oooh…”
“A-sshole…”
Maria muttered under her breath.
“What
happened with him?”
“I…
really don’t wanna talk about this.”
“What
else are we gonna do? We’re stuck here.”
Maria
sighed. “It’s impossible. It doesn’t work.”
“Just
let it go then. You're a pretty girl and there are at least 50 guys in school
drooling after you.”
“See,
that’s the problem. I can't let it go. I am about to lose my mind. I
can't be with him. I can't be with anyone else. Even when I just try to be
with myself, he is there in my head haunting me! I hate him!”
“You
love him.”
“Yeah…”
Maria's voice was small and tired, but there was a hint of hope hidden
beneath.
Isabel
took a deep breath. Hot air. Disgusting. “When I was a little girl, like 8
or 9 years old, dad used to take me to his office. I don’t remember why. Max
wasn’t there. Just him and me. I used to sit there and play with the
calculator and pens and stuff. It was boring really, but I remember feeling
special for being there among adults…”
Maria
tried to not feel the pang of jealousy and pain caused by the memories of
being a kid without a dad at that age. What was Isabel talking about she
wondered. Did she have a point or had she finally totally lost it?
“…One
day when I was sitting there, I heard chimes outside. A picture of a white
carriage with golden rims travelling down a road leaving a glittery trail
behind flashed through my mind. It was so beautiful. The sound… It was like
magical… Like it was from a fairytale. I couldn’t see what was causing the
sound, the window was too high for me, but everyday I waited for it, and
listened to it, fantasizing about princesses in gowns going to balls…”
“Then
like a month later, I finally found the chance I'd been waiting for. Someone
had left a chair in front of the window. I climbed and waited for my dream
carriage. It came, and crashed all my belief in magic.” She sighed. “It
was a truck. A brown, old, rusty truck. There was a chain hanging from behind
it, and it was making the sound I'd been hearing.”
“That
is so sad.” Maria said on the verge of tears.
“No.
No, it’s not. That’s real world. That’s how magic works. That’s how
fairytales work. It may not look like magic, but when you close your eyes and
listen… Really listen and feel, you can find it. Fairytales are not like the
way they are in books in real life. You don’t get happily ever after, you
don’t get the perfect fairytale ending… All you can get is the magical
feeling it stirs in you and when it’s right, it’s more than enough.”
“What
I'm trying to tell you is… Well, if it feels right, don’t give up on it.
Don’t wait for the knight in shining armour. Cause Jake is the knight
in shining armour. His armour might be shining, but there's nothing for you
underneath that…”
“And
don’t forget that he doesn’t have a brain.” Maria added chuckling
softly.
“Of course… That’s why he spends all his time shining that armour. Trust me on this Maria. Forget about Prince Charmi