A Tale of
Two Parties……
~The enigmatical Mr. Guerin~
New Year’s Eve:
Liz dumped another scoop of tapioca into a dish, begging
Maria for help … pleading for a bolt of lightning to strike her dead. Maria
kept nodding her head at Liz, but her mind was on other things, namely, the
large bag she was searching through.
“So, I have this new plan,” Maria told Liz. “I call
it my, ‘make Michael Guerin die at my feet in lust’ plan.”
“Just kiss the boy, for god’s sake!” Liz begged
Maria. This had to be her friend’s latest and lamest idea yet.
“No. No, this will be good! I can’t just go and molest
him. I mean, he’s a friend, and that’s a … uh-uh. So, instead...!” Maria
modeled her stylish long jacket, tight skirt, real short showing some wickedly
sexy legs, and her nice revealing top. “I’m dressing for success! Add in the
coup d’etat!”
“What government are you toppling?”
“Guerin-land.” Maria
held out her hand for Liz to sniff. “Smell.”
“Nice.”
“Michael bought it for me.” Maria smiled pleased with
her newest strategy. “I had it all wrong! I don’t need to keep away from him
… I need to stay close. Limpet close. Think barnacles.”
“What, he’s going to have to sail up into fresh waters
to kill you, then shuck you off?”
“Scrape. He’s going to have to scrape me off!” Maria was humming. Oh, yeah. She loved this
strategy. “By the time I’ve worked my magic, the boy will be driven out of
his little mind with lust … he’ll have to make the move, kiss me, toss me on
the bed and ravish me the way I deserve to be.”
“Okay, you are bent. You know that, right?” Maria made
a phishing noise. Therapy was too expensive, a little … a lot of old fashioned sex would do the trick. “Michael … I think
he’s highly receptive. I don’t think you have to pull out the big guns. Try
… I don’t know, kissing him?”
“I can’t do that! Girls don’t make the first move.
Attention, boy … Michael. Girl … me. He’s got to do it. He just needs some
… incentive.”
“I think he’s got plenty already.” Liz took a deep
breath and tried to talk reason to her unhinged friend who was letting sexual
frustration rot her brain away. “Do not think for a moment I don’t know that
this ‘plan’ is just another way to justify having your hands all over
him.”
“Liz!” Maria stomped her foot. “Work with me!” Geez,
of course she had her little hands all over him every chance she got. Damn
things had a mind of their own. “Look, we find the party, we get all loose and
free, and then under the night skies, loud music, and loud debauchery, something
gotta give, right? Am I right? Or am I right?”
~~~
Michael changed his shoes for a third time. He needed
something comfortable. Something that wouldn’t give him blisters, and most
importantly, something he could kick off in a flash.
“When are you meeting Maria?” Max asked.
“Soon. I’m going to be late if I don’t get out of
here.” Michael flipped off his shoes. Converse All-Stars … excellent.
“What are you doing?”
“Practicing,” Michael told Max. “Look, what are you
doing tonight? Anything special with Liz?”
“No. She has to work the Crashdown New Years party for
Senior Citizens. I guess they do it every year.”
“Exciting,” Michael said, not in the least bit
interested, but it sounded about right up Parker’s alley. “Listen, could you
find a place to flop tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah.” Michael put his shoes back on. He quickly
pulled his shirt off over his head without unbuttoning it. Excellent. “Tonight
is the night, Maxwell.”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah, me and Maria. I’m making my move. It’s time to
just go for it.”
“Go for it? So you need me out of here.”
“Right. It goes the way I plan, yeah, you need to be
scarce.”
Max felt a cold trickle of fear. “What’s the plan,
Michael? Maybe you should tell me before you just spring it on Maria.”
“Forget it. She’s driving me out of my mind. I take
more cold showers than a damn third world country! She’s invading my dreams,
and every time I wake up, she’s all over my body. I can’t take any more.
This ends tonight.”
“Michael, what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to kiss the girl … and I don’t mean the
kissing I already do with her,” Michael took a long dramatic breath,
“Maxwell, there will be tongue!” Michael informed his friend crudely.
“That’s my New Year’s resolution. I am going to really kiss Maria DeLuca.”
~~~
Liz stared at the tapioca pudding in depression. “This
isn't fair.”
“I'm really sorry, Petunia, but in about three minutes
I'm out of here.”
“You're never gonna find it.”
“Oh, please.” Maria waved that off. She had to. It was
her New Year’s resolution. Find the party, and do Michael Guerin until his
eyes crossed. In that order. “This year, I'm gonna find it. Trust me.”
Jeff Parker came up to Maria and Liz. “Find what?
Enigma?”
Liz looked at her father in shock. “You know about
Enigma?”
“I've only lived here all my life. That secret New Year's
Eve party has been going on since before I was your age.”
“Well, did you ever find it?” Liz smiled a bit trying
to see her father as a party animal.
“Once.” Jeff checked his arrangements. “Did you dish
up the tapioca?”
“Fifty times. Dad …” Liz begged.
“Daughter...” Jeff countered.
“Come on,” she pleaded, “you don't really need me to
be doing this.”
“Liz, you and I have done this party together since you
were, like, this high.” He held his hand out at waist height. “It's a family
tradition.”
“What, that I wait on a bunch of geriatrics for all
eternity?” Liz asked in exasperation.
“I'll tell you what, when you're finally a resident of
the Desert Inn Retirement Community, then you don't have to come here for New
Year's Eve.”
“Gee, thanks.” Liz sighed dejectedly.
Michael came slamming through the door of the Crashdown
from the back. “Yo, we ready?”
“You bet. I got the essentials.” Maria told her party
animal partner.
“Essentials?” Jeff quizzed his two employees who were
dressed to party.
“Right!” Maria opened her bag showing an impressive
display of bottled water, matches, flashlights, compass, and …” Jeff lifted
his eyebrow when Maria realized what else was in there and closed it quickly.
Jeff cleared his throat and looked between Michael and
Maria. “You two are good. Have a good date.”
“This isn’t a date,” both Michael and Maria said at
the same time giving each other nervous looks. Sure it was, but neither felt the
need to clue the other in.
“It's not a date.” Maria informed Mr. Parker. “It is
the
“And … that would be us.” Michael reassured Mr.
Parker of their imminent victory.
“Petunia,” Maria told Liz, “work on him. I have a
feeling he'll weaken. Otherwise, we'll tell you about Enigma tomorrow morning.
Bye.”
~~~
Kyle was praying in front of his Buddha statue exhaling,
inhaling, and exhaling.
“Thank you. Now that my immortal soul has been
cleansed,” he coughed, “on to more terrestrial concerns. It's been a dry
couple years. Kyle needs a woman. Kyle needs her badly. Kyle needs her
tonight.” There came a knock at his door, and his eye opened quickly to stare
at the door, when the knock came again. “Oh, thank you! But if that's a
Jehovah's Witness, I'm coming back here.” Kyle opened the door expectantly, to
have the wind knocked out of his lungs.
“Hi.” Isabel said smiling at him.
“Hey.”
“Kyle Valenti, it is your lucky night.” Isabel said
perkily holding up a video tape. “Rudolph's Shiny New Year! No?”
“No, I can’t.” Kyle told her emphatically. “I'm
going out.”
“On New Year's Eve?”
Okay, proof, he had sunk to loser status. “Yeah, imagine
that.” God, he used to be a big party man. “I'm going to that Enigma
thing.”
“Really? Do you know where it is?”
“No, but I'm gonna find out.” Kyle informed her.
“Hmm.” Isabel seemed to be giving it some thought.
“Or you could save yourself the aggravation and buddy up here with Rudolph and
his Shiny New Year. Oh, and … I brought goobers.” Isabel shook the box at
him.
“Tempting, but no.”
Deflated by his refusal to entertain her, she admitted the
truth. “Jesse missed his flight and is stuck in
“Boo-hoo.” No. Not gonna happen. He wasn’t going to
let her talk him out of partying and getting laid.
“Kyle, it's Enigma.”
“Yeah, it's just sex, drugs, and whatever's passing for
rock and roll these days. Why would I want to go there?”
“Ok, fine.” Isabel put Rudolf down and the opened the
goobers to start eating them. “Well, do you mind if an old married lady tags
along?”
Sighing, Kyle nodded reluctantly. “Ok, but I'm warning
you, I'm a man on a mission: Sex or death. So don't get in my way, and don't
cramp my style.”
“You have style?” Isabel made a face as she popped a
few more goobers. Who knew?
“Hey!” Kyle said indignant. He even took a bath. “Do
I look like Michael Guerin?”
“Ok, hey. Let's go. Where's the first clue?”
“At the high school. Mr. Seligman's room. All right.
Bring the goobers. I'm driving.” Isabel laughed following him.
~~~
“I'm sorry,” Liz sighed dejectedly to Max, confessing
that she couldn’t weasel out of the Crashdown thing.
“It's all right. I had a feeling he wasn't going to let
you go.”
Liz sighed again, rolling her eyes. “So what are you
gonna do?”
“Go back to Michael's and avoid New Year's Rockin'
Eve.”
Liz bit her lip. That sounded like … well it sucked.
“Why don't you just go out with Maria and Michael?”
“To Enigma?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I'm not really a party guy, Liz. I'm more of a …
one-on-one guy.”
“Well, I like one-on-one, but parties are very fun,
too.” Liz wrapped her arms around his neck. “No, seriously, when was the
last time that you went out and had fun at a party with people you didn't
know?”
“I dunno.”
“Exactly. Come on, there's no reason both of us should
have a crummy New Year's.” Liz took a deep breath. “Besides, Michael and
Maria probably shouldn’t be allowed out on their own. They definitely need a
chaperone, or someone to keep them from damaging each other.”
“What are you talking about?” Michael couldn’t have
told Liz that he was planning on doing it … kissing Maria, and more if he
could get away with it.
“Let’s just say, parents … keep your virgins in
doors. It could get really dangerous, real quick. Maria was packing bear. She
and Michael left with … supplies.”
Max rubbed his face hard. Oh god, this had to be like being
told to be the designated driver at a Dionysus orgy. “I'd feel like a third
wheel.”
“No, you would be a guy hanging out with his two best
friends on New Years, and you'd be having a really good time. Right?”
“I need more convincing.” Liz kissed Max. “I almost
believed it …”
Liz laughed pushing him away. “Good-bye. I have to go
back downstairs.”
“All right. Ok. But on one condition:
“How are we gonna do that? I'm gonna be downstairs and
you’re gonna be out …”
“We find a way. Somehow, some way, we make it happen.”
“Max...”
“Liz...”
Liz laughed remembering Maria asking her once if she and
Max were going to breath heavy on the phone and just keep repeating each
others’ name. “Ok. We'll find a way.”
“Ok. See you at
~~~
Kyle laughed as he and Isabel entered the garage.
Isabel looked at the high end classy car raising a brow.
“And whose car is this?”
“My boss Toby's. And these would be the keys.” Kyle
said tossing them in the air and catching them.
“What if we get caught?”
“We won't.”
Isabel wasn’t so sure. “How many blue Vipers are there
in
“One,” Kyle confirmed looking smug.
“One. And, I'm sorry, how many people have access to this
garage after hours, besides your boss?”
“One.”
“Yeah, we're gonna get caught.”
“Maybe, but this thing's a chick magnet, Isabel. I've
seen it work. I'll take the risk. Get in.”
Isabel sighed putting her hands on the car and using her
powers to turn the car yellow.
“Whoa, man!” Kyle said laughing, so very impressed.
“I'm not really in a risk-taking mood. I hope this
doesn't cramp your style.”
“Yellow wasn't my first choice, but that's cool.” Kyle
jumped into the driver’s side as Isabel climbed into the passenger’s.
“Next stop, high school, then Enigma!”
~~~
Michael, Max and Maria were breaking into the school as
were a bunch of other students on the great Enigma trail.
“Watch it,” Michael muttered crossly to Max, still
trying to figure why his friend was there hogging into his date.
“Don't pull.” Max ordered Michael.
“You know this is breaking and entering?” Michael
explained to Max as he pulled Maria in after him.
“Well, if we get caught, we'll party in jail.” Maria
told the boys.
Michael slowly set Maria back on her feet, his hand
lingering on her bare legs. “The girl wants to party.”
Maria latched a hand in the front of his jeans, dragging
him with her by his belt to the chalk board. “This is the first clue. Hut,
hut. That's football, right? Maybe the party's on the football field. I
don't know. That's too easy.” Maria gestured for them to stay there and
wandered off to confer with other students.
Michael watched Maria go, his eyes never leaving her body.
“So why are you really here?”
“What are you talking about?” Max demanded. “I'm
looking for Enigma.”
“Did Liz put you up to this?” Michael’s eyes narrowed
suspiciously. He wouldn’t have told Liz about the plan? No. No way. “Are you
a chaperone for me and Maria or something?”
“It's New Year's Eve, and I'm looking for a party, ok?”
Michael gave him a disbelieving look. “Hey, I know how to party.” Michael
gave a sputtering laugh.
Maria rushed back to them, practically hopping in
excitement, her hands on Michael. “All right, this is what I gather. It's a
quarterback's call, and there is a number 7. Dave Lambert is number 7.”
“Who's Dave Lambert?” Michael asked Maria.
“The star quarterback at Isabel's college.” Maria
answered quickly, going on with her information. “Anyway, so Julia says …”
“Who's Julia?” Michael asked interrupting her again.
“That's Julia.” Maria said pointing to a girl talking
to other students. “Dave Lambert's fraternity is having a party, which is
probably where the next clue to Enigma is. So let's go.”
The three of them headed for the window, but stopped when
Kyle came through it, stopping to pull Isabel in behind him. Michael, Maria, and
Max stared at Kyle and Isabel in interest, as Max folded his arms. “What are
you two doing?” he asked in his firm brother voice.
“Max!” Isabel seemed taken aback by Max’s presence.
“Looking for Enigma,” said Kyle. “Finding it too, so
stand aside, Evans. This party isn’t for big boring drips.”
“Boring? Hey! I know how to party!” Max insisted. Kyle
and Isabel both giggled. “What, you think you can find Enigma before we can?
Who’s as your partner? Martha Stewart?”
Isabel looked her brother over taking affront to the
comment about her new hair style and domestic situation. “Without a doubt.”
“You want to put some money on that?”
“Money? Hmm.” Isabel looked at Kyle who nodded. “Say
twenty?” Kyle shook his head as his gambling gene went into high gear.
“Fifty?” That got two thumbs up. “We wage fifty that Kyle and I can find
Enigma before you.” Isabel said smugly.
Maria leaned in. “We’ll take that deal, and it’s cash
and carry only. No credit cards.”
“Whoa, just a second,” Kyle said staring at Maria, and
then at Michael. “The bet was with Max.”
“Yeah.” Maria said smiling nicely. “He’s with
us!”
“No!” Kyle dragged Isabel to the chalkboard and the
clue. “We need to move fast! That’s twenty-five for my share.”
“What is wrong with you? Michael and Maria? So what?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Kyle explained.
“Michael and Maria? They’ve been to practically every Rave for the past two
years, every concert, except lame ones, and they go for the music. So if there
is even a tinkling of music in the air, those two could sniff it out miles
away.” Kyle glanced at the clue ‘hut, hut’ frowning. “We’re
gonna have to move quick.” He pointed to the clue. “Any ideas?”
“Out the window, Guerin.” Maria ordered Michael
practically shoving him. They were in the competition now! She stopped and put a
hand on Max’s chest. “Oh, Max, listen, this chaperone thing, I know that Liz
put you up to it, but Michael and I, we're not needing a chaperone tonight.
What’s about to happen, there isn’t enough money to pay any chaperone to
witness.”
“I'm not a chaperone. I'm really looking for the
party.” Max repeated, yet again.
“Right.” Maria said, her voice not in the least bit
convinced. “Ok.”
~~~
Kyle and Isabel were working on the clues, or at least Kyle
was working girls while working the clues.
“It's an easy clue. An easy clue.” Kyle told the girls
smiling charmingly. “See, the hut hut part meant the falafel hut across
the street, and the 24 and the 7 run either side of the 2 zeros, so here we are
at the site of the next clue.” Kyle smiled charmingly. “Nice car, huh?”
The girls giggled, holding on to each other. “Yeah.
Yeah.”
“Jerky?” Kyle offered them from a huge bag, the
desiccated meat an obvious new trend in post modern mating rituals.
The girls refused.
A large beefy man with his friends came up to Kyle. “Hey!
I'm gonna ask you a question from the future.”
“Yes?”
“Are those your teeth lying on the ground?” The man
asked Kyle menacingly as he herded the girls away.
“Bye-bye.” Kyle said.
“You know, I think they liked you.” Isabel confessed.
“Yeah, the way you like a monkey in a little hat. I was
just entertainment till the real men showed up.”
“Is this a confidence issue? Because women can detect
insecurity a mile away, Kyle.”
“Do you detect it?”
“No. I'm married. My radar's been dismantled. Look, women
want an alpha male, you know? You gotta exude confidence.”
“Confidence?”
“Yeah.”
“All right.” Kyle looked skeptical.
“It can’t be that hard, Kyle. I mean, you used to date
girls.”
“Look, it's been a long time, all right? I used to be a
fun guy. I used to have fun, but then the alien invasion happened, and I sorta--
my social life started to suck.”
Isabel glanced at him sadly knowing it was true.
“Yeah.”
“Did you find the next clue in there or what?”
“No. I think your whole falafel hut theory was a little
off.” Isabel confessed. “Yeah. Come on, let's go.”
“Where we goin'?”
“To find you a new social life.” Isabel opened the door
to drive looking at the bag in Kyle’s hand. “Drop the jerky.”
~~~
The frat party was hopping, and Michael and Maria moved
into the crowd easily waving at a few people they knew from previous parties
they had crashed. Maria leaned up and shouted in Michael’s ear for him to take
the other side of the room, and she would meet him in the center. Max wasn’t
as quick to catch up with the other two, as he kept getting blocked, and the
sway of the party butted him to the outside.
“Party! Whoo!” A drunken student screamed while beating
his chest.
“Dude, it's empty, bro.” Another male student
complained about the keg as he tried the tap again.
“What do you mean it's empty, man? We just tapped it.”
The guy took the tap and tried shaking the keg to get it to move.
“It's empty.” The student screamed in the other’s
ear. “Dude, it's empty. This is the last one. It's all gone.”
“Not--not so loud. Not so loud.” The guy looked around
nervously knowing the party would explode if new got around that their beer was
gone.
A girl stopped Max smiling seductively. “Hey, aren't you
in my astronomy class?”
“No, not really.” Max tried to see around her, to spy
Michael and Maria.
“I swear I've seen you before.” She ran her hand up his
front suggestively. “Hmm, are you with anyone tonight? It is New Year's.”
“Uh, yeah, my girlfriend's meeting me later.” Max said
removing her hands off him.
“That's too bad.” She got to her real reason for
chatting him up. “Hey, uh, we're running out of beer. Could you be a dear and
start a collection for a new keg?”
“Uh, why don't I check and see if the keg is really empty
first?” Max moved over to where a third male student was pushing on the keg.
“Aw, come on! Come on! You're out of beer?!”
“Uh, hey, maybe I can help.” Max intervened.
“What?! What are you, a townie?”
“Seriously, I, uh--I have a way with these things.”
The guy backed off. “Be my guest, please.”
“Sometimes it's this, uh--this thing up here that just--
you gotta make sure it's-- I don't know. Give that a shot.” Max used his
powers to fill the keg with beer.
“Oh! Oh, man!” The student exclaimed, as the beer shot
out of the tap. “There was nothin' in there. That was empty.”
“Apparently not.”
All cheering, whooping students started changing and
whooping. “Townie! Townie! Townie! Townie …” As Max got picked up and
swept out of there.
“Now get out of here.” Dave said retaking his seat as a
star quarterback. Maria frowned as Max went by on a sea of shoulders. She just
shook her head and turned back to her goal.
“Dave! Hey.” Maria said smiling at the man that once
tried to trap her in the eraser room.
“Hey.” Maria DeLuca! He pushed the person next to him
over to make room for the girl, noting the outfit, and the total grown up
hotness. “How are you?”
“How are you?” Dave asked flashing his patented
charming smile guaranteed to part a young girl from her tiresome virginity.
“Good. Listen, I'm looking for a party.” Maria informed
him as he reached out to pull her closer.
“There's a party right here, baby.” Dave told her, as
his hand moved down to her ass discretely.
“Do you know of any clues for Enigma?” Maria asked not
noticing Michael just across the way noticing her with Dave. Dave’s hand
grabbed a handful of Maria, and she jumped. “Hey. Oh!”
Michael’s eyes darkened as he turned away, missing Maria
dumping Dave’s beer in his lap. He was too distracted as he could feel it, the
rising need to blow something. Looking around, he bumped into a guy. “Where's
the keg?” He made a face when several guys went by carrying Max in on their
shoulders, chanting, “Tow-nie! Tow-nie! Tow-nie! Tow-nie! Tow-nie! Tow-nie!
Tow-nie! Yeah! Too much, brother. Good stuff, man, really…”.
“Ok, this is so not the right place.” Michael said to
himself going off to find the keg.
Maria searched for her partner in crime, but only found Max
where the frat boys dumped him on his ass. She reached down and dragged him to
his feet. “Max, Max, we're in the wrong place. I've--I've talked to everyone.
I've flirted with half a dozen of these bozos. No one's ever heard of Enigma. I
even let Dave Lambert touch my ass.”
“Did Michael see that?” Max asked, not a little worried
that if Michael did, he would start blowing the place up with his out of control
powers made volatile by jealousy.
“The chaperone speaks.” Maria shook Max.
“I don't know. And it doesn't matter, 'cause I dumped his beer on his
lap. Jerk, manhandling me like some stupid co-ed.”
“Michael?”
“What? No, Dave Lambert! Are you even paying
attention?”
“Where is Michael?” Maria looked around helplessly in
the crowd shaking her head. They were wasting time on this loser place. “You
go that way … and I’ll go this way. I’ll meet you outside!”
Max found Michael drinking heavily, two fisting glasses of
beer tossing them back like cherry cokes, heavy on the
“Hey.” Michael said blurry eyed at Max, belching.
Max took Michael’s head and forced him to focus. “Look
at me.”
“Sorry, I only have eyes for Maria.” Michael said
morosely. “But she's handing her butt out to total strangers. What's that
about?” he muttered drinking more beer.
“Michael, what are you doing? I told you what happened
the one and only time I got drunk. My powers went crazy.”
“I'm fine. I got no …” Michael shook his head to
clear it, “power problems whatsoever.”
“All right. I want you to stand up.” Max took
Michael’s arm. “Come on, we're going.”
“Ow!” Michael tilted away from Max, pulling at his arm
trying to get it free of the grip.
“What's the matter?” Max asked confused by Michael’s
reaction to his touch.
“That's a killer grip, man.” Michael put his hands over
his ears. “Oh, it's loud in here now.”
“Yeah. Can you walk?” Max asked afraid to touch Michael
again.
“It's bright. It's really bright.” Michael put a hand
up over his eyes. Suddenly, his back tingled, then it began to burn like tiny
ants were crawling all over him, biting his back. “Right, Max, what's on
me?” Michael turned around wildly peering over his shoulder. “Max, what's on
my back?!”
“It's your shirt.”
“No, no, Max, I got some-- Max, I'm on fire! I'm on fire!
Max, I'm on fire!” Michael struggled trying to get out of his shirt, out of
clothes. “I'm on fire! I'm on fire!”
“Michael, Michael, let's go.” Max told him as more and
more people took notice of Michael’s strange gyrations.
Michael rushed to the door, moving through people fast,
seeking the coolness outside. He got outside and began pulling on his shirt,
tossing it over his head. “Max, I'm on fire! I'm on fire!” Max frowned at
the redness on Michael’s skin, as he slapped at his skin. “I'm on fire! I'm
on fire! Put it out!” The hysteria in Michael’s voice drew Maria’s
attention as she came out of the party. She saw the two aliens, and quickly ran
towards them. “Put it out! I'm on fire!” Michael threw himself on the ground
and began to roll thinking he was on fire as Max and Maria look on.
“Michael!” Maria reached for him, but Max stopped her.
“Don’t touch him! It hurts him.”
“Oh my god! Is he sick again?” Maria’s hand went to
her mouth. “It’s the fever! We have to get the stones, and the others, and
…”
“Maria, calm down! He’s drunk.”
Maria was confused. She looked at Michael on the ground
rolling about and shook her head in disbelief at Max. “He's drunk?”
“Uhh!” Michael said holding his head. “Too loud.”
Maria dropped to the ground next to him, her hand reaching out to touch him, but
she held back.
“Yeah.”
“So, wait a minute. My New Year's Eve isn't being ruined
by some life-threatening, hot flash alien disease. It's because Michael's
drunk?”
“I think the alcohol affected his senses. Some sort of
sensory overload. Everything's too bright, too loud.” Max explained.
“Thank god, it’s just that. I thought he was dying
again.”
“He’ll probably feel that way by morning.”
Maria took a chance and put a gentle hand on Michael
stroking his red skin. “So, I guess the search for Enigma's over.”
“No, it's still early.” Max insisted, remembering how
his inebriation just seemed to clear completely. “He could just …” Max and
Maria tried to help Michael to his feet.
“Eww, what's that stench?” Michael demanded as he
glanced at Maria. “Is that you?”
“I don't have a stench.” Maria told Michael, wondering
how much her heel to his soft tissue would hurt.
“It might be your perfume.” Max suggested.
“Smells like road kill.” Michael told her still hunched
over.
“It's fifty bucks an ounce, man.” Maria informed him.
“And … you bought it for me!”
“It still stinks.” Michael said putting his fingers to
his nose to pinch it close. “I have terrible taste! No wonder you won’t date
me!”
Michael dissing something he did himself? That was her job.
She looked at Max with worry in her eyes. “Oh god, Max. He’s dying!”
“Aah!” Michael screamed as Michael fell to the ground
his skin moving with color as he began to glow.
“Oh, my god! Oh, my god!” Maria breathed in and out
furiously, damn near hysterical.
“Quick, get in the car.” Max and Maria practically
dragged Michael to the Cheville. “Come on.”
Maria got into the back with Michael, talking to him in low
tone, her voice soothing as she gently tried to hold him. Max listened, hearing
her crying voice calling to Michael, telling him to stay still, to hold onto her
as she called him baby, and other things. He should’ve taken Michael home, but
he took them to the Crashdown instead. Maybe Liz would know how to purge the
alcohol from Michael’s system, and a hysterical Maria needed her friend.
~~~
At the Crashdown, Liz was calling out bingo numbers when
Maria called her to the kitchen frantically. Liz excused herself telling her dad
that Maria was waving frantically to her, and that she would return.
“Maria?”
“Night from hell!” Maria told Liz hustling her upstairs
to the Parker’s home, and to Liz’s room. “Night from hell!”
“What's up?”
“Michael's up. Very up. Come here.” They entered Liz's
room and Michael was floating over the bed.
Liz’s mouth dropped open, as she and Maria quickly shut
her door. “Oh, my god!”
“Shh. Shh. Shh.” Maria said hushing Liz quickly.
“Look, his senses are super, super heightened, so, if the lights are too
bright, or if he hears anything really loud, it really, really hurts.”
“Like your whispering is doing right now,” Michael
commented heavily.
“Sorry, baby.” Maria pulled Liz outside to the balcony
where Max was waiting. “We would’ve left him out here, but he was sort of
floating, and we didn’t want him to float away, not to mention the glowing
light of his skin is like this huge alien neon sign! He’d be moving across the
sky like a huge alien zephyr.” Maria put her hands to her face and laughed,
nearly hysterical. “Did I just say that?!”
~~~
Isabel and Kyle entered the party full of more than half
drunk people. Isabel scoped the area looking for possibilities.
“This is a college.” Kyle told Isabel. “This is a
college party at a frat house. Why am I here?”
“Because you need to set your sights a little higher than
high school.”
“But I am in high school.”
“Yes, but they don't know that.” Isabel pointed out.
Kyle smiled. “That's true.”
Isabel gestured to the room. “Yeah. Ok, so pick one.”
“Ooh, how 'bout her?” Kyle pointed to a girl, then
another and another. “How 'bout her?” Finally he settled on one.
“Ok, that's Sally Reynolds. She's in my philosophy class.
Not your type. She's a nihilist. Would never get your sense of humor.” Isabel
scrunched up her nose.
“How 'bout those two brunettes over there?”
“Ok, that one right there is Kim Langstrom. She's
actually really very nice, but she's got a laugh like breaking glass. The other
one, Bernadette Tahoe …”
“Hey …” the girl said going up to Bernadette.
“Yeah, she's dumb as a fence post and only likes
girls.”
“Well, there's gotta be someone.” Kyle said fretting
over his celibate state.
“Oh, oh!” Isabel grabbed Kyle’s arm. “You see that
girl right there talking to the jock, who knows that everything he's telling her
is total crap?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Kyle was getting excited.
“That's Bitsy.”
Kyle’s hopes crashed and burned. “Bitsy?”
“Yeah, I know, she's got a stupid name.” Isabel told
him. “Trust me, Kyle, she's the girl of your dreams.” Bitsy laughed loudly
making Kyle wince. “Yeah, breaking glass.” Isabel waved that off for
Bitsy’s better qualities. “Ok, let's go meet her. Just be cool.” Isabel
told him. “Bitsy, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Kyle.”
“Hi, nice to meet you.” Bitsy said friendly enough.
“Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.” Kyle smiled at
Bitsy hoping Isabel knew what she was doing. Isabel introduced them and listened
as Kyle and Bitsy talked awhile.
“And then the quarterback said, ‘Throw me the
chicken,’ and I did.”
Isabel laughed with fake humor at Kyle’s lame story.
“He's hilarious. I told you he's hilarious. No, but really, Kyle, you've
changed since then.” Isabel turned to Bitsy telling her truthfully. “Kyle's
a Buddhist now. It's really inspirational.”
“Wanna talk religion?” Kyle asked, using his old
football days to pave the way, but his newfound Buddhism really more telling of
his current personality.
“Ok, but tell me you're not just some guy with a fat
Buddha statue who prays to get laid on Friday night.”
“No, I do--I do have a statue.” Kyle admitted. “I do.
And I do pray on Friday nights sometimes, yes.”
“And you're honest.”
“I try.”
Bitsy smiled at Kyle. “You succeed.”
“Is that good?”
“Very.”
Isabel smiled. Things looked to be on track. “Ok, I'm
gonna go get some drinks. You guys want anything?”
“I'm ok.” Bitsy told Isabel.
“Me, too.” Kyle said.
“Ok, I'll be back whenever.” Isabel went to mingle
leaving Kyle with Bitsy.
Kyle rushed after her. “Hey, wait, wait. I just--I just
wanted to say thanks for, you know.”
“My pleasure.” Kyle went back to sit with Bitsy.
“Isabel's nice.”
“Yeah, yeah. She is,” Kyle said staring after Isabel,
“she is.” It was nice to have a friend again, someone to talk to. He
hadn’t had that since Tess.
~~~
Back at Liz's house, Max was still trying to help Michael
while Maria and Liz waited outside to minimize the noise and pain caused to
Michael. Maria was pacing frantically, occasionally staring into the room as Max
used his healing powers to detoxify Michael.
“How’s that?” Max asked Michael who nodded and seemed
to go to sleep. He was no longer floating.
“Is he gonna live?” Maria asked nervously.
“I think he's past the rough stuff.” Max admitted as he
led Liz and Maria downstairs to leave Michael in the peaceful quiet of Liz’s
room. “We should leave him to sleep off the worse of it. He’s probably going
to remember next to nothing by morning, since my memory was pretty much wiped
clean when I got drunk.” Max glanced at Liz. “Think anyone will notice if I
duck into the bathroom?”
“Go for it.” Liz invited as she glanced through to the
diner locating her father. “My dad's still calling bingo.”
“What a great New Year's Eve.” Maria said weakly, her
nerves shot.
“I know. Did you have any luck finding Enigma?”
“No.”
“Well, you still have plenty of time.”
“I can’t leave him. God, he scared me tonight! I mean,
he’s always been curious about drinking because when we go to Raves I usually
have a beer, but he has to stay sober. I guess I thought he would wait to
satisfy curiosity in a controlled environment.”
“Why did he start drinking?”
“I don’t know.” Maria covered her eyes and breathed
in deeply. “I think I have a flashback to when he was sick before, and it
wasn’t a good feeling.” Maria glanced at Liz. “I don’t know that I can
stand to lose him.”
“He’s fine! You’re not losing anyone.”
Maria breathed in deep. “I need to go back upstairs and
be with him.” Maria stopped on the stairs, not realizing that Michael could
hear everything she said to Liz. “I love him so much, and there is so little
room left for anything else. He’s it. He’s ‘the One,’ and I trust that
now. I really trust it.”
“I know you do.”
“I’m just so afraid that it will be perfect, and you
know that most things that are perfect have the shortest life. I just don’t
want it to end.”
“It can’t end if it never begins, Maria?” Liz asked.
“Do you really want that?”
“No.” Mara blew out. “I’ve struggled to find a way
to change things between us since that day Billy came to visit. I’m just
confused over how to go about it.” she sniffed. “I’ll be upstairs.”
Max came out of the bathroom as Maria was going to go
upstairs. He went over to Liz. “I'm gonna head back to the school for a
second.”
“Why?”
“Something about that clue on the board keeps bugging
me.”
“Max, would you drop the act already?” Maria begged on
the stairs. They weren’t finding Enigma.
“It's not an act.” Max told her again. God, why
didn’t anyone believe him?
“Liz,” Jeff Parker said coming through the door as
Maria went upstairs, “it's almost
“Uh--sorry, sorry, Dad. I'll be right there.” Liz
promised.
“Hey, Max?” Jeff called to Max.
“Yeah?”
“Where you goin'? What kind of boyfriend isn't with his
girl at
~~~
While Max and Liz were downstairs celebrating an early New
Years, Michael woke up long enough to raise his hand to stroke Maria’s cheek.
“Hey, Maria?”
“Michael! What are you doing awake? You shouldn't be
resting … getting better.”
I'm fine, all right? I am definitely still drunk, in a
strange euphoric way, but I’m fine. I want you to get back out there and find
Enigma.”
“Without you?” Maria made a face. “It wouldn’t be
any fun without you.”
“I’m going to be asleep soon. Maybe I’ll wake up and
go home. Either way, I’ll meet you here for breakfast.” Michael could barely
keep his eyes open. He needed to rest them as strange lights and thought moved
in and out his mind. He couldn’t afford to let Maria see that he was still
sick, or she wouldn’t leave. “Go. Make me proud.”
~~~
“Lizzy, that's good enough.” Jeff told his daughter.
“I can finish up.”
“What are you talking about, dad? The place is a mess.”
“That's ok. I can take care of it. Why don't you, um
…” Jeff motioned to Max. “Why don't you two go out and have a real New
Year's?”
“Dad.” Liz’s mouth dropped in disbelief.
“Well, I put a resolution on the cactus. It said, ‘Give
second chances.’”
Liz smiled. “Well, you see, the thing is, I-- I also put
a resolution on the cactus. It said, ‘Remember that your parents won't always
be there.’”
“So, you want to stay.” Max guessed.
“Well, yeah, 'cause Crashdown New Year's-- it's like
this, um-- this family tradition. I think my dad deserves one night a year.”
Liz explained getting a little of the old Liz Parker, the one her father knew
back. “I'm sorry. I know we promised that we'd be together at
“We were …” Max pointed out. “At Crashdown
“Yeah, I guess that counts.”
“Listen, I'll, uh, I'll stay, too. You know, just help
you clean up.”
Liz laughed, shocked by a realization that Max couldn’t
convince anyone else of. “You--you--you really want to go to Enigma, don't
you?”
“Well …”
Liz laughed as Max blushed. “My god, look at you.”
“Yeah, I just don't want to go by myself.”
Maria came swinging into the Crashdown from the back.
“Heh heh heh. Who still wants to find a party?”
Liz pushed Max off on Maria. “Oh, I think that might be
this guy right here.”
Maria made a face. “Oh, Max, the chaperone thing, really,
it's getting old and it's just completely unnecessary right now. I promise to
abuse Michael as soon as he’s on his feet, and you can sacrifice yourself
then.”
“All right, that's it.” Max had it. Enough was enough!
“I'm going to that party. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.” Liz said smiling.
“Let's go.” Max said to Maria, hooking his arm through
hers. “Party train's leaving.”
Maria let him pull her into the back room as Liz followed.
She shook off his arm as Max kept walking to go start his car. “Is he
serious?”
“Very. Oh, wait, what happened with Michael?”
“Uh, he is still sleeping, uh, and he gave me orders to
find Enigma or come home on my shield in defeat … owing Isabel and Kyle fifty
bucks.”
“Ooh, good for you. Is he ok?”
“God, I hope so! My spaceboy looks too damn adorable to
lose right now, so …yeah, he's fine.” Maria held both of Liz’s arms. “So
your sworn friendship duty is to alien-sit for me, to keep him covered and warm,
and whatever you do … do not let him out of your sight! You let him float away
out your window, we will have words.” The Cheville’s horn honked obnoxiously
as Max grew impatient.
“I can’t believe I'm going to Enigma! You don't
mind?”
“No--rent my boyfriend for the evening?” Maria nodded.
“Go ahead.” Liz had a second thought. “Oh, but Maria?”
“Hmm.”
“You know the plans you had for Michael for tonight?”
Maria remembered them well. “Oh yeah, guess they are on
hold until my boy is up on his own feet, or at least can defend himself from
me.”
“Yeah those. Iix-nay-on the ax-May … he’s not that
kind of proxy.”
“Okay, you know … I don’t think that’ll be a
problem. Bye. Thanks. Bye.”
~~~
Max and Maria broke back into the school and were staring
at the chalkboard looking at the clues.
“So, all we know for sure is that 7 does not stand for
Dave Lambert's jersey number.” Max concluded.
“Zero, 24, 7, zero.” Maria pondered.
“What if it's a math puzzle? I mean, if we assume that
the zeros are place-holders for integers that …”
Maria gasped aloud, her hand grabbing Max’s arm hard.
“Oh! 24/7. It's so simple, it's painful!” She pulled Max with her to the
window. She got it. It was so … simple.
Maria and Max arrived at Bud's 27/7. There were other
students scurrying about, obviously figuring out the first clue, but still
trying to locate the next one.
“This feels like the right place.” Max commented noting
all the activity.
“Hey, have you found any clues?” Maria called to a boy
in their class.
“No, not yet.” The guy stopped and stared to Max.
“Hey, is that Max Evans?”
“Yeah.” Max acknowledged, slightly confused by the
other guy’s interest. “Uh, Daryl, right?”
“Yeah. So, what are you doin', man?” Daryl asked
obviously amused to see Max.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, out … at night. On New Year's Eve?” Daryl
scoffed, finding it equally funny that Max was out with Michael Guerin’s girl.
Damn, Max Evans had a death wish or at the very least, a brain tumor. Michael
Guerin was going to brutalize Max Evans when he found out.
“I'm looking for a party.” Max told the guy in
exasperation. What the heck?
“Right.” The guy walked away laughing. Crazy! Max Evans
was looking for a party!
“Max!” Maria whispered to her Enigma partner in a loud
stage whisper. “Psst! I think I found one of the clues, but I don't know what
it means.”
“Where?” Max asked discretely, his voice low staring at
the ground nonchalantly.
“It's right behind me.”
Max peered past Maria, not seeing anything, then catching
something purple. “The flyer?”
“It's not a real flyer.” Maria explained. She and
Michael knew every restaurant in town, and had a collection of their flyers and
menus at his place for convenient ordering and takeout. “So, one of these
specials must be the clue.” Maria perused the flyer reading the menu offered.
She stopped at one entry. “Blue moon quesadilla. There's no such thing.”
Maria told Max, as they walked a few steps away from the flyer, not to draw
attention to it. “But what does that mean?”
Max rolled the worlds around on his tongue, hoping for
inspiration or some word association. “Blue moon quesadilla. Blue moon …
blue … Blue Moon canyon.”
Gasping loudly, Maria’s whole body did a little jump as
did Max’s in excitement. “That's it!” She said to Max, as they huddled so
conspicuously. “Ok … “ Maria said taking a calming breath. “Let's walk
back to the car nice and easy, like we haven't found a thing.”
She and Max literally hopped to the Cheville and were in it
so fast, it was hard not to see their excitement. No, they weren’t hiding
anything...
~~~
Liz was downstairs using the bathroom preparing to sleep on
the sofa since Michael was upstairs in her bed. She didn’t hear Michael when
he came down the stairs, his face covered in sweat and confused. Noises were in
his head, voices, and of all the noise and chaos, one voice kept a constant
level in is mind. Maria.
He could hear her telling Liz that she loved him …
passionately. His mate. The thought wouldn’t stop moving in and out of his
thoughts. His mate. He couldn’t feel her near, or smell her. Confused, he went
down the stairs to find her, as the alcohol was slowly coursing through his
veins, working its way out.
Maria. He had to find Maria. Nothing and no one was going
to come between them. No one. Michael stumbled at the bottom of the stairs,
picking up Maria’s scent, feeling her like a low level tingle along his overly
hyped up senses. He shut his eyes and lifted his head sniffing, his tongue
coming out as if he was smelling and tasting the air.
“Michael. Michael!” Liz yelled trying to get his
attention. “Michael, are you-- are you ok?”
“Where is Maria?”
“What? She went to find Enigma with Max.” Liz tried to
get Michael’s attention, but he seemed to be off somewhere in his own head,
his attention hardly on her. “Michael! You need to go back to sleep. It’ll
be better in the morning. Maria will be back.”
“What did you do with Maria?” Michael demanded.
“Okay, you’re still drunk. Give me a minute, and I’ll
put you back to bed.” Liz went into the bathroom to turn off the light and
gather up the dirty clothes she left in there. It was the click of the door that
made her realize that something happened. Michael shut the door on her. Trying
to open it, she couldn’t. It was locked. Staring at the lock that only locked
from the inside, she tried again.
Michael. Michael had used his powers to lock her inside.
Banging on the door, and pulling on it, Liz screamed. “Michael! Michael, let
me out of here.”
“No one is coming between me and Maria. No one,”
Michael told the door. He walked out and then stopped. Closing his eyes, he was
perfectly still and then suddenly his eyes opened, and he was off seeking his
mate.
“Michael! Come back here and let me out! Michael!
Michael?” Liz sighed. Great. Some alien babysitter she was. Wait until she had
to tell Maria.
~~~
Kyle and Isabel put the Viper back in its home garage and
Kyle waited while Isabel changed the color back to the original paint.
“You're sure you're not disappointed?” she asked him.
“Aw, what are you talking about? I got the girl's phone
number.”
“Yeah, but you wanted to get laid.”
“Look, I got a college girl's phone number. I'm way ahead
of the game.”
“And you gotta know when to hold 'em and …”
“Know when to fold 'em.”
“Know when to walk away …”
“Know when to run.” Kyle finished. “Hey, thanks. I--I
had a really good time.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Isabel admitted. “Even if we
didn’t find Enigma. I’m hoping the others didn’t as well. But you know,
the night’s not over yet.”
“It's not?”
“No. It's over an hour till
“Ok. Well, then, what do you want to do?” Kyle asked,
wondering how he was going to keep his eyes open until
“How much do you love me?”
Kyle imagined kissing Isabel, and he quickly shook his head
awake. Now that was deranged. He needed sleep. His eyes found something in her
hands. “Oh, oh, oh! Rudolph's Shiny New Year?”
“Please?” Isabel begged giving him her best engaging
smile.
“Oh, the sacrifices I make for my friends.” Kyle
groaned, resolved to watch the lame show.
“Thank you. You're the best.”
“Don't be a complete idiot.” Kyle said. They sat back
to watch the show, and it was as silly as it appeared as they both were falling
asleep on the sofa.
“Isabel?”
“Hmm?”
“It's five seconds till
“Mm. Happy New Year.” Isabel mumbled.
“Happy New Year, Isabel.” Kyle went back to sleep as
Rudolf’s Shiny New Year continued to play.
~~~
They were on the road driving towards what they hoped would
be the party. It was almost
“You should have seen him there all brave and noble …
telling me to go find Enigma, to make him proud.” Maria took a deep breath.
“It was enough to make me fall in love with him all over again.”
Max stared at Maria sharply. Oh well, hell, there it was.
She admitted it, and Michael wasn’t there. “Yeah, well, I have to live with
him. That's enough.”
“I live with him too, most of the time.”
Max wasn’t sure how much he could say without betraying a
confidence. “Why don’t you just tell him you love him?”
“I tell him I love him all the time,” said Maria,
purposely being obtuse. “I realized a long time ago that he had very little of
it in his life, literally none. So once I realized how I felt, it seemed mean
not to tell him.”
“Maria,” Max laughed at how she avoided the question.
“In love with him, not just that you love him.”
“Oh, that.”
“Yeah.”
Maria laughed at herself at the irony of her life.
“You’d think it would be easy, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Sure, just walk up to him and say, ‘Oh by the way, my
feelings have changed, and I not only love you, but am actually ‘in love’
with you’ … yeah, that would be an idea.”
“So?”
“You have to understand. In retrospect, I think I loved
him from the moment he kidnapped me and my Jetta, but I knew I loved him the
night you and Liz went to the reservation and met River Dog. That night … he
tried to kiss me, and I stopped him.”
“He …” Max glanced at Maria in wonder. That long ago?
That was even before he and Liz … Max stared at the road in shock. “Why did
you stop him?”
Maria shrugged. “He was something I could never have. He
was leaving. He would always be leaving, and I could have this passionate
confusing love affair with him, but it would always be bittersweet in the
knowledge that he was leaving. My heart could never handle that much misery.”
“He’s not leaving anymore, Maria.” Max pointed out
the obvious, that her excuse to keep Michael at arms length … denying
something that she wanted, and he wanted was no longer necessary.
“I know, but the thing is this … when you fall in love
with someone, you slowly learn everything about them by a slow process of dates,
meetings, sharing things, and even a slow burning passion that blazes into
something more as you become more comfortable. Well, I’m already there with
Michael. I’ve been doing this for over two years, and I know more about him
than you do.”
“I know you do.”
“Well, I didn’t allow myself to think about him like
this years ago, or allowed myself to think about him as a lover until he lost
control of his powers, only a few weeks ago. A lot of things happened to me in
those two days. I woke up, and I also learned something important. I was still
only seventeen going on eighteen. I forgot that. I forgot that I’m basically
still a child slowly growing into a woman’s body, but I felt old. So much
older. This secret I’m sharing with you, it has put more mileage and age on my
mental body than I can tell you. I woke up tired and feeling used, like I was
ready for this to be done.”
“I’m sorry.” Max understood. He woke up an alien
King, and the weight of it, the need to always be right, to make the wise
choice, was an albatross on his back. He stared more often in the face of
failure, than the glory of success, in both this life and the last. He was a boy
trapped in a fate judged as a man, and no matter how he fought against it … it
was his destiny.
“Michael was never allowed to be a child, and I grew up
hard and fast myself. This alien thing, it made me grow up even more, as it
always did Michael. So much of our youth compromised, sped up to this need to be
older than we are.” Maria sighed not in tiredness, but something so much more
… weariness.
“Falling in love, Max. You only fall in love the first
time once. There are no do overs or start again. Once. There will in your life
only be One first love, and if you’re lucky, it will be the love of your life.
I don’t want it to be another rush in my life, a sudden … hi, I’m awake,
and this is what I am. I want to fall in love the right way, with all the parts
in between. I want Michael to feel that too, because I know more than I can say.
I know that once it’s a done thing, that we’re in love, there is no tomorrow
that doesn’t look different to us. Everything will change, and I don’t want
to lose what I have, so I want him to finally do something the right way, have
the childhood, and maybe along the way, if he doesn’t want it, if it becomes
something he cannot want, I want him to be able to stop, pull back … because I
love him.”
Max was quiet thinking of what Maria was saying, thinking
of himself and Liz. Maybe if he and Liz had slowly dated, slowly allowed their
friendship to evolve long before the first kiss, their lives might have been
different. As Maria said, everything for all of them raced at high speeds, and
none of them learned to feel comfortable in their bodies before the world raced
out of control to the next alien crisis. When he loved Liz, it was as if he
wasn’t allowed to be an alien king, and when he was king, he couldn’t have
Liz. They were the two parts of his makeup, and they were mutually exclusive of
each other.
Maybe that was where he went wrong. He and Liz had needed
the time to slowly build a strong foundation based on love, friendship and
mutual respect, long before they built a future on it. Instead what they had
began to crumble because there was too much stress on a foundation based on an
idyllic love … to young and untried, and it had little else, leaving it shaky
at best. He felt a friendship with Liz, and even a respect, but nothing equal to
the deepness and richness that Michael and Maria had created over the years.
Last spring proved that as their friendship and respect for each other blew up.
“Are you sure we're on
“Positive.”
“Then where's the turn-off to Blue Moon canyon?”
“Another three or four miles.”
Maria sat on the edge of the seat hoping they were right.
It felt strange to be here without Michael. “Max?”
“Hmm.”
“Will you not tell Michael what I said?”
“Your secret is safe with me.” Maria smiled as Max
turned onto Blue Moon canyon road, and they could see lights in the distance.
The Rave. Enigma. They found it. Max found a place to park among the other cars,
and he and Maria walked up an embankment towards the light.
“So, are you ready?”
“I've been thinking about this my whole life.” Maria
told him, not meaning Enigma, but rather what it meant to her. Growing up, the
culmination of years of effort to get there. It was her metaphor for loving
Michael. “I am so ready.” Was it no wonder it felt wrong to be there without
him. “Max?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you the designated driver?”
“I can’t drink, so yep, that would be me.”
“Good because I think I need a drink. Just promise me
that you’ll keep an eye on me, don’t let me drink more than three, do not
let any icky boys put their sweaty paws on me, and most important … do not
let me take a pee in public.”
“Maria DeLuca … did you just ask me to be your
chaperone?”
“Yeah, well you’re really good at it.”
~~~
Max and Maria were dancing and laughing as the party
swelled into a loud explosion of music and lights. There were people everywhere,
and the music and dancing seemed to sway to a collective beat. Max’s heart
rate increased to match it, and he laughed with Maria as she danced, drawing
attention to herself as her youthful enthusiasm mixed with the general feel of
the party. She was down already two beers, and completely drunk, having more fun
than she could say.
A hand touched her shoulder, and Maria swung around gasping
in surprise at a tall Michael, standing over her. Max could hear her cry of,
‘Michael!’ just before she literally threw herself into his arms. Max
watched as Michael took the bundle of Maria in his arms and twirled her around,
and fulfilled his New Year’s resolution with a real kiss.
Max watched for a few moments, as did everyone else around
them. Max quickly grabbed Michael’s arm, and dragged him out of the crowd to a
corner. He didn’t have to worry about Maria, she was apparently attached at
Michael’s mouth … and a few other places.
“Michael! Michael!” Max had to yell to get Michael’s
attention from Maria.
“Huh?” Michael said in irritation, not pleased with the
interruption.
“How did you get here?”
“Who cares!” Maria said enthusiastically, smiling at
Michael before grabbing him for another kiss.
“Maria,” Max ordered, “step away from the alien,
keeping your hands in plain view at all times.” Michael and Maria stopped
their frenzied mating game to stare at Max in confusion.
The hand Max had on Michael suddenly moved off Michael’s
arm as Michael pushed Max away. His. All his and no one was going to take her
away. Max stared at the moving of glowing color along Michael’s skin.
“Michael, you’re still drunk! How did you get here? How
did you find Enigma?”
“Yay us!” Maria told Michael excitedly, “I’m drunk
too!”
“Enigma?” Michael mumbled confused, his eyes going to
Maria, devouring her alive as she leaned into him whispering hotly, ‘Oh god,
yes!’, and Michael said, “Maria, I found Maria.” He didn’t know what
Enigma was … just Maria.
“You tracked Maria?” Max asked in disbelief.
“Max,” both Michael and Maria said at the same time.
“Go away!”
Maria was kissing Michael passionately, her hands up his
shirt on his skin. “Does this hurt?” She asked him. Michael moaned shaking
his head.
Her hands moved and her mouth as she sucked on his skin.
“Did that hurt?” Michael’s eyes took on a real hot component as he kissed
her hard.
Max watched for the rest of the evening as his two drunk
friends danced plastered together while kissing, and the occasional glow on
Michael’s skin. No one else seemed to notice it as strange, and from the
inebriated state of most of the Enigma partiers, they never would. Giving up his
position of chaperone, he went back to the party, keeping a watchful eye on the
two drunks, but it was his night off from the world, his world, and he wanted to
pretend he was free and young.
~~~
Jesse got home early morning to find Kyle and Isabel on the
couch. He stared at his wife sleeping with another man, and reached down to pick
up the video box his wife rented. Rudolf’s Shiny New Year? Jesse shook his
head and decided he owed Kyle a breakfast.
When Kyle, Jesse and Isabel came into the diner they found
Liz working the early morning shift behind the counter. Liz looked up as the
first customers of the day appeared smiling at her friends.
“Hi.” Isabel called to Liz as she, Jesse and Isabel
took a close table instead of a booth.
Liz brought them menus. “Hey, Jesse. Hey, how was
“Cold and uncomfortable. Spent the night in the
airport.”
“What? You're kidding.” Wow, someone else had a
terrible New Year’s Eve too? Though, Liz bet that hers won hands down, unless
Jesse spent the night in a bathroom, locked in by an alien. Now how often did a
person get locked in a bathroom by an alien? She so won this … hands down.
“Yeah, I wish I was. New Year's Eve, all alone, and then
I come home to find my wife asleep with another man.”
“What?”
Kyle was looking through the menu. Breakfast was on Jesse.
Hmm. “Morality has no place on New Year's Eve. I saw an opportunity, and I
took it.” Kyle informed the group.
“The lesson is,” Isabel informed her husband, “never
leave me alone. Ever.”
“Lesson learned.” Jesse pulled Isabel close kissing
her.
“So,” Kyle said looking around hopefully, “I assume
nobody found that Enigma thing, right?”
“I wouldn't be too sure of that.” Liz told Kyle
gesturing to the Crashdown door as Michael, Maria, and Max came stumbling in.
Maria was getting a ride on Michael’s back, and the group of them was singing
… badly.
“You found it?” Kyle groaned. “I don't believe it.”
“Oh, yes, we found it, closed it, did it!” A weaving
Maria exclaimed trying to sit on a stool at the counter. Michael picked her up
dumping her on the seat while his arms went around her, holding her in place
from behind.
“I'll bet you think it’s unbelievable, because we won
the bet!” Michael told Kyle.
“That’s right!” Max made a rubbing gesture with his
fingers at Isabel and Kyle indicating money.
Liz smiled at Max’s enthusiasm and the happy look on his
face. “Tell us everything.”
“Ok, well, first we-- we go all the way back to the
classroom for clues.” Maria started.
“It was at the falafel hut, right?” Kyle asked.
“The what?” Max made a face.
“Let Maria tell the story.” Michael told the others,
especially since he had no memory of how he got to Enigma, or anything that
happened in literally the last twenty-four hours. All he knew was he became
aware with a very drunk Maria in his arms, dancing with him, kissing him, and
whatever happened … he was not going to complain. He got his New Year’s
resolution, even if the drunk Maria never remembered everything … it was a
start.
“Thank you, Michael. Anyway, as I was saying …” Maria
stopped when Mr. Parker came up to them. “Hi.”
“So you found Enigma?” Michael, Max and Maria nodded
and Jeff Parker shook his head. “Well congratulations. The kitchen is open.
Orders?”
The gang ordered food as Maria, Michael and Max continued
to tell them their adventures, and Mr. Parker interrupted once to ask Michael
and Max to later help him replace the back bathroom door. It seemed that the
lock had frozen solid, and to get Liz out that morning, he had to take the
entire door off its hinges.
~~~
Max and Liz dumped Michael and
Maria into Michael’s bed to let them finish sleeping off their inebriated
state. They watched as Maria curled up against Michael.
“Michael?”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’m going to throw
up.”
An exhausted Michael didn’t
even bother to open his eyes. “Okay.” He went back to sleep, as did Maria.
Liz shut the door. “How much
did she drink?”
“Three beers.”
“Three?” Liz laughed. “One
makes her tipsy, two and she’s trashed.”
Max laughed, his arms going
around Liz pulling her close. “And you know this how, Ms. Parker?”
“My dad used to let Maria
and me have a beer when she stayed overnight. Hated the taste, but it was
fun. We would get a little drunk, under my dad’s careful eyes, paint our
toenails, and talk about boys.”
“Well, she only had two, but
when Michael showed up, she had a third to celebrate him making it to Enigma.”
“How did he find it?”
Max shook his head at the
mystery of it. “No clue. He just showed up, totally trashed and on his
bike.” Max’s blood still ran cold at the idea of a drunk Michael on his
bike, but that was done, and they still needed to go back and retrieve it from
Blue Moon canyon. “He showed up, they danced, or did what passed for dancing,
laughing and talking, and a heck of a lot more.”
“They didn’t …?” Liz
asked remembering Maria’s plans to knock Michael down and abuse his body.
“No. But, they came about as
close as they could in a huge crowd of people with most of their clothes still
on.” Max laughed. “You know how the entire school thinks they’re together,
a couple … a very sexually active couple?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, let’s just say that
last night, Michael and Maria didn’t squash those ideas, but rather confirmed
them.”
“Oh,” said Liz meeting
Max’s eyes. “Oh!”
