The Wild One rh-2

by Melinda Metz

  "Let's hit the food court," Nikolas said.

  "Okay, it's upstairs." Isabel grabbed Nikolas's hand and headed toward the escalator. She kept taking little peeks at herself in the store windows. Mmm-hmm. She was definitely born to wear jewels. She could get very used to this.

  The sound of their footsteps on the metal escalator stairs sent a bunch of little shivers down her spine. She still wasn't used to how quiet the mall was. She'd never been here when there weren't crowds of people-shopping, strolling, eating, talking, flirting people.

  "You're sure that security guard won't wake up while we're still here?" she asked.

  "Does the word gutless mean anything to you?" Nikolas answered.

  Isabel could hear that tone in his voice. That tone that meant in another second he was going to be seriously pissed. But she had to ask one more question.

  "He's going to be okay, though, right?" Isabel said. "I mean, he will wake up eventually? 'Cause Max said Liz would have had to have surgery if he hadn't been there."

  She hated the hesitant sound she heard in her own voice. Sometimes when she was with Nikolas, she didn't even feel like herself. She was still way too worried about what he thought about her, if he liked her, if he would keep coming around. All that garbage that she used to think other girls were pathetic for feeling.

  "I am going to say this to you one more time," he said, his voice harsh. "I squeezed Liz a little harder than I meant to because I was so mad at Max. Now drop it, all right?"

  It wasn't a question. Isabel knew if she didn't drop it, Nikolas would leave her standing there.

  "Can we stop at the drugstore?" Isabel asked, ignoring the fact that Nikolas hadn't exactly answered her question about whether the guard would be okay or not.

  "Yeah, all right." He didn't sound happy about it, but he popped the lock on the double glass doors and led the way inside. As soon as he used his powers to break the lenses of the security cameras Isabel dragged him to the back of the store, where there was one of those old photo booths. She slid onto the little stool and pulled Nikolas down next to her.

  "You are going to owe me big time for this," he said.

  "Do you have quarters?" Isabel asked.

  Nikolas snorted. "I don't need quarters. Now smile pretty, and let's get this over with."

  "Wait!" Isabel exclaimed. "I'll be right back." She squeezed past Nikolas and ran over to the stationery aisle. She grabbed a big pad of drawing paper and a box of crayons and rushed back to the booth. She climbed back inside and sat on Nikolas's lap, then jerked the curtain shut.

  "Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea," he said, pulling her tighter against him.

  Isabel flipped open the pad and selected a bright red crayon from the box. She wrote the words Hi, Stacey in big letters. She added a few exclamation marks. "Okay, now I'm ready," she told Nikolas.

  Nikolas started the camera, and Isabel leaned close and licked the side of his face, just to give Stacey something to really think about when she saw the picture. Well, that, and because Nikolas tasted good.

  He grabbed the pad away from her, flipped the page, and scribbled the words Hi, Alex on it. Then he kissed her, really, totally, thoroughly kissed her. The camera flashed again and again.

  Even when the camera stopped flashing, Nikolas didn't stop kissing. He threaded his hands through her hair, his fingers warm and gentle. She twisted around until she was straddling him and wrapped her arms around his back. She could never get close enough.

  She couldn't stop herself from giving a little moan when Nikolas pulled away a fraction, breaking their kiss. "Uh-uh," Isabel said. She cupped his face in her hands, pulling him back toward her.

  "Shhh. I think I hear someone out there," he whispered. He slid the curtain open a fraction and peered out. "Yeah. Look in that mirror mounted in the corner."

  Isabel leaned back and checked the mirror. A uniformed security guard was slowly walking up the shampoo aisle. Heading in their direction.

  "Are you going to go get him?" Isabel whispered.

  "No. You are," he answered.

  Isabel shook her head. "I can't. I don't know how."

  "Yes, you do." Nikolas wasn't smiling. But he had to be kidding. Or testing her or something. When the guy got closer, Nikolas would knock him out. He had to.

  "Just pick a vein in his head and squeeze," Nikolas said.

  Isabel checked the mirror again. The guard was walking down the row with all the nylons and socks. He was headed away from them now.

  "Hey," Nikolas yelled. "We're back here."

  "What did you do that for?" Isabel cried.

  "You get him, or we get caught," he answered.

  Isabel stared at him. His golden brown eyes were cool as he stared back. He was serious.

  An image of Valenti flashed into Isabel's mind. If she got caught, she'd be turned over to him. He'd find out the truth about her; she knew it. She could almost feel the cold metal dissecting tools cutting into her body.

  The photo booth's curtain flew, open. Isabel didn't think. She flung herself at the guard, knocking him to the ground. She scrambled down beside him and pressed her fingers against his forehead.

  But the connection, she couldn't get the connection. She was too scared. Too panicked.

  She felt Nikolas touch the back of her neck, and suddenly she was in. She focused on the guard's brain. She picked a blood vessel, one that didn't look too big, and pinched with her mind.

  The guard's pain and confusion came slamming back at her through their connection. I'm hurting him, she thought. He feels this. He knows it's happening. The sensation sickened her, but she didn't let up the pressure until the guard's eyes fluttered shut.

  "Good. You did good." Nikolas touched the guard's head for a moment, then pulled Isabel to her feet.

  Isabel couldn't take her eyes off the guard. His face was pale, but he was breathing.

  "Sorry I tricked you into doing it," Nikolas said. "But I wanted you to see what it was like."

  Max would be horrified by what I just did, Isabel thought. His big thing was not using their power to do harm. Never.

  She rubbed her face with her hands, and her fingers came away wet. Was she crying? She wiped her face again. She hoped Nikolas didn't notice.

  It doesn't matter what Max would think, Isabel told herself. She was making her own decisions. She was living her own life. She wasn't his little Isabel puppet.

  The guard was fine. He's just basically taking a little snooze, she thought. Hey, it wasn't a bad way to spend his shift. Isabel reached up and adjusted the tiara.

  "It's a rush, isn't it?" Nikolas asked.

  If she said no, he would think she was a total loser.

  Isabel smiled at him. "Yeah."

  ***

  "Anyone else have any ideas where to look?" Max asked. He turned the Jeep onto Main Street.

  "Everyplace is pretty much closed," Alex said. "Maybe we should try the cave." And if they are there, what am I going to do about it? he thought. It's not like anything I can say will have any influence over Isabel. That's already been made most clear. And Nikolas-I'm sure he'd be happy just to squash me, or whatever he calls it, again.

  "I don't think closed means much to Nikolas and Isabel," Michael answered.

  "Yeah," Liz agreed. "And the two of them obviously like to go out and party. They probably wouldn't head straight to the cave."

  Unless they want to go back to their cozy little spot on the sleeping bag, Alex thought.

  "Let's try the school," Maria suggested.

  "Yeah, when I hear the word party, I think of school," Michael said.

  "But don't you think breaking into the school and turning it into your own amusement park might be sort of fun?" she asked.

  "Can't hurt to try." Max turned left, and a siren started up behind them.

  Alex glanced over his shoulder and saw the spinning blue light of Sheriff Valenti's cruiser. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse.

  Max pulled over to
the curb and stopped. The cruiser's door shut with a click, and Valenti started toward them. The sound of his boot heels on the pavement made Alex's teeth hurt. Would Valenti remember it was Alex who told him that the alien he was looking for was heading out of town in a green truck? Would he think it was suspicious that Alex was in the same car as Liz, who Valenti already thought knew something about aliens in Roswell?

  Too late to worry about it now, he thought. He tried to keep a basically normal expression on his face as Valenti stepped up to Max and asked for his license and registration.

  Max handed them over. Valenti took a long look, then handed them back. He glanced from person to person, making eye contact with everyone in the Jeep. Alex couldn't tell if Valenti recognized him or not. His expression didn't change or anything, but he seemed like a pretty cold, controlled guy, so he might remember every detail of his last encounter with Alex.

  "Ms. Ortecho." Valenti moved down and stood right next to Liz. "I've been… interested in meeting some of your friends for a long time."

  "We're just doing a science project for school together," Liz answered. "It's an astronomy thing."

  "We're driving out to the desert so we can look at the stars without interference from any of the town lights," Max added quickly.

  Max and Liz were always totally in sync. It was moronic that they weren't together. A total waste. Alex could understand Max wanting to keep Liz safe. But all of them would always be there to handle Valenti or anything else together. Max needed to give up this idea that he had to protect everyone all by himself.

  "You're heading the wrong way," Valenti said.

  He was right. To get to the desert, they should be heading either north or south. But they'd been driving east. "We were going to my house first," Alex said. "I forgot to bring the graph paper."

  "Graph paper," Valenti repeated.

  Alex felt little tremors running through Maria. He slid his arm around her. "Uh-huh. It's easier to map out the stars with graph paper."

  "Well, as you've been driving all over town, have you noticed anything unusual?" the sheriff asked.

  "No, nothing," Max said. "It's been totally quiet."

  Valenti's beeper went off. He checked the number. "All right. You can go." He strode back to his cruiser.

  "He's looking for Nikolas and Isabel, too," Liz said when Valenti was out of earshot.

  "Yeah, but at least he doesn't know that's who he's looking for," Michael said. "And he won't if we find them first."

  "But we don't know where they are," Maria protested.

  Alex watched Valenti's cruiser speed past them. "I have a feeling Valenti might have just found that out. Let's follow him."

  Max and Michael could both see a little better at night than they could during the day, so it wasn't hard for them to keep Valenti in sight without him knowing it. When he pulled into the mall's parking lot, Max drove around to the other side of the mall and parked on the street. They all climbed out of the Jeep and ran across the parking lot.

  "We should have thought of the mall," Maria said. "What cooler place could there be to have all to yourself?"

  Michael tried one of the side doors. "Locked," he announced.

  "We moved a truck with our power. I guess we can move a door," Max said.

  Michael shrugged. "Nikolas can certainly do it, so that means we can, too. We just have to figure out how." Michael got quiet, just sort of staring at the door. Max too. He looked like he was in a trance or something.

  The door's hinges squealed, and a moment later the door slammed to the ground. I hope Valenti didn't hear that, Alex thought.

  "I guess we can assume Nikolas has taken care of the security guards," Liz said softly as they stepped inside.

  "Yeah-I've been feeling bursts of power all night. Let's split up so we can find Isabel and Nikolas faster," Max answered. "I'll take one group. Michael, you take the other. I don't want anyone to be without power if they need it."

  "Okay, I'll go upstairs with Alex and Maria, you stay downstairs with Liz," Michael agreed. He took off without another word. Alex and Maria fell in behind him.

  They climbed up the escalator and started down the walkway. Alex tried to put his feet down gently. Valenti was out there somewhere, listening.

  Michael pointed to the food court. It was obvious Nikolas and Isabel had been there. Half the little stands were lit up, and the smells were too strong to have come from food cooked when the mall was still open.

  "Over there," Maria whispered. She trotted toward a drugstore with the security gate up. Alex and Michael followed her inside.

  Without discussing it, they split up, each taking an aisle. They're not here, Alex thought. It's way too quiet. Unless they figured out that Valenti was in the mall and were hiding.

  He noticed a pair of shoes lying at the end of his aisle. No, not shoes. Feet. He ran forward. A sharp acid taste hit the back of his throat when he saw a security guard lying on the floor.

  A few seconds later Michael and Maria reached the end of their rows. Michael rushed over and laid his hand on the guard's forehead.

  "No, no, no," Maria whispered.

  "He's okay," Michael said. "I'm going to let him wake up on his own, though, or we'd have to tie him up or something."

  Maria swayed on her feet as she stared at the guard. "Come here. Come sit down a minute," Alex said. He grabbed her by the arm and led her over to the photo booth. He sat her down on the little stool. The last thing they needed was for Maria to faint now.

  He backed up to give her some air-and bumped into the photo machine. There was a strip of photos in the slot. Someone forgot their pictures. Alex picked them up and saw Nikolas and Isabel. Nikolas and Isabel practically eating each other's faces off.

  Suddenly Alex felt like he needed to sit down, too. He looked at the pictures again and noticed that Nikolas was holding a sign in some of them.

  It said, Hi, Alex.

  *** 13 ***

  "Let's try Victoria's Secret," Liz whispered. "That seems like an Isabel kind of place." She could practically see Isabel going crazy on a one-girl lingerie shopping spree.

  Max nodded. They hurried over to the store. The gate was open, and the door was unlocked. But when they stepped inside, the place was empty.

  "I want to check the dressing rooms," Liz said. "Maybe they figured out Valenti's after them and they're hiding." She made her way to the back of the store, the silky fabrics brushing against her as she squeezed between the rows of nightgowns and robes and teddies.

  Suddenly Max grabbed Liz by the hand and dove behind the counter where the registers were lined up. "I hear something."

  A second later she heard it, too. The sound of footsteps, coming closer. Valenti. Liz was sure it was Valenti. Nikolas would have knocked out the security guards. Alex, Michael, and Maria were upstairs. And there was no way Nikolas and Isabel would be moving through the mall so slowly, so deliberately.

  Max wedged himself under the counter. He rolled onto his back and pulled Liz on top of him. She buried her head in his chest and squeezed her eyes closed. She could hear the hangers clicking together as Valenti moved through the store.

  Do the periodic chart, Liz told herself. Whenever she wanted to calm herself down, she would recite all the elements and their atomic weights. It's like it reminded her the world was a sane, orderly place. But right now she couldn't remember anything. Not one fact.

  Liz could feel Max's heart beating against her cheek. She focused on the rhythm and felt her muscles relax the tiniest bit. No matter what happened, Max was with her. That helped. That helped a lot more than the periodic chart ever did.

  Valenti's footsteps moved closer. Liz heard a soft hiss as he ran his fingers across the top of the counter. He was practically on top of them.

  Max tightened his arms around her. She felt the connection start up between them, and she was flooded with a wave of love from Max. She felt her own love for Max pouring out to him.

  He could say they were just
friends as much as he wanted. He could refuse to ever go to the movies with her, or dance with her, or do anything remotely couplelike. But none of that mattered. Because people who were just friends didn't feel this way about each other.

  Liz heard hangers clicking again. Then silence. Valenti was gone.

  She lifted her head and stared down into Max's blue eyes. "I-" she began.

  He pressed his fingers against her lips. He was right. It was too soon to talk. They needed to wait until Valenti was farther away.

  Max kept his eyes locked on hers as he gently traced the curves of her upper lip with his finger. Then he brushed his thumb across her lower lip.

  He continued to explore her face with his hands. He ran his fingers over her chin and around the dimple in her left cheek. He traced the line of her nose and the arc of each of her eyebrows. His touch was so light, like a warm feather caressing her.

  And his eyes. His eyes followed the motions of his hands. He studied every detail of her face, almost as if he were trying to memorize it.

  Liz couldn't stand it. She had to touch him, too. She lowered her head and brushed his cheek with her own. The rough stubble against her smooth skin made her shiver.

  She continued using her face to explore his. She rubbed her nose against Max's and leaned even closer to tickle his eyelashes with her own. A butterfly kiss. That's what she and Maria called touching eyelashes when they were little girls.

  Liz moved her head lower and grazed Max's lips with hers. Light and fast. Then she smoothed her chin across his.

  Max took a ragged breath and wove his hands through her hair. He pulled her mouth back to his. He ran his tongue across her lips, urging them apart.

  There was nothing gentle about his kiss. It was hot and desperate, as if he couldn't stand to wait another second.

  Then suddenly he pulled away. "Valenti should be gone," he said.

  Liz blinked.

  Was he just going to pretend it hadn't happened? Was he really going to try and pretend they were still just friends?

  She stared down at Max, but now he wouldn't meet her gaze.