by Paul Ruoitis
«Good morning," Isabel said loudly from the doorway in a slightly annoyed tone. «I'm so glad that while Kyle and I were in there fighting for our lives and his sanity, you guys got to play some fun party games.»
The look of relief on everyone's face was quite evident as Max was the first up to embrace his sister. The rest of the gang followed, although Jason stayed behind on the floor feeling somewhat out of place.
«Are you okay?» Max asked, squeezing tightly.
«Fine, I think," she said, stifling a yawn. «Surprisingly well rested, in fact.»
«How's Kyle?» Maria asked.
«Resting comfortably," Liz said cheerily.
«He was still sleeping soundly," Isabel added. «We decided he needed the rest, so we didn't bother to wake him.»
«Yeah," Liz agreed. «He's kind of taken over your room, Max. Sorry.»
«Giving up my bed is the least I could do for him," Max replied. «Considering all the things he's been through.»
«So what was the deal?» Michael asked bluntly.
Isabel didn't even consider explaining things, since she felt what they had gone through was Kyle's business and it wasn't her place to tell. «Just helping him battle some personal demons.»
«Guess that means we can go," Michael said quickly, giving Isabel a hug to welcome her back to the waking world. «I for one could use a shower.»
«Me too," Max, Maria, Isabel, and even Jason all said in unison.
«Call us if you go to any other planes of existence," Maria added in Isabel's ear so she wouldn't be overheard.
«I'll walk you to the door," Isabel said, leading them away. «Thanks for your help, guys.»
«No problem," Maria said. «Just another typical day in Roswell.»
«Oh, for the atypical day every now and then," Isabel said.
«From your lips," Maria agreed as they reached the front door. «Oh, some guy from your dad's work stopped by. Kyle spoke to him.»
«Jesse?» Isabel slipped before she remembered to play ignorant. While she had been stuck in Kyle's head she had not entirely forgotten about their plans to get together, but it
had slipped to the back of her mind. Now that she was finally free, it became her primary concern. She could only hope that he would forgive her for blowing him off two times in as many days. But then again, it was a good measuring stick for their relationship since she suspected this would not be the last time her other life would get in the way.
«Kyle didn't mention his name," Maria said with growing suspicion over this mystery man. «He told the guy that you were sick. I thought you should know in case he calls or something.»
«Thanks," Isabel said, looking for a way to change the subject.
«We should go," Michael said bluntly, unknowingly coming to his friend's rescue.
«Don't you just love those temperamental artists?» Maria commented to Isabel cryptically. «Let's go, Rembrandt.»
«I don't know why I ever tell you anything," he said, although Isabel had no idea what they were talking about.
«You never tell me anything," Maria reminded him.
«Well, thanks again.» Isabel ushered them out the open door. «We must do this again some time.»
«Until the next crisis," Maria agreed.
«Until then," Isabel said.
«Yeah. Bye," the king of the monosyllabic sentence added.
Isabel watched as the pair made their way down the front walk. No matter what evidence, we may have to the contrary, she thought, those two were made for each other. No one else will have them.
As Isabel was saying good-bye to their friends, Max and Liz rejoined Jason on the floor, cleaning up the scattered
wood pieces and returning them to the box from which they had come.
«Your sister looks like she's feeling better," Jason said.
«Yeah, we think it was a twenty-four-hour flu," Max replied. «She got it the same time yesterday, and apparently it's very precise.»
Jason looked at him like he didn't know what to make of what Max was saying. That is until both Max and Liz started giggling.
«Sorry this weekend got so crazy," Liz said.
«Are you kidding?» Jason's eyes went wide. «I was rescued from a mine shaft, got to visit the place I grew up, met all your cool friends, and kicked Michael's butt in Jenga. This was, like, the best weekend ever.» He had the first genuine smile on his face that Max had seen all weekend. «I never want to go home.»
The look of seriousness that crossed Liz's and Max's faces told him that was not an option. The expression was contagious as the smile was wiped away from his face as well. The distractions had served their purpose in getting him to forget his troubles, but all three of them knew that there was still a long way to go before the situation was finally resolved.
Liz took his hand, «We'll talk to your mom together. And I'll even stay until we go back to the doctor on Monday.»
«Yeah, whatever.» The carefree Jason of the past hour had disappeared.
«Don't worry," Liz said. «Aunt Jackie will take care of everything.»
The silence that followed was enough to tell Max all that he needed to know.
«Your mom already knows, doesn't she," Max spoke his suspicions.
«I never told her," Jason reluctantly admitted. «But, yeah. She has to know.»
Liz was beside herself. «I can't believe Aunt Jackie-"
Max grabbed her free hand, giving her a gentle look that said not now. «New plan," he said, focusing his attention back to Jason. «We'll take you to see Liz's mom. I suspect if there's anyone who can get through to your mom, it will be her.»
The look of hope on Jason's face nearly made both Max's and Liz's hearts break. «You think?»
«Absolutely," Liz said firmly. «My mom will make sure Aunt Jackie accepts the truth. And if she can't… I've always wanted to have a little brother.»
It seemed so simple, but Max knew that it wouldn't be. He also knew how important Jason was to Liz, and that made the boy important to him as well. They would see to it that Jason was protected, even if it meant bringing Max's own father and his law firm in on it.
«I do have one question, though," Max said.
Jason looked uncomfortable. «What?»
«Back at the ranch," he asked, «what happened to all the sheep?»
Jason laughed out loud as he detailed the story of the missing sheep by explaining that the rules of George's inheritance from his parents had required him to look after the sheep for six years. The time limit was up two months ago, and the sheep went with it.
«That's it?» Liz sounded disappointed. «I was hoping for something more.»
«Sorry," Jason replied.
«And who have we got here?» Isabel asked, coming back into the room.
«Jason," Max performed the introductions, «this is my sister, Isabel. Isabel, this is my friend Jason.»
«Nice to meet you," Isabel said, giving the boy's hand a shake.
«Hi," he stammered with an odd look on his face. «Glad you're feeling better.»
«Thanks.» She smiled. «Well, if you don't mind, I've got a phone call to make.» She grabbed the cordless phone as Jason's eyes followed her every move.
«We were on our way out.» Max watched Jason watch his sister. «I may be home later this afternoon, depending on things.»
Isabel silently cursed her dumb luck. «Well, since I've been cooped up all morning, I might go out tonight, so I'll see you later.» She was out of the room before he could ask her anything about her plans.
«Well, we should get over to Liz's place," Max said, noticing that Jason's eyes were still locked in the direction Isabel had just gone. «And maybe you and I should continue that conversation about changes that we started last night," he added in a conspiratorial whisper.
«I call the front seat," Jason yelled as he ran out to the car, slightly embarrassed.
«He's a good kid.» Max took Liz's hand as they also walked out to the car.
«So
, do you have any more fears about raising your own son?» she asked.
Her gave her hand a little squeeze. «I'm sure I always will. But as long as I have you around to help me out, I
have a good feeling that everything will be just fine.»
He leaned in to kiss her, feeling secure in the knowledge that he would get his son back one day. With Liz by his side, not only did he think he would be fine raising his child, but he felt secure in the knowledge that he was growing up and into the role of the leader that he had been bom to fill.
Back in the house, Isabel stopped in the doorway to Max's room before continuing on to her own. Checking in on Kyle, she saw that he appeared to be sleeping peacefully, all curled up in the fetal position.
Since there was a shadow across his face, she couldn't be sure, but it appeared that he was sucking his thumb. She could, however, see his right hand clearly and, unlike the previous night, she could tell that it was completely still. The tapping had ceased and she expected that the dreams had stopped as well. She smiled at the sight, hoping that, for a while at least, Kyle and all her friends would have nothing but pleasant dreams.
EPILOGUE
Summer was back with a vengeance.
The cool weather had broken, and early Sunday morning it was already ten degrees hotter than Saturday's high. Isabel hardly felt the heat, however, as she climbed the hill. Max had lent her his car since he was spending the day with Jason, Liz, and her family before they all went back to Artesia together to speak with Jason's mom. Even though she knew the car could make it up the hill, she did not wish to disturb the quiet, tranquil setting and had left it behind at the bottom.
Brushing away a bead of perspiration, Isabel knelt on the ground with a bouquet of sunflowers laid out before her. She always found sunflowers to be the most interesting variety of flora. To look at them, they certainly weren't as pretty as roses, lilies, or even carnations, but their bright color and sturdy look always cheered her up when she was down, much in the way a particular friend used to have a similar effect on her.
She'd had a wonderful date with Jesse the night before,
once they'd managed to avoid running into Kyle and his dad as the pair were out to dinner together at the same place she had chosen to go. Jesse had been totally understanding of her blowing him off because of her fake illness, too. Just another lie in the dozens she had told to friends and loved ones. But, somehow, it felt wrong to be thinking of Jesse, considering where she was at the moment.
«This is a nice surprise," a voice came from behind her.
«What? After yesterday, you didn't expect to see me here?»
«Well, yeah, but it's still nice to see you.» His voice was drawing her in. «It would be nicer to be seen by you.»
«I can't," she said, her eyes firmly fixed to his tombstone.
His name… Alex Whitman. Born… 1983. Died… too young.
«I think I'm pretty good looking," he said, «all things considered.»
Isabel tried not to smile at the gallows humor. «You know what I mean. It hurts too much to look at you… after seeing how you died.»
«You'd rather remember me like that?» he asked. «Doubled over in pain? Begging for-"
«Stop!» she cried. «I don't want to remember it at all.»
«You have to," he said. «It's the price you pay for helping Kyle.»
«No good deed ever goes unpunished.»
«Isabel.» She could feel his breath on her shoulder even though it was not real. «Look at me.»
She finally turned to see Alex, or at least the image of Alex. He looked just as she remembered him, with the same goof-ball smile he always had plastered onto his face. She loved
that smile because she knew it had always gotten just a little brighter whenever he'd noticed she was in the room. This was not his first visit to her since his death, and she had hoped it would not be his last. She wasn't sure if he was a ghost, a dream, or something else entirely, but Isabel didn't care.
«I know it was hard to watch me die," Alex said. «Trust me, I was there.» Even in death, his pitiful attempts at humor would still elicit a sad smile from her. «But now, knowing you were there too… it makes my death a little less lonely. It took so long for us to really get together in life, and now I feel like we were also a little bit together in death. If anything, it makes us closer.»
«I miss you so much.» She had a tear in her eye.
«I'm never far," he said. «You know that.»
«I know," she replied. «And I'm glad.»
«Good, now stop being such a mope," he smiled. «This place is depressing enough as it is. Everyone's crying when they come here. And if they're not crying, they're really quiet, as if they would wake anyone. What I wouldn't give for The Whits to make an unscheduled appearance.»
«That reminds me," she said, smiling for the first time. «We did that talent night that you, Maria, and Liz had every year.» Isabel proceeded to tell him all about the evenings festivities. It didn't matter that he wasn't really standing in front of her, or that if he was actually a ghost, then he probably already knew everything she was saying. It just felt good for Isabel to be talking to him. In fact, she continued talking for a good half hour, updating Alex on almost every part of her life, although she left the whole Jesse thing out of it, not wanting to spoil the mood. By the time she had covered just about every subject, the sun had pumped up the temperature by a few more degrees, making it a little more uncomfortable.
A gentle breeze blew up the hill, cooling Isabel. She half suspected that Alex had arranged for the breeze to cool her. He had always been trying to take care of her in life, so it would stand to reason that he would continue to do so in death. Maybe he was going to become her own personal guardian angel. I could think of worse people to have watching over me, she thought.
«Thanks, Alex," she said, wrapping up their conversation. «It's good to have a friend to talk to.»
«You have plenty of friends," Alex reminded her.
«But none of them understands me like you did," she said, standing up and smoothing the wrinkles out of her sundress. «Like you do. None of them cares like you.»
A bluebird swooped out of the sky and landed on his tombstone. It perched itself along the edge as if wanting to be a spectator as the scene played itself out.
«I should get going," she said as she turned herself in the direction of Max's car, preparing for the long walk back down but not really wanting to go yet, for a number of reasons.
«Really?» he asked, feigning surprise. «Before you say what it is that you came here to say?»
«I just wanted to see you," she said, lying to both Alex and herself. «You know… after yesterday.»
«Who exactly do you think you're fooling?» he asked. «I know what's going on in your beautiful, yet pleasantly complicated head. There's something else. Something you want to say to me.»
She was almost too afraid to speak, but managed to get out a «Yes.»
«A suspicion," he prodded. «Something that you can't bring yourself to say out loud on your own.»
«It's probably nothing," she replied. «This crazy life. It makes me paranoid.»
«True.» He smiled again. «But you still have to say it. Just to hear the words spoken. Just so they can stop running over and over in your mind.»
She knew he was right. Whether the ghost of Alex was actually standing beside her didn't matter. The fact that it was probably just her overactive imagination was also unimportant. She had to speak the thought that had been nagging her since yesterday or else she would now be the one not getting any sleep.
Bracing herself for hearing her own words, Isabel finally spoke them aloud. «Kyle's mom left Roswell when he was six years old.»
«Go on.»
«She left around the same time we came out of the pods.»
And there they were.
Isabel knew that she could not pursue that line of thought with anyone else. At best, it would open up old wounds while at wo
rst it could lead to even more tragic consequences. And if she had learned anything from her experience with Kyle, it was to not obsess about the past.
She stole one last look at her friend standing by his gravestone. His hands rested casually in his pockets. The smile on his face filled her with a level of peacefulness that she had not felt since before his death. She carried that image of Alex with her as she walked back down the hill, heading for home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul Ruditis used to work in Hollywood, where he was surrounded by people who seemed to be from other planets. He has written and contributed to several books based on such notable TV shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; Enterprise; and The West Wing. He is also the author of Roswell Pop Quiz.
Other books
Don't miss any books in the series that started it all. Roswell High:
#1 The Outsider
#2 The Wild One
#3 The Seeker
#4 The Watcher
#5 The Intruder
#6 The Stowaway
#7 The Vanished
#8 The Rebel
#9 The Dark One
#10 The Salvation
Available from SIMON PULSE
Read all the books in the new series Roswell’’:
Shades
Skeletons In The Closet
Dreamwalk
Quarantine
Also available
Loose Ends
No Good Deed
Little Green Men
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