The Wild One

by Melinda Metz

But Max couldn’t ask for his parents’ help with the Isabel situation. His parents didn’t know that he and Isabel were aliens. Sure, they knew there was something strange about the two little kids they’d found wandering naked alongside the highway. And after they adopted Max and Isabel, they tried to find out their history. But they’d never come up with any answers.

  Back then it would have been impossible for Max to tell his new parents the truth about himself and Isabel. He didn’t know he was an alien—not until years later when he saw pictures of the debris from the Roswell crash and recognized some of the symbols from his incubation pod. He saw pictures of the alien autopsies, too. And read the stories about the government threatening witnesses to the crash. That’s when he realized being aliens put him and Isabel—and anyone around them—in danger. They made a pact never to tell anyone.

  Max wasn’t going to break that pact now. If his parents knew the truth, they would be in danger from Valenti. Max couldn’t let that happen. It was horrible enough that he had brought Liz into a life-threatening situation. He wasn’t going to risk his parents’ lives, too.

  “I take it from your silence that involving your parents isn’t an option,” Ray said.

  “Not really,” Max answered. “I guess I’ll just have to deal with it myself.”

  Ray stood up. “If you ever want to tell me more about what’s going on, you know where to find me.” He wandered over to the rack of pamphlets near the entrance.

  I’m just going to have to keep a close watch on Isabel, Max thought. I don’t care how much she hates it. I’m going to know about every move she makes. I’ll get the others to help me.

  But first he had to find her. Where did she go when she ran out of the house? Max hoped she went to Michael’s. Or to their cave.

  But he had a feeling she went straight to Nikolas.

  Isabel burst into Michael’s room. “You have to get Max off my case,” she cried. Then she registered the fact that Maria was in the room. She hadn’t even thought about the possibility that Michael might not be alone. Michael was always alone—unless he was hanging out with her or Max.

  Or at least that’s how it used to be. Isabel couldn’t remember Michael ever even hanging out with any girl other than her. It felt a little strange to see Maria here, looking so comfortable in Michael’s room.

  Isabel shook the feeling away. It wasn’t like Maria was going to take her place in Michael’s life or anything. And Maria was one of her best friends now. All the humans—Alex and Liz and Maria—had become part of Isabel’s “family” the moment Max formed the connection between them.

  Isabel had tried to explain that to Nikolas, but he didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want her to even mention the humans to him. It wasn’t like he hated them, exactly. He just didn’t want to waste his time talking about them.

  “So what has Max done now?” Michael asked. “Did he actually want you to take your turn washing the dishes or something?”

  Isabel knew Michael didn’t honestly believe it was something that minor. She wanted to pour out everything to him, but not in front of Maria. For the first time since the connection she had something that she only wanted to share with her own kind. She wished Maria would take a hint and go, but she seemed totally oblivious. And Isabel was too furious to wait.

  “He ordered me to stay away from Nikolas,” she burst out. “He’s always telling me what to do. Don’t use your power. Be careful. Go there. Do that. Blah, blah, blah. He makes me sick. Why does he think he gets to be in charge of all of us? You’re the same age as him, Michael. If someone has to be in charge, why can’t it be you? Why should he automatically get to control everything?”

  Michael stood up, took Isabel by the shoulders, and sat her down on the bed next to Maria. He leaned against the dresser with his arms crossed—his don’t jerk-me-around stance. “From the beginning,” he instructed. “And don’t leave anything out.”

  “Last night Nikolas and I hung out at the bowling alley,” Isabel said. “But it was sort of after closing time.”

  “Translation—you broke in,” Michael said. “And?”

  “And we fooled around. We had some food. We bowled with pool balls,” Isabel answered. She knew she had to get to the part about the security guard, but it was hard.

  “And?” Michael repeated.

  “And then this security guard almost caught us, so Nikolas used his powers to knock him out,” Isabel blurted. “But he’s fine. Nikolas didn’t really hurt him. Liz said Sheriff Valenti said—”

  “Wait. Back up. How did Valenti get into this story?” Michael demanded.

  “Valenti asked Liz some questions about what happened. He thinks …” Isabel found she couldn’t look at Michael or Maria.

  “He thinks that an alien took out the guard,” Michael finished for her.

  “Right,” Isabel admitted. She glanced over at Maria. What was she thinking? She hadn’t said one word since Isabel came in.

  “I guess we need to have a meeting,” Maria said slowly. “I guess we need to come up with another plan to deal with Valenti.”

  Thank you, Maria, Isabel thought. At least there was one person who wasn’t going to yell at her. Maria reminded Isabel a little of Tish. They both always wanted to believe the best of people.

  “Before we start working on a plan, I think Isabel has something else to tell us. Right, Iz?” Michael asked.

  Damn, she thought. Michael could always do that. He not only knew when Isabel was lying, he knew when she was bending the truth or choosing not to tell everything. Michael knew her better than anyone else in the world. It’s like he could see right into her soul with those sharp gray eyes of his.

  “Max and Liz came home a little while ago. Nikolas was there with me. Max got all righteous, the way he always does. He started telling Nikolas what to do. And Nikolas was, like, why should he listen to Max? Which is true.”

  Isabel took a deep breath. Her chest felt tight. “So then Nikolas tried to show Max, even though he didn’t have to, that he really didn’t hurt the guard. He … he touched Liz and knocked her out. I think he accidentally did it a little harder than he meant to. He was angry. He just wanted to prove—”

  “What?” Michael exploded.

  “He knocked out Liz?” Maria cried. “Is she all right?”

  “Liz is fine. Max healed her,” Isabel explained. “It was stupid of Nikolas. Really stupid. I’m going to talk to him about it.”

  And she would, too. If she could make Nikolas understand how it felt to see Liz lying there on the floor, with those little drops of blood on her face … He would never do anything like that again. She was sure he wouldn’t.

  And it’s not as if he really hurt Liz. Not permanently or anything. He just knocked her out. She was fine.

  “No, you aren’t going to talk to him,” Michael said, his voice cold. “You are not getting within ten feet of that guy ever again.”

  Isabel turned to Maria. She understood, didn’t she? “Nikolas didn’t mean—”

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Maria snapped. “I can’t believe you still want to hang out with a guy who would do that to Liz.”

  “And I can’t believe you’re both being so judgmental,” Isabel answered. “You’re not even giving Nikolas a chance.”

  She sprang off the bed and ran out of the room. She didn’t want to hear one more word from either of them.

  Isabel slammed out of the house and headed down the street. She walked fast, arms swinging. Then she started to run, pushing herself to go faster and faster. She focused on the feel of her feet slamming down on the pavement, the burning sensation building in her lungs, the pounding of her heart.

  She tried to lose herself in the physical sensations. But she couldn’t block out the memory of Liz lying motionless on the ground or Max yelling at her, ordering her never to see Nikolas again. Or Michael’s cold voice insisting that she was going to stay away from Nikolas.

  They were treating her like she was a little kid
. They wouldn’t even listen to her when she told them that she would talk to Nikolas about what he did. She would sit him down and tell him the whole story of how Liz, Maria, and Alex risked their lives to help fight Valenti. She would make Nikolas listen. She would make him understand. She knew she could do it.

  But no, they didn’t trust her enough to think that she could handle things on her own. They thought they had to step in and start issuing orders. They thought she was reckless and stupid—they’d always felt that way about her.

  Well, Isabel wasn’t going to take it anymore. They didn’t trust her, even when she behaved exactly the way they wanted her to. So why bother trying to make them happy?

  She turned onto her street and slowed to a jog. She heard a motorcycle roaring up behind her.

  Nikolas. He wanted her to do just what she pleased. He didn’t want to hold her back, or make her be careful, or tell her what to do.

  She spun around and raced over to him. She hurled herself into his arms.

  Isabel had always laughed at girls who climbed all over their boyfriends. She thought they looked desperate. Pathetic.

  But now she understood how they felt. She needed Nikolas, like she needed air in her lungs. Waiting for even a minute left her gasping. She couldn’t give him up. Not for anyone.

  “I’m kicking you out, okay? I forgot there’s something I’ve got to do.” Michael practically pushed Maria out the front door. “Thanks for helping me pack and everything.”

  “Uh, okay. Bye,” Maria said. He shut the door behind her, then headed straight for the phone. He was calling Max, and they were going to find Nikolas. Now. There was no way Michael would let Nikolas get away with what he did to Liz. It didn’t matter that Liz wasn’t hurt. No one touched a member of Michael’s family and got away with it.

  Michael punched in Max’s number. It rang a couple of times, then the answering machine picked up. Michael slammed down the phone. He couldn’t wait for Max to get home. He hesitated for a second, then dialed Alex’s number.

  Alex answered on the second ring. Michael quickly filled him in.

  “I’m picking you up,” Alex said. He hung up before Michael could say another word.

  Michael grabbed his jacket from his room, then stationed himself in front of the picture window that looked out over the street. At least the Hugheses weren’t home, so he wouldn’t have to answer any questions about where he was going.

  His foster parents hadn’t been around much since Mr. Cuddihy gave Michael the news that he’d be moving to another foster home. One night they went to the movies; one night they went over to a friend’s for dinner. But Michael thought those were really just excuses to get out of the house, to get away from him. It was totally obvious Mrs. Hughes was uncomfortable around him now. She almost looked embarrassed if she ran into him in the hall. Mr. Hughes basically ignored him. Which was fine with Michael. It was better than always being in the middle of some stupid power struggle with the guy.

  Michael spotted Alex’s Rabbit turn down the street. He bolted out the door. The second he stepped outside, he smelled it. The thick ozone-rich smell of power being used. A moment later he felt the familiar buzzing tingle in his body. All the hairs on his arms stood straight up.

  Not good, he thought as he trotted over to Alex’s car. This is not at all good. He climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door. Alex peeled out, barely waiting for Michael to put on his seat belt.

  “You know those signs that have little numbers on them? They’re there to tell you how fast it’s safe to drive,” Michael told Alex.

  It was a lame joke. He didn’t even know why he told it. Maybe just because Alex looked ready to blow.

  Alex didn’t crack a smile. “Where do we start looking?” he asked.

  “Good question,” Michael answered. “I don’t even know where he lives. Let’s just check out the usual places.” It’s not like Roswell was a big city. There weren’t that many spots you could go on a Saturday night.

  “Even Nikolas and Isabel wouldn’t be stupid enough to go back to the bowling alley. Let’s try UFOnics,” Alex suggested.

  “Good idea. Isabel loves to dance,” Michael said. Alex’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Oh, great, Michael thought. Why didn’t I just offer to pour some salt into his wound? “Although they’re probably not even together,” he added.

  Alex gave him an “oh-please” look. Michael decided shutting up would probably be a good idea. He stared out the window, watching the well-kept houses of the south side fly by.

  When Alex turned onto Main Street, Michael started checking parking lots for Nikolas’s motorcycle. He caught some flashing lights out of the corner of his eye. “Turn here,” he ordered.

  The Rabbit’s tires squealed as Alex made a sharp turn onto Mescalero. “I want to see what’s happening at the 7-Eleven,” Michael muttered. Sheriff Valenti’s cruiser and an ambulance were parked out front.

  Alex parked the car across the street. “You know what’s going on over there?” he asked a kid on a skateboard.

  “Somebody trashed the place,” the kid answered. “I think they were stoned and had the major munchies. All these bags of food were ripped open. Wish they’d invited me.”

  “What about the cashier?” Michael asked.

  “Down for the count,” the kid answered. “I don’t know what they hit him with, but it must have been heavy.”

  Alex pulled back onto the street. “We don’t want to be here. Eventually Valenti’s going to start asking everybody what they saw.”

  “If it was Nikolas and Isabel that—,” Michael began.

  “If?” Alex asked.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Michael said. “I don’t think they’d hang around town after pulling that stunt. Let’s check the cave.”

  Alex nodded. He drove out of town and sped down the highway, heading farther and farther into the desert. He didn’t talk at all, and it was giving Michael the creeps. Alex usually talked constantly. It was like some mutant Alex clone was in the car with him. Michael flipped on the radio just so there would be some kind of noise.

  “The cave’s off to the left a couple of miles,” Michael said. “Do you think your car will make it?” Alex didn’t even slow down. He veered off into the desert. “The ground’s pretty hard packed—we’ll be okay. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  Michael heard a mesquite bush crunch under the Rabbit’s tires. Alex hadn’t even swerved to avoid hitting it. He was on a mission. Michael had always had a hard time believing Alex came from a long line of military men. But not anymore.

  “I see Nikolas’s motorcycle,” Michael announced. “Park here. I want to surprise them.”

  Alex parked, and they quietly climbed out of the car. They crossed over to the mouth of the cave. Michael swung himself inside, Alex right behind him.

  Isabel scrambled up from the sleeping bag in the corner. She quickly rebuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse. Nikolas stood up more slowly. He probably wanted to make sure Alex knew exactly what he had interrupted, Michael thought.

  Michael and Alex walked straight over to Nikolas. Shoulder to shoulder, they faced him. Nikolas glanced back and forth between them, his lips curving into a small smile.

  “What you did to Liz is not acceptable,” Michael told Nikolas.

  “I told you—,” Isabel began.

  “No one is talking to you,” Michael shot back. He took a step closer to Nikolas. “From now on you stay away from us,” he continued. “All of us. If you don’t, there will be consequences.”

  “I want you two out of here now.” Isabel grabbed the back of Michael’s jacket and tried to pull him away. He shrugged her off.

  “I’m supposed to be scared of you?” Nikolas asked.

  “That’s right,” Alex answered. “You want proof? I’ll be happy to give it to you.”

  Michael glanced at Alex. His aura was shot through with bolts of iron gray and deep crimson. Not a trace of fear. Alex wasn’t just
talking. He was more than ready to take Nikolas on.

  “If this is supposed to impress me or something, Alex, it’s not working,” Isabel informed him.

  “News flash. Everything is not about you, Isabel,” Alex answered. “This is about Liz. I don’t let anybody hurt my friends.”

  “While you’re so busy protecting them, who’s going to be protecting you?” Nikolas asked softly. Then, moving fast, he reached out and touched Alex’s forehead. Alex’s eyes rolled back in his head and he crashed to the cave floor.

  With a little gasp Isabel rushed over and knelt beside him.

  “That’s it.” Michael slammed Nikolas against the limestone wall. “That’s the last time you—”

  Michael suddenly felt himself flying through the air, flying across the cave. Then hitting the opposite wall with a thump. His teeth came down on his tongue, and blood filled his mouth.

  What just happened? Michael thought. What did he do to me?

  Nikolas strolled toward Michael, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. “You’re not much stronger than a human. That’s what happens when you’re too careful with your powers.”

  Michael growled low in his throat. He started to hurl himself at Nikolas—but he was stuck to the cave wall. He couldn’t move.

  Nikolas laughed. “You must feel like a fly on flypaper right now.” He stopped inches away from Michael and studied him. Then he reached out and lightly rested his fingers on Michael’s forehead. Instantly a wave of dizziness swept through Michael.

  “I think I’ll do this slowly,” Nikolas said. “I want to enjoy it.”

  Where was Isabel? Was she just going to watch this happen? Michael shot a glance at her. She was healing Alex, lost in the connection.

  Michael struggled against the cave wall. Straining his muscles.

  I’m doing this the wrong way, he realized. His thoughts felt slow, as if his brain wasn’t working right. Nikolas is using power to hold me in place. That means I have to use power to break free.

  Michael closed his eyes. He needed to focus on the power inside him, not what was going on around him. He let the taste of blood in his mouth and the pain in his head fade into the background. He let his fury at Nikolas fade.