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Part 40
Saying that the past week was crazy would be the understatement of the year. Calling it pure chaos would be more fitting, but somehow the expression still seems too mild. It’s like the world has been turned upside down.
The whole transgenic hate-thing was already pretty intense before the hostage thing at Jam Pony, but afterwards things started to get really extreme. The hate groups became more vocal with every passing day, picketing outside the fences of Terminal City practically twenty-four/seven. There were incidents of civilians being attacked because they were mistaken for transgenics and more and more public figures joined the ranks of the Haters.
We needed to do something, and fast, before the situation got completely out of control. And while we were still trying to agree on a course of action, Joshua went public with who he was.
His paintings have been selling like crazy in the past few weeks. The spark came back into his work after the whole thing with Annie went down and somehow he turned into everyone’s darling in the art scene.
And so he gave a press conference, letting the world know exactly who he was and what he looked like.
M. was furious. Joshua hadn’t told anyone about what he was going to do and M. just erupted when she found out. I swear, she even scared me standing there cursing and practically spitting with rage, but Joshua just told her that he did what he had to do and let her curse.
Logan of course took advantage of the situation and started a series of pro-transgenic Eyes-Only broadcasts. He also “leaked” some information about the breeding cult to the press and so things got even crazier.
Strangely enough, a pro-transgenic movement emerged from all that chaos. And…you won’t believe this…transgenic groupies.
I mean, sure, transgenics are generally pretty hot. Real alpha-males…and females, come to think of it. I of all people understand their motivation. But still, sauntering up and down outside the gates of TC in your slut attire? Don’t these women have any pride?
Not that I care. Alec knows that I’d blast him to hell and back if he ever went near those girls. I made it a point to be very explicit when explaining the results of such a scenario to him.
I was hoping to scare him. Instead he was turned on.
We ended up in a broom closet ravaging each other. And then we were interrupted…again.
By Ava. Again.
I swear, that girl? Worst. Timing. Ever.
It’s been two days, and we still haven’t found the time or the opportunity to pick up where we’d left off. Realizing that that wouldn’t happen anytime soon if we stayed in TC, we decided to head back to Joshua’s to spend the night there. Alone at last.
Or so we thought.
-------
The drive to Joshua’s is pure torture. Being so close to Alec, pressed up behind him like that, with a constant reminder of how perfectly our bodies fit together? It’s agony. Well, agony mixed with pleasure and lust, but still agony.
Alec is driving as if the devil himself were chasing after us, but the ride is still much too long. When we finally reach our destination, he practically snatches me off his bike. With my legs wrapped around his hips and my mouth ravaging his, he somehow manages to stumble up the porch steps and crash through the front door.
Spinning us around, I suddenly find myself pushed up against the wall, Alec’s mouth wrecking havoc on my senses. My hands burry themselves in his hair, my legs tighten their grip around his hips, but I hardly even notice what I’m doing.
I’m captivated by his touch, by the way he’s making me feel, quickly sinking into a haze of lust, forgetting the world around us. His touch, his smell, his taste…it’s just too much. He’s clouding my senses. I want him so much, it almost hurts.
I’m about to nudge him in the direction of my bedroom when someone clearing their throat makes us jump apart.
-------
When the dark figure finally steps out of the shadows, I gasp. At first I can only stare. My thoughts are too jumbled to form a comprehensive sentence, and even if they weren’t, I’m too shocked to speak anyway.
Alec doesn’t seem to be having the same problem. “What the fuck are you doing in this house?!”
But he just continues to stare at me, ignoring Alec altogether. “Hello Liz.”
“You know this guy?” Alec asks me, but I hardly even hear him.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper. I’m still in shock, but at least I’m capable of speaking again.
“Came to see you.” He shrugs nonchalantly, like tracking me down only to break into my house is the most normal thing in the world.
I glare at him. “I didn’t mean the city. I meant that more in a…global sense.”
“Mind if we have this conversation alone?” he asks with a pointed glance at Alec.
Alec snorts. “You think I’m leaving, buddy, you’ve got another thing coming.” Then he turns to me, trying again. “Who is this guy?”
I look at Alec. This is so surreal. Him and Alec together in the same room…my two worlds suddenly crashed together, and I couldn’t have expected it less.
“Um, Michael. You know, a…friend. From back home.”
That information seems to put Alec at ease, at least marginally. “I’m not leaving,” he tells me. I’m not even going to bother arguing with him.
“That’s fine. I’ll just, um, talk to Michael in my room. Okay?”
He nods. We both know that he can listen to the whole conversation anyway, so whether or not he’s in the same room hardly matters. At least that’s the way I see it.
Then I lead Michael back towards my bedroom. Oh boy.
-------
“You move fast,” Michael says with a nod at the door.
“Not as fast as Max. You didn’t answer my question. I thought you’d left the planet. Last thing I heard, that was the plan.”
“It was. We did. Came back though.”
My gaze softens a bit. “Home not all it was chalked up to be?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “Well, if your mortal enemy is in charge of the planet and you were brought there to be killed…nah, not so comfy.”
My eyes narrow. “What do you mean, brought there to be killed?”
He sighs, sits down on his bed. “I forgot that you don’t know any of that yet.” He stares at the floor for a minute or two before looking me straight in the face. “Tess was working with our enemies the whole time. She got pregnant on purpose to lure us back to Antar so that Khivar could kill us.” He pauses, and I can already tell that what he’s going to say next is going to be bad. “She was behind Alex translating the destiny book in Las Crucas. She’s responsible for his death. You were right all along. Tess killed Alex.”
I just stare at him. Minutes pass, but that piece of information just refuses to sink in.
Tess killed Alex? Guilt rushes through me, stabbing at my heart. It was me who made her stay. I was me who kept her close to Alex. It was me who gave her the opportunity to hurt Alex, to kill him. It’s all my fault. All my fault…
Those words echo through my head, and I can hardly bear it. Sweet, innocent Alex. He’s gone, robbed of his life, his dreams, his future. And it’s all my fault.
Finally, I look up at Michael. He’s standing close to the door, watching me carefully. Suddenly I realize that I’m sitting on my bed. When did I sit down again?
“What happened?” I ask, not quite able to meet Michael’s eyes. “On Antar, I mean?”
Michael starts talking, but I have problems listening to him.
All my fault…all my fault…
I only snatch up bits and pieces of what Michael’s telling me. Khivar taking Max, Isabel and Michael as prisoners, waiting for Tess to give birth, Isabel dreamwalking Larek, Larek mobilizing the people still loyal to Zan, them storming the castle right after Tess gave birth to a baby boy.
The thought of Max and Tess having a baby together still makes my heart ache, but not the way it used to be.
Then Michael goes on about the revolution, Tess and Khivar dying in the battle, Max taking over the planet. His decision of turning the planet into a democracy, Larek becoming president, Max, Isabel and Michael returning home.
Then I realize that Michael stopped talking.
I finally look up at him. “How did you find me?”
“Isabel.”
Ah. Why am I not surprised?
“Why did you come?”
He shrugs. “Maria’s been driving me up the wall. Keeps going on and on ‘bout how worried she is. Figured checking on you would be the quickest way to shut her up.”
A ghost of a smile dances around my lips. Leave it Michael to make him looking out for his friends sound like pure egoism. He never liked to admit that he cared about anybody apart from Max and Isabel. The fact that that hasn’t changed is almost comforting.
“So you’re still together?” I ask, referring to him and Maria. I feel farther apart from Maria than ever before, but a small part of me still cares, still misses her.
Michael barely nods in response. Then he surprises me by sitting down beside me. “She misses you. I know that a lot of stuff went wrong between you two. But she wants to work on that. Wants to fix it. She asked me to tell you to come home.”
He stands up, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “There are a lot of people in Roswell waiting for you to come home, Liz.” And then he leaves, telling me that he’ll be in the city for a few more days and that I can reach him on his cell phone.
I remain sitting on my bed, staring at the door, mulling over what he just said.
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