Roswell Series: Before I Knew You: Fic 1, Anywhere Is... (1/1)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I wish they were mine, but alas, they belong to Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and the WB. Song is "Anywhere Is" by Enya.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Okay, this will actually be the final story in the "Summer Before Their Freshman Year" arc. I realize it's kind of odd, starting at the end...but, hey, I never said I wasn't odd. :)
Dedication: To Windsor, who's been giving me feedback for several months now. Thanks, Windsor, hope you like the fic!
Anywhere Is...
"I walk the maze of moments
But everywhere I turn to
Begins a new beginning
But never finds a finish
I walk to the horizon
And there I find another..."
Liz Parker took a long sip of water and listened to the silence in her family's apartment. Good. Her parents were already asleep. She had counted on that. She placed the glass in the kitchen sink and walked quietly to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was just after 11.
She smiled as she crawled out her window and onto the roof. Then she hurried over to the ladder. She quickly climbed down until she was standing in the alley behind her family's cafe, and glanced up at the sky. Full of stars, as she'd hoped.
Liz stretched her arms above her head and prepared herself for the long night ahead. Then she started to walk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...the moon upon the ocean
Is swept around in motion
But without ever knowing
The reason for its flowing
In motion on the ocean
The moon still keeps on moving
The waves still keep on waving
And I still keep on going..."
Alex Whitman glanced at his clock and flipped off the television in his bedroom. He peeked into the hallway and made sure his parents had gone to bed. Sure enough, the house was silent, as it usually was by 9 at night, let alone 11:15.
He closed his bedroom door and climbed out his window, making sure to leave it open just enough so he could get back inside when he came back. He smiled as he looked up the sky full of twinkling stars that seemed to smile back at him.
It was a warm night, and perfect for walking. Definitely a good thing when the walk was going to be a long one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...I wonder if the stars sign
The life that is to be mine
And would they let their light shine
Enough for me to follow..."
Maria DeLuca made sure her mother was snoring before she even dared to step foot outside her house. Her mother was a light sleeper until the snoring began...then it was lucky if she didn't sleep through a national disaster.
She looked at her watch as she walked out the front door, making sure her key was in her pocket. It was 11:30. So she'd be a little late. That was no surprise. Liz and Alex were be used to it by now. They rarely even hassled her about it anymore. She shrugged as she pulled the front door shut and decided that if she didn't want to be up all night, she'd better hurry up and get to their meeting place.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...To leave the thread of all time
And let it make a dark line
In hopes that I can still find
The way back to the moment
I took the turn and turned to
Begin a new beginning
Still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish..."
Liz sat down on her swing, gripping the chains in her hands tightly as she leaned back and looked up at the sky. She liked getting here before the others. It was one of the rare times she got to sit and and just...be.
A warm breeze caressed her face and she closed her eyes and smiled. Then she started to swing.
When she was younger, she was convinced that she could swing so high that one day she'd become part of the starry sky. She felt like she could reach out and embrace one of the glittering stars.
She heard a scuffling sound and smiled again without opening her eyes again. She just continued to swing. Alex sat down on his swing next to her.
"Hey, Alex," Liz said.
"How do you do that?" he asked, shaking his head.
She opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "I just...know you."
Alex smiled at her response and started swinging, holding onto one of the chains with one hand and looking at his wrist watch on the other. "What time do you think she'll get here tonight?"
"Depends on what time her mom starts snoring."
He laughed and gazed up at the sky. Then his smile faded. "This'll be the last time we do this for awhile."
Liz let her feet scrape the blacktop, slowing her down. "For awhile," she echoed. "But not the last time."
He nodded. Then he hesitated. "What if..."
"What?"
Alex sighed. "Nevermind."
She frowned and stopped swinging all together. She reached out and grabbed the chain on his swing, slowing him to a stop, as well. "What is it, Alex?" she asked in concern.
"It's just...I guess I'm kind of worried that everything's going to change, you know? I mean, tomorrow we start high school and we all have different classes and different things going on and..." his voice trailed off.
It dawned on her what he was trying to say. She touched his arm. "Alex, the three of us will always be friends. We've been through too much together not to be. And look at it this way, we still have three classes together, and Maria and I will still be working at the Crashdown part-time. We'll still see each other."
"I guess. But...it won't be the same."
"No, it won't be. At least, not exactly." Liz chewed on her lower lip. "But it doesn't matter what's going on, we'll still be there for one another, right?"
Alex looked at her and then nodded slowly. "Always." He smiled.
Liz smiled back.
He looked at his watch again and sighed. "Well, if she doesn't get here soon none of us is going to get any sleep tonight."
"I heard that."
Liz turned and smiled at Maria, who was coming up behind them. "Hey."
Maria smiled back at her. "Sorry. Mom didn't start sawing logs until twenty minutes ago."
"That's okay," she assured her friend.
Maria took her swing next to Alex. "I'm going to beat you both tonight."
"Not a chance," Alex told her with a grin. "Liz and I already warmed up while we were waiting for you."
Maria smirked. "That'll just make you more tired." She started swinging and then looked over at him and stuck her tongue out.
Liz and Alex laughed and started their swinging contest.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's either this or that way
It's one way or the other
It should be one direction
It could be on reflection
The turn I have just taken
The turn that I was making..."
They'd been doing this all summer. It was an almost every night thing. They'd wait until their parents had all gone to bed, and then they'd come to this place...their place.
Alex smiled as he looked at his two best friends. This was the place that had brought the three of them together. Roswell Elementary.
He supposed that was why they kept coming back to it.
Some nights they'd swing, and other nights they'd climb on top of the moonwalk and sit and just talk. Then, of course, came the nightly walk, but that was only after they'd hung out on the playground for awhile.
Alex hadn't had a lot of friends before his family had moved here to Roswell in the fourth grade. They'd lived in Memphis, where Alex's aunt and uncle lived. He'd been bullied a lot growing up, because he was a skinny, shy kid that knew too much about computers and chess and did better than most kids in his class.
He had thought back then that he'd always be alone, and was rather indifferent when his dad had announced that he'd gotten a job teaching history at the University of New Mexico. Roswell Elementary had started out much the same way as Memphis Elementary had. The kids had made fun of him here, too, until he made friends with Liz and Maria.
Maria was outgoing, and fun to hang out with, and she was a lot more intelligent than most people gave her credit for. She also wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, or for her friends when she thought somene was out of line. Half the guys at Roswell Elementary and Roswell Junior High had been extra nice to him because they knew he was friends with Hurricane DeLuca, as Jeff Parker had nicknamed her so long ago. And it was fitting. Maria was a really nice person, and easy to get along with until she got upset. And then...look out.
Liz was soft-spoken and friendly to everyone. She made straight A's in school, and was undoubtedly the most dependable person Alex knew. She was always there if he needed someone to talk to, or if Maria needed a shoulder to cry on. If Alex had to put his life into someone's hands besides his parents, he would definitely choose Liz Parker.
He couldn't ask for better friends.
"Are you guys ready?" Maria asked as she leapt out of her swing, landing both feet on the ground without falter.
Alex shook his head in amazement. Then he stopped his swing the normal way and stood up. He offered his hand to Liz, who smiled and slowed her swing to a stop as well. Then she slid her hand into his and he helped her up. Then he draped one of his arms around Maria and the other around Liz as they started to walk away from their past.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...I might be just beginning
I might be near the end..."
It was almost two miles to Roswell High from Roswell Elementary.
Even though they'd been walking a long way every night, they'd only ventured the really long way to the high school one other time the entire summer. It was kind of funny, really, because Maria and Alex both had their driver's license's since June and July, respectively, and Maria's mother let her borrow the jetta practically whenever she wanted, and yet they chose to walk the whole way.
Usually on their walks, they'd talk, but tonight was different. Tonight, Alex kept his arms around them both as they walked close together, and stared up at the vast sky in silence. The streets of Roswell were deserted for the night, and only a few street lights guided their way as they turned down the street the high school was located on.
They arrived in front of the school around 2 a.m. and stared up at the building in silence. It was a large building, and towered high above them. Alex suddenly felt very small. In the darkness the old school seemed almost...gothic.
"My god," Maria whispered. "We're going to be swallowed whole."
Alex pulled her a bit closer and then glanced down at Liz, who suddenly looked a little nervous herself. He pulled her closer, too, and then they stared up at the school in silence, waiting to see what this new world would bring to them, and what new people they would meet within a few hours...
Email: faithboscorelli1@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I wish they were mine, but alas, they belong to Melinda Metz, Jason Katims and the WB. Song is "Anywhere Is" by Enya.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Note: Okay, this will actually be the final story in the "Summer Before Their Freshman Year" arc. I realize it's kind of odd, starting at the end...but, hey, I never said I wasn't odd. :)
Dedication: To Windsor, who's been giving me feedback for several months now. Thanks, Windsor, hope you like the fic!
Anywhere Is...
"I walk the maze of moments
But everywhere I turn to
Begins a new beginning
But never finds a finish
I walk to the horizon
And there I find another..."
Liz Parker took a long sip of water and listened to the silence in her family's apartment. Good. Her parents were already asleep. She had counted on that. She placed the glass in the kitchen sink and walked quietly to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was just after 11.
She smiled as she crawled out her window and onto the roof. Then she hurried over to the ladder. She quickly climbed down until she was standing in the alley behind her family's cafe, and glanced up at the sky. Full of stars, as she'd hoped.
Liz stretched her arms above her head and prepared herself for the long night ahead. Then she started to walk.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...the moon upon the ocean
Is swept around in motion
But without ever knowing
The reason for its flowing
In motion on the ocean
The moon still keeps on moving
The waves still keep on waving
And I still keep on going..."
Alex Whitman glanced at his clock and flipped off the television in his bedroom. He peeked into the hallway and made sure his parents had gone to bed. Sure enough, the house was silent, as it usually was by 9 at night, let alone 11:15.
He closed his bedroom door and climbed out his window, making sure to leave it open just enough so he could get back inside when he came back. He smiled as he looked up the sky full of twinkling stars that seemed to smile back at him.
It was a warm night, and perfect for walking. Definitely a good thing when the walk was going to be a long one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...I wonder if the stars sign
The life that is to be mine
And would they let their light shine
Enough for me to follow..."
Maria DeLuca made sure her mother was snoring before she even dared to step foot outside her house. Her mother was a light sleeper until the snoring began...then it was lucky if she didn't sleep through a national disaster.
She looked at her watch as she walked out the front door, making sure her key was in her pocket. It was 11:30. So she'd be a little late. That was no surprise. Liz and Alex were be used to it by now. They rarely even hassled her about it anymore. She shrugged as she pulled the front door shut and decided that if she didn't want to be up all night, she'd better hurry up and get to their meeting place.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...To leave the thread of all time
And let it make a dark line
In hopes that I can still find
The way back to the moment
I took the turn and turned to
Begin a new beginning
Still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish..."
Liz sat down on her swing, gripping the chains in her hands tightly as she leaned back and looked up at the sky. She liked getting here before the others. It was one of the rare times she got to sit and and just...be.
A warm breeze caressed her face and she closed her eyes and smiled. Then she started to swing.
When she was younger, she was convinced that she could swing so high that one day she'd become part of the starry sky. She felt like she could reach out and embrace one of the glittering stars.
She heard a scuffling sound and smiled again without opening her eyes again. She just continued to swing. Alex sat down on his swing next to her.
"Hey, Alex," Liz said.
"How do you do that?" he asked, shaking his head.
She opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "I just...know you."
Alex smiled at her response and started swinging, holding onto one of the chains with one hand and looking at his wrist watch on the other. "What time do you think she'll get here tonight?"
"Depends on what time her mom starts snoring."
He laughed and gazed up at the sky. Then his smile faded. "This'll be the last time we do this for awhile."
Liz let her feet scrape the blacktop, slowing her down. "For awhile," she echoed. "But not the last time."
He nodded. Then he hesitated. "What if..."
"What?"
Alex sighed. "Nevermind."
She frowned and stopped swinging all together. She reached out and grabbed the chain on his swing, slowing him to a stop, as well. "What is it, Alex?" she asked in concern.
"It's just...I guess I'm kind of worried that everything's going to change, you know? I mean, tomorrow we start high school and we all have different classes and different things going on and..." his voice trailed off.
It dawned on her what he was trying to say. She touched his arm. "Alex, the three of us will always be friends. We've been through too much together not to be. And look at it this way, we still have three classes together, and Maria and I will still be working at the Crashdown part-time. We'll still see each other."
"I guess. But...it won't be the same."
"No, it won't be. At least, not exactly." Liz chewed on her lower lip. "But it doesn't matter what's going on, we'll still be there for one another, right?"
Alex looked at her and then nodded slowly. "Always." He smiled.
Liz smiled back.
He looked at his watch again and sighed. "Well, if she doesn't get here soon none of us is going to get any sleep tonight."
"I heard that."
Liz turned and smiled at Maria, who was coming up behind them. "Hey."
Maria smiled back at her. "Sorry. Mom didn't start sawing logs until twenty minutes ago."
"That's okay," she assured her friend.
Maria took her swing next to Alex. "I'm going to beat you both tonight."
"Not a chance," Alex told her with a grin. "Liz and I already warmed up while we were waiting for you."
Maria smirked. "That'll just make you more tired." She started swinging and then looked over at him and stuck her tongue out.
Liz and Alex laughed and started their swinging contest.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's either this or that way
It's one way or the other
It should be one direction
It could be on reflection
The turn I have just taken
The turn that I was making..."
They'd been doing this all summer. It was an almost every night thing. They'd wait until their parents had all gone to bed, and then they'd come to this place...their place.
Alex smiled as he looked at his two best friends. This was the place that had brought the three of them together. Roswell Elementary.
He supposed that was why they kept coming back to it.
Some nights they'd swing, and other nights they'd climb on top of the moonwalk and sit and just talk. Then, of course, came the nightly walk, but that was only after they'd hung out on the playground for awhile.
Alex hadn't had a lot of friends before his family had moved here to Roswell in the fourth grade. They'd lived in Memphis, where Alex's aunt and uncle lived. He'd been bullied a lot growing up, because he was a skinny, shy kid that knew too much about computers and chess and did better than most kids in his class.
He had thought back then that he'd always be alone, and was rather indifferent when his dad had announced that he'd gotten a job teaching history at the University of New Mexico. Roswell Elementary had started out much the same way as Memphis Elementary had. The kids had made fun of him here, too, until he made friends with Liz and Maria.
Maria was outgoing, and fun to hang out with, and she was a lot more intelligent than most people gave her credit for. She also wasn't afraid to stand up for herself, or for her friends when she thought somene was out of line. Half the guys at Roswell Elementary and Roswell Junior High had been extra nice to him because they knew he was friends with Hurricane DeLuca, as Jeff Parker had nicknamed her so long ago. And it was fitting. Maria was a really nice person, and easy to get along with until she got upset. And then...look out.
Liz was soft-spoken and friendly to everyone. She made straight A's in school, and was undoubtedly the most dependable person Alex knew. She was always there if he needed someone to talk to, or if Maria needed a shoulder to cry on. If Alex had to put his life into someone's hands besides his parents, he would definitely choose Liz Parker.
He couldn't ask for better friends.
"Are you guys ready?" Maria asked as she leapt out of her swing, landing both feet on the ground without falter.
Alex shook his head in amazement. Then he stopped his swing the normal way and stood up. He offered his hand to Liz, who smiled and slowed her swing to a stop as well. Then she slid her hand into his and he helped her up. Then he draped one of his arms around Maria and the other around Liz as they started to walk away from their past.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"...I might be just beginning
I might be near the end..."
It was almost two miles to Roswell High from Roswell Elementary.
Even though they'd been walking a long way every night, they'd only ventured the really long way to the high school one other time the entire summer. It was kind of funny, really, because Maria and Alex both had their driver's license's since June and July, respectively, and Maria's mother let her borrow the jetta practically whenever she wanted, and yet they chose to walk the whole way.
Usually on their walks, they'd talk, but tonight was different. Tonight, Alex kept his arms around them both as they walked close together, and stared up at the vast sky in silence. The streets of Roswell were deserted for the night, and only a few street lights guided their way as they turned down the street the high school was located on.
They arrived in front of the school around 2 a.m. and stared up at the building in silence. It was a large building, and towered high above them. Alex suddenly felt very small. In the darkness the old school seemed almost...gothic.
"My god," Maria whispered. "We're going to be swallowed whole."
Alex pulled her a bit closer and then glanced down at Liz, who suddenly looked a little nervous herself. He pulled her closer, too, and then they stared up at the school in silence, waiting to see what this new world would bring to them, and what new people they would meet within a few hours...