Unbreakable - A Beautiful Lie · (Roswell Fanfiction) · √

FIVE

"She doesn't remember."

"How can she not remember? It happened just twenty minutes ago."

"She's really really drunk, Iz. She fainted. I would bet she has major blackout issues right now."

"We can't trust that. Would she really admit to seeing what she obviously saw? I mean, come on. It must've freaked her out. There's really no question about that when she tried to escape the room by crawling past us, is there? If you saw what she saw, would you let that person know that you knew? Like Michael said, she's smart. She knows to keep her mouth shut until she gets to the police station and tells them everything she knows."

My steps slowed as I moved down the corridor. The conversation was obviously not meant for my ears - or anyone's - and I had the sinking feeling that it was about me.

The person who was withholding how much she knew only to later take it to the...police (?) was undoubtedly me.

I frowned, trying to sift through my muddled brain which was starting to clear up. Throwing up a great part of alcohol and excreting another part in your urine would slowly bring your body back from the worst of the intoxication.

I knew that something big had happened earlier. That much was clear from how Max had reacted, demanding answers out of me that I didn't have. Unfortunately for me, Max was telling his sister the truth right now; I had no idea what had happened, what Isabel was so afraid that I had seen. I cursed my eager overconsumption of alcohol for making me forget and with every overheard word from that room at the end of the hallway, my interest was exponentially piqued.

What I had witnessed must have been a major deal.

What were the rich kids hiding? Had I walked in on them snorting a line of cocaine? Someone having sex with someone they shouldn't? Selling counterfeit products?

"Calm down, Iz. I'll keep an eye on her, okay? If she knows something, I'll know."

My heart missed a beat at Max's serious promise to his sister and I was instantly conflicted as to if I should be elated or distraught that Max was going to 'keep an eye' on me from now on.

I reached the doorway from which the conversation was being carried and pushed the door open. The gorgeous siblings were facing each other, Isabel's arms folded defensively across her middle and Max's hands running frustratedly through his dark hair. They both paled as they whipped their heads towards the door as it moved to let the light from the hallway into the dark room, revealing me.

"You do know that 'stalking' is illegal, right?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe.

"Liz," Isabel breathed, her face turning an even whiter shade of pale, and fear was creeping into her eyes before she looked at her brother, her lips tightening along with the arms around her middle.

She's gonna break herself in two, I thought.

Max didn't meet his sister's worried eyes, which were searching out his for comfort, but kept looking at me, one emotion after the next sifting through his eyes. It was impressive to watch. How the ever-so-in-control-Max-Evans completely lost control of his emotions, momentarily wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"And," I continued, when the rich ones seemed to have lost their ability to speak, "if you are so worried that I actually saw something that I shouldn't mention to anyone, you probably shouldn't discuss it where someone else might hear."

There was panic in Max's eyes, before they went cold, his mouth settling into a thin closed-off line. I ignored how his emotions were affecting me - making me ache to comfort him, to put him at ease, to reassure him that I wouldn't tell his secret (even if I knew what it was) - and continued lightly, "It might just be a good idea to wait to discuss your secrets until after all of the millions of guests downstairs have left. Since, you know, I'm probably not the only one to occasionally wander off to the second floor in the search of a toilet."