Now, as Michael got to work on turning the Cybernet Cafe's one-dollar bills into twenties, Isabel stepped up toward Max. "I think we're going to go really short," she said, sparing a glance toward Liz. Max saw her nodding.
Isabel's hands glowed slightly, and Max's shaggy dark hair began to disintegrate. A very faint burning smell rose in the air as the hair disappeared. Within minutes, he had a spiky flattop with short sides.
Isabel put a finger up to her mouth and squinted at her brother. "Something's missing," she said. Then, running her fingertips down from Max's oversized ears to his cheekbones, she drew in a set of sideburns. The hair follicles extruded a quarter-inch of dark hair in seconds, as if the alien energy from Isabel's hands were a grow-lamp and the emerging hairs were hungry plants.
"Oh, very nice," Liz said, moving to stand next to Max. She ran her fingers along the side of his head, and he smirked.
"Okay, next," Isabel said, as Kyle moved to stand in front of her.
"I want some facial hair too," Kyle said. "I didn't know you could even do that. “
Isabel smiled enigmatically, clearly not willing to part with all of her secrets. Max understood the impulse, a habit born of long practice.
"What do you want?" Isabel asked Kyle.
Kyle looked thoughtful. "I'm thinking a mustache and goatee. And maybe medium short hair, dirty blond." Kyle grinned at her, as though hoping he had just asked Isabel to re-create him as her ideal man.
"That is so not you," Maria said.
"Hey, the customer is always right," Kyle shot back.
"Whatever," Isabel said with a sigh.
Isabel closed her eyes and lowered her head, stifling a snort of laughter. Then she raised her hands and placed them on Kyle's temples.
She looked straight into his eyes, finding his gaze trusting and hopeful, like it was when he was calm after he'd meditated. This was the Kyle that she liked, the guy who was so much like his father. He was protective and caring, kind of like a big, loyal dog.
"What?" Kyle said. "What are you smiling about? “
Isabel hadn't realized she'd been smiling. "Oh, nothing," she said, quickly altering her expression to neutral. She let her power flow through her hands, changing the colors and length of Kyle's hair. Almost instantly, it became shorter and lighter, and she gave it a bit of a wave.
Finished with that part of her task, she moved her fingertips to his upper lip. She could feel his warm exhalations as she did so, and the sensation kindled memories of warmth and intimacy. But not with Kyle. With Jesse.
But Kyle's breath felt warm like Jesse's, and his lips as soft…
She shook her head almost imperceptibly refocusing her attention on her task. Kyle's follicles were stimulated, and the mustache and goatee suddenly grew quite full under her touch. She concentrated a bit harder, and the pigment in the facial hair itself changed to a light blond. The hair felt soft under her fingers, and she had to admit that it did look flattering on Kyle's angular face, Maria's snarky comment notwithstanding. "All done," she said, moving her hands away.
Kyle touched her hands momentarily. "Thanks," he said quietly.
As Kyle and Max went to retrieve the money from Michael, Isabel noticed that Liz was staring at her rather intently. Isabel turned and walked away, toward a small grassy hillock under some trees.
She sat down and stretched her legs out, rolling her shoulders to work out the tension. Even though it had been hours since the ordeal at the mall, Isabel still didn't feel quite right.
"Hey," Liz called from nearby. She had approached so quietly that Isabel hadn't noticed.
"Hey," Isabel returned the greeting.
Liz sat down next to her, and smoothed her long, brown hair out of her eyes with one hand. "Are you okay? “
"Physically, mentally, or emotionally?" Isabel asked.
Liz grinned ever so slightly. "D. All of the above. “
"I'm still a bit sore and disconnected, and drained from using my powers for so long," Isabel said. She knew that wasn't the core of Liz's question, though.
She had never felt especially close to Liz, but over the past few months, that had begun to change. Even though Liz was one of the youngest of their group, she had taken on a more mature, almost mothering role. Isabel had seen it before in Liz's behavior with Max and Maria, and to an extent with Kyle and Michael. But it had taken a while for Isabel to warm up to Liz's emotional support.
"Mentally, I'm tired. Really dog tired." She smiled and added, "I've got less energy in my head now than Juliette Lewis uses on film. “
Liz giggled. "That's tired. “
"And emotionally… I miss Jesse. I miss having someone to snuggle with, someone to hold me, someone who tells me I'm beautiful, someone who will eat my pathetic attempts at breakfast and still smile. “
Isabel looked off into the gathering darkness, then continued. "You and Max have each other, Michael and Maria have each other, but Kyle and I don't have anyone. It's gotta be weird for him, traveling with his ex- girlfriend all the time. And I know he's got some feelings for me, too. “
Liz nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.
"And look at my life. I never let anyone in Roswell get close to me in high school until it was too late. I dated Grant Sorenson, and he turned out to be a Gandarium-possessed killer. I didn't take Alex seriously until…" Isabel's voice trailed off.
She looked away, focusing on something to the side, not wanting Liz to see the tears welling up in her eyes. "You know, everything about my past on Antar says that I'm some spoiled princess who slept around on her lover and brought down the Royal Family And according to my genetic template, I should be dating Michael. He was Rath in our previous lives. “
Liz snorted. "Yeah, well, Max and Tess were 'fated to be together' too, and we've all seen how well that turned out." Isabel heard the anger in Liz's voice; she herself hated Tess as well… for killing Alex… but she knew that her own wounds didn't run nearly as deep as Liz's.
Isabel decided to redirect the conversation. "When I met Jesse, we seemed to be so right together. But I spent so much time hiding who I really was from him… “
She put her hand up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Max thinks that Jesse isn't 'the One.' That I was settling. That in my desire to live a normal life with a normal future, I settled for Jesse. But look at what he did for me when he found out the truth. He killed that FBI agent to protect me.
"When we left Roswell, I knew beyond a doubt that he loved me, and that I loved him," Isabel continued. "But what good is that now? I can't see him or touch him. I can't tell him what I'm feeling or ask what he's feeling. I can't even call him. “
"Can't you dreamwalk him?" Liz asked.
Isabel shuddered, but tried not to let the feelings show on her face. "The last time I dreamwalked him, things didn't… go well." That was an understatement. Isabel had seen Jesse preparing divorce papers on her, to nullify their short marriage. She still didn't know if it was his real plan, or a figment of his dreaming mind.
"So call him," Liz said simply.
Isabel looked confused. "Um, hello, not supposed to have contact. “