Part 9

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Groaning, Isabel shook her head in an attempt to rid of the buzzing noise surrounding her. Peeling her eyes open at a snail pace, she squinted and waited for her vision to refocus and adjust to the dim glowing all around her. With a burst of recollection, she searched frantically for her brother and her friends. She tried to get up but found many restraints holding her at bay. There were handcuffs on her hands and feet and chains attached to the stonewall linking to the cuffs.

Peering to her left, she noticed an outline form lying next to her. There was little light where they were held in, but Isabel had a distinct feeling that it was Michael. Nudging the still figure with her leg, she listened carefully to his labored breathing. Kicking him harder this time, she was happy to hear a groan escape from his lips.

“Michael, you awake?” Isabel whispered, afraid of disturbing any unwanted attention. “Michael?” She was about to kick him again when he spoke up in an irritated tone.

“I am now. Will you stop kicking me already?”

Isabel rolled her eyes, suddenly wishing that he were unconscious again. “Where are Max and Tess?”

She could see him shrug through the dark. Michael shifted around in his chains, his arm bumping into something soft. Hearing some shallow take of breath, he mentally sighed in relief because by the size of the body laying next to him, he had came to a conclusion that it was Max.

“Isabel,” Michael whispered, “I found Max, and I think I know where Tess are too.”

“Where? Are they all right?” she asked. She was anxious to know whether her brother was seriously hurt or not.

“They’re sitting, or lying, next to me. He’s unconscious right now but I think there’s no fatal or serious injuries,” Michael reported to the shaking girl. “Tess is just knocked out, nothing big.”

A small voice inside her head remarked, “Darn.” It was the part of her brain where she hated Tess and wanted her out of Roswell.

“Do you have the slightest idea where we are?” Michael questioned Isabel since she was the first one to wake up.

“I have no idea,” Isabel told him, “I can’t see anything here. There’s not much light so I can’t really figure out where we are.”

The instant Isabel spoke of the room’s lighting, a blue beam stuck a torch like lightning and the room lit brightly, similar to a Christmas tree.

Isabel gasped and Michael looked stunned. The room they were imprisoned reminded Michael of a dungeon and he guessed he wasn’t far off the real truth. The walls were made from bricks and many small yet usable torches lined up across the whole room. What was more astounding was the display laid before their eyes. It was a huge block of ice lay on a mantle.

Isabel blinked and furiously wiped her eyes. “Michael,” horror seeped into her heart, “is that who I think it is?”

Michael swallowed a lump back into his dry throat. *Maxwell sure picked one heck of a day to be asleep.*

Their ears perked as clicking noises created by heels were sounded not far from the door. The doorknob turned and Liz Parker stepped in wearing a blood red spaghetti strapped dress.

Isabel was thinking that if Max were awake, he probably would’ve drooled all over the place just staring at the brunette. She reminded herself that no matter what Liz was going to do to them, she isn’t the Liz Parker Isabel had come to respect and appreciate.

“Had a nice nap I hope,” Liz said, sitting comfortably in the plush couch that appeared out of nowhere.

“It would’ve been if we weren’t sleeping on the ground,” Michael sarcastically replied back.

*One of these days I’ll have to shut him up permanently.* Isabel thought, expecting the deathblow because of Michael’s excellent choice of words.

“Where are we?” Isabel demanded, hoping that Max would wake up soon. The uneasy feeling in her stomach formed when Liz took one step into the room and was starting to expand with every passing second.

*Max, wake up!* Isabel urged, trying to use her alien powers to shake him awake.

“Here? You mean the Chamber of Ice?” Liz asked.

“Chamber of Ice? What kind of name is that?” Michael threw back.

“It’s a name that I think suits it to the end, don’t you agree Isabel?”

Isabel froze her actions and dragged her eyes to meet Liz’s brown ones. The cool and emotionless eyes didn’t quite fit the face of Liz Parker. Her glance then lingered in the body in the tube of ice.

“We can’t start the fun without your brother and his bitch now can we?” Liz commented, talking about Max and Tess who was still out cold.

With a flick of the wrist, the two aliens woke up with a start. Moaning from a painful headache, they propped themselves upright and turned to Liz.

Tess, still having her ignorance and arrogance intact, repeated Isabel’s question from earlier, “What’s with the block of ice?”

“Oh, you don’t recognize her?” a mocking shock smiled twisted Liz’s face, “I must make introductions more clearly next time then.”

Liz stood up and walked to the mantle. The plush couch she was sitting on a moment ago vanished. Standing in front of the ice, her smile twisted to a point where it was the symbol of evil.

“Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess,” Liz said, “meet Liz Parker, or at least what’s left of her that is.”

The ice began to glow and they could see into the ice as if it was transparent. Entombed in it was indeed Liz. The Liz standing in front with hands on her hips laughed with joy at their shocked faces.

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