Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Ilk, this was amazing as usual! Thank you for the wonderful new part. I totally understand about real life getting in the way! But after the way you ended that, you have to post a new part ASAP! I want to know what Max saw!

Welcome to FD, chrystalkay!

And I agree! Updates are a good thing!

Sorry for the extended delay. No excuses.. but let's cut to the chase... and to the next part...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Part 17a

“Everyone in line now! Curtain call!”

The cry echoes around the darkened area just behind the stage where we are hugging and almost crying.

“Bravo! Bravo!”

“Encore!”

Just beyond the curtain, in the audience below us, we can hear the loud applause flooding the small theatre where we have just premiered our performance of The Christmas Angel.

If the thunderous applause is anything to go by, I'd say we would be deserving of mountains of accolades for the tears and laughter the audience shed along with us. To say that the first-night show had been a success was a mild understatement at best.

They absolutely loved us!

And Liz… She just never ceases to amaze me.

What a sight she made when she came onstage. You'd have thought an angel had truly descended from Heaven up above.

Now longer was she the dowdy bun-haired, bespectacled girl that the students loved to heckle. In fact, I dare even state that those nay sayers in the audience had to swallow any unkind words they'd ever said about her the moment she appeared on stage.

No wonder we hadn't been allowed to see her in full costume during the rehearsals. Ms. Garber must have realized the impact she would have made on Tom… er, the audience.

In character for the role of Tom Thornton, I had been facing away from stage left where she had entered the play for the first time. Anxiously, I was searching for the music box my daughter desperately wanted for her Christmas present, looking in the windows of the cardboard-constructed toy store to fulfill the wishes of my own little darling angel. So wrapped up I was in my quest that I had not noticed the mysterious figure approaching from behind.

And so my first sign should have been the deadening of the slight murmurs, the deafening silence that suddenly befell the crowd as she made her way onto the stage. Or the frenzied admonishments of the audience when one of their numbers dared to sneeze and interrupt the ethereal setting playing out before their eyes.

And so there she had been; the revelation that stood before me as I turned around.

Long hair set loose. Curled in long waves down her back. Contact lenses in place of her usual spectacles. Glitter abound her otherworldly figure, like the long-forgotten angel I had thought hovered over me ages ago in the forest. The translucent blue-green wispy gown that hung on her figure, swishing softly against her as soft footfalls took her ever closer to my rooted, spellbound form.

Barring the momentary lapse of memory as I beheld her, that I had even been able to carry on without missing my lines had been a minor miracle in and of itself. So enraptured I was with every word she uttered, every move she made. By the time the curtain fell for the last act, there were no words to describe how I felt.

And even now as I stand beside her with her fingers engulfed in my palm, awaiting the curtain to lift again that we might once again absorb the audience's rapturous adoration, I know that she has astounded me yet again.

She is an absolute vision to behold, a wonder to the senses. And not just how she looks, but EVERYTHING about her.

The animation and laughter lighting up her eyes.

The transformation of spirit, like a newly formed butterfly unfurling its wings for the first time.

The blossoming of a flower in all its glory after the harsh of winter.

She never fails to surprise me. But then again… can I really be amazed with each day that passes when she reveals a new aspect to herself?

And to think I never knew… TBC

Sorry... double post.

Just a little X'mas present for the faithfully patient... oh and fb pls...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Part 18

“Hi Max.”

“Hi Liz.”

The greeting is a little forced, both of us standing in the school hallway, having just emerged from our other common class – AP Chemistry.

You would have thought that after the success of the play, Liz would have been more conscious of her newfound status. Imagine my surprise when she stepped into class in her usual garb of long-sleeved top and brown skirt. Her eyes – clearly shining with radiance during the performance when she'd opted to go without her glasses out of necessity – were once again hidden behind the rims of her ebony frames.

The silence that temporarily fell over the class upon her understated entrance was astonishing to say the least; I guess like me, everyone else had been expecting her Cinderella-like transformation to last beyond the magic hour. Even Mr. Seligman, our heavy-set Chemistry teacher, infamous for his physical – and ‘acoustic' – presence was tongue-tied to see the reappearance of the little cinder girl rather than the resplendent angelic picture she had painted during the performance.

If she had been perturbed by the atmosphere, her face gave nothing away. Confident strides took her to her seat two chairs to my right. Her gaze was unwavering, meeting those who looked in her direction with a small, shy smile. I noted, however, that most ducked their heads as she passed them by, suddenly developing a strong interest in academia, burying their noses in their books, or turning to talk to a nearby neighbour. As our eyes met across the class though, her smile widened, laughter lighting up her eyes, and I could not help but return the look in kind.

As selfish as this may sound, it actually heartened me to see that whatever else reception the rest of the school may have bestowed upon her non-transformation, she seemed genuinely comfortable with me.

And what might that spell for me? I guess I'm about to find out now that class is over and we've exchanged our first words since the performance over the weekend.

Scratching nervously behind my ear, I watch as she reshuffles the books in her arms to get a better grip. Just as I am about to offer my assistance, the rumble of feet from behind Liz draws my attention.

Michael, Alex, Kyle and the other basketball jocks were moving down the stretch, shoving one another playfully. Nicholas Kranson, a seven-footer giant was jostling with James Manders at the back as they good-naturedly fought for possession for the ball. As I watched, James gained possession of the little rubber sphere, throwing it high towards Kyle who was at the front of the troop approaching us. With his back facing us as he attempted to catch the falling ball, he was bound towards an imminent head-on collision with Liz.

What happened next seemed to pass in a blur as I tried to get Liz out of harm's way… yet everything also seemed to simultaneously slow down as I pulled Liz to safety.

With no space to back away as the lockers were directly behind me, I could only try to provide a barricade between Liz and Kyle's rapidly advancing form. The looks of shock and surprise passing over Liz's face seemed to blank out all else. Nothing mattered at that moment: my books and file falling as I made a wild grab for Liz by her arms; her own pile clattering to the ground as she lost her hold, my fingers gripping almost painfully into her forearms; my body swerving precariously to provide a barrier between her and Kyle.

Then silence.

Then pandemonium broke loose.

By the time the noise gradually increased to a dull roar in my ears, it was with immense slowness that I peered half-heartedly through heavy eyelids to see two temperamentally divergent faces above my horizontally sprawled form.

Raising a fist to my forehead to press on my eyes, I try to push back the throbbing pain railroading through my head. Deciding against sitting up for the moment, I take a few deep breaths even as I tune out the light again.

“Max… Max, are you okay?” Peering through one half-open eye, I see Liz using her hands to fan my face in an attempt to provide some ventilation. Behind her, the scowling countenance of one best friend slowly swam into focus.

“What the hell were you thinking standing there, Evans?” Michael glowers darkly at me as he looms closer over me.

“Michael, I think you need to help me get him to the nurse's station,” Liz moves to stand between us two in a stance reminiscent of the night of the dinner we attended together when she faced off with Sean. Her tone firmly established that whatever issue he had with me would take a backseat to my current condition.

When he made no move to extend a helping hand, it was up to Alex and Kyle – who had been trying to hold back the rest of the curious student body – to help me to my feet.

“Buddy, you okay?” Kyle pats me lightly on the shoulder.

“Max, my man. You still seeing Saturn, Jupiter and Mars?” Alex jokes even as he helps gather our fallen belongings. Liz remains by my side, supporting me with her slight build on my right even as I try to lean my weight against the lockers.

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine,” I answer distractedly as I regard Michael with a curious gaze. I know that we haven't been hanging out all that often in the weeks leading up to the play, what with rehearsals and all, but where this resentment-filled tone stems from has me stumped.

As the two of us remain in a willful battle to see who will avert our gaze first, it is Alex who breaks the stalemate when he physically deposits himself between us, handing me my belongings and brushing me down like a mother sending off her firstborn on the first day of school.

“Max, you have GOT to take better care dude,” Alex chuckles, “I can't always be picking up after you, you know? I have to pass on that job to your significant other sometime soon,” he interjects cheekily, casting a sly glance in Liz's direction. Thankfully, she seems more intent on Michael – who is pointedly ignoring her… while casting baleful glances my way.

Rewarding his jibe with a sharp poke in the side, Alex releases a yelp and jumps slightly off to the side in time for me to see Michael's attention re-routed; he throws Liz a sharp look her way before taking off solo in the direction of the gym.

Narrowing my eyes at his open display of hostility, my heart turns a little sour to see the light in Liz's eyes dim a shade. I value my brotherhood ties with Michael, and if you'd asked me three weeks ago if there was anything I would prioritize over that, it would have been a resounding ‘NO'.

Now, however, I find myself in a quandary. Rediscovering Liz and my ties to her, I cannot easily disqualify what she means to me… what she could potentially mean to me.

Resolutely, I turn to Liz. I don't want to leave her in this upset manner, but I am determined to nip the situation in the bud... one I suspect could fester quickly out of control. And I need to do that NOW.

“You okay Liz?” You didn't get hurt or anything?” My hands linger near hers, silently berating myself for the angry, red lines I see already forming on her arms from my earlier attempts to shield her.

She smiles indulgingly at me. “Shouldn't I be asking YOU that?”

Grinning sheepishly as I tug at my ear again, I help her gather her remaining items that are still on the ground. “I didn't want to see you hurt, that's all.”

Seeing her eyebrows rise in response, I hold my breath, expecting a retort of some sort as I realize a little belatedly the irony of the statement.

A pause. Then…

“Thank you,” comes her sincere reply.

A brilliant smile steals over my face. Almost blindingly. The biggest comfort of course, was to see her face take on a mirror image of mine.

But of course, reality made its presence felt as I registered the onlookers we had around us. Clearing my throat, I address Liz.

“Liz, listen. I'd really like to talk more, but I really need to go see Michael,” my tone is apologetic as I try to impress upon her the urgency behind my impending departure, yet not wanting her to think that I was being dismissive.

“Oh,” as I detect a faint note of disappointment, “it's okay. I understand Max.”

Seeing me still lingering uncertainly, she puts her free hand on her hip in a mock commanding stance. “Go.” Her firm tone is belied by the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes.

Throwing her a final backward glance, I hurry towards the gym.

~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
~*~*~*~*~*~