On the Loose: The Roswell Elementary Campfire Arc
Part IV

As they pulled into the rest stop that morning, rumors were swirling all over the bus that Mr. Raddish was slowly but surely losing it. When the class had woken up in the morning, he had been cursing at the eggs he was cooking in the frying pan over the fire. Nobody really understood why.

Mr. Raddish slowly got off the bus, looking as if he were in great pain for some reason. Spending the night with 24 rowdy 11 year olds had really taken its toll. "All right, everybody. Off the bus now, single file."

Everyone groaned but did was Mr. Raddish wanted. Mr. Raddish was impressed. Even Mr. Guerin and Miss DeLuca behaved themselves. Didn't even shove each other or anything. In fact, those two had been quiet all morning. Mr. Raddish thanked God for small favors as he led them up to the restaurant they had stopped at for lunch.

But it was too good to last, of course. "Mr. Raddish!" Maria DeLuca's shrill little voice rang out. "Oooh, Mr. Raddish!"

Mr. Raddish cringed a little before he turned around, his teeth clenched. "Yes, Miss DeLuca?" He struggled to keep his voice even.

"I forgot my money on the bus!" she cried frantically. "Can I go get it?"

He rolled his eyes. Of course, Miss DeLuca had to wait until they were practically inside the restaurant to remember that important little detail. And he really didn't feel like walking back with all 24 of his little hooligans. "You may go get it yourself," he decided.

"Cool!" she grinned, perfectly angelic. Ha. Then she took off running towards the bus, curls flapping in the wind.

He noted how Mr. Guerin's eyes carefully followed her. Then he too spoke up, in a low voice. "I forgot my money, too."

Mr. Raddish blanched. Now what could he do? He wasn't sure if he could trust Mr. Guerin at all, but he had already said Miss DeLuca could get on the bus herself... And he certainly didn't feel like dragging the rest of the children back. Maybe they'd fight each other to death or something, he thought to himself as a slightly demented grin spread across his face.

"Go get it then," he finally said.

Michael nodded, the irrepressible smirk playing across his face again as he ran after Maria.

Mr. Raddish groaned as he looked at his wife. He hoped it was a wise decision. But right now, he felt too stressed out to really care. He fumbled in his pockets, looking for his roll of Tums.

Maria rooted through her backpack, concentrating. Trying not to think about what had happened with Michael. She had forgotten her money on purpose, just so she could be alone for a little while. She wasn't used to being around so many people for such a long amount of time.

She heard footsteps behind her and moaned. It just figured that Mr. Raddish would change his mind. She should've known.

Maria turned around and, instead of Mr. Raddish, she found herself face-to-face with Michael Guerin. A long, awkward moment passed between them. It had been like that all morning. "Forgot my money too," he finally explained a little sheepishly as he went over to his own seat on the bus and began digging through his own backpack.

She just stared at him for a long time. She still couldn't quite believe that she had actually kissed Michael Guerin. And not on a dare this time either. The way he had held her hand... And how gently he had wrapped his huge coat around her when she was cold... That spark she had felt. She had never felt that with anybody except him before.

And it had felt even better than the first time they had kissed. If the first time was fireworks, the second time was... an atomic bomb! Maybe because it was a real kiss and he had meant it. And then they had finally pulled apart and he had been looking at her like he couldn't believe it either. And for the first time in her life, she had felt like maybe she was something special. But he was still just a dumb boy with crazy corkscrew hair sticking up all over the place like a porcupine or something.

Michael felt her eyes on him and turned accusingly. "What is your problem?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said softly as she sat down on one of the seats. She felt sad somehow. Maybe because she knew that what happened in the moonlight wasn't always what was real.

He squished in beside her and looked at her. Really looked at her for the first time since last night. "You look tired."

"Couldn't sleep last night," she answered simply, swinging her legs slightly.

He smirked a little. "Yeah, me either." Then he tugged at her hair.

She turned and looked at him with a smile. He was so different when they were alone. Nobody would ever understand. She slapped him. "Skunkweed."

"Dipthoid!" he replied, whacking her back.

"Sonic the Hedgehog head!" They got into another one of their marathon hitting sessions, pushing and shoving each other all over the seat in the yellow school bus.

Finally, they stopped and eyed each other carefully. Both of them were all sweaty, breathing hard. Her curls were all messed up, springing up all over her head. And his hair was sticking up even more than usual. She impatiently blew her hair out of her eyes and then took the elastic band off her wrist to tie it back in a ponytail.

"Hot," she panted with a smile as she finished.

"Yeah," he managed to say in between gulps of oxygen.

Then he started digging around in his jacket pocket, looking for something. She just quietly watched him. He was still amazed that she could actually shut up when she set her little birdbrain to it.

At last he found what he was looking for. "Hold out your hand," he said gruffly.

A curious look crossed over her face as she did what he asked. He gently placed something in her outstretched hand.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, and then looked down at the arrowhead resting in her palm. She felt even sadder now.

He shifted uncomfortably. It was like she knew. "An arrowhead," he explained at last. "Found it last night. Out in the desert when I couldn't sleep."

She still didn't say anything. She just stared at him with saddened eyes. So he reached for it. "You don't want it. Give it back."

She held it back. "No... I just... Why are you giving this to me?" Maria's face wrinkled up in confusion.

"I dunno, just thought you might like it or something." Michael's cheeks felt hot. "It was a dumb idea. Give it back."

"Not dumb. I think it's cool. So, um, thanks." Maria quickly put the arrowhead in the pocket of her jeans, feeling a little shy. She wondered what Liz would say if she told her that Michael had given her another present. Not that she'd tell.

He watched as she pulled her hair back out of the elastic, letting her long blonde curls swing temptingly loose again. They were much tamer now that they'd been pulled back for a little while. The sunlight streaming through the window behind her was playing all over them, making her look like a golden princess or something. Not that he cared.

He gulped and took a couple of the curls that spilled over her shoulders in his hands, enjoying the soft feel of them underneath his fingers. It was just like that day when they had been doing the M&M project together. Only this time... He didn't think he'd be able to cover it up by yanking on them again.

She smiled softly. Sparks were shooting through her entire body as he just sat there touching her hair.

She raised her eyes to meet his and thought they looked a little moist. "Maria," he whispered as he gently stroked her curls. He hardly ever dared to speak her name aloud.

He lowered his eyes, not wanting her to see how easy it was for promises made in the moonlight to be forgotten. Then he felt her own hand twining itself in his hair. And he let himself remember again, if only for a little while.

He looked up at her again, not caring that she could probably see the tears in his eyes, and then somebody behind them cleared his throat very loudly. They immediately dropped their hands as they turned guiltily. Mr. Raddish loomed darkly in the aisle.


He looked from his watch to the gaggle of children who were scrambling around the restaurant. Sylvia had them under mild control, but he didn't care anymore. He just wanted Mr. Guerin and Miss DeLuca back inside, unharmed, so that they wouldn't blow up the bus or anything.

And then, he wanted to be at home, with his tea and his antacids, reading the paper. He never wanted to see another child again. Never. Never never never.

And Sylvia... she was his lifesaver. She was his succulent little flavored candy that kept him from going insane. She would've been a great mother, but then he would've had to be a father, and knowing his luck, all their children would be Michaels and Marias...

He motioned to the door, and she nodded, understanding that he was going to go see what was taking his two hellions so long. God help the world if Guerin and DeLuca ever married and had children. They'd probably spawn the Anti-Christ.

He walked slowly to the bus, taking long draughts from his comforting bottle of Pepto. Ah, the peppermint pink, cooling his turmoiled digestive track. Maybe it was finally time to take up that offer at that high school in California, far far from Roswell, and aliens, and two young children with a fondness for M&Ms.

But when he climbed the steps to the bus, and peered inside cautiously, it was quiet. Young DeLuca and Guerin stood in the aisle, staring at each other with an intensity that loomed oddly on their young faces. Mr. Guerin's fingers were wound in Miss DeLuca's curls, and Miss DeLuca rested a hand on top of Mr. Guerin's maddeningly porcupine hair. God, that hair bugged him. It was just so...spiky. The hoodlum and the pixie child, giving each other looks of such sadness and adoration. It was a young love so powerful that he could almost feel it--like he was standing in the path of the most powerful force on earth. These two weren't children, certainly, and most likely not human either.

He coughed slightly, to let them know he was there. Both turned to look at him, that 'deer in the headlights' look on their faces. Did they really see him as that much of a monster? And for once, neither spoke up to blame the other. They just looked at him, tears beginning to leak out of their eyes. They were incomprehensible and beyond his reasoning. They weren't of this earth. And why did they seem to have it all in their grasps? Why could he read the secrets to life and the universe in their eyes?

"What were you doing? Look at this place! It's a mess! All you two did all weekend was cause me worry and give me an ulcer! I can't take this anymore!" He could feel his blood pressure rising and rising. His ears began to ring, and it made him even madder.

Young Guerin began to shrink back in fear, as if he'd seen this all before. But he wouldn't be good Mr. Raddish anymore.

He took both of them by the collars of their jackets, hauling them outside. He would not let them take him on this one, not this time. He would not let them win. "You're not leaving my sight until we get back to Roswell and I turn you over to your parents, you hear me? Never! I'm tired of all of this baloney about seeing how much you can get away with! This is not a make-out trip! You hear me? Not a make-out trip!"

And he began to laugh. Uncontrollable laughter. Maniacal laughter. Was that coming from him? Oh, Jimmy boy, you haven't been sleeping enough. Not enough Pepto. Too much time spent worrying about whether or not Maria and Michael would crack. He hoped they did marry each other someday. They deserved to make each other miserable.

Maria reached for Michael's hand and began backing away from Mr. Raddish. He was yelling at them, and then he was laughing, and now he was crying, sitting on the bus steps with his arms around his knees, like a little boy.

She looked at Michael, seeing the same fear in his eyes. "I'm gonna get it now," she heard him mutter. "They always find a way to blame me."

She squeezed his hand. Her friend's hand. But could they still be friends after everything? Or would they force themselves to forget everything, because it was too much? It scared her, how much she felt about him.

Mrs. Raddish ran out of the restaurant, a look of fear on her face. "What happened? Jimmy? Jimmy!"

What would it be like to love someone so much? The thought was so scary... Maybe, when you got older, it was easier. She sneaked a look at Michael again. Maybe someday.

Mr. Raddish wove disorientedly out towards the parking lot, mumbling to himself. Michael and Maria watched him, still clutching each other's hands and exchanging worried glances. Was it really all their fault that Mr. Raddish was acting that way?

"I know how to help!" Maria exclaimed suddenly, a light coming on in her eyes.

"I'm afraid to ask, Frackface," Michael replied. But there was no real edge to his teasing this time.

"Cedar oil! Mom stuck some in my bag before she dropped me off. Just in case."

"What the heck is cedar oil?"

"It relieves stress," Maria recited. "For aromatherapy. Mom sniffs it all the time. Of course, she still stresses out a lot, but I bet it would be a bazillion times worse if she didn't have her cedar oil. I'll make Mr. Raddish sniff it! I bet that'll make him feel better."

"If you say so." Michael wasn't convinced.

"It will!" Maria exclaimed fiercely, whacking him.

"Ow! Watch it!" Michael kicked her.

"I don't have time for this! Mr. Raddish needs my help!" Maria answered, putting on her best brave 'Maria to the rescue' face as she rushed back onto the bus and found her backpack, digging through it again.

A few minutes later, she returned back outside, triumphantly holding up a tiny little vial of cedar oil. "That's it?" Michael asked, unimpressed.

"I know it looks kinda small and unimportant, but Liz says that sometimes just a little thing is enough to make a difference, and... you know, change somebody's life and stuff." She stared at him for a long time. "Don't forget that, 'cause I think it's important. And it's true, too. Liz is so smart. She knows what she's talking about a lot."

"I'll try not to forget," he answered softly.

She started to go towards Mr. Raddish, but then she stopped and turned to look at him. "You didn't really leave your money on the bus, did you?"

"No," Michael admitted after a brief pause.

She laughed. "I knew it, I knew it," she sang in her teasing Maria voice before she bounded towards Mr. Raddish, who was now collapsed in the parking lot. He was joined by a nervous looking Mrs. Raddish.


"Mrs. Raddish, Mrs. Raddish!" Maria sprang up to Sylvia, grinning that perfectly endearing little pixie grin of hers. She waved the cedar oil vial around obscenely. "I know how to help!"

"Oh, do you, Maria?" Sylvia asked, looking a little amused.

Just then, Mr. Raddish caught sight of Maria. He shrank back, screeching and trying to ward her off. And Maria's face fell. She was just trying to help. Why was Mr. Raddish acting so scared of her?

"Here, take it, it's cedar oil," she began as she tossed the vial to Sylvia, worry lines etched on her forehead. The words came faster and faster, tumbling out of her mouth as she rushed to explain. "See, it reduces stress and my mom gave it to me, and I know Mr. Raddish prob'ly hates me and Michael now and I guess it is sorta our faults and stuff but we're both sorry, well, at least I am anyway, I dunno about Michael 'cause he's just a stupid weirdo boy, so anyway, use it, just like, hold it under his nose and let him smell it and he should be okay... He is gonna be okay, right?" she finished, taking a long breath of air.

"I hope so, Maria," Sylvia answered after a brief pause to sort through and retain everything Maria had just said. "I'll tell him you're sorry, as soon as he's coherent enough to actually tell me what happened."

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Raddish!" Maria exclaimed gratefully. "So, umm... Try the cedar oil, okay?" She looked anxiously at Sylvia.

Sylvia obligingly waved the vial under her Jimmy's nose, waiting. He gave a long sniff and then began shrieking in agony, kicking and fussing. The noises he was making weren't even human. Sylvia leaned over him, trying frantically to calm him down.

"It didn't work!" Maria wailed, forgotten by Sylvia. Maybe her mom's cedar oil wasn't some big cure after all. And she had made it even worse, when all she was trying to do was make it better. And it was all her fault in the first place that Mr. Raddish was even sick. She felt terrible, and tears of guilt and shame slowly began to drip down her face.

"Hey." Michael walked up beside her and hit her lightly. "I could've told you that."

She sniffled, but at least she'd stopped crying. "Not funny, Hosenose." She gave him a watery smile that didn't feel entirely genuine.

"You hungry?" he asked, and the look on his face was almost... tender.

"A little, yeah."

"Let's go back to the restaurant then," Michael suggested.

"Okay," Maria answered, smiling for real this time. "What are you gonna order?" she asked as they walked back together, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Raddish behind.

"Think they have barfburgers here?" Michael returned with a grin as he took her hand in his and squeezed it. God, he loved that little spark.

"I dunno, but they might have ABC food. You know, Already Been Chewed?"

And they laughed together, hand in hand and completely content with the moment, at least for a little while. Neither one of them even noticed the faces of the other kids from 5A pressed up against the windows of the restaurant, watching both of them in absolute shock. The wild duo had finally been tamed, for now.

Sylvia watched as the supposed "hoodlum" Michael Guerin comforted adorable little Maria DeLuca, who was also a problem child, at least in Jimmy's book. Her heart went out to Maria, but she had Jimmy to tend to. And it looked like young Michael was taking care of her just fine. Yes, he certainly was, she mused to herself as she watched them walking off towards the restaurant, Michael grabbing her hand along the way.

She returned her attentions back to Jimmy. "They're gone, dear... They're gone. Can you sit up for me?"

Finally, some of the fear and frustration went out of Jimmy's pale blue eyes. "Gone?" he tore out of his parched throat. He sat up weakly, looking a little confused.

"Yes..." she crooned as she put her arms comfortingly around him.

"Gone!" he cried with relief as he looked around. No more Michael. No more Maria. Just sweet silence and... Oh! He reached into his pockets and discovered that he still had a couple of Tums left. Life was turning around.

Sylvia gently pulled him to his feet and walked him back to the bus, letting him lean on her for support. His teeth chattered nervously as he stepped onto the bus, the spot where he had completely lost control. All the memories came rushing back and he sank to his knees in the aisle, whimpering. It felt like it had happened in another lifetime, but it was really only a few minutes ago.

"Can you talk about it yet?" Sylvia asked gently as she guided him into a seat.

"Pepto," he croaked pathetically, pleading with his eyes. He needed to taste that pink chalky goodness to feel better again.

But she already had it out, waiting for him. He tracked it with his eyes before she handed him the bottle. He took a couple of giant swigs, instantly feeling better as it began to melt away the nervous acids still floating around his very tender stomach.

And then Sylvia was hunting around in the First Aid Kit on the bus, so he got a chance to relax for a little bit. He felt horrifically guilty about what had happened. Here he was, a teacher. Supposedly one of the ones who the students could turn to for help. The strong one, leading them down the right paths. And he had completely lost it this weekend. It had been a slow and perhaps inevitable buildup.

But Miss DeLuca and Mr. Guerin had certainly tried his patience, not just this weekend but for the entire school year. Their faces had haunted him at every turn, and they never even seemed to care about what he or anybody else thought. And that angered him beyond belief. How could he get through to children that just disregarded everything and everybody around them except for each other? He still wasn't sure if they loved each other or if they hated each other.

And the way they had been staring at each other as he found them on the bus. It unsettled him... It made him afraid. Michael Guerin and Maria DeLuca had an unharnessed power inside of them. Some strange forcefield that had made Mr. James Raddish see red.

The details of his breakdown were already becoming unclear to him. But he knew. At that moment he decided that this was it. He couldn't stand the thought of spending another year in room 5A with children as terrible as Mr. Guerin and Miss DeLuca. He'd send out his resume to that high school in California as soon as he got back to the apartment.

And then Sylvia was pressing a cool, comforting compress down on his forehead as he sighed. "What happened, Jimmy?" she asked as she sat gingerly beside him. "I've never seen you like that before. Were they fighting each other or something?"

"Not at all. They were here, over there," he answered, a haunted and far-off look in his eyes as he pointed to the aisle, "touching each other's hair and looking at each other with more sadness and regret than I've ever seen. Even from adults. For what reason I'll never understand. I've never seen anything like it. And it just drove me crazy, Sylvia... The power. The way they don't even care. It's like they're off in their own world sometimes and I can't reach them. They just... They're not like us, Sylvia. What they have... It's frightening. And I felt it. I've felt it all year. And I just... I snapped, dear. Simply put, I snapped."

"Jimmy," she whispered as she pushed back his pale sproutlike hair from her forehead. "What they have, we have it, too." And she smiled at him.

"They're too young... To have what we have," Mr. Raddish murmured, closing his eyes as the Pepto Bismol finally began to work its magic on his churning stomach.

Sylvia nodded in agreement, even though he couldn't see her anyway. They were too young. And she felt afraid for both Michael and Maria.

Sometimes, when things happened prematurely, the heart and the mind buried them until they were ready to be found again. She hoped against hope that the two lonely 11 year old children with the special, secret bond would be able to find their way back to each other again. Just from what she had seen of them this weekend, she knew how much they needed each other. When they were ready, she thought to herself as she changed Jimmy's compress.

Michael felt giddy as he chomped into his hamburger. It wasn't a barfburger, but that was okay. He caught Maria's eye. She was sitting in the next booth with her two weirdo friends. When he was sure she was watching, he opened his mouth, showing her the chewed-up bits of hamburger he had kept there just for her. He tried not to smile as she mouthed the words "Already Been Chewed" at him and giggled. He swallowed and pointed to his burger and mouthed "Barfburger" and she giggled some more while Liz just looked at her like she was crazy.

Liz couldn't believe how strange Maria was acting with Michael. She kept denying she she like-liked him but after everything that had happened, Liz was skeptical. There was definite scientific evidence here that something weird was going on between her best friend and Michael Guerin. What on earth had happened on that bus anyway? She and Alex had watched along with the rest of the class from the restaurant while Mr. Raddish had his little episode out in the parking lot.

Everybody had seen Michael go up to Maria and cheer her up when she was crying, which was just plain old bizarre in her eyes. Tough, sullen Michael Guerin was never nice to anybody. Then Michael and Maria had actually walked through the parking lot, holding hands! Like they were boyfriend-girlfriend or something. But nobody would dare say anything about it because they didn't want to risk the wrath of Hurricane DeLuca.

Alex didn't like it either, Liz could tell. And neither did Max and Isabel for that matter. All four of them had exchanged glances, and she knew that the questioning looks on their faces mirrored her own. They were wondering what was going on, too.

But Michael and Maria just acted like nothing was wrong when they made their entrance. They weren't holding hands anymore at least. Maria had completely ignored the incredulous stares that Liz and Alex were giving her. And Michael had ignored Max and Isabel's stares as well.

So life went on... Like it always did. She liked that about life. It always changed, evolved. Every moment built on something from before.

She felt Max's eyes on her and blushed. She still couldn't believe they had fallen asleep on each other last night. He had tried to apologize, but she had shushed him. She didn't want him to hurt the memory she had of it. Because it had been nice. Max really was a sweet boy. And he liked stars just as much as she did, which was really, really cool.

Maria was giggling beside her as Michael made faces at her from the next booth, where he was sitting next to Max. And Alex was across from her scribbling something down in his notebook as he watched Isabel, who had left Michael and Max sitting beside each other in their booth and was now laughing with Maggie and Gracie about something. Alex was writing poetry, she was sure of it. He did sometimes, but she and Maria were sworn to secrecy. Even though he never let them read any of it, which was kind of unfair.

There was something... Something in the air. She didn't quite know what it was. Something different though. And she was a little bit sad about it. And a strange thought came to her out of nowhere: This is the last time for a while. This is the last time that it will be like this. So treasure it while you still can... Because it's the last time. For a while.

And she sighed... Because somewhere inside, she knew. She had always known. And then she looked at them, all of them, and felt a wave of despair from each of them. They were lost again. Maria was no longer giggling. Michael was staring moodily down at the table, perplexed. As if trying to remember something that just now had danced out of his reach. Alex had broken off in mid-verse, his pen now just hovering over the paper, like he had forgotten what he was going to say. Isabel had turned her back on Maggie and Gracie briefly to stare out the window, confusion clouding her pretty face.

And Max... Max's eyes were still locked on hers. Eyes filled with an infinite variety of emotions. Eyes filled with all of the wisdom and joy and sadness in the universe. Someday, maybe, those soulful eyes would spill all their secrets to her. But for now, they each had to look away. Because it was the last time. For a while.

Maria shook her head and finally came out of her trance as she leaned up against Liz, begging for comfort. So Liz wrapped an arm around her carefully and they watched as the rest of the world righted itself again. Like dancers, trying to get back on beat. Only, was it just her, or had the beat changed a little?

"Ow!" Maria exclaimed as she sat up, rubbing her side. Something was poking her.

"What's wrong, Maria?" Liz asked.

And then Maria brought out a lone green M&M from her jacket pocket. "It must've landed there when Buttface and I had that M&M fight," she explained with a laugh.

She gave Michael one last smile and a whole basketful of hope and wishes for the future. He'd need them to get through the next few years. And for... whatever exactly had happened between them last night. It was already getting a little hazy in her mind. When he smiled back, a beautiful smile that softened up his whole face, she whipped her arm back and hurled the M&M at him. It bounced right off his head.

His mouth formed into an O of surprise as she laughed at his expense. "Tuna surprise casserole face!" he cried menacingly.

"Warthog breath!" she retorted as he got up and crossed over to the booth.

He roughly pulled her up and stared at her. "I hate you, do you know that?" he said irritably as he shoved her backwards.

"Oh, like I don't hate you at least twice as much!" she yelled as she shoved him right back.

And they were off, running around the restaurant like twin Tasmanian Devils, terrifying all of the customers. And Mr. Raddish was still on the bus with his wife, so they had free reign. And from what Liz could see, freedom, Michael Guerin, and Maria DeLuca just didn't mix very well.

Liz exchanged another 4-way exasperated glance. She caught Max's eye again and she walked over to him, now sitting alone in the booth. "Here we go again," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Do you think they're ever going to learn?" Max asked as he watched Michael and Maria squirting ketchup at each other.

"Not for a while," Liz answered wistfully.

Max nodded. So she had felt it, too. He wished that he could tell her that he had good feelings about the six of them. That what had happened this year was just laying the foundation for some future time. But he kept his mouth shut. It would happen. They'd return here, some glorious day. The doors to their forgotten memories would all fly open again. But not before it was time... And it wouldn't be. For a while.

Hiking to rainbows, sunsets and stars
Just finding out who we are.

We will return here, one lucky day
Our hearts will guide us, they know the way
--Moon on the Meadow, Camp Song, Author Unknown