Acknowledgements

Thought there were at least several thousand people who made my life possible, and consequently, this story, here are a few I'd like to name:

Thanks to Dr. Shirley and Greg Willihnganz, Sara Willihnganz, Stephanie King, Erin Riedel, Emily Schmidt-Taylor, Mae Willihnganz & Ellen and Howard Correll, IBM, the Ringling Brothers, the Zucker Brothers, the Smith Brothers, UofL, the authors of the Bible, the priest who made my first reconcilation with me, the WHAS news team & Beth Andrews, Robin Chapers, Lunita Cotton, Kathy Gritten, V., whoever created "Spellcheck," the Ghostbusters, Patrick Hume, and Crazy Frank.

Special thanks go to Peirs Anthony, for the pale Sedan, Peter S. Beagle, who wrote The Last Unicorn, and was of much inspiration, and last but not least, Eric, who allowed me to use his catchy phrases in their proper contexts.

Alece

In the beginning, the Lord God made the Heavens and the Earth, and all the animals. He also the man Adam, and his wife, Eve. The serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures the Lord had made, and the serpent came to the woman. "God says you may not eat any of the fruit in the garden?"

"Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we must not eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it. If we do, we will die."

"That's a lie," the serpent hissed. "You will not die! God knows very well that as soon as you eat it your eyes will be opened. You will be able to know good from evil."

Eve was convinced and ate the fruit. She gave some to her husband as well, and he ate it. And then they saw that they were naked and were embarrassed.

When the Lord learned that they had eaten the fruit, he asked Adam, "Why did you disobey me?"

"Because Eve brought me the fruit and told me to," Adam said.

"The serpent tricked me," Eve countered.

And the Lord God turned to the serpent and said, "As punishment for corrupting my chosen race, you will be cast out of the garden, you shall never for long years see the face of my people. For many generations, they shall prosper, and you shall watch in envy. And when you are allowed to return to the garden, you will come as a wolf does in sheep's clothing. You will try to trick my people again, but watch carefully, for danger is often already inside your house once you have thought to lock the door. And in this way, you will be defeated. For remember serpent, that thou art dust, and into dust thou shall return."

And the serpent slithered away. Adam came out from the behind the bush where he had been hiding, but Eve had stood and listened to all the Lord God had said, and she had seen both the faces of the serpent and the Lord, and knew she would see them again before she returned to dust.

Chapter 1

Alece Lennox hated being a new student. She hated meeting new people, memorizing new schedules and locker combinations, being asked to stand up and "say a few words about yourself." She hated repeating her case history over and over, and relabeling all her notebooks and trying to get a grip on the social situations going on around her. She hated that smell, too, that dismal scent of binding glue and over-sharpened pencils that had permeated every facility of learning she had ever entered. She hated the whole process.

Which was why being the daughter of a foreign interpreter who worked for a traveling agency was not exactly the ideal situation for her. Her father could speak nine languages fluently, and fourteen others well enough to get across town. They paid him a bundle, but it meant Alece was always moving around.

Currently, she had given up living with him at all. He didn't need to be held down by a daughter who still had two more years of high school to finish and didn't want to move every three weeks. So she had gone to stay with her Aunt Lenan, her father's sister, and moved to Louisa, Nebraska, fifteen miles outside Madrid. There was only one high school, and it had roughly three hundred students. This year, Alece would be a junior.

She was standing in her new bedroom, on the morning of the first day of classes, trying to brush the ends of her hair. She'd found that she liked making an impression, and when she changed schools every month, it wasn't so hard to keep one up for a while. The problem was, she had been everybody from Madonna to Plain Jane, and now that it was time to settle down, she couldn't figure out who she was. Even Lenan was a bit mystified by the girl who had swept into town two weeks before decked out in a three hundred dollar Liz Clairbourn skirt with diamond earrings, and then worn sweat pants for three days.

If you want to make a big impression in a short time, you have to be careful. Her hair was meticulously cared for, four feet long, a shade of dishwater blond that was perilously close to brown. Alece saw nothing magical about having long hair; it had grown out from her scalp like everybody else's hair, she just hadn't bothered cutting it. The irises in her eyes were a medium blue, certainly nothing special. Her face was pretty enough, a sharp nose and round face, but she had taken make-up classes, and could enhance herself so that people at least thought she was beautiful. Not that she always did. While in Spain for a month, she had decided to try being ugly, and peoples' mouths falling open when they saw her. She could be just as ugly as she could beautiful.

Alece had decided right off the bat that if she was going to spend the rest of her high school years in one town, she didn't want to be butt ugly. No problem there, a trip to the local drugstore replenished her make-up table. Clothing was another matter. Some days she felt like really getting dressed, other days she didn't. Lenan finally suggested that she do just that, and not worry about what people thought. So when Alece woke up on the first day of the school year, she felt like wearing jeans and an expensive blouse, and did.

There was a knock on the door, and Alece set the brush down on her table, and called, "Come in."

"Almost ready, Lisa?" her aunt asked. Everyone called her Lisa.

"I think so," Alece replied, opening up her jewelry box. She selected a pair of hammered copper earrings and rammed them into her ears. "Does this look...appropriate?"

Lenan looked her over, then nodded. "Not too flashy, not too lax. A good first day suit."

Alece nodded, watching herself in the mirror. As soon as she established herself as having a personality, then she could dress however she wanted and no one would care. For the moment, better to play it average.

"What time is it?" she asked, not bothering to look at her watch.

"Seven forty. You might want to leave if you're going to walk. It only takes five minute in the car."

Alece had her own car; her father had bought it for her. It was a ninety-five Toyota Camry, used but with only seven thousand miles on it.

"No, I'll walk today." She picked up the backpack on her bed and turned toward the door.

"Good luck," Lenan said, hugging her.

"Thanks. Have a good day."

Lenan was the one relative Alece really knew at all. Sometimes, when her father could get off, they would spend the holiday with Lenan. Her mother had died in a freak accident when Alece was a year old.

She stepped outside and locked the front door behind herself with a shiny new key. She wanted to make sure it worked before she got locked out.

The day was a tiny bit chilly, but it would warm up fast if it was anything like the last two weeks had been. The trees around her were mostly pine, big fat ones that made it seem to her like Christmas year round. Alece pulled her hair back off her face and pressed her lips together. No big deal, just another new school. And she'd only have to be a new student one more time.

The high school was bigger than she had expected, made of even bricks. There were about two dozen students out front, standing around, one with a camera. Probably on the yearbook staff. Alece would try and sign up if she still could.

Maybe I'll even be a cheerleader, she thought, and laughed out loud. She hated cheerleading, feeling like an idiot in the little skirt and waving her pom poms as if they were car wash signs. May as well just wear a sign that said, "Yes, I am an air head."

A forest grew up behind the school, but if it had been hair, it would have needed Rogaine. The trees were tall but not very thick, and widely spaced. Mostly evergreens that left a heavy layer of needles on the ground.

The girl with the camera had auburn hair and sunglasses. She walked...well, sort of flowingly. Gracefully. It was a little strange. Alece had the sudden feeling that she was getting into something way over her head.

"Smile!" The girl came over and snapped a picture. Alece jerked back at the flash, surprised.

"That looked awful. Smile this time!" Another flash, but Alece doubted that she looked any better.

"Hey!" called somebody from the forest. "Get over here!"

"Coming Moira!" the girl with the camera yelled back. She flashed Alece a smile and darted around to the trees.

Alece followed the girl with her eyes. There were people she hadn't noticed in the woods before, four or five of them. The weird part was that they were all wearing sunglasses.

Two minutes and I'm already getting a bad feeling about this, Alece thought, and turned to go into the building.

Chapter 2

Gretchen watched Honor walk toward her for a moment, then tossed her hair and went a bit further into the forest. There was a deep ravine twenty yards back, with a shallow creek running through it.

Jarrett, Rainy, and Josephine were sitting on the rocks. Rainy was playing with some leaves, Josephine was looking through a file, and Jarrett was staring at the sky.

Gretchen ran down the steep path so that she wouldn't fall and sat down next to Rainy. Moira managed to walk down slowly and still not fall, and Honor both ran and fell.

"Did you get mud on the pictures?" Moira asked critically, seating herself next to Josephine.

"No. Here." Honor plopped down on Rainy's other side and handed Moira the photos that had popped out of her Polaroid.

Moira frowned. "She doesn't photograph well, does she?"

Josephine took the pictures away from Moira. "These are so blurry it hardly matters. Great job, Honor," she commented, quietly, as always.

Gretchen took off her sunglasses and stuck them in her purse. "Who cares what she looks like?"

"It doesn't hurt to be nice looking when you're going to grace the cover of every magazine in America," Moira replied, removing her own glasses and shooting a look at Gretchen.

Honor was brushing the dirt off her pants. "We should go, we're going to be late."

"Alright, but before we leave, are we all agreed to at least consider her?" Gretchen waited for answers.

"Sure," Honor said.

"If you think she's a good choice," Rainy told Gretchen.

"Moira?"

The blue eyes darkened, slightly. "You know I want her."

"I'm in," Josephine said.

"Why do we want her again?" Jarrett asked.

Gretchen sighed and went to explain, but Moira beat her to it. "Because she can speak five languages and her father is distinguished. Besides," she looked down at the fuzzy photo in her hand, "I kinda like her."

"So we're all agreed?" Gretchen knew they didn't have much time before first period, and she didn't want to be late on the first day.

There was yeses, yeah's, and a shrug from Jarrett, which Gretchen decided would suffice. "Let's go."

They split up at the top of the hill, Jarrett and Josephine heading toward English III and Rainy following Honor to the orchestra room.

Gretchen turned to Moira. "She's in our first period class. Shall we begin?"

Moira flashed a devilish grin and slipped her sunglasses on. "But of course."

Chapter 3

Alece was sitting at her desk and leafing through the algebra book she had just been handed. It would be a few minutes before the teacher bothered trying to talk to them, and she was glancing idly at the book. Most of this she already knew and could do.

Two girls pulled chairs up to Alece's desk simultaneously, and she had the unsettling feeling that they had practiced that before, making sure they would be able to get it just right.

So far, Alece hadn't spoken with anyone, not really. She wasn't too worried, it had happened to her before. She never had trouble making friends.

But the girls in front of her then were unusual. One had a thick head of fine black hair that stopped just above her shoulders, and the other had red hair in spiral curls that were cut short around her chin. More seriously, they were both wearing sunglasses, and when indoors, that's never a good sign.

"Lisa, right?" the red head said.

The tone she spoke in said one of two things; A. They were genuinely interested in starting a fiery friendship right then and there, or B. They were playing with her.

Alece had been played with before, patronized, humiliated, and she didn't care for it. So she smiled, like she was perfectly comfortable, and said in a pleasant tone, "Right. Lisa."

All of a sudden, the black haired one looked at the red head and started laughing. The red head laughed too, and Alece felt her smile start to slip. They were playing with her, no doubt. Next step. She returned to looking at her text book, completely ignoring them.

No matter what personality she had taken on, she had always refused to be played with.

There was a touch on her arm that made Alece jump, and the red head was looking at her. "Sorry, we're being really rude." She looked at her counterpart. "Moira, stop it. Stop it!"

Alece ignored them again. She would not let herself be embarrassed in front of her whole homeroom class on the first day.

Another tap on her arm, and this time when she looked up, the red head had taken off her sunglasses. Alece's jaw fell slightly.

She had the most beautiful green eyes. They were wide and thickly lashed, the color was that of freshly mowed grass. Her face was finely molded, with perfectly shaped brows that left her eyes looking slightly hooded. She had the required red head skin, snow white and almost delicate, but with a strong jaw that made her seem serious.

"I'm Gretchen," she said, chuckling a little. She extended her hand, and nodded to her friend. "This is Moira."

Moira had also taken off the sunglasses, and her eyes were almost as brilliant as Gretchen's. Blue, that was all Alece could think. Very, very blue. Something about them drew your attention to her hair, to how fine it was. Her face was circular and expressive, a taunt mouth and subtle cheek bones.

Gretchen was putting her glasses back on, and Alece realized that there was a hush around them. Moira ignored it, and said, "It's nice to meet you...Lisa." Then she cracked up again.

Gretchen looked annoyed. "Stop it, Moira. I'm serious. And for god's sake, put your glasses on."

Moira did, and the hush around them began to fill with whispers and soft voices. Gretchen waited until conversations began, and then said, "Can I see your schedule?"

Alece pulled the sheet of paper numbly from her purse and handed it over. Gretchen studied it carefully, and Moira was looking over her shoulder.

"Social studies with Josephine, English with me, chem alone, photography with all of us, naturally, and writing with Honor. Not bad." She returned the paper, and Alece folded it self-consciously. "How about lunch?" Gretchen suggested.

"Now?"

Moira laughed, and it was a rather pleasant sound really, high and lilting, not to mention riddled with self confidence. "No, at lunch time. Gretch can show you where."

"Alright," she agreed, strangely curious.

"Your next class is social studies, down the hall to the left. Josephine will meet you there, unless she decides to cut."

Gretchen looked around thoughtfully, and then nodded. "I guess that's it. I'll see you third period."

She flashed a smile, and even though she couldn't see her eyes, Alece thought Moira rolled them. They stood up, and Moira whispered something to Gretchen as they walked away. Alece could only make out the word, "name."

She had the feeling it was going to be a very long day.

Chapter 4

Josephine was wearing sunglasses. Alece didn't know what she had expected, and she certainly should have expected the sunglasses, but she was still a little surprised when she saw them. Josephine had rich brown hair pulled back in a tight bun, and was wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

"Lisa?" she asked in a soft voice. She was standing next to the classroom door, and Alece had been about to walk right past her.

"Yeah, that's me." Afterward she thought it had been a dumb thing to say.

"I'm Josephine." She turned, and walked inside. When she sat down, she pulled out a chair and indicated for Alece to sit next to her.

"You met Moira and Gretchen?"

"Yes."

"You'll meet the others later. Fifth period certainly. Where are you from?" Her voice was a soothing quality, the kind that could ring in your head forever. Alece could have listened to that voice for years and not gotten tired of it.

"Oh, everywhere I guess. I was born in Portland, but my father moves around so much that I wouldn't really say anywhere is home."

"What does your father do?"

"He's a foreign interpreter."

"Are you going to be moving away soon?"

"No. I decided that I wanted to settle down for the last two years of school so I moved in with my aunt."

"Lenan Lennox?"

"How did you know?"

"My mother is her best friend. She's been talking about you for weeks."

Alece smiled. "Your mom is Crystal Tolkien."

Josephine nodded. "Is your real name Lisa?"

"No. It's Alece."

"That's good. Moira would have a field day with Lisa."

The teacher started class. Alece had always liked social studies, particularly American history. She noticed that Josephine took excellent notes in perfect handwriting.

She never removed her sunglasses, and Alece couldn't decide weather to be relieved or disappointed. When class was over, Josephine said, "You've got third with Gretchen, right? I'll see you during fifth period then. Bye." She walked away before Alece had time to ask about lunch.

There was something very strange going on here. It was a classic line, usually used just before people found out that they were really in an alien zoo. All these people seemed to know about Gretchen and Moira with their weird eyes, and Josephine with her addictive voice. Who were those other people Gretchen had mentioned? Something about fifth period.

I suppose I'll have to wait and get my answers then, she thought, gathering her books. She looked up to see Gretchen waiting in the doorway for her.

Chapter 5

Lunch was unusual. Gretchen met up with Moira outside the building, and the three of them headed off to the woods, where Moira and Gretchen promptly took of their sunglasses. As if that wasn't distraction enough, their friends turned out to have the same strange eyes, except for Josephine. She never took off her sunglasses, ever.

There were six of them in all. Gretchen, Moira, and Josephine, Alece had already met.

"That's Jarrett," Gretchen said. "Say hello, Jarrett."

"Hello," he said, and then turned back to the book he was reading. The flash of a look said that his eyes were the green of a dollar bill, the lines of his face cut like jagged rock. He had hair like Moira's, black and incredibly fine.

"Honor," said a girl with auburn hair pleasantly, dragging Alece's eyes away from Jarrett.

"Thy mother and father?" she prompted after a moment.

The girl laughed, a warm laugh without a trace of mocking. Her hair was thick and full, as were her lips. They smiled when she spoke, and Alece recognized as the girl with the camera that morning. "No, my name is Honor."

Alece felt like a real jerk. "Sorry. I'm Lisa."

Moira started laughing behind her. "Lisa!"

"Shut up, Moira," Jarrett said, annoyed.

"I'm Rainy," the other guy said. He had startling gray eyes, very even and smooth, and....gray hair. It was close to gray at least. Alece supposed that you could call it very light brown, but she didn't think so.

She turned around just in time to see Honor take off her sunglasses. Red eyes. Wow. That was something you didn't see every day. They weren't actually red, upon closer inspection, just a very reddened hazel. But lovely, definitely.

They ate lunch by a creek back in the forest. People sat on rocks, or the ground, and talked. The conversation revealed nothing unusual about them, just that they were average people living average lives.

"We lost last night," Josephine said lazily.

"You shouldn't be one to complain," Rainy told her. "It was Deeandra's fault."

"You say that like Samantha didn't miss four balls."

Moira gave a short, brisk laugh. "They were equally bad."

"Who are they talking about?" Alece asked Honor.

"Their little sisters play middle school volleyball. They lost their game last night."

"They loose all their games," Moira put in.

"We almost won last night," Josephine argued. "If Samantha hadn't thrown that bad serve."

"We were seven points behind!" Rainy cried. "She could have thrown a good serve and it wouldn't have mattered."

Josephine sat back. "It would have mattered," she said to Rainy, who shook his head.

"Are we going to the game on Tuesday?" Honor asked brightly.

"No," Moira told her.

"I will," Gretchen said.

"Jarrett?" Josephine asked.

He sighed, the angles in his face bending. "Oh, all right."

"What do you say?" Gretchen asked Alece. "Come with us?"

It occurred to her that if we she went with them to this game, then she would be tied to them for at least a while, but at that moment, she didn't really care. They were nice enough people, it seemed, and she needed friends.

"Sure."

They went on talking, with Rainy and Josephine explaining about their sisters, Deeandra and Samantha, and then Moira changed the subject.

"I bumped into Enny Atterborough yesterday," she said.

"Really?" Gretchen asked. "Where?"

"The cemetery. She was there doing cleaning work for Operation Brightside."

"What were you doing there?" Honor asked.

Moira thought a moment before replying, "Oh, you know, hanging out."

"We're going to be late," Josephine mentioned suddenly, and Alece couldn't tell if she was trying to distract her or not.

She slowly reached for her backpack, not noticing that it was halfway unzipped. The others were a few feet ahead of her when the contents of her bag spilled all over the dirt.

"You go ahead," she told Gretchen. "I've got chem alone next period anyway."

"Okay. Bye."

Alece sighed as she picked up her books. What had that been about? There was something going on with these people that they weren't very good at concealing.

She thought she liked Moira. She definitely liked Gretchen and Honor, and Rainy seemed nice. Josephine was a little cold, but okay. Jarrett was a total enigma.

She dusted the mud off her books and then shoved them back in her bag, making sure this time that the zipper was all the way zipped.

She climbed the ravine and then started walking toward the school, knowing that she was probably going to be late. Although she had taken some chemistry before, it appeared to be different in every country, and she knew it would be a class where she actually had to pay attention. Still, it was photography she was anxious to get to.

Something odd happened when Alece walked into her chemistry class. She made it just in time, with the bell ringing as she went through the door. Then people saw her, and suddenly there was quiet in the classroom. Next, a rush of whispers.

Alece pretended she didn't notice. She had done that before, too, when she showed up on her first day wearing something particularly outrageous. Just then, she knew it was because of Gretchen and her gang. She just wasn't sure what was so particular about the gang.

During class, in between racing from one question to the next as she tried to complete a pretest, Alece wondered what made these people she had met so much different from others. If this hadn't been real life, she would have sworn they were genetically enhanced.

It was kind of frightening in a way, the fluid precision of their movements, the eyes with light shinning behind them. And frankly, when four heads cloaked in sunglasses turned to her, Alece tended to forget what she had been trying to say.

She walked out into the hall, getting a few revered glances sent her way, and went to her locker. The pad lock was jammed, and she spent a while hitting it. A glance at her watch said that she was running out of time before class, so she gave it one good hard jerk and it finally opened. She grabbed her photo portfolio from another school, in Sweden, she turned and went down the hall.

She wasn't late for that class either, although Gretchen looked worried.

"Did you have trouble finding the room?"

Alece shook her head. "My lock stuck."

Five of them, Alece, Gretchen, Honor, Rainy, and Josephine, were sitting around a back table. There were two chairs empty.

"I'm betting less than five," Honor said.

"I say eight," Rainy told them.

"Twelve," Josephine put in.

"Well, how about you?" Gretchen asked. "Want to bet on how many minutes late Moira and Jarrett will be?"

"Oh, no, that's alright."

Gretchen shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'm going to say fourteen."

Josephine won, with Jarrett and Moira showing up eleven minutes after the bell rang. The teacher looked at them, but didn't say anything.

Camera's were passed out, cheap ones, if you didn't already own one. Alece hadn't brought hers, but she gave the teacher her portfolio to look at.

They went through basic photography, mostly how to work the camera and develop film, and the whole time the back table talked and chattered, and the teacher never said a word.

"I did the stupidest thing today in orchestra," Rainy said.

"What do you play?" Alece asked.

Honor laughed. "He doesn't play anything. He can't even whistle!"

Rainy smiled. "Okay, so I'm not really much more than a glorified errand boy. Anyway, today, I had to tape these sheets of music together, so that they would spread out on the stands, but I flipped one stack of pages around, and taped them all in upside down."

"I didn't notice," Honor told him. "The little notes look just the same upside down. I just played what was there."

"That's the amazing part; they all just played what was there. They went like three lines through before anyone said anything."

"It sounded good," Honor put in. "We should have flipped around the whole piece."

"Honor is principal cellist in the orchestra," Gretchen told Alece. It seemed strange to be sitting at a table where everyone else was wearing sunglasses.

Class went by quickly. Moira seemed oddly subdued, at least compared to the way she had acted during first period.

Alece had writing as her last class of the day, and apparently so did Honor. She had expected a warm, personable room where people could hunt for inspiration, but found instead a computer lab.

"Mrs. Valdean believes that all true stories come from inside, so she gives you a sterile environment in which to find them," Honor explained, steering Alece toward a fold out table.

Great, Alece thought grimly. As if I'm not already lacking enough inspire.

"Hello, Honor," an intelligent looking woman said, turning to them. "Here's your disk from last year. Are you going to keep working on it?"

"Oh, yes. I've thought about it all summer. This is Alece Lennox." Alece wondered where Honor had found out her real name. Josephine, maybe.

Mrs. Valdean looked at Alece and then at Honor in surprise, but she shrugged it off and handed Alece a disk. "Boot up and get to work," she said, not at all unfriendly, just in a bit of a hurry. "I read it over the summer, Honor, and it's incredible, really, just marvelous."

"Thanks," Honor said, and lead Alece to a computer. She flipped it on.

"What should I do?"

"Write. Whatever you want. Stories, a journal, essays. All she asks is that you put in three pages a week."

"Okay," Alece said uncertainly as she sat down. What was she going to write about? It had never been her strong point, stories.

Honor was sighing next to her. She had pulled up a file off the disk she had and was looking at the writing with a satisfied look.

"What is that?"

"My book. My crazy six hundred page book."

"Six hundred pages?"

"Yeah. I started it back in my freshman year, and I do about thirty a month. That's really only a page a day, but it's something you can count on, stories."

"You mean they do what you tell them?"

Honor looked over at her, eyes shaded behind her sunglasses. "Something like that," she said.

"What's it about?"

"People having a war. It's not really a war story, there's just a war in it. It's called 'Blossom Stone.'"

"I can't think of anything to write about."

"Josephine said that your dad's an interpreter. You moved around a lot, didn't you?"

"Yeah, a lot."

"Write about the places you've been, the people you've met. There must be something in there worth telling about."

"Sort of an autobiography?"

"Sure. Mrs. Valdean loves biographies."

"Okay, thanks."

Honor nodded, took a deep breath, and began typing at an alarming speed. There was a spatter of applause from behind them, and someone called out, "And she's at it again!" Honor shook her head and smiled.

Alece looked at the blue screen. The story of her life. Begin at the beginning, people always said, and the beginning would have been when she was born.

"I was born in Portland on May 7, 1979. My parents' names are Marie and Richard Lennox. Mom was a snob-" she stopped typing and erased the last sentence. She couldn't put that down.

Wait, she thought. This is the story of my life, from my point of view. It won't do to have me lying to it.

"I don't remember my mother much. She died when I was only a year old, but I'll get to that later.

"I was born, as I said, in a Portland hospital. My father worked as an interpreter for a local company back then, and we had a house there. Mother named me Alece Rachael Lennox. Alece after her mother, and Rachael after Dad's mother. Rachael is also my Aunt Lenan's middle name, and according to Mom's diary, she party picked the name to please Lenan. They were always fighting.

"I was definitely an accident. No two people who's marriage was as unhappy as my parents' would want to have a child. But there I was, and they didn't really know what else to do, so I was born, and named as a peace treaty that probably lasted about half an hour.

"Mom was a bit snobby. I know that from her diaries, which I found in storage along with the rest of Mom's stuff.

"One day, Mom and Dad were fighting, and she packed her bags and left for a hotel downtown. However, she didn't have any checks or credit cards, and only enough cash to get a room at a sleazy motel along the interstate. After one night there, she went down to the lobby. I'll never know why she was in the lobby, because just then a drunk truck driver drove his sixteen wheeler through the wall and crushed Mom, and she was dead before he hit the break."

Alece looked at what she had written. It wasn't a particularly pretty picture, was it? But then, she didn't see her life as a pretty picture. Pretty pictures were for rich peoples' houses and ritzy bathrooms.

There was another feeling, a new one. Something about the phrasing felt right, the way the words fit together. It sounded like her, the way she would sound if she didn't have to be somebody else.

She would keep going. Maybe if she could write a story that sounded like her, she could see it all from a distance and figure out who she wanted to be for the rest of her life.

Maybe then she could be somebody real.

Chapter 6

Josephine offered to walk her home. Apparently she lived just down the street.

The leaves were beginning to fall, early this year, Josephine said. It took ten minutes to get home if you were rushed, fifteen if you walked.

"That's my house," Josephine said, pointing down the street a bit. "610 Lasson Drive."

"I'm 604," Alece offered.

"I know. I practically grew up with your aunt these last couple of years. She's practically a member of the family."

Alece didn't how what to say, but she felt a little jealous. Lenan was her aunt, and she certainly hadn't had the chance to grow up around her.

"That must have been nice," she said finally. Josephine looked over at her, but didn't reply.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, in the ravine," she said, leaving Alece at her mailbox.

"Are you sure?"

"Of what? That you're welcome? Of course. Bye."

"Bye," Alece echoed softly. She watched Josephine walk down the street a moment and then went into the house.

Lenan wouldn't be home for a few hours; she had the house to herself. She was thinking about her life, questioning how much of it she would be able to remember enough of to write it down.

The trunk she always took with her was sitting at the end of the bed, carefully locked. She couldn't remember the last time she had put something inside.

The key was hidden in the door frame, wedged between it and the wall. The lock opened easily, and the hinges on the lid did not squeak when she pulled it up.

Mementos of her life were inside. One by one, she took everything out and laid it on the bed, trying to arrange them in chronological order to get some sense of it.

First, there were always her mother's diaries. Marie Linzell Traverse. Six of them, spanning twenty years. Sometimes she wrote three times a day, or went months without saying anything. But it gave Alece a feeling of roots to read them, a feeling that she knew her mother in a way no one else ever could.

She picked one up and opened it.

"May seventh, 1980. Alece's birthday. She looked so cute in that satin dress I got her. Richard says I spent too much on it, but who cares? A baby should have something special on her birthday, so I had her ears pierced and bought some diamond stud earrings."

Her mother had always called her Alece, apparently. She shut the leather book and set it back down. There was a photo album of her parents wedding and her first year, but none after that. She hadn't been a bad looking baby.

There was more. The satin dress her mother had talked about, a baby book half completed. When she got older, she had kept more. Poems she had written. A book of pressed flowers. A shoe box of mementos from Rome, where she had spent the best four and a half months of her life.

She removed the top from the shoe box and drew out a handful of color photos. Andrea, Theo, Marina. The four of them together. It was strange to look at them when now that she was so different from them. But she wasn't really all that different. Still a person. Or maybe to them she was nothing more that a picture in a scrap book that no one could identify. Maybe they made guesses about who she had been, always trying to remember her name.

Suddenly she missed them. She put the pictures back in the box, and began refilling the trunk. It had been a stupid idea, to try and remember. Better to just go downstairs and get dinner started.

"Well?" Gretchen asked. "What do you think of her?"

"The name's got to go," Moira began.

They were sitting in Gretchen's bedroom, Gretchen and Honor on the bed, Moira straddling the desk chair, Rainy sitting on the floor, and Jarrett leaning against the window sill. Josephine was on the speaker phone from her house.

"Agreed," Josephine said. "'Lisa,' won't do. People will never take her seriously."

"She hasn't lied about anything, has she?" Honor asked.

"I don't think so," Gretchen said.

"She'll do."

"I like her," Rainy said genuinely.

Jarrett was shaking his head. "There's something funny about her."

"Like what?"

He thought for a moment. "Like she's mismatched."

"I can fix her clothes," Josephine told him. "Who cares how she dresses?"

"No, not her clothes. Her...manner. I don't know how to put it. It's like she has a multiple personality disorder."

"You're just being paranoid of strangers," Moira said flatly. "You're the most paranoid anti-social person I've ever met." She turned to Gretchen. "I say we take her."

Gretchen nodded. "She's in then. When?"

"Let's wait a few weeks," Honor suggested. "Give her time to adjust and get to know us." The others nodded agreement.

"And we're definitely going to the game tomorrow?" Josephine asked through the speaker. She was met with various groans and Rainy saying, "You bet."

"I'm not cheering," Jarrett swore.

"We're going to take her along," Honor said, thinking of Alece. "That makes seven."

Moira grinned.

Dinner was quiet. Lenan asked if Alece had a good day. She said yes, had her aunt had a good day? Yes, very much so. Had she met anyone nice? Well, Crystal's daughter. Josephine? Yes, that was the girl. What about the crowd she hung with? Yes, she'd met them too. They were all very nice.

Afterward, Alece helped with the dishes, and went up to her bed room. It was a perfectly square room with a lot of brass and wicker, not at all the sort of thing Alece would picked for herself. She preferred the heavy dark wood and velvet drapes. Her room in Rome had been like that.

"Rome," she said out loud. Her thoughts wandered back to Theo, and she was suddenly restless.

The porch light flickered out behind the house, inviting God only knew what sorts of night demons. Alece walked over to the window. The back yard was small, but extremely private, due to a high metal fence and thick shrubs. She had forgotten about the pool, despite the fact that it almost completely filled the yard, leaving space only for a deck and a tiny shed.

She glanced at her watch, only seven forty five. Lenan ate dinner late, she noticed. It had thrown her for a loop, but then changing eating schedules always did. The sky was a heavy pink, like unripe strawberries, and at the edges it melted into a vast purple. Alece liked purple.

There was still time for a swim, and the idea appealed to her. She dug through the drawer containing her sports clothes. There was the dreaded cheer leader skirt, a couple of jerseys, light shorts, and the modestly cut swim suit she had worn for the month she'd been on a swim team.

That swim suit wouldn't due; it was too small anyway. Where was the one from the vacation from Vienna? Ah, there. She pulled it out, and slipped off her clothes. The suit still fit, high cut hips, thin straps securing it over her shoulders. It wasn't binding, but it wouldn't fall off either.

She hunted through the bathroom closet, but there were no beach towels, so she settled for a bath towel and ducked her head into the living room.

"Aunt Lenan, I'm going for a swim, okay?"

Her aunt looked up from the show she was watching. "Alright, honey. There's a tape deck on the back porch if you want to turn it on."

"Thanks."

She turned on whatever tape was in the machine, and it began playing something classical that she could vaguely remember, but was totally unable to identify. The water was freezing, and rather than ease her way in, as she sometimes did, she went right off the board. Her diving was littered with bad form and crooked angles, but she didn't mind. It was the feel of flying through the air that excited her.

She thought of the people she'd met today, and examined them thoroughly. Gretchen and Moira were such a pair. Red and black, a deck of cards. Blue eyes the color of the sky at midnight, Gretchen's like the wettest stroke of a magic marker. Picture perfect curls or fine black waves. She had no idea who was more beautiful, and didn't want to have to choose one. Somehow, that that kind of beauty still existed in the world comforted her, because it seemed the kind of thing that was only true in fairy tales.

The others excited her just as much. Honor's face, always on the verge of breaking into laughter, or Rainy appearing out of the shadows, looking as if he were wearing one.

She saw them as a group for a moment, and then tried to set herself in with them. It could never work. She was plain next to them, flat where they were 3-D. They were alive in a way she couldn't be, didn't know how to be. It was as if they knew how to move themselves, were completely in turn with their own bodies, enough to make mind and body one.

The sloppiness of her next dive made Alece all the more aware of how much she felt like her body was outside of her, an instrument she could control and command, but not actually a part of herself.

A flash of Honor walking across the school lot came to her mind, and she said out loud, "I would like to have whatever it is they have."

Someone walked out of the bushes.

Alece saw him out of the corner of her eye as she hit the water. The slap of it momentarily stunned her, but she came up fast for a breath of crisp mountain air.

Treading in place, she looked at the guy in the instant before he spoke. He was only a year or two older than her, a blond in every sense of the word, built tall but lightly. The light reflected off his pupils, turning them blazing white. She couldn't stop thinking of snakes, hissing and slithering through her yard.

"Alece," he said, moving forward with alarming swiftness. "Where have you been, darling? It feels like I've been waiting forever."

His voice was rhythmic and flowing, the pauses between words almost imperceptible, yet easy to understand.

He was kneeling next to the edge of the pool, and Alece found that she was swimming toward him, instead of away from him. "Yes, come to me, my lovely."

Her legs were numb, she didn't even know she was moving them until she looked down. She was only a foot or two from the edge of the pool, and the guy had his hands on her arms. Her throat closed as she tried to yell for help, and the music seemed to get so much louder.

She was sure that if she looked up, she would see two fangs, dripping with venom.

She didn't have time left to think of anything except that she couldn't let him pull her out of the water, and her only other choice was to pull him in first. His hands were around her arms, just above the elbow, and in one swift move, she grabbed his shoulders from underneath, and took back control of her legs so that she could press against the side of the pool. He was warm beneath her fingers, and it momentarily threw her. Weren't snakes cold blooded? She was almost face to face with him, and his eyes were the most volatile blue. Not dark like Moira's or light like her own, but a churning, literally swirling blue that made her dizzy in a glance.

She shut her eyes, and yanked back, driving her knees into the cement. Even behind her lids, she could feel those eyes watching her, smiling. The guy landed almost on top of her, but he was remarkably light, and then the warmth of him dissolved under her hands.

There was no splash, only the sound of a cello playing solitary into the night. Alece spun crazily, trying to find him, sure that he was behind her back, smiling his electric smile.

But there was nothing, no ripples except her own, no body, no puddles on the concrete where he could have climbed from the water.

Finally she swam to the side and pulled herself out, the night air stinging her soaked skin. Her hands raked the hair off her shoulders, her face, and all the while she kept looking over her shoulders. Above the crying cello, a silence pervaded the woods in a dramatic exclusion of everything comforting or secure.

It had happened so fast. She thought that no more than ten or fifteen seconds had elapsed, but it seemed so much longer. Maybe it was just that the fear burning in her veins was going to leave the imprint behind forever, and she knew it.

"Lisa!"

She jumped to her feet, nearly falling into the pool, and a wet strand of hair tugged as it pulled off her shoulder. She turned around, and her eyes dug through the shrubs frantically, looking for a blond guy with dizzy blue eyes. But it was Josephine she saw, standing next to the gate with a plate of something in her hand.

"Are you okay?"

Josephine opened the gate with her free hand and walked over to where Alece was standing, shaking like a leaf. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head with a faint shrug and reached for her towel. "Nothing, I got a little panicked. I heard something."

It hit her immediately that she had just lied to one of her only friends, and about something that really wasn't nothing. If she had been in one of her acts where she played the helpless girl who needs someone to take care of her, she would have burst into tears. But she hadn't. Without any consideration, she had pretended nothing was wrong. And because she hadn't considered it, that must mean it was what she had instinctively done.

Josephine was looking at her closely, and Alece smiled reflexively and gave a little laugh. "Really, there was an animal or something in the bushes, and it scared me." She looked at the plate. "What's that?"

"Oh, we had a couple of extra pies and Mom wanted me to bring one over," Josephine said off handedly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Just paranoid, I suppose. The pie looks great. Do you want to come in?" She turned to the back door, then leaned down to shut off the tape player. "Come on."

Josephine followed her inside. "I'm going to put on some clothes, I'll be back in a minute."

She dashed upstairs, and sat down hard on the bed, her face in her hands. Had it happened, or hadn't it? She didn't think she had imagined it, her imagination wasn't that good. He had been there, she was sure of it.

She pressed her lips together and turned to the dresser, pulling out a favorite pair of sweats. Her hair was a mess, but she was going to have to wash it to get the chlorine out, so she didn't bother.

"Sorry," she said breathlessly, walking into the living room. Josephine was sitting on the couch next to Lenan, talking about something with her. Alece felt a pang in her chest. It looked like Josephine belonged here more than she did.

Josephine glanced back at her, and maybe she saw the hurt in Alece's ordinary eyes, because she said, "I've got to get back. I just wanted to bring this over. I'll walk with you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Josephine got up and went out the front door. Lenan looked at her niece and smiled. "You tired?"

"A little. I think I'm going to take a shower."

"I picked this up for you today when I was out."

Alece looked at the book Lenan was holding out to her. She took it hesitantly. "You didn't have to do that."

Lenan smiled. "I wanted to."

She read the cover. First Ribbon, by Rhiannon Lewis, her favorite author.

"How did you know?" she asked finally.

Lenan's smile broadened. "I asked you father what you were reading these days."

Alece suspected that he'd had to go into her room and looked at her shelves, and it was by pure chance that he had picked Lewis out of all the things she read, but she was still grateful. "Thanks," she said, hugging her aunt tightly. It was the thought that counted, that her aunt had tried to do something nice for her. She'd try to return the favor if she could.

"I just wanted to let you know how happy I am that you're here. You're like the daughter I never had."

Alece didn't know how to respond, but kissed her cheek anyway, thanked her one more time, and went upstairs, her book in hand. Rhiannon Lewis, purely by chance.

The thought of burring herself in what was sure to be a good book lifted quite a bit of her gloom, and her jealously at Josephine. She hardly even thought of the guy in the yard as she showered and washed her hair, then dried it and climbed into bed. She wondered if she would tear through the whole book that night. Maybe. It wasn't unheard of.

The phone rang. Lenan had told her when she first arrived that Alece was bound to get more calls than she did, and to go ahead and answer whenever it rang.

"Hello?"

"Lisa?"

"Marina?" Was it really?

"How've you been?" It had to be, she was speaking Italian.

"Oh, good. It's nice here, the weather, the scenery. My aunt's really nice." She cast a mournful glance at the book on the nightstand.

"Have you started school?"

"Today was my first day."

"Did you make any friends?"

"Well, I met some really interesting people. How are things with you?"

A pause, and then Marina burst into tears. "Oh, god," Alece muttered in English under her breath.

"It's just awful! I'm so alone with you gone and Theo gone and Andrea has made all these new friends. She doesn't want me around! I'm not good enough for her any more. Why not? Have I changed since you left?"

Alece had the worst urge to say that yes, she'd gotten even whinier with the passing of time, but instead began the long, dull process of reassuring Marina that Andrea didn't think she wasn't good enough for her, when in all honesty Andrea may well have thought that, and Alece wouldn't have blamed her for it one bit. She liked Marina, she really did, but it still got to her when Marina sat and cried for hours about how awful her life was. Most people would have thought her life was great, living in a beautiful city, going to one of the most prestigious schools in the world, having a father who made six digits a year easily. No, Marina didn't want for anything.

Lenan poked her head in the door at the sound of Alece talking in Italian. She had the same ability as her brother and niece to learn languages with ease, it seemed to be a hereditary thing, but apparently she didn't speak Italian. She worked at an office deciphering things like medical transcripts and letters, mostly in Russian, German, and Polish.

"Marina, from Rome," Alece told her, putting one hand over the mouth piece. Her aunt nodded and went out.

By the time she was done with Marina, it was almost nine thirty, and she wanted nothing more than to loose herself in her book, but she thought of her camera, and how she had to remember to take it with her the next day. That lead to a twenty minute search of her closet and several boxes she hadn't yet unpacked.

The camera was a Olympus Stylus, not the most expensive camera in the world, but a pretty good one for an amateur photographer. She ran her hands along it, enjoying the smoothness of the plastic, and then put it snugly in it's case and tucked it in her backpack. Laying back on her bed for a moment, her eyes shut, and she decided to save the book for tomorrow. Just then, she wanted only to sleep.

It was when the lights were out that she thought of the guy, seeing his blinding eyes glare in a mocking smile at her. She didn't know if she should tell someone about him or not, and it made her imagine what Gretchen would think if she announced that some weirdo had snuck into her yard and melted when he got pulled into her pool. Besides, then Josephine would know that Alece had been lying to her the night before. Not the best way to start a friendship.

Oh, just forget it and get some sleep, she thought to herself, and then commanded her mind to imagine something pleasant, like the Italian opera, or a really good French film she had seen a few months back, or the smell of her father's tailored suits.

And slowly, quiet permeated her unsettled mind and forced it into a dark sleep.

Chapter 7

Moira pushed open the double doors, one with each hand, and came into the gym like a raven on fire. At least that was Alece's view of it, watching her weave through the crowds with her head thrown back and a smile pealing across her face.

"When is the game going to start?" Honor moaned, looking around. Two dozen middle school girls were running around and doing jumping jacks.

"In a minute," Rainy promised her.

The six of them were sitting at the top and left corner of the bleachers at High Ho Middle School. Alece was between Gretchen and Honor, with Jarrett on her far right, and Rainy and Josephine in front of them. Moira came up the steps slowly, a smile still pressing at her lips.

She eased her self onto the foot shelf between the two rows they were occupying, settling next to Jarrett's feet. "Sorry I'm late. My car ran out of gas." No answer. "Not that anyone really cares."

"What?" Honor asked. "Oh, hi. Where've you been?"

Jarrett gave a bark of a laugh. "Do you ever read the gas gauge, Moira?"

She looked over at him over the top of her sunglasses. "Not since you smashed it in after I told you that you looked like a slacker with that haircut."

He shrugged and sat back. Moira brushed some hair off her face and looked out over the crowd.

"Which one's Deeandra?" Alece asked Josephine, leaning forward.

"Over there." She pointed to a dirty-blond girl in a volleyball uniform. She had a round, thick face with none of Josephine's sharp cut elegance.

"That's Samantha," Rainy told her, "Next to Dee, on the right."

Samantha was a athletic looking kid with Rainy's hair, jerked harshly into a pony tail. She sprang forward when the referee blew his whistle, and the game began.

Alece knew nothing about volleyball, so Rainy and Josephine explained it to her. They weren't the loudest group. Jarrett sat against the wall, Moira talked randomly but no one listened, Josephine never raised her voice. Gretchen and Honor clapped, and Rainy gave an occasional yell of encouragement, but that was about it.

"So I was thinking about where to get blood, and then I realized that the butcher would have it," Moira was saying, and Jarrett appeared to be listening, or at least he nodded occasionally.

"And I checked by the butcher on my way over. It took him forever to get around to me; some lady wanted twenty pounds of ground round, it that gross or what? So when I finally get to asking him if he carries blood, he starts asking if I'm one of those sick kids who's into vampire cults and crap. I ended up pulling off my sunglasses and giving him a hard stare, and then he was shaking in his boots. I had to remind him to ring it up."

"I thought you ran out of gas," Josephine said.

Moira shot her another look and said, "That too."

"Oh come on!" Rainy yelled down to the court. Gretchen and Honor were laughing.

"What happened?"

"The ball came over, and they all just stood there and watched it, thinking that somebody else would catch it. I love it when that happens."

The girls called a time out and huddled up together. "You know, I used to think that they were over there planning their strategies," Rainy told Alece. "But then one day, I got close enough to hear, and they were fighting about what cheer to yell as they ran back onto the court."

They lost the first game, nine to fifteen, and the second, six to fifteen. The last game was closer, thirteen to fifteen, but Deeandra and Samantha both went for the ball, crashed into each other, and lost a vital point.

A toddle painted with blue symbols wandered by. "Do you think he even knows what's going on?" Moira wondered out loud.

"Of course not," Jarrett told her. "That's why he's a perfect mascot; he can't decide he likes the other team better."

"Child abuse, no question," Gretchen said, mocking them lightly.

"Let's get out of here," Honor said, standing.

"I want to beat Dee up first," Josephine warned her. "Hold my popcorn, Rainy."

Gretchen shook her head and started down the bleacher steps. Josephine didn't bother with the stairs, she just leapt from one seat down a few rows. Alece would never have had the confidence to do that. She could have missed the next step by only a few inches and broken her leg.

They passed Josephine chewing Dee out near the door, her voice low but still miffed, and headed for the car. Rainy stopped to tell Samantha that it was a good game, but to watch out next time.

"Where to?" Gretchen asked, standing by Honor's car in the parking lot.

"I'm heading for the drugstore," Honor said.

"Hardware," Jarrett told them.

"I'm coming," Moira said.

"I'm going to walk home," Alece said, "maybe take a swim."

She had the stupid idea that maybe one of them had dressed up and scared her the night before, as sort of a test. But no one blinked when she said it, or not that she could see, anyway. Of course, that still didn't explain how the guy had disappeared when he hit the water.

"Mind if I tag along?" Josephine asked. "We're going the same way."

"Sure," she said with a shrug.

"I'm going home," Rainy said.

"Can you give me a ride?" Gretchen asked Honor. "Race was in a fender bender and the car's in the shop."

"Sure."

Jarrett and Moira were already pulling out, and Alece jumped off the road to avoid getting hit. Jarrett drove like a maniac.

"Lisa," Gretchen called, and Honor pulled up beside her. "Here." She reached out the window and handed Alece a small, snow flake white card. "Call me if you get board," she said and Honor drove off.

"Gretchen Savtree, calling hours round the clock," and a number. Hmmm. She stuck the card in her purse. Interesting that someone her age would have printed cards.

"So what do you think of life in Louisa?" Josephine asked as they walked. A wind blew Alece's hair around her face, foreboding in its hint of wintery chill, and she smiled for no reason.

"It's better than life some other places."

"Like where?"

"India. I don't like the hot there, or the sand. Dad likes it, though. So much he wanted to say there permanently. I never thought I would complain when the day came that he said he wanted to settle down, but I couldn't have spent more than another week there."

"Where's been your favorite place to live?"

"Oh, different places. I don't really have favorite places, but I've been happiest where I've had friends."

"What were your friends like?"

She thought, trying to picture her old buddy Andrea next to Gretchen, and she smiled again. "They were plain, I guess. But I'm plain, and we made a good group."

"You're not plain."

Alece shrugged, unsure how to tell someone that they were a knock out without it sounding like you're looking for sympathy compliments.

"Have you ever lived anywhere else?" she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from herself.

"I moved to Louisa in the seventh grade, after my parents split up. We used to live in this crappy little town called Bombsbard. It's a stockpiling place for gunpowder, really gross. Acid rain so bad you'd think you were in a hair dye factory. I like traveling, though, and my grandmother takes me to New Orleans every year."

"I've never been there. Is it as nice as they say?"

"It's...lovely. Very exciting, if you can get into the swing of things."

The conversation picked up, and despite her cool countenance, Josephine was surprisingly easy to talk to. She knew about things, mostly people, and inventors, and liked to talk. Also, she responded with enthusiasm, making Alece feel as if Josephine was really interested in what she was saying. She was cool and calm, but still friendly and likable.

They parted at Alece's mail box, and she went inside, feeling pretty good. The house was quiet and chilly, a little too quiet, so she turned on the radio, and then ran out to get the mail.

A few magazines, letters to Lenan, and a white envelope hand addressed to Alece. Except that it called her Alece, not Lisa. Out of habit, she glanced at the postmark. Louisa, Nebraska. She began thinking about the guy who had come to her in the pool the night before. His swirling blue eyes flashed repeatedly before her face, and she closed them for a moment as she opened the letter.

There was card inside. She thought of the commercial and flipped it over, but there was no Hallmark sigma on the back. Hmmm. The front of the card had a black and white photo of a dying flower bouquet. She opened it hesitantly.

The inside was empty of printed words, but someone had carefully written:

Darling Alece,

Welcome home, at last. I've waited for eternity it seems, but now you're here. Don't keep me waiting, dear.

E.L.

She stared at the card, the music of the radio fading out behind her until she could no longer have heard it if she'd tried.

It had to be the same person. Alece dropped the card on the counter and stood in the middle of the kitchen, her lips pressed hard together. Last night could have been her imagination, theoretically. But that was a flesh and blood card, so to speak, mailed locally, with the same message. That meant that the guy was real.

And now she had a name.

The sudden realization gave her a burst of strength, and the feeling that she was winning, although she hadn't thought of it as a game before. But she had his initials, and he couldn't be that hard to find. Louisa was small.

The handwriting was straight and neat, the loops on the Y's and G large. Didn't that mean that he was reality based or something? She couldn't remember all the things Denise had told her, back forever ago in Sweden.

If he could come into her yard once, he could do it again. She had no idea what he wanted with her, but she wasn't going to wait around and find out. Lenan wouldn't be home until after eight; she worked late on Tuesdays.

She supposed she could call Gretchen; she still had the number in her purse, but she really didn't want to.

The truth was, she was feeling sort of insecure.

She liked Gretchen and the others, but they were so...special, and they made her feel hopelessly plain. It didn't matter what she wore, or how she did her make-up, she would always look less next to them. She would never create that same feeling of excitement that surrounded them.

She was starting to wonder what they saw in her.

She had no real talents, except for languages and maybe photography. She spent most of her time reading or listening to music, and while she thought she might make a good actress, it hadn't gotten her anywhere yet.

How to act around them? They were strong, and it made sense to assume that they wanted to be around strong people, which wasn't good, because their power always made Alece want to shrink back into her "take care of me" act. At that point, just when she lowered her eyes and sat back a little, she would get the familiar feeling that such actions always evoked, and yell at herself, No! You aren't going to be somebody you've already been this time! You're going to be yourself! Then she would make herself sit up a little straighter and ask a question so that she could at least pretend that she was part of the conversation.

It occurred to her that maybe they did want this strained, unsure person in their group, to help balance out all the strong people. But she didn't believe it, and she also didn't believe that she was weak.

She picked the card up and carried it upstairs, then stuck in the bottom drawer of her desk, which she had yet to fill up.

Forget it, she commanded herself. She turned and glanced at herself in the mirror, determined not to let this spook her. You're not being stalked, this is just somebody's idea of a joke. And it's a bad joke anyway. Now go fix something to eat and read your book.

That was what she did. There were fresh cookies in the kitchen, and she poured a glass of cold milk to go with them. On her way back upstairs, book in hand, the phone rang.

"I can't believe this," she muttered, laying the milk on her dresser as she grabbed blindly for the phone with her other hand.

"Hello?"

"Lisa?" Giggle.

"Yeah, who's this?"

A light laugh. "Moira, who were you expecting? Do you always ask who's calling when you pick up the phone?"

She did, but only because she had so many people who called. And that was the funny part, she had friends from all over the world, but none of them except for a reasonable circle, probably five or less, were very important to her.

"Usually. What's up?"

"I was just thinking. We're throwing a little party at Gretchen's two weeks this Friday, and it occurred to me that we hadn't invited you. Interested?"

"Why not?"

"Good. Somebody will pick you up at about seven. Oh, and we'll be spending the night over at Gretch's."

"Sounds fine."

"Alright. I'll see ya tomorrow...Lisa." Hysterical Moira-style laughter.

"Goodbye, Moira."

She hung up the phone, shaking her head. She knew she would never be able to figure Moira out.

With a cookie in one hand, and her book in the other, Alece curled up in the big Panasan chair next to the window. The hours flew by, with the light slowly fading until she had to turn on the lamp, and then the front door opened.

"Lisa?"

She looked up from her chair, being jerked hastily back from the story, and looked around. Where am I again? Her eyes fell on a bumper sticker that was laying on the desk. "Louisa, come to where it sucks!" Somebody had slipped it into her locker with a note, "A gift from the student council. Welcome to Louisa!"

"I'm here!" she called down to her aunt, standing up and stretching. Most of her bones popped, and she felt that common drowsy warmth in her head.

Jogging down the stairs, lines from the story blazed back through her mind, but she pushed them away and walked into the kitchen. Lenan was shuffling through the mail, and Alece spotted the envelope from her card on the counter. She slid around and took it without attracting attention to herself, then stuck it in the trash can.

"How was work?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, work. Polish to English, English to Polish. There's so much Polish floating around that sometimes I start thinking in it. How was school?"

"Fine. Moira invited me to a party at Gretchen's house in a couple weeks. Do you know the people I'm talking about?"

"Of course, Josephine's crowd." Alece couldn't say she cared for the use of the word, "crowd," It made them sound like a cult or something. Her aunt was starting off into space with a funny half frown on her face.

"What?" Alece asked, watching her.

Lenan's eye focused again. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking."

"About what?" Alece prodded.

"Well, it's just that they've always been kind of a secretive group. Not that I don't like them, but I am surprised."

"That they've taken me under their wing?"

"I guess. I don't think that group's gotten any bigger since the seventh grade."

Alece pondered this carefully. It had been years since they had taken in a new member, yet they seemed to be drawing her in quite quickly. Again, that strike of unsureness, that she was treading on thin ice, lost in the mountains.

Lenan was watching her. "Don't sweat it, honey. They probably just need some fresh blood, and they picked up because...I don't know. Maybe because they know me through Josephine, and you live close by."

"Something like that," Alece muttered, not at all relieved. Didn't Lenan see? Her to them was like loose leaf paper to a Rembrandt. They had something she didn't.

Chapter 8

A week later they were sitting down by the creek at lunch. It was much cooler than Alece had thought it would be, but the wind didn't come down into the ravine, and the air was fairly warm.

Alece didn't believe time could fly, but apparently it did in Louisa. The past week had disappeared faster than she could look at her watch. It had been, all things considered, a great week. She liked these people, she did, and they seemed to like her. That was still a weak spot with Alece; she was kind of paranoid about it.

"So," Honor asked her, "what do you think of Louisa?"

"It's a nice town. Not to big, not too little. Dad and I were always going to big cities and capitals, but I like this." She popped open a can of soda. "On the other hand, I have this sneaky suspicion that I'm going to fail the chem test. I can't believe they're having one the second week."

Jarrett said something to Moira, and the conversations split. That always happened at lunch. There seemed to be no one topic that they could all talk about.

"Have you done any chemistry before?" Honor asked Alece, concerned.

"I did, I don't remember when. But it wasn't this hard. I feel like there's some big piece of the puzzle that I'm not seeing."

"I could explain it to you," Honor offered. "I took chemistry over the summer, and it's just the teacher who's hard to understand."

"Do it," Gretchen put in. "Honor knows what she's talking about."

"Okay, that would be great," Alece said, pleased.

"Can you come over after school?" Honor asked. "I could drive you home."

"Alright. I should call Lenan before I leave."

Rainy was humming next to her, but he stopped when he spoke. "Summer sausage?" he offered, holding out a large chunk. Alece had never been able to eat it.

"No thanks," she said. Rainy gobbled the piece whole, one big bite.

"I'll have some," Moira told him, taking the sausage. She didn't even bother cutting it, just took a bite out of the side.

Alece tried to shake off her surprise, knowing that Gretchen and Jarrett were both watching her. She wondered if they had set this up earlier. That was when she noticed that everyone there was eating meat of some sort. Moira continued to chow down on the sausage, Rainy had another one in his bag, Josephine was eating ham on crackers, and Gretchen had just taken out a hunk of pot roast.

That's really strange. She wasn't a vegetarian, and generally didn't get along with them. They were so often holier-than-thou; it drove her crazy. Okay, so I'm eating a dead cow. It tastes great. You don't know what you're missing.

Well, it clearly wasn't going to be a problem here. She looked down at her own lunch, tuna on rye, and took a bite. It tasted good, cold and fresh.

Moira turned to Jarrett and resumed what she had been saying. She had eaten nearly half the sausage without crackers, bread, or a drink. Alece didn't think she would have been able to do that, even if she had to.

"What made you decide to take chemistry during the summer?" she asked Honor.

"Well, I took four of my classes over the summer, and that left this year free to just take electives."

"You're taking six electives?"

"Yeah, double orchestra, health, gym, photography, and writing. It's fun this way. I get three months out of the year to work really hard, and then I can spend nine taking the good stuff. Besides, there isn't a collage in the country that could keep me out."

"Makes sense," Alece muttered, drinking her soda. "What's your family like?" she asked Gretchen.

She shrugged. "My parents are pretty much average. Dad works at the Opera House in Madrid. He's the house manager. Mom writes for the paper."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Four brothers, all older."

"Wow. Aren't you supposed to be the tom boy then?"

"I wish," Gretchen mutter glumly. "My mom was so thrilled to have a baby girl she kept me in nothing but dresses until I was nine."

Moira jumped into the conversation. "That's when I decided enough was enough. I took her Sunday dress and torched it on Gretch's front lawn."

Alece looked at Gretchen in a alarm. "She did?"

Gretchen laughed. "I don't think torched it quite the word. She hung the dress up from a tree in the front yard and tried to set it on fire, but it was polyester and wouldn't burn."

"But your mom got the picture," Moira pointed out.

Gretchen nodded. "My brothers are at collage now, except for Race. He's got a job at Sears that he likes, and he won't quit."

"What are your other brothers' names?"

"Darren, Orvill, Lionel, and Race, respectively."

"What kind of a name is Orvill?" Moira broke in again. "I always thought his name was Ory."

Gretchen shook her head. "Orvill Peter Savtree. He doesn't want people calling him Ory anymore. He seems to think that Orvill is more mature."

"I think it's gross," Moira said. Gretchen shrugged. She didn't care what Moira thought, and it showed.

Alece thought it was funny, the way Moira and Gretchen interacted. Gretchen had a strong, likable personality, but she wasn't overbearing. Moira was so self-confident that she could do anything; no one would stop her. And she knew it. They were really a lot alike, but Alece would never tell them that. Moira would say that no, Gretchen was weak, and Gretchen would say that no, Moira was too pushy.

During photography the next afternoon, the teacher called Alece to her desk. Jarrett was searching through a closet close by. The teacher handed her back her portfolio.

"Some of these are excellent," she began, "but there are so many that you couldn't have taken."

Alece was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're in most of them."

Alece opened the binder and realized her mistake. "This isn't my portfolio, it's just a bunch of pictures my friend took. I must have mislabeled it. I'm sorry. I'll dig the right one out tonight and bring it in tomorrow."

She stepped away and leaned her side against the wall, feeling a mixture of stupidity and excitement. She had forgotten about these completely, and she began digging through them, a hundred memories coming back to her. Major deja vu.

A creeping at the back of her neck made her turn. Jarrett was looking over her shoulder, and she met his sunglasses with her eyes.

"What are these?" he asked.

"Pictures from my trip to Rome."

"Did you like Rome?"

Alece stopped at a picture of her and Marina. She'd forgotten just how gorgeous her friend was. "I loved it."

"Why?" Jarrett's voice caught her off guard. It occurred to her that she didn't know him all that well, that they were really strangers.

"Had a good time," she said simply, studying his profile. He didn't look at her.

"Who's that?" he asked, pointing to a picture.

She glanced down and it and felt a jolt run through her. God, time really did steal your memory if you weren't careful. His face in her mind was so much more muddled than she ever would have thought possible.

"That's Theo," she said, taking care make sure her voice came out even. "This is me, there's Marina, and that's Andrea."

"Do you still talk to them?"

She closed the portfolio firmly. "Not all of them," she said shortly, and began to move away. She was surprised to feel Jarrett's hand close around her arm.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked. She wished she could see his eyes, but those sunglasses weren't going to reveal anything.

"No, you didn't. Why would you think that?"

"You're flustered."

"I'm not."

He smiled, the most friendly smile she'd ever seen him put on. "Yes you are."

The smile deserved something at least. "Forget it."

His hand dropped back to his side, and the smile fell away like an old raindrop. "Whatever you say, Lisa."

She rode home with Honor that afternoon, who drove an '82 Volvo station wagon that bellowed like an elephant when she turned it on. The air conditioner didn't work, the heater didn't work, the brakes usually worked, and yet, it was pleasant to drive in. The seats were covered, with no stuffing popping out or anything, and it had a clean, vacuumed smell to it. It was in about as good a shape as you could expect from a car fourteen years old.

There was a grinding noise as Honor pulled out of the parking lot and into the busy street. "Sorry about the car. It's my grandmother's, and she won't drive anything smaller."

"Where do you live?" Alece asked.

"Leming Grove. It's what used to be the Greenleaf area in about the nineteen twenties. Now of course, all the houses are falling down a bit. A few are still in good shape, but mine isn't one of them." She grimaced, and it had an odd affect on Honor's face. She looked off balance. "I guess I should tell you about my family," she said, glancing over at Alece, who nodded her encouragement. "My parents died a month after I was born. I live with my grandparents, and two great aunts. It's sort of weird...you'll see. They're all senile, and I'm not joking. If Gretchen hadn't been my friend when I was little, I would probably be a total recluse by now. She lives a couple blocks away."

"My mother's dead," Alece admitted.

Honor glanced at her again. "I know. Josephine told me."

"What I want to say is that I know what it's like not having both your parents."

An appreciative nod from Honor. "I'm not going to introduce you to them. We can go up the back steps."

"Alright." She was a little taken aback.

Honor's house was Victorian, and terribly romantic. It was two full floors high, with old fashioned shingles hanging from the roof, and boxes under each window. The maroon paint was peeling, but it could have been beautiful.

Honor parked by the curb and climbed out. Alece thought the door was going to fall off when she closed it. They walked around the side of the house, going through a little wooden gate. The back yard was overgrown, mostly, but there were several fountains, and a stone path to walk through.

"The fountains are my Aunt Ruth's. They're all she cares about these days," Honor said. There was a staircase that led up to a small porch on the second floor that they went up, and Honor unlocked the door with her key.

"This is my room," she said, laying her bag down and sitting on the bed.

"It's lovely." The room was paneled in dark wood, shaped like an octagon, with several small but deep closets. There was a purple coverlet on the bed, and matching curtains hung to cover the back door. All the furniture was antique, large and heavy, and a hair brush plated with real silver lay on the dresser. A large mirror was hung above the dresser, and Alece could feel it's thickness when she pressed her fingers against the cold, polished surface. She absolutely loved it.

They went to work, sitting on Honor's bed. Alece had been right when she said she was missing a big chunk of the puzzle. Her problem mostly revolved around the fact that she was missing several vital rules, and once she had learned how to apply them, the whole thing became much easier.

When they were finished, they sat on Honor's bed and talked about things, mostly pointless, stupid things. They spent ten minutes or so discussing how cheese curls got curled. Honor's theory was that the bits of dough were dumped into a spinner and twirled for a short period of time.

Honor had her mouth open and was about to say something when she froze. She muttered a curse under her breath and sprang off the bed, almost landing on her cello. "Come on, we've got to go," she spat, and had Alece's bag in her hand as she moved toward the back door.

"What's wrong?" Alece asked, confused and startled. She stood up, and out of the corner of her eye, saw the bedroom door open. Honor paused, and then sank back against the wall.

An old lady stepped into the room, looking like a long ago wilted flower whose petals were about to fall off. "Honor," she said in a grinding old voice. "Why didn't you tell me you had a friend over?"

"We're just leaving," Honor told her, opening the door.

"No, no, she has to stay for dinner."

"She really needs to get home, Aunt Ruth, and I have a lot of playing to do."

"You play too much," Ruth brushed off with a wave of her hand. "You and your friend come down to dinner right now."

Ruth hobbled back into the hall, and Honor shut her eyes for a second. They she picked up the phone and hit the speed dial. "Gretch, get over here, now....I need you to take Alece home...I didn't make it out in time, my aunt caught me....Are you sure?..No, that's okay...Just be here as soon as you can." She turned to Alece as she hung up the phone. "Look, once dinner starts, I can't leave, but Gretchen's coming to get you."

"That's really okay-" Alece started, but Honor cut her off.

"No, you don't want to have dinner here. I don't want to have dinner here. Come on, Aunt Ruth will be back up in a minute."

They went out into the dark hall. It smelled of old wood and old rot and old people. She called me Alece, Alece though to herself. That's strange.

The dinner room, as Honor would later refer to it, was paneled in the same dark wood, with a bay window at the far end, and a four tier chandelier hanging above the long table. It was set with a frail green and blue china, clearly very old, and probably very expensive.

There was Ruth at one end of the table, hunched and twisted, Honor's grandmother, Tomasia, the other aunt, Roberta, and her grandfather, Edward. She told Alece to call them by their first names.

All the relatives were deaf, and they shouted so as to hear one another and be heard. Edward didn't talk much, but every few minutes he would make a sick wet sound in his throat.

"I bought a new hoe yesterday!" Roberta told the others.

"What are you going to use it for?" Ruth shouted.

"Who are you calling a hoe?" asked Tomasia.

"Not that kind of hoe!" Ruth shouted. "A garden hoe!"

"Well why didn't you say so?" Tomasia belted out.

Alece looked and Honor and tried to hold back a smile. Honor shook her head, but seemed pleased that Alece could laugh about it. She handed her a big clay bowl, full of....

"Chicken pot pie," Honor said out loud. None of the others could hear her. "Just put some on your plate and push it around."

Alece was momentarily distracted from the conversation while trying to keep up with the steady flow of plate and dishes that were being handed to her.

"That's not food!" Ruth yelled at Tomasia. She had picked up a potted plant and was scooping dirt onto her plate.

The doorbell rang, and Honor sprang to her feet. "I'm going to get the door," she shouted at the older people, and then made a mad dash into the living room, dragging Alece behind her. Gretchen had already let herself in, and was looking around.

"Thank goodness you got here," Honor said. Alece hadn't noticed before, but her face was flushed. "Go on, get out of here." She handed Alece her bag and leaned forward to kiss Gretchen's cheek. "Thanks."

"Any time," Gretchen told her, turning and heading out the door. Alece cast one last glance around the living room, barely having had time to get a feel for it, and then went out the front door after her.

"Honor's kind of sensitive about her family," Gretchen said, as they walked down the driveway. "She's also sort of ashamed of them."

"They're not a bad crew," Alece commented. "I mean, they could be worse."

Gretchen nodded, glad that Alece understood. "They could be much worse. They usually leave Honor alone, except for meals. That's the big thing in her house, everyone having meals together."

"I noticed. This is a nice car."

"Thanks. Race and I share it." The car was tan, foreign, comfortable. "Do you have a car?"

"Yes, my father bought it for me. I don't use it much. I'm a terrible driver."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I learned mostly over in Europe, where everyone drives on the left side of the road. Switching sides has been really confusing."

"I bet." Alece looked over at Gretchen. Her eyes were visible behind her glasses, open and steady, but she sounded preoccupied. Alece had the sudden terrible feeling that Gretchen thought she was showing off when she said she'd learned to drive in Europe. She hadn't been, but she really did learn there. The point of the comment had been to say that she was an awful driver.

A wave of self-doubt washed over her, and she pressed her lips together. The difference between making in friends in a place from which you knew you were going to move soon and making friends in a place you were going to spend at least two years in is weather or not you have to care about what they think of you. This was the first time Alece had ever worried about what people thought of her.

Just dash my confidence, Gretchen, she thought rudely, somehow enjoying the fact that Gretchen couldn't hear her. But the feeling still plagued her until they pulled into her driveway on Lasson Drive.

"Thanks," she said as she climbed out.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Gretchen replied.

Alece let herself into the house and sat down in a chair at the dining room table. The stillness soaked into her, making her thoughts sound as if she were speaking them out loud. Gretchen had assumed that they would see each other the next day. Alece supposed that was a sign that they were friends, but it still caught her off guard. She felt...captured. They had her in their grasp now, she was theirs to make or break.

Alece rolled her eyes and stood up. You're making something out of nothing. If they didn't like you, they wouldn't say things about seeing you tomorrow.

Some part of her knew that what she was saying make sense, but another part was still unsure. She didn't know what Gretchen wanted in a friend.

Ha. That would be a change.

Alece stood up and went outside for the mail. Nothing interesting except for a letter from Jessy in Paris. She opened it quickly, thinking about how Jessy always had something witty to say. Unfortunately, it was in complicated French (Jessy's English was as bad as Alece's driving, and she got a kick out of making French as hard for Alece as possible, using words half the collage graduates didn't know), and Alece decided she would translate it later. She got a Coke from the refrigerator and started upstairs to do some English homework. When the phones rang in various rooms around her, she jumped and nearly fell over backward. The Coke slipped from her hand, and she watched helplessly as it rolled down every step. Blast, she thought. At least it wasn't open.

With the phone nestled between her head and her shoulder, Alece tapped the top of the can, hoping soda wouldn't explode out when she opened it. "Hello?"

"Honey? It's Lenan."

"Oh, hi."

"I'm just calling to say that I got in a big shipment of Polish government transcripts, and I have to finish half of them by tomorrow morning, so I won't be home 'till real late."

"That's okay."

"There's steak in the fridge, and some instant macaroni in one of the cupboards. Sorry about this."

"No problem. When you've got to work, you've got to work."

"You've got to sleep, too. There's a reason Poland is always at war. I've got to go, Lisa."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She said goodbye and hung up the phone, opening the Coke can as she stared out the window at the placid pool. Another night home alone, another chance to have a complete identity crisis. What more could a girl ask for?

Alece sighed and went to the kitchen to translate Jessy's letter.

Chapter 9

That Wednesday at lunch, Alece was more aware than ever of the others' meat eating. Moira seemed to have developed a fondness for summer sausage, and finished off half of one without taking a drink. Alece marveled that she wasn't fat as a cow.

They were talking about a dance from last year. "You were wearing the green dress, Moira, remember?" Gretchen asked. "It had that ridiculous splash of sequins that went from your head all the way to your ankles."

"I think it was worth wearing just to see you trip over it," Jarrett told her.

"I did more than trip," Moira retorted indignantly. Her eyes were a particularly vibrant blue in the bright sunlight. "There was the little stunt with Chelsey."

At that, everyone cracked up, except for Alece, who naturally didn't get the inside joke. She lowered her head, stared at the water rushing past her in the creek, and tried to push away her resentment. She envied them, knowing each other, teasing each other. And the fact that they could do together only helped to increase her self-uncertainty. Why, if they got along so well, did they need her?

Lunch was almost over, according to Alece's watch, and she felt grateful. Everyone was in an upbeat mood today, except for her. They didn't seem to notice.

Moira had removed a thermos from her backpack and was spilling a steaming liquid on the ground as she tried to pour it into a paper cup, laughing so hard her whole arm shook. Alece took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn't understand why this got to her so much.

Moira handed her a cup. It burned at the numbness of her finger tips, and smelled like herbal tea.

Gretchen was looking at Moira, and speaking in a low but purposeful voice. "Moira."

Moira looked at her and flashed an innocent yet dazzling smile that clearly conveyed, "Who, me?" But what she said was, "Gretchen?"

Gretchen shook her head and glanced at Alece from the corner of her eye. She was about to say something when Jarrett cut her off. "Let it be, Gretch, okay?"

She sat back on her heals and looked at Jarrett. He looked right back, his dark eyes flat and not the least bit intimidated. The sharp lines of his profile cut against the trees behind him. After long seconds, Gretchen shrugged.

"Fine, have it your way," she told Moira. "Why should I care?"

Alece took a sip of the tea and shut her eyes for a split second. The taste was sharp but sweet, with a strong, pleasant aftertaste.

Moira was watching her. Everyone was. "What do you think?"

"It's good. Did you make it?"

Moira drank from her own cup. "I guess you could say it's an old family recipe."

They packed up a moment later. Moira started up the hill with Gretchen close at her heals, and Alece could see that they were arguing about something. She stood up and had an unusual heat flash. It felt like she was standing two or three inches away from a fire. A bead of sweat broke out on her forehead, and the woods spun in front of her. She lost her balance, staggering backwards a step, and then felt a hand on her back, another on her arm.

Alece rested against the person and closed her eyes. The feeling faded, both of dizziness and of heat.

"Are you alright?" Jarrett asked calmly. He was pretty much holding her up.

She stepped forward and tried to breath. Nodding, she looked around, noticing how chilly the wind was. It felt great for a second, and then too cold. "I'm okay," she told Jarrett, and he gently let go of her arm. "Thanks."

A nod was his only response. Alece swiped at the sweat on her brow, and then began the trek up the hill. Jarrett stayed close behind her, and she got the feeling that he was waiting to see if it would happen again.

It did, but not until chemistry. Alece was leaning over to the center of the lab counter when the dizziness hit her and a test tube fell from her hand. It rolled across the black table top, rattling incessantly, and her partner, Jasmine, caught it before it hit the floor.

The black dots that had suddenly appeared in Alece's vision dissipated, and she straightened up slowly. "Are you okay?" Jasmine asked, soundly much less cool than Jarrett had when he had asked the same question half an hour earlier.

"I'm okay," she repeated, soundly just as phoney as she had before.

This better not become a habit, she told herself. From behind, she caught someone's whisper.

"It's because of those people she hangs out with," the guy said. "They're changing her."

Oh, for crying out loud, I need a break. She told the teacher she was going to the bathroom, and hightailed it out of chemistry.

Her reflection in the bathroom mirror was fuzzy, but she couldn't tell why. Her face was flushed, she felt interminably hot, and her eyes were much brighter than usual. This is not my imagination, she thought. There was something in that tea. Jarrett seemed to be expecting me to fall. God, that kid in class was right, they're doing something to me.

As soon as the thought surfaced, she brushed it off. Get real. She ran her hands under cold water, braided her hair so that it wouldn't be on her neck, and splashed some water on her face. Her reflection stopped looking so fuzzy finally, but she couldn't get the flush out of her cheeks, nor could she understand the stars in her eyes.

"Pull it together," she muttered to herself, and went for the door, but another heat wave and dizzy spell stopped her. She could feel the blood pounding under her skin.

There was a hush when she walked back into her chemistry class, but she ignored it and walked back to Jasmine. "Better?" her partner asked.

"Much," she replied. "What are we doing here, anyway?"

She walked into her fifth period class fully prepared to demand for Moira to tell her what on earth was in the tea, but within a second's glance at the group, her confidence was dashed. They had been talking animatedly one moment, and then Honor saw her come in the door, told the others, and they all shut up and pretended they hadn't been talking.

Alece stopped dead in her tracks, and the urge to run was strong in her legs. She could have done it, turned, fled, run all the way home, but she didn't. Instead, she altered courses and walked to the teacher's desk.

"Here," she said, holding out the correct portfolio. She's dredged it up from the closet the night before. "This is the right one."

The teacher opened it and paged through, then said she'd get back to her. Alece nodded and walked to the back table, fully aware that there were at least half a dozen pairs of eyes on her.

They're all watching to see if I'm going to drop dead, she thought, and for no apparent reason, grinned.

Moira was being particularly crazy that afternoon. As the teacher discussed how to take a good portrait, she raised her hand and asked how much skin was too much, and suggested that she thought a good way to tell was to have the subject just keep removing clothes until it struck her to stop. Jarrett actually smiled. Alece remembered that he and Moira hadn't been late that afternoon, as they had most other days.

She had another spell, on her way out the door. In a surprisingly quick move, Moira caught her just as she would have been crashing to the floor.

"What was that?" she asked, steadying Alece.

"Your cheeks are as red as apples," Rainy commented.

Alece felt pleased that they were concerned. They probably would have been worried about anyone who almost passed out in the middle of class, but she doubted that Moira would have dropped her books to catch them.

"I'm just feeling a little....hot," she supplied, unsure what to say.

Gretchen was glaring at Moira, which strengthened Alece's conviction that it had been something in the tea.

"I think you have a fever," Moira said, laying a cool hand on Alece's cheek. "No, I'm sure you have a fever." She leaned down to retrieve her fallen books. "Look, I'm going to tell the nurse that you're sick. Jarrett? Drive her home?"

"That's okay," Alece argued. "I'll be fine in a second."

"No, Jarrett can take you home. He doesn't have a sixth period class."

"I'm alright," Alece continued, but Gretchen shook her head.

"Go home, you look awful."

That's for the compliment, Alece thought, grimacing.

"Here," Jarrett said. He took her arm and began leading her toward the door. She couldn't believe how fast that decision had been made. She'd hardly had time to argue.

Jarrett drove a Geo Metro with dark brown leather interior and a cinnamon smell to it. She sat down in the passenger seat and lay back, letting her head rest. Besides being hot, she was now suffering from a draining fatigue.

Jarrett turned the air conditioner on, pointing the slots so that they would blow on her face. Felt great. He didn't say anything as they pulled out, but Alece studied his profile. He didn't look mad, and he didn't look happy. She thought again how fine his hair was, like Moira's.

"Thanks for taking me home," she said, and the sentence was cut off as she slammed into the door. They were taking the turns very close.

"No problem," he told her, still watching the road. "Like Moira said, I don't have a class now."

He turned again, another bang against the door. Alece remembered thinking the other day that he drove like a maniac. He didn't really, he just took all he turns very short and precise. That was probably a sign that he was in excellent control. She sure hoped it was.

"How long have you lived in Louisa?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"All my life," he replied. "I live over in the Greenleaf Area. You know where that is?" She shook her head. "Don't worry. It's not worth finding."

"You don't like it there?"

"Not particularly. Everyone is a rich snob." Alece nodded, even thought she realized that she was taking his word that they were snobs. Rich, now that could be proven.

Jarrett pushed the hair off his forehead, swung the wheel hard. What nut gave him a license?

A book laying on the dashboard flew off with a swooshing sound and landed in her lap. Lukewarm Prophesy, by Rusty Baez.

"I've read this," she said. She noted that the book was in perfect condition, meaning that he either hadn't read it yet, or else he was terribly meticulous.

"What did you think?"

"Have you read it yet?"

"Yes. I'm finished."

"I thought the ending was cowardly. We all knew Macmurry should have become king. That whole stupid thing they stuck in at the end about the birth scrolls was just stupid."

She hoped she hadn't said too much or something offensive, but Jarrett nodded his agreement. Still, his question was almost a challenge. "What would you have liked to happen?"

A thought caught her fancy and she ran with it. "I would have made the Law of Four apply to all royalty, not just the Pristine. That way it would have thrown Macmurry off the thrown, and still allowed Sardin to move up."

Jarrett looked thoughtful. "Yes, that could have worked, but it would have been more realistic to have given Macmurry absolute power."

"That would have been a tragedy!"

He glanced at her and the corners of his mouth turned up in what could have been a smile. "What better way to set things up for a sequel? You can't leave readers hanging, knowing that Macmurry would tilt the balance and destroy the tradition."

Alece smiled herself. She hadn't considered a sequel. "Have you read any other things by Rusty Baez?"

"Some. The Idiot King, Fire Pit."

"Did you like them?"

"I thought Fire Pit was too outrageous to be believable, even for a fantasy story. The Idiot King was good though. Especially the characters."

"You should try the Lurker series. There are a bunch of good characters in that one."

He nodded again. "I might."

Alece sat back as her view dissolved into black splotches for a moment. She shook her head to clear it, and noticed Jarrett watching her. "We'll be there in a minute," he said.

When they pulled up in front of 604 Lasson Drive, it occurred to Alece that she hadn't told Jarrett where she lived.

"Josephine told me you were three houses away. I figured that you'd tell me if I went to the wrong one," he explained after a moment's hesitation. Too long a moment.

"Alright," she said. "Thanks for the ride."

"Feel better," he said as she climbed out.

Alece put on her suit and got in the pool. She knew she shouldn't be swimming without somebody else home, so she stayed in the shallow end and didn't go underwater. The freezing water made stars explode in front of her when she stepped in, soothing the fire under her skin.

When she finally got cold, she went inside and put on a loose T-shirt. After letting her hair down, she went into her bedroom, planning on taking a nap. The sun, thought not unusually bright, was making her eyes burn a little, and she put a blanket over the window. The shade didn't seem to be doing its job.

Her limbs felt heavy, weighted down. She lay back on the bed and immediately lost her sense of balance again. She was floating, drifting, tilting aimlessly. She felt the way she did after she had spun around in circles for so long she couldn't stand up, and had to lay on the floor trying to steady her vision.

Then, she began counting.

The dim light she could sense from behind her lids faded, and she was left in blackness. The floating continued, getting higher, and lighter.

A blue light began, somewhere in the far away horizon of her closed eyes. Like dawn, a brilliant, shinning blue light.

The counting went on, and the light continued to increase. She could hear a soothing, soft strand of music in her ears.

It's the end of the world, she thought between numbers, but she didn't believe it. The blue light was filling her whole screen of vision, blinding her. The music got louder, prettier, gentler.

There was a bang noise that drowned out the music, and then the dawn turned into a nuclear explosion that sent a blast of hot air at Alece. She became frighteningly aware that she could feel her body again, and that it was flying sideways.

She smacked into a wall and opened her eyes. The light was gone, the music was gone. She was laying on her side, deeply embedded in shadows, staring at the trash can. The room was darkened because of the blanket thrown over the window, and there were no lights on.

She sat up and shook her head, which was when she noticed the mist in the air. It was blue, mostly, with some deep rose, floating around the room in patches. Alece blew at it, and it drifted away from her.

But there she was, on the bed.

Alece felt a streak of fear run the length of her body as she stood up and looked at herself, laying on the bed. She knew in a second what had happened. She had gone out of her body.

She had read about such things, joked about them with Jessy, but it wasn't so funny when she was standing in her room looking at herself. Running her hand along the comforter, she could feel it, but not move it.

She knew it was true. Somehow, whatever Moira had given her to drink had caused her to pop out of her body. Once she knew that, and recalled that she had never heard of anyone getting stuck out of their bodies, although she may not have heard about it for obvious reasons, she calmed down a bit.

She looked at her real body on the bed. She really did look different from the outside. A faint green and blue mist floated above her, and Alece ran her hand through it. She could affect the mist, and it was soft and velvety to the touch.

God, this is weird.

There was a door where the closet should have been. It was wooden, thick looking, with a curved top and large metal handle. Alece recognized it, but from where she couldn't say. Casting one last look at her body, she opened the door.

The room she stepped into was forty feet long and twenty wide. The ceiling came to a point, and the beams were exposed. An attic, Alece guessed, but she'd never seen one so nice. The walls were all painted beige, with cream carpet. There was an arch at one end, separating the last ten feet of the room, with a carved wooden rim, like you'd find in a Chinese restaurant. She stepped forward, looking over her shoulder to make sure the door didn't vanish. The little half room beyond was cozy, with only one, small, round window. There was a king sized bed, a bedside table, and a couple of arm chairs. A highboy was positioned in the corner.

In the center of the big room was an oval table. It was mahogany, well polished, and eight high backed chairs sat around it. The seats were covered in red velvet.

Alece hadn't noticed the stairwell. It was settled against one wall, and went down. There was a white painted banister to keep people from falling, and Alece was just about to walk over and see where it led when a door opened, presumably at the bottom of the stairs, and people came in.

She looked for a place to hide, then realized that they probably couldn't see her anyway, and just stood very still. A light switch was flipped, and the room exploded with brilliant illumination, coming from track lighting embedded in the ceiling.

It was Gretchen who came up first.

Then Honor, Moira, Josephine, Jarrett, and Rainy.

This must be where they hang out together, she thought wildly. Gretchen took her glasses off and slammed them down on the table. She was surrounded by a veil of red and black smoke, and looked furious.

"Are you satisfied?" she yelled at Moira, who was walking toward her and sliding off her glasses. "Was it enough this time? Alright, you shocked me! You've won!"

Alece hadn't believed Gretchen could get so angry, that her green eyes could flash like Jarrett's. She brushed the hair out of her face carelessly.

Moira was calmly pulling out a chair and sitting in it. Aside from the loss of her usual confident grin, she looked pretty normal.

"Why are you so upset?" she asked, almost annoyed.

"Why am I upset?" Gretchen shouted. "Why? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say!"

Honor put her hand on Gretchen's arm. "Calm down. Screaming isn't going to help."

"I agree," Jarrett said, more interested than usual. "Why don't you sit down, Gretch?"

She dropped her bag and pulled out a chair, smacking it against the underside of the table in her haste. Her eyes never left Moira's. "Look at her," she sneered to Jarrett. "She doesn't even look like it bothers her."

"What do I have to be bothered with?" Moira asked.

"You almost killed Alece!" Gretchen's voice was gaining volume again. "For all we know, she could be dead right now!"

Alece felt another jolt hit her. Was she having a near death experience? What if she wasn't near death so much as she was smack dab in death?

But no, when she concentrated, she could feel her body all around her. It was breathing, she could hear it, and feel her heart pumping. Her body was fine.

"She's not dead," Moira argued with a wave of her hand. "It never killed anyone before."

"She's not one of us. You know that. She's not changed, she's not whatever we are. How do we know what that stuff will do to her?"

One of us? Alece's brow creased and she walked forward, closer to the table. There was no way they could have not seen her by now if she had been visible. Up close, she could more easily that Gretchen's eyes were a fiery green, her hand movements wild and jerky.

"Well, it was an experiment," Moira told her.

"And you had no right to do it. Did you see Alece? She was practically falling over."

Jarrett spoke up. "You know Moira, I have to side with Gretchen on this one. You shouldn't have been given that stuff."

"You were the one who told her to keep out of it!" Moira cried at him.

"She already suspects something," Honor broke in. "How can she not? She's knows that people are talking about us, she knows that there's something strange about our eyes. She's getting too close too fast."

"Why is this too fast?" Moira asked. "Why can't we bring her in now and be done with it?"

"Because if we do it now, she could freak out." Gretchen had calmed down, but she was still glaring at Moira. "She barely knows us, and now you've poisoned her. And don't even think that she won't see the connection, because she will. I guarantee it."

"She will see it," Jarrett agreed. "I thought she was going to collapse on the way to her house."

"Did she say anything?" Gretchen asked. "Anything that would let on that she knows?"

"She talked books," he said with a shrug. "Apparently she's read some stuff by one of my favorite authors. She didn't say anything about us as a group, or our eyes, or Moira's little elixir."

"But we're running out of time," Gretchen said. "I can feel it. She's uncomfortable around us, more so than she should be. Maybe it's just because of our eyes, but I think there's something else. Something she's not telling us."

"Like she has a secret?" Moira asked. She let out a brisk, bark of a laugh. "That's pathetic."

"No, not a secret, just another reason to not trust us." Gretchen was musing, ignoring the sarcasm in Moira's tone. She brought her fist down on the table in frustration. "I don't know what to do." Moira rolled her eyes.

"Maybe she does just need some more time," Rainy suggested. "If we make her feel accepted, like we want her to be one of us, she'll be more comfortable when the time comes."

"Yes," Alece said out loud. The sound of her own voice startled her.

"Maybe," Honor said, unable to hear Alece. "Look, what can we do now? I think it is too early to bring her in. I can still remember how scared I was, and it was years ago. What is it now, four, five years since we started this? For Alece, this is something she's just gotten into."

"And I think," Josephine began, "that she found that note we were writing, Honor. I'm almost sure I saw it in her notebook."

"We're screwed," Honor said.

"What were you writing about?" Gretchen demanded.

"Big stuff," Josephine told her meaningfully.

"We should have picked someone dumb," Jarrett put in. Moira smacked him on the back of the head.

"If we wanted someone stupid we could have gotten your sister."

"Stop it, both of you," Gretchen said. "We have to think. What are we doing wrong here? Josephine and Rainy weren't at all like this."

"But that was during summer," Josephine said. "We spent a lot of time together, without having all these people at school influencing us. We weren't new students like Alece is, we didn't have to worry about making friends. You were just the popular kids who suddenly took an interest in us."

"That wild trip through Madrid didn't hurt," Jarrett mentioned.

Honor started giggling. "You remember when we realized they had locked us into the museum? There was just this big long moment of silence because none of us could believe it."

"You laugh now," Moira said. She looked like she was in a bad mood, Alece noticed. "You aren't the one who got shipped off to boarding school."

"She's not the one who got herself kicked out, either," Jarrett said.

"Would you shut the hell up?" Moira yelled at him.

"It's true!" He was oddly amused.

"If you had met this girl, you would have done the same thing I did." She sat back indignantly. "How was I to know she really was psychic?"

"I thought breaking windows was a good tip off."

"Would you both shut up?" Gretchen asked. "Alece could be dead right now and you're still talking about the damn boarding school incident."

"I think that fact that my father still isn't speaking to me qualifies it as more than, 'the damn boarding school incident.' Have a heart, Gretch."

"Back to the point of the conversation," Josephine said, taking control of the situation.

Moira snorted. "Which was?"

"Alece may just need a little more time to get comfortable with us. We shouldn't rush her."

"I'm going to give her a call," Gretchen said, standing up. "Make sure she doesn't need an ambulance."

Crap, Alece thought, turning for the door. She would have liked to stay and listen a while. Gretchen had gone into the alcove and was picking up a phone. Alece opened the door, slammed it shut and stood next to her bed. How to do this? At the last second, she just leaped up in the air and landed on herself, snapping back into her body.

It was a sharp jarring sensation that woke her up. The phone was ringing on the desk, and her vision was cloudy, but her mind was intact. She pushed herself off the bed, got tied up in the blankets and crash landed on the floor, and then groped for the phone. "Hello?"

"Alece? This is Gretchen."

"I know. I mean, I knew you were calling me. I mean, gosh, I'm fine. That's what you were going to ask, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Gretchen replied, sounding uncertain.

"Listen, I know Moira put something in that tea today at lunch, and that you're really mad at her about it, but I'm not upset, and I think I'm okay. But listen, I'm really confused, and I know there's something going on, and that you want me to be part of it, but please, please, please, can you explain it to me?"

There was a silence that stretched on forever. The room grew cold and still around Alece, and she finally asked, "Gretchen?"

"I'm here. I don't know what you're talking about thought. I don't think there was anything in that tea Moira brought. I mean, the rest of us are fine. I don't know why you got sick and we didn't, but are you sure you're okay? You're talking kind of crazy."

Alece felt her heart drop. Oh, Gretch, why can't you just tell me the truth?

She looked down at the desk and tugged at a strand of her hair. Gretchen would only get upset if she said anything else.

"Never mind. I have to go, I have some thinking to do."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Maybe not," she snapped, and then hung up.

That was good, Alece, real good. Why didn't you just tell her that you're furious that she's lying to you? She sat back on her bed and ran her hands through her hair. This was a mess.

In the end, she went back to bed, but she couldn't sleep, and just lay there thinking until her aunt got home.

Things have to change, she decided. Either they fess up and tell me what's going on, or I get out. There are other people to be friends with here. I can find them. Jasmine is nice.

But she wondered if she would be able to go through with it. She liked these people, sincerely liked them. Still, she knew there was no way she could be friends with them if they kept things from her and always made her feel like she was on trial.

Josephine showed up at her house at 7:45 the next morning. It was raining, and Alece had called her to see if she wanted a ride to school.

"I didn't know you had a car," Josephine said softly as she came in the door.

"It was a present from my father." She thought she was ready to go, but suddenly realized that her camera was still laying on her desk. "Oh, gosh, I've forgot something. I'll be right back."

Josephine followed her up the stairs, which Alece thought was just slightly rude. She sat down on the bed and looked around. "It's nice in here. I think Lenan used it for storage."

"Yeah, something like that," Alece replied, thinking of other things. Her camera wasn't on the desk, and it wasn't in its case. The phone rang. She leaned over and grabbed the receiver off the dresser.

"Hello?"

"Honey?"

"Dad?"

"Yeah, turn on your computer."

"Hold on a minute." She spun crazily from side to side for a moment, and then pulled herself together. Too much, too fast. That was all.

The lap top was in the top desk drawer, and she'd already hooked it into the big box next to the desk. Flipping it open, she logged in quickly and hooked herself into the phone line thing. She actually had no idea how any of this worked, but she could use it.

Richard Lennox's face appeared on the screen. It wasn't a particularly good picture of him, making his face appear much softer than it was.

"Hi, honey," he started brightly.

"Hi, listen, can I call you back when I get home?"

"Why?"

"I have to leave for school in like two minutes. It's morning here."

"Oh, sorry. I just finished dinner. I was thinking that you could come visit on Labor Day."

"Where are you?" It occurred to her that she had no idea where her father was.

"Who's that in your room?"

"Oh, this is Josephine Tolkien. Aunt Lenan's best friend's daughter."

Josephine waved lightly. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"Where did you say you were?" Alece asked.

"Vienna."

"Really? I didn't know you were back there. I'll call you when I get home, okay?"

"You can be a minute late," he brushed off. "I'm going to be in Jamica on Labor Day, and I want you to come down."

"Dad, I really have to go."

"Not yet. I want to know if you're coming."

"Well, I'll call you later and tell you!" she yelled at the little computer. Even through the blurry picture, Alece could tell that he father was surprised. She didn't usually yell at him. Yet she had been lately, more than ever. After taking a deep breath, she went on. "I'm going to be late for school, and I'm Josephine's ride, so I'll call when I get home, after I talk to Aunt Lenan, and tell you what's happening. Okay? Bye."

She leaned over and hung up the phone. "Boy, I really handled that well, didn't I?" she said, turning to Josephine.

The smile Josephine gave her was unexpected. "None of us handle our parents well," she replied. They stared at each other for a moment, Alece through her plain blue eyes, and Josephine through her sunglasses, and then Alece smiled and said, "Come on, we're going to be late."

Her camera was laying on the make-up table, and she grabbed it hastily as she passed by. The car was in the garage, so they didn't have to get wet.

"It's a nice car," Josephine complimented.

"Thanks. It drives."

"What are you going to name it?"

"Name it?"

For the first time, Josephine almost blushed. "It just popped out of my mouth. Never mind."

"No, it's a good idea," Alece assured her. "What do you name a car?"

"Something that suits it. A car is just like a baby or a cat."

Alece thought for a second. "Should the car be a girl or a boy?"

"Well, it has very firm lines, no soft edges. Make it a boy."

"How about Jonathan?"

"That will work." Josephine tilted her head. "Yes, that's a good name for your car."

Alece laughed out loud. "I can't believe I'm driving through the rain worrying about what to name my car."

"Why not?" Josephine asked, as serious as ever. "It's not as stupid as it sounds. In fact, here, I guess you could say we see things a little differently. Even Jarrett won't laugh. His car's name is Ronda. Moira's is Dominique. We just don't look at things the way others do."

Alece stared at the road, mentally preparing herself. The rain was fairly heavy, and the still dark sky made it harder to drive than ever. She pitched her voice so that it was as quiet as Josephine's.

"It that why you chose me?"

Josephine looked at her sharply, a single strand of hair coming loose from her bun to brush against her cheek. "What do you mean?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed. My aunt says you've always been a private group, almost secretive. You haven't added to your little crowd since the seventh grade. Not only that, but already, people treat me oddly. They look up when I come in, and then they whisper. Not a single person has approached me, but it isn't at all hostile. They seem to think that I'm taken, that I've been claimed by your clan or something." She paused, before going on, pressing her lips together for a moment. "And there's something about you. All of you. The way you move, the way you look, and something else I can't quite put my finger on. You're all intensely charismatic. I'm not like that. I'm not grossly ugly, but I'm nothing special, and I know it. Why me, and why now?"

Josephine stared out the window for a long time before she said anything. "What if I just said that we were getting sick of each other, and we needed someone to liven things up?"

Alece groaned. That wasn't the answer she wanted. "Then I wouldn't believe you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's...I don't know. Lame."

"It's true."

Alece felt intensely frustrated, and banged her palm against the steering wheel. There was no way to upset Josephine enough that she would blurt anything out, was there? Alece was not only angry, she was feeling desperate. She had absolutely no self confidence as if was, and this wasn't helping.

"Please, Josephine," she was almost begging, "I need you to explain this to me. I don't understand, and....it scares me! I'm deep into something strange, and I'm wearing a blindfold. What do you want me to do?"

Another silence. "I'm asking you to try and understand, Alece. I know it's hard, but give us some time. Just be confident that we like you, and we're going to take care of you."

"Take care of me?" she cried incredulously. "What the hell does that mean?"

Josephine sighed and looked back out the window. "I'm sorry."

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

Chapter 11

Alece didn't sit with Moira and Gretchen first period. Instead, she tossed her head back, smiled her best smile, and walked over to a couple of girls sitting in the back row.

"Hey," she said, trying to sound friendly. "Do you guys mind if I sit with you?"

There were three of them, all average looking girls. In fact, after spending a week with Gretchen and the others, these girls looked downright horse faced. She knew their names, Janet, Lucy, and Anne. They looked from one to another and then Janet shrugged. "Sure, pull up a chair."

"I'm Lisa," she said, and suddenly remembered that Josephine had called her Alece in the car that morning. Another weird thing she would probably refuse to explain. She slid into a desk.

"So," Janet said, "you just moved here?"

"Yeah, I'm living with my aunt. My dad moves all the time, and it really sucks." She forced a little laugh, even though she didn't find it funny.

"Yeah, parents suck," Lucy said. "I hate mine."

"I hate mine too," Janet agreed.

"Me too," Anne put in.

Alece wondered if she'd made a very big mistake. She and her father had never gotten along, and she doubted that if her mother was alive, she'd get along any better with her. On the other hand, she didn't think that her dad sucked.

"I bet your aunt treats you like shit, don't she?" Lucy asked.

Oh, God, I really screwed up. Alece cast a glance toward the corner where Gretchen and Moira usually sat. Josephine had already spoken to them that morning, Alece knew. Moira had a smile on her face that she seemed to be trying to hide with her hand, but Gretchen didn't look happy. Alece turned away.

"Nah, my aunt's okay. She knows to stay out of my business. Can't hope for much more than that."

Janet smiled, like she was saying, Hey, this girl's okay. Alece smiled back, feeling herself sigh inside. She knew how to play the tough girl, but is might have been her least favorite role. With Gretchen's crowd, there had been the opportunity to start over, to be whoever she felt like, and she'd lost it. But she couldn't be herself when she felt so insecure. At least with Lucy, she knew exactly how to act, exactly what would keep her happy.

She made the mistake of looking back over in Gretchen's direction, and meeting her eyes. The sunglasses were off. Gretchen gave her a long pleading look, and moved her hand in what could have been a twitch or a motion to come over.

"Those girls are real freaks," she mentioned, and from the look on Anne's face, knew that she had said just the right thing.

"Yeah, they suck," Lucy agreed.

"Why were you hanging out with them?" Janet asked. "They can do weird stuff to you, make you act weird."

"They'll get you if you screw around with them," Anne went on.

Alece tossed her head again, feeling her hair, loosened from its braid, tumble down her back. She reached up to twirl a lock around her finger and smiled coyly. "I don't think they'll be bothering me anymore," she told Anne.

Her next class was English, with Gretchen, and she sat by herself at a back table. She didn't think that she could stand another hour of, "sucks, death rules, sucks, let's kill every body, sucks, I hate my life, sucks," Lucy and her friends.

Even with her head buried in her book, she knew when Gretchen sat down next to her. At first she didn't say anything, but then she looked over, and Gretchen was wearing the most wrenching expression.

"I'm sorry," she said. Her sunglasses were gone, and there was genuine pain in her eyes. "Please, I don't know what to say. I don't even know what happened."

Her own unsureness at what Gretchen wanted to hear angered Alece. Her voice came out harsh. "Well, it would appear that Josephine doesn't either. And if I ask Honor, or Rainy, or Moira, I'm going to get the same answer. I don't want to spend my last two years feeling like I don't know what I'm doing." She couldn't find the words to explain herself, and knotted her hands in frustration. "Look, I really like you....I just....can't."

She stared at Gretchen for long seconds. The green eyes were wide, soft. "I really screwed up," Gretchen muttered. "We really screwed up."

"What are you talking about?" Alece asked, startled.

Gretchen shook her head, making all the curls swing from side to side. She put her sunglasses back on. "Never mind. I'm going, but if you ever get lonely, just come back. We won't make fun of you."

Before Alece could think of anything to say, Gretchen stood up and walked away.

Forget it. You're better off this way. But she didn't believe it, and she hated treating Gretchen like this.

She had no idea where to go during lunch. The cafeteria stank; there was no way she was going in there, let alone eat the food coming from inside it. And frankly, she wasn't all that hungry. She decided to sit in the library and read a book. That was if she could find one to read. First Ribbon, had been finished days ago.

The library wasn't huge, but it would do. Feeling oddly lethargic and lonely, she sat down at a table and laid her head in her arms.

She already missed them. It was weird how fast you could get close to somebody, how much you could learn to see in them in such a short time. And now she was going to spend the rest of the year with people who were totally goth and completely pointless.

She knew so many of their quirky mannerisms. Moira's laugh, Rainy's humming, the depth of frown in Jarrett's expression that differentiated annoyance from indifference. She almost felt she could count on them. But it wasn't going to be enough.

A guy sat down in front of her.

She looked up and nearly fell out of her chair. It wasn't just any guy, it was the guy. The one who'd been in her yard a week before. A spark ran the length of her back and shattered in her shoulders.

"Hi," he said, voice even and floating. He was wearing sunglasses, a green sweater, and jeans. "I'm Evan Liberance. Today's my first day."

Get away from him, she shouted at herself.

"Look, now's really not a good time for me, okay?" Her voice came out a bit shaky, but he probably would notice.

"When would be a good time?" He was completely undaunted.

"Who are you?" she asked loudly. If he wasn't going to leave, she was going to scare him off. "Why were you in my yard?" She leaned toward him, across the table.

He seemed genuinely confused. "I don't even know your name. Why would I have been in your yard?"

Alece didn't even think as she reached forward and yanked off his sunglasses. And there were his eyes. Blue, yes. Swirling and spinning, no. She was wrong.

For a moment, she didn't move, just sat in her seat like a store mannequin. She had been so sure it had been him...but no, the eyes were very different, so flat. She thought of the line from that movie, The Last Unicorn, "Like any eyes that have never seen unicorns." That was how his looked, as if they'd never seen anything frightening or magical, never swirled an electric blue.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry. I really though you were somebody else." She could feel herself blushing, horrified at her own stupidity. "This is really embarrassing. I'm so sorry."

Evan just shrugged and shook his head. "Forget it." He smiled, and it sent a streak of doubt through her. He really looked like the guy in her yard. If it hadn't been for his eyes, she wouldn't have had any doubts at all. "I'll see you around," he said, then stood up and walked away.

Alece shook herself hard. Get a grip. You're acting like a psycho. But then she had a thought.

Evan Liberance.

Evan Liberance.

She jumped out of her chair, knocking it over, and whirled toward the door. "Evan!" she yelled, eyes darting from one place to another, searching for the green sweater. But it was too late, he had left.

She was shaking all over, with both shock and fear. This day had already been so hard, so long. Taking her jacket from the back of her chair, she looked around the library aimlessly.

Jarrett was standing in the shadows, watching her.

It was more than she could take, that calm, hard stare he gave her. Grabbing her bag with one hand, she bolted, heading down to the office, to tell them she was going home.

Chapter 12

She spent the rest of her day in bed, looking through old photo albums. She's always liked taking pictures of people, and had photographs of almost everyone she'd ever met. Just then, she was trying to remember what moving around was like.

There were the obvious down sides; never making any real friends, so many constant changes. But there were some up sides too, and she missed them suddenly.

At every sound, the wind, a passing car, she jumped, sure it was Evan or whatever his real name was coming for her. Her head was starting to hurt. What am I going to do? I have no friends, I have no personality. There's nothing stable in my life except for Aunt Lenan.

Her eyes flooded with anger and self pity, and she shut them, realizing how tired she was. Surrounded by all the memories of her life so far, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 13

The held a meeting during photography.

"She left during lunch," Jarrett confirmed. "I asked the lady in the office. She said Alece was pale as a sheet, and she just sent her right home."

"Who was the guy in the library?" Moira asked, removing the manilla file from her bag and handing it to Josephine. "Take all this down," she told her.

"His name is Evan Liberance," Rainy said. "I have a copy of his school records. I Xeroxed them in the office when no one was looking. There's nothing special. He's a good student, but not too good. No behavioral problems."

"Do we know why she's upset?" Gretchen asked, sounding much less confident than the others. "I mean, what caused this?"

Silence. "Something," Jarrett began slowly, "about seeing Evan really spooked her at first. She shouted at him, and then she ripped off his sunglasses and looked surprised."

"She thinks he's one of us," Moira connected.

"Maybe," Jarrett told her. "But after he left, she sat for a minute, and then she got all panicky and stood up and yelled for him. He'd already left. That's when she went out."

"Maybe she knew him," Rainy suggested.

"One of us should go after her," Moira said.

"I will-" Honor began, but Gretchen cut her off.

"No," she said sharply. "We're not going after her. She doesn't want to be part of this, we have no right to force her."

"She doesn't even know what this is," Moira pointed out.

"She knows enough to get out," Gretchen shot back. "And that's all that matters. She's going her own way. We can find somebody else if it's really that important to you. Besides, this is probably your fault."

Moira looked around in amazement. "Don't you get it? We need her. We aren't going to find somebody else who has her talents. We need Alece."

"Moira's right," Jarrett said. "But so are you, Gretchen. We need somebody who can speak other languages. But they have to want to be part of this, or they're no good to us. What's the point in making her life harder?"

"I say we keep watching her," Honor said, "and make sure she knows that she's welcome here if she wants to come back."

"Then we're agreed?"

"Hardly," Moira said, but she didn't fight anymore, and it was assumed that they were agreed.

Chapter 14

Lenan was worried about Alece. She brought her breakfast in bed Sunday morning, and tired to get her talking about what was bothering her.

"Is it just the change?" Lenan asked. "Do you not like school? I thought you were getting along with Josephine and her friends, but maybe I missed something."

Alece sighed and took a bit of her omelet. Lenan was an excellent cook. "I'm really okay, This had just been kind of weird. There's a lot of pressure for everybody to like me because I'm not going to be leaving in a month, you know? I just worry a little too much."

Lenan waited. "Honey, I'm sure you won't have a problem making friends. Look, Josephine wouldn't have hung out with you at all if she didn't mean to be friends with you. Do you not get along or something?"

Alece shook her head. "We get along fine, I do with all of them. I just feel funny." She shook her head. "Forget it. Everything will be fine, I just need some time to adjust." She leaned forward to kiss her aunt's cheek. "Dad wants me to go to Jamica for Labor Day. You want to come? It would be fun, the three of us."

"Maybe," Lenan said. Her worries were still lingering.

"Really, don't worry about me. I'm telling you, everything will be fine."

Alece got dressed and sat on her bed. Having nothing to do, she just sat and blanked out. She got the feeling she was going to be doing a lot of that in the next week.

Chapter 15

Lucy, Janet, and Anne couldn't have been more thrilled for the new girl to hang out with them. Alece couldn't have been more homesick if she'd had a home. And actually, it wasn't just the knot in her chest that jerked every time she saw Gretchen or Josephine in the halls, or heard the orchestra playing, it was that she genuinely didn't like these girls.

Janet was Moira if she'd grown up if without class. She smoked, both cigarettes and pot, and was constantly nipping from the soda bottle in her coat, which she claimed was filled with ginger ale. The result of these two habits was that she was both stoned and drunk most of the time, and on Wednesday, still couldn't remember Alece's name.

Lucy was a slut if ever there was one. She'd moved to Louisa six months earlier and was forever complaining about the shortage of "hot stuff," in the area. She had brown hair that she dyed strawberry blond and usually wore it puffed up in the front so that she looked like an ugly poodle. Also, she'd never considered touching up those three inch roots. Lucy's favorite past time was to talk about the other guys who'd lived in L.A. "He was fine, and I mean fine. Not a single thing skanky about him."

Anne was almost likable. Alece could have been friends with her if she hadn't constantly been trying to live down to standards Lucy and Janet presented. When neither of them were around, she liked to read. L.M. Mountgomery was her favorite, and she'd read all the Anne of Green Gables books. She was short, built small, and a little round. Lucy had talked her into perming her carrot red hair, which had been a major mistake, and on a bad day now, she looked a bit like Bozo the clown.

When the middle of the week came, Alece decided that these girls were worse than having no self esteem ever could have been, and she went about making plans to switch groups again. Not back with Josephine and her crowd, but over toward Jasmine's, her lab partner, group.

Second period would begin in a few minutes, and Alece was standing in the hall with her "friends." Lucy and Janet were fighting about weather to put Anne in a pink leather mini skirt or short plastic jeans and go-go boots for the party on Friday.

"What party?" she asked Janet, turning. Even from two feet away, she could smell the girl's heady perfume.

"Oh, didn't we tell you? Those weird eye people are throwing a party Friday. The whole school's pretty much invited. Are you coming?"

Alece leaned back against the wall and opened her purse, removing a bottle of orange Tic Tacs. "I guess." What she was thinking was, Not if you're going to dress me up in a mini skirt and go-go boots.

Sucking on her candies, she glanced around the hall. There was Jasmine, over by the water fountain. She could go say hello. But Alece didn't move, and the next minute, she found herself staring at Moira.

Jarrett was trying to talk to her, but she was ignoring him and looking back over at Alece. Her sunglasses were off, dangling from one limp hand, and from all the way across the hall, Alece could see her blue eyes clearly.

They seemed to communicate almost silently, or maybe not as much silently as with the tiniest gestures.

Moira glanced deliberately at Anne and back at Alece.

Alece poured a handful of Tic Tacs into her hand and tossed them in her mouth carelessly.

Moira's smile ate at her mouth and made it pucker in at the corners.

Alece ground the candy between her teeth.

Moira was about to respond by chewing her tongue when Jarrett got sick of talking to a brick wall and finally followed her line of sight to see where she looking. He paused when he saw Alece, stopped talking and stood back against the wall.

Well, he said, what do you want?

Moira glanced back over her shoulder at him, smiled, viciously.

Alece rolled her eyes.

The bell rang.

Moira laughed and walked away. Jarrett looked at Alece and shook his head.

"Come on," Lucy said to Alece. "We're going to be late, Kim."

Kim? It didn't matter. Kim was better than Connie, which was what Lucy had called her most of Monday. Alece rolled herself off the wall and went into her English class. Gretchen glanced up when she came in, but didn't say anything.

Alece abandoned Lucy and went over to the table where Jasmine was sitting. "Hey," she said smoothly, trying to sound like she was a little nervous and slightly embarrassed. It was a classic sympathy inducing combination. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Jasmine shrugged, smiled, and cast a glance over toward Lucy. "Sure. Everything okay with Lucy?"

Alece sat down and gave a little chuckle. "Just between you and me, if I hear the word 'sucks' one more time...."

Jasmine laughed. Alece leaned back in her chair and smiled, but she didn't feel it.

When was the last time she hadn't weighed each word before saying it? When had she last blurted something out without considering how the other person would see it? Even in Rome she hadn't been able to do that.

She had occasionally day dreamed about her time in Rome, but it wasn't working anymore, and Alece saw why right away. She just didn't like who she'd been there. Little Lisa, that's what they called her, and she had fit the part so well....Little Lisa, won't you take care of me?

Alece shook her head slightly and happened to glance over at Gretchen again. She was going to have to learn to stop doing that.

Gretchen looked up at that moment, but not at Alece. She pushed back her sunglasses and began writing furiously in a notebook.

Alece turned and caught Jasmine looking at her. "Do you know them?"

"Sort of. Josephine's mother is my aunt's best friend."

Jasmine nodded, satisfied. Alece took out her note book and ran her pen around on a blank page, making sure it would write. A shadow fell over her, and when she looked up, Evan Liberance was sitting down across from her.

Alece froze. Evan settled his bag and smiled. "Hey, Jasmine. How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, returning the smile. "This is Lisa."

"Yeah," he said, glancing over at her, "I met her last week."

Alece lowered her head and wrote, "Note to Alece, whenever she's feeling stupid: When you decide to make friends with someone, find out who their friends are first."

The class took forever to pass. Alece couldn't stop looking at Evan. His face was smooth; she imagined that it was perhaps almost too smooth to be natural, his eyes were a cool, pleasant blue with light lids, and his hair was blond with golden highlights. He never once looked at her, not that she saw, and it made her more uncomfortable than if he had been staring right at her. She didn't know why.

Just before the bell rang, he said he had to leave early. He nodded at Jasmine, careful not to interrupt her concentration on what the teacher was saying, then turned to Alece.

Their eyes met, and his suddenly swirled and lit up an electric blue. Alece jumped, almost out of her chair, and he spun on his heal, walking away.

She watched his retreating back with a mixture of fear and fury. She want to do two things; run, or go and beat him until he told her what was going on.

She knew it was the guy who'd been in her yard. She just knew it. Except for the eyes, he looked just the same. Then there was the matter of the card signed, E.L. No reason that couldn't stand for Evan Liberance. And of course the fact that she had just seen his eyes do that crazy titling blue thing. She wondered if anyone else had noticed that, but no, they all seemed to be unduly engrossed in the teacher's lecture about Edgar Allen Poe.

Chapter 16

That night when Alece got home, all she wanted to do was take a bath and go to bed. Her head ached, she'd been looking over her shoulder all day, excepting Evan to pop out of the hall and make his eyes go crazy. The stress level was unreal.

Lenan was there, cooking up something in the kitchen. It was a stew, practically overflowing the pot. Her aunt was dicing carrots on the cutting board.

"What are you doing home so early?" Alece asked, kissing her on the cheek. "This smells great by the way."

"Crystal, Josephine, and Deeandra are coming over for dinner. It's Crystal's birthday."

Alece stopped smiling abruptly; she didn't even know why she panicked like that, but there was a funny cold feeling in her stomach. She couldn't imagine trying to get through a whole meal with Josephine, having those sunglasses watching her as she ate.

"What color are Josephine's eyes?" she asked suddenly. Even if Alece couldn't see them, she could still envision that there were eyes looking at her rather than plastic disks.

Lenan's hands stopped moving abruptly, and her face went onto auto-pilot. The knife hovered a half inch above a damp carrot, juice slowly running down over her palm. "Her eyes are brown," she said flatly, and then went back to her dicing.

"What's wrong?" Alece asked, trying to make her voice sound light.

"Nothing," Lenan replied, brushing her off. She smiled. "I was just trying to think."

Yeah, right, Alece thought. I always look like the sky's coming down when I think hard.

"I'm going to go upstairs and take a quick shower. Then I'll come help you with dinner," was what she said out loud. Turning, she got the feeling her aunt wanted to say something, but didn't.

A wave of dizziness hit her on her way up the stairs. That hadn't happened all week. She sat down hard, waiting for the black spots in her vision to pass. The back door, that led to the kitchen, opened.

"Crystal, you're early. Hello Josephine, Dee." Her aunt sounded cheery. Alece felt her breath quicken, and she tried to concentrate on her hair, which had spilled over her shoulders into her lap.

Shock after shock of fear blasted through her, making her blind and panicked.

She couldn't understand why she had to get away, only that she knew something awful would happened if she stayed here. It was like the power of Moira's whole powerful personality had collected here, in this stairwell, in this house, and it was coming for Alece....

She bolted.

Nearly falling down the last five steps, she had her jacket off the couch where she'd dropped it earlier and was out the door before her aunt could figure out what had happened. Her cross trainers hit the pavement of the driveway at a dead run, and she understood that this was a purely animal instinct that was guiding her. She yanked the jacket over her shoulders as she went, and with one hand, tried to get her hair under control.

The evening air was colder than she had expected, and it was burning her lungs by the time she made it out of the neighborhood. Reaching the big sign that announced the entrance to Willow Creek, she fell back into the grass between two rows of shrubs.

She could see the bushes on either side of her, their leaves going a crispy brown, a stale smelled of dead foliage filling her nostrils. The ground wasn't particularly damp, but she knew that if she lay there long enough, it could soak through her jacket.

The sky above was a misty blue, like well worn jeans. Alece reached up to bury her hands in her hair, and began picking leaves and twigs out.

She let out a hard sigh, trying to get her breathing under control. The fire in her lungs had started to abate. What was I thinking, running out of the house like that? Aunt Lenan is probably wondering what the hell is going on, and Crystal's probably telling her what a bad idea it was to let her bad seed brother's daughter come here in the first place. That's great, I feel like I'm Anne of Green Gables. Aunt Lenan can be Marilla, Crystal can Rachael, and- Oh stop it! What are you talking about? This is not a fairy tale, it's your life, and you're really screwing it up.

Alece sat up and shook her head. She knew that she should go back to the house and apologize, or make up an excuse, but she really, really, really didn't want to. Not as long as Josephine was there.

Instead, she started walking down the road outside the subdivision. She usually took this path to school.

The wind felt good on her face, and she took the time to do some heavy thinking as she walked aimlessly down the road. She didn't know what to do anymore. There was no viable option to speak of. She could try to hang out with Jasmine and ignore Evan, as if that were actually possible or something. The guy was a freak in a way she couldn't pin point. Sort of like....Moira.

Yes, Moira. That smile he had, it was the same self confident grin that Moira always flashed so beautifully. Not that they looked alike, but they radiated the same aura of power and control. They were both people to be reckoned with.

And speaking of Moira, there was no way Alece could be friends with her if she was being drugged. Not only was it mentally mind boggling, and scary, it was also dangerous. Who knew what Moira was giving her or how much she could have before serious side affects began?

Lucy's crowd was out of the question. A few more days with them, and head banging might be a welcome release.

Alece looked around again, aware suddenly of her surroundings, and realized that she was on Main Street. She'd been here once or twice, at the grocery store. A little coffee shop caught her eye, and she thought of how good a cup of hot chocolate would taste.

The inside was warm and cozy. It was decorated in wine reds and velvet blues, and struck Alece as more of a night club than a coffee shop. There was a bar in the corner, booths against two walls and tables filling half the room. There was a dance floor in the center, but no one was dancing. Yet despite its formal qualities, it felt inviting and casual. Alece didn't feel the least bit self conscious walking up to the bar.

"Do have hot chocolate?" she asked. There were two tables occupied. One was a couple who seemed very engaged in each other, and the second taken by a man reading the news paper.

"Sure do," said a likable woman with a southern accent. She was maybe two years older than Alece, red-haired and a bit plump, probably working here part time while she went to collage. Alece spied a French text book laying open on the back counter.

"I'll have one," she told her.

"You can go ahead and sit down, I'll bring it over."

"Thanks."

Alece headed for a booth in the middle of the length of the wall. She liked booths, they made her feel protected. What was the name of this place? Her mind struggled for a second to remember. There had been a sign above the door, she was sure. Serena's Cafe, that was it.

Classical Mu-ZAK began playing through speakers in the ceiling. It was that same sad song with the cello solo that had been playing almost two weeks ago when Evan had snuck into her yard. She put the incident out of her mind and leaned back against the vinyl seat, relaxing. For long minutes, she did nothing but listen to the cello and sip her drink. She was so tired of being alert, and she hadn't let her guard down in days.

She probably shouldn't have then.

The minute the voice sounded, her eyes snapped wide. Her intestines yanked into a tight knot and she swore she wouldn't move until he had left. The same freaky panic she'd felt at the house raced through her.

"Hi, Lena. I'm looking for someone." He lowered his voice and Alece couldn't hear what he was saying. There was the murmur of Lena's voice, the same southern accent Alece had heard a few minutes before, and then footsteps. She stared at the table top, thinking vaguely that the fake marble looked like vines growing over an old wall.

Jarrett Methshaw sat down in front of her.

She didn't mean to look up, but she did, and he carefully held her eye. The sunglasses were gone, leaving behind two forest green spheres. Alece couldn't stop trying to figure out why she couldn't see the reflection of the small candle burning on the table in them.

"Hello," he said, quite plainly.

Alece reached up and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear. "Hi."

Jarrett looked down and removed a photograph from his jacket pocket. Laying it on the table in front of Alece, he asked, "Do you know this guy?"

Alece looked at the picture and back at Jarrett. Did she know Evan Liberance? Yeah, sure, he was either stalking her or playing with her, and either way, she didn't like it much. He also had really blue eyes that he could make swirl and could turn into thin air.

Hmm. She hadn't thought of that about the air before. Strange, it should have come up first in her list of reasons not to tell anyone what she thought of Evan.

"Don't try to run," Jarrett said, just as she was coiling her muscles. "Rainy and Gretchen are waiting in the parking lot."

Alece sat back again, stunned. What was going on?

"What do you want?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"I want to know everything you know about Evan," Jarrett replied, watching her carefully.

"Why?" Alece probed, but at that moment, Lena showed up with a tall glass.

"Jarrett, here's your drink, same as always. I may have gone a little overboard with the honey, but if you don't like it, I can fix another."

"I'm sure it's fine, Lena." He never looked away from Alece.

"Are you okay?" Lena asked Alece. "She's as white as a sheet, Jarrett. What are you doing to the poor girl?"

"She's fine, Lena. Really. That's all we need. Thanks."

Lena looked uncertain but walked away. Alece could feel her stare from behind the counter. She looked at her mug, letting the steam hit her face.

"I don't know anything about him except that his name is Evan."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not." She didn't know where she got the guts to lie to him. "Or at least, I'm not lying any more than you do."

A chanced glance up at him revealed a cold smile. "Fair enough, I suppose. But Gretchen will be disappointed. She really can't figure out what's going on with you. No one can."

He knew where to strike. Alece wondered how he could tell that she fell guilty around how upset Gretchen had been the Monday before.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, as if they were old friends or something. "No more dizzy spells?"

She felt angry for no reason. "No," she told him defiantly. "No more dizzy spells."

"Look at me."

"No."

"Why not?"

Alece had to wonder at this. You're basic because-I-don't-feel-like-it wasn't quite good enough.

"Are you afraid of us?"

She did look at him then. Maybe that was his intention, to shock her into seeing him. His face was graven, ash brown and black shadowed in the dim light. But the green eyes were as bright as ever.

"I'm not afraid," she told him.

"Then you'll come to the party?"

She hadn't expected that, either. Jarrett went on without a pause. "Because I think Gretchen would be really hurt if you didn't. The whole school's coming. Won't that be a sight to behold?"

He raised his glass to his lips and drank. Alece wondered what he was drinking that contained honey. God, these people are strange.

She watched him place the glass back on the table and felt oddly curious. Why was he making sure she was coming Friday, and exactly what sort of stake did Gretchen have in her?

"I'll come," she said, and her words were cut short by the sight of Gretchen walking up to their table. Alece hadn't seen her come in.

She was dressed in black, and it had never looked stranger on anyone. Her hair was a tangled mess and her cheeks were hot pink from cold, but she also looked...alive? Alece struggled for the word. She looked...refreshed, maybe. She looked like she was living an adventure.

"Time to go, Jarrett," she told, removing her sunglasses. He looked up at her and started to finish his drink.

"I'll give you a ride home," she said to Alece, and then reached out and took her hand. Gretchen's palm was freezing cold, presumably from being outside, and she gently pulled Alece out of her booth. "Lena, just put this stuff on our tab," she called, turning and walking a few feet ahead to the door. Jarrett walked behind Alece, as if he was guarding her.

The night was much colder than it had been just a few minutes ago, mostly because of the wind picking up. Rainy was standing next to Jarrett's Geo Metro, and Alece got a glimpse of Honor in the back seat.

"Just take her to my house," Gretchen told him.

Alece wondered where Moira was as she climbed wordlessly into the passenger's seat. Gretchen pulled out of the parking lot and onto Main Street. She didn't say anything, just kept her eyes on the road.

Alece knotted her hands firmly in her lap and tried not to look at Gretchen. It was much harder than she had expected it to be, what with her sitting right there and all. But Gretchen didn't say anything until they were only a few blocks away from Alece's house. Then she pulled the car over to the side of the street and opened her purse.

"Here," she said, offering a small glass bottle to Alece. It was made of the regular cheap brown glass, with a liquid of unknown color inside. "When you get home, drink a big glass of water and take this. It will stop the dizzy spells." Then she pressed the bottle into Alece's hand and pulled back onto the road with the other.

Something clicked in Alece's mind. Strange looking, herbal potions, drugs.

They pulled up in front of Alece's house and she blurted out, "Are you a witch?"

Gretchen looked at her with round green eyes, and then burst out laughing. "I wish. Wouldn't that be something to talk about?"

Alece shrugged, feeling stupid, and climbed out. It had made sense to her. "Thanks for the ride," she said blandly, and walked up the steps to the house. The little bottle was in her pocket.

Dinner was underway inside, and Lenan came into the living room to meet her. "Where in God's name have you been?" she hissed, stalling before they went into the dinning room by meticulously hanging Alece's coat in the closet.

"I just needed some air," Alece told her, knowing it was a really lame excuse.

Lenan seemed to think so, too. "After Crystal leaves, you and I are going to have a talk."

Something to look forward to, Alece thought, following her aunt into the dinning room.

She managed to suffer her way through dinner alright, talking as little as possible without sounding rude, and avoiding Josephine at all costs. The stew was good, and that was something, but she was dreading the meal's end.

They had pound cake for desert, which lasted almost forty-five minutes. "Well, I'm going to head home," Crystal finally said. "Thanks for a great birthday, Le, I'll call you tomorrow." She walked around the table to give her friend a hug. "Ready, Josephine, Dee?"

They left through the front door this time, and Alece began clearing the table. "Now you're going to tell me what happened tonight," Lenan informed her.

"Nothing happened, not really. I just wanted to get a little exercise, and I didn't realize Crystal and Josephine would be here so early."

"They arrived before you left."

"I didn't hear them."

"Don't bullshit me, Alece," her aunt warned. Alece felt her eyes widen. She had never heard Lenan swear before.

"I'm sorry," her aunt went on. "I shouldn't have said that." She sat down at the kitchen table. "I just don't know what is going on and I don't know what to do about it," she said in a defeated voice.

Alece carefully pulled a chair out from the table and sat down across from her. "Sorry," she said, trying to sound really sorry.

The look Lenan gave her made Alece wish her aunt weren't so smart. "I want to know what's going on with you. I mean, you show up her looking forward to the school year, and making friends, and then you start hanging out with biker punks and dump the friends you have made." She frowned. "Is there something going on I don't know about?"

Of course she couldn't actually tell her. "No, nothing's going on. I guess I'm just trying to settle in."

The blue eyes, so similar to Alece's own, studied her. Moments dragged on long as the kitchen clock counted for the seconds of their lives. "Alright," Lenan finally said. "If you don't want to talk about it, I can live with that. But if you need anything, you know where to find me." She leaned forward to kiss Alece's cheek, and found herself surprised when the girl hugged her fiercely.

"I'm sorry. I don't even know what's going on," Alece told her.

Lenan patted her niece's head. "That's okay, honey. We all have tough times. Why don't you go upstairs and wash your hair? It's full of leaves. I can finish the dishes."

"Thank you." Alece kissed her back and then turned and darted up the stairs.

She thought she might be the luckiest girl in the world to have an aunt like that.

The porcelain blue lamp on her bedside table was on. Alece paused before she walked in, staring at it. When had she turned on the lamp? She hadn't been in her room since this morning, and that meant she must have left it on all day.

But even with the passing off of the lamp, the room felt still, too still. Like it was waiting for something....

That was when Alece spotted the note on the table. She walked over, unconsciously closing the door behind herself, and picked it up. It wasn't actually a note, but an envelope, quite professional looking with it's strip of pattern on the lip. Her name was written in blue ink on the front, and Alece's hand groped blindly for the letter opener on the desk.

Inside was a printed invitation to Gretchen's party. It was basic, formal, polite, and had no business being on her desk. Josephine must have snuck up here sometime before Alece got back.

"Aunt Lenan," she said breathlessly, flying into the living room. Her aunt was sitting on the couch, ruffling through TV Guide. She looked up. "Did Josephine go to the bathroom before I got home?"

Lenan looked surprised. "I don't think so. No, I'm quite sure that she was downstairs the whole time."

"And she never left your sight?"

"No, is everything okay?"

Alece turned and started slowly back up the stairs, shaking her head. "I think so."

Everything wasn't okay. Once in her room, Alece began to panic slightly. Think, she shouted. How else could it have gotten here? She glanced around, seeing the window. Had someone come through it? She checked the lock; it was not just undone but broken as well. There was no screen, just a sliding glass panel. Lenan had used her room for storage she remembered. Why would a storage room need fresh air?

More to the point, there was a touch of mud on the outside sill.

"Now I wonder how that got there," Alece mused sarcastically, leaning out the window. The wind was knotting her hair already.

She slammed the window shut and wondered who had been in her room that night. She got a hammer and nails from the garage, and carefully drove a line of little steel posts above the edge of the lower window. If someone tried to pull it up, it would press against the nails and refuse to budge.

When she was finished, she shut off the all the lights and sat on the bed, staring at the window. She didn't really expect anyone to climb the tree just outside her bedroom window.

The room was warm and quite. Eventually, Alece let herself relax and leaned back against the pillows. She fell asleep fully dressed.

Gretchen was sitting next to Honor on the bed in the attic when the phone rang. She was expecting the call and picked up without rushing herself.

"Moira?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"You sound mad."

"I fell out of the goddamn tree trying to get out of the house! You came up the drive way just as I left. She wasn't even home. I could have used the front door."

"But you put the invitation on the desk?"

"It's there. Why wasn't she home?"

"Josephine said she went running out of the house the minute she stepped into it. And you know why."

Moira paused. "Yeah, maybe. Don't go jumping to conclusions."

"And you don't go jumping out of trees."

"Trust me, sister, I didn't jump."

"Yeah, well, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'm thinking of cutting. I twisted my ankle and it's swelling up."

"Can you walk?"

"About as well as I can sing." Gretchen groaned. "I'm going to have it checked out, don't worry. It's probably nothing."

"How did you get home?"

"I crawled over to Josephine's. The back door was unlocked, so I just waited in her room until she got home."

"God, I'm sorry. I should have gone myself."

"Like you wouldn't have fallen or something!"

"Sorry, my slip. Call me when you know something?"

"Sure bet. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Gretchen put down the phone. "What happened?" Honor asked.

"She got in, put the letter on the desk, climbed out just as I pulled up, and fell out of the tree. I guess she landed right on her ankle."

"I knew something would go wrong," Honor told her. She leaned back and shut her eyes. "I am so tired."

"I gave her the counter drink. I hope she takes it. If she doesn't we're going to have one hell of a mess."

"Have you considered slipping it into something she's already drinking?"

"When am I going to get the chance? Moira has pretty much scared her away."

"Don't be so quick to blame Moira."

"I'm trying not to be. It just always seems to be her fault..." Gretchen trailed off. "Did Jarrett tell you what she said?"

"No. He didn't say anything. I think he and Rainy were late for church."

"Church."

"Don't scorn it."

"I was actually thinking that confession might be a welcome relief," Gretchen muttered, getting up. She walked into the main room and opened one of the cupboards that lined the wall.

Honor called out from her spot on the bed. "What does that mean?"

Gretchen dialed the combination on the wall safe. "Nothing."

"Tell me."

"It didn't mean anything. I just said it, you know."

Behind her, Honor got up and came to stand under the arch that separated the two rooms.

"Are you having the dreams again?"

Careful not to turn around, Gretchen said, "No." The wall safe door opened and she went to work on the small one inside. "What's the combination again?"

Honor didn't say anything, and Gretchen turned around to glance at her. Her hair was a wild tumble after a long day, and the brown sweat suit she was wearing brought her eyes out.

"Eleven sixteen ninety-six," Honor told her, her voice flatline. She leaned against the arch, rubbing one wrist absently.

Gretchen got to sixteen before she stopped and turned around. "Okay, who am I fooling?" she asked, giving up. She took a few steps toward the table and tossed her hands in the air. "Yeah, I'm having the dreams."

Even thought Honor had been expecting it, she was still shocked. "God," she whispered, putting a hand over her mouth.

Her eyes traveled over the room without aim, and finally she looked back at Gretchen. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry," Gretchen moaned. "I know I should have said something sooner, but I wasn't sure, and I was scared. I kept hoping they would just go away."

"Just go away?" Honor cried. "How long have you been having them?"

Gretchen paused, thinking. "A month, I guess."

"You guess." Honor was nodding, and that was when Gretchen realized that she was furious. "You guess! This isn't the kind of thing that warrants guesses. We are playing God with this girl, and you're not giving me all the facts."

"I didn't think it was that important!" Gretchen protested, coming around the big oval table.

"Is she in them?" Honor asked.

"Well, yes," Gretchen admitted.

Honor snorted. "Then it mattered." She grabbed her cello up from it's resting place in the corner and sat down on a wooden stool. Her arm was raised, but she didn't play, and finally she let it relax. Gretchen waited wearily. She knew she had screwed up big time, but she rarely saw Honor with that hard look on her face. She rarely saw Honor angry at all.

"Call Moira," her friend said eventually. "Call Rainy. Call Josephine. Beep Jarrett. And for crying out loud, don't talk to me for a while."

Jarrett parked in front of the little church at the corner of Fourth and Lourds. He and Rainy climbed out slowly, and he felt himself savoring the feeling of walking into the church. They came here every Wednesday, just after mass ended.

The church was small but expensive and well kept. It was also ancient, almost as old as Louisa itself. There were engraved wooden double doors that lead to a dim sanctuary in front, next to a small lighted sign that read, "Church of the Apocalypse." It was the most depressing name for a church Jarrett had ever heard.

"Bye," Rainy said, turning down the isle on the right. Several confession boxes were hidden in the wall, and he disappeared into one.

Jarrett shook his head and sat down in the first row. The pews were old and the wood worn, but comfortable. He was the only one inside. There was the alter in front, the choir loft above, and a little office and store room to the right. On the left was an alcove with a table of candles in red holders.

Jarrett settled back, feeling comfortable. He loved this place, the quite of it. No one ever disturbed him here. It was better than the library by far, because here, there was nothing. The library was filled with all sorts of books, computers, information, even the lingering traces of other peoples' thoughts. The church had none of this, just a subtle, pervasive comfort.

Above and behind him, there was a choir loft that never got used. The loft was just there to accent the huge stain glass window. It had been installed back before Jarrett had even come to this church.

The main focus of the window was a set of massive double doors. Each had a tiny window in the front so that you could look through and see heaven. Or Jarrett supposed it must be heaven. He couldn't think of another place where Jesus would be standing with his arms spread wide and a handful of baby angles would be eating the foliage.

Above the door was a two foot wide eye. The pupil was black, but the iris was white. The window had been placed to face due east, so that during morning mass, the sunlight would create the shadow of a giant eye staring right down on the alter. Supposed to be a sign that Jesus was always watching you.

On the sides of the door were mostly just colored chunks. Nothing that could really resemble a picture, anyway. Somebody had spent a lot of time and money on that window, you could tell by the tiny figure of Jesus and the angles in the little window, or the carved glass key holes fit into the doors. They didn't open or anything, but there was a little balcony, maybe stretching two or three feet out with a guard rail on the front of the church, just for decoration.

Jarrett's eyes fell shut, but he didn't doze off. It had been a long day; he would have liked a nap. Still, it wasn't worth Rainy's lecture about respectfulness during the car ride home. He would never understand just how much Jarrett really did respect this place.

"Hello, Father."

"That you, Raymond?"

"Yes. How's everything tonight?"

"Fine. How are things with you?"

"Not so good." He sighed. "The girl, remember the one I told you about? She's trying to stay away from us. It's Moira's fault. She gave her one of the drugs from the box, and the girl got sick from it. Gretchen warned her, but Moira never listens. She's always got to prove that she's so tough and so daring, but she was wrong this time. I think the girl's okay. She's been at school, but she won't come near us. I'm..."

"Disappointed?"

"Yes, that's it. She's a nice girl, and we could have used her. Moira says it's not over 'till it's over, but it's over, and she needs to get used to it. And I'm mad, too. Gretchen has got to learn how to stand up for herself once in a while. She can't just sit back and let Moira destroy people."

"What is she going to do next?"

"It's all got to do with this party Gretchen's throwing. Moira is determined to change Al- I mean, the girl, right then and there. I don't know what to tell her, and she wouldn't listen to me anyway. Jarrett is so passive about the whole thing; it's infuriating. He could stop Moira if he tried, but he never tries anything."

"Is he here?"

"He always comes with me, Father. You know that. He's sitting in the front row, same as always. I can see him through the little window."

"Did Josephine come?"

"No, she had plans. It's her mom's birthday."

"That's nice. Have you asked Jarrett to talk to Moira?"

"Of course I have. He tells me that it's not his place to tell her what to do. Last week I told him that he better make it his place, because if he didn't we were all going to end up dead."

"Do you think you're going to die?"

"No, not really. I mean, not because of the trunk or anything. But we're getting into trouble. There's this guy at school, and the girl is really scared of him. We aren't sure why yet. He seems nice enough, but you never can tell with people. Moira's making sure he comes to this party. I think Gretchen knows something about him. Honor asked me if she'd said anything about having the dreams again."

"Like the dreams she used to have?"

"Yeah, before Roth died. If she is-"

Rainy was cut off by a sharp rap on the door. He opened it a crack.

"Gretchen beeped me," Jarrett said. Rainy could only see a sliver of his face. "She says she needs us to come to the attic right away."

"Why? It's late."

Jarrett looked questioningly at the screen through which Rainy talked to the priest. Rainy nodded slightly. "It's okay."

"She wouldn't say why, but Honor's mad, so it must be something big."

Rainy sighed. Jarrett was never going to trust Father Lawson, was he? "I'll be out in a sec." He pulled the door shut. "Sorry, Father. Looks like something's up. I'll see you next week?"

"Same time, same place," Father Lawson replied.

"Thanks, bye."

Rainy opened the door and ducked out.

Chapter 18

Moira got to school the next day in time for fifth period. She was in a really bad mood, having just bumped into Alece in the hallway. She'd burst out laughing when she saw Moira.

"Hey," she grumbled, coming into the principal's office without knocking. Jarrett was sitting in a folding chair in front of the desk, and the principal was behind his desk, leaning forward toward Jarrett. They were staring into each other's eyes, and Mr. Jackson's lips were slightly parted.

"I didn't think you were showing up," Jarrett said, his voice low. He was trying not to break his concentration.

Moira limped forward and sat on the edge of the desk. She picked Jarrett's sunglasses up from the desk top and fiddled with them. "I figured I might as well come in."

"I take it you're okay?"

"The doctor fired a bunch of radiation at me and all he said was that I crunched it up real bad, but I'll be fine in a day or two. After all those X-rays, I may as well have eaten the saccharine."

"You have med insurance, right?"

"Yeah. Why are you asking?"

"Just curious."

Moira supposed she should shut up and let Jarrett work. If he broke his concentration and Mr. Jackson woke up, they were going to have a hard time explaining what they were doing.

She glanced around the office, which looked frighteningly like the one on Saved by the Bell, and sighed. "Are you almost done?"

"You want to go?"

"I guess."

Jarrett intensified his gaze for a second, then blinked and relaxed. "We can go." Mr. Jackson's mouth fell a little further open, and he blinked dazedly around.

Moira forgot about her ankle and jumped off the desk. A searing pain shot up her leg and she swore out loud. Mr. Jackson's milky eyes cleared a bit.

"Come on," Jarrett whispered, ushering her through the door. "You're going to bring him out."

Moira went into the hall and started toward the photography room. She was late for fifth period.

Chapter 19

Alece didn't remember the vial Gretchen had given her until Friday morning. She was standing in the bathroom, pulling her hair up when she got dizzy and heard the kitchen door open downstairs.

She went into her room and dug the jeans she'd been wearing Wednesday out of the dirty clothes hamper. They were wet...

Alece stuck her hand in the pocket and felt a sharp pain in her finger. Jerking her hand out of the cloth, she saw blood all over her fingers.

"Ahhh!" she cried, grabbing a Kleenex from off the desk. Bits of red tinted glass fell to the floor. The bottle must have broken, that's why the jeans were wet.

Taking the Kleenex off her hand, she felt a hot burning sensation as soon as the air hit her skin. Then a buzzing feeling, as if her whole hand had fallen asleep.

The cut closed up.

Alece wasn't sure at first, but when she washed away the blood, there was no incision. She carefully got the glass shards out of the pocket and sealed them up in a plastic bag. She didn't know what Gretchen had given her, but she was going to find out.

Alece hid the shards inside the little piano her aunt had in the corner of the dining room. It was old and completely out of tune; Lenan hadn't played it in years, but no one was going to be looking inside it any time soon. Alece wasn't taking any chances.

A glance at the kitchen clock said that she better motor or else she was going to be late, so she pecked her aunt on the cheek and jumped in her car.

Alece wrote a letter to Jessy during first period. She made sure it was in her best French so that Jessy could read it.

Dear Jessy,

I got your letter, thanks. You aren't serious about coming to America for collage are you? Nothing personal, but I don't think you could ask for directions. Besides, there some days, even here on my home turf, that I'd give anything for the familiar streets of Paris.

I need a favor. I'm sending along a sample of something somebody tried to drug me with. That's life in America for you. Could you have Olivier see if he can tell what it is? I know the chances are slim, but it would really be helpful if he could identify it.

Maybe we can do something over Christmas break this year. There's plenty of time to make plans. How's Veronique? I'm in kind of a rush, but I'll write again soon and tell you everything about life here.

Love,

Lisa

She wasn't sure about the word, "turf," but she thought Jessy would get the message. Alece removed the sheet of loose leaf and began folding it carefully. She saw Moira watching her out of the corner of her eye, and thought of Moira's ankle. Now she knew who had been in her bedroom, no doubt about it.

Just as she finished folding the letter, class ended. She laid the sheet of paper on her desk and leaned down to pick up her backpack. When she sat up, a guy was crouched next to her.

She recognized him immediately. Levi, wasn't that his name? His head was shaved, and he had a half dozen piercing in his left ear. Wearing ripped jeans and a black tank top, the tatoo on his arm wasn't hard to see. Alece couldn't say she cared for the mean looking snake wrapped around a crossbow. He had a black leather jacket flung over one shoulder and a sloppy yet cocky grin on his face.

He was a senior, wasn't he? Come to think of it, hadn't he and Lucy gone out for a while?

"Hey, you're Liz, right?" He wanted something, probably her. Alece didn't realize that it was possible to flirt with someone while asking their name.

"Lisa," she corrected, but felt herself smiling.

"Anything you want," he told her.

He needed a shave. Either that, or he was going for the Fred Flintstone look.

"I was wondering if you have a date for the party tonight?" he went on.

Alece could feel her smile widen alarmingly. She picked a pen up off her desk and began chewing on it, which was totally uncharacteristic of her. "I didn't think I needed one."

Levi, she was fairly sure his name was Levi, but then he thought her name was Liz, so she didn't much think it mattered. He was grinning now, knowing that she was flirting back. "Well, you do."

That was a really lame response, Alece told herself. Anything would have been better than that. He can't even come up with a good pick up line.

"Oh, I wonder what I'm going to do?" She pressed her hands up against her cheeks like she was really worried.

Levi's grin got wider, if that were possible. "How about if I take you?" he asked.

"Well," Alece pretended to consider. She chomped hard on the pen and the tip came off in her mouth. "I guess that would be okay," she said, feigning uncertainly. "But will you be able to protect me?"

"Are you going to Grandma's?" he asked.

What? "Only if you'll come with me."

Levi licked him lips. He thinks I'm a piece of meat. He thinks I'm a really expensive hamburger. He thinks I'm one of Little Red Riding Hood's cupcakes. He wants to meet my grandma...

"So I should pick you up?"

"What's your car look like?" I'm really good at this. Too bad it makes me sick.

"'94 Lexis. Perfect condition."

"Mmmmm." Alece sucked on her pen and thought she tasted ink. "Okay. Can you pick me up at Lucy's house?"

Levi grinned again and slapped her thigh. Hard. "Sure thing, Loni. I'll be there at seven."

Alece licked her pen again, and this time she was sure she tasted ink. "See you."

Levi left, and Alece grabbed her stuff. She went into the bathroom and wiped at her mouth. There was red ink in it. She could have been drinking blood.

It was the clothes she had on. Had to be. If she'd been wearing anything else, Levi wouldn't have even looked at her twice. But she hadn't done laundry in a week, and the choices were either a really low cut blouse and a high skirt, or a sailor costume.

It wasn't until she got home that she remembered the letter to Jessy.

Standing in the middle of her bedroom, she dug through her bag for it and then realized that she had been so surprised to see Levi that she must have left it on the desk. The real question now was who had it.

Idly sitting at her desk at home, trying to get some of the weekend's homework out of the way but staring mistily at the window and imagining Moira climbing in, the phone rang. Alece looked at it for a second before she picked it up. It was on the make-up table today, she was forever moving it around.

"Hello?"

"Lisa?"

"Yeah, this is?" She thought she knew, but wasn't sure.

"Andrea. How are you?" Her English wasn't great, but it was better than Jessy's. Well, almost everyone's English was better than Jessy's.

"I'm fine. Do you want to speak Italian?"

"Yes," Andrea said immediately. "You're good?"

"Well, I guess. How are things in Rome?"

"Weird. I have all these other friends now, but I don't really like them."

Don't I know just how you feel, Alece though, and suddenly she was very thankful that she had a real friend to talk with.

They stayed on the phone for over an hour. Alece told Andrea everything about Moira and the others, who were fittingly referred to as "The Eye People," by the kids at school. Andrea talked about feeling lonely, and how difficult Marina was being. When Alece glanced at the clock and realized she had to be at Lucy's in twenty minutes, she regretfully said goodbye, promising that she would call soon.

She put down the phone and sighed, hearing the stillness in her room. Maybe there was a way she could take a week off from school and go see Andrea. Probably not. Her father hadn't let her go for the weekend last time she asked.

But her father wasn't here.

Alece went to the closet and opened it. Aside form the sailor suit, there was an outfit she'd set aside Wednesday to wear tonight.

The skirt was full length, black, tight, but with a loose bottom. The shirt was short sleeved, also tight and black, with the bottom short enough to show her stomach. She had carefully conditioned her hair the night before and now brushed it back, knowing it would knot up again, but that couldn't be helped. She didn't wear any make-up; it would look gaudy. The final touch was a piece of black onyx on a black silk cord tired around her neck.

Lenan got home just as she was pulling on a black leather swing coat to go. "Dear God," her aunt said when she saw her. "You look...." Alece waited. "Great."

She let her breath out. Good, she liked having Lenan's approval. "You think so?"

"Definitely. On the other hand, I'm not sure that's what your father would say."

Her aunt must not have gotten a grip on their relationship. Richard Lennox wouldn't even have noticed.

Alece got in her car and drove to Lucy's house. She was purposely late, wanting to spend as little time as possible in her house.

Janet and Anne were already there, Janet sitting on the edge of the lumpy, unmade bed, and Anne reclining in the seat that had been removed from the back of a car.

"Kim, you're late," Lucy told Alece when she walked in.

"It's Lisa and yes, I'm late. So sue me." She tossed her head back and slid her coat off, draping it over a desk chair with half the back missing.

Alece didn't have problems with people who were poor. They might not have a lot of money, but as long as they were good people, she got along with them. But it was totally beyond Alece's comprehension why Lucy would want to walk on dirt caked shag carpet when the rest of the house was floored in blond pine. Lucy's mom had money, and plenty of it.

She eyed the car seat as she sat down sideways on the desk chair and said, "Where did you find that?"

"The dump. Ain't it cool?" Janet squeezed a tablespoon of gel into her hand.

"Yeah, sure." Alece knew she was acting mildly superior, but she didn't really care. She was in a bad mood. She didn't want to go to this stupid party with Levi the biker idiot and Lucy the dump digger. She just wanted to sit down on Andrea's huge wicker rocker and eat mocha almond ice cream, and laugh.

She wanted something stable, something she knew. This was why she hated being a new student, because she was never sure of herself. Here less sure than anywhere, because these people were in a real position to hurt her.

Levi was twenty minutes late picking her up, but his car was nice. Alece felt sick to her stomach when she saw him. She thought of telling him she wasn't really in the mood for a party, and could they just go to McDonald's, but she didn't say anything. He flashed his nasty grin when he saw her.

Gretchen's house was a bi-level ranch with a wrap around porch on the first floor. The windows were brightly lit, and peoples' shadows could be seen moving across the shades. Levi parked down the street, which was as close as they could get. Half the high school must have shown up.

Walking up the drive, Alece noticed a second door on the side of the house, as well as an attic.

The front door was wide open, and the radio on inside. People were dancing and jumping up and down in the living room, and some were head banging. A big sign taped to the wall read, "Coats" and had an arrow pointing down the hall.

"I'll be right back," Alece told Levi.

"Okay, Liz," he said, walking into a second living room. The house was much larger than it looked from the outside.

She followed the signs past several open bedrooms, Gretchen's brothers' she assumed, and into the one at the end of the hall. There was a queen sized four poster bed with a heavy canopy and jade coverlet next to a set of shelves. The room was airy, uncluttered, but Alece got the strange impression that Gretchen didn't stay in it much. She tossed her coat on the bed, thought better of it, and hung it in the closet, behind some of Gretchen's own clothes. It would be much easier to find it that way.

She bumped into Jasmine on her way down the hall, and after seeing Levi toss a beer can over his shoulder and open another, followed her.

"You look great," she told Jasmine, who was wearing a loose green dress that complimented her dark hair.

"So do you," Jasmine replied, leading her through the kitchen and into an open closet. Except that it wasn't a closet, just a very dark stairway leading down.

"Where are we going?" Alece asked, tripping on the hemline of her skirt.

"The basement," Jasmine told her. "People who want to get wasted and bang their heads on the wall stay upstairs. Those of us who are sober enough to carry on a conversation come down here."

"I take it Gretchen's thrown parties before?"

"Twice a year. Once at the beginning of the year, once at the end."

From above her, in the kitchen, Alece heard the voice of somebody she vaguely recognized say, "Man, I was so sloshed-"

"And the druggie never try to crash your private party?"

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Alece looked around. The room was chilly, semi-dark, with a glossy tile on the floor that looked completely out of place. Something mellow was playing on a nearby stereo, but it was at just the right volume so that you could hear both it and the person you were talking to easily. This could have been a Harvard party except that the walls were unfinished.

People were milling around, talking and laughing, but nobody was dancing. It was a very intellectual party, Alece caught on to that right away. Good thing her outfit was versatile.

She was so caught up looking around that she almost didn't hear Jasmine say, "Nah, not since two years ago when Doug got completely thrashed and broke his arm falling down the stairs. What do you think?"

"It's nice," Alece told her, feeling herself relax. "Calm."

Jasmine nodded her agreement just before a group of people came over to them and started talking.

The next two hours passed in a blur. Alece met countless people, most of whom she should have known from school but didn't. More contemporary music was put on, but somebody had a fetish for Simon and Garfunkle, and somebody else kept turning on a record of a monk singing.

She was having a great time. Jarrett was across the room, and she's just bumped into Gretchen's brother, Race, who looked like he thought he should know her name when they were introduced for the third time, but none of it really mattered much. It point was that she was enjoying herself for the first time all week, and nothing was going to spoil it for her.

That was when Evan Liberance came downstairs. He walked right over to Alece and Jasmine, who were talking with some guys from the drama department over in the corner.

He smiled brightly and shoved the drama guys out of the way. Alece was reminded of a strike at the bowling alley. He looked undoubtedly great, blond hair almost platinum in the light and shoes well shinned.

"Hey," he said. "How are you two doing?"

She kept her eyes on the floor and spoke at little as possible. Jasmine kept looking at her like she was crazy. Over and over, she would be about to say she had to get away for some reason or another when Evan would draw her back into the conversation. Finally she interrupted him and said she desperately need some air.

Moving fast up the stairs, she once again tripped on her hem and crashed onto her knee.

"Are you okay?" a guy standing at the bottom of the steps asked. Dimitri Friar, from her math class.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him, and got to her feet. Suddenly the party had lost a lot of its charm.

Moira, Gretchen, Honor, and Josephine had been watching all evening. Gretchen was making frequent trips upstairs, seeing as she had to play the hostess, even thought most of the people left upstairs didn't recognize her.

"Well, I think it's a safe bet to say that she's making a splash," Moira commented lazily, meaning Alece. She was sitting on the radiator, wearing a blue tank top and jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a deceptively childish style with a flowered clip, her sunglasses were gone, and she looked totally out of place.

"I didn't realize you had money riding on her," Josephine said. She was the only one of them still wearing her glasses.

"I have money riding on everything," Moira replied.

"What does that mean?" Honor asked, scrunching up her face.

"It means that Moira's a player," Gretchen said with a laugh, taking a sip of her Coke.

Moira gave her a look and corrected, "It means that everything is important in the chain of events that will eventually lead to the destined outcome."

"And what exactly is the Alece's destined outcome?" Gretchen asked, enjoying herself.

"She's going to be one of us," Moira told her matter-of-factly. She had lowered her voice slightly so that the people around them couldn't hear.

"Not at this rate," Honor said.

Moira watched Evan Liberance come down the stairs. She wished Jarrett had been harder on Alece the other night at Serena's. She couldn't have him getting soft on the girl.

"Just wait and see," Moira went on, eyes still on Evan and Alece. Alece looked bizarrely uncomfortable with him, ducking her head nervously and pressing her lips together.

"What is going on with them?" she wondered out loud. It was really starting to bug her.

The four of them watched her for several more minutes, and when she started upstairs, Moira reached for the portable phone she'd brought down with her. She punched in the number for Jarrett's beeper, and after the tone said, "Jare, she's coming upstairs. Get your butt in action and watch her."

The party was in full swing when Alece got upstairs. The living room was wall-to-wall people, and she had to elbow her way every step, finally finding herself in Gretchen's bathroom. It seemed to be the only relatively quiet place in the house except for the basement, and she couldn't go back down there.

She splashed a little water on her face in and impulsively opened all the drawers and looked inside. She figured that if Gretchen wanted to invite people into her home, then she should have expected this.

When she had finally explored all opportunities the bathroom offered, she went back into the crowd and headed for the living room. The kitchen was blessedly empty, the closet door shut, and Alece set about pouring a little of every kind of soda into a cup. Jessy always used to keep a bottle of pop like that in the fridge. She called it her special brew.

Levi staggered in. He had beer in his hair, dripping down his face. Alece didn't think she wanted to know.

"Hey, Liz, there you are," he said. "I've been looking all over for you. We won the game."

"Really," she said, unconsciously backing up against the sink. His normally flat brown eyes were twinkling a bit.

"Yeah, I was thinking that maybe we should go-"

"Yes, that would be nice."

He wasn't finished. "I want to go out into the woods and have our own party."

No, definitely not. I don't even know why I thought I would be able to get in a car with him.

"I kind of like this party, Levi. Why don't we just stay here for a couple more hours, or until you pass out? Which ever comes first."

Levi's eyes clouded, and he took as step closer to her. Alece realized she had insulted his intelligence just a bit too much.

"Lucy warned me about you," he said, walking forward. "She said you were a snotty bitch, and I should just forget about you. She said you thought you were better than everyone else because you lived all over the world. She said-"

"I don't care what Lucy says about me," Alece told him, surprised at the venom in her voice.

"She said you were a slut."

Alece didn't even think to defend herself. That would just make her sound weak. "Takes one to know one," she replied.

"Lucy's not a slut," Levi snapped.

"She's not? She's done just about every guy in school. Even you." Alece felt the ammunition in her hands, and it reflected in the way she stood, letting one foot rest against the cabinet, leaning back over the sink. Her hair was probably getting all wet, but it was worth it. Levi looked almost scared. "She used to talk about you, about how you tried to act cool at this nightclub, and ended up getting beaten to the floor. She said you were crying for your mommy by the time the other guy got done with you."

Levi's eyes flashed, and he made a growl. He wanted to say Lucy was lying, but they both knew she wasn't. Alece smiled, slow and sure. "See, she's made a fool out of you."

If this had been any other guy, any other guy on the whole planet, he would have backed off then, or asked what she wanted from him. If this had been any other guy on the planet, he never again would have come within ten feet of Alece if he hadn't been forced. But it wasn't another guy, it was Levi Cusick, and instead of running, he tried to kiss her.

What, does he think this will better my opinion of him or what? Alece wondered, even as she slugged him. She wasn't much good at punching people; her aim tended to be sloppy. Also, she couldn't get much power behind her arm because she was pressed up against the sink.

Levi tried to pin her down, and she struggled, kicking him hard. It probably hurt her sandal-footed toes more than his shin. He made a gruff sound and then snorted, banging her against the counter by her shoulders.

"Stop it, woman," he said, gritting his teeth. Alece wondered if he was going to try and rape her. The thought was so revolting and infuriating that when her hand closed over the rather large knife somebody had been using to slice the summer sausage, she almost rammed it into his side. But no, she wasn't going to spoil her future over one jerk. She lifted the knife slowly, careful not to cut him. He still hadn't noticed that she had it, but seemed pleased that she had stopped struggling.

Alece eased the blade against the skin of his tatoo. Levi looked at it and jumped slightly, almost getting himself cut.

"Don't move," Alece told him, "or the snake gets painted red." It wasn't exactly the most impressive line, but she was working on short notice.

"You," she went on, "are an idiot. Did you think I wouldn't fight back or something? Did you think I wouldn't win?" A flood of self assurance soaked her words, the very thing she had been looking for since she'd reached Louisa. She lifted the knife off his arm and waved it in front of his face. He was still holding tightly to her arms, probably out of fear. "Never, ever, underestimate me," she told him. His eyes were big as saucers and he nodded. He would have nodded if she'd told him to join the priesthood.

"Now, let go of my arms and get out of my sight before I lose my lunch." She lifted the blade so that he had plenty of room to move, and he ran out of the kitchen.

Alece noticed Jarrett standing in the doorway, holding the door open for Levi at that moment. For a second she was proud, that he had seen he defend herself, and then she was embarrassed that he had caught her wielding a knife at her date, and finally she was just mad that he had probably watched the whole humiliating experience from his stupid spot in the doorway and not bothered to try and help her.

It didn't matter, what he thought. Alece felt sick to her stomach and slid past him, out of the kitchen and wove through the house until she got outside. She left the knife in the kitchen.

Standing at the side of the house in the freezing night air, she rubbed at her arms. Considering that she'd just been attacked, she felt pretty good. Very self confident. See, I can take care of myself. Forget self defense classes, all you really need is the incentive.

She leaned against the house, listening to the music inside and started feeling terribly lonely again. She was reveling in her moment of triumph and there was no one to share it with. The sensation was an old, familiar one. Flashes of streets and bridges came into her mind, watching movies with Jessy and Verinique. Those were the good old days.

This always happened when she got lonely; she would start thinking about the good times and be unable to stop. Remembering how nice things had been, people and places she'd known. She knew that it didn't do anything but make her feel worse, but she didn't know what else to do. Her car was at Lucy's, and Levi wasn't going to drive her home.

"Here," Jarrett said, appearing beside her. She didn't feel surprised to see him. Nothing people did surprised her anymore. Jarrett was holding out a down jacket. "It's Gretchen's."

Alece unhooked her arms and took it. The down was soft and warmed quickly. It felt wonderful, and she didn't care why he was here or why he was giving her Gretchen's clothing. It was enough that she was standing outside on a beautiful night wearing something warm.

"She wanted me to give you this," Jarrett went on. Alece looked over at him, and he held out a key, then pressed it into her palm. "Over there." He was nodding toward the door on the side of the house. Alece must have unconsciously gone toward it when she left the house.

She looked form the door back to Jarrett. His sunglasses were off, his eyes sparkling a deep green. It was the exactly green of the back of a dollar bill, Alece noticed again.

"Go on," he said. "Gretch wanted you to have a key. Just in case."

"Just in case," she echoed.

He nodded and turned away. She watched him walked back around to the front door and go inside.

Staring at the key in her palm, feeling the warmth of the jacket around her shoulders, Alece wondered how she had gone from being alone and freezing to warm and welcomed in a matter of seconds.

The key had warmed from her touch, and a rush of excitement filled Alece as she turned and walked with deliberate slowness to the door. It was ordinary enough, a storm door with a lockless handle and a dead bolt.

Alece glanced around as she slid the key into the deadbolt. She felt like she shouldn't be doing this, that is wasn't her place. Yet Gretchen had sent her the key.

In case of what? If she had meant in case of boredom, then this definitely counted.

The lock turned easily; it was well oiled, and the door swung out toward her. Inside was a square landing about two feet wide, with an envelope door in front of her, another storm door to the left, and a staircase to the right.

The steps had beige carpeting, and Alece knew where they led even as she started up them.

The room was much darker that the last time she had been here, but she didn't reach for the switch that she knew was at the bottom of the steps. Standing at the top, she looked around, seeing the candles resting on the big oval table, seven, each set at a place. Six were lit, but the last rested in front of a chair pulled out. A long match lay next to it.

An invitation?

She looked around, peering into the darkness of the alcove bedroom. Everything was just the same, yet strangely surreal as well. She hesitantly placed her hand on the whitewashed railing, and a flash of hot air smacked her in the face, but it seemed to come from under her skin as well.

Going forward, she touched the table, and the same thing happened, only stronger. A flashing vision blocked out everything else. This was Moira's place, at the head of the table. She knew it, she could feel it. It was if she had totally emersed herself in Moira's presence.

Then came a harsh stab of fear in her chest. These people weren't....human? Maybe, Alece thought, getting a little panicked. They weren't normal, that was for sure.

She turned around, trying to keep from touching anything. The air seemed thick suddenly, like the air in her face, and she couldn't breath. Was that haze floating in front of her smoke? Was something on fire?

Alece coughed, choking, and stumbled back to the stairs. She couldn't get any oxygen, couldn't even see through the fog that was turning black, and the music from below faded away.

She stepped backwards and her foot landed on nothing but air. Reeling through the graying abyss, she experienced that well know dream-dread, that evading sense of horror that comes before intense pain, and the recognition when it finally strikes.

Her back slammed into thinly padded steps, and for a moment she honestly didn't think, so overcome by the shock of it. Boiling red hurt covered her back and the hand that had reached to break her fall. Gravity tossed her backwards, legs reeling over her head, and her neck cracked as she rolled off her head. She felt herself flip and tumble, splaying on the steps, carpet tugging on Gretchen's down jacket. The sound of ripping fabric was loud in her ears, as was the thudding in her head as she rolled down the stairs. It sounded like thunder, like African drum beats gone manically out of control.

Time passed, Alece wasn't sure how much. At some point she realized that the pounding had gone on much too long to be the stairs, that she must be laying on the floor, and the noise in her ears was the pounding of her heart. There was a coldness against her cheek, the floor perhaps, and she became aware of a stinging on her hand. She wanted to move, to get up, to call Lenan and ask her come get her.

Her eyes, never opened, rolled back deeper in her head, and she felt herself gently loosing consciousness.

Chapter 19

"Where is she?" Moira spoke into the cordless phone in her hand.

"I don't know," Jarrett's voice came back, muted by the wires he was speaking through. "I guess she went upstairs, because I haven't- Oh, Christ, what was that?"

Moira spun where she stood. "What was it?"

"I don't know. Sounds like something fell, like maybe she flipped the table."

"She did what?"

"Hold on. I'm going to check the attic." A pause, then, "I don't have my keys."

"Well where are they?"

"I don't know. In my jacket. I took it off...I don't even remember when."

"Think, Jarrett! She's up there trashing the place while your having amnesia!"

Gretchen turned Moira around so that she could look at her. "She's trashing the place? Do you mean the attic?"

Moira swatted at her in the matter one would an annoying fly. "We don't know yet. There was a bump, but Jarrett lost his keys so he can't go up there."

"Why are we having him look?" Honor asked, moving toward the stairs. "I've got my key."

"Jare, Honor's on her way up to unlock the door. Wait in the kitchen."

Honor bounded up the plywood steps into the closet and groped for the knob in the darkness. The light of the kitchen hit her with unexpected sharpness as she walked in, pulling her keys from her pocket. She slid it into the lock and yanked hard, remembering that this was the lock that stuck. Hitting it several times, it still wouldn't budge. Jarrett glanced at the ceiling, and Honor couldn't tell if he was wondering what was happening up there or if it was a sign or exasperation.

"Here," he finally said. "You've got to jiggle the door."

"It never works for me," Honor said indignantly, stepping away. Jarrett took the key in one hand and the knob in the other and shifted the door slightly. A second later the lock rolled.

"I told you," he said, giving her a rarely genuine smile.

The door opened toward them, and Honor almost stepped on Alece.

"Good grief," she said, kneeling. Alece's hair was wrought with tiny feathers, covering the heap that the rest of her body was. Jarrett got down on his knees next to her and blew at the feathers.

"She is alive, isn't she?" he said, and Honor looked over at him for a second. He sounded disconcertingly unaffected.

She reached for a pulse, but it wasn't necessary, because she could see the rise and fall of Alece's back as she breathed. She had landed face down. "She's alive, much thanks for your concern."

Jarrett shrugged and dusted some feathers off Alece's shoulder. "Why don't we drag her upstairs? It's too crowded down here, and people will ask questions."

"I'll get a sheet from Gretchen's closet," Honor said, after thinking for a moment.

They took the queen sized sheet and rolled Alece onto it. She looked almost like a baby the stork was carrying, except that she was much heavier, and Honor was no stork. They came close to dropping her once, when they were almost to the top.

Honor was sweating by the time they had Alece on the bed, and a muffled noise made Jarrett remember Moira on the phone he had stuffed in his pocket.

"Where in hell have you been? I kept hearing these noises. Were you molesting her or what?"

"Looks like she fell down the stairs. Honor and I dragged her up here and dumped her on the bed. You want to come up?"

"Is she awake?"

"Not yet, but we can fake off something when she does if you want. Or, we could just wipe her memory of most of tonight, but she's really going to wonder. Especially about the bruises."

"What bruises?"

"The ones she got when she fell down the stairs. There's a cut on her hand, too, not too big."

"Never mind, I'm coming up." The dial tone clicked on, and Jarrett set the phone on the bed stand next to the house phone.

"She fell down the goddamn stairs," Moira told Gretchen, shoving herself off the radiator. "Can you believe that? I've never heard of anything so stupid in my whole life."

"Should I come up?"

"I don't know. We've got to decided what to do, but if we all disappear at once, it will look strange." Moira grabbed her jacket and pulled it on roughly. "Not that they don't already think we're Satan's minions. Where's Rainy, anyway?"

"I don't know." Gretchen watched her, thinking. "Are you sure you don't want me to come up?"

Moira looked back at her, blue eyes bright. "I'll call you in ten." She paused, then leaned over to quickly kiss Gretchen on the cheek. "Don't sweat it," she told her, and headed for the stairs with her chin up and her shoulders back. Her powerful persona was marred only by a slight limp.

"She always thinks she can handle it, no matter what, doesn't she?" Gretchen said to Josephine, who had just materialized at her side.

"Moira's never going to run out of confidence if she keeps drinking from the Spring of Eternal Ego," Josephine replied lazily. "Meanwhile, we've got another problem."

Alece was waking up by the time Moira got to the attic. "Somebody shock her," she commanded. "I'll fry her brains if I do it."

"I've got my contacts in," Honor said. "Jarrett?"

He sat down and leaned over Alece, shaking her awake with one hand. As soon as her eyes opened, she looked at him, he looked at her, and for a second neither one moved. Then she fell back, limp.

"What do you think?" Honor asked, looking at Moira.

"How long has she been out?"

Honor shrugged. "As long as it took in between your call with Jarrett and for you to get here."

"Ten minutes then?"

"Maybe closer to fifteen."

Moira thought, putting her arm out to hang over Alece. She retracted it after a moment, and sighed. "I don't know how much time we'd have to erase if we were going to do that."

"You'd have to be careful," Jarrett told her. "That guy, Larry or whoever he was; she was waving a knife at him when I walked in."

Moira nodded with a newfound respect for Alece. "We couldn't wipe that out. Did you give her the key right after?"

"Yeah, and the jacket."

"Good thing it's an old one." Honor fingered the worn cloth.

"What a human touch," Moira said sarcastically, walked around the room. She was hyped to the verge of being manic. "Well? What should we do? Give me a little feed back here."

"We could possibly recreate the memories to make her think she fell down the basement steps. That would explain the bruises."

"It wouldn't be easy either," Jarrett pointed out. "We'd have to make her think she had gone outside, I gave her the coat and the key, then she came back inside, fell down the stairs, woke up in...Gretchen's bedroom, and went home?"

"I'm not going to throw myself down the stairs," Moira told them flatly.

"We could just resettle the memories of her fall in place," Honor said.

"Wait a second," Jarrett interrupted. "We're not talking about changing one little incident. We'd have to recreate most of the evening, and that's going to take energy and time. The less we change, the better. And why change any of it? We set her in Gretchen's bedroom, tell her she took a little fall, and then drive her home."

"Why are you so intent on leaving her memories?" Moira asked.

"Because I don't think we can successfully redo them without her knowing something's up. There's got to be a little of number one left in her system yet, and the fact that she knows we gave it to her is going to make her even more suspicious." His eyes darkened even more. "Look, she knows there's something up with us. Everybody knows that. We're the Eye People to them, but nothing else. She knows there's something more going on here, and if she has foggy memories of half the evening in somebody else's color, this isn't going to work."

Moira sat back in an armchair next to the bed and considered. She pulled the clip out of her hair and tossed it onto the dresser.

"She didn't light her candle," Honor pointed out. "Maybe she didn't get the idea, or maybe she was in such a rush to get out she fell. We have no way of knowing."

"Not unless we look," Moira told her. "I'm going to at least go in and look around."

She waited to see if they would argue with her, but all Jarrett said was, "Don't try to change anything by yourself. You'll just make things worse."

Moira nodded and traded places with Honor so that she could hold Alece's hand. Blood from the small cut was already mostly dry. She rubbed her finger in it anyway, then shut her eyes.

It only took her a few minutes to scan Alece's memories of that night, and Moira was horribly tempted to take a look at the was two weeks in general, but she came out because she knew Jarrett was right about not having enough time.

But that short look had been enough.

"We have a serious problem," she said, standing up and backing away. For some reason, she always wanted to get away from people whose memories she had experienced, feeling almost that she had violated them. And she knew that she had, she just didn't let it stop her.

"Tell me about it," said a voice from behind her.

Moira turned as the lights went on over her head. Gretchen was standing at the head of the stairs that Alece had not long before fallen down, and she looked as furious as Moira had ever seen her. For a second, she was almost scared.

That was when Gretchen walked forward with incredible speed, her high skirt not hindering her in the least, and slapped Moira across the face so hard she fell over.

Honor watched Moira hit the floor with a curious sense of wonder. As far as she knew, Gretchen had never hit anyone in her entire life, and Honor wouldn't have believed she had that night if she hadn't seen it.

But then again, until lately, she had almost never seen Gretchen's eyes on fire or her voice as sharp as a knife, and she had never, ever seen that look of hatred on Gretchen's face.

"This is it, Moira," she spat. "This is the time you push to far. This is end of your rein as queen bitch."

Behind her, Josephine and Rainy came up the stairs, Rainy biting his lip. Honor noticed that Josephine's hair was an absolute mess, having escaped from the confines of her bun and tumbled down around her face.

"You are packing your bags, and you're leaving town by the end of the week. I don't care where you go, but I want you out of Louisa!"

"What are you talking about?" Moira asked, sitting up on the floor. It was strange to see her on the floor, crawling backwards a bit every time Gretchen stepped forward.

"What am I talking about? Don't even pretend you don't know! I'm talking about how you've been brainwashing the principal!"

"I have not," Moira said, weakly.

"Don't pretend. Don't patronize me again. God, Moira, if I hadn't hit you already, I would now."

"What's going on?" Honor asked, trying to get a grip.

"Mr. Jackson," Gretchen cried, "is on the front lawn, yelling for Moira to come out. Apparently, they have a little deal, where he's going to let Moira run the school for him, and she's going to make him a god. I seriously doubt that he came up with that on his own."

She looked as Moira, sitting on the floor, and tried to control her breathing. "Admit it. You've been influencing him. I don't know how or when, but you've been telling him that you can make him a god." She shook her head. "What exactly have you been up to, Moira?"

Jarrett had stood up at some point, as if saying that he was going to physically keep Gretchen from beating the crap out of Moira. "I helped her," he said simply, and Gretchen looked at him in shock.

She shut her eyes, totally unsure of what to say. "It's all falling apart," she whispered. Honor thought she might burst into tears at any moment. This was Gretchen's worst nightmare, that things would get out of control, that Moira would get out of control.

Josephine took a few steps forward and reached for a chair at the table. Jarrett's expression never changed as he leaned against the wall. Moira waited as Gretchen's chest rose and fell, each breath bringing her closer to her fate.

Honor thought that if somebody didn't do something soon, she was going to scream.

Gretchen's green eyes opened, flat and in perfect control. "I want both of you out of Louisa."

"You can't do that," Moira said, getting up. She had been scared, undoubtedly, but this was obviously worse than she had expected.

"Can't I?" Gretchen asked, walking around the table and licking her finger. She snuffed out two candles. "I'm telling you that if you are still in this town come Monday morning, it will be war, four against two. You don't stand a chance."

"Where am I supposed to go?" Moira cried, walking over.

"I don't care. Go to your dad, go to you grandma. I don't care. But get out, or I'm going to kill you." Gretchen stood still for a minute, and then she said in a low voice, "Oh, by the way, I heard Ila made national honor roll. Your dad must be real proud."

Honor was staring to get scared. She was scared of her best friend, and just at the moment when she thought she couldn't take anymore, watching Gretchen glare at her Moira from across the table, and Moira, utterly hurt by that last comment, stared back, the worst possible thing happened.

Alece jumped off the bed.

In the confusion and the shouting, no one had noticed Alece quietly waking up. Her head was throbbing and she felt decidedly sick to her stomach, but she was alive.

Suddenly that seemed like such a miracle.

She had barely begun to understand what Gretchen was yelling about because of the overwhelming feeling that she did not belong here. She was not supposed to be seeing these things, or hearing them. She wasn't even sure she was still in her body.

But everyone saw her when she jumped off the bed, stumbled; her balance was shot, and grabbed at the arch to keep her balance. When Jarrett stepped toward her, she put her hand out to ward him away.

"I don't know what's going on here," she said, hearing her voice dry and harsh, "and I don't think I want to. But I'm going to leave now, and I for one am getting the hell out of Louisa."

She moved toward the stairs, not caring if she had to throw herself down them all over again. Just as long as she got out.

"Rainy!" Gretchen cried. He was closest, and he moved to grab Alece. She kicked him with as much force as she could muster and started down the stairs. She lost her breath when she reached the bottom and saw that the deadbolt was double sided, but the door was slightly open, and unlocked anyway. Gretchen must have been too angry to bother.

She had no idea what time it was as she burst into the kitchen. The party was winding down, but there were still people in the living room. She dashed into it and collapsed on the couch. She had no way of getting home, and if she walked, they had an even better chance of dragging her off.

"Are you okay?" somebody asked. She felt the couch shift as they sat down next to her.

"No," she replied softly. Her head was buried in her hands, and she didn't bother looking up. "I'm sick and I need to call my aunt, have her come get me. Do you know where the phone is?"

"Well, actually, I was about to leave myself. I could give you a ride."

"Would you? That would be great. I don't live far from here."

"No problem. Is now a good time?"

"Perfect. I can't tell you how much I appre-" That was when she raised her head and saw Evan Liberance sitting next to her.

"Lisa?" he asked, smiling.

Well, at least he gets your name right, an insane little voice in her head called out.

Why didn't I recognize the sound of his voice? she wondered, but at the same time, knew it was futile. It would be unforgivably rude to tell him she didn't want his help, although she wasn't sure it mattered considering that she would probably be leaving the country by the end of the weekend. And she couldn't think of a way to talk herself out of it.

Besides, she couldn't figure out why she always panicked around him. He looked nice enough, friendly, concerned.

"How sick are you?" he asked, worried.

"I have a headache. It's probably going to turn into a migraine." That was true, she got them occasionally. But only when she was under severe stress.

"Oh," Evan said. "I was worried for a second that you were going to throw up on my car."

Alece forced a chuckle, but she was relieved. The more she thought about it, the stupider her fear of him seemed. "Just let me get my coat, and I'll be back in a minute."

He smiled beneath his crop of blond hair, and she made herself notice how normal and still his blue eyes were as she stood up and smiled back. Then she turned and went down the hall to Gretchen's bedroom.

She couldn't find her coat. After long minutes of searching, she finally thought to check the floor, and yes, it had fallen off its hanger.

She pulled it on, comforted by its warmth and weight, and saw Josephine standing in the doorway.

"You can't leave," she said.

"Watch me," Alece retorted, and walked forward, intent on wrestling the girl to the ground if she had to.

She hadn't noticed the others lined up behind her.

Alece could not force her way past six people, no matter how determined she was. Josephine, Rainy, Moira, and Gretchen came forward into the room, and Honor and Jarrett blocked the entrance.

"You can't leave," Josephine repeated.

"You're holding me prisoner?" Alece asked, almost mocking them. She was wondering how much she would get cut up if she bashed through the window.

"We're trying to explain this to you," Gretchen said.

"I don't want your explanation," Alece shot back, cutting her off. "I want to go home and go to bed. And then in the morning, I want to track down my father in whatever god-forsaken third-world country he's in and tell him to expect me on Sunday."

"You can't just leave," Moira said. "There are things you need to know-"

"I know that you are all strange, delusional people. That you've probably brainwashed yourselves into thinking that you're somehow different from the rest of us, special. Hell, maybe you think you're vampires, I don't know. But I don't want anything to do with it."

Moira had her mouth open when Jarrett shook his head and Evan ducked his head into the room. "Are you ready to go?" he asked hesitantly, looking around.

"Yes," Alece said decisively. "I'm going." She gave Gretchen a warning look and walked out the door.

Evan's car was not young, but it was in good shape and it ran, the two key factors. "Where do you live?" he asked.

"Willow Creek. Take a left when you leave Leming Grove. Thanks for driving me."

Evan nodded, reaching over to shut off the radio. "This must be hurting your head. Listen, is everything okay between you and those people?"

"You mean the Eye People?" she asked.

"The Eye People? I'm not sure we're talking about the same group. I mean Moira, and that guy Jarrett, and the people they run with."

"We aren't exactly on good terms," she said, looking over at him. He was good looking; she hadn't noticed before. "I was accidently in the house when they dragged some dirty laundry in the front door."

"You mean Jackson?"

"What?"

"The principal. He was out on the lawn, screaming for Moira to change him or something. They called the police and dragged him away and everything. Where were you?"

"I...fell down some stairs and I guess I passed out for a while. Yeah, Mr. Jackson. Gretchen was yelling at Moira about it."

"There's been talk all week about how the principal was loosing it, forgetting things. Somebody told me that he asked them to design a shrine to him that could be built in the courtyard."

Alece nodded. She had heard the talk, but hadn't paid it much attention.

"You think Moira had something to do with it?"

"How could she not? Mr. Jackson wouldn't pick her randomly."

"Maybe he just went off his rocker and picked the first person he saw."

"Moira's probably been sleeping with him," Alece said coyly. Then she considered what she had just blurted out and almost went into shock.

Evan had raised his eyebrows, but he was nodding. "Anything's possible in today's society," was all he said.

Alece pressed her lips together and shut her eyes. Think happy thoughts. Think of the Lourve, think of the view from the Statue of Liberty, think of Greece in the spring time, think of Moira brainwashing the principal....

"Which way?" Evan asked as they reached an intersection.

"Right," Alece told him.

"Do you know Moira?" Evan asked her. "I'm new, this is my first year here."

"Actually, I've only been here a month myself. I sort of know Moira in that we hung out for a couple of weeks, but we didn't hit it off."

"Mr. Rinn's class is the only one I have with you, right?" "I think so. Jasmine's a nice girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Go straight here, and then the Willow Creek entrance will be on your left."

She directed him to her aunt's house, and it was only her aunt's house now, not her's anymore.

"Thanks again for the ride."

"No problem. So I'll see you on Monday?"

"Well, actually, there's a good chance I won't be coming back to school."

"Why not?" He looked confused.

"I'm probably moving back in with my dad. He lives..." she couldn't say she didn't know, "internationally."

Good save, she complimented herself.

"Well, Louisa will be less because of it."

Alece smiled and opened her door, climbed out. "Thanks," she said again, and closed the door.

The porch light was on, and her aunt was spooning ice cream out of a tub in the kitchen.

"Did you have a good time?" she asked, but one look at her niece told her the answer. "What happened?"

Alece pulled herself up to sit on the counter. "Well, let's see. First I got attacked by my date, then I fell down the stairs and passed out, and when I woke up, the principal had gone crazy and crashed the party. As if that weren't enough, Crystal's daughter tried to kidnap me, and my car is still at Lucy's."

"How did you get home?"

"This guy from my English class gave me a ride. Evan."

"What do you mean Josephine tried to kidnap you?"

Alece shrugged. "Never mind. I'm exaggerating. I guess what I want to say is that I'm not doing so well here, and I think maybe I should go stay with Dad again. I mean, it's only another couple of years, and..."

She didn't know what to say to sooth the hurt look on her aunt's face.

"Did I do so badly?" Lenan asked.

"Oh, no," Alece assured her. "You've been great, Aunt Lenan. Wonderful, in fact. I mean, you gave me a place to stay and a life. You're so nice to me." She hugged her. "It's not you, I swear."

"It's Josephine, isn't it?" Lenan asked, pulling back. Alece was too surprised to answer right away. "Crystal told me that she's been very worried lately, that her whole crowd has been. I was wondering if it had something to do with you."

"I guess Josephine is part of it," Alece stumbled. "No, we don't really get along, but-"

"Well, then no, you can't leave."

Alece didn't comprehend.

"What?"

"Learning how to get along with people is part of growing up. You have to learn how to make real friends, the kind that last. Friends are people you can rely on, not people you know. That's one of the reasons your father and I agreed that you should come here, so that you can learn that sort of thing. You've never had that in your life before."

Alece was still too stunned to reply. This couldn't be happening. Her aunt was wrong, she knew what friends were. She'd had people cry on her shoulder before, and she'd been there, one hundred percent.

"No, Aunt Lenan, you don't understand. I'm not talking about not getting along with them. I'm talking about how Moira poisoned me last week, and tonight, Gretchen was yelling about how Moira is brainwashing the principal!"

She stopped, seeing the look on Lenan's face. She thinks I've gone crazy. She really and truly believes that I'm losing it.

"I think I just want to go to bed," she said weakly, and Lenan nodded, taking her arm. Alece shook it off without meaning too.

She went upstairs, put on an old T-shirt and climbed into bed. "We can talk about this in the morning," her aunt said, tucking her in like she was a little girl.

Alece shook her head and roll over, feeling sick again. Lenan kissed her forehead and shut the light off, closing the door as she left. Alone in the dark, Alece fully understood that this meant.

They were going to get her.

She had no where to go if she ran, no one to help her. At least not nearby. She couldn't get a plane ticket because she was a minor. They had her trapped.

Then again, maybe not.

If Moira and Gretchen were having a war, they didn't really have time to bother with little old Alece, now did they? Besides, what could they do to her? They could scare her, sure, but they couldn't really hurt her. If Honor beat her up, she wouldn't hesitate to tell her aunt. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and not make trouble with them.

They couldn't touch her, not really.

She fell asleep feeling much better.

Chapter 20

Alece was black and blue the next morning. Besides the bruises and the cut on her hand, there was also a grape sized knot on the side of her head.

She spent the whole day in bed, staring out the window, and reading a little. Mostly, she thought about how to handle this.

It was going to be one of her hardest acts to pull off yet, a combination of secrecy and nonchalance, and maybe a touch of shame so people wouldn't push her. She was going to stick with Jasmine and Evan; they were nice people. But she couldn't have them asking about the Eye People. Gretchen would undoubtedly come after her if she was telling people about the things she had heard. If Gretchen wanted to kick Moira and Jarrett out of Louisa, that was her business, and Alece doubted any of them would want the whole school knowing.

She was also considering that they may come after her. Gretchen had talked about war with Moira, how Moira wouldn't stand a chance, four against two. Alece wasn't sure what kind of war they were talking about, but it was probably something stupid, like embarrassing each other in public. But she still couldn't match up with them.

In the evening, she got out of bed and took a hot bath. There was a particularly unpleasant bruise on her forehead, and it looked like she had been riding a horse for too long, the stiff way she walked.

Once she was dry, she went downstairs and borrowed a

Polish I text book from Lenan. Might as well learn another language. At least her father would be pleased.

She fell asleep early with all the lights on. Lenan came in to shut them off later, and to pull the blankets up over her niece.

That night, she had horrible bloody nightmares about sheep and wolves.

Part II

The Eye People

"Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead."

Benjamin Franklin

Chapter 21

When Evan asked her out the Thursday, Alece didn't think twice before saying yes. He suggested that they double with Jasmine and her boyfriend, Alexander.

The four of them went to Serena's for dinner the next evening. Settled around a table, a good sized crowd had sprung up around them. The place was dark, but had a lamp hanging over each table so it was easy to read the menu. Dance music was playing over the speakers, and a few couples were on the floor.

"Have you been here before?" Evan asked her after they had ordered drinks.

"Once, but only for a few minutes," Alece told him, studying the menu.

"What did you think?" Jasmine asked.

Alece nodded. "It's nice, comfortable."

The conversation turned quickly to the new principal.

"That speech she gave was awful," Jasmine said.

"It wasn't awful," Alexander told her, "just stereotyped. She shouldn't have put in all that stuff about being one big family. It's such an obvious sign that she's full of crap."

"Look, at least she isn't building a shrine to herself in the courtyard," Jasmine replied.

"I thought she seemed okay," Evan said. "The sort of person who won't get in the way of your plans."

Alece automatically found herself wondering if he was somehow referring to Moira, but she forced the thought away.

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Jackson got in the way of my plans all the time," Alexander said sarcastically. "He was such a snoop."

"Well, Ms. Loyal is at least sane," Jasmine went on.

"What happened to Mr. Jackson anyway?" Alece asked.

"They sent him to Village Creek, for the moment," Alexander told her. "It's a sanitarium on the other side of Madrid."

"Is Mrs. Jackson suing Moira or what?" Jasmine asked. Alece stiffened. She did so at any mention of the Eye People, afraid that if she said anything, she would give away that she knew more about them than she should.

"I don't think so," Alexander said, much to Alece's relief. "I mean, what can she say? This girl drove my husband crazy? She broke her promise to make my husband a god? No one ever saw them together or anything, and even if they had, it would only look worse for Mr. Jackson. Having an affair with a student? Moira's in the better position to sue."

"I wonder what really happened," Jasmine mused.

Moira had been at school on Monday, as had Jarrett. Alece had no idea what was going on, if they were neck deep in fighting, but she had watched them from the corner of her eye every chance she got, and Gretchen was refusing to speak with or even look at Moira.

"Well, it seems to me that Moira's got enough on her mind," Alexander said, and something in his voice caught Alece's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard the rumors?" Jasmine asked.

Alece shook her head, and Jasmine opened her mouth to speak when Lena came by to take their orders.

"Oh, it's Alece, right?" she said when she got to her. "Hey, I haven't seen Jarrett in here lately. Where's he been hiding?"

Alece couldn't think of anything to say for a few seconds, and she guessed that the confused and uncertain expression on her face must have delivered the message for her, because Lena shrugged and said, "Sorry, my mistake. That'll be fifteen or twenty minutes."

There was a second of quiet at the table before Jasmine spoke. "Word on the street is that Moira's all tied up in voodoo and doesn't know what to do, so she turned to Gretchen. They were using it on the principal, but things got out of control, and Gretchen's mad at Moira for spoiling their fun."

Alexander shrugged. "But there are also people saying that Mr. Jackson was on speed and he just picked Moira because she's here and she's pretty."

Jasmine jumped back in. "Or else that he's her father, and Moira just found out and was black mailing him."

"How does that tie in with making him a god?" Evan asked speculatively.

"Oh, well, nobody's really sure that's what he was saying," Jasmine supplied. "He was mumbling a lot. Somebody told me that they thought he was crying, 'Get out here girl, I made you with my rod!'"

"That's really gross, Jasmine," Alexander told her, "and Lisa isn't looking so good."

"Oh, I'm okay," Alece said. "I was just thinking."

"That bruise on your head is almost gone," Evan said, studying her. "How did you say you got it?"

"I fell down some stairs," she explained, thinking that she had fallen down them, not just said that she had.

"At the party?"

"After."

"Oh."

The conversation switched then to the homecoming dance, and Alece forgot all about Moira and poor Mr. Jackson. The food came, hot and spicy, just the way Alece liked it. She wondered if Lenan ever came here.

By the time dinner was finished, the place was really packed. Evan asked Alece if she wanted to dance, and she said yes, again, without considering. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she just thought she should caution herself not to rush into things anymore.

Evan was an excellent dancer, but he never actually seemed to hear the music. He almost never looked Alece, either, which struck her as a little strange.

A slow song came on, and at the touch of Evan's hand, Alece jumped almost straight up in the air. A sharp, freezing cold sensation ran through her, followed closely by a disorienting heat flash. She staggered back a step to keep her balance.

"You okay?" Evan asked.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, putting her arms around his neck. Strange, that fear that was lurking at the back of her mind whenever she was around Evan.

She remembered, but she wasn't going to let it make any difference now. She liked Evan, she did, and some old stupid paranoia wasn't going to get in her way.

Evan was frowning at her. "What's wrong?" she questioned.

"Nothing," he said. Alece realized that he was looking over her shoulder, not at her at all. She turned them around to see for herself.

Moira had just come in the door. Rainy and Honor were behind her. Honor had her hair strewn all over her shoulders, and looked like a lioness.

There was something really wrong with Moira. She was pale and unsmiling, but more importantly, without her usual confident air and pride. It looked like somebody had just yelled at her and she was feeling really guilty.

"Do you want to go?" Evan asked.

"What? Why?"

"You always tense up when they're around. Are you like enemies or something?"

"Not quite." Alece tried to keep her voice vague as she watched Moira look around and take a deep breath over Evan's shoulder. Was she steadying herself? Moira was the steadiest person Alece had ever met.

They turned again, and Alece couldn't see them any more. "Moira's coming this way, right toward you."

"You know, maybe we should go." Evan just nodded, and they stepped off the dance floor.

Moira caught up with them before they made it out. From the corner of her eye, Alece saw Rainy and Honor sit down at a table in the corner and chat with Lena, who seemed to be totally oblivious of the other customers in the restaurant.

"Come with us," Moira said firmly.

Alece shook her head. "Forget it."

"We have to talk," Moira insisted.

"No, you have to go away, and Evan and I have to leave."

She started toward the door again, but Moira got in her way. "I at least need the bottle Gretchen gave you."

"I poured it down the sink," Alece lied after a pause. In reality, she had mailed remaining liquid and the bits of glass bottle to Jessy three days before.

"Give it to me," Moira hissed, stepping closer.

Alece wasn't as scared as she ought to have been. "Face it, Moira. You lost. Now run along home and tell Gretchen I said hi." Then she forced her way past Moira and out into the parking lot, dragging Evan behind her.

"What was she talking about?" Evan asked. He was really getting confused.

"I guess Moira and I are a little bit more like enemies than I let on," Alece admitted. It was raining, a cold, angry drizzle, and they were hurrying to her car. She climbed in and breathed in the toxic scent of conditioned air.

"Look, you promise not to tell anyone this?" she asked, turning on the heater. The windows began to fog up around her.

"Alright," Evan agreed. His face was creased.

"Moira sort of thought it would be fun to slip a little something into my drink one day. I don't know what it was, but it messed me up for a while, and now she wants the counter medication Gretchen gave me back."

"But you poured it down the sink?"

"No, I accidently crushed it in my jean pocket."

"Falling down the stairs?"

Alece started laughing. "Totally unrelated events."

"I didn't think you were wearing jeans at the party," Evan told her. He was staring at her. "You looked good."

Alece smiled and pulled out. "Thanks." She flipped on the radio. "Where am I going anyway?"

"Have you been to the top of Sawdust Hill?"

"No, I haven't even heard of it."

"It's a star observatory, open to the public. Why don't we go there?"

"Alright."

Evan gave excellent directions, and they were there within minutes. The observatory was a tall building, and the top floor appeared to be one big glass dome.

"I can't believe my aunt never mentioned this place," Alece said as they went inside. It was open all night, she noticed, passing a welcome sign.

"There are planet exhibits on the first four floors," Evan told her. "I think they close at six, but the top floor's still open."

The elevator was circular with two openings, and deposited them in the glass dome at the top. An incessant tapping made Alece remember the rain. She laughed. "We came all the way up here, and we won't be able to see anything!"

Evan laughed with her. "The clouds will probably pass pretty soon. They have up to the minute weather reports in those headphones over there."

The dome stretched fourteen feet up above them, curved and smooth, only a few tiny bubbles distorting the surface. Alece was paranoid about getting too close to the edge, where you could see straight down five stories because the last two feet of floor were made of glass as well.

The sky was gray and black, two oil paints mixing as somebody blew on them. Rain splattered over the clear covering, running down the sides in ever entwining rivulets of water.

The place was almost deserted, not surprising considering that you couldn't even begin to see the sky. Evan and Alece sat on a circular couch in the middle of the room that was tilted back so you could see the sky easier. Small, slotted floor lights interrupted the carpet patterns. If they had put lights on ceiling, you wouldn't have been able to see the heavens at all.

"Where did you move from?" Alece asked, leaning back. The couch was extremely comfortable.

"Down south," was all Evan said.

"Why did you move?"

"I guess my parents wanted a change."

"Are you glad you came here?"

"Yes. It's a nice place to live. Little but not too little, no crime."

"Well, not except for psychotic principal's crashing parties."

Evan laughed, broad and relaxing. "You know he was wearing a pair of boxer shorts and a undershirt."

"I heard that from somebody. Probably Jasmine. She really has an ear for gossip, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but she's not an air head, either. The people in Louisa are fascinating."

"What do you mean?"

"Where I come from, nobody really does anything. They all talk about the great things that happen, and how they wish they could do something, but they never do it. The spend their whole lives admiring other people's achievements."

"And here we do something else?"

"Here you do something! Regardless of what really happened, the thing with Jackson made a big splash. And we were right at the heart of it. We knew Jackson, sure we did. I saw him everyday at school, and I was at the party when he showed up. I was part of the mayhem."

"Not to burst your bubble, but so were dozens of other people."

"And for each of the people who were there, there are dozens of other people who read about it in the Madrid papers and wished that they had been there. But I was. I lived the legend."

"I don't know if Mr. Jackson's little show counts as a legend."

Evan laughed again, starling her. "I'm not really talking about Jackson. It just seems like people are really alive and doing things here. It's not like that where I come from. It's...sleepy."

"Sleepy. A sleepy southern town, eh?"

"Something like that. It's hot there, real hot." There was a moment of quiet and then he said, "Do you believe that the world is going to end?"

"Maybe. Those people saying the end is near can't all be wrong, can they?"

"People have always said the world is going to end. Especially around the turn of centuries and things like that. This is the turn of the millennium, of course people are going to go a little crazy. But do you feel like the world is going to end soon?"

"Am I getting a vibe or something? I don't get vibes, I'm not psysic. Are you?"

"Not really." He had shut his eyes. "When I think about the future, I can't see any way the human race can survive. You know? It's sort of like, on the one hand, we drop everything and try to clean up the environment, which leads to the total crash of the economy, and probably a world war, and everything gets completely out of control. Or, we keep up the way we are, and the sun burns the planet to smithereens. Either way, we aren't going to make it to the year twenty-one hundred. I love thinking about the end of the world. I don't really mind that it's going to end and we're all going to die, as long as I'm there to see it." His voice had taken on a bizarre tone of deep satisfaction.

"Oh," was all Alece could come up with.

"One time, I was at the pool, and I dove off and smacked my head against the floor. I just froze up and couldn't move. I remember, just before I blacked out, I looked up at the sky through the water, and it all looked red. I couldn't stop thinking, that's what the sky will look like the day the world ends. Remember this, Evan, because this is what it's going to look like."

Alece had discovered that Evan was a talker. Not a chatter, like Jasmine, but a talker who could go on and on, and was highly prone to long outbursts.

"Are you sure you didn't come into my yard the first day of school?" Alece asked.

Evan looked over at her. "You were yelling about that the day I met you, remember? And I still don't know what you're talking about."

"I was swimming in my backyard, and then some guy who looked just like you, except that he had really bright blue eyes, came out of the bushes around my yard and I threw him in the pool. I was so sure it was you."

"It wasn't me, I swear. I usually use the front door when I go to a girl's house, I don't just jump in her pool."

"There's a back door, too," Alece said, and the next moment was totally unsure why she had told him that. It almost sounded like she had invited him to sneak through her back door. Evan didn't seem to have noticed, and she decided that she was being stupid.

"Do you believe in God?" Evan asked a second later.

Alece was startled again. He always managed to have that affect on her. Probably meant she liked him. "I don't know. Everybody thinks something different, and I never agree with them on everything. But I think that there must be something that at least has a little control over what happens. Maybe destiny."

The rain had stopped, and the water had run all down from the top of the dome glass, directly above Alece. Yes, she believed that they all had a purpose for being alive, and when you had finished your purpose, you died. Maybe that was why death rarely upset her.

"Do you believe in God?" she asked, rolling over on her side.

"Not since I met you," Evan told her.

Alece felt herself go momentarily numb with surprise. He turned his head to look at her, and then he smiled. She couldn't see his blue eyes in the dim light, but it was different from not being able to see through thick sunglasses.

"What I mean," he went on, in a reassuring tone, "is that God and I usually aren't on such good terms."

Alece was trying to process this when he leaned over and kissed her. Just a short, tidy kiss, couldn't have lasted more than a second, but the affect it had on Alece was immense.

She was terrified.

The fear pounded through her with an unbeknownst fury, and she couldn't stop thinking that she had been so careless. Her hands locked together, and a cold chill bound her motionless. She knew this fear, from two places. First was from the night somebody had attacked her in the pool, and the second was in Gretchen's attic, just before she fell down the stairs.

She wasn't going anywhere this time. She couldn't even wiggle her toes, let alone dash for the elevator. The couch was warm under her side, her face was flushed, which almost never happened, and yet she still felt cold. There were goosebumps all along her arms.

"Maybe I shouldn't have done that," Evan said quietly. Alece remembered that he was there, and her eyes focused. She could see him much better than before, and one look at his face brushed off all her fears as if they had been as feather light. This was Evan, Evan, not some freak who was going to hurt her. This was the guy she was going out with, who hadn't gotten mad that day she'd ripped off his sunglasses in the library.

"No," Alece told him, "I was just surprised." Her paralysis disappeared as fast as it had come, and she smiled at him. The light above her grew. "Look," she said, pointing at the ceiling.

Evan turned his face to the domed glass, and it was illuminated by cold, clean moonlight. His skin looked like marble, or porcelain, smooth and brilliant. The rain had stopped and the clouds had parted, letting in a slanted shaft of light that fell right over them. Alece could feel herself soaking up the unique whiteness, making it part of herself.

She opened her eyes, and Evan was smiling at her. "This is why I moved from down south," was what he said. 

Chapter 22

The dream was worse than ever that night.

Alece fell asleep slowly, bundled up in a heavy flannel nightgown and drowning under a half dozen comforters. She still felt cold.

The dream had come to her every night that week, never the same, but always carrying the same feeling. It began with a play practice.

She is standing at the edge of the stage in the school auditorium, wearing a white shift. Her hair is up, tied tightly off her face. Jarrett and Honor come by with a carrying cot, and she lays down on it. They carry her on-stage.

The auditorium is full, packed so thick that people are standing in the isles. The stage is bare except for a black velvet back drop and a big stone table at center stage.

Honor and Jarrett roll Alece off the cot and onto the table. She is pretending to be asleep.

"Don't worry," Honor whispers, "the fake blood packs didn't come off."

Alece nods, and Moira, Rainy, Gretchen, and Josephine come on stage. They are all wearing white robes that have been tye-dyed red, an unusually deep and strong color for tye-dye.

Moira lights a match. She is pale and weak, she looks sick. The flame jumps up on the end of the wooden stick, and she presses it against the edge of the table, where there is a small grove. The groove, Alece now notices, is filled with oil, or lighter fluid. Something that burns, because the fire bursts up in a scorching circle around her. If she moves only a few inches in any direction, her shift will lit up.

Jarrett passes the knife to Gretchen, who holds it up over her head. There are gasps coming from the crowd already, but they begin to yell out when, at the same instant, everyone around the table starts screaming. They yell at the same middle C together, causing a blue mist to form all around. The mist from each person mixes with everyone else's mist, and it creates a tornado above Alece, a thick spiral which she can look right through the center of.

The blue mist comes down and closes all around her. Alece thinks that it must be some sort of light trick, but she can feel it, hot and wet on her skin. Then she begins to float, and she knows that is real as well. The audience is screaming now, and somebody has started throwing carrots. One hits Alece and lands on her stomach. In an effort to get it off, it appears to be stuck with some gum, she dislodges the large, very think plastic bag of fake blood, which lands on the marble slab and breaks open. Phoney blood gushes out everywhere, and that's when Alece realizes that the shifts of the Eye People are stained, not tie-dyed.

Before she can tell Gretchen about the blood pack, she rams a knife Alece's stomach. Then everyone disappears, and Alece is left laying on the floor of the stage, alone, with the knife stuck in her stomach. The audience is gone, Gretchen is gone, and the only thing left is a glass of milk.

Alece reaches for the glass of milk, and then-

Awake.

Alece rolled off the bed and smacked her head on the make-up table. She put her hands to her stomach, making sure there was no knife.

She ran her hands through her hair and looked at the clock. 2:36 A.M. Better to try and go back to sleep.

Climbing back into bed, she felt the lump on her head. People were going think she was either abused or really clumsy. Probably the latter considering how nice Lenan was.

She settled back under the blankets. The flannel encased pillow was still warm beneath her head.

Sometimes she woke up just as Gretchen stabbed her, sometimes not until after. One night, she'd actually gotten the milk in her hand, and looked over to see Evan standing at the edge of the stage before she rolled off the bed.

She thought of Evan, and felt thoroughly confused. When she was around him, he was so nice, totally friendly. There was nothing even remotely suspicious about him. He was always just there, and she wouldn't believe that he would hurt a fly.

But then, when she got home, she'd see him in her mind, and she'd be afraid again. That deep, cold, splintering fear that paralyzed her. Shards of ice spreading through her stomach, up into her chest.

And she'd think back over what they'd talked about, and start imagining all these things that probably hadn't been there. Stupid things, like, Didn't he look evil, just for a second there?

Expressions were not enough to judge a person's immortal soul on, though, and Alece knew it. She didn't understand why Evan scared her. There was no logic to it.

Something Lynnette, from Greece, had said to her once rang in her ears. Sometimes, people just know things, and if you know it, really know it, then you have to take it as valid truth.

The truth? That Evan was evil? Alece didn't care how strongly she felt it, it was stupid and crazy, and she wasn't going to listen to herself.

She parked down the street from her house Monday afternoon, after noticing that there were quite a few cars in Josephine's driveway.

School had been fine, Evan had been nice, and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Moira was looking really sick these days, and according to Jasmine, the rumor was that she was pregnant. Alece had the feeling that that wasn't it at all.

She got out of her car, shut the door quietly and walked around the back of her next door neighbor's yard. She edged up against the fence, huddled on either side by shrubs, then climbed over.

The back door was always unlocked, a bad habit of Lenan's. Alece peered through it before sliding the door soundlessly open and creeping into the kitchen. When she heard the noise, she turned her face upward to the ceiling.

Thud. Pause. Footsteps.

I was right. Suddenly Alece was furious. She rummaged around in a kitchen drawer, found a big meat cleaver, and wedged the portable phone in her jeans pocket. Then she went up stairs.

When her feet were on the second of the fourteen steps, she heard, "We've got to go. She'll be home soon."

That was Rainy.

Step number seven.

"But we haven't found it yet."

Honor.

Step number nine.

"Get off the bed, Moira."

Gretchen, Moira.

Step number eleven.

"There's no where else to look."

Josephine.

Step number thirteen.

"Help me up, Jarrett."

Moira, Jarrett.

They were searching her room.

Holding the cleaver lazily in one hand, Alece leaned against the door frame to her room. It was Moira who saw her first, Moira, who was sitting on the bed, leaned up against Alece's flannel covered pillows. She gave her a half smile.

The rumors had been right about Moira being one sick girl. She was translucently pale, exhausted looking, resting as if she didn't have the strength to move.

"Are you okay?" Alece asked her, ignoring everyone else. The two of them could have been alone. The others were staring at Alece with her cleaver.

"I'm as well as can be expected," Moira said, half smiling again. "How've you been lately?"

"I'm doing just fine." Alece scanned the eyes watching her. Everyone except for Josephine had their sunglasses off. She sighed. This was just too much.

"Go on, get out." She waved the knife over her shoulder, indicating the door. "You have thirty seconds before I dial 911."

No one moved, and Alece felt like laughing. "I'm telling you to get out of my house. Now go." They still didn't. They all seemed too shocked to comprehend what she meant. "Look, I sent the stuff Gretchen gave me to a friend. She isn't in Louisa, she isn't even if the country, and there's no way you're going to be able to get it back, so just leave."

Gretchen looked at Honor, who shrugged. "She doesn't have it. We may as well go."

They looked at each other for another few seconds, communicating silently, and then Gretchen nodded. "Let's go. Sorry about the intrusion, Alece." She said it as casually as she would have changed her drink order, and called her Alece.

"Moira, why don't you stay a minute?" That was certainly unexpected. "Go," she told Josephine when she looked at her.

The front door opened down below, then closed, and Alece listened to the silence for a second. She was pretty sure they were all gone. She put her knife on top of the desk and pried the phone out of her pocket so that she could comfortably straddle the desk chair.

Moira was still sitting on the bed, looking like a stiff wind would blow her over. She waited for Alece to talk.

"Are you really okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm okay."

"Have you been sick?"

Moira looked uncertain. She thought for a second and then said, "I've been...punished."

"For the principal?"

She was surprised that Alece knew. "You shouldn't let on that you know about that. It will only get you in trouble." She sat up with a groan and rubbed her hand. There was a grayness all along the side of her hand and arm, like an old bruise.

"What kind of game are you playing, Moira?"

She smiled at that, pushing her legs off the bed. "If this were a game, Lisa, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun."

Moira didn't look like she was having fun as she walked slowly to the door. Something about the way she moved made Alece think she was trying to soften the floor.

"I should go. Gretchen will be mad at me, and that's the last thing I need today." She opened the door, looked back over at Alece. "Home coming is in a few weeks. Make sure to come."

She left, and Alece sat on the bed, thinking about that. Then she went outside to get her car.

Chapter 24

Gretchen knocked on the door at 112 Kelbrook Avenue the next evening. She tossed her head back and sighed in frustration as she waited. Finally, the door opened, and one of Jarrett's older sisters, Lyan, opened the door. She looked nothing like Jarrett, blond and blue eyed, with full round features. All his siblings looked like that.

"Come on in," Lyan said, stepping back. Gretchen avoided her eyes and walked past her, without saying anything. She headed straight for the large marble staircase, moving fast and sure. She didn't have time to be gracious to Jarrett's sister just then.

"Hey, Gretchen," Lucas said brightly, seeing her at the hallway at the top of the steps.

She couldn't help smiling. Lucas was nine, bright as a whip, and no one could resist his exuberant grin. "Hey, kid."

She ruffled his hair and walked past, stopping at Jarrett's door. A muffled reply greeted her knock, so she opened the door.

Jarrett's room was filled with bright light. Aside from having the heavy drapes pulled back, all the lights were on. There was a large, angular desk in the corner, covered in papers and books, pens without caps and dried-up bottles of White-Out. The bed was sloppily made, and the closet door was hanging open. Jarrett hadn't been keeping very good house lately.

He was sitting in an armchair right by the window, direct sunlight hitting his wan face. He looked up when she walked inside, and nodded his hello.

"Come sit down."

She settled back on the chair he offered her, pulled over from the desk. The sunlight was beginning to fade as the sky turned a dusty pink color, mountains puncturing a magnificent sunset.

"What's up?" she asked, studying him. The color was lost from face, his eyes were a flattened green, and cloudy. He was slow in the way he moved, as if wading through a pool of mashed potatoes.

"How are you doing, Gretchen?"

She shrugged, feeling tired and run down. It had been a hard month or so. "I'm doing alright. You look like you've seen better days."

"So has Moira."

Gretchen shrugged again. "She doesn't have that much longer to go. It's only a week or two until homecoming."

Jarrett turned to look out the window, thinking. His face was expressionless, as usual, uncaring. When he spoke, everything about his voice said something else.

"Gretchen," he began, looking at her, "I've never really asked you for anything. Not in all these years. But I need you to do me a favor now."

She was starting to feel decidedly uncomfortable. Jarrett calling her to come over was strange enough, but asking for a favor? There was something very wrong with the picture.

"Go on."

He sighed. "I need you to let Moira off the hook."

Gretchen felt the anger in her chest well up and her eyes turn bright green. "You shouldn't have even bothered-"

He cut her off, easily, as always. "I wouldn't ask except that she's really getting sick. She wasn't at school today, and her mother said she couldn't even get out of bed this morning. Have you taken a good look at her lately? She's sick, Gretch, really sick, and if you keep this up, she isn't going to be around at homecoming."

Gretchen knew Moira hadn't been at school. And she'd had a hard time not noticing that strangeness of her skin tone lately, blue eyes that looked like painted rocks. But Moira hadn't complained, and she wasn't complaining now.

"Why isn't she asking herself?"

Jarrett shook his head. "She knows you wouldn't believe her. Besides, if she doesn't finish this thing, you'll hold it against her forever. She's learned her lesson, I swear she has, and it's not just to be afraid of you."

Tugging her sunglasses off with one hand, she brushed a vagrant red curl off her temple with the other. "I don't want her to be afraid of me."

"She's learned her lesson, believe you me." Jarrett sat back in his chair, watching the last of the sun disappear behind the thick forest of green-black trees. "I just hope you've learned yours."

She sat up again. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get mad," he said calmly, not loosing his stance. "All it means is that Moira isn't a sit around and plan person. She likes to think up something and do it. That's not the same as being careless. She got desperate to do something this year, she got bored. It happens. I'm sorry I helped her, for what it's worth. I didn't think things would go so far. But what you need to consider is that it was really a plea for you to get a move on."

That was the first time Gretchen had ever heard Jarrett apologize for anything either. He's really worried about this, Gretchen realized with a start. That alone was enough to scare her out of her socks.

"How sick is she?"

He shrugged. "You know how it works. Bit by bit and then downhill fast." He shrugged again. "What can I say except that she's dying?"

"So are you."

"I'm on half the milk she is, I'll be fine. But she's not going to be able to keep up much longer. Her temperature started crashing this morning, and she's stopped eating altogether." He looked back at Gretchen. "You need her. We need her. When we bring Alece in, she's going to need her. This is Moira, our Moira, and Jackson wasn't worth killing her over."

Gretchen had gained a measure of confidence in the last month. She had faced her worst nightmare of loosing control, and pulled everything back together. She had stood up to Moira and told her where to get off. Now she had a chance to prove she had compassion. You've brought her to her knees, there's no point in putting her underground.

Besides, she wasn't about to let Moira die.

"Alright. I'll go see her tonight, and tell her the milk is off. You want out too?"

"I'll be fine, like I said. She's drinking twice as much as me, after all."

Gretchen nodded. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." The old Jarrett Methshaw iron screen was back in place, which Gretchen found to be a welcome relief. His pleading really frightened her. "Oh, and would you mind not mentioning that I talked to you about this?"

She stood up, reached for her sunglasses. "Why not?"

"Moira likes to think she can handle anything."

Another nod was her reply. They all had their weaknesses. Moira wanted to be unconquerable, Gretchen wanted to be in control, and Jarrett...well, she didn't know what Jarrett really wanted. He was hard to figure out.

She touched his shoulder in passing on her way to the door. "Hey, Jare," she said, the knob in her hand, "thanks for watching out for her."

He nodded one last time, as if to say, "Somebody has to."

Chapter 25

Another week passed, and Alece barely even noticed. She had slipped into a flat routine; get up, go to school, come home, do your homework, go to bed. The only things that interrupted this pattern were an occasional shopping trip with Jasmine, or a date with Evan. She blew her father off on the Jamica trip, saying that if he wanted to see her that badly, he could come to Louisa for a few days.

Moira was out on Wednesday, again on Thursday, as was Gretchen, they were both back on Friday, and Moira looked great again by Monday. She even smiled when she passed Alece in the hallway.

But despite the routine, things were changing, ever so slightly.

She was scared to death of Evan all the time now.

He talked more than ever these days, but it was about benign things mostly, and then, without warning, he would blurt out something totally bizarre and completely unexplainable.

They were in the car one day, he was driving, and he slipped in a tape of Gregorian chants. Alece didn't mean to look up so sharply when it started playing, but she had been hit with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Evan looked at her, smiled a coy little smile, and said, "That's what he always played, isn't it?"

But he did. Alece couldn't think up another explanation for what Evan had said. And Theo had always played Gregorian chanting in his car.

Then, when they were on the phone one night, Evan had stopped mid-sentence, and told her to wear the beige blouse with her white scarf the next day. He said she looked great in it.

Indeed, Alece hadn't even seen it since she had moved. She'd mailed it to Jessy for her birthday, months ago.

Then there were his parents, who she'd had dinner with. If you could call it dinner. They were zombies, real, live zombies, who walked and talked and cooked, but without the slightest hint of emotion. Evan had talked on and on all through the meal, but his parents ate their food with blank faces and silent voices. The spark in their eyes were gone. It was like they were dead.

Andrea said she was being paranoid, that she must have mentioned Theo's like for chanting. Maybe he saw a picture of her in the blouse. His parents were probably on something. She should forget it.

And worst of all, was his obsession with the end of the world. He could talk for hours about how the world was going to end, and the people would die, and the planet would again be overrun by the animals. He had seen every movie about the last day ever made. His favorite book was The Stand. He could recite almost the whole book of Revelations from the Bible, although he didn't believe most of it. He said that when the world did end, it wouldn't take so long. "Just one big bang, Lisa. One shot and it's over."

He was becoming controlling as well, and suspicious of Alece. He had the idea in his head that she had a secret alliance with the Eye People, that they were plotting against him. But he never came right out and asked her, or said that they were going to hurt him, only hinted at it. He hinted at everything, and took everything Alece said as a hint of one thing or another. Besides picking her up every morning and driving her home, he called every night, usually twice, to see what she was doing.

Lenan said she liked him, but, "I didn't think things would get so serious so fast."

So serious? Yeah, that was one way to put it.

The dreams plagued her every night, over and over, which was the most exasperating part. It was always the same thing, come on stage, float, get stabbed, reach for the milk, wake up and fall out of bed. She never got any further, and Evan wanted to hear every detail. "It was the same as last night," she would tell him.

"That doesn't matter," he always replied. "I want to know everything."

Yet despite the awful dreams, and the flashes of snakes she sometimes saw when Evan was around, she was sleeping more soundly than ever, and looked great. There was a glow to her skin she'd never had before, and Lenan said her eyes were on fire. Her health was tip top, she never had trouble concentrating, but something felt terribly wrong.

The question was how to break up with him. He had a capacity for violence, Alece could sense it in him, but she didn't think he would hit her. He would be mad, though, very mad. He'd want an explanation, reasons, justifications, and Alece didn't have any.

That was why she was going to homecoming with him.

He'd picked out a dress for her, a maroon-red one that looked funny with her eyes. It was knit and settled over a silky white underdress. She looked alright in it, not great. Evan didn't have much of a fashion sense.

She went to his house that Friday afternoon, dressed and ready. She was going to leave her car there, and take his to the dance.

"Evan?" she called, stepping into the house. He'd told her not to bother knocking, because no one would answer.

"In here," came the reply. She walked up the stairs and into the kitchen, a sharp and sweet scent filling her nostrils. He was perched on the counter next to the sink, staring at the running water. One hand rested on the hot water handle.

"What are you doing?" She walked closer to peer into the metal basin.

"Melting popsicles," he answered simply. His gaze was glued to the rapidly disappearing bit of colored ice. The water was a thin pink all around.

Alece looked from his face, to the popsicle, to the pile of wrappers in the trash. "Why?" she asked delicately.

He shrugged. The red popsicle was gone, and he reached into the box resting next to him and withdrew and green one.

"Do you still want to go tonight, or would you rather stay here?" she asked, feeling annoyed. He wasn't even dressed yet.

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming. Just let me finish this." He looked up and saw her expression, his own softening in response. Incredible, the snap back to reality. "I'm sorry, Lisa. Sometimes I just get caught up in the magic." He shut off the hot water and hopped down from the counter. "Give me five minutes, then we'll go."

Alece went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Her head fell into her hands, causing blond hair to waterfall around her face.

Maybe coming to Louisa had been a mistake after all. Alece had been out with a lot of strange guys, but Levi and Evan...come on. And in the same month?

As promised, Evan was ready in five minutes. He looked good, blond hair recently trimmed so that it stopped just above his shirt collar. His eyes were a colder blue than usual, and he seemed to be on a power high.

"Let's go," he said gruffly, taking her by the arm. "Let's go before my parents come home and try to stop us." The way he said it, you would have thought his parents were dead set against them going to the dance.

He drove faster than usual, pounding rhythmically on the gas pedal so that Alece was always smacking against the seat. "This is living!" he cried out the window, a crazy grin on his lips. They cruised through a red light, and for just a split second, Alece thought she saw his eyes twirling blue.

They parked and went in. Alece looked around the dimly lit gym, the easy listening music pounding in her ears, and saw Jasmine by the drink table, looking grim.

"I'm going to go say hi," she told Evan. He nodded, and went off to talk to Alexander. He and Jasmine had broken up the week before.

"Hey," Alece said, coming over. Jasmine smiled drolly and nodded. She took a sip of the Coke in her hand, then pointed to Alexander. "You having second thoughts?" Jasmine shrugged, her dark hair shinning. She looked great, face carefully colored, large medicine wheel earrings hanging from her lobes. A shrug was all the reply Alece got. "Why don't you just go talk to him?"

Jasmine cast a glance over at Alece. "Because that would be giving him the upper hand."

"Ah, yes, the ever present problem of ego," Alece told her pointedly. "How to get him back without letting on that you care." She though it was stupid, and that Jasmine should just go tell him she wanted to get back together, but she wasn't going to say that. It was, after all, Jasmine's life. Alece had enough problems to deal with.

She heard a loud, pleasant laugh off to her left, and saw Moira. She was back full force now, black hair framing her beautiful face. Blue eyes, rich and dark as Hershey's syrup, looked out from under thick lashes, and her smile said that yes, she knew she was gorgeous, but she wouldn't mind hearing it again.

"And there's Moira," Jasmine said, like a beauty pageant announcer as she followed Alece's eyes. "Looking better than any real person is supposed to."

Alece laughed. Jasmine was right, no one was supposed to look so perfect, so balanced, so completely in control. Another laugh floated back to them.

She saw the others, Gretchen was dancing, Josephine was watching with a solemn face, as if she might not approve. Rainy was serving drinks at the table just behind them. Levi was there with Lucy, and Alece avoided them altogether.

"Feel like dancing?" Evan asked, coming over. Alece shrugged, then nodded. Why not?

"Go talk to him," she hissed to Jasmine in passing, who pretended not to hear.

They weren't on the floor more than five seconds when the song ended. "Great timing, huh?" Evan said.

A slow song started. Alece hated slow songs, because she didn't feel like moving slowing was enough activity to be engaged in at once. She always ended up trying to start a conversation, and her partner would get annoyed because he wanted to enjoy the moment, and she wouldn't shut up.

Of course, if she wanted to discuss the end of the world, it shouldn't be a problem with Evan.

He brushed her hair out of the way so that he could firmly get his hand on her hip, which was slightly sore from a crash the night before. She settled her hands around his neck, but had to force them down. She didn't want to touch him, not even his clothes.

The thought came again, of a huge serpent coiled on the ground, baring its fangs at her. But Evan smiled, and his mouth didn't even open.

The music was probably Whitney Houston; it had her whiny style to it. Even's eyes were a pleasant, silken blue, his hyperactivity worn off. Alece looked around and saw Moira leaning against the wall. She apparently wasn't much on slow songs. Jarrett had an arm settled around her shoulders, but it looked like he was either trying to protect her or hold himself up. Even from twenty feet away, Alece could see that he was a ghastly pale color, just the way Moira had been a week earlier...

"Why don't you go talk to them," Evan suggested, and there was a touch of challenge in his voice. Alece looked at him, controlling her urge to slap him and shout, "They aren't plotting to kill you!"

"What would we talk about?" she asked instead.

"Weather, clothes, the end of the world."

Alece nodded. What had she expected? Of course Evan would assume that everyone wanted to talk about the end of the world all the time. He was a psycho.

"I think Moira's having too good a time to be preoccupied with such depressing matters as the end of the world," she told Evan.

"Well, that's going to have to change," he said flatly.

She looked at him, appalled. "What does that mean?"

"One days she's going to have to face her own mortality," he told her, completely unaffected.

"She's seventeen years old, Evan! Dying should be the last thing on her mind." Actually, I think Moira's only sixteen.

"But the moment she was born, she began to die. It is the one thing in this life she can count on."

Alece just stared at him for several seconds, and then she exploded, taking half a step away from him. "What's wrong with you? All you think about is death and the end of the world! You're sick, Evan, really sick, and you need some sort of therapy. I mean it. Oh, and we're definitely breaking up. You may be waiting for the end, but I'm alive, and I'd like to make something of the life I have."

She tried to pull away, but Evan grabbed her arm. People were looking at them, Alece noticed. "Will you be ready when the end comes?" he cried.

She gave him a hard look and jerked her arm away. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be!"

Stumbling to the drink table, she bumped into Jasmine and Alexander, who were dancing. "Sorry," she said, going forward. Jasmine came after her.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Rainy, a Coke," Alece said to the gray haired guy behind the table. She felt like she was walking back into a bar she'd been to a thousand times, and asking for the same drink.

"What just happened," she told Jasmine, stopping to nod a thank you to Rainy as she accepted the chilled plastic cup, "is that I dumped Evan."

"Why? I thought things were going great?"

"Sure, if you're totally obsessed with dooms day." She took a sip of her drink, feeling the cold, sweet taste of it in her mouth. "He's a weird guy, Jasmine, really messed up. Today, when I came over, he was melting popsicles in his sink. He's completely crazy."

A hot flash hit her full force, and she guzzled half the Coke at once, trying to cool down. She was probably riled up from yelling at Evan.

"You talk to Alex?" she asked, changing the subject and gesturing to Alexander. He was chatting to somebody, Dimitri, who she had met at Gretchen's party. Nice guy from afar, but he was probably a freak up close.

"Yeah," Jasmine said, her bright smile returning. "Everything's cool."

Alece nodded, feeling a flush creep up her neck. "That's good. Is it hot in here, or is it just me?"

"I think it's just you," Jasmine answered uncertainly. "Why don't you go out and get some air?"

"I think I will." She was starting toward the exit when Jarrett slid out of nowhere. His hair was brushed carelessly out of his green eyes, which were on fire just then.

"Why don't we dance?" he suggested, taking her by the arm before she had a chance to respond.

"Actually," she started to say, but he cut her off. He was so darn good at it, too.

"I saw that little scuffle with Evan just now," he said, leading her all the way across the dance floor. "Too bad, he's such a nice guy."

Why does he sound so fake? Alece wondered, but there wasn't time to ask. She was burning up, and Jarrett's hand on her arm felt like hot oil poured on her skin.

The crank of the steel handle on the door was a wake up call. Alece tried to shake the blurriness from her vision, even as Jarrett led her outside and into the parking lot. A lonely street lamp burned above them.

"Where are we going?" she asked. Her voice was timid and weak. She felt heavy, her limbs becoming dead weight.

"Don't pass out on me yet, Alece," Jarrett told her in exasperation. "How much did Rainy give you, anyway?"

She was too foggy headed to think clearly, to process that Jarrett had just admitted to Rainy drugging her. He was practically carrying her, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Why are you always calling me Alece?" she asked. It was all she could think, overriding even the curious wonder of what was going on and where she was being taken.

Jarrett let go and propped her against a car. He opened the door and helped her in. Her eyes fell shut, but she knew it must be his car, because it smelled like cinnamon. There was a bang of the door next to her, Jarrett getting in the other side, and from very far away, his voice.

"Don't worry about anything. Moira should be here in a second. It's all going to be fine."

He kept saying that over and over, and he sounded so much friendlier than she'd ever heard him sound before. She wanted to say, "Hey, you're a real person in there! You aren't a steel mannequin!"

Semi-conscious, she listened as a back door opened and somebody climbed in. "We're all set." Moira. Gosh. That probably meant they were all in on her kidnapping.

"Let's go, then," Jarrett said, pulling out hard and fast. Alece was too slow and groggy to stop herself from flying forward, one cheek smashing into her knee.

"You didn't even strap her in?" Moira yelled at Jarrett. "Would you think a little? Just because she's out of it doesn't mean she won't die!"

They sat her up, strapped her in. Alece smiled, slightly, as they lay a blanket or something over her lap. It might have been more of a twitch than a smile really; she was having trouble moving.

"Hey, Lisa," Moira said exuberantly. "How you doing there?"

"How much of that did you give Rainy?" Jarrett asked. "She was on the ground before we got out the door."

Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but Alece would let it slide as long as Jarrett was always this nice.

"About a tablespoon I guess. He must have used all of it. Should I chew him out or let Gretchen do it?"

No response. The car was quiet, except for the motor running, and Alece swayed slightly as the car swerved around corners.

"Slow down, would you? She's rolling around like a broken doll."

And then. "That was a stop sign."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was. God, you drive worse than I do."

Finally they pulled to a stop, and Jarrett and Moira climbed out. The passenger's side door was opened, and she could hear voices. Everyone was there, all the Eye People. Despite the fact that they had drugged her and taken her to an unknown location, she was drifting in a pleasant haze, where none of it was worth worrying about. Everything was lovely, everything was pink...

They had a cloth stretcher with metal rods in it to carry her on. Gretchen actually stopped Moira from yelling at Rainy, saying she had told him to use all of it, just to be on the safe side.

Getting her upstairs was a chore. She kept sliding toward the edge. It was Moira who came up with the idea of tying her in place by sliding a sleeping bag over the stretcher. Alece didn't care for the confines of the cloth; it only made her hotter and smelled funny.

By the time she was laid out on the bed, she had a pretty good idea that this was Gretchen's attic. The pleasant haze had worn off enough for her to be concerned about her imprisonment, but not enough that she could move or ask.

They sat around her, the Eye People, talking lightly. Moira and Honor were in the big room, laughing about something. Josephine went to help them.

"How much is a pinch?" Moira called.

"However much you can pinch between your thumb and finger!" Gretchen yelled back. "Hurry, she's waking up."

I was never asleep, Alece thought. She was starting to get in a bad mood.

The heat and lead weight lifted as quickly as it had come. She was suddenly cold and scared, and opened her eyes.

It was Gretchen's attic, and she was laying in the little bedroom on the bed. Jarrett and Rainy were in armchairs at the sides, Gretchen was sitting on the bed next to her.

Alece blinked a couple of times, letting her eyes adjust. The only light came from the ones in the big room. She took a deep breath and propped herself up on one elbow.

"Hi, Alece," Gretchen said, leaning forward. "It's Gretchen, and you're in my attic. Don't worry or freak out, everything's going to be fine."

Alece pressed her lips together briefly and then snapped, with quite a bit more force than she had thought she could muster, "Does it look like I'm freaking out? I was awake that whole time, listening to you discuss how the best way to get me up here would be, if I'd rather have tea or coffee when I woke up, and other general sounds of excitement, all the while unable to move. However, I am not, despite these things, freaking out."

Gretchen looked at Jarrett and burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," she said to Alece, "but I thought you would be groggy and confused."

"I'm more pissed than anything else right now. I'm calling Lenan." She reached for the phone, but it was gone.

"You can't. She thinks you've gone camping with Josephine," Gretchen explained. "Calling right now would ruin things. Your aunt's really nice, thought."

"She's also extremely gullible," Josephine commented, walking under the arch. "But then, why should she doubt me?"

Alece sat up, putting her face to face with Gretchen. "I'm leaving."

"The door's locked," Jarrett said. "I checked it myself this time. A double sided dead bolt. There's no way out unless you want to try a window." He smiled, lazy and self satisfied.

"What do you want?" Alece asked, trying a different approach.

"You," Gretchen said simply. Her eyes were a shinning with excitement.

"As a sacrifice?" Alece asked before she could stop herself.

"No," said Josephine slowly. She was still wearing her glasses. "Where did you get that idea?"

Alece shook her head. She didn't want to get into it. "Never mind. Look, what do you want me to do?"

"Just wait a minute." Gretchen got up and walked into the big room, standing next to Moira, who was shaking a bottle.

Alece felt eyes and saw Jarrett staring at her. For long seconds they looked at each other, each sizing the other up. She was reminded again of how his eyes were like a green dollar bill, and the sharp lines of his face a mask of sheer glass. Fine black hair, Moira's hair. That perplexing look on his face, so that she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

She didn't know what he saw as he looked at her, but suddenly he nodded, as if approving, and sat back.

"It's ready, bring her over," Moira called, her voice light and gay.

"Time to face the music," Josephine said, and stood. "Come on," she told Alece.

She tried to control her walk, but this was one of the strangest things she'd ever seen, and her feet had forgotten how to move by themselves. Half the table was covered by a big maroon leather trunk, the expensive kind with brass corners and a big lock. This one had been specially made with a combination settled in the front. It looked very sturdy. Next to the trunk was an open notebook that had been through a lot. Moira was holding a metal milkshake glass and smiling broadly.

"We should do this more often," she whispered to Honor, who was standing beside her. "I'd forgotten what a rush it is."

Honor just shook her head and sat down. There were eight chairs in all, with Gretchen at the head, Honor to her right, then an empty seat, Jarrett, Moira at the other head, Josephine, Alece, and Rainy.

Alece sat down in the velvet covered chair, letting her hands drop back on the engraved armrests. The bright lights shone down on the table, reflecting off the heavy polish. Moira smiled at Gretchen, who didn't smile back, and set out her glass.

They was a general bouncing motion around her as everyone pulled their chairs in. Alece glanced at her watch. Only forty-five minutes since she had gotten to the party. It had seemed like forever.

When they were all comfortable, Gretchen started talking. "Well, Alece, I'm assuming you've heard the rumors about our little group at school."

"They call you the Eye People," Alece interrupted. She didn't want Gretchen to get to comfortable, to settle into a speaking groove.

"Yes, well, I guess they do." She glanced at Moira, who feigned innocence.

"It's not my fault what people say," she told Gretchen.

"Anyway," Gretchen went on, annoyed, "everybody agrees that we aren't quite run of the mill."

Yes, Alece agreed in her head. You're alive, really alive. That's why you're different.

"Are you offering to explain why?" Alece asked. She couldn't help feeling a little cold toward these people, they had, after all, drugged her on several occasions.

"Not quite."

She felt anger climbing along her back, and pressed her lips together for a second. "Okay, then I'll tell you what I know, and maybe that will get the conversation going."

"If you just wait-"

"But I'm not going to wait." The thing here was to keep Gretchen out of control, where Alece knew she was vulnerable.

"Here's what I know. All of you are...extreme looking. You're a very private group, Lenan says you haven't added to your clan in years. You can deny it all you like, but Moira drugged me, and I know it. I could barely walk. When I got home, I had an out of body experience, and came in here, to this attic," they were all staring at her by then, "and listened to you talk. Gretchen was mad at Moira because she'd drugged me. Moira wanted to bring me 'in' whatever that means, and Honor said it was too soon. Josephine talked about some note she thought I'd seen, and then Jarrett brought up something about a museum and Moira getting kicked out of boarding school. Then Gretchen said she was going to call me, and I ran back to my body so I could answer the phone."

"I remember," Gretchen said softly, thoughtful. "You told me you knew I was going to call."

Alece shrugged. "And I did. And then you lied to me, just like that. You kept lying to me, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get a straight answer. So I decided to move on." She paused. "Maybe it seems strange to you, just dumping my friends like that. But if they keep things from you, then they aren't your friends at all." She let the statement hang in the air before moving on. "And now you've drugged me again, and I'm madder than hell."

There were long moments of quiet before Alece realized that a silent conversation was taking place all around her. Gretchen looked at Jarrett, who tilted his head, and looked at Moira. She nodded, and Jarrett nodded to Gretchen. Josephine gave a passive shrug, Honor nodded, and Rainy smiled.

It was settled. Apparently.

"Drink up," Moira said, sliding that metal glass over in front of Alece.

She looked at it without moving, then shook her head. "No."

"It won't hurt you," Moira promised. "You'll feel great."

Again, she shook her head. "No. I'm not drinking it unless I know what's in it."

"That could be a problem," Honor said.

"Why?"

Gretchen looked at Moira again. She grinned. "We aren't exactly sure what it's made of."

"Then why would you think I would drink it?" No reply. "At least tell me where you got it."

"From a trunk buried in the woods." Moira answered without hesitation.

Alece chuckled. "See? This is why I can't be friends with you. This is a perfect example."

"We're asking you to trust us," Jarrett said unexpectedly.

"Well I don't, and I can't."

More glances and looks. Alece sat perfectly still, her back stiff as a steel pole. Finally, Moira said, "I'll make you a deal. We'll divide the liquid in half. You can drink one half, and I'll drink the other. That way, you'll know that you aren't at risk because I wouldn't put myself at risk. Fair enough?"

She sat and studied Moira for a long time. The black hair was pushed off her face, her arms folded on the table with a regal air. She studied the sheer confidence with which Moira held herself. Moira knew couldn't loose. She looked so free, so unbound. Yes, Alece thought, I'll take a risk to be like that.

"Fair enough," she agreed, and Honor reached for a second milkshake cup.

The liquid was thick and black, but it had a golden hue. When Alece and Moira agreed that the cups were even, Moira took hers and drank it without pretense. Downed it in one, long swallow.

Alece looked at the cup in her own hand. The metal pressed coldly against her fingers, which were starting to tremble. She raised the glass to her lips, and opened her mouth.

The taste was like honey and wine mixed together. A tanginess that made her quiver mixed with a soothing gush of relaxant.

"At first it will taste like honey," said somebody at the table, Rainy, Alece thought dimly. The others joined him in the second verse. "But when you swallow it, it will make your stomach sour."

She could see that they were all standing up when she laid the cup down. Or rather, the glass fell from her hand and banged unnervingly on the table. A drop of black amber liquid dripped from the rim to the polished top, looking like syrup.

The drink left a thick trail down her throat after she had swallowed it. As if she'd drunk too much cough medicine. A flush crept up her neck, and the heat in her stomach was burning hot.

Her hands were shaking, her whole body was shaking, and all she could think was that they had tricked her again. Somehow, she and Moira had not drunk the same thing. Unless Moira was immune to it.

"What have you done to me?" she asked. Her breathing was increasing, she could feel her pulse pounding behind her ears.

"Nothing more than what you asked for," Josephine said simply.

Her knees gave out; she fell back into her chair. Everything she could see was clouded in gray, and her insides were tightening uncontrollably.

Blond hair spilled around her face as Alece's head fell forward. Her arms curled into her lap, and all because of the tightening inside her.

She let her eyes fall shut, feeling the heat wrap her in a scorching cocoon.

She blacked out.

Chapter 26

It was a dream of some sort, but Alece had never had one so clear or vivid. She had never felt so alive.

The room she was in was small, almost cramped. She couldn't tell just how big it was because there was no light, only a dark, impenetrable blackness that closed in around her. The air was hot and warm, a little too hot. Maybe she was inside an oven, like Gretel, a hot little oven where she would slowly bake until she was a perfect blood dumpling.

The ground she was sitting on, with her back pressed against the wall, was warm as well. Sun on the rocks. But there was no sun, only this blackness that was seeping into her, destroying every bit of her.

That was when she noticed that she wasn't breathing.

Her lungs didn't hurt much, although she couldn't remember having taken a breath since she got here. Here. Time and space had no meaning here. She didn't know how much time had elapsed, when she had gotten here, even how she had gotten here.

The first intake of breath was terribly painful. The air was full of acid dust, coating her mouth and her throat. She coughed, spasms shaking her lungs. The sound didn't echo, making her think that maybe the room was larger than she had first believed. Rather, it tapered off, sort of being absorbed by the blackness.

She didn't dare breath again. And strangely, she didn't need to. Her lungs felt fine, even after she had counted to one hundred. There was some sort of grim collecting on her arms and legs, even on her face.

She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing here, so at the moment, she was just going to sit there on the heated floor and bask in the dark and the dirt.

But it was starting to bug her, the dirt, that is. It was greasy and pebbled and clung to her skin. All she could think was that she wanted to wipe it off.

What would things be like when this was over? Was she one of the Eye People now? She had to admit that she felt funny, besides being hot and covered in mud. Her skin was tingling, as was her scalp. She wanted to scratch it, but didn't want mud in her hair. And her eyes were buzzing, burning.

The mud wasn't quite so noticeable now, and her skin felt...freshened. It felt tighter, yet more supple, so easily controlled, so precise.

She felt great.

And then she couldn't feel the mud at all, only an energy streaking through her arms and legs, down her spine. Everything seemed so clear to her. She believed she could hear better than before, although the chamber had nothing to listen to.

At least before the voices started.

Alece was running her hands together, thinking that they felt exceptionally smooth, when she heard the people talking. At first it was very faint, and she thought she had imagined it, but when she resumed rubbing her hands together, the sound returned, and this time didn't stop.

Frozen in the pitch blackness, Alece listened, strained her ears, to hear what they were talking about. The voices got louder and louder, until she could quite clearly hear Gretchen and Moira, then the others.

"I'll give her a slap, that ought to wake her up."

"It's not funny, Moira."

"It is, you just have no sense of humor."

"If I tug gently on her leg, will she crash?"

"Probably."

"She's going to crash regardless. Let's yank her."

"We should get a mat to put under her."

The conversation went on and on, and they seemed to be only a few feet away. Gradually, Alece realized that the only reason it was dark was that she had her eyes shut. Huh.

She opened them, was instantly blinded by light, and felt the whole fantasy of being in a room dematerialized as she crashed to the floor.

"Ow," was all she could think for a second, sitting up. Where had she fallen from? She rubbed at her eyes, which were burning from the light. She hadn't known her imagination was so dark, meant literally.

Blinking rapidly, she looked around. The others were standing around her with a variety of looks on their faces. Moira seemed ecstatic. Gretchen was excited but a touch worried. Josephine didn't look like she cared one way or the other.

"Jesus Christ!" Moira cried, her face melting with surprise.

"Moira!" Rainy scolded. But then he looked at Alece and had the same reaction. Funny, everything looked more colorful than she remembered, and she still felt like her skin was on unusually tight. There was a taste in her mouth that she couldn't identify, sort of like stale honey.

"Purple," Honor breathed. "I really thought they'd be blue."

"What?" Alece asked, trying to gather her hair up. It's texture had changed, it was thicker and silky. Plus it was a really freaky color. A sheen blond that gathered the light into it and then glowed in return. Alece found herself holding a handful up in the air, looking at it. She felt like somebody off a Pantene Pro-V commercial.

She tossed the hair over her shoulder, noticing an increase in weight, and shook her head slightly.

"Wow," Moira said. "She looks good."

"Well, I'd say it worked," Jarrett put in, scrutinizing Alece.

"What just happened?" she asked, utterly confused. "And I want real answers this time."

"Somebody get a mirror," Moira commanded, and Josephine walked off. Alece noted carefully that she was sitting on the floor, between the table and the wall of cupboards. She was still wearing her prom dress, although it was itchier now than it had been before.

Josephine returned with a hand mirror and handed it to Alece. She looked at Moira, who smiled with a forced air, and then looked in the mirror.

She dropped it quickly.

Hesitantly, she picked up the mirror again and turned it shinny surface toward herself.

Yes, she was glowing. Her hair was glowing, and more luminous than she had seen before. Plus, her eyes had turned a dark royal purple.

"Oh, my," was all she could say. "Oh, god, what's Aunt Lenan going to say when she sees me? I hope this washes off."

Josephine started laughing and turned away. Alece looked over at Gretchen. "Why am I glowing?"

It was Rainy who answered, a laugh following his answer. "Because you're radioactive."

"What?"

"Why don't we go sit down," Gretchen suggested diplomatically, still staring at Alece. They all were.

"No," she said firmly. "Not this time. I want you to explain all of it, from the start."

"Okay," Gretchen said, surprising Alece. "We'll tell you everything we know about why you're now radioactive."

She offered her hand and helped pull Alece to her feet. "Come sit at the table. Dinner's all set out." Dinner?

The table had been set with dishes and silverware. An array of food was there as well, quite a feast really. There was pot roast, spaghetti, hard boiled eggs, and a basket of bread. There were also some hot dogs and an army of condiments, including meat juice.

"Here," Gretchen said, and pulled the chair in the middle of the table out for Alece, the same seat she'd sat in earlier. She could feel the distinctive grain of the wood under her hands, as well as the grease of a polish.

She settled in against the velvet back, taking a deep breath. Moira placed a glass of milk in front of her.

"And now, the final test," she announced. "Drink this, and then we tell you everything."

"Hell no! I'm not drinking that. After everything else you've given me?"

Moira herself sighed. "It's only milk, Alece. I promise."

Alece didn't move.

"Look, you want me to open a new jug? Here." Moira produced a carton of milk from under the table on the floor. "Check it yourself."

Alece accepted the carton and looked it over. She had to admit that she couldn't see anything wrong. No small leaking punctures, no spots of glue.

"Why would you want to see my reaction to a glass of milk if you hadn't put something in it?" Alece asked, returning the carton to Moira.

It was the first time she had ever seen Moira Stenson at a loss for words. She looked at Jarrett, who grinned at her and said, "It's your test, not mine."

"Well, I personally hate milk," Josephine piped up.

No one said anything after that, and Alece finally got sick of it and grabbed the carton off the table where Moria had laid it. She ripped the top off violently, much more so than the force which she thought she had exerted should have caused. After staring at the strip of stiff paper in her fist for a second, she carefully poured a measure of milk into the glass at her place.

It looked normal. It smelled normal. But she felt funny bringing it to her lips, like this wasn't something she was supposed to be doing. It wasn't right.

And it tasted awful. Sour or something. Moira had given her sour milk. She spit it back into her cup.

"And you said you didn't put anything in it!" she yelled at Moira, furious.

"I didn't," Moira claimed innocently. At that, a streak of fiery anger bolted through Alece. Moira had lied about drugging her too many times.

She leaned past Josephine and drenched Moira in sour milk.

Honor gasped. Jarrett cracked up. Moira just touched her face and then looked at her fingers in wonder.

"I can't believe you did that."

Alece wondered if she'd gone too far. "Believe it," she said, but her voice was shaking, all of her was shaking as she sat back down.

"I'm going to change my shirt," Moira said vaguely, her gaze still locked on her hand. She sounded utterly shocked, but not particularly mad. "I really can't believe you did that." She got up from the table and walked over to the wall of cupboards, opening one and removing a red T-shirt. "I'll be right back."

Alece's eyes followed Moira as she disappeared down the stares, and then she turned back to the table and realized that everyone was laughing.

"What?" she asked uneasily.

Between giggles, Gretchen answered, "There really wasn't anything in the milk."

Alece was stunned. How could that be possible? "But...but it was disgusting."

Honor's red eyes were shinning. "It was disgusting to you, but there was nothing wrong with the milk."

"What do you mean?" Alece asked slowly.

Rainy shook his head. "Wait 'till Moira gets back. Here, have a Coke. It'll get the taste out of your mouth."

Alece just looked at the hot dog Rainy plopped down on her plate. Gretchen was wiping tears out of her eyes.

"I don't think I've ever seen Moira look like that."

"Maybe we should pour things over her head more often," Jarrett said, cutting the pot roast. "This smells great, Rainy."

"Thank you," Rainy replied, beaming. "It's the special blend of marinating juices that make it so succulent."

"Yeah, whatever," Jarrett muttered, serving Alece a large portion. She met his dark green eyes, and he smiled at her. She'd never seen him smile that way before, like she was one of them, no longer an enemy.

"Eat up," he told her. Alece picked up her knife and fork dazedly cut the pot roast, thinking that it smelled awfully good for a food she had always hated.

More than a small wonder, it tasted good too. In fact, it tasted better than any beef she'd ever had. "This is incredible," she couldn't help telling Rainy.

Another new smile. "Cooking is a hobby of mine and Honor's. It took two years to get the roast perfected."

"It took years to get the roast edible," Moira corrected, appearing at the head of the table and sitting down. She looked at Alece, who for a long second was sure she was going to burst into flames, and then Moira smiled, not quite the way Jarrett and Rainy had, but not hostilely.

"Well, you have gumph," she finally said. "I've got to give you that. However, just to set the record, no, there was nothing in the milk except calories and much more fat than the dairy farmers of America would like to admit." She looked at Gretchen. "Now, how much have you told her?"

"We waited for you," Gretchen reassured her. Moira looked surprised.

"Thanks," she said simply.

"Anytime," Gretchen replied with a knowing smile.

They must have made up, Alece thought. Good, I don't need to try and keep them from fighting while they tell me what exactly is going on.

She cleared her throat. "You were going to explain why I'm radioactive," she said clearly.

"You want to start?" Gretchen asked Moira, who nodded.

"Well, it began back in the sixth grade," Moira began.

"Wait," Alece interrupted. "What began?"

"I'll get to that," Moira said. "Be patient. Okay, we were all in the sixth grade. There was me, and Jarrett, and Gretchen. Honor was in the hospital, getting her appendix out, and Roth was with her." Moira smiled at the memory. "She was sure she would die on the table, and wanted us to sit out in the woods with her cello, so that if someone came to tell us that she was dead, we could throw Pachelbel in the river. Anyway, she wasn't with us just then. We were walking along, dragging the stupid cello, when it caught on some brambles. Jarrett was down on the ground in the mud, about ready to tear the cloth case open and I noticed this glint of metal on the ground. I wanted to pick it up, but it wouldn't budge, and I tried to dig it out. Turned out, it was pretty big. A trunk in fact. Well, we forgot all about Pachelbel once we pulled that trunk out. Inside were a bunch of vials of liquids, four notebooks filled with writing, and a wooden box. We spent the whole day looking through it, hauled it back to Gretch's house and hid it in the attic.

"You want to know what was so interesting? It's all in that trunk over there on the floor. We had to replace the leather on the outside, but it's in good shape. I'll save us the trouble of letting you read all the notebooks. You can do that later."

She paused for dramatic affect. "It was full of chemicals, undiscovered chemicals that should be in the periodic table but aren't. The guy who found them was a crazy scientist who spent his whole life in Antarctica, digging through mountains, which was where he found these. He named them, classified them. He even fed them to rats to see what would happen. Nothing really noticeable occurred, so he gave it to cats. Their eyes grew bright and incredibly beautiful, their fur got silkier, and even for cats they seemed unusually graceful. Also, they refused to drink milk, any milk, and started eating huge quantities of meat. Like, one cat could polish off a whole T-bone in a sitting. But he didn't have any hard evidence that there was anything strange about them. Nothing turned up during the tests he ran.

"That's when he got sick. He had been ill on and off for a couple of years, but this time he got sick enough to be in the hospital, and the doctors said it was cancer.

"The only thing he could think of to do was to drink the chemicals himself. One was good for temporarily knocking a person out. Another seemed to have no purpose. A third was the one that changed the cats and made them so beautiful. So he, his name was Fredrick, drank it. Immediately his eyes changed, he became charismatic, and he felt different. He spent pages describing this difference in how he felt, it takes hours to read it all.

"Unfortunately, it was too late for Fredrick. The cancer had eaten too much of him, and he died within a year. You might want to skip those pages, they aren't fun. His hair fell out and a bunch of stuff. Anyway, we gave you the same thing he drank, and now you're radioactive."

There was quiet in the attic. Alece considered this carefully. She wasn't particularly good at chemistry, but she knew that things were radioactive because the electrons in their molecules kept breaking off and floating around. The electrons caught on to people, changed the structure of their cells, and then the people had cancer because of the mutant cells.

"And you guys decided to drink this?" she asked finally.

"Roth and I did," Moira said. She looked at Honor. "He was Honor's brother. Once we saw that nothing bad had happened to us, Gretchen and Jarrett drank it. Honor waited a while because she had been sick. The next year, Rainy and Josephine moved in, and we gave them the stuff."

"But no one else since then?" Alece asked.

"No one until you," Rainy told her, smiling, like he thought she should feel special. Somehow, she didn't. She felt suspicious.

"Why me?"

"Languages," Honor told her simply. "We're planning on taking over the country at some point, and we're going to need someone who can take to the ambassador of China."

"I don't speak Chinese."

"That's not the point," Jarrett told her. "You can learn it. You come from a family that has a talent for learning languages that none of us possess. Plus, you know the customs of different places."

"Besides, your aunt's been talking about you for weeks," Josephine put in.

"So?"

"So we get excited at the prospect of somebody new."

Alece rubbed her temples. It was utterly inconceivable that a few hours before she had been living a relatively normal life. Of course she hadn't, but it was a fine fantasy. She glanced at her watch and gasped. She must have been unconscious for hours; it was just after one in the morning.

"The process takes a while," Gretchen said, seeing her face. Alece looked over at Gretchen. Her eyes were a clear and sympathetic green.

I know how hard it can be. Almost a voice in Alece's head.

"Telepathy?" she asked out loud.

"Did you just read my mind?" Gretchen asked, startled.

"Did you just send me a thought?"

"No."

"Then it must have been my imagination." Alece resumed rubbing her temple. "God, I'm tired," she muttered.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Gretchen asked.

"Not if you're all going to sit around and watch me sleep."

"Oh, we'll probably conk out too. It's been an exciting day."

Rainy had gotten up and was tugging at a handhold embedded in the wall. Alece hadn't noticed before, but there were three of them. A section of wall folded down, revealing a queen-sized mattress. Then he pulled on the one next to it, and a twin came down.

"This space used to be a walkway," he explained to Alece. "But we didn't think you'd want to be apart from the group, that you might get lonely." He tugged down another queen on the other side of the twin. It looked like a sideways bed for a mac-truck.

Gretchen and Honor got out sheets and blankets to make the beds. Moira caught Alece's eye.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Tired. How do you feel?"

"Good. Great. You don't know what you've just stepped into."

"I didn't step into it. I was dragged, kicking and screaming." A cold pain seeped inside her chest, and she wanted Moira to know that this had hurt her. "And I want that in the record book. That you were cruel and vicious and completely thoughtless as to how this would affect me. That all you considered was your own needs and wants, and that you are holding me prisoner. As soon as I get out, and you won't be able to hold my aunt off forever, one of these days she's going to get a call from Jessy in Paris saying she has the results of the lab work-up on whatever it is you tried to drug me with and get worried, anyway, I'm going to the police. I'm going to tell them what happened, and get Jasmine to testify that you carried me across the parking lot, and then I'm going to live with me father."

"You can't do that," Moira said matter-of-factly, but for the second time that day, Alece had caught her off guard.

"I can. You know I can, and it's scaring you to death, Moira." Alece laughed, feeling reckless. She hated Moira's self confidence, the way she thought she could step in and spin Alece's life around without even asking her. She stood up and began taking slow steps toward Moira, who was on her feet and backing up. "I can see it in your eyes. Beautiful blue eyes, but they aren't going to get you out of it this time. I don't know if you've been lying to me, to get a rise or something, or if you're telling the truth. Yes, I feel strange, and whatever is causing it, you had no right to do."

She could feel her eyes lighting up, glowing. It was almost scary. Although she never looked away from Moira's stricken face, she could feel the gazes of everyone in the room locked on her. The whistling of sheets being spread had stopped.

She was practically inside Moira's head, and she felt immense control. Anything she commanded Moira to do, Moira would do.

"It ends here, do you understand? After this, nothing. You don't call, you don't speak to me, you don't search my house. And in a few weeks, I'll be gone, and you'll never even think of me again."

The key to the door is in her back pocket. The though hit Alece out of nowhere, but she knew it was true. There is another in the drawer of the bedside table, if you need it.

She figured that she had a better chance with the bedside table than Moira's back pocket, and finally breaking her gaze with Moira, side stepped her and went into the bedroom. No one moved behind her. Alece yanked open the drawer, pulling it right of its tracks on spilling the contents on the floor. The key wasn't hard to spot. She selected a heavy marble figurine off the top of the dresser and raised it above her head as she walked to the stairs.

"Anybody who tries to get in my way gets a dent in the head. You are not going to get away with this again."

No one moved, but they were broken from their trance, and exchanging looks. Alece ignored them and started down the stairs, going sideways so she could see if they were coming after her.

She felt tears in her eyes as she slid the key into the lock and turned it easily. Why is this happening? What have they done to me this time?

The sheer frustration of repeatedly shattered dreams hit her full force as she slammed the door and realized that there was no where to go. She had come in Jarrett's car. Her own was still at Evan's house. He had probably slashed her tires by now.

Alece brushed the hair out of her eyes and swore. They were coming for her. She could feel it already. Alece wondered at this new sense of hers and admitted that it was probably the doing of whatever had happened to her that evening.

She ran around the side of the house, into the woods that separated one subdivision form another, ducking in between bushes and ever-green trees. Finding one with low branches, she disregarded her dress and laid down under it. After a minute of maneuvering, she was able to sit up against the trunk and settle her legs in a comfortable position.

It was less than a minute when Jarrett showed up.

He sighed when he reached the tree. "Are you going to come out, or should I come in?" Nothing. Alece tried to hide behind her hair, then realized that it was probably what had reflected the light enough to get her caught.

Jarrett ducked beneath the branches and sat down to her left, facing her. "I didn't think you'd put up such a fight."

He went on when she didn't reply. "I can understand why you're upset. We probably should have talked to you first, but we weren't sure you would agree to drink it if we did that. And if we told you, but you didn't drink it, then would you have told your aunt? Probably."

"I'm still going to tell my aunt."

"Ah, you can talk. I was beginning to wonder if you'd damaged you vocal chords or something." He thought for a second. "You aren't going to just be happy that you've been given this gift, are you? How am I going to make you understand? You have so much power now. You can control people, make them do what you want, mesmerize them. You want revenge on Evan? It's yours. You could give him a hard stare and he'd act like a dog for you-"

"Shut up," Alece told him curtly. "You don't know anything about Evan."

"Touchy subject. Doesn't matter. It will work on anyone, almost anyone. You even got Moira tonight. That was really impressive; I don't think I've ever seen her so...controlled."

"Don't you get it?" Alece broke in. "I don't want to have some sort of power. I don't want to be in a cult. I came to Louisa so that I could live a normal teenage life, and you've already taken that away from me."

Jarrett reflected on that for another minute. "I've never had a normal teenage life," he said flatly. "Things have been this way since sixth grade. Maybe it's true that we don't see things the way you do. Maybe we don't know what we're missing, but we know what you are missing."

"This isn't what I wanted," she said again. "This isn't what I came here for."

Again, he reflected. He said, "It wasn't what you came here for, but you can't run away from it. We may have done this the wrong way, and if we've upset you, which we obviously have, I apologize." He reached into his back pocket. "Here," he said, handing her something.

It was a wide, silver bracelet with a hinge and clasp. "Fredrick collected these. There are a couple dozen in the trunk, and Gretchen picked this one out for you."

Alece held the bracelet up to a shaft of light coming in between branches, seeing how it reflected. "I didn't want this," she said again, waves of upset and confusion washing over her.

"I know. You came here to have a normal life, and we took it away from you. I'm sorry. But we've given you something else, and if you give us a chance, it might not be so bad after all."

Alece let the bracelet and her hand fall to the damp ground, her head rest on the tree trunk. No, she had not wanted this, but Jarrett was right, now that she had it, she would have to deal with that. They were so eager to accept her, so willing...

But the insurance of blackmail didn't really matter to her. This was what they had been keeping form her. This was why Jarrett had never smiled at her before. I'm finally in.

She remembered the times she had thought of how alive they had seemed, how she would have given anything to be like that. Well, now she had, and it felt okay. She was so in control of herself, so coordinated. Her eyes would even light up at her command.

A sigh escaped her lips.

"What do you want me to do?"

Jarrett looked at her, he had been drifting. "Come back to the house. Keep the key, you can come and go as you please from now on."

"Do you want me to apologize to Moira?"

"Oh, no. But I really haven't ever seen anyone push her around like you do. That could be really fun."

She knew she should get up and go back, but her limbs were heavy and tired, and the night air was so cool, almost too cool.

"Jarrett?" Gretchen asked, kneeling beside the tree.

"Yeah, I've got her."

There was the shuffle of branches being brushed together as Gretchen climbed to the center of the underbrush.

"Why don't we put up a sign?" Alece muttered sarcastically.

"What?" Gretchen asked.

"I'm giving in," she called so that Gretchen could hear her. "Go ahead and read me my rights."

Even with her eyes closed, Alece know Gretchen was looking at Jarrett and trying to figure out where she stood in this.

"Look," Alece told her. "I'll go back with you, and I won't fight, or yell, or hit you with a statue, but you have to promise me something."

"Okay," Gretchen said.

"Promise that you will never drug me, or kidnap me, or lie to me ever again. And that you'll never let anyone else do it for you."

Gretchen smiled at her, as if it were easy. That reassured Alece until she realized that lying probably came easy to them all. "I promise." She sounded like she meant it. "Now why don't you come back to the house? We picked up some of your clothes at your house; you can change out of that dress."

Alece sighed again, picking up the bracelet and snapping it over her wrist and locking the clasp. "I'm ready," she said wearily.

Gretchen put her arm around Alece's shoulder as they walked back to the house. "Everything's going to be okay," she said soothingly. "It won't get much weirder from here on. You've passed all the big stuff."

Rainy was the only one there when they got back. He smiled when he saw Alece with the silver bracelet on her wrist. "I knew you'd come back," he said brightly. He handed her a cup of tea. Alece look at Gretchen, who nodded, before taking a sip. Just plain old peppermint. No honey, no sugar, hopefully no unregistered chemicals.

She sat on the edge of the center of the bed, with Gretchen on her right. Jarrett was in the bedroom, and Rainy was cleaning up. No body said anything until Honor came up.

"Oh, good, I was starting to get worried." She opened a cupboard and removed a duffel bag that had previously been in Alece's closet. "Here. Clothes, toothbrush. The bathroom's down the stairs and to the right."

Alece set her tea on the table and walked through the silence to the bottom of the stairs. Three doors. The left would take her outside, the right to the bathroom, and the one in front into Gretchen's kitchen.

The bathroom was fairly large, with a tub and shower. Alece locked the door behind herself, washed her face and changed into a sweatsuit. There was dirt in her hair, along with leaves, but she brushed it anyway. She could wash it thoroughly the next day, when she was back in her bedroom at home and all of this seemed like a bad dream.

Moira and Gretchen were fighting again when she went back upstairs. It seemed to come second nature to them.

"No, Moira," Gretchen was saying. "We screwed up a bit. She's upset, and she has every right to be. Now that I look at it, we went about this all wrong. She's been better than I would have been."

Apparently that was it, and Alece felt it was safe to go back up the stairs. The table was cleared, the beds were made, each set of blankets rolled back.

"Alece," Rainy said, a bit hesitantly. She looked at him, making sure he understood that she wasn't mad at him, although she wasn't sure that was true. "This is the trunk Moira was talking about," he said, pointing. "We keep it locked up in this safe. I wrote down the combinations for you."

She accepted the slip of paper he handed her, tucking it into her bag. "Thanks."

"Well, I guess Rainy and I will turn in," Jarrett said. "Alece...it was interesting. Night, everyone."

Jarrett and Rainy went into the bedroom and pulled down some heavy velvet drapes to cover the entrance. Honor turned on a strip of track lighting that ran over the head of the pull-out bed, then shut off the main light. It wasn't nearly so bright in the room, and long shadows covered the table and stairs.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Gretchen asked Alece.

"Do I have a choice?" she replied, and then went on when Gretchen tried to speak. "Look, it's going to take some getting used to. Moira was right, I don't know what I've gotten into at all. It was just a big mistake for her to tell me about it at that moment." She flashed Moira a half smile, which was all she could manage. "I can't remember the last time I was this tired."

Josephine had, at one time or another, changed her clothes, and was laying down on Alece's far left. Honor and Gretchen soon followed, on her right. Moira was the last to change.

Alece rolled onto her side to look at Gretchen. She was starting to forgive her. "Were you scared when you did that?"

"Did what?"

"Drank that stuff."

"Of course I was. But Moira was fine. Jarrett was fine. Why should I have been any different?" She shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, I was scared."

"Tell me about what this does."

"Well," she considered. "I guess it lets you influence people, control them. Usually not on huge things, not without work."

"And that can get out of control?" Alece asked. "Like with Mr. Jackson?"

Gretchen made a face. "Like with Mr. Jackson. But Moira didn't have any right to do that with him. We work together or not at all."

"Did you punish her?"

"Yes. It was only right."

"How?"

"She had to drink a gallon of milk every night. It made her sick."

"I remember. The rumor was that she was pregnant."

"It was?" Moira asked, appearing at the end of the bed. She climbed over the foot of the bed and sat cross-legged next to Alece. "Did you start it?"

"No. What made you think that?"

"I don't know. But you were there when Gretchen found out."

"How much of that did you hear?" Honor asked quietly.

"Oh, I don't know. I was trying to figure out where I was. I heard Gretchen saying that Moira had been influencing Jackson, and Jarrett admit he had been helping her, and then Gretchen telling them to get out of Louisa."

Moira started laughing. "I'll never forget the look on your face when you jumped off the bed."

"I'm sorry," Gretchen told Moira suddenly. "About what I said about Ila and your dad. That was really mean of me."

Moira seemed thoughtful. "Yeah, it was. But I deserved it. Forget it."

"Thanks."

Alece wasn't going to ask what that meant. She was thinking of Moira talking about the day they had found the trunk. "Who's Roth?"

Gretchen looked at Honor, who told her, "He was my older brother. He died two years ago, drove his car off the cliff into the river."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. He did it on purpose. It was what he wanted. Who are we to judge?"

"No one, I guess." She wasn't sure how to respond.

The blankets were finally warming around her, and Moira had laid down. Honor tugged the chord on the light until it shut off, and they were left in the dark except for a tiny strip of faint light that was a night light.

"Are you still going to move back in with your father?" Josephine asked, her voice trailing through the night.

"No, I couldn't if I wanted to. He doesn't believe in running away form your problems. Besides, I already tried."

"When?"

"After the party, when I fell down the stairs."

"I remember that."

"We couldn't figure out what was going on."

"Jarrett told me you had flipped the table over."

"What?"

Moira started laughing again as she described what she had been imagining, and it turned out to be contagious. Pretty soon, they were all laughing. Jarrett pulled the curtain open and told them, "Would you please shut up and let us get some sleep?" which only made them laugh harder.

Alece fell asleep shortly after, confused and with a lot of thinking to do, but not feeling all together bad. 

Chapter 27

Sleep was an experience unto itself. There were no dreams, no feelings, at least not physically. Alece just relaxed back into the blackness and drifted from one thought to another, altogether unaffected by what she thought about.

She woke up at dawn, at the very instant the sun rose. The heat of it went right through the walls into her skin, and she reached out for it. Opening her eyes, she saw that Moira was already sitting up.

"What time is it?"

There was little light in the room, which surprised Alece, because she would have thought they were basking at the beach from how warm her skin felt.

"Sunrise is about six forty, I think."

Moira sounded wide awake. Alece shook her hair back and sat up with a groan.

"Did you wake me up?"

A soft chuckle. "No. You're going to be getting up about this time every day from now on. It's the sunlight."

"Feels great."

From Alece's other side, "Jesus, already?"

"Good morning to you too, Honor," Moira said, launching herself off the foot of the bed.

"Hey," Gretchen greeted. "Moira, get the light."

"Don't you dare," Honor shot back.

"Do it," Gretchen told her, flashing a smile at Alece. This was clearly a game they played, torturing Honor.

"What do you think, Lisa?" Moira asked.

"I don't care," she replied. "And what is it with my name? Sometimes you call me one thing, sometimes the other. Pick one and stick with it."

In response, Moira hit the light switch. Honor let out a yelp and covered her eyes. "Maybe you've just been away from America for too long," she told Alece as she sauntered back toward the bed. "The name Lisa is generally held in reserve for airheads, so it won't do."

Alece looked at Gretchen, seeing Moira disappear down the steps out of the corner of her eye. "Was that a compliment?"

"I've discovered that it's best not to over-analyze anything Moira says." She fell back on her pillows. "Gosh, we were up too late last night."

"You can't sleep while the sun's up?"

"Neither can you, not any more. You'll get used to it. And I should warn you that being up and around at night, especially outside, will be...disconcerting."

"Sort of the opposite of vampires?"

"Well, you aren't going to melt or anything if you go outside after sundown. But you'll feel funny. Never mind, you'll see."

Honor had rolled over and pulled the blankets back over her head. "She doesn't seem to have any problems," Alece mentioned.

"She's not sleeping, are you, Honor?"

The muffled reply came, "One of these days, I'm going to jury rig it so that Moira gets an electric shock when she flips the switch. She's going to fry."

"How did you sleep?" Gretchen asked Alece seriously.

"I didn't have any dreams. Not even this nightmare I've been having lately. It was nice."

"What kind of nightmare?" Josephine asked. Alece hadn't seen that she was up, but looking over, was greeted before seven A.M. with cold plastic sunglasses.

"It was about you guys. We were doing a play, and Gretchen was supposed to pretend to stab me, but it got screwed up and I was dying."

"You'll never have it again," Josephine told her. "You're never going to dream again."

Her voice was cold and...ruthless? Alece thought so. And what was she doing wearing sunglasses this early in the morning? Pretending that nothing was the matter, she said, "That's alright, I don't usually remember my dreams anyway."

Josephine nodded and got out of bed, going down the stairs after Moira. Honor was laying on her back, blinking and rubbing her eyes as she muttered, "Dilate, you little bastards! Dilate!"

"What a night," Alece said. She looked around the room. The table was clean, the beige carpet just as smooth and fresh-from-the-store-looking as she remembered it. Gretchen got up and pushed curtains back from above the stairwell to let more sunlight in.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, coming back toward the bed wall.

"Of your attic? It's nice. Very...what's the word? Accessible, I guess."

"Not the attic, I meant of this whole thing."

"Oh, well, it hasn't been dull."

Honor rolled onto her side to get a better look at Alece. "What? We change every cell in your body and you tell us that it only hasn't been dull?"

Alece threw her hands up in frustration, letting out a bark of a laugh. "What do you want me to say? I don't know what to think. Maybe everything about last night was just a hallucination."

"Yeah, and that's why you're sleeping in my attic," Gretchen said, but she didn't sound put out. She tossed the hand mirror at Alece's feet and told her, "Take a look in that and you won't be so unsure."

Alece picked up the plastic handle, noticing the little grip ridges in a way she never had before. Yes, her eyes were still purple, and what a purple it was. They reflected the light but not images, only pure sunlight that hadn't even come up through the windows yet. And her hair did the same, gathering it in before blasting it back out.

Examining her hands, she realized that they had changed drastically. "Honor, can I see your hand for a minute?"

Honor smiled knowingly and extended one arm. Alece peered closely at her palm for several minutes before letting go. "I have no finger prints."

"Not anymore. That ought to be proof enough for you."

"I guess it is." Alece felt dazed. "This really happened, didn't it?"

"Oh, it happened. You're bleeding, by the way."

"Where?"

"You're forehead. Don't worry about it, it's just a small cut."

Alece ran the back of her hand across her face and saw her arm smeared with blood. "How did that happen?" she muttered, feeling for a cut. There it was, just behind her hair line.

"Nobody's sure, but we've all got one. You can see my scar if you look really closely." Honor got out of bed and opened one of the cabinets. "Here." She handed her a Kleenex.

"Thanks."

Honor watched her for a second. "I know what you're thinking; if it's not one thing, it's another. Don't worry, you'll get the swing of things pretty soon."

"I better hope so," Alece muttered, standing up. She liked the nubby feel of the carpet under her feet, and the warmth of the sun on her legs.

She walked to the table and sat down in what seemed to be her chair. Moira and Josephine had already gone downstairs, and Gretchen soon followed. Alece looked back over at Honor, who was still in bed, laying on top of her blanket. She was curled up, with her knees pressed against her chest, and her head twisted upward.

"Anybody ever told you that you look like the Cheshire Cat when you do that?"

Honor smiled, slowly batting her reddened hazel eyes. "Have you ever really read that book?"

"I saw the movie, all the different versions."

"Don't bother reading it. It gets really boring, and she doesn't even get to the looking glass until the second." Her eyes closed. "The guy who wrote it...what was his name? Lewis Carroll, I remember now. The guy was an alcoholic, a raving lunatic. Imagine that, one of America's classic being written by an alcoholic."

Alece smiled but didn't say anything, and she jumped when Honor's eyes flashed open, brighter than before. She whispered, "Remember this moment, Alece, because you're never going to be the same again. Nothing, not the way you look, not the way people think of you, not even the way you see yourself. It's all gone, blown away on the wind. All you have left are your memories and a few hazy photographs. Gone."

They looked at each other, and finally Honor smiled and rolled over. Alece watched her sit down on the floor and stretch a bit, then walk to the corner and take her cello from its rack. Every movement she made failed to break the spell those few sentences had captured Alece in. Honor was right, she would never be the same, she could never go back. That life, whatever it had been, had been taken from her forever. But she didn't feel particularly angry, or violated, just...young. Horribly, mortifyingly young.

The notes of the cello were strong and mellow, and Alece felt her lids sinking until-

"Do you know it's not even seven yet?" Jarrett asked, appearing from behind the curtain like Superman. His voice was sharp.

"The clock is fully viewable from my position. I know what time it is."

"Then use some common sense, would you?"

"I didn't realize you slept in jeans."

Alece smiled even if Jarrett didn't. These people argue constantly, don't they? Like brothers and sisters. The thought struck with unusual volume. And I'm one of them.

"Good morning, Hon, Pachelbel." Rainy didn't look at all grumpy. Rather, his gray eyes were warm and attentive. Alece decided that "Pachelbel" must be Honor's cello, then congratulated herself on figuring it out.

Moira bounded upstairs with a pot of coffee in her hand, not a drop spilled on the vaguely recognizable blue of a cardigan she had put on at some point with beige stretch pants.

A small platter with variously decorated cheap mugs was laid out, and Jarrett poured one full of coffee. He made a face and looked at Moira.

"It's weak and tepid."

"Tepid?" Moira repeated. "What in God's name does that mean?"

"It means lukewarm."

She grinned suddenly. "Well, I'll just add a Brewski and stick it in the microwave for a minute. 'Ought to take care of it."

"No," Jarrett said quickly, "leave it."

Moira pretended to be surprised. "Whatever the kings wants, of course." She bowed down in front of him before going back down the stairs.

Jarrett noticed Alece sitting at the table for the first time and said, "Sorry, I'm the exact opposite of a morning person."

"Meaning that he's the exact opposite of Moira," Honor put in. "You'd think she poured caffeine in her mouth wash."

"Wouldn't she have to drink the mouth wash for that to work?" Rainy asked thoughtfully, sitting down.

"Nah, it could be absorbed into her bloodstream through her gums or her tongue. I mean, she can't spit it all out. Some has to be left in her mouth."

"I thought it took a while to absorb something into the blood stream," Rainy began, but Jarrett cut him off in the manner only he could.

"Do we really care?"

"Well," Rainy said, smiling and blushing.

"Lighten up, Jare," Honor told him. "It won't hurt you to listen."

"Want to bet?" he grumbled.

"Come on, Alece," Rainy coaxed. "Fight with us."

Alece laughed. Chances were that things were going to be okay.

Chapter 28

Lenan was certainly surprised when she saw Alece that evening. Her blue eyes got large and round, and she nearly gaged on the gulp of coffee she'd just taken.

"Gosh, that mountain air can really do wonders for a person," she said at last. Alece was so relieved that her aunt wasn't going to ask any strange questions that she hugged her as hard as she could.

The weekend passed with incredible speed. She was never alone, but there was also never a time when everyone was there again.

"We can't stand each other after a few hours," Gretchen explained. "It's only natural to need to get away from one another."

They sat and talked, went to the library, a movie, the drugstore to select sunglasses. Alece felt more than a little self conscious. She was still trying to get used to her hand moving as she told it to, rather than a nanosecond later. That may not have sound like much of a difference, but it changed the whole way she operated. The result was that she was constantly bumping and bashing into things.

Bit by bit, the oddness of the last month was getting explained. The drink Moira had given her was one of the ones from Fredrick's trunk, and when one of the Eye People used it, it gave them incredible strength. Number one was sort of like the Gummie Bears and their Gummie Berry Juice. Alece was the first un-Eye Person who had ever taken it.

According to Fredrick, number two was "the exact opposite of number one." While it seemed to have no affect on Eye People, they hadn't had a chance to try it on any normal people yet.

Rainy had put number seven into Alece's drink at the dance. It was an almost instant working, short term sedative that they'd had, "good success with," as Moira put it.

Alece couldn't help questioning how safe this sort of thing was, playing with uncharted chemicals. "Fredrick left pages of instructions on what to do with them," Gretchen assured her. "Recipes, really. We used number fourteen mixed with some other stuff, pig blood, rum, a bunch of honey, to make the drink that changed you. His directions are extremely precise, and we always follow them exactly."

"Once we accidently put half a table spoon too much salt in the mix," Honor said, "so we threw it out, just to be on the safe side."

Gretchen pointed out that they had never screwed up so far, and Alece admitted that she was feeling fine. They expected that getting a panicky feeling around one of them was the aftereffects of number one, which explained why she had gone dashing out of her house when Josephine showed up that afternoon.

But they didn't know anything about Evan, or how he had disappeared in her backyard, and she was pretty sure they all thought she was crazy. It didn't really bug her; they were all a little crazy.

By Sunday, Moira was pushing her to "try something."

"Like what?" she asked, sitting in the back seat of Moira's car, a black Chevrolet named Dominique.

"Don't start with her, Moira," Gretchen warned. It was just the three of them that afternoon.

"Oh come on. We've been a whole weekend without doing anything awful. Can't we at least have a bit of fun once in a while?"

"What are you talking about?" Alece asked. The car was warm, and she could feel the sweat gathering on the back of her neck.

"I want you to do something crazy with me," Moira told her.

"Like what?"

"Well..." Moira scanned the park nearby. Her face lit up. "See that guy over there?"

"No."

"By the slide. He's sitting on a bench."

"His name is Dimitri. I know him, sort of."

"Everybody knows his name. That's not the point. Go over there, stand in front of him, look him right in the eyes, and tell him to do anything. He'll do it."

"Anything?"

"Well," Gretchen broke in. She didn't seem totally opposed to the plan. "Not anything. He won't kill somebody, and it would be hard to make him push a kid off a swing or something, but it you want him to make pig noises, he'll do it."

"Should I?"

For some sick reason, the idea really appealed to Alece. "Sure," Moria told her. "It's fun. Besides, you need the practice."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Anytime you're in trouble. Like one time, I left this history report at home, and I made Alexander tell the teacher that when he was binding it at the copy shop for me, the machine ate it."

"And the teacher believe it?"

"How could she not? Alexander believed it. He really thought it had happened."

Alece took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then jerked open the car door and got out. "If this doesn't work," she told Moira through the window, "I'll never forgive you."

She was wearing a summery dress, it was warm out, and had her hair French braided. Casting one last glance back at Dominique, she saw Gretchen and Moira standing on the grass watching her.

Dimitri didn't see her walk up from behind him. She sat down on the bench next to him and said, with unusual confidence, "Hey."

"Oh, hi Lisa," he said. He had a flower in his hand and was playing with it idly.

"So, what brings you to the park?"

He pointed to a little girl on the swings. "That's my sister, Rosalyn. She loves the park."

"She's very cute. How old is she?"

"Seven."

Alece took another deep breath. She couldn't seem to get enough air just then. Sliding her sunglasses off, she asked, "How much did she weigh when she was born?"

Dimitri did a double take, first surprised, and then...captivated? Alece didn't know how to describe the look he gave her. Immediately, she felt almost an invisible bond between them, going from eye to eye. She wanted to make eye contact with Gretchen and Moira to let them know that it was going okay, but she was afraid it would break her hold on Dimitri.

"Seven pounds, eleven ounces. She was jaundice, and my mother was in labor for six hours."

That was a little more than Alece wanted to know, but she let it slide. When she spoke again, the words seemed to slip out of her mouth and straight into Dimitri's head. "How much does she weigh now?"

"I don't know. Maybe seventy pounds."

"How much do you weigh?"

"One-fifty-eight." He didn't even hesitate.

Alece felt a surge of power rush through her. During the next ten minutes, she listened with her sunglasses off as Dimitri told her more personal things than she would have found out talking to him for a week with her glasses on. She knew his racial background, his GPA, his mother's maiden name, and what he had thought when he'd seen her trip at Gretchen's party, the answer to which had been an unflattering, "I thought, Boy, she knows how to dress, now can she learn how to walk?"

Moira tapped her on shoulder, and she accidently broke her gaze with Dimitri. But when she looked back, he was still waiting for her.

"After ten or fifteen minutes," Moira said in a low voice, "they start to get antsy. Watch this." She ripped off her sunglasses and pulled Dimitri's chin roughly so that he would look at her. "You are sitting in the park. You didn't see Lisa here, you didn't see me or Gretchen here. You're just sitting in the park, watching your sister. And from now on, call her Alece."

Then she dropped Dimitri's face and grabbed Alece's arm, pulling her back toward Dominique and Gretchen. "What do you think?"

"It's incredible. Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

Moira shrugged. "You know Gretchen, always Miss. Paranoia. Come on, let's try somebody else."

A half an hour later, they were riding about with an old lady Moira selected from the supermarket in the back seat. "Girls today are so pretty," she kept saying. "It must be all that make-up. So much make-up. I remember when all we had for eyeliner was charcoal."

They ran into a problem when they went to dump the old lady back at the supermarket. They hadn't done anything evil to her, just asked her questions.

"Where are you from?"

"Minnesota."

"Do you have a family?"

"Well, my husband Herbert died some years back of cancer of the colon. I've got three children and six grandbabies."

"That's nice. What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

They were all shocked to learn that Herbert had smuggled twenty thousand dollars worth of diamonds into the U.S. some years back, when he was trying to send the kids to collage.

"I told him, Just this once, Herb, that's all. Just this once, so the kids can get an education. And he said, I don't know, Bertha. I don't like the feel of it. Of course, he meant that literally, but you young girls don't need to think about that."

Moira was laughing so hard she couldn't tell Bertha to forget that she had seen them. Alece caught sight of Jasmine running toward their car, and tapped Gretchen on the shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing with my grandmother?!" Jasmine shouted, beating on the window.

"Oh, Jasmine, honey, we were just taking a drive, and I was telling these nice girls all about how your Grandpa Herbert went to Mexico and brought back-"

Moira had stopped laughing abruptly and jumped out of the car. One hand jerked her glasses free, the other caught Jasmine by the upper arm. "Get in," she said coldly, opening the car door.

They put Jasmine in between Gretchen and Alece. "Moira? What should we do?"

"Just wait. We'll handle it, stay calm."

Alece was anything but calm. Through the process of mind control, they had just kidnapped a girl and her grandma. Moira pulled Dominique around to back of the grocery store and parked. This was where they unloaded food, but there was no one there just then. "Get out," she told everyone.

Jasmine was looking slightly dazed, but not cross-eyed like Bertha. Moira had them both sit on top of the trunk.

"Watch carefully, Alece. Bertha, you don't remember any of this. You went outside the supermarket, and Jasmine was waiting for you. You've never seen me, or Alece, or Gretchen. You don't know us. You're husband sent the kids to collage on money that he saved through hard work. He never got any jewels from Mexico. He didn't even like Mexico. Everything was legal. Now close your eyes and don't wake up until I tap you on the shoulder."

She gave similar instructions to Jasmine, stressing heavily that Bertha had been right outside, waiting when she got there. They just dropped both of them off at the front of the store and sped away.

"That was really scary," Alece said, trying to catch her breath as they pulled onto the interstate.

"We've handled worse," Moira told her, and Gretchen confirmed it.

"You weren't there the day Moira got accused of trying to hold up a bank. It took all six of us yelling to get people to forget."

"You made them forget a bank robbery?" Alece asked in amazement.

"Nobody said it was easy," Moira told her. "Luckily, the place didn't have security cameras or anything. Just a lot of frightened people."

Alece sat back in her seat and let her breath out. She got the sudden feeling that she was in way over her head. Gretchen picked up her hand, as if she knew what Alece was thinking.

"Don't get overwhelmed. Come on, let's get you home."

Moira looked at them in the rear view window. "Good idea, I've got a ton of homework to do." She smiled. "What a weekend."

Yes, Alece agreed. It's been quite a weekend.

Gretchen and Moira followed her up the stairs, calling a hello to Lenan like they showed up all the time. Moira immediately opened up the closet and rummaged through.

"I saw something," she muttered, digging around. "The last time I was here."

"The time you broke in?" Alece asked coolly. She still hadn't forgiven them for that.

"Sorry about that," Gretchen told her. "We didn't have much choice, not with you sending off the chemical samples." She thought. "What happened with that, anyway?"

"I still haven't heard from Jessy, but it should be any day now. Her brother is some kind of genius in the lab."

"Where's she from?"

"France. An old friend."

Moira turned around with a purple dress in her hands. "Wear this tomorrow, okay? And don't be surprised if people don't recognize you. They didn't recognize Gretchen."

Gretchen rolled her eyes. "Of course, everybody recognized Moira. The whole student body knew who she was before we bumped into Fredrick's box."

Moira grinned. "What can I say? I just have one of those personalities."

"More like you just have one of those mouths," Gretchen retorted, standing up. "Come on, let's get out of here and let poor Alece have some time to herself before she has a breakdown."

She watched them go and thought to herself that no matter how much they fought, had one been in trouble, they would have done anything for each other.

She woke up the next morning and stared at the ceiling until it was light enough to see. The alarm said six-forty, which she thought wasn't a bad time to get up.

Her skin glowed even in the dark, she noticed. Not that she looked like a glow-worm or anything, but more just a bit translucent, like her hair.

Moira had good taste in clothes, which surprised Alece, she didn't know why. Maybe just because she always dressed like she didn't care. The dress, dark purple with lacing in the back and a long skirt, set off her eyes well.

She kissed her aunt good morning as if nothing were different, and while Lenan couldn't stop staring at her, she still didn't say anything.

Be thankful for small favors, Alece thought, walking down to Josephine's house.

Josephine opened a second story window before Alece had time to walk.

"You want a ride?" she called.

"I'll be down in a minute."

Alece assumed that meant she was to wait out on the front lawn. She was digging around in her pocket for gloves when Josephine appeared through the front door, sunglasses in place as always. Alece had decided that they must be a sort of security blanket for her.

"Morning," Josephine said.

"How are you?"

"Oh, good. How about you?"

"I'm fine. Did it get really cold overnight, or is it just me?"

"It's probably you," Josephine replied, surprising Alece again. "You're body temperature has risen to one hundred and ten degrees, so you get cold more easily because your comfort zone is higher up on the thermometer.

Alece wasn't sure she had caught everything Josephine had just told her, but she could explain it again in the car.

They got to school early, and Josephine dragged her down the hill to the ravine, where the wind wasn't so bad because of the dip in the earth.

"Hi," Rainy said, sitting on a log. He was the only one there.

Alece sat down on a rock that was much colder than it should have been. Rainy offered her a Slim Jim, which she excepted. Her usual breakfast of corn flakes just hadn't seemed edible that morning.

"I was trying to explain to Alece why she's colder now than usual," Josephine said.

"But you're actually hotter," Rainy pointed out.

"Yeah, but she feels colder."

"I'm not the one to explain this." He looked at Alece. "Moira had to draw a chart before I could understand it."

"Not such a bad idea," Josephine said, pulling a notebook out of her bag. She drew a line across the paper and labeled it like a thermometer, every five degrees.

While she was explaining it, Gretchen and Honor showed up. Honor was trying to get Pachelbel down the hill, but gave up and put it back in her car.

"You'd think that cello is her best friend," Jarrett muttered, sitting down on a rock.

"Better friend than you are," Moira told him, blue eyes alight. She really did enjoy making fun of him.

"Good Morning, Moira," Gretchen said.

Moira smiled at her but turned to Alece. "I heard a rumor today."

"It's more than a rumor," Jarrett corrected her. "They don't print rumors in the newspaper."

Moira turned her attention to Jarrett for a moment. "Why do you say it like that?"

"What?"

"You say 'newspaper,' like 'noose-paper.' You've got to make the S sound like a Z. NewZZZZZZpaper."

"Does anybody really care?" Josephine broke in. "Can you please just tell us what this rumor is?"

Rainy said to Alece, "We spend more time fighting than we do anything else. You've probably already gotten used to it."

She had, and found it vaguely amusing. Moira was at that moment telling Jarrett that she wasn't going to spill until he said newspaper correctly five time.

"Forget it," Jarrett told her. "I'll tell them myself." He addressed the group minus Moira. "You're little friend, Alece, Evan? One of his par-"

"Oh, fine," Moira told him. "Say the word however you want. Look, people, according to the newspaper, noose-paper, whatever you feel like it's your god-given right to call it, Evan's mother is dead."

Alece felt the smile fall right off her face and shatter on the rocks. She tried to take a deep breath and managed to choke on a piece of jerky, coughing hard as she tried to dislodge it from the back of her throat.

"Are you okay?" Rainy asked, thumping her back, which did nothing except make her back hurt.

"Here." Gretchen handed her a bottle of spring water. Alece took a few gulps and felt the jerky go down.

Still breathing funny, she asked, "Did he do it?"

"Isn't that a question," Moira muttered. It appeared that Alece had shocked everyone.

"I don't know," Jarrett said, looking at her thoughtfully. "They didn't say anything about it in the paper."

"But, I mean, what happened to her?"

"It's sort of interesting, actually," Jarrett went on. "His mother took a bath with a blender."

"A blender shocked her to death?"

"It was a big blender."

Alece felt her vision swirl and wondered if she was going to pass out. Her lungs had disappeared all together, leaving just her chest cavity to try and breath. Gretchen put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Alece continued to cough, and Gretchen turned to Jarrett. "I can't believe you just said that!" she hissed, as if Alece couldn't hear her.

Rainy thumped Alece on the back another half dozen times. She licked her lips and pressed them together, blinking and trying to make her eyes go back to normal.

"Well how did you want me to say it?" Jarrett asked.

"With a bit of sensitivity!"

"How would you have done it?"

"I wouldn't have just blurted it out!"

Alece could finally breath again and put her hand up. "It's not that important, Gretch. Forget it."

"You're as white as a sheet," Josephine pointed out.

"It's just...I mean, gosh, I...I had dinner with Mrs. Liberance one night, and now...oh, god." She looked at Jarrett. "A blender? Somebody put a blender in her bath?"

He wasn't quite so smug about it this time. "Apparently," was all he said.

Moira didn't sound so excited either. Alece got the feeling they hadn't expected her to get so upset. "The police think it might have been a suicide."

"Suicide," Alece echoed. She was staring at the ground like it had the secret of life written on it or something.

Her first thoughts were benign ones.

"I have to go," she said, getting up.

"What?" Gretchen asked.

"I have to talk to the police."

"Why?"

Alece reached for her bag and pulled her old coat, a favorite, tighter around herself. "Because I do, okay? If anybody asks...I don't know. Tell them I'm sick. People get sick all the time, why can't I?"

She started up the hill rambling to herself manicly, and barely heard Gretchen say, "I'll come with you. Moira, can you stun the office staff or something?"

Alece didn't stop Gretchen when she climbed into the passenger's seat of her car. Her good old car, with the name she couldn't remember anymore. That bugged her suddenly, that she couldn't remember the stupid car's name.

She drove out of the parking ton way too fast, undoubtedly leaving marks from her tires. She knew she was an awful driver.

"Uh, Alece?" Gretchen sounded worried.

"What?" Alece snapped, tightening her grip on the wheel.

"Aren't we on the wrong side of the road?"

With a start, Alece realized that they were in fact driving on the left side of the road. She did that sometimes, when she wasn't concentrating, because she'd learned in Europe, where everyone drove on the left side.

"Damnit!" she cried, and pulled over, shutting the car off. The loss of sound was abrupt. She leaned into the steering wheel and shut her eyes.

Gretchen was starting to laugh. Alece looked at her and barked, "What? You think this is funny?" but she was beginning to smile even as she said it, and pretty soon they were both laughing.

"I don't know what's going on with me these days," Alece said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I seem to do one crazy thing after another. You know at your party, I attacked my date with a carving knife? Maybe it's the mountain air or something, I don't know, but I seem to have lost each and every one of my marbles."

Gretchen shook her head. "It's been my fault. We screwed up so badly, trying to bring you in. Moira and I are at each others' throats constantly, and I never should have let her get so out of control. Oh, and Jarrett watched you go at that guy with the knife. He said you were totally justified."

"It's good somebody's on my side," Alece said, "because I don't think the law was."

She sat back and pushed the hair off her face. It always seemed to be in her eyes these days. She sighed. "What's the worst thing you've ever done, Gretchen?"

Gretchen looked serious suddenly. "You mean the meanest, or the morally worst?"

"Morally worst."

She looked down and spoke quietly, taking her time. "Sometimes, I have these dreams." Alece waited for her to go on. "We don't dream, remember? I'm the only one. And for a while, I had these dreams about Roth, Honor's brother, and I knew something was wrong with him, but I didn't say anything, and then..." She paused. "According to the people he was hanging out with just before it happened, he had really doped up on something. He said that he was going to drive his car off the cliff where his parents had, but that he was going to make it all the way across, because he wasn't weak like they were. And of course he crashed, and I felt bad because I knew Roth was into some really serious stuff, and I didn't tell Honor when I should have." She looked over at Alece. "That's the full story of Roth's unfortunate demise."

"So it wasn't suicide?"

"I suppose it was an accident. They found alcohol in his system, but not as much as they expected, and they think maybe whatever he'd just smoked hadn't hit his bloodstream yet or something. Hard to tell with what was left."

Alece was confused. "Honor told me he did it on purpose."

"He did. He got in the car, turned it on, and drove off the cliff. Whether or not he meant to kill himself is a purely psychical question that we have no answer to." Gretchen shrugged. "Honor sees it that way. We don't have any proof that her parents did it on purpose, either, but she says they did. I don't know how she can know that when she was a baby at the time. It's like, her father's parents hung themselves, her aunt got in the garage with the car running, Honor just sort of assumes her parents and Roth were following the Murphy family trend."

"What do you think?"

Gretchen shook her head. "I never knew what to think. It was so strange, so unlike Roth to go messing around with people like that. And then to get addicted to crack... It doesn't click somehow. My mother told me things like this never click, but she's told me a lot of stuff that turned out to be pure bullshit. Like that it gets easier with time. Because it never has, and I always feel just as bad as I did the night it happened, I just push it away or something."

"It must have been a rough time for you guys," Alece said carefully. She wondered at Gretchen's willingness to discuss it, and then remember that she was in now.

"It happened in the middle of the night, and that was back when Moira's mom was a secretary there, and she called Moira, who called me and we all pretty much spent the next day crying. Then Moira disappeared for two days, and when she came back she went crazy and broke all this stuff at her house and terrorized everybody at school and her mom tried to have her committed. But she was only fifteen, and one of her closest friends had just died, so they put her in grief counseling instead, and she nearly got expelled from school. She would have if she hadn't brainwashed all the teachers." She sighed. "In a way, it was kind of good because Moira distracted us for a couple of weeks. By that time Roth was buried and all our parents had stopped saying his name and everybody outside was pretending he'd never been alive. But back to my point, that the worst thing I've ever done was to not tell Honor what was going on when I should have. Irresponsibility, I guess." Gretchen stopped again to brush the tears out of her eyes. "What about you?" she asked.

Alece groaned, feeling weighted down from Gretchen's tale. "We have two possibilities, the first being that I knew Evan was insane and didn't tell his parents, and now his mom is dead, which sort of runs the same course as yours. That's why I need to talk to the police, to see if there's a chance he did it."

"You really think he's capable of murder?"

Alece pressed her lips together. "I'm not sure. You don't know him like I do. He's totally obsessed with the end of the world and mass destruction. That's sort of why we broke up."

"At homecoming?"

"Yeah. I don't even remember what he said, but it was one more thing about dooms day, and I just couldn't take it any more." She looked at her watch. First period was more than half over. "We should get going. You want me to drop you back at the school?"

"No. You want me to drive?"

Alece giggled. "Might be a good idea."

They were heading into town with Gretchen behind the wheel, which was good because Alece didn't know where the police station was anyway, when Gretchen asked, "What was the second option?"

"What?"

"The second possibility for the worst thing you've ever done?"

"Oh, that. Before I came here, Dad didn't want me to. He thought it wasn't right for a girl to not live with her one remaining parent. Anyway, what happened was that I had this boyfriend in Rome, Theo, and we broke up when I left, but he was in a car wreck a couple months ago, and he died."

"That's so sad."

Alece pressed her lips together again. They were starting to get chapped. She wondered for a second about all the people she knew having dead friends or relatives. It was starting to give her the creeps. "Yeah, well, I wanted to fly back to Rome for the funeral, and my father said no way, and we had a huge fight about it. I told him I thought my mother was better off dead than living with a bastard like him, and I wished I was dead too, which was a really melodramatic thing to say, and then I threw this huge potted flower through the window."

"You broke the window?"

"It was awful. We didn't talk for days, and I wouldn't go to school. Finally he said that if I wanted to go live with Lenan, she would let me come."

"So did you make up?"

"Sort of. I mean, we're talking, but he still doesn't like it that I'm living here."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah. It wasn't quite what I excepted, if you get my meaning. I feel so overwhelmed, this whole thing with Evan was exactly what I didn't need."

"Sorry about everything, I really am. It's just all been so out of control."

"You shouldn't have to be the one to keep Moira in line. Jarrett seems to have a pretty strong hold over her."

Gretchen shook her head, turning easily at the corner. She was an excellent driver. "Jarrett and Moira..I don't get it. He helps her go behind my back, and he watches out for her, oh, don't ever let her know that, okay? Anyway, he watches out for her, but whenever we get into a fight, he sides with me. It's the strangest thing."

They pulled up behind a building. "Jarrett's one of those people whose mind is totally encrypted, isn't he?"

"You got that right. I've been trying to break that code for years, and I still don't get him," Gretchen said, climbing out.

The police building looked smart and contemporary, with large windows and a gray exterior. The only thing that kept it from being a real government was that it was tiny, probably the size of a one room apartment.

The inside of the police station wasn't at all busy. There was a counter with a secretary behind it, chewing her nails.

"Your glasses," Gretchen whispered, nudging her. Alece slipped them off, she was getting pretty good at it, and tucked them in her purse.

She took a deep breath and started the secretary straight in the eyes but without force. She wasn't going to hypnotise the woman like she had Dimitri.

"Hello, I need to speak with the officer in charge of the investigation of the murder of Mrs. Liberance."

The woman nodded and spat a chewed nail on the floor. Alece grimaced; that was so disgusting.

"Sign here." A paper form was pushed forward that read, "Visitors," at the top.

Alece didn't hesitate when she signed the name Penelope Fields and handed the sheet to Gretchen with a meaningful look. Gretchen was smooth, and Alece read over she shoulder, "Persephone Winter."

"You want to speak with Detective Bon Jovi. Through that door and down the hall on the left." The secretary pointed.

Alece let out her breath and hoped no one took a look at the sign in sheet.

"Penelope and Persephone?" she muttered as they pushed open the door.

"I figured, you went Greek, why shouldn't I? And what kind of a name is Detective Bon Jovi?"

Alece shrugged, feeling then tension build up in her shoulders.

"Do you want me to wait here?" Gretchen asked when they reached the right office.

"No, I need all the eye power I can get. Ready?"

"Ready."

They knocked and were let inside. Detective Bon Jovi, who said to call him Tray, looked like had hadn't gotten up from his desk in fifteen years, and might not be able to if he tried. The fat was literally gushing over the arm rests. He had a half eaten box of doughnuts on the desk, and offered them some. Alece had found that she had no problem with breads, but was too tense to eat and waved his offer away. Gretchen had one.

"What can I do for you girls?" Tray asked. Alece was relived that she wasn't anything like on of the guys off NYPD Blue, or else she would have ended up running out of the building.

"Well, I'm Penelope Fields, and I've Evan Liberance's ex-girlfriend."

"I see," Tray said. He didn't smile quite so wide.

"I was wondering, well, this sounds really awful but I was wondering if he did it."

"Did what?"

Alece glanced at Gretchen, who didn't say anything. "I want to know if he electrocuted Mrs. Liberance."

Gretchen nearly chocked on her doughnut.

"Do you believe that Evan killed his mother?" Tray asked.

"I really don't know. I was at school this morning and I heard that somebody put a blender in her bathtub and she died. I just wanted to know if Evan was responsible."

"And I'll tell you what you want to know, it you'll just answer a few questions for me." Tray pulled a tape recorder out of his desk.

Gretchen looked at Alece, her green eyes huge. Alece nodded and turned back to Tray.

She felt the power well up more strongly than it had before, flying out of her and into Tray's head like a laser beam. A smile spread across her face.

"Did Evan kill his mother?"

"I don't know."

Tray looked kind of stoned. His face had flushed suddenly, dark red. Alece wondered if she was somehow increasing his body temperature.

"Tell me what you do know."

"She was found in the bathtub with the blender in her arms. According to her therapist, she was severely depressed. The case will probably be ruled as a suicide."

Alece sighed, grabbing blindly for Gretchen's hand. Ruled as a suicide. That meant it would be hard to prove that Evan did it, and that he probably hadn't. She wanted to get up and scream with relief, to scarf down a couple of those doughnuts, and then run for the car.

But now wasn't the time or the place, so she returned to Tray. "You never saw me. You haven't had any visitors this morning. No one asked about the Liberance case. You are going to ask that it be closed as soon as possible, because you want to put all this messy business behind you." She paused to make sure she had covered everything. "Don't you know that eating so many doughnuts is bad for you? Go and see your doctor to make sure everything is okay, and then start an exercise program. Exercising will be a pleasure and one of the most satisfying things in your life. Okay, that's it. You never saw us, or heard of us."

She broke eye contact with Tray and tugged Gretchen's arm as they rushed into the hall and the first lady's room they saw.

"He didn't do it! Oh, I am so relieved!" Alece really was jumping up and down then, clapping her hands together.

Gretchen laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen you so happy."

"We've practically just met. I'm burning up." Alece turned to the sink and ran the cold water. "Let's steal that sign in sheet before we leave, okay?" she asked, splashing water on her face.

"Sure thing," Gretchen promised.

Alece smiled at herself in the mirror. 

Chapter 29

Evan wasn't in her third period class that day, apparently absent. Alece had forgotten to ask when she and Gretchen had signed in at school, several hours late (they'd gone for breakfast), but still excused.

Every stared. Moira told Alece to get used to it, but she was having a hard time. There were whispers every time she moved or spoke, and one teacher asked her if she was feeling alright. The rumor apparently, was that she and the Eye People had gone out to the mountains and sacrificed her to the god that had been controlling Jackson, and she'd come back possessed by the devil.

Gretchen told everyone the story of their trip to the police at lunch, while Alece gnawed quietly at the cold hot dogs she's brought.

"So, what do you think?" Moira asked her. "Did he do it?"

Alece shrugged. She didn't feel particularly comfortable talking about Evan. "I don't know, but I'm glad that it's unlikely that he did. It's weird to think that you used to go with someone who shocked his own mom to death."

"I never could figure you two out," Moira said lazily, sounding as if she didn't expect a response. She was laying on the cold but no longer damp ground, her head resting on a log and probably getting leaves all through her hair.

"Is anyone else here really, really bored?" she asked, watching the sky.

"I am," Josephine and Honor both said.

"Let's do something crazy." She looked at Gretchen. "With your permission, of course." Almost sounded sincere, too.

Gretchen sighed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Taking over the school."

"Do you have a plan on how to run it? If you do, then I have no qualms about brain washing the student body."

"You always say that, but we never make any plans. That's what we should do, draw up a plan on how to run the school." She was serious, Alece saw with surprise, as was Gretchen.

"I think the first change should be to fire Mr. Siebert," Honor announced.

"Who?" Alece asked.

"The orchestra director. He's an idiot."

"Then who's going to direct the orchestra?" Moira asked.

"I will." Moira laughed. "What?" Honor cried indignantly. "You think I can't conduct the orchestra? Girl, I got my first baton when I was three."

"You probably used it to hit people," Moira said. "Okay, you can fire Siebert. We'll find somebody to replace him. Someone in Madrid must know how to teach music."

"We should change the name of the school," Rainy suggested.

"Why?"

"Because I feel stupid saying that I go to High Ho High School."

"What would you call it?"

Rainy was thoughtful. "I guess I'd just call it Louisa High. How's that?"

"Better than High Ho High School," Josephine said.

"But High Ho High has a kind of ring to it," Moira pointed out.

Alece spoke up. "When I first found out the name of the school I was transferring to, I thought it was the stupidest thing I'd ever heard. It sounds like a hick school."

Moira gave in. "Okay, we can change the name. What else?"

"There are a bunch of teachers I'd like to fire," Josephine said. "Starting with Mr. Dixon."

Mr. Dixon taught the second period social studies class Alece and Josephine took, and was hated by everyone who knew him.

"Definitely," Moira said with a nod. "Dixon goes first, then we can fire Siebert and Goffery."

"Wait a second." Jarrett hadn't said anything up until then. "Are you going to fire the whole staff?"

"Why not?"

"Because it would cause major uproar."

"Uproar is good," Moira assured him, and began describing "Operation Can 'Um," in which she fired everyone and have their jobs to the dying breed of hippies who could teach them all world peace and how to roll a joint.

By the time lunch was over, she'd gotten up to Public Justice Day, when she would settle all her personal vendettas on a massive stage erected in the courtyard.

"Right next to the shrine to Jackson, right?" Jarrett said, standing up. He hadn't taken off his sunglasses and was looming over Moira, who was still on the ground.

The comment was maybe made to remind Moira of what had happened the last time she'd tried to take over the school, but she just laughed and said, "Maybe we can get him to teach physic."

During fifth period, the teacher began walking about taking pictures in nature, and outdoor lighting, so that they would know what to do Thursday.

"Are we going on a field trip?" Alece whispered to Rainy, who was sitting next to her looking totally uninterested and playing Tic Tac Toe with Honor on the front of her notebook.

"What?" he asked.

"She said we would be out in nature on Thursday. Why?"

"Because it's spring," Honor said sullenly. "I win. How can you be so bad at this game?"

"Dead she mean the camping trip?" Rainy asked Honor, interest motivating his features.

"It can't be time already," Honor said, sketching a new board and putting an X in the center box. She offered Alece the pen.

"But your birthday was last week," Rainy said, as Alece Oed a corner box.

"It was?" she asked.

"Yup. The second of October. I'm seventeen." Honor Xed a box.

"Congrats. Did you have a party?" Alece felt kind of bad, like she should have been there.

"Way back in August. Jarrett's parents' threw a party for the both of us. His birthday is August third. Don't feel rotton that you weren't there. How could you know what nice people we are? Well, leave Jarrett out of that one, but you thought I was just some crazy cellist with blood shot eyes and a tatoo."

"When did you get a tatoo?" Rainy cried.

Honor started laughing. "I didn't, but it sounded good, didn't it? Anyway, it can't be time for the trip. The year just started."

"Actually, we're seven weeks in, the trip is soon, and Jarrett's birthday is the thirtieth, not the third."

"Where did I get the third?"

"You probably just dropped the zero. Anyway, it is about time for the trip."

"The trip?" Josephine asked, just becoming aware that they were having a conversation next to her. "It's Thursday. We must have been so caught up in everything with Alece here that we didn't notice or something."

Honor put down another X and won the game. Alece scowled at the notebook. How had she done that?

"I know," Rainy told her. "Honor always wins. I don't know what her secret is."

"Logic," Honor retorted. She looked at Josephine. "Is the trip seriously Thursday? I didn't even tell my grandmother, or my cello teacher. Why don't they talk about these thing more so we know that they're happening?"

"Because they gave us little calendars at the beginning of the year, and they expect us to look at them periodically."

"What is the trip?" Alece asked, finally getting a word in.

"It's a big camping trip. Every class takes one, and apparently it's time for ours, although I still think Rainy's wrong." Honor drew another board on her notebook. Then she looked at it and frowned. "You know what? I'm really sick of this game."

Alece vaguely remember something about a trip in the handbook she'd barely browsed at the beginning of the year. "Where are we going?"

"The mountains. The great outdoors." Honor shrugged. "It at least gets us out of two days of school, right?"

"And we usually sneak off in the middle of the night," Josephine out it. "That's always fun."

When Alece walked outside after school had ended for the day, she saw Moira leaning against the brick wall with her head back and usual smile loosely plastered to her face. She made a perfect picture against the leafless trees, with her eyes shut and looking so contented. Alece wished she'd had her camera and some black and white film.

"Have you ever considered modeling?" she asked, walking over.

Moira rolled her head to the side and opened her eyes. Alece hadn't noticed that she wasn't wearing her sunglasses. "No. Why?"

"Because you'd be great at it." Moira snorted.

"I'm completely photogenic. My last school picture came out looking like a mug shot, and that was fourth grade."

Alece liked the challenge. "Tell you what, I'll come over tonight and take a roll of pictures of you, and we'll see how they look. I'll bet anything that you'll look terrific."

Moira shook her head. "You don't know what happens. I freeze up in front of cameras."

Alece couldn't imagine it. Not Moira.

"Oh come on. Nobody has to see them but you. I won't even look. I'll have them mailed to you directly from the developer."

"The drugstore doesn't mail pictures."

"I always send my pictures back to Sweden. There's this great place there that does them at like a quarter a roll." She pleaded. "Come on, Moira. Twenty-four shots, that's it. No one will see them but you."

Moira considered for a second before nodding. "Alright, but we do it at your house, not mine."

"Okay." Alece wondered why Moira didn't want her coming over.

She went home and pulled out every portfolio she had. Photography had become a hobby mostly because of Theo, who had lived and died for his camera, and taught her everything she knew about taking pictures. Andrea had mailed tons of his pictures after he died, including over a hundred of Alece.

Theo's trick had been to talk people into mental states where they looked a certain way, and Alece had never been able to do it. She didn't know where to begin, or even how to begin.

She hung a white sheet over the shrubbery behind the pool, hoping it would work as a backdrop. Then she selected a stool from the kitchen and set it in front of the sheet.

Moira arrived ten minutes late, but looking good. "Where do you want me and how long is this going to take?"

Alece snapped a picture right then, before Moira had time to hide or freeze up.

"Over there, on the stool."

"Not hanging off the diving board or anything?"

"Maybe later."

The first three picture were going to be awful. Posed shots never came out well.

"Think of something else," Alece told her.

"Like what?"

"Anything."

"You aren't helping you know."

She had to get Moira distracted before she would relax.

"Don't look at me. Watch that fence post, but don't move your head. No, that makes you look like you're being stalked or something. Look over my head or at my feet. Yes, my feet, that's good. Keep looking there."

"They keep moving."

"That's okay. Just watch them. Smile. Never mind, don't smile. Talk to me."

"About what?"

"The trip."

She managed to snap the trigger just before the smile hit Moira's face. That one would be okay.

"There's this cave nearby where we usually go. It has a hot spring in it and the water rolls down over the rocks. You're going to love it. None of the outsiders know it exists, just us. Sort of a private club."

Alece clicked over and over until her roll ran out. Some of them were going to be pretty good. Some of the really weren't.

"You're done already?"

"Yeah, are you surprised?"

"It takes longer than that to get school pictures taken. How bad were they?"

"Just promise me you'll look at the whole roll and not just the first three."

A noise interrupted her sentence. It came from behind the bushes, sort of a trampling of tiny branches.

"What is that?" Alece asked.

"A rabbit?"

"Too big. Sounded like a deer or something."

Moira shook her head. "Not this close to people. I don't think so."

Then it came again, another crashing, but this time further away. "Come on," Moira said. "Let's go see."

She pushed the hedges aside and climbed easily over the fence. Alece followed doubtfully, thinking of her encounter with the Evan look alike the first day of school. Had it really been seven weeks already?

Behind the yard was mostly light forest with dense undergrowth. Alece's pant leg snagged on her first step. "I'll be back," Moira promised, dashing off. Alece plucked carefully at the thorny vines holding her back. She tried just standing straight and bolting, but the thorns held on and cut into her flesh.

Moira showed up a minute later, carrying a single men's glove. "Found this," she said. "It's in good condition, not rained on or rotting."

Alece didn't really care. "Help me undo this, would you?"

They ended up sending Moira into the house for scissors and cutting the vines away. The whole process took almost a half hour, and then Alece had to clean the tiny punctures on her ankle that were stinging with poison.

She was sitting on the bathroom counter with her foot in the sink and a tube of antiseptic cream in her hand when Moira said, "I have our culprit running through the bushes."

Alece was expecting a joke. "Who?"

"Well, I don't have his name, but his initials are E.L."

Alece dropped her cream. "Let me see that glove."

Moira handed it to her. Yes, there, in tiny little letters, were the initials E.L. "Oh, my god," she whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't tell you about Evan, did I?"

"Not much. What else is there?"

Alece laid the glove on the counter and went back to her cuts. "He's sort of a psycho. I mean, I don't have any proof, but there are all these things about him that don't make sense."

She told Moira about the time he'd appeared next to the pool, the card that had come in the mail. She tried to explain about the little things he said, the creepy things that made it sound as if he'd been watching her forever.

"He's stalking you?" Moira asked.

"I guess. He's...I don't know. You have to talk to him for a while before you notice that there's something wrong."

"But you went out with the guy for two weeks."

"Don't I know it. Never mind. It's probably just a coincidence, the initials."

Moira was quiet for a second. "You remember that day, I don't remember it much, but you had an argument with Josephine on the way to school and stopped talking to us?" Alece nodded. "You yelled at Evan in the library, and Jarrett was watching, so Rainy stole his school file. There's nothing unusual about it."

"Do you still have it?"

"I bet Josephine does. The girl's room is like one big filing cabinet. Maybe it's time to have a little chat with Mr. Evan."

"No you don't, Moira. You are not going to go harass poor Evan right after his mother dies. That's sick."

"I'm not saying he'd remember it. Never mind, let's talk about something else. Like the trip. Are you packed?"

"We aren't going for three days."

"We leave Thursday morning, girl. Get packed."

"What do I need besides a couple changes of clothes?"

"Oh, I've got plenty of little tips. Do you have a canteen?"

That began the great packing. Moira came up with a dozen things Alece never would have considered packing, like a box of Little Debbie Snack Cakes that came individually wrapped so as not to attract bugs.

By the time they were done, having included several items the purpose of which Moira would not disclose, Alece had to go start dinner and said goodbye to her.

"You know," Moira said, climbing into her car. "I've got this crazy feeling about the trip. You're going to love it. Oh, pack your camera, too."

They went to the volleyball game Tuesday night. Alece saw a few people cast surprised glances at her, settled between Gretchen and Honor.

"How are we doing?" Josephine asked breathlessly as she sat down. She and Moira had shown up terribly late.

"We're loosing, how did you think?" Jarrett replied.

"By how much?"

Moira asked, "Does anybody have a band-aid?"

"I do," Alece told her, opening her purse.

"Only four points. We could still pull through."

"How many band-aids do you have?"

"How many do you need?"

"Think my yelling at Dee would help even us out?"

"Three or four. My hands are all cut up."

"What have you been doing? And these are scratches, not cuts."

"No, it'll just put pressure on her."

"So, they still hurt."

"Scratches hurt worse than cuts."

"You should put some rubbing alcohol on them."

"Do you have some of that in your purse, too?"

"Come on, Dee! Move it!"

"That's way too tight."

"No, it's just right."

"I can't believe she missed that ball."

"My finger is turning purple, Alece. It's too tight."

"Here, let me do it."

"How short is that girl on the other team?"

"I think she's a midget."

"Midgets can't play volleyball. They're too short."

"She's playing, isn't she?"

"She's not a midget!"

They won the game by two points. It was the team's third victory of the season, and Josephine actually smiled at Dee. Moira said she had been carrying stuff, which was why her hands were so beat up, and Rainy told them that if she poured mud on her scratches, they would heal overnight.

School on Wednesday was a joke. None of them did anything except talk and play Tic Tac Toe.

Evan was back, sitting with Jasmine and Alexander in Mr. Rinn's class. Alece smiled at Jasmine to let her know that they were still on good terms, but settled in the back with Gretchen, who was falling asleep in her chair.

"Why are you so tired?" she muttered.

"I was up all night because Darren came home to visit and we got into this argument and then I felt really bad about it and went to apologize, and I had to wake him up and then he was mad about that, and the whole stupid thing got blown totally out of proportion. We ended up talking 'till like four in the morning."

"How long is he home?"

"A week. I don't how he got off, but he isn't leaving until next Tuesday."

"Are you still going on the trip?"

"Oh yeah. I get enough of my brothers with Race alone, and now Ory's moving back in. One more person to share the bathroom with."

Alece thought it must be quite exasperating to have four brothers who were all older than you. "How much do they know about...your being an Eye Person?"

"Lionel thinks I'm just really pretty, but we aren't very close. Ory and Darren sort of think there might be something going on, but they don't have any proof. Race knows that something's up, and a big chunk of that is because he eavesdropped on a phone call between me and Moira. I almost killed him, but I couldn't, him being my brother and all. Has your aunt said anything?"

"When I got home last weekend, she just said, 'Wow, that mountain air must be really fresh.' I was so sure she was going to ask me what I was on."

"What about your dad?"

"I haven't talked to him in two weeks or something. I don't even know where he is. And I don't think he'd notice. He usually doesn't. One time, I got a nose ring, and he didn't notice that."

"You have a nose ring?" Gretchen looked at her more closely. "I don't see a hole."

"It grew together, but yeah, I got my nose pierced somewhere along the way. It was really gross."

"I could never do that."

"I don't think I could go through with it again." Alece settled back in her seat, rubbing her nose. No, she would never get another nose ring.

Evan was sitting at a table off a ways, listening to Mr. Rinn talk about adjectives, as if the whole class didn't know what they were by the eleventh grade.

"He looks okay," Gretchen said, following Alece's sight line.

"That doesn't mean anything. I think he's really mad at me. I should probably go clear the air or something, but I don't really want to. Don't you think it's a little weird that he's back in school two days after his mother dies?"

"Maybe they weren't close."

"They weren't. You can't get close to a zombie."

"What?"

"Never mind."

She studied Evan for another minute, and then Gretchen said, "Jarrett told me that the police think his mom was into terrorist bombing. That's according to toady's paper. He didn't tell you because he was worried you would freak out."

"Jarrett. Worried. That's funny."

"Glad you think so."

The news about Mrs. Liberance didn't surprise Alece as much as it intrigued her. She was starting to wonder if the night they met, Evan's parents had just been really out of it.

Mr. Rinn came around to pass out packets that he expected them to complete while on their trip.

"I guess it's too much for them to hope that we might commune with nature on the trip, therefor increasing our awareness of the beauties of this planet we live on and motivating us to save the rain forests," Gretchen said, opening hers and looking it over. "But nooo, they have to give up assignments. Lucky us."

Alece ruffled through hers and an envelope fell out onto the table. "Lisa," was carefully written on the front. She looked up and saw Evan watching her. He smiled and turned away.

"Well," she murmured, "I wonder how he managed that."

Gretchen raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. Alece picked her pencil up and used it as a letter opener. She didn't like her envelopes to look sloppy.

"Dear Lisa,

I'm sorry about the other night. Can we talk? I'll let you decide. Let me know.

E.L."

"He didn't even mention his mother," Alece said, handing Gretchen the note. Why did he always sign his initials? It upset her every time.

"You gonna go talk to him?" Gretchen asked, laying the note on the table.

"I suppose I don't have much choice in the matter. I feel kind of bad, I mean, especially with his mom and all." She almost whispered, "But I still think he might have killed her."

Gretchen didn't say anything if she heard, and class let out a few minutes later. "Look, I'm going to go talk to Evan, so I'll be late for lunch."

"Should I come?"

"Nah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure somebody shouldn't like stand guard in case he tries something?"

Alece was surprised that Gretchen seemed so worried. "Do you know something you aren't telling me?"

"No." She shrugged. "I've just got one of those feelings that something's wrong. Forget it, I'm being paranoid."

"I'll see you in the ravine," Alece told her, and grabbed her stuff, following Evan out the door.

He was waiting for her at the end of the hall. "Hey, Evan," she said, sounding casual.

"Feel like taking a walk?" he asked. It wasn't a weird question. Evan had always liked to wander around while they were talking.

"Sure."

"I heard about your mom," Alece said, when they were outside, walking around the track. "I'm really sorry."

He sighed, looking up at the sky. "These things happen."

"What I mean," he went on hastily, "is that I sort of saw it coming. You met my mother...she wasn't all there."

Alece nodded, but she felt profoundly disturbed. Come on, get to the point and get out of here.

"About the dance-" she began.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that. Where did you go?"

She had lost her train of thought. "What?"

"Where did you go after you got mad at me? I saw you for a minute, and then you just disappeared. Jasmine said you went outside to get some air and then never came back."

Apparently, Jasmine hadn't seen Jarrett carry her to his car. Alece suddenly got the weird feeling that they were being followed, particularly when a she heard a branch snap behind her in the woods, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Oh, I sort of freaked out and got a ride home."

"With one of the Eye People?"

She decided it was going to be much easier if she lied her head off. "No, I called a cab. Anyway, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that."

He smiled and, to her utter surprise, took her hand. "So we're okay?"

Oh, this is bad. He isn't getting the picture. Alece stopped walking and was staring at him wordlessly when something crashed in the bushes, and this time she thought she heard a male voice, too.

She took a deep breath and said, "Look, I've just been thinking lately that things aren't really working. I mean with the two of us. And I know it sounds stupid, but I'd still like to be good friends-" She stopped when something definitely ran through the bushes. "Do you hear that?"

Evan ignored her question. "And you meant it at the dance about us breaking up."

"Yeah," Alece said, but she was sure she could see blue material in the bushes. "What is that?"

"Stop changing the subject," Evan said impatiently, grabbing her arm. Alece shook him off.

"I'm not trying to change the subject, but I think there's somebody in the bushes spying on us!"

"Who cares?" He rolled his eyes upward. "Look, Lisa, I'll see you later. Give me a call when you get yourself figured out."

And then he walked off. Alece stood there on the track for a second before sighing in aggravation and turning to the bushes. She had a pretty good idea who was there.

"Alright, Moira! Come on out!"

Sheepishly, Moira clamored out of the shrubbery followed, and a surprise it was, by Jarrett, who was brushing leaves out of his hair.

"I don't even want to know what you were doing back there," Alece said. She was getting a headache. She turned around and started walking toward the other side of the school and the ravine.

"It wasn't what you think," Moira said, catching up to her.

Alece smiled faintly. "I told you, I don't want to know."

"Gretchen thought Evan might do something weird, so she asked me to watch from a distance."

"From a distance, not from the bushes."

"But it went okay?"

"Not exactly. He didn't get the picture, and I had to re-dump him."

"How'd he take it?"

"Better than I expected. Where did Jarrett run off to?"

Moira waved her hand. "He's got something to do, I don't know. He likes to keep secrets more than anyone I know. Aren't you excited?"

"About what?"

"The trip! Loosen up! Relax! We're going to have a great time."

Alece rolled her eyes. "So you keep telling me."

"Oh, that reminds me. Rainy wants you to go to church with him and Josephine and Jarrett tonight."

"I'm not religious."

"I'm not sure that matters."

"But it's a church with priests and Bibles and horrific Jesuses covered in blood hanging from the ceiling." She stopped. "Is it Jesuses? Or is it Jesi, like fungi? Jesus is Latin, right?"

A shrug, and then Moira said, "Look, I never can figure out why they go there either, but you might like it."

"Are they going for Mass or what?"

"No, Rainy has this priest who he's been using as his personal therapist for the last couple of years. Jarrett usually falls asleep, and I don't know what Josephine does. Mass is over by the time they get there."

They reached the ledge of the ravine and Alece began picking her way down, following Moira. Everyone except for Jarrett was sitting below.

"So," Rainy asked as soon as Alece sat down, "Are you coming?"

She did go with them. Jarrett picked her up that evening, and she settled into the back seat with Josephine. The church was nice, very tidy, but still reverent. Alece didn't care much for churches, not even the most beautiful ones in the world, most of which she had seen. They were too still, always made her feel like someone was watching her. That might have been the idea, to make the occupants think that God was keeping tabs, but it usually just made Alece wear a hat and a big coat to hide under.

There was almost no one left besides the four of them and the horrific Jesus Alece ran into the minute she opened the door. It was iron with brass covering it; a seven foot cross with a life-sized Jesus nailed to it, set right in the middle of the isle in front of the door so it was the first thing you saw.

"When did they put that up?" Josephine asked, arching her back as she walked around so she would have to touch it. The tops, Alece noticed, were exceptionally sharp, melted to spear-like points. She tripped on a roll in the carpet and almost poked her eye out.

"I don't know," Rainy said.

"It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen," Jarrett put in, and Alece agreed. This Jesus, compared to other Jesuses, was unusually ugly, with flaring nostrils and canine teeth that could have been fangs.

"I didn't realize he was tripping when he died," Rainy muttered.

"Must have been something in the last supper," Jarrett told him, and they walked away from the disturbing Jesus.

Josephine said she'd be back in a while and walked through a door in the wall that Alece hadn't realized was a door. Jarrett parked in a pew close to the back, and Alece and Rainy stopped with him.

"Do you want to meet Father Lawson?" Rainy asked her.

"Uh, I don't know."

"Don't," Jarrett told her.

"Why not?"

"He's a perfectly nice old man," Rainy said. "Jarrett just doesn't like him."

"Why don't you like him?" Alece asked.

"It's a long story."

"You should meet him," Rainy insisted. "Look, I'll introduce you to him after we talk, okay? Just..do whatever Jarrett and Josephine usually do. But don't fall asleep," he quickly added before darting off to a little wooden door.

"So tell me why you hate Father Whatever," Alece said as she sat down next to Jarrett.

He frowned. "My family goes here every sunday, except for me. Half the reason I come here with Rainy is to keep them happy. Anyway, my parents made me go through the whole Catholic spiel, getting baptized and first communion. The whole nine yards, and when I was supposed to have my first confession, Father Lawson was the one who was going to hear it. So I went in there and told him all the bad things I'd done, mostly just being mean to one of my sisters or mouthing off, and he started talking about how good boys don't do the things you hear about on the news, and good boys don't mess with drugs, and good boys don't fool around with girls, and it was just so stupid. Pretty soon, he was telling me the sort of stuff you hear in family life, and I got up and walked out. He was talking like he was running for an office or something. It wasn't religion, it was politics, and it was a crock. I never came back."

"So he ruined your faith."

"Nah, I was never into church, but it made my parents happy, so I always did what they wanted me to." Something flickered in his face, but it might have been because of a candle up front, or it might have been Alece's imagination. "Weren't those the days," he said. "Back when we were all good little kids who did what their parents told them."

He was talking about something else. "Oh," Alece said.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm getting off track. The confession thing is why I don't like Father Lawson." He shrugged, taking off his sunglasses, and Alece did the same. "Are you a Christian?"

"Not particularly. I had tutor once who made me say grace at meals, but that's about it." Alece didn't mean to change the conversation but, "Where's Josephine?"

Jarrett seemed to snap out of something. "Oh, she wanders around the graveyard out back for a half hour or so. You want to go see it?"

"Sure."

"Come on."

They went up to the front, to the right of the alter, where the door Josephine had gone through was. "This is the rest of the church," Jarrett told her. "Where they have Sunday school and things." He showed her down a hall to the end. "That's the kitchen, and this is the back yard."

The sky was darkening quickly, already overcast, and there was a wind picking up. Alece was glad for her coat and hat.

"This is the graveyard. It stretches on for quite a ways, covers most of this block. The ones close to the building are older, see, 1796. I think that's the year the church was founded."

"Is this the only church in Louisa?"

"There's a Jewish temple on the other side of town, and a Prosetant church a few miles away. That's about it."

The land dropped away into a valley when the large headstones gave way to small, flat metal markers. Alece could see Josephine walking among them, seemingly with no purpose, and started toward her.

"Hey, Alece. What do you think of our graveyard?"

She supposed she must look like a hit man in her coat and sunglasses, with her hat pulled low over her ears. "It's not bad for a graveyard. I somehow expected it to be creepier."

"Try laying on top of a grave and imagining the person decomposing underneath you," Jarrett suggested.

"Do you always have to be so coarse?" Josephine asked roughly.

"It's a rough world, Josie. No point in denying it." Alece watched his back as he wandered off between some graves.

"Well isn't he in a good mood?" Josephine asked. Alece had never heard anyone call her Josie before.

"You know anyone buried here?" she asked.

"My seventh grade teacher. Died of cancer. Mrs. Coyl. She's up in the new section."

They strolled around for a while, talking about nothing in particular. Jarrett disappeared without a trace, which Josephine said was not unusual, and then told Alece that they should probably go back inside because Rainy would be coming out any minute.

They found Jarrett asleep in the back row. "He doesn't get a lot of sleep at home," Josephine said, shaking him. Being unconscious hadn't softened his face any, Alece noticed.

Rainy came out a second later with an older man wearing standard priest garb. He had a soft face with big blue eyes that made Alece think of her aunt and baby skinned hands, one of which Alece shook.

"Father Lawson, this is Alece Lennox. Alece, Father Lawson."

"Nice to meet you," Alece said.

"I think I know your aunt, Lenan, isn't it?"

Alece had no idea that her aunt came to church. "I guess so."

Father Lawson nodded. "Yes, she came here a few times last year with Abel Sisco. You didn't come with her, did you?"

"Oh, no. I moved here over the summer."

She asked her aunt about Abel Sisco that night.

"Abel Sisco? We went out a few times last year. Where did you hear about him?"

"I met this priest at church tonight who said he remembered you coming with Abel."

Alece had forgotten how young her aunt was, twelve years younger than her father, which put her at roughly thirty. Alece couldn't remember exactly how old her dad was.

"What were you doing at church?"

"I went with Josephine. You aren't changing the subject, are you?"

They were in the kitchen, Alece perched on the edge of the counter and Lenan trying to make a milkshake with very frozen ice cream.

Lenan laughed. "Of course not. Why would I do that?"

"Why would you blush like a milk maid? You tell me. What was Abel like?"

Her aunt shook her head. "Your father never would have approved of him."

"Dad never approved of my boyfriends, either. Why do you think he wouldn't let me go back for Theo's funeral? He said the boy was a bad seed."

"Was he?" Lenan asked in spite of herself.

"Not at all. He was smart and took great pictures and had perfect grammar, and his father owned an international baby food company. What was there not to like?"

Lenan banged on the blender a few times and frowned. "I need a milkshake maker, not a blender." She looked back at Alece. "That reminds me, not the blender I mean, but your father called tonight."

"That's nice. Where is he?"

"Los Angles. He stressed that I was under no circumstances to ever let you go to L.A., because it would corrupt you. No, he wants to see you, said you should take some time off from school to go visit him."

"And do what? He works constantly. Besides, I'm not going to miss two weeks of school now when Christmas vacation is coming up. He can wait a month or so."

"Somebody else called, too. I think her name was Ussy. I don't know. Her English was really bad."

"Jessy. Yeah, too bad I missed that one."

"She said it was really important that you call her back as soon as possible."

"Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead, run up my phone bill. You're father's sending me a ton of money every month."

Alece felt herself freeze up. "He's paying you?"

Lenan saw her and realized she had made a mistake. "Oh, honey, I didn't mean it like that. I love having you here, and I would have told him to send you even if he didn't send a dime. Don't think that I'm just keeping you around because I'm getting paid for it."

"No, I don't, it just seems kind of weird. Like my aunt got custody of me but Dad still has to pay child support or something."

Abandoning her blender, Lenan hugged Alece. "That's not it at all. He just wants to make sure you're taken care of." She shook her head. "I was just trying to say don't hesitate to call people."

"Sorry, Dad is just so insensitive sometimes."

She went upstairs a minute later and dug her phone book out of her desk, dialing Jessy's number. Her mood was still a bit bad from thinking about her father paying her aunt off, not that she saw it that way.

"Hello, is Jessy there?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Is that you, Olivier? This is Lisa. Remember?"

"Lisa! You sent Jessy that sample I've been playing with."

"Yes, I did. What have you found out about it?"

"Where did you find it, Lisa? I've never seen anything like it. I can't even figure out what it is. I sent it on to another lab with more advanced equipment, but I haven't heard back from them. Where did you find it?"

Alece pressed her lips together. Another lab with better equipment. Now that she was in on the secret, she felt like she needed to protect it.

"I got it at a party, from a Cuban guy. He said he raised the plants at home and juiced them himself." A little weird, but Olivier was under the impression that anything could happen in America.

"Hold on," he said, and there were muffled voices in the background. Apparently Jessy had heard him say her name and wanted to talk. Alece twisted the phone cord around her finger and waited. What if this chemical went all the way to the top and they wanted to know where she got it? She couldn't very well tell them she'd met some Cuban at a party. What party? What Cuban? Why hadn't anyone else seen the Cuban?

"Hello?" Jessy said breathlessly, having just wrestled her brother for the phone and won.

"Hi, how are you?"

They talked for a while about other things, and then Alece brought up the chemical.

"You haven't told anyone where it came from, have you?"

"Only Olivier. Why?"

"Has he told anybody?"

"Not that I know of. What's wrong?"

"Look, can you do me a favor? Don't let anybody find out my name, okay? And also, it there a way to get the samples back?"

"I don't know, hold on."

Again, muffled voices as she conferred with Olivier. "Yes, we can return the samples if you want them. But why?"

"I lied when I said I got them from a Cuban. A friend of mine stole them, and she doesn't want to get caught. Can you send them back?"

They worked out the details, and then Alece called Gretchen to tell her what happened. The samples would probably arrive in a week or so.

Just before she climbed into bed, Alece heard a noise from outside and looked out her window. There was a shadow that vanished across her driveway, but Alece was sure she saw a person.

But for a second, she'd thought she saw swirling blue eyes light up on her lawn.

Alece lay back on her bed and tried to block the thought, but it slipped through her defenses.

Part 3

Evan

"And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."

-Edgar Allen Poe

"The day of the Lord is surly coming. It will come as suddenly as a thief in the night. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise. The heavenly bodies will disappear in fire. The earth and everything on it will be burned up."

-2 Peter 3:10

Alece kissed Lenan's cheek and gave her a hug. "I'll be back Sunday evening, okay?"

"Don't go out alone after dark," Lenan warned her.

"Of course not."

"Not even to go to the bathroom. Wake somebody up if you have to, or wait until morning."

Alece was laughing. "I'll wake somebody up. Don't worry. There are going to be almost sixty people coming along, it's no big deal."

Her aunt hugged her again, and a horn beeped from outside. "That's Moira, I've got to go. Don't worry about a thing. Love you."

She picked up the massively overstuffed duffle bag Moira had barely been able to get shut and went out the front door, blowing her aunt one last kiss.

It was not Moira's car but Jarrett's. Moira was sitting shotgun and frowning hard, as Alece climbed into the back seat with Josephine.

"Moira's car had an accident," Josephine told her, settling the bag between them.

"What kind of accident?"

"Don't asked," Jarrett told her. "Where am I going Moira?"

Josephine leaned over to Alece and whispered, "She got mad about something and lost control. Went right into Togan Lake.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, but the car won't be. It doesn't matter, her father will pay for it. He did last time."

"This has happened before?"

"Yeah, last year. Different lake."

Good grief, Alece thought. She realized that there was a lot about these people she didn't know, compared to what she did know.

"No, a right!" Moira yelled at Jarrett, banging her hand on the dashboard.

"You said left!"

"No, I said a left after the right."

Jarrett groaned, and pulled into somebody's driveway to turn around. "Why don't you let Josephine play map girl?"

"I know how to get there," Moira insisted.

"But will we make it alive?"

"Can somebody turn on some music?" Josephine asked.

It was a little over a half hour drive, not including the second turn around and five miles they went down the wrong road. After being trapped in that car with Moira and Jarrett yelling at each other all the way, and Josephine staring mutely out the window, Alece was ready to explode. Not to mention that they all had dark hair and it was starting to get to her, making the sight of Gretchen red curls even nicer.

"What took you so long?" she asked, pulling things out of Jarrett's trunk. "And why did you come in Ronda instead of Dominique?" She apparently called the cars by their names.

"Dominique took a little swim last night," Jarrett told her. "Rescue 911 didn't make it in time."

"You drowned another car?" Gretchen cried, grabbing Moira's arm. "Why?"

Moira shrugged her off. "Where's the tent?"

Gretchen wasn't in the mood to fight. "See over there? It's right behind those trees, same spot as last year. There's Honor, she'll show you."

Alece was standing next to Josephine as Gretchen came over and asked, not to her, "You think Moira's getting ready to go on a rampage?"

Josephine shrugged. "I hope not. At least not out here."

"Just don't push her buttons."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you?"

"Probably. Hi, Alece. How was the trip?"

Alece laughed, feeling overwhelmed again. "Okay, I guess. How are you?"

"Exhausted already. Come on, we've got a tent set up over here."

The five of them were barely going to fit, and the long row of sleeping bags reminded Alece of Gretchen's attic. She got her usual spot in the dead center.

"Jarrett and Rainy are set up over there," Honor told her, pointing. "See that little red square? That's them."

The camp ground they were in was a real one, but rural. It was meant for bikers and backpackers, not cars. There was a picnic table next to the tent and a fire pit in the damp ground. High trees and exposed rocks came up from the ground, and the air smelled of fresh, cold rain.

"We've got clean water," Honor said, "but you have to pump it yourself. Bathrooms are over in that wooden building. They aren't as bad as you'd think."

Other people were setting up tents nearby, milling around, and a group of cliquish girls were giggling and pointing at the trees. Alece estimated that there were about seventy feet between her tent and any other.

Suddenly the woods went dark, hidden by unnerving blue hues. One of the clique girls screamed. Honor laughed.

"I love it when it's overcast," she said. "Makes me feel like I'm at a disadvantage. What a challenge."

Alece understood the disadvantage but not the thrill. She felt naked when the sun wasn't out, powerless.

"Looks like a storm," Jarrett coming up behind them.

"Great timing," Moira muttered.

"Me or the storm?"

"Both. I need you to help me get the water tarp over the tent."

Rainy did one of his tricks where he walks out of what you thought was a shadow and asked Alece, "Have you ever been camping?"

"Once, with my dad and Aunt Lenan. It was the fourth of July, and I was twelve. A bear ate all our food."

"Where is you dad now?"

"L.A., city of angles. But he's leaving soon, and I don't know where he's going."

"Does that bother you? Come on, let's walk around. I love the smells up here."

They started strolling around the campground, in between tents and people unpacking and teachers trying to count everyone.

"Doesn't it bother you, not knowing where your father is half the time?" Rainy asked again.

Alece shrugged. "Not particularly. I mean, he'll always call eventually, and if there was an emergency I can get a hold of him through the agency he works for. Besides, why would I call except to say hi? I've got my aunt."

"See," Rainy told her. "I couldn't do that. I'm too used to my family."

"Is it just you and Samantha?"

"No, I have another sister, Paulina. My parents are Paul and Lena, so when they decided that Paulina would be their last kid, they named her after both of them. She's three, she is so cute, you have no idea. She might be the cutest little kid on the planet."

"I bet you have pictures."

"Everyone has pictures of Paulina. They're in the tent Jarrett and I are using. Most of us have a couple of brothers and sisters. Moira has three, Gretchen's got her four brothers, poor Jarrett's got five."

"Five?" She wondered how she hadn't heard about this before.

"Twin sisters, they're eighteen or nineteen. Lydia and Lyan. Then there are three kids younger than him, Kerry and Grant and Lucas. Lucas is the only one worth talking to. He's a really sharp little kid."

"I've never heard Moira mention any other kids in her family."

Rainy frowned. "They don't live with her." Then, feeling thit that wasn't enough, although Alece wouldn't have pushed, he said in a low voice, "Her dad left when she was four, and he took all the kids but Moira. She took it kind of personally, his leaving her behind. Plus, Ila is really, really smart. She made national honor roll twice, and Moira always feels like she's got to live up to that standard."

"God, that must be tough." Alece was starting to understand why Moira lashed out. Twice, matched with the number of cars she'd drowned. The girl was given to grand gestures, wasn't she?

He was glad she understood. "She doesn't ever talk about it, so don't ask."

"I won't. But it's good to know what subjects to avoid."

The sky was getting darker above them, and the teachers were saying to get your tents set up right away and they would have their group meeting later. Alece looked around and asked, "Do you have any idea where we are?"

Rainy waved his hand, as if a rabbit would appear. "Yeah, sure. I've been up here a hundred times."

"Should we start back? I think it's going to rain any second."

"Probably. This way will be faster." He directed her to a well beaten path. "Do you ever get lonely, being an only child?"

"Moving around, I got lonely a lot. Always different people, always being somebody different. After a while, you get so tired of playing a role and just wish you could settle down." She grinned. "When Dad told me that we were going to leave Rome, my friend Andrea came up with this whole scream to have the government take custody of me so that I could stay. I almost did it, too. And in Greece, I ran off for two days."

"How far did you get?"

"Oh, I never expected him not to find me. I was surprised I lasted as long as I did. I just wanted him to know that I wasn't happy with things. I had to sleep in this barrel I found because it was raining, and the whole experience was really gross. Plus, I can't speak Greek, which made things even worse."

"Have to tell parents things in a big way or they just don't get it, do they?"

"And half the time they see it as the wrong message anyway. There's always been this big thing with my father about my mom's family. I've never even met them."

"That must be so weird, having a family you don't know."

"Sometimes I wonder about them, if I have cousins my age, if my other aunts are as cool as Lenan. It would be neat to find out about them."

"You don't have your grandparents' phone number?"

"I don't. I guess Lenan does..."

Rainy was grinning. "I think you should do it."

"My dad would kill me."

"Why should he have to know? You could do it from a pay phone or whatever, but it's not like they're going to track him down just to flaunt it in his face that you went off and found them."

Alece pressed her lips together. She'd thought about getting in touch with her grandparents lots of times, but it had never been practical. How would she have gotten the number? Her father kept all of that in a computer lap top, and he would have known if she'd gone in. But there were always several hours between the time Alece got home and her aunt did.

"I don't know. My father would be so pissed. He'd probably make me come stay with him again, and that would really suck. I've gotten used to it, you know? It's just part of me, and I don't know if it's worth risking my dad hating me to change."

"You could call from Gretchen's line and then reimburse her. She's got a sperate phone line in the attic, and the bill goes straight to her. Do you know where they live?"

"No. I don't know anything about them except that their last name is Traverse. That would be too weird, just calling them up and saying, 'Hi, I'm your granddaughter.' What if they hate me or something?"

"Why would they do that?"

"They hate my father and he hates them."

"Yeah, but you're their daughter's daughter. You're their flesh and blood, and- Was that a drop? Did you feel a drop?"

"Yeah. And that time I definitely felt it."

There was a second while they both stood on the path with their hands up, and then pang, pang, pang, and the rain started.

"We should run unless you want to get soaked." They started off, and the girls' tent wasn't too far away. Alece managed to get her hair caught up in the zipper going through.

Moira immediately pulled out a notebook and handed it to Josephine. "Take notes."

She was apparently very serious about creating a new school system, and since Alece was sitting next to her, it was hard not to get involved.

"What's the point of going to school?" Moira began, and Josephine wrote it as a page header.

"To give you skills that you'll need in the outside world," Josephine quoted, "although I don't see how memorizing the periodic table is going to help if I decide to run a seven-eleven."

"My father," Alece told them, "used to make me read the classics, and I hated it. I mean, really, really hated it. He said I had to read them because they presented a universal ground on which to discuss the fundamentals of the human condition, which everyone would learn and participate in, therefor helping us to discover more about ourselves and others' views on the soul of society."

Moira looked at her for a few seconds and then pulled her sunglasses off and said, "I have absolutely no idea what that meant."

"Neither do I, but Dad has the whole speech down pat if you want to call him. You have a bump on your face, right near your eye." It was just a small brown lump on the end of her eyebrow, and Alece hadn't seen it because of her glasses.

"Do I? I hit myself in the face with my bedroom door last night, must have hit it harder than I realized." Then Moira saw the look Josephine was giving her and said, "And yes, I really did hit myself with the door. If you'd like a selection of bruises from dumping my car in the lake, there's one on my leg where it got caught up in the seat belt, and another on my elbow where I had to beat the door open."

Josephine looked down at her pen as Gretchen and Honor stopped talking, and Alece was waiting to see what was going to happen as if it were some Aaron Spelling soap opera she was watching.

"Anyway," Moira went on, a second later, knowing she was in control and that Josephine had been properly chastised, "what's the point of school?"

"You're supposed to learn how to get along with people," Honor said, and it was hard to tell if she was contributing or making a threat.

"There are some things you're going to need in the real world," Rainy admitted. "How to talk, read, write, and maybe math up to eight grade or so. Not after that."

"Not algebra."

"Not geometry."

"Maybe geometry," Gretchen said, "if you're going to do business management or something, to make pie charts. Or if you want to get into architecture."

"But that's the whole problem with school." Moira nodded to herself, getting revved up." It's like they're trying to get you ready for every single job on the planet. We should all be able to pick out our vocations earlier, and then learn the thing you need to do that, not to do everything." She raised her voice, excited. "Like, remember how last year, it rained on field day, so we all had to do packets that taught you about the tiny parts of fishing boats? What the hell was the point of that?"

"They can hear you all over camp, Moira," Rainy said, gently.

She was getting a bit too worked up. "I don't care! If those teachers want to come over here and explain what good it will do for me to know the difference between a hank and a rank, I'm not going to stop them. I don't even remember if there's suck a thing as a hank on a boat, so that goes to show what how much I got from that lesson!"

Gretchen stopped trying to hide her laughter and said, "Calm down, okay? The point here is that we're going to create a school where they don't do things like that. Better to think on what would be right, rather than what's already wrong."

Moira nodded sharply, like a general. "Alright then, let's get started. How about two different kinds of school, general, where you learn the necessary basics, and then vocational, where you learn about what you're going to spend the rest of your natural born life doing?"

"Sounds good to me," Josephine said, which was as much of an apology as Moira was going to get.

"Wait a second," Jarrett broke in. He was always the one seeing the other side of the issue, the side that wouldn't work. "How are you going to do this? These people are going to go into Madrid looking for work as...I don't know, a politician, with a degree from Moira's School of Crass Government. Nobody's going to hire them."

"So we'll keep them in Louisa," Moira replied, undisturbed. "No problem. We haven't anybody worth voting for in a long time."

"You can't force people to stay here." Jarrett shook his head firmly. "You don't want to run a school, Moira, you want to run a country."

The blue in her eyes was hard to see in the dim of the tent, and without voices to break it's rhythm, the rain poured down without mercy. For several seconds, people absorbed this, and then Moira's face broke into the most thrilling of smiles and she said, "Yes! That's perfect. I never give you enough credit, do I, Jare? What would it take to make Louisa a sperate country? I mean, realistically?"

Jarrett groaned. "You've got a better chance of make Jackson a god."

"It might not be as bad as you think," Josephine told him thoughtfully.

"You're joking, right?" Gretchen said.

"No, I'm serious. I mean, we'd have to get everyone agreed, but there can't be that many people in the town."

"We'd talk them into it?"

"Yes, in groups of seven or eight at a time. We could go to schools and businesses, as a political campaigning group. No guns, no violence, no drugs. The people we couldn't get to would love us anyway."

"The kids at schools can't vote," Rainy pointed out.

"They can now."

Jarrett let out another low groan. "Moira, I've got to stop you before you do anything crazy. This isn't going to work. There's no way."

"Why not?"

"I don't think the president would allow a little town in the middle of nowhere Nebraska permission to sperate into another country."

"We don't need their permission, just that of the people. It's really government for and of the people." Her hands were beginning to move as she spoke. "They aren't going to barge into a tiny country with no weapons and shoot us all or anything."

"This would be rebellious uprising that would send waves all over the country."

"The bigger, the better."

"They could charge you with treason."

"Maybe, but not it we aren't trying to hurt the U.S. And we aren't. We'll keep most of the constitution, just change a couple of parts. Like the one about being allowed to have a gun under your pillow. That's gotta go."

"This is a cult. You want to start a cult."

"More like that thing Disney's doing, with the little town-"

"It's a quiet village," Rainy sang, correcting her.

"Well, maybe for those of you who can sing without breaking glass," Moira said. "For the rest of us, it can just be a nice little town where people are happy."

"Can we build a tower to live in?" Rainy asked, ludicrously. "I'll dress up like a beast when company comes."

"I think this conversation is getting way out of control," Gretchen said.

Jarrett nodded and said, "I agree."

"I kind of liked the castle idea," Honor admitted, and Jarrett rolled his eyes.

Something about the warmth of the tent with its darkness and the patter of rain on the tarp was making Alece sleepy, along with the faintly musty smell and lack of sunlight. She let herself lay down on Honor's sleeping bag, curled into a ball so she wouldn't kick anyone.

It was nice, listening to everyone talking around her, these voices she was coming to know so well. Honor's pillow smelled like her strawberry flavored shampoo, and though she'd never noticed it before, the sound of the rain really was soothing. There was a bump under her shoulder, a root or rock, probably, something hard and digging into her skin.

She was falling into a sort of hazy trance, and the voices became unimportant until Moira said, "You know what, Jarrett? Look at Alece. No, don't move, Alece. Look at her Jarrett. Who does she look like?"

Alece was waking up and feeling very self conscious, but she didn't move. After a few seconds, she heard Jarrett say, "I don't know."

"Oh, come on. Think back to when we were little kids...remember? Blond hair, purple eyes. Come on Jarrett, think!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"It was your favorite movie when we were little. You were fascinated by it. You made me watch it all the time."

Gretchen broke on, "Come on, Jarrett, I've even figured out this one. Picture her in a tattered cloak."

"With a little star on her forehead."

"I'm still not getting it."

"A magician, a mean king, his cute son, and a has-been hag."

"Nothing."

"A unicorn."

"I'm sorry, Moira, but I can't think of anyone."

Alece opened her eyes. "Are you talking about The Last Unicorn?"

"Yes! Have you seen that?" Moira was thrilled.

"When I was little. It's been a while."

Jarrett spoke slowly. "Lady Mouth or something, right?"

"Amalthea," Moira corrected him. "How could you forget? We watched that movie all the time when we were little."

Jarrett shrugged. "I've seen a lot of other movies since then. But you're right, she does look like the unicorn girl."

Great, Alece thought. Now I'm a unicorn.

"You know what happened to me the other day?" Rainy asked, changing the subject. He apparently hadn't seen the unicorn movie.

"I was home alone with Samantha, because Mom had to work late and Dad never gets home before six, and we started fighting about something, I don't remember. It was one of those fights that start out fighting and then turns into this long, philosophical conversation. Anyway, she started complaining that the world was just a crappy place, and all her friends are air heads, minus Dee, of course," he said meaningfully to Josephine, "and she was slumped in this chair, growling stuff. Then Mom walked in the door, and was all smiles, didn't even mention any of the stuff she'd complained to me about. And I kept thinking, this is it. Now that she doesn't want to tell her mother every single thing, she's really a teenager. Now that she's learned to pretend, she's really made it."

"I never tell my family anything," Honor told him. "Aunt Ruth told me it was uncivilized for girls to go camping. She doesn't even like it when I wear pants."

"Every generation gets crazier," Moira pronounced. "And all their children want something more. There were the women who wear short skirts, and then the women who wanted to vote, and the women who wanted to go to work, and then to war, and then the hippie women who didn't want to wear bras and jiggle freely in the streets, and now we have the pot children, I guess."

"But if each generation gets crazier, then where's it finally going to stop?" Gretchen asked.

"It won't. We'll just go so crazy that everybody dies. Self destruction."

"So you agree with the Republicans?"

"What? I never said that."

"You said that if we didn't stop being crazy we would self destruct."

"Yeah, so? I don't necessarily think self destruction would be a bad thing. Maybe the survivors could start over and pull it together." She grinned suddenly. "Maybe we could start over."

"Don't start that again," Jarrett warned, and then said seriously, "It's not about being crazy, per say. I think it's more about there are all these forbidden things that we keep wanting to liberate so that we can explore them. Maybe we're just being too lazy to come up with other amusements. Like, think of it this way, back in the fifties, there was almost no crime, because the TV had just become wide spread. See, everyone was so caught up watching Leave It To Beaver that they didn't need to explore the forbidden things. We all just have too much time on our hands."

"But appeal of forbidden things," Moira told him, "the lure, is irresistible. I don't know how to describe it-"

"You don't have to," Honor put in. "We've all been there, except maybe for Alece, who will be pretty soon if she hasn't already."

"We didn't tell you about our little trip to the grocery, did we?" Gretchen asked with a smile.

"No, what happened at the grocery?"

Moira laughed and Gretchen rolled her eyes and started the telling.

Alece was still laying on her back, thinking. Forbidden things. Yes, each generation kept getting more liberal, or crazier, but maybe the end wasn't self destruction. Maybe it was something else, something totally unconsidered, something her mind could not even begin to contemplate because of the pathetically small size of her brain.

The rain above had stopped, and a few minutes later, a teacher came around asking everyone to meet at the center tree, where ever that was. Alece pulled herself to her feet, hoping the clouds would dissipate soon. She still felt better with the sun out, no matter how cozy the tent had been.

She yawned and dug her hands into her jean pockets as they walked, assuming the others knew where they were going.

"Are they really going to expect us to fill out those stupid packets?" Moira asked.

"Probably not. You know how these things go, the teachers get all excited, like they're finally going to get us in line and make us work, and then all the wimp kids complain and they say, well, since it's so hard, you only have to do half, and that gets cut to a third, and then a fourth, and trying to figure out how many problems you actually have to do is more of a chore than any of the work would have been."

Up ahead, there was a clearing marked with a twenty foot telephone pole, no longer used. It was streaked with grey water lines, and puddled around the base, where Mr. Rinn, from Alece's English class, was standing with a clipboard.

"Once," Rainy whispered in Alece's ear, "Moira and Jarrett came out here on May first and decorated the whole pole with ribbons and flowers and pentagrams and left this little card that said, 'Happy spring from the witch kids.' It was a riot."

Alece could imagine it. Poor Detective Bon Jovi must have had dozens of reports of evil doing from all over Louisa, phoned in by paranoid people.

They stayed near the back of the group, the sixty or so people who made up the junior class plus staff and parents. Mr. Rinn began giving his speech, about rules and things not to do, including really obviously stupid things like, "And this year, I don't want to hear anyone complaining about having no place to plug in their portable microwave. This is nature, and you're going to commune with it."

He also warned them about falling trees, and told them that if they heard a tree beginning to fall, to run away. "Don't just stand there and stare at it!" he cried. His face twisted in horror. "You'll be crushed!"

Moira cracked up.

Afterward, they were invited to wander around for a few hours before dinner. "Get a feel for the place, but don't get lost. Stay on the paths."

"Well?" Moira asked, as the meeting broke up. "Where to?"

"The ridge," Honor said. "Are you afraid of heights?" she asked Alece.

"No."

"Good."

There was no one else on the path they took, which was extremely old and beat down so hard that it was more like a rut. It also had little hoof prints, which made Alece think that it was probably a pig run or something.

The trees were dripping water like perspiring basketball players around them as they walked, Gretchen in the lead. Thick green covered the forest floor, and Alece doubted she would have been able to walk through it. Dark clouds still hung menacingly over head, with no sign of any intention to move, and giving the forest a truly haunted feeling.

She was glad she was wearing hiking boots, because the path was slick with mud. Ahead of her, Moira was humming something that sounded like a Viking war chant. She had terrible pitch.

"How far is this place?" Alece asked Rainy.

"Not too far, but you have to go through a cave to get there."

"Did we bring flashlights?"

"It's only about fifteen feet from one side to the other. Don't worry, you'll be okay. We've been here a hundred times."

Alece believed Rainy about everything except for her being okay. She wasn't particularly comfortable in the dark these days.

They stopped abruptly, all crashing into one another like idiots in some slapstick movie. "I think we passed it," Gretchen said.

"I told you we were there," Moira said. "But you wouldn't believe me."

"Are we lost?" Alece asked.

"No," Jarrett told her. "They'll just fight about it for a minute, and then Gretch will admit she passed it up and we'll turn around. See, it's right over there." He pointed to some undergrowth with a boulder sticking out. "Only ten feet."

Alece looked from Moira and Gretchen to Jarrett and laughed. He was really just going to let them stand there and bicker.

The boulder rolled to the side without a problem. There was a hole where it fit nicely, and Rainy told her they had dug it for this purpose.

"I don't think I can go in there without a flashlight," Alece said, looking at the hole Moira had just disappeared through.

It was pitch black inside, not even the faintest glimmer of light, yet Moira had scrambled through without the faintest trace of fear.

"It's only fifteen feet," Honor promised. "You can stand up, I'll walk you all the way through it."

"Are there rocks and things in the path?"

"No, it's completely smooth. I think a river used to run inside it or something."

Alece took a deep breath and nodded. She, Honor and Jarrett were the only ones left outside. "Okay, but if I die, you have to find a way to get my body out of the tunnel intact. No limbs missing."

"I promise. Now here's what to do. Jarrett, you go down first." He climbed into the hole and disappeared. "Okay, now, Alece, sit on the edge of the hole and put your legs in. Now, prop your elbows on the sides of the hole and swing your body down."

"Will my feet touch the floor?"

"No, you won't smack it or anything. Just ease down."

Alece hesitantly did so, putting her weight on her shoulders.

"This is the hardest part," Honor told her. "Just put your arms above your head and drop."

"Do I have to?"

"There's no way around it. Be careful to pull your arms all the way up or you'll skin them."

Alece just couldn't do it. The idea of dropping herself was enough against her animal instincts, but the fact that she had no idea what she was falling into wasn't helping.

She looked at Honor, who raised her eyebrows and shook her head. "Sorry, Alece." Then she reached out pushed Alece's arms in, and she fell into the darkness.

She thought she would fall forever.

In reality, the fall must have been about a foot and half. It was even scarier when she landed on a big sheet of ply wood that banged against the rocks and made a horrible noise.

Although she landed on her feet, it was dark, she couldn't see anything, and her balance was shot because the floor was exceptionally slippery and wet. Also, she was quite sure that Honor was going to drop on top of her any second, so she swung herself blindly around to the side, and smashed into.. a bear?

With a scream that echoed horribly, she jumped back onto the play wood and screamed, "It's a bear! Run, Honor!"

Then the bear started laughing and she realized it was only Jarrett, who must have been waiting to make sure she didn't break an ankle getting down here. Now that she was in the hole, she could see better with the little light that came through hole.

"It's not a bear," Jarrett told Honor. "There's nobody here but me." He held out a hand to Alece. "Are you okay?"

She was shaking like a leaf. "Yeah, I'm fine. I really did think you were a huge bear that had torn everybody else's throats out."

"Don't I wish." He lead her away from the hole. "The path just goes straight forward."

She reached out and touched the rock on her right. It was a trench to walk through, and was smooth. Behind her, Honor dropped to the floor, causing another jarring vibration as wood hit rock.

"Sorry I had to push you," she said. "What are you talking about a bear?" There was no light in the cave because Honor had pulled the rock back in place. They went around a corner, Alece's boots clinging hopelessly to the smooth, almost polished rock and then she could see a hole where dim light shone through.

"Hold on," Honor said. "You have to see the cave in the dark first."

"How can I see it if it's dark?"

Then she heard the ruffle of Honor's clothes and a match strike. A flame burst into existence, glowing eerie orange. "Look at the walls," Honor told her, bringing the match up close to one. She leaned over to the wall and saw that it was made of black stone with beautiful silver speckles that caught the light and sparkled. "It looks like a night sky."

Honor nodded as the match went out. "We used to come down here with candles when we first found this place. Remember that, Jare? That was back before we even became the Eye People."

They led Alece out of the tunnel and into what was almost a hallway. The floor was covered in damp leaves, and two smooth rock walls stretched up on either side of them. The hole was in the ground, same as the other, and had a large pole driven into the rock to use as a foot hold to get out.

"What took you so long?" Moira asked. "And what was the shouting about?"

"Alece though I was a bear," Jarrett told her.

"You are a bear," she shot back with a grin. "Come on, let's get going."

They climbed a mountain next. It wasn't a big mountain, and it wasn't hard climbing, but it got Alece thinking that there was a lot more in a tiny Nebraska town here than there was supposed to be.

The went to the top of the mountain, then ducked into another cave. This one was much shorter, maybe five feet, and above ground, so you didn't have to climb into anything. On the other side, was the ridge.

"Oh, wow," Alece breathed, standing up straight after stopping to get through the cave.

They were two hundred feet above ground, standing on a patch of cliff maybe twelve feet in diameter. A thick wooden railing went around the edge, and was cemented into the rock face.

"We put that in ourselves," Moira told her. "The five of us. We had to haul three hundred pounds of cement and all that wood. Took most of spring break, but it was worth it. Gretchen was so sure somebody was going to fall that she made us tie ropes around our waists."

"Is it sturdy?" Alece asked, impressed that they had built the thing themselves.

"Is it sturdy? Of course it's sturdy. Watch this." Moira took a few running steps and launched herself into it. Alece heard four gasps, herself included, and Gretchen screamed. Moira landed on the ground laughing.

"Don't get so scared, Gretchen. You know this thing is solid. You're the one who insisted on putting the metal rods in the wood."

"Don't ever do that again," Gretchen yelled at her. "What if you had fallen?"

"I'm not going to fall, it's perfectly safe."

"Moira," Jarrett warned. "Be good."

She made a face at him but settled next to the railing. Alece took a few hesitant steps forward and looked out. The view was breathtaking. Trees stretched for miles, becoming nothing more than brown and green blurs below, rising and falling like an egg-crate mattress. In the distance, gray clouds gathered and rained over far distant necks of the woods. Birds were heard calling loudly to each other.

Rainy giggled suddenly. "What?" Alece asked, standing next to him.

"I saw this big splash of yellow, and I thought, How pretty, the leaves are changing. But then I realized it was a McDonald arch."

Alece decided one of the things she liked best about Rainy was that he could enjoy the little stupidities of everyday life in America.

"The camp is over there," Gretchen told her, motioning to the other side of the ridge. She could see the clearing, and a black dot that may have been the telephone pole.

"What a great view."

"You could see the whole city," Moira said, "from up on top of the mountain, but Gretchen won't let me go up there."

"Because," Gretchen said with obvious restraint, "if you fall, you die."

"Yeah, well," Moira muttered.

"I hauled my cello up here once," Honor said. "That was really great, playing on top of the mountain. It was like I had the whole world at my command."

"Hey," Rainy said to Jarrett. "Remember when we were talking about your sisters the other day? Well, Lydia used to drive us out here all the time, so she was good for something."

Jarrett snorted. "Lydia'd make a good throw cushion, too, if you told her where to sit."

"Such obvious love between siblings," Moira said sarcastically, and Jarrett looked at her funny.

"Like you're one to talk."

And then Gretchen said firmly, "Drop it now," and they both shut up.

The air tasted damp but sweet, and then, just like she had a few hours before, she felt a drop.

"Oh, shit," Jarrett muttered.

"Let's go," Gretchen said. "Alece, hurry, but be careful."

Honor told her, "When it rains, all the water on the mountain drains into the cave and we're all too scared to go back through. Except for Moira, of course."

Alece didn't think she could have jumped into a cave if it was full of water. And things weren't looking good, what with the rain picking up every second. Honor lost her footing and rolled about halfway down the mountain side. It took them almost a half hour to reach the bottom.

"I'm going in," Moira was telling Gretchen when Alece got down the hill. They were standing next to the entrance to the underground cave, all of them soaking wet.

"You'll break your leg," Gretchen told her, "and how are we going to get you out?"

"We'll be fine. The water can't have gotten that high yet."

As if by way of warning, the rain got much harder then, coming down in smashing sheets, one of which almost knocked Alece over. She wrestled her knotted braid into her soaking sweatshirt.

"It is freezing out here," Josephine told Gretchen. "The faster we get back, the faster we get warm. Plus, it won't help us to just stand here. We can't climb the walls in here; they're completely smooth. Unless we want to wait it out, there's no other choice."

"Look," Moira said, turning away. "I'm going."

She jumped into the hole with the ease of years of practice. Alece wasn't sure, but she thought she heard a slight splash.

"Oh, god," Gretchen muttered in horror. The wind came up again and her face disappeared behind a mess of red curls. "This is my nightmare, my absolute nightmare."

"Are you serious?" Honor shouted, worried suddenly.

Gretchen hadn't been talking to her. "No, it's not what you think. It's not my actual nightmare."

Moira was yelling from the hole. "Get down here!" Another gust of wind came and Rainy fell over. "It's not too bad. We can make it through it you're careful."

"I'll go," Josephine said without hesitation. She got through the hole well enough, but screamed when she reached the bottom.

"What is it?" Gretchen yelled, panicked, as she fell to her knees next to the opening.

"This water is freezing!" Josephine screamed. It was the first time Alece had ever heard her raise her voice.

Rainy and Honor went in, then Alece and Jarrett. Gretchen insisted that she be the last one, to make sure everybody else got in okay.

The water was viper cold, and Alece almost tried to scramble back through the hole when she fell in. It went up just over her knees.

"Why wasn't it like this last time?" she asked blindly, groping the walls for a handhold.

"The water drains off quickly," Jarrett told her, "except when it's raining. Help me get the rock rolled back."

There were two small hand holds in the bolder, which Jarrett had probably put in himself. As the stone rolled back in place, cutting off the freezing gusts of wind, a quiet closed over the group, shielding them from rain and the cold.

In the dark, nobody said anything for a second. Then Moira began roll call.

"Jarrett?"

"Yeah."

"Alece?"

"Here."

"Gretch?"

"I made it."

"Honor?"

"I'm going to kill you the minute there's light."

"But you're alive. Stop your gripping. Rainy?"

"I think I should change my name or something."

"Josephine?" Nothing. "Josephine?"

Then there was a laugh, and as Josephine said, "Gotcha," Alece relaxed in relief and slipped. The cave floor was worse than ice skating.

She went under the water with the desperate thought of, Oh, this is bad. The walls had water from other areas of the mountain side flowing down them.

The water shocked her hair to its very ends when it reached her scalp, and the whole slab of flesh contracted violently, shrinking. In fact, it felt like her whole body had just gotten smaller.

Apparently, also, those hard things she banged into were more than rocks, because Jarrett, Honor, and Josephine went down a second later. Alece came up and took a deep breath, just glad she could breathe, and felt the tangle of people on the floor. The water went up to her neck here.

Moira was laughing hysterically, and a second later, flicked a lighter that she had apparently had all along. "I really wish I had a camera."

Honor was coughing and spitting water. "Tastes like blood."

"You're bleeding?" Gretchen cried.

"No, it's that nasty water that still has iron in it. Disgusting. Oh, and Alece, I'm killing you as soon as I get done with Moira."

Alece didn't feel worried. Actually, she was pleased that Honor was teasing her. She felt like a real part of the group. "I'm sorry," she said, between laughing, which had started when Moira had.

Josephine had her eyes closed. "Moira, do you see my sunglasses?"

Moira looked around seriously. "I don't see them. Blast. Here, take mine." She handed them to Josephine, who slipped them on.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Alece was fairly sure she had sat on hers, but it didn't mattered much just then. Josephine's bun had lost half its contents, Honor was spitting there was no tomorrow, and Jarrett's fine black hair was plastered to his face. Interestingly enough, his expression hadn't changed.

"You'll get hypothermia," Gretchen warned, holding out her hand to anyone who wanted it.

Alece wondered what it would be like to swim around in here, and then she noticed something terribly alarming.

"Wait. Nobody move for a second."

Moira stopped and reflicked her lighter, but no one moved, and then Jarrett confirmed Alece's fear and said, "The water's getting higher. We have to get out now."

Alece knew that, realistically, the chances of her drowning were slim, but that didn't stop the panicking feeling in her chest. She stood up slowly, placing both her feet with meticulous caution, and then helped Jarrett up. They made sort of a train, with Moira and her lighter in front.

"Okay, real slow now. If you think you're going to fall, don't grab anyone else. That'll only bring us all down. Now, keep going forward. No, slowly. I'm the shortest one here, and I'm not panicking, even though I'd be the first to drown."

Moira went down a few seconds later, but true to her own advice, didn't grab anyone, and apparently managed to keep the light lit and above water the whole time. Of course, it didn't matter much a few seconds later when Josephine tripped over her and they all crashed.

It was hilarious, people on top of people, almost drowning each other, and it occurred to Alece that this wouldn't have been nearly as much fun with anyone else. After Rainy's third slip, they gave up on walking at all. Plus, the water was a good four feet deep, maybe closer to five, and they could swim.

"Another ten minutes," Moira said, "and I'll probably drown. Any offers to carry my body back to camp?"

Rainy and Josephine got the boulder out of the way while the others treaded. Actually, the buoyancy of the water was quite a help for getting out.

Unfortunately, the rain had not slackened any. It was still beating down when Alece finally got out of the hole and took a look at her drenched friends. The light was going down fast, as the sun set early due to the clouds. Jarrett's waterproof watch said it had been raining for almost an hour, meaning they had been trapped in the cave for thirty minutes.

"Too bad eyes don't work on the weather," Josephine muttered. Moira's sunglasses looked strange on her.

"You'd need a witch for that," Honor told her.

"You'd need something," Jarrett said. "Come on, let's get the hell out of here before we freeze to death."

Dry clothes had never felt so good, along with the faint smell of detergent. Alece was wearing a sweat suit and sitting on her sleeping bag, letting Josephine brush her hair. Josephine was one of the few people Alece didn't have to teach to brush her hair. Andrea had never been able to understand how to start at the bottom and work her way up, but Josephine, probably because she had fairly long hair herself, did so automatically.

Gretchen's curls had been so soaked by the time they got to the tent that they had rearranged themselves automatically. She was sitting across from Alece, rubbing her feet.

"That was really, really, scary," she said.

"Nah," Moira told her. "It was fun. I always thought you should do more dangerous things." She put on a second pair of socks. "Roth would have loved it."

"Roth was a nut," Honor said, but she didn't seem to mind talking about him. Alece took that as a heathy sign. She was always hesitant to talk about dead people.

"Yeah, but he knew how to have a good time," Moira pointed out. "Gretchen, you have the biggest circles under your eyes. Have you been sleeping on the floor again or what?"

"Maybe my stress level has just been sky-rocketing, due to a certain short person with black hair."

Moira stopped and thought. "I don't think Jarrett's short."

"Leave Gretchen alone," Josephine told Moira. "She's had a rough day."

"Who hasn't?" Honor asked. "The whole face on my watch is smashed in."

"That's what you get for not buying Timex."

"When is dinner?"

"They'll probably bring it around, but I've got three bags of cheese puffs."

"Where?"

"In my duffel."

"I've got Little Debbie," Alece offered, and they broke out the food. Moira had apparently masterminded a plan to have varied and large quantities of snacks in their tent.

"Think Jarrett and Rainy are okay?" Gretchen asked, biting into a cookie.

"We would have heard if anything had happened to them," Moira said.

"You're not going out again to see them," Honor told her.

"You'll run out of clothes, and we still have to wear something tonight."

"Tonight?" Alece asked in shock.

"I thought we wouldn't go out because of the weather," Josephine said.

"Why not?" Moira asked. "We don't have to go through the Under-cave, so we should be okay. I've got a couple of ponchos, and so does Alece."

Gretchen shook her head. "It never ceases to amaze me how you manipulate us, Moira."

"If I didn't, who would?"

"It's too cold and too wet," Josephine said.

"What are we talking about here?" Alece asked. She still couldn't figure out what was going on.

"We usually sneak out to this big cavern in the woods. It used to be a hippie hang-out, way back when, but now we're the only ones who use it. But personally, I'm way too tired to hike all the way out there."

"What if we took your car, Honor?"

"Oh, yeah, like nobody would notice a buffalo dressed up as a car smashing down trees. We haven't cleared the road since...last spring probably, and we didn't drive on it all summer."

"What do you think, Alece?" Moira asked.

"How far is it from camp?"

"A mile, maybe a little more."

"Then I'm with Gretchen. Let's wait 'till tomorrow. I'm zonked from my swim."

Moira smiled. "And it was so nice of you to dunk everybody else in, too."

"So we'll go tomorrow?" Josephine asked.

"Definitely," Moira said, and the look in her eyes made Alece believe that she would move heaven and hell in order to do it.

Chapter 32

"Rubber band?"

Alece picked up the hair tie and passed it over her shoulder to Josephine, who had turned out to be an expert with hair.

"Bobby pin."

She handed one of those back, too, feeling Josephine pull her hair and twist it, then a pinch as she stuck in the pin.

"Bobby pin."

"Am I going to look ridiculous when you're done?"

"No."

Moira glanced over at Alece, sitting in front of Josephine. "Yes, you already look ridiculous. Run before it's too late."

"What time is it?" Honor asked. Her watch hadn't been salvageable.

It was approximately twenty-four hours later, and the girls were dressing quietly in their tent. Well, they were trying to be quiet, but it just wasn't natural for Moira.

The rain had stopped early that morning, and the ground had mostly dried out. They had been forced to take part in the class activities, most of which were unbelievably stupid, such as writing a poem about the beauty of a leaf. Alece's had gone, "Leaf, leaf,/ You won't grow in a reef./ You're lean and green,/ But you're not mean."

So she wasn't a poet.

After lunch, things had been better. She and her camera had gone on an exquisite tour of the area, curtesy Moira and Jarrett Travel Inc., and gotten sort promising shots.

"It's 11:26," Moira told Honor. "Jarrett said he and Rainy would meet us at Manic Chopper Tree at 11:35."

Alece hadn't realized that the tree had a name. Moira apparently named everything, from her car to article's of clothing.

"Are you done?" she asked Josephine.

"Almost. Just another minute. Give me a pin."

Moira glanced over and jumped. "What did you do to her?"

"Is it awful?"

"I kind of like it," Gretchen said.

"You look like Counselor Troy off Star Trek, The Next Generation," Moira told her.

"I think it looks great," Honor said.

Alece picked up a hand mirror off Gretchen's sleeping bag and aimed it at her own. It was the same one she had been given up in the attic.

"Oh, my god."

Josephine had parted her hair into six sections and French braided each part, then interweaved the braids and wound them together into a knot the size of half a basket ball on the top of her head.

Josephine sprayed the bun thing lightly with a can of hair spray. "Well, it won't fall down easily. You know, I really like your hair. The possibilities are limitless."

"It looks like a bee hive," Moira said, still staring. She couldn't quiet seem to believe it.

"It does feel very solid," Alece told Josephine. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

"It looks like a moldy cake got stuck to your head," Moira went on.

"What time is it?" Honor asked.

"11:30," Gretchen replied. "We should get going."

"It looks like-" Moira began, but Gretchen cut her off.

"Oh, shut up. It looks fine and no one but us are going to see it anyway."

They unzipped the tent carefully, sliding on their shoes as they got out. At least Alece's hair didn't get caught.

There were still some people up and around, sitting near the fire. The staff had been bizarrely naive, going to bed thirty minutes ago, and nothing had been heard from them. They hadn't even gotten up to yell at any of the kids still sitting around the fire, or the ones covering Mr. Rinn's car in toilet paper.

"Like taking candy from a baby," Moira muttered, straightening up and scanning the area.

"Which way?" Alece asked.

"Left, Counselor."

Alece had never been a Star Trek fan, old generation or new, and didn't know who she was talking about.

The sky was visible through a scatter of weak clouds that were drifting quickly overhead. The stars were splashed out like powdered sugar on a hot roll. Staring at the black line where the trees met the sky, Alece suddenly thought of her first date with Evan, when they'd gone to the conservatory and looked at the stars.

It was even weirder when she glanced randomly toward the fire and saw Evan there, watching her. She had been surprised that he had come along, but he seemed to be back to normal, less than a week after his mother's suicide.

I guess they really weren't close.

He waved a little, so she waved back, and then her view of him was cut off but the trees closing in on her as she followed Moira's lead into the woods.

"Are we staying on a path?"

"Gretchen wouldn't have it any other way."

Considering that people usually sleep at night, it was also weird that there were so many animals out and making noises. Alece wondered what the chances were that they would be attacked by a bear or something.

"I've got a really bad feeling," Alece whispered to Honor, hoping Moira wouldn't hear and call her a wimp.

"What's it feel like?"

"Sort of a tightness in my shoulders. I might just be sore from banging around in the cave."

"Nope, that's the night thing."

"What?"

"Remember? We told you about it last weekend. You're a creature of the sun, as Fredrick put it, so you feel a little weird when you're out at night. It's basically just advanced paranoia, nothing to worry about. You'll feel better once we get there and get a fire going."

"They're here," Josephine told Moira, and pointed back a ways on the trail. Alece couldn't see anything; how could Josephine when she had her sunglasses on?

They waited up a few minutes for Jarrett and Rainy, and then continued on. Alece's tennis shoes weren't gripping the path very well, but her boots hadn't even been close to dry.

They went up a hill, down a hill, around a very tight turn, and then along the edge of a ravine. "Deer," Josephine whispered once, but Alece couldn't see anything that time either. Then a big owl hooted seven or eight feet away from them and Rainy was so surprised he jumped into Gretchen and they fell over in a ditch.

This was no four-minute-mile Alece realized quickly, and they were taking their sweet time. She got caught up on some brambles, but Honor cut them quickly with a pocket knife, and they kept going.

Nobody talked much, each of them thinking their own thoughts, Alece supposed. She was wondering where they were going, how much longer it would take, and would they actually make it or not?

Finally, Moira stopped next to a big pile of boulders and took them through the underbrush.

"Somebody give me a flashlight."

The beam revealed a large hole in the side of the cave, more like a huge chip taken out.

"Jarrett," Moira said. "Do you have the knife?"

"Rainy's got it. I have the axe."

The AXE?

"What's going on?" Alece asked Honor, who was always able to answer her questions.

"We've got to have weapons just in case some creature has decided to move in. That happened once, and Moira almost got her arm taken off by this huge wolf."

"It was little more than a puppy," Jarrett corrected, "and a beagle at that."

"It was still scary," Honor told him indignantly.

The crack in the wall was about two feet wide and seven feet high. Jarrett lifted the ax; now that Alece knew it was there she didn't understand how she had missed him carrying it down the trail, over his head, and went in first. Moira shone the light under his arms.

"I've very glad you're Sure," she said.

"Oh, be quiet," he told her. "You coming, Rainy?"

"I don't know. I think I'd just run if something ate you."

Josephine took the knife and went in behind Moira.

The others waited outside, and it seemed to be much longer than the two minutes and forty seconds Gretchen's watch counted. Alece shifted from one foot to the other, unsure what they normally encountered when cleaning out the cave. A cloud drifted over the half full moon.

"What's taking so long?" Honor asked Gretchen, which made Alece decide she should be worried.

"It always takes this long. You're just excited."

Alece decided that she shouldn't be worried after all.

"No, last year it only took two minutes."

She should have been worried, she realized a moment later when Moira came out and said they needed another flashlight, that theirs had died and they had to feel their way out.

Finally, the cave had been secured, and Alece was allowed inside. It wasn't just a cave, it was a cavern.

The ceiling stretched up fourteen feet and was sloping and smooth. The floor was flat, cleared in a circle of fourteen feet across, although it was hard to see exactly without more light. Luckily, one of the flashlights opened up to form a lantern, and Moira hung it from a hook embedded in the center of the ceiling. The rock walls were orange-brown, light colored, as was the floor. A pile of wood stood over in the corner, next to an abandoned box of matches. The walls were fairly smooth, with a few places that jutted out, but it looked like a real room.

There were holes in the walls, several. Alece counted five, but thought she might have missed one. The ones that were high off the floor had the same metal handles stuck under them as the ones in the Under-cave, as it had been called earlier.

Alece realized that they must have been fixing up these places for years, between the railing on the ridge and all the little conveniences in the caves.

"It's a dry cave," Gretchen assured her. "No flooding, not like the Under-cave."

"Well, not completely dry," Moira reminded her. "There's a hot springs in one of the tunnels, but it never overflows. You want to see it?"

"Sure."

Moira led her over to one of the holes in the rock and helped her up. "We already checked back here to make sure nothing has moved in. That would be bad."

Alece crawled forward through a tunnel that was about the size of a hoo-la hoop, if you bent it into a triangle. "How far?" she asked.

"Nine or ten more feet. This is a great place to come if you're going to run away from home. Nobody'd ever find you."

Alece didn't ask how she knew.

The room she came to was much smaller, with a low ceiling.

"Watch out," Moira warned her from behind. "There's only a couple of inches to sit on between the pool and the tunnel."

"What do you want me to do?" Alece asked, shinning her flashlight around. The beam illuminated steam rising from the glassy reflection of the water.

"Give me your flashlight to hold." Moira reached her arm forward and positioned the plastic cylinder from her spot, laying on the tunnel floor. She turned it to the side to show Alece where the little ledge around the water got bigger.

"If you reach above your head, there should be some metal handles. You can pull on those and inch your way around to the bigger stone landing."

Alece gripped them carefully, noticing the even spacing, and moved sideways, squatting until she reached the big chunk of stone that seemed to jut out from the water. Moira just grabbed one handle and swung herself around.

She pointed that flashlight at the water. "Stick you hand in."

Alece was a bit hesitant to put her hand in a natural hot spring where anything could be living. Moira understood and shone the flashlight around to make sure there was nothing in it. Then she put the light down and took off her shoes and socks.

"It feels great," she told Alece. "Very therapeutic. Try it."

Alece put her hand in the water and found it to be a perfect temperature, not too hot, but hot enough.

"When did you find this cave?" she asked, beginning to untie her shoes.

"We were...I'm not sure. I think eight or nine. We were pretty little. It's one of those places where you can come over and over again, and then you realize that you're been coming here for years, and it's really your home because you grew up here."

Alece couldn't quite say she'd had that feeling before. But the spring was certainly nice.

Moira had dug a couple of candles out of the bag she had with her and lit them. "I don't want to wear the flashlight battery out."

There were about three feet between Alece and the wall behind her, which gave her plenty of room to lay back and still dip her feet in the water.

"So," Moira said, "is Louisa everything you hoped it would be?"

Alece chuckled. "I guess. Not quite what Lenan told me it would be." But everything I wanted, and more.

She had family, her aunt, friends, the Eye People, an identity she really was, Alece, and some interesting places to hide. What more could a girl ask for?

"It's not as dull a town as it seems when you first come here. That's what Josephine told me after we changed her."

"Did things go as badly with Josephine and Rainy as they did with me?"

"No, I guess not."

"Why not?"

"They didn't put up such a fight. I don't know, things were different back then. I don't even know how, they just were." She thought a second. "Maybe it was because of Roth. People always trusted him. They don't trust me."

"What was he like?"

She thought again, and then smiled. "He was like me and Gretchen combined. I mean, he was fearless, but he wasn't stupid. If there was a really steep cliff, no matter how high, he wasn't afraid to climb it. But he knew that if he did, he would probably die, so he wouldn't. But we all knew that he wasn't scared to do it." She shrugged. "Describing people isn't very easy outside things like shy and mean and funny."

"Was he any of those things?"

"No." Moira laughed slightly. "Well, he could be funny on occasion. But he wasn't a funny-guy or anything. You know what's weird? I'm older than he was when he died. That's the strangest thing to think, that he didn't have as much life experience when it was over as I do now, when I have no intention of dying for a good long while. Always freaks me out to think about that."

"So don't think about it. That's what I do."

"What, you just don't think about unpleasant things?"

"Generally. What's the point? It won't change anything. Like, one of the things I try not to think about it this time I got on a bus in China, and I kept telling the guy that I had the right change, and he kept saying I didn't, but I was so sure I did. And then I recounted it and it wasn't right and I felt like a real idiot. It was one of the most embarrassing things in my life."

"You're worst experience was not having the right change for a bus? What kind of sheltered life have you been living?"

"No, it wasn't just that I didn't have the change, but the driver made me feel so stupid, and I acted like such a jerk. I don't know, it's just one of those things that gets to you."

"So don't think about it," Moira mimicked.

"I don't, unless people bring it up."

"I didn't bring it up."

"Oh, drop it," Alece said, laughing. The candles made the rock a slow, sandy orange color.

"Hey, sit up, would you?" Moira asked.

Alece did. "What?"

"There's something I want to try."

"What is it?"

"Sort of like a mind meld on Star Trek."

"I never watch Star Trek."

"You have led a sheltered life. Okay, well, a mind meld is this thing these aliens do so they can enter each others' minds."

"And you have the power to do this?"

"It's an Eye People thing."

"Would Gretchen be letting you do this?"

"Probably not, but who cares?"

"I care. You want to do a telepathy thing with me that you got off a television show, and personally, I would like Gretchen's okay that I won't end up in your body or anything."

"You won't, I promise."

Alece looked at Moira, who did seem very sincere, and gave in. "Alright, but don't do anything crazy."

Moira clapped her hands together and smiled like a little kid with a big piece of chocolate.

"Oh, great. This is going to be fun. Now, I've already been inside your head once-"

"You have? When?"

"Oh, it was the night of Gretchen's party, after you fell down the stairs, and I was trying to decide what to do about you. See, I wanted to just wipe out your whole memory of the evening, and Jarrett didn't want to go messing around in your head, so we were fighting about it, and I decided to take a look around and see what you knew."

"You just looked around in my mind?"

"Yeah, it was pretty neat. You've got a great color scheme."

"What? I am completely lost."

Moira sighed. "Have you ever heard the theory that everybody sees the color red differently? That there's really no way to tell if I call the same color you see as red, blue?"

"Yeah, I know the concept."

"Well, it's true. That's one of the reasons people are always arguing about weather certain colors are purple or blue, things like that. But when you're inside someone else's memories, you see the things through their colors. It's kind of neat. Anyway, here's what to do. Take my wrist, and find a pulse just below my hand."

Alece took Moira's exceptionally small boned arm and found the pulse, with her forefinger, not her thumb. Moira did the same.

"Now, you're going to find yourself in a movie theater in a couple of seconds, holding a remote control. All you have to do is adjust the remote control and you can look at all my memories."

"Isn't that kind of...personal?" Alece knew she would feel funny running amuck in Moira's head.

"You're mind has an automatic blocking system. It's built in, so anything you don't want me to see, you can't." She added, "People who aren't changed don't have that mechanism, so you have total access, but not us. Ready?"

"Where will you be?"

"I'll be in your movie theater. The last time, I told my remote to just show me what you knew about us, because we didn't have a lot of time. You can do that sort of thing, with your remote."

"How will I know when to stop?"

"You can leave the theater whenever you want, but you'll get sucked out as soon as I leave your theater. Is that it?"

"I guess. Are you sure this is safe?"

"Safe as skydiving. Now concentrate on my pulse, and don't strain. Just relax."

Alece settled back, thinking of Moira's pulse. She got a feel for the tempo and sat back, waiting. It happened within seconds, which surprised her. She hadn't expected it to work at all, but then she felt the velvet seat beneath her, and Moira's arm turn into a plastic box.

She didn't mean to open her eyes, and was instantly worried that maybe she was breaking the spell in doing so. But there she was, in a cold theater, sitting in a chair. The theater would hold maybe a sixty people; it was not large, and the screen was already lit. A projector from high above flickered and illuminated the dust in the air.

The screen read The Life and Times of Moira Irene Stenson.

Good name, Alece thought, examining the control in her hand. It was actually a pocket organizer, with a full key board and standard VCR controls.

She hit the ON button and the machine's screen lit up.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?

She hit the play button, and the screen popped to life.

It was pitch black, with no noise, and then a kind of grunt and some moaning.

Alece laughed out loud. Clearly she was able to tap into Moira's subconscious memories as well as her normal ones.

I WOULD LIKE TO VIEW MORE RECENT MEMORIES, Alece typed. The key board was hard to see in the dim light.

PLEASE SPECIFY DATE.

She thought hard for a second, estimating the date of Gretchen's party. Must have been mid September, so she put in, SEPTEMBER 15, 1996.

The film, as Alece thought of it, was shot from her angle, that is, from her eyes, so whatever Moira saw, Alece saw. It was also accompanied by a narrative of Moira's thoughts at the time. Moira had been right about people seeing colors differently. She saw herself as having red skin, white hair and blue eyes. Very all American.

I guess skin color really doesn't matter.

She fast forwarded through Moira waking up, then took a forward leap into Moira and Jarrett talking later in the day.

"You could be a little helpful here," Moira said.

"I'm trying to be helpful," Jarrett said. "But what an I going to do? We went over the top this time, and Gretchen has every right to be mad."

A handful of swears blasted through Moira's mind, filling the theater so loudly that Alece felt herself blush.

Then the screen went black, and the audio went out too, but a small timer in the bottom corner of the screen was still running. "This memory is not open to public viewing," a voice that was not Moira's said. Alece assumed that this meant Moira didn't want her watching a fight with Jarrett.

It didn't matter anyway. Clearly, the party had already happened. Moira said it was Sunday as some point in the conversations Alece had heard, between her and her mother, who was a mildly cold woman. Moira always called her Jennifer in her head, and Alece had acquired an instinctual dislike of the woman. She seemed to resent Moira.

The party had been on a Friday, so Alece skipped back two days, and there she was. Moira was sitting in a corner of the basement Alece vaguely recognized, talking. It took her a minute to figure out that she was speaking with Jarrett over the phone.

"She fell down the goddamn stairs!" Moira told Gretchen. Alece skipped her trip up the stairs and then saw herself through Moira's eyes laying sprawled on the attic bed.

"How long has she been out?" Moira asked, thinking, "Looks like somebody clubbed her or something."

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked, but this one was in the theater. Alece spun around and saw Jarrett walking down the isle.

"Oh, Moira wanted to try it. What are you doing?"

Behind her, the scene still played on. "I saw you two next to the tub. Does Gretchen know you're doing this?"

"No, will she be upset?" Alece felt like a guilty school girl. Jarrett shrugged and sat down next to her.

"What are you watching?"

"Moira's memory of Gretchen's party. Pretty wild, isn't it? I had no idea any of this went on while I was out."

They watched together for a second, and then the lights came on in attic and Gretchen started up her scene.

Of course, Moira knew why Gretchen was angry at her right away, and saw pretty much immediately that she wouldn't be able to get out of it.

"That was such a crazy night," Jarrett said to Alece in the theater. "You got a ride home with Evan, right?"

"Yeah, Evan the psycho. But he really didn't seem like such a nut that night. Maybe I was just too upset to notice."

Then Gretchen said whatever about Moira's sister and she thought, "That was low, Gretch. I can't believe you said that to me. Not even this deserved a crack like that. Why don't you just punch me?"

"Gretchen shouldn't have said that," Jarrett agreed. "She knows Moira's sensitive about Ila. Of course, Gretch'd die if she even knew how much it hurt Moira." He glanced at his watch. "Speaking of Gretchen, she's probably going to catch us any moment, so we should leave now."

Alece hit Stop, and then OFF and the screen returned to The Life and Times of Moira Irene Stenson.

"Where to?" she asked.

"Out through that door." He pointed up the isle, and they walked to the door.

Alece abruptly found herself back in the cave next to the hot spring, both Moira and Jarrett holding onto her wrists. One of the candles had gone out, making the cave very dark.

Moira shook her head and opened her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked Jarrett.

"What are you doing to Alece?" he replied.

Moira smiled without reason and didn't answer. "That," she said emphatically, "was fun."

"What did you watch?" Alece asked, thinking for the first time of all the things Moira could have seen in her head.

"The night we changed you. I looked really funny after you doused me in milk, didn't I?"

Alece smirked. "I thought so."

"Moira?" Gretchen's voice came out through the tunnel. "Are you guys okay back there?"

"Oh, god, don't come!" Moira cried in terror. "It's ripping my arm-ahhhhhhhh!"

Of course poor Gretchen had to come and see. "What the hell are you doing back here?" she asked, crouching in at the edge of the tunnel.

"Just talking," Moira said flatly. "What's got you so worked up?"

"Well, you've been here for almost an hour."

"We have?" Alece asked in surprise. Moira shot her a warning look. "I mean, it just didn't seem like such a long time."

Gretchen shrugged. "The witching hour's come and gone. Rainy started a fire in the living room, and Honor's heating up spaghetti if you're interested."

"Thanks," Alece said. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

She dried off her feet, listening to Jarrett warn Moira about what Gretchen would do to her if she found out Moira was already starting Alece with mind work.

"Next thing you know, you'll be picking people up off the street and teaching her memory recreating."

Moira's good mood had gone bad quickly. "What is with everyone? I'm not doing anything wrong. I feel like I spend my whole life listening to either Gretchen yelling at me, or you telling me how to keep Gretchen from yelling at me. Once in a while, I'd like to be able to do something without either of the above happening."

She pulled her sweatshirt off over a dark colored tank top and, regardless of her stretch pants, got into the water. She went under once and came up shaking her head. Droplets of water splashed Alece.

"You know," Moira started again. "I don't remember Gretchen yelling at Roth like this."

"That was different," Jarrett said flatly.

"He was doing stuff much worse than me and she never said a thing. Not even when she started having the dreams."

"If she hears you talking like that-"

"Oh, stuff it." It appeared she shared Jarrett's gift for cutting people off. "My point is that I don't see how she justifies yelling at me all the time when she didn't yell at Roth for doing things much worse."

Jarrett got sick of listening to her and said, "Yeah, well, Roth is dead, Moira, and all the stuff Gretchen didn't yell at him about was what caused it. Sure, she chewed him out for stuffing that kid in his locker, but she never said a word about his shooting up every weekend, or the dealers he worked with, and maybe if she had, he would have stopped. But he's dead now, and all she's trying to do is keep you from making that same mistake. There is nothing wrong with that, and maybe you could appreciate a little that she's trying to keep you alive."

Another candle went out, making it even darker. Alece could no longer distinguish Moira's eyes from the rest of her face, and knew she had heard much more than she should have. This sort of fight was meant to take place between Moira and Jarrett, and then committed to the theaters in their minds, where it could be properly blocked out from her viewing. She would have left long before then, but Jarrett was between her and the tunnel entrance.

Moira opened her mouth and then shut it, looking down at the water. Finally she said, "Alright."

"Alright what?" Jarrett asked, surprised.

"Alright I won't do anything that would even remotely upset Gretchen or diminish my chances of seeing my next birthday. That's what you want, isn't it?"

It apparently was not. "Oh, yes, being patronized is one of my favorite activities."

"Be realistic," she snapped. "You know damn well that I would never screw up the way Roth did."

"So now he's the disgraced failure who got what he deserved?"

"Better that than the unknowing victim."

"I've never heard you say anything so insensitive."

"And I can't believe how you treat me these days. Does that make us even?"

"Probably."

They were both silent for a second, and Alece pressed her back up against the cave wall. Moira said in a calmer tone, "You know you treat me like I'm a little girl, Jarrett."

"Hmm, I wonder why?"

"Do I have to prove myself all over again?" She sighed harshly. "What's it going to take? I can either become the black sheep or a housewife."

"It's not that bad."

"How would you know? You sit there in your house like you're king of the world, and you look down on your parents and your sisters, and maybe you even believe that you're more of a person than they are or something, I don't know anymore, but I'll tell you one thing. You may be older than me, and richer than me, and maybe you are more of a person than I am, but you aren't in my shoes, and you aren't inside my head, so quite pretending you know what's good for me."

He said nothing, only turned and got into the tunnel. Alece didn't think it would be polite to follow him or stay, so she stayed.

"I hate this," Moira said without hesitation. She sighed and lay back in the water. "I'd just like them to trust me once in a while. Constant warnings wear on my nerves, and then I snap and say awful things."

Alece felt the need to say something stupid and help relieve the tension. "No body's perfect. One time, when I was in Chicago, there was this girl who told a story at school about how she was a set of twins, but the other one died before it was born and she had absorbed its body into her own. And then that afternoon at lunch, the girl finished her lunch really fast, and somebody said, 'Gosh, you must have a really good appetite.' And then I blurted out, 'Yeah, she even ate her twin!' It was another one of the things I try not to think about."

Moira grunted. "Roth wasn't Honor's twin. He was just a nice guy who didn't make it." She looked up. "Do you know anyone dead?"

"My mom, but I don't remember her. I had an ex-boyfriend who died. Just a regular car crash, though. I think Andrea said there was ice on the road or something. Oh, and Evan's mom. I don't know if she counts. That's about it, I think. I had a bunch of fish who died, too."

"You know what? I think the others probably heard everything Jarrett and I said. Is that bad or what?"

"Try not to think about it," Alece advised with a smile. "That's what I always do."

Alece woke up later that night to a sound.

"Gretch?" she whispered. "Are you okay?"

There was a slight cough, and then, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Really? You sound like you're crying."

"I'm not. Don't wake up the others."

Alece's eyes had adjusted enough so that she could see that Gretchen was wiping one eye. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking stupid things. You know what kind of trouble that can get you into."

"What kind of stupid things?"

"Oh, stupid things about how I come down too hard on Moira, and I should ease up. It's times like this when I really wish I was home and I could just go up to the attic. I always feel better up there. It is so cold out here."

"I've got an extra sweater. Hold on a second." Alece unzipped her bag, which made a loud noise against the quiet animal sounds of the forest, and removed an Irish sweater. "Here."

"Thanks. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"No, I was having a hard time sleeping myself. You're right, it's unsettling out here at night."

"Only one more night. Are you cold?"

"No, this is a good sleeping bag. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, the sweater helped a lot. Go ahead back to sleep."

"Tell me what you're crying about first."

Gretchen let out a long sigh. "Just stupid little things that pack together to turn into huge, overwhelming things. I don't know. I'm having one of those nights where you just feel all around crappy."

"Because of what Jarrett said at the cavern?"

"No, not really. But I think Moira really hates me and doesn't want to admit it, and that's sort of sad. We were really close when we were little."

"I don't think she hates you. Where did you get that idea?"

"Because we're always fighting. And we always are. I feel likes she's out to shock me, and she thinks I'm out to get her, and we just clash constantly."

"She doesn't hate you. She wouldn't have been worried about hurting your feelings if she hated you."

Gretchen laughed bitterly. "When has Moira ever cared about how I feel?"

"Tonight. I mean, it's sort of subtle, but if you look, even I can tell, and I barely know you people."

"Do you regret that we changed you?"

"Nah. I'm having a swell time of it, all things considered."

"Because things could get bad in the next couple of days."

"Why?"

"Moira probably got pushed over the edge tonight, and she'll go on a rampage within the next week. The car was just the beginning. There are reasons every at school is afraid of her."

At that, a muffled voice from the lump on Alece's other side said, "Thanks for the compliment."

Gretchen looked at Alece, who could see well enough to tell that Gretchen's eyes had gotten big as saucers. Moira rolled over and said, "And just from the record, no, I don't hate you; no, I don't think you're out to get me; no, I'm not out to shock you; yes, of course I care about hurting you; and no, I'm not planning on going on a rampage. I had just decided not to to please you when you woke me up."

"Sorry about that," Gretchen said timidly, and Moira sat up.

"Why would you think I hate you?"

Alece laid down so they could talk without her in the way.

"Because we argue every other minute."

"That doesn't mean anything. I just want you to remember that I'm not going to do anything that crazy. I mean, yeah, I drowned my car, but it was only a car. Nobody was inside. Next time you give me that stupid look, I'm not going to tape you up in a plastic bag and dump you in the river or anything." She stopped. "I have no idea what this is leading to."

"Me neither. I feel like we're always on the edge of a huge catastrophe because you're going to snap."

"That's not fair. I admit, I've done some wild things. Like when I staged that hanging in the gym. Maybe I was a little out of control. But when was the last time I did something like that?"

"Didn't you dump your car in the lake just yesterday?"

Moira paused. "Well...yeah. But I've got a good reason. And it's not like I didn't learn from the experience."

Lightheartedly, Gretchen asked, "What did you learn?"

"Get out of the car before you drive it in. Being trapped in a sinking automobile is very frightening. But that's not the point. I just want to be trusted not to do anything horribly stupid, like set myself on fire, or kill anyone. You know I wouldn't let that happen."

Gretchen was silent for a second. Then she said, "I'll make you a deal. I will assume that you know what you're doing, and give you credit for being a very smart person, if you agree not to do anything crazy, like drowning another car, or holding your English class hostage. Or making people confess their secrets on tape and then printing them in the school newspaper. Or telling Ryik Peterson that his father was the Elephant Man. Or-"

"I get the picture. I'll try to keep myself under check, alright?"

"So we're friends?"

Moira bolted upright and said, "Now you think we're aren't friends? What has gotten into you lately?"

Gretchen started laughing, and pretty soon a conversation started up when Alece asked, "Why is it that if a guy asks if you have PMS, it's an insult, but if a girl asks, it isn't?"

"Because girls can sympathize with other girls about it," Moira told her. "Guys have no idea what being female is like."

"Oh." Alece chewed on that for a while. "You'd think we could come up with a similar insult for them."

"My mother always says that thinking about things like that isn't worth beans."

"What if they're magic beans?"

"Well, she might give in then."

Alece fell asleep shortly after.

It was a cold and windy day, with drizzle coming down every other hour, and just before lunch, a police officer showed up at the campsite and informed Mr. Rinn that he had better get these kids home before the storm hit.

"The storm?" Mr. Rinn asked, his glasses slipping down his nose.

"Yep, big monster of a storm, comin' right this way. Bettur git them kids outta here before they get blown away."

"This sucks," Moira said. "Now I get to spend the weekend at home with my mother, my beautiful, affectionate, darling mother."

Gretchen suggested that they all live out the rest of the weekend in her attic, and it was agreed upon.

Despite the drizzle, there was general excitement as everyone rushed around, trying to pack as fast as they could and get home. The clouds in the distance were black, blacker than any clouds Alece had ever seen, and also more frightening. She decided that she would give her aunt a call to let her know what was happening and that they wouldn't be outside in this weather, and hiked to a ranger station about a quarter mile from her tent.

The quarter rattled it's way through the guts of the pay phone like a bad egg, and Alece dialed. She got the answering machine.

"Aunt Lenan? It's me. They canceled the rest of our trip because of the weather, so I'm going to stay at Gretchen's for the weekend. You can call me there if you need anything. The number's 556-2130. I'll be back Sunday, just like the schedule. Watch out for the storm, okay? Love you, bye."

She settled the phone back in its hook and turned around, thinking that she still had to roll up her sleeping bag before they left. Her feet wandered down the path which she was starting to know, thinking vaguely that they were probably going to have a really good time over the next few days, and that coming to Louisa had undoubtedly been the right choice.

Then something happened and she had to wonder.

He came up behind her, and she felt his hand on her back before she saw him. Spinning, she accidently moved toward him, which gave him the opportunity to link his hands around her back.

"Let go," she said breathlessly, but he didn't move. "Evan, let go."

He shook his head. Alece's hands were up in front of his chest, and she felt a measure of safety knowing that she could poke his eyes out pretty easily.

"I want you to tell me something first," he said, and she had never heard his voice sound like that, low and firm, but sort of resignedly sad.

"What?" she asked, surprised but still dismayed.

Then he didn't say anything for a few seconds, tugging lightly on the ends of her hair.

"What did you want to ask?" Alece finally prompted.

He shrugged, tightening his grip on her. "I don't remember suddenly. Does it matter?"

"Evan, I have to get back. They're waiting for me."

"Ah, yes, the Eye People. Can't keep them waiting, now can we? I wonder if..."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, if you had the chance, would you go back in time and stay in Rome, no matter what it took?"

"I don't know."

"If you could go back, to before he died, would you stay?"

Her head was spinning suddenly, and she found herself leaning on him just to keep her balance.

"I wouldn't go back," she said, trying to catch her breath. "And time travel isn't possible anyway, so I don't know the point of your question."

"Shh, relax. Why are you shivering like that?"

Her eyes closed to shut you his face, but his words seemed to come as much from inside her head as from outside. And his grip kept getting tighter, tighter.

"What if he wanted you to come back? What if he could come back?"

"Who are you talking about?"

One word, that slithered and slid and almost rattled at the end, coming from the constricting arms around her waist.

"Theo."

Her first instinct was panic, and she struggled to pull away, but it was hard with her eyes shut and she refused to open them.

"I never told you about him," she shot, reaching back to get at his hands.

"No," he admitted, "but I still know. Does that scare you?"

She opened her eyes but kept her head down. His eyes were spinning, and she could feel the blue flying down on her. Her sunglasses were slipping off.

"Let go, damnit!"

She was going to get rough in a minute; the problem was that she didn't really want to hurt him.

"No. Come with me. I'm going to tell you about it now, instead of later. I'll tell you all their secrets, won't that be fun? I'll tell you the whole story, from beginning to end, and then you'll run into my arms."

"No I won't." His arrogance infuriated her. It was a mistake Moira had made, too, and he was going to learn less pleasantly than she had.

She kicked him in the shin as hard as she could, and then the other shin, and went back to the first, knowing that her hiking boots had to be leaving bruises on his legs.

He finally let go when she slapped him and started to kick the second leg. He was a strong devil, she realized, much stronger than she had previously believed.

They stood about eight feet apart, Evan with his head down and Alece waiting for him to pounce again. She wasn't going with him, no matter what secrets he had to tell.

And then, from about fifteen feet away, came that relatively calm voice of Jarrett's saying, "You ready to go, Alece?"

He was leaning against a tree, which Alece thought was an absolutely ludicrous position for him to be in while she was fending Evan off, and then she decided to just be glad he was there at all and said, "Yeah, I'm ready."

She left Evan where he stood, staring at the ground so that Jarrett wouldn't see his crazy spinning eyes.

"You could have helped me out there," she told Jarrett once they were out of ear-shot.

"You have proved time and time again that you can hold your own."

"That doesn't mean a little help wouldn't be appreciated. Evan's scared of you."

He made a noise that was somewhere between a horse's snort and a grunt. "I don't think Evan's afraid of anyone."

"How is it that you always manage to be around when I'm in trouble?"

"Luck, I guess. I kind of enjoy watching you threaten and beat guys up."

"Watch it, you're treading on thin ice."

"You called your aunt?"

"Yeah." The storm clouds above were getting darker. "What do you think of Evan?"

"I think he's a pervert."

She looked at him quickly. "What?"

"He was planning on raping you."

"Jarrett! Where do you get off saying that?"

"He said, and I quote, 'Come with me. I'll tell you about it now instead of later.' You can guess what he was going to tell you about."

"I don't know, I don't think so." Alece took her sunglasses off and rubbed at her eyes. "I mean, Evan's a weird guy, but I can't see him raping anyone."

"But you can see him killing his own mother."

That shut her up for a moment. "Maybe. I think...I think he's been researching me or something." She went on in a rush, "He knows things about me, where I've been, who I know, what I used to do. Evan the clothes I used to have. I can't figure out how. Today he wanted to know if I missed my dead boyfriend. I never even mentioned that I had a dead boyfriend to him."

"Sounds like you need a body guard," Jarrett said.

"Is that a joke or have you been watching bad soap operas?"

"Bit of both. More joke. As I said, I've witnessed you taking care of yourself on several occasions. Ever considered going into the marines?"

"Doesn't appeal to me." She shrugged. "My father was in the marines, and the thought of pleasing him that much makes me sick."

Jarrett actually laughed. "So you moved here to rebel?"

"No, I moved here because I got sick of saying hello and goodbye simultaneously. But I if joined the marines, I would be telling him that I had dedicated my entire life to following in his footsteps, and I don't think I want to."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know yet. I was thinking that I could work in an airport, translating for foreigners. What about you?"

He looked up at the clouds. "I'm going to change my name, my social security number, everything, and then run to the ends of the earth so that I never have to see my family again."

Alece was taken aback. "Isn't that rebellion in its finest form?"

"No, I just hate them."

"You don't hate them," she said automatically.

"Want to bet? Here's my family: I have twin sisters, one of whom managed to get knocked up three months after her seventeenth birthday, another one who'd make a perfect bride for Forest Gump, a brother who thinks he's God's gift to women, even though he's only fourteen, a sister who got picked up for Satan worshiping behind the mall, and a father who's had three affairs that I know about, let alone the one's I didn't discover."

"Wow," was what she said.

"On the other hand," he said, lightly, "my mom's pretty nice, and we're filthy rich."

"Well, those are certainly things to be thankful for."

"I guess."

As they were approaching Alece's tent Jarrett said, "You know, despite your considerable defensive talents, you should watch out for Evan. He's..I'm not sure. I've just got a funny feeling about him."

"I didn't know you were psysic."

"I know," he said, and she thought he was joking but she wasn't sure. Jarrett remained an enigma.

"Where've you been?" Moira asked grouchily, rolling up the tent.

"Evan started bugging me."

"She hit him," Jarrett mentioned appreciatively.

"You hit him?" Gretchen asked.

"After she kicked him repeatedly."

"Thanks," Alece told Jarrett. To Gretchen, "Yeah, he wouldn't let go of me. I couldn't think of anything else to do besides poking his eyes out. At least the bruises will fade."

The wind had picked up and gotten colder, blowing Alece's hair around. I should have had Josephine put it up for me.

"What did you do with my sleeping bag?" she asked Moira.

"Stuffed it in Honor's trunk with everything else. Ready to go?"

Alece looked around at the trees, picking out the trails that only an experienced eye could find. "We'll come back here some time, right?"

"Probably not till it warms up, but yeah, we'll always come back." Moira looked her over. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking that it was such a nice place."

"A haven from the rigors of the city. Don't worry, we'll always come back."

But as she climbed into Jarrett's car, she got the feeling that she might never see those paths again.

"That's it," Moira announced. "I'm calling the station. Hand me the phone, Rainy."

Rainy did, as Gretchen said, "I don't think it's worth that much, Moira. It's only Jeopardy."

"Look, if it were just Jeopardy, I wouldn't put up such a fuss. But come on, this is Celebrity Jeopardy. No weather report is worth that."

"Do you know the number?" Josephine asked.

"No," Moira admitted, "but I can look it up. Where's the phone book, Gretch?"

"Downstairs, in the cabinet where we keep the broom."

On the T.V. set they had carried from Gretchen's room to the attic, Alex Trebek disappeared and Molly Masterson took center stage with her weather charts.

"Now the storm will pass right through the heart of Madrid, and sweep through Louisa and Alcotta before the night is over. Once again, WHLR is issuing a severe weather warning. Stay in your houses, bring pets inside. If you live in an RV or motor home, go to the nearest solid shelter."

"Does this look like a motor home!" Moira yelled at the set, walking to the stairs.

"What's gotten into her?" Honor asked no one in particular.

"PMS," Gretchen said, and she and Alece started laughing.

"Now if I had said that," Jarrett complained, "Alece would have kicked my ass."

"Don't tempt me," Alece told him.

"That's the way the world works," Honor said. "Don't fight it. After all, Alece might really beat you up."

Because of a graphic description of her kicking and slapping Evan given by Jarrett on the ride to Gretchen's, people had been teasing Alece all afternoon about fighting for women's rights. Actually, she didn't mind the teasing. It made her feel like part of the club.

Moira bounded upstairs with the phone book just as Molly went off the air and a commercial for pain relievers came on.

"What do I look under?"

Since none of them had a clue, it took several minutes to find the station's number, by which time, Molly had come back on and was repeating her message.

"Get in doors, by all means. Stay away from trees and power lines, because there's going to be some severe lightening. Bring your pets inside, even if it's just to the garage."

Moira picked up the receiver and dialed, rolling off the bed and turning away like people always do when they're on the phone in front of a group of people.

Alece leaned back against the headboard and took a handful of caramel corn out of the canister. She was smashed up between the end of the dresser and Honor, who smelled more like strawberries than her pillow did. Gretchen and Moira were on Honor's other side, Rainy was laying across the foot of the bed, and Jarrett was settled in an armchair off Alece's left. The sky beyond the little round window was black, but the rain hadn't started yet. The wind, however, was whipping frantically through the yard and making tree branches smack the side of the house. Down the street, some nut had not been listening to Molly Masterson and had left their dog outside.

"Yes, I wanted to say that I'm very...disturbed, that you're preempting Jeopardy over and over to give stupid weather reports."

"Disturbed?" Jarrett asked.

There was a pause and then Moira continued her complaints for another minute, ending with, "Do you really think the people outside in the storm are watching their T.V.s!?" before she slammed down the receiver and tossed her hair.

"The nerve of those T.V people," she growled, falling back onto the end of the bed. "I said I thought the Jeopardy people were going to be real ticked when the found out about this, and she says, 'This is a televisions station, woman! Not a counseling center!'"

Gretchen gave her a little pouting smile. "Poor Moira, can't even watch Jeopardy without the ills of society coming up to attack her once again."

"Oh, shut up," Moira muttered, not that she actually cared.

"I think the storm's about to break," Jarrett said, "if you want to watch."

The all got up, except for Moira, and wandered over to the row of windows above the stairs. Gretchen turned the lights off so they could see better.

Lightening flashed four times in a minute, soaking their eager faces in harsh white powder. Thunder crashed as loudly as a bongo drum with Alece's head up inside. The windows rattled.

And then, with one final simultaneous burst of thunder and lightening, the rain came down in fitful torrent, dousing the lawn below instantly. Honor jumped back involuntarily to avoid the sheet of water that splashed against the windows.

"Wow," Josephine breathed.

Then the power went out.

The T.V. behind them died on its little stool, and Moira made a rude comment about the electricity company being in cahoots with the T.V. station.

Alece grabbed the banister to keep from falling down the stairs, and then took a breath and exhaled quickly.

"What is that smell?"

"What smell?"

"Can't you smell it? It's the grossest thing I've ever smelled."

"I smell it," Jarrett said. "Like a zoo or something."

"Oh, that's gross. Did the T.V. just burn out?"

Gretchen groped around for the light switch and flicked it repeatedly. "No, the power's definitely out. God, what is that smell?"

"Like...snake venom," Alece said, her voice trailing off to a whisper.

Someone began pounding on the door at the foot of the stairs.

Alece's breathing increased all of a sudden, fear by instinct alone, and reached back to grab whoever was behind her. She could see the door clearly, the outline of the window illuminated cold blue. The tap of rain of glass drove harder, making Alece sure that it would shatter at any minute.

A cold wind came slowly up from the foot of the stairs, like morning chill in the valley, with the smell strong in it. Alece jerked back a step when it touched her, and a heavy sense of dread filled her chest. Her heart was pounding, and she was sure whoever was behind the door could hear it, and was laughing.

But of course she already knew who it was, standing of the doorstep of Gretchen's attic.

The knocking started again, and the thunder smashed loud enough to drown it out momentarily. Alece tightened her grip on Jarrett's wrist, wondering how much longer she would be able to stand on her own.

"Come with me?" she whispered, but he couldn't hear her over the rain.

It did make her feel better, but didn't help much when she saw someone standing above her and jumped, then realized it was only Moira.

Her eyes were shinning in the sporadic flash of lightening. "Go on, Lisa," she said, using the nickname Alece hadn't heard in a while. "He's waiting on you."

A coldness gripped Alece's chest too tightly to breath for a moment, but then she opened her mouth and forced the air inside. "Come with me," she told Jarrett, pulling him along behind her as she started walking. There was no way she was going down there alone.

According to a comment Moira had made earlier that day, there were twenty-two stairs leading to Gretchen's attic, but Alece felt like they were multiplying every time she looked away.

First she would extend her leg out in front of her, point the toe and bend the knee slightly, and then bend the leg she was standing on to ease herself down. It took two or three seconds per step at least. When she got about half way down, Jarrett whispered, "Relax, you're about to break my arm."

But she did loosen her grip. Licking her lips, with only three steps left, Alece stared straight ahead at the little window. Another flash of lightening allowed her to see a male profile.

Her feet hit the two foot square of linoleum with a rubber against rubber tap.

"I don't have my key," she whispered frantically.

"Here." Jarrett handed her his. It took her four tries to get it into the lock, and she jumped every time the lightening came. He was inches away, separated from her only by a pane of cheap glass, watching, watching as she smacked again with her key, finally digging it into the sheath of the lock.

The silhouette raised its hand and knocked, making her jump back and smack into Jarrett.

"I'll get it," he offered, and she leaned against the bathroom door.

Jarrett reached forward and turned the key in its lock, the sliding of the bolt burred beneath the sound of the storm. He put his hand on the knob, twisted it, and pushed the door open.

A black cut-out figure stood there, then reached out and took the door in its hand, pressing it against the wall of the house. The smell intensified for a moment, and then disappeared completely.

"Hi, Jarrett."

Alece sank back and shut her eyes at the sound of his voice. And now she saw why he had pressed the door back, so that they couldn't pull it shut on him.

"I was wondering if I could come in for a few minutes. You may have noticed that it's raining pretty hard out here."

Alece opened her eyes in time to see Jarrett glance at her and then back to Evan. What could he say?

"You'd have to ask Gretchen about that. This is her house, after all."

"Well, I'd really appreciate it if you could be quick about asking her." A bit of an edge to his voice this time.

Moira had somehow passed up the others, who were still gathered to the top of the stairs, and stopped up next to Jarrett.

"Evan," she said, almost cooing, "how nice of you to come check on us. But, we're fine, and according to the T.V., everyone should be inside, so I guess you better get going on home. See you Monday."

She reached for the door, but Evan had his foot propping it open, and then he caught her hand.

"I really think you should let me in, Moira."

She jerked her hand away and stepped back. Evan's eyes were glowing slightly, so that they were visible even through blackness around him. Water poured off the over hanging porch roof like silver shards of glass.

Evan stepped forward and pressed Moira back. Then he reached behind himself and pulled the door shut so that it caught firmly and held.

The four of them were pressed up in the tiny landing, and Alece could feel the bathroom door hot on her back. Her hand felt for the knob and turned it, so that she could step into the bathroom. Jarrett had gone up two steps, but Moira was almost standing on top of Evan.

Without the light from outside, the attic was close to pitch black. Alece was waiting for someone else to do something, but apparently they were, too. Except for Evan, who put his hand on the door that led to the kitchen, but didn't turn it. He just stared for a few seconds, and then he let go.

He was looking right at Alece when the power came back on.

"Hey, Lisa," he said lightly. His eyes were spinning.

"Excuse me," Moira said, finally finding her voice again. "We're sort of in the middle of something right now."

Evan smiled and looked at her. She blinked hard a couple of times. "No you aren't," Evan said, brushing past her.

"Yeah, we are," Jarrett said firmly. He was blocking Evan's path.

"Don't mess with me."

Alece thought that an odd thing to say considering that Jarrett was several inches taller than Evan, besides having the advantage of standing on the steps.

"Try me," Jarrett said flatly, and Alece thought he meant it.

Evan smiled again, like he and Jarrett were friends, and then motioned for Jarrett to lean closer so that he could whisper in his ear. Jarrett shook his head, but Evan insisted so that Jarrett eventually gave in and bent forward slightly.

Alece didn't know what Evan told Jarrett, but she had never imagined that he could look so shocked. Not only shock, but a combination including fear and disgust.

And then Evan smiled, again, and Jarrett let him pass by and go up the stairs. From up above, the television was showing commercials that Alece could almost make out.

"Hi Gretchen," Evan said cheerily. "I'm sorry I didn't call before I came, but the phone lines are down. You don't mind if I come talk with you guys for a few minutes, do you?"

Alece didn't listen to whatever else he said, because Moira had Jarrett and was pulling him into the bathroom. She shoved him into the counter and slammed the door shut, locking it.

"Mind telling me why you let him in?" she demanded.

"What's he gonna do?" Jarrett asked logically.

"Probably try and kill me," Alece muttered. "He must be really pissed after what happened this morning."

"He sure doesn't look pissed," Moira said. "What did he whisper?"

Jarrett shrugged, avoiding her eyes.

"Tell me!"

"Nothing. He didn't say anything."

Moira grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Look at me! What did he say?"

Jarrett brushed her off roughly. "I am not going to talk about this. Blow off, Moira."

He reached for the door, but she had his arm again and was pulling hard.

"You really think I'm just going to drop it? Get real. I have never seen you look so scared."

He had her pinned against the wall in one short motion, black hair falling in his eyes. Alece wondered if she should step in.

"If you have any decency at all, Moira, you will butt out of this right now, because there is no way I'm going to talk, and there's nothing to say anyhow." He was growling at her. "And one other thing. I've known you my entire life, but that doesn't mean that you can tell me what to do and push me around. Got it?"

Before she had time to respond, he smacked her against the wall and bashed the envelope door open.

Moira rubbed her shoulders, which he had been holding in a steel grip. "Guess I overstepped that one," she said, shaking her head.

"That was really strange," Alece told her. "This whole thing. What is Evan doing her?"

"Only one way to find out," Moira replied, turning for the door.

Gretchen had apparently allowed him to stay. The others, Jarrett included, were seated at their usual places around the table, and Evan had filled the only vacant chair. Alece sat down across from him.

"As I was telling Gretchen," Evan said, "I have a couple little confessions to make."

"Like you're Satan?" Moira muttered.

He gave her a funny look. "Gosh, Moira, you're smarter than you look. But that wasn't quite what I wanted to talk about. I believe you know me under a different name."

"Which would be?"

"Fredrick Du Mariard."

Fredrick? Alece thought frantically. She couldn't remember what significance it had.

"No," Honor gasped.

"How did you find out?" Moira asked.

"Thit that was my name? Birth certificates, where else? Besides, I grew up with people call-"

"No," Moira interrupted. "Drop the act. Where did you find out about Fredrick?"

"You don't believe me. That's alright. It's not the only name you know me under, either. There's John Pascal, I taught you, Moira, and Gretchen art in the fifth grade, and I was the gardener at your house for a summer, Jarrett. But times change, as do names, faces. I moved to Europe."

She knew it meant something, his moving to Europe, but she couldn't think what. Evan looked at her. His eyes were no longer swirling, but still a burning, chilled blue. Also, he didn't give her the same look he usually did, fairly friendly and pleased. He was angry with her, it was so clear.

"And that's where we met, Lisa. Over in Europe where everyone drives on the left side of the road."

She hadn't met him, she was almost sure. Wouldn't she have remembered?

"I didn't look the same, I didn't sound the same. Different name. I even spoke a different language." His tone was harsh and flat, unforgivingly cold.

"Oh, get off it," Moira told him, startling Alece. "You're skipping from one subject to another, like you don't even have your story straight. Get out now, before Alece beats you up again."

"Would you like to see the bruises?" Evan asked, still looking at Alece. "You have a good kick, but then, I already knew that."

Gretchen tried a more polite approach. "Evan, we're all worn out from this week end and would like a little time to relax. Do you have a point?"

"Of course I have a point," he said, moving his gaze to her. "I know everything about you. I know how you found the box, everything that was in it, because I wrote it all and hid it there. I even arranged for you to find it. I know all your strengths and your weaknesses, your family histories, you hobbies." Then he looked at Moira and said, "I even know things about you that you don't know about yourself."

"You're implying that you are Fredrick," Honor said.

"I already told you that."

"It's absurd," Moira said. "How can you have been two people? Reincarnation?"

"No, it's simpler than that, although I'm not really sure of the specifics." Evan was very serious, glancing from time to time at Alece with his cruel looks.

"Care to explain that?" Honor asked.

"I can switch bodies, but without having to be born again. I've done it lots of times. That's why none of you recognize me, except maybe for Little Lisa, who's gotten mighty close a couple of times. There are also many mentions of my existence in the Bible."

Alece put her head down and rubbed her temples. What is he talking about? I do know, I'm sure I know where I've seen him. But how can he expect me to remember when I've been everywhere?

She glanced around and realized that everyone thought he was crazy. Honor was close to bursting into laughter.

"Why don't you give us some proof?" Josephine asked, trying to hide her smile. "It's not a challenge, just a request."

"Of course you want proof. What should I tell you?"

"Whatever you know."

"Alright. Josephine, your parents got divorced when you were in the seventh grade, which is why you moved to Louisa. Their names are Crystal and Bill. You have a sister named Deeandra who drives you crazy, and as a group, you always attend her volleyball games. Your father lives in Portland, he's a real estate agent. Your mom is a caterer. You and Dee have only seen your father twice since the divorce. When you were in fifth grade, you closed the car door on your left arm and shattered all the bones your wrist. It was in a cast for almost three months. You're mother lives in New Orleans, and you go visit her in the summer. Back in Bombsbard, your best friend's name was Kelsey and you still talk with her on a regular basis. You played the flute for two years, but hated it and used your wrist as an excuse to quit. Your favorite school subject is English, and you like to read the classics when you have time. Your mother drank while she was pregnant, and you were born with an unusual eye deformity so that your iris covered the whole eye ball, and there is no white part. When you went to your family reunion a few years ago, you baked a huge pie and got to put sugar in the apple filling, and no one could eat it. Your horrible grandmother made you pay for the ingredients. Should I go on?"

No one said anything for a long time, which Evan took correctly as a sign that he had shocked them.

Josephine's mouth was slightly open, Moira was shaking her head, and Rainy looked like he wanted to run.

"I don't believe it," Honor said.

"Still?" Evan asked. "I can tell you about your family, too. Lola and Bert, right? Your druggie brother, Roth. A family history of suicide including both your father's parents and an aunt. You live with your great aunts, Roberta and Ruth, and your mother's parents, Edward and Tomasia. You took up the cello when-"

"That's enough," Gretchen said firmly. "You don't need to rehash our lives to us. Trust me, we know."

"Don't take it as an insult. I have a lot of respect for all of you. Certainly, your diversity and the things you've overcome have made you stronger, and I can appreciate growth."

"What about the things you know that we don't?" Moira asked.

His reply was tasteless. "Do you know why your parents split up, Moira?"

"I said stop," Gretchen told him. "And I meant it. You aren't going to torture us any more."

Evan gave in and said nothing. As the nothing stretched on, with only the sound of the raining still causing havoc in the sky, Evan started humming quietly.

At first, Alece didn't think anything of it. But slowly, she recognized the tune, and then the style, and after a few more measures, the words came back to her.

"Buonasera, chi e Lei?

She raised her head slowly, thinking the verses in her head, while drifting through vague memories of the old Cafe on Nata Street.

The relentless fingers of shock dug into her heart as she looked at Evan. He had been watching his own fingers tap the table, but then his eyes moved to meet hers, and she knew he knew, and that it couldn't be denied.

She tried anyway. "No."

But then he did the most awful, cruel thing she could have imagined.

He answered in perfect, accentless Italian.

"Yes. Guess who's coming to dinner?"

Her hands flew up to cover her ears, and she ground her eye lids shut.

But at the same time, a bubble inside her had popped and that stupid song kept playing in her head over and over, along with the jute-box number, 0714, with the chipped numbers on the number pad.

Afternoons in the school library, evenings at the Cafe, a tour of the baby food factory. Click, click, click, his camera snapping over and over...

"I tried to tell you earlier," Evan said, his voice reaching her through her hands. "But of course you didn't want to listen. Now you can face it in front of your friends, like some trapped animal, and-"

It was weird, how she could already fight with him about old news, never missing a beat. Some part of her was excepting this quite well. As her eyes flew open, she told him, practically yelling, "Maybe that's what makes them friends! That I don't have to worry about always keeping my dignity in front of them."

"Your accent's getting worse," he said tartly.

"Like I care," she snapped in English. She already knew that her Italian was getting rusty, but it was just like him to point it out.

Actually, not like him. More like...

"I want you to leave now," she said.

"I'm not finished," he replied, switching effortlessly back to English.

"I don't care. Go."

"Are you going to force me?" he asked, smiling amusedly.

Alece was halfway out her chair before Josephine grabbed her. "Now is not the time," she whispered, holding supportively to Alece's hand. Then she asked Evan, "Why did you bother finding out all these things about us? What's the purpose?"

The thoughts rolled around in Alece's head uncontrollably. First she thought she was wrong, then she thought she was right, then she wanted to beat the crap out of him...

"Tomorrow's Sunday," Evan said. "Day of rest, time for people to catch up on their sleep. Close their eyes and rest. A day to nap."

"Get on with it," Jarrett growled.

Evan didn't rush. "I discovered the chemicals that changed your molecular structure, I set you up to find it, and I made sure you were all in the right places at the right times. Now it's time for the next step in my plan."

Gretchen looked at Josephine and sighed. "Assuming that what you're saying is true, and I guess we have to if you're ever going to shut up and go away, what is the next step?"

"The next step is to put all the people to sleep. I have bombs, lots of bombs. My mother was involved with international terrorists, you know, and she got her hands on some pretty heavy artillery. Before she died, of course." He stopped for a second, then went on. "Anyway, they're set up in a pattern so that if one goes off, they all go off. And tomorrow, I'm going to detonate the one sitting in the choir loft of Church of the Apocalypse at 4th and Lourds, and fry the entire world."

Alece didn't know weather to laugh or cry.

Moira did. Moira laughed.

"God, Evan. I knew there was something weird going on the day I met you. Something twisted. But I really didn't expect this. I really didn't. Evan..." She couldn't talk, she was laughing so hard.

"What are you hoping to accomplish by doing this?" Jarrett asked, smiling faintly. His mood had lightened sufficiently.

"Don't laugh, Jarrett. It's not a funny thing. I know how many people I'm going to be killing. Around six billion. But I'm not going to die."

"You think a chain reaction including probably close to two hundred bombs won't kill you?" Jarrett went on.

"They would, except that I drank my own chemical, and am no longer in danger of fire. The same goes for the rest of you, which is why I really wish we could try to get along a bit better."

"And once the world is gone and just the eight of us are left?" Gretchen asked.

"Then we'll be able to create a new world. If you think about this, you'll realize that your motives and mine are basically the same."

"We're talking reform, you're talking genocide," Jarrett said.

"If that's how you want to see it, yes. I like to think of it as a great flood."

"Come to clean the world," Josephine said.

"Exactly. We're ridding the world of evil. If you look to he book of Revelations, it talks about how the world will be consumed in fire, and everything will be burned to a cinder. Purified."

"This is ludicrous," Gretchen said finally. Her tone was formal and serious. "Evan, you don't have a shred of evidence to back yourself up, except that you know a lot about us. But you could have talked to our families, people how knew us when we were little, checked our school records. I see no indication that you have the ability to change bodies, arrange things, and everything else you claim to be able to do. So at this time, I would like you to leave."

"What about Lisa?" Evan asked. "She believes me."

"No she doesn't," Gretchen told him.

"Why don't you ask her?"

Alece could feel everyone looking at her, and it didn't matter what she believed just then. All she could think was that Evan had lied and manipulated her, and she wanted revenge, no matter how petty.

"Alece?" Honor prompted.

She lifted her head with dignity, stared Evan straight in his twirling blue eyes and said, "I don't believe you Evan. I don't. You're a nut who murdered his own mother and is so utterly self centered that he could come up with a lie like this to get attention. Your obsession over the end of the world is nothing more than a current phase to make people listen to you, but they never will, because you have nothing of use to say. You probably won't be satisfied until you murder or molest someone or something like that thit will get you on the news where you think the whole world will be watching, and maybe then your ego will finally be quenched like some huge ranging fire forest with this kind of rain pouring down on it. Not to mention that you must have learned your Italian from some drugstore guidebook, and frankly I'm really getting sick of having to look at you." She stood up, already knowing the thrilled expression Moira must be giving her, and turned away, walking into the bedroom and opening a drawer like she knew what she was looking for.

Behind her, Evan's voice was as calm as ever. "Tomorrow, the church, at two in the afternoon. You can stay here if you like, but it won't really matter. I don't mind being alone when it happens. Afterward, I'll come find you." The chair brushed along the carpet as he got up. "Thanks for letting me in, Gretchen. See you."

The door opened for a moment below, then closed, and Alece shut the drawer and walked back into the front room. She was getting tired of staring at Jarrett's shirts anyway.

Moira had already started to giggle. "Oh, Alece, I can really see why you dumped him. I really can."

"That's the most exciting thing to come along since last weekend," Josephine said.

Rainy, who had said nothing the entire time Evan had been there asked, "What do you think?"

"We should call someone," Jarrett told him. "Evan needs serious help."

"Phone lines are down," Honor pointed out.

Alece slid back into her chair, feeling the comfort of velvet on her back and stared at her hands.

"I should go get my parents," Gretchen admitted.

"What if we're wrong?" Rainy asked.

"And he's right?"

"Yeah."

"Get real," Moira told him. "Evan's a nut. Alece was right all along."

"The lights are on, but there's nobody home," Honor told her.

"On the contrary," Jarrett said, "I think the factory's working better than ever, it's just making up soap opera plot lines."

"Everything in life seems to be a soap opera these days," Alece said, leaving the table abruptly. She opened her bag, tossed earlier against the bed-wall, and removed a brush.

Evan's entire visit left her feeling funny. On the one hand, he had come off like such a nut, but on the other, she had to believe him. There was so much evidence.

There was his Italian, for starters. She had lied when she said he must have learned it from a guide book. He could have been a local strait from Rome; his grammar, his accent, it was all perfect.

Alece pulled her hair out of its braid and started brushing it hard. At the table, everyone was still talking.

Then, there was his knowledge. He knew things about the Eye People that apparently they didn't even know. She hadn't known about Josephine's eyes, but it explained why her aunt had been hesitant to tell her what color they were, and why she wore sunglasses day and night. Also, the look on Moira's face clearly stated that she had no idea why her parents had gotten divorced.

How had he learned that Josephine had used a broken wrist as an excuse to quit the flute, or that her mother had drunk while pregnant?

Thunder rolled again; the storm had no intention of quieting down yet. Alece realized that she was freezing cold and pulled on a sweater, tuning in to what the others were saying.

Moira was asking, "Didn't one of your gardeners die, Jarrett? Remember, we used to scare ourselves silly saying that his ghost haunted the lawns."

"Somebody died. I thought it was the electrician, but maybe not."

"But that art teacher did die," Gretchen said. "I remember, because it was the same year as the other teacher, the one Josephine had."

"Her name was Coyl," Josephine offered. "There was a rumor that Moira was doing it."

"I remember," Moira growled. "And it was Deon Lem who started it-"

"Don't get into that again," Gretchen told her. "The question here is weather or not Evan really has the power to change bodies."

Alece picked up her bag and went down the stairs to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower," she called up to the others.

"Now?" she heard Moira ask, but ignored her.

The water was boiling hot, turning her skin a dark pink within minutes. Alece washed her hair, knowing that she would probably end up sleeping on it wet and it would be a mess of snarls in the morning.

Her reflection looked good in the mirror, her eyes a darkish purple and her hair growing up like weeds from her head. Her cheeks were all flushed.

She had never claimed that just because she was going to go some place and be herself thit that meant she would be prefect. She had always just assumed that her inner self was.

But the fact was that she had her failings like everybody else, and one of them appeared to be saying spiteful things to people so that she wouldn't loose face. And oddly, it surprised her.

And now I've lied to them as well, she thought. Now they think I don't believe him, and the fact is that I do.

And she did, although the news was still sinking in.

Pulling on the sweat suit she planned to sleep in, which was soft and warm on her raw skin, somebody knocked on the door. Alece leaned over to unlock it, and started stuffing her things into her bag.

"Come in."

Gretchen ducked her head in around the door. "Can I come in for a second?"

"Sure."

Alece ran the cold water and splashed it on her face. "How's the great Evan-slandering-fest going?"

Gretchen put down the toilet seat and sat on it. "Well, nobody's sure what to believe. Rainy thinks that at least some of what Evan was saying was true, Moira thinks we should go directly to the police, Josephine suggested that we have him explain it to us over again and catch it on tape so we can blackmail him."

"And you?"

"I have no idea." Gretchen thought for a second, watching Alece dry her face. "You do believe him, don't you?"

Alece shrugged, leaning against the wall.

Gretchen nodded to herself. "What was the dead boyfriend's name? I'm not trying to be crude or anything."

"I don't mind. His name was Theodoro."

"And he spoke Italian?"

"Everybody in Rome does."

"Evan isn't from Rome."

"I know."

Another pause. "You've got to decide somewhere pretty soon now weather or not you're going to believe him."

"I don't know what to think. Yeah, he knows everything and he speaks perfect Italian. Much better than mine. On the other hand, he probably killed his mother and I thought I heard him say he's Satan."

"Good arguments on both sides. But don't you have a gut instinct? A just undeniable feeling about it?"

Alece smiled. "I had this friend, I guess I still do, her name's Lynette. She used to say that sometimes, people just know things, and if you really, really know it, then you have to take it as valid truth. And I guess in this instance, I know that Evan was telling the valid truth."

"And you really believe that he's this dead boyfriend of yours?"

A previously unheard of possibility opened its arms in her head. Theo, her Theo, alive. Andrea and Marina would be so happy...

But he wasn't the same, not now. Theo wouldn't have hurt a fly, let alone the mother of his...current body? And she couldn't really see serious, political Theo melting popsicles in his kitchen sink, either.

"I think that part of him is left, and the other part was probably washed over when he changed bodies."

"How scientific."

"How disturbing."

"What?"

"Think if it were Roth we were talking about. He's dead too, although I think Evan would have admitted to that earlier if it were true. He's obviously not embarrassed to say things that ridiculous with dead seriousness."

Gretchen said slowly, "If it were Roth, I would be happy. But if it were Roth, he wouldn't be talking about blowing up the world."

"Guess it's double our loss then. And before you ask, I do think he's got a bomb. He's always talked about the end of the world, we know he's capable of cruelty; I'm taking his threat very seriously."

"You look tired."

"Really? I thought I looked pretty good for a girl who just found out that her dead ex-boyfriend was really an incarnation of Satan here to blow up the world."

"I take it back."

Alece turned and smiled at her friend. "I'm just joking. Come on, let's go to bed. We probably won't fall asleep for hours anyway."

Moira and Jarrett were fighting again when they got upstairs, but it passed quickly. Alece turned down the beds, and Honor helped her make them, although Moira said she was way too wired to sleep. Alece had expected that.

She settled back on her pillows and tucked her feet under her. The big bed made an interesting platform to sit on.

"Well?" Honor asked. "Are we going to the church tomorrow or not?"

"Definitely," Moira said. "We should bring a video camera, too."

Gretchen fiddled with the alarm clock they kept tucked under the bed. "What time you want to get up?"

"He said no until two in the afternoon," Jarrett pointed out. "Why not sleep till the sun rises?"

"You just don't sleep at home," Moira told him.

"No, I don't. Why else do you think I come here?"

"Why don't you sleep?" Alece asked.

"My idiot sister's baby cries all night and the nursery is next door. Sleep is impossible."

"I won't set the alarm," Gretchen told him. "I'm pretty wiped out myself. I hate sleeping in a tent, not just because it's uncomfortable, but because I always think somebody's going to break into the tent."

"Thanks for reminding me," Jarrett said, "I'll go lock the door."

"Shouldn't we all be in a state of shock?" Josephine asked as Jarrett disappeared down the stairs.

"I'm still in shock," Rainy offered.

"Even if Evan isn't telling the truth, the fact that he knows that much about us is pretty scary."

"I'm scared, too," Rainy said.

"Hush up," Josephine told him. "I'm serious about this. I think, with the possible exception of Alece, we all seriously misjudged this guy as a normal person."

"What's your point?" Moira asked, not maliciously.

"Maybe we're making the mistake again by assuming that he's not telling the truth about the bom-"

A shouted swear came from the stairs.

"Mind keeping it down a bit?" Gretchen called. "My parents are downstairs, after all."

Jarrett bounded up the stairs. "He fried the locks. Melted them."

"How?"

"I have no idea, but I kept trying to put my key in, and when it would go, I looked, and the holes are melted through about a half inch in."

"Both locks?"

"The outside one and the one to the kitchen."

"How did he do it?" Moira asked. "Let me see this."

"Okay," Josephine told Rainy, "now you can be scared."

It appeared that Evan had simply melted the locks with his fingers. The kitchen door was done from this side, and Alece remembered seeing him rest his hand on it for a second when he first came in. The outside door was melted from the outside.

"Shouldn't it still open?" Moira asked.

"It's melted," Honor said.

"Yeah, I noticed. But I mean, how could he have rolled the deadbolt?"

"How could he have melted the metal with his fingers in the first place?"

"Maybe he used a blow torch, and we just didn't hear it because of the storm."

"But we saw him do it with his hand," Alece pointed out, bringing up the time when Evan had touched the lock. "I guess we were all so surprised that we didn't say anything."

"How are we going to get them open?" Gretchen asked.

"Call a locksmith," Rainy suggested.

"The phone lines are down."

Moira said, "This is probably just a ploy Evan is using so that we'll be totally sleep deprived because we were up all night hacking our way out." She paused. "How are we going to get out?"

"Hacking sounds good," Jarrett told her. "Where's that ax we took to the cavern?"

"I told you to leave it in the car," Gretchen said.

"Yeah, well, nobody's perfect," he said, heading upstairs.

"We aren't really going to hack through the door, are we?" Honor asked. "You know how much a door costs?"

"Two hundred twenty eight dollars and thirty nine cents, tax included," Moira said, and everybody looked at her in surprise. She grinned. "Mine had a little accident last month."

"Beautiful," Gretchen muttered grimly, sitting down on the steps. She was falling fast into a bad mood.

"Don't think about it," Moira suggested to her. "That's what Alece always does."

"Chances are you can get insurance to pay for it," Josephine said.

"Really?" Gretchen asked.

"Well, a couple of thugs did come to your house and melt your locks shut. What choice did you have other than to chop your way out?"

Gretchen nodded. "That's good. Do you have your camera, Alece? Maybe you could take a couple of pictures before we start chopping."

Alece was happy to do anything that would keep Gretchen from drowning in despair, since she had the feeling that they were going to be really low on cheer in the next few hours.

"Looks like a crime scene," Jarrett muttered when he came down with the axe and saw Alece's flashbulb going off.

Moira got the honor of taking the first swing. The others hovered at the top of the stairs, waiting to see if the door would just break in two or only be dented.

She raised the ax above her head, there wasn't room to swing it in the tiny landing, and smashed it firmly into the door. A long crack appeared, and everyone clapped.

As they were working, Gretchen's parents showed up and demanded to know what the hell they were doing, chopping through a door at midnight. Of course, they had to finish chopping before they could say anything. Gretchen came up with an excellent story on the spot about how these three guys, Moira swore it was more like six, came held them at torch-point, and then blow torched the doors shut.

"But how did they get to the house door?" Lindsey Savtree demanded.

Gretchen looked at Moira, smiled privately, and then burst into tears.

"Oh, Mom," she gushed, and Moira had to go inside to keep from ruining things. "It was so awful! One held us hostage up in the attic, and every time Josephine sneezed, he made his flame gun shoot up! I though he was going to burn us to death with his big gun! It was so scary!"

Alece enjoyed a few lungfulls of air, freshly modernized by acid rain, and then went inside with the others. Gretchen joined them several minutes later. Moira gave her a standing ovation.

"That was beautiful! Poetry in motion."

Gretchen wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Be quiet. I don't like beefing up my parents' misconception that I'm the baby girl in the family."

"But it sure comes in handy sometimes," Honor said, handing her the Kleenex.

"You just know Race will be up here tomorrow wanting to hear all the details of what really happened. He's the only one who doesn't think I'm still ten years old."

"While we're on the subject of siblings," Jarrett said. "My sister Kerry wanted me to inform you that she's loosed one of hell's demons with specific instructions to murder us all in the most bloody way possible."

"Well, when you tell her about the door, I'm sure it will be a big ego trip," Gretchen said. "And everyone knows, we're just here to help the raise self-esteem of teenage Satan worshipers. No matter what it costs."

"The insurance really will cover it," Josephine assured her.

"Evan better hope so," Gretchen said savagely.

Josephine opened the notebook she always wrote Eye People related things in. Alece was sitting next to her and watched while she wrote.

"I can't think of any more," Josephine said to Alece.

"That's a pretty good start."

"Okay, people, the first thing we want to establish is weather or not Evan can change bodies," Josephine said, abruptly changing their little party into a formal meeting.

"Yes," Rainy said.

"No way," Moira said, and Jarrett agreed with her. "There isn't a chance."

Honor said probably, which Josephine counted as a yes, she voted yes, and so did Alece. Gretchen said that considering that three of them outweighed two, she would vote that way.

"How original," Moira muttered.

The decided to wait a while on the question of insanity.

"The quality of a mind is not to be argued by those who abuse theirs," Honor quoted.

"Who said that?" Rainy asked.

Honor smiled sheepishly. "Roth did, but that doesn't mean it wasn't true.

Number three depended on number six. Chances were that if Evan did have bombs, then he mother must really have been involved with terrorists, because they couldn't think of another way for him to have gotten them.

"How many bombs would it take to blow off the face of the earth?" Gretchen asked. "Realistically, of course."

"Lots," Honor said.

"Depends on the type of bomb," Josephine said. "Are atomic bombs stronger than nuclear ones?"

"No," Jarrett told her. "Nuclear are stronger, and there are a lot more of them around, too."

"They're pretty big, too," Moira said, thinking. "I wonder how Evan managed to hide one in the church."

"He probably buried it in the cemetery," Josephine joked. But then she realized thit that may well have been what he had done and started to frown. "We can't dig up the whole yard."

"That wouldn't be fun," Rainy agreed.

"I read about a thing called a back pack nuke," Alece said. "You could fit it into two back packs, but it was a fully functional nuclear bomb."

"If you strategically arranged the bombs in major cities all over the world, you could probably destroy all but half a billion people," Josephine estimated.

"And the radiation would take care of the rest," Jarrett put in.

"Are we susceptible to radiation poisoning?" Alece asked.

"I don't think so," Gretchen said. "We're immune to fire and we are radioactive."

"They why aren't the people around us poisoned?"

"It's a different type of radiation, sort of like cancer, at least from what Fredrick slash Evan wrote in his journal. And Moira's jumped in fire places without getting hurt."

"Didn't even burn my clothes off," she said proudly.

"Why not?" Alece asked.

"The radioactive field probably ended outside her clothing."

"How big are radioactive fields?"

"Well aren't you just full of questions tonight?" Moira teased.

"You've got five years more experience than I do," Alece told her, trying not to snap. "And that reminds me of another question I have. This doesn't wear off and have to be refreshed or anything, does it? And aside from eating meat, do Eye People require any special vitamins or nutrients?"

"No, and no," Moira told her.

"There are stockpiles, too," Josephine pointed out, returning to the subject of mass destruction, "and they would all blow up if fire came even close by. So there you have it; Evan can in fact blow up the world with the right equipment."

"And the bombs wouldn't all have to be set, right? They could be hidden underground, but if the air got hot enough, then they would go up."

"Where does nuclear winter fit in here?" Honor asked.

"I think that's when the smog from so much burning blocks out that sun and everything freezes," Gretchen told her.

"Isn't that why we put a hole in the ozone?" Moira asked, playing dumb. "So the smoke can escape into space?"

"Yeah, sure. Meanwhile, everything on earth freezes-"

"Or burns. How can it burn and freeze?"

"It burns and then it freezes."

"That's a long jump. And is it possible that everything would just melt, like even the ask, and turn into rock?"

"Maybe."

"Nobody really knows, because we've never tired it before."

"Big loss there," Moira muttered. Alece noticed that she was in a particularly sarcastic mood that night.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing, I'm just tired. That axe was heavy." She flopped back, her head smacking on Honor's knee. "Ah, god, that hurt."

Honor just shook her head and scooted over.

Alece pulled the edge of the blankets up and scotted halfway under them. She was getting really cold.

The rain had finally calmed to a drizzle, with an occasional rumble of thunder off in the distance. "Think they're still putting Molly Masterson on to tell us to get inside?" Moira wondered out loud.

The seven of them lapsed back into silence for a while, and Alece let her eyes close, snuggling into the comfort of the back of her mind.

"Well," Jarrett said eventually, "I think this is our cue, Rainy, so goodnight everyone."

"Blow you up in the morning," Rainy added, and Alece heard the curtain come down.

She scooched down on the bed and tugged the comforter around her shoulders. There were fifteen minutes or so as everyone got situated, and then little night light track above the headboard came on.

"Does the last person awake turn it off?" she asked Moira, who was laying next to her.

Moira yawned and tucked her hair behind her ear. She made a lovely picture when she was sleepy. "It's voice activated. Every time somebody says something, it knows to stay on for the next five minutes."

"That's nice. You aren't scared, are you?"

"What's there to be scared of?"

"Dying. What if the radiation overpowers us and we deep fry like bacon in hot oil?"

"Thanks, Alece. That's just what I wanted to go to sleep thinking about."

"It's what I'm going to be thinking about."

"Think happy thoughts. Here, trying imagining this: We wake up and eat three pounds of sausage patties, with bacon and eggs. You take some pictures of the door, and then we're off to the church, where we meet up with Evan. He's standing behind the alter, which looks strangely shaped, reading from a Bible. As soon as we walk in, he starts preaching from Revelations, all about the end of the world. Then, you hear a faint ticking noise, and discover that it's coming from the alter. After pulling the table cloth away, you see that the table is the bomb. A little mechanical voice comes out of the table and says, 'You have five minutes to detonation.' There are hundreds of little colored wires attached to the table, all the colors of a jumbo pack of Crayols times a hundred, running from one thing to another. Evan says, 'There are three ways to stop the explosion. The first is to marry me.' Of course, that one is out of the question. 'The second is to cut the mocha-almond-decaf-with-chocolate-and-melted-raisins colored wire.' But with all the wires, there's no way you'll be able to find that exact color. 'The third way to stop it is to recall the name of the seventeenth president's wife's first husband's daughter-in-law's second child's first girlfriend, and type it into this key pad.' So you rack your brain, trying to remember the name of the seventeenth president's wife's first husband, because you know you know this one, when the timer goes to zero, and then Evan laughs like Freddy Kruger, and a bucket of water pours over you and you melt. How was that?"

By that time, Alece and everyone else had fallen asleep, and when the night light went off five minutes later, so had Moira.

Chapter 34

They had sausage for breakfast. It was a good idea, Alece thought, to be eating a large quantity of meat so she would be in top form for their encounter that after noon.

She helped clean up after breakfast, and then tried to relax and read a book she'd bought a few days earlier on Jarrett's advice. He had good taste in books.

Honor was working on sixth position scales, whatever that meant, Moira, Jarrett, and Josephine were playing poker at the table, and Rainy and Gretchen were trying to take the door down.

"Looks like the metal soaked right into the wood," Gretchen said once, yanking on the portion that was stuck. Finally she kicked it down and almost crushed Rainy.

The atmosphere was fairly pleasant, surprisingly. Although Evan wandered constantly into thoughts and conversations, nobody was freaking out. Moira was making smart cracks and laughing loudly, and to Alece, things felt pretty normal. Honor said that if her cello teacher waved her finger at Honor one more time, she was going to take her bow and snap over the "old crone's chrome dome."

When the clock struck noon, Moira turned on the T.V. and turned up the live broadcast of the mass at Church of the Apocalypse.

"Look, there's Evan!" she cried, staring at the T.V. "He's praying, look at him. What an alter boy."

Evan looked fine, singing the hymns and listening attentively to the sermon. Alece waited to see if he would leave after the service, but the camera wasn't showing him any more, so she couldn't tell.

Unable to concentrate on her book, although Jarrett was right, it was very good, she joined into the poker game. Josephine taught her the basic idea, but she continued to loose every round.

"You've got to fold sometimes," Josephine said patiently. "When you know you aren't going beat anybody, fold."

"But then I'll loose the chips I wagered," Alece pointed out. "At least this way I will have tried."

"Yeah, but anteing alone is trying. This way you just loose more."

"Oh." She guessed that made sense.

"We should get going," Honor said, grabbing Moira's arm so that she could look at her watch. "Why don't we all go in my car? That way, if Evan blows up the church, we won't loose much in the way of transportation equipment."

"If the church blows up, we won't need transportation," Moira said.

Alece squashed into the back seat of the car, thinking that it was absurd to have left her hair down. "I'm think of chopping my hair off," she told Honor, who made like to hit her.

"You can't cut your hair!" she yelled, and the everyone else turned around and chorused, "You can't cut your hair!"

"Okay, okay, I won't cut it," she said, and then added, "much." Honor gave her a look.

The trip took a bit longer than usual because there were a ton branches on the roads, one of which was so big they had to get out and haul it off to the side.

The church was pretty much empty, except for three cars in the parking lot. One of them, according to Rainy, was Father Lawson's, and Alece verified that Evan's was there as well. They didn't know about the third, a pale Sedan.

Alece went in second, after Moira.

"Hey, Evan! You here yet?"

"Hello, Moira!" he called, from above her. Alece looked up, sidestepping the revolting Jesus with the pointed ends that was still in the middle of the isle, and saw Evan standing n the choir loft. He smiled when he saw her.

"I'm glad you showed up," Evan said.

She was dressed down in jeans and a T-shirt, with a flannel shirt tied around her waist, but now she wished she'd worn something more churchy. The place was much nicer in the day time, with the sunlight pouring through the stained glass window and making a shadow of a huge eyeball on the alter.

"He took the stands out," Rainy said, low so that Evan couldn't hear him.

"Should we come up?" Moira asked.

"Yeah, you bet, I'm all set up."

Alece didn't like the sound of that. "The stairs are over here," Rainy said, and Alece went up them and heard the boards creak with each step.

The choir loft was about ten feet from window to railing, and twenty feet wide. In the middle of it sat a large, metal thing that resembled a torpedo. Sever colored wires protruded from the end.

Moira stopped short when she saw it, putting her arms out to block the others.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's my bomb. You didn't believe, me, did you?" Alece saw Evan smile smugly. "Don't worry, it won't go off because of vibrations. Not little ones anyway. It's perfectly safe to walk around."

Moira took a few steps forward. The bomb was four feet long, and maybe two in diameter. It's nose was rounded, not sharp, and the sunlight didn't reflect well off it. Evan was also holding a hammer in his hands, which were gloved.

"What are you gonna do with that hammer, Evan?" Moira asked slowly, taking another few steps forward.

"Oh," he said, as if remembering the hammer. "I'm going to smash out the doors in the window. I thought it would be nice to have direct sunlight. You want to give it a try?"

Naturally, the idea appealed to Moira, but Alece thought that she might have agreed to help get on Evan's good side, also.

"If I smash this window," Moira said, holding the hammer up, "will the bomb go off?"

"No, I set it up with a timer and a remote. It's scheduled to go off in five minutes."

"Sorry, we're a little late." Moira brought down the hammer and smashed through part of the glass door. Unfiltered sunlight poured in.

"Nice," she agreed, looking at Evan. Then she finished getting all the glass out of the door and gave the hammer to Evan. He did the second door, so that they were both open.

Alece had worked her way around to the other side of the bomb, eyeing it the hole time and trying to step lightly.

"How big an explosion will it be?" she asked, finding her voice.

Evan smiled at her. "Pretty darn big. Plus, there are lots of other bombs in the world set to go off at the same time, which will cause a chain reaction and burn everything."

They were all following Moira's example, trying to be casual, and Josephine said, "We were talking last night, and we were wondering if this is going to cause nuclear winter. Do you know?"

"It won't. The ozone layer will be burned off, so the smoke with fall away into space. The whole earth will burn to ashes, and the ashes will burn to cinders, and the cinders will burn to dust, and then the whole world will be one big desert."

"I hate the desert," Alece muttered and immediately hoped Evan hadn't heard her.

"So," he said to no one in particular, "are you going to try to talk me out of it?"

"Do you want us to?" Gretchen asked in surprise.

"I don't know what the point is. I'm not going to deactivate it."

"So you can shut it off?" Moira asked.

"Of course. Nothing is worth buying if it doesn't have a safety switch. What if something went wrong?" He produced a cellular phone from his pocket. "I'm in charge of the network. One word and the whole thing is off."

Alece was moving around the circle they had made to see the back side of the bomb when she noticed the hooded figure walking down the isle.

She got a short feeling of deja vu, but it passed. The person was wearing a black cape with a hood, black boots, and black gloves. Alece could not see its face, and couldn't even tell if it was male or female. Evan walked over to her, also looking at the hooded one.

"He's not supposed to be here yet," Evan murmured, and Alece looked at him sharply.

"Hey!" Evan yelled, leaning over the railing. "You're early! Come back later!"

The hooded figure shook its head and sat down in the priest's armchair, set on the stage.

Evan's brow knotted, but he didn't yell again.

"How much time do we have?" Alece asked hesitantly.

He didn't mind the question, glancing at his watch. "About a minute and a half. You ready?"

"To die? Not really."

"You won't die."

"It's a bomb, Ev. Of course I'll die. So will you. And then what will the point have been?"

He sighed, walked back to the bomb and rubbing it, which made them all jump. "Ah, ye of little faith," he said. "Do you really think I'm that stupid, as to set off a bomb I wasn't immune to?" He stood up and began pacing and preaching, just as Moira had said he would the night before.

"We," he began, "are creatures of fire! We are smoldering inside, feeding off the heat of the sun!"

Moira interrupted him very early. "No, we just have a weird type of cancer. You make it sound like we're cold blooded."

"We are more than just infected morsels!" Evan shouted. "We are gifted, with a gift like no other! The gift of heat, of fire, of the sun! We are Ra's children, basking in the glow. Like cats!" His voice was getting louder and louder. "We have evolved above the others, they are lesser being, cold beings! They curl up under their electric blankets and wimpy fire places, but they do not understand the glow of burning, truly burning until you are emersed in fire, breathing fire! Until you are fire, nothing can free you!!!" he screamed, and then gasped for air. He had obviously lost it.

Moira looked around and tried not to laugh. Evan put his head down and rubbed his temples. Alece grabbed Gretchen's hand. Evan sniffed and looked down at is watch. "It's time," he said solemnly.

"Are you sure you don't want to rethink this?" Moira asked. "A lot of people are going to get blown up if-"

She stopped, they all did. A faint trembling had begun, shaking the floor. Evan looked to the window.

"I guess Madrid went up early," he said. The trembling got worse, and the bomb was rattling back and forth on its little stilts.

"Get down!" Jarrett yelled, smacking Alece's head in an effort to get it down. She and Gretchen dropped to the floor like it was a tornado drill at school. Looking up at the bomb, she saw the hooded figure, still turned away from here, conferring with Evan. He nodded, and the hooded one moved away.

She thought quickly of her father and aunt, of all her friends scattered around the globe, and realized that, as Josephine had feared, they had sorely underestimated Evan again. The shaking got so bad she was actually bouncing off the floor, like it was one big trampoline. Panes of glass were snapped from their lead grooves and sprinkled to the floor in a colorful waterfall until only the watchful eye remained. Evan fell down, landing on the bomb, and then Alece could looked over him.

She saw the hooded one standing on the little phoney outcrop in the front of the church that looked like a balcony. For one second she saw his face clearly, wide mouth and large brown eyes, and an odd wave of comfort washed over her. But behind him, just as Evan had prophesied on their first date, the sky was a fiery orange.

There was a boom, and the world went red.

Chapter 35

The hooded one jumped over the balcony and landed upright on the pavement, breaking into a run. Behind him, the church exploded with a catatonic boom, as the first flames started in the choir loft and then caught onto the walls, and the crumbling ceiling and floors. In seconds the entire building was burning, as debris from the blast flew out in every direction, setting trees on fire or just bashing them down.

The hooded one looked straight ahead, dashing down the road with inhuman speed. He glanced back once, just in time to see a body fall through the air where the balcony floor used to be. One of the girls, he thought. Probably Moira from her size. Evan should have kept them downstairs.

The heat from the inferno edged him on, as he dashed through trees where the fires were already starting to spread, seeing the huge black soot fill the sky. The sky was red and black, like a deck of cards, and the ground shook with the force of more bombs going off all around the world.

Cities burst into flames. Factories went up in smoke, not even allowing enough time for the workers to try and escape. The White House turned red, and then black, as people streamed like ants through the many fires. But there was no place to go. One fire joined with another, cutting off the spaces in between them, and there was no refuge. The palace in England fared no better, turning to ash as the huge, fire breathing monster raged on. People screamed like in a cheap horror movie, running from the giant burning tomato that was destroying everything. A little Russian girl, knowing beyond her years that you could not escape a creature like this, sat down on the pavement and closed her eyes to wait.

The fire or the flying buildings or the smoke...it got all of them one way or another. Some mumbled prayers, some didn't have time or thought. Hells demons had been loosed on Earth, and Satan killed indiscriminately.

As radiation burned off the surface of the earth, of everything that mankind had built up in the last ten thousand years, the ozone layer deteriorated, and the black clouds of soot were free to roam the sky, covering stars and sun until they finally drifted off to other parts of the galaxy.

The hooded one reached the end of the world and took a look around. Fire, everything destroyed. But the flames were starting to slow down now, and the ash was turning to sand, mostly. In a few days, this would be like a desert.

He smiled at the thought that no scientist had been able to project it quite the way it happened, and saw in the distance, Evan walking around to survey things, smiling to himself.

His eyes roamed, and he got a momentary glance at the moon, shinning untouched by Evil's furry in the sky. A black cloud passed over it, and the white rays disappeared. The hooded one was not worried, knowing that the clouds would always pass, and the moon would return. It was the way of all things. He shut his eyes and jumped off the edge of the world.

Chapter 36

Alece felt like she had been asleep for a long time, and she was glad she was finally waking up. Her limbs were stiff, her head pressed against what felt like sand, and a little voice kept calling out that maybe she shouldn't be so excited about regaining consciousness.

The sun was out; she could feel it beating heavily on her back. She was strewn in a heap of bodies, and could recognize Gretchen by the curly hair her ring had gotten knotted in. Honor had to be nearby because she could smell strawberries.

For the moment, she wanted to just relax and rest, after what seemed like a draining trial. Except that she couldn't remember what the trial had been, or why it had been so hard, or why she was laying in the sand.

There was a rustling nearby, a couple of grunts and then footsteps on sand.

"Oh, wow. This is big."

She stirred and forced her eyes open, arching her back so that she could lift her head up and look around.

They were in the desert, plain and simple. It looked the Sahara or something, blood red sand for as far as she could see, streaked with orange hills and mounds. An overcast sky, with black and grey clouds floating over the horizon, and the sun desperately tried to peak through, but the soot in the clouds were just too thick.

Moira was standing with her back to Alece, looking out over the vast expanse of nothing. Her hands rested on her hips. Honor was curled up in a ball in front of Alece, hair falling so that it covered her face, Rainy settled a few feet away. Alece shifted and accidently kicked Josephine with her right leg, who made a gross noise and woke up.

Alece got her ring out of Gretchen's hair, shaking off the arm Jarrett had protectively thrown over her. "Moira?" she asked wearily, her jaws aching with each syllable.

Moira turned around and saw Alece. "I was worried you were dead," she said flatly.

"No. Where are we?"

Moira shrugged. "Louisa, I presume."

"No, it's a desert. It's some sort of wasteland in Africa or something. What's wrong with you? This isn't Louisa."

Moira shrugged again, smiling grimly. "What do you think, Josie? Where in Hell are we?"

Behind her, Josephine muttered, "The tenth level, probably. Isn't that where Satan has his castle?"

"I didn't know Satan had a castle," Moira replied conversationally, still gazing around.

And then Alece remembered Evan, and the church scene, and the big shiny bomb, and felt sick. Her temples throbbed with each beat of her heart.

"Oh, god, this is Louisa."

"Yes, Lisa, it surely is. And if anybody dares to make a single crack about Kansas, I'm gonna punch 'um."

Count on Moira to find humor in the destruction of the world, Alece thought, also thinking that she had gotten in way over her head.

She looked over at Josephine and realized that her sunglasses were gone, and she was squinting.

Josephine saw Alece watching her. "You want to see?" she asked.

"Only if you want me to. If not, it's not a big deal."

Josephine leaned over and put her hand above her eye. "I'm not used to the light," she said.

Her eyes were normally shaped, almond and thickly lashed, but there were no whites. Just brown crystals with large black pupils stretching back into a dark abyss. Alece thought they were incredibly beautiful.

"Like cat eyes," Josephine told her. "I have great night vision, but people tend to be afraid of me. I've been wearing sunglasses since the day I started school."

Alece sat back, her curiosity satisfied. "That's what's wrong with the world today. One little thing is different and they fly off the handle." She looked around at the scene laid before her, at the barren wasteland of crunchy sand, forgetting Josephine's eyes.

"This isn't what I expected," she said. "I thought, I don't know. Not this." Her left knee was throbbing, and it had a long, rectangular bruise on it, as if she had gotten clubbed with a two by four. "I hate the desert," she whispered, brushing the sand off her skin.

"Where's Evan?" Josephine asked, standing up. There were a large number of cuts on her arms, Alece noticed.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Josephine frowned. "Must have happened when the floor gave way under us. Or when the roof came down."

"You think that's bad," Moira said, "take a look at the side of my face."

She turned and brushed the hair away from her cheek, exposing a massive bruise that had swollen up black and green.

"I don't know what hit me, but I'm glad I was unconscious at the time."

Alece coughed, noticing more cuts and bruises, wondering how badly she was banged up. Her throat was as dry as the sand she was sitting on. Then she wondered how bad the others were, and rolled Gretchen onto her back.

"Shouldn't everybody else be waking up?" she asked. Gretchen was breathing fine, her heart was beating, and except for a couple of cuts, she seemed to be okay. Not that Alece really knew what she was doing. She just knew that there weren't any bones popping through the skin. Rainy and Honor were both okay, too, although Alece expected that they bumps and bruises under their clothes.

Jarrett on the other hand apparently hadn't taken his own advice to put his head down, and had a gash on his forehead that had been bleeding for a long time, and the blood was now dried on his cheek and in his hair.

"He's alive, isn't he?" Moira asked, but she seemed only mildly concerned.

"'Fraid so. You know what I just thought of? We have no water. We'll be dead by the end of the day."

"Thanks," Moira told her. "Just what we needed keep up the morale of the troops."

"The troops are out cold," Josephine said. "Let's give 'em a good hard shake."

"No," Moira said, surprising Alece. "Let them sleep. I think there's something going on over that little hill. I'm going to check it out."

"I'll come," Alece said, climbing to her feet. God, my knee. This is going to hurt all week.

"I'll stay here," Josephine offered. She was in a weirdly upbeat mood.

Moira led Alece up a slight incline that turned out to be much steeper than it looked. When they reached the top, she saw that a valley spread out below, like a crater where a huge astroid had landed. In fact, it had probably been created when the church went up in flames.

And in the center, about a hundred yards away, Evan was sitting next to a well. It was the old fashioned kind with a bucket on a rope and a singled roof.

"Well," Moira said. "Now we know where he is."

They started down the slope, sand getting into Alece's shoes. Evan saw them and stood up.

"Hey, girls," he said. Alece had expected him to be manic or something, but he just looked sort of dazedly pleased. "Have some water, you've been asleep for almost a week. That's one mean bruise, Moira."

Alece accepted the bucket he handed her, looking down at the water. It was clean and clear, so she took a sip.

"Tastes like Sprite," she said, drinking again.

"Yeah," Evan told her. "I decided that Sprite beat plain old water any day."

Moira drank some, then dunked the bucket back into the well. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Well, the world burned up, and this is what's left."

"A well full of Sprite?"

He smiled privately. "No, I created the well. You want to see how? It's going to be really handy. Watch."

He sat back down on the ground with his legs crossed. With his eyes closed, he extended his hands and waved them around in the air, like he was grabbing stuff.

Moira looked and Alece and grinned.

But then there was a funny sparkling in between Evan's hands that Alece thought she must be imagining, except that it kept getting thicker and thicker, and more viable, until there was a pop and puff of smoke and a handful of aluminum dishes fell out of the air.

"See?" Evan asked. "Try it. Just shut your eyes, and make the stuff in your mind pop out."

Moira wasn't smiling anymore. "If I hadn't just seen that, I wouldn't have believed it."

"You don't have to believe," Evan told her. "Just do it. Come on, give it a shot. Make a table or something."

Moira looked at Alece and shook her head. "I'm not going to sit there in the dirt and wave my arms like I'm trying to fly or something."

"I will," Alece gave in, and plopped back in the sand. She shut her eyes and tired to imagine a table. A big table, like the one in Gretchen's attic. Round, wooden, with big feet.

"Now picture the table," Evan said, "and draw it's shape in the air. Just make it real under your hands. It only takes a few seconds."

So Alece did, imagining the solid feel of it, the way she imagined it must smell, and pretended she was touching it. Moira must be laughing at her silently, but Alece pushed the thought away, and low and behold, there was a pop noise and she banged her head on the underside of the table.

"Nice job," Evan told her. Moira's mouth was hanging open.

"Give it a try, Moira. You might like it."

She shook her head. "Later. How many people are still alive, do you think?"

"None. I mean, just the eight of us. Who else could be left?"

"I don't know. Somebody from the FBI would be a good choice."

"How did it work?" Alece asked. "The table, the well. How did it happen?"

"The radioactivity mixed with other radioactive stuff and changed into something double radioactive. Something really strange. Thoughts have become tangible here."

And then, in her mind, he added, Like this. See? Instant telepathy.

Alece looked at Moira, who nodded, meaning that she had heard it, too.

"Later," Moira repeated, more firmly. "We can play later. For the moment, is all this really happening? Are we really in the middle of Louisa after it's been burned past ash?"

"Yup," Evan said happily. "Isn't it great? Anything goes around here. The world is ours to make or break."

"How long do you think the cloud cover will last?" Moira asked.

"Good point. Not more than a few days. But that's alright. I've already got stuff in mind."

Moira's being very diplomatic about this, just like at the chruch, Alece thought, hoping no one could hear her. Probably trying to ward off the absolute insanity of the whole situation.

As long as nobody freaked out, they would be okay. Moira would take care of things, and if she didn't, Gretchen would, and everything would turn out fine.

Josephine had appeared at the top of the ridge, waving for them to come up. "You come down!" Moira called to her.

Josephine half ran, half walked down the hill, making Alece think that they should whip up an escalator, and kicking up sand.

"Gretchen woke up, but she's got a really bad headache, and there's a big knot on the back of her head."

Moira growled and turned to Evan. "Didn't you think? We're all beaten up because you were stupid enough to have us in the church with the bomb. If we had been out in a field right now, this wouldn't have happened."

"It had to be the church," Evan said. "There wasn't a choice."

"Of course there was a choice," Moira shot.

Alece decided that she like Moira in this protective act.

"All you had to do," Moira went on, "was haul the stupid thing out into a field and give us the directions. Piece of cake. Now Gretch has a concussion and my jaw's practically broken. Sloppy, Evan, it was sloppy."

She turned away, teeth gritted, so her jaw must not have been that broken, and said, "Come on, let's get up there. Where are we going to sleep anyway?"

Behind Alece, Evan said something, but she wasn't listening. "Are the others awake?" Moira asked Josephine. She looked like a war general or something, with that determined slit where her eyes should have been glowing dark blue.

"Jarrett's halfway awake, but he managed to hit himself in the face with his knee, and that opened up the cut on his head again. Also," her voice got very soft, "I didn't point this out to the others, but it looked like that sand was moving."

"Moving?" Alece asked.

"Soft of rising and falling along a path, like...well, like there was something under it. Like a sand groundhog. But it was big, really big. At least ten feet wide."

"Probably just your imagination," Moira said uneasily.

"Or play of the sand," Alece told them. "You know, you look at the lines of dunes, and then you move slightly, and it seems like the dunes themselves are moving. That's more likely, because it seems really real, but it's not. Happened to me all the time when I was in India." She said again, "I hate the desert."

"I hate Sprite," Moira told her, and then they looked at each other and started laughing.

Gretchen was sitting on the ground, brushing sand off her clothes. Jarrett was prying dried blood of his skin, which Alece thought must have felt like yanking a Band-Aid. Honor was coughing and shaking Rainy.

"Hey, people," Moira said mildly. "What's happening?"

"Where's Evan?" Gretchen asked.

"Over there." Moira pointed. "If you're thirsty, he's got a whole well full of Sprite, and Alece can make you a table to sit at."

"What?" Honor asked. She was obviously very confused. "Shouldn't we be dead?"

That was the million dollar question no one had bothered asking before.

"With the other six billion people Evan incinerated?" Moira asked, having no compassion for the affects of shock. "No, we aren't dead. Apparently, Evan wasn't laying after all. Get up and walk around, you'll feel better. Here." She gave Honor a hand up. "Are you okay? No broken bones?"

"Maybe, a couple of toes." Honor shifted her weight and jumped, grabbing for Moira's shoulder. "Yeah, a couple of toes. Wow, didn't know such little bones could hurt so bad."

Rainy didn't say anything but nodded his conveyance that he was alright. He had been sort of withdrawn lately, Alece noticed.

"Is that...." Jarrett trailed off, staring out into the desert.

Alece looked over, and saw what Josephine had been talking about. Like a wrinkle in the fabric, being moved across to the side by an invisible hand.

"Moira?" Josephine asked. "That's not my imagination, is it?"

"Looks like that scene from Beetlejuice," Gretchen muttered.

"It's coming this way," Jarrett said.

"Let's run."

"Run where?"

But it didn't actually matter where they ran. The point was to get away from whatever it was coming towards them. Alece coughed, pulling Jarrett up from the ground, and Rainy sprang to his feet.

"Evan!" Moira yelled, but he couldn't hear them. The lump was a block or so away, but no longer moving. Now it was getting bigger and bigger, expanding and stretching.

"Run," Gretchen commanded.

At which point a huge fire breathing monster exploded from the sand.

"Oh my god!" Moira yelled. "Move, people!"

Alece watched long enough to see the beast open its triangular head and spite a huge stream of fire into the air.

Everybody panicked. They turned as a group and bolted, Honor running headless of her toes.

Someone, Alece thought it was Rainy, screamed, "We're all gonna die!"

Moira kept shouting, at the top of her lungs, "Don't panic! Everything's fine! Don't panic!" Alece understood that this was in fact her way of panicking.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gretchen cast a glance over her shoulder, and then disappear.

"Wait a second!" she yelled. "Where's Gretchen?"

Rainy's immediate reply was, "It ate her!"

"Shut up!" Moira screamed at him.

The beast was getting up out of it's hole now, first two legs, and then two more. And then the ground started shaking and they didn't have anymore time talk, as it began coming toward them. The fire was shooting out of its mouth like a fire truck hose.

It was a huge dragon, with talons and wings, all green and brown scales, something out of a fairy tale for sure. It had teeth protruding from its mouth, fangs dripping with acid that sizzled on the ground, and was the most terrifying thing Alece could ever have imagined.

She grabbed Rainy's arm and dragged him along with her as she ran for the dip where Evan was. The others followed, minus Gretchen. Every few steps, the ground under Alece would shake, as it had in the church, and she would fall down.

Reaching the top of the ledge, and seeing that the dragon was less than twenty feet away, Alece tucked into a ball and launched herself down the hill. After ten feet or so, her momentum stopped, but she kicked off the ground and kept going. It was still faster than if she had walked.

Evan was standing with the well between himself and the dragon. "Oh, wow," was all he could say.

The dragon had stopped at the top of the ridge and seemed to be deciding weather or not to come down.

"Oh wow?" Alece yelled at Evan, hitting him hard. "That thing just ate Gretchen, and all you can say is, 'Oh, wow?'"

She whacked him upside the head again.

"That's it, Alece," came Moira from behind. "Hit him!"

"Did the dragon really eat her?" Evan asked, looking concerned.

"I don't know!" Alece yelled at him.

"She's not here, is she?" Honor shouted. They were all very keyed up. "I guess that means it ate her!"

"Oh, no," Rainy said, sitting down on the sand.

"Get up!" Moira yelled. "We're going to have to run again in a second."

But the dragon was on the move again, this time away from them.

"Shouldn't all the dragons have burned up?" Josephine asked.

"I can explain," Evan said weakly.

Moira boosted herself up on table. "Start now, and make it quick. As soon as that thing is far enough away, I'm going to get whatever's left of Gretchen."

Evan talked fast. "Okay, now, here's how it works. Thoughts aren't physical things, right? Except that they are, we just don't think of it that way."

"Huh?" Rainy asked, still on the sand.

"Thoughts are electronic pulses sent out by the brain," Evan said. "You can measure the pulses with special instruments. However, everything here is radioactive of a special nature, so thoughts have strong enough electronic pulses that they can affect the environment. The electronic atoms mix with the radioactive atoms and cause whatever you're thinking of to manifest."

"So that dragon came from somebody's thoughts?" Jarrett asked.

"Mine," Moira admitted weakly. "This really screws things up. We're going to have to watch our every thought."

"Or just think the instruction not to manifest," Evan put in. "And you can stop the dragon. Come up with a big javelin and run it through or something."

"Why didn't you tell us about this before we got here and started thinking dangerous thing?" Moira demanded.

"I would have," Evan argued, "except that Gretchen asked me to leave and none of you believed me anyway. Besides, I wasn't sure exactly how it would work."

Alece thought of poor Gretchen, and how the monster had just burned her up like everything else. Under normal circumstances, she probably would have had a good cry, but the shock of it and all the other deaths she had experienced hadn't quite come into affect yet, so she just sat on the table near Moira and tried to figure out what to do.

They had to stop the dragon. That was number one. But how were seven unarmed teenagers going to stop a twenty ton fire-breathing monster?

An army could do it, she thought. Yes, an army of about a hundred, all with javelins.

An image began to form in her mind, of a hundred little men in mid-evil fighting garb, with chain mail and shields, and metal armor. And each had several weapons, bows and arrows, or spears, or those iron balls attached to chains with the spikes sticking out. She could see them, some on little horses, draped in blue and white flags, standing for some long dead king. She was watching from above as they rushing forward, one with a little trumpet that he was blowing fiercely.

Apparently, she thought the word, "little," one time too many times.

There was another set of earth bouncing shakes, and an army of around a hundred midgets dressed in chain mail came running down the ravine, all mounted on miniature ponies.

"Who did that?" Moira yelled, standing up on the table.

"Uh..I think I did," Alece admitted, getting up next to her. They were all standing on the table in a few seconds, as the troop, in perfect formation, came to a halt a few feet from the table.

"I am Byron of Lenstock," said the little one in front in his outfit, getting off his horse and bowing down as he tucked his helmet under his arm. He had a round, pink face.

"This gets more like The Wizard of Oz every minute," Moira growled.

"We are here to be of service to you, fair queen." Alece realized he was talking to her. "May I say that I have never seen a queen of such remarkable height. Your sons must be strong warriors."

"Uh..yeah," she said.

"How may my men be of service to you?"

Honor had started laughing, and Alece was trying not keep from joining in.

"There's a dragon nearby," she said, "that's been eating all my...ladies in waiting. I was hoping you could kill it for me, seeing as how I only have a couple of knights."

She thought she did pretty well, and apparently Byron found nothing wrong with her little speech, because he nodded and said, "Yes, my lady, we shall slay your dragon."

The little bugle boy, who had a cherub face, blew his trumpet and the whole troop turned around in unison. The horn sounded again, and they were off and running up the side of the hill.

Everyone collapsed into giggles. "That was lovely work, Queen Lisa," Moira said.

"Maybe next time you could have them sing, 'We welcome you to Lollypop land,'" Honor suggested.

"At least they'll take care of the dragon," Josephine said. "That's one problem solved."

"Why did you make them midgets?" Rainy asked.

"I didn't mean to, I just thought about a cute little army, you know, little army as in not too many people, and then they turned into midgets. But I kind of like them."

"Poor Gretchen," Honor said, and they all sobered up.

"I thought," Josephine began carefully, "that I saw her disappear."

"So did I!" Alece exclaimed. "It was like she went poof, not szzzzz."

"But then where is she?" Moira asked. "The desert is a hard place to hide, and she was right there with us."

"Maybe she thought herself somewhere else," Alece suggested. "Would that work, Evan?"

"I don't know," he said, sitting with his eyes shut. Alece wondered if he was creating something and decided not to distract him.

They talked for a while, and Honor tried her hand at creating something out of thin air, making up a nice juicy pot roast. They ate it off the dishes Evan had made earlier, still sitting on the table and passing around the Sprite bucket.

"Are we going to have to bathe in Sprite?" Moira asked. "We'd be grossly sticky, and the sand with stick to us, and you know how sand gets when it's sticky, and you can't get it off. You keep brushing and brushing, but it tares at your skin and hurts like-"

"I think we get the picture," Jarrett said, cutting her off.

"I'm sure we can make a shower with normal water in it," Alece told her.

"Not blood water," Honor said, making it seem very important. "Make sure the iron is out of the water, or else I'd stay sticky."

"You would not," Moira scolded, and was about to go on when the little trumpet sounded, and Byron's men came riding over the ledge.

"Is that...?" Moira asked, jumping up. Alece looked over and saw that the men were carrying the dragon's head on a huge pole.

"That's gross," she said.

"No," Moira told her. "Not the dragon, behind it."

When the head got out of the way, Alece saw that they had something else strapped lengthwise to a pole, and it appeared to have red hair...

Once the troop had stopped and you could walk among them without the fear of getting trampled by toy ponies, Honor and Moira were off the table and running.

"My lady," Byron said, "we slayed the dragon and brought back its head for you. Also, we found a witch in the desert. It has bright red hair and wears red, so it is most likely a witch. Should we burn it, or try to get the where-abouts of the dark man from it first?"

"Neither," Alece said quickly. The little men weren't letting Moira and Honor get to Gretchen, who was apparently unconscious. Moira met Alece's eyes and gave her a look that said, If you don't do something quick, I'm just gonna blow these midgets down.

"Bring the witch to me," Alece said quickly. "Don't hurt her."

"And what shall I do with the dragon's head?"

"Take it back to camp with you."

"Where are we to make camp? We have no supplies, either."

Alece took a couple of seconds to imagine a good camp where the midgets could stay, including a couple of female cooks and a stable for the ponies. Meanwhile, Gretchen was brought up to the table.

Immediately, the midgets were brushed aside and everyone began trying to get Gretchen untied. "Let me make a knife," Honor said, and they had her out in a couple of seconds.

"There's a camp that way," Alece said, pointing, "where you should be able to stay. Make yourselves at home, and thanks for the help."

Byron and his men took off, with the dragon head and the assurance that the witch would be properly dealt with.

"We have an expert on the dark man and witches with us already," Alece told Byron, gesturing to Evan.

Gretchen was still alive, no thanks to the midgets, who had tied her hands and feet together and then hung her over a pole by them. Alece created a silver bowl of cold, clean water and a couple of washcloths, and they woke her up while cleaning off the rope burn and cuts on her wrists. Her socks had protected her legs.

"Sprite?" Moira offered brightly.

"The dragon?" Gretchen asked, confused.

"It's gone. Some midgets killed it for Alece."

Gretchen shrugged, laying down on the table. "Give me the Sprite," she said, chugging down quite a bit of it.

"We've got pot roast, too," Honor told her.

"What do you remember?"

Gretchen accepted the pot roast and took a bite. "I was running away from the dragon, and the I looked back, and there was a snapping feeling, I got really dizzy, and then you guys were gone, the dragon was gone, and all these little midgets were tying me up. When they started carrying me away, I guess all the blood just rushed to my head and I passed out."

"We thought you were dead."

"Why?"

"Because the dragon was chasing us, and then you disappeared. Rainy said it ate you." Moira took a drink of water from the silver bowl.

"What are we going to do with the midgets?" Josephine asked.

"I built them a camp," Alece said, "so I guess they'll just stay there. Maybe we could whip up some farm land and a couple more dragons or something."

"So the midgets stay?"

"What choice do we have?"

"Well," Evan broke in, "you can de-form something. You can unmake it."

"How?"

"Just think of the thing turning back into unformed atoms, and there you have it."

"But I kind of like the midgets," Honor admitted with a smile.

"So do I," Rainy said.

"How do you unmake something?" Gretchen asked.

"We can explain on the way," Evan said, hoping off the table.

"The way to where?"

Evan grinned. "To the City."

Chapter 37

There was a truck waiting at the top of the ravine. It was a red Ford Explorer with vanity plates that read, "EVAN 666."

"How creative," Jarrett muttered, climbing into the back. Alece handed him the silver bowl and washcloths, and boosted herself up.

They had their small collection of things to take with them, the bowl and place settings, wash clothes and the remains of the pot roast. They also brought the stick Gretchen had been tied to and the ropes.

"Who wants to ride up front?" Moira asked, and when no one said anything, she announced, "Great, I will."

She had foreseen the awful, dusty ride ahead of them. The others had to lay on the floor of the truck bed to avoid be blown away but the dust getting kicked up. Finally, Honor got smart and imagined a heavy plastic cover that would strap onto the truck to cover them all.

It took a long time to reach the City. Settled in the back of the truck, which was fitfully hot, Alece brushed the sand out of her hair as best she could.

"This is the strangest thing that's ever happened to me," Honor said flatly.

"Six billion people are dead," Jarrett told her. "How can you have seen anything stranger than that?"

"You can't. That's my point."

"There aren't any snakes left, are there?" Rainy asked, sounding worried.

"Only if you imagine them up," Josephine warned him.

There was a thud noise from outside, and then Rainy said, "Um, might be a little late for that."

"What did you do?" Jarrett demanded, and Alece thought of that scene from Ghostbusters, just before the huge marshmallow man shows up.

Two massive fangs stabbed through the top of the roof, just above Alece's head. They were about a half foot long, and like the dragon, dripping in yellow acidic venom.

Rainy and Honor screamed, as Alece smashed into Jarrett, trying to get away.

"How many are there?" Josephine asked, and was answered by another pair shooting through the roof.

The little window between the back of the truck and the cab opened.

"Is everything okay?" Moira asked.

One of the snakes pulled back and smashed itself down on the roof. No matter how heavy Honor had made the plastic, it was going to break through.

"Everybody get down!" Alece yelled, not really thinking about what she was doing. She closed her eyes briefly, then felt the machine gun form in her hands.

"Get down!" she yelled again, mostly at Josephine, who was pressed up in the corner.

Another smash at the roof momentarily threw her off guard, and a huge crack in the ceiling appeared. Moira could be heard yelling at Evan, "Stop the truck!"

Alece opened fire with the gun. The kickback sent her onto the floor, which worked out okay. Laying on her back, one shoulder ground into the ribbed metal, she just randomly fired at the ceiling, which blew apart in pieces. The snakes, there had to be three or four, hissed violently, which was as close as they could come to screaming, as bits of them were blown off.

She was getting the area directly above her, but not the part closer to the cab. Releasing the trigger for a moment, she yelled, "Get down!" at Moira, who was staring through the plastic window.

Moira grabbed Evan and dove to the floor, and Alece shifted quickly, pressing her back against the end of the truck and aiming at the front of the ceiling.

A huge snake looked through the hole she had blown. Rainy had quite an imagination, because it was about two feet thick and had a head the size of a cantaloupe.

Alece pressed down on the trigger again, flying back a few more inches. She brought her knees up to help support the weight of the gun. She hadn't realized how heavy these things were.

The first few shots missed the snake, but then she got him and made a clean line across his neck. The head broke off and landed in the center of the truck bed.

Everybody screamed that time, and Alece stopped firing. She looked at Rainy, who was shaking his head, and knew what he was thinking.

The head wasn't dead.

It was a scene from a bad horror movie when the snake head opened its mouth and spit green yellow venom in a heavy stream. It barely missed Alece's face, and when she looked up, saw that it had burned through the plastic.

"Get out!" Jarrett yelled, reaching for the handle behind her.

The gate styled door opened, and Alece rolled off backward, almost staking herself on the gun. Rainy and Honor followed Jarrett, and then Gretchen, but Josephine was trapped between the wall and the head.

"Shoot it," Honor gasped, but Alece was afraid she'd hit Josephine. In fact, she was sure she'd hit Josephine. She'd never fired a gun before.

Then Jarrett turned around and pushed her hard, so that she fell down several feet away. Looking back, a large snake landed between them.

"I can't shoot it!" Alece yelled, tossing her gun on the ground.

"We need the midgets!" Honor yelled.

Another snake, with its lower half missing, landed on the ground. Rainy turned tail and ran, and after a second Alece motioned Gretchen to follow. Honor was limping back a few steps.

She shut her eyes, much against her better judgment, and then imagined a large, but very lightweight, axe in her hands.

"Good grief!" Jarrett yelled when he saw.

"Here!" she threw it to him, quickly making more for herself and Honor. It was getting easier with every creation.

Raising it above her head, she brought it down on one of the snakes, hearing bones crack under the metal.

Jarrett was grimacing.

"Help me a little this time, would you?" she yelled, dragging her axe out of the sinewy mess.

He hesitantly brought his axe down on the half snake, splitting it again. Venom gushed out of the torso, and he jumped back.

"What do I do?" Moira yelled, appearing out of nowhere.

"Get an axe!" Alece yelled, feeling herself gliding into a groove. Raise, aim, smash. Raise, aim, smash.

Evan was making an axe for Moira, and Josephine was screaming from the truck, while feebly waving a shoe.

Alece looked in and realized that the snake head was only a foot or from her. It must have been wiggling forward the whole time she had been playing Smash-girl.

She climbed up into the truck and turned her axe to the side, so that it was thin and flat. Then she laid it delicately on the snake head and dragged it back, until she could kick it out of the truck.

"Thanks," Josephine breathed, her shoe hand falling to the floor.

Alece took a second to smile at her, and it was a second too long.

From the roof of the truck, a huge snake had reached down and sunk its fangs into her side.

She sucked in a large breath of dry desert air and pulled herself forward, trying to get the fangs out of her side. There was Moira yelling from behind her, and then metal on metal as Evan smashed the snake in half.

Pain exploded through her side, traveling the length of her body at incredible speed.

The black dots in her vision as she rocking slightly on her haunches blurred together and she fell backward and went numb. Apparently, someone caught her, but she didn't feel it much.

Vaguely, she wondered if she had been drugged again. But then there was a release in her neck, and she felt fine all over.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting up. She was in the back on an ambulance, wearing an oxygen mask. Jarrett was sitting next to her with a gray phaser.

"Oh, good," Gretchen sighed. "That was really close."

The doors to the ambulance were closed, but something smacked up against one, causing Alece to jump, and Moira yelled, "Die, you sucker! Die!" from outside.

There were just the three of them inside. Alece liked the taste of the clean oxygen, sucking pleasantly at the plastic mask.

"You got bitten," Jarrett said, "and then somebody, it wasn't me, created this ambulance that drove over to the truck, and Moira cut snakes while I hauled you inside."

"But weren't the snake bites fatal?"

"I used a hypo-spray," Jarrett explained.

"A what?"

"This thing." He handed her the little thing she had assumed was a phaser. "They have them on Star Trek. Fixes anything in a matter of minutes. Gretchen wanted to set up an IV, but we didn't know what to give you."

"Well, thanks anyway." The stretcher she was laying on was much more comfortable than she would have thought.

"Where's everyone else?"

"Rainy and Honor are in the front. Moira, Evan, and Josephine are still going after the snakes. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I feel great," Alece promised, sort of surprised.

"You never trust me," Jarrett told to Gretchen. "I told you that the hypo-spray would take care of everything."

"Sorry, Jarrett," Gretchen said dutifully.

"Thank you." He was playing with her, Alece noticed.

"You know, you've been in an awfully good mood since we got here," she said to him.

"I got my wish, didn't I? My family, school, all forms of authority....gone."

"You're a real rebel."

"No," he said, "I just know what I want, and I'm not a afraid of admitting it despite political consequences." He thought a second. "It seems very odd to me all of a sudden that Evan was the one to take care of my biggest problem." Another pause. "Or maybe Evan is my biggest problem. By the way," he said to Alece, "that was great work with the machine gun."

"Thanks. I've never fired a gun before. Kind of scary."

"You seemed very competent."

"Where is that gun?" Gretchen asked suddenly, and as if it was planned before hand, there were a series of shots from outside.

"Three guesses as to who's firing?"

"Is anybody thirsty?" Alece asked, pulling a thermos out of thin air. She took a hefty swig. "Can't get water like that in Louisa."

"Can't get anything worth anything in Louisa," Jarrett told her.

"Would you please stop bashing our home town?" Gretchen demanded. "I mean, your life there has not been that bad. Your parents made...what, seven hundred thousand a year? You live in Green Leaf, the Estates Section for crying out loud. Your parents leave you alone, your mom adores you, you won't admit it, but you adore you mom, and Lucas, who's the best brother anybody could have. You have the entire top floor of your house to yourself. If you want to, you could go anywhere in the world, do anything. You aren't even planning on going to collage, and there's no reason you should. Your grandmother gave you two millions dollars for Christmas last year. What do you have to want for?"

Jarrett leaned back against a rack of bandages and cotton swabs. "You're on the outside, Gretch. I get up every morning, after getting about three hours sleep, and go down stairs, and there's my father, on the phone, talking to someone at the office. Then there's Lyan, with the stupid baby screaming its head off, and Lydia asking dumb questions, and Kerry all dressed in black, spiking her cereal with pig's blood because she thinks she's a vampire, and I just think, Get me the hell out of here. You're wrong that I don't use the fifth floor, too, I have a whole little place set up for myself. It's harder to hear the baby cry from the top floor. There's a sleeping bag in the east corner, so I can feel the sun come up, and a little lamp so I can read at night. The maid brings my breakfast up in the morning, and no one ever comes upstairs. Sometimes, I turn off the lamp, and sit in the middle of the room, starring around at the empty expanse. Then, the sun sets, ever so slowly, and the room gets colder and colder, until it's completely dark. One night, I just fell asleep, right there in the middle, and the maid had to wake me up the next morning. I like it up there. No lights, no people, no contact."

He drifted off, starring at the oxygen tank Alece had her hand resting on. She had been slowly increasing the flow, enjoying it.

Jarrett's speech had given her an interesting glimpse of his head, she decided, thinking it over. He liked the isolation, it appeared, the silence. She could understand it, because it had happened to her.

"What?" Jarrett asked, looking up. "Did you just say something?"

"No," she told him slowly. "Why?"

"Because I could have sworn I just heard you say, 'Alone in a crowd.'"

Alece pressed her lips together. "You know what this it? This is telepathy."

"Excuse me?" Gretchen asked.

"We didn't explain all this to you; there wasn't time before the snakes. And Jarrett doesn't know because of the dragon." Her brow knotted. "Evan told me and Moira that we would be able to read each other's thoughts, because they were tangible here. I don't know how it works really. Maybe the atoms turn the electronic impulses into voices that we can hear. That's all I can come up with, seeing as how science is not my forte."

"Probably close. Oh, this is not good. This is very, very not good." Suddenly Jarrett was getting up and opening the door of the ambulance, then jumping out and walking off into the desert.

"What just happened?" Alece asked.

Gretchen shook her head. "It's like I told you, there are some things about Jarrett we will never understand. He's a strange guy."

Alece sadly turned off her oxygen flow, thinking that she would have to remember that as a pick-me-up for bad moods, as Moira jumped into the back.

"Oh, you are alive. I was starting to wonder again. That's the second time today. What a screwed up afternoon. Anyway, we cut up the snakes and ran over them with a lawn mower. They won't be biting you again any time soon. I'm wiped out, and I really need a shower, so you want to get a move on? Personally, I think I'll ride with Evan over Rainy. Who knows what he's going to think up next."

"Yeah," Gretchen said, "let's get going."

Honor, Josephine, and Jarrett went with them in the ambulance. Moira rode with Evan, who insisted that the truck could be cleaned up and it would be fine.

Evan parked at the edge of his City, and Rainy pulled up next to the truck. Alece climbed out, hating the crunch of the sand under her shoes, and the feel of the sand inside them, and then looked around.

It was an amazing city.

It had a lake, sunk into a crater like the last place they had stopped at, but was vastly bigger, maybe a half mile across. It was deeper, too, and eight small mountains cropped up in a circle inside. Each was connected with a metal walkway, and they led to the center of the circle, where a fountain bubbled. The truck was parked right next to one of the walkways, which was made of flagstone and shouldn't have been stable but was.

Below the small mountains, a crystal clear lake washed up against the ridge. The waves seemed to come from the center, spreading out in all directions. Each mountain was topped with a little cement building, just a floor with columns holding the roof up. Alece wandered over to the water and looked down. It was a dark, heavy blue in this light, with the clouds still covering the sun. Plus, dusk was coming. Alece knew it without having to see the sun, she could feel it in her shoulders.

She scooped up a handful of water, smiling at it's wetness. It was luke warm, but she expected that it had been much warmer earlier.

And it really was blue, as if someone had poured food color in. Alece remembered seeing a little bottle of blue water when she was very young, and how someone had told her it was ocean water. For years, she had waited to see the ocean, where the water was naturally blue, and it had been a big disappointment to find out that ocean water was just like any other water, clear.

Come to think of it, she'd told Theo about that.

"I know you hate the desert," Evan said from behind her.

Alece stood up and poured the water back into the lake, feeling a wave brush her shoe. "Yeah."

She grabbed Gretchen's hand and they walked out to the center fountain, where the nine walkways, one to each of the eight mountains, and one to the ridge.

"This is really incredible," Gretchen told her.

"Yeah," Alece said again, feeling tired and withdrawn.

Each of the walkways was labeled with a name, and Alece assumed this meant that she got her own little concrete house to stay in.

"I'm going to my little house, Gretch, I'm worn out. I'll see you at sunrise, okay?"

Gretchen hugged Alece, but she didn't say anything except, "See you."

Alece ignored the sounds of everyone else and walked slowly down the flagstone path, taking her time. At least there was no sand here.

The building was one story, with misty gauze that could be pulled out between the columns for privacy. She realized that it was made of pale marble, not cement after all. Inside, it was cooler, although Alece didn't know how, with a stone slab that looked like an alter pressed against one wall. She shut her eyes, imaging a silk covered, body length pillow, and instantly it was there.

She wanted to build a shower and get the sand out of her shoes, but laid down for a moment's rest, and instantly fell asleep. The sun, hidden behind its black clouds, dropped off the horizon, and the gauze curtains ruffled slightly in a faint breeze.

Chapter 38

She woke up before dawn for the first time since she'd been changed, and felt disgustingly dirty. The pillow was already stained with dirt, she was damp with sweat, and her hair was in knots.

She rolled off her marble bed and looked around, wondering where she to put a shower, and then saw the lake, cool and blue and welcoming. It was just too appealing.

Alece had been skinny dipping lots of times, especially in France, where people didn't care if you had your clothes on or off. She doubted that her chances of getting caught were very high. Who else would be awake?

She sat on the bank and shook her shoes out, then decided it was pointless and created a pair of sandals for later. With one last glance around, she pulled her clothes off and set them on the flagstone.

More to the point, how was she going to get out again? One whoosh of the hand, and there was a gap in the railing, with a little staircase going down to the water. She hadn't know that she could unmake things with as much ease as she could make them.

The water was dark and slightly chilly, but she was still caked in sweat and it felt good. Alece walked in the first few steps, then dunked herself under.

It was wonderful and free to be wet. The waves had stopped, apparently with nightfall, and the water was unusual, it bubbled where it touched her skin and smelled a touch like menthol-eucalyptus. The bottom was twenty feet down or so, but Alece knew that if she didn't let herself think of monsters, there would be none. She swam in circles around her marble home, which looked a bit like an ancient Greek ruin, and cooled off.

But it was hard to stay in such a corner of the lake, so she began swimming across to the other side, knowing that if she got tired, she could make a motor boat or something.

Or the way, while swimming with long, broad strokes, she started feeling slightly homesick. Thinking of the normal comforts of her aunt's house, her room with the things she'd collected from everywhere but that were still hers. It was hard to be a stranger in a strange land, and she'd been stuck in that position much too often lately; first, when she'd become an Eye Person, and now, when the whole world was gone.

The sheer audacity of it frightened her. Evan had wiped out thousands of years of work on the part of the human race, and now what was left? Not science, or the arts, or even the government. The Statue of Liberty had become the Pile of Sand that Used to Mean Something to this No Longer Existing Country.

Alece dunked her head under for a moment, letting the water work through her hair and get to her scalp. There was sand under her finger nails as she scratched at her skin.

But aside from bubbling nicely, the water had a natural cleaning agent, and all the dirt peeled right away, then dissolved. It also seemed to wash and condition her hair, making it silky and without a single tangle.

She wondered what other surprises he had built in.

But then she got depressed again, thinking about everything she'd left behind, and how infuriating it was to be so off balance, and how much she was going to miss her father and her aunt, and how Rhiannon Lewis would not be publishing Dusty Autumn next month, and she had a much-needed cry in the middle of the lake.

She hated the desert because of its heat, and although this should have been the perfect environment for and Eye Person, it was not. There is a difference between light and heat, and the desert had more of the later. While Alece looked forward to sun rise and the light, she would have felt uncomfortable stuck in a dark, hot place. And besides that, it was the little things about the desert that got to her, the sand, the smokey air, the sand, the constant sweating, the sand.

She cried both for everything that she'd lost, and the horrible place she was stuck in.

When she was finished, she felt much better. Part of the reason was that she had figured out something. Evan hadn't actually destroyed anything that couldn't be replaced. Alece had never been particularly fond of the Statue of Liberty, but if she ever started to miss it, she could build another one next to her temple-house.

Not to mention that Evan had opened up a whole new meaning to creativity. Alece had never thought of herself as being particularly creative, more the practical type, and she certainly couldn't have come up with a scene like the City, but perhaps this would be a chance to try her hand at imagining things.

She was starting to get a little cold, so imagined herself a conservative swimsuit with long arms. It was lucky that she did, too, because a few minutes later, as she swam slowly across the surface of the lake, a voice came from above.

"Alece?"

She was so startled that she went under and choked on a mouthful of water.

"Moira?"

"I heard that. I don't want to know how, but I heard that. Watch out, I'm coming in."

Above Alece, on the flagstone path, Moira jumped the railing with formidable courage and tossed herself carelessly into the water.

"That looks like it hurt," Alece said when Moira came up.

Moira rubbed her cheek. "It did. That was a really stupid thing to do. Don't I feel dumb?"

Alece dunked her head under again. Couldn't seem to get enough water on her scalp.

"How long have you been awake?" Alece asked, wondering if the same unknown element that had woken her up had done the same for everyone else.

"Never went to sleep. I don't know why, but I'm really wired. To much Sprite, I guess."

"I don't think Sprite has caffeine in it."

"Oh, maybe not then. What do you think the midgets are doing right now?"

"Sleeping, like normal people do. Who cares anyway? Let the midgets have their fun, Moira."

Moira started laughing. "I thought you were going to bed. Gretch said she thought you were going to fall right off the bridge, you looked so tired."

"I woke up feeling all hot and filthy and gross. Needed a bath. So I came out here and jumped in."

"It took me a while to reach you. I was just wandering around, talking to myself, and then I saw this white blob across the lake, moving away from me."

"I wasn't wearing a suit."

Moira let out a whoop. "That's my Lisa, swimming naked in full view of seven or eight people."

"I didn't think anyone would be up."

"No, it's okay by me. Personally, it's not something I've ever tried, but whatever works."

Alece imagined up a hair tie and strapped the blonde mane back. "You've never skinny-dipped? You would have been at the top of my list of suspects."

"Why?"

"Because you're so liberal. You should go to France or Greece. The first time I saw a nude beech, I was in Greece, and I couldn't believe it. I was like ten years old or something. But the next time, it didn't bother me so much, and then even less the next time, and pretty soon, I didn't even notice. Sort of proves what actually matters." She glanced over at Moira. "What are you wearing, anyway?"

"Oh," Moira said, looking herself over. "It's a baby jumper made of super light and cool fabric. Perfect for outdoor whether. Besides, it you want to get wet, it dries in minutes with no stiffness or static cling. Also has a dirt repellant, is stainless, cannot smell, and will absorb sweat."

"Sounds lovely."

"Thank you. I call it Moira-Wear. Hey, have you seen that fountain in the center?"

"I didn't take a real good look or anything. Why?"

They started swimming slowly along, Alece following wherever Moira led. "Evan's got a thing for soda. The fountain has every kind I've ever heard of, so you've got one little spout of Sprite, one of Coke, Pepsi, one Root Beer. They all pour out into a big basin, and there are cups set on the edge. It's a free-for-all pop fountain."

"Where did Evan come up with this stuff?" Alece wondered out loud.

"The more important question is, why is he so obsessed with carbonation?"

"We left that table and the fountain of Sprite right there in that dip in the earth, didn't we?"

"Sure did. Maybe the midgets will discover this wonderful new beverage and make it part of their witch burning rituals."

"We've got to be careful. I have no doubt that they would have burned Gretchen to the ground."

"What are you worried about? They think you're a queen, you can tell them to do anything and they'll do it. Just say, 'Byron, I don't want you burning anyone,' and you know they'll listen. If you add in a threat, then they'll really listen."

"There's something wrong with threatening midgets. It's like taking candy from a baby."

"Like slaughtering a baby ostrich while it's still in its egg."

"Moira! That's gross."

"Have you ever had ostrich? It's wonderful, sort of like chicken, but with more flavor. Once you eat it, you can never go back to KFC."

Alece took a moment to let herself laugh at Moira. She liked laughing; it relieved the gloom.

"That's-" Moira began behind her, and then stopped abruptly. Alece looked over her shoulder, turning slowly around, but didn't see her.

"Moira?" No answer. "Moira, if you pop up and grab me, I'll drown you, I swear it." Still, no answer. "Moira, where are you?"

Immediately, her mind began coming up with the awful things that could have gotten Moira. The creature from the Black Lagoon, the Loch Ness Monster.

She yelled the instruction to the atoms, hoping they understood English, and then in desperation and just to be on the safe side, mentally called out close translations in a couple of other languages.

The water was still, except for the ripples she was making as she looked around.

It was just like earlier that day, when Gretchen had vanished as they ran from the dragon. Alece suddenly felt terribly exposed, literally a sitting duck, and looked around. There was no place to get out of the water, seeing at how the walkways were seven feet up, the same as the sides of the lake.

There was a marble house close by; Alece was starting to call them Greek temples in her mind. She was sure Moira had come from the opposite direction, so it probably wasn't hers.

Unable to take the time to come up with something more practical, she ended up with a rope with a hook on the end and lots of knots tied in it. It took three tries to get the hook caught on the railing, mostly because it was hard to gain throwing momentum from the water, and the rope was harder to climb than she'd anticipated. Of course, the whole time she kept worrying about what might be happening to poor Moira, and if she would come back without her memory.

And that made her think of aliens, little green men with silver instruments who would beam them up, only Scotty wouldn't be there to help, just the aliens with their experiment-

She finished climbing the rope and ran down the walkway to the Greek temple.

"Hello?" she called, stepping inside. It was the same as hers, except that Jarrett was stretched out on a sleeping bag.

Just my luck, she thought, grabbing him carelessly and shaking him.

He opened his eyes, sat up, and rubbed his forehead.

"It's not dawn."

"No."

"Why are you soaking wet?"

"I was swimming. Moira was with me. She disappeared, just like Gretchen did today."

"Did she go under?"

He hadn't been nearly as hard to wake up as she thought. He was probably was a light sleeper.

"I wasn't looking her way. She just broke off in mid-sentence, and disappeared."

"Are you panicking?"

She felt indignant. "Of course not. Have I panicked yet?"

"No; good. Josephine is in the house on the left, we should get her. Rainy is on the right, but he can't swim."

"You want to get Josephine or should I?"

"I will. Do you remember where you were?"

"She didn't drown, Jarrett. Her body would have floated to the surface."

"That's not what I'm thinking. Which direction were you in?"

"Right outside, close to your walkway."

Jarrett took off for Josephine's temple, and Alece walked back to the water, trying to find the exact place where she and Moira had been. Remembering the view from the water, she jumped the railing. She expected her dives were going to be much better now that she was an Eye Person.

She swam in circles, looking through the water and then heading out further away from where they'd been. Maybe Moira had hit her head on something and floated away.

Josephine and Gretchen showed up a few minutes later. Rainy came along to, but wouldn't get in. Instead, he held a spot light so that it would shine down on the water.

"I feel like an actor from 911," Josephine muttered. "You now the floor is tiled? Evan wasn't cheap about this."

Gretchen created a couple of face masks that would provide oxygen, and some goggles. Alece had been scuba diving, and found she much preferred the little mask that made its own air to hauling a tank around and being saddled with weights.

The floor was tiled, beautifully, with swirling blue and green backgrounds, and fantastic pictures of mermaids and magical scenes in front.

Alece adjusted her face mask and looked around, shinning her flashlight in every direction. Nothing, not a single sign of anything except for the silent pictures adorning the floor. Once, thought Alece was sure, she thought she caught one snickering.

Gretchen was motioning her to the surface, so she and Josephine swam up.

"I didn't see anything. What about you guys?"

Two no's were the replies. "Where else should we look? We can't cover the whole pool."

"When you disappeared," Josephine asked her, "did you feel the passing of time, or were you asleep, or was it just snap?"

"Just snap. I went from one place to another and it felt like the time from one moment to anther. As if I was stationary, and everything else changed around me."

Honor and Jarrett showed up, and talked to them from the walkway.

"What if she created something," Jarrett suggested, "and it back fired."

"Like a dragon or something?" Rainy suggested.

"Or snakes," Jarrett said pointedly.

"But wouldn't I have noticed?" Alece asked.

"If it was snakes, I'm sure you would have. But what if it was something else?"

"Like what?" Honor asked. "If we can't even come up with something, how could Moira?"

"And why would she create something in the middle of a sentence?"

From behind her, again, came the voice. "Jarrett's house." Pause, before, with a surprised tone, "Where did all you come from?"

"Where have you been?" Honor demanded, turning in the water.

Moira shrugged. "I was out here with Alece. What are you doing here?"

"We were looking for you!"

"Well you found me."

Alece pressed her lips together. Once could be a freak weirdness. Twice meant something was going on.

"No, you disappeared like Gretchen."

Moira looked pleased. "Really? How long was I gone?"

"Wait a minute," Gretchen complained. "Didn't we already do this?"

"Do what?" Alece asked.

"We already found Moira and then went back to bed and got up and Alece and I went to see the midgets."

Jarrett looked very suspicious, but like he thought he knew what was going on. "Gretchen, how long has it been since the world blew up?"

"He did it yesterday, but I didn't think it was so late. Did I fall asleep?"

"No, Evan set the bomb off today. Or at least we woke up today."

"No, Jarrett it was yesterday. Because remember, we came out to look for Moira last night, and then I accidently set my curtains on fire. You really don't remember? Honor, you remember, right?"

Honor shook her head slowly. "I don't think that happened, Gretchen. Maybe you had a dream or something."

Alece was starting to get the picture. "Are we dealing with time travel here?"

"I haven't been time traveling," Moira protested. "I would have remembered something like that."

"Not if you didn't know it was happening," Jarrett pointed out.

"Can you travel through time and not notice?" Honor asked. "That seems sort of strange."

"Not possible," Rainy said. "Time travel just isn't possible."

"Well, it is, we just don't know how to do it. Anything is possible if you know how."

"But how would we be able to prove it?" Alece asked, thinking that she had been wrong about things not getting any weirder.

"I can tell you what's going to happen tomorrow," Gretchen said. "I know what Evan's going to do, and what's going on with the midgets. If I tell you, you could check with out with the midgets and verify everything tomorrow. Besides, this time I can avoid burning my curtains."

Moira spoke up for the first time in a while. "If this is actually what's happening, and it's as good a theory as any other, why is it happening? Is it random? There doesn't seem to be any common factor in the experiences."

"Tell us exactly what happened, in as close a detail as you can," Jarrett suggested, sitting down on the walkway. Honor just pulled her shoes off and climbed over the railing.

"Okay," Moira began. "I bumped into Alece, and we were swimming around, talking about...oh, right. Byron, and then ostrich meat, and I was telling her how good it was. Then, I turned around to point at Jarrett's house thing and I said, 'That's Jarrett's house.' About in the middle of the sentence, all you people just appeared. It was really strange. How long was I gone?"

"About a half hour," Alece guessed. "What about you, Gretch?"

"The first time, I was running from the dragon. I remember thinking that the dirt was getting kicked up into my eyes and it was burning. I looked back to see how close the dragon was, and then everybody vanished, and the midgets were all around me."

"Were you thinking anything?" Josephine asked. "Like, 'I wish this were over with?'"

"Maybe. I don't think so. I was kind of desperate at the time."

"I was," Moira offered. "I can't remember it now, but there was something I wanted to tell Jarrett, and I remember thinking that word 'later.' Maybe that did it."

"I know I did it the second time," Gretchen said. "Because the midgets still wanted to burn me. I was thinking that between whoever was grabbing me and the midgets, I should have stayed home on Sunday."

"What were you doing at the time?" Honor asked.

"Standing at the fountain, and then somebody grabbed me and spun around and I fell into the pop."

"So you turned?" Alece asked quickly.

"Yeah, I turned my head."

"Could that be the signal? Thinking that you want to be in a different place and turning around?"

"We should try it," Josephine said.

Moira's eyes lit up, but Gretchen said, "Hold on. We could end up any when, any where."

"We need an intercom," Josephine suggested.

"Like on Star Trek," Jarrett put in. He seemed to be a big fan. Probably from too many years hanging around with Moira. "A little button you can hook to your shirt."

"And a control center," Gretchen said.

"Where should we build it? We don't want Evan to find out."

They agreed on that, that Evan shouldn't know. For the moment, they had an advantage over him, and it was the first time since they'd met at the church.

"But Evan would notice a big machine sitting right in the middle of the desert," Josephine said. "What if we build it into one of the islands, underwater? What are the chances he'd bump into it?"

"That's perfect," Gretchen agreed. "Why don't we use Rainy's? He probably wouldn't look there, even if he knew there was something to look for."

"Won't my house fall through?" Rainy asked.

"We'll make it strong," Gretchen assured him.

"How are we going to be able to send messages through time?" Honor asked. "How does this work exactly? We can't just tell our minds to make a machine and then go for it. I mean, I'm not going to unless I know what I'm getting into."

"I have no idea how time travel works," Josephine admitted.

"I do," Jarrett said. "I'm not sure if that name is right, but I think the theory's called the time-space continuum. Here's how it works. Imagine a spaghetti strand before you cook it, when it's still stiff. This line represents all the time that will exist, from the beginning to the end of time. So when time starts, one stick is laid down. At the next instant, in another place, or dimension, time starts over. So lay another stick along side the first one, but not quite even at the bottom. At the next instant, a third stick gets laid down, as time starts over. By the time you get to a hundred sticks, they make a diagonal line at the top and the bottom. So then, if you want to travel through time, all you have to do is jump from one stick, sideways to another stick, where time will be at a different spot because it started over several instants later."

"But literally," Honor asked, "what are the sticks?"

"Dimensions, I guess. One layer is another dimension on top of this one."

"So we aren't the first stick, right?" Moira said. "We must be somewhere in the middle, because we can move forward and backwards."

"That's a lot of spaghetti," Rainy said.

Alece was impressed. Jarrett's time-space continuum theory made more sense than most school work did.

"How are we going to jump the lines?" Moira asked.

"Well," Jarrett admitted, "that's the part scientists haven't figured out yet."

"Great," she muttered, flipping over backwards in the water.

"What about our other selves?" Gretchen asked. "Shouldn't I have met mine here? Shouldn't I be here right now, the past me and the future me?"

"That's the question," Jarrett said, sitting like a wise teacher up on the walkway. "Some people say that you can meet your former and future selves, because you'll both be in the same time at the same place if you jump onto somebody else's stick. Dr. Who followers think that if you meet your other self, the world will end."

"It's a sad world we live in where Dr. Who has followers," Moira said.

"Not anymore," Honor pointed out.

"But some people say that you're the same basic person as the other self is, you would simply mesh with the other self. Or it's possible that which ever you was older and knew more would cancel out the lesser you."

"But I don't see how I've changed things in the future," Gretchen pointed out. "When I remember what happened to me before I went back in time, I see us having this conversation, and then it cuts right into my previous memory of what happened. Sort of like, my memory is a video tape, and somebody took what might have happened and taped over part of what did happen."

"Maybe we should take a look around in your mind," Josephine said. "That could give us a lot of information about this whole thing."

"Here we go," Moira said, grinning at Alece.

They swam/walked to Rainy's island/mountain and created/built a large room under his temple. It resembled the cave, with smooth floors and orange rock, and Alece felt comfortable here. They put in a force field so that no water could get in, except of course for blood and spit and other necessary bodily fluids.

With the door bolted from the inside, they settled into a circle and held hands. Moira, who as on Alece's left, explained that it wasn't actually necessary to feel the pulse, that just helped with first timers.

They got their breathing in sync, and voooooommmm, Alece opened her eyes and looked around. She was in the lobby of a movie theater, and the others were with her. No one else was there, no even a ticket taker or popcorn seller. Moira snagged a box of Junior Mints from behind the counter.

"Which theater is it?" she asked as they waked down a hall.

"Beats me," Moira said. "They change each time to come or go. We'll have to check them all."

Alece opened a door and glanced in. Cello noises, probably Honor. The next one showed the view from an upstairs window down to where kids dressed in black were necking on the back patio, with an audio of oddly disgusted laughter. Probably Jarrett. The third one Alece checked was of Honor's grandmother, and it turned out that the cello room had been Gretchen's, as her memory played back one of Honor's recitals.

They settled down front, and Alece made herself up a robe because she was getting cold. The carpet was beady, and the seats were velvet, just like last time. Naturally, Gretchen took the clicker.

A time index popped up at her command; she was much more adept with the machine than Alece had been. Gretchen punched in what would have been today's date. All that the screen showed was black.

"I think Evan said we were out for a couple of days," Alece told her.

It turned out to be October 17, instead of October 13.

"Don't you hate it when you pass out for days at a time?" Moira whined sarcastically. "If my hair doesn't get its daily washing..."

They fast-forwarded to Gretchen walking up, and then to the dragon scene. Running, running, Alece glancing back over her shoulder, and then bang!

Now Gretchen was surrounded by the midgets, mentally screaming so loud they had to turn the volume in the theater down, and a temporary black out as she lost consciousness.

That little segment revealed nothing of importance, so they fast forwarded some more to tonight.

"Okay," Moira said slowly, and the audio of Gretchen's memory echoed a moment later.

"The playback must be a few seconds behind us still," Jarrett said.

"I hate the sound of my voice," Moira mentioned. "See? Listen to me. I sound like I'm pinching my nose."

"You do not," Gretchen said lazily, skipping forward again. Abruptly, the scene changed. "This is what happened last night. Before we rewrote it."

"Press pause a minute," Jarrett said, and the scene froze, allowing Alece to examine it in detail.

Gretchen was probably sitting on her marble bed, from the angle of the view. There were a couple of candles sitting on the floor, and a gauze curtain had just gone up in flames. Behind the curtain, partially hidden by the smoke, a dim figure that Alece thought was Moira was running forward.

"What are we waiting for?" Josephine asked impatiently.

"Just hold your horses. It should happen any second."

"How many constitutes any?"

It was another thirty seconds, during which Alece memorized every inch of the screen. Then, the scene changed again, and became a picture of the screen, with another screen inside it, and another screen inside that one, and so on and so forth until it was too small to be distinguishable any more.

"What's that?" Moira asked.

"We recreated the moment," Jarrett explained. "Gretchen had a memory of what happened the first time she lived the moment, but when we relived it, differently this time, her old memory was erased."

"Do you still remember what happened the first time?" Josephine asked Gretchen.

"As well as I remember anything else."

"That means it must still be somewhere in your data base. Let me see the clicker for a second."

Alece guessed that a data base was the same as a memory bank. Josephine carefully commanded the machine, telling it that she wanted to view that original memory of the evening of October 17.

"Um, maybe..." Gretchen began, but she trailed off. "I don't know if..."

But the scene was already playing. First, they were in the water and found Moira, and then they dispersed, and Alece noticed herself walking out of view, in the opposite direction of her temple.

"Where am I going?" she asked, confused, and saw Gretchen bite her lip.

In Gretchen's memory, she created a few candles and set them on the floor, then climbed onto blow-up mattress that was sitting on her marble bed.

Humming, thinking stupid contented thoughts, generally trying to not think about her brothers and how much she was going to miss them, she drifted off to sleep.

The smell of smoke filled the theater.

"Where the hell is that coming from?" Moira cried, jumping up.

"It's an affect," Gretchen said, pulling her back into her seat. "This is when I woke up, because I smelled the smoke."

When the screen colored again, it was bright orange. Gretchen yelped, both aloud and mentally, and started screaming for help.

"I'm trapped on an island and it's burning up!" she yelled, while thinking, This is just like Lord of the Flies.

After several minutes of trying to decide what to do, while all the curtains on her temple burned up in a fascinating blaze, Gretchen just stood back and watched. Everyone else had showed up by then, and Alece noticed herself talking to Evan, clearly about something other than the fire.

"What am I doing?" she asked again.

Gretchen leaned over to her and whispered, "Ask me later and I'll explain."

After the fire died down, they went their separate ways, but Alece did not see the direction she walked off in. Gretchen decided to take a short wander while the smoke cleared out of her temple, and started to stroll the flagstone.

And then the screen went blank.

"This scene is not open to public viewing," an automated voice said.

"Gretch?" Moira demanded.

"I'm allowed to have my secrets," Gretchen told her indignantly, which was about as normal a thing for her to say as it was for Moira to beg.

No one else complained; they, after all, had things they didn't want other people looking through.

"You know I'm going to badger you about this until you tell me," Moira said, but Gretchen ignored her.

The scene returned and Gretchen went to bed. She got up the next morning and made herself some breakfast, then took a walk around. No one else was up, except for Moira, who was absent from her temple.

The morning continued, and Alece watched herself doing things she hadn't done yet, which sort of creeped her out. Every time someone said something to her, she automatically responded in her head, and then heard herself echo.

They went to see the midgets, and Alece talked to Byron. He wanted to have a parade for her and burn Gretchen as the finale. Alece talked him out of it, and Gretchen left, while Alece discussed the midget settlement. Byron agreed to her proposal to call it Lolly Pop Land.

Gretchen returned back to the City, and was pouring herself a cup of Root Beer when she screamed and turned around, falling backwards into the fountain.

"What was that?" Moira asked.

"Hold on a second," Gretchen said, fiddling with the control.

"Holographic image activated," said the computer voice.

A 3-D image of Gretchen appeared on the floor in front of the first row, complete with fountain. Another figure, who was totally grey and had no face, materialized behind her.

"Who's that?" Josephine asked.

"I don't know," Gretchen said, and the playback started from a few minutes before. The 3-D Gretchen imitated all the movements she had made at the time, while the screen showed what she saw. The unknown figure behind her reached over and clamped a heavy hand on her arm, which was when Gretchen screamed, turned around, and began to fall back into the fountain. Then automatic replay began, starting with her being back in the pool and asking, "Haven't we already done this?"

Gretchen pressed stop.

"Well, we sure got a lot out of that," Honor said, putting her feet up on the row in front of her. "I hate it when we spend time doing stupid things."

"What next?" Rainy asked.

"The real question here is whether or not we could travel back in time far enough to go home," Jarrett pointed out.

Yes, of course that is the real question, Alece thought, rubbing her shoulder. It was sore from swimming and the kickback of the machine gun.

Nobody said anything for a couple of minutes.

"Evan would still blow up the world," Alece said finally. "He didn't care if we were at the church or not. All that was important was that he did it. We were like pawns, I guess."

"We could stop him," Moira said confidently.

"How?"

"Go back far enough and kill him."

Honor laughed. "Yeah, that's a great idea. I'm sure we won't be on the evening news on anything, so we won't have any problem making all the people who know forget. We can just stun them all!"

"Besides," Gretchen said, "You might come up with the best plan in the world, Moira, but you wouldn't be able to go through with it at the end."

Moira was thoughtful and serious. "I might be able to. I don't know. Maybe. It would depend on Evan, and how he was acting. If he got me into a fit, I think I could probably do it."

She could too. Moira's just got that kind of strength in her. Alece did not care to admit that she admired Moira for it.

"Never mind," Josephine said. "Could we stop him without killing him?"

"No," Gretchen admitted it.

"Maybe," Moira said. "We could beat him to the church, jump him, and then call the bomb squad."

"But he had that control, and all the other bombs were already set," Honor said. "If he had enough to blow up the world, then no bomb squad would be able to get to them all."

"So we'll torture him into deactivating that others," Moira replied simply. "And yes, Gretchen, I'm sure I could manage that."

They argued about it for a few minutes, and finally decided they could worry about it after they had proof that they would be able to travel through time at all.

Building the machine took some time. They wanted to make sure it would be exactly right, and ended up with a large PC that included custom made software.

Gretchen flipped on the computer. It was settled in the center of the cave, and had a see-through monitor so that people on both side could watch.

"Who's first?" she asked.

Moira yawned. "Can we try this tomorrow? I'm going to fall asleep any minute."

They agreed to meet back the next night when Evan wouldn't get suspicious, and left the cave. Gretchen walked Alece back to her temple.

"Okay," she said in a hushed voice. "Last night, after we found Moira, we were all confused, and we went to ask Evan what was happening. Afterward, he wanted to talk to you, so you left with him. But then you came back when my temple caught fire, and I went for a walk to let the smoke clear out."

Alece nodded, feeling too tired to think it all through carefully.

"But what I didn't let the others see is that I sort of heard part of a conversation you and Evan had."

That caught Alece's attention.

"You were eavesdropping on us?" she asked in amazement.

Gretchen looked embarrassed, drawing her head back on her neck. "Well, yeah. It was sort of hard to resist."

"What were we talking about?"

A bit relieved that Alece wasn't yelling at her, Gretchen said, "It was strange. I guess you were talking about things that I don't know about, because he was saying some weird stuff, and you seemed to know what he meant, and then there was a while that you weren't speaking English at all, and that was when I left, because you were getting close to catching me."

Alece found that she didn't actually care. Maybe she was just too tired, and besides, it didn't sound as if Gretchen had heard anything she could understand anyway.

"Thanks for telling me. I don't suppose it matters since we aren't going to have that conversation now."

"But I still have the memory of it," Gretchen pointed out. "You could still listen to it and see what you think."

Alece felt a revitalized rush of energy hit her at the thought. She would have a hand over Evan, who didn't know she knew as much as she did.

"Would you mind?" she asked Gretchen.

"It was your conversation. I was listening in. You have every right to hear it."

"When would you be willing to take me in?"

"I don't really have to be there. I can take the block off with a thought, so you could go by yourself."

But she didn't want to go by herself. Gretchen was her friend, probably her best friend, and she liked her company.

"No, come with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Course. When?"

"How tired are you?"

With the refreshing energy pumping through her veins, she felt good. The granola bar she materialized didn't hurt her energy levels any either.

As they settled into the satin cushion on Alece's bed, she asked, "Gretchen, what kind of person am I?"

"Good. I mean, fundamentally, I think you're a good person."

"That's not quite what I meant." She struggled for a second. "All my life, I've been changing personalities. One day I'm sweet, one day I'm sultry. It was always like stepping into a character."

Gretchen nodded. "The day we met you, Jarrett said you were like someone with a multiple personality disorder."

Alece paused. "Is that good or bad?"

"Beats me. Go on."

"Okay, so I'm always being different people. Because, you know, it didn't matter. It's not like I generally had lasting friendships with these people." She stopped again. "Come to think of it, I sort of saw them as pawns, play things. That was really mean of me. But it's different when you're traveling. You've done things they probably haven't, you know things they don't. It gives you so many chances to try things. I don't know how else to describe it. I could sweep into these peoples' lives, mess with their heads, and then leave and start over somewhere else. I was...uncatchable. Always on the move. Is this making any sense?"

"Some. Did you just get sick of it?"

"No. There were probably three big things that changed the way I thought. One was this repeated gig my father had in France. It seemed like every three or four months we were going back there, and I could pick up where I left off. All my friends were right where I left them, still the same. So I was the same when I was there. That was the first time I ever had a history with people. They made fun of me, and joked about old times, and I liked it.

"Then we went to Greece for a couple of months, and I decided to try something I never had before. I wanted to see how close I could get to somebody in a short stretch of time. But right away, I stopped being cool and started admitting personally powerful things. And it was like I gave these people a hold over me. Somehow, I had expected it to work one way. I knew everything about them, their dreams and their weak spots, but I remained an enigma. I was really surprised when it didn't work, especially because I enjoyed it. Lynette got closer to me than anybody ever had, and I liked it when she could guess what I was thinking, or know what my opinion would be. It was also the first time I didn't want to leave. I mean, really really wanted to stay. I had found something solid and reliable, and I didn't want to give it up. But, you know my father. Actually, you don't, but the point is he wouldn't stay, and he wouldn't let me stay.

"So then, the trip to Rome went from five weeks to five months, and I got caught in this big mess because I was acting all sweet and helpless, like I needed somebody to take care of me. I thought it would only be for a while and things wouldn't matter, but then Dad's job got extended, drastically, and things were so set. I don't know if I would have liked the people I was friends with if I'd been myself. But back then, I didn't really know who I was. Well, no, I did. I felt like my real personality was the part of me that came out when I was alone, reading, sitting on my bed listening to music. And these other personalities were masks I wore, and I could slide from one to another literally by changing shirts.

"But any real personality I had got wiped out when I hit Rome. Five months of wearing dresses and ribbons in my hair and living in a pink bedroom with white lace at the windows. And it was like I had France and Greece put together. I had long-term close friends, and it was exactly what I had hoped for, except of course that I wasn't acting the way I wanted to. Sometimes, somebody would say something, and I knew how they expected me to react, what they thought I'd do, but I wouldn't want to do it. Maybe I'd had a long day and didn't want to play the game anymore, or maybe I was just sick of this personality, but I didn't want to do what they expected me to."

She didn't know what else to say, and was aware that her speech had taken her nowhere.

Gretchen said, "Not that I'm not enjoying hearing this, or I'm putting down your monologue or anything, but I think I'm missing your point."

"I don't know if I have one. I did when I started out, but now I'm not so sure."

She had started thinking of Theo when she talked about Rome, which was a freaky thing to do, now that Evan was claiming to be him.

"I guess what I want to know is, do you think I have a definite personality, and does it seem genuine?"

"You certainly have a definite personality, yes. You're smart; that's pretty obvious, with all the languages you speak. You always keep your cool when things go wrong, you take care of yourself. And I'd say that you can be versatile, like when you used to hang out with Lucy and Anne and them, but I don't find you to be un-genuine. I never feel like you're acting for me. Do you feel like that?"

Alece sighed. "I don't think so. When I first got here, I was so determined to be myself that I just kept blocking other things out. It was hard not to fall back on somebody I'd been before, like with Janet and Lucy. That's how I ended up going to your party with Levi. But every time I did that when I was with you guys, I just sort of pushed it away. I was trying to create a new personality, somebody I liked and I admired. Somebody I felt comfortable being known as, but it wasn't like painting a picture. It wasn't a scientific process, not after the beginning. It was more like I just started doing what came naturally to me, without pretenses. Now, I don't even think about who I am. It was so nice, like coming out of my bedroom when I'd been alone and myself, and still being that person."

"What got you thinking about this?" Gretchen asked when she stopped.

"Evan. I think everything I do surprises him, because he expects me to do something else."

"Something helpless?" Gretchen asked tactfully.

Alece put her head down and rubbed the back of her neck. "Okay, Gretchen, tell me honestly. Do you think it's possible that he's the incarnate of my dead boyfriend?"

"Watch my memory, then you tell me."

Alece had almost forgotten that that was what they were here for. She picked up Gretchen's warm hands and shut her eyes, then had a thought and opened them.

"I don't feel uncomfortable out here in the dark the way I did back home. There isn't that cramping in my shoulders."

"Honor mentioned the same thing to me earlier. I think the new molecules make up for the lack of light."

They went back to the theater. All the rooms had switched again, so they rechecked the theaters.

"Alece!" Gretchen called, waving her over to the door or a theater. "Look at this."

They stood together in the doorway, and Alece smiled at the screen. "Who's room is this?" she asked.

"Honor's. Listen to her lisp!"

The playback was from years ago, when she was five or six. Little Honor was playing Mary Had A Little Lamb on a miniature cello, and Jarrett was covering his ears and, in a little kid's voice, yelling at her to stop.

A porky Gretchen with rounded cheeks walked into view, and the current Gretchen started laughing. She had on a red dress with lace at the hem and a satin bow in her hair.

"Gimme that!" Moira demanded, grabbing at a wooden spoon Gretchen was holding.

"What happened to her hair?" Alece asked, noticing that it was all different lengths.

"Her mom used to make her keep it long, and she hated it, so one day she got a hold of some scissors and started cutting. Her mom said that it was her fault it looked bad, and now she was going to have to live with it."

Alece watched for a couple of minutes, fascinated, until Gretchen, "Come on. If we keep watching, we'll never get out of here," and they found the right room.

It only took Gretchen a moment to find the lost memory and she removed the block instantly.

"Wait a second," Alece said, reaching over and hitting pause. "Can we get a translator?"

"My subconscious doesn't speak Italian, and I haven't heard enough for it to have figured it out on its own."

They ended up designing a head set Alece could wear so that anything said in a foreign language would be run through her subconscious automatically and dubbed over in the memory of their voices.

"If at any point," Gretchen said, "you want me to leave, just tell me. I won't be offended."

Alece nodded but didn't think she'd need to.

Gretchen was wandering around the desert after leaving the city, and Alece and Evan were apparently sitting just over a little hill talking.

They started out in English.

"I was thinking that the fountain was really out of place. Maybe I should make it a statue." That was Evan.

He switched to Italian, and Alece was a long time answering his question. "You still hate the desert?"

Finally she replied, "Yeah. You still hate my accent?"

"I don't have an accent," Alece replied in English.

She changed the subject. "How old are you now?"

Evan appeared to get up and raise his hands above his head, and then started yelling, making Gretchen jump up in the air and retreat a few steps. He started walking around in circles, shouting in Chinese. Alece had forgotten too much of it to translate any complete sentences, but she made a little sense of it.

"He's repeating the Constitution in Chinese," Alece figured out slowly.

"No, not the Constitution," Gretchen began correcting, and then drifted off and didn't finish.

On screen, the Alece there said, "You were that Chinese boy!"

"Yes!" Evan shot back, pleased. "You remember."

"No. I found out an assignment your father had coming up in a few months and settled in there before you could arrive, so that it wouldn't look like a set up. I even had the project increased so that you would stay longer."

He was talking in Italian again, and Alece thought that if she hadn't had the translator, she might not have been able to keep up. The version of her on screen was asking for a repeat.

Then they came to close to Gretchen's hiding place and she freaked out and ran away, leaping into the water. Alece pressed stop, and the screen returned to the main frame.

"Well, that was interesting if not particularly helpful," Alece said.

"I wasn't sure you wanted the others here when you watched it."

Alece shrugged, thinking that it had been a pretty benign conversation, but that later she was going to have to talk with him about some other things.

"I don't have an accent, do I?" she asked.

Gretchen grinned in the dim light. "Just a little one, and it's kind of pleasant, actually. Soft of a softness on your S's and Th's. Don't listen to what Evan says about it. He's...I don't know what he is."

"He's the devil," Alece replied, but she was joking. "The funny thing is...he's almost more like him than I remember. I'm assuming that everything he says is true, and I'm starting to think it must be." She stopped, leaning back in her chair and removing the head gear. "I can't believe I have an accent."

Gretchen giggled and said, "Let's get out of here. May as well get some sleep before the sun comes up."

They walked out into the hall and found Gretchen's theater was now at the back. "Why do these keep changing?"

"Moira. She thought it would be fun, so she programmed it that way. Wait a second."

Gretchen stopped walking and turned in a slow circle, pushing the hair off her face. "Why are there nine rooms?"

Alece started counting on her fingers. "You, me, Jarrett, Moira, Honor, Rainy, Josephine. That's only seven."

"But there's a memory editing room, too, that makes eight. Why nine?"

"Well, assuming the Evan found the Eye People chemical...."

She'd never seen that look on Gretchen's face, a mixture of shock and horror. "In here? But this..."

Is our place, Alece finished silently for her. She understood, this was a private place for the Eye People, one of their little havens, and it didn't seem right for Evan to have been here. It would be like inviting him into the attic, which hadn't seemed right before either.

"Which one is it?" she asked, moving to the nearest door, and Gretchen did the same.

It wasn't hard to find, after they ruled out the other eight rooms.

"Should we take a look?" Alece asked, holding open the door.

"Why not?" Gretchen asked angrily. She was obviously upset over the thought of Evan invading their territory.

The screen was playing back the moments from before the blast, and then the blast itself, and finally returning to waking up.

Evan got up and stretched, did a little victory dance, and then made sure the others were still alive.

"You aren't going to hate me when you wake up, Lisa," he'd told her snoozing figure, patting its head. "Everything's going to go back to normal."

"Lucked out on that one," Alece commented, chewing on some licorice she'd nabbed from the counter. She'd noticed that an array of solid milk chocolate Buddha statues had also been available.

"Go back to when you two where in Italy," Gretchen suggested, and Alece typed in an estimated date. He was sleeping, having a dream about wandering the desert in search of the sun god. Typical.

They fast forwarded to the morning, skipped past breakfast to lunch. Alece nearly fell out of her chair.

"This looks exactly the way I remember it. The cafeteria, other students. That girl with the red hair is Andrea, the brunette's Marina."

She quickly realized Gretchen couldn't understand a word of this and put on her head gear. The audio abruptly switched to English, and they listened to a dull conversation about math.

Alece rewound the memory to the day she first arrived, listening carefully to Evan's thoughts.

He hadn't been expecting her to arrive that day, and when he saw her, his reaction went like this: "Is that her? Oh, blast, find Andrea quick. No, wait, don't get Andrea. What will you tell her? You have to be little about this. She can't know you've met her before. Get a copy of her schedule. Which way is the office? I hate this blasted kindergarten!"

The translation was a little rough around the edges, but Alece was able to tell that Evan had definitely seen her before. He seemed rather pleased that she had finally shown up.

She realized she was falling asleep in her chair and told Gretchen she was going to leave.

"I'm coming," Gretch told her and they got up.

"It doesn't seem like they're dead," she told Alece as they pass down the hall. "I was thinking about that earlier. It just seems like we've left the normal world for this one."

Alece nodded, understanding. Genocide was a hard pill to swallow.

She fell asleep minutes after Gretchen left her temple, curling up on the satin pillow and hearing the quiet of the world outside. There were no crickets, she noticed, settling one curled arm under her head.

She made the command, and instantly, there were crickets singing in the sand. The moon, unscathed even by nuclear flames, shone like the last pure thought down through the hot, red air, reflecting in sliver shards off the lake's glistening surface. A heavy breeze ruffled the gauze curtains as Alece closed her eyes and pressed her back against the marble wall, then moved away, disliking its heat. Would nothing here but the moonlight be cool?

But if the moon was still up there, still cool and airless, and non-radioactive, then there had to be hope, right?

Far off, a coyote howled triumphantly.

Chapter 39

Thing went down hill for about a week after that. To begin with, Alece stumbled out of bed the next morning with her eyes shut, having forgotten where she was, and plunged seven feet into the lake, nearly killing herself. Rainy was totally unable to get a grip on his imagination, and it ran rampant for hours at a time. Most of the evening was spent fending off Freddy Kruger, who had the magical ability to recover from any wound. They all started carrying dart guns, magically infused with the inability to shoot each other. Moira was the only one who put the clause to experiment, firing once at Evan. The dart deflected, just as it was supposed to.

Speaking of Moira, she had created a heard of about fifty trolls who roamed the hills and the City. They ran past without stopping, in fact they never stopped, according Moira. They just ran wherever their feet took them, making little grumbling sounds. Two feet high, hunch backed, filthy, they were some of the scariest beings Alece had ever heard of. Moira said they wouldn't hurt her, and when Jarrett had gotten fed up earlier and shot one, it had deflated like a beach ball.

The time machine was coming along well, but Alece found she had lost interest in the idea of time travel. Not that she didn't want to get home, she just didn't feel like doing any real work. She leaned against the wall while the others readied their huge computer, thinking up new laws by which it should operate, second back-up and safety systems. Pretty soon, the others began loosing enthusiasm as well.

Nobody did much of anything after the first couple of days. They wandered around with blank eyed stares, floated on their backs, or just lay on the sand staring at the sun. Josephine didn't even bother putting her hair up anymore.

Evan disappeared completely. At first, they talked about things that might have happened to him, a jump through time, capture by the midgets, but there wasn't really much to say because nobody cared.

So they burned out, perhaps from stress or heat, or just lack of parental garbage to whine about, and laid around doing nothing for days at a time.

Alece was sitting on the sand with Honor and Moira. They didn't say anything for a good long while, until Honor finally asked, "Is anybody here bored?"

Dumb with lethargy, Moira answered, "No."

Alece flopped over on her side, sand grating against her cheek. It was too much trouble to sit up. Moira chewed her tongue. Honor went to get a drink out of the lake and fell in. Of all of them, she was the least affected.

Alece fell asleep in the middle of the day, sun or no sun. Nothing here seemed to work the way it was supposed to. When the night came, she got up and walked to the soda fountain and got a drink. Then she lay down on the walkway and started at the sky.

Her thoughts turned into mush. Nothing had meaning anymore, she was just surrounded by stuff, which she couldn't seem to recognize.

It was the Mooo thoughts that made her laugh, short, stuttering laughs that caused her chest to bounce up and down off the flagstone.

"Mooo." She made the noise out loud, but it wasn't nearly as funny.

"Oooooga poooga. Faaaaaa."

Ooooooga poooga was nice. She made the Ooooga poooga noise for a while and then fell asleep again.

Then next day, she made the noises for Moira, who told her to "Shut," whatever that meant. Honor came over, heard the noises, and told Alece she was dumb as a post.

That was the first real thought she'd had in days. Mustering the strength to sit up, she asked, "Where's Evan?"

Moira made a noise that might have been the first half of "shut," Gretchen snorted, and Honor said, "I haven't seen him in days. Does anybody have any personality left at all? We've been sitting here for days doing nothing. If nobody answers me, I'm going to have to do something drastic."

Gretchen snorted again, and Honor stood up. Alece made her Ooooga pooga noise as she watched Honor grab both of Moira's arms and start dragging her toward the lake. The sand, caked her to Alece's arms, was beginning to bug her.

She got onto her knees and crawled after Honor and Moira, but once she actually got to the edge of the lake, it seemed like too much trouble to hurl herself into the waves and try to stay a float.

But Honor didn't seem to have any trouble doing just that to Moira. The black hair, left uncombed for much too long, disappeared beneath the waves, and then spread out in a delicate tracery as Moira's body floated to the top, face down.

"Crap," Honor said, grabbing the ledge and jumping in. Alece watched as she rolled Moira over and propped her head up above water.

"Alece, help me get her out, would you?"

Alece managed a pathetic, "Mooo," that sounded like the whine of a new born kitten.

"Come on, Alece, give me a hand here," Honor said.

"Too tired," Alece mouthed.

Honor gave up. "Fine," she said, dropping her hold on Moira, "let her drown. But it's your fault. I tried to get her out."

Rainy had crawled over next to Alece and was frowning at Honor. A wave, unusually strong, picked Moira up and sent her sailing toward the lake wall.

"I help," Jarrett said wearily, rolling off the edge of the sand bank and going under.

"Moo," Alece said in approval, and Rainy gave a half distinguishable nod.

Jarrett's eyes were wide when he came up. "Wow, that water really does the trick."

It turned out Honor had slipped one of their water masks under Moira's face so that she was breathing the whole time. Jarrett pulled the mask off and dunked her a couple of times, until she was choking and Honor was yelling at him to stop.

Jarrett was laughing, Honor was laughing, Moira was swearing. The whole scene looked so dreamlike to Alece, after all these days of exhausted nothingness.

"You know what's been going on here?" Honor asked Jarrett. "We've become fried green tomatoes. We just needed some water." She turned around climbed a ladder that had suddenly materialized, and then gave Alece a good hard shove that sent her over the edge.

Alece did not have an oxygen mask, and for some reason, she sank to the bottom of the lake, all twenty feet. The water closed over her head, and her ears popped as she drifted, deeper and deeper. The bottom of the lake was blue, covered in those precious tiled murals that had so enticed her before.

She landed on floor with a soft, almost inaudible thud and touched the surface, wondering why she wasn't floating up. In minutes, everything had changed. First she had been half dead and stunned, then wide awake for a moment when she hit the water, and now here, on the bottom of the lake.

Separated, that was how she felt. Here in this other world, magical with its enveloping blue and deep silence. She could have screamed and not heard herself. As the folds of her Moira-ware fabric pants and shirt ballooned out around her, she relaxed and blinked a few times.

It was like it had been when she had been turning into an Eye Person; she didn't need to breath. Her lungs didn't hurt, yet consciously, she knew she must have been under water for at least thirty seconds.

On the floor near her feet, there was a mural of a war, with chariots facing a huge ogre. The ogre had long, thick arms bulging with muscles and huge twisted nails on his fingers.

There was a bombing noise from above, and she lifted her face to the sunlit blue waters above. A billion bubbles were flying in every direction. Someone must have just jumped in.

She watched the kicking feet for several seconds, thinking about how none of them had experienced this, this odd solitude. She was, in a way, meditating at the bottom of the lake, and she wanted to share that with them.

It came as a shock to realize that she could drown here if she didn't ever move. If she just stayed where she was, sitting on the floor, she would eventually run out of air and die. Alece had never looked death so squarely in the face before, not as a fear-filled wonder, but as a simple decision. When it's time, it's time, and that time would be of her own choosing.

It was an incredible rush, the thought that she had this wonderful life and death control, but that didn't mean she wanted to die. There was quite a bit she had left to do.

She decided it was probably time to return to the surface; her lungs were starting to ache. Josephine should be the one she took down with her the next time. Yes, Josephine could really appreciate something like this. If she looked, Alece could see Josephine's dark mass of hair swirling above her.

Casting one last glance at the murals, she made a fatal mistake.

She remembered how she had wondered the first time if the pictures could come alive.

It was the ogre who got her, with his claws sinking into her pant leg as she kicked upward. At that moment, she raised her head and saw Jarrett watching her, someone finally noticing that she hadn't come up for over two minutes.

She kicked with her right leg and felt her joints jerk as the claws took hold. Looking back, she saw the ogre sneering at her, bringing her leg closer to its mouth.

Panicked, she began to squirm violently, shaking from side to side and kicking viciously. Somehow, she had to pull free and swim to the surface.

Then she saw Jarrett moving down from the surface with his dart gun in hand. Yes, that's what we need. I believe that a dart with turn this ogre back into a mural.

That was the key element when trying to kill projections of the imagination: You had to believe that it could be killed. One of the reasons Rainy's monsters were so hard to get rid of was that he thought they were invincible.

But even as the monster licked her calf, Alece waited for Jarrett and imagined the monster getting sucked back into the mural as soon as he shot it.

He was ten feet away when she opened her eyes, and she made eye contact, gesturing with her hands to shoot the creature. Before he had time to take aim, something flew down from the surface.

Jarrett spun, the ogre paused, and Alece kicked it in the face. Forgetting the circumstances of being underwater, she drew in a breath and began choking. In a flood of torrent of bubbles, Evan appeared, and the ogre abruptly disappeared. Alece swam upward with hard strokes as Jarrett fired some darts at the floor, just to be on the safe side.

Evan grabbed her by the shoulders when they reached the surface. Slamming her back against the wall, he yelled in Italian, "You promised you'd never do that again!"

Alece was coughing too hard to reply, and expected her eyes were bulging almost out of her head. Evan's face was flushed, and he was breathing hard.

"We agreed that it wouldn't happen again!" he screamed.

Alece tried to pull the wet hair away from her neck, but it didn't help. She couldn't get any air.

"Answer me!" Evan yelled, shoving her into the wall again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gretchen exchanging those perfect glances with somebody, and a second later, Jarrett appeared behind Evan's shoulders.

"Let go, Evan. She needs to catch her breath."

Evan shook his head, and Jarrett said in more calculated tones, "There are six of us, and one of you. Let go."

Knowing there was no way for him to win, Evan carefully let go after giving her one more slam. Alece felt her support give way, and she started to sink again, then coughing and waving her arms to stay afloat.

Jarrett caught one of her arms and helped hold her up. She couldn't stop coughing, her lungs were spasming or something.

Evan had climbed the ladder and was yelling again, but she drowned him out and concentrated on taking deep breaths. She was probably blue by this time.

"Are you okay?" Jarrett asked, and she nodded, pushing her hair away again.

"Yeah, just needed some air."

Above her, Evan was yelling at Jarrett, which was stupid, because Jarrett couldn't understand a single word he said.

"You threaten me again, and I'll ruin everything. I know all about you, and your family. Everything that happened-"

"Evan?" she asked weakly, still letting Jarrett hold her up.

"What?" he snapped.

"What are you talking about?"

She was confused. Between her nice experience underwater, the ogre attack, and now Evan acting like a crazy person- things were getting stressful.

"You were going to kill yourself!" Evan yelled. "Don't tell you weren't! I read your thoughts, I know what you were thinking. And you promised me you wouldn't do it again!"

She paused for a moment, and then it clicked what he was talking about, and she replied, "Taking nine aspirin is the work of an angry girl trying to get her father's attention, not a serious suicide attempt."

"You still said you wouldn't do it again!"

"I haven't. I was just down there thinking-"

He cut her off. "About killing yourself! You were going to stay down there until you drowned!"

"Would you please get the facts straight before you start yelling at me? I was thinking that staying underwater was one way of killing yourself, I was not going to do it. When you showed up, I was trying to swim to the surface, but this ogre mural came to life and grabbed my leg."

"So Prince Jarrett came to your rescue!"

If it's not one thing, it's another. "He was trying. He wasn't going to beat the life out of me against the wall, that's for sure."

She was aware that everyone else was listening to this conversation based only on the half they could understand, hers. She was sticking to English just then, finding it easier to keep her temper when she did. There was something about rolling her R's that always got her worked up.

"There are things you don't know about Jarrett, Lisa."

"As if you're one to talk, you, who's been stalking me for who knows how long. I know it was you behind my house that day, and you in the pool. EL, you were so obvious about it, as if you wanted to get caught or something. Either you're the most careless spy I've ever heard of, or else you're just out to get your ego boosted. I don't know which."

Evan cast a glance around at the others, still treading water except for Rainy, who couldn't swim and was holding onto the ladder.

Alece waited, trying to send Evan a mental message, if telepathy really was possible in this screwed up place.

He met her eyes for one intense moment, and they swirled, as if sending her a private message. Then he turned around and strode over the sand as if nothing had happened.

Alece relaxed and felt herself start to sink again, and she floundered for a moment before finding her buoyancy, which was sort of like regaining her balance. Off to her left, Moira started laughing.

"Sheer insanity!" she cried. "I love it." And then, "Come on, Rainy, I'm going to teach you how to swim."

As Rainy started fighting with her, Alece heard Honor mutter, "Glad to see things are back to normal."

Alece turned to Jarrett. "Thanks," she said, reaching down a little to rub her foot where the ogre had taken hold of it.

He nodded. "Don't worry about it. Us Eye People have to stick out for one another."

Josephine had both her hair down and her sunglasses off, and Alece barely recognized her. With the sun shinning, her eyes looked like shimmering brown geodes, crystalline and beautiful.

"You want to take a dive with me?" Alece asked, offering her a mask. She was going to be able to breath this time around.

"Sure," Josephine replied, smiling.

They swam together under water for a long time, just meandering over the floor with its still, dead patterns. Josephine had something she wanted to tell Alece, but couldn't because they were underwater. Finally, she resorted to trying telepathy, and to their mutual surprise, it worked.

Alece nodded and thought loudly, Can you hear me?

Josephine couldn't. She tried again and again, but the thought never seemed to get very far. When Josephine saw that she was having a hard time, she told her, Let the thought flow out, don't force it or overexert yourself.

It was easy after that. There was almost an invisible channel between them that conveyed their thoughts like a telephone.

Now that things were back to normal, as Honor had put it, and the dried out days were over, they had to go back to work on the time machine. Alece didn't see Evan for the rest of the day, and hoped he would stay gone for a while, like he had the last time.

Moira, naturally, offered to be the test subject for the time machine. "You know my birthday's coming up in three weeks," she commented, getting into the special gear they had created.

"Has it really been that long?" Gretchen asked in amazement. "You guys were fried for days," Honor pointed out. "I mean, I was pretty fried, too, but not like that. One time I tried to cut off all Alece's hair, and she didn't even try to stop me."

"I don't remember that!" Alece said in alarm.

"My point exactly."

Moira changed the subject again. "What if I die?" she asked.

"What?"

"What if I'm in this other place, and I get attacked, or hit by a semi or something."

"My mom got hit by a semi," Alece told her, knowing she was being terribly uncouth but not minding. "They said she died instantly. It won't take long, Moira."

Gretchen was surprised. "Are you serious?"

Alece laughed slightly. "I told you it was a freak accident. She was in a hotel lobby and this semi just smashed through the wall and crushed her. Anyway, why don't we send someone along Moira, so that if she gets hurt, or her equipment breaks or something, they other person can bring her back."

"Are you offering?" Moira asked.

Surprised, Alece found she didn't mind being a test dummy. "If you want me to."

They went to work creating another set of equipment for Alece to wear. There was a sort of halo that got hidden under her hair- "It shows more since you're blond," Moira said, so she put on a baseball cap,- shoes that would let her walk on water, a tiny chip that attached to freckle on her cheek, so that Command Central would be able to hear what she was saying, another in her ear for obvious reasons, and a control panel they actually built into her arm. She could flip up the skin on her wrist and there it was with any information she needed. She was also provided with a purse, the contents of which were a dart gun, false identification, a Zipploc baggie, just in case, a note pad and pen, three hundred dollars in cash, some sausage and a juice box.

They talked for a minute about the possible things that could go wrong, including that Moira or Alece may meet her former self and the world would end. They still weren't sure about what would happen if they met up with themselves in the future or the past, but they figured they would have to wait and see.

"Alright, when should we send you to?" Gretchen asked, taking up her seat at the time machine.

"Let's try the past first," Josephine said. "That'll be easier to verify."

"But we can't," Jarrett said.

"Why not?"

"I don't know why not, but shouldn't we have already known if we'd gone back in time?"

"I'm lost," Gretchen said, turning in her chair to look at him.

"Okay, here's how I see this," Jarrett said. "The last time you went back in time, Gretch, you took over your other self. That is to say, you located your past self, and entered it, over powering the less experienced self that was already there. So if we send Moira and Alece back in time, then they should have told us about it days ago."

"I see," Gretchen said. "But if we had known last week that we were going to send them back in time, would we still have done it?"

"That's where we get into total protonic reversal."

"Excuse me?" Moira asked.

"It's a Ghostbuster term. Never mind about that. What I'm saying is that all time would stop, because there was no way to logically resolve the situation it was in. Time gets stopped in a paradox, therefor it ceases to move."

"What if we rewrite it afterward?" Alece suggested. "At some point, there must have been a reality that we erased by going back in time. You're looking at it from the wrong angle. This reality now won't get changed if we don't go back in time at all."

"I'm lost," Honor mentioned.

"Doesn't matter," Alece told her. "Type in for us to be transported back thirty minutes, to when we were all just getting in here and settling up the head gear."

"Are you sure about this?" Moira asked.

Alece laughed. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you scared, Moira," she teased, stepping into the time tube.

Moira was quick to climb into her own tube. "I am not scared," she shot back.

The time tubes were plexiglass cylinders just big enough for them to stand up inside of, housed in an all-encompassing stainless steel box, separate from Central Command. That way, if the tubes blew up, everyone at Central Command would be okay. The concept the machine had been designed on was that by spinning and then thinking that you wanted to be somewhere else, you would be transported to that time. Gretchen said you only had to believe they would work for them to.

Josephine picked up the little microphone at the main computer and spoke into it. Her voice came calmly out through the little speakers in the ceiling of the tubes, saying, "Attendants, please fasten the braces."

Alece put her arms over her head and Honor leaned through the narrow tube door to push a button on the floor. This was one of the safety catches of the time machine; it had to be worked by at least three people. The traveler had to be in position, the attendant had to press one button at the same time central command was pressing another. To Alece's left, Rainy was doing the same to Moira.

Heavily padded metal clamps fastened themselves around Alece's ankles, knees, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, head, and arms. Honor tugged on each one to make sure the latches were secure.

She pressed the intercom button on the ceiling, and said, "Braces secure. Waiting for further instruction."

Again came Josephine's voice. "Initiate liftoff."

Alece held her breath. The truth was, she wasn't too concerned about the safety of time travel.

It was the machine that scared her.

At Honor and Gretchen's mutual command, the braces moved upward several inches, and Alece's feet no longer touched the floor. For a second, she thought she would pass out. Being tied in place is one thing, being tied above the ground is another.

Calm down, Josephine's voice said in her head, and she realized she must have been unconsciously transmitting her terrified thoughts. You're what, three inches off the floor?

"Attendant number two, how many inches off the floor is the pig?"

Alece smiled when she heard Josephine's spoken question, and she did feel almost relaxed, particularly when Honor answered, "The pig is approximately two and one half inches off the ground, Central Command."

"Attendants, please secure air masks."

Just in case something weird happened, Alece and Moira were each being outfitted with a mask that would help them breath when they were spinning in circles. Honor attached it to the halo, which would also help track them through time.

"Attendants, please secure tanks."

Honor closed the little plastic door; it was about three inches thick, and had metal strips about it to help withstand pressure. Heavy bolts were rolled to keep the tubes shut.

Suspended across from Moira, Alece tried to be cool, but she knew Moira could tell how scared she was. It didn't matter, Moira was just as terrified.

"Attendants, please vacate and secure chamber."

Honor gave Alece one more smile and mouthed, "Good luck."

Alece stared straight into Moira's bright blue eyes without wavering as she heard the clamps on the door being clamped. She thought Moira smiled, but it was hard to see through the air mask.

"Pigs, are you ready?"

"Pig number two, ready and waiting," Alece answered.

"Pig number one, snort snort and snorting."

There was a pause, and then, "Pig number one, please verify status."

This time Alece was sure Moira smiled. "Pig number one, ready and waiting. Hand out the slops, Josie."

"Pig number one, we are unable to permit you to have any slops in your system at this time considering that you will probably throw it up during take off."

They must be laughing hysterically out there, Alece thought, and wondered if Moira and Josephine had planned it earlier to help relieve tension.

"Initiating spin drive. Countdown will last ten seconds."

Alece stopped smiling abruptly and started to breath heavily. She tried to send one last nod to Moira, but the clamps holding her in position had already started to move, spinning her slowly counter clockwise.

The spinning began to increase in speed, and an electronic voice called through the speaker, counting down the seconds.

"Ten.....nine...."

Alece could no longer follow the sight of the second tube, nor the red tape that lined the door. Everything was becoming a blur, rushing past. Her stomach twisted on its intestinal axis, then dropped out under her completely.

"Seven....six...."

She was beginning to panic, struggling against the braces, and she would have screamed if the spinning hadn't been making it so hard to breath in the first place. Without the mask, she probably would have suffocated.

Still, she gathered enough air to let out what she thought should be a good scream, and verbalized as a dainty whimper.

Josephine's voice blasted through her head with reassuring strength. Get a grip, kid. The countdown's almost finished; concentrate on your destination when we hit zero. Then, Close your eyes! No wonder you're about to toss your cookies!

Alece shut her eyes as directed, and found that it was immeasurably comforting. The spinning was now more of an annoying motion sickness sort of feeling, rather than a turbulent torrent of terror.

"Three....two..."

Of course, she had to concentrate.

A silver streak of lightening shot through the axis of her rotation, and there was a moment when the spinning was not felt, as the braces pulled away and left her turning in air, suspended by momentum alone. In a flash of silence, absolute silence, Alece thought of her trip to the bottom of the lake, and then landed on her butt on the stone.

Her eyes flew open. She had fallen on her side, on top of her purse and under Moira who was already laughing.

"That was a real rush," she said, rolling over.

"Did you slip?" Gretchen asked, and Alece looked up.

They were arranged differently than they had been before, and the chamber door was hanging open. Moving to the side, Alece could see that the tubes were empty.

"It worked," she said, looking at Moira. A sweet, fruity scent caught her attention, and she noticed her shirt was all wet. The juice box had been squashed and exploded.

Moira grinned at her. "It worked."

Chapter 40

She had a confrontation with Evan the next day.

Alece had decided that since they knew Byron of Lenstock still wanted to burn Gretchen, she was going to have to have a talk with him. Honor convinced her that the only way to cross the desert was to ride a horse, although Evan did offer to let her take his truck. She decided she kind of liked the horse idea, and gave herself a big white unicorn to ride.

The unicorn took some getting used to, as Alece hadn't ridden anything more difficult than trail rides before. She named it Lenan, after her aunt, who she was missing terribly these days.

Alece and Lenan got lost almost immediately, and it took a computerized map to get them to the midget camp. Byron greeted her cheerfully, and then settled down to talk inside a small tent.

She suggested they call the colony Lolly Pop Land, and brought up witches, explaining that none of her ladies in waiting practiced, and that they should be left alone. If they were disturbed, she threatened to cut out the tongue of whoever had done it, knowing full well that she had no intention of ever carrying the threat out.

Byron asked about farm land, trees, and Alece promised him that everything would grow within the next couple of days. When he asked how this was possible, she stuttered and replied, "Luck?"

After receiving several compliments on the quality of her horse, Alece took off across the sand, riding slowly because it was insufferably hot out here. Ever since the sun had come out, she had been spending most days in someone's temple, and spent the evenings in the water. Moira had devised a five million SPF sunblock that you only had to apply every three or four days, so none of them were burnt, and her Moira-Wear clothing absorbed sweat instantly, but it was still gross to be so hot.

Evan caught her miles outside the city. He was walking, and didn't appear to be the least bit uncomfortable.

"Let your horse have a rest; come walk with me," he said, and Alece found herself complying.

"I'm sorry I was yelling at you yesterday," he began. "You scared me."

"Stick to English, would you?"

"Why? You know what I'm saying."

"But no one else does."

"No one else is here."

She sighed and gave in, twisting Lenan's reins between her fingers. "What do you want, Evan?"

"Just to make peace, Lisa. You've been mad at me since way before I blew up the world."

That was the first time he had ever admitted to setting his bombs that she could remember. "Doesn't that bother you? That you killed every one, and wiped out everything? Andrea and Marina are dead, my family is dead, everything wonderful about life is gone."

"That's not true. Here things are nicer. Do you really want a list of reasons?"

"No, I don't."

He paused a moment. "You've changed so much, I barely recognize you."

"You mean you recognize me, and not Lisa when you look at me. I didn't change underneath, I just dropped the pretense."

"What?"

It felt delicious to be telling him what had really happened, and a tiny part of her knew that she was going to enjoy driving these stakes into him. "It was a game, Evan, my personality. It was just an act I took on, I did it all the time. I was never that Lisa underneath."

He didn't say anything. "You thought you knew me," she went on, "when back then nobody knew me. I went from place to place being different people, and you were...one of my victims."

At that, he grabbed her arm and hissed, "Don't think you can play with me, Lisa. I don't care who you want to be today, the you I know is still somewhere inside you."

She broke in, "Give it up, Evan. Things have changed so much. And I'm not the only one who had layers under the surface. Look at you! How old are you, truly?"

He shook his head. "Older than you can imagine." Alece shrugged, assuming this to be a melodramatic response. "I planned it so carefully, picking you all out after months of consideration."

"How did you do it, anyway? I've been wondering that, how you knew I would be in Louisa."

She guess they were less than a block from the City now, and hoped she could just stroke his ego until they got there and she could run off.

"I have a friend," he said carefully, "who's a...member, so to speak, of an organization involved in ESP and the like. It's called the Nistrum. I had her come to Louisa and tell me who would be there in twenty years, names of the young and the restless. And I watched carefully, deciding who I wanted to come with me, and who should be allowed to go with the rest. Jasmine was on the list for a long time, until I met you."

A funny unsettled feeling started in her stomach, and she knew she was about to think something awful.

"You didn't..." she started, and stopped. No, it was too sick. Evan wasn't that bad.

"Yeah I did," he replied. He had been reading her mind, the sleaze.

Alece turned, pressing her back against Lenan's saddle.

"I wasn't in the car when he went off the cliff or anything, but I got him hooked up with the right people. Jennica told me it was vital to me long term plan."

"Jennica," she repeated weakly, stunned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I don't enjoy killing people," he was saying, but she could barely comprehend.

Evan was laying his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her. A burning revolution welled up inside her, and she yanked way from him, letting her unicorn loose.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, thinking that those hands-

But of course, they weren't the same hands now. How many times had he changed bodies?

"How did you do it?" she asked, turning to face him.

"There are all sort of people in Madrid, Lisa-"

"No! How did you change bodies?"

He lowered his voice, as if he didn't like talking about it. "When I was in Rome, Jennica brainwashed Evan Liberance and his parents for me. They flew over to Italy, and I met up with Evan at the cafe. He got in my car, the blue one, you remember, in the passenger seat. I drove down the road, gained speed, and then crashed my side of the car into a tree. I died, he didn't, I jumped from my body to his. I've done it a hundred time, Lisa, this was nothing special."

His choice of words infuriated her. "Nothing special? Is anything special anymore?" She was pacing in circle, waving her arms. "Life isn't special, lives aren't special, places aren't special. Tell me, what's special to you know, Evan, Theo, whatever other names you've had."

He caught one wrist and pulled her close to him. "You're hysterical."

Too exhausted to push him away, she replied, "Yes, I probably am."

For a moment, when her eyelids blinked and failed to open, she forgot that it was him who was hugging her, thinking only of all the things about the world she had loved, like television, which could be painfully stupid but also wildly entertaining, and museums where she could wander for hours, and carpet stores, where you could rub the samples and think about how soft they were. All these stupid things that she'd hadn't noticed until it was too late, and now they were gone.

Gone, like-

With a horrified gasp, she yanked away from Evan, covering her face so he wouldn't see that she had started crying. To think that he had been the one to take it all away...

She started walking blindly toward the City, it's sparkling waters the only refuge left.

"Please, Lisa, don't go. Sit down, we can talk about this." He was walking along side her, begging, but she felt no sympathy for him.

"There's nothing I can think to say to you," she told him, which was true. Words were failing her just then.

"What if I say I love you?"

She lost her balance and nearly fell over, but then broke into a run, kicking up sand and coughing on the dry breeze.

Evan didn't follow her into the City. He seemed weary to enter it these days, even though he had created it, and Moira was betting that he had another bungalow hidden someplace.

She slipped on the sand and landed on her knees, cursing the desert with every breath. Still crying, she wiped at her eyes and got sand in them, and ended up crying the grains out right there on the edge of the lake.

When she was done, she drew her knees up to her chest and put her head down, imagining that she was back home in her bedroom. There was a wind blowing that day, making her damp cheeks sting with cold and her hair blow up around her.

"Are you okay?" Jarrett asked, sitting down next to her.

Lifting her head slightly, she felt her mood shift. She glanced at Jarrett, who's mild look was as close to concern as he could manage. She thought of the things Evan had said about him yesterday at the lake. "What does he have on you, Jarrett?"

In the space of seconds, she heard the slow lap of the waves, and knew the day must be getting old. Indeed, she felt like the sun was not quite so hot now.

Finally Jarrett told her, "What do you mean?"

She snorted. "He's blackmailing you. The last night in Gretchen's attic, he whispered something in your ear, and you yelled at Moira when she asked. It was the little things he said to you that made me figure it out, and yesterday he told me there were things about you I didn't know. But I'm right, aren't I?"

He sighed, looking out over the water. "It's not about me, really, it's about my family."

"Do you really think any of us care about what your parents have done, Jarrett?"

"It's not that simple. It could...hurt people. Here, I mean, not dead ones. I promised not to tell."

She was hoping he would go on, but when he didn't, she said, "It would be easier, probably, coming from you than from him."

Alece sat up sharply. Where did that come from?

"Maybe," Jarrett admitted, unaware of the delicate nature of her thoughts.

She sank back into her gloom, knowing the purple spark in her eyes had died.

"I need you to get everyone together. I have awful news. Evan's sicker than we thought."

"Is that possible?"

"Around here, anything is possible." She looked up and caught him smiling at her, and blushed.

Abruptly, she stood up. "I'm going to Honor's little temple. Have everyone come there."

"Even Evan?"

"No, make sure Evan stays away at all costs."

He didn't ask her not to bring it up with the others that Evan had dirt on his family. He didn't have to.

Honor and Gretchen were both crying, Rainy was close, Josephine said she would have been crying but said she had no tear ducts, Jarrett was frowning harder than ever, and Moira was pacing back and forth, muttering things under her breath. Alece was on the verge of crying herself, and she hadn't even known Roth.

"He's a monster," Moira said, meaning Evan.

Alece nodded, feeling tired. "Yes."

"I knew Roth wasn't the type," Moira went on. "He just wasn't that stupid."

"You know who is was," Josephine put in thoughtfully. "Remember that guy who used to wear a Rolex and that big trench coat? His name was Simon, I think."

"I remember," Gretchen said.

They were in Honor's temple. She had a king sized water bed and a picnic table, pink carpet on the floor and some plaster statues on small pedestals.

"So we're taking his ability to change bodies as a verified fact?" Jarrett asked coldly.

"We sort of have to," Gretchen said, reaching for the box of tissues Honor was holding. "There's just too much proof."

"He told me how he did it," Alece admitted, and summed up Evan's explanation of the car crashing with Evan and Theo.

"So he's a murder," Moira said.

"Crashing your own car is suicide," Josephine told her.

"But when he took over the first Evan's body, then that personality was affectively wiped out, right?"

"I guess," Alece said uncertainly. "But that means he sat down and learned all those languages. It's more likely that he absorbed the other mind into himself, with their knowledge if not their personalities. I don't think English is his first language, but he doesn't have a trace of accent. The first Evan was probably American, so when whoever this person we're talking about is jumped into Evan's body, he was able to use the things Evan already knew."

"Then it's murder," Moira deemed, and no one argued with her.

Josephine spoke up, grinding her teeth. "I hate this place. It's always hot, even at night, the sand gets into everything. You can't eat anything without there being sand in it. That's why the ancient Egyptians had such bad teeth, you know. There was sand in all their bread and it wore down their molars so that they couldn't eat and died of starvation. That's what's going to happen to us. We'll all fry up again, like last time, and just lay there for days at a time, until we deflate and turn into sand ourselves, and that'll be the ultimate end. That is if Rainy's monsters don't kill us first, and we'll get buried in the blasted sand. In the meantime, we can eat sandy food and sleep in sandy beds and drink from a soda fountain that tastes like it's got dish detergent in it, and watch Satan Himself prance around bragging about how cool He is, and looking smug because He blew up all our parents."

She sat back when she was done with her monologue, and nobody said anything. That about sums it up, Alece thought, leaning down to brush sand off her leg.

The blasted big red sun shone down through the curtains as the sky turned purple and blue. Alece thought she saw the outline of the moon, but it did nothing to lighten her mood as it had in the past. How could it be a beacon of hope when they had no hope left?

Honor started crying again, and Rainy put an arm around her shoulder. Moira plunked down next to Alece at the picnic table and said, "God, we're pathetic."

The problem was that, even though they could go back in time to before the bomb went off, they had no way of stopping Evan. The police were not going to believe them. Their parents/guardians were not going to believe them. Moira might have the guts to murder Evan, but she wasn't going to do it if it meant spending the rest of her life in jail. And even if the FBI did stop Evan, he apparently was working with an international terrorist group, and the FBI wouldn't be able to track all of them down before they started blowing people up. The only way to stop Evan was to make him want to not blow up the world.

And how on earth were they going to do that?

They broke up eventually, wandering out to do various things. Alece went for a swim with Rainy and Josephine, although she did notice that sour detergent taste in the water. The sun set slowly in blazing streaks of red and orange, casting long shadows on the sand so that it turned brown. The waves stopped for the night, making the only disturbance in the water coming from Alece's swimming across the surface, as she had the first night.

Moira had tired one time to make the entire desert covered in green grass, and only a football field worth had appeared. She said it was too much effort to do more than that, which made Alece wonder how much power Evan must be in control of to have built the entire City. Another thing they would be unable to do was over power him.

Alece stopped swimming and almost drowned.

She looked up at the blue sky with it's splash of stars and purple tinges in the west, and started laughing.

"I've got it!" she yelled to herself and saw the moon again. Perhaps she had been wrong. Perhaps there was hope, she had just given in too soon.

They weren't meeting under Rainy's temple that night, because there was really nothing to do until they had a way to stop Evan.

With euphoric energy, Alece turned around and started swimming toward Moira's temple, then changed her mind and decided it would be faster to run. Her bare feet slapped against the sandy flagstone, as her hands slid over the railings.

The lights were still on at Moira's. The gauze curtains had been replaced by marble walls with large glass windows, and was fully air conditioned. Moira apparently had no qualms about refilling the air with fluorocarbons.

Alece couldn't stop smiling as walked up to the open door and heard voices inside.

"Hey," she said, ducking her head in. Moira's room was decorated in red carpeting, but the furniture was fairly plain; a small cot to sleep on, some shelves that were mostly bare, and a couple of pool side lounge chairs. She was laying on her stomach on the cot, and Jarrett was sitting sideways on a lounge chair.

"Hi, what's up?" Moira looked tired.

"Oh, are you two in the middle of something?"

Moira shook her head and Jarrett sighed. "Come in."

Seeing Jarrett rub his forehead, Alece said, "I can wait 'till you're finished."

"No, come sit down. You're all flushed, what have you been doing?"

Alece bounced through the door and plopped down on the floor. "I've figured out how we can stop Evan from blowing up the world."

Moira's eyebrows lifted. "Do tell."

So she began with her plan, and they discussed the pros and cons of it, and if it would really work.

"It seems sort of mean and petty in some way," Alece admitted.

"Nothing is petty if it get's us home," Moira told her. She broke into a beautiful smile. "Then that's it. We'll talk about it with the other in the morning." She grinned again, with an exuberance Alece hadn't seen in a while. "I can't wait to see the look on his face."

Alece yawned as Jarrett asked her, "Are you sure? About Evan, that is? Do you have any proof?"

Looking him straight in the eye and said, "He told me. Is that proof enough?" She shrugged. "Besides, there are all sorts of things he's said to me, here and before, that let me know. It won't be a problem. But I should probably get out of here and go to bed. It's getting late."

"I'm pretty wiped out myself," Moira said, sitting up.

"I've still got to talk to you tonight," Jarrett said.

"Can't it wait?"

He shook his head. "No. I've made up my mind to tell you, and if I don't do it now, I might not have the guts later."

Or Evan might tell you first, Alece heard in her mind, although she hadn't been meaning to read his mind.

"Okay." Moira gave in with a groan and popped her back. "Talk."

Jarrett glanced at Alece, who quickly stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"No, stay," Moira told her. "You don't mind, do you Jare?"

Uncomfortable, he said, "It's really up to you. I expect she'll find out soon enough, but...it's really personal, and it's about you."

"You have something personal to tell me about me?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes. And about your mom."

"I don't care if you trash Jennifer in front of Alece." She gestured with her hands. "Sit down," she told her, and then to Jarrett, "Tell me."

He heaved a heavy sigh, and Alece noticed how agitated he was, hands moving together and apart in a jerky motion. "Okay, um..I don't know quite how to put this. Let's see. Do you remember how you got hit by a car when you were four years old?"

Moira looked at him. "Of course I remember. It's not the sort of thing a person just forgets."

"Right, of course not." He stopped.

"Are you okay?" Moira asked. "You look like you're going to throw up or something. Here," she waved her hands, and a pill and glass of water appeared, "take this."

"What is it?"

"The pill is a Tums, the water is just water."

He set the Tums on the floor and took a gulp of the water. "There was a big gash on your leg, and it was bleeding all over the parking lot. I remember because Gretchen and I had to hose it down."

"You wanted to tell me that you got to hose my blood of a parking space?"

"No!" he snapped. "Would you just listen to me for a second?"

Moira, looking surprised, sat back.

"Sorry, didn't mean to yell at you. I have been sworn to secrecy about this for the last thirteen years, with the threat of being taken out of the will."

"Anyway, so you lost a lot of blood when the car hit you, and at the hospital, they checked your blood type so they could give you a transfusion. And when the results came back, your father asked them to test you again."

Then he stopped again. Moira frowned. "So?"

"Your parents got divorced a month later, and your dad moved away, leaving you behind."

"Because my blood tests were messed up-" A funny look crossed her face.

Jarrett started rushing. "You don't understand what kind of position my father was in. Grant was like six months old, Kerry was on the way."

Moira looked absolutely blank with shock. Her mouth opened and closed, eyes traveling from one thing to another. Alece, still unsure of what Jarrett was saying, took her hand.

"He just didn't have the option of leaving or he would have. I'm sure he would have, if it hadn't been for me and the twins, and Grant. You don't just walk out on a family like that."

Finally finding her voice, Moira asked, "Why did they have me tested again?"

The green eyes were very dark. "Your blood type didn't match."

Again, slowly, she asked, "But it was right?"

He nodded.

"And it was your father?"

Alece was overcome by the odd sensation that, had this been a month earlier, she would have felt like an intruder in this situation, but that now, it was only right for her to be sitting there holding Moira's hand.

"It was...your father."

"No," she said firmly. "Don't confuse me. My father is the one who left with Diane and the others. Your father is the one you live with."

Unrelenting now that the truth was out, he said, "One is your ex-stepfather, one is our father."

Moira's face was as blank as Alece had ever seen it. She blinked slowly and took a long breath. "Are you lying to me?" she whispered.

"I wouldn't joke about something like this," he promised. "This is the absolute truth as I know it."

Moira shook her head. "Who else knows?"

"Diane, Luke, Ila, Lydia and Lyan, Mom, Dad, Jennifer, Mr.Stenson, Honor's old people, Gretchen's parents, Darren and Ory, but I don't think Lionel or Race know-"

Moira broke in, "Gretch's brothers know about this?"

"All the parents were at the hospital, they heard what went on."

"What went on?"

"The way I remember it, the doctor called your mom and Mr.Stenson into his office, had a talk with them, and then the screaming started. I don't remember it real clearly, but somehow it came out about Dad and your mom, and everybody went berserk, yelling and crying. Finally Honor's grandma somehow made them all shut up."

"And then Dad left." Moira shook her head again. "I feel like this is just one more father who didn't want me."

"No," Jarrett said quickly. "That's now how it happened. He and Mom fought about you for months. If she hadn't been pregnant, they almost certainly would have gotten divorced. There are photos of you in the living room. There's a trust fund in your name at the bank. He didn't just forget about you. And your mom didn't tell him. I'm sure he had his suspicions, but she said you weren't his, and he believed her. For all I know, maybe your mom did think he wasn't the father."

"I always knew your mom didn't like me," Moira said, forcing a smile. Alece decided that if she was coming that close to cracking a joke, the shock must be wearing off.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"You don't know how Mom and Dad have threatened me. Actually, it was mostly Mom, but never mind about that. If they knew you knew, they'd never forgive me."

She shook her head. "Did you think I was going to waltz into your dinning room and demand a place at the table or something?"

He gave a relieved smile. "Of course not. But this could really hurt their law practice, if it came out that Dad had this illegitimate daughter. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about you, though."

"The unsigned birthdays cards," Moira said. "I always wondered about that."

Jarrett seemed surprised. "I don't know about any cards, but he always tells me to wish you happy birthday for him."

"You never did."

He shrugged, and Moira went on. "Gretchen doesn't know, does she?"

"I think she would have let on. There's a better chance that Roth knew. He was almost six when the hubbub began, and you know how Honor's grandparents yell when they talk."

"And if Roth knew, Honor's probably knows."

Alece shook her head. "No. There's no way Roth and Honor and you," she looked at Jarrett, "and maybe Gretchen were all able to stay quiet. You would have found out somehow."

"Why are you telling, anyway?"

After a pause, Jarrett admitted, "Someone else found out."

"Alece?"

"No, worse."

"Who?"

Guiltily, "Evan." When Moira was too stunned to reply, he explained, "I thought it would be better if you heard it from me."

"You told Evan?"

He looked at her. "Of course not! I don't know how he found out, but he's been threatening to tell you since that night before the church. That's why I had to let him in."

Another shake of the head, and she told them, "I just can't deal with this right now. Any of it. I'm freaking out."

She was white as a sheet, trembling slightly still. "Between everybody dying, and being in this awful desert, with Evan, and time travel and everything else, I'm sorry, I'm panicking. Christ, and that bastard got Roth hooked on drugs, everybody I know pretty much has been lying to me, no. No, just go, and we'll talk about it when we get home. Or better yet, we won't ever talk about it, and that'll please everybody. As far as I'm concerned, we never discussed any of this, and Harold Stenson is still my biological father who hates me. So please leave, because I'm very tired and would like to get some sleep."

After a few feeble arguments, Alece and Jarrett left, stepping into the night and closing the door behind them.

"You were right to tell her," Alece said, standing on the flagstone.

"I don't know. She didn't take it very well." His expression was pained and resigned at the same time.

"How did you think it would go?"

"I don't know, but not like that."

"Come with me, and don't say anything." With Jarrett following her, Alece walked silently back to Moira's temple and pressed her ear to the door. For several seconds she listened, and then shooed Jarrett back onto the walkway.

"Go back in there."

"She said she wanted to sleep."

"Well, she's sitting on that cot crying her heart out."

Exasperated, he said, "What am I going to do about it?"

Alece reminded herself that this was why guys were guys and not girls. "Look, whatever else you are to her, first and foremost, you have got to be her friend. Just go in the door, sit down next to her, and give her a hug. Trust me, things will work out."

"Are you just saying that?"

"It's a girl thing, okay? Hug her, and she'll forgive you anything. I'm not asking you to understand it, just do it!"

He shifted from one foot to the other. "If I were in her position, and Rainy came over and hugged me, I'd probably scream."

"I told you, it's a girl thing. We're different."

"I don't know. Moira hates letting people see her cry."

"She hates feeling this bad more. Don't apologize, or bring up your dad. Just tell her it's going to be okay, and then talk about going home."

"You promise this will work?"

She smiled. "I promise. Now get in there."

She watched him walk back to the structure and go inside, pleased with herself. He and Moira would both be alright in the long run.

But now that the moment with friends were gone, she found herself feeling lonely and weary. But cheer up. Tomorrow, you'll be home again, and it'll be October 13.

That meant this would be her last night in this place, and probably the last time she would see Evan. The thought of never seeing him again caught her attention, and increased her anxiety.

She realized she was standing at the soda fountain, and against her better judgment, walked down the path to Evan's place of residence. He probably wouldn't be home anyway.

Just her luck, he was, and saw her before she had time to retrace her steps. There were no walls on his temple, just faded gauze.

"Lisa?" he asked, standing up. He had been sitting on the floor, reading it looked like, and eating a TV dinner.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I must have taken the wrong path from the fountain. Sorry."

"No, come in. Sit down."

"That's alright."

"Please, really, we should talk."

She didn't want to create any suspicion, and besides, there were a couple of things she needed to know.

A sheet adorned the marble bed, nothing more. Evan dematerialized the dinner and the book, sitting across from her on the sandy marble. Alece traced letters in the sand.

"We seem to fight every time we see each other," Evan said.

"Guess we just get on each others' nerves."

"I get on your nerves, to be exact. But let's talk about something pleasant. What do you think of this new world?"

"It's hot, everything is kind of weird. Sometimes I worry that I'll think the wrong things and end up killing myself, or somebody else."

"I don't know if people can die here," Evan told her. "None of the things we create are really alive, either. When you kill them, they deflate or melt or turn back into pictures, but there are never bodies like there are with real people. Maybe the people aren't really alive. Not even the midgets. We should-" He stopped. "Never mind, that's sick."

Alece decided she didn't want to know. She looked at Evan, who was looking out over the lake at something, at his frightening blue eyes with their clarity and his porcelain lips.

"I've been wondering for a long time how you disappeared in my pool the first day of school."

The porcelain lips stretched into a baby doll smile. "Magic."

Suddenly, it occurred to her that he was an ego-manic.

He might have his reasons to be, a voice in her head mentioned.

Another asked, Did you expect God's only rival to be humble?

But the fact remained that Evan was totally self-centered, arrogant, inconsiderate, make that very inconsiderate, and wildly manipulative had surfaced in Alece's mind with a vengeance of its own and refused to be brushed aside so easily.

Although she hadn't thought much on the subject before, she didn't actually like Evan. He was just such a jerk, and it's hard to be friends with real jerks.

She felt much better suddenly, perhaps having reconciled her guilt about what she was going to do to him. It might even be fun.

Well, probably not fun.

"I better get going," she said, standing up and brushing the sand off her pants. "I'll see you later."

Stepping out of the temple, Alece glanced back over her shoulder and saw Evan staring at her with a strange expression. His eyes were narrowed, but his lips were parted, too, and she couldn't tell what that sort of look meant.

"See you," he echoed.

She went back to her temple and slept for a couple of hours, but like everything else here, her sleep patterns were thrown off and she woke up a half hour or so before dawn.

After having a long drink at the soda fountain, she noticed Honor, sitting on top of her temple.

"Hey," she called, walking over. It seemed much higher up from up close.

She climbed up the aluminum ladder Honor pointed out and sat down next to her.

"What are you up to?"

"Beats me. Couldn't sleep. Have you noticed how you can sleep in the middle of the day here? It's the strangest thing. All of us Eye People sort of feed off the sun, but it's like Evan got carried away or something and sent us into overkill."

"Evan's a nut," Alece replied shortly. She changed the subject. "Rainy's been kind of quiet lately. You think he's okay?"

Honor nodded, waving her hands and making a bowl of cereal appear. Special K, Alece noticed. "When Rainy gets freaked out by something, he just doesn't say anything and waits for it to go away. And it usually does. Besides, he's as homesick as the rest of us, maybe more considering he has a stable family."

"Do you miss your old people?"

Honor shrugged. "I miss my cello." She grinned at her own coarseness. "Of course I miss my grandparents and my aunts. I thought about creating them, but I think it would end up like some low-budget horror movie, with senile zombies running rampant and eating midgets."

Alece was thinking of something that had bugged her earilier that night when she asked, "Does Jarrett want to go home?"

Honor tilted her head to the side and thought a moment. "Yeah, I think so."

"Why? Here, everything he hates is gone."

"Yeah, but everything thing he wanted is gone, too."

"I'm not following."

"Jarrett hates his family, but that doesn't mean he didn't want them. I mean, he always wanted a family to go home to, his is just a bit wild. He doesn't connect with them, except maybe with his mom, or Lucas, but it's hard to connect with a nine year old. When Evan blew up the world, he crossed out any possibility of Jarrett learing to like his family, which he was trying to do. I noticed over these last couple of months, he was doing odd little things, like taking Grant to see a movie or babysitting Lyan's kid. He was trying."

The sun started to peak up over the uninterrupted horizon, instantly shedding rays of fiery light on them. "I came up with a way to end that story I'm writing in school. Not that I have it here with me, but I'm still glad I came up with an ending. I'm going to kill off the main character."

"Why?"

"I'm sick of her. She's been running around in this blasted war for two years already and hasn't gotten killed yet, I'd say she's pretty lucky. And I've been writing this thing since the ninth grade. It's time to lay Shannon down to sleep. Rainy will probably get mad at me. He wants her to live forever." She considered. "Actually, he probably just wants a happy ending. I don't know. I want to kill Shannon, but it might not work. One time I heard this quote from an author who said that she likes killing characters off in books, because then it decreases the number living in her head. At the time, I thought she was crazy, but that was before Shannon started to get on my nerves. She's such a goody-goody. Maybe I shouldn't kill her, I should just make her motives a little less moral, have her do something crazy."

The sun was almost half way up by then, and Alece put a hand up to shield her eyes. Beside her, Honor sighed heavily. "Not that I'm going to get a chance to finish it anyway."

Alece started to smile, pleased that she had good news. "You may get around to killing Shannon yet."

Chapter 41

Josephine said that plan was too risky, Moira said it was brilliant, Honor said it wasn't severe enough. Finally they summoned a guru in an orange toga who said they should do it.

A few preparations had to be made. The time machine had to be expanded and reorganized so that they could all get in at once and still send themselves back. Rings had to be designed, clauses checked and rechecked. Kits were prepared, people were briefed. They had once last meal together, around the soda fountain, and took a swim, then packed their bags and swam down to Rainy's basement. Aside from packing the clothes they had worn during the explosion, they also included their dishes, air masks, things like that, and several million dollars in money orders. They figured they may as well get something out of the experience.

Alece noticed Moira sitting on the floor and walked over. Gretchen and Josephine were making a final check of their equipment, and Alece was starting to feel like she was living a scene out of Apollo 13.

"What are you thinking about?" Alece asked, although she thought she knew the answer already.

She was wrong. "Can we really trust this guru?" Moira asked, tilting her head up to look at Alece. "Sure, he looks like a wise man, with his shaved head and orange bed sheets, but we don't know anything about his background. Nobody thought to ask for his resume."

"We created a wise and holy man, I don't think he'd lie to us."

"What if he's in league with Evan?" Moira created an apple and took a bite out of it.

"Are you sure you want to be eating?" Alece asked. "You might throw it up."

Moira looked at the apple and it vanished. "You're probably right. I'm just really hungry. When we get back, we should stop by the supermarket and get a dozen pounds of ground round. And some barbecue sauce."

"And some doughnuts," Gretchen put in, yanking on each brace to make sure it was sturdy.

"Jelly filled," Honor told her. "Make sure they don't give us custard by mistake, like last time."

"And jelly beans," Rainy suggested. "Watermelon."

"Are we ready?" Josephine asked, and they all quieted. "They machines are ready, we've done everything we planned to, I can't think of anything else."

A moment of silence stretched through the little cave until Rainy mentioned, "Maybe we should go say goodbye to Evan."

"No," Honor snapped, and Alece thought of the futile conversations she'd had with him over the last couple of days.

"Then I guess this is it," Moira said, getting up from the floor.

"If it doesn't work, we'll all end back here, right?" Honor asked.

"Well, we think so," Gretchen admitted unsurely. "As long as nothing malfunctions. And of course there's the chance that none of the stuff we've created will work in the past and this will all have been pointless."

"But if not," Moira said, smiling, "it'll be a great story."

"Come on people," Josephine said, clapping her hands. "Let's get this show on the road."

They were all feeling pretty good, high with the hopes that these would be their last few moments in the desert, and also maybe a bit high on fear. Alece cast one last glance through the invisible door that sealed away the lake waters, wanting to imprint the feeling in her mind forever, even though she knew she could go back and look at it any time she liked in the theater.

"Coming, Alece?" Gretchen asked, and followed her eyes to the window.

"A lake with real blue water," Alece said softly, overcome suddenly by a strange sense of sentimentality. "Some things just aren't what they appear, are they, Gretch?"

The sunlight, coming through the depths of the lake made wavering white lines dance across Gretchen's face as she replied with a faint smile, "No, not always. Not even often."

Although this wasn't her first ride in the time machine, indeed, it was her third, Alece was still scared of it. She didn't care for the helplessness of being clamped in place and spun around without a stop button. Of course, they had decided not to include a stop button because one of them might hit it out of sheer panic and ruin the whole operation.

Josephine was in charge of the machines, and as always, it her voice that came through the speaker above Alece's head.

"Just remember to keep your eyes shut," Josephine said, as everyone lifted off the floor. "And breathe, you've got to breathe."

Alece meet Jarrett's eyes across the circle of tubes and smiled reassuringly. It had been much scarier the first time around than the third.

The spinning started, and she closed her eyes as instructed, feeling that axis in her spine appear as the countdown sounded overhead and her lungs folded in on themselves. She drew tighter and tighter, until one glorious moment when the metal fell away and she was spinning of her own inersha through time.

It was cool, and she was free of the desert.

She banged her head on the railing, but not too hard. Realizing how stupid it was of them to have not thought of that, she wanted to curse herself.

The adrenalin was pumping faster than a milking machine attached to a ripe cow, which is to say that Alece was pretty worked up. Especially when she looked over and saw Evan silhouetted against the busted out glass windows.

"Of course," he said, as if answering a question someone had asked. "Nothing is worth buying if it doesn't have a safety switch. And with this little phone I have here," he removed one from his pants pocket, "I can have all the others deactivated as well."

Alece got up off the floor and looked around at the others. They all exchanged glances, making sure everybody had gotten through.

She didn't notice Evan pausing. "Where are your glasses, Josephine?" he asked.

Josephine pushed a handful of dark hair off her face. "I guess they fell off."

But the cat was out of the bag. Evan looked around at all of them suspiciously, blue eyes barely viable between the dark folds of slitted flesh and said, "What just happened?"

Alece happened to glance behind herself and saw the hooded figure walking up the isle. Evan, distracted, walked over to the railing and looked down.

Alece waited, remembering that before, Evan had called down for the figure to come back later, but this time, he just looked at his watch and said, "Hmmm."

How could I have forgotten the hooded one? Alece wondered, amazed at the fact that none of them had remembered his or her presence.

This time, the figure walked behind the back pew and Alece heard his feet on the boards as he came up to the loft.

"You okay?" Gretchen whispered to Alece.

"Yeah. Should I go now?"

"We're running out of time."

"What about the guy in the hood?"

"Just go."

Alece took a deep breath, reaching into her pocket and removing a silver banded ring. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped it, but she steadied her voice for the sake of her ego when she spoke.

"Evan?"

He was preoccupied with the bomb, running his hands over it, but he looked up when she called him. "Yeah?"

"I want you to deactivate the bombs."

A shake of the head. "No." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know this is kind of scary, Lisa, but I promise you'll be alright. We all will."

It was her turn to shake her head. "No, not all of us."

She held the ring up for him to see, just a simple silver band, and hoped to whatever was out there running things that magic created in the future still worked in the past.

"What is-" Evan began, but she slipped it onto her finger and felt herself transform.

It was like stepping into the shower with a thin rubber suit on; you can feel the pressure of the water, but it never really touches your skin. Alece looked down at her hand and saw the glow of her skin quickly fade, knew that her hair was returning to dishwater blonde and her eyes to run of the mill blue. Behind her, Honor caught her breath.

Alece's glow had gone out.

Evan's face registered pure horror, and for a moment Alece thought he found her ugly, and had an interesting train of thoughts.

She didn't really care what she appeared on the outside. All her looks, all her personas, none of them touched her underneath. And it didn't matter what Evan or Andrea or Jessy saw when they looked at her because she knew who she was, and was satisfied with herself. Without the Eye People abilities, she was still a strong, terrific person.

It was the moment she had been waiting for since she'd come to Lousia, since she'd been changed by the Eye People. A moment to define herself, and with its arrival, she was overcome with strength.

She happened to glance over at Moira, who smiled just enough to tell Alece that she knew it, too. Funny how telepathy didn't seem such a supernatural thing when it occurred between friends.

But being a terrific person wasn't going to help much when that bomb went off, and that was how they had trapped Evan.

"If you set the bomb off," she said, noticing that her voice didn't even sound the same, "I will not be okay."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the hooded one standing on the outskirts of their circle, but she couldn't make out a face. It looked like a male figure, but the robe was so frumpy that it was hard to tell for sure. Alece wondered again what he was doing here.

Meanwhile, they were running out of time. Seconds were ticking, bringing them closer and closer to explosion. Alece turned her attention back to Evan.

"Shut off the bombs, Evan, or I won't be going with you."

"How did you do it?" he yelled.

She thought of their last conversation when she answered, "Magic."

"Tell me how you did it!"

"It doesn't matter!" Moira told him. "You're running out of time! Shut off the damn bombs!"

A stillness filled the loft as they all waited. There wasn't even the sound of the birds singing outside, and the river of spores illuminated in the rays of sunlight coming through the window seemed to pause, as if even the sun was wondering what Evan would do. The whole cosmos was waiting.

His breathing was ragged and Alece could see that he was sweating like a pig by the glaze of silver on his forehead. The hooded figure stepped forward, almost menacingly, but Alece still couldn't see his face, and he said nothing.

Evan met her eyes and they looked at each other, and it was a different look than had ever passed between them before. "Whoever you're looking for," she said softly, the words coming out by themselves from some hidden place in her heart, "you aren't going to find her here, Theo."

He said nothing.

And still, the seconds passed. They couldn't have much longer, and if Evan didn't sound the order...

Alece realized just how much she like being alive.

"Evan!" Moira yelled again, and this time he jerked the phone out of his pocket and dialed a few numbers, breaking the spell.

"Retreat! All programs down! Evacuate immediately!"

Alece shut her eyes for a moment and breathed deep. Evan kept yelling into his phone, and Moira had started laughing. Gretchen hugged Alece hard.

"You were right," she whispered, sounding absolutely joyful. Alece could feel the springy curls pressed against her cheek. "He wouldn't go without you."

It was Honor's cry that made Alece open her eyes; if not for that, she may have just bask in her relief for days.

"Roth?"

The hooded one had taken off his hood, and they were all so stunned that it was almost as quiet as if had been when they were waiting for Evan's decision.

He was tall, close to six feet, sandy blond hair and darkened skin. He didn't look much like Honor except for the generous mouth, which he was licking uncertainly just then.

"Hey, sis," he managed.

Alece glanced at Evan, who happened to be glancing at her. He was paused in the middle of shutting his phone, and lifted his eyebrows.

"Is it really you?" Honor asked. Her hands were reaching for something to hold on to.

"It's me," he said, smiling tentatively.

"But you're dead," Jarrett said. "I IDed your body, man, you're dead."

Roth was looking at Alece then, and as if they were having a private conversation, smiled at her. "Yeah, well, being dead doesn't mean all that much these days," he said vaguely. He waved to Alece. "Hi, I'm Roth."

She nodded and tried not to laugh at the strangeness of it. "I'm Alece."

Gretchen started chocking on something and Jarrett had to hold her up.

"You're not dead?" Honor asked, panicked or in shock or both.

"Oh, I'm dead," he assured her. "I'm just here to take care of Evan."

The smile started slowly and spread across Honor's whole face and she rushed forward to hug him, but he jumped back.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled.

"What?" She had started crying.

"I'm dead; it's not a good idea to touch me."

Honor shook her head. "I don't understand."

"That's okay. You don't have to. I just want you to know that I'm okay."

Alece thought Roth looked torn between scooping Honor up off the floor or bolting. Finally he turned back to Alece and said, "Do you have the other ring?"

She yanked it out of her pocket, still amazed by the lack of sensation her fingers produced and said, "Put this on, Evan."

"Why?" He was suspicious.

"It will keep you from blowing up the world, or burning it, or doing anything else like what you pulled this time."

Evan took the ring, a thick band made of mother-of-pearl, and examined it. Alece had chosen the material because it reminded her of the moon. "Where did you get this?"

"A wise man in a toga made it for me. Put it on, please."

He sighed, looking over at her. "Why do I get the feeling there's a lot going on here I don't know about?"

She shrugged. "Because there is. Just put it on, Evan."

After another examination, he slid the ring over his middle finger. "Good fit," he mentioned, holding it up to the light.

"It won't come off," Alece told him.

"Won't come off this finger," he repeated, pulling it. "You're right." Oddly unsettling how jolly he looked. "This toga man must have been quite a guy."

Now that everything was in place, Alece felt her mood soar. Roth was sitting on the floor next to Honor, and the others were close by, but Alece didn't mind that she hadn't been included. Instead, she found herself having the conversation with Evan that she hadn't been able to have during their last night in the desert.

"What's he doing here?" she asked casually.

"I think he's my escort."

"Where are you going?"

"Beats me. That's why I need an escort."

"Ever think of calling a travel agency?"

They were joking, bickering, and it was all in good spirits, probably because the tension was gone.

"Only dead people can escort the Lord of the Underworld himself. Look at him, young, buff. Roth is the equivalent of a limo from Hell."

Alece giggled. "Great."

They watched the group at the other end of the loft for a few moments. Roth apparently had to go, and it was a sad, family goodbye. Reminded Alece of something off America Undercover, which aired in many countries around the world.

She caught Evan staring at her. "How did you know?" he asked.

"Know what?"

"That you were more important to me than the others?"

She smiled. "You told me once, when we were in the desert."

He didn't ask any questions, thought Alece knew he must have wondered. Instead, he said to her, "I underestimated you."

"Thanks," she replied finally, unsure what to say.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Arrivederci, little Lisa."

Chuckling, she said, "Bye, Evan."

Roth left with Evan. Everybody was a mess, crying both with sorrow and relief; Josephine cut her hand on a piece of glass, and Father Lawson showed up and demanded to know what had been going on. Moira laughed at him.

Alece slid the ring off her finger and instantly became one of the Eye People again. Not that she had ever actually changed, not really.

Roth and Evan drove off in the pale Sedan they had seen earlier in the parking lot. Alece watched the car disappear around the corner, knowing she would probably never see Evan again.

Rainy, who had started talking again, promised to explain everything to Father Lawson next Wednesday, as well as find money to restore the window. Of course they had plenty in the duffle bags, but Father Lawson might not understand about that.

The sun was bright but not too bright as they walked out to Honor's car, and the slight breeze seemed to wipe away all the memories of the desperate heat that had plagued them for weeks before. Gretchen started the car and it bellowed like an elephant, and they all laughed, even Honor, who was still crying.

As they pulled into traffic with the windows down and the cold, soothing wind blowing Alece's hair in every direction, Moira asked, "So are we going for doughnuts or what?"

And then, just because everyone was a bit slap happy, they laughed some more.

Chapter 42

Epilogue

Alece went home that night and hugged her aunt so hard the woman couldn't breathe.

"What was that for?" Lenan asked.

"I'm just really thrilled that you're here," Alece said, unable to stop grinning. They went out to a movie and a big dinner afterward, and once again, Alece managed to totally mystify her aunt.

She called her father and talked him into coming to Louisa for Christmas on Sunday morning and then kissed her aunt and went over to Gretchen's where they were having a party for themselves.

The attic was decorated in streamers and colored paper, there were hot dogs and burger and three boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Honor gave Alece a big hug when she got there.

"Open the windows," Moira cried. "It's much too hot in here."

"You're going to catch cold, running around in the wind with wet hair," Gretchen warned, but Moira ignored her and started opening windows. No one complained.

"Somebody hand me the ketchup," Honor said, and Gretchen gave her some McDonald's travel packets.

"I can't use these," she told her. "Give me the real stuff, in the bottle."

"What's the difference?" Gretchen asked.

"The packets you have to rip open and they get all over the place."

"Well," Alece teased, "we couldn't get ketchup on you fingers. You might never play the cello again!"

"Like you're one to talk!" Honor cried, giggling. "What would you do if I shampooed your hair in the stuff?"

Alece, Honor, and Gretchen collapsed into another fit of mostly unprovoked laughter. They seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Josephine, who have given up wearing her shades when they were alone and had her hair down, told them to go jump in the lake, and they laughed at that, too.

"Look at this!" Jarrett commanded, suddenly very serious. Alece grabbed a chip and walked over to the little TV set they had perched on the end of the table. Jarrett turned the volume up.

"Evan Liberance was found dead this afternoon in a ravine off highway 22. Authorities say the car he was driving, an off white Sedan, hit a puddle and Liberance lost control of the vehicle."

They were all gathering in morbid fascination around the television, and Gretchen reached for Alece's hand. On the screen, a jumpy shot was broadcast as one of the cameramen ran along side the gurney. Evan was apparently underneath the red blanket, and then one of his arms slipped out from the covering, dangling flapping against the steel bars.

Alece noticed that it still had the ring on it.

This finger.

"Police say that hair and blood found at the scene indicate that a second victim was in the passenger seat at the time the car crashed, and apparently climbed from the wreckage. The identity and where-abouts of this second victim is still unknown, and the police have no leads."

Alece wondered if maybe she would be seeing Evan again after all.

The End

March 3, 1997

5:39 A.M.

Author's Note

It is a huge relief to have finally finished this book, and to have it ready to go to press at Kinko's tomorrow, March 28, 1997.

I wrote this book for the same reason I write all my books, but there are a few things I wanted it to accomplish. One of them was to write a story that captured the magical art of teenage bickering, which I think I have done more than satisfactorily. Actually, there were times when I wished my characters would stop fighting and get to the point.

I know what sort of feed back I'm going to get from the people who read this. It's too talky, it's too melodramatic, it sounds like a soap opera, it's impossible for those kids to know that many dead people. I don't really care. I think teenagers are melodramatic, and being one, I'd say I'm a pretty good authority. And can you think of a better time in life to be melodramatic than now?

My characters are not particularly normal. They have all lead...very lives, with much more going on in them than in any of ours, but that's what makes them interesting. I don't mind being unrealistic. This is, after all, teen science fiction. How realistic do you want it? If you're looking for a story about teenagers and our lives, go get some Judy Bloom. My stuff is way over the top.

You can tell that my writing style changed during the course of writing the book, namely by the way the chapters keep getting longer. I should probably just go through and condense the early chapters, but it would mean renumbering them all, and I'm feeling lazy.

My writing certainly has its faults, and this book is littered with examples. My natural sarcasm has reared its ugly head, and there are more inside jokes in this piece of work than there are seeds in a banana. I've included jokes that not even my family members understand.

But hopefully, all you readers have been able to look past these faults and find the true messages in the story, that good will always eventually triumph over evil, that God is in fact watching out for us even when you think he's the most horrible guy around, the values of friendship, and learning to have faith in one's self.

I had a good time writing it, I learned from it, and I hope you do, too. This is Kaitlin E.W., signing off.

Until next time,