"Uh, I should go after Isabel and Michael," he said.

"There is a remarkable similarity in the accounts abductees have given of the medical procedures performed on them by the alien beings. Most report that hair and skin and tissue samples were taken and that small objects were implanted in various parts of the body. Many experienced a needle or drill penetrating the braincase."

Maria stumbled away from the exhibit. She couldn't read any more. She'd thought a trip to the UFO museum would make her feel better, because it would help her understand Max, and Michael, and Isabel. But it had filled her head with horrific images.

The aliens didn't see anything wrong with performing experiments on people. Want to know how a human thinks-why not just stab a needle in its brain? No need for anesthetic. And if you accidentally gave one a lobotomy or traumatized it so badly it could never have a job or a family-no problem, there are always more of them to scoop up.

Maria heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Alex hurrying toward her. Finally. She'd called him more than an hour ago.

"I just got your message," he said breathlessly. "You sounded really upset. What's up? Why did you want me to meet you here?"

"Do you believe in life on other planets?" Maria asked.

"Please tell me you didn't drag me down here to have one of your marathon finding-the-meaning-of-life conversations," Alex complained.

Maria glanced around the museum. There were a couple of tourists in earshot. She grabbed Alex by the arm, dragged him to the tiny coffee shop in the back, and sat him down at a table in the corner.

"Remember that day at lunch when you came up to me and Liz and she started talking about tampons?" Maria asked.

"Could you just pick a subject and stay with it for ten seconds?" Alex begged.

Maria opened her mouth, then shut it. Was she really going to tell Alex about Max and the others after she had promised Liz never to say anything to anyone?

She stared down at the table and traced one of the little alien heads decorating the tabletop. She ran her finger around it again and again. Its big, dark, almond-shaped eyes seemed to stare up at her accusingly.

Liz just didn't understand. She thought she could trust Max. She didn't realize that aliens don't have the same feelings and emotions humans do.

Alex reached out and pulled her hand away from the alien head. "Hey, something really is wrong, isn't it? You can tell me. What about that day at lunch?"

She couldn't handle this by herself. And for the first time she couldn't talk her problem over with Liz. Liz was part of her problem.

"That day at lunch Liz changed the subject when you came up because something happened to her, something that we both promised to keep a secret," Maria said.

Alex leaned closer. "Is Liz all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. At least for now," Maria answered. Just get to the point, she told herself. "Last weekend Liz got shot while we were working at the cafe. Max Evans was there-and he healed her. He put his hands over the bullet hole, and it closed up. He saved her life."

"Oh, I get it." Alex slid back in his chair. "You and Liz are working on your project for Miss Dibble's class. Arlene Bluth told me she's going around asking people to borrow a quarter and telling them she'll mail it back. She's supposed to write a report on the reactions she gets and analyze what it indicates about society or something. Your project is much cooler."

"I'm not telling you this for some school project," Maria exclaimed. Her voice started rising out of control. She took a deep breath and continued. "I was there when it happened. I was holding this cloth over Liz's stomach, and I could feel the blood soaking through it. My fingers were getting all slippery, and I knew she was going to die."

Maria swallowed hard. "Anyway, he saved her. And when she asked him how he did it, he told her he was an alien." There, I said it, she thought. She felt horrible about betraying Liz's trust, but they were both in danger, and they needed help.

"You're serious. You really believe that Max is from outer space?" Alex asked.

"Max, and Isabel, and Michael Guerin," Maria said.

"Oh, right. Anyone else?" Alex joked. "How about Ronald McDonald-no one on earth has feet that big. And don't forget Elvis-everyone knows he's at least half alien."

"I'm serious," Maria insisted. She had to make him believe her. She had to. She needed someone on her side.

"You're tweaking. I feel like I should be taking you to a rehab center or something," Alex said. "But I know you never put impurities in your body."

"So you believe me?" Maria asked. She tightened her grip on his hands. If she had to hold him here until she convinced him, she would.

"I don't know. Let's just pretend I believe you and go on." Alex pulled his hands away and shoved his hair away from his face. "You know, you're not the first person who's told me a story about aliens. A friend of my dad's, an air force pilot, swears he saw a UFO. Swears it. And he's a total by-the-book military guy."

He was willing to listen. That was as soothing as a good whiff of cedar oil. Maria took her time and told him the whole story as calmly as she could, with as many details as possible. Alex didn't interrupt with questions. He just concentrated on what she had to say, his green eyes locked on her face.

"After I left Max's house, I called you and came straight here," Maria concluded.

"Do you know what other powers they have-besides healing?" Alex asked.

Maria shook her head. "Valenti and Elsevan DuPris both said the power to heal and the power to kill went together, but I don't know if that's true or not."

"If I knew for sure what their powers were, I'd say we should just try to talk to them. It sounds like all of you are scared," Alex said. "But that's the problem. Scared and freaked out plus possibly lethal abilities that we have no way to fight-that's not a happy combination."

"Valenti is the one with the information we need. He knows more about the aliens than anyone else," Maria said. She caught a glimpse of all the little alien faces on the tabletop and covered them with her purse. "We have to go to Valenti. He's the only one who can protect us."

This was the right place to come, Isabel thought. The entrance to the cave was almost impossible to find if you didn't already know where it was. It wasn't in the side of a cliff or anything-it was more of a crack in the desert floor.

Yeah, there was no way Valenti could know about the cave. If anyone had ever known about it, she would probably be floating in a jar full of formaldehyde somewhere right now. She shuddered at the image that flashed into her mind.

But that's what would have happened, she told herself. If any human had found our pods while we were incubating, they would have ripped us out, killing us before we even had a chance to live.

Isabel spotted Michael's sleeping bag in the back corner. She picked it up and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was almost like having Michael's arms around her-the thick cloth was warm, and it smelled like him.

She wished Michael were here right now. It was easy to feel safe with Michael around. Besides, they needed to figure out what to do about Valenti-and they definitely needed to make their plans without Max and the humans. Max was totally worthless. Liz had him so turned around, he couldn't even see straight… He actually thought he could trust her.

I'll talk to Michael as soon as I get home, Isabel decided. But she couldn't go back yet. Valenti was out there somewhere. And this was the only place she was absolutely sure he wouldn't find her.