Even Michael's? Maria wondered. She didn't think she wanted to read a description of Michael's kisses. What if she found out he kissed everyone the way he kissed her last night? She couldn't stand the idea that it wasn't something special that could only have happened between the two of them.

The thought of that kiss was all that was keeping her going. Yeah, Michael had seemed totally disgusted with her. Totally furious. But that kiss… God. That kiss gave her hope that there was a chance Michael could feel something for her. Something like love.

"Okay, here it is. You just click on a guy's name to get Lucinda's review," Liz explained.

Maria's eyes went straight to the Gs. Michael wasn't listed. At least she was spared that.

Isabel did a fast scroll down the list. "Rick Surmacz. Interesting."

"Yeah, I thought Maggie McMahon had him caught in her velvet femininity trap," Maria joked. "How else could she get him to coordinate his outfits to hers every single day?"

Isabel gave Rick's name a click. "I call Rick the driller," she read out loud. "He somehow seems to think that a good kiss is one where he rams his tongue as far down your throat as possible. No finesse. No grace. Just gag me. Literally."

"Yowch," Maria commented. "Do you think Maggie's seen this?"

"No way," Liz answered. "If she did, the next outfit she'd pick out for him is a nice black body bag."

"Do Craig Cachopo next," Maria said, struggling to get at least four percent of her brain off Michael. "Liz and I both had a total crush on him in the sixth grade. It almost ruined our friendship."

Isabel scrolled back up the list. "He's not here," she told Maria.

"But Max is!" Liz cried. She grabbed the mouse away from Isabel and clicked.

"Okay, I shouldn't really have Max on the list because I haven't ever kissed him," Liz read, her voice losing a little of its edge. "But a girl can dream, right? And I suspect that a kiss from Max would indeed be dreamy. Those quiet types can really surprise you. Here's hoping I have some hard facts for you soon."

"Dream on," Isabel said. She gave Liz a sympathetic smile. "You've got to know that even though Max keeps pushing you away, he has zero interest in anyone else."

Liz nodded. "Yeah, I know," she said softly. "But thanks for reminding me."

Maria felt a little stab of envy. Isabel and Liz both had these guys who were completely in love with them. Yeah, Max did insist that he and Liz couldn't be more than friends. But at least Liz knew that Max felt the same way about her that she did about him.

"Um, has Max seemed different to either of you lately?" Liz asked.

"He's been kind of out of it, if that's what you mean," Isabel answered.

Maria frowned, trying to remember how Max had been acting lately. She'd been so focused on Michael. "He's been a little quieter than usual," she offered. "Preoccupied."

"But he doesn't seem sick or anything?" Liz pressed.

"Honestly, I think it's about you. I think he misses you," Isabel told her. "That's not really the right word since you guys see each other all the time, but-"

"But it's different," Liz finished her sentence.

"If you really want to know how Craig kisses, I can tell you," Isabel announced, doing a screeching subject change. She'd obviously decided Max was not who Liz needed to be talking about. "A little wet. Some distractingly loud nose breathing. But not bad."

"No way!" Maria squealed. "I didn't know you ever went out with him."

"I didn't. But I paid him a little visit in his dreams one night. When I was, uh, campaigning for homecoming queen," she admitted. She signed off and shut down her computer.

"You went into guys' dreams and kissed them so they'd vote for you?" Liz demanded.

"Only the cute ones," Isabel answered. "And Michael and Alex totally got even with me. You'll remember that I lost to Liz." She stuck out her tongue at Liz. Liz laughed and hit her with a pillow.

Maria didn't say anything, but she was glad that Isabel had lost. It wasn't cool to win that way. Besides, Liz had deserved to win. She was as pretty as Isabel, in a completely different way. And she was just as popular.

"So what's it like, going into people's dreams?" Maria asked. "Is it really revealing? Do you know everybody's deep, dark secrets?"

"I could show you," Isabel offered. "At least I think I could. The three of us could form a connection, then we could go dream walking together."

"It's kind of an invasion of privacy, though," Liz said.

"Yeah. You're right," Isabel answered. "But on the other hand, it's cool."

"We have to do it," Maria jumped in.

She knew Liz was right about the invasion of privacy. But there was a chance that she could get Isabel to take her into Michael's dreams. Maybe they'd show her how he was really feeling about her.

"So, who should we do?" Isabel asked.

"Ms. Hardy?" Liz suggested.

"A teacher?" Maria asked. "Doesn't that have kind of a high eww factor? Maybe we should do someone we know better."

Maria didn't want to just blurt out Michael's name. She wanted to wait and do it more casually. She'd told Liz everything that happened when she went to his house. But still. She didn't want to seem desperate.

"I know. We'll go to the dream plane, and you two can each pick an orb. That way it will be a surprise," Isabel said. She sat down on the floor and motioned Liz and Maria to sit next to her. "Just relax. Breathe deeply. And I'll do the rest," she instructed. She reached out and took them each by the hand.

A swirl of color became visible around them, the deep purple of Isabel's aura, playing tag with the rich amber of Liz's, and Maria's sparkling blue. An instant later a blend of perfumes filled the air. Maria thought of them as olfactory auras. She pulled in a deep breath, savoring the distinct scents of Liz's ylang-ylang, Isabel's cinnamon, and her rose, as well as the aroma they made when they mingled.

"Close your eyes," Isabel told them softly.

Maria obeyed and found herself surrounded by spinning globes that glistened with iridescent colors. Maria smiled as one brushed against her face. It was as soft as a soap bubble, and it was giving off one perfect note of music, high and sweet.

"Welcome to the dream plane," Isabel told them. "Each orb is created when a person begins to dream. Just pick one, and I'll take you in."

Maria strained to pick out each orb's note, searching for the one that would start up a vibration, almost an ache, inside her.

There were so many beautiful sounds, but none that she was looking for. It's because Michael isn't asleep yet, she realized. If he's not asleep, he wouldn't have a dream orb.

"You pick first," she told Liz.

"That one." Liz pointed to a whirling pale green orb.

Isabel shot Liz a look. "Freaky. I think you picked your mother's," she said. "I've done this enough to have matched up a lot of people in town with their orbs, and I'm pretty sure that's hers. Do you want to choose a different one?"

Liz hesitated, then shook her head. "That one's good."

Isabel reached out her hands and began to hum. A moment later the green orb spun into her hands. Isabel continued to hum, and the orb grew, stretching until it was as tall as they were.

"If you don't want her to see you in her dream, we can watch from out here," Isabel said. "Or we can step through and actually be in the dream with her."

"Let's stay out here," Liz answered. She took a step closer to the orb and peered inside. Maria moved up beside her.

Mrs. Ortecho was walking along the edge of a lake. As she passed under a tree, an egg tumbled out of a nest and landed at her feet. It cracked open, and blood dripped out.

Maria heard a tiny sound of distress from Liz. "We don't have to watch," Maria told her.