"Does he have brownish-blond hair and really big blue eyes?"

"And full lips?" I added. "Like Brad Pitt

"Gag! Barf!" Marco, of course.

"The hair and eyes are correct, " Ax said. "l can't evaluate the lips, though. How large would lips have to be in order to be Brad Pitt lips?"

"In that Montana movie Brad Pitt's lips filled the entire screen, "

Marco said. "In fact, I heard some people were crushed to death by Brad Pitt's

"Bet they're fake," Jake muttered. "You know how they inject, like, butt fat into lips to make them all puffy?"

"It's so sad to hear so much jealousy, don't you agree, Cassie?"

"It is sad, Rachel. Terribly sad."

"This is the worst mission we've ever been on," Marco said. "l mean, I've been scared before. Hey, I've been horrified, screaming, wanting-to-wet-myself terrified before. I'm used to that. But this is the first time I've wanted to just throw up. Rachel, I didn't think you were even capable of normal human affection, let alone pathetic hero worship."

"Say it, brother!" Jake agreed. I think he was kidding. But I couldn't be sure.

"And Cassie!" Marco went on. "l thought you only cared about animals.

Animals like skunks and snakes . . . and Jake. Hee-hee!"

"Okay, let's get back to business now," Jake said quickly.

Jake gets embarrassed any time anyone mentions his feelings for Cassie.

And we were practically caught up to the yacht.

"Ax, buddy, I think you need to peel off. Change morphs and stay close by in the water."

"Yes, Prince Jake."

"Don't call me prince."

"Yes, Prince Jake."

"Marco and I will go in close, land on the boat like any ordinary seagulls, see what we overhear^ Jake went on. "Rachel and Cassie, you can be backup. Stay -"

"Yeah, right," I jeered. "You and Marco go. Me and Cassie stay away.

Yeah, that's really going to happen. Come on, Cassie, we're going in."

I flapped hard to pull away from Jake and Marco. Ax gratefully peeled off, soaring back and away on the breeze.

The yacht was very large. I don't know how big, but it was big enough that the four people lounging on the aft deck could have played a game of volleyball if they'd wanted to. I mean, this was not some little motorboat.

Cassie and I moved behind the boat. Below us, propellers were churning the sea turquoise and white. Just ahead, we could clearly see the four people.

One was the movie producer wearing shorts and an open shirt. I'd seen him on CNN.

One was a man who stood with his back to us.

The third person was a woman in a bikini. She was young and pretty.

And the fourth person . . . yes! There was no mistaking that hair. That face. Those lips.

"It's him!" Cassie said.

"0h, yes," I agreed.

Jeremy Jason McCole. Star of Power House. At least he was the star if you forgot about that comedian guy who played his father.

Jeremy Jason McCole, who had appeared in

basically every fanzine published in the last five years. Most of which either Cassie or I had read.

"His favorite color is crimson," Cassie said. "It's so cool. He didn't just say "red." He said "crimson.""

"He was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania."

"He has two sisters. Their names are Jessica and Madison."

"Nice chest."

"Nice legs."

"Let's get closer," I said.

We flapped a little and found ourselves in a sweet pocket of air. The boat created its own breeze, which sort of carried us along. We barely had to flap our wings. We could just hang in the air over the back end of the boat. We hung there, enjoying the view from ten feet above Jeremy Jason McCole. We listened to the conversation between the actor, the producer, and the two other people.

And it was then that I fell out of love with the extremely cute Jeremy Jason McCoy.

The wind carried some of what they said away. The noise of the churning water and the big engines wiped some of it out. But we heard enough, Cassie and I. Too much.

". . . don't want to be on the losing side of this, Jeremy," the producer was saying. "Face it, your TV career is over."

"It's not over as long as ... million teenage ... in love with me,"

Jeremy said.

"All I'm saying is, big changes are coming. Big changes like . . . has ever seen before, okay? Now, my company is part of the new order. You do business . . . parts in movies. Serious parts. Let you move beyond teenage roles."

Jeremy Jason laughed. "That'd be nice. I'm

about sick to death of dopey . . . sending me love letters and mobbing me for autographs. See, that's part of the problem I have with your offer. You'll have me still. ... I'm sick of ... be Mr. Goody Good all the time."

Then the other man, the one who had been standing with his back to us, stepped forward. He barely flicked a finger and the producer backed away. The woman in the bikini narrowed her eyes and seemed to shrink down in her chair.

"Let's stop wasting time," the man said. "We've been talking ...

yesterday . . . better things to do. I can give you . . .thing you want.

Everything. Money . . . power. But first, you have to agree to my. . . .

They are ... simple. You become one of us. And then, you take on this .

. . representing The Sharing. In exchange . . . anything and everything your heart desires."

Jeremy Jason sat silently while the man spoke. The man scared him. That was obvious. When Jeremy Jason did speak, it was in a low, strained voice. "And if I say no?"

"You won't say no," the man said. He turned then, and I saw his face. I saw an icy smile, and cold, dead eyes.

I had seen him before, just briefly. But once was enough.

"Visser Three!" Cassie hissed.