For once Maria was silent. She stared at Liz with big, frightened eyes.

"Not like a huge chemical spill," Liz said. "Just a little one. I cleaned it up, and Dr. Sosa said I could have the rest of the day off."

The bell over the door jingled, and Liz jumped. Usually she could barely hear that thing, but today it seemed especially loud and harsh.

"I'd better go check on the oldsters," Maria said, heading off to the elderly couple in the corner booth. Liz walked slowly over to the stool next to Kyle.

"Check it out," he said. "A mini-Maria." He gestured with his head to the little girl who'd just come in.

Liz looked at her. She had her hair in two braids, just like Maria did today. And she wore shiny lip gloss in the same shade as Maria's. In fact, she looked a lot like Maria. "Weird," Liz commented.

The girl hopped up onto the stool nearest the order window and gazed adoringly at Michael.

"Really weird," Kyle agreed.

"This cook is quite the stud," the guy next to Kyle joked. "First the waitress, now the kid."

Kyle snorted.

Liz couldn't help herself… she jerked away from him. Why was everything so loud all of a sudden?

"So, anything new at Meta-chem today?" Kyle's tone was casual, but Liz knew what he was really asking.

"I was only there for half an hour," she told him. "Dr. Sosa was arguing with Maris Wheeler about something. Then I knocked him into some chemicals in the lab, and there was a spill. He sent me home early."

Kyle sighed. "Well, at least you didn't draw any attention to yourself," he said sarcastically.

Liz shrugged. Somehow she just didn't care about Meta-chem right now, even if they did have alien cells in their laboratories. She was too busy trying to figure out why the lights were so bright and the sounds so loud.

"I'll ask Michael to meet me at Meta-chem tonight," Kyle said in a whisper. "He can open the door to that closet."

Liz stared at him in a panic. His voice was so loud, she was sure the guy next to him would overhear. But the guy just kept eating his fries, and Kyle didn't seem fazed at all.

"I need to go lie down," Liz said. She jumped off the stool and went through the swinging door into the back room. She made her way into the kitchen to grab a snack, figuring she'd take it upstairs. She dropped her backpack

and the water bottle on a counter and pushed past Michael, who was stirring soup.

"I like your hair. It's really long." The little girl was talking to Michael through the order window. Liz smiled as she pulled open the fridge and began hunting for the baby carrots they used as garnish.

"Yeah, thanks," Michael answered gruffly.

"How come it's so long?"

"Because I'm too lazy to cut it." Michael halfheartedly stirred the soup on the stove.

"I think boys with long hair are cute. My father doesn't like them, though. He says long hair is undisciplined."

"Discipline is overrated," Michael said.

The girl laughed loudly. Liz clapped both hands over her ears and stood up, glaring at Michael. He looked back at her, a big wooden spoon in his hand. "What?" he said. "I didn't do anything."

Liz shook her head. This whole sound-distortion thing was getting on her nerves. She snatched a bag of carrots out of the fridge and closed the door. Then she pushed past Michael again.

"Touchy," he muttered behind her. The girl laughed again.

Liz turned around and peered down into his pot of soup. "That's a little clumpy for chicken noodle, don't you think?" she asked pointedly.

Michael glanced into the pot at the congealed mess. Then he reached out, grabbed Liz's water bottle, and poured the rest of the water into the soup. "Happy?" he asked.

Liz rolled her eyes and turned to go upstairs. She really needed to lie down.

The little bell over the door tinkled, and Maria glanced up to check out the new customer. Unfortunately all she saw was her mother. "Great," she muttered. "The nag patrol is here."

"Maria!" Amy called in her high-pitched voice.

"Hi, Mom," Maria said with a sigh. "You here for lunch?"

"Nope. I just wanted to drop off the list."

Maria pretended not to understand her. "What list?"

"The list of errands I need you to run. For the business," Amy replied.

Just look confused, Maria told herself. Maybe she'll give up and go away.

"Maria, I know you know what I'm talking about," Amy said.

"Fine." Maria stuck out her hand for the list. It wasn't fair that her mother could always tell what she was thinking. "But I don't see why I have to run errands for your business. I have my own job, you know."

"Your job doesn't pay the mortgage," Amy said. "So my business is important to both of us."

"Fine," Maria said again.

"Yo, Maria! Order up!" Michael bellowed from the kitchen.

"Maybe I will stay for lunch," Amy said.

"Sit wherever you want," Maria told her sulkily. She stomped over to the order window to pick up the apple pie a la mode for the old couple. On the stool closest to the window sat that little girl who'd been hanging around in front of Michael's place. Sadie, Maria remembered.

That's what she'd said her name was when Maria talked to her in the Crashdown the other day.

Maria stopped in surprise. The girl was wearing her hair just like Maria's. And yesterday she'd been wearing the same shirt as Maria's. Who was she?

"My father says only dirtbags listen to Metallica," Sadie chirped at Michael.

Michael narrowed his eyes, clearly trying to intimidate her. "You shouldn't be talking to dirtbags, then," he said.

Sadie smiled brightly. "I just got a new CD player," she went on, completely unfazed by Michael.

Maria threw up her hands in disgust. This strange girl was following them, staking out Michael's apartment, and now sitting in his restaurant… and he obviously didn't even recognize her. Well, he might not think she's a threat, but I do, Maria thought.

"Hey, you… Sadie," she snapped, walking right up to the little Maria wanna-be. "What are you doing here?"

The girl seemed too astonished to talk.

"Are you ordering anything?" Maria demanded.

Sadie shook her head. "I have no money left," she said.

"We don't allow loiterers in here," Maria told her. "Get out."

There was a shocked silence. Maria could feel her mother's eyes on her, and Kyle's, and Michael's. They all thought she was being a bitch. But for all she knew, this girl was a Skin, or an alien bounty hunter, or something else otherworldly and bad.

"I'm waiting," Maria added.

Sadie's brown eyes filled with tears. She climbed off the

bench, picked up her gigantic backpack, and shuffled out the door.

"Jeez, Maria, be a little meaner, why don't you?" Michael said as soon as the door closed behind her.

"Don't you even recognize her?" Maria cried, rushing behind the counter so she could talk to Michael without anyone else hearing. "She's the one who's been following you."

"No kidding," Michael said. "I'm not a total idiot. I was trying to get some info out of her."

"By talking about your bad taste in music?" Maria said.

Michael rolled his eyes. "She's just a kid with a crush on me," he said. "She's nothing to worry about."

Maria was speechless. A kid with a crush on him? Michael was supposed to be the commander of the aliens' military, or something like that. And this was how he assessed a threat?

Michael plunked a tray covered with bowls on the order window. "Soup's ready," he told her. "Kyle gets some, and that guy with him. And give some to your mother. On me. Maybe it'll make her like me better."

She just kept staring at him.

"Now, Maria," he said. "Well talk about that kid later."

Maria didn't know what else to do, so she picked up the tray and began serving the chicken noodle soup.