"How are you going to do that?" he asked. "The hospital has already called the Centers for Disease Control. They'll take charge of it from here."

"And I'll be helping them every step of the way," Maris said. "Meta-chem will be their new best friend."

Liz felt as if she were swimming though the air. She'd never noticed it before… the way air pressed on your skin. It felt like a light, soft blanket wrapped all around her. She was beginning to get used to it, she thought. It didn't hurt,

after all. It was just a different way of being aware of her body.

Her eyes were still closed, but she could hear enough to tell her everything she needed to know. She could hear Max's breathing, very loud, as he sat next to her hospital bed. She could hear people moaning and crying in the beds all around. She could hear doctors whispering to one another in worried tones. And from out in the main waiting room, she could hear a crowd of people. She didn't hear them individually, just the roaring sound of the whole group. At first the sounds had been too loud, but she seemed to be getting used to them now too.

Liz opened her eyes, and immediately Max jumped to his feet. "Liz," he whispered. It sounded like a normal speaking voice. Liz smiled. Max had learned not to talk too loudly since she'd gotten sick.

"Hey," she said. "Are my parents here yet?"

He shook his head. "I think its pretty crowded out there. They might have trouble getting in," he said.

Liz just nodded. She stared up at the tile ceiling of the hospital. The tiny specks in the tile seemed to be moving around, forming shapes. The lights weren't too bright anymore, but she thought she could see different colors in them. "It's changing," she told Max. "Before, everything was too harsh… the sounds, the lights. But now it's all just… different."

He looked worried. "They haven't even done any tests on you," he complained. "When are they going to come back and examine you?"

"It's okay," she replied. "They checked my heart and my lungs. I'm not in any immediate danger. If it's crowded,

they have to treat sicker people first. Why is it so crowded, anyway?"

Max wouldn't meet her eyes. "Uh, it's some sort of… epidemic."

"What?" Liz cried. "Everyone is sick like me?"

"I don't think so," Max said. "As far as I can tell, everybody is sick in a different way. I heard some of the doctors talking. They don't know what's causing it."

Liz studied Max's face. His eyes were bloodshot, almost as if he'd been crying. He's really worried about me, she realized. Liz reached out for his hand.

"I thought your skin hurt," Max said. "In the car, you couldn't stand anything touching you."

"That doesn't apply to you," she told him.

He took her hand in his. Liz closed her eyes and let the sensations in her skin wash over her. She felt the warmth of Max's body seeping into her, as if his love was a tangible thing. In fact, if she concentrated really hard, she almost thought she could hear his heart beating.

"You have to leave now." The voice was harsh, and loud enough to make Liz jump. Her eyes flew open, and she saw a doctor standing at the foot of her bed. He wasn't looking at her. He must be talking to Max.

"Are Liz's parents here?" Max asked.

"I don't know. But you have to leave," the doctor insisted.

"Max, no," Liz cried.

"I told her I'd stay until her parents… "

"All visitors must leave the hospital now," the doctor interrupted. "We're overcrowded, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on its way to investigate.

They've ordered us to send everyone home unless they're ill."

"The CDC?" Liz whispered.

"Is this a contagious disease?" Max demanded.

"We don't know anything," the doctor said. "But as a precaution, we'd like to separate those showing symptoms from those who are healthy. If it's a contagion, we don't know how it's spreading."

"Everyone is sick with something different. How can it be one disease?" Max went on, raising his voice. "Why is the CDC coming?"

Liz pulled her hand away from Max's so she could cover her ears. Immediately he turned to her. "Sorry," he said, lowering his voice.

"Max, go," Liz whispered. "If something's happening, you'll be able to figure it out if you find Michael and Isabel. Don't worry about me."

He searched her face. "Are you sure?" he mouthed, glancing at the doctor, whose back was turned.

Liz smiled. "I don't think you have much choice. But as long as you're out there trying to solve this, I'll feel better."

"Okay." Max didn't sound too confident. "I love you, Liz."

Then he turned and followed the doctor down the hallway.

Maria bounced her leg nervously. She didn't know what to worry about most. Her mother, who was still wheezing air through an oxygen mask? Her little sister… sister!… whom she'd left at her house with Michael? Her father, who was even more of a jerk than she'd ever thought? Or the entire

city of Roswell, which seemed to be in the grip of a bizarre autoimmune failure?

"Max!" Isabel cried. "Over here!"

Maria spotted Max weaving his way through the crowded room. When he saw them, his worried expression turned to one of confusion. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked. "Who else is sick?" He glanced at Maria's mother.

"She has asthma," Maria informed him.

"And Kyle's inside somewhere," Valenti added. "He sort of passed out."

"And Jesse," Isabel added. "The new lawyer from Dad's firm."

"Where's Liz?" Maria asked.

"They have her in a room. She was one of the first ones here," Max said. "But they haven't figured out what's wrong with her. They've barely even tried to." He glanced around. "Have you seen her parents?"

"No," Maria said. "But it's been getting more and more crowded. They might have a hard time finding parking and getting in."

"Then they're not going to get in," Max said grimly. "They just kicked me out of Liz's room. They want visitors to leave. Something strange is going on here."

"Where's Michael?" Isabel asked.

Maria shot a glance at her mother. She hadn't told her who Sadie was… when they'd gotten to the DeLuca house, Amy was too sick to care why Maria had some kid tagging along with her. "He's… uh… babysitting," she replied.

Isabel raised her eyebrows. But Maria was spared any more explanation, because at that moment about twenty

people in big, puffy decontamination suits burst into the waiting room.

If this were a movie, Maria thought, everyone would be screaming and running around in terror. But in reality, all the people in the waiting room were so frazzled already that they just stared numbly at the people in the suits.

One of the suits made his way over to the reception desk and picked up a microphone. His voice came over the PA system. "We need everyone who is not sick to please file slowly outside," he said.

Nobody moved.

"That is, if you're here because you are ill in some way, you can stay," the suit said. "Everyone else has to leave now."

Maria and Isabel exchanged nervous glances. "I'm not leaving until someone tells me what's wrong with my son!" Valenti called.

"Me either!" yelled someone else. The protest caught on, and the room filled with angry voices.

"I'm afraid you have no choice," the suit answered. "We're from the Centers for Disease Control, and we've been ordered to set up a quarantine here."

"Here we go again," Maria muttered.

"What about my son?" Valenti yelled.

"Those actually ill will be transferred," the suit replied. "The hospital will be kept running as usual for accident injuries, pregnancies, and ongoing medical care."

Now Valenti jumped to his feet. Maria grabbed Amy's hand and held on tight.

"Transferred where?" Max demanded. "Why?"

"We're taking those who are ill over to the new Meta-chem