Max was beginning to re-evaluate his original opinion of Carmen. She really was a charming lady and he watched her as she sat with Brody, laughing and talking with the girls. She owned her own small cosmetics company, which was slowly gaining more popularity, and she had promised the girls some free samples which they accepted eagerly.When they reached the site, it was already filling up with the colourful garb of the participants. Every village in the immediate area was represented here today, each displaying their own distinctive colours and dress. The sight of the kites was breathtaking, as each one bore the signature of the family who helped make it, as they stood proudly before their creations.

The teens scanned the rapidly increasing crowd for the Chiams' and finally found them as Malinali stood on tiptoe, waving frantically to get their attention. They ran up to her and she and Itzel kissed all of them on the cheeks while Ahmok shook their hands. Brody and Carmen received the same treatment. They were so excited and happy to see their new friends.

As they stood waiting for the ceremony to begin, Pakal beckoned to his brother, who was standing not too far away. Ahmok excused himself and went to talk to him. They could be seen talking animatedly as they kept pointing to the temple on the hill, Temple XX-A, where the slab incident occurred yesterday. Ahmok glanced back at the teens, surreptiously as his brother continued to make his point. Then he patted him on the back, and returned to his group.

Itzel looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head and smiled at her, refusing to cast a pall on the important day. Very soon, the crowd's attention was reverted to Temple XXII, where the focus of the ceremony was to take place. At precisely 9:00 a.m., a small, heavy set man stepped forward as he stood at the top of the steps. He was dressed in the ancient ceremonial garb of a priest, and he held a staff in his hand.

He knocked the staff three times on the ground for silence and proceeded to chant the words of the viejos, invoking the spirits of their ancestors. After he had finished he waved his staff over his head as a signal for the festivities to begin. A cheer went up in the crowd and everyone took to their kites, hoisting them up in the air as the mountain currents came to their aid.

The magnificent circular objects floated like magic as the crowd began to chant to their own ancestors. The teens helped launch the Chiams' family's contribution and were astounded at the feelings that surged over them, as they, too, became a part of the celebration. They took up the chant with the others as Malinali grinned widely at them. Brody and Carmen were also swept up in the excitement and joined the large circle of the family.

This continued for half an hour, and then, as if by command, the kites floated gently back down to earth to settle on the jungle carpet again. Now it was time for the whole crowd to become one as the ancients had decreed, and they joined hands in a long train, circling the large quad, and chanting to their ancestors to protect them and to increase their harvests.

The train increased in speed, whipping the crowd into a frenzy as they tore around the compound. Suddenly, Max came to a halt, and strode purposefully towards Temple XX-A. Liz called after him but he appeared not to hear her. His pace quickened as he reached the slope and he ran effortlessly up the hill towards the temple, standing facing the unaware crowd as he went into a trance.

He began chanting, softly at first, and louder as he gained confidence. Liz ran to the bottom of the slope, puzzled at his actions, as she looked up at him. The man who was dressed as the priest, had watched in fascination as all this took place. He joined Liz where she stood, pale and trembling as they both looked on. Max's face transformed as he continued to recite the words of the viejos, and Liz covered her mouth in horror, no longer recognizing the boy she loved.

He raised his hands over his head and dark clouds appeared. Rain started to fall, slowly at first and more rapidly as he continued his message. Rolls of thunder could be heard advancing, and the crowd screamed as they ran for cover. Lightning bolts streaked the sky as the wind roared through the site. An errant bolt hit Max and he slumped to the ground.

Liz and the man ran to his side to see what they could do for him.

"Max," Liz sobbed desperately as the wind whipped her hair about her rain washed face.

The man yelled to her over the roar of the wind. "Help me get him to cover!"

They picked his limp body up and half-carried, half-dragged him to a sheltered area of the temple, where part of the roof remained intact. They laid him down gently, and the man took off his robe and placed it over his prone body. He placed his hand on his chest and nodded.

"He will be alright, " he pronounced to Liz. He looked at her seriously and asked, "Who is this young man? He does not come from around here and yet he knows the words of the ancients."

Liz gaped at him, realizing they were in serious trouble. She was afraid to say anything to this stranger, for fear he would expose their secret. She shook her head, wishing this nightmare would end.

"Do not be afraid," he smiled kindly. "I will not tell anyone what I saw. Please, tell me who he is."

Liz realized she had no choice. He had witnessed the whole thing and she could do nothing to take it back. She sat down on the ground, sighing hopelessly at what she was about to tell him. She began her story as the man settled back to hear her strange tale.

He watched and listened intently as she revealed Max's origins, forcing himself to control his excitement at her words.When she had finished, they felt Max stirring beside them.

"Oh Max." Liz cried excitedly. "You're alright," she breathed with relief as she helped him to sit up.

"W...what h...happened?" he asked in confusion. "A..and why are we all w....wet?"

She told him, as briefly as possible, what had just taken place. As she talked, he kept glancing at the man nervously, wondering why Liz was being so open in front of him. When she had finished talking Max looked over at the man suspiciously.

"Did anyone else see me?" he asked, as he turned from Liz to the man.

"No," the man confirmed. "The people were not concerned with what you were doing and then the rain was coming down too fast for them to notice."

"Who are you?' Max whispered in fear.

"I am your friend," he began. My name is Balam Kaak and I have waited a very long time for this day, young man. My presence here today at this ceremony is no coincidence. I am descended from the last known high priest of Palenque and it is my honour and duty to preside at the Festival of the Dead. All my life, I have been taught the ways of the viejos, and I know the language well. You spoke this language today effortlessly, and I can only conclude that you must be linked to them in some way, too."

"Do not worry," he held up his hands as he saw the look of panic on their young faces. "I have no intentions of telling anyone what I have just seen . I would only like the opportunity to speak with you about this in more depth. Please allow me this," he finished.

Max and Liz looked at each other, knowing they had no other choice, so they nodded in agreement.

"But first, I have to talk to my friends about this," Max verified.

"As you wish," he nodded.

"We'll meet you back here in one hour, okay?"

"Yes, that will be satisfactory," Balam agreed as he watched them depart.

--------------------------------------------------

They caught up with their friends as they stood gathered around the food tables that had been set up. Isabel was sampling a tasty morsel which she offered to Max.

'Max, you have to try this. It's so good!"

Max grimaced as he pushed the offering away. "Not, now Iz. Guys we have to talk." he said urgently, as he began to walk away.

"Max," Maria whined. "We came here to have some fun!"

"The fun's over!" he said seriously. "C'mon, now!" he ordered, as he turned to find a more private place for their conversation.

They all looked at Liz for some answers but she just shrugged as she beckoned them to follow her and Max. When they were safely out of ear shot, he began to explain the reason for the urgency of the matter. They were all shocked at what had taken place, totally unaware of any of it.

"I was the one who made the rain come," he finished sheepishly.

"So, what you're telling us Maxwell, is that someone else knows our secret now?" Michael glowered at him.

"Michael, it's not like I deliberately set out to tell him who we are," Max shot back angrily. "I didn't even know what was happening!"

"Well, what are we gonna do about it?" he asked.

"We're gonna tell him the truth, Michael," Max revealed. "We have no choice. I think he may be able to give us some answers....I think we can trust him."

"Max, are you sure?" Isabel queried. "I mean, how do we know he's not just gonna get what he can out of us, and then cash in on the deal?"

"I just have a gut feeling about this, Iz. Please guys, lets give this a chance," Max pleaded.

They were naturally wary of strangers, and they kept harking back to Max and Liz's dream visit and Grandma's words of caution. But, they also trusted Max's judgement, and they all finally agreed to take the chance. Michael was more reluctant than the others but, as usual, he felt his opinion didn't count.

"Look, why don't we find the Chiams' and Brody? They're probably wondering what happened to us. Then we can grab something to eat before we meet Balam?" Max said.

Max and Liz went in search of the Chiams' and soon found them sitting at a table with an assortment of dishes set out before them.

"Oh good, you are here!" Malinali smiled. "You are just in time to join us in our meal."

"I'm sorry," Max stated. "But we have some business to attend to, right now," Max replied honestly.

Malinali cocked her head in puzzlement. "Business?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Look, we'll catch up with you later, we promise."

"Alright," she replied sadly. "But please, do not be too long. There are many things planned for this afternoon. All the villages will be putting on a special performance to honour their own ancestors, and tonight we will be burning the kites to end the festival."

"You're going to burn all those beautiful kites?" Liz asked in horror.

"Yes, it is our tradition. Papa says it is just an excuse for the silk merchants to make more money, but I do not think that is the real reason," she said in embarrasment.

"Okay, we'll be sure to get back on time," Max again promised, and they waved good bye to her as they sought out their friends again.

Meanwhile, the others had caught up with Brody and Carmen outside the staff quarters. They had met Ted there and he had invited them inside to wait out the rain.

"Oh there you guys are!" Brody said in relief. "Where are Max and Liz?" he asked with concern.

They told him and he nodded in understanding.

"Well, we're just going to get something to eat. Why don't you join us?"

They thanked him, but declined saying that they had promised to meet up with Max and Liz. Brody and Carmen waved them off as they proceeded to the tables laden with tempting dishes.

Max and Liz returned in due course and they followed them to get something to eat. They loaded their plates and sat down at some tables provided for that reason. They ate quickly, as they glanced at their watches. They wanted to start this meeting as soon as possible, before they lost their courage.

They dumped their emptied paper plates in the nearest garbage receptacle and headed towards the temple on the far end of the quad. When they reached the top, they found Balam already waiting for them. He had changed into street clothes and stood up at their approach. He watched as Max and Michael led their tiny group to him, standing side by side in a defensive pose as they eyed him evenly.

Max spoke. "I want you to know that we're not a bunch of helpless kids, as you saw from my performance this morning. My friends and I are quite capable of defending ourselves," he said, as he indicated his three alien counterparts. "We all have our own special talents and we won't hesitate to use them if needed. So if you have any funny ideas, you'd better forget them , or this meeting is over right now," he warned.

Balam regarded them with kindness. He did not want to frighten them off because it was so important for him to talk to them.

"Please, you must not upset yourselves in that regard. I have no intentions of revealing the contents of this conversation to anyone. Please, why don't you join me over here," he said as he led them to a semi-circle of large stones. They sat down as they surrounded him, as if they were meeting at a tribal conference."I can assure you, that my intentions are pure. I have much to tell you and I have many questions that I would like answers to. Perhaps we can help each other," he said, trying to allay their worries.

"You just now indicated that three of your group are special like you," he continued. "Am I to understand that your other four friends are.........?" he did not finish.

"Human," Max finished for him. "Yes, they are very human, and they all mean a great deal to us and we will defend them with our lives if anyone tries to harm them," he warned him again.

"Maxwell, are you crazy, man?" Michael burst out. "Why are you telling him all this? How do we know we can trust him?" Michael scowled at Balam.

"Michael, he hasn't turned us in yet!" Max shot back.

The two young men squared off, Balam noting with interest, the age long battle with a leader and his strong lieutenant.

Maria stepped in between them.

"Michael, why don't you give Balam a chance to explain?"

"Are you nuts? Do you remember what happened to us the last time we trusted somebody.....Max almost got killed!"

"Michael, the last person you trusted was my Dad," Kyle spoke up."And he didn't turn you in," he said hurt.

Michael realized too late what he had done. He looked at Kyle, embarrassed, and asked for his forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, man," he held out his hand for Kyle to shake.

"Well, this is a first," Kyle said grinning. "Michael Guerin apologizing! Apology accepted, man!" he said, shaking the proffered hand.

Michael then turned to Maria."I'm sorry for yelling at you," he said sheepishly.

"That's okay Spaceboy. "I'll get you back later, anyway!" she threatened.

Michael groaned at the image of torture he conjured up. The others laughed, and this seemed to release some of the tension in the group. Balam marvelled at the tight-knittedness in their ranks and attributed it to Max's leadership.

"I want you to know, that even though we are different, like you said, we aren't totally alien, Max continued. "I mean, we are actually alien with human DNA mixed with us. We are what you might call hybrids.......sort of a more advanced human being."

Luis took this all in with a shocked expression. He buried his face in his hands and when he raised it again, there were tears in his eyes. The teens looked at him askance as he tried to control his emotions.

"Please forgive my emotional outburst," he apologized. "I have waited all my life to hear those words. As I told you before, I am descended from the last high priest of Palenque and it was revealed in the viejos stories, that one day people from the skies beyond, who pre-dated the ancients when they lived on earth 1000 years before, would one day return to earth to lead our people back to glory. I believe that day has come," he said humbly.

"What are you saying?" Max asked increduously. "You think that my friends and I are going to be the saviours of the Maya?" Max laughed."I'm sorry, but that's not why we came here," he stated. "We just came to prove that my ancestors lived here 5000 years ago......nothing more."

"But why do you think it is so important for you to prove this?" Balam asked. "I'm sorry, Balam, but we can't help you. Look, we're just a bunch of kids......we're still being chaperoned for God's sake! How can you expect us to lead your people *back to glory*?" "It is not my request, young man. This was decided long ago by the ancients. It has been written."

"Look, I've had it up to here with this destiny crap!" Max indicated, as he brought his hand to his neck. "I have made my choice and my friends have made theirs, so that's the end of it, as far as I'm concerned!" and he turned away from them and ran down the hill. His friends looked after him in shock. It was uncustomary for Max to lose his temper like this.

"Michael, maybe you should go after him," Isabel said worriedly.

"I don't know, Iz. I'm probably the last person he wants to see right now."