7:00 PM: Alex and Maria arrived almost at the same time, to make their reports. Alex had been to Valenti’s office to tell him that Liz was okay but that they didn’t know where she was yet. When he told Valenti how they knew, he just smiled and kind of shook his head, with a ‘why did I even ask’ kind of look in his eyes.

“He’s kind of cool with this alien stuff, but I think it makes him nervous.” Alex confided. “Where’s Isabel?”

“Coming!” She called as she came into the front room with a huge bowl of popcorn and a pitcher of juice. “I thought we’d need some serious thinking food.”

Alex went to help her, and Maria plopped down on the couch. “Next time, you take Liz’s mom and I’ll take the sheriff.” Maria had gone to try and comfort her. She had known her almost all her life, and thought she could help. “How can I convince them that Liz is okay, when I can’t tell them how I know! I think they think she called us and didn’t call them! All I did was hurt them more.” She gave a big sniff and wiped her nose. “Now, where is Michael?”

“He went to find Tess.” Max said.

Michael opened the door and walked in with two six-packs of soda and a four-pack of pizza. “Actually I went to get some serious thinking food.” He said. At the look on Max’s face, he added. “She’s not home or at the Crashdown or in the park or anywhere else, it seems.” He set the pizza on the coffee table and took a slice. He looked around at the faces of the others and said, “What?” Then shook his head and plopped down next to Maria and popped a can open. He looked around at everyone with a half smiling half pissed look on his face, like ‘what did you expect me to do?’

Alex grabbed a piece and a can and sat down on the floor next to Isabel’s chair. “Maybe we should make a list of everywhere a girl goes when she doesn’t want to be found. Liz and Tess are bound to be easier to find that way. We just have to follow the list.” Having Tess drop out of sight, after Liz, made him nervous. Who would be next? “Iz. If you should decide to drop out of the picture, take us with you, huh? It will make it easier on the rest of us.”

She ruffled his hair and smiled. She knew just how he felt about her. ‘He’s such a dear.’ But Tess dropping out of sight made her nervous too.

***

Elsie’s Stop ‘N’ Place:

Liz paced her room. She hadn’t called after all; there was still too much she didn’t know. ‘I have to make sure he’s one of them first.’ She thought. ‘What if he’s one of those aliens that are hunting Max? I’d be leading Max right into a trap.’ She had no doubt that if she called Max, they would find a way to trace where the call came from. They had all the resources of Valenti on their side. ‘No. I have to be sure first. Sure it’s safe.’ But how?

***

Back at the Evans House:

The phone rang and Maria grabbed it. “Evans residence.” She said in her best formal voice. Isabel started to crack up and Maria waved her off, trying to keep a straight face. “May I help you? Oh kool! Can you bring her over? Yeah, right now. I don’t care; tell her you’re kidnapping her. Just get her over here. Right.”

To the rest of the gang, “Kyle. Tess just showed up.”