"So let me get this straight. You and Max make out, and you get visions. And...Tess and Max make out, and you still get visions? My god, whatever planet they come from must be one screwed up place."

Alex finally stopped pacing and faced Liz.

"Okay, Išm going to give you a choice here *only* because wešve been friends forever. Either you talk to Max, or I talk to Max. And if you want Max to survive, I suggest that you be the one to do it, because I am not going to sit by and let him mess with your head anymore. Let him find some other bimbette to send his little home movies to."

Liz stared at Alex, her eyes still unfocused.

He hesitated. "Not that youšre...a bimbette."

Liz smiled wanly at them both.

"Okay, you guys, I am too exhausted to deal with this right now. Alex, I'll talk to Max tomorrow. Why don't you guys go home and wešll sleep on it, okay?"

Maria grumbled under her breath, but stood up to leave.

"If I hadn't promised Mom Išd be home by an hour ago, I'd stay here tonight. But I'm already in deep."

"Yeah, I wouldnšt let you stay, anyway. I need some time alone, to think."

Alex just walked over to the bed, leaned over and kissed Liz on the forehead.

"If you have any more visions tonight, you call me and I'll go stop them, right?"

Liz blanched as she caught his reference to Max and Tess, but nodded dutifully. "Right. Thanks."

Alex veered Maria towards the door. "I'll give you a ride."

Maria looked back at Liz and sighed. "Bye Liz."

After they exited, Liz turned on her side and pulled the covers up higher.

She hadn't told them the last part of the vision, the part that wouldnšt leave, even when she closed her burning eyes.

In blazing red, the words "Stay away" were still floating in front of her.

She had never felt more alone in her life.

******

The next morning, Liz awoke with a start and immediately looked at the clock. 11:00 AM!

She groaned as she remembered the long, terrible night she had.

That nightmare had kept her awake for an hour.

What was it about?

Something about darkness... something threatening...

She was really losing it. How long had it been since she was afraid of the dark?

She stumbled over to the mirror, frowning at the circles under her eyes.

How could she have slept so long and still feel so bad? Her head was fuzzy...what time had she finally fallen asleep?

She walked to the bathroom and found a note on her way.

"Lizzie,

Didn't want to wake you. Don't be mad; Alex said you weren't feeling well last night. Come get me when you need a ride to school, if you feel well enough to go.

love, Mom"

Liz crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash with anger.

She had already missed three classes and couldn't afford to miss anymore.

She walked into the bathroom, turned on the light and shut the door reluctantly.

Sometimes Liz felt a little shut up in the room without any windows, but it was better than having her father walk in on her while she was undressed again.

That had been so embarassing! He had promised to give her more privacy, but Liz wanted to make sure it didnšt happen again.

She slipped off her short pajamas and turned the hot water on.

As it warmed up, she lifted her arms above her head and stretched.

She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the feeling.

But when she opened them, she gasped.

She couldnšt see anything. The room was completely black.

The nightmare suddenly came rushing back with a vengeance, her heart constricting in her chest.

She put her arms out to touch the wall, desperate to find the door and let in some light.

But she was going the wrong way, or was she? The wall seemed too long...the darkness was suffocating her.

She tried to shove down the feelings of panic.

Her hand touched something cold and smooth- and she took a deep breath.

The sink, right where it should be.

The light flickered on, and she glanced up in the mirror in relief.

At that moment, the lights went off again, and as the light faded Liz could see the ghostly white figure standing behind her.

A whisper brushed her mind... "Stay away..."

Liz stayed frozen in place, just trying to breathe normally for a long time after the lights came back on.

******

Maria smiled to see Liz coming her way.

"Hey babe!"

Then she frowned immediately.

"What are we going for here? Disheveled and desperate," questioning Liz's slouchy fatigue pants, baseball shirt and running shoes. "You do know that the I-don't-give-rip look doesnšt work anywhere but in Hollywood, right?"

Liz just looked at her and sighed.

"And what gives with the full set of luggage under your eyes, hon," Maria grabs her face and turns her toward the light. "Where did you sleep, outside in the dumpster? I knew I should have spent the night with you!"

Liz pulls away and begins to walk.

"Maria, could you stop, please? I'm fine. I just grabbed the first thing I could find."

Maria raised her eyebrows and nodded as she falls in beside her.

"Okay. Itšs not like I donšt understand why you had a bad night. I would, too, after seeing that ho making out with my...whatever the hell it is that you and Max were. But if he's doing that to you, I say, screw him."

Liz shook her head. "I have to talk to him. This is getting really weird and I have to see if there's some way to stop it."

Maria stops her.

"What do mean, getting weird? It's been weird since day one! This is just another wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am tutorial of Œhow to live with Czechoslavakians, babe."

They stop at Liz's locker.

"Yeah," Liz admitted. "I'm beginning to wonder why I even bother."

She opens the door, her eyes immediately fall on a picture of Max that she hadn't been able to bring herself to get rid of. He was smiling in that reserved way of his, eyes warm and caring.

Liz feels an overwhelming rush of emotions.

"Oh yeah," she says softly, biting her bottom lip. "Now I remember."

Maria gives her a look and rips the picture out of her locker.

"Get a life, Liz. Visions...Tess...ring a bell?"

"Yeah, it does," Liz angrily shoved a book in her locker. "I'd like to ring her bell."

Maria smiled.

******

As Liz walked into the Algebra classroom, she forced herself to look down and not over at Tess.

She wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Since Max wasnšt in this class with them, Tess always spent the entire class time giving Liz looks ranging from superior to venomous.

As Liz sat down and tried to fix her mind on the test ahead, she saw Tess rise and cross in front of her.

In spite of herself, Liz looked up and almost gasped.

Tess was wearing an ankle-length dress...all white. It fit her to a "t," but all Liz could think about was the white figure that had been haunting her.

A white figure...

Tess glanced back at her with a knowing look.

Liz felt dizzy and looked back at her desk.

She had to talk to Max. Somehow Tess was...

Doing what?

What she was thinking was absolutely impossible. It had to be in her imagination.