Max woke up that morning with a strange look in his eyes and half a smile in his mouth. He watched his calendar: September 17th. Another long waited Friday was about to begin. He will have Biology that day, and he might cross some words with Liz. Something like “be careful with that solution” or “make sure you wrote that number right”, but what else could she tell him? What else could he tell her?

- Is! Are you going to come? We are going to be late if you don’t hurry!

– Called Max from the front door.

- I’m going, I’m going. I was just putting some make up. Besides, we’re not that late.

They both got into Max’s jeep and he started to drive.

- Is, have you ever thought how your life would be if we were, you know,humans?

- What are you talking about? What made you think about that?

- I had this dream last night, when I was human. I don’t remember much of it, just the feeling, and it made me wonder if you had thought about that. Of how much different our lives would be.

- Well, yeah, I had thought about it. But I guess it wouldn’t be so much different. I mean, because no one knows, we are as human as they are. I'll still be pretty and fashionable and I will still have a date tonight. Besides, if I was human I wouldn’t be able to do this: And she touched her nail polish and changed its color.

- See what I mean? We have a pretty much decent life here being what we are, why would you like to change that?

- For Biology… - said to himself in a whisper thinking about Liz.

- What?

- Never mind. They arrived at school just in time to get their stuff off their lockers and got into class.

Max sat next to Liz in the Bio Lab. as usual. They will have to classified some leaves to see how different the plants were from outside. He saw her for an instant and then turned his eyes to his notebook. He wished he could touch her hair for once. That someday it could just come true. But how could that be? As far as he knew, he was only her Lab partner…

- Isn’t that interesting? – she suddenly asked – how different this species can be? I mean, they are all plants, but they are so distant from each other.He looked first to her and then to the leaves

- Yeah… but I guess what really matters is that they are related after all, don’t you think? The teacher started to explain some things and she didn’t have thetime to answer his question.

Later that day, Max met with Michel for lunch. Michael started to eat until he noted that Max wasn’t following him.

- Hey, I’m supposed to be the one who gets lost in his thoughts. What are you thinking Max?- Nothing really… Have you ever wonder… if things were different?

- Yeah, I wonder every time I look to the stars when are we going to be on the other side and look here and said “hey, I was on that planet once, I’m glad I’m not there anymore”. Is that what you mean?

- Well, not really, but I guess it’s a way to see it.

- Hum, where’s Isabel, anyway?

- She’s talking with her date for this night. She really knows how to keep a normal life…

- Max, is something bothering you?

- No… it’s just that last night I had this dream, where I was human. It made me think of what are we missing.

- Missing what? Do you have something specific in mind?

Max turned his eyes for an instant to his right. Michael instantly followedhim and turned too just to find a group of girls, Liz included, on the other side of the path.

- Don’t tell me you want to date with any girl in the school!

- Not any girl, but it doesn’t really matter. It was just a dream Anyway, is not like things are gong to change or something.

The lunch hour was over and Max walked by the hallway to his locker. But then, while he was walking between all the students, he noticed Liz. She was talking with her best friend Maria and then she laughed. She looked so beautiful everytime she smiled. He just couldn’t take his eyes away from her… and then he bumped into someone else.

- Hey! Watch your step!

- Yeah… sorry

And he continued his way, thinking “Is there any chance for me to… talk to her…”

- Talk to who? – said Isabel

- What? – said Max, realizing that his sister was at his side.

- You said “talk to her”. I was walking behind you when you said it.

- Walking behind me?

- Yeah, I was just going to tell you that Matt is going to take me home, so don’t wait for me. So, talk to who?

- To my Bio teacher. I didn’t finish the report last week, so I was wondering what she might say.- Ah, o.k. so, see you at home.- Right. Would it be better if he had told her about Liz? She might had said“go for it, and invite her a soda…”- yeah, as if she was going to say that…- but what if Liz refuses. Besides, Liz was no girl to be fooling around. And there was his little secret. How could Isabel make it? Having all those dates and not worrying about what they might find about her. She never had something serious, and now that he was thinking about it, neither had he…

- Michael, need a ride home?

- Yeah

- Let’s go.

They both got into the car and started their journey back home.

- Though day – asked Michael.- Hum?

- Though day? You’ve been having that lost look all day.

- Sorry… have you ever wonder… have you ever though abouttelling someone else?

- What? That we’re not from around here?- Mhm.

- Who? Like Hank? That dream is still bothering you, isn’t it?

- I guess it is… how do you think it would be like?

- Max, we made a pact to not tell anyone, remember? Our whole lives would be in danger if someone finds out. We can’t take that risk.

- You sounded like me – said Max half smiling.

- That’s what happens for being too much with you.

- I know. Anyway, it was just a hypothetical question.

- Hypothetical?

- Yeah.

- Well, hypothetically speaking, I think it would scrub our lives. What do you think?

- I’m not sure, but I guess you’re right.

- I’m glad you do. Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow?

- No, I’m going out with my parents. See you at the Crashdown Café on Sunday morning?

- O.k. I’ll be there.

Michael stepped out of the jeep and walked to his house. Max turned aroundand headed up to his own home.

Will it really scrub their lives? Anyway, how could he tell something like that to anyone. Not even his parents. Wouldn’t it be better to talk to someone else? Things would be really different, but couldn’t they change to get better and not worse?

He got home and went to his room. He watched Isabel getting ready to her date and then he had dinner with his parents and went to bed. But he was still awake when Is returned later that night. He was still thinking of how much things would really change. He couldn’t stop remembering his dream where Liz had asked him:- Do you have any secrets Max?

- Secrets? No, I’m just a normal guy.- Great. Then we can be together. But will she really said that? He smiled. A sad smile because he thoughtthere will be no way to know it. Since he was a kid, since he saw her in the playground, he had always thought what she might say if he told her the truth about himself. He once, years ago, thought that he could show her some of his powers and said it was just a trick. Somewhere around his twelve years he thought how spies tell their secrets and what consequences they might have. But he finally fall asleep thinking that Michael was right, that their lives would be in great danger if someone knew, even if that someone was Liz Parker. So, the next morning, when Isabel asked him if he was all right, heanswered:

- Yeah. It was just a dream. And you’re right, we are as human as they are. And besides, is not as if I would tell anyone.

- Tell? You never said anything about tell! You say if things were different. If we were different. What were you thinking?!

The same thing he always thought everytime he saw Liz. The same thought he had always kept to himself... - Don’t worry. I have already let it go.

- I hope so. You shouldn’t scare me like that.- It won’t happen again. And he really meant what he said about let it go. He didn’t think about it all that Saturday and not even when he was driving to the Crashdown Café to meet Michael that Sunday morning.

But then, when he sat down with Michael at the table and saw Liz with her waitress uniform and with those funny antennas moving on her head, he began wondering all over again. He gave her just a glance while she didn’t notice him (but of course, Maria did) and then saw Michael. What would he said about all this? And then, everything happened so fast: the fight, the gun, the fear, and then the shot.

He first heard Maria screaming “Liz!” and then time stopped when he saw her on the floor. He got up and all that he cared about was that she was all right. Michael stopped him.

- What are you going to do? Max, what are you going to do?

He wasn’t sure but that didn’t stop him. When he decided to helpher, he wasn’t thinking in anything else but to save her. He had never healed anyone before, but he was going to do it right now no matter what. And when he finally said ‘everything is going to be alright’ he was talkinghalf to himself.

When he heard the siren of the ambulance and Michael asking for the keys, he realized that they had to run away and that he wasn’t exactly alone to tell Liz what had just happened. So he quickly gave her the “ketchup” story and hoped with all his soul that she wouldn’t say anything.