"Hello," he slurred.

*That must be Hank,* Maria thought. *I feel so bad that Michael has to live with him.*

"Um," Maria said. "Hi, is Michael there?"

She hoped, beyond hope that he was there. She needed him very much. She played with a lock of her hair, anxiously awaiting the man's answer.

"No," he said. "Mickey's not here."

With that said, the man hung up the phone. She slumped down even more into the couch. She couldn't believe that he would just up and leave her. There had to be some reasonable explanation. She decided she would call Max and Isabel's house to see if maybe he was over there.

"Hello," Isabel said groggily.

"It's me, Maria," Maria said.

"Oh," Isabel sighed. "Do you know it's 8:00 am on a Saturday morning?"

"Yes," Maria said. "But, I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"Is Michael there, because we went to bed and then I woke up and he was gone."

"No, I haven't seen him," Isabel said.

Maria groaned into the phone. There had to be something wrong because he wasn't at either of the houses. She kept telling herself that maybe he just went out to get some air.

"Maria," Isabel said. "Just go back to bed, I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere. You know how Michael is."

"Okay," Maria said. "Well, if you see him, please tell me."

"Of course," Isabel sighed.

"Bye."

"Yeah, bye"

Maria pressed the end button on her cordless phone and let it drop to the couch. Her mind was working overload trying to figure out where he had gone.

*I wonder where he is,* Maria thought. *Maybe he went out to get some food or something. Um, I'm starting to get hungry. This sucks. I just have to keep my mind all together and not worry. Be optimistic Maria, not pessimistic.*

She got up off of the couch and walked into the kitchen. She looked in the fridge and pulled out some leftover chocolate cake and started to eat it.

************************

*I wonder how Maria's doing. I hope she doesn't become a bummed out version of herself, who always has a fake smile plastered on her face. If Maria's not happy, I don't know what I'll do,* Liz thought as she watched a baby wipes commercial on the television screen.

She grabbed the cordless phone off of the couch seat. She dialed Maria's number.

"Hello," Maria said.

"Hey Maria," Liz said. "How are you?"

"Oh no," Maria sighed. "I'm already getting pity calls. I thought it would at least be a week or two before I got those. But, it's good that you called because I can't find Michael, and I'm lonely."

"Oh, okay." Liz said. "I'm coming right over. Anyway, I was lonely too."

They ended their phone conversation, and Liz headed over to Maria's house. When Liz reached Maria's house she knocked on the front door. The door soon opened and revealed Maria, on the other side. Liz immediately grabbed Maria close in a hug.

*This pity thing is starting to get on my nerves,* Maria thought.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you too," Maria giggled. "Except for the fact that I saw you yesterday."

Liz let go of Maria and smiled at her. She was really worried about her friend. She knew it must be very hard on Maria to deal with this.

"Oh," Liz said. "I'm pitting you, aren't I?"

"Just a little," Maria laughed.

They walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch.

"Well," Liz said. "I'm sorry I pity you."

"That's pity too!" Maria exclaimed.

"Oops," Liz said, as she flipped on the television.

They sat in silence for over a half an hour, as they watched the television. After what seemed like an eternity, Maria spoke.

"Liz, have you seen Michael?" Maria asked.

"No, I haven't seen him." Liz said.

Liz couldn't believe Michael had up and left. Where could he be? She was so very mad. How could he just leave Maria in her time of need? Liz couldn't understand.

"I wonder where he is," Maria thought aloud.

************************

Michael screamed at the top of his lungs. He tried to scream louder, but it seemed impossible. He was in a black void of nothingness. There was no color and there seemed to be black everywhere.

"Where the hell am I?" Michael screamed.

He didn't have a clue what was going on. He was scared, and he wondered if maybe some agency had finally got their evil hands on him. Suddenly, a bright light opened on top of the void. And it widened to where there was a crack he could walk out of. He walked out into a place with a cyan sky.

This place looked oddly familiar. Where could he be? Then, he saw an older man with graying, black hair approach him. Finally, Michael realized where he was. He was home. He was happy, but that soon faded when he realized Maria, Max, and Isabel were not with him. The man looked at Michael.

"You've completed your mission on Earth, right?" the Man asked.

"What mission?" Michael questioned.

The man walked over to Michael and put his hand lightly on his shoulder. "You got a human girl pregnant. We sent you down to Earth to get a human pregnant. To basically, procreate. We sent the other boy and girl down for the same thing. This makes us a larger race. There are not many Human-Vollerian babies out there."

"Vollerian?" Michael asked.

"Yes Michael, you're what is called a Vollerian. You live on the planet Volleris."

"How do you know my name?"

"We've been keeping track of you three ever since we sent you down to Earth."

"Why did you choose us?"

"For many reasons. You wouldn't be missed that much. Your father was killed while your mother was pregnant with you three. Then, your mother died during child birth."

"Max, Isabel, and I are siblings?"

"Yes."

"Is there any danger in this for Maria? You know, is this pregnancy going to harm her? What does it entail?"

"Not much. It is basically like a real human pregnancy. Although, Vollerian related pregnancies only last four months, unlike nine months for a human. She is almost a month pregnant, correct?"

"Yes."

"She will start to show in a few weeks. Human-Vollerian children are very intelligent. They can use their powers, better than any Vollerian. We do not know why, but they can. That's why we want to have more Human-Vollerian children. They are the superior race."

"Oh. So, can I go back to Earth?"

"No, not while the human is pregnant. If you see the person you've impregnated while they're pregnant, you will kill them."

"Does that happen with regular Vollerian pregnancies?"

"No, just the hybrid ones. I suggest you tell your friends that they have not completed their mission."

"How?"

"Through your head, or dreams."

"Can I contact Maria?"

"Don't worry about her. She can feel whatever you're feeling while she is carrying your child."

"She can?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Will I ever get to see Maria again?"

"Not while she is pregnant. But, after the child is born, you can go back to Earth if you'd like."

"Can she come here?"

"No, that is forbidden. Your child may, but not her."

"Can I go back and fourth?"

"No, one or the other."

"What's your name?"

"Joshua."

***************************