Every time he saw her that feeling came to him as if he knew her from somewhere else. Michael asked Max about it, but Max didn't feel it and neither did Isabel. However, Max went on about this strange feeling about Tess, but Michael didn't really think much of it. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts of Maria.

Maybe that's why he and Max haven't been getting along lately. Michael has always been envious of Max, because not only did Max have the perfect family, he had a perfect girlfriend, and an all-around perfect life. Not to mention he can control his powers more than Michael could.

Michael hated to be jealous of his best friend, but he always wanted something that Max would never have.

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

"Liz are you okay?" Maria asked her in their biology class. Their biology teacher just made Maria partner up with Liz and Max with Tess to work on a biology experiment. By reading the expression of Liz's face Maria could tell she wasn't happy. From Maria's perspective Tess hasn't really done anything to express her feelings for Max, so there shouldn't be any reason why Liz should be jealous.

But Maria knew for a fact that Liz should be jealous, but she couldn't say anything because she couldn't betray her sister.

"I'm fine, it is just that Max and I have been lab partners since the beginning of the school year and we really work well together," Liz admitted.

"Oh," Maria said. "I'm really sorry, maybe I can talk to the teacher and he can pair us with someone else."

"No that's okay the year is almost over anyway," Liz stated without meaning.

Maria saw her hurt expression and tried to joke, "I'll do my best not to mess up any of our experiments. I wouldn't want to burn all your hair off like my last lab partner's." That got Liz's attention. "Don't worry I'm only kidding."

"Max! You're on fire!" they heard Tess gasp. Maria saw that the sleeve of Max's flannel shirt had flames shooting up, but he quickly extinguished them.

"How'd that happen?" Maria asked no one in particular.

Liz held her breath, "I don't know."

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

"Maria I think something is happening?" Tess told her as they drove to the motel after school.

"What do you mean?" Maria asked.

Tess took on a more serious tone, "I've been having these dreams about Max, but they aren't just regular dreams."

"Well what kind of dreams are they then?" Maria asked not sure what she meant.

"Max and I were at that place," Tess conjured up memories from ten years before.

Maria still didn't understand, because Tess was still being vague, "What place?"

"You know the place," Tess went on. "It has been a part of us for the past 10 years."

"Oh, where the rocks look like they are pointing to the stars, and where there is no sign of the sky ending," Maria referred to Puhlman Ranch, the place where Tess was born and where she saw Michael for the first time.

Tess told her, "Yeah, well Max and I were standing in front of the rock formation, but on the ground were those weird symbols that Nasedo is always showing us. All of sudden Max was holding my hand."

"It must be what Nasedo was saying about you and Max being destined for each other. If you are having these dreams maybe Max is having them too." Maria pulled into the motel's parking lot. Maria was thinking that if Tess and Max were having dreams about each other that meant Michael and Isabel may be having them too.

"Well look who's here," Tess said snapping Maria out of her reverie. Maria turned off the car and got out.

"It's about time you girls got here," Nasedo waited sternly at the door to their room. "Hurry up and get your stuff."

"Are we finally getting out of this dump?" Tess used her key to open the door.

Nasedo followed them into their room. "Just hurry up and get your belongings." Maria shoved some stray clothes into her bag while Tess was getting their make-up from the bathroom. Maria saw Nasedo open the box labeled PHOTOS, and watched as he added some new pictures of THEM to the pile with the others. He closed the box and carried it out. While Tess was still in the bathroom Maria quickly removed the picture of Michael from her pillow and slipped it into the pages of her journal.

"Ready to go?" Tess had her bag and make-up case in hand.

Maria zipped her bag and took it to her car; "Tess packed her stuff into her SUV and they both followed Nasedo to what would be there home for who knows how long.

The moving van was already there when they pulled up to their new house. Maria was surprised to see how big the house was.

"This so much better than the Tumbleweed Inn," Tess commented once they got out of their vehicles.

Nasedo said, "Nothing but the best for an ordinary military consultant and his two lovely daughters."

Maria shook her head she didn't understand how Nasedo could afford three cars and a new house. She knew better than to question him about it.

Maria chose the bedroom with the window that looked over the front yard. The movers brought in furniture and boxes of utilities. Nasedo thought of everything, because he showered them with new bedding and all the accessories they needed.

"Where does he get the money for all of this?" Maria asked.

Tess put the box of photos down on the floor next to one of the new tables. "I'm afraid to ask. He's been a little more paranoid than usual lately. I think it is because of Pierce and the Special Unit, they might be closer than he expects."

"Just another thing to freak out about, but Tess if the Special Unit is closer than we think we have to tell them," Maria was really tired of lying to them especially Michael and she wanted to come clean.

"Knock, knock, can I come in," a friendly voice greeted from the opened front door.

"Isabel, what are you doing here?" Maria asked surprised. "I mean how did you know where we lived? We just moved in today."

Isabel stepped inside, "I was driving by and I saw your cars out in front. How come you guys are just barely moving in?"

Tess playfully rolled her eyes; "The movers just arrived with all of our stuff, so we were staying at the Tumbleweed Inn for about a week."

"Excuse me miss, where would you like this?" one of the movers asked holding a Buddha statue.

Tess commanded the guy, "Put it down on that table over there."

"It looks old, what is it?" Isabel observed the statue closer.

Maria improvised, "It's just one of my dad's ancient collectibles. He is into a lot of old junk."

"Now this isn't junk Ria. I'm Ed Harding, it's always nice to meet Tessie and Ria's friends," Nasedo extended his hand out to Isabel.

Isabel shook it, "I'm Isabel, it's nice to meet you too, Mr. Harding."

"Oh please call me Ed, Mr. Harding sounds like my father," Nasedo could really be convincing. When Nasedo is putting on a show he acts like he really cares for Maria and Tess, but Maria is always wondering what is really going on inside his head.

"Would you girls please excuse me I have some work to take care of," Nasedo looked at Maria and Tess. Maria knew that he wanted them to get rid of her.

"Daddy works for the army," Tess spoke up without thinking.

Isabel's eyebrows raised up, "Oh really."

"Oh it's nothing, just turning some of the abandoned military bases into storage areas, not at all exciting," Nasedo played off.

Tess played along, "Well see you later daddy."

"So Isabel can I get you anything to drink?" Maria offered trying to be a good host.

"Sure, whatever you have would be fine," Isabel said.

Maria smiled, "OK, I'll be right back." Maria disappeared into the kitchen, but she could still hear ever word spoken.

Maria got out three glasses from a box in the kitchen and a liter of Cherry Coke from their fully stocked fridge. She looked in the freezer, but the ice cube trays were empty, so she quickly filled the tray with water. After making sure no one was watching Maria put her hand over the water and felt the force of power surging through her body. The power went through all her veins and ended up in the palm of her hand. She couldn't really explain how the power looked, but the closest thing she could think of was a mirage. On hot days when the heat causes things in the distance to appear shaky and water-like is what happens when Maria uses her powers.

Maria knew her power was causing the ice cubes to freeze because the ice cube tray was appearing mirage-like. In a matter of seconds the water in the tray was completely frozen. Maria popped them out of the tray and into the glasses. She quickly filled them up with Cherry Coke and added a twist of lime, just when she heard Tess say, "Don't touch that!"

Maria poked her head out to see what the commotion was when she saw Isabel with the photo box in her hands.

"You're our guest and you don't need to help us," Tess told her as her voice returned to normal.

Maria quickly returned to them with the drinks in hand, "Here you go, Cherry Coke with lime, just how you like it Tessie. And one for you too Isabel."

"Thanks," Isabel graciously took the cool glass from her which made her put down the box.

"That was close," Maria thought to herself as she brought the drink to her lips. "A little too close."

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

Maria reached out to Michael, but he was hesitant to take her hand. "Please Michael," she found herself saying. Maria had come to look at the stars while Nasedo disappeared into the cave, but Maria wasn't a little girl anymore.

"Remember Michael, don't you remember," Maria pleaded. "Please remember." Michael extended his hand out to her, but just when his fingertips were about to touch hers it began to rain.

Drops of water began to fall on her face and all she could hear was, "Maria, Maria wake up."

"I'm awake, I'm awake," Maria flipped the light on and sat up. Tess sat next to her, and Maria noticed that she was still dressed in her school clothes and soaking wet.

"Tess what's going on? And why are you all wet?" Maria questioned the condition of her sister.

"I kissed him," Tess said in one breath. "Oh my God! He kissed me."

"Wait, hold on…you kissed Max…when…why? Oh my good God," Maria couldn't seem to form a sentence. She was as speechless as Tess.

Tess continued speaking more clearly now," We were outside the Crashdown, it was raining really hard, and he started babbling about how much he loves Liz. Even though he was telling me how much he and Liz belong together he came closer and closer to me. And before I knew it we were kissing, but I saw that flash again."

"You mean the dream of you and Max and Puhlman Ranch?" Maria wanted to be sure.

Tess nodded with eagerness, "Yeah, and I know he saw it too. These dreams are supposed to awaken us, to make us aware of our destinies."

"I was doing some research after you left," Maria shared with her.

"What kind of research?" Tess asked.

"Well I was looking at our constellation," Maria referring to the Aries constellation. "It is aligned properly with Venus, and it is forming the V shape we always dreamed about."

Tess questioned, "So you think that is what is causing the dreams?"

"I don't know, it could be, but it has to mean something," Maria told her followed by a yawn.

"Well we'll talk about it more in the morning. Good night Ria," Tess said getting up.

"Good night Tessie," Maria told Tess, closing her eyes welcoming the dreams of Michael.

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

As if Michael didn't have enough problems everything just seemed to get worse. Sheriff Valenti has the orb communicator, Max is having girl problems with Liz and Tess, Michael and Max aren't exactly getting along, then there is the camera they found in his apartment and finally Michael is being consumed by these feelings he has never felt before.

He has been trying to keep his mind focused on the whole Topolsky/Special Unit situation, but his thoughts were always going back to Maria.

Max keeps telling him that he feels drawn to Tess, and that was why he kissed her. He described the feeling of not being able to control himself, he said it was like Tess had control over him.