"Do I need an excuse to visit my friend?" Maria climbed into the room.

Isabel looked at the clock on her night stand, "It's past midnight, did something happen with Hank and Amelia?"

"No," Maria sat down on the floor. "They don't even know I'm gone."

"So then what is the purpose of this late night visit?" Isabel pressed on.

Maria answered in a low voice; "I just didn't feel like being there."

Isabel wanted to know why but decided not to ask. "Here," Isabel handed Maria a pillow and blanket from her bed and Maria quietly accepted. "I don't know about you, but I need my beauty sleep."

"Good night," Maria mumbled as she pulled off her boots, and then pulled the blanket up to her chin. Even though she slept on the floor, Maria would rather be at the Evanses than on her lumpy mattress back in the trailer.

Maria sat in the vinyl booth at the Crashdown Cafe. Max sat across from her only he looked distracted as if he was looking at something else. Maria followed his gaze and it was fixated on Liz Parker, and then Maria remembered. It was a feeling of deja vu, but it felt very real and Maria knew what was going to happen.

She opened her mouth to warn Liz, but nothing came out it was if she had no voice. "Maria, what's wrong?" Max became concerned because Maria looked frantic and she started clutching her throat. "Oh my God are you choking!" Maria shook her head trying to indicate that she was fine, but without her voice she couldn't convince him.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the two men arguing and she knew what was to come at any moment. Max quickly got out of the booth and started pulling Maria up. Maria kept on shaking her head and she tried to pull out Max's grasp.

"Is she alright?" Liz moved from her spot and rushed towards them. Maria watched helplessy as Michael came out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was about just as the gunshot rang out. Max pulled both her and Liz down to the floor, but Maria squirmed her way out.

It was the day of the shooting at the Crashdown only Liz wasn't the one to get shot. Maria saw Michael lying on the floor with a steady flow of blood escaping from his stomach. Without thinking Maria knelt beside him and lifted up his shirt. She placed her hand on the wound and made an instant connection.

Maria became so absorbed in the healing process that she didn't realize the strong arms seizing her from behind and began pulling her off Michael.

"I knew you were an alien," Sheriff Valenti stared down at her. "You're coming with me."

Maria awoke with a start and she found herself in Isabel's room with daylight streaming through the curtains.

"I was just about to wake you up," Isabel said getting up herself. "Did you sleep okay?"

Maria tried to erase the memory by rubbing her eyes but it didn't work, "What time is it?"

"It's about a quarter to seven, you better hurry up if you want to beat Max to the shower," Isabel informed her.

Maria buried her face in the pillow; "I don't feel like going to school."

Isabel pulled of the blanket, "Come on Maria. You are going to school. You have already missed a lot this year and how do you expect to pass."

"If I go will you stop nagging me?" Maria slowly got up.

"Deal, there are clean towels under the sink and I have some clothes you left behind in the bottom drawer," Isabel opened her closet and tried to decide what to wear.

Maria got out her clothes and walked to the bathroom. She quickly got undressed and turned on the hot water. It felt good to have the warm water stream down her face, because for that one moment Maria could forget all that was going on.

~ ~ ~

Michael knew why Maria didn't want him to drive her all the way home it was because she didn't want him to see where and how she lived. That made Michael even more protective of her. He waited for her by her locker but she didn't show up. However he did spot Isabel's blonde head pass him.

"Hey Isabel wait up!" Michael called after her.

Isabel tried to ignore him, "Would you please not address me in public. I have a reputation to maintain."

"I just wanted to know where Maria was," Michael told her as they stood in the middle of the hallway.

"Why?" Isabel questioned.

Michael didn't know what to say so he lied, "I...uh...promised I would help her with her English before class."

"Uh huh," Isabel didn't believe him because she knew that Maria would never get close to any humans. "Well she is lagging as usual. Last I saw of her she was still in Max's Jeep."

"Oh okay, I'll go find her," Michael decided quickly.

Isabel grabbed a hold of his sleeve; "You like her don't you?"

Michael was taken off guard, "What gave you that stupid idea?"

Isabel let go of his sleeve and walked away without uttering a word. Michael saw the way Kyle looked at Liz, the way Max looked at Liz and the way Liz looked at Max that made Michael wonder if he looked at Maria the same way. It seemed weird to him because Maria was definitely not his type but ever since he found out the truth about her he has been feeling weird. It was almost as if something opened up inside of him.

From the school's entrance Michael could see Maria by Max's Jeep. It appeared that she was looking in her bag for something, so she didn't notice the police cruiser pull up near by. Michael saw Sheriff Valenti get out of the car and at the same time Maria looked up. She quickly ducked behind the Jeep and waited until Valenti entered the school.

Valenti nodded at Michael in passing and continued down the hall, but when Michael went to check on Maria he found that she was gone. He didn't know where to look for her, so Michael went to class.

"Hey Liz," Michael greeted as he slid into his desk.

Liz looked up, "Hey how's it going?"

"OK, I guess," Michael got his book out.

"Oh, my father wanted me to remind you to remind your mother about the shipment he ordered. We are running low on alien straws," Liz informed him.

Michael laughed, "Yeah, I'll make sure to pass on the message."

Their teacher entered the classroom, "OK, settle down everyone. We have a lot to cover today." Ms. Burke, the school secretary interrupted the teacher.

Ms. Burke announced, "I need Liz Parker to come with me to the office right now."

Liz looked around confused, "You better go Liz, I'm sure one of your classmates will be happy to lend you today's notes."

Liz gathered her belongings; "I'll talk to you later." Michael wondered what that was all about, and he would have to wait until later to find out.

~ ~ ~

"Liz! Wait Up!" Michael called out to his friend when he saw her down the hall.

Liz rushed over to him, "Michael, have you seen Max?"

"No...why... is something wrong?" Michael could sense something was bothering her.

Liz put her finger to her temple; "I just really need to talk to Max."

"Where were you all day I was looking for at lunch?" Michael asked heading out to the parking lot.

Liz told him, "I was in Valenti's office, he suspects Max."

"What does he know?" Michael questioned.

"Kyle saw the silver handprint on my stomach the other night and he told his dad. Valenti took me to his office and he showed me this picture of this man...only this guy was dead," Liz had to pause before going on. "And he had a silver hand print on his chest."

Michael nervously ran his hand through his hair, "So Valenti thinks Max killed this guy?"

"He couldn't have because the picture was taken in 1959. Max, Maria, and Isabel were still in their incubation pods," Liz reminded as they climbed into the Jetta. "That means there is another alien out there somewhere."

"I can't believe you still want to go to this stupid Crash Festival after all that has happened," Maria told Isabel.

Isabel was putting the finishing touches on her make-up; "Max wants us to be normal teenagers, so I'm being a normal teenager."

"But you are participating in a festival celebrating the crash. We were in that crash. We could have died in that crash Isabel," Maria stated deadpanned.

Isabel looked at her, "You don't think I know that Maria. This whole freaking town lives off the crash, and yet I have to pretend to be a normal teenager in order to survive."

"I just hate living a lie. I'm not human," Maria retorted.

Isabel started putting on her boots, "Speaking of human. What's up with you and Michael DeLuca?"

"There is nothing going on between me and Michael DeLuca, we just work together," Maria defended.

"Then why was he asking for you before school this morning?" Isabel challenged.

Maria was going to respond, but Isabel's door burst open and Max appeared. "We got to go!"

"What's going on Max?" Isabel demanded standing up.

Max uttered the words that Maria always feared, "We gotta get out of here, Valenti's on to us!"

~ ~ ~

"How did this happen Max? How does he know about us?" Maria demanded from the backseat of the Jeep.

Max answered, "He doesn't exactly know about us but he has his suspicions."

"Then why are we leaving? What about mom and dad?" Isabel asked and Maria could detect a hint of fear in her voice.

"There is something else. Valenti showed Liz a picture of a dead man with a silver handprint on his chest. Back in 1959 there was another alien," Max announced to them.

Maria's heart fluttered, "There is another one of us out there."

"There was in 1959," Max pointed out.

Isabel said, "So what there is a potential alien who may also be a potential killer."

"What are we waiting for let's go find this guy. He can answer all the questions we ever had about ourselves," Maria told them.

"Max," Isabel wanted to know what to do.

Max looked over at her, "If Valenti knows then we aren't safe here."

"I think we are being followed," Maria spoke up looking behind her.

Isabel grew panicky, "Is it Valenti?"

"I don't know I can't tell," Maria kept on looking back. "But whoever it is they are gaining on us."

Max took a sharp right turn into an alley, and Maria commented, "This is genius Max, driving us into a dead end."

Max did a quick U-turn but a car blocked their way, so Max, Isabel, and Maria got out of the Jeep.

"Max, I have to talk to you," Liz said as her and Michael walked towards them.

"We don't need your help," Isabel sneered as they stood in front of them.

Michael jumped in, "So what are going to do? Let Valenti run you out of town."

"Anything to survive," Maria said.

"What if we had a plan to get Valenti off your trail, would you stay then?" Liz proposed.

Max told her, "It would have to be a very good plan."

"Oh it is," Liz replied.