They entered Michael’s apartment, Michael entered last and shut the door with a loud BANG! Without saying a word he started kicking and throwing things around the apartment.

"Michael stop it, you are going to hurt yourself," Isabel said trying to comfort Michael.

"Hurt me! They hurt Maria and you sit here and worry about me getting hurt. This is my entire fault. How can she still want me around her?" The anger came through with every word.

"Michael calm down, it’s not your fault." Isabel said, "you can’t blame yourself for this."

"Yes Isabel, it is my fault." Michael screamed and threw a glass into the wall.

"Stop it Michael, you’re scaring me!" Isabel said, the tears made wide tracks down her face.

Michael looked at Isabel and abruptly sat down on the couch, seeing her pain the anger suddenly left him.

"I’m sorry Iz, but I’m afraid they are going to hurt her again."

"I know," Max said. He’d been quiet through Michael’s entire ordeal he knew that if he spoke he and Michael would end up trading words again.

"We all know Michael, but I think Maria needs you now to help her get through this." Max told his friend. He knew how he would feel if this had happened to Liz, he would want to be there to help her through it. But he also knew Michael would have been there for him too.

"I don’t know how to help her."

"You are helping her just by being there for her. Isabel said with a small smile.

"Thanks Iz, Michael said and smiled back.

(11 am at Maria´s house)

Maria woke up, she knew something was wrong. Michael was not there. She got out of the bed and went to Liz’s room; just as she was about to knock Alex came up behind her.

"Maria!"

Maria spun around

"Alex are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

He ignored her comment, "Have you seen Max?"

"No, Michael is missing too."

"So is Isabel," Maria and Alex looked over at Liz who was standing in the doorway of the guestroom.

They all raced down the stairs, seeing no one in the living room they headed towards the kitchen.

But there was no one there. Maria sat down at the table and started crying. Liz walked over and tried to comfort her.

"What’s this?" Alex asks, both girls turned to see what he had found. He held a slip of paper in his hand. "Hey, ladies, Isabel left us a note."

Liz asked him to read it out loud.

Hey! Max, Michael and I went out. Won’t be back until after the "meeting". What ever you do don’t leave this house. Love Isabel

"Oh My God!" Maria said as she looked over at the clock. It was almost 12 o’clock.

"I have to lay down, I will be in my room." Maria said as she turned and left the room. "When she got to her room she thought *I have to be at that meeting*. Without a word she crawled out her window.

(12 O’clock in the Museum)

"Hey kids, got my stones?" The man said.

"Yes, but answer one question first!" Michael yelled at him.

"Okay for our kind I will answer your question."

"Why Maria?"

"Well you see Michael, I wanted to hurt you as much as I could. And I knew that Maria is the only thing you care about."

Isabel handed the man the stones.

"Where are the rest of the stones?"

"That’s all we have," Isabel said. "Well find them and give them to me tomorrow, same time. Oh, and Michael take care of Maria." The man said and walked out of the museum with a smile on his face.

(Later at Maria’s)

"Where are they, its after 2 o’clock?" Liz asks the others, she was worried.

Liz and Alex jumped at the sound of the front door opening. They ran out to the hall and saw the sad looks on the three people entering.

"Oh God, you didn’t give him the stones?" Alex said with fear in his voice.

"Yes we did, but apparently there are more stones and we must give them to him by tomorrow." Max said as he took Liz in his arms.

"I’m just glad he can’t touch Maria," Michael said.

"Where is she?"

"She’s up in her room," Liz told him.

Michael walked up the stairs.

Isabel, Liz, Alex and Max went into the kitchen; they suddenly heard Michael come running down the stairs.

"She’s not there, she’s missing, he took her Max," Michael screamed as he met them at the kitchen door.

"Calm down Michael," Isabel told him.

"How do you know he has her?" Alex said a nervously.

"He had her before the meeting. That’s way he had that smile on his face when he left." Michael started hitting the wall.

"STOP IT! That won’t help Maria." Max screamed.

"What can we do?" Liz said.

"I know. Isabel can dream walk right?" Alex said, looking over at Max.

"I can try," Isabel said, turning she ran up the steps to Maria’s room, the rest of the group following closely behind her.

Isabel picked up one of the photos that Maria had next to her bed, one of her with Alex and Liz. Holding the photo close to her she lay back on Maria’s bed and tried to relax. Laying her index finger on the image of Maria she tried breaking into Maria’s thoughts.

"Maria!"

"Isabel!"

"Maria where are you?"

"I’m here."

"Where is Michael? I want him!" Maria said and glanced frantically around the room she was in.

"I know!" Isabel told her.

"I must have Michael!" Maria pushed Isabel out of her dream.

Isabel woke up and looked at Michael.

"She needs you, you have to come with me." She told him.

"Okay, what do I do?" Michael asks.

"Close your eyes, fall asleep and think only about Maria."

"That shouldn’t be hard," Michael said with a small smile on his face.

The both fell asleep again and they were back in Maria’s dream.

"Michael!" Maria screamed as she hugged him.

"We don’t have very much time Maria, where are you?" Michael asks her as he held her close.

"I’m at the old Smyser farm in the woods, the one with the big porch around it".

"Thank you," said Michael as he leaned down and kissed her.

A bright light suddenly flashed around them and Michael found himself back in Maria’s room. The others stood over them watching them.

Michael got up and raced out of the room, the others were all right behind him.

"What happened?" Isabel said as they followed Michael down the stairs.

"I think I gave her my powers."