The thought surprised Isabel, who was an only child. Isabel thrived to be the center of attention, and having a brother would completely destroy all that. And the fact that she wanted a brother, and not a sister, was puzzling to her. "Isabel!" Michael's wheedling voice brought her back to the present, and she stomped off.

"Oh my God Maria." Liz inhaled sharply as she gazed upon the tall handsome stranger that sat in the corner booth. He was wearing a tight-fitting tee shirt that showed off his muscular physique. Liz found herself staring at him, wanting to know more about this guy. It wasn't so much his looks, but his eyes that drew her to him. They were so deep and soulful, almost like..."Alien eyes?" She whispered aloud, using the term she and Maria often used when referring to Michael, Tess and Isabel's eyes. They were deep and soulful, much like this stranger's.

"Liz?" Tess' unexpected voice caused Liz to jump. She turned around to see the pretty blonde in her waitress uniform, holding a coffeepot full of steaming black liquid. She looked over to where Liz was staring and smiled knowingly, causing Liz to blush. "That's Max Porter. He's in my History class. He's new to town. Never been to Roswell in his life." Tess' knowledge of the guy was amazing. But then again, Tess always had been the school gossip, as well as the resident best friend. Tess knew everybody-or rather, everybody knew Tess.

Liz, Maria, and Tess had been inseparable for years. They had grown up together, attended the same elementary school, the same middle school, and ultimately the same high school. The three had met in third grade, when Tess had gotten off of the school bus and made eye contact with Liz, nodding her knowingly. She had walked right over to Liz and introduced herself as Tess Harding, the "new girl." The two had immediately bonded and formed a friendship, and Maria had soon joined the twosome. Now the three all worked at Liz's parents' cafe, the Crashdown, as waitresses.

Tess nudged Liz. "He's in your section. Go over to him." She hissed loudly, giving Liz a none-too-subtle shove. Liz stumbled over to the corner where the mysterious man sat. She swallowed hard, then began to talk.

"Hi. Welcome to Crashdown. What can I get for you today?" She tried to smile, but her legs felt shaky and she struggled to keep her self in control. The man-Max-smiled at her as he turned back to his menu.

"I think I'll have a Will Smith and a cherry soda...Liz." He said her name softly, while looking her in the eyes. Liz was startled at how deep his eyes actually were. They seemed like bottomless abysses, never ending. Briefly she wondered how her knew her name, but then she remembered the nametag attached to her green Crashdown uniform.

"That's one Will Smith and one cherry soda. Would you like anything else?"

"Yeah. Could you bring me an extra bottle of Tabasco sauce?" Liz's heart stopped beating.

"Tabasco sauce?" She had trouble getting the words out. The alien trio liked Tabasco sauce on everything. Liz searched her mind, trying to find a reasonable answer.

"Miss?" Max was looking at her strangely, and Liz realized she must have been staring. She quickly blinked out of her daze and sheepishly smiled at him.

"Sorry." Max smiled and held out his hand.

"I'm Max Porter." Liz did the same.

"Liz Parker. So, are you new here Max?" It was a question that she already knew the answer to, but she wanted to hear him talk. She already loved the deep voice and mellow tone he used. Max glanced shyly at the table.

"Yeah. This is my first day, and someone told me this was the best place in town to meet new people, so I thought I'd try it out. I'm glad I did." Liz felt a blush creep up her cheeks and she too looked down shyly. She decided to change the subject.

"Where'd you move from?" I must sound really boring, she thought to herself, but she was interested in this guy.

"Indiana."

"Wow. That's really...far," she finished lamely. She felt a pinch in her sides and jumped. She turned around and saw Tess grinning evilly at her.

"Liz, please stop flirting and help me." Liz's mouth dropped open as Tess laughed and punched her lightly in the forearm. Max just watched, both amused and embarrassed. Tess twisted around to see Max and nodded at Liz in approval, then introduced herself.

"Hi. I'm Tess Harding. You're in my History class." Max nodded.

"I'm Max Porter."

"I know." Tess' words were knowing and flatly stated. She smiled a dazzling grin at him and turned around. "I guess I'll see you guys later." She winked at Max, then walked away to help Isabel, who had just run through the door.

Liz could see the wild look on her friend's face. I better get over there and help her. "Well, I should probably go. I'll see you in school?" Max nodded and waved.

"See you around." Liz left and walked over to the booth where Isabel, Tess, and now Maria sat. Maria's face was red with anger, Tess' pale, and Isabel's flushed. "What's going on? Iz, are you all right?" Isabel shook her head violently.

"No. I'm never going to be all right. Not as long as *he's* alive." She refused to say the name of the person that had caused her so much pain. Liz grieved for her, wanting to do everything possible to comfort her. They weren't extremely close, but Liz head felt some bonding between the two of them ever since she had help save their lives.

Liz couldn't help but let her mind wander back to Max Porter. Why had he asked for Tabasco sauce? Why did he have alien eyes? Why did she feel safe around him, even though she'd only just met him? Something wasn't right. She knew she had to tell the others. "You guys? I think we need to talk about something." The three blonde girls all turned to look at her. "That new guy, Max Porter, in the corner booth, well, I think he may be...different."

"Different?" Maria spoke up, her eyes imploring.

"Well, it's just that...he asked for Tabasco sauce with his hamburger. And he has those deep eyes that you guys have." She indicated to Tess and Isabel. Tess nodded her head slightly.

"Yeah. I noticed them too. But if he *was* an alien, I would feel his presence. The only thing I felt from him was first day jitters." Liz shook her head.

"Didn't you say that you guys can cloak your presence?"

"Yeah, but only with a lot of experience. None of us can real well."

"What if he can? I know it's hard to believe, but I really think this guy is different. There's something about him...There was this air around him...It was almost like...Like he was hiding a deep secret." Liz wasn't making any sense, but she kept pushing the subject. "Don't you guys feel it?" Tess shook her head, but Isabel was nodding.

"When I walked by him in the hall today, he looked at me really weird. Not like 'you're-in-my-way' weird, but almost like we were siblings or best friends or something. I mean, I'd never met this guy in my life." Isabel's green eyes were shining with excitement. "Do you think he could be...?" Liz suddenly found herself skeptical.

"I don't know. But if he is, we need to find out. But there's only one way to do that."

"What?" Isabel, Maria, and Tess all asked simultaneously.