"No, Michael. Just go sleep in Max's room." She tried to give him her best I'm-in-control-of-the-situation smile, but somehow felt like she'd failed.

Michael conceded reluctantly. "Alright, but if anything happens, we'll be right downstairs."

"Okay, okay. You're making me nervous."

Max stepped forward, placing a kiss on her forehead. "It'll be okay."

Isabel fake-punched his arm. "Just let me in, okay?" She rolled her eyes at his sudden look of apprehension. "You don't have any secrets from me anyway, Max. You never have."

"Well, that's comforting to know."

"Yeah," she joked. "And I still love you anyway."

Max snorted softly and left the room.

Without thinking, Michael kissed Isabel on the lips. It was barely a brushing of skin, but he suddenly felt a warm jolt through his body. Wow, he wasn't telling Maria about that! Isabel was looking at him, also shocked.

"What was that?" he laughed.

"I don't know," she replied, giggling. "Have you ever felt that before?"

"No!"

"Do you think it's an-alien-kissing-an-alien thing?"

Michael looked indignant. "I couldn't tell you - the only other alien I know is Max and I certainly haven't been kissing him."

Isabel looked dejected. "Me neither..." Her face brightened. "Kiss my cheek."

"Huh?"

"Just do it."

Michael leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He breathed in her perfume, the smell of her make up. But there was no warm rush like before.

"Now...kiss me again." Isabel's fingers touched her lips.

Michael gulped, then moved in and gave her a light kiss, longer this time. There was a moment when nothing happened, then he felt his fingers tingle and his head start to spin in a wonderfully drunken way. He almost didn't want to pull away, but Isabel had already backed up. She was laughing with glee.

"That is so neat!" she exclaimed. "When this is all over, do you think we could...."

The drunkenness slipped away as Michael remembered Maria. Evidently Isabel remembered at the same time. Her smile faded and she cleared her throat.

"Maybe not," she said, trying to hide her disappointment. She was meant to be alone. The only other alien she knew besides her twin was Michael. And Michael had chosen his own path, his own love. Max would be forever torturing himself with Miss Parker. And Isabel would grow old alone.

"Isabel -" Michael reached for her arm.

Isabel took a step back. "Better get this freak show on the road," she said, trying to sound like nothing had happened.

Michael's hand dropped to his side.

"You'd better go see what kissing Max is like," she joked. "I always wondered about you two."

Michael shifted his weight uneasily, then moved for the door. "I mean it, Is - anything at all weird happens, you call for one of us."

"Sure. I will."

Michael watched her pick up a photo of Max and slide under her covers. He wasn't sure if she always slept on her right side, or if she simply couldn't face him.

Isabel knew almost immediately when Max had drifted to sleep. And the door to his dreams was wide open. Touching the picture of him, she squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on her brother. She could almost feel his rhythmic breathing in her own body. There was a brief flash of muted light, and she was in.

Max was standing in a field of waist-high grass. His back was to her, and she could see he was looking down at something. Isabel's lips curved into a smile - Good boy, Max. You let me walk right in. See how easy it is to let down your defenses?

"Max."

Max turned to face her.

"What's so frightening about this?" Isabel asked as she approached him. "Are we in Iowa?"

Max looked over his shoulder and toward the ground again. He looked back at her, his eyes darting nervously. "Is, we aren't alone."

She had stopped in front of him. "What do you mean? Did Michael connect with you?"

He shook his head. "No, this is wrong, Is. Get out."

"Huh?"

He grabbed her forearms and tried to shove her. "Don't you see - it's all coming back to me." He looked toward the ground again. "It's a trap - you have to leave. Do it now!"

Confused, Isabel tried to see past him, but he blocked her way. "What's over there, Max?"

"Don't."

The head-strong part of Isabel's personality suddenly took over. "No way, buddy. You've been having this dream for over a week and we're getting to the bottom of this." She shoved him out of the way and looked toward the ground.

There was nothing there.

She turned around to face Max. "Max? What were you - "

The earth beneath Isabel suddenly collapsed. She felt herself falling downward as something grabbed her ankle. Razor-sharp claws gouged into her soft flesh and she yelped in pain. Her hands flailed wildly at the ground, only to come up with handfuls of grass.

Suddenly Max had her arm. To center his gravity, he was lying on his stomach by the hole. "Pull, Isabel!" he screamed. "Don't let go of me!"

Isabel could feel the blood gushing from her torn ankle. This is a dream, she reminded herself. Just wake up, Izzy. This isn't real. She closed her eyes, which would usually break her dream walk. She reopened them to see Max still holding her arm and to feel the numbing rush of blood spewing from her ankle.

The claws were climbing up her leg.

"No!" she screamed as she felt them pass her hip. She couldn't see what It was, but she could feel the pure evil eminating from It. Hate, black, cold, hatred. Hatred for her. Hatred for...Max.

"Max, run!" she screamed.

"No, I'm not leaving you," Max gasped through clenched teeth.

The claws were now digging into her ribs, making it hard for her to breathe. "Please," she pleaded. "It's going to kill you, Max."

Max could feel his grip on her arm starting to slip. "No," he said weakly, desperately.

Suddenly the claws flashed forward, bright, silver, ten inches long. They embedded themselves into Max's arm, cutting muscles and tendons. Max no longer had the option to let go - he no longer had the ability to hold on.

He watched in horror as Isabel tumbled away from him without a sound. The ground closed up and there was nothing but silence.

"Max! Wake up!"

Max was jolted back to reality by Michael. His eyes flew open and he was immediately out of the bed. He pounded up the stairs, Michael right behind him. At Isabel's door, Max tried the handle - locked. He used too much power and the handle, lock and all, fell to the floor. He shoved the door open and flipped on the light.

Isabel's bed was empty.

Max stopped, his breath coming in hard gasps. He cautiously reached out and touched Isabel's pillow. Still warm.

The room suddenly spun and a rush of images invaded Max's mind. A woman, an older version of Isabel, rocking her twins, one dark, one light. The same woman placing those twins in the pods, tears on her cheeks. Then the images came almost too fast for Max to comprehend. A spaceship, a crash, a mission, an agenda.

Max's face fell expressionless. All of the questions he'd ever asked. All of the uncertainty about who he was, about why he was here. They'd been answered.