Max looked up. "I know. I'm just imagining that I can."

"You'll be together before you know it." Michael said. "Come on, let's go. Maria and Isabel are worried about you."

Max stood up and followed Michael into a small room. There were no windows to look out, which meant he couldn't see Liz. Maybe it was better that way. He sat down in the chair beside Isabel.

"How you doing, Max?" She asked.

"It hurts." He said. "Maybe we shouldn't have left."

Isabel smiled. "We had to Max. We've got to know what our families are like."

"I know." He said.

Michael sat down and pulled Maria onto his lap. "You guys will be able to go back soon."

Maria looked at him. "You're not coming back?" she asked, confused.

"I hadn't planned on it." He began. "There's nothing left for me there."

Tears sprung to her eyes. "I'll be there."

Michael pulled Maria close and kissed her forehead. He couldn't expect her to stay on their planet with him. He wanted to be with Maria, but he didn't know if he'd be able to give up his planet for her. "I know." He said. "We'll talk about it later."

The door opened and in walked Nasedo and another man. He was young, around their age. His blonde hair hung down around his shoulders and was curly. Maria smiled when she saw him. He reminded her of Heath Ledger, one of her favorite actors. He stood quietly beside Nasedo.

"We're almost there." Nasedo began. "We'll be descending in less than an hour." He turned to the young man standing next to him. "This is Taye. You will report to him with any problems you may have while on our planet. He is in charge of making sure you feel welcome. Get to know him. He'll be your best friend." Nasedo stepped back and pushed Taye forward.

"Greetings." He said with a smile. "I'm Taye."

Max stood up. He didn't know there was another person on board the ship. He was cautious as he moved towards Taye. "I'm Max." He said, extending his hand. He turned around to the others. "That's my best friend Michael, our friend Tess, and my sisters, Isabel and Maria."

The four of them smiled a friendly smile towards Taye.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Taye said. "I must brief you before we land."

He sat down in a chair where he could face everyone. "You've never experienced anything like this before." He began. "Nasedo has briefed me about what earth is like. On our planet, there is no light. We live in darkness. The only colors you will see are shades of blue, green, brown and black. The waters are beautiful. Any light that is received has to come solely from fire. You may have noticed your eyesight being better at night. That's an adaptation caused from our planet. With our eyes, we can see just like it was daytime." He slowly exhaled and continued. "You will find that our people look and speak exactly like you are used to. You will soon discover that each individual person has their own unique power."

A quizzical expression crossed Maria's face.

"Yes?" Taye asked.

"Well, you said we each have our own unique power right?" She asked. "Then why did I get Isabel's power to dream walk and my power to telepathically communicate?"

Taye smiled. "Your case is the only exception. You're part human, which threw everything off. You developed Isabel's power because on earth, you were the first born to your father, just as Isabel was first born on our planet. Each child that is born is given a different birthright power. Your families first born received the power to dream walk. When your father had you on earth, the cycle was restarted and you received the power to dream walk plus your own distinct power. It's very confusing isn't it?" he asked.

Maria smiled. "Actually, no. I understand. It was as if my father had never had any other kids when I was born, so I developed the ability to dream walk."

"Exactly." Taye said. He looked at Isabel. "That is the reason the connection between you and Maria is stronger than the connection between her and the others. You are essentially one in the same, just different mothers."

Isabel looked at Maria. That would explain why they were so much alike. Isabel laughed. "So in other words, Maria is my twin, we just look nothing alike."

"You were both born out of the same birthright so, yes. That's correct, you 'd be considered twins on our planet, which is a very rare occurrence." Taye said.

"Do you know our families?" Michael asked. The question had been burning in his mind since he learned Taye was from their planet.

Taye glanced curiously at Michael. He was so.so.mysterious. He'd never seen hair like that before on anyone from their planet. "I do." He started. "Max, Isabel and Maria you also have brother. He's the same age as I am. His name is Ian. Your mother insisted on keeping him with her in case something happened on the trip. As it turned out, that was a good idea. When neither you nor father returned, your grandfather began preparing your brother to be leader. You will get to meet him." Taye turned to Michael. "I know your family well. You have a sister and a brother. You most likely will not get to meet either of them. You're brother is on a quest right now. He has been gone for three years." He looked away. "I'm sorry, Michael, but your sister has been missing for years. You're mother and father anxiously await you're return though."

"What happened to her?" He asked. Maria laced her fingers through his.

"While she was in her pod she disappeared. We believe she was kidnapped. For all we know, she could be walking among us. Because she wasn't born yet, she will have no memory of being part of your family. You're parents decided it was best not to search for her." Taye answered.

He turned to Tess. The smile he had on his face disappeared. "I'm sorry." He said, looking away. "I don't know your parents. In fact, I didn't know you were returning until Nasedo brought you aboard. He was unaware that you were unaccounted for."

Tess's face saddened. "What does that mean?" She asked. Maria and Isabel walked over to Tess and put their arm around her shoulders. "I don't have a family?"

"Not exactly. What it means is you are unaccounted for. You may have parents on our planet, but they may have been killed or not reported you at birth. It's also possible you are missing and we were not informed of it. There is a three-child limit per family on our planet. If you're parents intended to have more children after you came up missing, they may have decided not to report you so they could have three. If they reported you, they'd still only be allowed three kids, including you." Taye said.

Tess didn't know what to say. She had automatically assumed that she'd have a family to go to. She didn't know what she was going to do now. She had nothing going for her on the planet. She didn't even know if she really belonged. The only thing she had was Kyle, but he was millions of miles away. "Could I-" she began. "could I possibly not make it to our planet?"

Taye looked away. "It's possible. If you're not one of us, then the effects the entry has on you could be deadly."

Isabel and Maria squeezed Tess's shoulders harder. They wanted her to know they'd be there for her. "When will we know if she's from our planet?"

Taye glanced down at his watch. "Right now. Everyone, grab hold of the chair arms and brace yourselves. We're entering the atmosphere around Aardon."

Isabel, Tess and Maria held on to each other and the chair as the ship started to shake. Across the room, Max and Michael were holding on to their seat. Michael would have given anything to be holding Maria, but the ship was shaking so violently there was no way he'd make it to her. The lights flicked off. The three girls let out a scream. The ship jerked violently three more times and then landed with a thud. The lights flicked back on.

Taye looked around. Max and Michael were standing up, crossing the room to the girls. "Are you ok?" Michael asked, taking Maria in his arms.

"I'm fine, Iz?" Maria asked Isabel.

"I'm ok." She said, falling into Max's arms. "Tess? Is she.?"

"I'm alive." Tess said smiling.

Isabel pulled her into a hug. "She's one of us." She said. Michael, Maria and Max joined in the hug. "We weren't going to loose you." They said.

"We're here." Nasedo said walking into the room. "I'm sorry for the rough landing. I see everyone made it safely." He said, looking at Tess. "Good. Taye, have you briefed them?"

"Yes, sir." He said.

"Very well. If you decide that you want to return to earth, please let Taye know. We'll return you as soon as possible. Taye will see that each of you get dropped off at your home. Tess, you will go with Michael since Max, Isabel and Maria will be going to their parents. They have more room in their home anyway. You will have no contact with me while on the planet." Nasedo turned away. "Are you ready?"