Dreamwalk

3

«Should we go over it one more time?» Max asked as he threw an extra shirt into his overnight bag.

His sister let out an audible sigh as she replayed the story for a third time that morning. «You and Michael are going to Frazier Woods for the entire weekend to do some stupid science project on plant life native to New Mexico so that Michael can make up for all the work he missed cutting classes during the school year. Really, dear brother, this is one of the easier cover stories we've ever had to come up with. I think I can manage it.»

«I just don't want them to think something's up," Max said, zipping his bag closed. «We give them enough to worry about.»

«Mom and Dad are driving to Santa Fe first thing tomorrow morning and are staying there overnight," Isabel reminded him. «I doubt they'll even notice you're gone.»

«It's just," he tried to put his concern into words, «they already think Liz and I got too intense too fast. I don't

want them to worry about us spending the weekend together, especially since we're not really spending it alone together.»

Isabel opened the curtains in her brothers room to let in some of the morning sunlight. They were lucky that Friday was looking like it was going to be as nice as the rest of the week had been. Roswell was experiencing an unusual stretch of mild weather in the regularly hot summer.

«Oh," Max said, remembering one more thing. «Make sure Michael doesn't accidentally show up here. He knows what's going on, but sometimes with him I never know how much he's paying attention.»

«You'll have to remember all this when your own son's a teenager," Isabel chided him. «I think this is the best lesson for dealing with a problem teen. 'What to do when you think your son's lying to you.'"

«Very funny," he said, although he knew that he was making more out of his sneaking off than necessary. He knew that she was right to treat him like he was overreacting, but having to lie to his parents never got any easier. At least this time he was hiding normal teenage stuff from them instead of huge alien conspiracies. Well, minus the whole part about having a son on another planet, he thought. He also took small solace in the fact that he had known that his son would never have to hide the same secrets he did.

«Don't you have to pick up Liz?» Isabel asked, looking at her watch and making a face that implied his delayed departure was beginning to interfere with her plans for the day.

«On my way.» He threw his bag onto his shoulder and headed for the door. «What are you up to this weekend?»

«Oh, nothing special," she replied, following him through the house. «Probably just hang out with Kyle and stuff.» Of course, the «and stuff' she was referring to was Jesse. She was going to meet him for coffee that evening, but save their big plans until tomorrow. Considering that her whole family would be out of town, they would never have a better chance to spend a day together without fear of running into Max or her parents. Roswell was not a huge town to begin with, but it became even smaller when a simple dinner in a restaurant turned into a covert activity. Aside from that, however, she really did want to spend some time that day with Kyle to try to help him get over his problem without relying on alien manipulation.

«Have fun," Max said, opening the front door.

«You too," Isabel replied as she watched her brother leave. Then, she added in a mockingly stern voice, «You keep that kid in his place.»

«I will.» He cheerfully walked down the front path, actually looking forward to what lay ahead.

Hopping into his convertible and starting the ignition, Max was still getting used to how the car handled. The ride was a little more smooth than his old Jeep, although the gear shift did have a tendency to stick from time to time. As he drove the short distance from his place to the Crashdown, he thought once again of how much he missed the Jeep that he had owned since learning to drive.

When he, Isabel, Michael, and Tess had attempted to return to their home planet, they had set in motion a very specific plan for their disappearance from Roswell. The plot

had involved a never delivered video message to his parents followed by the premature demise of his Jeep. Driving out to a deserted portion of road, Max flung the vehicle off the edge and into a valley using his powers to make it burst into flames along the way.

The ridding of the Jeep was quite spectacular and, unfortunately, quite irreversible. So, when Max later sent Tess packing and remained behind with his sister and Michael, he was forced to get a new ride and try to explain to his parents just what he had done with the old one. Just one more lie in an ever growing list.

Pulling up in the alley behind the Crashdown Cafe, Max was happy to find Liz waiting outside with her bag. Maria was also with her, obviously on break, since she was dressed in her work uniform. Initially, he had been planning to go the gentlemanly route and actually park his car and go inside to get Liz. However, that would have called for him to walk through the restaurant and possibly run into her father. Although Mr. Parker knew that Max was taking her to Artesia, Liz's dad also thought that it was just a drop-off-and-return trip. It was much easier for Max to ignore the fact that he was staying the weekend if he didn't actually have to lie to Mr. Parker's face.

«Have I ever mentioned how much I love a man in a convertible?» Maria cooed as she slid her hand along the now parked car.

«I thought you loved a man on a motorcycle," Liz replied, referring indirectly to Michael.

«Not at the moment," she answered in a huff.

Sill hoping to avoid getting involved in Michael and Maria's business, Max hopped out of the car to help Liz

with her bag, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

«My parents wanted you to come in so they could thank you for taking me to Artesia," Liz said, smiling warmly.

Max dropped the bag into the backseat as a look of horror crossed his face. «Really… that's… not…»

«I told them that we wanted to get on the road as soon as possible so we wouldn't be late," she quickly added, letting him off the hook.

«Don't want to have to deal with that crazy traffic between here and Artesia," Maria added sarcastically, since the road they were taking was never that busy, especially late on a Friday morning.

«Then maybe we should leave before they come out here to thank me?» Max suggested, with an eagerness in his tone.

Liz moved around the car toward the passenger side. «Maria, you've got the number in case anything happens while we're gone?»

«In my purse," she replied. «But what could possibly happen in this quiet little town?»

A flood of possibilities came to all three of their minds, but no one dared comment for risk of jinxing themselves.

«You two kids have fun," Maria quickly added. «And don't worry about us back here in Roswell. We'll be fine.»

«Tell Michael I said good-bye," Max said, starting the car. «And remind him not to stop by my house.»

«Yeah," she replied.

«Bye," Liz said as they drove off.

Maria watched them pull out into the street before heading back to work.

Making their way through Roswell, Max followed the familiar route to 285 South. The radio played softly, competing with the wind whipping past them in the convertible. The ride would take about an hour, but it would give them a chance to be alone in what seemed like the first time in a while.

«So, who exactly are we watching this weekend?» Max asked as they pulled onto the highway. «You never really explained who this kid is and how you know him.»

«My friend Jason," Liz explained while putting on some sunscreen for the ride in the topless car. «He's about twelve now. Our moms were best friends in high school and got married around the same time. It was one of those things where I called his parents Aunt Jackie and Uncle Rob.»

«Yeah, I have a set of those," Max commented.

«Jason was born when I was five," Liz continued as they headed down the highway. «Since we were both only children, we kind of fell into a big sister-little brother thing.»

«Why is this the first time I've heard of him?» Max asked.

«We've been out of touch for over a year now," she explained, rubbing the lotion onto her arms. «His parents got divorced when he was six, and his dad wound up moving to New York to take a job. About a year later, Aunt Jackie met a man from Artesia named George Lyles.»

«Uncle George?» Max anticipated where this was going.

«Well, no," she corrected him. «I never really got to know him, since he lived down in Artesia. I mean, our families did spend some time together. I was even flower girl at their wedding. But I never really felt close enough to call him uncle. I usually call him Mr. Lyles.»

«So after the wedding, Aunt Jackie and Jason moved to Artesia?» Max asked.

«A little over four years ago»-she motioned to offer him the suntan lotion, but he shook his head to decline- «we would drive down there or they would come up to Roswell about once a month. Then the trips started getting less frequent. Mr. Lyles rarely joined us since his ranch kept him so busy.»

«Ranch?» Max asked while pulling aside to let a tailgater pass as the guy was intent on going thirty miles over the speed limit.

«They raise sheep," Liz continued. «Cute, huh? They only have a few. Mr. Lyles inherited the ranch from his parents. He's actually some kind of important businessman who telecommutes and flies to Dallas once a month. His parents died long ago, and he moved onto the property and kept the sheep. Which means there will probably be a ranch hand or two around this weekend, but they probably won't come near the house.»

«Good to know," he said, making a mental note to stay away from wherever the sheep were kept, so no one found out he had stayed the weekend.

«Eventually, the trips stopped entirely," Liz said. «But Jason and I kept in touch with letters, phone calls, and eventually e-mails. Then, over a year ago, he stopped writing at all. I would send him little updates of what was going on in my life, glossing over any otherworldly happenings, of course, but he never responded.»

«I guess you were surprised when your parents asked you to take care of him for the weekend?»

«Well, Mom and Aunt Jackie kept in touch," Liz said.

«But, yeah, it was a little out of the blue. Mom kind of implied that Jason's been having some… well, she wouldn't exactly say trouble, but something's going on. I guess Aunt Jackie thought he might like to see a friend.»

Max felt another pang of guilt about tagging along on the weekend sojourn. «Are you sure I won't be getting in the way? I can just drop you off, turn around, and go home like your parents already think I'm doing.»

«You're not getting out of this so easily," Liz said, smiling at his reluctance. «You wanted to know what it was like taking care of a child. Well, here you have a child for the weekend. I'm sure nothing's seriously wrong with Jason. Besides, he's going to love meeting you.»

«If you say so," Max said, although he was beginning to have a sense of foreboding about the coming weekend.

The pair drove along, enjoying the beautiful weather and shifting their conversation to the subject of absolutely nothing important for a while. Max couldn't help but enjoy spending time with Liz when there was no alien threat or their occasionally overbearing parents for the foreseeable future. He actually laughed out loud several times, which he knew he had not done for a long, long time, as they talked about their plans for senior year of high school and regular teenage stuff. But, before too long their ride was coming near the end as they passed a sign welcoming them to Artesia.

«The Lyleses' ranch is on the other side of town," Liz explained as they drove past a huge oil refinery and into the city proper. «Just keep driving along this road and we'll come to a turnoff.»

«Gotcha," he replied.

«I forgot what a nice town this is," Liz said, admiring the view. «Have you ever been here before?»

«Just driving through," Max replied. «Never stopped.»

«The town is named after the artesian wells that were discovered in 1903," she explained. «The town thrives on its cattle and sheep ranches and its alfalfa, cotton, chili, and pecan fanning.»

«What? Did you memorize a tour guide?» Max smiled at her wealth of information. «Can you quote me facts on population and climate?»

«Population is around twelve thousand residents," Liz answered. «The climate is dry, with around twelve inches of rain annually.»

Taking his eyes off the road for a second, Max looked at his girlfriend, both frightened and impressed by her geek-like knowledge of the town.

«When Jason moved here, I helped him pull together all this information so he wouldn't be so afraid to leave Roswell for some unknown place," she explained. «He insisted that I keep a copy of it too so I would always remember where he lives. I found it this morning when I was going through some stuff.»

«And here I was just thinking that you were showing off how smart you are," Max said, giving her a pat on the leg.

«I was.» Liz giggled. «There is one other interesting piece of information. In nineteen eighty-nine, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center opened here to educate people from all over the world in specialized law enforcement practices.»

Max felt a rock in the pit of his stomach. «Funny how you failed to mention that part until we got here.»

«Come on, Max.» Liz got serious for a moment. «There's absolutely nothing to worry about. We're just having a normal weekend of baby-sitting.»

Famous last words, he thought.

Liz pointed out the turnoff, and Max followed her directions, eventually pulling his convertible into the looping driveway of a beautiful, large, ranch-style house. Admiring the property, he parked directly behind a high-priced, limited edition Land Rover. The back door was open, and a few overnight bags were already inside. Obviously Mr. and Mrs. Lyles were readying the car for their trip.

«You're here," a man's voice said from the house as soon as Max turned the engine off. «Good, we'll be able to get on the road right away.»

«Hello, Mr. Lyles," Liz said as she got out of the car.

Max immediately noticed that her voice had fallen into a tone she usually reserved for teachers and law enforcement agents. He watched as Mr. Lyles gave a nod of hello and proceeded to put another duffel bag into the SUY shifting the bags so they were nicely organized. Max couldn't help but think that the man was just stalling so he wouldn't have to come over to say hello.

«Liz!» a voice excitedly shouted from the house.

Max turned to see a woman about his own mother's age come running out of the house and embrace Liz in the type of hug usually reserved for close family members.

«Aunt Jackie.» Liz's voice immediately returned to the warm tone that Max knew and loved. «It's so good to see you.»

«And who is this fine young man?» she asked as they

broke their embrace. Max was getting out of the car, and the sudden attention made him blush.

«This is Max," Liz began the introduction. «He drove-"

«Yes, I've heard all about you, you little heartbreaker," she said in a friendly, nonthreatening tone as she made her way around the car to give him a hug. «George, come here and say hi.»

In response, Mr. Lyles nodded hello as he slammed the rear door closed on the SUV «We should get going, Jackie. It's a long trip to Santa Fe.»

«Santa Fe?» Max asked with immediate interest. «Is that where you're going?»

«They have this great arts festival," Jackie said, still holding on to Max's hand.

«I know," Max said, and couldn't help but smile along with the contagiously happy woman. «My parents are going down tomorrow. They go every year.»

«Well, I finally convinced George to take me," she said with a smile, although it was obvious to Max by the look on Mr. Lyles's face that she hadn't succeeded in convincing him that he'd have a good time.

«It's getting late," Mr. Lyles said, consulting his watch.

«Oh, I thought we were early," Liz said.

«You are," Jackie said, shooting her husband a glance but never losing her smile for a moment. «It's just that no one's ever early enough for him.»

«Max, it was nice meeting you," Mr. Lyles said, still standing a short distance away by his SUV «Liz," he said, and nodded to her. Then he got into the car and started the engine.

Aunt Jackie's smile faltered for an almost imperceptible

moment when she heard the engine revving. «Jason's in his room," she said as she started back around the car to give Liz another hug. «Sorry we have to leave so quickly. Max, it was nice meeting you. I'll see you Sunday when you come to pick up Liz.»

Max watched as she hurried into the SUV As soon as the door was closed, Mr. Lyles was pulling away.

«Well, that was easy," Max said as he came around the car to join Liz.

«For once," she added.

Max and Liz entered the house through the still open front door. The place was larger than they were used to, with an actual second floor, which none of their friends had in their respective homes and apartments. Max marveled at the size of the place, and the expensive-looking furniture all in pristine condition. This was especially notable since there was a preteen living in the place.

Something else he couldn't help but notice was the pure whiteness of it all. Stepping into the living room, he immediately fixated on the fluffy white couch and matching chair, as well as the bright white paint on the walls and the sheer white curtains. He felt like he should take a shower and change his clothes before he sat down on anything.

«Clean, huh?» Liz asked, reading his mind.

«Are you sure a kid lives here?» he asked.

«It took a while for me to get used to it too," Liz replied, looking around. «Jason must not know I'm here yet," she said, attempting to explain the absence of her young friend.

«Don't you think it's strange how his parents didn't say

good-bye before they left?» Max asked, following.

«They must have said it before," she replied. «Aunt Jackie wouldn't have gone anywhere without making sure Jason was okay first. Wait till you meet him. He's the sweetest kid you'll ever know.» She started up the stairs to where she remembered his room to be. «I'll be right back.»

While Liz was upstairs getting her friend, Max continued his tour of the first floor. From the living room, he peered into an office. It wasn't as bright white as the room he had come from, but was pristine nonetheless. He assumed this was where Mr. Lyles did his telecommuting.

Continuing the tour, he walked through the dining room and into the kitchen, finding each room to be even cleaner than the last. The chrome accents in the kitchen actually glistened because they were so sparkling clean. The stovetop looked as if it had never been used, and so did the microwave, which he confirmed by opening the door and looking inside. Dinner was still hours away and he was already worried about spilling food.

His self-guided tour eventually led him back to the living room, where he realized that it was taking Liz an awfully long time to return with Jason. Assuming they were just catching up, he gave them a few more minutes before finally deciding to see what was going on. Making his way up the stairs, he followed the voice of his girlfriend and found her pleading with a closed door.

«Come on, Jason," Liz said to the door. «Let me in.»

Silence.

«Problem?» Max asked as he joined her.

«Jason won't open the door," she looked to Max, who took his own turn knocking on the door without a

response. Again, Max had that same sense of foreboding he'd had earlier.

«Jason," he said. «This is Liz's friend, Max. Is anything wrong?»

Silence.

This is not going to be a fun weekend, Max thought with a sigh.

Kyle's eyes were drooping slowly as he sat on the couch watching some of the most painful daytime television he had ever seen. Another night with only a few hours of restless sleep left him so tired and dragging that he actually didn't mind sitting through the cheating spouses threatening to throw chairs at each other on the ridiculous talk show with the lame host. Well, my life could always be worse, he thought. I could be one of those people.

His boss at the shop had noticed his lackluster performance over the past few days and had figured that a sleepy worker in an auto shop was a dangerous combination, so he had told Kyle to take a long weekend off. Almost an entire day still ahead of him, Kyle knew that he should try to get some extra sleep, but every time his eyelids met each other, the same thing would happen.

Flash.

Alex falling to the ground in Kyle's bedroom.

Flash.

Alex, lying bloody in his wrecked car.

Flash.

Kyle sitting alone in his room. The door locked.

Knocking.

In his dream and in his ears as well. Kyle's eyes shot open as he thought he heard his name being called by a familiar and friendly voice. Back in the realm of the living, Kyle realized that someone was at the door. «Come in!» he yelled without moving from the couch.

«It's about time," Isabel said as she showed herself into his house. «I've been standing out there for a minute… You look like crap.»

«Funny how you're not the first person to have mentioned that to me lately," Kyle said, trying not to be offended. She had spoken the truth. «What do you want?»

«Maybe we should try this again," Isabel said, referring to their less than stellar greetings. «Good morning, Kyle, what's new?»

«Good morning, Isabel.» He tried to match her revised mood, but failed miserably. «Absolutely nothing is new since the other night.»

«That's why I'm here," Isabel said.

«You've changed your mind.» His body finally perked up as he sat up straight on the couch. «You're going to dreamwalk me? End the nightmares?»

«No, Kyle," she said gently, sitting beside him. «But I thought we could spend the afternoon together. Maybe take your mind off your troubles, as they say.»

He tried not to look too disappointed. After all, she did care about him, and was only doing what she thought best. But once again he failed miserably as his body slumped back into the couch.

«Isabel, it's been about two months since I remembered Alex's death," he reminded her. «We've been through the trauma of Max's child and your canceled departure-to say nothing of final exams. Somehow, I don't think one afternoon is going to do it.»

«That's because you don't know what I have in store for you.» She stood with a gleam in her eye. «Come on, what have you got to lose?»

Since Kyle couldn't argue with that logic, he finally got up off the couch. Grabbing the remote, he put an end to the torturous screams of the woman dressed entirely in Lycra on the television. Now III never know if she forgives her two-timing husband. He smirked. Darn.

«I walked over here," Isabel explained as they left the house, «so we're going to need to take your car.»

Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys, handing them to Isabel. «You'd better drive. My reflex time is a little slow this morning.»

«Mind if I put the top down?» she asked as they got into the red convertible.

«Why not?» he went along.

Isabel started the engine, and Kyle indicated the button that she would need to push. His convertible was one of the best parts of living in Roswell. Being in a desert meant that he rarely needed to drive around with the top up to protect him from rain-which he figured probably also explained why Max kept getting vehicles without roofs as well.

Kyle continued to fight against sleep as Isabel drove his car through the streets of Roswell, talking about her mysterious fun plans for the afternoon. The smooth rolling of

the car was lulling him as he listened to his friend.

Flash.

The vultures were circling overhead.

His eyes popped open once again as Kyle woke from his daytime nightmare. He looked over to see if Isabel had noticed, but she was still going on about how much fun they were going to have. In actuality, Kyle felt that whenever people talked about the amount of fun they were going to have, it probably meant they weren't going to enjoy themselves at all. However, for Isabels sake, he decided to keep an open mind. Anything would be better than a day of bad television and nightmare flashes.

«Here we are!» Isabel pulled him out of his musings.

«The Crashdown?» Kyle said as the car pulled into an empty spot beside their favorite hangout. «That's your big plan?»

«For starters," she replied as they got out of the car. «Trust me.»

Walking in the door of the restaurant, it was immediately clear they had come in during the lunch rush. Summer was always a little more hectic in there, since it was the tourist season and the theme restaurant really catered to the specific tastes of most out-of-town visitors. Conveniently, Isabel saw a pair of tourists getting out of a booth, and hurried Kyle over to it. «I thought Michael and Maria might want to join us after their shift is over.»

As they sat at the still messy table, Maria hurried over with a bus tray to clear away the plates. Isabel did not envy her for spending the summer clearing dishes and serving the bustling summer tourist trade. Then again, Isabel remembered that she needed to start thinking about

possibly getting her own job soon. After graduating early from high school, she had spent some time helping out in her dads law office, but that had gotten complicated when she started seeing Jesse. Since Isabel wasn't really interested in law, she recently thanked her dad for the opportunity, but told him that she was going to pursue other employment. Unfortunately she hadn't had the time to do any serious job searching, and it looked like she was going to have to put it off a little while longer. There was cheering up to be done.

«Hey, Maria, what are you and Michael up to this afternoon?» Isabel innocently asked.

Suddenly the plates that had been gently placed in the tray were now being slammed together. «I don't know what he's planning to do, but I'm thinking of coloring my hair. How do you think I'd look if I dyed it black?»

«Awful," Kyle said abruptly and honestly.

Maria didn't seem the least bit offended, which suggested to Isabel that their friend was considering making that particular change purely for the shock value. Of course, that translated into the fact that Maria and Michael were obviously still fighting. When is Maria ever going to learn that Michael notices her even if she doesn't do crazy things?

«If you'd like to see," Isabel suggested conspiratorially «I can do it for you with no lasting effects.»

«That's okay," Maria said as she wiped down the table. «It was only an idea.»

«So do you want to join us?» Isabel asked.

«I wish I could," Maria said, «but my mom's been on me to help her catalog her new alien autopsy artifacts. Sorry.»

The apology was obviously directed to her inability to join them as well as to the way she'd be spending her day.

Isabel always felt strange around Maria's mom. She liked the woman well enough, but couldn't get over the fact that Ms. DeLuca was profiting off jokes based on the single biggest tragedy of Isabel's life. Then again, so is ninety percent of the town of Roswell, she thought as she surveyed the patrons of the Crashdown eating their alien-themed meals.

«Do you guys want anything to drink?» Maria asked as she balanced the bus tray on her hip.

«A Rocket Root Beer Float," Isabel said, figuring today was the kind of day to ignore calories and pig out. Comfort food always worked for her, so she figured that it could easily help Kyle as well.

Kyle just nodded as if to say, «Make it two.»

Isabel could tell that Maria was about to make a comment but apparently had thought better of it. Instead, she turned with the tray and went back behind the counter to make the drinks. Isabel then focused her attention on Kyle, who looked rather pitiful slumped down on his side of the booth.

A long, very uncomfortable pause ensued.

Kyle's fingers drummed on the table.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap.

«I'll go check with Michael," she said, getting up from the booth.

As Isabel walked across the restaurant she silently hoped that Michael would be up for their little afternoon adventure. Kyle's miserable attitude was beginning to make the task of cheering him up seem impossible, so she thought that bringing another person along could help her

effort. Of course, Michael wasn't exactly the first person who came to mind when the task involved having a positive attitude.

Reaching the large service window, Isabel leaned into the kitchen to find her friend in his usual position flipping burgers on the grill. «Hey, Michael!»

«What do you want?» he said in a surly tone as he dropped a basket of fries into the boiling grease, keeping his back to her as he concentrated on food preparation.

«Never mind.» She spun around and headed back for the table. One miserable person is enough for the day.

«That was fast.» Kyle seemed to be slumped even lower when she returned.

«Michael wasn't exactly in the kind of mood I was looking for," Isabel replied. «Then again, he never really is.» Was that a slight smile on Kyle's face? Maria returned to the table with their drinks and to take their lunch order. She seemed only mildly happier then Michael, although, as a waitress her job was to be perky as to ensure the better tip, so she just grinned her way through whatever the problem was this time. Isabel never bothered to ask about their situation, because she knew that it would work itself out eventually. It always did.

Once the order was placed, their food came much faster than usual, which Isabel attributed to the fact that the cook and waitress weren't engaging in idle chitchat to keep them from their jobs. As she sat in the booth with Kyle, she managed to coax him into a conversation about his new job as a mechanic. The goal of the talk and the entire afternoon was to avoid anything even remotely alien

in nature-a challenge, to say the least, in Roswell, the alien capital of the world.

After lunch, Isabel started their fun-time tour at the Museum of Contemporary Arts. Even though she knew this kind of entertainment was not Kyle's speed, it had the desired effect when he started making many jokes about the collection of modern art and, more specifically, the modern artists. One particular painting of a black line that had a plaque beneath it claiming its value was several thousand dollars nearly had him in hysterics. Isabel decided that she would come back to the museum Saturday with Jesse so they could seriously enjoy the works.

Following the museum, Isabel took him to the Spring River Park. It had been years since she had played on the playground, and figured that the same was true for Kyle. She couldn't exactly picture Kyle and his football buddies hanging out in a place where the average patron was about four years old, not counting, their mothers and the rogue father every now and then. Trie trip was entirely worth it just to see Kyle trying to fit onto one of the kiddie swings. She took it as a good sign when Kyle laughed out loud after a little girl stole a swing right out from under him, sticking out her tongue as if she owned the playground equipment. They capped off their time at the park with a ride on the carousel. Again, this was something neither she nor Kyle had done in years. They both commented on how huge the merry-go-round had seemed to them as children, but now the Roswell carousel appeared really rather limited compared with those huge wooden ones they had seen in movies. But that didn't matter as they continued to ride round and round for almost a half hour.

When they were finally kicked off the ride, Isabel took Kyle on a stroll through the zoo that was attached to the park. The last time either of them had been there was during a seventh-grade field trip, but the place hadn't changed all that much since then. In fact, they even remembered some of the animals from the field trip. All in all, they were both having a good day.

Leaving the park, they walked back into town to retrieve Kyle's car, which they had left at the Crashdown because the weather was nice enough for them to get everywhere on foot without suffering from heat exhaustion typical to most Roswell summers. Most of their stroll was spent in animated conversation as they went over all the fun details of their day.

«Thanks, Isabel.» Kyle openly beamed like a man without a care in the world. «I'm having a great time.»

Isabel silently patted herself on the back as she tried to discreetly look at her watch. «I knew you would.»

«So what's next?» he innocently asked as they walked down the streets of Roswell.

The unspoken response was coffee with Jesse, but Isabel couldn't say that because of her decision to keep the relationship on the sly. Even though she had been enjoying their conversation, she had also spent the past fifteen minutes trying to figure out a way to extricate herself from their activities for her secret rendezvous without spoiling Kyle's mood. The day's activities were supposed to have taken Kyle's mind off his problems and make him tired enough for a full night of sleep. But he seemed more awake than when she had picked him up earlier, and was ready to stay out and have fun.

And she was already five minutes late.

«I promised to have dinner with my parents," she lied. «Since they're going to Santa Fe tomorrow.»

«Oh.» The look of disappointment on Kyle's face nearly made her cancel her plans on the spot. She noticed that he had absentmindedly started drumming the fingers of his right hand against his leg. He hadn't done that since the museum.

«But maybe we can get together afterward," she immediately suggested since she knew Jesse had plans to go out with one of his friends later. «Maybe we could just hang out at your place?»

«Okay.» Kyle didn't really sound thrilled to be left alone even for a short time.

It seemed to Isabel that all the work she had done over the past few hours had served absolutely no purpose at all, since Kyle was suddenly back in the same mood that he had greeted her with earlier in the day. Then she noticed that his expression changed yet again. His face was totally blank as he stared at the traffic in the street.

«Kyle?» Her eyes followed his gaze, and she saw a dark-colored car turning onto the main drag. At first she thought it looked a little like Alex's car, but it was a totally different make and model. However, in the fading light of sunset, the color did appear close enough for her to make the false assumption.

Looking back to Kyle, she watched as his eyes tracked the car while it drove down the street. At first, an almost imperceptible shudder ran through his body. But, soon enough, he was shaking violently.

«Kyle?» she called to him, but it was like he was miles

away. His eyes seemed to be pleading with the driver to stop, and his body looked like it was about to spring into action and run after the phantom car. His fingers tapped wildly against his own body. «Kyle, you're scaring me!»

But he continued to ignore her as the voices ran through his mind.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap.

Slowly, the car made another turn off the street and out of their line of sight. Isabel actually watched Kyle's body make a physical change as he regained his composure. He was breathing heavily as a drop of perspiration rolled down his forehead. He finally blinked.

«Are you okay?» she asked.

«Yeah," he said in a hollow voice.

«That was no daydream," she said.

«I know," he replied. «I get kind of thrown into them whenever something even remotely reminds me of Alex or Tess.»

«Are they always that bad?» she asked.

«That was mild," he said without a trace of sarcasm.

Suddenly Isabel knew that her plans with Jesse were about to be cancelled. As luck would have it, they were already back at the Crashdown Cafe. «Kyle, would you mind waiting in here for a few minutes? I have to run a quick errand.»

«Sure," he said. «I could use a milk shake anyway.»

Isabel remembered how much milk shakes had seemed to be a cure-all for every dark situation when she was a child. Going back to the original theme of good fun and comfort food, she felt the need for a shake herself. «Order me one too. I'll be right back.»

As soon as Kyle went inside the restaurant, Isabel was off down the street. Conveniently, the coffeehouse where she was to meet Jesse was only a few blocks away. Since Roswell wasn't a huge bustling metropolis, they only had a coffeehouse every fourth block instead of every other block as in most major cities.

Seeing the sign for Bean There, Done That, Isabel slowed herself and grabbed the compact from her small pocketbook to do a quick makeup check. She was still in the early stages of her relationship with Jesse and she didn't want him to see her without so much as a hair out of place. After a quick lipstick reapply, she opened the door into the overly air-conditioned coffeehouse. With a shiver, she stepped inside.

Isabel found Jesse immediately, which wasn't difficult because the place only had four small tables-two of which were empty. He had been kind enough to wait for her without ordering, which Isabel couldn't help but notice obviously annoyed the guy behind the counter since Jesse was taking up a seat without having purchased a beverage.

It's a coffeehouse, she thought. People are supposed to loiter.

A perfect gentleman, Jesse was up and pulling out the seat for Isabel before she even reached the table. He gave her a hug with a quick kiss hello as she arrived, and waited for her to take her seat before sitting himself.

She chose to remain standing. «I'm sorry I'm late," she said.

«You're worth the wait," he replied, indicating that she should sit down.

«I hope you still think so when I have to cancel on you," she said with a flirtatious and apologetic smile.

«But you're already here," he said.

The guy at the counter was looking at them expectantly. It was as if they were taking up major table space in the practically empty coffeehouse.

«Would you believe I have to take care of a sick friend?» she asked. «A really sick friend," she added, leaving out the fact that Kyle's illness was more mental than physical.

«Is it serious?» he asked, and she gave him extra points for the fact that he was obviously concerned.

«We don't know," she replied.

«Well, then, you should stay with her," Jesse said, starting to walk her to the door. «We're still on for tomorrow, right?»

«Of course," Isabel replied without correcting the assumed gender of her friend. «Thanks for understanding.»

The guy behind the counter looked rather annoyed as they stepped out of the establishment and back onto the sidewalk. Isabel couldn't help but notice how Jesse had let the door slam behind him, assuming it was done on purpose to let the coffee guy know he hadn't liked being stalked while waiting for his date.

«Until tomorrow," he said, giving her a more serious kiss on the lips. «And remember, you're all mine for the entire day.»

Reluctantly, Isabel broke from his embrace and started to make her way back to the Crashdown, peering over her shoulder every few seconds to keep him in her sight as long as possible. Even though she knew that Kyle needed

her, she couldn't help but feel guilty over the fact that she had to blow off Jesse to be there for her friend, especially considering how understanding Jesse had been about everything.

Once Jesse was finally out of sight, she replayed their conversation in her head and was confused about why she hadn't corrected him and explained that her friend was male. Certainly Jesse would have understood that a sick friend was a sick friend no matter what gender. She just chalked it up to the growing ease at which she had taken to lying about things after having had so much practice. It was not necessarily one of her better personality traits.

One day, she promised herself, I'm going to tell Jesse everything.