The Rebel

So the others don't know him, either, Alex realized.

"He's pretty much the whole thing," Michael answered. "I know this is going to sound bizarre. I mean, I know I'm not even supposed to have one. At least that's what-wait, maybe I should start with-see, I could feel what Trevor-" He started laughing, laughing so hard, he started to choke and snort. "I sound like Maria."

This is a change, Alex thought. Michael was acting, well, silly was the only word for it. Alex had seen Michael be sarcastic lots of times. And Michael definitely wasn't a guy to step away from gross-out humor. But silly-that just wasn't him.

"And what's wrong with acting like me?" Maria asked, hands on her hips in mock indignation. Michael laughed harder.

Alex smiled. He felt himself entering the sappy zone again. Maria being Maria was a pretty enjoyable sight. So was Michael being not Michael.

"If you don't stop giggling like you're deranged or something and tell us whatever you dragged us here to tell us right now-" Isabel threatened.

"All right. All right." Michael pulled in a deep breath. "I'll just say it-Trevor is my brother."

"How can that be possible?" Liz asked.

"Your brother?" Isabel exclaimed at the same time. "Your brother?"

"Wait, there are even more of you?" Maria blurted out, her words overlapping with Liz and Isabel's. "Not that that's a bad thing," she added quickly.

"Start at the begi

Alex didn't say anything. He was still trying to figure out why Trevor seemed so familiar. Just standing near him was making Alex uneasy, sort of tense and restless.

Michael started explaining, and he was talking so fast, Alex could hardly understand him. Alex wished he had the ability to see auras. He bet at that moment Michael's was awesome, bursting with the colors of absolute joy.

Alex wouldn't mind seeing Trevor's aura right then, too. Maybe if he could see Trevor's aura, it would reassure Alex that the guy was… okay.

"Anyway, they left Trevor with this group called the Kindred," Michael was saying. "Or at least what translates to the Kindred in English. It's a group that believes that people should be able to have as many children as they want."

"They just left you there?" Maria asked Trevor. Her blue eyes were warm with sympathy.

Alex used the interruption to head over to a stack of flattened beanbag chairs along the nearest wall. He sat down, positioning himself so that he still had a clear view of Trevor. The muscles in his stomach relaxed a little now that there was more distance between the two of them.

"Our parents were going to go back and get me once they found a safe place, a place where they wouldn't have to keep one of their kids in hiding," Trevor explained. His eyes were on Alex, even though he was answering Maria's question.

Alex met his gaze as long as possible, but finally he had to look away when he felt hot bile begin to rise up his throat.

Michael reached out and squeezed Trevor's shoulder. "You all know the rest of the story," Michael said.

Michael and Trevor's parents had died in the crash, the crash that had made Roswell the T-shirt-selling, green-food-producing tourist attraction it was today. Sometimes Alex wondered what it would be like to live in a town that made most of its money off your parents' death, practically celebrated it, even.

"So, how did you get here?" Max finally asked after they'd all taken a moment to absorb what Michael had said. Max walked over and sat down next to Alex. The burst of relief that spread through Alex made him feel like a total wimp. What-he didn't feel safe without Max around to protect him?

"I knew that my parents had died on earth and that my brother had survived and was living in Roswell under the name Michael Guerin. Members of the Kindred were able to get me that information," Trevor explained.

"You just got here yesterday?" Liz asked. She plopped down across from Max and Alex and gestured for the others to join them.

"Just off the boat," Trevor joked. He positioned himself on Alex's other side. It took all Alex's self-control not to flinch.

"How do you know English and everything?" Adam asked, plopping down next to Isabel.

"The Kindred also got me the materials I needed to teach myself English and the local behavioral norms," Trevor explained. "I always dreamed about coming here, but I never thought I'd be able to until-"

"Until the collective consciousness opened another wormhole to send Alex back," Michael jumped in. "Trevor basically hitched a ride here."

"Yeah, thanks," Trevor told Alex, giving him another long look.

Alex's stomach cramped until it felt about the size of a postage stamp. It was Trevor behind him in the wormhole. It was Trevor who had wanted something from Alex, something he would have killed Alex to get.

"That's one thing we don't have to worry about, then," Isabel said. "Alex felt something following him home, and we were afraid it might be dangerous."

Everyone laughed. Alex forced himself to laugh, too. But he knew what he felt from the being who followed him, from Trevor. A cold-blooded willingness to murder whatever stood in its-in his-way.

"I wish I could have been there to see you two meet. It must have been like a total soap opera moment," Max said. His tone was casual, but his blue eyes were cool and serious. He turned to Michael. "I'm surprised Trevor even managed to convince you of who he really was."

Max isn't sure Trevor is who he's pretending to be, either, Alex thought hopefully.

"What I don't get is how the consciousness managed to open the hole," Max continued. "I asked if they could open one to get Alex home, and what I got back was that they weren't strong enough and wouldn't be for a long time."

Trevor shrugged. "I just took advantage of it. I don't know how they did it. I'm not co

Alex forced himself to look straight back. But he was the first one to glance away again.

"No idea," Alex said. "I think that my memory got wiped. I remember being sucked up the wormhole instead of DuPris. And I remember flying back through it. But not much in between-just kind of shapes and muffled sounds."

Alex hoped no one could tell he was lying. He did have a pretty good idea how the consciousness had gotten the strength to send him home.

Trying to look casual, he slipped his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the Stone of Midnight.

When he'd arrived back home, he'd had the Stone-one of the three-with him. He was sure it was the power of the Stone that had opened the hole.

He had intended to give the stone to Max, but he'd passed out last night before he'd had the chance. There was no way he was going to hand it over right now. Not until he was a lot more sure what, exactly, Trevor's deal was.

"Uh, now that I know the boogeyman in the hole with me was only Michael's brother, I guess it's safe to go home and tell my parents I'm still alive," Alex said.

"I'll drive you," Max volunteered.

"I'll go, too," Liz offered. She smiled at Trevor. "I want to hear everything about you later."

Me too, Alex silently added. But first he was going to put the Stone somewhere safe until he could figure out what to do next.

"Alex, there's something you need to know before you go home," Liz said as soon as they were on the road. She turned around so she could look at him, and the worried expression on her face had his stomach going from postage stamp to pea.

"Your dad…" Liz hesitated, and Alex's brain went nuts. His dad what? Had disowned him? Had had a heart attack? Had finally shouted one too many times and spontaneously combusted?

"Tell me," he demanded.