The Stowaway

"Does the word desensitization mean anything to you?" Maria asked. "It means gradually exposing yourself to the thing you're afraid of. It's how people get over phobias. Go cure yourself." She tried to push Alex toward the escalator, but he grabbed the railing with both hands and held on tight.

Maria gave a huge sigh. "Fine, forget the elegant hand gesture girl. Amber Whalen's coming out of the card store. Just go say hi."

"Don't know her," Alex answered. But he already knew everything about her. Not Isabel.

"I'll introduce you." She grabbed him by the arm. He tightened his grip on the railing. "You have nothing to be scared of," she insisted. "I don't think she even watches TV She wants to be a vet."

"A vet!" Alex exclaimed. "I have an even bigger phobia about vets. I can't go near her. Barking would be involved. There would be much humiliation for all three of us."

Maria dropped his arm. "I give up."

"Good." Alex shot her a grin. "Now we can find someone for you." He pushed himself away from the railing and sca

"I like Josh," Maria answered. "Josh is great."

At least this night wasn't going to be a total bust, Alex thought. One of them was going to go home happy. Or at least happier. "So, you want me to stay with you? Or should I take off now so you can talk to him by yourself?"

"Um, you know what, I think Josh is too nice. Because he'd be a rebound guy for me. And everyone knows it never works with the rebound guy."

"Everyone knows this?" Alex repeated. "I've never-"

"Girls. Girls know this," Maria explained. "So, anyway, it wouldn't be fair to start something with Josh when it would just crash and burn in approximately eight-point-three days or four dates, whichever came first."

Alex didn't bother picking out someone else for her. He had a feeling no matter who he suggested, all Maria would see was a big not Michael.

"Food court?" he suggested.

"Food court," she agreed.

"How's Isabel doing?" Cameron asked. She lay curled up on a couple of the flattened beanbags, wrapped in one of Ray's Star Wars comforters.

"Max said she's still sleeping," Michael answered. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't nearly time for his two hours of sleep yet, but he was keeping Cameron company until she dozed off.

"So she's okay," Cameron said.

"No thanks to me," Michael muttered. "If I'd listened to Max in the first place, Adam would never have had the chance to even put a finger on Izzy."

"Is that Max talking or you?" Cameron asked.

"Both, I guess," Michael admitted. "Let's just say he wasn't happy about what happened." He didn't even want to think about their conversation. They'd ripped into each other pretty good, and they never did that. It had always been him and Max against-

Cut it out, Michael ordered himself. In another second he'd be in the middle of some chick flick moment. A montage of his and Max's most special moments. Max pushing Michael into a pile of leaves. Michael cheering Max up after he struck out during the big game.

"Is Adam…?"

Cameron's question pulled him away from his thoughts. "Our boy Adam is still circling the airport, and I'm making sure he stays that way," he assured her.

"What do you think Isabel meant when she said there was something evil controlling him?"

Michael shook his head. "No clue. I'd almost be happy if she was right, though. At least it would mean I wasn't totally deluded about Adam."

Cameron mumbled something that sounded like an agreement. She was close enough that he could hear each breath she took. And the scent of her, that clean ocean smell, was driving him nuts. He wanted to reach over and pull her up against him. And why shouldn't he? A couple of hours ago they'd been all over each other.

But it felt different now. A lot had happened. Plus it was night, and they were going to spend that night sleeping in the same room. Which made the stakes a little higher. Like if he touched her now, she could think he was looking for more than he actually was. At least more than he actually was tonight.

"So, uh, I saw the hummingbird tattoo. Got any more?" he asked. He figured the way she answered might tell him if she was thinking about the same thing he was thinking about or if she was just thinking about sleep.

"There's one more. I never let anyone see it, though," she answered.

That didn't sound like an invitation. But it wasn't a slap, either. Michael turned onto his side so he could look at her. It was hard to read her expression in the dim light coming from the hall, hard to see her aura, too. "No one's seen it? So, where is it?"

Cameron laughed. "I can hear the drool dribbling out of your mouth," she teased. "Suck it in. The tattoo's on my ankle. The reason I never let anyone see it is it came out really ugly. It's supposed to be a dragon, but it looks more like a mutant piglet. I'm going to get laser surgery done when I get the cash together."

"I could do it right now," Michael offered. "All I have to do is co

"No, that's okay," she said quickly. She rolled onto her other side and made a big production out of fluffing her pillow and adjusting her blanket.

Nothing hard to read about those signals. "Are you afraid?" he asked harshly. "What, do you think if I co

"It's not that." She sat up and flicked on the light switch.

"So?" He sat up, too.

"So, it's just not a good idea, all right?" she said.

Michael couldn't stop himself from checking out the long stretch of bare leg the T-shirt Cameron was using for a nightgown showed off. "Not a good idea," he repeated. He didn't get it. Touching her in any form seemed like a great idea.

"I probably should have told you this before, but I'm leaving town tomorrow," she a

Just like that. Michael thought back to himself sitting in his cell in the compound, parceling out the women in his life-Cameron, Maria, and Isabel. He wasn't sure why, but Cameron seemed to be the one-the one he could potentially love. But not if she just up and left.

"No biggie," Michael muttered.

"It's not safe for me to stay in one place too long. Especially a small town," Cameron went on. "Strangers get noticed."

Michael felt some of the muscles in his shoulders loosen up. This was something he could fix. All he had to do was rearrange some molecules, and he could give Cameron a whole new face. He could change her appearance every single day if that's what it took to keep her around.

"Let me show you something." He leaned over and touched her face. He made the co

A little girl Cameron fighting not to cry as a woman vigorously brushed Cameron's long red hair. A mirrored tray covered with perfume bottles. A worn paperback book-The Little Princess. An older Cameron leaping over a track hurdle. A needle injecting ink into skin. Cameron standing next to Sheriff Valenti, watching Michael and Adam through a two-way mirror. A varsity jacket.

Cameron yanked Michael's hand off her, breaking the co

"Afraid of what I'll see?" Michael asked. Why was Cameron in an observation room with Valenti? She was a test subject. She should have been on the other side of that two-way glass. Was she some kind of informant for Valenti? Michael felt his face reddening.