The Outsider

I don't think I've ever seen Stacey when she's not bouncing or giggling or something, Isabel thought. Stacey was nauseatingly, unrelentingly bubbly. Even in classes she was constantly doodling little hearts, stars, and rainbows on the cover of her notebook.

"That's terrible. Do they hurt?" Tish asked.

Oh, please, Isabel thought. If Tish found a hurt rattlesnake on the sidewalk, she'd probably take it home, nurse it back to health, tie a bow around its neck, and then be surprised when it bit her. She should go out with Max. They'd make a perfect couple.

"They don't really hurt, but they look so gross. I'm trying to find something to cover them up." Stacey studied the foundations and powders in the case in front of her.

"What was your dream about, anyway?" Tish said.

"Oh, it was gross!" Stacey rubbed her face with both hands. "There were all these bugs crawling on me. I could feel all their little legs. I kept scratching and scratching, but I couldn't get them off."

Isabel gave a loud gasp. She opened her eyes wide. "This is so weird. I had exactly the same dream last night!"

"What's up?" Max asked as he trotted after Liz.

Liz didn't answer. She turned down a short hallway with a pay phone, a drinking fountain, and one bench. No one would bother them here.

She spun around and glared at Max. "How did you know about my cupcake dress?" she demanded. "Can you read minds? Is that one of your powers? If it is, you have got to find a way to turn it off because it's an incredible invasion of privacy."

Liz didn't even want to think about what Max could have seen in her head. All the embarrassing little things she'd never told anyone, not even Maria. The silly daydreams she let herself slide into when one of her teachers got so boring, she wanted to scream. The mean little thoughts she had about people sometimes.

But most of all she was afraid that Max had seen all the horrible things she'd thought when he told her he was an alien. Liz was ashamed of the mix of revulsion and fear that flooded her in that moment. If she'd felt those kinds of emotions directed at her, she'd be devastated.

"I can't read minds. At least not usually," Max told her. "But when I heal someone, I make a co

Liz folded her arms over her chest. "What else did you see besides the dress?"

"Um… I saw a stuffed dog with a chewed-up ear," Max said.

"Oh, Mr. Beans. He lives on my bed." Liz started to feel a little better. If Mr. Beans and the cupcake dress were the worst things Max saw, that wasn't so bad.

"Liz Ortecho sleeping with a stuffed animal. That's hard to picture." Max laughed. "You're always so intense and focused."

"I don't actually sleep with him," Liz corrected. "At night I put him on my dresser."

Max raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really?" he teased.

"Okay, every once in a while, like when I'm sick or something, I still sleep with him," Liz admitted, blushing. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Lucky guess. You sounded just a little defensive when you said you put him on your dresser," Max explained. "It really bothers you that I got images from your mind, doesn't it?"

Liz looked down at her boots. Even though Max had only seen stupid little things from her childhood, it did bother her. What if he were just being polite, telling her the stuff that wasn't important? What if he really had seen everything, like how angry she felt at her sister for dying? He would think she was a horrible person-and she couldn't bear that.

Max wouldn't lie to me, she told herself. If he says he only saw the ugly cupcake dress, then he means it.

"Maybe I overreacted," Liz said slowly. "It's not like you were intentionally spying on me. But, well, how would you feel if I knew all your secrets?"

Max stared at her as if she were an idiot. And suddenly Liz felt her face flush. How could she have said that? She did know Max's biggest secret, something much more intimate and personal than anything he knew about her.

Max sat down on the little bench. He patted the spot next to him. "Come on, I want to try something."

"O-kaay." Liz wished that hadn't come out sounding so apprehensive. Why couldn't she remember how to act around Max anymore?

She sat next to him. Her shoulder brushed against his. She wanted to move back, but she held herself perfectly still. If she kept jumping away from him, Max might think she was afraid of him or something.

And I'm not, she thought. Not much.

She wanted to feel completely comfortable around Max, the way she used to. But it was like there was a loop in her head playing the words he's an alien, he's an alien over and over.

"I've never tried this before, but I thought maybe I could make the co

Liz blinked in surprise. What would it be like to see into Max's thoughts? I'd probably be the first human to ever see into the mind of an alien, she thought. The scientist in her was totally excited by the opportunity. But it wouldn't be fair to Max.

"You don't have to do that, Max," Liz said softly. "I was being a jerk about the whole thing. You saved my life-I should be down on my knees thanking you, no matter what your method was."

"No, we have to try this," Max insisted. "Think of it as an experiment. Or as a free movie-the Max Evans Show."

He sounded like a little kid trying to convince his babysitter to let him stay up until eleven. He's trying so hard to make me feel okay about what's happened, Liz thought. Why can't I do that for him?

"I have to touch you, okay?" Max asked. "That's how I make the co

If he can heal with a touch, can he kill with a touch? The question leaped into Liz's mind. Without thinking, she backed away from Max on the bench.

Instantly his blue eyes grew darker, as if a thick black curtain had fallen over his emotions.

"Never mind," he said quickly. "It was a stupid idea. Why would you want to be co

Max started to stand up, but Liz grabbed his arm. She couldn't let him feel this way, feel as if she were disgusted by him.

"I want to do it. Really," Liz told him.

Max sat back down, smiling. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ears, then gently cupped her face with his hands. Liz felt a shiver rush through her body. And it didn't feel quite like a frightened shiver.

Max leaned close, so his face was inches from her own. His gaze drifted to her lips, and for one long, shocking moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he began to speak, his voice low and soothing. "Now take deep breaths, and try to let your mind blank out."

Her heart was beating so hard, she could hardly breathe at all. Liz concentrated on pulling in a long, deep breath, then she let it out.

Max matched each of his breaths to hers. She could feel the warm puffs of air on her face each time he exhaled, and the smell of his wintergreen Life Saver filled her nose.

She'd never seen such intense blue as his eyes. It was almost like looking through a deep, deep pool.…

Liz realized she was leaning toward him, wanting to be closer, wanting to see through those amazing eyes.…

She closed her eyes, but she could still feel his eyes on hers. She tried to focus all her attention on her breathing. If thoughts began to intrude, she imagined them drifting away, soundless and weightless.

She heard her heartbeat slow as her relaxation grew deeper and deeper. Slowly she became aware of a second heartbeat. Max's heartbeat. It was like they shared one body now.