Invasion

dressed in suits and ties, including two women.

Several easels were set up to support large pads of paper. The exposed pages were covered with arcane schematics and incomprehensible equations. The table was strewn with papers with similar content. A half dozen laptops were open and humming.

Cassy had never felt more uncertain in her life. Her anxiety had gone up a notch the closer she got to Beau. She had no idea what she was going to say to him. It made it worse that she was interrupting a meeting with important-appearing people. They were all older than Beau and looked professional, like lawyers or doctors.

But before Cassy reached the table, Beau turned toward her, smiled broadly when he recognized her, and leaped to his feet. Without a word to the other people at the table, he ran to Cassy and took her hands. His blue eyes sparkled. For a second Cassy swooned. She felt as if she could have fallen into his huge black pupils.

'I'm so glad you've come,' Beau said. 'I've been so eager to talk with you.'

Beau's words nudged Cassy from her momentary helplessness. 'Why didn't you call?' she asked. It was a question she'd not dared ask herself until that moment.

'It's been so hectic,' Beau explained. 'I've been busy twenty-four hours a day. Believe me.'

'I guess I'm lucky to get to see you,' Cassy said. She glanced over at the group at the table who were patiently waiting. Same with King who'd raised himself to a sitting position. 'You've become quite an important man now.'

'There are responsibilities,' Beau admitted. He led her a few yards farther away from the group and then pointed up at the house. His other hand still held hers. 'What do you think?' he asked proudly.

'I'm a bit overwhelmed,' Cassy said. 'I'm not sure what to think.'

'What you see here is only the beginning. Only the tip of the iceberg. It's so exciting.'

'Only the beginning of what?' Cassy asked. 'What are you doing here?'

'We are going to make everything right,' Beau said. 'Remember me telling you over the last six months that I was going to play an important role in the world if I got a job with Randy Nile? Well, it's happening in a way that I never could have anticipated. Beau Stark, the boy from Brookline, is going to help lead the world to a new beginning.'

Cassy looked directly into the depths of Beau's eyes. She knew he was in there. If only she could get to him behind this megalomania facade. Lowering her voice and not taking her eyes from his she said: 'I know this isn't you talking, Beau. You are not doing this. Something ... someone is controlling you.'

Beau put his head back and laughed heartily. 'Oh, Cassy,' he remarked. 'Always the skeptic! Believe me, no one is controlling me. I'm just Beau Stark. I'm still the same guy you love and who loves you.'

'Beau, I do love you,' Cassy said with sudden vehemence. 'And I think you love me. For the sake of that love come back home with me. Come to the medical center. There is a doctor there who wants to examine you, to find out what's made you change. She thinks it started with that flu you had. Please fight this, whatever it is!'

Despite Cassy's vow to keep her emotions in check, they welled up anyway. Tears came and formed rivulets on her cheeks. She'd not meant to cry but was powerless to prevent it.

'I do love you,' she managed.

Beau reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of Cassy's eyes. He regarded her in a truly loving way. He pulled her toward him and enveloped her with his arms, pressing his face against hers.

At first Cassy held back. But as she felt Beau clutching her she relented. She put her own arms around him and, closing her eyes, squeezed him tightly. She didn't want to let him go, ever.

'I do love you,' Beau whispered. His lips were brushing her ear. 'And I want you to join us. I want you to become one of us because you won't be able to stop us. No one will!'

Cassy stiffened. Hearing Beau's words was like having a knife driven into her heart. Her eyes popped open. With her face still pressed up against his she could see the blurry form of his ear. But what made her blood run cold was a small patch of skin behind his ear that was grayish-blue in color. Reflexively her hand came up and her fingers touched the area. It was rough, almost scaly in texture, and cold. Beau was mutating!

With a rush of revulsion, Cassy tried to extract herself from Beau's grasp, but he held her tightly. He was stronger than she remembered.

'You'll be joining us soon, Cassy,' Beau whispered. He acted unaware of her struggles. ''Why not let it be now? Please!'

Changing tactics, Cassy abandoned trying to push away from Beau. Instead she quickly ducked beneath his arms and collapsed on the ground. She was up immediately. Her love and concern had turned to terror. She took several steps backward. The only thing that kept her from bolting was the shock of seeing tears had formed in Beau's eyes.

'Please!' Beau pleaded. 'Join us, my dearest.' Cassy tore herself away despite Beau's unexpected show of emotion and sprinted beneath the nearest pergola, heading for the end of the house.

The woman who'd met Cassy on the front porch when she had first arrived stepped forward. During Cassy and Beau's conversation she'd stood discreetly to the side. Now her eyes met Beau's, and she motioned toward Cassy's fleeing figure.

Beau understood the meaning of the gesture. She was asking if she should send someone after Cassy. Beau hesitated. He was struggling with himself. Finally he shook his head and turned back to the men and women waiting for him.

Having already found most of the things on the shopping list already, Jonathan rewarded himself by loading up with Coke and then strolling up the aisle with all the potato chips. He selected a few of his favorite types and was nearing the meat department when his cart practically ran into Candee's.

'My God, Candee!' Jonathan blurted. 'Where have you been? I've called twenty times.'

'Jonathan,' Candee said happily. 'I'm so glad to see you. I've missed you.'

'You have?' Jonathan asked. He couldn't help notice how fantastic Candee looked. She was wearing a miniskirt over a tank top body suit. Every curve of her tight, lithe body was there to see and appreciate.

'Oh yes,' Candee said. 'I've been thinking about you lots.'

'How come you haven't been at school?' Jonathan asked. 'I looked for you.'

'I've been looking for you as well,' Candee said.

Jonathan managed to coax his eyes to travel northward to Candee's elfin face. When he did he noticed her smile. There was something abnormal about it even though he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

'I wanted to tell you that I was wrong about my parents,' Candee said. 'Totally wrong.'

Before Jonathan could respond to this shocking reversal, both of Candee's parents rounded the end of the aisle and came up behind Candee. Her father, Stan, put his hands on Candee's shoulders and beamed.

'Now this is one cute chick, wouldn't you say?' Stan said proudly. 'And as an added inducement, there's good, healthy genes in these ovaries.'

Candee glanced up into her father's face and gave him an adoring look.

Jonathan averted his eyes. He thought he might puke. These people belonged in a zoo.

'We've missed you at the house,' Candee's mother, Joy, said. 'Why don't you come over tonight. Us adults will be having a get-together, but it doesn't mean you two youths can't spend some quality time together.'

'Yes, well, that sounds great,' Jonathan said. He felt a mild degree of panic since Joy had moved to his side, hemming him in against the shelving. Candee and Stan were blocking his way forward.

'Can we count on you?' Joy asked.

Jonathan let his eyes streak past Candee's face. She was still smiling that same smile, and Jonathan realized what it was that was abnormal about it. It was fake. It was the kind of smile people made when they tell themselves to smile. It wasn't a reflection of inner emotion.

'I got a lot of homework tonight,' Jonathan said. He started to back up his shopping cart.

Joy gazed into Jonathan's cart. 'You certainly are a busy little shopper. Are you having a meeting at your house as well? Perhaps we should all come over there.'

'No, no,' Jonathan said nervously. 'Nobody's coming over. Nothing like that at all. I'm just picking up some TV munchies.' Jonathan wondered if these people somehow knew about their little group.

Another glance at their fake smiles gave Jonathan a shiver of fear and propelled him to 'make tracks.' Abruptly he yanked his cart backward, turned it around, yelled that he had to be going, and rapidly headed toward the check-out lanes. As he walked he could feel the Taylor family's eyes on his back.

'This is the street,' Pitt said. He was directing Nancy to his cousin's apartment where they'd all agreed to