what they are-so let's kill them. Maybe you should go into the military. I think you'd be great at it.'
Alex winced. Liz knew she'd said pretty much the most hurtful thing possible. But it was true. 'Look, you're both forgetting that you do know Max, and Michael, and Isabel. Maria, you especially. You've known all of them since we were little. They're still the same people they were-'
'They aren't people,' Maria interrupted. 'And Isabel never threatened to kill me in elementary school.'
'And we can't be sure that they haven't just been playing us, showing us only what they want to show us,' Alex added.
Liz felt like screaming at them both. She couldn't believe how stupid, and prejudiced, and horrible they were being. You felt practically the same way after Valenti got through with you yesterday, she reminded herself.
'I understand how you feel. I do,' Liz told them. 'Yesterday I was half convinced I should tell Valenti everything, more than half convinced. But then I saw Max heal one of the mice in the bio lab. No one was around. He didn't know I was watching. If Max has been playing us, why would he bother to save some stupid little mouse?'
'The mouse wasn't in his way. You and Maria are,' Alex answered.
'What are you talking about?' Liz demanded.
'The mouse wasn't any threat to him,' Alex explained. 'Why not heal it? But that doesn't mean that if he felt in danger-or even if his mission was being jeopardized-that he would have any problem killing. We just don't know, that's the problem.'
'Mission? What mission? Did we just enter the paranoia zone or what?' Liz demanded. 'I know Max. I trust him. I am not going to do anything that might hurt him. And neither are you.'
'It's not just your decision,' Maria cried. 'I'm the one they don't trust-you heard Isabel say it. She's going to come after me. Why don't you care about protecting me as much as you care about protecting Max?'
Liz heard Maria's voice crack. What am I supposed to do? she thought. She was stuck in the middle between her best friend and-and what? What was Max to her, exactly? Two weeks ago she would have just said he was her lab partner and kind of a casual friend. Someone who had been in her life for years but who wasn't really a big part of it. Everything had changed so much, so fast. 'Of course I care about what happens to you,' Liz answered. 'But you're totally overreacting. No one is going to hurt you. I promise.'
'You can't promise,' Maria insisted. 'You don't know. After school I'm going to Valenti's office-whether you come with me or not.'
'I'll go with you,' Alex said quietly. 'Sony, Liz. I have to.'
There's no way I can stop them, Liz realized. Nothing I can say. What am I going to do? If I tell Max that Maria and Alex are planning to go to Valenti, I don't know what will happen. Michael and Isabel really might go after them, and I'm not sure Max could stop them.
But if I don't say anything, Valenti will come after Max, Isabel, and Michael. And he'll probably kill them.
I don't want to choose, Liz thought. How can I?
What am I going to do?
'Max, come sit with us,' Liz called.
Max turned and saw Liz, Maria, and Alex eating lunch on the grass in the center of the quad. He could tell by Maria's aura that she was just as upset as she had been yesterday-maybe more. A deep gray was mixed in with the churning murky green of her aura.
But it was Liz's aura his eyes were drawn to as he walked toward them. It was filled with so many colors, it hurt to look at it. There were the sickly yellow streaks of fear and the crimson splotches her aura got when she was angry. There were gray swirls of worry and confusion. And across everything was a spiderweb of dark purple. His mother's aura had a spiderweb like that after his grandfather died. It was a sign of a deep sadness. Liz slid over, and Max sat down next to her. He didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to do the usual lunchtime talk thing-someone heard Johanne Oakley throwing up in the bathroom that morning, and now everyone thought she was pregnant; there was supposed to be a raid on Guffman High that night to steal the Olsen High mascot back; Doug Highsinger got sent home for showing up at school dressed like Marilyn Manson. He didn't know if he could pull it off.
'Uh, so, what do you guys think my next list should be?' Alex asked. 'I was thinking maybe alternate uses for pennies, you know, because they're pretty much worthless, and…' His voice trailed off.
Alex feels the tension between Maria and Liz, Max realized. You didn't have to be able to see auras to know something was wrong with both of them. Alex's aura didn't look too great itself. It had an oily, greasy cast to it.
'How about really bad dog names?' Liz jumped in. 'Names you would never want to have to yell at the top of your lungs if your dog gets lost.' She sounded hypercheerful and phony, kind of like Stacey Scheinin.
Something is really wrong here, Max thought.
Liz glanced between Alex and Maria, and her toothpaste commercial smile faded. 'I can't do this,' she said. 'I can't just sit here and-Max, Alex knows.'
Max felt as if he'd been sucker punched. There was no way he'd be able to control Isabel and Michael now. No possible way.
Liz reached over and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his. 'I want you guys to look at Max,' she told her friends. 'Really look at him. He saved my life. He-'
'Hey, Max, congratulations. I didn't think you'd be able to keep Liz interested in you for a whole day.'
Max tensed and felt Liz's grip tighten on his hand at the sound of Kyle Valenti's voice. Kyle circled the group and positioned himself behind Alex.
You can't get into it with him right now, Max thought. It wouldn't be smart.
'Don't get too used to spending time with her, though.' He smirked down at Max.
Kyle seemed like an attention deficient type. Max figured if he didn't answer, Kyle would get bored and leave.
But Kyle kept staring him. He looked a little confused, as if he couldn't figure out why Max wasn't saying anything.
'Well, I guess you could still see Liz if you don't mind visiting her in prison,' Kyle continued. 'Accessories to murder don't go to juvie.' He turned to Liz. 'You know lying to my dad makes you an accessory, right?'
'Your problem is with me. Leave her out of it,' Max ordered.
'As long as she keeps lying to my father she's in it,' Kyle shot back. 'I don't know what my dad thinks, but I figure the murderer she's protecting is you, Evans. It's not too cool hiding behind a girl.'
'Kyle, you're pathetic,' Maria burst out. 'You came up with this ridiculous theory because you can't deal with the fact that Liz would rather hang with Max than you. Just grow up already.'
A dark flush colored Kyle's face. 'I bet your sister would be impressed, Liz,' Kyle said. 'I mean, she got arrested once, too, but it was only a little drug bust. You're going to be hitting the big time.'
Max leaped to his feet and launched himself at Kyle in one fluid motion. Kyle fell to the ground with a satisfying thud. Max straddled him and slammed his fist into Kyle's nose. He heard it crack and felt warm blood spurt across his fingers.
'Max, no!' Liz screamed.
But he wasn't stopping now. Kyle was going to pay for every word he'd said to Liz. Max drew back his fist and brought it down on Kyle's mouth. Then he felt hands on the back of his shirt, yanking him away.
Alex hauled him off Kyle. He grabbed Max by the shoulders and pinned him to the ground.
Max jerked his head to the side and saw Kyle wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve. 'This isn't over,' Kyle said. Then he turned and started to walk away.
'You're right,' Max shouted. 'It's not over.' He tried to shove Alex away. He was going after Kyle. He was going to pound the guy into the ground.
Alex jabbed his knee into Max's chest. 'You're staying here. If you go after him, you're going to end up in the principal's office and both your parents are going to get called in. Do you really want to be sitting in a room with Sheriff Valenti right now? Don't you think he'd be a little curious what this fight was about?'
Max still wanted to go after Kyle, but Alex was making sense.
'Can I let you up now? Have you regrown a brain?' Alex asked. He stared down at Max, waiting for an
