The Rebel

'Miss you,' Alex mumbled. Isabel didn't know if he meant that he'd miss her when she went upstairs or that he'd missed her when he was gone.

'Miss you, too,' she answered, meaning it both ways.

She turned around, ran up to Max's room, and dashed inside without bothering to knock. One look at his face showed her that he was still connected. Isabel grabbed the pillow off his bed and whacked him across the head.

'Max,' she hissed. 'I need you. Right now!'

Max's eyelids fluttered open, then he lifted his head and stared at her.

'Did you just hit me with a pillow?' he asked, sounding confused.

'Alex is back,' Isabel exclaimed. 'He's downstairs.'

Max leaped to his feet and was out the door before Isabel could say another word. She followed him as he raced to the living room. He stopped so abruptly when he reached the sofa that Isabel slammed into his back.

'I can't believe it's really you,' Max said softly. Alex gave a weak smile.

'Me either,' Isabel answered. She reached out and stroked Alex's face. His skin felt a little warmer, but he was still way too pale.

'Should I start debating whether Lime Warp or Blast! is truly the most superior alien-themed beverage?' Alex joked, his voice coming out thin and hoarse.

'It's him.' Max dropped into the chair next to the sofa and leaned toward Alex. 'So what happened? How'd you make it back?'

'You have to tell us everything,' Isabel agreed. She stepped over the coffee table and sat down as close to Alex as she could get.

'I will,' Alex promised. He struggled to a sitting position, then leaned his head on the back of the sofa, as if the effort had exhausted him. 'As much as I can remember, anyway, which isn't a lot. But first you've got to know that we may be getting company.'

'Go on,' Max said, his eyes serious and watchful. He'd clearly heard the urgency in Alex's voice, just as Isabel had.

Alex lifted his head. His eyes looked clearer to Isabel now. More focused.

'I don't know how exactly, but I was in a wormhole,' he began. 'I could see… space, outer space, all around me in a blur, but I could breathe and everything, and I-' He stopped himself, his expression turning hard and grim. 'That's not the important part. When I was in the hole, something came after me. I think… I think it might have followed me here.'

That's what terrified him-whatever was in the hole, Isabel thought. She reached out and took Alex's right hand in both of hers, then started rubbing.

'Here earth or here this house?' Isabel asked, struggling to keep her voice low.

'I'm not sure,' Alex admitted. 'I came here because I didn't know if I could handle it alone. I thought maybe there'd be need of some-some firepower, and I didn't want to lead whatever to my parents. Sorry.'

Isabel traded Alex's left hand for his right and kept rubbing.

'Don't be sorry' Max told him. 'You did the right thing. If something does go down, Isabel and I can combine powers.'

'Do you have any clue what it was?' Isabel asked. She shot a glance toward the front door, even though she was too far away to see anything out of the long, narrow window that ran alongside it.

'I didn't see it-I just felt it,' Alex answered. 'And I'm pretty sure it wanted something from me. I think it would have killed me to get it.'

'Do you still feel it?' Max asked, his eyes intent on Alex.

Alex hesitated. 'I don't feel it coming after me,' he said slowly. 'But I don't think it's gone.' He shook his head. 'Maybe it didn't exist at all. Maybe my imagination is just out of control.'

'I don't think so,' Max answered.

Isabel gave him a sharp look. 'You know something about this?' she demanded.

Max stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of the coffee table.

'I'm not sure,' he said. 'The consciousness has been in total upheaval tonight. It's been like a bunch of tidal waves crashing through. I was trying to get some idea of what was happening, but all the beings were too devastated to give me any info.' He stopped in front of Alex. 'There could be a connection.'

'The beings wanted me to go back,' Alex said. 'They sent me.'

'Maybe something went wrong when they opened the hole. I'll try to deepen the connection later, see what I can find out.' Max started to pace again. 'You're staying here tonight,' he told Alex in his big-brother-has-spoken tone. 'I'll go get you a sleeping bag out of the garage.' He strode out of the room.

Isabel pressed herself tighter against Alex's side. It didn't feel close enough, even though she was so close, she could feel the tiny tremors rippling through him.

He was still seriously freaked. She twisted her body around until she was half facing him, then wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight.

'You're home,' she whispered, burying her head in his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. 'Nothing can hurt you now that you're home.'

FOUR

'How long have I been gone?' Alex asked as Max pulled out of the driveway and onto the street the next morning.

'Maybe two weeks,' Isabel told him.

Two weeks. Only two weeks. He could hardly twist his mind around that.

'I hope someone taped Oprah for me, or I'm going to be seriously pissed,' Alex joked. 'I'm not going to be able to keep up my rep as a sensitive guy if I don't know what Oprah's doing.' Isabel and Max laughed. Alex laughed, too, even though he usually thought it was lame to laugh at your own jokes. He couldn't help it. It just felt too good to be riding down the streets of his dinky little town with two of his best friends. He was home.

'I hope everyone's already at Michael's,' Isabel said as Max turned down the road toward the museum. 'They can't wait to see you.'

'Yeah, and Michael said something about having a big announcement to make,' Max added, glancing at Alex in the rearview mirror. 'Although I don't know what could be bigger than having you back.'

'Yeah, I am pretty huge,' Alex joked, stretching out his arms.

Isabel shook her head but giggled. 'Looks like Maria's here, at least,' she commented as Max pulled into the museum parking lot.

'Get ready for some major squealing,' Max told Alex. He pulled to a stop by the stairs leading up to Michael and Adam's apartment.

Almost on cue, the door to the apartment flew open. 'Alex!' Maria screeched. She took the stairs three at a time, Liz right behind her.

Alex scrambled out of the Jeep and started to run as soon as his feet touched the pavement. His legs were still a little weak, but running was the only option. He was about a third of the way up the stairs when Liz and Maria reached him. He didn't know whose arms were wrapped around him or who was kissing him, and he didn't care.

'Come on! Come upstairs,' Liz exclaimed. She and Maria each took one of his hands, and they all squeezed up the staircase without losing their grips on each other.

'Okay, break it up, break it up,' Michael called as they pushed through the front door. He waved them into the living room. When Alex passed by, Michael gave him a fast, hard hug.

'Good to have you back,' he said, not quite looking Alex in the eye.

'Thanks,' Alex answered. He felt a tentative hand on his shoulder, and then suddenly Adam had him in a half hug, half choke hold.