Viktor tugged his beard. "This is why most people laugh at the existence of extraterrestrials. No one believes what they cannot see, but we all know that we're here, don't we?"

Kaila was stunned. Was this how they observed her and others? They could view everything with humans completely unaware. That thought alone was terrifying.

Mrs. Bourg linked pinky fingers with Kaila's, who still hadn't moved, disbelieving that her family was unaware of her physics cla.s.s crowding the living room. Yet, she could smell Mrs. Bourg's pungent cologne.

"When people say they have seen a UFO going into the side of a mountain, they have," Douglas said through his trance. "The craft is simply going into the fourth dimension, not crashing into the third dimensional physics of the mountain. And in the sky, when people see a UFO shoot off and disappear, it goes to this dimension. I suspect there are millions of hidden ships up there."

"Yes, Douglas, exactly," Mrs. Bourg said. "You will serve us well in the future. But enough. To our next lesson. Who would like to create a hologram of Kaila's step-dad?"

"Leave him alone," Kaila protested.

"I'll do it," Toby volunteered.

Jordyn was at her side. He wore no expression, but Kaila heard him in her mind. Don't be afraid, Kaila. This is good. Trust us.

She realized that without the Velostat plastic she was completely telepathic.

It's okay, Toby said to her mind. We want to do this for you. Thank you for letting me share time with Melissa at the party. I had a great time. But we are sorry for the problems we caused.

Kaila sensed a current like a laser emitting from Toby's mind to Mike. It then appeared as if Mike's spirit lifted out of his chest.

Then, next to Toby was a three-dimensional hologram of Mike. Mike's hologram stood motionless like in her mother's yoga mountain pose: erect, head up, arms down, palms to his side.

Dressed exactly as he was on the couch, in his jeans and a t-shirt that said, "I wish my life had background music. So I knew what the h.e.l.l was going on!"

His hologram was see-through and amber hued; Kaila could see through his image to Judge Judy on the television.

Jordyn held Kaila's hand. Much healthier than the other night, he said to her mind. Bad health will now give good health.

Mike's hologram blinked with the infusing energy. His skin and clothes stripped away so his muscles became visible. Toby stared intently at the hologram. Then, more energy infused the hologram until nothing but a bare skeleton was visible.

"You can see the fracture here," Mrs. Bourg said, pointing.

The hologram blinked, the bones shimmering and vibrating.

What I am doing is sequencing, Toby said to Kaila's mind.

"Please speak aloud," Mrs. Bourg instructed.

"What I'm doing," Toby said, "is sequencing Mike's body back through time. I am looking to access the strongest this bone has been in his life." The blinking stopped. "Here are his bones when he was twenty-three years old. This will do."

He said to Kaila telepathically, I am going to give "lagniappe." Melissa told me the other night that lagniappe in Louisiana is a gift, something extra. Her lagniappe was a kiss. I never kissed before. I liked it. He grinned.

"Speak aloud, Toby!"

Toby again focused energy from his mind toward the hologram. In addition to bones, Mike's vital organs became visible. The brain, the beating heart, the breathing lungs, the kidneys, the stomach, all his organs pulsating and throbbing.

A silver box on the coffee table lifted and floated to Toby. It was a mirror ghost image of the box; the actual box stayed on the table.

Nan and Mike didn't notice.

"Why do these idiots always think they can get away with stealing?" Mike grumbled from the sofa, watching Judge Judy.

"I don't know," Nan said, holding up the pink blanket she was crocheting. "Can't even guess why they'd embarra.s.s themselves on public TV with that c.r.a.p."

Toby held the silver box in front of Mike's hologram. He leaned over Mike, staring intently at his pulsing lungs. Then a black substance floated out of the hologram's lungs. It traveled up through the esophagus out through its skeletal mouth. Toby held the silver box, letting the gunky substance fill the box. It stank of cigarette tar.

"Mike is a smoker," Toby said. "We've just cleaned his lungs." He closed the box and let it go. It floated through the room to merge with the box on the coffee table. "And we've just repaired his leg."

Toby lowered his chin. The hologram now had muscles, then skin, then clothes. "Now we will rejoin our corrections."

The hologram went from three-dimensional form to an amber-like vapor. It flew toward Mike's chest, then entered and merged with his body.

Mike started coughing. Coughing like he'd choke.

"Mike, you okay?" Nan asked.

"I'm okay," he spluttered.

"So," Mrs. Bourg said. "We have just healed Kaila's step-dad's fractured leg. And thank you, Toby, for cleaning his lungs. He will not be aware of his healing until he tries to stand. But the lesson is that there are better methods of healing than barbaric surgery." Mrs. Bourg clapped her hands. "Antonia, take us back."

Antonia lifted her palms. The walls of the living room blew out, the ceiling revealed dark s.p.a.ce, the floor fell out to reveal the universe below.

Then they were back in the cla.s.sroom, everyone in their seats, the fluorescent lights beaming above.

Telepathically, Jordyn asked Kaila, Are you pleased?

I don't know what to think, she replied with her mind, shaken.

It's a gift, Jordyn said. Our way of saying sorry for the trouble the other night. He added, We haven't been able to do Earth things. We never had a party. We wanted to try it. We took advantage. For that, we are sorry. We hope this makes up for it.

Then she heard more, but not in words. I feel you, I like you, I want to be with you, you are one of us; together we shine.

Her heart blossomed like a lily pad flower in the sun. They gazed at one another in silent communion as she felt his radiant energy pa.s.sing to her from his head and chest.

Do you think I could come to your house one day? Kaila asked.

In time, you will see all, he replied. I am proud of you, my star girl.

"Kaila," Mrs. Bourg said, holding the black plastic and wig like a dead rat. "You may want to put this back on. But in this cla.s.s it is prohibited henceforward." She leaned over Kaila's desk. "And remember what I said. Not a word."

Kaila said nothing, wrapping the black plastic around her head, smoothing her wig back into a ponytail.

"Acknowledge that you've heard me."

"Yes!"

"Viktor, instill a screen memory of basic holograms, then wake them," Mrs. Bourg said. "But omit the fourth dimension lesson. That was strictly for Kaila."

"What exactly are we today? An emo?" Wade taunted Kaila as she walked through the hallway in her black jeans and shirt.

Kaila was exhausted; the last thing she wanted to deal with was this Neanderthal.

"Yeah, she's gone from hick to prep to emo," said Tara, rolling her eyes.

"I guess that makes her a poser," Wade announced.

"Shut your pie hole, loser," Kaila shot back.

She knew better than to panic and sound a mental alarm. She didn't want a scene like before, with Jordyn time-freezing everyone in the hall. She pushed through them.

"Poser! Poser!" Wade cupped his hand to his mouth. "Oh, and here comes bug eyes," he taunted Phyllis, his next victim.

"It's a miracle," Nan said.

Mike rose from his chair. "I'm fine. I can walk. Doesn't hurt at all."

"Um, what happened?" Kaila asked, dumping her backpack on the kitchen chair.

"d.a.m.ned if I know," Mike said. "But I can walk, and it don't hurt."

"It was my prayer group," Nan said. "I put out a prayer chain this morning."

"Hmph," Mike said. "More like that x-ray machine was broken in the hospital. d.a.m.n doctors. Greedy b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Can't trust no one."

Nan wriggled her nose. "What is that odor? Smells like stale cigarettes. Have you been smoking, Kaila?"

"No. Gross. I don't smoke. You know that."

"Have you been smoking in the house, Mike?"

"No ma'am. You know I smoke outside."

Kaila made a note to clean out the silver box on the coffee table after they went to bed. They didn't need any lingering proof of the source of this miracle.

Kaila sat up in bed. The dogs growled with lowered heads at the balcony door. Jordyn was coming; she felt it.

Kaila opened the balcony doors. She stepped outside on the gallery. A huge moon lit the sky. Tree frogs and crickets trilled in the night.

A glowing ball appeared in the s.p.a.ce just beyond the balcony. It floated next to her, then Jordyn materialized.

"I missed you," he said, sweeping her into his arms.

"I missed you too." She tightened her hug, loving his strong arms.

Lucy and Woofy continued growling.

"Why do they growl at you?" Kaila asked.

"They sense my alien energy," Jordyn said. "They know I don't belong on Earth." He kissed her cheek. "I can't stay long. I don't want them tracking me, but I had to come and be with you." He pressed his lips to her neck. "You taste good."

She nuzzled her cheek against his, feeling bristles of whiskers.

"I wanted to tell you again how sorry I am for what happened," he said. "It got out of control. We got sick, we had to suspend time for us to recover. We need our minds clear and strong. We never drank before. Never again."

He released her, gazing out over the moonlit fields.

"I will have to sneak time to be with you alone. You need to understand that we are of a group hive mind and everything we think is in the open. Our thoughts are not ours alone like on this planet. So you and I must meet quickly and quietly."

"That's a terrible way to live." Kaila said. Short, secret dates? She wanted more.

He raised his eyes to the night sky dotted with stars. "Who would have ever thought I would be here on this balcony with you . . . alone. It is forbidden. For me to be here alone with you is individual and selfish. But I can't help myself." He looked to the dark sky, as if searching for answers. After a while, he said, "And so, having shared that, I want to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"I want you to think about ditching that wig and plastic. But what I really want to ask is for you to think about joining us."

"What do you mean?"

"Kaila," he said, his eyes like an owl's, "at some point you have to decide. You are sta.r.s.eed. A lot of stuff is going to happen in the future. If you are with us, you will be protected. But more than that, if you turn your allegiance, we can be together. I don't like when I can't be with you."

He hung his head, as if ashamed to admit it.

"I don't want to leave my family," Kaila blurted. "Even though I always felt alone, different, like I was from somewhere else, I can't imagine leaving them forever."

"All I'm asking is to think about it. Look what humans do to each other. Look how cruel, how selfish. I don't have to tell you. I know you see it."

"Not all people are cruel," Kaila said, thinking of her grandfather. He had always loved her unconditionally; he went out of his way to show her how much he loved her.

"You're not cruel," Jordyn agreed.

"No, listen, I want to ask you something."

He glanced at her, then up to the sky, c.o.c.ked his head, listening.

"Could you fix my Paw Paw the way you did Mike?"

"I'll ask," he replied, still monitoring the dark sky.

"No, I mean, right now. If Toby could fix Mike, you could-"

"Too long to be missing. Plus, I can't do that alone. It has to be a hive decision. But I'll ask. And you- think about us." He hugged her, pecked her cheek. Then he was gone.

"I have something horrible to tell you," Pia whispered to Kaila in the back of the bus.

Melissa looked exhausted; she had bags under her eyes.

"What?" Kaila gazed into Pia's doe-like eyes.