"He's not going to die. Think about it. He's way too valuable to Sheriff Valenti alive. For one thing, Michael has information Valenti wants. He would never kill him until he found the other… you knows." Liz took a deep breath, then continued. "And we're going to get him out of there before that happens."
Maria nodded. "I know. I know. I still just wish-"
The opening bars of the Close Encounters theme interrupted her. She glanced toward the door to see who was coming in. Alex. Good. Maybe Alex could get them onto another subject.
"So, what do you think of months-of-the-year underpants?" Alex asked as he slid onto one of the stools lining the counter.
"What?" Liz cried.
"I'm making a list of very bad business ideas for my web site," Alex explained.
"Who changes their underwear every month?" Maria asked. "Now if they made some that just had the year on them, those would sell like crazy." She held on to her straight face for half a second, then started to giggle.
"Is she mocking me?" Alex asked Liz. "I think she's mocking me."
Maria kept giggling. She couldn't stop. She giggled so hard, her stomach started to hurt and tears stung her eyes. She wanted to stop. But she couldn't.
Liz shoved a glass of water into her hand, and Maria took a swallow. It went down the wrong way and she started to choke, her nose and throat and lungs burning as she coughed and sputtered.
Alex leaned across the counter and pounded her on the back. Maria gave one more cough and managed to pull in a breath. She grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser and wiped her eyes and then her running nose.
"Are you okay?" Liz asked.
"Yeah. Just totally embarrassed," Maria answered. She folded the napkin and wiped her eyes again. The tears wouldn't stop streaming. God, she really was going psycho. She took a quick glance around the cafe. "Everyone is staring at me."
"Order up," Stan called from the kitchen.
"I'll get it," Liz told Maria. She grabbed the plates and hurried into the dining room.
"You sure you're okay?" Alex asked. He pulled another napkin out of the dispenser and handed it to her.
"Yeah," Maria answered. "So, um, why are you here?" she asked, trying to sound sane. "I mean, I thought you and Isabel were going to the mall after she got done with practice."
"She wasn't in the mood," Alex said, obviously frustrated. "She also wasn't in the mood to come here. Or in the mood for me to hang out at her house," he added.
"You're not thinking it has anything to do with you, right?" Maria asked. "I'm sure she just needed some time by herself. She's totally freaked about Michael."
"Yeah," Alex agreed. "It's just that…"
"It's just that what?" she asked.
"It's just that even before Michael was captured, I had the feeling she was, I don't know…" Alex said. "Take that party we went to last week. Isabel disappeared on me for, like, an hour."
"Wow, a whole hour?" Maria teased gently. But her stomach was curling up in a little ball. She knew where Isabel had been. She had been out in the backyard, standing very close to Michael.
Was Isabel the reason Michael hadn't said anything-well, much of anything-when Maria had told him she loved him?
Michael's eyes snapped open when he heard the door of his cell open. What now?
"We thought you two might want to play cards or something," one of the guards said. He stood back and let Adam walk into the cell, then locked the door behind him.
Do I look like a complete moron? Michael thought. Do they think that I don't know why they're doing this? They're looking for information. They're hoping I'll let something slip that will help them track down the others. Or that their little tame alien will make another connection with me and get better stuff than he did the last time.
Yeah, Adam saw Isabel when he made the connection in the lab. But he didn't see anything that indicated she was anything but a hot human chick that Michael had an image of in his brain. So Isabel should be safe for now. But Michael needed to be on guard around Adam. As much as he looked like a harmless kid-Michael had to keep reminding himself they were around the same age-Adam could be very dangerous.
Michael shot a glance at him. Adam was standing with his back practically pressed against the cell door. He looked like he wished he was anywhere but here. I wonder what they told him about me? Michael thought. I wonder what they told him about himself? Does he even know he's from another planet? Or does he just think that everyone hatches out of a metal cocoon and grows up in little glass cells?
"You want to play cards?" Michael asked, trying to sound reassuring without slipping into that Mr. Rogers-speak Valenti used with Adam. "Come on, we'll play." He slid down to the end of the bed so Adam had some room. Adam hesitated, then he walked over and sat down across from Michael.
"You know that game we played in the lab?" Michael asked. Adam immediately reached for Michael's hand to make the connection, and Michael jerked away. "I don't like that game. Don't ever try to play that game with me unless I say it's okay. You understand?" he asked.
Adam nodded, his green eyes wary. "Good," Michael said. "So what game do you want to play?"
"Crazy eights is my favorite," Adam answered. He pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket and started to deal.
Crazy eights. Man. Michael tried to remember the last time he'd played that game. A while ago. He wasn't even sure he still remembered the rules.
"Cool," Michael told him. "That's my favorite game, too." He felt a little slimy saying it, but he needed Adam to start trusting him. Michael had already decided that when he found a way out of here, Adam was coming with him. There was no way Michael was leaving one of his own in this pit.
Adam flipped over the top card in the pile that sat between him and Michael-a three of hearts. Then he picked up his own cards, studied them quickly, and slapped down the jack of hearts.
Oh, right, Michael thought. You just have to match suits. Or you can match the numbers if you want. It was all coming back to him. He grabbed his cards, found a heart, and put it on top of Adam's. Adam slammed down the two of hearts. Michael started to put down the two of clubs.
"No! You have to take two. Take two! When I play a two, you have to take two!" Adam pointed to the two of hearts on the pile and gave a joyful cackle.
Michael couldn't stop himself from smiling as he took his two cards. Adam was really getting into the game. It reminded Michael of Isabel as a little girl. She'd always played Candy Land as if she had a million bucks riding on the game. She cheated, too. She'd trick you into looking out the window or at the TV, then she'd plant the card she needed at the top of the pile.
But Izzy was seven years old at the time. And Adam had to be sixteen or seventeen. Michael felt hot anger begin to boil inside him. Adam was one of them, which meant he could absorb information much faster than humans did. If someone gave him some books or a computer, he'd soak up knowledge by the second. Instead he was still getting all hyped over a game of crazy eights.
"So who taught you how to play this game?" Michael asked. He didn't plan on giving Adam any info, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and get some.
"Dad," Adam answered. He snapped down the two of diamonds and laughed when Michael had to add two more cards to his hand.
"And who would that be?" Michael asked.
"Mr. Valenti," Adam returned.
Dad? Adam called the man who kept him prisoner underground Dad. And Michael thought he'd had it bad doing the foster-home boogie all his life. There were worse things, much worse things.
"Did, uh, Dad"-the name tasted like acid on Michael's tongue-"teach you how to play the other game, too?"