He had not been able to tell this father the truth about why they had really done it… or the more important truth about who he and Isabel really were. Finally, they had told their parents the whole truth. And then they'd had to leave Roswell, which just wasn't safe for them anymore.

But one summer before all of that… even before Liz… Max, Isabel, and Michael had painted the house with Dad.

And soon, the clear, warm air, the motion of the rollers on the side of the house, and some old rock and roll that was playing on the radio had begun to work on them all. Max had found all of his thirteen-year-old worries fading away. The group began to joke and laugh.

Michael burped once. Then Dad had made it a burping contest. Isabel had pretended to be disgusted at first, but she'd joined the game. In fact, Max remembered that she had won. It was a great summer, Max remembered. And that first day was one of the best days of his life, he realized.

Max glanced down at Isabel and Michael. They were working steadily. Maybe the work would take Isabel's mind off things.

Reminding himself to ask Bell if they could borrow a radio, Max got back to work.

16

Hey time to take a break, mister," Liz said from down below, a smile on her face.

Max climbed down as the others put down their tools. Shaking off the dust and paint chips, Michael said, "You know, we'd be done already if we used out powers.”

"That would be low profile," Isabel said.

"Just a thought," Michael said, raising his hands and smiling.

Max quickly scanned the wall. They had almost fin- ished scraping it smooth. As a result, they had made many patches that were bare brick or half a dozen different col- ors. It was already after the lunch rush now. With a break to eat, Max figured they would finish scraping the side and maybe the front by the end of the day.

"How's it going?" Liz said.

"We'll be at it a few days," Max said.

"I think it's nice. Bell really appreciates it," Liz said.

"Well, we appreciate the food," Max said.

"And you want to keep an eye on me," Liz said seriously.

Max shrugged as Michael said, "I would really appreci- ate some food about now.”

Inside, Max saw Jimmy sitting by the window of the nearly empty diner. The boy looked like he hadn't moved since that morning, when Max had seen him last. Jimmy was still looking out with the same forlorn stare. Max felt a stab of guilt at how much he had enjoyed working outside with his friends while Jimmy was inside thinking about his sister and worrying… with very good reason, Max knew.

Suddenly, he knew he had to help Jimmy, and the name- less others in town who were lost or who had lost loved ones. Just two days ago, he had said to Liz that he thought his path in life might be to use his powers to make a difference… to try to help people. Well, in front of Max was a person who needed help as badly as anyone he had ever seen. Helping him might be dangerous… that much, he had learned from Liz's visions and Isabel's dreamwalk. But since he had come out of the pod, his entire life had been dangerous.

Max didn't know if he really could help, but he knew he would try.

As soon as he finished eating with the group at the diner, Kyle headed back for the garage. He didn't want to do any- thing to tick off Dan. He had clearly upset his boss and he didn't want to add to the trouble. Unless he kept this job, they might never get out of Stonewall.

Outside Johnny's, Kyle saw Gomer for the first time that day. The bigger man glanced at Kyle and looked away quickly. Kyle hoped that meant his trouble with Gomer was over. He relaxed a little when Gomer climbed into the garage pickup truck and pulled away.

When Kyle stepped into the garage, he saw Dan at work on an old station wagon. Dan had disappeared after Kyle had given him the photo, and Kyle was relieved to see him back at work. Kyle approached his next repair job… another tune-up… and Dan didn't even look up. Apparently, things were back to normal.

About an hour later, before he was finished with the tune-up, Kyle heard footsteps behind him. Immediately sure that Gomer was looking for trouble, Kyle spun around to find Dan standing behind him.

Relieved, Kyle let out a sigh that was louder than he had anticipated. Dan didn't seem to notice. Then Kyle saw that the older man was holding out something. For a sec- ond, Kyle's brain wouldn't register what it was. Then, it finally did…

Dan was holding out a timing chain.

For a second, Kyle found that his mouth wouldn't work. Fortunately, his hands still did, and he took the heavy chain from Dan.

"I pulled it from the van out back. You can put it in tonight after hours if you want," Dan said, his face as unreadable as ever.

"Thanks, I mean… this is great," Kyle replied.

"It's not free. It'll come out of your pay," Dan said.

"Of course," Kyle said.

"And here's a key for the padlock on the big garage door. Lock up when you're done. Dawn will lock up the office," he said.

"Thanks," Kyle said.

Dan grunted and turned back to head for the office.

Kyle carefully put the chain down. It was a very lucky break for them. He would probably be working late into the night to get it into the engine of their van. Once that was done, he would be able to get it started and really get it running right. If they had to, they could probably be out of Stonewall in a few days or a week at most, depending on how much Dan charged him for the parts he needed.

Kyle used to dread full shifts at the garage in Roswell. Then, he had seen his future ticking away every hour that he worked. Now, his future and the future of his friends depended on his ability with cars. Kyle found himself look- ing forward to the next job. If he finished his cars early, he might be able to pull the engine of the van before dinner. That meant he would have no trouble getting the timing chain in and getting the engine back in the van before bed.

For the first time in… maybe the first time ever, Kyle found himself eager to get back to work.

Just after four thirty, Kyle went to get Max and Michael to help him push the van into a repair bay. Though they have been pleased by Kyle's news, they had left the diner reluctantly and then hurried back.

Kyle understood. There was something odd in the air at Stonewall. And lately, that air seemed to be getting thicker. He was glad the guys were staying close to Isabel, Liz, and Maria. That thought moved his hands even faster. He grabbed the engine lift and wheeled it over to the van. Yes, if he hurried, he could get it out before Liz called to tell him to come down for dinner.

Two hours later, when the shop phone rang, Kyle picked it up and knew it was Liz.

"Dinner bell, Kyle," she said.

Kyle smiled as he said, "I'll be right there.”

Before he headed out, he took a quick inventory of his work. The engine was out of the van, and he'd even pulled the old timing chain… which hadn't broken so much as disintegrated in a number of places.

He nearly trotted out the door. If he ate quickly, he would be able to get the new one in no problem and, if he was lucky, get the engine back in the van before it got too late.

Kyle was the last to arrive. He came in excited and told them about the van.

"I'll need a few days to get the van running well, but I should be able to get it started at least tonight," Kyle said.

Max was pleased that it looked like they would be able to leave town in a week of less.

"I want to thank you kids," Bell said as she brought out the first plates of food. "The place looks great.”

Max smiled and said, "Actually, it looks much worse.”

It did; they had scraped almost the whole outside of the building smooth, but there were now oddly colored patches everywhere. The diner now looked like a mottled mess.