Maria stared out the carriage window while her mind wandered.

He was back again.

Her heart had nearly stopped when he’d locked eyes with her at the dock earlier. Had he really noticed her? For a moment it seemed like he had, but then he’d looked away. She’d prayed that this would be the day that he’d see the new Maria - not Kyle’s annoying little sister, but Maria, the woman. As usual though, he hadn’t even noticed her existence. The only way she ever got him to pay attention to her was if she pestered him, but she was getting too old for that.

“Dreaming about Alex, are you?” Kyle asked her.

“No,” she said quietly.

“Really? I thought he might catch your eye now that he’s all grown up. Too bad,” Kyle said thoughtfully.

“He doesn’t want me like that either, Kyle. We’re friends.”

“Well, maybe once you’re married…” Kyle sounded hopeful.

“Please, talk to Father again. I don’t want to do it, and I know Alex doesn’t either. This is 1819, shouldn’t I have some say in who I marry? It was so unfair for Mother to promise me to Alex. For heaven’s sake, she went directly against Grandfather’s wishes and married Father. If she were still alive, I could reason with her, but instead I’m left with Father who will honor her last wish if it kills him…or me! Please, Kyle, ask him again?” Maria pleaded.

“You know I’ve tried. As much for Alex’s sake as for yours,” he grinned wickedly, “we both know you’ll eat the poor boy alive.”

Maria threw her gloves at her brother, but smiled. It was true; Alex led an ordered, intellectual life. After a few months of living with her he would be pulling his hair out, she knew that she was a little too lively for her quiet friend.

“Well, maybe I just won’t go home. Maybe I’ll live with you at the plantation. I brought enough clothes for a few weeks, and you can buy me more. Please, Kyle?”

Kyle’s features became somber, “We’re lucky he lets you see me at all. Do you know how many promises I have to make about your safety and well being any time he lets you visit me? Maria, if I let you stay, I think he’d kill me,” there was no laughter in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s impossible, I was just hoping…” her voice trailed off. The look on his face tore at her heart, “You’re still his son Kyle. In his own way he’s actually proud of you. When he writes to our Grandfather, he brags about you. I just wish one of you would swallow your pride and end this feuding.”

For a moment she thought he would open up to her, but then she saw him compose himself, pulling his features into a smirk.

She barely had time to duck before he threw her gloves back in her face, his signal that the discussion was over.

“So, are you going to be on your best behavior during your stay? Should I go over my house rules for you? Let’s see, ah…no slinging mud at my friends…no loosening the buckles on anyone’s saddle…no hair pulling…” he teased.

“Kyle, that’s not fair! It’s been so long since-“

He raised his eyebrows at her as though daring her to continue.

“Well, I know it’s been at least a year. I’m 18 now, I’m a lady,” she rolled her eyes, “and it’s not as if it was anyone important, it was only Michael…” her heart stopped.

Oh no. It was all Michael! Did Kyle know?

She looked at his face but just saw his usual ‘wicked older brother’ look. Thank God, he was too dense to make the connection. He probably would skin her alive if he had any idea how she felt about his friend.

“Well, Michael is coming tomorrow,” he said after he stopped laughing, “at least try to be nice. If it weren’t for him, your wardrobe wouldn’t be the envy of every girl on the island.”

“Kyle, you would have been a success without him. Michael Guerin isn’t anything special,” she hoped that her face wouldn’t reveal her as a liar.

Kyle’s face grew deadly serious, “No, he is one of the best men I’ve ever known, and I would not have been anything without him. At least show him some respect,” he said sternly, then whispered to himself, “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”

Maria watched her brother quietly. Had she heard him correctly? What did he mean that he ‘wouldn’t be here’ if it weren’t for Michael? He obviously hadn’t intended for her to hear it, and she was a little afraid to ask. Kyle said strange things sometimes; this must just be one of those occasions. She pushed the questions out of her mind and resumed watching the fields through the carriage window. Right now, she needed to begin to formulate a strategy for the next day…how was she going to get Michael Guerin’s attention without doing anything childish? That was the question.

***

Michael crouched on the riverbank and scanned the woods behind him.

This was the spot.

This was the exact place Jeff Parker had found him 17 years before. He could still remember clawing his way out of the slimy casing of the pod and laying down near the edge of the water. Michael had felt so alone, he felt that there should have been others, but he didn’t know where they were. It was only by chance that Jeff Parker happened upon him, needing to water a tired horse. The feeling of safety and warmth as the man had wrapped him in his coat and held him until he stopped crying. Jeff had spoken to him, but he hadn’t been able to understand a word. It didn’t matter what Jeff was saying, Michael had simply needed to hear a soothing voice.

He could still remember the night when Jeff took him home. Five year old Alex had stared hard at him, not quite sure what to make of the strange boy who couldn’t speak. He could remember little Liz, who had been just two, pinching his nose and giggling at him, he had given her a smile – his first ever. Within a few hours they were all three playing together, and Alex had him speaking perfect English by the end of his first week. Jeff had named him after an old friend who had died at sea, Michael Guerin, the name gave him a sense of identity and sparked the idea that he might be happy with his new family.

Jeff had tried to find out who he was, but never had any success. Everyone had assumed that Michael had amnesia, explaining his inability to speak and the fact that he had no memories before the riverbank. Michael knew differently, he knew he wasn’t natural, he just didn’t want to tell Jeff. He was afraid his new family wouldn’t want him if they knew that he had been born out of a pod a fully developed boy, approximately seven years old. Secretly as a child he had suspected that he must be some sort of devil spawn, which would explain his powers to move and change and heal things. When he got older he began to think differently. His tutors taught him about the Greek myths when he was 13 and he’d imagined that he was really a child of the gods sent to live on earth, but still possessing supernatural powers. Now, as an adult, he was relatively certain that he was from an entirely different world, he just didn’t know where.

All of his life he’d returned to this spot when he was upset. Drawn here to search for the answers that he knew must exist somewhere, the answers that would make everything in his life make sense.

She was the reason he’d come here today.

They’d just arrived home from the docks and he’d stood in the drawing room looking out the window, watching as she moved toward the front door on her father’s arm. He couldn’t be confined in the house with her, not while Alex was here too.

For the thousandth time he cursed his rotten luck for not really being Jeff Parker’s son. If only Nancy Parker had been his real mother. Maybe she and Amy Valenti would have cooked up a scheme to marry Maria to him. Then his life would be complete no matter how much of a freak he had been. But, no, the deal had been done before he’d even entered the picture – he’d never known Amy or Nancy, they were dead and buried and their promises to each other regarding to their children were sealed as tightly as their tombs.

He’d fled the house before she was even inside. What kind of man coveted his brother’s fiancé? The whole voyage Michael had been afraid that Alex would mention her, that he wouldn’t be able to hide his reaction at the sound of her name. Thankfully he hadn’t. It sickened him that he would even consider interfering with his brother’s happiness, but he couldn’t stop wanting Maria. The dreams he would have of her running into his arms, touching him with those tiny hands, kissing him with her feather soft lips – he always woke in a cold sweat, cursing himself. Liz had hinted before he’d left for London six months ago that she didn’t think Alex really cared for Maria that way – his heart had leapt and then sank again, it didn’t really matter if Alex cared or not, the marriage was set in stone. He wondered if Liz could be right, could Alex be such a fool that he wouldn’t love Maria and worship the ground that she walked on? He doubted it.

Michael stood and walked away from the riverbank toward his horse. He turned the mount toward town and tried to keep his mind off of her. As usual, she was the only thing he could think about.

He needed to end his obsession with Maria Valenti. For years he’d tried, and failed. Too many years…

He could still remember how it had all started, she had been barely 13 and was visiting Kyle at the plantation. He’d found her in the swimming hole in the woods behind the house. The carefree way that she jumped and splashed in the water made his breath catch. In a few moments she went from being Kyle’s little sister to the only object of his desire. He’d been so upset by his feelings that he’d yelled at her, told her to get out of the water and put her clothes on. She’d stood in the water in her dripping underclothes, arms crossed haughtily and stuck her tongue out at him.

//”You can’t tell me what to do, you’re not my brother!”

The wet clothes clinging to her budding figure were driving him crazy, but he couldn’t look away. He shouldn’t feel like this, she was Kyle’s little sister.

“Maria, the tomboy act isn’t cute anymore. Now get dressed and get back to the house.”

He had to get away from her, this was wrong, she was too young and her anger was just making him want her more. He turned to start toward the house.

“Oh, just leave me alone. You’re so mean, why don’t you ever smile? You’re evil. That’s why I hate you,” she’d said obstinately her hands on her hips.

He whirled around, and pointed a finger at her, taking out the anger that he felt toward himself on her.

“You are a spoiled brat, Maria Valenti, and I feel so sorry for my poor brother. Imagine being saddled with you for the rest of his life! I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”//

They’d never really said a kind word to each other since.

He’d thrown himself into the shipping business and avoided the plantation after that day, he and Maria had never gotten along and after the incident at the swimming hole, he knew she hated him. She was always doing something to him. For Maria and Kyle pranks had always been a way of life, and she had spent her teenage years pulling some of her best on Michael. The truth was he’d loved every minute of it. The fact that she never backed down, never gave up, it just made her seem more perfect. Her creativity always amazed him, his initial feelings had been physical but over time it grew to be so much more.

A little over a year ago when he’d returned from Boston she’d been a little different though. She was as malicious as ever in conversation, but the pranks had stopped. And she no longer went out of her way to insult him; she simply used the opportunities that presented themselves. He missed her old attitude, it had helped to remind him that she was young and immature. The new mature Maria Valenti was of an age to be looked at and desired. It made resisting the urge to touch her ten times harder. She’d started showing up at the Parker house more often. Since she had begun acting like an adult she and Liz had much more in common, their friendship had grown very close. He’d been unable to avoid her, and it was why he’d left the last time, to avoid temptation.

The night he’d left was when the dreams had started, dreams that seemed so real he woke thinking he had actually been with her. In his dreams, she was his. They’d played out a dramatic courtship in his dream world, but he’d finally won her. Every night in his dreams she ran to him across a waving field of grass and threw herself into his arms. Sometimes they talked about silly things like what they’d done that day, sometimes they fought and she would rant and throw dirt at him, sometimes he just held her and kissed her and looked into her eyes. The dreams were relatively tame, just the occasional passionate kiss, but it was little consolation to a man who nightly betrayed not only his brother, but also his best friend.

He was just riding into town when he noticed the dark haired man from the docks earlier. He felt the same strange feeling he had when he’d seen the man before. Without really thinking about it, he hopped off of his horse and stood on the side of the street staring after the stranger.

There was a statuesque looking blonde walking alongside him. They seemed to be having an intense conversation, the woman kept making large hand gestures and the man was either nodding or shaking his head constantly. Something about the pair had Michael completely intrigued, and he decided he had to follow them.

***

“…and it’s not that I’m not grateful to Nacedo and Serena for taking care of us, but to be honest I don’t think we’re ever going to make it home, as a matter of fact – if these dreams I’m having are true, there is no home to go back to. It just seems like it would make sense to try to integrate into this society, we can’t just live out our lives as hermits in the for-“ Isabel stopped mid-sentence, “Did you feel that?”

Max had stopped walking and was scanning the street, “It’s him,” he said softly.

“Really?” Isabel whispered, “He feels strange, not like the rest of us.”

“You just aren’t used to him yet, Is. Let’s keep walking, he might get suspicious if he catches me staring at him again.”

“Did you spot him? Where is he?”

“He’s behind us. Come on, let’s go into that bookshop over there, and stop looking so nervous. Try to act casual,” Max hissed as he grabbed her elbow and started to cross the street toward the shop.

They stepped inside and Isabel was greeted with the wonderful smell of the shop, it was a strange combination of leather, dust, and mold – and she loved it.

“Well, hello, Miss Evans,” Mr. Trainor said from behind a counter to her left.

“Hello, Mr. Trainor, um, have your received anymore of…ah…my preferred reading material?” Isabel stammered, dreading what Max was going to say.

“Yes as a matter of fact, fresh off the boat today, come on back and I’ll show you what I have,” Mr. Trainor said kindly, knowing that she didn’t want to admit out loud that she was an avid novel reader.

Isabel moved to follow him to the back of the store when Max grabbed her arm, “He knows you by name? Remember what Nacedo said about reading novels? It isn’t proper, and you also shouldn’t be coming here on your own.”

“Oh, Max, who cares, I’m sick of following Nacedo’s stupid rules, I think I might just start doing things my way,” Isabel jerked her arm away from him and practically tripped in her haste to follow Mr. Trainor.

Max heard the door opening behind him and turned to find Michael Guerin entering the store with the young man and woman he’d seen him with at the dock earlier.

“…I’m glad you’re here though, Michael, you can solve an argument for us. Is salt water more buoyant than fresh water?” the brunette was asking Guerin.

“Liz, I don’t know and I could not possibly care less. You know I’m not as smart as either of you, why do you even ask me this stuff?”

The brunette laughed at him and Max felt a tightening in his chest, the girl was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

***

Michael tried to keep his eyes on his sister hoping that the dark haired stranger hadn’t noticed that he was following him. He hadn’t intended to follow the man and woman into the shop, but when he’d seen Liz and Alex headed for the entrance he’d felt like it was an opportunity. Now he just felt uncomfortable. What on earth was he doing lurking around, following a man he thought looked a little familiar?

He decided to get a grip on the situation and looked the man dead in the eyes.

“I saw you on the docks today,” Michael began and extended his hand, “allow me to introduce myself, I’m Michael Guerin.” He gestured his hand toward his siblings, “this is my brother, Alexander Parker, and my sister, Miss Elizabeth Parker.”

Well, that was certainly was facing things head on. He waited with bated breath for the stranger to respond.

“Ah, yes, pleased to meet you, I’m Maxwell Evans,” the man replied and shook his hand, then turned to Alex and did the same.

“Mr. Evans, are you the one who is renting the Grant residence for the summer?” Liz asked.

“Oh, well, yes. We - uh, that is my sister and I – are renting it for the summer,” Evans fumbled.

Puzzled, Michael was wondering if the man was just socially inept or if he had some other reason to be so nervous. Something was going on, that much was certain. Evans was sizing him up, looking at his face as though he was searching for something. And there was a strange feeling, almost like a strange buzz in his mind. He was beginning to develop a sickening idea that this stranger might have something to do with his unnatural abilities.

Michael looked at Liz who was continuing to make polite conversation with Evans. She was being unusually outgoing, it must have something to do with the man’s obvious awkwardness, she was being kind to him. No, she was being extremely friendly, smiling. What was going on here? He looked back at Evans who had stopped perusing Michael to examine Liz, a shy smile on his face. Then he saw it, the obvious electricity between them. They couldn’t take their eyes off each other.

Where was Alex? Michael spotted him examining a bookshelf at the back of the room. What was he supposed to do? This Evans was definitely strange, maybe even frightening – he was not someone who should be looking at his sister like that.

“Liz,” Michael interrupted their conversation about the moon’s orbit around the earth, “Alex needs you, it looks important.”

Liz looked at him strangely, “Well, I was just in the middle-“

“Evans, I’ve got a horse outside I’m itching to sell. You’re interested in good horseflesh aren’t you?” Michael grabbed the man by the arm in a gesture that was outwardly friendly but he knew Evans would recognize as confrontational.

“Oh, ah, horses. Yes,” Evans murmured as Michael pulled him out the door of the shop.

Michael knew Liz would be confused, but he’d come up with an excuse for her later. He couldn’t let that episode continue, especially since he had a sneaking suspicion that Maxwell Evans was dangerous.

As soon as they were out the door, Michael led Evans toward the alley next to the shop, “Look, I’m not one for small talk. There is something strange about you, and you look at me like you know me. I have a strange feeling I should know you too, so explain why I have that impression,” Michael said urgently.

Evans looked a little surprised, but not astounded. Michael was glad he’d decided on the direct approach.

“I, uh, I don’t actually know you, but we’re the same. That’s the feeling you have when you see me, and that’s why I’ve been looking at you strangely.”

Michael did his best to remain outwardly passive as he processed Evans’ words.

“What do you mean ‘we’re the same’?”

Evans looked at him for a moment then turned to look down the alley. There was a small wooden crate a few feet from where the two men stood. Michael watched in silence as Evans held out his hand toward the crate. It shot three feet up in the air, spun three times, then floated back to the ground.

Michael grabbed Evans by his coat lapels and threw him against the wall of the bookshop, God he was grateful he’d gotten this creature away from Liz.

“Before I kill you, tell me who you are, and what you know about me,” he hissed.

***