She was gathering up her things from the Youth Center when she heard her friend's voice calling to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then, slinging her bag over her shoulder, she put on her brightest smile and turned around. "Hey, Ash."

"Hi," Ashley said, but her answering smile faded as she came closer, and she glanced over her shoulder. "Listen, can I talk to you for a second?"

"If it's about the green hair," Cassie began lightly, and Ashley rolled her eyes.

"It isn't. But I still can't picture you with green hair."

"Actually--" Hoping to distract her friend, she was fully prepared to continue the discussion that Translucidor had interrupted earlier.

"Cass, I want to apologize for last night." Her friend's words stopped her cold, and she, too, looked over her shoulder.

"What about it?" she asked warily.

"Well..." Ashley looked down at her hands, weaving her fingers together and then pulling them apart just as quickly. "The Phantom Ranger was a big help today. I mean, without him, those quantrons at the beach would have beaten us for sure."

As uncomfortable as she looked, she had the presence of mind to keep her voice quiet. Cassie adjusted the shoulder strap of her backpack, trying to figure out how to respond to that. "Yeah," she said at last. "It's a good thing he stuck around."

Ashley nodded emphatically. "He really helped us against Translucidor, too. I mean, if that monster had gotten all of us, that would have been it for the team."

Cassie waited, not wanting to be too enthusiastic in his defense. Every time she had seen him she had felt his yearning to stay and talk, and she had tried, repeatedly, to make him give in to it. But he had kept his word, vanishing as soon as the immediate threat had passed, and she didn't want to give Ashley any reason to forget that and bring up her earlier suspicions again.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is that I think I was wrong about him," Ashley said finally. "I mean, he didn't have to hang around. You said he overheard me last night, and if he was still willing to help after that... well, that was pretty great of him."

Cassie managed a small smile. "Yeah, it was." She said nothing else, but all she could think was that she wished they had had some way of *knowing*. If he really was on their side--and it was looking more and more like he had told them the truth--then what she had said the night before had been unforgivable. It was no wonder he had ignored her today.

"So come on," Ashley said cheerfully, grabbing her arm and steering her back to her chair. She clearly thought that was all there was to it. "Let's finish our conversation!"

She forced herself to laugh, but guy-watching was the last thing on her mind right now. *I wish there was some way to talk to him again,* she thought wistfully. She had had her chance, and she had blown it. Any conversation they had now would be team-related, probably along the lines of, "Bad guy that way. Run!" or "Evil plan foiled. Later."

Did he even say things like "later"? He had kind of a funny way of talking, she mused, sitting down absently and letting her bookbag slide to the floor again. Where had he learned English? Had he been to Earth before? How old was he, anyway?

"Earth to Cassie," Ashley was saying, waving a hand in front of her face.

"What?" She drew back, surprised and a little chagrinned at the knowing smile on her friend's face. "Oh, sorry. I was just... thinking."

"I bet," Ashley agreed with a grin. "Tall, dark, mysterious--" she rattled off the words Cassie had used earlier with smug ease. "Can I take a guess at who *you* like?"

She seemed perfectly willing to forget that she had cautioned Cassie against just such a relationship the night before. But Ashley was irrepressible when it came to teasing, and Cassie knew that if she said anything her friend would just wave it away as though it were nothing.

She tried to pretend the words were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard, but the truth was that there was nothing she wanted more. When Ashley's grin didn't fade, she knew she wasn't being very convincing, and she couldn't help the feeling of hopelessness that swept over her. So what if he really was a good guy? He would never speak to her again...

It was dinner by the time they finally got home, and she struggled to maintain her pretense of cheerfulness just a little longer. Ashley's mother was feeling unusually talkative, which eased the burden of conversation, but she had to keep reminding herself to smile. She did her best not to dwell on thoughts of him, for she knew the more she thought about it the more impossible everything would seem, but the meal seemed to drag unbearably nonetheless.

At last, Ashley scooped her silverware onto her plate and leapt to her feet, downing the last of her water in one gulp. "I have to go," she said, as though it wasn't obvious from her behavior. "I promised Carlos we'd study together tonight," she added over her shoulder as she carried her glass and plate over to the dishwasher.

"Have a good time," her mother said with a fond smile.

"Be home by ten," her father added, and Ashley rolled her eyes.

"I know, I know! Trig isn't *that* fun, Dad; don't worry."

"It isn't your math skills I'm worried about," Joseph Hammond told her, his eyes twinkling as she bounced across the kitchen. "And why are you going to change if it's just a study date?"

"It's not a date!" Ashley called, vanishing into her bedroom down the hall. "And I'm changing because I look terrible; that's why. It's not for Carlos. I wouldn't even want to be seen on the streets like this!"

"Interesting that this only came up now, after a whole day at school--and the Youth Center--dressed in those same clothes," he commented, winking at Cassie.

"I heard that!" Ashley called, and Cassie tried to smile.

Finally, the whirlwind that was Ashley flew out the front door, and Cassie stood up slowly. *Don't think,* she reminded herself, putting a small smile on her face as she took her own dishes over to the dishwasher. "Small" seemed to be all she was capable of in terms of smiling now.

"Do you have plans tonight, Cassie?" Ashley's mother asked, going over to the stove to heat water for tea and coffee.

She shook her head politely. "No; I'm studying by myself tonight."

Her friend's father chuckled. "Good for you. Remember, if you need any help with chemistry--"

"Don't ask him," his wife put in, setting the teakettle on a front burner.

"Right," Cassie said, tilting her head just enough so that her hair hid her face as she closed the dishwasher. She thought her tone sounded appropriately amused, but her expression wasn't cooperating anymore.

As the dishwasher clicked shut, she was already turning toward the hallway that led out of the combined kitchen and dining room area. Behind her, she heard Joseph Hammond protesting good-naturedly that his chemistry knowledge was very complete, but she just needed to get out of the kitchen.

The study had been converted into a guest bedroom for her less than a month ago, and she stepped inside with a feeling of some relief. Quietly, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it, staring without seeing at the dim light of dusk coming through her windows. *Don't think,* she told herself again--but it wasn't working. She couldn't help thinking, couldn't stop the replay in her mind that was sounding louder than ever in the sudden silence.

She squeezed her eyes shut. This was silly. What was she upset about? So she had been rude. She hadn't known, and he must understand what it was like...

But he had bared his soul to her. He had told her everything she wanted to hear, and he had put all his faith in her and her alone. To have someone turn their back on you after something like that was heart-wrenching in a way she knew all too well.

*It's better this way,* she told herself. She didn't even know him--maybe he had deserved it. Her heart fought vehemently against that idea, but the truth was that she knew nothing about him. Everything he said could have been a lie, and she would be none the wiser. Better to have pushed him away when she still had the strength, than to find herself still trusting him when he finally tired of Earth and went back to wherever he had come from.

She sighed, opening her eyes and pushing away from the wall. It was better this way. She'd be proud of herself when they learned more about him. She'd be glad for what she'd done when he left. She wouldn't miss his sapphire eyes or careful speech or shy courtesy in the slightest.

Kneeling on her futon, she rested her arms on the windowsill and gazed out at the neatly arranged shrubs adorning the backyard. Fireflies were starting to flicker in their shadows; a long, slow shimmer of light that even her restless eyes could follow. She drew in a deep breath as the hint of a breeze stirred past her window, and suddenly she couldn't stand it any longer.

Flipping up the metal tabs on the bottom of her window, she gave it an impatient push. She held onto the sides as it came loose, and the whole screen tilted outward. Turning it on its side, she drew it back through the window and set it against the end of her futon. She climbed through the window and dropped to the ground, careful not to bump against the side of the house as she landed.

The breeze was long gone, now, if it had ever really been there, but the stillness of the yard was almost comforting. Its peace didn't touch her, but at least it didn't care. It was indifferent to the despair in her heart, but it didn't mock what she was feeling either.

She wandered aimlessly toward one of the ornamental shrubs, watching the fireflies glide lazily above the grass. There were times when she could just stare at the lightning bugs--a sort of natural screensaver that numbed her thoughts and let her relax a little. Her eye was drawn to them, as always, but she already knew that tonight wasn't going to be one of those times.

"I hate the world today," she murmured involuntarily, straining to remember the rest of the words. She couldn't do it, no matter how many times Ashley recited them for her, and her friend loved to tease her for it. "How can you remember the words to so many songs, and not the second line of--" Her mind drew a blank on the title, too, and she sighed. *I guess it doesn't matter that much. The first line is the only one I need to know.*

"I hate the world today," she repeated, getting the smallest amount of satisfaction from the statement. She sank to the ground, pulling her legs into a cross-legged position and propping her elbow on one knee. She put her chin on her fist with a quiet sigh.

She was following the path of a single firefly, trailing it dejectedly with her eyes as it cruised away from her--when it just wasn't anymore. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. She wasn't going to cry. Crying never solved anything.

She kept watching the route the firefly had taken, but it was lost to her sight. She waited for it to blink back on and give itself away, somehow determined to conquer this one challenge, no matter how insignificant.

The air in front of her wavered, and she lifted her hand to rub at her eyes irritably. As the wavering air became suddenly solid, though, she froze. Hand halfway to her face, she lifted her head, almost afraid of what she would see.

He knelt before her, cupped hands held out in front of him. Her eyes touched his for an instant before he looked down, his too-long hair falling in his face. She followed his gaze, catching her breath as he opened his hands and gently released the firefly she had been searching for.