8pm. Grier stood on the porch of her house and wondered if she should ambandon the comfy square of light the bare bulb hanging above her shed. The night was icy cold, crystal clear. The moon was one sliver off being full. The gravel road below was lit up in its ghost white luminesance. Inviting.

Buttoning up her coat and pulling on her hood, Grier walked down the three steps to her driveway and out onto the road.



*************

The feeling was nice. Oh so nice. It was like his head was a balloon, expanding and expanding. Warm and delicious sensations trickled into him down his throat, via his tongue. Fuzzy, disjointed thoughts floated across his mind. An image of a soft toy lion, well loved, some of its felt worn away. Gosh, I'm half asleep, I wish I could wake up. The thought slipped away into hazy half-dream logic. I wonder what one lion pride multiplied by another lion pride equals. Yummily, the musing made no sense. A memory of a sandy-haired, sweet faced boy, along with a flash of guilt. This is crazy, I have to wake up. The idea drifted away again.

These were not Alex's thoughts. But connected like this, bonded via the blood-transferance link, they rang in his head as clearly as though they were his. Almost more giddy-exhilarating than the blood transfusion itself, this sense of being outside his own head, of being dispersed into nothing, of being no-one...

Someone shook him by the shoulders, so roughly that his head was jolted away from the soft white neck, the particular thick blue vein. He turned with a snarl.

Naiad backed up several paces, his lovely long hands raised in a placating motion. 'Alex. It's 8.15. I promised Amy we'd already be at her house by now. Anyway...much longer, and that girl isn't going to wake up, ever.'

Alex briefly glanced down at the limp figure in his arms and knew it was the truth. Her skin was too pale, her breathing shallow. He looked cooly back to Naiad, the shadow of the snarl still on his lips. 'What are you, my fucking grandfather? I really don't require your advice.' He sat the girl down rather haphazardly against the wall. Then he knelt down next to her and nudged her awake. Or at least, awake enough to open her eyes. You don't remember me. You had too much to drink and you fell asleep. He stood up again, not bothering to check if the telepathic suggestion was properly planted. They always were. Telepathy for him was second nature, a reflex as easy as yawning and stretching.

Naiad was doing a quick check of the apartment, looking for signs of their presence Alex supposed. He didn't much care. He grabbed his keys off the tacky glass coffee table and headed out the door.

The other boy caught up to him in the building's foyer, heading down to the underground parking lot. 'Are we going back now? We can stay if you want. Find someone else. If it wasn't enough.'

'It's never enough.' Alex muttered, without looking back. Their silver saab stood out like a stray moonbeam amongst the practical family sedans and low- budget hatchbacks. Alex leaned against the door for a moment, trying to shake the black mood he was suddenly in They always descended after the blood-link was severed, and lately they were more intense. Naiad didn't deserve to be the brunt of one though.

Once in the car, Alex was the one to make conversation. 'How was yours?'

Naiad shrugged, his eyes on the traffic. 'Quite nice. Satisfying. She was already sleepy, thankfully. You know how hopeless I am with mind control. How was the roomate?'

'Mm, lovely. Deliciously, lusciously, head-poppingly lovely.'

Naiad found time to give him a quizzical look in spite of the traffic. 'Oh yeah? You didn't hear bells ringing in your ears did you? See silver cords roping you heart to heart with her?'

The other boy's tone was teasing, but Alex responded through a wry smile. 'Naiad, I tell you, I think every person I suck blood from is my soulmate while we're together. Their minds flooding mine, between sleep and wake, between control and blissful chemical -nuerotransmitter dissolution. All fuzzy and warm. Their hearts, beating slowly. At that dream threshold we have contact with humans in their most sublime moments, I think. Transformative. Sometimes I feel like it could transform me. While it lasts.'

Naiad listened with a slight frown marring the preturnaturally smooth skin of his forehead, with a narrowing of his large and luminous black eyes. 'I never thought of it that way' he murmured, in a tone that said it was a very odd way to *want* to think about it.

They drove in pensive silence for a little while. Naiad had taken one hand off the wheel to fiddle with one of the pieces of plain string he tied bracelet-like around his wrists. That meant he was worried about something. Alex was pretty sure he knew what that something was. Finally he spoke. 'Alex, what happened during these last six months? I mean, what happened really? Not the story you told us this morning about visiting a European cousin. That sure as hell wasn't very convincing. Where did you go? Who were you with?'

Alex wasn't equal to this conversation right now. Maybe not ever. 'Nobody. Myself. What does it matter?' He could sense Naiad's worry though. He reached over and tugged up his shirt to poke his belly button. 'I went up through the skylight to the moon.'

He thought he felt the other boy shiver under his touch before he twisted his torso away. 'I missed you' Naiad said softly then. His face was turned away too, in the other direction, where the side window threw back his own gorgeous reflection, though his eyes were still on the road. 'But something's changed in you. You know, when you left here last summer you were unstoppable. So confident, so exuberant. You said and did whatever and whoever you wanted, with no excuses and no apologies. You were larger than life. Do you even remember? That's not how you've come back. You're more.. erratic. And more remote.'

Alex shrugged, and said lightly: 'the moon's a lonely rock.'

The other boy just shook his head without looking at him. 'That's no kind of answer Alex.'

'I told you everything I could this morning.' Alex said evenly. 'The trip.. broadened my horizons. I found out the world is a different kind of place to what I, to what we've all, thought it was. A more serious, less forgiving kind of place. With less room to move. So I move more cautiously now. And I expect you all to as well.' He rubbed an eye, tiredly. 'I can't give you any more detailed explanation. It wouldn't make any more sense to you than if I told you you were made out of stardust.'

This time it was Alex staring straight ahead, feeling more than seeing Naiad's eyes burning into the side of his face. 'I want you to know... I mean you know, you know you can talk to me, right? When you want to talk, I'm here for you. Whenever you want.'

'I know. Thanks. By the way..' Alex opened the glove box and started rifling through the cds stuffed inside. He found a compilation of Smog songs and slid it into the disc player.

'Yeah?'

'Could this conversation get any gayer?' Alex smirked. Naiad barked a shocked laugh; and Bill Calahan's ironic-as-eyegrit voice replaced the need for talk. 'I was a stranger when I came to town just yesterday. I was a stranger. They don't come much stranger. So why would you believe every word I say? Why would you believe a stranger....?'



***************

Amy's 'house' was a three-story palace a few streets out of Tribune's main shopping district. Grier had expected it to be some kind of hundred-year- old sandstone or mudbrick affair for some reason, maybe because Amy had kept insisting on how deeply rooted in the history of the town her family were, but it wasn't. It was an ultra-modern brick and glass mansion, set fifty paces back from the road, behind a lake with a yaght floating on it (a real, full sized bloody yaght!). Grier couldn't help looking at the three floors of tall windows as she walked up the lighted driveway, wondering who might be in there watching her approach. She almost wished she'd worn something other than her worn old jeans and the hand-me-down cardigan from her mother. By the time she pressed the buzzer, waiting while distant chimes echoed a long way inside, she felt like her heart was trying to thump its way out of her chest.

In no time at all, Amy answered the door. She was dressed in jeans too, which made Grier feel a bit better, matched with an ordinary-looking turtleneck sweater. She had her long red hair twisted up in a braid. 'Hey! You decided to come afterall. Good girl.'

'Afterall? I didn't think you were leaving me much choice in the matter.' Grier murmured, but she knew exactly like what Amy's greeting meant. Jewel. Amy had found out what had happened at lunch.

'Oh I wasn't. It's lucky that you came or we might have had to come and get you.' Grier blinked. Just for a second there was something in Amy's eyes, some quickly repressed emotion that might have been scorn or regret. The next moment though she was bundling her inside, showing her where to put her coat, leading the way to the 'upstairs rumpus room'.

'You've just missed Jewel and Russ. They went out to pick up pizzas and movies. I told them; not all meat-lovers pizza, and not all x rated movies, but it's no good trying to restrain those two. Especially when they're together. But anyhow if they bring home crap we can always eat nachos and watch Queer as Folk reruns or something. Do you like that show? I've seen both the US and the UK versions on cable. I think the US one is better. Less serious issues, more sex. The cast is better looking too. The central relationship is a lot more sexy..' Grier trailed a few steps behind, wondering what had made her host nervous enough to be babbling suddenly. This afternoon she'd been so cool and reserved. They finally reached the rumpus room, and Grier paused to take in the fire, the many candles, the large flat plasma screened tv against the wall, before moving in and sitting gingerly on one of the low to the ground sofas.

'Mm, I do like Queer as Folk. I've only seen the US version though, my friend used to get it on cable. Great show. Um. So like are you're parents home tonight?'

'No they're not. Dad's on a business trip. Paris. And my mother is visiting family. We have this big house all to ourselves. But Alex and Naiad should turn up eventually. I'll kill them if they don't. Naiad swore up and down the block he'd get them both here. They always make things more interesting.'

'Ah. You know I met Alex this morning. And I met Jewel and Russ at lunch.' Grier blinked into the half light of the room, feeling surreal. Alone in the house.Yes, that was fear that ws making the hairs prickle along her forearms and at the back of her neck. What was she doing here? She felt, crazily, like laughing out loud. 'I don't think any of them'll be best pleased at running into me again today, you know. Particularly Jewel.' Grier remembered those agate hard blue eyes. Beautiful, pityless, inhuman eyes.

'Yes, Jewel mentioned it. Maybe you'll get a chance to work it out tonight. Just out of curiousity though, since you knew she was going to be here and all.. why did you come?' Amy's tone was as flat as a slab of concrete, but there was that look in her eyes again, that searching look, less well concealed this time.

A giggle escaped. Grier couldn't help it. 'I don't know. It was a nice night for a walk. The moon's pretty.'

Amy just nodded, and stared down at a throw-pillow in her hands. Nothing more. 'Does she really dislike me?' Silence. 'Is she going to *do* something to me?'

This time Amy smiled. It was almost a grimace. 'Well, you'll find out now, huh?' She stood suddenly, carefully laying the pillow back on the couch. 'Want to go downstairs again for a coke?'

Grier laughed again. The nervousness, the fear, the sense of surreal absurdity tingling through her, it felt kind of like a fever. 'Sure, I'll take a coke.'

The house had a kitchen the size of a small football field, with a ten foot tall ceiling, a glittering mosaic of mani-couloured tiles, and one wall made entirely out of glass in between. Grier trailed in behind Amy and perched on the edge of one of a dozen high country-style chairs lined up along a steel counter. She blinked at her hazy reflection in its brightly- shining surface.

'It's a bit excessive isn't it' Amy murmured, handing Grier a can of coke and a glass.

'It's ludicrous.' Grier replied, smiling. 'Unless your parents are feeding an army. Is this a mess hall?'

To Grier's relief Amy chuckled instead of taking offense. 'No way. They barely even use it themselves. That's what cooks are for.'

'Cooks, plural.' Grier noted, popping opening the can, which hissed loudly.

'Naturally.' Amy grinned back.

'Do any of the servents live on the premisis? Are they here tonight?' Grier asked, trying to sound casual.

'The maid and the main cook are both live-in.'

Grier nodded, trying not to show the wave of relief that washed over her on finding out they weren't in this big, austere house alone afterall. She'd barely had time to feel silly about being afraid in the first place when Amy went on, softly.

'Neither of them are here now, though. They have the night off. We've been planning this small party for weeks. Ever since we knew Alex was coming home.'

'You and Jewel and Russ and Naiad...'

'Mm. Well Naiad hasn't been much help. He hasn't been much use at anything since Alex left, except pining away and making those damn astonishing scuplture in Art. You know I think he finally has some competition in that class now. Maybe he'll turn up more.' Amy smiled at her, but Grier struggled to smile back. She noticed she was rubbing her arms like they were goose-fleshed, and quickly put he hands down.

'Have you guys all known each other long?'

'Yes, quite a long time'. Amy replied, evasively.

'Like, since high school?'

Amy was excessively interested in her coke now, but after an extended pause she looked up, heaving a small sigh. 'Since we were born.'

'Ah.' Grier replied. She still felt weird, tingly. She also felt like a huge weight was pushing down on her chest. 'I didn't realise you were all that close. I feel kind of like an intruder! Maybe I should leave.'

'No! You're not an intruder. It's my house and I invited you. Besides, most kids from around these parts have known each other for years and years.'

'All the same..' Grier started to rise, but suddenly, almost shockingly, the usually cooly-ironic girl grabbed her hand.

'Please don't go. I want you to stay. I need you to.' Grier just looked at her until she went on reluctantly. 'We aren't really that close. Actually Jewel and I don't see eye to eye on most things. After I saw everyone together again today I realised, Jewel has an agenda for tonight. I can't give her the chance to carry it out. But if it's just the five of us, I don't see any way to stop her. Oh Grier, I can't explain it very well, but it's really important and I need your help.'

Grier withdrew her hand slowly. 'You weren't planning on telling me any of this. All you need is a distraction or.. a way to keep things from being said openly tonight? That's the only reason you invited me here.'

Amy looked ready to deny it but then she took a look at Grier's face, and she grimaced. 'You're right. But Grier I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't important. Anyway, you might run into them on the way out..'

Grier didn't get a chance to ask her what she meant by the last, because a silvery chiming filled the air. The doorbell.

'It doesn't seem I have much choice, does it?' Grier said. 'I'll stay.'