Morning rose the next day, and Fern lay silent under her quilt, being of two minds about what she had done the previous evening.

Don't tell me you've never had a crush on Buster. Didn't you enjoy kissing him? I sure did.

It was great, but that's not the point. I shouldn't get involved with Buster just to make Alan jealous.

You think that's all there is to it? Remember the years I spent penned up in that school, never allowed to experience life, or love?

I feel sorry for you, honestly, but I don't want to hurt Buster.

Yes, I remember how you felt when Alan rejected you at the concert. But Buster's different—he's a boy. Boys don't have the same feelings we do.

But…

Have you ever seen a boy run away in tears because a girl turned him down for a date?

Well, no…

Then what are we arguing about? Heck, what's the point of arguing when we share the same brain?

You're right, it's pointless. But don't you feel strange, being ten years old again?

Yes, it does feel strange, especially when I think that the real me still has to run and hide because of her powers, while I live the luxurious life of a little girl.

What do you mean, the real you? You're as much Tegan as she is…

"Fern, time to get up," called Mrs. Walters from the bedroom door.

"I'm Tegan too," Fern mumbled drowsily.

"What's that, dear?" said her mother.

Fern's eyes snapped open.

"Uh, I said, I'm…I'm taking too long to get out of bed," she explained.

"Bart, you haven't touched your eggs benedict," said Marge, who had trimmed her once-towering blue hair to a manageable four inches.

"I can't," said Bart, who sported a nose ring and several arm tattoos. "Like most living creatures, I have a genetically implanted aversion to things that can kill me."

"Bart!" snapped Lisa. "Don't talk that way to your mother."

"Fine, Lis," said Bart peevishly. "Marge, your cooking sucks."

"Bart bad boy," babbled Maggie from the highchair.

"At least Maggie understands me," said Bart with a grin.

"Listen up, Bart," said Homer, lowering the Springfield Shopper in his hands. "If you show your mother any more disrespect, I'll take you behind the woodshed and give you a lecture you won't forget."

"We don't have a woodshed, Homer," said Bart.

"All the better," said Homer. "I hate lectures."

Between bites of sautéed tofu, Lisa stuck her nose into a Scrabble dictionary. "Are you still reading that thing, Lis?" Bart taunted her.

"Yup," said Lisa. "Someday I want to be good enough to beat Thelonius."

Into the kitchen walked the tired-looking Alan, wearing Bart's blue pajamas.

"Hey, where'd the funny-face kid come from?" said Homer.

"I remember you," said Bart. "You're the geeky kid from Elwood City."

Lisa looked at Alan, then at Homer and Bart, with astonishment. As if to prove a point, Alan stepped out of the doorway, then entered the kitchen from another direction. All the Simpsons turned their heads.

"Hey, where'd the funny-face kid come from?" said Homer.

"I remember you," said Bart. "You're the geeky kid from Elwood City."

Alan wordlessly seated himself at the dining table across from the stupefied Lisa. "I hope you're convinced of my powers now," he said calmly. "Please don't ask for any more proof."

Lisa could think of nothing to say. Her mouth fell open, and a brief sigh came out.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your family?" Alan said to her.

"Of course," said Lisa with an anxious chuckle. "Everyone, this is Alan Powers, one of my classmates from Elwood City. He'll be stayingwith us for a few…"

She looked over to Alan, but the bear boy only stared motionlessly.

"…for as long as he wants," Lisa finished.

Once breakfast was over, Lisa dragged Alan to her bedroom, whose walls were almost completely covered with posters. "Alan," she said earnestly, "how long do you intend to stay here?"

"I'm not sure," said Alan. "Until I can think of a plan of action, I guess."

"We can't keep you hidden forever," said Lisa. "But I don't want you to be locked away, either. Those Brainchildren you told me about—why are you afraid to join them?"

Alan narrowed his eyes. "Suppose you could look into the mind of a dangerous criminal," he said darkly.

"Uh-huh," said Lisa.

"Suppose you could experience the criminal's thoughts and emotions as he commits one heinous crime after another."

"Okay."

"Now," said Alan, "suppose you couldn't look away."

Lisa's eyes slowly widened.

"That's what my sister tried to do to me," Alan told her. "She wanted to force my mind into the mind of a professional thief, and leave it there until his personality replaced my own."

"That's horrible," Lisa half-whispered.

"Before, I could only erase people's memories when Tegan and I put our powers together," Alan went on. "But at that moment, I discovered I could do it without her. And I did. I destroyed a man's mind."

Lisa said nothing.

"At first I thought our powers were a gift," Alan continued. "Now I realize they're more of a curse. If we abuse them, the very essence of who we are will be threatened. You may find yourself with someone else's personality, or in someone else's body."

"I don't know what I can do to help you," said Lisa quietly. "But I have a friend who's a scientist…"

to be continued