"I do know. That's how I feel about Danny. I'm so confused and I just can't figure out if he likes me or if he is just being nice to me."

I crossed my arms against my chest. "So I guess we're both kind of mixed up over guys."

She laughed and brushed her feathered hair out of her face with her fingers. It was already starting to frizz from the rain.

I wanted to join in the laughter, but the whole topic was too uncomfortable for me. I couldn't help but wonder if mers really fed on human beings. Could Laurent and his friends be killers? I really wanted to talk to Agatha about it, but I was afraid of what she would think if I told her everything. And my intuition warned me that maybe if I was forthcoming I might put her in danger. This sort of thing is just not something you can talk over with your friends.

"What about Ashton? He's good looking, *normal,' and he's really into you." Her eyes looked inquisitive.

"I don't know what to do about him." My body tensed a little. "I think if I wasn't so fixated on Laurent, I might be interested in Ashton, but for some reason I'm too distracted to think about him."

"Wow. It sounds like you have it really bad for Laurent." She looked concerned. "You know practically every girl in school is interested in him since out of all the French students, he's the only single one."

"I thought that maybe he was with Marina."

She laughed again. "Oh, no. She's with Pascal. You didn't know that?"

"I don't know. I just wasn't sure as I'm not sure about anything in regards to Laurent or any of his friends for that matter."

"You should be careful." Her eyebrows knitted together. "I don't want you to get hurt. The French clan is in a whole other league. They're almost like... Oh, I don't know..." She paused for a moment. "Movie stars or maybe even royalty. It's like they are in a world of their own. They're like the glamorous people you read about in magazines or see on TV. You should be careful."

I nodded, not knowing what to say about that. She was right. The tres beaux were in another league. They were intangible. "So I was wondering..." I continued, "...if you could push Danny into getting Laurent's address from his father?"

Her face scrunched up. "His father?" She chortled again. "Did you even hear anything I said?"

"Yes, I heard you, but I can't help myself." I looked down at my hands, feeling a little embarra.s.sed with my insistence. "Danny's father is a postman. He could get anyone's address if he wanted to."

"That's right. I forgot that he works for the post office."

"I asked Danny for the address before, but he never came through. I was thinking that if you pushed him, he might get it."

"Me? If you weren't able to get him to get it, how could I?"

"You can be very convincing, Agatha."

She smiled at that. "That's true." Now she giggled. I think she liked the challenge I had set her up for. "I'll try," she agreed.

We arrived at school and walked through the parking lot to homeroom together. The rain had let up, but there were lots of puddles on the ground. I found myself looking through the halls for Laurent, but I didn't see him. When I got to English cla.s.s, I saw that all of the French exchange students were present except for Laurent.

Emotions rushed through my body. I wondered if he wasn't in school because of me and what I said to him in the museum. That was egotistical, I told myself. Certainly, he wouldn't miss cla.s.s just to avoid me. He could stay away from me just as easily if he was in school. All he would have to do was ignore me which would be pretty easy considering I wasn't the type to instigate conversation. After I decided that, I began to wonder where he was.

Without Laurent present, the day pa.s.sed dreadfully slow. Ashton invited me and Agatha to his lunch table again. An attractive blond girl named Victoria acted jealous that Ashton was giving me attention. Anytime I started to talk, she would find a way to interrupt and overpower the conversation. Eventually, I gave up and just listened to her. That was more comfortable for me anyway. In my melancholy mood, I certainly wasn't up for chatting.

Toward the latter part of lunch I finished my Spanish homework. Last night I was too down to work on it. Ashton teased me about being a bookworm, but he was one to talk. He also had high grades and studied a lot. I didn't even want to do it actually, but I kept reminding myself about how much I wanted to get into Berkley.

When we were walking out of the cafeteria, it started to pour again. Tears for Laurent, I thought. Luckily, I had my umbrella with me, so Agatha and I crowded under it as we ran to our locker. Some of the other kids weren't so lucky. They got drenched. The sky was grumbling a lot and I even saw a flash of lightning. I couldn't help but wonder what it was so angry about. Maybe it was frustrated like me that Laurent wasn't in school.

At swim team practice, Coach Sanchez lectured us about the upcoming meet. I was going to compete in the 200 medley relay and the 100 backstroke. This would be my first time swimming the 100 backstroke. Even in my mood, I was kind of excited about it. I liked trying different things and I didn't care all that much about making a fool of myself. I was used to that kind of thing. That's the funny thing about being a geek, you get used to looking inept and that kind of frees you to take more risks. You can't fall much farther, so there's just that possibility of rising up to meet your highest potential.

After practice, Ashton walked me to the lockers. "Did you hear that Laurent Moreau quit the swim team?"

"What?" I was shocked at the news. "Why did he quit?" I asked in a melancholy voice.

"You sound sad about it. Are you?" He was scuffing the ground with his flip flops.

"I just thought he was going to be a star a.s.set to the boys' team."

"You're probably right. Coach Yarber seemed more than disappointed. I think he had big hopes of getting into CIF with Laurent's scores." He had a big smile on his face.

"You don't seem upset about it."

"That guy was trouble. I sensed that. I'm just glad to have him out of the way."

"So you can win?" I couldn't believe I said that. It was just that I felt so frustrated.

"Hey, that's not nice." He smiled at me wryly. "You're a sa.s.sy one today. Aren't you?"

"I'm sorry," I said. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Can I give you a ride home today?" His eyes widened.

"Actually, I'm just going to walk. I need some time to myself."

His expression fell. "Just remember, I'm there for you if you need me." He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

I didn't like that, but I didn't know what to say so I just mumbled faintly, "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." Then I turned and went into the girls' locker room.

That evening I walked home in a haze. My thoughts were so glum. I couldn't help but obsessively wonder if I was ever going to see Laurent again. Maybe I was being unreasonable; after all, he was only absent one day. I hoped that he would be in school the next day.

When I walked into our apartment, Lucy ran over and hugged me. "A boy called," she said in a teasing voice. "Grace has a boyfriend." Her face was beaming.

"Silly." I tried to make my voice as cheerful as possible. "Did he say his name?"

"Mom knows," she giggled as she ran back into the living room where she was building a house of cards on the coffee table.

I guessed that it was Ashton calling to check up on me and maybe even ask me out again. If it was him, I didn't think I could accept another date. It would be our second and he would probably try to kiss me. Somehow the idea of kissing him upset me. It didn't seem right when Laurent was the one overwhelming my thoughts.

"Hi, Mom," I mumbled as I walked into the kitchen. She was making tostadas.

"h.e.l.lo, honey bunch," she said as she spread refried beans on the crispy corn tortillas. "How was school?"

I took a gla.s.s from the cabinet and filled it with water from the refrigerator. "It was dull. Nothing exciting today."

"You look sad." She glanced at me with concern. "You wanna talk about it?"

The idea of discussing Laurent with her was out of the question. How could I explain that I couldn't stop thinking about someone from France who's probably planning to go back to his own country and probably has superhuman powers? "No. I'm fine. I think I'm just tired from swim practice."

I tried to change the subject. "Do you know who called? Lucy said it was a boy." I laughed lightly. "Did you get the name?"

"Some boy named Laurent something," she said shaking her head. "Who's he?"

My face lit up when she said his name. This time I would definitely call him back. "Oh, he's just someone from school. He was out today so he probably wants to know the a.s.signment."

She nodded in a distracted manner as she sprinkled the cheese and shredded lettuce on the tostadas before setting them on the table for dinner.

Song of My Heart Right after dinner, I excused myself from the table and went into my room to call Laurent. My adrenaline was rushing. I felt so nervous to make the call, but I regretted hanging up the last time before he answered.

I had no idea what I was going to say when he answered. I was afraid my voice would crack or I would get tongue tied. Trying to calm myself, I sat on my bed and dialed his number.

As in the past, the phone just kept ringing and ringing and n.o.body answered. My heart fell as I hung up. I wondered why he had called. What did he want to say to me? I wanted to try again, but I didn't want my number to show up over and over again on their caller id.

The rest of the night was torture. I tried to do my homework, but I couldn't concentrate. Every time I tried to read Romeo and Juliet for English cla.s.s I just kept drifting away from the story to thoughts of Laurent. I thought that if I tried to do something less romantic than read about star-crossed love, I could steady my thoughts. But when I attempted my Spanish homework, several of the words came out in French. Finally, I was able to do my boring Trig problems, but I had to admit the sixes looked a lot like hearts.

Once I finished as many of my a.s.signments as I was humanly able, I worked out very hard. The weight training helped release a lot of pent up energy, but I was still focused on trying to figure out why he called.

Right before I went to bed, I decided to give it one more try. I took a deep breath and pressed his number into the phone. It rang three times and then he answered.

My pulse raced about a mile a minute upon hearing his breathtaking voice. But right after he answered, I heard yelling in the background and somebody grabbed the phone from him.

"Who is this speaking?" It was a woman's voice that I didn't recognize. Maybe it was Ms. Josette something or other. I couldn't remember what Danny said her last name was.

My voice wavered a little. "This is Grace Waters. I'm returning Laurent's call."

"I'm sorry, dear." Her voice was beautiful like the others, but it had a more mature, huskier tone to it. "Please do not call our home anymore. Laurent is not coming to the phone." She hung up the receiver without waiting for my response.

I was dumbfounded. Why did he call if he wasn't taking calls? I got the impression that his family of exchange students and chaperone were trying to keep us apart. But why?

Curiosity overtook me. I dialed the number again. After one ring, a girl answered the phone, it sounded like Brigitte. Her voice was sweeter and less breathy than Marine's. "h.e.l.lo?" she sang lightly.

"Hi. Is Laurent there?" I decided to act like I must have dialed the wrong number before.

"Who is asking?" The voice sounded concerned. Then she whispered to someone else.

"I tried to call before. I hope I dialed wrong because the person spoke very oddly. Is this Brigitte?"

"Oui," she whispered. "Grace?"

I was surprised she recognized my voice. "Yes, this is Grace. I'm returning Laurent's call. He must have wanted to ask about homework in English cla.s.s."

There was more whispering and then someone grabbed the phone. "Don't call anymore." It sounded like Marine's indistinguishable voice. But with that, she hung up the phone.

Now, I was even more frustrated. I couldn't figure out why they were so determined to keep me away from Laurent. Even the chaperone didn't want me to talk to him. These beautiful creatures were so odd. Everything they did just drew me in more. If I wasn't obsessed before with figuring them out, now my obsession doubled. I was uncontrollably drawn into their mysterious world. I had to find out what they were all about. But even more than my curiosity, I just plain missed Laurent.

That night my dreams were torrent and all about how I imagined their strange world. I woke up with a start at sunrise. The sky was dim as I dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. Even though it was still early, I grabbed a m.u.f.fin and walked to school instead of taking a ride with Agatha or my mother. I needed time to gather my thoughts. And even more than that, I needed time to walk around Ocean Avenue to see if I could find Laurent.

The early morning traffic was heavy and there were a lot of people out. It wasn't likely that I would by chance run into Laurent, but maybe I would see the tres beaux's car parked in a driveway and from there, I could discover which house they lived in. I knew they all drove together in a 1957 black Ford Custom 300. It was a noticeable car, so I thought I had a chance.

I didn't have a lot of time before cla.s.s, but I made my way to Ocean Avenue and took a look around at some of the houses in the area. There were several neighborhoods, so it was a bit of a long shot figuring it out. My best bet was spotting the car or seeing one of the exchange students in a yard or through a window.

I saw a man watering his lawn at one of the big houses off of Ocean. "Good morning," I said to him.

"Morning," he responded with a smile. His wide eyes told me that I had startled him.

"I'm trying to find my friend's house, but I left the address at home by mistake. He lives around here with several other teenagers and a chaperone. They're French, very good looking. They all have long hair. His name's Moreau. Do you know them?"

"Sounds familiar," he said.

My eyes lit with enthusiasm.

"But, no," he continued. "I don't think I know anyone like that."

"Oh, okay." I tried to not show my disappointment. "Thanks anyway."

I looked around a little more. My mood was becoming more and more melancholy by the minute, so I caught a bus and went to school.

Once in English cla.s.s, I kept my eyes on the door hoping Laurent would show, but he never arrived. None of the tres beaux showed up that day. It was difficult for me to concentrate on anything in any of my cla.s.ses. And swim practice was depressing without Laurent there. The drills kept getting on my nerves. I just wanted to go home and burry my head in my pillow.

Ashton walked me to the locker room again. "How about we all go to a movie this Friday night?" he asked, hopeful.

I couldn't help but tense at his invitation. I hoped he didn't notice my discomfort. As much as I was able, I tried to cover. "I'm behind in my school work and I have to study all weekend."

His face fell slightly. "Oh." He paused as he scrutinized my expression. "Why don't we study together?"

"That's so nice of you to ask." I smiled at him. "I just can't concentrate when other people are around."

"I understand." His lips pressed together. "I'll miss you."

"Thanks," I mumbled as politely as I could.

"You need a ride home today?" he asked somewhat hesitant.

"Thanks so much for asking. I don't need one today. Maybe another time though."

He put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight to the other leg. "So, I'll see you tomorrow. Study, study," he said teasingly and then he headed to the boys' locker room.

Once I changed out of my swimsuit, I decided to go to Ocean Avenue and just walk around. Maybe I'd give it another try; I might find Laurent. As I set out in stride down the busy Pico Boulevard, my mind kept obsessing over how I shouldn't have told him to leave me alone.

I came upon a construction site where workers were erecting a business building. There were a lot of people involved and the energy was a bit hectic. Men were calling up to each other from the ground up to the top where they were pulling up a huge concrete block on a pulley.

I tried to hurry past, but as I was walking, the pulley fell to the side and the concrete block slipped off suddenly from a high floor. I was right under it. It happened so fast. I heard shrieks. With my gaze directed upwards, I saw the huge slab falling right for my head. There was no time to dodge it. When it hit me, I would die.

But suddenly, the concrete block stopped midair just above my face. My heart was about to pound out of my chest. I could hardly fathom what was happening. I moved out of the way. When I glanced to the side, I saw Laurent staring at the concrete block with his hands raised. For a second, the slab remained suspended midair and then when he lowered his hands, it crashed to the ground.

It grazed my hand as it fell, leaving a small sc.r.a.pe on my skin. I looked around. The construction workers were aghast. Their faces were pale and some were mumbling, hardly able to talk. It was like they had seen a ghost.

"Hey, you okay," one heavy set man yelled down to me.

"I'm fine. Just a tiny scratch," I called up. My face was beaming. I couldn't find Laurent now, but there was no other explanation-Laurent must have saved my life and that could mean that he was following me!