He chuckled. "I've certainly missed you. I was just on my way out of here, so I don't disrupt William's day." He shot a glance at his brother, who still looked irritated and worried. Thomas' behavior at the moment was definitely a threat to the low profile William worked so hard to keep. "But what do you say to meeting up later when you're both done with school? Dinner at our place?"

"Your place?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Nathaniel's house, on Bray Street," William corrected his brother. "Do you know how to get there?" His look was wry.

"Sure, I'll come," she answered, ignoring William's reference to the weeks she'd spent following him, trying to uncover his secret.

"Great! See you after school." Thomas hugged her again, tightly. "It's really, really wonderful to see you again, Quinn." Turning around, he walked away down the hall, pulling his hood up over his head against the bitter mountain cold outside.

Quinn turned the other way, intending to ask several questions of William, but she stopped cold when she saw Zander walking toward her. Her heart skipped several beats.

She glanced at William. He was busy in his locker, paying no attention to her whatsoever. She sighed, confused at this sudden change in the direction of her thoughts, and hurried up the hall to Zander.

"Hi." She felt a little shy, now that he was in front of her again.

"Hey, I was looking for you." Zander smiled brightly, though he looked maybe a bit nervous, too. His nose and cheeks were still pink from being outside.

"Good. I got here early, and was just walking around, waiting for you, and trying to get warm."

Zander's eyes lit up. "You're cold?" he asked, starting to pull at the sleeve of his jacket.

"No, I'm okay, now that I've been inside for a while."

"Good. So, who was that you were talking to?" Zander nodded toward William, who had closed his locker and had now turned toward them.

"Uh ... that was Thomas. He's William's ... um ..."

"Cousin. He's my cousin. He came to visit for the weekend. He drove me to school this morning so he could use the car today," William answered for her, stopping only long enough to finish his sentence before he turned the corner into another hallway.

Quinn stared after him wide-eyed. She had never actually heard William lie before. Conceal information, yes, but not actually lie. As far as she knew, William didn't even have a car that Thomas could be borrowing. And, in any case, Thomas was still too young to drive, even if there was any chance of his having had an opportunity to learn how.

Clearing her throat, she tried to pull herself together before turning back to Zander.

"Yeah, he's William's cousin."

"William has a cousin? I thought he was some kind of an orphan or something, living here with his uncle."

She raised her hands, giving her best how-should-I-know? look.

Zander's eyes were still full of questions. "How do you know his cousin, anyway?"

She was used to feeling flustered and embarrassed, especially around Zander, so she was surprised at how quickly she was able to come up with an answer. "Remember, I told you I ran into William a couple of weekends ago? Thomas was with him then." Dang, Thomas. She was beginning to understand why William just avoided talking to people here as much as possible, and she was quickly gaining sympathy for his annoyance at his brother who seemed to disregard the careful work he had done to establish privacy.

"And he's already hugging you?"

Oops. Though it was innocent, Zander probably hadn't appreciated seeing that. She tried to look nonchalant. "Thomas is very friendly."

"I guess. Does he visit William very often?" She could see in his eyes that he hoped the answer was a resounding 'no.'

"I really don't know. I don't know them that well."

Zander frowned and stared at her face. She looked back at him calmly, silently willing him not to ask her any more questions that she didn't know how to answer. Finally, his expression smoothed. "Can I carry this for you?" He had his hand on the strap to Quinn's backpack.

"Um, I'm not going to say no." Well, ordinarily, she might have, but today she was grateful for the distraction. Smiling, she peeled off the straps and held the bag out to him. Zander put one strap over his own shoulder and then reached to take her hand in his own.

"What's your first class?"

As the day progressed, it became very apparent that everything had changed between her and Zander. He walked her to the door of every class she had, and was waiting to pick her up when she was done. She thought it was kind of silly at first, but she quickly started enjoying their little five-minute breaks together.

By the end of fourth period, she was anticipating seeing him standing there. When she stepped into the hallway and he wasn't there, she was surprised at the sudden, heavy feeling of disappointment in her chest. A moment later, when she turned around the corner toward the cafeteria and he was there, heading towards her, she knew her elated smile matched his.

When the final bell rang, Quinn wasn't quite sure what she should do. Thomas had said "after school," but he hadn't exactly specified a time. She had texted her mom just before her first period class that morning, letting her know that she had plans and wouldn't be able to pick up Annie. She had wanted to ask William, but the only time she had seen him for long enough to actually ask him something had been at lunch, and Zander had been by her side the whole time. She hadn't wanted to get that conversation going again.

Now the day was over, though, and she regretted not having more details about what was going on. Should she just head straight over to Nathaniel Rose's house? That seemed a little awkward. And, of course, neither William nor Thomas had a cell phone.

As soon as she got outside, she discovered that her worries had been for nothing. Thomas was there, leaning against her car like he belonged there, an impatient look on his face.

"So I guess you meant right after school, huh?'

"Of course I did. It's not like we have a lot of time to waste before sunset."

"Before... You're going back tonight?"

He nodded. "It's already a long time to be away from home. Mother tends to get a little worried having two of us completely out of reach."

"Right." It would have already been ten days in Thomas' world. The thought of him leaving so soon after he had gotten here made Quinn sad. She was glad she had freed up her afternoon.

"So, what shall we do today, Princess Quinn?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think I'm the royal one here, Prince Thomas."

He shrugged. "You're a princess in my mind. Where is that brother of mine, anyway?"

She turned around to watch the stream of students exiting the school. The flow was growing thinner and thinner. She was beginning to think that they had missed him when she finally saw his familiar coat, the purple collar of his sweater peeking out at the top.

"You don't spend enough time in that place? You have to be the first one there and the last one out?" Thomas chided.

"It's less noticeable. The less attention I draw to myself..."

"The fewer questions you have to answer. I know, I know."

William gave Quinn a chagrined look. "There's a reason they send me. I'm surprised my parents even allow Thomas to visit."

She giggled. "Thomas is Thomas." She looked back and forth between the brothers. Physically, they were incredibly alike, though Thomas' dark, nearly black hair clung close to his scalp in tight waves, and William's was straight. Although Thomas was almost two years younger than William, he was more muscular than his brother, and nearly as tall. They had the same deep gray eyes ringed with dark lashes. Thomas' were nearly always twinkling with laughter; William's were usually serious. Quinn knew, though, that when he was home and surrounded by the people he loved, that his eyes could sparkle, too.

"Yes." William sighed. "Thomas will be Thomas."

Thomas ruffled his brother's hair. "You know you wouldn't have it any other way."

William rolled his eyes, but she knew how important his little brother was to him. During her time in their world, the two had been nearly inseparable.

"Where's Zander?" William asked suddenly, an odd sound in his voice she didn't quite understand.

"He works after school on Mondays, so he leaves early, before study hall." If the day had been different, she might have been a bit disappointed in not seeing him after her last two classes, but today she was grateful there wouldn't be more uncomfortable questions.

"Oh." William's expression was still off somehow strained.

Quinn looked back at Thomas. "So, am I meeting you guys at your place, or..."

"You're driving us." Thomas grinned, tapping her car again.

"Me?"

"You have a car, and you know how to drive."

"How did you get here?"

"I walked. But it's cold, and besides, how often do I get to ride in a car? Please?"

William and Nathaniel lived in a small white bungalow in an older section of Bristlecone. The wraparound porch reminded her of the medical clinics in Eirentheos. She wondered which one had inspired the other.

Doctor Nathaniel Rose had been Quinn's doctor for as long as she could remember, probably since she was born, but until her recent visit to Eirentheos, she had never seen him outside of his office, except in passing. Certainly, she had never been to his home. She felt strange as she followed William's directions and pulled the Honda Pilot up next to the house on the narrow, brick driveway.

Nathaniel was waiting for them at the door. He helped Quinn remove her heavy coat in the entryway. "It's lovely to see you again, Quinn." His smile was wide and sincere. Doctor Rose had always been a rather quiet and reserved man, not unlike his nephew. She had always liked him, but she had only really just begun to get to know him.

"It's nice to see you, too, Doctor Rose."

"You can call me that if you're ever in my office again, Quinn. When you come to dinner, please call me Nathaniel."

"All, right ... Nathaniel."

"Good. And, welcome, please make yourself at home. Do you like burritos?"

She smiled. "Yes. They're one of my favorites, actually."

"When Thomas visits, he likes to eat food that he can't get at home," William said.

"He's not the only one," Nathaniel answered, somewhat facetiously.

"Indeed not," William retorted, returning the look.

Quinn giggled. "I would miss Mexican food too, if I was away for a long time."

For the next two hours, Quinn felt as if she was back in Eirentheos.

Although Nathaniel's home was small and modest, unlike the castle where they lived in the other world, there was a distinctly Eirenthean quality to her surroundings. It might have been the way it was decorated everything was simple and comfortable, but somehow elegant at the same time but more likely it was the atmosphere and the company.

There was no television; the living room was lined with built-in bookshelves filled with books of every description. Quinn was certain that not all of the titles had come from Earth, though a large number of them had.

According to William, the main reason he and Nathaniel were here was to take advantage of knowledge in her world that was unavailable in theirs. The only nod to modern American life in the house was the long desk along one wall, which held two laptop computers, and the blinking lights of a wireless router.

Quinn, William, and Thomas sat in comfortable armchairs in front of a crackling fire, while Nathaniel worked in the kitchen, refusing all offers of help. Thomas and William filled her in on stories about their family, and shared special greetings from their mother and from Linnea.

When dinner was ready, they gathered around the table in the dining room, and Nathaniel asked the Maker for blessings over the meal. She enjoyed the casual banter between the brothers and their uncle. This was a side of William she never got to see at school. He was so relaxed and cheerful, even laughing several times. Her heart ached when she thought, again, how hard it must be for him to be away from his family all the time. She couldn't imagine spending that much time apart from her mom, and Owen and Annie, from the whole life that she knew and loved.

Actually, as she sat there, she realized how much she missed their family, and wondered how much things had changed in the time she had already been gone.

All too soon, the afternoon ended. The sky outside was turning brilliant shades of orange and pink. Thomas looked out the window rather dejectedly. "I guess it's time for me to go, if I'm going to make it to the gate before the sun sets."

Quinn's heart felt as heavy as his face looked. "Do you want a ride?"

"No, but thank you; it's actually faster to walk from here, and it's less conspicuous to go alone." He cast a meaningful glance at William and Nathaniel. "It was lovely to see you, though Quinn. Please try and keep my brother out of trouble until the next time I see you."

William rolled his eyes.

"If there is a next time," she said.

"Of course there will be a next time! You didn't think you were getting rid of me that easily did you, lovely Quinn?"

* 6 *.

A Date

"WHERE IS ZANDER TAKING you tonight?" Megan asked as Quinn entered the kitchen.

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me." She grabbed one of the freshly peeled potatoes from the pile next to the sink and began chopping it into small pieces, then throwing the pieces into the big pot of water on the stove. Megan continued peeling. "He just said it was something special, so I dressed up a bit."

"Well, you look beautiful, sweetheart. I'm sure you'll have fun." Her mother scooped up a pile of the peelings and carried them over to the trashcan, planting a kiss on Quinn's forehead as she passed.

Owen sat at the long counter stirring cake batter with a wooden spoon in a big, glass bowl. "That's a pretty skirt, is it new?"

"Yes." She twirled so that Owen and Annie could get the full effect of the long, flowing skirt. Last weekend, she and Abigail had gotten permission to drive up to Grand Junction, over an hour away, to go shopping at the mall there.

"Can I go with you, Quinn?" Annie asked. "I have a pretty skirt, too."