It was dark wherever she was. Like totally, completely black. Dara Hickley floated along the inky darkness trying to swim up from the confusion of her situation.
Gradually she became aware of voices engaged in a heated, one-sided discussion. "What were you thinking?" Dara recognized Mitchell's voice. It was filled with anger and tinged with concern.
"We were trying to help you. It's obvious you like her."
Mitchell let fly a string of colorful curses. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"We thought that if she knew the truth you could stop holding her at a distance. There would be no secrets you had to keep. And you could really be together. It's been a whole week since you saw her!"
Bits of memory began to come back to Dara. She woke up with a start when she remembered the unreal scene that took place just before she fainted. "It's alright. Calm down." Mitchell's voice was soothing but did not quell the fear that clutched at Dara's heart. Her gaze flew to Paul and Dylan, standing awkwardly across the room. While she had been unconscious, they had converted back to the young men they were when they first arrived. And as incredible as it seemed, Dara accepted that they were indeed Paul and Dylan. Somewhere deep inside, she had suspected it from the moment they interrupted her dinner with Mitchell.
Dara lay on the couch with her head pillowed in Mitchell's lap. A cool, wet towel was draped across her forehead. "I fainted." Dara struggled to sit up.
Mitchell helped her get to an upright position, then gently pulled her back to lean against his broad chest. "Yes, you fainted," Mitchell explained gently. "That's when Paul and Dylan called me. I was right on the verge of a real breakthrough in my formula but I dropped everything to make sure you were alright."
A vivid memory of the two young men painfully morphing into children flashed before Dara's eyes. "What are you?" She edged away from Mitchell. She was loathe to remove herself from the warm comfort of his arms, but Dara knew she needed some space in order to think logically.
"I am just a scientist. And a human being." He waved in the general direction of Paul and Dylan. "So are they, with just a little something extra I haven't figured out yet." Mitchell rubbed his brow. "Believe me, I'm trying." He reached for Dara's hand. She did not pull away. "I never meant for you to find out about my research this way. Frankly, I didn't know how I was going to tell you. I've never been interested in anyone outside of Genesis since I began there."
Dara struggled to accept what her eyes had shown her. "So Dylan, I mean little Dylan, wasn't joking when he said you were a mad scientist."
Mitchell shook his head. "Just a scientist," he repeated. "The other night at dinner you reminded me that you were one, too. Will you put aside everything you think you know and let me tell you about what I do?"
Dara took time to think about her response. She felt no urgency to reply; Mitchell silently held her hand and waited, while an unnaturally subdued Paul and Dylan watched anxiously. Dara finally realized there was only one choice to make. She could never go back from what she had seen. All that was left was to follow the advice she used to mold her third graders - Embrace the Unknown.
"Have you eaten?" Dara casually tossed the question out. She could see that it threw the three men for a loop. She rose - a bit shakily - to her feet and moved toward the kitchen. "I had just finished baking some rolls before all this happened. We might as well eat something. I get the feeling this is going to take awhile."
