Naomi stood by her mirror and sighed happily. In a few hours she would be going on a date with Tim. This would usually be no big deal, since they had gone out several times with him, but tonight was different. They would be going on a boat. It sounded very romantic. Naomi laughed as she recalled her friends' reactions when she told them her plans for tonight. They were so jealous! Most of them had boyfriends too, but none of them had ever been taken on a date like that. That wasn't too unusual, since they were only in tenth grade, and none of them were dating a junior. But Tim was not like most eleventh grade boys she knew. He was incredibly silly at times, but he still reminded her of someone older than he was supposed to be. That got annoying sometimes, but she usually liked having a boyfriend so different from the rest. This was probably no big deal to him... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Inside his room, Tim was panicking. Where was that box??? He tossed clothes off a pile on the floor. He'd been spending half an hour looking for it, and if he didn't leave soon he'd be late for his date. Suddenly his mom walked into his room and was hit by a shirt flying backwards. "Tim!! We were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago!! What are you doing?" she asked. "Have you seen a little blue box lately??" he asked desperately. "You mean this?" She held out a small package. "You left it on the table after lunch. NOW can we get going?" Tim took the box and opened it to make sure its contents were still there. Seeing that it was, he sighed. "Okay, let's go." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "What took you so long?" Naomi questioned as she answered the door. "Don't ask," Tim said with a laugh. "Are you ready?" "Yup," she replied, "just let me say good-bye and get my jacket." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Soon they arrived at the dock. The ship was all ready to go. One of Tim's mom's friends owned a small boat and had agreed to take them for a ride. They waved to Tim's mom as they left the docks. Tim looked over at Naomi, gazing out at the water. She hadn't said much since they had boarded. She didn't look at him, either. He wondered if maybe he had done something to make her mad, but what could it be? He suddenly remembered the box in his pocket. "I'll be back in a minute," he said quickly, and hurried off to get the box from his coat. Naomi still didn't look up from the water. What was wrong with Tim? He had hardly said a word to her all night. And he just ran off in such a hurry...then a horrible thought struck her. What if he was taking her on this date to break up with her? She knew he'd been acting weird for a few weeks now, that must be what it was. She felt tears well up in her eyes. How could he do this to her? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Meanwhile, Tim had found the box and was deciding whether or not to give it to her right now. He knew that he loved her, but he wasn't so sure at the moment if she loved him or not. *I guess it would be better to find out now.* he thought. He walked back to where Naomi was standing and hesitated for only a moment. Well, here goes nothing, he said to himself. "Um, Naomi?" When she looked up he could have sworn it looked like she'd been crying, and he hesitated once more, but he continued anyway. "I just wanted to give you this." *A good-bye present.* she thought miserably. She opened the box and peered into it slowly. Inside was a plain gold locket on a little gold chain. She opened the locket, but there was nothing in it. "It's lovely," she said slowly, not looking up at him. Tim thought for certain now that she didn't love him. She wouldn't even look at him. As Naomi put the locket on, he knew he had to try to talk to her. "Listen, Naomi..." Suddenly there was a loud crash. They both heard the captain yelling something, but neither could make it out. The boat began to tilt abruptly, sending both Naomi and Tim into the icy water. Naomi was plunged deep into the water. She tried with all her might to make it to the surface, but she had never learned how to swim. Her lungs ached from holding her breath, and she wasn't anywhere near reaching the top. She looked around desperately for help. She turned to see Tim just sinking. *He must have been knocked out! He's going to drown!* She thought wildly. *And I'm going to drown with him.* she realized. Her lungs finally gave out and quickly filled with water. She was too weak to struggle any longer and felt herself start to sink. She gave one last look at Tim before everything went black. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jonathan glanced at the monitors. Nothing happening. As a matter of fact, nothing had happened on these monitors today! *Lazaar definitely gave me the wrong job.* he thought. *This is supposed to be the most peaceful day in both the Animate and Realan worlds, and I get stuck on monitor duty while everyone else gets the day off! Including Lazaar!* he thought bitterly. Suddenly he noticed something strange on one of the Realan monitors. Jonathan bent forward to get a closer look and gasped. Two Realan kids were drowning!! He looked around and remembered... no one was there to send! He picked up the phone to call Lazaar, but decided against it. There wasn't time for anyone to get here. These Realans were all but dead...he know he had only minutes to save them. Jonathan ran to the Transporter. He had never used it before, but he knew how it worked. He set the Return timer for three minutes, typed in the destination, stepped in, and started it up. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When Jonathan arrived, the first one he saw was the girl. He reached down and grabbed her. Now for the other one. He looked around and saw the boy far below him. He swam as fast as he could to get to him. He was inches away...there was a brilliant flash of light. *Not now!* He thought hurriedly. Jonathan lunged downward to get the other one...and missed. He felt himself being pulled back into his own world, and he left with a heavy heart. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Another flash of light and he was back in the Monitor Room. He laid the girl's limp body on a table near the monitors. He checked her breath and her pulse, neither of which she had. He had to try CPR. *I hope I remember this right!* he thought. He tried several times, but no response. Extremely tired and soaking wet, he kept going. He was upset about not getting to the boy in time, but he couldn't let this one die. He tried a few more times, but to no avail. He made one final attempt. His hands were shaking, but he tried it once more. He waited. Nothing. Jonathan slowly sank to his knees. *I failed again.* Suddenly he heard a strangled cough. He leapt to his feet and looked to her expectantly. She sounded like she was choking. He pushed on her stomach, hoping it would help. She became still once more. He panicked. What had happened? He suddenly knew the answer. He tilted her head to the side and forced down on her chest as hard as he could. It worked! She started coughing immediately. Jonathan breathed a sigh in relief. Once the girl started breathing normally, he took a closer look at her. Was this the same girl he had rescued? She looked more like an Animate than a Realan! Then again, he couldn't really see her in the water. She looked about his age, sixteen. She had thick, light brown hair to her shoulders. Her skin was light, much like his. He pried one of her eyes open gently and stared into it in shock. She was an Animate! The girl started to tremble. He realized she must be freezing. He ran to the supply room and grabbed the thickest blanket he could find. Soon Jonathan's shift was over. He picked her up, knowing he had to take her with him. He walked through the builing cautiously, hoping to avoid any people with questions. The officer coming in for his shift gave him a funny look, but Jonathan thought nothing of it. When his mom arrived, though, she had more questions than he knew how to answer. "Jonathan, who is that? Why are you all wet? What happened?" Jonathan was too tired to reply. "Mom, I'll explain as soon as I can. Can we please just go home?" His mother sighed. "Put her in the back seat and get in." Jonathan slept all the way back to Los Angeles. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Naomi woke up with a huge headache. *What happened?* she thought. *The last thing I remember was...water...hey, this isn't my bed!* She looked over to the left and shouted in surprise. There was a boy standing next to the bed. He jumped back, startled. "Who are you? Where am I? What happened? Am I dead?" "Jonathan; Los Angeles, California; it's a long story; no," the boy answered. "And who might you be?" "Alisha," she replied. *Where'd that come from?* she wondered. "Hi, Alisha. I'm Jonathan." Alisha found herself staring at a boy who looked about sixteen. To her disbelief, he looked like an anime character. He had plain brown hair and bright blue eyes, huge like most anime characters' eyes are. She decided to be blunt. "You look...weird." Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her. "I look wierd? I'd take a look in the mirror if I were you, I think you're in for a shock." Alisha turned and looked in the full mirror on the door. She nearly fainted when she saw that she herself looked like an anime character as well. On top of that, her entire appearance was different. Her small brown eyes were now large and the same blue as Jonathan's, her complexion was pale, and her staight black hair was replaced by a mess of wavy brown hair. "...What's happened to me?" she asked, now noticing that even her voice was very different. "I wish I knew," Jonathan replied, looking about as confused as she did. "I rescued you from the Realan world--" "Realan world?" Alisha interrupted. Jonathan sighed. He hated explaining the details, he wasn't completely sure how the system worked. "There are two worlds that exist in the same dimension, the Realan world and the Animate world. Apparantly Realans don't know we exist, but we know they exist. We monitor things from here and when someone's in serious trouble and there's no other option we go to your world and save them. Understand?" Alisha didn't understand at all, but she nodded politely. "So what's the last thing you remember? I'll go from there." "You sound like a psychiatrist." "JUST answer the question," he said, sounding annoyed. Alisha giggled. "Okay, okay. I was...on a boat...and it tipped over...I fell in the water...I can't swim..." her voice began to quiver. "There was...w-water... couldn't breathe...s-started sinking..." She couldn't finish. Jonathan held up his hand. "It's okay," he said softly, "Here's what happened: You were in trouble and you came up on the monitors. Since it was the slowest day of the year, I was the only one on shift. I was supposed to call for reinforcements if there was a problem, but in your case there was no time for it. I had to go myself. "When I brought you back you were so weak I thought you were already dead. You had no pulse, no breathing, nothing. I-I almost didn't save you," he whispered. "It took so long to get you to breathe...at one point I almost strangled you to death." He looked away from her. Alisha just sat in shock, not knowing what to say. Jonathan quickly regained his composure and smiled at her. "Hey, I'm going to go get us some lunch. You must be hungry!" "Yes, I am," she replied. "Thank you." As he left, he mumbled to himself, "If she asks about her friend, I'll tell her. But if she doesn't remember...it's best that she doesn't know." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jonathan returned with a few sandwiches. "I hope you're not a vegetarian...it's turkey." Alisha laughed. "It's fine." They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Alisha looked around the room. "Whose room is this?" "It's just a guest room. We have three of them." She noticed that she was wearing something different than she had been wearing before. "Where did these clothes come from? And where are my clothes?" "These are some of my mom's old stuff. Your clothes are being washed." Since she couldn't think of anything else to say, she leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. There was something that she couldn't remember about the Realan World...something very important. When she laid down, Jonathan stood up. "Do you want me to leave?" "No. Please don't. I'm...just trying to remember something." Jonathan sat back down as Alisha went through that fateful day in her mind. *Why was I on a boat? I was probably with someone. But who? Oh, my friends were talking about it when I left school. Wait! It was a date! I was going on a date...with...* She sat up quickly and reached for the gold chain around her neck. She unclasped it and looked at it in her hand for a minute. Jonathan saw her do this. *Damn it..she's going to ask about him.* He glanced over as she looked up at him cautiously. "Jonathan?..." she began slowly. *Shoot.* "Yeah?" "What happened to Tim?" *I have to tell her the truth.* he decided unwillingly. "You mean that boy you were with?" "Yes. Where is he?" Jonathan lowered his head with his eyes closed, remembering all too clearly what had happened. Alisha took a deep breath. "Jonathan, just tell me. I need to know what happened." "Okay...if you're sure," he said quietly. Alisha nodded. "When I went to get you, I knew that two people needed my help. I set the return button on the Transporter for three minutes, since I figured that would be plenty of time. When I arrived, you were right in front of me, so I grabbed you first. Your friend Tim was far below us. I swam as fast as I could towards him. I was inches away when the warning signal went off on my return switch. I lunged to grab him, but I just missed. The Transporter sent me and you back, but...Tim..." He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry...." Jonathan gazed up at Alisha, who was sitting on the bed looking down. She wasn't crying, and the look on her face wasn't telling him much. "Alisha...say something." Alisha took a few more deep breaths and closed her eyes again. "...Get...out." There was a look of fear on Jonathan's face. "Alisha, please..." "I SAID GET OUT!!!!!!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Jonathan's eyes widened as he backed up against the wall in terror. "YOU!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE SAVED HIM!!! IT'S YOUR FAULT HE'S DEAD!!!!!" she yelled. She pointed in his direction. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, I'D BE WITH HIM NOW!!!!!" To her surprise and horror, an intense burst of flame shot out of her hands...directly at Jonathan. She heard him scream in agony, then slide to the floor, motionless. Alisha knelt by his side, scared, and checked for a heartbeat. Thankfully, there was one. He was still breathing too, so she knew he would be all right. She couldn't pick him up very well, so she dragged him carefully to her bed and pulled him up. She found a chair and sat beside him, held his hand, and laid her head down on the blanket. For some unexplainable reason, she was suddenly exhausted. She cried herself to sleep that night. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jonathan awoke the next morning feeling strange. He looked down to find Alisha asleep on a chair beside him, still holding his hand. He smiled and kindly shook her to wake her up. Her blue eyes fluttered open and she glanced up. He was all right! "Jonathan!! I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday!! I didn't mean to hurt you!! I didn't hurt you too much, did I? I mean, I zapped you and you screamed like that...are you mad at me? Please don't be mad at me..." Jonathan just laughed. "You should meet Seiji. You two would go good together!!" "You probably should introduce me to your friends. I would like to know other people, and I should make some friends myself, because it will be pretty lonely if your friends don't like me. I should probably go shopping soon for some new clothes, since I only have one outfit here, and..." Jonathan looked at her strangely. "Alisha...you do know that you have to go back to the Realan World, right?" Alisha spun around, a look of shock on her face. "Go back? But why??" "Well, that's where you belong. Everyone will be worried about you." "But don't you see? It's perfect! They all think I'm dead! No one will worry, and I'll be better off here, I know it! And besides," she added softly, "now that Tim is gone, I have nothing to go back to." "I'm sorry, Alisha, but that's the way things have to be. I'll get in big trouble if Lazaar finds out I brought a Realan into the Animate World." Alisha sighed, sticking out one hip and looking serious. "I'll be straight with you, Jonathan. If I go back now, people are going to ask questions. Tim was the best swimmer around, and I can't swim at all. How is it that he drowned and I didn't? And I will have to tell them the truth, you know. How is this Lazaar going to feel about the entire Realan World knowing about you?" Jonathan sighed. There was no point in arguing with her. "I see what you mean. Okay, tomorrow I'll take you to see Lazaar and we'll decide what to do then. But today, we can go see my friends." "Where do they live?" "Um...Tokyo?" "Tokyo?!" ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alisha looked blankly at the hotel building in front of them. "I thought you said your friends lived in Tokyo?" "They do. A few of them are in town, they come here often. We'll go see Seiji-san first. You'll like him, I know it." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ As they stood outside the room Seiji was in, Alisha couldn't help noticing how loud it was in there. Jonathan opened the door to step in and a brown haired boy with a ponytail came flying out and hit the wall. They looked at her for a moment, then looked into the room to see a girl with long black hair frowning at the boy. "And stay out, Seiji!!" She yelled as she tossed a suitcase out and slammed the door. Alisha looked at Jonathan in surprise. He shrugged and looked down at the bewildered boy. "Girl trouble, Seiji?" Seiji ignored his comment and mumbled a few Japanese obscenities. "Now where am I gonna stay?" He then looked up at Alisha and stared at her for awhile. "Got a new girlfriend, Jonathan?" "Er.....no, Seiji, this is my new friend Alisha," he said, looking a bit embarrassed. Seiji stood, still staring at Alisha, who couldn't help staring back at him. "Hi, I'm, um, Seiji," he said akwardly. Jonathan looked at them strangely for a moment then grinned. *This may work out better than I thought!* ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That night Alisha decided she would much rather have Jonathan sleep on her floor than be alone that night. As the light turned out, Alisha had something on her mind. "Jonathan?" "Hmm?" "Do you think Lazaar will make me go home tomorrow?" "I dunno." "Will you be in trouble for bringing me here?" "Probably." "What will Lazaar do to you?" "Depends on how mad he is." "What's the worst he can do?" "Kill me." "He can actually do that?" "Legally, yes. It's a law that no Realans be permitted here." Alisha paused for a moment. "I won't let him." "What?" "Kill you." "Oh yeah? How do you plan to stop him?" "I'll find a way." Silence. "Jonathan?" "Huh?" "What do you think it would be like to be dead?" "I-I don't want to think about that." "I don't either." "Alisha?" "What?" "You promise you won't let me die tomorrow?" "I can't promise you that, but I'll try my best." "Good. I'm not ready to die yet...are you?" Alisha didn't reply. "Alisha?" "I can't answer that right now." "Why not?" "Because you'll worry about me." "You have to promise that you won't leave me." "I can't." "Please!" "I said I can't." "All right. Some friend you are." "Goodnight, Jonathan." "Goodnight, Alisha." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alisha and Jonathan woke up early the next morning. Neither said a word to the other. Jonathan was really worried about Alisha. Why wouldn't she promise not to leave him? He had to know. On the way to Lazaar's, he decided to question her about it. "Alisha, why won't you promise me you won't leave? What's wrong? I didn't mean leave like leaving the Animate World, I meant leave as in dying." "I know that," she whispered. "Then why can't you..." He suddenly knew what was happening. He turned to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Alisha, please, PLEASE tell me you don't intend to take your own life!" She just looked away. "Alisha, don't do this to me! You mean too much to me! And what about Seiji? You mean a lot to him too. You can't just desert us!" Alisha took one look at those tear-filled turquoise eyes and broke down crying. Jonathan held her close until she calmed down a little, then asked her softly, "You wanna tell me why?" She was still crying as she spoke. "...All that's happened lately, and Tim..." She told him all that had happened that night, and she started sobbing again. "I didn't know what to do!" "Alisha, I know it must be hard for you to have lost him, but you can't throw away the rest of your life just because of one accident. Things happen like that all the time. Er...at least sometimes. And you have other people who need you." He hugged her again. "You ready to go?" Alisha wiped away her tears and nodded. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When they finally arrived, they both hesitated. What happened now was up to fate. They looked at each other gravely for a moment, then headed in. *This place is weird!!* Alisha thought with a shudder. Jonathan led the way to Lazaar's "lair." "Stay right here for a minute," he told her. "Let me try to explain things first." He looked at her worried face and tried to smile. "I'll be all right." As he closed the door, she pressed against it to hear what they were saying. "Can I speak to you for a minute, Lazaar?" Jonathan said timidly. "No, I need to speak to you," came a low, fearsome voice. Alisha guessed it must be Lazaar. "Are you not the boy who was on monitor duty three days ago? Let's see...Jonathan.." "Yes?" "There was a problem on one of the monitors during your shift, wasn't there?" "But that-" "ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!" "Yes, sir." "Was there a problem?" "Yes, sir." "Did you know that I have a tracking mechanism in every device in the room that I compare to all the written records?" Alisha looked through a small window and saw Jonathan's eyes widen in fear. "No, sir." "That problem was on one of the Realan monitors, wasn't it? "Yes, sir.." "The records show that you did not call for help. The Transporter's memory shows that you went to the trouble area to help without reporting. It also shows that you brought someone back with you. A REALAN!! IS THAT TRUE????" he yelled, his voice rising. "Yes, but she was in trouble! It was the only way-" "ENOUGH!!! Jonathan, you are guilty of treason!!!" he lowered his voice to sound threatening. "And the sentence for your disloyalty and dishonesty is DEATH!!!!!! Alisha watched as a beam of light came from his palm and took the shape of a hand. As Lazaar reached his hand toward Jonathan, the image of the hand reached for him, too. Jonathan tried to escape, but he had no chance. The hand encircled around his throat and hoisted him into the air. Lazaar's hand was also positioned as though it held Jonathan overhead. "A slow death. Then you will suffer as much as possible for your crime." Lazaar very slowly began to shut his hand. He closed it just enough to leave Jonathan battling for air. five minutes later he tightened it again. Gagging, Jonathan said as loud as he could, "A-A-lish-sh-sh-a-a.... p-pleas-se ...h-hel-lp-p.....m-m-m..." His voice was raspy, and the last of his words were cut off by a quickly narrowing hand. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alisha heard his plea for her help, but she was frozen in place. From the sound of his voice, she knew if she didn't interfere...it was only a matter of minutes before Jonathan would be strangled to death. Maybe she shouldn't interfere. He did let Tim die...maybe Jonathan should join him. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jonathan was fighting for his life. Lazaar saw him start to choke, and knew it was almost over. Jonathan heard gagging, and knew it was his. *Alisha, don't let me down! You said you wouldn't let him kill me...!* he thought angrily as he tried to stay alive. He managed to peer over at the window where Alisha was. To his dismay, she was standing there, arms crossed, watching his life end. When she met his eyes, she turned away. He was shocked...and hurt. *All right, Alisha...if this is the way you feel...* The hand just pulled harder. He could hardly breathe. Jonathan felt his body begin to go limp...and he didn't care. Alisha's anger began to arise. How dare he save her and leave Tim to die! She should have died with him! Why'd he have to butt in? She glanced through the window and saw Jonathan looking at her with a wounded expression on his face. She glared at him for a moment, then looked away. Why should he expect her help? He'd just made her life miserable! Suddenly she realized it. He hadn't made her life miserable...she'd made her life miserable!! All Jonathan had ever tried to do was make her happy. Even when she'd gotten so angry as to hurt him, he was still so kind to her. He was almost like a brother! And now, after all the times he'd been there for her in the past few days, she was turning her back on him when he needed her most. Alisha gazed at him again. He wasn't fighting anymore...kind of like he wanted to die. No, she couldn't let him go now. *I have to do something, or else Lazaar will... no!!! Jonathan's not moving!!!* Lazaar finally pulled his hand taut. Jonathan's air was fully cut off. His lungs burned painfully, but he didn't bother to struggle. He just wanted to be put out of his misery. *Alisha, why are you doing this to me?* All he could see was black in front of him as his eyes rolled back in his head. *This is it...* "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he heard a familiar voice. Alisha! He saw a bright flash of red light strike the beam that held him. He felt himself fall and he collapsed on the ground, coughing and gasping for air. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Meanwhile, Alisha prepared to send a fatal blast at Lazaar. He held his hand up for her to stop. "Wait! Are...you the girl that this traitor saved?" "He's not a traitor!" she shouted. "It appears not!" Lazaar seemed amused. Alisha was completely thrown off by this. "What do you mean? Then why did you try to kill him?" "I am...sort of an Animate version of the Realan's wizard Merlin. I make the rules here and I punish those who do not abide by them." He looked over to Jonathan, who was still recovering. "It seems, my boy, that you have finally done something right for a change." "Uh, did I miss something? First you try to kill me for treason, and now you're complementing me?" Jonathan looked just as bewildered as Alisha. Lazaar sighed. "Come here and I'll explain it to you both: "A long time ago there were three different races; the Realans, the Animates, and the Inanimates. The Inanimates were magical, and could change into an Animate or a Realan whenever they pleased. All three races lived together peacefully until The Malevolent came. She was pure evil, and managed to convince the Animates that the Realans were no good. She also convinced the Realans that Animates were evil. She tried to get to the Inanimates, but they would not listen. They were part if both civilizations and refused to believe that one would be inferior. The Animates and the Realans went to war and nearly ruined their whole universe. "As a last resort to make peace once more, they separated the Animates and Realans and split the dimension in half. There were 100 Inanimates at the time, and 50 were sent to each of the worlds to assure peace. But wherever they went, they were labled as the enemy. "Soon, all that was left was one husband and one wife. They gave birth to a pair of twins. Not wanting their civilization to end, they sent the twins to new parents on the Realan's earth. The Malevolent caught them just as the twins were sent. She killed the parents immediately and cast a spell on the twins. Each would only have one child. Then there would always be only two Inanimates for her to track down. For generations she chased them, but they always managed to get their kids away from her. "Until this generation. The Malevolent found one of the Inanimates before she had her child. That left only one. But I was able to reverse part of The Malevolent's one-child spell and arranged for the last Inanimate to have twins. A girl and a boy. Once again they were able to avoid her. "The mother supposedly died, but before she did she managed to trap The Malevolent in a prison. No one is certain what type of prison, but obviously she cannot get out of it easily, since the Inanimates are still safe. "The twins were sent to two different parents. It was my job to find them and bring them here. "Each is to have a certain amulet that will help defeat The Malevolent permanently when the time comes. The girl's is a gold amulet with a heart and a star in the center. "The boy's amulet is also gold, but holds the image of a dragon in blue stone. "When they arrive, and when they prove themselves worthy, the amulets will be given to them." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Lazaar, not that this isn't a very interesting story...but what does this all have to do with me?" Alisha asked. Lazaar slightly, not suprised that she hasn't seen the point. "Simple. You, Alisha, are one of the last Inanimate twins." "WHAT?!" Jonathan and Alisha shouted in unison. "Jonathan, I tried to kill you because it is my job to punish traitors. I wouldn't have if you had showed me who you brought in the first place." Lazaar walked over to a safe in the wall and removed a large black box. He opened it and took out a pendant on a gold chain. "I believe this is yours." Alisha looked at it for a moment and reluctantly took it from him. As she placed it on her neck, she began to feel strange. She staggered backwards to a table, breathing heavily. Jonathan looked at her, worried. "Alisha? Alisha, what's wrong?" He looked to Lazaar for help, but Lazaar seemed just as puzzled as Jonathan. Suddenly a huge pillar of fire blazed out of nowhere around Alisha. She shrieked in terror. "ALISHA!!!!!" Jonathan cried. He tried to run towards her, but Lazaar held him back. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! LET ME GO!!!" "Wait, boy...wait." Jonathan covered his ears to shut out Alisha's screams for help. He couldn't stand it. Ten minutes later, the fire burned white hot for a moment and disappeared. Alisha fell to the floor. Jonathan rushed to her side and put his hand to her heart. Jonathan cried out and let go, looking at his now singed hand. "OUCH!! She burned me!!" Lazaar looked down at her. "But her skin isn't burned!" Jonathan looked at her for a minute and, not able to help her, buried his face in his hands. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alisha heard him start to cry. She wanted so badly to tell him she was okay, but she couldn't make her body move at all. *What's...wrong... with...me?...* #Nothing's wrong with you.# Alisha turned to see a girl who looked similar to herself standing behind her. *Who are you?* #I'm Pheonix!# *How is it that you're inside me?* #I'm part of you, silly!# *But I've never seen you before...* #That's because the magic of the amulet that body of yours is wearing set me free. Sorry for the rude greeting, though.# *You mean that fire?* #One of my specialties! It was the only way I could find to talk to you.# *It was mean!! Jonathan thinks I'm hurt!* #I'll send ya back as soon as I finish.# *Finish what?* #You need to know how to use your new power. That would be me.# *So tell me already!* #This is sort of a superhero deal. Or heroine, in our case. You just use the your amulet to transform into me.# She showed an amulet like Alisha's on her outfit. #As me, you have other powers besides your normal ones. You have the spirit of a phoenix inside you.# Pheonix held up one hand an an image of a firebird appeared in it. #Your first attack is Pheonix Fire. You say that and it sends fire outta your hands and it looks really cool, too.# *So is that it?* #What, you're tired of me already?# Alisha heard Jonathan still crying. *I'd better get back...he's worried about me.* #See ya later, amiga!# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Alisha slowly opened her eyes. "Jonathan...?" He looked up, surprised. "Alisha! You're okay!!" He reached for her arm, then pulled back quickly, remembering what happened earlier. Alisha smiled. "It's all right now, Jonathan." He grinned as he held her. "What was that all about?" "You'll find out soon enough."