"Finally. With this I'll be able capture Zim and end his reign of terror once and for all!" Dib struck a pose over a jumble of vials and jars.
"I wouldn't count on it," a voice said behind him.
Quickly he spun around and grabbed something. Holding the lamp as a weapon, he faced the hooded character in the corner.
"Who are you and how did get in my house?" he tried to sound threatening.
Green eyes flashed under the hood. "Never mind that. Just don't use that goopy stuff or you'll regret it."
With that, the figure disappeared in a swirl of darkness. Dib rubbed his temples, wondering if he was hallucinating from lack of sleep.
***next day at skool***
"Class, I'm disappointed to inform you that a new failure shall be added to your numbers," Ms. Bitters informed the bored class, gesturing to the girl next to her. "You will be sent to the underground classroom."
The kid behind Dib shrieked as his desk disappeared into the ground.
"Now, speak then sit!" She floated off.
The girl scanned her green eyes around the class. "I'm Lil Stoneheart. Nice to meet you."
After she sat, class went on as normal, but Dib couldn't get the girl's bright green eyes out of his mind. They sort of burned there. He couldn't quiet shake it off.
During recess, Dib pulled out a jar of the purple goop he created the night before. This was his chance. Zim was sitting under a tree listening to something. Dib's creation would finally destroy the alien and rid the Earth of the threat.
"I told you not to use that," a voice said behind him. "Can't you listen?"
Dib turned and saw the new girl. "You! You're the one who snuck into my house last night! What are you?"
The brown-haired girl flashed a grin of pointed teeth and the sky flashed lavender. Dib's head spun and the world melted away like candle wax. Colors splashed about like food dumped onto the floor by a toddler only to be sucked away as the world returned to normal, Dib seeming to be the only one who actually noticed.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked.
"Am I in another one of Zim's hologram chambers?"
"Hardly."
"Then you're some sort of god or guardian angel or something?"
Lil chuckled. "You give me too much merit! A god would be something you would worship. Besides, I like deadly twists of irony too much to be an angel. No, I'm more like a…subtle manipulator. I push you in the direction I want you to go in such a way that you don't notice. You still choose for yourself though."
"Okay, let's pretend I believe you. Why are you here?"
"Normally I don't interfere with these sorts of things, but I felt I should mix things up a little bit. Make it different from what I normally do."
"So basically, you're here because you're bored."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Great," Dib sighed. "I meet a crazy girl that can control the universe and she's here because she's bored."
"Controlling this universe is a bit much but sure I guess you did."
"Whatever. Can you at least explain why I can't dump this on Zim?"
"Well, neither of you should have an advantage over the other. I'm planning something big and I don't want either of you spoiling it!"
Dib was about to ask what she was planning but Lil walked away. He looked at the jar in his hand. An advantage over Zim would be a good thing, but something in the back of his mind urged him to forget the jar and just use water again like last time. He shook his head. This must have been what she meant by "subtle manipulation".
"Hey Zim!"
The next thing the little Irken knew, he was covered in a purple goop. Seconds later, the pain caused him to black out.
