CLOUD NINE

If she falls, all is lost – because she is, effectively, the All-Spark. One side fights to protect her, another hunts her down, and then there are the darker ones, intent unknown. Her life is no longer meaningless, now that love, secrets and power are involved.

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction: Girl With No Life

My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light of my room, and I found myself closing the hazel orbs briefly, in an attempt to cling onto the remnants of my fast-fading dream. Like all my dreams as of late, it had been so vivid and colourful that it had seemed real, with vaguely unidentifiable shapes and a lot going on.

But one thing I had been sure of was the figure with eyes like summer skies, and a hand extended toward me to help me out of the hole I was clinging to the edge of by my fingertips.

There had been a strange feeling I got when I looked into those eyes, like an overwhelming sense of devotion was being exuded from them.

Then I opened my own eyes again and sat up in defeat. With a sigh, I reminded myself that it had only been a dream, and that stuff like that didn't happen in real life, especially not in mine.

In fact, that dream (and the ones like it) had been on the opposite end of the scale to what my life was really like.

"I wonder what time it is?" I said out loud, reaching across my bed to locate my pink Nintendo DS. I found it where I had tossed it after deactivating the alarm that had woken me up at nine o'clock, and flipped it open again to see the numbers 18:00 in white letters on a black background.

My eyes opened wide in shock. "How late?" I whispered in disbelief, before shaking my head slowly. "Emma, you have really outdone yourself this time." I switched off the DS.

To accent my words, the grandfather clock out in the dining room struck six just then.

"Alright already, I'm up now!" I called to it, before swinging my feet over the side of my bed, and standing up. I picked my way carefully through a clear path of various things that made up my floor-drobe (I couldn't keep my room clean now if my life depended on it) and over to the door.

Was there really any point in getting up right now?

Oh, right, there was one thing I had to do.

Fifteen minutes later, I was standing in the pantry in the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to finish heating up the dog's dinner. Since it was a Friday, I was effectively alone in the house, as both my parents were at work and my sister was off doing…well, whatever it is she does on a Friday. Dad must've decided that the hassle of trying to wake me up was too great, and just left for work half an hour ago without even bothering to say 'see ya'. I supposed this should annoy me but, to be perfectly honest, I was beyond the point of caring anymore. I was stuck in a rut that was more like a ten foot deep hole at the moment, with no way of getting out by myself. I really had no idea what I was going to do.

I was wearing one of my favourite dresses that evening – it's short, with black on the top and a multicoloured black, white and blue skirt. My dark brown hair was tied up in a low ponytail, with two very long dark blue ribbons flowing down my back from it. Dad says I wear my ribbons long like Sailor Moon and that he hates it, but I like the way they look and continue to wear them accordingly (probably in a very Sailor Moon-like way).

When the microwave went off, I took the ice-cream container with two cups of veggies, rice and pasta in it out, and went out the back where our black lab-retriever Ranger waited somewhat impatiently.

"Okay." I commanded, as I set the container on the mat just outside the back door, and the dog dived in nose first. Being part Labrador, meal-times are one of his favourite times. He's like a canine vacuum cleaner.

I rolled my eyes but smiled as I closed the back door, and returned to the kitchen to see about my own dinner, stopping briefly to turn on the TV.

As I reheated last night's chicken curry and rice in the microwave (and eyed a packet of Pappadums on the shelf) I kept one ear on the TV, as the news was recapping their top story which, for once, wasn't about people dying.

It was actually quite interesting, and it had happened right here in our very city.

"…police are still trying to find out what caused the mysterious explosion that shook Perth city last week." The news reporter was saying, and images were shown of the area where the explosion had taken place. "The event followed what appeared to be a meteor shower, the first on Perth's records, and scientists are investigating whether or not the two are linked. Just last month, a single meteor was seen falling to earth in the vicinity of Chidlow, just an hour and half drive from Perth City…"

I frowned as I coated a Pappadum with extra virgin olive oil (oil with a questionable past). Chidlow was significant for two reasons – one, I'd taken riding lessons up there four years ago and, two, my sister had recently purchased a motorcycle from a man who lived up there.

The Kawasaki Ninja 250R was now sitting out in the driveway, down the back by the shed. It was black, with red and gold, shiny and powerful-looking. It had come to the house with gloves, a helmet, a new leather jacket, boots and cleaning kit, all of them new and very expensive.

I was impressed by it. My sister (whom I call Nee-San) was paranoid over it, and hardly let anyone go near it in the first week and a half. Mum and Dad were sceptical at first, but what could they say? Nee-San had taken a reckless streak after her latest break-up (thank God she and Mike-San were back together again), with a new piercing bringing the total to thirteen and a fair amount of beer coming into the house each week. She was planning on getting a tattoo as well.

Mike-San was also going for his motorbike license, and planned on getting a tattoo with her. Now that's devotion. He'd even given her a promise ring – they'd been together for five years now, so…

"Where is Nee-San, anyway?" I asked, carrying my dinner over to the bench. "Oh well, maybe I'll take the ninja for a spin…" I said idly.

There was a sound like a doorbell chiming, which meant that my phone had gotten a message. I slid it open and discovered a new message from Nee-San. It read:

I'm going 2 the movies with Mike, Jess and Gavin 2night, B home around 10. DO NOT TOUCH MY BIKE.

"Sheesh," I muttered, tossing the phone down onto the couch. "I was only kidding. I wouldn't know what to do with the thing anyway." I went over to the fridge then, and got out a bottle of Pure Blonde beer. "She didn't say anything about touching her beer," I muttered, using a bottle opener to get the lid off and putting the bottle in my favourite stubby-holder. "And I'm good for it." I added, settling down on the couch with my dinner and drink. "Nee-San won't miss one…"

"And now in other news, a man has been attacked and killed by a shark believed to be a Great White, while surfing near Gracetown…"

"God, not another one," I commented, as a video of a big black shark was shown cruising by on the screen. "I'll bet it's the same one, too, this can't be good for their image…and if the guy is dead, how do they know it was a White Pointer, it could've been a Tiger or a Whaler…" Sharks were a personal favourite of mine, even though Jaws still freaked me out. I loved them all, from Hammerheads to Makos and even Grey Nurse sharks. Shark – and shark attacks – were just a part of life if you were going to swim at the beach. "Oh well, if it is a Great White Shark then they can't kill it because it's a protected species…" I frowned. "Yeah, that's right, it mistook the man for a seal." I agreed with the news reader. "You tell em'."

I took a sip of beer before starting in on the curry and Pappadum, continuing to watch the news until they started talking about a man who'd gotten a broken bottle shoved into his face in a nightclub in Northbridge. By then I was finished my dinner and just about done with my beer, so I switched off the real-life horror story and carried my plate over to the dishwasher. "Now…" I began but, just then, the dog started barking.

I sighed, and went out the back. In the dim light, it was hard to tell where Ranger was (my long-distance eyesight is horrible, I need glasses for it) on all five acres of sprawling rural property. "Ranger!" I called out into the darkness, my voice carrying on into the darkness. I heard the chinkle of his tag on his collar, and turned in that direction. Best day of my life when I put that tag on there. "Range, come on!" I called, and heard him trotting toward me.

Then he was there, the hackles on his back standing straight up as his tail was curved in an arc over said back.

"What is the matter with you?" I said, opening the back door so that he could go inside. "You stay there," I told him, sliding the door shut. "And I'll go take a look."

Actually, that's not what I was planning on doing – what I really wanted was an excuse to go and check out Nee-San's bike again, which is just what I did.

Little did I know, it would be the pivotal point of my life.