"Mindy! Wake up!" the my ring tone called (I had no family so I recorded the sound of my voice and set it as the alarm on my phone that rang at 6:30). I did not want to get out off bed, I had a really, really bad feeling about my not so distant future. Something was going to happen to me today, I knew it, deep in my heart. "Miranda! Now!"

I sat up and stretched, getting ready for the hell that was to come. "I'm up!" I replied. Out off the corner of my eye I thought that I saw someone sitting at my desk, but I blinked and it was gone,, I shrugged and grabbed my school uniform. I'm being paranoid! I told my self. Shore I could see ghosts (and I had some pretty dam kick ass powers!) but there was something not so pleasant about this apparition, and the fact that it didn't want me see it wasn't very comforting either.

I let it drift out of my mind as the morning went on, until eventually I forgot about it.

Lunch was normal: Karin, May, Ally, Avery, Dylan, and I watched the foot ball team practice from the bleachers and made fun of the cheer leaders. Karin and I "went to the bathroom" at 6th period, to take care of a rampaging hallow, then Avery walked me home.

Nothing strange happened! I thought, getting out a pot to start dinner. I guess I was just being paranoid suddenly the feeling was back, that feeling of dread, I turned around fast, nothing was there! I'm going crazy! just to be safe, I called Inu-kuroi (a large black wolf) out, to keep me company for a wile.

Where did he come from? You ask, I have a necklace that I was left (along with the house) by my father. It had 12 magical creatures (rat: Nezumi-aka, ox: Oushi-Kasshoku, tiger: Tora-shiro, rabbit: Usagi-haiiro, snake: Hebi-ao, horse: Uma-aoi, ram: Hitsuji-kugame, monkey: Saru-koushoku, eagle: Tori-seidou, wolf: Inu-kuroi, boar: Buta-puru, and a dragon: Dora-sendo) with special powers that I could summon (one at a time) at will. Each time I summoned a spirit, my appearance changed to match the personality of said spirit.

The only draw back: when the neck leas is on we share a life force. Basically, if one spirit gets hurt: we all get hurt, if I run out of energy then they all run out of energy.

If you're comparing me to Orihime then you should know this, I can and will kill almost anyone, I'm calculating and manipulative, I have a use on the battle, short black hair, and I'm not quite as busty (I can actually stand up strait) and absolutely do not have a crush on my best guy friend!

suddenly my phone rang, I picked it up almost before it rang. "yellow?"

"Mindy! Are you okay?" Karin's voice asked she sounded distraught, upset, like she was in the middle of a battle.

"I'm fine what's-" the phone connection was lost. I looked up, I called Inu-kuroi back, only to replace her with Uma-aoi (blue horse), my hair turned blue and grew to the down to my waist, my grey eyes turned green and my skin tone lightened.

Suddenly a chill ran down my spine as the feeling returned.

I planed on ignoring it, when it spoke "you can't help her," a calm cold voice. One thing that I forgot to mention was that each spirit/new fashion statement come's with an attitude geared toward an element of my personality (some would call it sever multiple personality disorder). Uma-aoi happened to be free spirited.

"how could I be so stupid? Of cores it would be you!" I asked him, knowing full well who it was. "you going to try to stop me, Ulquiorra?" I turned around to face the raven haired Esspada , waiting for a reply.

"the only way you can save your little sole reaper friends , is if you come with me!" he commanded. Pictures of my friends in the heat of battle flashed threw the back of my mind.

"I don't think so, sugar! You don't honestly think I'm going to fall for Aizen's stupid little mind games? Why don't you go back to Waco Mundo and study me a little more!" I laughed. If there was something that free spirit hated more than the Esspada, it was people trying to fool her.

I threw way leg over Uma-aoi's back. "Tag your it!" I teased, kicking the hours in the side and she took off.

The only reason I didn't think he would catch me was because Uma is a lot faster than any other horse alive. That's why I was surprised when I took a header into the cement. I tried to scramble to my feet only to feel a sharp pain in my leg.

"oh, come one! That was dirty!" I shouted. I pulled Uma back into the necklace and replaced her with Inu-kuroi she whimpered and limped over to my side. "hey, sweetie! Can you fix this for me?" I asked, scratching her on the neck. She leaned down and licked my broken leg, it magically healed in a shower or gold sparks. I let out a sigh of relief.

"have you given up, or are you going to try something needless and stupid agene?" Ulquiorra asked.

"you REALY don't know me!" I laughed. I quickly replaced, Inu-kuroi with Hitsuji-kugame (gold ram). My hair turned blond and wound itself into 2 buns on either side of my head my eyes turned black and I got a heavy German accent. "ah have many more treks whar dat came froam!" I replied. "ah reely doan like dis voice!" I took a deep breath, "vatake!" I yelled. Hitsuji took off at Ramming speed making a b-line for Ulquiorra.

He reached out with one hand and pushed him back. "are you done?" he asked sounding like he was growing quite boarded, although I wouldn't know because I took off down the street!

If I can just make it around the corner before he catches up to me! I though, I replaced Hitsuji with Tori-seidou (Bronze eagle) my hair simply feel out of the bizarre buns and my eyes turned blue, I pulled my hair up and pretended I couldn't see Ulquiorra, if he walked by.

I smiled at my self, this was one of my better ideas, that's why I liked "caution" so much, she was smart, pretty and never got blinded by passions like fear or anger.

I was snapped out of my self coagulation when someone grabbed me by the shoulder and slammed me into the side of the building with a bone cracking THUD! Fallowed by a swift punch in the noise. "alright! Alright you win! What do you can't me to do?" I replied. I lacked the resolve to beat him at this point.

"Miranda!" Karin yelled, bursting threw the door of Mindy's house. "oh, God! Why the hell didn't I see it before!" she collapsed on the floor. "of Corse they'd come after her! She has more uses than tobacco salsa!" she cried.

"you're misery some what creeps me out!" May replied, putting her hand on Karin's back. "and you need to come up with better analogies!"

"I shouldn't have ignored the traces of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure!" Karin yelled, she was sobbing on the floor.

"hey! Karin! May!" Avery called from the bed room. "I think we have a problem!" he yelled sounding distressed.

" what is it?" May asked, leaving Karin on the floor in the living room.

"Mindy didn't leave her grind guard, or hair brush! I don't think that she departure was involuntary!" he replied.

"how could you say that? How long have you known Miranda? She would never do this to us!" Karin screamed.

"you're right! This isn't like her!" May replied. "what would provoke her to leave?"

"a threat of some sort that she couldn't afford to risk," Avery replied..

"dose it really matter?" Karin replied "the fact is they took her and we're going to get her back before something terrible happens to her!"

Avery accidentally let a small laugh escape his lips.

May and Karin glared at him. "what's so funny!?" May yelled.

"I'm sorry! I'm just imagining the poor sap that finds out that Mindy is a bitter!" he replied. The image of Mindy taking a chunk out of the 4th Esspada's arm flashed threw his mind causing him a grate deal of amusement.

Suddenly Karin started chuckling and snorting. "you're right that is funny!" she replied. "but seriously we've got to find her!"

"alright seriously! You couldn't find anything longer!" I shouted exasperated with the low cut hooker dress they were expecting me to where. (it didn't really leave much to the imagination.

"is there a problem with this one?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I don't know if you know this but, I don't get paid in singles!" I replied. "and this isn't really isn't quite my style!" (I preferred a nice black skinny-T, a hoody, skinny jeans, fingerless gloves, head phones, a comfy pair of slip on vans, and maybe a beanie if the whether was bad. But a white… I guess you call it Venus style dress wasn't quite me)

"I think that dress suites you quite well, you have a the legs for it at least." he replied. I scowled. this is anime! Every one has nice legs!

"your insincere flattery doesn't faze me!" I laughed, even tough deep down I was touched. " do you mind if I keep my jacket? It's cold here, and I like having pockets!"

Ulquiorra just shrugged "I don't care, I guess it's fine" he said in that monotone voice that made me want to beat the crap out of him, and walked away.

I went over to my bed and sat down. I looked at my jacket for a wile before I finally picked it up. I let the soft fabric glide over my hand, and rubbed it over my cheek.

It smelled like my life. It smelled like protection and love. It smelled like 11 years of school, 10 years of pain, 6 years of crying myself to sleep, 1 year of comfort, 2 years in Dallas, 5 years in Fort Worth, 5 years of people telling me it was aright, and 3 years f knowing it would be. It smelled like getting knocked down, and getting back It smelled like Karin's perfume, Dylan's after shave,, and Avery's blood. It smelled like May's hugs, and Alice's tears, but most of all it smelled like home.

I reached in the pocket and pulled out a greetings card from the Sam's Club that said "look at us now!", on it were 4 pictures, one of Alice hanging upside down on a tier swing her white hair pulled into a pony tail: May sitting on the front steps of the school; Avery holding Dylan in a head lock; and lastly a picture of me with my sheet music and Karin with her guitar, sitting on a porch swing practicing for the talent show.

I turned it over and read the sloppy hand writing:

Mindy!

We're so glad we met you! We've been friends for 1 whole year now, and we've seen a lot of changes in you! You're finally starting to bloom and you're going to be a beautiful flower by the time we're done with you!

Love ya always, Karin, Dylan, Avery, Ally and May

I smiled at the memories raped in the card, how Alice fell of the tier swing and broke her arm seconds after taking that picture. May chasing Avery the entire perimeter of the school shouting "Give me back my sole candy!", Dylan attempting to tightrope walk along the hand rains of our school only to fall on our history teacher, Mrs. Landermen, and get detention for a month, Karin getting her foot hung in the bleachers and hanging up side down for 15 minuets until we finally got her down with a broom, and the time I made out with a senior behind the sports shed, only I forgot to take out my retainer and we got caught when he shouted "what is that?!" at the top of his lungs after he spit out the clear out-line of my top teeth out.

My train of thought was broken by a tapping on my door.

I panicked and shoved the card into my bra.

"y-yes?" I asked still a little unnerved.