A/N: WHOOHOO FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEQUEL! HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY AND GET READY FOR MORE OF THE STORY SOON!

Also, check out my deviantART iHateFridays for the sequel's cover! :D

~ALICE~

I woke up, feeling... pretty good. Today was a special day. I stretched, climbing out of bed. My room had become a little more colourful since I was younger; there were photos on the walls and colourful curtains, turning the sunlight various shades of blue and green. Schoolwork was covering my desk. But I wasn't worried about that today. I opened my bedroom door, and saw my mum smiling at me from downstairs.

Today was my birthday!

"Happy Birthday, Alice!" My mother grinned, holding out her arms.

"Thanks, Mom." I said, walking down the stairs to give her a hug.

"Sweet sixteen, huh?" Mom laughed. She sighed, shaking her head. "Only two more years until you're an adult..."

"Heh, yeah..." I said, faintly blushing. "And after all... I can start learning how to drive now."

I shivered. Despite everything I'd been through in Poptropica, learning to drive in the real world scared me. Especially since... well, I promised myself one thing. I would be a safe driver. And I'd stay calm. I hoped, anyway.

"Yes..." Mom looked nervous. She chuckled. "Well, anyway, it's your birthday! Your friends are coming over, right?"

"Yeah," I smiled. "Marcus and Chrissi."

Ironically, only two years ago Chrissi and I had been enemies. After Louisa died, however, we managed to turn things around and became pretty good friends. A nerdy kid called Marcus also joined the friendship group, and now we were basically the Golden Trio. Some people might have wanted twenty friends but those two were enough for me. I was happy with it. Quality over quantity, right? And besides, I had plenty more friends in Poptropica.

Poptropica... it had been a long time. I still frequently thought about my friends in there, and the new prophecy. It was scary... but I was ready. I hoped so, anyway. It had been awhile, after all. How was everyone?

That reminded me of something else...

Poptropica Worlds.

I, like many others, preferred the original game. The sound and music (and hands I guess) were all good but it was missing that vibe from the old game. Plus, no new islands had come out for a while. Despite all that, I didn't hate the new version and I actually liked the house feature. I mean, yeah, the fandom was dying because of it, but y'know. The creators just needed to update. (At least they didn't delete the original game like Club Penguin did)

I wondered what my friends thought of Poptropica Worlds. Did Fierce Fox like the hands and shoes? What about Mighty Penguin? I'd have to ask when I eventually returned to Poptropica.

But for now, it was time to focus back on my birthday. My friends and I were going to a theme park, then we were going to stuff ourselves with junk food. We were probably going to be sick afterwards but it was my birthday, and everyone lets go on their birthday, right? I wasn't scared of any roller coasters, though. I had been through much worse in Poptropica.

Eventually, my friends came over. They both gave me birthday presents and a hug. Marcus was still into MLP, and because of him I too was now a brony. Or a pegasister. He gave me a Poptropica birthday card and a plush of Fluttershy, my favourite character. Chrissi gave me a Poptropica shirt she made herself, and a sweet birthday card with pictures of cupcakes on it.

"Thanks guys," I said, giving my friends a big smile. I slipped on the shirt and put the plush in my room. "You're the best!"

"Hey, it's your birthday," Marcus smirked. "You deserve the best."

I almost blushed.

"Glad you like it," Chrissi smiled at me. "Happy Birthday, Alice."

"Thank you." I said again, full of glee. I couldn't stop smiling. That's what's weird about birthdays, you just can't stop smiling. No other day is like it. Not even Christmas. Unlike Christmas, it's your day. Your time to shine, your life to be celebrated...

You, for once, have the spotlight on yourself.

Mom took us to the theme park. We were pretty excited for the entire trip, which must've driven her crazy. One of the reasons I'd rather not have kids. I couldn't stand them screaming every ten seconds. (And besides, once you're a parent, you're a parent for life - the idea terrifies me)

Anyway, we got to the theme park. We hopped out of the car and raced to the entrance, got tickets, set up, all the normal theme park things. Then mom let us loose and we ran towards the rides. We went on a roller coaster first, and even though, yes, I'd been through much worse in Poptropica, I couldn't help feeling a little nervous. I didn't scream as we sped along the tracks, wind rushing through my hair, but my heart rate certainly increased. Marcus clung anxiously onto the safety rails, while Chrissi kept a big, excited grin on her face. At least someone was enjoying themself.

After that we went on the dodgems, which I suppose was some kind of practice for driving? I was terrible at them though and slammed into the walls and other people countless times. Chrissi chased after this one guy who cat-called her. He had a look of regret on his face. Marcus tried to avoid people as best as he could. He admitted to me later that the dodgems made him nervous. I couldn't blame him.

Chrissi, after getting out of the dodgems, actually chased that guy for a little longer. His mates thought it was hilarious, and so did we, quite frankly. Eventually she got bored and returned to us. She had the guy's phone number, though, so who knew what would happen next?

After another ride, we stopped to have a very healthy snack of chocolate bars and soft drinks. I know, you can hear Jamie Oliver cheering in the background. Mom was shaking her head at us with a goofy smile.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. We went on a bunch more rides and ate a lot more junk food. By the end, as I predicted, I was feeling kind of sick. And we hadn't even had the cake yet.

My mum and friends sang Happy Birthday to me, then I cut the cake. We all cheered and helped ourselves to a slice of the chocolatey goodness, despite how full we were already.

"Happy Birthday!" Mom cheered. My friends clapped.

I kept smiling. My inner child hadn't changed that much. Birthdays were still the best. Not much could ruin this moment.

I was happy.

The god was frowning. His face was twisted into a scowl as he lounged back into his throne. He stroked his goatee.

"No sign of her?" he asked the being below him. The young one folded his arms. He shook his head.

Hades sighed. "We will find her, at any cost. Her soul is dangerous."

"Dangerous..." echoed the younger one.

"Very much," Hades said. "Lousia Van-Tullekan's soul must be found."