Stories begin in many different ways. Some start with beginnings, others with ends, and a very few start in the middle of another story. This one starts with the end of a school day, the beginning of the weekend, and smack dab in the middle of an anime series.

Cathy sighed. "It's been a long day." Her friend Jenna looked slightly puzzled at her best bud's weariness.

'It wasn't that bad."

"It was if you had three tests, two hours of Latin, and an exploding lunch!"

Jenna chuckled. "Yeah, that was funny. But I really enjoyed my day."

Cathy sighed again. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

"Because I always do?"

"That was a rhetorical question, Jenna. You don't have to have an answer for every question." Cathy reached into her locker for her backpack and bus fare. Expecting the plain khaki insides of her locker, she is shocked to find a swirling vortex of purple-black energy.

"JennaaaAaaaa…!"

"Cathy, hold on!" Jenna grabs her rapidly disappearing friend's legs and begins a desperate tug-of-war with whatever is on the other side of the portal.

"Ow, ow, ow, crap, ow!" Jenna is slammed into the lockers and pulls back, only to hit the cold metal again…and again. She loses her footing and slides across the tile floor and into the portal.

"Holy Crap!"

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They land in an empty hallway with some rather ugly floral wallpaper. Cathy sits up briefly until Jenna lands on her.

"Hey look." Jenna points at a metallic glint from the top of the dog pile. Cathy frees herself and holds up a shiny key with the number 202 carved into it.

"It looks like a hotel room number; maybe if we go down this way…" Jenna starts walking down the tasteless hall. Cathy stands to follow her and falls to one knee, gasping from a sudden pain in her ankle.

Aw, man. I must have sprained it when Jenna fell on me. Cathy touched her ankle gingerly to inspect the damage and was surprised to see a blue aura engulf her ankle, removing any pain. Jenna, oblivious to it all, keeps walking. Cathy sprints to catch up.

They pass several locked doors before Room 202 appears. The door opens without a sound to reveal a stark room with two beds pushed against opposite walls. The only remarkable feature is the far wall which was covered by a six foot wide mirror that reached from the ceiling to the floor.

"What is all of this stuff?" Jenna examines the organized variety of weapons and clothing placed on the beds. They are like nothing she has ever seen and the weapons feel ominously cold in her hands. Cathy looks into the mirror and watches their reflections for a second.

They are wearing their school's uniform: a plaid below the knee skirt, a dark blue vest, and gym shoes, which are against school regulations. Cathy has summer sky blue eyes while Jenna's are a dark chocolate brown. They both have blonde hair; Cathy's is streaked with light brown, Jenna's is evenly mixed with red. Cathy's hair is always slightly messy, but she prefers this to her friend's unruly mop. Jenna's hair has its own vicious personality, wild and untamed, and on days with high humidity and wind, will attack anyone who stands too close to its master.

"Naruto, don't touch that." A voice breaks the eerie silence of the room.

"Jenna, was that you?"

Jenna frowns. "Nope. I haven't said anything."

Cathy peers closely at the mirror. "It came from behind here."

"A one way mirror!"

"A what?"

"It looks like a mirror on our side but it's a window on the other. It means that there are people watching us."

"Well, let's find out who!" Cathy draws back her fist.