He ya'll! I really hope you like this. Of course I don't own Tomorrow When the War Began, but I sure would like to. This story was actually written by a friend and myself in the Christmas holidays and has been sitting on my laptop ever since. It's really her idea, I'm just posting it. No flamers please. Anywho, enjoy.

Thanks ya'll.

Lost-xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Chapter 1

Disaster strikes local farmers

Cattle have being taken from farms around the local area. The total produce that has either been found dead or still missing is around 14 cases and is still rising fast.

The estimated cost to replace these produce is up around 70 thousand at the moment. Farmers are being warned to keep an eye on the cattle and provide extra security to help protect themselves, their family, and their produce.

There is no lead to who is behind this cruel scheme. The best thing we suggest is that if you live on farm lands is increase security and any-one could be a suspect to keep your guard high…..

Sophia Walsh

I threw the newspaper on the kitchen table. How could this be happening? Everyone was still trying to recover from the war, so why would people be killing off cows? We needed them now more than we ever had. There was something fishy going on!

"Wow! The costs are getting really high!" I muttered, more to myself than to Lee. It had been about a month since Gavin and I had moved in with Lee and his siblings and things were going pretty well. None of the kids hated me and there had been no incidents worth telling.

"What do you expect? I mean, cows are like $1500 each!" Lee answered. We were trying to be quiet. The kids were fast asleep in the next room and the walls could have been thicker. Lee had gotten home from work a few minutes ago to find me reading the newspaper. I never really read the paper, but things were getting weird at the moment and I was getting more and more paranoid.

"Do you reckon this has something to do with the invasion?" There was no doubt in my mind that it had everything to do with the war, but I didn't want to worry Lee. His job stressed him out him out enough without me dumping all my fears right into his lap. Even so, I couldn't help but worry…for the kids' sake at least. For the past month I'd been more like a mother than a friend to them, and they were growing on me.

"I'm sure it'll be fine El!" Lee came over from the stove- Where he was reheating his dinner- and gave me a big hug. I smiled as best I could, but Lee didn't seem convinced. "Would it make you feel better if I talked to the Scarlet Pimple?" I nodded and gave him a genuine smile, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Thanks Lee!" I sighed. "Peace at last!" And I really did mean it. Lee had a way of making all my worries seem so simple and easy to fix, so inadequate that they weren't even worth worrying about. That's when I heard a scream from Intira and Pang's bedroom. I laughed. "Spoke too soon! I'd better go make sure that wasn't anything too serious!"

"You worry too much El. I'm sure it's fine." I nodded, but still stood with much complaint from my stiff legs and headed towards the door. A few seconds later I arrived in the girl's bedroom. I expected some huge problem brewing, like an epic pillow fight, but all I found was Pang sitting on her bed crying.

"What's the matter Pang?"I walked over, sitting on the corner of her bed. Pang turned and threw herself into my arms and cried into my shoulder. All I could do was sit and wait. She pulled away from me slightly to answer.

"I had a really scary dream." Pang started crying again and I drew her in close. I barely ever saw her cry. She was a tough little cookie, and it took a lot to shake her. This was doing nothing to help my paranoia.

"It's Ok." I whispered. "Everything's fine now. Would you like to tell me what the dream was about?" I squeezed her tightly, waiting for her small nod of recognition, and only letting go when she looked up with big, brown, tear-filled eyes. I rubbed my hand on her back reassuringly; giving her what I hoped was a smile.

"I dreamt…." She began, pausing slightly as if to stop herself from crying again. "I dreamt that there was this man, dressed in green and brown, following me everywhere. He was watching me. He was watching all of us! Right out there!" she pointed at her window, the curtains, which were normally shut, now flapping in the breeze. "You were hanging washing on the line… he was in the house! He was pointing a gun at us. That's when I woke up." Pang broke into tears and threw herself back into my lap. Yup, really not helping my paranoia! Across from us, Intira stirred in her sleep, her tiny eyelids fluttering as she dreamed.

"Would you like me to stay? Just for a while! Until you go back to sleep?" Pang nodded and shoved out of my lap and closer to the wall, leaving me just enough room to lie down.

"Goodnight Ellie." She whispered. She tried a smile, but she was still too upset to make it convincing.

"Goodnight Pang." I replied. I lay there, watching her until finally, her breathing slowed and she drifted into a heavy sleep. As quietly as I could, I hopped out of her bed and tucked her in before going to check on the rest of the kids.

"So, everything was fine?" Lee sat at the kitchen table with his head bent over his bowl of casserole.

"Yeah. Just Pang having a nightmare." He opened his mouth, ready to reply with a selection from his usual sarcastic repute. "No need for an 'I told you so!'" Lee laughed as I sat down across from him, stealing a spoonful of food.

"What about?" He asked, snatching the spoon back and shoveling more food into his mouth.

"She thought there was someone watching her. See! I'm not the only paranoid person here!" Lee rolled his eyes, no doubt resisting the urge to say something about 'the paranoid people being after me!'

"Pfff, so you say" he said, pausing from shoveling more food into his mouth. "It was only a dream so technically you cannot count it as another piece of evidence against me as too 'why you are wrong and I am right' again." I glared at him.

"Of course, only you would think as something important as this, is like a grain of sand, on a beach." I told him.

"I didn't say that!" Lee told me. A frown was starting to appear on his face.

"Well you might as well have" I answered stiffly, trying to maintain the appearance that I was annoyed with him. It didn't work, but who would be able to? Lee did look rather ridiculous sitting there spoon halfway to his mouth with a puzzled look on his face.

"Did I say something wrong before?" he asked still looking puzzled. I laughed, at his facial expression and got up and took his empty bowl and cup to the sink and started washing up. He followed me and dried and packed away the washed up bowl.

"Though, seriously El." He continued "I think everything is fine. I promise you, if I break the promise I swear… I'll like let you bash me up." I smiled evilly at him.

"That sounds quite tempting you know so make sure you don't give me a chance to act on it" I told Lee laughing at his horrified expression. "Oh come on Lee. Take a Joke."

"Hmmm, sure El, sure it was. For some reason I really don't believe you." He said eyeing me off. "Come on lets go to bed. It's Late. Hand in hand we walked to bed.