Aj: Hello, old minions and hello my new minions reading one of my stories for the first time! I'm back, baby!

Anika: This is our very first AU story, but it was voted for by a long shot in my poll so here you go!

I stared at the cave we were in, pausing now and then to glance back at the faded pictures in my hand. This was the place. The cave walls and shape matched the pictures exactly. The question was, what was here?

"Wow, you're willingly going near rocks. I never thought I would see the day." Fang teased, coming up behind me and making me jump. I seethed mentally, wishing I could tell him just how much I loved rocks. But my pride wouldn't be worth the consequences of telling him.

My hands shook gently as I flipped through the photos until I found what was on the inside. There were pictures of cages, medical equipment, doctors, but what stood out was the multiple pictures of kids. Kids being tortured. Kids being experimented on. And kids being slaughtered. This was real deal stuff somewhere behind the wall of seemingly solid rock. Whatever was behind the wall could give me answers about who was trying to kill me, and if they were even targeting me. It could give me answers on what had happened to those I cared about. And maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to make sure my friends stayed safe, out of the crossfire.

Of course, it was incredibly, stupidly, recklessly dangerous to even attempt to go in there just for the sake of a few answers.

That was exactly my style.

Fang seemed to be sensing my thoughts and tensed immediately. He was the only one that knew I was here. I wanted—I needed—his help. Three months ago he was a stranger. He certainly wasn't able to read me like an open book back then. How did things change so quickly between us? And how exactly did I feel about this change?

"This is really important, Fang." I stated, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"It's too dangerous. If what's in those pictures are true, we should call the police. You're just a kid, what do you plan on doing if we find a way to get in?" He argued, his voice reasonable and logical. I seriously hated that kid sometimes. I searched my brain for a good comeback. I found nothing, so I said the first thing that came to my head. As per usual.

"This is bigger than that. Just, please trust me. I need to have your back on this." I reached for his hand and gripped it tight, my eyes locking onto his. It was a challenge not to just get lost in them and forget what I was arguing with him about. Luckily, I still have some shred of dignity, unlike most girls in my position. The day I turn into a slobbering damsel, someone shoot me.

"I can't risk something happening to you. This isn't just one of the things on Iggy's stupid challenge list. One of us could get killed in there. You could get killed in there. I'm not going to let that happen because…" He trailed off, the next words on the tip of his tongue. Oh god no, please don't say that. Please, if there is a god out there, don't say what I think you're going to say. My mind was going into overload. Everything was beginning to weigh down on me. For the first time in my life, I had something to lose. And that scared me.

"Maya," I nearly winced at the name that wasn't mine, "I love you."

It felt as if I had been hit by a truck. My breathing halted, my eyes bugged out, and I felt as if my insides were being ripped apart, slowly and torturously. Most girls would have jumped for joy, squealing and returning the three dreaded words. In my case, I was living someone else's life. I was living it up in someone else's rich, luxurious life. I was being told I love you by someone else's boyfriend, who thought I was her. I would never be my sister.

He must have seen the conflict in my eyes because his were cloudy, guarded. His mask that had been torn down was back in place, as if it had never faltered. I could have just returned the three words and kept the charade going, but there was a problem. I couldn't lie and tell him the three words, even if it would keep my cover lasting. I had lied enough. And, to my horror, I felt the same way. I wanted to tell him, enjoy this girly feeling of being loved forever, but how could I when I don't know if he loves me, actually me. After all, he thought I was Maya.

Everyone thought I was Maya. I had been keeping up the lie for three months now. I hadn't told Gazzy, Angel, or even Iggy. The only one that had known was Nudge and now she was—I shook the memory from my thoughts. I didn't need to think about that right now. The worn photos were dangling from my loose grip as I stared into the obsidian eyes of Fang. He had put his emotions on the line, something I had learned quickly that he never did. I had to tell him.

"Fang, there's something I have to tell you." I began, already feeling my knees shake. What if he didn't understand? What if he told everyone? What if he didn't love me, only Maya? I couldn't think about the what if's, I had to focus on telling him the truth. If I was going to tell anyone who I really was, it would be him. No doubt about it.

"I get it. You don't feel the same way. Whatever." He grumbled, releasing my wrist from his grasp as if I had burnt him.

"I do feel the same way." I whispered, coming to grasps with the reality of my feelings. And I don't deal with feelings other than hate and anger, usually. He looked at me and I thought I saw a ghost of a smile flicker across his face. That is, until he saw my pained expression. Gently, he stroked a strand of loose hair behind my ear, causing me to shiver slightly. For pride's sake, I'm going to say that I was just cold. Despite it being June.

"Then what's wrong?" He asked, his voice seeming to echo throughout my mind.

"I have to tell you some things. I haven't been completely honest with you up to this point." I whispered, my voice seeming to drift away in the wind. His hand was still resting behind my ear, right at the base of my neck. Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn't I have just done what I was told until Jeb figured out a plan? Why did I have to get close to Maya's friends. It hit me like a ton of bricks. These were Maya's friends. She had chosen to abandon me with Jeb, while she went with our mom and lived the life of luxury. I had never had friends before now, and technically, I still didn't. I didn't want to let it all go, but it was their right to know.

"I'm not who you think I am," Now or never, "My name isn't Maya. I'm not Maya." His hand dropped from my neck and he stared at me coldly. The world around me seemed to freeze.

"You could have just said you didn't love me. You didn't have to pull any cheap tricks." He growled.

"My name is Max. I'm Maya's sister." He glared at me, thinking I was lying until he paused in mid-thought. He grabbed the sleeve of my shirt and pushed it down, revealing my now bare shoulder. Shocked, he released the clothing and stepped back. I pushed my sleeve back into place as he just stared at me as if I was poison.

"Maya had a scar on her shoulder. A squirrel bit her when we were at the zoo." He murmured, more to himself. Then his gaze went back to me.

"So what was this? Some sick prank? Where's Maya, at home laughing at me for thinking her sister was her?" I drew in a breath, not knowing how he would react. But she was his girlfriend. I had been the stand in. I had been the phony, basking in someone else's life. Now, I had been downgraded to the messenger.

"She—she's…missing. I—"

"How long?" He breathed, his eyes looking anywhere but me.

"Three months. But you have to believe me, I never thought it would last this long—"

"So you just decided to steal her life! You know what I call that? Pathetic! You lied to her friends, you lied to her family, and you lied to me. How long did you think you could pull this off? How long did you think you could string us along?" He exclaimed. It was the most I had ever heard him speak. And each word was like a knife to my gut. The expression on his face was worse, if that was possible.

"I'm out of here! Unless there's some other major part of my life you need to lie to me about."

"Fang wait!" He paused from leaving, but he didn't turn around to face me. From the part of him I could see, his muscles were rigid, tense. I had never seen him this angry. I had never wanted to see him this angry.

"Please let me explain. After that, feel free to hate me. Just let me explain."

"Fine." He seethed.

I took in a deep breath. It was hard to believe now that all of this had started only three months ago. I just hoped that I wouldn't lose everything that I had cared about. Everything that was never mine to care about in the first place.

Anika: Trust me, the regular chapter will be a heck of a lot longer. This is the prologue, but in the next chapter, as you could tell we will go back to the very beginning.

Aj: A few things happened on August sixth. My first day of high school, writing this, and...Nevermore. There's a lot to say about Nevermore. I may do a review of it on youtube.

Anika: Remember to review!-Anika.