Riley scrunched her eyes shut, not wanting to wake up. Her head was throbbing; limbs felt like jell-o…she groaned quietly, turning over onto her side.

"Still alive, are you?"

Riley's eyes shot open when she heard the voice. She didn't know someone was living here…she sat up, and her stomach churned, "Oy…" She wrapped an arm around her stomach as she groaned.

"No, none of that!" The speaker, British if his accent was any indication, snapped. "You already puked once; you don't need to do it again!"

Riley frowned, "What?"

"Don't puke again," he said simply.

"Trying very hard not to," Riley said. "Where am I?"

He raised his eyebrows, "My lair."

Riley raised her own eyebrows, "Lair?" She looked around. Stone walls and floor, sketches, maps, and articles tacked onto a make-shift wall behind two computer monitors, a chair, a TV, a safe…"Sounds about right."

"You wanna tell me what you're doin' here? This isn't a play land…kids don't belong here."

"Thanks for the warning," Riley rolled her eyes. "Look, I didn't know you lived here…I was just told to…come here."

"You mean jump," he said. "You jumped here."

Riley went quiet then, frowning at him.

The young man rolled his eyes, "You know, jump!"

Riley jerked backward when he vanished and reappeared near the computer desk, then back to his spot a few feet from her.

"Did you think you were the only one?"

Riley shrugged, "Never really crossed my mind…just…usually nobody knows I can do that…and I've been told that those that do know usually want to kill me."

"Yeah, that's the gist of it," he nodded. "Look, kid, I don't know who sent you here…or how you got here in the first place—"

"My mom gave me a sketch…told me if I was in trouble to come here."

"Your mum?" he asked. "Look, nobody but another jumper…and his little girlfriend…have been here."

Riley sighed, "I don't know…my mom said she'd been here before…I mean, I'm assuming she's been here before. I guess I had to have…don't remember it, but still…I'm here, aren't I?"

"Kid, I have never seen you before…and furthermore, you got a name?"

"Do you?"

"Yeah, but I asked you first."

She shrugged, "Riley O'Conner."

"What?"

"That's my name."

"Your last name's O'Conner?"

"Are you hard of hearing? Yeah, my last name's O'Conner," Riley rolled her eyes. "Now…you got a name?"

"Griffin…"

"Griffin what?"

"Just Griffin," He said, looking at her differently now.

"What?" Riley demanded, getting a little irritated of being stared at.

"Nothin'…you've just got weird ears…" Griffin said. "I mean they kinda stick out like the handles on a sugar bowl…"

Riley scowled and pulled her light brown hair over her ears, "Thanks Dumbo."

"Hey, my ears are distinctive!"

"Distinctively large," Riley said.

"Yours aren't exactly tiny, kid!" Griffin snapped.

"Well they're not as big as yours!"

Griffin opened his mouth, and then decided against saying whatever it was he was going to say. He sighed before asking, "Who did you say your mother was?"

"I didn't," Riley said, folding her arms.

"Well…who is your mother?" Griffin asked.

Riley simply folded her arms and looked away.

"What? Two minutes ago you wouldn't shut up, what gives?"

"I don't speak to people that make fun of my ears."

"And you did the same thing to me!"

"You started it!"

"I…you…" Griffin couldn't find the words. He shook his head and said, "I don't know who you are or why you're here…just be somewhere else when I get back, yeah?"

Riley watched as he vanished into thin air. She grinned, "Somewhere else, huh? All right…"

She knew she should jump out of here and go home, but now she wondered why her mom suggested she come here to avoid…them. Whoever they were…her mother never was too clear on that part. In fact, her mother never even mentioned a 'Griffin' either…

"I wonder why Mom told me to come here in the first place…?"