It was getting dark. Ruth trudged dutifully down the deserted sidewalk, a girl with a mission, with a purpose. She spent several hours mulling over Arnold's words, turning them over in her head, and eventually they did stick.

He was right. She had been a coward. But no more.

She had tired of hiding in the closet. And she was certain her parents were worried sick about her.

She cut through an alley, her eagerness to reunite with home growing with every passing step.

Besides, Ruth thought, hopefully, perhaps the others had forgotten their grudge over me. If they really wanted to, they would've found me already. After all, they DID have magical powers, and she…

A flash of magenta overhead caught Ruth's eyes, and her blood went ice cold. It can't be. It couldn't be. What were the odds, at this very time, at this very place…?

Instinctively Ruth took refuge behind a pile of discarded newspapers. Seconds later, the flash of pink reappeared and landed in the area that Ruth had just occupied.

Shit.

It was Simone.

Shit. Shit.

Ruth's pulse quickened. Sweat trickled down her face. What horrible luck! After all this time spent avoiding them, she happens to accidentally stumble upon them when she at last found some courage.

Ruth hazarded a glance at her fellow (former) sixth grader. She certainly looked worse for wear. Simone was breathing heavily and leaning against a nearby brick wall trying to maintain her composure. She dug in her pocket and pulled out a grief seed. She transformed into her civilian clothes and was about to purify her soul gem when she was alerted to the fact that she was not alone. Ruth was so involved in spying that she accidentally knocked over an empty Yahoo! bottle on the pile which crashed loudly on the ground.

SHIT.

Simone looked up just as Ruth pinned herself against flat against her only means of concealment.

At first she simply stared in the direction of the noise. But then Ruth could make out the faint sound of her walking towards her.

This is it, thought Ruth. Just as my nightmare predicted. I'm going to die…

Ruth started to silently cry, not caring if her pursuer could her hear. "I don't want to die…"

YOU DON'T HAVE TO.

Kyuubey suddenly appeared before Ruth' feet.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WISH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE YOUR FATE? AT THE COST OF YOUR SOUL?

"Please…I don't wish to be found!"

IF THAT IS YOUR WISH…

"Yes, please! Just do it!"

Simone moved the newspapers aside, but all she saw was Kyubey grinning back at her.

"Oh, it's YOU."

WERE YOU EXPECTING SOMEONE ELSE?

She ignored the question and walked away from the creature, annoyed. She had no idea that Ruth was still sitting before her in the exact same spot.

Simone took to the task of cleansing her soul gem. To her chagrin, however, even after the exchange, her soul gem was only slightly less murky than before, as if she barely touched it to the now-depleted grief seed.

She turned and saw Kyubey still staring at her.

"What are you looking at?" she spat venomously. She matched Kyubey's gaze with one of her own. Suddenly, Kyubey collapsed and started to twitch violently on the ground, until it exploded into several gory chunks. Ruth cried out in horror at the sight, but Simone didn't seem to heed her outburst.

Simone saw movement in her peripheral vision. She turned and out popped Kyubey from the debris, fresh as a daisy, as though it hadn't spontaneously combusted before her very eyes (Kyubey had numerous copies). She stared it down again, and the process repeated itself, spraying the ground before her with a fresh coat of blood.

"Leave me alone!" she said through gritted teeth. As if to taunt her, a third Kyubey appeared behind her. She turned to glare at it with all the unbridled hatred that she could possibly muster. Kyubey simply grinned back.

IT SEEMS POINTLESS TO WASTE YOUR ENERGY ON DESTROYING ME, GIVEN YOUR LIMITED MAGIC.

This time Simone didn't fight back, instead choosing to press her balled fists to her head and crumpling to her knees in defeat.

"Why…" she said, more to herself than to the benefit of the white thing. "Why is it so hard for me? The others didn't need nearly enough soul gems as I did…"

EVERY GIRL IS DIFFERENT, stated Kyubey, matter-of-factly. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL, THEIR PERSONALITY, AND WHAT THEY CHOSE TO USE THEIR WISH ON. COOKIE AND CONNIE BOTH HAD SOUL GEMS GROOMED FOR ENDURANCE, THOUGH CONNIE'S POWERS WERE MUCH WEAKER OVERALL. AND MARIA WAS QUITE FORTUNATE TO EXCEL IN BOTH STRENGTH AND DURABILITY…

"Don't mention that name!" Simone yelled. Another Kyubey blew up. Yet another Kyubey came to take its place just as quickly as the last. At this point, Simone didn't care anymore.

"It's not fair…" she said. "I wish I could take it all back. Nothing is worth this."

OBVIOUSLY THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU'VE ALREADY TRADED YOUR SOUL FOR THE POWER OF YOUR WISH. YOU HAVE NO MORE SOULS TO GIVE.

"What if I could find a soul to borrow?" Simone said bitterly, not actually meaning her words.

Kyubey, however, took her response literally. IT IS UNFORTUNATE YOU WERE NOT ON BETTER TERMS WITH THE LATE PHOEBE HEYERDAHL.

Simone turned slowly to look at Kyubey #4. "What are you talking about?"

PHOEBE HAD A FRIEND THAT WAS WILLING TO TRADE HER SOUL IN EXCHANGE FOR HER OWN. PERHAPS IF YOU WERE BETTER ACQUAINTED WITH PHOEBE, YOU COULD HAVE CONVINCED HER TO HAVE HER FRIEND WISH FOR YOUR SOUL BACK INSTEAD.

Simone stood up. As she looked away her eyes widened, taking in the new-found information. "I didn't know that was possible."

OF COURSE IT IS POSSIBLE. YOU JUST HAVE TO FIND A PARTY WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR SOUL IN EXCHANGE FOR NEGATING THE TERM'S OF YOUR WISH'S CONTRACT.

"And if the party is unwilling?"

AS LONG AS THE WISH IS MADE, THE CONTRACT CAN BE REVERSED. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THE GIRL WHO MAKES SUCH A WISH IS DOING SO BY HER OWN FREE WILL AND NOT UNDER DURESS, SINCE SHE IS EXCHANGING HER SOUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE HER WISH GRANTED.

"What was the name of Phoebe's friend?"

I BELIEVE HER NAME WAS HELGA.

Simone clenched her fists. "Helga G. Pataki?"

YOU KNOW HER?

"Let's just say we're both well acquainted with a special batch of lime green gelatin."

IT SOUNDS AS IF YOU MAY NOT GET HER APPROVAL.

"On the contrary, Kyubey" replied Simone softly. "After what we've been through together…I think she owes me."

Simone walked out of the alleyway, a sense of purpose coloring her facial features.

Ruth stood up from her spot on the ground. This was bad. This was very, very bad. An innocent girl was going to lose her soul, and she had to do something about it! But who could she warn?

Fortunately, Ruth had also heard the same Helga G. Pataki thrown around by another individual: Arnold.

Ruth ran out of the alleyway, past the oblivious Simone. Her plan was to tell Arnold to warn Helga, and the three of them would leave town (which is what she should have done in the first place, Ruth thought regretfully). And if Simone or the others eventually found her, she would protect them herself. Why, she was a magical girl now!

As she conducted this brilliant plan, she wasn't aware of the green Packard barreling down the road as she crossed. Before she had a chance to react, the Packard was right in front of her…

Then went straight through her.

Ruth watched in confusion as the Packard drove by without even touching its brakes or tapping its horn.

This time, she ran head-on through traffic, but car after car simply as if she wasn't there at all, as if she didn't exist.

She had ran through a puddle but it didn't register to her until she was several steps away, as the puddle made no splash as she walked by. Too scared to turn back and look, Ruth went back to the sidewalk and looked through the windows of a nearby business, which is where she confirmed her biggest fear.

She had no reflection.

She only saw Kyubey in the storefront window. She turned to look at him accusingly.

"What's happened to me?" she screamed. "What did you do to me?"

I GRANTED YOUR WISH.

"Yeah, duh!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "I can plainly see that! You know what I can't see? My reflection!"

OF COURSE NOT. WHY WOULD YOU? YOU ASKED ME TO MAKE IT SO THAT YOU CANNOT BE FOUND, AND I DID JUST THAT. IT WOULD BE TOO EASY TO FIND YOU IF YOU HAD A SHADOW OR CAST A REFLECTION, SO IN EXCHANGE YOUR SOUL, I ERASED EVERYTHING THAT WOULD MAKE YOU IDENTIFIABLE TO THE PHYSICAL WORLD.

"So you turned me into a ghost?!"

I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE HUMAN CONCEPT OF "GHOSTS". IF YOU MEAN THAT I HAD MADE IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYONE TO EVER FIND YOU, THEN YES, I SUPPOSE I MADE YOU A GHOST.

"But I've got to warn Arnold! How can I change back so that people can see me?!"

SOMEONE WOULD HAVE TO WISH FOR THAT.

"Well…how can someone wish me back if no one knows that I've gone? Or where?!"

Kyubey flicked its tail. GOODNESS. THAT IS QUITE AN UNFORESEEN PREDICAMENT.

"You'll tell someone, right?" Ruth asked Kyubey, pleading. "You'll tell someone to wish me back? And you'll warn Arnold and Helga before it's too late…won't you?

Kyubey didn't reply, simply opting to turn and walk away.

"H-hey…you'll be back, right? You'll bring help? Of course you'll bring help? You have to…I can't stay like this by myself…forever? I don't want to be alone…I can't be alone…I can't…I can't…"

Ruth sat down and hugged her knees, rocking back and forth while repeating her mantra.

Her soul gem would eventually taint and she would succumb to despair and become a witch. But because she had no substance or bearing in the present world, so no one would ever know.