Chapter 20

All five girls were silent after Sharon said her piece.

Sharon felt kind of guilty for keeping it to herself for the last week and a half. Truth be told, she hadn't wanted to talk about it. It was directly related to the memory of... of that incident. She could still feel the blood on her face when she couldn't sleep at night.

But she'd kept them in the dark long enough.

"Where was I when this was said?" Jaenelle asked.

"Unconscious," Sharon replied.

More silence. Then Gina touched her hand to her forehead, rubbing and thinking hard. "So, they said that you and I were the real targets?"

"Yeah," Sharon nodded.

"Did you tell anyone?" Jaenelle quickly said. "Sharii, this is serious. You had better tell Heero or something because this may be a major issue in the future."

"I haven't yet," Sharon said. "I meant to," she amended, cutting Jaenelle off. "I just never found the right time. I guess I'll tell Duo, he seems the least likely to go into a massive panic or trade. I debated telling Wufei, but he's still upset over what happened with Sally Po. Then again... they have enough to worry about. I'll tell Lady Une or Noin."

"But why," Megh asked, crossing her arms, "are you two the real targets?"

"Cause we're black?" Sharon laughed harshly.

"Be serious, Sharii!" Jaenelle practically wailed. "You and Gina are in serious trouble!"

Megh looked at Steph, who so far had said nothing. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Steph breathed. "It's just... I was the first person to be taken to this time period, right? So, if the rest of us aren't targets, then why were we even taken at all?"

"Maybe you were a test subject," Jaenelle shrugged. "Maybe we all were, even though Sharii and Gina are the real targets."

"That's possible," Steph nodded.

"So, now what?" Megh asked.

Gina just stared down at her tray, unable to answer.

Looking around with a frown, Heero sighed as they approached a boutique. "I do not understand why I am needed here," he said after being silent during the car ride while she talked.

Relena looked at him, amusement void on her face. "I explained it all in the car," she said, exasperated. "Besides, it is not just dresses here, Heero. You will need something to accompany my dress, don't you think?"

Heero sighed heavily, obviously uninterested. "I am not going to pretend that I understand fashion."

"You don't have to," Relena smiled. "Besides, I can always dress you myself," she added at the end, winking.

Silent, Heero opened the door and headed in, almost as if he wanted to get away.

Following him and too aware of the fact that there still was a massive gulf between them, Relena headed inside and saw a woman slightly older than herself, pinning the bottom of a dress of another woman. "Are you the proprietor of this establishment?" she asked.

"Foreign Minister," the woman on the ground glanced up, taking pins out of her mouth and sticking them back in the pincushion laying next to her. She stood up, sending an unmasked glare into Relena and Heero's direction. "You pick a dreadful time to come see me. A weeks' notice? I have a dozen other orders to attend to, all nobles, who demand that their importance means that they get their dresses and suits done first."

Relena blinked, taken aback. "I-I beg your pardon?"

The woman snorted. "Was that too much to understand? I said, you have come at an awful time. You are best finding someone else, maybe they'll even consider finding you a dress, provided they are in stock!"

"Gabrielle," the other woman said, her voice cultured and, sounding, bored. "That is a Gundam Pilot with her, you know. I'll bet he shoots faster than you can speak. Mayhap you shouldn't refuse so hastily." She turned around.

Relena sucked in her breath when she saw who it was.

She wasn't much older than herself, perhaps twenty-five. Her hair was a deep scarlet-in-shadows while her eyes were such a beautiful lavender that the flowers themselves would be jealous. Her beauty was, as it had always been since Relena had first met her, breath-taking. Even Heero noticed, Relena realized, when she noticed his stare.

"Heero Yuy," Relena managed. "This is the lady Lilith Dermail de Racine, head of the organisation known as Epyon de Telos. She is noble-born. Lilith de Racine, this is Heero Yuy of Preventer Unit Five."

Heero nodded, recognizing the political party at once. It was the political party whose "radicals" had seized the Sanq Kingdom castle, where Relena still remained in residence, on her birthday. Relena's main opposition, Epyon de Telos was for arms, and, much to Relena's displeasure, was gaining more and more support by the month.

Lilith had stated that they were radicals only. Relena hadn't believed it.

"Charmed, Heero Yuy," Lilith said, letting his name roll over her tongue. She chuckled softly, glancing at them both through her eyelashes. "The Princess of Peace and a Gundam Pilot. How star-crossed. Gabrielle, see to it that these two are fitted into the perfect evening wear."

Gabrielle flinched. "M-my lady-"

"You are under my payroll, yes? See them the moment you finish with me." Lilith smiled at Relena, and it sent shivers down the younger politician's spine. "Wonderful presentation the other week, Minister Darlian," she continued. "Soon we shall see which proves a more efficient leash on mankind: the ways of peace or the habits of humanity."

Relena said nothing.

"I look forward to seeing you at the fête," Lilith continued, turning back around to face the mirror. "As well as your bodyguard there. You cut an amazing physique, Mister Yuy. I pray that peace won't remain so quiet that your body melts away with it."

Relena remained silent as she took her seat, Heero beside her. "Is she related to the Duchess?" Heero murmured under his breath sarcastically.

Relena didn't answer. The answer was obvious.

Noin didn't look too pleased with this information. "They really said this?"

"Yes," Sharon sighed. "They did."

Noin rubbed her temples. Good god, this just got a thousand times more complicated. "Can you think of any reason why on earth someone would want to literally transport you through time here? Anything at all?"

Sharon fought the urge to say "we're black," and instead shrugged. "No idea. I think we would've come up with something months ago though if we could've."

"Well," Noin looked apologetic. "It pains me to say it, but I'm going to have to ask you and Gina Stewart to remain on Preventers' grounds as much as possible. 24/7, in fact."

Sharon bit back a groan. She had a feeling it would come down to this. Not that she enjoyed basically being kept like a prisoner, but... what other choice would they have?

"If you absolutely need to go some place, then you will fill out a release form and one of Preventer Unit Five will escort you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Absolutely," Sharon nodded.

"We'll call a meeting on the subject soon," Noin said, standing and walking with Sharon to the door. "If anything comes up, we'll tell you. Understand?"

"Yeah," Sharon sighed.

"I'm sorry, Miss Gladden."

"It's okay," Sharon shrugged then quickly made her exit down the hallway, heading towards Wufei's office where she was supposed to be formally asking to be his teaching assistant for his after school Tai Chi class. She had no idea if the talk would go well or not, but it had been Duo's idea and Sharon already knew the form well that Wufei was supposed to teach, so why not?

Before she made it around the corner, a hand was on her shoulder.

Sharon jerked back into a defensive position then relaxed when she saw who it was. "Jae?"

Jaenelle took her arm, grinning. "C'mon!"

"Uh, what? Where the hell are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

"Oh hell no, just tell me!"

Jaenelle ignored her and Sharon sighed, allowing herself to be dragged. Whenever Jaenelle made up her mind on something, that was pretty much it. Better to ride with it.

The next thing Sharon knew, she was standing in a piano room, looking at a bunch of students and a smiling Quatre.

"Choir practise," Jaenelle grinned.

What.

"You already know the 109 Yang Form," Jaenelle pointed out. "Chang-laoshi does wushu on Mondays and today is Friday, so... you can join our club!"

"Jae, I can't sing."

Jaenelle wrinkled her nose. "You would trust my input on singing, right?"

Sharon shrugged. "Duh." Of course she did. In her early adolescence into the beginning of high school Jaenelle had been formally trained in classical singing and participated in both school and private choirs. She was a good singer, to say the least, and a hella picky one when it came to whose voice sounded good or not.

"So, I say you join us," Jaenelle grinned. "You just need practise!"

Sharon sighed, exasperated. "Look, this just isn't my thing-"

"Oh my goddddd," a shrilly voice sounded, causing Sharon's hair to stand on end. "Is this your friend, Sharii?"

Sharon turned to what she thought was a girl's voice but was shocked to see a boy's, and an Asian one at that. "Hiiii," the boy held out his hand.

"Sharii, this is Checkie," Jaenelle introduced, still grinning. "He was a voice major at his last college."

And totally gay, Sharon thought to herself, her 'gaydar' going off like fireworks on the Fourth of July in the States. She shook Checkie's hand, silently amused.

"He's an American-Born Chinese," Jaenelle finished the introduction.

"ABC!" Checkie held up both hands in peace signs. "So! You're joining us? Cool!"

Sharon opened her mouth to protest but Checkie's hands were soon on her hair. "Your hair is soooo cool," he cooed. "Is it real?"

"No, it's extensions." She shot Jaenelle an 'are you seriously for real' look, to which Jaenelle only kept grinning. Dammit.

"I guess I might as well sit my ass down and sing then," Sharon grumbled.

"Yay!" Checkie and Jaenelle both clapped their hands. Sharon just shook her head.

"First things first," Quatre said as the students took their seats. "We'll have to arrange you all in vocal parts, so sign your name on this sheet." He lifted a piece of paper on the piano and placed a pen on top of it it. "Then I'll call out your names. The rest of you will wait outside in the hallway while you're placed. Sounds good?"

Everyone agreed and soon were up and heading towards the piano.

"Vocal parts?" Sharon asked Jaenelle as they got in line to sign up their names.

"There's generally two vocal parts for males and females," Jaenelle explained. "Tenor and bass for men and soprano and alto for females. In other words, those who sing high and those who sing lower."

"Sign me up for alto," Sharon shrugged. "I already know I can't hit no damn high notes."

"You never knowwww," Jaenelle said in a sing-song tone as she signed her name.

Sharon flopped on her bed later, thinking about the day's events.

Okay, singing had been a lot more fun than she'd thought and to her surprise she'd been sorted into soprano with Jae. But she had difficulty hitting those notes, so she wasn't really sure if this would even last-

A sharp knock at the door jerked her out of her thoughts.

Grumbling that she had to get off her ass and go answer the door, Sharon opened the door and put her hand on her hip when she saw the biggest grin on both Jaenelle and their new friend Checkie's faces. Shit, she thought. I know that look. I'm bound for even more trouble.

"Guess what?" Jaenelle asked enthusiastically.

Sharon just waited, raising an eyebrow.

"So, Checkie knows a really good voice teacher," Jaenelle explained as Checkie nodded eagerly, "and he's the best voice teacher in the area."

"He's a Chinese," Checkie added. "He was my voice teacher at my last school."

"And Checkie called him and asked if he wouldn't mind more students, so we can join Checkie!" Jaenelle clasped her hands together, looking delighted.

"Where is this?" Sharon asked.

"Off-campus," Jaenelle replied.

Sharon thought about what Noin had said, her warning that if Sharon was to go off campus for any reason she had to tell someone. But would someone want to escort her to voice lessons and sit there once a week?

"I'll pass," Sharon said.

Jaenelle instantly drooped as Checkie pouted. "But-"

"For now, okay? I'll pass. I'll explain later," Sharon added, casting a quick glance at Checkie.

Jaenelle, catching the glance, instantly understood. Sharon couldn't explain now. "Okay. You can join us later."

Checkie put both hands up to his cheeks in a mock-crying motion. "We'll miss you, Shariiiii."

Sharon shook her head, bid them both goodnight and shut the door behind her. What the hell had she gotten herself into? That was definitely a question she'd been asking herself the past couple of days.

Groaning, Sharon flopped back on her bed, glanced at her laptop and debated whether or not she'd do homework or procrastinate online so she didn't have to think anymore.

Procrastination was the winner.

Quatre opened the door to the limo and glanced at Duo and his date. "You really want to do this, Duo?"

"Someone has to keep an eye on Hee-man," Duo shrugged. "And you'd get more distracted than I would if you went, being all important, blah blah blah. Don't worry, I'm just going in as your representative, Quatre."

Quatre glanced at his date, who was re-adjusting her hair. "I hope you just don't spend too much time dancing and socalising that you drop your guard."

"I won't, I won't," Duo winked. "We'll report after the fête. Seriously, don't worry, okay? I got this."

Quatre forced a smile. "Alright. I trust you. Good luck, okay? And... keep an eye on Lilith de Racine, if Heero isn't doing so already."

Duo gave a thumbs up before he shut the door.

Quatre stepped back and watch the limo pull away, seriously hoping they would both be alright.