Chapter 1



Madison Morgan and Jessica Christian are the best of friends. Some even think they're twins. They've been seen almost everywhere together and they look alike. Jessica's hair is a light blonde, past her shoulders. Her eyes are a sea green. Madison's hair is a strawberry blonde and the same length as Jessica's own. Her eyes are a blue green, more blue, then green, but you could still see their true color. They both have their ears pierced. One hole in each ear No other body parts pierced though. They would never do that.

They're also near the same weight and height, so they share most of each other's clothing, like when they sleep over and never had anything to wear back. And being that way, it was easy to buy gifts for each other. Madison is 16 and Jessica is 18, so it's almost older sister, younger sister. But... there is one thing they don't share: boyfriends. No one would share boyfriends, but they do tell each other every detail of a date. It might seem wrong for the boys, but these two don't hold back. They also love anime, all anime, but especially Dragonball Z. They got in trouble for the same show.

School had just let out and Madison and Jessica had detention. They'd started a food fight when Adam Hill had made a bad remark about Dragonball Z. He had said girls shouldn't be so interested in shows like that; they should stick to stuff that suits them. He also said that Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, and Goten shouldn't call themselves fighters. They were lousy. Even though they liked everyone in DBZ equally, the names of their favorites were in there... in the list of names he called. That had made them really mad and was happy for food.

They had each grabbed a plate of food from a tray nearby and shoved it in Adam's face. With surprising strength, he was propelled backwards and into a nearby table. He stood up and wiped most of the food from his face. He glared at them and grabbed a nearby tray and heaved it at them. Jessica ducked and Madison moved off to the side. The tray hit the ground, but not before its contents hit a few students nearby. Then someone shouted: "FOOD FIGHT!!" and then whole thing began. Now here they were, down on their hands and knees, along with Adam, cleaning the cafeteria.

Jessica dropped her cloth in her water bucket and it made a splash. "Adam, this is all your fault, you know. We would've been home, getting some sleep, so tomorrow, me and Madison could spend the day at the mall." Jessica gripped the side of her bucket and felt like dumping the whole lot of water over Adam's head, but refrained. That would only bring more detention upon their heads. She sighed and squeezed out her rag, moving to clean off the walls, where pudding and cake, and other numerous stains lay.

By the time they had cleaned the whole Cafeteria, top to bottom, side from side, it was well past 5:00 p.m. (Big Cafeteria). They stood back and admired their work. "I do say, it looks much cleaner than how it usually looks." Madison commented. Adam nodded, "I have to agree with you on that one." Madison tilted her head and looked at him from the side. She turned around and faced him, holding out her hand. "We're sorry." she said, "Aren't we, Jess?" She elbowed Jessica in her side. "Yeah... sorry." she muttered. Adam and Madison shook hands and then Jessica and Adam.

Jessica dusted off her clothes, even though it wasn't much help, since they had almost permanent food stains. "I say we get going." she said, picking up her bucket with the cloth inside of it. The three of them turned in their buckets and left the cafeteria, and the school building altogether. As Madison and Adam went down the same sidewalk, in the other direction from Jessica's, she turned back around and walked slowly. "Hey Jess!" she called, "Don't forget. Mall: 11:00. Be there!" Jessica nodded and Madison turned back around, running to catch up to Adam. Jessica went her separate way.

As Jessica walked along the path to her house, she decided to take the short cut to her house. She was already late. She turned off just a few ways up from the public park. The October leaves crunched and crinkled under her feet as she walked along. The wind picked up around her. And the leaves swirled in a tiny tornado. She felt a shiver go up her spine and she quickly turned around. She swore she saw a flash of blue dart through the bushes... but they weren't moving.

She looked on for a few more seconds, then turned back around, continuing on her way. She pulled her jacket up to her ears and wrapped her arms around herself. She neared the other end of the shortcut, where her house was, when the wind picked up again. The leaves swirled around her, forming a slight wall. Through the leaves, Jessica thought she saw two people talking. Not really able to see them, but their clear outlines. The wind dropped and the leaves slowly fluttered to the ground. She looked around and saw no one.

She shook her head and took off running. She didn't stop till she had reached the front door of her house. She leaned against the door, and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She looked around at her street and noticed all the different Halloween decorations the neighbors had up. She shuddered and muttered, "I hate Halloween." She took her house key out of her pocket and opened the door. She stepped in just as the streetlights came on. She looked back out and used that time to check the short cut.

Jessica didn't know what she saw exactly, but she knew she saw something. She stared for a few more unblinking moments, and then blinked a couple times. When she looked back again, no one, or anything was there. She shook her head; "I really hate Halloween month." She stepped back in and closed the door behind her. Outside the leaves blew one final time and landed on her yard. Jessica ran up the stairs, two at a time, and headed for her room. She opened the door and then kicked it shut, running to her bed and plopping down on it, and falling asleep.

When Madison woke up on Saturday morning, she was sore all over from the cleaning the whole cafeteria. Her night didn't really help much, because it was just as bad. When they had left the school, Adam and Madison went one way and Jessica, the other. Adam and Madison then said their good-byes and parted on their streets. Madison's part of her neighborhood never seemed to have enough lights and so she wanted to hurry through as quickly as possible.

She had passed the local playground in her area and was well on her way home when she heard slight childish laughter behind her. She thought it was some of her neighborhood kids, but when she turned around, she saw no one. She shrugged and laughed it off, continuing on her way home. She reached the path for her house and started to get her keys out of her pocket. She held them in her hand and then suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder from behind.

She dropped her keys and turned around, throwing a punch at whomever had touched her. Someone caught her fist, but the someone who was there was either dead or a ghost, or invisible. Madison looked at her fist and then past her hand. She tried to pull her hand away, but whoever or whatever was there, held it tight. "Please," she whimpered, "Whoever or whatever you are, let go of my hand. I'm warning you. My hand is hurting but I have another one, and I can do damage to... whatever you are."

She really was scared and had a scream lodged in her throat that wouldn't come out. Her hand then fell to her side. She gasped and backed up, stumbling over one of the lawn ornaments. She fell over and landed on her but. "Ow!" she cried. She forgot the pain and began crawling backwards... still on her butt. She reached the bottom step, and continued crawling up. She reached her hand over her head and groped around for the doorknob until she finally gripped it.

She pulled herself up slightly and started to open the door, but shut it slowly. "Please," she started, "if you're still outside, give me some kind of sign, whoever you are." She waited a few minutes and the felt a slight chill ran up and down her cheek. She stiffened and started stammering unknown gibberish. "Please-- stay outside." she cried, "My parents don't allow me bringing home-- unknown strangers." She opened the door and rushed inside, the last thing hearing was slight laughter.

She leaned against the back of the door, bolting every lock and chain. She slid to the ground, and fell on her hands and knees. She shakily crawled up all of the stairs to her room. She gripped the doorknob so tight that she almost thought the handle was gonna pop off. She opened the door and swung inside with it. She landed on the floor and immediately bolted upright, closing it behind her. She took a deep breath and looked at her bed. It was so inviting and looking even more wonderful than it ever had looked.

She literally pounced on her bed, making sure her head hit the pillow, and falling asleep before her head hit the pillow. She shivered unconsciously as a chill ran through her room. The sheet on her bed moved upwards, and she moved over on the bed properly. The figure -- thing that was outside with her was now in her room. They moved back to the window and sat down, now having a voice and being able to touch stuff. The person looked her over and smiled.

Madison stretched and pulled the covers from off of her. She stopped halfway, with the covers hanging in her hands from midair. "I never got under my covers..." she mumbled. She looked around her room quickly. "If you're here now, I'm scolding you." she said, "I told you to stay out of my room. A girl needs her privacy." Madison swore she jumped a foot out of her bed when she was answered back, "Well, you didn't do anything throughout the whole night that I shouldn't have seen, or not been in here for."

"Y -- y -- you can talk?" Then she let the voice she heard sink in a little in her head. "Your voice..." she murmured, "It sounds familiar." Just then the door popped open, and her older brother, Ken, poked his head through the little space. "Who you talking to, squirt?" "No one." she answered, "Now get out of my room, and don't call me 'squirt'." "Whatever, squirt." He laughed, and closed the door behind him as he left. Madison growled and turned her head back around the room. Her eyes landed on the clock and she gasped loudly.

She jumped up and grabbed her towel. She rushed into her joined bathroom. She locked the door, and turned on the sink. "You were here with me this whole night. Couldn't you have woken me up earlier?" she said to the person while brushing her teeth. The answer came from outside, and she gave a sigh of relief, nearly choking on the toothpaste. "I wasn't with you when you left your friend, someone else was. So I didn't know of any reason to wake you." She grumbled and stripped, then hopped into the shower. She came out quickly at ten minutes later.

She wrapped the towel around herself, and tied her hair up. She'd worn a shower cap over it. She walked back out into her room and looked around. "Okay. Whoever you are, you're gonna have to leave, because I gotta get dressed." she said. "I was going anyway. My time is up." Madison spotted a little sparkle over by her window. "'My time is up''?" She shook her head and gave a small cry, "God! I only have an hour left. I have no time to try and pick, I'll just improvise." She ran around her room, trying to get herself in order.

She rushed out of her room, and down the stairs. She rushed through the kitchen, grabbing a piece of toast and stuffing it in her mouth. "Bye!" she said to her father and brother, "See you later." She rushed out of the house, grabbing her shoes along the way. She nearly tripped as she closed the door behind her. "Lucky girl." her father said, "She has somewhere to go, unlike most of us." He shot Ken a glance. Ken laughed nervously," I am going out later, Dad." He picked up a piece of toast and popped it into his mouth.

Jessica didn't feel like moving out of her bed. She had a massive headache and her eyes refused to open. "Jessica," came a voice, "You have to get up. Madison's waiting." Jessica buried her head further into her pillow and groaned. "Go away." she mumbled. "You have an hour and twenty minutes left." continued the voice. "I said go away." She pulled the pillow that was over her head away and tossed it over her head. Jessica felt someone grab her around her waist, and lifted her up, placing her on their shoulder.

"What the--?!" Jessica opened her eyes and looked all around her room. When she looked down, she gasped. She was just floating in the air, making her way over to the bathroom door. She began thrashing about and knocking at the invisible figure. "Let me go! You were the one following me last night! What are you?" she screamed, pounding at whatever held her. "Stop hitting me, woman!" the person growled, shaking her slightly.

Jessica gasped and fell still. The person shoved her into the bathroom and closed the door. As Jessica landed n the ground, she realized that she only had twenty, probably fifteen minutes left, to bathe, and an hour to get to the mall. She rushed into the shower, and popped out five minutes later, going straight to brushing her teeth. She walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her, and one drying her face. "Um, listen." she said uneasily, "If you're in here, please leave. I need privacy." She saw sparkles by her bed, as the person disappeared.

Jessica quickly dried her skin and rushed into some clothes, fixing up her room also. She rushed out of her room and took the stairs two at a time. She walked into the kitchen and saw her mother feeding Caleb as he sat in his high chair. She grabbed some fruit and gave her mom and Caleb a kiss before leaving. "Bye, Mom. Bye, Caleb." she said, waving over her shoulder, "Ill be back later." Caleb cooed happily as Jessica closed the door, the last spoon-ful of food, running out of his open mouth.

Jessica skipped off of the curb and across the street to the curb. She ran across the street, narrowly missing a few taxis and trucks. She hopped a ledge (in a skirt! o.O) and ran through people's yards, covering kiddy pools, and fences, in a single jump. She crossed the final street and reached the mall, and rushed to the front. Madison ran up next to her. At 10:30, both of them bumped into each other and jumped back a foot.

They calmed down and took long breaths. "W - well, looks like we're both on time -- early in fact." Madison nodded, "Looks like it. How 'bout we sit down?" Jessica didn't even nod, she just followed Madison over to the benches that were lined up on the side. They sat there for a few minutes, calming themselves down. Ten minutes later, they got up and started up to the mall, not saying one word about their afternoons, or nights.

They walked through the doors. and were thrown immediate smiles from everyone. Grown-ups. Teenagers. Anyone that thought the sight of twins was adorable. Because that's exactly what they looked like at that moment. They had worn the same outfit that day. Their red skirts, with a golden shirt, and red and gold sneakers. Their hair was hanging down their shoulders and back, each with a piece tucked behind their hair.

They walked until they came to the store where they usually go. The Anime Video Store. They had a big sign out front on the window that said: New Anime Releases. Madison grabbed Jessica's hand and the two of them dragged each other inside, because Jessica had grabbed Madison's hand. They headed straight for the DBZ aisle, ignoring the stares and smiles from all of the other customers. They stopped right in front of the section with the new releases they were looking for.

Jessica spotted a video she'd been waiting for to come out. It was Aika, one of the last series tapes. She grabbed it off the shelf and hugged it close to her chest. "I've been waiting so long for this." she exclaimed, holding it out for Madison to see. Madison nodded and out of the corner of her eye, spotted the tape she wanted. She plucked it from the DBZ section.

Jessica put back the tape, to buy it later, and walked over to Madison, who was holding her tape in her hand. As she did, she felt strange. When she looked down, she almost screamed. Her hand was disappearing in front of her eyes. Jessica picked up a DBZ tape she'd always admired and looked it over. "Je - Jessica!" she stammered, putting the tape back. Jessica stared at her and dropped the tape she was holding. Madison's lower body portion was almost gone, and her top was fading fast.

She looked at her own body and saw the same thing happening. She gasped and reached for Madison, only to realize she was almost completely faded. "Madison!" she sobbed, "Mad, what's going on?" Madison's voice was barely above a whisper, "I don't know, but Jessi--" Jessica looked up and saw Madison was no longer beside her. Soon after, she completely vanished from the store.