According to Angel: The sequal to "With Arms Wide Open"

By Jazz

Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it?

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Part One

You don't know me, but you've heard of me. That's right. I'm Angel Takaishi. My parents are Kari and TK Takaishi.

I told you you'd remember me.

Currently, I'm fourteen years old, and attending Odaiba High School as a freshman. A lowly, stupid, unimportant freshman. Yeah, sure, I get my permit to drive this year. Who cares? My life sucks.

Nobody knows or understands that my life sucks. Not even Mom and Dad. But don't worry. I'm not sucidal or anything. I'm a coward. I always have been. I am scared of practically everything. Cars, horses, guns, knives, bats, snakes, bandits, thunderstorms, cowboys, sharks, piranahs, that guy at the CD store, and everything else you can think of.

It's not my fault that I am a scaredy-cat. Maybe if I had someone else around alot, I could learn to deal with it. Like a brother or sister. But I don't. I'm an only child.

I wasn't always an only child, you know. For a short period of time, I was an older sibling. I was only five, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

"Angel, sweetie, we have some news for you."

"What kind of news?"

"You're going to have a little sister! Isn't that great, darling?"

"You mean--there's gonna be a little baby around?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Aren't you excited?"

"Will I get to feed her? And play with her? And hold her?"

"Yep. You're going to be a great sister!"

"I can't wait!"

Yeah, I was really excited about having a new sister. I tried to help get ready for the baby as best I could. I helped paint the nursery a pale yellow instead of the pale blue that was in there for me. I put up with my mother's hysteria and morning sickness, and when she ignored me, I didn't fight back. I left her in peace.

Mama went to the hospital three weeks before my sixth birthday. I wasn't allowed to see her. I went to stay with my Uncle Matt and Aunt Sora while she was there. The next morning, they took me to see her and my new sister. Mom told me her name: Adelae Elizabeth. I thought it was pretty. I got to hold her, and she slept very peacefully. Adelae was so tiny; no longer than the length of my arm. She had dark hair like my mom, and really long eyelashes.

Mom and Dad came home from the hospital the next day. Immediately, the put Adelae to sleep in her crib. Then Mom fell asleep. I wanted to play with both of them, but Daddy said that I couldn't play with Adelae for a few more months. So we tried working on a puzzle together, but he fell asleep. I decided to climb into the crib with Adelae and take a nap with her, since the crib was big enough for both of us. Mom wasn't too happy when she saw me curled up next to her.

Over the next six days, I helped around the house all I could. I made my own breakfast, I did my homework and got Matt to check it, and occasionally, I helped with Adelae. I tickled her, and I rocked her to sleep, but I stayed out of the way when they changed her diaper.

On the seventh day, I came home from school, and the apartment was quiet. I heard a soft noise coming from my parents' room, and peeked in, not letting them know I was there. What I saw was something I will never forget.

My mother was in there, crying, sobbing on my father's chest. He held her, stroking her hair, a whispering to her. He looked like he was trying his best not to cry, either.

"Shh, shh, it will be okay," he soothed. "We'll all be alright. It just wasn't meant to be. Shh. Everything will be fine. We'll be alright. We'll get through this. You'll see." I saw a tear drip down from his eye and land on my mother's finger.

I left the doorway. I couldn't bear to see my mom like this.

So, for six days, I was an older sister. Then, once again, I was an only child. They could have had another baby. But they didn't. I learned later that Adelae had died in her sleep of unknown causes. I wasn't allowed to got to her funeral. I don't really know if they even had a funeral. I don't even know where they buried her, or if they buried her at all. I wasn't told a thing.

After that, Adelae was forgotten--well, not forgotten really, she just was never mentioned in my presence. It hurt my mother terribly, and from that day on, with me, she was either totally overprotective or totally ignorant. My birthday passed, forgotten by all, even me. I hated it. I hated Mom for it. But, as horrible as it may be, I hated Adelae most for hurting her and the rest of my family. I hated her for making my mom and dad so unhappy. I knew it was wrong to hate a tiny little baby for something that wasn't her fault, but it was easier to blame her than anyone else.

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"Mom! I'm home!" I yelled as I walked into the apartment.

I sniffed the air. Something was cooking, and it definately wasn't Mom. About the only thing she could make was a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

I walked into the kitchen, suspicious. I turned the corner, and what I saw made me want to burst into a fit of laughter.

My uncle Matt was standing there, in a pink apron, steaming vegetables on a skillet. I put my hand over my mouth and grinned. He whistled along to the radio, which was playing "Lady Marmalade."

I couldn't take it anymore. "Honey, I'm home!" I said. Then I dropped to the floor and giggled hard. Matt looked hilarious.

He jumped and turned around. When he saw me on the floor, he blushed a crimson red. Then he scooped me up off the floor, threw me over his shoulder, carried me into the living room, dropped me on the couch, and tickled me.

"Eeek!" I screamed. "Eeeee! Uncle! Uncle!"

"What's that? I can't hear you!"

"UNCLE!" I screamed as loud as I could.

He stopped tickling me, and got up, walking back to the kitchen. I followed him.

"So, where are Mom and Dad?" I asked, picking up a piece of celery out of the frying pan and crunching it.

"I'm not at liberty to say," said Matt, grinning secretly.

"Oooh, I hate you," I said, tackling him from behind. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he swung me around until I fell on my butt. Matt was my favorite uncle.

I stood, and reached into my backpack, pullng out a Hershey's candy bar. I unwrapped it, and was about to bite into it when Matt snatched it out of my hand.

"Hey!" I yelled. I tried to grab it back, but Matt was too tall.

"You'll spoil your dinner," he said in a parental tone, putting it away in a cabinet high above my head.

"But it's all the way from America!"

"I don't care. You can have it after you eat."

I rolled my eyes. I picked up my backpack and went into my bedroom to start my homework. Matt went back to humming and cooking, and I didn't give my parents a second thought.

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"This can't be happening," Kari whispered to TK.

TK shut his eyes. "I don't believe this. After all of these years--why now?"

"It doesn't make any sense!"

TK wrapped his arms around his wife. At the age of thirty-four, they had both experienced things in their lives that no young person should have.

Kari buried her face in his chest. "What are we going to do? I don't think I'm stable enough for this--emotionally, physically, and mentally!"

"Shhh," TK said, trying to calm her down. "We can work this out, Kari. It's not like we're new to this."

"But it's been so long!--Ohhh..." At that, Kari collapsed in his arms. She was so small and frail, and she weighed about as much as a chimp.

TK picked her up and set her down on the bed. As soon as he made sure she was okay, he sat down next to her. Then, for the first time in years, he put his head in his hands and cried.

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"So, where are my parents, anyways?" I asked. I put a forkfull of terriyaki steak in my mouth.

Matt swallowed. "All I can tell you is that they are nowhere near Odaiba."

"When will they be back?"

"Probably sometime late tommorrow night." Matt ate the last of the steamed vegetables on his plate, then carried his and mine to the kitchen to be washed.

I followed him in there. "I'll wash them. You made supper."

Matt nodded, and handed me the plates. I put them in the sink, turned on the water, and began to scrub.

"Where's Aunt Sora tonight?" I asked.

"In Hiroshima at a fashion show with her assistant. She won't be back until next week."

"Oh." I continued scrubbing in silence. After about five minutes, I turned around again. "So, what are my parents doing, anyways?"

"Don't ask so many questions!" Matt snapped. "If they wanted you to know where they were, they would have told you!"

"Sorry," I said quietly. I finished washing them, then put them away. The rest of the night was silent and uneventful.

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Kari awoke later that night in the arms of her husband. She glanced up at him, figuring that he would be asleep. Instead, he was staring at the wall in front of him.

She stirred, and TK looked down at her and smiled. "Feeling better?"

"I could lie and tell you that I was," she said. Kari groaned and tried to sit up. "My stomach aches."

Thinking quickly, TK grabbed the hotel room ice bucket, and set it in front of Kari. She bent her head, and threw up. TK disposed of the vomit, and pulled out a Sprite from the tiny refridgerator.

"Here," he said, handing it to her, "sip on this, but wait until it stops fizzing."

She did what she was told, and, once again, grabbed the bucket and threw up.

TK winced.

"I'm sorry, TK," she said as he took the bucket from her. "This is all my fault."

"Don't be sorry, you did nothing. This was my fault, too. We are both to be blamed."

"Do you think we will be able to get through this?" Kari asked. "It's been such a long time."

"We will, Kari," TK said, holding her close. "We have love and fate and all that good stuff on our side."

"Then why didn't they come through for us the last time?" she cried. Tears sprang from her eyes, and she smothered her face in his chest. TK ran his hands through her hair, trying to resist the tears once again.

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I left for school the next morning while Matt was still asleep in the guest room, or the old nursery. I walked to school, still wondering where my parents were.

"Hey, Angel! Wait up!"

My heart fluttered even before I turned around. Stay cool, he's only like, your best friend. "Oh, hey, Tony. What's up?"

Tony Tanishi caught up to me. He was tall and muscular from all the sports he plays, and was about three times bigger than me. He lived three doors down from me.

"How's it going?" he asked. Tony reached into his backpack, and pulled out a tiny package. "Creme Savor?" he asked, offering it to me.

I couldn't help but grin. Tony always kept a secret stash of those anywhere he could fit them. He wasn't exactly allowed to have them, since his mother is a health freak. She practically washes his mouth out with biodegradeable soap if he even utters the word donut.

"No thanks," I said.

"You're sure? They're making raspberry now."

"I'm sure."

Tony popped the candy into his mouth. He chewed on it a bit, then swallowed. "Yum."

"On second thought, give me one of the marmalade ones. I'll need that sugar rush for tonight." I stood on my tiptoes and reached into the front pocket of his backpack. I pulled out a candy, and unwrapped it.

"Why do you need a sugar rush for tonight?" Tony asked, as I sucked on the Creme Savor.

"My parents skipped town yesterday for no reason. They won't be back until late tonight, and I plan on finding out exactly what's going on."

"What if it's something that you don't want to know? Like, maybe they were recreating their wedding night or something." He grinned at me, and I smacked him playfully in the side.

"Ewwww! Don't put images in my mind--especially those images. Besides, they wouldn't have Uncle Matt come stay with me if it was something like--that. Eww. That's nasty! And besides, if it was that, they would probably be gone longer than that."

Just then the bell rang. Tony and I raced inside the building. I pulled open my locker quickly, with a little help from Tony. His locker was next to mine, since it went in alphabetical order. Takaishi, Tanishi, you get the picture.

As soon as I opened my locker door, a huge pile of books fell on top of me. My locker was messier than anybody's, even without all the stinky soccer and basketball uniforms.

"Here," Tony said. "Let me help." He grabbed my hand and pulled me up, and then began to put my stuff back in my locker.

My knight in shining armor. Tony has always been there for me, through good times and bad, through puberty and PMS. Maybe that's why I've had a huge crush on him since grade school.

I know, I know, it's not healthy to have a crush on your best friend. But I can't help that my best friend is such a sweetheart. Sometimes, I wished I could be prettier so he would notice me more. He's tall, muscular, handsome, and he certainly does not look like he just turned fifteen.

And me? I'm like my mom. Short, no body, and really dusty-looking blonde hair, not golden, like my dad's. At least Mom has boobs, though. I'm not fat, but I'm not skinny either. I eat like a pig, but I stay in shape from playing sports. Heck, I'm only five-two, and I weigh about a hundred and two pounds. If you want an example of my body shape, look at Lucy Camden on 7th Heaven. That's basically what I look like. That's right. No chest. Sigh.

I guess this is as good as it's gonna get. I'll be lucky to grow another half an inch, nonetheless another cup size. And I'll never get my guy. Tony and I will probably just be what we are now--best friends. Nothing is ever going to change.

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Late that night, Kari and TK tiptoed into their apartment, and closed the door behind them. They walked as quietly as possible into their bedroom, and sliiped into their nightclothes. TK drew back the covers, and climbed in. Kari started to follow his actions, but then stopped. "Wait," she said, climbing out of the bed. "I want to check on Angel."

Kari left her bed and walked silently down the hall. She stopped at her daughter's bedroom door, and opened it quietly.

Angel was sleeping peacefully on her twin-sized bed. The covers were pulled up to her chin, her mouth etched in a straight line. Kari tiptoed up to her, and kissed her gently on the forehead. Then she walked out of the room and shut the door.

As Kari climbed into bed with TK, he looked over at her and smiled. "How is she?"

"Fine. Sleeping like a baby." An interesting choice of words, she thought.

TK leaned in and kissed her, and turned out the lamp next to him. Kari was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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The next day was Saturday, and instead of being awakened by my alarm clock, I was awakened by a warm stream of sunlight on my face.

I groaned as the bright light hit my eyes. I rubbed them, and waited for them to adjust. Mom must have heard me, because she popped her head into the room.

"Morning, sweetheart," she said, walking over to me, and sitting on my bed.

"Hi, Mom," I said groggily. I looked over at the clock. 8:30. Then I looked at myself in the mirror across from my bed. My hair looked awful, and my eyes were baggy, making me look like I hadn't slept in days.

"How were the last couple of days?" she asked, her eyes dancing. I looked at her face. She looked fabulous, as usual, even though she probably didn't get in until one a.m. last night.

"Fine...hey, where were you, anyways?" I asked.

"I'll tell you later. So, anyways, how was school? And soccer practice?"

Why was she so interested all of the sudden? "Fantastic," I said sarcastically. For some reason, I decided to forget about her little disappearence--and concentrate on my problem with Tony. And--for all reasons unknownst to mankind--I decided to confide in her.

"Hey, Mom?" I asked. "I have a bit of a problem, and was wondering if you could help me."

"Of course, sweetie," she Mom in that somewhat annoying sugar-sweet voice. "You know you can always tell me anything."

"Um, okay," I said, uncomfortably. "It's about Tony. We've been friends for so long, and--"

"And you want to be more than friends, right?" she finished for me.

"Yeah..." I said, confused. "How did you know?"

Mom threw back her head and laughed. "Honey, your father and I were best friends for six years before we finally started dating. It took us even longer to say "I love you" for the first time. I know exactly what you're going through. Everyone has been expecting you and Tony to hook up sooner or later."

"Seriously?" I asked, awed. "How old were you when you and Dad finally started dating?"

She winked at me. "Fourteen."

My mouth dropped open. Mom stood up, and stretched. "I think your dad is making Spinach omelates for breakfast. I better go make sure he doesn't burn the building down." And at that, she left the room.

I was left alone with my thoughts. Fourteen? Mom and Dad? Wierd. I didn't want to believe it--but, then, why would Mom have any reason to lie to me? They're not the kind of parents who lie to protect their kids. They're the kind of parents who tell their kids the truth so they can learn from it.

But, seriously, Mom and Dad have been together since they were my age? And they knew each other even longer before that. I wonder how much longer. Tony and I have known each other since we were five. I wonder...could we ever be like my parents?

I left my bed, and wandered down the hall to the kitchen. Instead of walking right in, I decide to spy on my parents.

There they were, my dad standing behind my mother, his arms wrapped around her. He kept kissing her cheek as they danced around the room like that, to music that only they could hear.

I couldn't help but grin. They were still so much in love, even after almost fifteen years. They had had me when they were only twenty...they were still so young.

Suddenly, I heard Dad yelp. "My omelates!"

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TK furiously tried to keep his precious omelates from burning on the stove. He flipped them over to the other side quickly, but it was too late. They were already black.

"Shoot," he said. He scraped the omelates into the trash. Kari came over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You know, we can always have cereal," she said, grinning. "I have the strangest craving for Cinnimon Toast Crunch."

TK bowed. "Your wish is my command, my Queen," he said. She giggled, stood on her toes, and kissed him gently on the mouth.

Just then, Angel sauntered into the room. She had the strangest smile on her face.

"Good morning, all," she said. She pulled a bowl out of the cabinet.

"Well, hello, Miss Sleeping Beauty," TK said. He walked over to her and gave her a hug. "And how long were you standing outside the door?"

"Long enough to know that my parents are hopeless romantics and there is nothing I can do to change it," she said, pouring the cereal into the bowl.

TK and Kari looked at each other and smiled.

"So, are you guys going to tell me where you were these past two days, or not? I'm dying to know," Angel said, shoving a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

The smiles faded off of her parent's mouths. "Um, well, Angel, you see..." TK started.

Kari clamped a hand over his mouth. "Angel, go back into my bedroom and wait for me there. I'll be there in a second, but I need to talk to your father first."

Angel shrugged. "Okay," she said. She picked up her cereal bowl and started off down the hall.

"Um, Angel?" Kari asked.

She turned around. "Yeah?"

"Leave the cereal in the kitchen." Kari grinned.

"But it will get soggy!"

"Do what your mother says, young lady," TK said sternly.

Angel sighed, exasperated, and set her bowl down on the table. "Mother knows best," she said sarcastically under her breath, and turned back towards her parent's bedroom.

Kari rolled her eyes. "Where did that little minx get such a smart mouth?"

"Like mother, like daughter," TK said grinning.

Kari poked him in the ribs. "How on earth am I gonna tell her?"

"You don't have to tell her alone. She has two parents, you know."

"Yeah, I know, but I feel like I need to give her the...talk now," she said. "It would be a good time."

TK spit out his milk. "You still haven't given her the talk yet?!?"

"Honey, my mother still hasn't given me the talk yet," Kari said, smiling. "Besides, now is better than never, right?" She stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be fine, TK. Really." She beamed at him.

TK smiled and nodded, which was about the only thing he could have done right then. He watched his wife turn and head back to their bedroom. God, he loved her so much.

Hopeless, he thought. Completely hopeless.

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I bounced the mattress as I sat down next to her on the bed. She looked rather nervous, and I was going to do everything in my power to make these next few moments as nervewracking as possible for her.

"You see, Angel," she started. "When a man and a woman..."

Oh, god. I'm not going to let her embarrass herself over the talk. This was the one thing I could not stand--listening to adults talk about sex as if it were some sacred thing that you should save for marriage. Blah, blah, blah. I don't think you should save sex for marriage...what if you marry the wrong person? Your first time should be with the person you know you love.

"Condems are another option, and..." Mom continued.

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, spare yourself. I know about sex...I know enough to know that I probably won't wait until marriage to do it. I'll do it when I'm ready."

"Well, that's what I was going to say, sweetie," she said. "You should be with the person you love when you have sex. You shouldn't have to wait until marriage if you don't want to."

Weird. Sometimes I think my mom is a mind-reader. It would certainly explain a lot of things that go on around here. "Exactly what I was thinking."

"I didn't wait until marriage," Mom continued. "How do you think you were conceived?"

I covered my ears with my hands. I did not want to hear this. "LA LA LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Mom laughed. But as soon as it had come, the laughter faded away. "There was something else I wanted to tell you," she said. "I don't know how you'll take it. I hope you won't hate me."

"Mom," I said, giving her a hug. "I could never hate you. Who possibly could?"

Mom gave a small smile. She took a deep breath, and it all came out. "I'm pregnant."

I stared at her for a moment. I was not surprised; I had seen this coming long ago. I wasn't mad, or upset, but I wasn't exactly ecstatic, either. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just sat there and stared.

"I'm going to have a baby," she said. "In June."

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Kari searched Angel's face for some type of emotion, but there was none. Angel's face was blank.

Kari couldn't take her daughter's silence. "Will you please say something!"

Slowly but surely, a smile spread across her face. "Are you happy? Are you excited?" she asked.

Dumbstruck, Kari nodded. Angel grinned. "Then so am I."

She surprised her mother even further by reaching across the bed and giving her a hug. TK, who had been evesdropping on them the entire time, rushed into the room and wrapped them both up in his arms. They stayed that way for God knows how long.

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I don't have just one friend, you know. I have a "posse." We're all buds, you know. Best friends. We do just about everything together.

First, there's my best friend--besides Tony, of course--Mari Ichijouju. She has a twin brother named Sam, and those two are constantly bickering. He's a part of our "posse" too. He is one of Tony's really best guy friends.

Next, is my older cousin by one year, and his sister who is my age. Chino and Kara Ishida. Kara and I hang out alot, and Chino is a bit too overprotective of her. He's a sophmore, and plays basketball with Tony.

I also have another cousin who is a sophmore. Brad Kamiya. He doesn't have a little brother or sister to be constantly protective over, so I am basically his prime target. Brad and Chino are always fighting--I swear it never ends.

Next is another "girlfriend" of mine--Lei Hida. She is basically a bombshell just waiting to explode. Her mom died when she was born, and she and her dad aren't very close. He's a lawyer, but he doesn't spend much time at home. Lei taught herself to be her own person, and protect herself in the two only ways she knew how--kendo and kickboxing. O.O Weird, huh?

Jason Kido is a bit of a nerd, but he's one of my best friends. I don't know much about him, except that his dad is a doctor and he's a real sweetie. He gives me the much-needed help with my science homework.

Two more BFFs are Flora and Tina Izumi. Flora is a sophomore, and Tina is a freshman. Their dad is some kind of psycho computer genius, and their mom hosts a cooking show. I have known these two since pre-kindergarten.

Last, but definately not least is Marcus Motymiya. Marcus can be a bit annoying at times--okay, nearly all the time. He has had a huge crush on me since grade school, and views Tony as a rival. Sometimes I flirt a bit with Tony, just to make him blow up. It's kinda funny, especially since Marcus is about two inches shorter than Tony. But he's a good friend. He's always there when you need him.

And there you have it. My "posse." You can just imagine how they reacted when I told them Mom was pregnant.

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"You're what?" Ken asked, eyes open wide.

Kari giggled. "That's right. I'm going to have a baby in June."

Yolei's eyes practically popped out of her head. "This is fantastic!" she sqealed. "I'm having a baby only about four months before you! We have to go shopping together!"

Matt grabbed Kari's hand and twirled her around. "Hey, Tai!" he said as Tai walked into the room. "Your little sister is going to be a mommy--again!"

Tai's mouth dropped open, and Kari blushed. "Is this true?" he asked.

Kari giggled again. "It sure is."

"Woo-woo-wooo!" Tai yelled. He picked her up and spun her around.

Kari laughed as the other original DigiDestined began to congratulate her.

"Wow, Kari, I'm so happy for you!" Mimi said enthusiastically.

"Yolei's right. We're going to have to take you shopping!" Sora said, her eyes wide with the excitement.

Davis nudged TK in the side. "You have to put up with her all over again," he said, laughing. "Sucks for you!"

"Yeah, but it's all worth it in the end," TK said, grinning.

"It was probably worth it in the beginning!" Davis threw back his head and laughed as TK punched him playfully in the shoulder.

"Hey, TK, congratulations!" Cody said.

"Thanks, Cody." TK ran his hand through his hair.

"TK!" TK heard Matt, Joe, Tai, and Izzy call from the other side of the room.

"Yeah?" he yelled back.

"Ever heard of these?" Joe yelled, and held up a package of condems.

Both Kari and TK blushed a crimson red as everyone else in the room began laughing hysterically. It really wasn't that funny, but they seemed to be in the moment.

Everyone chattered for several minutes, just happy to be together in each other's presence. After all was calm for a few moments, Joe flipped on the TV.

"This just in!" the newscaster boomed. "An Islamic group from the Middle East--suspected to be either Palastine or Iran--has just crashed three planes into the Pentagon, and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in the United States! Several lives have been lost as of today!"

Everyone stopped talking and gathered around the television set. "Isn't that sad?" Mimi said.

"Horrible," said Izzy. The twelve of them were silent for what seemed like an eternity.

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Mari spit out her milk. "She's what?"

I laughed. "That is correct. My mother is pregnant."

"When's she due?" Lei asked.

"June."

Mari grabbed me by the hands and we spun around for a minute. "We're both going to be getting a little brother or sister at the same time!"

Tony laughed. I had told him before the others, of course, since I tell him almost everything. Almost, I said.

"Are you sure?" Jason asked, worried. "I mean, there could be some kind of mistake or something."

I scowled. "I don't want to think about that."

Jason looked at me, concerned. He didn't know about Adelae. The only people that did know are Tony, Mari, and Sam. They remained silent. Mari looked down at her shoes.

"Um...so?" Sam said, breaking the silence. "Boy or girl?"

I thanked him silently with my eyes for changing the subject. "They don't know. They want it to be a surprise."

Just then, we heard a yell behind us. "Hey, guys!"

It was Marcus. We turned around, and he ran towards us. When he reached us, he bent down to catch his breath. "Did you guys hear yet?"

"Hear what?" Tony asked, curious.

"The bombings! In the States! Pennsylvania, D.C., and New York!"

"Huh?" Jason asked.

"Terrorism! In the U.S.!" Marcus stood. His face was red.

"Who did it?" I asked.

"Someone from the Middle East. They don't know much about it, yet." Sam raised an eyebrow, and Mari bit her lip.

"That's awful," I said. Just then, the bell rang.

"Come on," Tony said. "We're gonna be late for class."

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None of them knew it, but they were being watched. A dark and powerful force was watching Angel, Kari, TK, Tony, and the others through a crystal ball. As he watched, he grinned with joy.

"I've got you now, Child of Light," he said gleefully, zooming in on Kari. She looked so happy, so joyful, and he was about to strip her of all of it. After he was done with her, there would be nothing left.

"You're mine, now."

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Ooh, spooky! I love suspense. I'm not really very good at it, though. If you have any questions, comments, etc on Part One, please e-mail me at either jazzgirl1488@yahoo.com or jazzgirl1488@hotmail.com. Compliments and criticism welcome!