Part 6
When Juliana opened her eyes she found herself on her knees on the high school floor, clutching her head. People were gathered around her in a little group, talking or whispering to each other about herm asking her questions.
The boy who'd spoken to her that afternoon, Aries, was coming down the hall towards her with a human in a white uniform. The human was kneeling down in front of her, asking her something. Juliana's mind cleared enough to focus on the question.
"Are you all right? What happened?"
Juliana staggered to her feet. The pain had faded to a bearable headache. "I'm fine," she answered, using whatever power she had left to brainwash the human into believing her.
She turned around and her face contorted with shock. One of the girls from the vision was *there*. In the hallway, looking at her with everyone else. Her features were identical to Juliana's. Same golden hair, same green eyes, same confused expression.
"Are you sure you're all right?" the human in the white uniform was saying disbelievingly.
"I'm - I'm fine," Juliana choked out. "I have to go now." She turned away from the crowd, head down so no one could see her face. What the hell *was* that? She had had visions before but never like that. They'd never caused her such unbearable pain.
And the two girls in the vision, both of them exactly the same as her...
Past. They must have been images from her past. Ever since the Hunter had shown up and ruined her, she had repressed a lot of her memories, not wanting to think about why he was after her, just wanting to get away, when it had all started.
But now she was slowly beginning to remember. She had had two sisters. She had been the youngest in a set of triplets. Something...something had happened, one of them had turned...become evil...dragging the other two down with her into her world of darkness and death...
Now Juliana remembered she had escaped, and never seen either of her sisters again, for about eight hundred years, maybe more, maybe less. Right now she couldn't even remember their names.
One of them was here in town. Had been standing in that hallway. Probably even in some of her classes.
"Juliana wait!"
Juliana ignored the voice, hoping whoever it was would take the hint and leave her alone. She couldn't deal with people right now. She was aware she was moving fast, too fast for humans to catch up with her,
Before she knew what was happening someone had caught her arm. She jerked away as if she had been burned, It was Aries, his amber eyes full of concern. How had he managed to keep up with her? It should have been impossible for a human. Unless...unless he wasn't...
"Are you all right?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"I'm fine," Juliana answered, silently wishing he'd go away.
"What happened back there?"
"Nothing. I get - headaches sometimes."
His head tilted to one side. "It looked like more than that to me."
"Yeah, well, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Juliana gave him her best smile, her wish for him to go away becoming almost desperate.
Aries sighed. "Okay, okay. I can take a hint."
He started walking away. Then he stopped and looked back. "Oh, Juliana?" he called.
"What?"
"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."
And he walked away, leaving her alone.
* * *
Paige glanced over at Charlene as she joined her. She wondered how she could have missed it that morning. She had noticed that Juliana looked familiar but couldn't figure out why. Now she could.
Charlene and Juliana were identical. *Identical*. How the hell could no one else have noticed that? Had Jackson?
"You're related to that girl?" she asked.
Charlene frowned. She looked as puzzled as Paige. "No, I'm positive I've never met that girl in my life."
As the strange new girl had collapsed an even stranger picture had begun to form in Charlene's mind, images of herself, that Juliana girl, and another girl with their face, involving some sort of dark ritual with blood and knives. Without being sure *how* she knew, she knew that Juliana was seeing exactly the same images.
The vision seemed to have caused Juliana incredible pain. Yet she felt nothing but surprise. What did it mean? She had never seen things like that before.
Of course, her own memories of her past were not all that clear to her. The last thing she remembered clearly was coming to this town three years ago and settling down. Before then everything else was kind of blurry.
She didn't really mind, though. She liked everything the way it was now. She had no family that she knew of, yet money and expenses had never been a problem before. She didn't understand that either, but certainly had never questioned it, if someone wanted to look out for her, then let them.
She would have liked to know who, but for now was happy being kept in the dark. There were some things she *didn't* want to know. She lived close to the woods, handy for her - condition. No one knew about that and she wanted to keep it that way.
But somehow, she felt everything was about to change.
She shook her head. "I don't know," she muttered. "I just don't know."
Paige watched her walk away. What the hell was happening, in a small sleepy town where nothing ever happened? A new girl had arrived, and everything was changing. Half the male population were drooling and obsessed, and now Charlene was acting weird.
Something was going on.
~And I'm going to find out what,~ she thought.
* * *
When Juliana opened her eyes she found herself on her knees on the high school floor, clutching her head. People were gathered around her in a little group, talking or whispering to each other about herm asking her questions.
The boy who'd spoken to her that afternoon, Aries, was coming down the hall towards her with a human in a white uniform. The human was kneeling down in front of her, asking her something. Juliana's mind cleared enough to focus on the question.
"Are you all right? What happened?"
Juliana staggered to her feet. The pain had faded to a bearable headache. "I'm fine," she answered, using whatever power she had left to brainwash the human into believing her.
She turned around and her face contorted with shock. One of the girls from the vision was *there*. In the hallway, looking at her with everyone else. Her features were identical to Juliana's. Same golden hair, same green eyes, same confused expression.
"Are you sure you're all right?" the human in the white uniform was saying disbelievingly.
"I'm - I'm fine," Juliana choked out. "I have to go now." She turned away from the crowd, head down so no one could see her face. What the hell *was* that? She had had visions before but never like that. They'd never caused her such unbearable pain.
And the two girls in the vision, both of them exactly the same as her...
Past. They must have been images from her past. Ever since the Hunter had shown up and ruined her, she had repressed a lot of her memories, not wanting to think about why he was after her, just wanting to get away, when it had all started.
But now she was slowly beginning to remember. She had had two sisters. She had been the youngest in a set of triplets. Something...something had happened, one of them had turned...become evil...dragging the other two down with her into her world of darkness and death...
Now Juliana remembered she had escaped, and never seen either of her sisters again, for about eight hundred years, maybe more, maybe less. Right now she couldn't even remember their names.
One of them was here in town. Had been standing in that hallway. Probably even in some of her classes.
"Juliana wait!"
Juliana ignored the voice, hoping whoever it was would take the hint and leave her alone. She couldn't deal with people right now. She was aware she was moving fast, too fast for humans to catch up with her,
Before she knew what was happening someone had caught her arm. She jerked away as if she had been burned, It was Aries, his amber eyes full of concern. How had he managed to keep up with her? It should have been impossible for a human. Unless...unless he wasn't...
"Are you all right?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"I'm fine," Juliana answered, silently wishing he'd go away.
"What happened back there?"
"Nothing. I get - headaches sometimes."
His head tilted to one side. "It looked like more than that to me."
"Yeah, well, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Juliana gave him her best smile, her wish for him to go away becoming almost desperate.
Aries sighed. "Okay, okay. I can take a hint."
He started walking away. Then he stopped and looked back. "Oh, Juliana?" he called.
"What?"
"Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it."
And he walked away, leaving her alone.
* * *
Paige glanced over at Charlene as she joined her. She wondered how she could have missed it that morning. She had noticed that Juliana looked familiar but couldn't figure out why. Now she could.
Charlene and Juliana were identical. *Identical*. How the hell could no one else have noticed that? Had Jackson?
"You're related to that girl?" she asked.
Charlene frowned. She looked as puzzled as Paige. "No, I'm positive I've never met that girl in my life."
As the strange new girl had collapsed an even stranger picture had begun to form in Charlene's mind, images of herself, that Juliana girl, and another girl with their face, involving some sort of dark ritual with blood and knives. Without being sure *how* she knew, she knew that Juliana was seeing exactly the same images.
The vision seemed to have caused Juliana incredible pain. Yet she felt nothing but surprise. What did it mean? She had never seen things like that before.
Of course, her own memories of her past were not all that clear to her. The last thing she remembered clearly was coming to this town three years ago and settling down. Before then everything else was kind of blurry.
She didn't really mind, though. She liked everything the way it was now. She had no family that she knew of, yet money and expenses had never been a problem before. She didn't understand that either, but certainly had never questioned it, if someone wanted to look out for her, then let them.
She would have liked to know who, but for now was happy being kept in the dark. There were some things she *didn't* want to know. She lived close to the woods, handy for her - condition. No one knew about that and she wanted to keep it that way.
But somehow, she felt everything was about to change.
She shook her head. "I don't know," she muttered. "I just don't know."
Paige watched her walk away. What the hell was happening, in a small sleepy town where nothing ever happened? A new girl had arrived, and everything was changing. Half the male population were drooling and obsessed, and now Charlene was acting weird.
Something was going on.
~And I'm going to find out what,~ she thought.
* * *