**Because I get bored at school during lunch period I now go into the computer labs and type more of 'The Pair Lost' so I can give you new chapters sooner, you lucky people you.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Jhonen's marvellous creations. They belong to him.

In an exam comes a message; in a message comes a warning.

Tak stood outside the examination hall. Everyone else was working away on his or her first test paper and there she was outside for the fifth time in an hour. Tak took long deep breaths as she tried to calm down but it wasn't working, all she could think about were the nightmares that she kept having. Her mind as in a totally different place, she didn't know where but it wasn't in the exam hall with her. Tak leaned backwards against the wall and sighed.

"Why is this happening for gods sake? Come on Tak forget about it you've got an exam to be doing. What use am I doing to my grade out here." Tak slid down the wall and buried her head in her knees. "Why is this happening? Why here, why now, why me? I can't cope with this." Tak rocked back and forwards on the spot, trying, but failing to calm down. Then she rapidly stood up and took a deep breath. "I can do this. I'm going to forget about the bloody dreams and get on with this. That was then this is now!" Tak stood firm and started walking to the doors, she tightly grasped the handle with her slightly shaking hand and held it for a while, then she pulled it down and pushed the door open as she carefully slid through the gap.

The examination hall was huge although it had to be because it had to fit the whole year group in there as everyone took their exams at the same time. The large brick walls towered above the floor and the domed ceiling loomed up above. The brick walls were painted in a metallic battleship grey colour that dipped in and out of the shape of the bricks. No one could see what anyone else was doing because every part of the hall was sectioned with office dividers giving the person about a square of one metre each side inside the small cubicle. That was the only good thing; no one could see that Tak kept on leaving the hall. Tak made her way back to her seat and she couldn't help but wonder how far behind she was from everyone else. 'I bet Zim's doing better then I am' she thought to herself. Tak carefully slid out her chair and sat down, she picked up her pen and started to wiggle it between her fingers. 'Hmm. In what way has the Irken military service improved its techniques in the last fifty years? What kind of an essay is this anyway? I hate essay proportions of exams.' Tak stared down at her page, she had written the title and her trainee statistics and that was basically it. Her mind was elsewhere and determined not to work. 'Rah. Fuck this' she thought as she dropped the pen on the desk, it rattled about until it settled down and rolled slightly until it came to a stop. Tak stared at the pen as if she stared at it hard enough it would magically jump up and write her essay for her, but it wouldn't, it couldn't, she had to do this. Again she picked up the pen and this time started to write. Then again she stopped. There was about an hour left to go and Tak still had nothing. She knew that any other time she could have written this essay as easy as anything, but today, today was different. Today Tak was still worrying about the dreams, they were only dreams yet they felt so real, and it scarred her so much. 'Forget about it, forget about it. Come on Tak forget about it for Irk's sake this is no good.' Tak folded her arms and placed them on the desk, and then she laid her head on top. 'I just gotta relax. I gotta get through this. I've got to relax.' As Tak laid across her desk her eyes slowly drifted shut as all her muscles loosened up and relaxed. "I've just got to focus, that's all I've got to do." Tak quietly whispered to herself as her mind slowly drifted away.

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" You're not going to do this. You're being graded according to Tenn's marks anyway so why stress out so much about this?" A figure stood in the shadows with only a thin shred of light casting across its dull deep purple eye. Tak sat on the floor with her knees tucked round behind her. Scattered papers that were all over the floor surrounded her, she looked so sad.

"Your wrong! I can do this I just have to try and I can do this, I know I can." Tak grabbed one of the papers and skimmed over it quickly.

"You know that's not true Tak. I wouldn't lie to you?"

"You would. You're wrong about me I'm not like that I can do this. I can get my own grades, I don't need their sympathy" Tak picked up a pen and started writing on the paper.

"Would I lie to myself? I think not." Tak suddenly looked up from the paper and stared at the shadowy figure before her.

"Myself? What do you mean?" Tak was confused as she starred some more.

"I am you Tak. Can't you see that?" suddenly Tak's eyes shot open in surprise, as her expression seemed unsure of what to look like.

"No. You can't be. How?" The shadowed figure laughed for a bit and then instantly shut up.

"Aren't I? I think I am." And as she said that the figure stepped out into the light and stood proudly as Tak's eyes widened with surprise. "Do you see it now Tak? I told you we are the same but you wouldn't believe it would you?" The newly discovered Tak walked over to the original Tak and placed a hand under her chin as she raised her head. "See I know your trying to kid yourself that you can do this but you cant can you? You feel lost and alone and you don't know what to do. I know how you feel, I've been there to you know. It's not pretty."

"But how? I don't...what?" Tak stayed looking at the other Tak as she moved her hand away and sat on the floor in front of her.

"I know it's hard to comprehend but it's true. And you need to listen to what I've got to say." She reached out her arms and supportively placed one on each of Tak's shoulders. "You need to get away from this place." Her voice came soft and saddened as she continued her words. Tak listened to what she had to say. " If you stay here the single most important thing you love will be viciously ripped away from you. You won't like it but..." she was then cut off sharply by Tak.

"No! I'm not leaving. This is just some fucked up dream it means nothing." Tak stood up and looked down on her dream self.

"Haven't you realised yet? These aren't just dreams, Tak, they mean more then that."

"Well not to me they don't. I love Mar and I'm not running away from him cos you told me too. Your not even real!" Tak's dream self then also stood up and grabbed Tak again.

"Look you have to believe me Tak. Look at me... you're right. I'm not you. I'm someone else. Things happened to me and I not like you anymore. I still have the name Tak, but I'm not really her anymore, because they killed her. You have so much potential and if what I say happens it will all be destroyed." Tak struggled a bit then pulled away from the others grasp.

"What do you mean? I don't understand." Then the dreamed Tak started to walk away from Tak, slowly fading into the darkness from whence she came. "Wait! What do you mean I need answers? I might believe you...come back!" but it was too late, she was gone. Tak went to run after her but she couldn't move, then she disappeared.

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In Tak's cubicle she woke up to hear the sound of the exam bell ringing. It was over and she'd slept through a large part of it. She raised her sleepy head and opened her eyes as she stretched her arms and legs. 'That's weird' she thought to herself. 'All that time asleep and I didn't even have a dream. I would have thought I would.' Tak picked up her pen and placed it into her Pak as she pushed her chair in and started to walk to the exit. When she got outside Mar and Tenn were waiting for her.

"Hey Tak. How d'ya feel?" Tenn asked as Tak approached them.

"It will all be destroyed?" Tak said as she walked over to them, not even hearing what Tenn had said. Tenn looked at Mar as he looked at her, they were both confused. Mar looked at Tak.

"What?" He asked as she neared them, but just as soon passed them.

"What will be destroyed? I need to know come back!" Tak cried desperately to know one and then she started running in the direction of the school gates. Tenn and Mar looked at each other confused again then back at Tak.

"Wait!" they both shouted as they started running towards her. They kept running but Tak was too fast for them. She already had a good start on them and she was always faster then both of them.

"It's no good Mar we've lost her. And we don't know where she's going." Tenn panted as they both slowed down at her words. "I'm sorry Mar." Ten sighed, as she didn't know what to say or do.

"What's wrong with her. I don't get it, she's changed so much and no one knows why. I want my old Tak back." Mar looked up at the sky as Tenn stared at the ground.

"We should go home. She'll turn up there sooner or later."

"I guess. I just wish I knew what she was up to." Mar turnt round and started to walk off without Tenn. Tenn skipped along and caught up with him.

"So do I." She whispered to herself. This want normal in the slightest and it was happening at totally the wrong time.

Tak continued to run, she had been for about fifteen minutes now and she had no idea why she was going where she was going, but something was telling her to go there. Tak was running through the city, crossing roads and turning corners. As she run along she turned into the main high street that was full of people. She weaved I and out of all the bodies, occasionally hitting them and not even realising. Sweat ran down her face as she ran further and further, her body was damp and hot but still, she ran on. As she ran towards the middle of the high street she skidded to a halt as an ocean of standing Irkens stood before her. They were watching street performers play music but Tak had no time to waste on such a thing. She looked around for a way to get past it, there was too many people to move past, plus a lot of them were bigger then her so no one could even care about her. Then she saw a doughnut trailer that was a good eight feet tall.

"Perfect!" she shouted and ran up to the stall.

"May I take you order... oh my god!" the lady shouted as Tak jumped on top of the trailer making it shake quite a bit more then it should do. Tak then leaped into the middle of the crowd where the band was playing and fell down into the drum kit.

"What the fuck!" the drummer shouted as Tak collided into the drum kit knocking it everywhere. The crowd gasped and spoke to each other while the rest of the band turnt round to see Tak just getting up out of the damaged mess that was once a very expensive kit.

"What the hell are you doing you short little bitch?" The singer asked as Tak started walking over to the guitarist amplifiers. "What on Irk?" he exclaimed as she suddenly jumped on top of them and flung herself into the air and over the rest of the crowd.

Tak was out of the high street now and running through the outskirts of the city.

"Come back I need to know." She shouted to no one as people looked at her in confusion. " You can't not tell me." She cried as she ran into the road almost getting run over. She carried on running for a long time until she came to the nature park, once she was there she kept on running until she reached the lake.

It was a beautiful place. The large lake was full of crystal clear water and you could see all the little creatures swimming about under its surface and it had a island in the middle with trees and grass. The area around was all long, vibrant green grass that swayed peacefully in the breeze. There were also big trees round the lake as well, tress resembling the Earth willow tree, with long draping branches, like a large upside down mop head. Tak stood by the edge of the lake and started down at her reflection. She was breathing very heavily and was now tired so she sat down and dangled her leather boot encased feet into the water and delicately swayed them about making ripples and a soft sound of tiny waves. Again she looked down at her reflection, she looked exhausted.

"What is it you were saying? I didn't hear or see you say it but part of me knows you did." Tak looked at the water, hoping for something, but nothing came. "What will be destroyed, how?" Then Tak looked up as she saw someone on the island in the middle of the lake.

She was about a foot taller then Tak and had large purple eyes, just like Tak. Her antennae were long and curled poker straight just like Tak. The only thing about her that didn't look like an older version of Tak was the fact that she had a large silver metal pipe on the side of her head, curving from the front, round to the back. The She was wearing a deep violet dress that stopped at her knees at the front, but at the back went to her ankles and it had a bright pink collar and sleeves and I pink circle in the middle of the chest. She wore large, knee high, black leather boots that had two chunky silver clasps at the top and bottom and the toe of the boot was totally encased in a silver coloured metal. Under her dress she wore the usual black pants.

"You know what I told you." Tak pulled her feet out of the lake and stood up, confused.

"But I don't know. I wouldn't be asking if I did." Tak pleaded, trying to find out what she wanted to know.

"I have already told you. You might not know at the moment, but one day you will remember what I said. Then you'll see. Good bye Tak" And the figure turnt to leave.

"No Tak wait." Tak shouted not realising fully what she had just said. The figure turnt round and looked at Tak.

"Yes?" She answered simply.

"Why did I just call you Tak" That's my name." Tak was confused as she realised that she had just called a total stranger by her own name.

"Because it is my name also." She walked to the edge of island and jumped into the air performing a somersault and landing in front of Tak. She placed her hand onto Tak's cheek and smiled. "I am you.... Good bye." Then she jumped back to the island.

"What? You are me...how? Tell me!" but it was no good she was already gone. Tak sighed as she turnt round and started to walk off. All that and nothing. "Why was I drawn here? And who was Tak? No! She isn't me, she can't be Tak. Who was 'she'? I might as well go home." And so she started her long and tedious journey home.

**Oh my that was long wasn't it? Sorry it was hard to understand. I tried to write it so it wouldn't be but I don't know if I succeeded. I'm quite proud of this chapter so please, please, please review and/or e-mail me and tell me what you think. I'll be very happy if you do. I'll try to do the next chapter soon but with my exams coming up oh so very soon I have a million and one things to do but I will try to get some done in school like I said up top. See you in either a review or the next chapter. Bah bye!**