Author's Note: It's later than expected, but I updated! Yay! Let's see...the next chapter is Jake's, and we should be meeting Marco, too. Um, the project Rachel and Tobias work on is one I did in my biology class in seventh grade where we had to figured out many different colored M&Ms were in a bag and if they tasted any different. It was fun. The last thing I want to mention is that the Animorphs are all high school sophmores, a bit older than in the start of the books. Because if I hadn't done that, the next chronicle (a long way away) would be a little far-fetched. Feel free to ask me any questions, and enjoy!
Threads of Fate
Chronicle One
"That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way."- Doris Lessing
Chapter Two
-Rachel-
My name is Rachel.
I hang out with idiots.
Yeah, I guess it sounds harsh, but they were being so stupid!
"How can you hang out with him?" asked Tiffany, a girl with a voice so annoying it could rival Fran Drescher's.
"Yeah! That kid is such a freak!" agreed Emily.
"Rachel, you could do so much better. All he does is brood and brood 'til the cows come home! Why not date a guy more interesting?" asked Dawn. I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath and proceeded to set the facts straight.
"One, I just said hi to him. He's a nice guy, and I don't even know him, why would I be dating him, and it's my business who I hang out with." I told Emily with a don't-give-me-any-crap tone in my voice.
Like I could expect that from Emily. "Well, me-ow." She scorned. "Is it that time of the month, Princess Berenson?"
I glared at Emily in her Tommy Hilfiger shirt and Levis, at her red hair and its stylish cut. At the hands on her hips.
"Screw you." I hissed and slammed my locker shut. Then the bell rang.
"We'll be sure to tell Mrs. Mead you're the reason we're late for History. Feel like detention, Rachel?" Emily asked as she ran to class with Tiff and Dawn following her. They were such sheep.
Just like I was.
There is no way Emily Tompson is getting the better of me. I thought as I swung my backpack over my shoulder and ran to the gym. I deserved better than the treatment The Queen of George Washington High gave me.
What had sucked about the whole thing was that I'd really thought Emily and her little gang were decent people. They were officers on Student Council and they treated everyone nice enough from what I'd seen. So I thought, hey, why don't I go make friends with these girls? It had seemed like a good idea at the time.
I soon figured out this 'nice behavior' of theirs only extended to when we were in classes. The first time was when I saw Dawn and Emily harassing this fat guy in the lunchroom. I told them off and they promised to not do it again.
Until the next day, about two weeks later, when I saw them making fun of this girl in our school who was 'out'.
Tiffany didn't seem that keen to join the hazing but she still went along with Dawn and Emily.
The next day I confronted all three of them and once again was met with an apology. They didn't even stop it for two days.
Jesus, I thought, I can talk to whomever I want to! And that guy really was nice. He'd started going to our school about a month ago and our lockers were right next to each other, but I'd never had a chance to talk to him.
I learned that his name was Tobias and that we had Biology together. I also noticed, from the look of the baggy and dorky clothes that he wore, that he might be poor. Despite that, though, he looked like a nice, clean guy.
I liked the way his hair seemed to always be messy no matter what he did to it. Poor Tobias must have shoved his hair out of his eyes at least fifty times while we'd been talking. I liked him. Not in a boyfriend kind of way, really, but I wouldn't mind hanging out with him sometime.
Emily had spotted me talking to him.
Needless to say, I was no longer a part of the Popular Squad. Good riddance.
Besides, I had much better friends in my life and much more important things waiting for me than popularity. I just knew.
At that moment when I'd been running to the gym and leaving the Prep Squad behind me, I felt proud of myself.
I felt like Xena, Warrior Princess.
~~~~~
"Rach! You're late!" I looked up to see my best friend. Melissa Chapman. She's such an awesome and cool person it shocks me. Mel's intelligent, beautiful, and though you'd never guess it, she's strong inside.
I put my duffel bag down on the floor of the locker room. "Yeah, sorry. I had to ditch some prissy trash." I told Mel.
Melissa started giggling. "So you got rid of Emily and them, huh? Good for you." She said. I shrugged.
"They weren't my type anyway." I said as I took off my sneakers and pulled out my leotard. My socks then left my feet.
"Yeah, they always did seem kind of stuck-up to me." Melissa commented as she tied her hair into a ponytail.
"They were." I said. Melissa nodded to herself. "Anyway," I said as I threw my jeans into my bag and zipped it shut. "We'd better get to the gym before Coach Melody has a hissy fit." Melissa paled. She hates getting into trouble.
So we started speeding to the gym as fast as cheetahs.
"Hey, Mel, you couldn't lend me a ponytail holder, could you?"
Today in practice we were going to participate in that most evil event, the parallel beams. I hated those things with a passion.
We split up into pairs of two, half of us would take one set of beams and the upper half of the gym while the others would take the lower half and the other set of beams. Melissa and I paired up (of course) and took the bars at the upper part of the gym.
To be honest, I'm too tall to be a gymnast. Coach Melody, who insists on us calling her by her first name just so you know, thinks I'm wonderful and so does Melissa and even a few college scouts. The only problem is my height.
Gymnasts are more than often short. They have to be. That's the reason I could never turn pro, even if I love gymnastics. Though, there are times where I wonder if it's even for me in the end. I could be a model or even a movie star. Of course, it's not like money brings you happiness. I know that. Still, though, I have more options that being a gymnast. It's not that I've gotten bored with the sport at all, it's just this weird feeling I've been having more and more.
Like there's something else out there for me. Something I can't even imagine yet.
That's nonsense, though. I noticed Melissa shuddering next to me. I can understand why she's nervous, the parallel bars freak me out. I slipped her an understanding smile which she returned as well as she could.
"Don't worry," I whispered. "I'll be there to catch you."
Melissa gripped my hand. "Yeah, I know."
It was our turn next. Melissa decided to go first with me spotting, ready to catch her should anything happen.
I had to hold in my green jealous monster as I watched my best friend. She was perfect. Every twist and turn of her body was controlled, perfect, flawless, and beautiful. It took my breath away.
God, if Melissa didn't do something with that talent, I was going to morph grizzly and kill her.
Wait, I thought. Morph grizzly? What am I babbling about? I pushed the thought to the back of my head, however, as I flipped up onto the parallel bars. This time with Melissa ready to get my back. That was good.
I really needed that support. Oh yeah, with Coach Melody's eyes on me, I needed that support like a lifeline.
Yes, it's true. Me, the Unbeatable Princess Berenson (as Emily would have said), needed help sometimes.
I just am the kind to admit it, per se. Taking a deep breath, I got ready to begin my exercise and hoped it'd be up to par with Mel's performance.
I got my body ready to begin a twirl.
Flash!
I headed at an easy trot down the sidewalk toward the Chapman home. As soon as I started moving I thought, Oh, man, if I could just keep some of this for my next gymnastics class.
It was like grace beyond any grace you can imagine as a human. I passed a wooden fence. There was a railing up high, maybe three feet up. I looked up at it and then, before I could even think about it, I leaped.
I sailed three feet straight up through the air, and I was an animal that stood only about twelve or thirteen inches tall. It was the same as a human being just leaping to the top of a two-story building.
It was nothing, just automatic. I wanted to jump, so I did. I wanted to stick the landing on a narrow two-inch-wide rail, so I did. Compared to a cat, the world's best gymnast was just a big old staggering dinosaur.
"Um, Rachel," Jake asked, his voice sounding more a little confused, "What are you doing?"
Just practicing. I told him as I jumped back down onto the cushy grass.
"Rachel!"
I felt Melissa's arms wrap around me as my back collided with a soft thud against her chest.
I'd fallen?
Coach Melody ran over to the bars. I almost winced at the panicked look on her face.
"Rachel," She asked, breathless and stressed, "What happened?"
I had no idea how to answer her. I wasn't even sure what had happened myself. So I told her what was the closest thing to the truth. "I lost my concentration." I told her.
Coach Melody frowned and looked me over. "You're not hurt?" She asked. I shook my head. I didn't feel hurt.
"I think I got her before anything happened, coach." Melissa said. Coach exhaled a long deep breath.
"Well, that's a relief." She said, smiling at me. Then her glare turned stern again. "I want you to go change."
I blinked. Change? Why? I could do the bars again if she wanted me to. "Have a day off, Rachel." She told me.
"Yes, ma'am." I said and walked off to the locker room, fighting off the urge to cry boiling inside of me.
I was a warrior. Warriors don't cry. Not even over an angry coach. Not even over memories they couldn't remember.
~~~~~
Coach had come to me a few minutes later. I was in the dressing room, sitting on a bench and pulling on my left Nike.
"Rachel, I know it's not my place to intrude, but are you feeling well?" Coach Melody asked, her somewhat chubby face showing worry. This time I did flinch. I hadn't meant to make anyone worry. I hadn't meant to do anything but my flips.
"Not really." I told Coach Melody, forcing myself to forget the still-vivid memory of being a cat. "Just tired, I guess."
"Are you sure?" Coach Melody asked. "I mean, you know I don't know you that well, but us teachers and coaches can be a friend to talk to if you need it." I nodded, wishing like crazy that Coach Melody and her worried face would go away.
"I know. Nothing's wrong." I told her in the most sincere voice I could manage. Coach Melody stepped out of the locker room in a timid walk. I felt waves of guilt engulf me and carry me away. I couldn't have talked to her.
Who could I talk to about remembering I was a cat? Who wouldn't think I was insane?
Besides, it wasn't like I needed her help. I was Unbeatable Princess Rachel after all. I could handle it on my own.
I picked up my backpack and duffel bag then went out back into the gym to wait for Melissa.
School was pretty uneventful until I got to talk to that kid Tobias in Biology class, which was pretty cool.
We ended up parterning on our M&Ms project since neither of us had any other friends in the class.
Well, I didn't. I got the feeling that Tobias didn't have any friends, which pissed me off a little. He struck me as a very cool guy even though he was a bit of a loner.
"What about your family?" I asked Tobias as we sorted the blue M&Ms from the red. "Any brothers or sisters?"
"Nope." He said, shaking his head, then wiping his mop of blonde hair out of his eyes. "No siblings."
"Lucky you." I said with a smile. "I love them and all, but my sisters are a pain."
I gave him a Look. "You try watching after Sarah after she's had a bag of Pop Rocks."
Sarah was my adorable but annoying five-year-old sister. Jordan, who was eleven, was a little better, but that girl had a developing wild streak. Stop giving me those looks, she didn't get it from me. I blame that on Dad.
My parents, just so you know, are divorced. Not happily, either. They at least talk to each other now and then but there isn't a friendship of any kind there, and no hope of reconciliation unless it involves a big bottle of wine. Or five.
Tobias shrugged. "If your Mom'll pay me, I'll do it." He said.
"You mean it?" I asked. "Then I'll get a night of sleep! Yes!" Tobias gave me a that-girl-is-weird look, but he laughed.
"Well, even I don't get paid, it wouldn't be a big deal. A night away from my uncle's would be great." Tobias said.
"Your uncle?" I asked. It wasn't the most sensitive thing to say, but curiosity won over kindness.
"Yeah." Tobias said in a half-whisper. "I live with my uncle one side of the coast, then my aunt on the other."
"Are they divorced?" I asked. Tobias shook his head. "No, they're siblings and I don't think my family that screwed up."
I chuckled a little, I hadn't been that sure Tobias was joking or not. "What about your parents? Are they..."
"I don't know." Tobias said with a deep sigh. I winced at my lack of tact. "My mom can't take care of me, and nobody knows what happened to my dad."
"Oh. I'm sorry." I whispered. Tobias looked up at me, his eyes shifting between surprise and shame. "Don't be."
I bit my lip. I hadn't been trying to pity Tobias, but was it so bad for me to have a little sympathy?
Flash!
"I don't care that you ate road kill. Stop being an idiot!" I shouted at him.
Then I took a deep breath. I'd started on a rant, and I wasn't sure I wanted to stop. "I care about you." I said.
Then anger flooded my voice again. And when I see you doing that, I know things are going wrong for you. But you're off in your own little hawk world and no one is allowed to help you. You'd rather starve than ask for help! You can't ever admit that your life may suck because then you'll feel weak."
I'm a hawk. Tobias said. A bird of prey. When we're weak, we die. That's the law for us. I'm not a human being. Not anymore. No one helps a hawk. A hawk lives by his eyes and wings and talons.
I stared at him, flabbergasted. How could he say things like that? How could he not admit he wasn't human?
"Rachel?" I looked up into Tobias's worried gray-blue eyes.
I flashed him a smile that hid my confusion. What had that been a memory of? "Did I zone out?" I asked.
Tobias nodded in a quick shake, worrying dancing in his eyes. "Sorry," I said. Then I sort of lied. "It's been a long day."
Tobias didn't say anything, but I could read his doubt like an open book. It was a feeling so familiar it sent chills up my spine.
"Okay," I said in a much peppier voice. "So how many yellow than purples are there?"
~~~~~
At seven-o-clock that night, I went up to my room, bloated on pizza. I carried a cell-phone with me, chatting with Melissa.
Then I tripped over Sarah's teddy bear, Rocky. The phone flew out of my hand as I crashed into the carpet.
"Rachel, what happened?" Melissa yelped over the phone line.
I scrambled to my knees and grabbed the phone. I also threw Rocky down the stairs for good measure.
"I just tripped over one of Sarah's toys." I told Melissa. She laughed. "Ouch. God, I'm glad I don't have siblings."
"No kidding." I agreed with a chuckle. "Anyway," I said, shifting into a more comfortable position. "What about your dad?"
Melissa's sigh was a soft cry for pity. "He's been weird, Rach."
I felt my blood run cold as a million images of vicious child and drug abuse flashed through my eyes. I swore to myself that I would kill Mr. Chapman if anything happened to my best friend. "Weird how?" I asked.
"He's been acting like a robot." Melissa said. "Mom, too. They never smile, never hug me anymore. We don't talk. Mom and Dad's relationship seems so bad, now, too. It's like there's no spark. I mean, this is gonna sound gross and all, but I used to find them making out like kids. Now, nothing? They just sit in silence without doing anything! I mean, I'd rather they fight! With me, with each other, whatever! It's better than sitting in silence! Anything would be better! Now, there's nothing between them. Between us."
Then my beautiful, talented, kind, wonderful friend burst into tears. I didn't react at first, promising myself that I was going to kill her parents. What was wrong with the Chapmans? They'd seemed like such a nice, caring family?
For me, they were a picture of the way families were supposed to work. Mr. and Mrs. Chapman were in deep love, and they treated Melissa like a gem. Not like my family, where the tension was thick as a brick. Not a thing like my broken family.
"Let it out, Mel. Let it out." I urged my friend over the phone. "It's okay. Cry, you gotta get it out. It's all right."
It took about an hour for Mel to stop crying. Maybe it was the closeness that sharing of feelings had brought.
That moment was when I told her something I'd been thinking about ever since Coach Melody had barged in on me in the locker room, something I still wasn't sure if I wanted -- or could -- go through with. But I shared anyway.
"Mel?" I asked.
"Yeah?" She asked, her reply coming amongst sniffles.
"I'm thinking of quitting the gymnastics team." I said.
I heard a sharp click as my best friend since second grade hung up on me.
~~~~~
"Mom, I won't do it again." I promised as I ran my hairbrush through my tangles for the last time.
I hadn't wanted to face Melissa, so I "slept in late". Translation, I laid in bed thinking about Jeremy Jason McCole for an hour.
Mom pulled on her black Aramani coat, she was getting ready for a trial that afternoon. "You'd better hope not."
"I don't mind, but I can't drive you to school every day." Mom told me. I rolled my eyes. It was a sentence I was far too familiar with. "I know, I know, you're a very busy woman." I teased. Mom glared, but then laughed.
She tugged on my Guess shirt. "Get into the car, you." She instructed.
My heart started skipping beats as Mom parked in the parking lot and I stepped out of the '92 Volvo. The thought of facing my best friend frazzled my nerves, but at the same time the nervousness had me feeling jazzed.
I was pumped. Ripe to fight. I was Xena, and I pitied the fool who got in my way.
I took slow steps to the front of the school, where Melissa and I had met every morning of our sophmore year.
I made sure to keep my head held high. No one was going to intimidate me. I walked past the couples engaging in major PDA, past the kids blazing up behind the school and past their haze of smoke. I went past the disgruntled teachers whose cars hadn't started this morning. I went by them all, like an untouchable queen.
I went past them all straight into Melissa's teary face. I almost froze, paralyzed by my sudden pang of guilt.
Melissa glared at me and tears shined through her gray eyes. "Why, Rachel?" She asked in a breaking tone.
"Why would you want to quit?" She demanded. "You and me, we've been practicing for years!"
I put my hands on my hips. I'd worked out my answers during the night. "You know I can never turn pro." I said.
"Why not? You're a great gymnast!" Melissa protested. I shook my head. "No way. You know I'm too tall to ever be good."
"You are good." Melissa said. Once again, I shook my head. "Not after yesterday."
"It was just one fall, that's no reason to quit!" Melissa shouted. A couple of heads turned to look at the two of us.
"I didn't get to explain. You hung up on me." I told Melissa. "I just want to stop for this season. I don't want to risk falling at a match."
Melissa frowned. I could tell she wasn't happy with the idea. "I could help you." She whispered. "That's what I'm here for."
"No." I said, surprising myself. Why was I denying Melissa's help all of the sudden? "I want to quit." I said.
"Rachel, please don't!" Melissa begged. "So what if you're tall, and you fell? That's okay!" She yelled.
My voice grew quiet as a secret spilled unbidden from my lips. "Not if something's wrong with me."
"Wrong with you?" Melissa repeated. "Then, I don't know! Go to The Sharing, they can help you."
As if by some instinct grown from a life long forgotten, I shoved Melissa away. "No! I won't ever go there."
Melissa's mouth hung open and her eyes filled with tears. In a slow, agonizing movement she swallowed.
"Okay, then." She whispered. "Okay, Rachel."
She ran inside the building, crying. Maybe to go get her father, though I had no idea.
My knees hit the steps as I fought the tears streaming down my cheeks, wondering what in the world had caused me to be so cruel to my best friend. I couldn't erase her look of pain from my mind no matter what I did.
Remembering things that couldn't have happened, snapping at someone who I trusted and loved. Why?
What was wrong with me?
~~~~~
I trudged through the day like a zombie on drugs. There'd been no sign of Melissa. I hadn't seen her since I left her crying before school. Not even a glimpse of her glaring at me with a look of murder as I passed her in the halls.
She wasn't in gymnastics, either. I told Coach Melody about my idea of quitting for the year. She didn't like it, but she did say she could understand my reasons. If I didn't feel up to it, I shouldn't compete. She also told me to not forget that if I came back, there would be a place for me on the team my Sophomore year. That was nice of her.
Everyone stayed out of my way the majority of the day. News of what had happened between Melissa and I spread through the school like the bubonic plague. It had about the same effect on my social life that day, too.
The only person who feigned kindness towards me was Tobias. He sat with me at lunch and we discussed plans for his baby-sitting Sarah sometime. The two of us were edging towards five to eight-thirty, with my mom paying us each five dollars plus money for a pizza next Saturday. Jordan was going to be sleeping over at a friend's.
The special occasion? My mom was going to go a date. Ick.
It's something I can go on without picturing, thank you very much. As for Tobias, I was grateful for his company.
He hadn't asked me about Melissa, and for that I loved him. He'd stayed on nice neutral topics like Sarah and how many M&Ms could make someone sick. (After our experiment in Biology, we had to split the bag in half between us.)
I was starting to hope that just maybe Tobias and I were going to become friends. I sensed that both of us just might be needing one right about now. In particular after I saw Tobias being escorted out of the lunchroom by two jerks, Andy and Tap-Tap. Hanging out with those two was only going to bring Tobias some deep trouble that he didn't need.
Trouble I also didn't want to see him get in.
Not to mention worrying about Tobias's welfare kept me from thinking about why I had remembered him as a hawk.
I found myself in Algebra near the end of the day. It's not my favorite period of the day because, and I'm just being honest here, it's filled with sexist pigs. There are a few females who share my sorrow (and a few who share my habit of combating sexists), but that's the only comfort I get in that class. It's a pity our teacher, Mr. Luke, doesn't have the guts to stand up to the chauvinists. I know he's a pretty tolerant, nice guy out of school. Maybe too nice.
If you asked me what we were studying in class that day, I'm afraid I have no clue. Sorry. It had something to do with exponents and denominators, which's the only thing I can recall. Heck, even Mr. Luke, whose blood pumps at anything numerical, wasn't even into it. Isn't that sad?
It all started with some wise guys in our class who were joking about aliens. By the time Mr. Luke was done lecturing, however, the whole class was into it. Except me, really. I was too busy wondering where the heck Melissa was.
"I'm telling you it's aliens!" I looked over to see half my class debating. Mr. Luke was back at his desk tuning us out.
"You are so full of crap!" Some girl shouted. "Aliens don't exist, and if they did, why would they come here?"
"Yeah, why would they come to sunny California?" One guy asked, half-serious but half-joking.
"To take over our brains." Said one football player. His grin disturbed the heck out me. It sent alarm bells off.
"Yeah right." Said another girl, one who gave the guys lip. "Anyway, you should just ask the aliens yourself."
"How?" The football player asked, mock lacing his voice. The girl shrugged. "Go to the construction site. You know that weird 'firework incident' last night on the news? I bet you it's really aliens."
Construction site? I wondered. The hairs on the back of my neck began to stand up.
"Aliens in the construction site? What a load of bullcrap." The sexist jock muttered. Some of the other guys agreed with him.
It happened without warning. A girl hit the floor, unconscious. She was short and black, with the worst fashion sense I've ever seen. I wasn't sure, but that was mud on her overalls or something I didn't want to know about.
It was odd the feeling I got looking at her. There was something familiar, so very familiar about her.
But we'd never met. I'd seen her in class, but the two of us had never talked. I kind of doubted we had all that much in common. Yet I felt like I'd known her forever, perhaps even better than I knew Melissa.
"Oh my god!" The class cried out in unison. Mr. Luke jumped up from his desk. "Is she hurt?" He asked.
I was the first one to run over and check. Her pulse seemed normal, and there weren't any bruises or cuts on her.
"She's fine." I told Mr. Luke. He nodded, trying to think through his panic. "Take her to the nurse, Rachel."
I lifted her up. Dang, this girl was heavier than she looked. "You need help?" asked Tony, leering at me.
"No, thank you, Mr. Man. I know I'm just a poor little girl, but I can handle this by myself." Satisfied I left the class and sprinted to the nurse's office.
I waited with the school nurse. A strange kind of panic flooded me as I thought about what happened to the girl.
It was the same kind of panic you'd have over a close friend. The kind of panic I had over Melissa.
"You know, I think Mrs. Branch will get better on her own." The nurse said to me in a kind voice. I looked up at her.
"Her name's Branch?" I asked. "Cassie Branch, yes." The nurse told me. "You should go back to class."
I got up and away from the bed/cot/thing in the nurse's office. "Yeah, you're right. I was just worried, that's all."
The nurse smiled. "That's nice to see. Sometimes I think teenagers are lacking in compassion these days."
I fought a sharp stab of guilt as her words caused me to recall this morning. "Not all of us are selfish kids." I said.
"You don't seem to be." The nurse commented, then she gave me a little nudge out the door. "Get to class."
The girl's, Cassie's, eyes fluttered then. "She's waking up!" I cried. The nurse then ran to Cassie and I started on my way out. Well, for a little while at least. When I saw the nurse sneak back into the back of her office to get some medicine (I was watching through the window in the door), I stepped in to say a quick hi to Cassie Branch.
She was sitting up in the bed and looking hard at me. "You're Rachel." She said, then smiled a nervous smile. "Hi."
"Hi." I said back. Why did this feel so familiar?
"We're in Algebra together, right?" Cassie asked me. I nodded, told her yes. "I thought so. It's kind of weird, I've never met you before." She said.
I laughed. "Yeah, isn't that strange?" Cassie then grew solemn. She looked like she was trying hard to think of what to say.
"Rachel? Have you ever been in a construction site?" She asked me, frowning. I stopped moving.
"Maybe." I whispered as a memory long forgotten seemed to tug at my brain. Cassie bit her lip and nodded.
"This is going to sound crazy, but I think that maybe we knew each other." Cassie whispered.
Then some of the pieces began to fall, like an old diary found in an attic. Something I had forgotten.
Horse riding. Birthday parties. Long nights spent giggling and eating snacks while our parents wished beyond all hope we'd sleep. Secrets shared, tears cried, and years of friendship. Friendship I had forgotten.
And the tug of a construction site and what may have been a UFO, something still hidden from me.
Tears streaming down both our cheeks, I hugged my best friend. The best friend I had forgotten.
To the peanut gallery...(Hey! It was a joke! Stop throwing things at me!)
RasberryGirl- Woohoo! Another person enjoys my story! **does the happy dance** I know what you mean about ghostwriters, they're EVIL. Theoretical situations are fun, aren't they? I mean, who wants to read the same "Rachel's not really dead!" story a zillion times? (No offense meant to anybody, a lot of people have pulled this off REALLY WELL, but it's really easy, you know what I mean?) I'm going to try and give everybody the spotlight they deserve, too. And it will be J/C, sooner or later.
Alikat - I like threatening my reviewers, it keeps a balance of power. =P Just kidding, threaten me all you want, and keep liking my story! Hmm, maybe you're curious about home lives because you sense I changed someone's. And I did, but I'm not telling whom yet! I wanna see the look of shock on your face!
Puar Briefs - Chapman is a weird little bird, huh? I'm gonna try to keep him in-between smarmy and likable. I have two theories on him: One, having a daughter and wife got him to be a nicer person or Two: Whenever his memory of all the stuff with Elfangor was erased, he also got a personality upgrade. =P
Yeah, poor Cassie. She'll be even more prone to the flashing-back than anyone else. Is that good or bad? We'll have to see. And I admit, there won't be any HUGE cliffies for a while yet until everyone is introduced. Take that as you will. But if you look through the story, there's lotsa foreshadowing!
Elven ice angle - I'm glad you like the story and isn't Cassie cool? (Yeah, all you Cassie-haters, I do like her.) Wow, um, thanks about the grammar and stuff...if you want to improve yours, I'd suggest you take an advanced English class if school has them, or check out a few books on grammar and stuff. The best book I've ever found about writing, though, is On Writing by Stephen King. Look for it at amazon. (www.amazon.com)
Your story is Lord of the Rings? Cool! Now that I finally HAVE some free time, I'm gonna have to look at it. I saw the summary and I think it looks cool. Except a review sometime before Sunday, I promise I'll give you one!
Angelofcloud9 - Yes, I love your fic! It's so cool! Yeah, Chapman is quite freaky. I intended him to be. Though, just in case anyone asks, he's NOT trying to put the moves on Cassie. Writer's Block. I need to kill that sometime. Wanna help me? This chapter is jam-packed with R/T, so enjoy. They happen to be one of my favorite couples in the series! Yay, go R/T!
Chaos - Oh yeah, soonish is when anything I write will come out. Of course, soonish can mean three months, but still...and don't worry, there's gonna be plenty more of this story!
Oedipal Kat - Thank you so much for pointing out my error! I don't know WHY I typed Rach as 5'2. Well, I'm only 5', so 5'2 is kinda tall to me, but thanks so much! And I'm glad you enjoyed what I've written. Hope you like the rest.
HoneyB - Cassie and Rachel don't remember each other. Simple as that.