Snow, Dreams, and Enemies

AN: Min'na! Liz is using the original names from this point on. Sorry for the abrupt change...

Chapter Two: Plans! A Fire and a Phone Call!
Liz was the first one awake in the house that day. She had a case of the nerves about returning to what could be called a battleground. It was still very dark when Conan awakened to see Liz, with longer hair, sitting on her bed. "What the...?" he mumbled. Liz winked, looking sly.

"I get called 'fickle' about my appearance a lot.. People can never tell just who the hell I am until roll call. I have so many wigs and other ways of making myself look- temporarily- different.." she laughed. "The best one was the time I actually pulled off looking like a guy. Let me tell you, that was a riot." Liz's voice carried fun as the girl put her hair up. Conan blinked. The wig looked so real! She walked over, poking him. "You need to get dressed."

Conan gulped and nodded as she walked off. The skirt she was wearing made her surprisingly pretty. It was a deep blue, and light. It fluttered with Liz's every movement, swirling around her legs. It reached to her ankles. Her top was equally pretty, a baby blue sweater. Liz's eyes were a hue to match- a very bright, eerie blue. Liz shoved her stuff into a backpack, walking out. Conan quickly pulled on a pair of blue slacks and a white shirt. Liz pulled on her white sneakers, smirking at Conan. "Cereal?" Liz asked, switching on the TV. Conan nodded as Liz directed him to the kitchen. She had a bowl of some chocolate cereal and was watching intently. "What the..." Liz leaned forward, setting her bowl down. "Not Ashante! That girl..." Liz paced, looking troubled. Conan peered out of the kitchen as Rachel descended the stairs.

"Ohayo!" Ran announced cheerfully. Liz and Conan returned the greeting, but Liz immediatley returned to pacing.

"What's with her?" Ran asked Conan in Japanese. Conan shrugged. Liz's pacing turned faster, and both guests shot her a concerned look. "What's wrong?" Ran asked Liz, who turned her head.

"Um... nothing." Liz returned in English. Conan shoved his glasses further up his nose. Liz returned to eating, pulling out a school book and some notebook paper. She multitasked silently. Melanie walked up behind her daughter, grinning.

"Hard, isn't it? Glad you got into Algebra, though." Liz nodded, returning to the numbers. Her eyebrows knit together as she tapped her pencil several times. She looked up, sharp blue eyes unfocused as she 'wrote' in the air. She nodded, writing on the paper.

"What was that all about?" Conan asked the elder of the Johnson ladies. He was intruiged by Liz's method of thinking.

"She likes to make sure she has it right before she wastes paper space and lead on a problem, so she works it out in her head. She told me that she visulaizes the air as paper and 'writes' on it." Melanie returned, grinning. Conan nodded. Liz continued working, not noticing anyone or anything around her. Conan watched with interest.

Liz soon finished, rubbing her eyelids. She put the paper in the book, and the book in her large backpack. She grabbed her coat, a thick blue-and-white one. She handed Conan a darker, blue-and-gray coat. She pulled her backpack on and waited, outside, for Conan to pull his shoes on. The two raced to the bus stop, which had a bench. They sat on the bench, waiting for the tattletale headlights. Liz snickered as Conan's glasses fogged up. "You know, you should get contacts or something. Glasses SUCK, this time of year." Conan laughed sheepishly as the bus rumbled up. Liz had pulled on a pair of headphones, a hand slipping into one of her pockets. She forced her way to the back, telling a few 'sevvies' to get lost. The back seat was cleared out, and Liz sat down. Conan sat next to her, blinking as all-too-many dirty comments flew their way. One sandy-haired boy stood up and bellowed, causing silence to permeate the bus. Liz looked up and flashed a thumbs-up. "Thanks, Ian!"

"Who's he?" Conan asked as Liz removed her headphones. Liz folded her arms, grinning.

"Ian Rene Farmer. He's smitten with me." Liz grinned a little. "He's so funny when he goes head-over-heels for me." Conan tilted his head a little.

"Smitten- he has a crush on you?" Liz nodded. Oh, okay...

"Though it's hardly a passing crush... He proposed to me in Kindergarten." Liz chuckled sheepishly. "And all the way until sixth grade. Every year, on Valentine's day." Another chuckle. "No, I think he's serious. In truth, I like him well enough... but... Well, I don't want to put him in a bad position."

"Huh?" Conan was confused.

"I'm not exactly respected, if you can't tell." Liz's voice was bitter. She looked down, but then brightened as they arrived. Conan stepped into the aisle as the students filed off of the bus. Liz walked in, next to Ian and Conan. She grinned as she arrived at her locker, spinning the combonation lock's dial with expert ease. She opened it, pulling her binder and a blue folder marked 'Choir' out. She closed the locker and replaced the lock, heading to the choir room. She proudly took her seat, smiling at Mrs. Grahm, the Choir director. Conan sat next to her. The teacher and student made small talk, which rapidly turned into a deep discussion about- Kudou? "I personally think he vanished to protect himself- after all, you can't be too careful, not when you're solving crimes like that."

"I think a crime ring got him." Mrs. Grahm stated. Conan winced.

Right in one, sensei! Conan thought. Liz blinked at his wince, her unusually-shaped eyebrows coming together. Conan's wince faded as he stared back. The bell rang, and Liz stood. The rest of the students did, as well. A warm-up was the United States National Anthem, followed by the Alaska's flag song.

"Eight stars of gold on a field of blue,

Alaska's flag may it be to you..." Liz's eyes were fixed on the blue-and-yellow Alaskan flag. She sighed as the song ended, shaking her head.

"Let's try a new song- get your music out and turn to-" The short teacher stopped as the fire alarm wailed out. Liz covered her ears, growling darkly. Conan covered his ears as Liz led the class out, bearing a tall sign with the room number in green on one side, red on the other.

"Follow me, Conan!" Liz commanded him, her voice easily raising above the racket. Liz led the way- easily ignoring the worsening noise once they left the near-soundproofed choir room. Conan winced. It was almost too loud, with the many different-sounding alarms making for one hell of a racket. What was worse was that the noise echoed in the common area. "Kind of a pain, huh?" Liz asked as they exited the building. "I hope it's not a real fire. That would SUCK. In this weather!" Liz was already shivering. She turned, taking her place between orchestra and band. She stared at the building, grabbing Conan's shoulder. Her hazel eyes were wide, and Conan followed her gaze to a column of smoke.

Where's it coming from? Conan wondered. Liz was huddled up as much as she could, as Mrs. Grahm called roll. Everyone was accounted for. Liz's eyes gleamed as a small, light-blue pickup pulled up in front of the field they were standing in. Melanie stepped out of the car to claim her daughter and guest. Liz climbed in the driver's seat, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths before placing her hands on the wheel. Conan noted, as he was buckling himself into one of the back seats, that Liz buckled in without even seeming to think about it. Liz pulled out of the school and drove home, silent and grim. She parked in the dirveway with care, then unbuckled and tore out of there, racing into the house. Melanie followed her daughter, and Conan came soon after.

"Elizabeth Rebecca Johnson!" Melanie shook her daughter's shoulders, an impatient note in her voice. Liz looked up at her mother. "Don't think for a moment that it was-"

"It's not that. It's just upsetting that I was in a building with an uncontrolled fire," Liz shot back. Conan blinked at her. "Mom, I need to do something. I'll be back when I can- you know it'll be sometime soon, knowing this weather..." Liz mumbled. Melanie gave Liz a questioning look, and Liz responded with a knowing look and a small raise of an eyebrow. For the years of seperation they had, the two women communicated very well. Liz walked up the stairs, a 'weighted' look on her face.

Conan sat down, wondering what the silent communication meant. It's probably nothing, right? Conan heard a loud thud, and Melanie laughed.

"MOOOOOU! Mom, that's not funny!" Liz bellowed from above their heads. Liz's room was, as luck had it, right above the living room. Melanie's laughter grew. "FINE! Next time you trip and fall, -I'M- laughing!" Melanie's laughter faded to a smile. A few more noises and a half an hour later, Liz was trudging down the stairs in a red coat with a black stripe. The hood was up. "See you guys later. I'm going to bug Donnelly, or something." Melanie's smile turned into a smirk that matched Liz's own devious smirk.

"Scare her horribly!" Melanie called as a good-bye. Liz waved in reply.

Conan sighed. "I'm going to play that game Liz told me about..." he told Melanie. She nodded at him as he walked up the stairs. Mia, Teddy, and a rather tubby Miniature Pinscher followed him, tails wagging. Or, in the case of the Mini Pinnie, butt and tail-stump wagging.

Liz pulled her hood down. Her hair was more organized, and a darker, truer shade of brown. Her glasses were replaced with red contacts, and the light played on her face so that it looked a bit more masculine. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she walked, falling into the easy, crunching rythmn. Soon enough, she ran into her target. A snickering, wavy-haired blonde. She waved. "Haliegh!" Liz called out in a voice that didn't sound as femenine as her normal speaking tones.

"Shaun! Did you hear about the fire at Hanshew?" Haleigh asked, her pack of friends surrounding Liz. The disguised girl nodded, glad for the scarf that covered much of her face. She was grinng hugley behind the thick cloth. "From Johnson?" Another nod.

Liz had to try not to laugh. That, at least, was hard for her. How easy IS this? Come ON! They're all so GULLIBLE! "She seemed pretty shook up."

"Well, duh. That's because she's afraid of EVERYTHING!" Haleigh was condescending. Liz glanced at the other female, shaking her head. She checked her watch, then cursed.

"I have to go. My mom will kill me, otherwise. Seeya!" 'Shaun' walked off. Haliegh's pack went the other way, then rounded a bend in the street. Liz made sure they were unable to see her before she returned home, frowning. I need a prank I can- of course! I can go into the upcoming dance as 'Shaun', since she'll be on the other side... then give her the creeps by revealing who I am! Uwahahahaa! Liz was snickering as she took her spare snow gear off and put it in the arctic entryway. She flopped on the couch, the firey colors of her sweater and t-shirt sharply contrasting her earlier clothing. She crossed her legs, grinning as Teddy climbed into her lap.

Melanie watched her daughter channel-surf. The girl frowned. "Argh... we have how many channels? And there's NOTHING ON!" Conan could hear the girl through the floor. He made a face. "Oh well. I guess I could always... ech, I had it!" Conan raised an eyebrow at Liz's antics. "AAAAAAAARGH! This is irritating! What was I going to- oh yeah, NOW I remember!" Liz raced off somewhere, a yapping Teddy following her.

What Conan didn't know was that, in Liz's online circles, Kudou Shinichi was a hot topic. Any look-alikes were subject to their suspicion. Liz's fingers danced over the keys as she compared Conan's passport photo to a photo of Shinichi. That wince didn't go unnoticed by Liz. In fact, it was driving her crazy. Why do I have this nagging feeling that was really, really important? Liz wondered, brining up AOL instant messenger. She greeted her friends, typing so loudly and quickly that Conan could probably hear her. She logged in to an IRC channel, fingers dancing as she talked, partially to herself. "Oh, shut up, Adam..." Liz muttered. Her eyes widened as the 'tone' of her messages changed. "Noo, stay awaaay from the NyQuil, Adam!" Liz's voice was loud enough for Conan to hear.

A shard of Conan's dream on the airplane came back to him, and he hunted through the medicine cabinent of the upstairs bathroom. Hearing Liz say the brand name brought back a memory. Liz walked upstairs, shaking her head tiredly. She closed her blinds and the divider, then walked into the bathroom. "Conan... what the..."

Caught! Uh... "I had a headache... do you have-" Liz interrupted him by shoving a bottle into his hands. "Thanks..."

"Go downstairs... I don't like people seeing me take of my contacts." Liz pointed to the door to the hallway. Conan left, blinking as she locked the doors. a few minutes later, both doors unlocked and he replaced the bottle. Liz was on her bed, curled up. She looked like she needed more sleep.

"Liz? Are you okay?" Liz raised her head, then nodded.

"Yeah, just a little tired and shaken-up." Liz closed her eyes, thinking. "You know, Conan, you look a lot like some of the pictures I have of Kudou-san... I mean, from what I can tell, you're a child like me."

A child like her? What does she mean by thatConan was starting to get worried; Liz was close to his secret, and that was from just a day of knowing him! "Wh-what do you mean, like you..?"

Liz's response calmed him down a little. "You're more adult than child." She sat up, pulling her glasses on. She looked at him, hazel eyes sad. "I sort of skipped ever thinking like a little kid, Conan. Do you have any idea how irritating it is to have an adult's opinion and viewpoint, but you're still only fourteen?"

She has no idea... "Yeah..." Conan blinked.Safe! I think.

"Conan, you know what reminds me the most of Kudou-san? ...That cowlick. Jeez, boy, I have some gel! Use it!" Liz was laughing a little.

Cowlick? Conan STARED at her. She flashed him a grin.

"I have to call someone," Liz told him after realizing something. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Hi! Is Ian there? ...Yes... This is Liz Johnson, from his school. Mmhmm. I understand. Yes, I'll hold on." Conan blinked.

Calling Ian? Why? Conan's question was answered by Liz herself.

"Ian! Listen, about the dance that's coming up... do you want to go with me? Yes, I knew what your answer would be. Just listen for a moment. I'm planning to get one over on Donnelly- no, not her BROTHER. HER. I'm going to the dance as Shaun, so you might have to wait a little while... Yes, I know, I'll tell THEM I'm Liz... shut up." Liz tilted her head, then answered another question. "Yes, yes, of COURSE I'm doing my solo. Well DUH, this is the eighth grade dance, of course it's going to be a slow-dance song! ...Baka..." Liz muttered. Conan saw the look on her face.

She doesn't just like Ian well enough... Conan thought. Liz checked a calendar with quite a few well-done drawings on it- January's picture was of a girl in pale blue staring at a boy in vibrant red, in the snow. Her eyes sparkled as they landed on the fifteenth, ten days from the current point in time.

Liz walked out of the room, closing the door. Conan listened through it. "Ian... I can't wait until the fifteenth." Liz paused, waiting for a response. "Mmh. Me, too... 'Bye." Conan scrambled away from the door, seeing a blushing Liz emerge from the bathroom. She gave him a meaningful 'what are you looking at?' glance. She went down the stairs, ovbiously to get on her computer. Melanie peered into the room.

"Conan, do you know what Liz was blushing about? I mean, it takes a lot for her to blush so everyone can see- you know, she looks like she's blushing all the time anyway, but..." Melanie trailed off. Conan nodded. Melanie stared at him, then shrugged. "It's nothing that'd get her in trouble with the law, is it?" Conan shook his head empathetically. "Then it's probably the upcoming dance she's singing at...."

"She's singing at it?" Conan asked, blinking. Melanie nodded.

"You were in her first hour, weren't you?" Conan nodded. "Did you hear her... stand out any? Meh, it's choir, who'm I kidding? Anyway, they asked her to sing any slow-dance song she wants. She chose a song from an anime she's constantly watching. In fact- I bet she's rehearsing right now."

As luck had it, it was true. Liz was humming to the slow, love-ballad tune of the song. Her eyes closed as she waited for the first sound that signalled her to start singing. Her voice was high and sweet, contrast to her mature, often rough speaking voice. "Mikazuki no shaale ni, hoshi no piasu hazushite

Doushiyou mune ga mune ga ippai

Hanabi ga hoshi ni natte mo koi ga yami e kiete mo

Onegai yo kisu wo yamenaide

Biroodo no kaori de nusunde mo ii

Kono haato ginga de deatta koi yo..." The entire household was watching, by this time. It wasn't often a member of the family randomly started singing love ballads to the air.

Liz continued singing, opening her eyes. She was a little shocked by the crowd, but, instead of freezing, she clasped her hands together at chest-level. Conan noted, from a distance, how tightly clasped her hands were. Liz knew, first-hand, that she needed to file her nails down. As the song ended, she sighed, bowing. The family clapped, Benajmin announcing that Liz would make a better name for herself on her singing voice alone. That was obviously a high level of praise to Liz, who tried to wave the compliments off, red-faced. The rest of the day went by slowly, uneventfully. As it turned out, it was an accidental kitchen fire that caused the students of Hanshew to miss a day.

The days passed, normal-seeming to Conan. Liz was slowly becoming more frantic about her upcoming solo, literally making herself sick with worry. Melanie had to make her daughter calm down.

It was the fourteenth, and the day passed quickly. Then Liz came to Conan, grinning. "Tomorrow's going to be -GREAT-... I'll get to prank Donnelly, and then..." she laughed, packing a large purse with a dress, some makeup, and a pair of shoes. Liz set out her clothes for the next day, smirking. "'M so glad Donnelly won't even be near me until the dance..." Liz muttered. She grinned, taking her glasses off and closing the barrier. Conan was already sleeping, still unused to the sudden onset of night in the northernmost of the United States. Liz changed into her nightclothes, going to sleep herself. "Good night."

Yes, it's short. I'm going crazy, writing this. XD;; MWAAAAAAAAHAHAA. Yes, the first five chapters or so are going to be peaceful. I mean, come on, poor Co-kun deserves a nice break, doesn't he? ;;
Oh! By the way, I'm looking for a good Co-kun (arm is bitten) RPer. The plot thickens! wink