Post-production note: everything was written based on season 1. I know it's different and I kept going b/c otherwise I'd have to swallow my tongue.

Janika is in the gang, but one more person just seems to make things harder. Recently she was possessed by X.A.N.A. and nearly killed her friends, but Jeremy is still trying to understand how that was achieved.

This is my 5th story in the series. For those of you who have read all my stuff and keep coming back for more, I'll buy you a lollipop and a straightjacket before you go crazy and kill me for taking a definite shift in direction.

5-1: Dream

(((-1-)))

Janika ran across the barren landscape, trying desperately to escape the darkness, but everywhere she turned, it was there. The voice followed her tirelessly. It stopped her cold in her tracks like a snake coiling around its prey, ready to strangle the poor creature.

Visions of leeches squirming and wriggling all over her body seemed to snap Janika back into herself. She screamed and screamed, trying to escape!

Her eyes flew open. She was in her bed drenched in sweat. The girl's heart pounded furiously and her hands refused to stop shaking. It was just a dream. Only a dream…

(V)

Sissy kicked angrily at the ball and watched it bounce off the goalpost.

"I hate soccer. Why do we have to do this?" she demanded angrily.

Ulrich said nothing as he set down another ball. She flashed him what she thought would be a winning smile. He looked at her and blinked.

"Sissy, you have something in your teeth."

Her mouth snapped shut and she swung her foot at the soccer ball, mumbling something incoherent. Nearby, Odd was trying to coax Janika to try it.

"It's not like it'll kill you," he said with a grin. "C'mon. Will you do it for me?"

She nudged the ball with her toe and finally gave it a halfhearted tap. It rolled a few feet.

"What was that? You did superb last week."

"I'm tired, that's all. I haven't been getting much sleep. I'm going to go back to my room, okay?"

"Oh no you don't!" Jim said marching over. "You kick five balls into that net or you'll be running laps around the school all day!" He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

Janika didn't even act intimidated. "I feel sick, okay?"

"Kick or run."

She realized everyone had stopped and was staring at her. She gulped and took a shot. The ball shot straight into the net past the leaping goalie and a few girls cheered, saying they wanted Janika on their team. But after she kicked, nausea overcame her and she found herself kneeling on the ground, coughing and dry-retching.

Odd knelt down beside her. "Jim, I think maybe she should go see Dorothy."

Silently the gym coach nodded reluctantly. "But if she's faking, she'll be doing laps for two days."

Janika stood up and started walking toward the dorms. Odd ran after her.

"What's wrong, Janika? You've been acting weird lately. Why haven't I seen you in the cafeteria?"

"It's nothing," she said quietly. "I'm kinda fat and I thought I'd go on a diet."

He stopped. "Fat? That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say! You're not fat and you look like you haven't eaten in two days."

"Four. Look Odd, I just want to get back to safe—ugh!" The girl doubled over and fell to the ground, clutching her stomach. Her blonde friend reached down to touch her arm and she recoiled. "Get away from me!"

He backed off, but she continued to scratch and scrabbled at her arm where his hand had brushed against her skin.

"Get them off! Water, water!"

Odd watched as she took off for the nearest building. "What just happened?"

"I'd say she just went crazy," said an annoying voice behind him. Sissy flipped back her hair. "Such a pity too. My father always said he had a smart niece, but it looks like your little girlfriend finally cracked."

Odd bit back a sharp retort. Barely. Instead he shoved past her and waved Ulrich over. "Can X.A.N.A. affect a person's appetite?" he wondered.

The brown-haired boy shrugged. "You'd have to ask Jeremy to be absolutely sure, but I hope not for your sake."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

(V)

Jeremy bit the eraser of his pencil nervously as he stared at his notes.

"That can't be it. That worked fine every single time. What am I missing?" He picked up his phone as it rang. "Ulrich?...Uh huh…Are you sure?...Well, there can't be any harm in checking it out…Sure, I'll do that. Bye."

He moved over to his computer and turned it on. "Aelita, we may have some trouble."

"Hello, Jeremy. What kind of trouble?" she asked as she formed on the screen.

"Well, Ulrich says Janika's been acting strange lately and I agree. You remember when X.A.N.A. possessed her last week?" The digital girl agreed. "Well, she broke free from his control at one point and said something I can't forget: 'Destroy me now before he realizes I'm vulnerable.' What do you suppose that means?"

"Well, I can't do much from here, but if you want me to, I could check her laptop."

He flashed a smile at her. "I was hoping you'd suggest just that."

"Be right back."

Aelita had no trouble getting inside Janika's computer. The problem came when she tried to find anything useful. There was so much superfluous material everywhere that it was like swimming through mud. She was finding it difficult to uncover anything of value.

Finally Aelita picked up the faint trace of something familiar. The trail led her to a miscellaneous file containing copies of the virtual cards of her friends and also another that looked nearly blank. The faint outline of Janika's cheetah-form identified it.

The pink-haired girl impressed the card into her own databanks and returned to speak with her the computer genius. Jeremy was waiting.

"How did it go?"

She sighed, relieved. "Jeremy, I have never encountered such bizarre files before. I don't know how to describe them. Nothing less than chaotic, that's for sure. She lacks organization. Is this what you wanted?"

She opened the card onto his screen and the computer nerd inspected it.

"Exactly what I needed to complete my research." He studied the frames, his brow creasing instantly. "This really is strange. It looks like she took a preexisting file and… Well, my only guess is that she twisted it. The whole thing is messed up. How could she create a working program without any gaps or system failures from this piece of junk?"

Aelita cocked her head and whispered, "Maybe she couldn't."

Ok, now don't overreact or anything, but it may be awhile before I update. I decided to just wing this one and write as I go along instead of write everything beforehand and publish it in a systematic fashion. This story is just going to come along as I work (and I don't work fast).