A/N: here is the next chapter. Sorry it has taken so long. Work caught up to me, and other stories, which I will post here soon, and my isp died, so I was cut off everywhere. Good news is that the time I would have been online was for the most part spent writing, so I should have a lot for you all soon. And I'll try to keep the newsies references to a minimum for those of you who haven't seen it. I'm glad I could make at least one person smile. Of course I am, Kaitins. Jacky-boy in all that tight leather. Yummy. By the way, you can call me Kat, you don't need to refer to me as author. And this part is for butterflyKisses, everyone else can skip down to the next paragraph. It may get a little harsh, and if it does, I apologize. I know you don't think this is so, but Nikki was modeled after real people. In fact she is modeled mainly after me. And when I say mainly, I mean she is me. Barring the looks, name, and some of her history, she is me. She has all my knowledge, my personality, and reacts to things the same way I do. I don't think that it is a bad policy to model Nikki after myself, as the cardinal rule of writing is write what you know, and not to seem pompous, but I know myself better than almost anything else. And I'm sorry if you are taking any offense to this, but I just have two more things to say to you. If you know you don't know how to spell the word, open up your Word Processing Application and use spell check to figure out how to spell it properly. (By the way, you spelled descriptiveness right, but "yet another wrongly spelled word" is one of the most grammatically incorrect sentences I've ever seen.) And if you don't like my writing, don't read my writing, it is as simple as that. You are the only person who has reviewed me negatively. I don't write for you. I write for people like kaitins, oranges rock and sparks kelly. Nothing you say is going to make me stop writing. I realize I was the only person in the category who was updating more than once every couple weeks, but if you don't like me don't read me. I'm not trying to write out of character, but if I were perfect at writing in character, I probably would have been asked to write on the show. It is fan fiction for a reason. I'm sorry if you think I'm attacking you, but that was not my intention. I just took it a little personally when you said I basically have no personality. I'm so sorry you're not used to color.

Now that that is off my chest, on with the show. Sorry for the delay, and many thanks to all of my positive reviewers. You all mean the world to me. Luv, Kat.

Disclaimer: don't own Strange Days, or its characters. If I did I wouldn't be here. Well, maybe I would, but I wouldn't be writing strange days fic. I'd be making my fic into episodes. Muah ha ha ha. Oh, wait. That is not real. Darn those hallucinations!

Ch. 4: Lies Have Been Told

"What? I can't hear you when you mumble, Lucas," Nikki said.

"Oh, sorry, that happens sometimes. As a senior prank one year, a class messed with the power and made all the lights flicker purple for an entire day. They never really figured out how to turn it off properly. So it still happens occasionally. Marshall must have forgotten to turn the timer off on the wind machine in the science lab. Just give me a second and I'll turn it off," he covered, slipping into the lab, praying she both bought the story, and that she didn't see the vortex.

He waited in there until the vortex mercifully shut it's self off thirty seconds later. When he joined her back in the hall, he apologized, "Sorry about that. I couldn't reach the switch."

"No prob, at least you got it," she said.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

"You're still bent about all your friends ditching you, aren't you?" she asked.

"No, of course not, I'm happy they have decided to stop kidding each other," he said. When she looked at him pointedly he amended, "Maybe a little. I mean, Marshall and I have been friends forever. Well, at least since we have been going here. And Corrine has been my friend for a while too. I've liked Josie as long as I've known her. Vaughn, well, I've never really seen eye to eye with Vaughn, but I don't hate the guy. I mean its not his fault that Josie likes him better. But, if you don't mind I'd rather not talk about this. And just so you know, that weird incite full, I know what you are thinking without you having to say it thing is very unnerving in a person you have just met," Lucas noted.

"I'll keep that in mind. That doesn't mean I'll actually stop it, I may back off, but I won't stop," she replied.

"Why not?" Lucas asked.

"Because I believe that all humans have that inherent ability, they just learn that listening to their instincts gets them into trouble when they are little, so they stop listening to the little voice that tells them what everyone else is thinking. Which is stupid, because to deny that is to deny a fundamentally human thing. So, I'll take into consideration what you said, but I won't stop all together," she explained. When he just looked at her blankly, she burst out laughing, "I'm just kidding. I'll stop. I'm sorry, that was the by-product of too many psych books and too many classes to teach you about how to read peoples motives. Really, I am sorry, just sometimes people make it too easy. I'll try not to do it again," Nikki apologized.

"Ok, lets just go watch that movie," Lucas said, turning a little red at being so gullible.

"So, what do you think about Nikki?" Vaughn asked Josie as they drove into town.

"I don't really know. I mean she seems nice enough, and I have no reason not to trust her, but I just don't know," Josie sighed.

"What are you thinking about, Corrine?" Marshall asked while they were eating dinner.

"Nikki," she said.

"Care to elaborate?" Marshall questioned.

"I don't know if I trust her. It seems like such a coincidence, her showing up now. Tyler just found out, and we have no idea what he did, I just feel like we are losing control of the situation," she sighed.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I trust her," Marshall replied.

"Yeah the spit thing. Remind me not to hold your right hand for a while," Corrine joked.

Later that day

"That was a great movie, for a musical," Lucas said, after the credits had rolled.

"I told you you'd like it," Nikki replied.

"One thing is for sure, I'll never look at Christian Bale the same way again," Lucas joked.

"So, when do you think the others will be back? Not that you're not great company, I'd just like to get to know my roomies a little better before I actually sleep next to them," Nikki said.

"They should be back soon. The mall in town closes at seven on Sunday. It is quarter till now. We can go down to dinner and when we get back they all should be back too. Or if your feeling really crazy, we can go into town and get a burger, a much safer option, I might add," Lucas pointed out.

"Yeah, burgers sound great, I'll run and get my jacket and leave a note for Josie and Corrine, and be right back," Nikki promised.

When Nikki opened the door to her room, she was only half surprised to see Corrine and Marshall making out on Corrine's bed.

"Never mind me, carry on, I'm just here to get my jacket, Lucas and I are going for burgers. If Josie returns from Vaughn's room before we get back, tell her where we are," Nikki said nonchalantly, breezing back out of the room.

She made it all the way back to Lucas and Marshall's room before she burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lucas asked.

"I just walked in on Corrine and Marshall making out in my room. You should have seen their faces. It was priceless. Ok, I'm over it. So, shall we be off," Nikki asked.

"Sure," Lucas agreed.

"Hey guys, were back, stop talking about us," Nikki announced, opening the door to her room an hour later to find the four other members of the science club sitting around the now fairly cramped room.

"Hey, Nikki, did you get Lucas to sit through Newsies?" Marshall asked.

"I did, he was a bit hesitant at first, but once I pointed out that you loved it, he changed his tune. He said it was a great movie, for a musical, and that he'll never look at Christian Bale the same way again, so it's a start. I didn't really love it till the fourth time I saw it. Granted I was seven the first time I saw it, but give him a few more times, and I think he will grow to appreciate it the way we do," Nikki replied.

"You know that bug you have up your butt about people talking about you as though you weren't in the room? I don't like it terribly much either," Lucas grumbled.

"Sorry, Luke. Won't happen again. So, we have a while before curfew, what are we going to do?" Nikki asked.

"Well, I think the only one of us who can safely say they know you at all is Luke. I mean, other than some weird family tidbits, your love for acting and musicals and your weird affinity for Newsies in particular, we don't really know much about you," Corrine noted.

"I could say the same thing about all of you," Nikki pointed out.

"So, we all ask questions, but every one has to answer, even the questioner, understood? Good. I'll start," Josie stated. "Any siblings? I'm an only child," she started.

"Just Grant, my older brother," Marshall replied adding the last part for Nikki's benefit.

"Only child," Vaughn added.

"One brother, Matthew, one sister, Laura, both older," Lucas replied.

"An older sister, Abigail," Corrine responded.

"Ok, I have three brothers, Michael, Nicolas, and Frank. Mike is older, Niko is my twin, but I'm older by five minutes, and Frankie is the baby of the family. And I have two younger sisters, Annamarie and Isabella. They are in the middle, between Nico and Frankie. Don't ask me what my parents were thinking, I'll never know. So, favorite movie,?" Nikki asked.

In the basement somewhere.

"The cards are all falling into place. They are beginning to trust the one who will save us all," a mysterious voice spoke.

"So, does anyone really trust her?" Corrine asked an hour later while Nikki was in the bathroom.

"I'm not really sure. She does seem a little weird. But I have no reason to doubt her," Marshall said.

"Right, the spit thing. Any one else? How about you Lucas, you have spent the most time with her. What is your take on her?" Corrine asked.

"I take it that means you don't trust her. Which is why I find it funny that you all would leave me alone with her. Why did you all do that by the way? For all we know, she is a spy. Not that I believe that now, but I thought that it was a distinct possibility then. And yet you all left me with her. Why? Am I still the expendable one? Have I not proven myself enough yet? When will you let me be included again in your tight inner circles? I don't have a girlfriend, so I can't be part of it? What do I have to do? If I ask out Nikki will you let me in the inner sanctum? Will you then trust her? Because I know you think that I am just a conspiracy nut, but-"

He was cut off by Nikki, who opened the door. "Hey, what were you guys talking about?"

"A band that was playing in town last weekend," Corrine replied.

"Oh, yeah? Were they any good?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, they were great," Josie answered.

"Great, are they playing again soon? What are they called, maybe I can check them out," Nikki noted.

"Garage Band's Revenge," Marshall said shiftly.

"No way, the same Garage Band's Revenge that is based in Indianapolis?" Nikki asked.

"Yeah, you know them?" Marshall asked.

"Of course. I'm so bummed I missed them. So, is the janitor like ill or something?" Nikki asked.

"What do you mean?" Josie asked.

"Well when I went to the bathroom, he was coming out, and he stared at me until the door closed behind me. Then when I came out, he watched me the whole way down the hall. It was just kind of creepy," Nikki shuddered to emphasize her point.

"He is just a little off sometimes. Don't worry about him. He's harmless," Corrine assured her.

"If you say so. Hey isn't curfew in like five minutes?" Nikki asked, looking at her watch.

"Yeah, the guys should get back to their rooms. I'll be back in a minute," Corrine spoke, heading off to the bathroom.

As she came out, she was startled by the janitor, who grabbed her shoulders and spoke an inch from her face, "You need to trust her. She is the key to everything. Without her, you will all fail."

"What are you talking about?" Corrine asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. You have to trust her. She is the key," the janitor turned after saying that and was around the corner before Corrine had even realized that he had released her.

A/N: so, there is chapter four. It is a long chapter, so hopefully you all won't disown me. I tried. Really I did. Things were out of my control. I will tell you that it is not some weird Buffy thing, as calling her a key might imply. Please review. Don't hurt me!