DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon or any of its characters, place names, etc. The only characters I own here are the lovely Samara Kantaris (or rather, she owns me...hehehe) and her 'rival' Ivan...and Kate Roscoe too. I guess Stella's mine as well, you could say. And Team Rocket's Brianne, who is back in this chapter after a fleeting mention earlier on. None of the other characters are mine (although I heartily wish I owned Lance and Giovanni, but unfortunately I don't...)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, has everyone died on me? LOL. Sorry. I'm so impatient. I take weeks, even months to post a new chapter and I get edgy if I don't get any reviews. Typical me. Ignore, please. Hehe.

I quite like this chapter, if I do say so myself. The title is significant because a few weird things happen ('The Flip Side' was a horror/supernatural story that I read ages ago), and also because you get to see a glimpse of 'the flip side' of Kantaris' character. You also get to see my bad attempt at writing suspense/horror stuff. Other attractions at this stage include sexual innuendo (you can judge the amount, lol) and a teeny bit of violence. Things are hotting up.

"Enjoy, enjoy," she says, as a lone tumbleweed blows across the plains...


Kate..." Kantaris was looking out of the window of their hotel room. "What's that place over there?"

Kate shoved her bag in the wardrobe. There was no point in unpacking. They weren't going to be staying in Lavender Town for long anyway. They had decided that they would leave the next day after all: Kantaris didn't want to run into Ivan again, and she wanted to get her next badge so that Tempest might start listening to her. Despite this, Kantaris had insisted on emptying her bag out over her bed as she usually did. No doubt when the time came for them to leave for Celadon City, she would take hours over finding all of her stuff and cramming it back into her bag again, during which time she would complain dramatically about 'being rushed'.

"What place?" Kate asked, going over to the window. She was just glad that Kantaris had finally gotten over losing all of her money.

"That place." Kantaris was pointing at the tall, old-looking tower at the far side of town.

"Pokémon Tower," Kate replied, "looking the same as it did three years ago."

"What's in there?"

"Graves. Pokémon graves. And ghosts as well." This short, blunt answer was all that Kate wished to give, which was unusual for her.

"As in Ghost Pokémon?"

"No, as in ghosts of Pokémon." Kate shivered. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't a skeptic when it came to ghosts. In fact, she was quite gullible. And she'd heard stories. Neither was she brave. The thought of ghosts – even Pokémon ghosts – terrified her.

"You mean it's haunted? Awesome!"

"I wouldn't say it was haunted...just...filled with memories and things," Kate said in an attempt to calm her own racing heart. "People go there to pay respect to departed souls of Pokémon."

Kate eventually came to greatly regret answering Kantaris' question. That night she was roughly shaken awake from a rather pleasant dream. She opened her eyes and almost screamed: Kantaris was standing over her bed, her face lit up eerily with a torch under her chin. She looked dead.

"Kantaris...! You look really creepy!" Kate whispered.

"Creepy is good!" Kantaris exclaimed, pulling the covers off Kate's bed with her free hand. She then proceeded to dance around the room making ghost noises. "Come on, Drowzee-head Kate. Get up."

"Get up? Why? What time is it?"

"Midnight! Mwahahaha!" Kantaris giggled hysterically. "Nah. It's two o'clock."

"Ssh, you're gonna wake the whole hotel up!" Kate cringed. "Can I please ask why you're getting me up at two in the morning? Is it urgent?"

"Sure it is. We're going to the Tower."

Kate turned pale. She sat up and glanced out of the window. Lavender Town was deathly still. Its outskirts were bathed in the pale glow of moonlight. The shadow of Pokémon Tower seemed to engulf most of the town. The Tower itself just looked black, like some massive cardboard cutout. Black, empty...scary...

But Kantaris was obviously serious. She grabbed her jacket with a whoop and ran out of the room. Kate could hear her thundering down the corridor as she went, as if she was literally bouncing off the walls. She wondered if she was on drugs. But whether Kantaris was high or not, Kate couldn't let her go careening through the streets of Lavender alone at this time of night. She'd wake the entire town up. Ignoring the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, Kate got up, pulled some clothes on over her nightgown and ran after her.

Kantaris had scaled the wall surrounding the tower grounds and was now dancing around in the foyer, which was where Kate found her.

"Kantaris!" she hissed. "You're crazy!"

Kantaris burst out laughing.

"I'm serious!" Kate exclaimed. "Come on, let's go. I don't like it here."

"Hush!" Kantaris stopped dancing all of a sudden and looked deadly serious. She held the torch up and Kate blinked in the harsh light. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kate's heart was pounding so hard, it hurt.

"That!"

"I don't hear anything…"

"Ssh…there it is again!"

Sounding panicky, Kantaris moved the torch away and shone it around the room randomly, illuminating countless graves. Kate wished that she wouldn't. She couldn't see Kantaris anymore but she could hear her breathing. It was getting faster and faster. The torch movements were erratic and jerky. She was scared.

"Kantaris?"

"Ha, ha!" Kantaris shone the torch back on her own face again and blew a raspberry. "Scared ya!"

With another hoot, Kantaris ran off towards the stairwell. Almost crying with fear, Kate followed her. Before she could make it to the top of the stairs, she heard a scream.

"Kantaris! Stop fooling around!" she pleaded.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Kate saw what Kantaris was screaming about. The room was teeming with Gastlies and Haunters.

"It's okay," Kantaris said breathlessly, clutching the left side of her chest as if she was having a heart attack. "Only Pokémon."

The light fixtures were swinging from the ceiling and the large window at the far side of the room was lacking in glass, from the looks of things. From there, they could see out over Lavender, open countryside, Fuschia City...even to the Seafoam Islands in the distance. It would have been a spectacular view to look at if they hadn't been feeling so edgy.

"We should go before we get attacked," Kate whispered. "I don't have any Pokémon with me."

"Neither do I."

It was as if the Gastlies and Haunters had heard this. They stopped their random flying around and turned on Kate and Kantaris.

"Oh, shit," Kantaris muttered.

The Ghost Pokémon started to advance upon them. They backed away. Suddenly there was a bright light which made them both cover their eyes. The two girls were so petrified, they couldn't even scream. They simultaneously jumped towards each other and held each other, too scared to speak.

"You..."

They opened their eyes to see that the Ghost Pokémon were all gone. There was something standing there in front of them. They were relieved to find that it wasn't a ghost, but a real live human woman, dressed in a long, black, hooded cloak that covered most of her face. They could tell that she was female from her voice (although it was so quiet, it was barely audible) and from the glimpses of her face that they could see. They couldn't see her eyes because of the hood, but somehow they both knew that she was addressing Kantaris.

"You have promise," the figure said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Potential. You are destined for great things."

"M-me?" Kantaris stammered.

The woman was heard to sigh sadly, almost painfully.

"But you have to change," she said. "You have to choose the right path."

"I've chosen my path already."

"It's not compatible yet. Not at all. You have to change."

"I...I don't know what you mean. Change...like, how?"

"Let go of the past."

"Who are you?" Kantaris asked, letting go of Kate. "Some kind of soothsayer?"

"You will see."

"What? When?"

"You will see. We will meet again soon...Miss Kantaris."

Kantaris' jaw dropped.

"Oh, no, no, no!" she said. "No way. No fortunetellers, man. This shit is creepier than any ghost."

"Then you shouldn't have come," the mysterious woman said.

"I know," Kate said, taking Kantaris by the shoulder and turning her back towards the stairwell. "We're sorry. We're leaving."

"Don't apologize for her," the woman said, walking (drifting?) backwards into the shadows. "It's her nature. It will get her into trouble. But it will get her far."

The two girls went back to the hotel solemnly and in silence.

"Hope you're happy," Kate said, jumping back into bed, "now that you've succeeded in scaring me half to death."

"You're not the one who's just been lectured by some weirdo!" Kantaris was staring out towards the tower, her face blank.

"At least she said good things, though." Kate was too tired to be angry. Anger didn't come easily to her.

"I guess they'd be good if I'd known what the hell she was going on about." Kantaris yawned. "Change? Me? Ha. I ain't changing for nothing or nobody."

The next day, after Kantaris had spent half an hour rushing around after items of clothing that she'd misplaced, they made their way to the underground that connected Lavender Town and Celadon City. They were only too glad to get away from Lavender Town. It wasn't looking so pretty and quiet anymore.

Kantaris' idea had been all along that she was going to go and see Giovanni (oh, and Team Rocket as well, I guess) once she was back in Celadon or Saffron, whichever she came to first. Kate said that they were going to get a train to Celadon, bypassing Saffron City. Kantaris hadn't counted on having a traveling companion, though. So, whilst walking, she started to formulate a plot in her mind about how she could lose Kate, just for a while.

They got the train and it came to Celadon City's underground station. Attempts at directing Kate towards the shopping mall failed, so Kantaris resorted to diving amongst crowds, purposefully leaving her behind.

Having finally shaken Kate off her trail, Kantaris burst into the Rocket Amusement Corner, dressed in full uniform, and clattered her way down the hidden stairway in the back room into the underground basement. She ran past countless Rockets, gazing at each one briefly. They looked up but didn't acknowledge her. Just as she was beginning to wonder why, she ran smack into one of her old flatmates, Brianne.

"Well, well," Brianne remarked, giving Kantaris a half-hearted high five. "The wanderer returns."

"Brianne, you little rebel...what the hell are you doing here in Celadon?"

"I live here. Have you forgotten already?"

"But…we always used to work in Saffron!"

"Well, I work here now, duh," Brianne replied. "Ain't much work for Rockets in Saffron these days. I can't believe you even remember where we used to work, seen as you spent more time slacking off in Viridian City than you did working. And we can't all afford to go gallivanting around Kanto like you."

By now a small crowd of Rockets had gathered, glad of the interruption to their usual work.

"Shame," Kantaris said with a smirk whilst adjusting her cap. "It's a nice place."

"Hmph. So, wanderer, how's it going? You caught anything yet?"

"Have I caught anything?" Kantaris laughed. "Too many to count!"

"More importantly," another Rocket said, "have you stolen anything?"

"Um..." Kantaris looked away and blushed. "A few things. Nothing big, though."

"Why not? The Boss won't be very pleased to hear that. He'll be disappointed. 'Kantaris always delivers'...isn't that right?"

More laughter. Kantaris herself giggled, even though she knew that her teammates were making fun of her yet again. Her mind went back to a certain incident that had taken place roughly a year ago. Team Rocket had nearly lost that base and more. It had almost been in that very spot, in fact…


Having fought his way onto the bottom floor of the basement, the lone Pokémon Defense League ranger was out of Pokémon. But the Rockets didn't know that. He'd already taken out more than half of the guards, and that was all they knew. It was all they needed to know to confirm that he was strong. They didn't put up a fight. They merely glared at him as he went past. He was in control, but for effect he drew his gun and forced all of the Rockets into one corner. That way, they'd be easier to deal with later. Right now he had bigger things on his mind. Just as he was about to carry on searching, he caught sight of her.

She stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd of Rockets that he'd rounded up. She was dressed in black, so she could have been a Rocket. But everything else about her told him otherwise. Firstly, she looked far too young. She was no seasoned criminal. But most importantly, she looked upset. She was even crying. Her beseeching eyes locked onto his, and he immediately felt sorry for her.

"A hostage," he whispered.

Standing amongst the throng of her teammates, Kantaris smiled in her mind. Her tears were genuine – she hated it when Team Rocket was in trouble. But he thought she was a hostage! Perfect. So she played it up. She started to sob, making her lower lip tremble dramatically. The PDL ranger fell for it, hook, line and sinker. This was all the confirmation he needed. He knelt down, keeping his gun trained on the rest of the Rockets, and held out his hand. He beckoned Kantaris and said,

"Come on, honey. I'm gonna get you out of here."

The other Rockets knew what was going on. They didn't even have to exchange glances. They all went along with Kantaris' plan, eyeing her maliciously as she slipped out of their grasp to be 'rescued'. They weren't armed. None of them were. For them, the Rocket Amusement Corner was their most secure base. It was the only place where they didn't need to carry weapons around with them. They'd been so sure that it would never be found. They merely dismissed it as a lesson for the future and let Kantaris work her magic.

As he led her away, Kantaris noticed that he wasn't heading towards the exit. He was going further into the base. Instead of tackling him there and then, she let him carry on out of sheer curiosity. He was only leading himself further into trouble anyway. All she had to do was yell and the rest of the Rockets would come running. She wouldn't even need their help. Then he started asking her questions gently. Kantaris merely sniveled and shook her head as if she didn't know the answers or as if she were too shaken to reply. Then the ranger stopped in his tracks. He faced Kantaris and placed his hands on her arms reassuringly.

"Look, kid," he said. "I know this is tough…but I have a job to do here, understand? I wanna make sure you're safe, but I can't leave here until I've dealt with Team Rocket."

Kantaris nodded silently, a mask of naivety and wide-eyed fear over her face.

"Can you help me out?" the ranger asked. "I'm looking for Team Rocket's leader. Can you tell me where he is? That's all I wanna know."

Kantaris stared at him, then at the gun in his hand. Oh, so that was his plan, was it? No more Miss Nice Girl. A fire started in her eyes, but her facial expression remained the same. She nodded and the PDL ranger took the bait. He leant in closer.

"He's here somewhere," she whispered.

"Here? On this floor? How do you know?"

Because…" Kantaris leant over to whisper in his ear. "I'm his girl."

Unfortunately she couldn't see the look of surprise on his face that followed as she brought her knee up into his stomach as hard as she could. He dropped the gun. She followed this up with a sharp back-fist to his temple. It was strong enough to knock him down, but not quite strong enough to knock him out. She should have used a knife-hand chop instead. Oh, well. While he was on the floor, semi-conscious, she put one foot on his chest, pinning him down. As she did so, her jacket fell open and all traces of innocence faded from her face. The ranger's gaze traveled up slowly…from her black boots to her spotless Team Rocket uniform…to her pretty face, tainted by a wicked little smile.

"You picked the wrong girl to ask, honey," she whispered. "There are some Rockets here who probably would have told you where you can find the Boss. But I'm not one of them."

"You're a Rocket?" He looked to be in complete shock. "But…you're just a kid!"

"Age doesn't come into this, buster. I'm a Rocket, and a damn good one."

"Oh. In that case…"

Kantaris didn't see him reaching for the gun before it was too late. She gasped as he threw her off and knocked her down with one hit. He held her down on the floor with her arms pinned behind her back. She struggled furiously until she heard the sound of the gun being cocked at the back of her head. It was close. She'd felt it brush against her hair.

"Tell me where your Boss is," the PDL ranger ordered, "and I'll let you go."

"Fuck you," Kantaris muttered.

"Last chance, Rocket! Talk, or I'll shoot!"

"You don't have the guts."

"Don't try my patience."

To his surprise, Kantaris laughed.

"You'll have to kill me!"

"What? Why?" He shook her a little. "Why don't you just tell me?"

"Because I'm loyal. I'm also expendable. I can be replaced." She continued to laugh. "My death won't mean the end of Team Rocket."

"You'd give your life for this…this gang?"

"For Team Rocket? No. For my Boss."

Kantaris thought that this was the end. She closed her eyes and waited. But suddenly the weight was lifted from her arms and she heard the PDL ranger running off.

"Not even man enough to carry out his threat," she muttered, climbing to her feet. "He'll regret that."

Her temper ignited, Kantaris dusted herself off, reached into her pocket and pulled out her black cap. She pulled it down onto her head so that it shadowed her eyes. If she was gonna deal with this guy, she might as well look the part. She then ran to the stock room, snatched a pistol from the shelf and loaded it. She set about wandering the corridors, looking for the intruder. He couldn't hide from her. He was a goner. She'd never killed anyone before but if Giovanni ordered her to do away with this guy, she would. Suddenly the alarms sounded. Someone had broken into the Boss's office. Stricken with panic, Kantaris sprinted to the office. Sure enough, the PDL ranger was standing in the doorway. He still had the gun in his hand.

Kantaris wasted no time. She silently sneaked up behind the ranger and gripped him in a headlock. She was small, but she was also strong. And she was armed.

"Tisk, tisk," she whispered. "I do believe we have a would-be assassin. Am I right?"

She reached round quickly and pulled the gun from his hand. As she did so, he broke free from her grasp. No matter. She pushed him back with a kick before he could attack her. Then she advanced upon him with two firearms and he backed into the office with his hands up. She couldn't help but laugh. This was so easy.

"Not you again," the ranger muttered.

"I see you've met my star." Still sitting at his desk, Giovanni hadn't raised a finger. He watched the situation with a look of mild intrigue. "She's great, don't you think?"

Kantaris smiled sweetly.

"You flatter me, Sir," she said coyly with a brief flutter of her eyelashes.

"She's just a kid," the ranger said, eyeing Kantaris in bewilderment. "You're recruiting kids?"

"And yet she managed to get the better of you. That's saying something." Giovanni turned to Kantaris and said, "Good job. As per usual."

"I always deliver," Kantaris replied with a not-so-meek wink at her Boss.

Just then, the rest of the Rockets arrived at the door. Kantaris didn't turn round to see them, but she saw the look on the ranger's face. His number was up and he knew it. That's what you get for being a vigilante.

"You want I should get rid of him, Boss?" Kantaris asked, eager to prove herself in front of her teammates (even if it meant murder).

"No. Let someone else do it," Giovanni replied. "I wouldn't have you dirtying your hands, Kantaris."

"Thank you, Sir," she said obediently with a small curtsey.

The other Rockets entered the office and seized the ranger. Kantaris smartly tossed the guns up into the air, caught them and put them into her belt, old-Western style. As the ranger was dragged away, he turned to Kantaris and said,

"I won't forget this."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I assure you that you shall."


"Well? Come on, Kantaris, why've you given up stealing Pokémon?"

"It's different now that I'm a trainer!" Kantaris tried to brush it off. "You wouldn't understand. I just find it hard to do these days. Besides, I'm traveling with someone."

"Really? Who?"

"Some girl." Kantaris didn't want to drag Kate into this conversation too much. "She's done the Gym Challenge before, thought she'd come in useful."

"You're really on the Gym Challenge?" someone asked.

"Yep," Kantaris replied proudly.

"You haven't given up yet?"

"Nope."

"Let's see your badges, then," Brianne said dubiously, folding her arms.

Kantaris, ever the attention seeker, was only too happy to oblige with Brianne's request. She undid the belt on her leather jacket and opened it. She'd moved her three badges from the outside breast pocket to the inside lining where they would be more safe. Her teammates had mixed reactions. Some looked to be in awe. Others didn't believe that they badges were genuine – they'd seen enough fakes. A few made general sounds of bitterness and jealousy and walked off. Brianne exchanged knowing glances with two other Rockets and they laughed.

"Tell me, Kantaris," Brianne said in between sniggers, "did you actually battle for those? Or did you just sleep with the Gym Leaders?"

A fresh ripple of laughter made its way through the small crowd at Brianne's remark. Kantaris didn't take it too hard. She was accustomed to comments like that by now. She used to get them everyday before she left on the Gym Challenge. She fastened her jacket, put her hands in her pockets and waited for the laughter to die down. Then she replied calmly,

"No, I worked for them. Like everyone else does."

"That's more than can be said for your Team Rocket paychecks!" somebody yelled from far off.

There was even more laughter. Kantaris didn't mind them joking about that, if it kept them amused. No harm done. But nevertheless, she glanced in the direction of Giovanni's office worriedly. She was sure that he would mind if he heard that his Rockets were taking a break to pick on his beloved confidante who'd returned after weeks of absence...

"Don't worry," Brianne said, reading Kantaris' mind. "He ain't here."

Kantaris' face fell.

"He's not?"

"Nope. He's at the Gym," someone answered. "Thought you'd know that. Aren't you the one who knows his schedule off by heart?"

"Don't tell me you came back here just to see the Boss," Brianne said, rolling her eyes. "How desperate can you get? The Gym Challenge must be a nightmare if you're taking time out just for him."

"No!" Kantaris exclaimed indignantly. "I came to earn the Rainbowbadge at the Celadon City Gym. And don't talk about Gi...don't talk about the Boss like that."

"Well, um...the Gym's out that way." Brianne pointed back over Kantaris' shoulder towards the door and smiled falsely. "Good luck, Kantaris. Shall I tell Sir that you called?"

Kantaris swatted her hand away.

"Hang on, hang on," she said irritably. "You know, you guys are so mean! I come back after all this time and this is the welcome I get?"

The Rockets murmured amongst themselves.

"Haven't you guys got work to do?" Kantaris said, glaring at her teammates in an authoritarian manner and placing her hands on her hips.

"Ooh, listen to Little Miss High And Mighty!" someone said.

"No change there, then," said another.

But they heeded her order and went back to what they'd been doing before. Kantaris was impressed. At least they'd remembered where she stood. She ignored them now and took Brianne aside. They walked down the corridor slowly.

"So," Kantaris said, "what's new on Planet Rocket?"

"Nothing. This job sucks ass, man. Ain't worth the pay."

Kantaris drew in her breath sharply and glanced back over her shoulder at the closed office door.

"What now?" Brianne cried. "Why are you so paranoid?"

"Weren't you...weren't we meant to be doing something at Mount Moon?" Kantaris asked, ignoring the question.

"Yeah, like, we were...but we got busted and moved out."

"They have cops at Mount Moon now?"

"Not cops, dumbass. PDL rangers."

"The Pokémon Defense League?" Kantaris shuddered. "They get around these days."

"Yep, and things are going downhill fast around here."

"Ah, that's because the Boss is missing the evil genius of one Miss Samara 'Team Rocket' Kantaris," she said with a wink, tapping her forehead.

"Well, he's missing something, although I'm sure it's not your 'evil genius'."

"I told you he needs me."

"He needs you? You wish, honey. Anyway, be off with you. Go get your badge. Or you could even make yourself useful and catch some rare Pokémon for the team, instead."

"Aw, I don't wanna go yet! I miss you guys!" Kantaris whined.

"Yeah, well, we don't miss you stealing our bonuses." Brianne pushed her towards the door. "Go on, Kantaris. Get lost."

"Me? Stealing bonuses? Never." Kantaris saw a chance for provocation here, so she took it. "You've got it the wrong way round. It's not that I get bonuses for what I do. The things that I do are my bonuses. I'm actually saving Team Rocket some money! I can settle for other forms of payment."

"Kantaris! I don't even wanna know!" Brianne shook her head. "I dunno why me and Sasha ever agreed to split that flat three-ways with you. You should have paid double what we paid, 'cos it's a fact that you get paid twice as much as any other Rocket Grunt round here."

"I can't help it if I'm good, Brianne."

"Good? Ha. Exactly. Good at what, though?"

Kantaris widened her eyes in mock innocence. Brianne glared back, not falling for it. Eventually, Kantaris couldn't stand the silence.

"Well, you know..." she said quietly and seriously with a delicate shrug. "Petty thievery."

Brianne burst out laughing.

"Nice one, Kantaris. That's one of your best excuses yet." Brianne patted Kantaris on the back. "I'll let you off for that. And you wanna know why? Because you are a good thief. That's undeniable. 'Petty thievery'…I gotta write that one down, man. Classic."

"Wow." Kantaris was astounded. "You know, that's the only compliment you've ever given me in...how long? Nearly four years?"

"Four? Is that all?" Brianne groaned. "For God's sake...I mean, just look at yourself! You don't look a day older than fifteen. And your eyes, your smile...! How the hell can you look so damn sweet and innocent and butter-wouldn't-melt? That's the only reason you're a good Rocket, Kantaris: you can work your way into any guy's pockets – and beyond – and he wouldn't suspect a thing. I bet you only have to smile at the Boss to get paid, right?"

Not exactly, Kantaris replied silently. But she shrugged it off.

"Well, then!" She grinned, her ego having been fuelled. "Now you don't have to speculate over how I get my bonuses."

And with that, she practically skipped up the stairs.

"Oh, we know how you get your goddamn bonuses, Kantaris!" Brianne shouted after her.

Kantaris, still all smiles, went back into the arcade upstairs and was shocked to find Kate sitting at one of the nearby fruit machines. Wow, Kantaris said to herself, she's gambling. She's swelling the wealth of Team Rocket.

"What are you doing here?" Kantaris asked casually, walking over to Kate.

"Oh, I saw you come in." Kate winked at her. "Don't worry, Sam. I'm no telltale."

"You mean...?"

"Of course I know that this place belongs to Team Rocket," Kate replied quietly with a little laugh. "Couldn't they have found a more subtle name than 'Rocket Amusement Corner'?"

Kantaris blushed.

"How come you're spending money here, then?" she asked.

"Why not? It's fun!" Kate inserted another coin. "Tell your teammates that you brought me here and maybe you'll get commission or something. Do you get paid extra for things like that?"

"I shouldn't think so."

"You mean you don't get bonuses? That's harsh."

"Oh, we get bonuses…" Kantaris smiled secretively. "Well, I do."

"For what?"

It was such an innocent question in itself, and yet any mention of 'Kantaris' and 'bonuses' in the same sentence during the past few years had provoked everything from knowing glances to ridiculing to full-blown arguments with her teammates. Kantaris had to stop herself from laughing.

"Well, you know…this and that."