Jerrica had a lot on her mind when she walked into the living room where her bandmates were watching TV. Only Kimber, her younger sister, noticed that Jerrica didn't look like herself.
"What's wrong, sis?" she asked.
"It's nothing," said Jerrica. "I think I'm just coming down with a cold, that's all. I think I'll go lie down."
With that, Jerrica exited the room before her sister could ask any more questions.
How am I going to keep this from all of them, she thought. I don't want them to worry about me, but they're sure to notice that it's more than a cold. Then, Jerrica came up with what she thought was a great idea. I'll just become Jem until the concert is over. That way, I'll feel fine and no one will fret. Little did Jerrica know that she was making a mistake.
After Jerrica had left the room, Kimber turned to the others. "What do you think is wrong with Jerrica?" She asked.
"You heard what she said," replied Aja. "She just has a cold."
"I don't know..." said Kimber.
"Come on," said Shana, "you know Jerrica. She can take care of herself."
"Yeah," Raya piped in. "I'm sure she's fine."
"I guess." Kimber relented, but she was still worried about her sister. It was just in her nature.
A little while later, as the program the Holograms were watching was ending, Jem walked into the room, saying "Hey, everybody. What's up? Anyone feel like going to the movies?"
"Jem! What are you doing here?" asked Kimber. "I thought you weren't feeling well."
"That was Jerrica. I'm feeling great!"
"Oh," said Kimber, confusedly. "O..K..."
The other Holograms didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Just then, Jerrica's boyfriend Rio walked into the room.
"Anyone seen Jerrica?"
"She's lying down," Jem told him. "She wasn't feeling well. We're all about to go to the movies. Do you want to come with us?"
Before Rio had a chance to answer, Jem took hold of his arm, leading him towards the front door. The others all followed, with Kimber trailing behind. Aja noticed and fell back with her.
"Is something bothering you, Kimber?"
"Um, no, not really. It's just...didn't Jem seem to be acting a little strange to you? And why is she, you know, Jem? She had no reason to change."
"Well," Aja tried to think of an explanation. "Maybe she just felt like it. I don't think anything's really wrong. Jerrica just doesn't want us to worry, that's all."
"Hey, you guys," Raya called to the pair. "Are you coming or what?"
"Coming," Aja called back. Then, she asked Kimber, "Are you coming with us?"
"No," she replied, "I think I'll sit this one out."
"Suit yourself." And with that, Aja ran to catch up with the others, leaving Kimber to her thoughts.
A little while later, the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi Kimber. It's Rio."
"Oh, Rio. What's up? Aren't you at the movies?"
"Yeah. I just wanted to check on Jerrica. Can I speak with her?"
"No!" Kimber thought fast to come up with a reason. "She's sleeping. I don't want to wake her up. She needs her rest to fight off this cold."
"Oh," said Rio. "Well, will you just let her know I called and that I'm thinking of her?"
"I'll tell her. Bye."
Kimber hated lying to Rio. They all did, but it was Jerrica's secret and she would tell Rio when she felt the time was right. Meanwhile, Kimber was racking her brain, trying to figure out what was going on with her sister. She knew something wasn't right, she just couldn't put her finger on it.
In another part of the house, Synergy was working hard, trying to make sense of the data she had collected from her scans. She still didn't know why Jerrica was feeling tired and why she was fine when disguised as Jem. What she had determined from the scans was that something was odd when Jerrica was using the Jem hologram. The readings from the two scans were slightly different. That shouldn't happen - Jerrica and Jem were the same person. Therefore, the scans should be the same. Synergy was going to have to do some other tests and gather more information before she'd be able to tell what the problem was.
Before turning in, Kimber went around and checked on the Starlight girls, their foster girls. Jerrica usually did that, but she was still out with the others. All of the girls were asleep, except for BaNee, who was sitting up in bed.
"Where's Jerrica?" the little girl asked.
Kimber told her, "She's not feeling herself, today. She went to bed early so she can start to get better. What's the matter BaNee? Why aren't you asleep?"
"I couldn't sleep. Can you tell me a story?"
Feeling bad for the girl, Kimber stayed a few minutes until BaNee couldn't stay awake any longer. She suspected BaNee had been waiting up for Jerrica to tuck her in. Those two had a special bond.
A little while later, Jem and the others let themselves into the house. Rio had dropped them off and left for his own home. As the others went into their rooms, Aja crept to Kimber's.
"Kimber," she whispered while softly tapping on the door. "Open up. It's Aja."
Aja went inside as soon as Kimber opened the door and then quickly shut it.
"I don't want the others to hear," said Aja, "but I think you're right. Something is up with Jerrica. When we were at the movie, Jem wasn't acting like herself. I can't say exactly what it was, but I know something about her is off, and it's not just a cold."
Kimber hugged her friend. "Thank you for trusting me. I just wish I had been wrong about this. What do you think is going on?"
"I don't' know, but I don't want to alarm the others. Come on."
"Where are we going, Aja?"
"We're going to talk to Synergy!"
