Author's Note: Hello, hello, hello everyone! I am so sorry about not updating in, like, forever. I'm probably going to get a ton of angry reviews just cause I didn't update soon enough. Sorry! Please do not stay mad as, look, I have finally updated now! Thank you to everyone who waited so paitently for me! Thanks for all who reviewed! Thanks for new reviewers also and for Doggiegal and Flammin Heart for reviewing "Spies Squared" for me. That's a long story to read all at once so thanks so much for your input! Remember: all reviews, no matter how long or small, random or serious, goes to help me become a better writer. And that will benefit you because then, frankly, you get to read better stories by me! Luv ya all! Now, read and enjoy this long awaited chapter. (Sorry if you think its kinda short. I will try to update on a faster basis. Promise!)
Lori looked on out the window at the two girls. A blonde and the black haired one named Angela. The wind blew fiercely toward them, but they didn't seem to notice. Their hair flew wildly about.
They were both sitting on the roof of a building. Lori wondered why such a peculiar place. Then again, Angela was a peculiar person. She is as sharp as a military general in her conversations, but as fragile as a porcelain doll in life. She took one last glance at the two girls. Then she left the room.
She unfolded a map from her pocket and followed it to the computer lab. I can go online and forget about everything, she told herself. But she never made it.
As she made her way to the computer lab, she passed by the open gym. She had walked by and paid no heed at first, but she backed up when she saw what most of them were doing.
Birdies flew to and fro with frightening agility. Kids were shouting and laughing and you could hear the sound of a speeding racket closing in to whack the light feathered birdie. Then the sound of a hard smack and you knew the kill had been made. Lori watched with intense eyes as she looked into the gym. She knew that school officially started tomorrow. Today was just a day to get accommodated. Today was a day for everyone to get comfortable and have fun. What could get me more comfortable than playing badminton?
Walking into the gym, she grabbed a racket from a nearby racket holder and located a birdie. Then, with no one to play with, she started bouncing the birdie straight up with the racket, counting how many times she could hit it up before the birdie touched the ground again when she missed.
A few minutes later, she was still concentrating on her birdie so hard that she almost dropped her racket when a voice directly in front of her said calmly, "Wanna play?"
The birdie fell directly at Lori's feet. She looked up to see a black clad boy with raggedy black hair hanging in wisps over his eyes twirling a racket in his fingertips. He smiled, one corner of his mouth curling up invitingly. Lori almost gaped in surprise, but then recovered smoothly. He certainly looks nice...attractive.
"Sure," she said, with more enthusiasm than she had planned. Her lips curled into a smile as well as she reached down for the birdie. "But I won't go easy on you."
The boy on the other side of the net smiled even more. "Then I won't go easy on you either."
Fine, whatever. Lori's eyes had a twinkle in them as she held up the birdie to serve, holding a side of the feathered birdie by her index finger and thumb.
Then she let go and let it fall. Her racket instantly made contact and the birdie changed direction.
The game had begun.
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"So this is your dorm?" Angela asked, looking around at the seemingly spacious room.
"Well, it's not much. It's not like you don't have one."
"Yeah, but its so...roomy."
"Its because I'm not sharing the dorm with anyone."
"Oh," Angela said, dawning on the fact that there was only one bed in the room. Then her eyes were automatically drawn to the large computer on the desk in front of the window. "Sweet!" she exclaimed, going over and bending down to take a look at the large monitor. "Your parents actually let you bring in a entire computer?"
Cynthia went to stand next to Angela with a bashful smile. "Actually, it was here from a long time back. The custodian here said its been there for over ten years. But it still works fine although I never use it."
Angela looked puzzled. "And why is that?"
"Its not a ordinary computer."
Angela turned back to scrutinize the computer. "It looks perfectly normal to me."
Cynthia scooted in and sat in the red swivel chair that was placed in front of the desk. "Let me demonstrate."
On went the computer. In minutes, the screen had gone blue. Then a peculiar window came up with an empty loading bar that quickly filled up with green. Then the computer started running as various amounts of windows popped up with weird looking backgrounds of green and black.
"What the hell?" Angela asked, bewildered as she leaned in for a better look. "What is that?"
Cynthia shook her head. "I have no idea. Apparently it's a computer program that was programmed to run on this computer and nothing else. I have tried almost everything I can to get this thing off, but it never works. It always comes back. Although, I might have a idea..."
Angela's head turned sharply. "Idea?"
Cynthia's head bobbed up and down slowly. "I was exploring one day and I found a manhole in the middle of a park. I thought that was odd so I went 'snooping around', if you will. I opened the manhole cover and found...a tunnel." Cynthia's voice had dropped down to a whisper with the last two words.
"A tunnel." Angela's eyes held skepticism. "A tunnel leading to where?"
Cynthia's eyes suddenly seemed frightened. "You expect me to go and investigate? Its dark down there! And disgusting! I am not about to go into a sewer!"
A sewer, huh? Angela's eyes sparked with excitement. This would be a perfect backdrop for a novel! I have to see it! "Would you go if I came with you?"
Cynthia's eyes widened. "As if! You don't know what's down there!"
Exactly why I need to go check it out. "Oh well, suit yourself." Angela headed for the door.
"Wait, wait! Where are you going?" Cynthia asked hastily, already dreading the answer.
"Where else?"
The door closed as Angela left the room.
Cynthia was secretly punching herself for her stupid comments. I can't let her just go alone! What if she's hurt? Then it'll be all my fault! Cynthia took a deep breath and ran toward the door, making her decision.
"Angela, wait!"
Angela stopped and she turned. Her lips were curled into a small smile and her eyes twinkled, almost as if she had expected Cynthia to run out after her. Cynthia cursed herself silently again. But she had committed. There was no backing out now. She took another deep breath. "You don't know where the manhole is." With that and no other explanation, she walked briskly in front of Angela and led the way.
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Charlie trudged up the steps slowly. This was not turning out to be a good day. First what happened at lunch and now the dorm shared with Ian. When was the calamity ever going to end?
He heard footsteps. He looked up to see two girls walking toward him in the opposite direction. He directed his gaze back to his feet. The girls had almost made it to the bottom when the face of one jerked his memory. He whipped back around, almost tripping in the process and called out, "Excuse me!" Instantly, he wished he hadn't done that as both the girls whipped their heads around, their eyes riveted on him. The one closet to him, with black hair and brown eyes, was the one that had jogged his memory.
"Hello," she said warmly, though no smile was on her face. "You're the guy whose lunch got all over me, right?"
Charlie stared awkwardly at the floor. "Well...um...yeah...and I just wanted to say...I'm sorry about that."
When he looked up again, a smile was waiting. It lit up her entire face and brought a liveliness that he wished he had. "Apology accepted," she said kindly. Charlie, for some odd reason, started to blush. Then, for even odder reasons, he started to panic when the two girls turned back around to continue their descent of the stairs. He fumbled around in his brain for something to say.
"So," he said as causally as he could, "where are you going?"
The black haired girl turned again, her hair floating for a second in the air and then settling around her shoulders in a satisfied manner. She sighed a little and glanced at the blonde haired girl beside her briefly. "I don't exactly know yet." She paused, and then looked over at the blonde for a longer period of time. The blonde shrugged her shoulders and started descending again.
The black haired girl turned back to Charlie. "Wanna come and find out?"
Two seconds later, Angela and Charlie were striding along behind Cynthia.