Rei met up with the others after school outside the temple where they would not be overheard.
"Did you do it, Rei?" asked Mina.
"Yeah," she said, "Yeah, I did it."
"Is everything alright?" Serena asked at seeing her expression.
"Fine, why?
"You just seem. . .distracted." Lita added with concern.
"Yes, and Andi wasn't in school today," Ami observed. "Why not? What happened?"
Rei sighed and recounted the events of the night before. "Okay, so I snuck into her room and shattered the orb with a hammer, but she woke up screaming bloody murder, and I felt really weak. Then Apollo came, but I got out before they saw me."
"She woke up?" said Ami in surprise. "She shouldn't have woken up!"
"What do you mean? Rei hit the thing with a hammer! That would even wake SERENA up!"
"I ran a search in my computer archive files for Energy Orbs, and it said when someone carries one, its energy combines with their's over time. So when Rei destroyed the orb, Andi should have been destroyed too."
Rei paled visibly. "You mean I could have. . ."
"Unless. . ." said Mina, thoughtfully, "She hasn't had the orb long enough for it to fuse with her."
"As for Rei feeling weak," Ami explained, "I also found out that the energy inside an orb doesn't return to its owner when it's released. Instead, the same amount gets taken again."
Rei's eyes widened. "Oh god! That explains this morning!"
"What do you mean? What happened this morning?" asked Lita.
Rei took a deep breath, and then told the story.
Andi had slept later than usual that morning, and said she had been feeling quite ill. She had only gotten up out of her bed when Rei had called to her and told her that she had a phone call from Richmond. She had jumped out of her bed and ran to the phone as fast as greased lightning, so Rei decided to listen in on the conversation.
"Hello?"
"Miranda? This is Mrs. Alberts, Justin's mother." Rei could hear tears in the woman's voice.
"Oh my god, are they okay? Tell me they're okay!"
"I'm sorry, Miranda."
"No! They can't be! Please, you have to do something! You can't just let them. . ."
"Please, dear, I know it's hard for you. It's hard for me too, so please don't make it worse."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Alberts. I'm so sorry!"
"Oh come now, Miranda, don't apologize. There was nothing you could have done."
There was a long silence before Andi had spoken again. "Please, Mrs. Alberts. . .tell me when it happened."
"It was the oddest coincidence that it happened at the same time. They both passed away at around 12:31 yesterday afternoon. You're in Tokyo, so it would have been around 3:31 A.M. there."
Rei dropped the phone and gasped. Two people had died at the same time that she shattered the energy orb!
"Did you do it, Rei?" asked Mina.
"Yeah," she said, "Yeah, I did it."
"Is everything alright?" Serena asked at seeing her expression.
"Fine, why?
"You just seem. . .distracted." Lita added with concern.
"Yes, and Andi wasn't in school today," Ami observed. "Why not? What happened?"
Rei sighed and recounted the events of the night before. "Okay, so I snuck into her room and shattered the orb with a hammer, but she woke up screaming bloody murder, and I felt really weak. Then Apollo came, but I got out before they saw me."
"She woke up?" said Ami in surprise. "She shouldn't have woken up!"
"What do you mean? Rei hit the thing with a hammer! That would even wake SERENA up!"
"I ran a search in my computer archive files for Energy Orbs, and it said when someone carries one, its energy combines with their's over time. So when Rei destroyed the orb, Andi should have been destroyed too."
Rei paled visibly. "You mean I could have. . ."
"Unless. . ." said Mina, thoughtfully, "She hasn't had the orb long enough for it to fuse with her."
"As for Rei feeling weak," Ami explained, "I also found out that the energy inside an orb doesn't return to its owner when it's released. Instead, the same amount gets taken again."
Rei's eyes widened. "Oh god! That explains this morning!"
"What do you mean? What happened this morning?" asked Lita.
Rei took a deep breath, and then told the story.
Andi had slept later than usual that morning, and said she had been feeling quite ill. She had only gotten up out of her bed when Rei had called to her and told her that she had a phone call from Richmond. She had jumped out of her bed and ran to the phone as fast as greased lightning, so Rei decided to listen in on the conversation.
"Hello?"
"Miranda? This is Mrs. Alberts, Justin's mother." Rei could hear tears in the woman's voice.
"Oh my god, are they okay? Tell me they're okay!"
"I'm sorry, Miranda."
"No! They can't be! Please, you have to do something! You can't just let them. . ."
"Please, dear, I know it's hard for you. It's hard for me too, so please don't make it worse."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Alberts. I'm so sorry!"
"Oh come now, Miranda, don't apologize. There was nothing you could have done."
There was a long silence before Andi had spoken again. "Please, Mrs. Alberts. . .tell me when it happened."
"It was the oddest coincidence that it happened at the same time. They both passed away at around 12:31 yesterday afternoon. You're in Tokyo, so it would have been around 3:31 A.M. there."
Rei dropped the phone and gasped. Two people had died at the same time that she shattered the energy orb!