Old Dreams

Beaner-Bop

Rated R

This is sort of a crossover fan fiction of 'The Tribe' (A series on 'WAM') and a book by Garth Nix called 'Shade's Children'. Quick Disclaimer, I don't own anything of either, I'm just a fan of both and have nothing to do with the publisher or Cloud 9 or… anything. Oh, and obviously things are being changed from both places, I'm just trying to blend it all together as well as I can so you will see changes!

A letter

Dear Salene,

How are you? Everything is so different now from what they were. I know it's been a while since I last wrote but I suppose that technically that doesn't really matter, huh? Chloe says I shouldn't think like that - yep, still have to listen to her.

Don't you think my handwriting skills are getting better Salene? You should see how I can draw now too! Guess which dyed red headed kid has a girlfriend now! That's right! And get this - she can speak like French or something and is an awesome artist. I can even get some credit as being matchmaker!

Ladybug (as I have now taken to calling him, or just 'Bug' if we we're with others or his GIRL friend! It's because of his hair, it's black on top now, with the parts on the side of his face as deeper red than usual.) was talking to me when he saw her one day, talking to another girl (in French). After a while we started talking about her. He wanted to figure out a way to get to talk to her. I told him he'd need to know French or something like that just to get close to her - get what he said!

"I'd learn French, speak, sit, and roll over if it meant getting closer to her!" You should have seen his face after he said it, I don't think he meant to - insert my regular giggle here.

Back to the story - one day I saw her drawing (and it was REALLY good!) by herself. I went over to her and watched her for a moment before asking her if she could teach me. Practically immediately she was showing me that you don't want to think of drawing a face as a face, but as shapes, you know? Like the bottom part of your nose is sort of like three circles and- never mind. Anyway, after a while she started to ask questions about You-Know-Who. Won't Bug be surprised? Hehe, at this point I told her that 'he wanted to learn French (I didn't tell her the 'why') She looked surprised at that but began to look really happy, you know? We kept talking and let me tell you, it didn't take much persuasion to get her to agree to teaching him, hehe. So - wallah! Instant Romance! Lol!

Now, back to what's been going on around here lately I suppose. There really isn't anything going on right now.

Unless of course, being scared counts.

Chloe and Ved are going out tomorrow - another mission. I'm afraid they won't come back. You might wonder why I'm worried - well here's the reason. People are coming back less and less from these things. What if one of these days, it's group #16 (Chloe and Ved's group) that doesn't come back? Or not all the members?

I'm scared for them Salene, what am I going to do? I haven't told anyone how scared I am…but still.

Sorry about the tear marks, I'm just really scared.

Eep! Ved's at the door, wondering why I'm not asleep yet. I better wrap this up. Nothing else to say though really, I guess…

Salene - I know I ask you this in every letter but…I never get an answer - send me anything! A letter, a dream, a sign! I don't care! Just send me something, so I know.

Are you still out there? Have you gotten away? Are you in the dormitories? Or, or have you become - no. I can barely think that, let alone actually write it. The chances that you are though Salene are so high. The chances that you all are. It's been years. How can you not be? But maybe… Just maybe.

I still have hope.

I better get going Salene, bye.

Sincerely,

Mouse

Prologue

Everything was actually okay after the epidemic, but nobody knew that. Not really. They all had hope, they all had each other. They all had their talents, their strengths, the things that allowed them to help out in any way that they could. Everyone knew it was bad - but it was okay.

Then something happened. Something that took their bad reality and made it even worse.

Creatures came. Nobody knew who was controlling them - or for that matter what was going on.

They took the oldest people first, around seventeen years of age and older.

After that, those who were left searched for the ones who were taken - they found nothing.

Then, a discovery came to one of these kids. A boy. Fuse, was the name.

A computer program of some sort. But it couldn't really be called that… where computer programs have 'artificial intelligence' this… seemed to have it's own mind.

It got impatient with people, angry. But it could be proud of them, cheer them on, train them, teach them. It could help them.

This was Shade.

He had the people Fuse was with go and get more people. At this point and time, younger people were being grabbed and put into 'the dorms', the place where the creatures would take you by orders from those above them - the Overlords.