Chapter 6.

The teacher, an elderly woman with piercing orange eyes was calling role. It was the last class of the day until lunch and I was paying very little attention to what was happening around me until I heard the teacher say, "Layla Chloris?" I glanced to the other side of the room where the redhead was sitting. Her hair seemed longer, but for the most part she looked the same. Something about her manner had changed though, instead of a chipper, "Good Morning" she said "Here," sullenly and then turned back to her notebook.

No one else from the old group was in the class, but that didn't surprise me. If they still used the hero/sidekick classification then Zach, Magenta and Ethan would be in a different class. Layla saw me staring and turned her nose up at me like I was of a completely different species. Our relationship must've been strained somehow because now she was giving Warren a death glare.

The pyro was sitting with his legs sprawling out under my desk. As far as I could tell nothing had changed, at least physically, about him. To be honest, I really hadn't ever noticed how nice his smile was until that day, but I suppose it was because I'd never seen it before. I must have been staring because the teacher had to call my name twice before it registered in my head.

"Here," I said and turned back to the front trying to sort out my thoughts. However interesting it was to sit here and figure out all the differences in this new reality, it wasn't accomplishing anything. Why did they want me to go to school? Who wanted me to go to school?

Lunch time came more quickly then I had imagined. I had been forced to sit through all three classes with the pyro with me and now, at lunch, it seemed I wouldn't be able to escape. The only excuse I had was to go to the bathroom, the one place he wouldn't be allowed to follow me, though I suppose I'd been the one following all day. Warren was still Warren no matter what dimension, and he was no one's puppy dog.

I entered the bathroom and almost turned around to leave again when I saw the terrible condition of the facilities. In fact I had almost decided to leave when I heard the door opening again. Layla entered and then froze in place when she saw me at the sink. With a smirk she joined me and took her mascara out of her purse, intent, apparently on retouching her makeup. I didn't say anything and my legs began shaking. Something about her new attitude frightened me.

"So," she said with a fluid turn of her neck, green eyes narrowing to look at me for a moment, "How are you and Warren doing?"

"Great," I answered with little confidence.

"That's good…I'm so glad to hear that. Cause you know, I had heard that the two of you were breaking up."

The way she said it made me think that she had heard nothing of the sort. Seeing her standing there in front of the mirror, the perfect little cat, and so different than the sweet girl she had been, made me mourn for this bizarre little world I'd fallen into. My uncle may have not known the full implications of his actions but these changes alone, in Will and in Layla were enough to label him a villain. I turned to leave, not even bothering to answer her question.

I loitered in the halls a bit, trying to remember exactly which locker Warren had pointed to when we had retrieved our books. He had looked at me like I was an alien when I'd asked, rather timidly, where exactly my locker was located. Now I'd have to return to that uncomfortable game of pretend, who knew what would happen if I ditched "my boyfriend" at lunch. Alternate dimension or not, I was pretty sure he still had the same bad temper.

Now you must not think I wasn't scared out of my wits about this whole situation, because in fact, I was quite afraid. The thing was, I knew what I had to do and so my mind stopped thinking about the frightening aspect of the whole situation. I performed each action with apathy like a robot completing pre-programmed commands.

I assumed the "usual spot" was outside since Warren had been heading towards the door when we parted. I guessed that it would take half the lunch period to find him but upon opening the doors I saw both him and Magenta immediately; they were sitting on an unstable looking picnic table under one of the sickly trees that decorated the school campus. I walked towards them, stomach queasy, trying to think of things to talk about that wouldn't make me seem like a total amnesia patient. The grass was brown, so dead I doubted it had ever been green. The weather was still bright, but the overall weightiness of the gray school's atmosphere doused any cheerfulness that might have rendered.

The pyro looked up and stared as I walked over to the bench. I sat down on the opposite side, next to Magenta, hoping that was a safe distance. He looked at my empty hands as I set my backpack on the ground. "You aren't going to eat?" he asked, peeling an orange from his bagged lunch. The citrus scent was refreshing and cleared my mind enough to answer.

"No, I'm not hungry," I answered, hoping I sounded convincing. The truth was I was starving but I couldn't tell him that I was afraid of entering the cafeteria. Magenta opened a bag of chips and I wondered vaguely if it was always just the three of us.

He glanced up from his orange, fingers frozen, "You're always hungry…what, too afraid to go into the cafeteria without me?"

I tried not to laugh but a nervous chuckle escaped. Apparently dating Warren Peace didn't make you exempt from being made fun of, "Yeah, that's it Warren…What?" I asked as his expression changed.

"Nothing," he said pulling apart the fruit into slices, "You just haven't called me Warren since last summer."

Heart pounding out of my chest I tried to think of what I should be calling him. There was no way I was using some endearing term like honey. Why would he want me to call him something different from his name? How was I going to survive this alternate dimension if I couldn't figure out how to address people? Needless to say my mind was racing with unpleasant situations where I tried out a word and the pyro burnt me to a crisp. I still wasn't convinced that this guy liked me.

"You know, War and Lyd?" he said handing me a piece of the orange.

I took it and stuffed it into my mouth, eager to find an excuse for not answering. I chewed on it as long as possible before swallowing. This was going to be one long, miserable day if I didn't figure out how to talk with people.

"Not hungry huh?" Magenta asked skeptically, her lips quirking in a sarcastic smile.

I turned, embarrassed, and saw two boys approaching the table. I recognized one as Zach, wearing dark clothes just as I had seen before, his black shirt had some strange skull design. The other was someone I'd never seen before. Little did I know how well we would become acquainted in the coming days. He was shorter, two or three inches taller than me and definitely Asian…probably Chinese, with slanting dark eyes and smooth ebony hair that was longer than mine, sweeping past his shoulder blades in a loose ponytail. He was dressed in earth toned clothes, a green shirt and dark brown pants, though, his square rimmed glasses were black.

Zach sat next to Warren, the proximity between the pyro and the living lightbulb amused me. Neither of them seemed to mind.

"Stop staring," he finally said annoyed. My eyes snapped up to his as Magenta began laughing, "Just because I lost the stupid bet doesn't mean you all have to look at me like I'm an alien."

"Bet?" I said. The other boy who was yet to be named, sat next to me and smiled, something about him seemed very familiar, but I couldn't quite place what it was. Magenta stared at me incredulously and Warren's fingers paused on his orange slice.

Zach glared at me like I was feigning ignorance and began to open his pop can, "Remember, Magenta's bet…" I looked clueless, and he grew more frustrated, "that I wouldn't ask Layla what the point of recycling is."

"Oh yeah," I said lamely, "So who gave you the shirt?"

All four looked at me like I was crazy. Magenta reached over and put her hand on my forehead, "What's up with you today Lydia, you're acting really strange…don't you remember? You got that for him for his birthday…he said he'd never wear it to school, hence the bet…Could you smack her or something Knight, she's been doing this all day."

Zach bobbed his head not quite knowing what to say and looking quite embarrassed, "I couldn't do it yo, she was like so grumpy looking…and you know what she did to the last guy that asked her if plants were…you know, intelligent," he lowered his head, blue-grey eyes glancing around, "he's still in the hospital," he whispered and then began eating his lunch as if that answered everything.

So if I was getting this right, Zach had not changed his style, the clothes were all just part of a bet that he had made with me. I decided to shut my gaping mouth, all these questions were going to get me in trouble, or at the very least leave me without any friends. Warren was still looking at me strangely but he had returned to eating. I looked around, feeling a slow blush creep up my cheeks. I wondered what excuse could take me away from this situation. "I have to go to the bathroom" wasn't really valid since I had just been there. The weight of the reality of this whole alternate dimension sunk onto my shoulders like so many pounds of lead.

I needed to get away and fast, before I threw up or something worse. The questions pounded in my head and above all, I knew I was helpless to do anything but nod and smile. Who was I in this dimension? How did my dad's disappearance in history or if I dared to think of it…his death, cause all of this? I needed answers that no one seemed able to provide.

"I'm…I have to…I'll be right back," I said in a wavering voice, leaving everything behind as I half ran, half walked towards the school. I heard faintly, the beginning of some argument behind me and then someone coming up behind me. I turned wanting to send them back, expecting it to be Warren but instead it was Night…Knight? His look garnered no questions, he simply lightly grasped my elbow and led me further up into the school, through the hall, and into a barely lit janitor's closet.

There was no logic then, no battle-steeled courage. I didn't know who he was and I didn't care, I just started crying before either of us could speak and found myself clutching at the back of his shirt in a firm embrace. In my mind I was trying to come up with a way to explain this strange outburst but could barely think of anything before his words spilled out.

"Lydia," he said softly patting my back somewhat awkwardly, "It's ok, dad's…your dad's ok."

I guess the words hadn't connected or something because I didn't pull away for another minute. When I did, it was a quick jerking movement like a wounded animal seeking to escape from a predator, his dark eyes bore into my equally dark eyes and in that moment there was some sort of understanding between us. I didn't say anything, I was still waiting for a sign but something told me he wasn't evil.

"Who are you?" he said suddenly, making me even more confused. Didn't he know?

"Lydia, Lydia Tudor..." I muttered hoping this wasn't some strange way to trick me.

"Ok…" he put his hands on my shoulders, "I'm Knight Stevens, your cousin."