Hey! Sorry, so sorry for late update. I'll get on with it, here's chapter 12.

Chapter 12: So your dog talks AND you're an Irkin...

Caline dropped the stick she had taken with her. Looking at the four creatures, deep into their beady red eyes. She had no choice, Caline screamed. The voices coming back to her.

"Caline! Caline!"

The voices faded into a much different tone.

"Wake up Caline!" Dib said as Caline shot up screaming and fell over off the couch. Gathering herself up, heaving for breath she turned to Dib. He just stared at her. "I- I had another nightmare..." Caline chocked out.

"I can tell," Dib said nodding. Caline looked over at Salem, whom sat there on the couch looking at her.

"Might I suggest we just get ready for the day," he suggested. Dib jumped back, "Your dog talks!"

"Duh..."

"I didn't know that..."

"Well now you do. Now don't we have this 'SKOOL' thing to attend?"

"Yes, just get up and lets go."

Caline nodded and followed Dib out the door, Salem followed too.

At Skool, Dib and Caline parted ways at the front door. Salem still stuck with Caline. Both of them, girl and dog, went to the office. The man standing there looked at Salem, "I'm sorry, but there's no animals allowed in the school." he said. Caline's head bow down as her eyes shadowed out with a demonic look on her face. "The dog stays with me, do you have a problem with it?" she asked, her voice completely different and dark. The man hesitated and allowed Salem to stay.

Once she was happy and content, she walked to the room of her class. Right on cue, when her name was called, Caline walked in.

"Introduce yourself Caline, because at this point, I DON'T EVER WANT TO HEAR YOU SPEAK AGAIN!"

Caline smiled, looking around the room on the eyes on her, visions of this same room entered her mind, the laughter, happy memories, the same faces all looking down upon her. She snapped out of it when she noticed Salem sitting by her side, "Salem, why don't you go home, now." she whispered to him. Salem trotted out, all the faces towards Caline, the eyes burning into her soul is what it felt like.

"Hi, my name's Caline." she said.

"Take your seat," Bitters pointed to the last seat in Zim's row. Zim eyed her for a little bit, seeing something a little familiar about her.

Zim shrugged to himself and looked up ahead at the board. Ms. Bitters began giving another lecture, that's all she ever did. Dib was happy that so far it was going good for Caline. If anything suspicious came out from her and him, Zim would surely suspect something.

Lunch finally came, Caline looked at the slop that was thrown on her plate. "What is this junk?" she asked Dib. Dib ignored her question and told her what to do. "Go to Zim's table and befriend him, don't come talking to me until school is out, got it?"

A green flash shot across her eyes as she nodded and walked over to Zim's table. Sitting down a few feet away from him, she smiled. "Hi." she greeted. Zim looked up at her, then back down at his food. Caline remembered the question Dib didn't answer and decided to ask Zim, "What's this slop?"

"I dunno..."

"Do you eat it?"

"Nope. Just poke it all day."

Zim tried to sound as casual as he could. It was going good so far. Why does she choose to sit by him? Caline was just poking her food too.

"What ever it is, I don't think I'll like it..."

"I doubt you will." was Zim's reply.

Caline laughed a small laugh. Looking back up at him, she cocked her head, "By the way, what's your name?" she asked.

"Zim." he replied.

Caline's eyes widened. The sound of his voice, so familiar. But when he said his own name, that brought it back a little bit. The things he had said in her past flooded her ears. Caline shook herself out of it and looked around. Things were still normal. Looking back at Zim she decided to ask, "Have we met before?"

Zim looked up, "Zim doesn't know, but you do seem familiar..."

"You do too... maybe we bumped into each other in the past?"

Caline looked back down at her food. Thinking about something to start, she poked her spoon with a rather long spoon, similar to Zim's.

"Tell me, Zim. How do things work at this school?"

"Well, I'm the biggest reject here, and those are normal rejects over there in the corner." she pointed to the table in the corner with Gretchen, Kief, and all the other weirdos. Caline nodded, "I see. But you seem kinda cool for a reject, or that's what I think."

Zim liked the comment, but didn't know how to take it, so he continued.

"See that table over there?"

"Yeah..."

"Those are the popular kids, they're pretty mean. Call anyone below them freaks, they do. Oh! And that table over there? That's the band, some of them there are cool, but most are kinda weird."

"What about that table?" Caline pointed to Dib's table, whom just sat there talking to Gaz. "That's anyone's worst enemy, Dib. He's crazy, because he accuses me, ZIM, of being an alien! Can you believe that?"

Caline smiled sheepishly. He was the alien. He was in fact, Irkin. She was too, but not as much as he is. Caline picked up her trey and put it in the trash can, then sat back down and waited for Zim.

"Eh, you're suppose to go outside and play."

"I'll wait.."

"For what?"

"You of course. I must know more about this school."

For the rest of the day, Zim and Caline didn't stop talking. But the final bell rang and it was time to go home.

"Caline! How did it go with Zim?" Dib ran up behind her as she was about to walk out.

"It went great! But I'm gonna walk home with Zim, it's best for the mission, and... I think I like him!" she said and walked out. Dib stood there, she was right, it is good for the mission. But liking him?! Is she nuts?! Dib walked with Gaz home again.

"Hey, Caline, what took ya?" Zim asked as Caline met him at the door. Caline smiled, "I fell.."

She opened her mouth to ask another question about the place but a loud chain of barks interrupted he. Zim shouted, "Ah! It's dogs! We better stay away from 'em!"

"No, It's my dog, I can tell!"

"You have a dog?"

By this time Caline ran a little but up ahead.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Zim called, following behind.

Salem barked at about five dog catchers that's been chasing him all day.

"Salem!" Caline called as she stepped in front of her companion. Staring at the dog catchers, her face was full of rage, "GET AWAY FROM MY DOG!" she yelled.

"Sorry, no can do, we got orders to catch this mutt! He's been wondering around in the alleys and almost got an old women killed!"

"I'm not moving out of your way, I'm not letting you take my dog!"

The dog catches raised their nets, ready to beat her out of the way. Zim caught up and peered around the corner.

Caline lifted her right arm and reached inside her pak, which was hidden by her hair, and pulled out a long stick that was taller than her, herself. Caline took the stick in both hands, ready to fight. The first dog catcher ran at her and wacked at her with his net, Caline ducked dodging the net and swiped his feet off the ground with her stick. Once he hit the ground, Caline stuck the bottom end of the stick into the ground and swiped around it, kicking two of them back. She smiled, standing with one foot out in front of her and the stick leaned against her back as she was standing in a fighting position she looked at the last two, "Bring it on..." she said. They both charged at the same time, Caline took the stick and hit the one on the left in the stomach first, then did the same thing to the one on the right. Both of them stood side by side. Caline ran up and jumped, both feet landing on both of the dog catchers, kicking them back onto the ground. She leaned back into a slow back flip and landed on one hand, holding a one handed hand stand. Her hair fell in front of her face, revealing her pak.

Zim gasped.

She's Irkin?!

Caline flipped herself onto her feet and pushed the stick back into her pak.

"You alright Salem?" she asked.

Salem nodded, "I've been running all day. Surely if I were a real dog I would probably be out of breath by now."

"YOUR DOG TALKS?!" Zim screamed as Caline turned her attention towards him.

"ZIM! Y-you didn't see that did you?"

"Every bit of it!" Zim replied. "And... you're IRKIN?!"

"Well.. Uh... heh... uh oh..." she said, looking back down at Salem. "Help me out here, Mr. 'I want what you want!'"

"What can I say? I can't do anything until he physically harms you..."

"So your just going to sit there?!"

"Like a rock... yes."

Zim watched them argue.

"So your telling me... Your Irkin, and that dog there is..."

"My SIR unit..."

"It's disquise is incredible, yours is too. People don't consider you that much a reject or a person who stands out that much." he said, shrugging.

"To be honest... I like this place more than that stupid room Renlia gave me..." she muttered.

"Renlia? You mean the empress of Meekrob?!"

"No, it's a different Renlia. She works at a hotel on planet, what's-their-face. I don't remember the name of the place but she gave me this huge room... it was suppose to be a sweet, but... they treated me like dirt."

"I see..."

Caline nodded, she was good at lying . Very good at it. She's had the ability since, Lord Knows When...

"Caline... what's your purpose here?" Zim squinted his eyes.

"Trying to steel my planet?"

"Nope."

"Destroy my base?"

"Nope."

"Did Dib send you to do this stuff to me because he's planning something evil..."

Caline hesitated. That's exactly what it was. She had no problem lying but it was the pure fact that... well... she's going to have to kill him. Do what Dib says, was what Renlia said to her. And Dib says to kill Zim. But she's got a liking to Zim, no doubt about it. This was her first REAL friend!

"Nope." she swallowed her pride and lied.

"Okay, well, I'm out of suspicions so I guess your okay, but I'll be on my guard for a while just to make sure.." he explained to her. But his voice traveled away from her ears, Caline remembered her stupid curse. The curse that makes her do what she's told, but it's only by Dib... not just by him, no. Renlia controls her too. So if Caline were to run away and Dib couldn't find her, he'd contact Renlia and Renlia can pin point her, giving her a suicidal command.

Zim said another thing and walked away, Caline just followed him. Salem trotting by Zim, trying to soak in that he's the target. Zim had a strange liking to Salem, though he hated most dogs. This one was different, not just because he was a SIR unit, he was a strange dog. The figure, the look, the shadowy evil fur on his skin gave him an invisible aura of the ability to fight and do most things.

Once they reached the house of Zim's, he simply turned around.

"Well Caline, I would like to do some testing on you..."

"I-I can't..." Caline looked inside.

"I have to get home, now. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure... Later." Zim said and immediately closed the door. He leaned on it and fell to the floor slowly with a sigh.

Caline and Salem began walking to Dib's house, to give Dib all the information on what happened that day. Caline couldn't stop thinking about what he'd say if Zim already found out she was Irkin. She shuddered at the thought.

Well, this is 12. Yup.. Good o' 12! 13 will be out soon, or later, I dunno. Hope you enjoyed it!