A/N: Alright! This isn;t my favorite piece of work so far, but I'm excited to get the next chapter written and posted! It might be a while, but it will happen. I can't wait to have these two worlds interact!

"Alright, Wyatt. What's this big news of yours?" asks Jen, slipping into the seat beside the dark haired boy.

She's the only one at the table so far, briefly wonders where everyone else is. Caitlyn, at least, is usually just a few feet away, in the Lemon. A glance shows that the lemonaid stand is closed up tight, though, and the bouncing blonde no where to be seen.

There's a moment where Wyatt looks around, no doubt trying to find the others too. Then he bites down on his lower lip and frowns. "I can't tell you until everyone's here. But it's big, Jen. Really big."

"Big in a good way?" asks Jen, and her stomach twists a little when Wyatt hesitates before nodding. "That didn't look like you're very sure."

"It's...it's a good thing. Just -" Abruptly, Wyatt stands up. Motions behind Jen, gives a small little grin. "Here comes Caitlyn! Think she has the others with her?"

Twisting around in the stiff cafeteria chair, Jen suddenly finds her face pressed into a bright pink shirt. A shrill giggle, and then Caitlyn is dropping into the seat beside Jen, all long legs and perfect white teeth.

"Guess who got a raise today," she sings, clapping her hands together.

Jen grins and, when no one else joins the table and there's no sign of Wyatt telling his little secret early, reaches over and claps Caitlyn on the shoulder. "That's great! I told you that taking those extra shifts would pay off!"

"Like, you were totally right. As soon as Nikki gets off work, she's going to take me to this new shop that opened up across from the Khaki Barn and help me pick out a new night gown for tonight." Caitlyn giggles and then waves at Wyatt, curling just her fingers when she does.

Wyatt rolls his eyes but waves back. It looks like he's just going to have to wait longer for his announcement. Odd enough, he isn't the least bit upset about it.

-x-x-x-

Jude crosses his arms over his chest, leans back against the wall of the men's restroom. "Dude, I'm thinking that you're startin' to go a little over board with all this sneakin' around and stuff."

A tee-shirt smacks him in the face. It smells like burrito's, salsa, and perfume. A pair of dark jeans follow, and then a name tag. Jonesy doesn't bother to justify himself, knows that he really can't. Just keeps rooting through his backpack for his clean shirt.

"I mean it, bro. It's getting a little bit weird," says Jude, picking the discarded shirt up between two fingers and holding it away from himself. "Did you go to the taco stand without me?"

"Yep," answers Jonesy, finally straightening up, tugging on a clean shirt. It's dark and collared and freshly starched, like nothing else that he owns or wears. "Went there for lunch today."

A huff. Jude's lower lip jutts out in an obvious pout, voice very close to being a whine. "Without me?"

Jonesy shakes out his white slacks, stepping into them one leg at a time. "That's what I just said. I stopped by Stick It but you weren't there."

"So you went without me?" says Jude, again.

Rolling his eyes, Jonesy takes a moment to tuck his shirt in, to adjust the collar. He runs his hand through his ruffled hair, offers his reflection a winning smile. "You're going to cover for me still, right?"

Because he can't actually tell the others where he's going.

Can't say why he has to miss their get together, again.

Can't bring himself to admit it.

Just can't.

His smile falters, threatens to break. Jonesy rubs his hand over his face, looks at the reflection of his best friend in the mirror. Jude looks dissapointed, and he isn't entirely sure whether it's over the missed Mexican food or because he has to relay another message to their friend.

Jonesy also doesn't wait around long enough to find out.

-x-x-x-

The storm rolls in sometime around two o'clock, loud and dark. Rain beats down on the roof of the mall, drowning out the music that normally plays. Thunder rumbles close over head, and Nikki gives a loud sigh, leans an arm on the top of the counter.

She can just barely make out a blonde head bobbing around behind the nearby sales rack, the only sign that Caitlyn hasn't already taken off. Most of the customers have. In fact, all of the other customers have.

"This is so stupid." Nikki's words are loud, meant to drift through the store and catch the attention of the other three employee's.

If they hear her, they don't bother giving an answer.

Caitlyn does, though, holding up a bright pink tee shirt. "Tell me about it! This shirt is so not worth twenty dollars!"

"Nothing in this store is worth twenty dollars," snaps Nikki. "Everything in here is just the same crap we sold in the Spring but in different colors!"

A beat of silence. A magazine slaps Nikki in the back of the head and she's met with a glare from Kristen. "Don't diss the Summer collection, Nikki."

Another clap of thunder. Nikki scowls, slinks down even further against the counter. Watches through narrowed eyes as Kristen moves to join Caitlyn at the clearence rack, cheerfully directing the blonde to a light green tank top.

She doesn't think that she's ever hated this job more.

"Hey, brah."

Never mind. Nikki knows that she's never hated this job more. Glancing over her shoulder, she's met with the sight of Jude, a bag that obviously isn't his slung over one shoulder. "Why are you carrying around Jonesy's gym clothes?"

"It's a real funny story. See, we were out-"

"I don't really want to know," says Nikki, holding up one hand to signal her friend to stop. "Just tell me what stupid excuse he's giving us this time."

Jude grins, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Jonesy wants me to tell you that he can't come to the sleep over tonight because he has to help measure his neighbor's grass."

-x-x-x-

It's still storming when the small group finally manages to make it to Jude's house. They don't question the location of her parents, never do, never will, but make themselves at home in the living room.

Hey, hey.

Lightning flashes, illuminating the otherwise dark house.

My, my.

Jude stretches out on the couch, feet brushing against Jen's shoulders.

In this life, we fight and lie.

The power has been out for near an hour.

Only one truth rings out clear.

The only sound is the soft chords of Wyatt's guitar.

Gotta stand up tall or dissapear.

And then there's more.

Can't look back, can't turn around.

It's as though the storm has moved into the room with them.

Hold your ground.

The shadows grow thick and heavy, as though you could reach out and take hold of them. Jen bolts up from her spot on the couch, scrambling to get her phone out of her pockets and add some light to the room.

Don't back down.

"What's going on?" asks Wyatt, letting his fingers slip away from the guitar strings. Vaguely, he thinks that maybe it's a good thing Jonesy skipped out on them. The older boy doesn't like this sort of darkness, after all.

No one answers. They're all too focused on the shape suddenly taking form in the center of the room. It's white and black all at once, flickering in and out of reality, reaching one hand towards the couch, towards Jude, fingers stretching out until they are almost touching his face.

Caitlyn screams. Nikki grabs at something, the remote control, and flings it at the shape.

There's a low noise, like an animal growling. Outside, the wind picks up, ripping at the branches of the anciant oak tree. The shape recoils - and then it bursts, sending sparks of that strange black light in all directions and it isn't just Caitlyn screaming but all of them.

A spark slams into Wyatt's chest. There's a moment where he is horribly aware of his blood coarsing through his veins.

Then the darkness swallows him and he knows nothing.