Chapter Two

In my beginning is my end.
-George Eliot

Jenny had thought she would be able to leave on Saturday with a reasonably cheerful face. She was wrong. As she stood in the airport that morning amid a crowd of harassed-looking travelers, she was finding it difficult to hold back tears. And since crying was the one thing she hated above all else, she was furious that she had to make an extra effort to choke back that annoying wetness.

Up until then, everything had gone as planned. She had checked and rechecked her list the previous night, making sure all toiletries and necessary papers were in place. She had experienced traveler's panic by waking up at 3 AM, thinking she had forgotten to pack her graphite sticks (she hadn't). In the morning, her mother had prepared a "farewell breakfast" with all her favorites (Lucky Charms with blueberries, and toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar). She had said a regretful goodbye to Cat, who afterwards snuck into her luggage, and almost succeeded in escaping with her, until he sneezed and was promptly removed by her amused father. Then there was the drive to the airport, with Jenny smashed in the backseat of her parents' minivan between Melissa and a sulking Kristen. She had been feeling, for the most part, pretty damn good.

But now, Jenny was being passed around the circle of family and friend in a daze, so quickly she could scarcely breath. She was squeezed and embraced by her younger, squirming siblings; had her hand formally shaken by her older sister; was fussed over by her anxious mother; hugged and sobbed all over by Melissa; and lifted off the ground in a bear hug by her father.

"Really, I'll be okay," she choked out after escaping from him, trying to look brave as she stepped back and bent to pick up her carry-on backpack.

"Jenny, we'll miss you!" a chorus of voices called out as she walked away, making her falter and look back for a final wave. Her heart was thumping uneasily, and despite a desire to run back to them and call the whole thing off, Jenny turned and forced herself to stand in line for security. She could do this. She could.

The metal detector beeped her three times as she went through, so she was treated to a pat down by a burly-looking woman with a moustache. Once convinced that she wasn't carrying a bomb or otherwise sharp objects, Jenny was allowed to go, and she scurried ahead with relief. Somehow, she made it onto the plane and walked to her seat, painfully realizing that this would be the last time she'd be able to exercise her legs for almost a day. She found her aisle seat, plopped down and craned her neck to watch the weary airport employees hurrying outside her window.

She felt more than a little overwhelmed. It was all happening so fast. She'd had half a year of preparation, but now felt as if the situation had been dumped on her within minutes. She was leaving the town she'd grown up in, and even though she had thought she'd be ecstatic, her heart was slightly sick. Was this the end, then, of everything she had known?

But when she thought about Brian Dirkson's sneer and meaty head, she felt much better.

"Do you mind switching seats?" The voice came suddenly, loud and clear and Jenny jumped as she was torn from her thoughts. She looked up and felt her eyes widen when she saw who had addressed her.

Standing before her was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen. Jenny tried not to stare, but she had never before seen a person look so much like she naturally belonged on the cover of Vogue. The girl had long shiny hair of the brightest gold that fell straight down from a middle part to just below her waist, framing her body with a long, glorious curtain of hair. Her features were delicate and perfectly carved, even though her nose might have been a little too small for her face. The perfectly applied makeup only accentuated the natural beauty she was already blessed with. And she had purple eyes: that was the coolest part. So bright and shiny that Jenny was sure they were natural rather than colored contacts.

Jenny couldn't help feeling a little jealous. Who wouldn't after being faced with a mortal Aphrodite? She blushed suddenly, feeling stupid for staring so long, but the girl didn't seem to mind. She was clearly used to it.

And what had she said? Jenny had forgotten. Now she cleared her throat, and mumbled, "Pardon?"

The girl tilted her head and smiled. "Would you mind switching seats?" she asked again, and Jenny noticed that she spoke with a British accent. "My ticket shows I have the window seat and I'm dreadfully afraid of heights. So, if you don't mind…"

"Oh, sure." Jenny slid over to the window happily. She was glad the girl had offered, for she had been planning on asking anyway. The British girl put her duffel bag in the compartment above their heads before sitting down and turning to stare at Jenny, unabashedly, intently. Her searching gaze made Jenny uncomfortable, and she racked her brain for something to say that wouldn't sound childish or offending, but nothing came to mind. She quickly discovered that she didn't have to, for the girl had a mouth of her own.

"Are you a virgin?" she asked curiously, casually.

Jenny flushed. "Excuse me?"

The girl shrugged and absentmindedly ran her right hand through her long shiny hair. "It's just a question. I'm trying to make conversation. I thought Americans were supposed to be frightfully blunt." When Jenny stared at her in shocked silence, the girl started laughing, something that deeply annoyed Jenny and made her turn to look out the window indignantly.

Seeing she wasn't amused, the girl stopped laughing and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. Well, okay. Maybe I did. Sometimes people don't get my sense of humor. You really shouldn't pay attention to anything I say."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jenny told her coolly and continued glaring at the runway, wondering when the plane was going to take off. If this was what she had to endure for hours, then she wanted to get it over with. Fast.

The girl sighed. "Okay, that began badly. Let's start over. Hello, my name is Alyson Dunam." Jenny shot her a sideways glance and saw a warm smile and an open hand. Her anger died, and she took it.

"Jennifer Thomas. Jenny."

"Ah, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Alyson asked sweetly and Jenny found herself smiling back.

"No. I guess not. So, you're from…"

"London," Alyson told her flippantly. "Do you like musical theatre?"

Jenny frowned at the non sequitar. "I…"

"It's my passion. I'm going to be a singer someday, you know, whether my father approves or not. He thinks I should be concentrating on choosing a 'real' career. Please! I'm only sixteen! Have you ever been to New York City?"

Jenny gaped open-mouthed at her. She wasn't sure how to take this excitable English creature who flitted so easily from topic to topic. She decided to politely shake her head.

"No? Well, you should. That's where I flew here from. I had quite a layover and went to see Rent. It was fantastic! My father would freak if he knew. He wanted me to stay in the airport like a good little girl." She laughed harshly. "Daddy always expects me to misbehave. That's the only reason I do it. He's punishing me by making me fly second class… oh! Not that I mind sitting by you! That's not what I meant at all." She peered at Jenny worriedly, who only shook her head, mildly bemused.

She decided to change to subject. "So, why are you going to Japan?" Jenny was sure this was a safe subject, but Alyson scowled and shook her head.

"I'm an exchange student. I'm almost glad I'm escaping."

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Almost? You mean you don't want to go?"

"Of course not!" Alyson cried, her violet eyes flashing annoyance, not at Jenny but the situation. "I was supposed to go to Hong Kong, but somehow my application got screwed up and they're sending me to Tokyo. Bastards. I suppose my father could have fixed things if he wanted, but he's making me go anyway. He thinks it'll be a good life experience."

Alyson shook her head furiously, "And I don't speak a word of Japanese, beyond sayonara, I guess. I speak Chinese because my best friend moved to London from Taiwan, but Japanese? Forget it." She sighed and shot a sideways look at Jenny, who was staring her, wide-eyed. Unexpectedly, she laughed.

"You should see yourself! Well, you know my life story, how about yours?"

"There's not that much to tell," Jenny said with a blush, feeling embarrassed for not being more interesting. But Alyson simply shrugged and started prattling about musicals again. And by the time the plane took off, Jenny was smiling. She had decided that the flight might not be so bad, after all.

0 0 0

The morning that the exchange student was due to arrive was absolute chaos for the Tsukino family. For once, Usagi had woken up early and that was enough to start a catalyst of events going backwards. Breakfast was a disaster. The toast burned; Luna got coffee spilled on her tail and raced from the room, hissing; and Shingo suddenly came down with the flu. Usagi watched him suspiciously as she tried to choke down the blackened toast without crying. He seemed sincere enough as he groaned, and their mother nervously fluttered around him with a thermometer and a cold cloth.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Tsukino moaned as she checked the thermometer. "It's over one hundred and two. I can't let him go. I'll have to stay with him." Shingo made no objection, due mostly to the fact that he had fallen asleep in his cereal.

"It's okay, Mama," Usagi assured her. "Papa and I will go. Thomas-san will understand." Her mother nodded, although a little uneasily.

Seconds later, Mr. Tsukino furiously rushed into the kitchen. "The car isn't working!" he cried so loudly that his children winced and a recently returned Luna jumped three feet into the air before again racing from the room. Mrs. Tsukino hurried over to him, muttering soothingly, but he was beyond calming.

"I tried to start it three times, but the engine is dead. Why today of all days!"

"Now, dear, I'm sure that if you try it again…" his wife started but was cut off by the shrill ringing of the telephone. Mr. Tsukino, enraged by the interruption, grabbed the telephone from the receiver and yelled, "WHAT!" His wife winced and wrung her hands, upset at her husband's rude greeting.

"You want who?" he was yelling, turning purple. He glared at Usagi and said, "It's a boy! Why would a boy be calling you?" He turned back to the receiver and demanded, "Who are you?" but Usagi had already grabbed the receiver from him before the stunned person on the other end had a chance to answer.

"Yes?"

"Usako, I'm sorry if this is a bad time," the boy said apologetically and she recognized Mamoru's voice. She shot a worried look at her father, who was still fuming, and let out an uneasy laugh.

Usagi had to think amazingly fast. She choked out, "Oh, sensei, hello!" Mamoru's silence on the other end was so long that she babbled more. "Oh, yes. I am going to apply myself in school this year. Thank you for asking." She looked again at her father, who was starting to calm down, and now seemed embarrassed by his outburst at "sensei."

"Usako, what are you talking about?" Mamoru asked, bewildered. "I was just calling to wish you good luck today. Is everything alright?"

"Actually no," Usagi sighed, taking the risk of speaking honestly. "The car is broken and we're supposed to pick up our exchange student in a few hours."

"Can you take a taxi?"

"I don't know. I suppose we may have to."

Another pause, and then Mamoru said, "I could give you a ride. I have nothing else to do today."

"Oh, would you?" Usagi exclaimed gratefully, but when she saw her father watching her, she gulped. He was calm now, but she could imagine his face when "sensei" drove up in his snazzy red car. He knew Mamoru wasn't a teacher of hers, and she didn't want another taste of his temper this early.

"Sure, that would be wonderful," she added half-heartedly and swallowed. "Could you hold on a minute?" She held the receiver away from her ear and looked at her father. "Um… sensei said he's going to the airport, too, and can give one of us a ride. He has two extra seats, and one of them needs to be saved for Thomas-san."

"That's very kind of him," Mr. Tsukino said. "Tell him I'll be waiting out front."

Usagi sweat-dropped. "Well… he wants to talk to me about… um, studying. So I need to go. It's okay, really, Papa," she said quickly as he started to look suspicious. "I'll go."

But Mr. Tsukino was already shaking his head. "Let me try starting the car again, and then we'll decide if you go." He stomped out to the garage, his wife at his heels, and Usagi sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry," she said miserably to Mamoru, "but my parents were right there. Papa isn't comfortable with me talking to boys."

"I guessed," Mamoru said dryly. "So, do you need a ride?"

But before she could answer, the call waiting beeped. It was Naru, sounding desperate and breathless. Her cousin, Christine, was arriving from France that day, but her mother had caught the same flu as Shingo, and was too weary to move. She sounded a little embarrassed about asking for a ride, knowing Usagi's family was due to pick up their exchange student. But Usagi confirmed the arrangement with a somewhat reluctant Mamoru, and Naru sounded a great deal cheerier when she hung up.

Just when Usagi was relieved to finally be able to talk to her boyfriend, the call waiting beeped again. She put a mystified Mamoru on hold, and sighed, "Hello?"

"It's Rei," the speaker on the other end said. "I'm calling to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" Usagi asked wearily. She already felt she couldn't get to the airport soon enough.

"I have a bad feeling. Something is going to happen today. I've been getting very strange readings from the sacred fire that I don't understand, but I think something Evil is coming." This put a stop to Usagi's unpleasant thoughts, for Rei's fire readings were rarely wrong.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, no. Something is clouding my vision. It's mostly instinct that's bothering me. I have a terrible feeling about today, and I want you to promise to be on guard."

Usagi calmed. As long as it wasn't concrete proof, she wasn't going to concern herself. Not when she had a fun day with Mamoru and her new "sister" ahead of her. "Okay, I'll be on the lookout," she agreed, only to appease her friend.

"Promise me you'll be careful, Usagi-chan," Rei begged, and Usagi raised a surprised eyebrow. She had rarely heard Rei sound so concerned.

"I promise. But really, what could happen? Mamo-chan will be with me."

"As if that's a consolation," Rei said, and before Usagi could say anything, she cried, "Have fun!" and hung up.

Usagi switched back to Mamoru, now fuming. "Anything wrong?" he asked, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Rei's warning had been undoubtedly strange, but she decided there was no need to make him worry. He liked making a big deal over little things, and she wanted the day to be a success.

"I'm okay. I'll meet you at the end of the block. Papa would have a heart attack if you picked me up at the house." And then with a final goodbye, Usagi hung up, telling herself she was doing the right thing by keeping it to herself. What could possibly happen, after all?

0 0 0

The walkway was empty. Good. She had made sure of that. There were no private areas at a busy airport, and sometimes one had to take drastic measures if solitude was needed. And it was. Oh, yes. Her spell demanded absolute silence.

It hadn't been difficult to make the entrance invisible. A rather simple spell actually, although she expected people would be confused when they couldn't find Gate H-12. It didn't matter. They would have to wait, for this was a matter of life and death. She smiled then. Mostly death, but that didn't matter either, for it wouldn't be hers. For being the one to free the creature, she was sure to be immune.

Humming to herself, she set about her work. First, was the circle of protection. It wouldn't be very smart, after all, to free the Evil without any kind of container. The power could very well destroy the airport, or try to possess her mind. That was unnecessary. She could be wicked enough without interference.

She carefully positioned five candles around her and muttered incantations of the Old World until each burst into a brilliant golden flame. When she sprinkled a white powder from the jar beside her on the flames, they turned black. A breathless giggle escaped her throat. She had been planning and dreaming of this for so long, and everything was going as planned.

Next, was the mirror. She silently removed it from her handbag and gazed down at the silvery surface. Yes, the mirror was vital in the spell. It would have been easier to smash the original, but she preferred not having to go through the trouble of obtaining it from the Neptune princess. Any mirror charged with dark energy would do, and besides, she was busy with other preparations and didn't have that kind of time or energy to spare.

She murmured a few more words and the mirror lazily floated off her hands and hovered, waiting to be consumed by the spell. In ecstasy, she closed her eyes and concentrated the energy onto her hands. She spoke the final words patiently in a chant, each time growing more insistent as she waited for the energy to build. Finally, she felt a sudden cold heat and opened her eyes with a gasp. There, on her hands, burned an icy blue flame. Her chanting grew louder and more excited as she watched. For a minute, nothing happened. Then, the floating mirror began to smoke.

Her body was buzzing in exhilaration, and although it was becoming difficult to breathe, she dared not stop her chanting. She rose her voice to be heard over the howling flames, flickering in the cool wind, until finally a dark shape spewed from the mirror, making the object shatter. She sat back, gasping in exhaustion. Her hands were burned and bleeding now, but she was satisfied, for she had fulfilled her purpose.

The dark shape that she had released was furiously moving around the circle, trying to escape, but her spell was too strong. Only for now. Once the creature regained its full power, one touch would be enough to kill her. Far from making her shake, the thought amused her.

Slowly, the dark mass was becoming stronger, more intelligent, and eventually it stopped aimlessly swirling above her head and hovered, considering. She felt that it was watching her, and bowed her head with respect.

"My Lord Ahriman, I have helped you escape," she said gravely. "I am, as ever, your servant to command."

The creature's laughter echoed throughout the terminal.

0 0 0

Christine's plane was arriving first, so they went with Naru to wait, although Usagi glanced nervously at the clock every few minutes. Naru, normally very composed, looked pale as she anxiously scanned the arriving crowd for a familiar face. She hadn't seen her cousin in years, and when Mamoru asked what the French girl looked like, she had only the vaguest description to give from her aunt and uncle's letters: fourteen, and very naughty.

Naru was nervously eyeing a girl in a leather miniskirt with a spiky collar around her neck when a small girl with curly purple hair and smiling gray eyes walked right up to them and held out her hand. Needless to say, Naru was quite surprised, for rather than the Hell's Angel she had been expecting, Christine looked like a sweet little do-gooder who wouldn't hurt a flea.

Seeing the stupefied look on her cousin's face, Christine laughed, and said, "I'm not what you were expecting, am I?" in perfect Japanese, while Naru shook her head, bewildered. From the pink ribbon tying her hair back to the Winnie the Pooh t-shirt she wore, Christine didn't look even mildly threatening.

But Naru greeted her cousin enthusiastically and introduced her to Usagi and Mamoru. They started speaking, and after a little prompting, Christine revealed that her only sin, as far as she knew, was having a boyfriend four years older. Her ultra-conservative parents had become concerned by the amount of time she spent with him, and decided that the only way to save her soul was to send her across the globe, away from him. Christine smiled as she explained, but there was a bitter and lonely look in her eyes, showing that she, for one, was not pleased with the new living arrangements.

Naru cooed her sympathy, but Christine smiled and shook her head. "We promised each other not to worry about it. A year isn't that long."

She seemed to be trying to convince herself, and in distraction, added, "Can we get my luggage now?"

"In a minute. We have to pick up someone else first. Usagi-chan's American exchange student. Where is she arriving?" Naru looked imploringly at Usagi, who sweatdropped and shrugged helplessly.

"How should I know? I'm terrible with directions."

Mamoru sighed and scratched his head. "I'll ask at that desk over there. The plane is coming from Los Angeles, right?" But he never got the chance, for as he started walking away, the screaming began.

Usagi felt all color drain from her face at the sound. Lights flickered overhead, and a roaring like the sound of an tornado came rushing down the corridor. People all around them were gasping and clutching one another nervously, and above the horrible rushing wind came a voice from the loudspeaker, desperately calling, "Please stay calm, everyone! We have a slight disturbance in the east wing. There is no… need… to… panic."

From the noise, Usagi thought that everyone should clearly be panicking. What could it be? She bit her lip in quick determination. There was really only one way to find out. She caught Mamoru's blue eyes and he nodded, knowing what she was thinking.

"Stay here. We'll be back in a minute," he ordered Naru and Christine, who were holding each other in a mixture of fear and confusion.

"But Usagi-chan, what…?"

"Just one minute, please. We'll be right back," Usagi said hurriedly and took off running in the direction where the worst screaming was concentrated. She looked over at Mamoru, running beside her, and gasped, "What do you suppose…?"

"I don't know, but it's nothing good," he answered, and started faster. Usagi clenched her fists and followed. Thank you, Rei-chan, she thought bitterly. Why do you always have to be right?

The roaring intensified and Usagi had to push herself to keep up with Mamoru. No, this was definitely not good.

0 0 0

At about the same time Naru found her cousin, Jenny and Alyson were leaving their own plane with relief. "Oh," Alyson moaned as she dragged her feet. "I can walk. It's a miracle." She started hopping absently to get rid of the pins and needles racing through her half-numbed feet.

Jenny retrieved the picture of the Tsukino family from her backpack and scanned the waiting area. None of the anxious faces around her were familiar. "My family isn't here yet," she said with disappointment, and Alyson narrowed her eyes as she also looked around.

"Neither is mine. They're going to be holding a sign with a tiger on it. I guess it's supposed to be cute because their last name means tiger, or something," Alyson muttered, not looking in the least amused.

"Well, that's okay." Jenny put the photo in the front pocket of her backpack. "We can talk longer."

"We can talk in school," Alyson said and winced. "Right now I really have to find the loo." The girls had been delighted to discover on the plane that they were enrolled at the same school, and Alyson had already announced her plans to stick to Jenny like a burr so she could translate for her. Jenny had agreed with enthusiasm, which was a good thing, because Alyson would have left her little choice, anyway.

Jenny smiled and rolled her eyes. "I told you to go on the plane. Don't you ever listen to good advice?"

"No. It was scary in there. You never know if the plane is going to crash while you're doing your business. And it was smelly. I'm perfectly fine being the first to try out the Japanese toilet. Want to come?"

"I should wait for my host family," Jenny declined and shook her head. "You go."

Alyson pursed her lips together. "Okay, but don't leave yet. I want to find out where you live first. Oh, and if you see people with a tiger sign, can you make them wait for me?"

"Sure," Jenny said and smiled as she stepped aside. "Have fun."

Alyson groaned and gave her a look that clearly showed she thought that unlikely, and when she left, Jenny walked around the waiting area with a laugh. Usually, she didn't immediately bond with people, but knew that Alyson was going to become a good friend. Overall, she was pleased that her new life in Japan was starting out so well.

Minutes passed and still the Tsukino family didn't show. Jenny kept right on circling the waiting room, trying to keep her face neutral so that no one could see how nervous this was making her. Her legs were so thankful to be standing that she couldn't bring herself to sit.

Jenny paced the room a total of thirteen times before she realized that something was wrong. Nothing overt, really, just a feeling of something not being right. She paused, her senses prickling. Yes, she felt it… a kind of humming energy in the air. If she really stretched her ears, she could pick out a faint wailing in the distance. A lost child, she told herself uneasily, but wasn't entirely convinced. There was something almost… inhuman about it. Nervously, she looked over her shoulder, but of course there was nothing.

Jenny laughed at herself. She had way too much imagination to handle. What did she expect to see, Frankenstein's monster? She shook her head and finally went to sit in one of the plastic chairs, wondering why it was taking so long for the Tsukino family to arrive. Maybe they were caught in traffic. Jenny didn't know anything about traffic in Japan, but since Tokyo was a large city, she decided it was likely.

That was when she heard the voice.

If one could call that unearthly whisper a voice. Jenny's head shot up and her spine prickled at the sound. It was soft, a low rumble in a language she didn't recognize. She cocked her head slightly, trying to understand, but it was definitely not Japanese or English. The sound was repeating in a strange rhythm; it would go for a few seconds, fade and then stop entirely for a moment before restarting in a rich baritone. This repeated until Jenny thought her skin would melt right off her bones in fright.

Feeling a little foolish, Jenny looked around, but no one else seemed to notice anything unusual. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Now was not the time to start hearing voices. How ironic… she had told Melissa that she would go crazy if she stayed in San Mantego, but maybe living in another country would make her truly insane.

She was trying to reassure herself that it was nothing but her jet-lagged brain playing tricks on her when the wall behind her exploded.

Jenny leapt up with a shriek and rushed forward, half running, half being pushed by the panicking crowd. Well, at least I'm not crazy, she thought, trying to be optimistic despite the pit in her stomach. She was a safe distance from the smoke when she suddenly gasped and stopped, very pale.

"My backpack," she moaned and tried to struggle free from the squirming crowd. Irrational though it may be, she couldn't leave it. Inside was her sketchbook and many of her art supplies, like the pastels and watercolors. To her, they were more precious than gold, and if it meant being burned alive, she had to save them.

Escaping from a mass of panicking people was difficult, but Jenny managed to free herself from the screaming, writhing crowd and dashed back to the waiting area. Mom, please forgive me, she thought desperately, but I can't leave my art stuff. I just can't!

The smoke overwhelmed her eyes, and she coughed as she tried to see through it. Luckily, no one was lying around hurt, but the area itself was a disaster, with chairs, papers and luggage strewn all around. There was no fire, despite all the heavy, black smoke concentrated in a blob at the ceiling, smelling of sulfur and burnt flesh. Resisting the urge to gag, Jenny dashed into the rubble and frantically pushed aside debris, coughing and choking until she found her backpack.

Almost crying with relief, Jenny picked it up and brushed the dust away. It looked alright, a little dirty, but undamaged. She swung it onto her back, much happier. But her good feelings only lasted a moment, for suddenly the air was filled with the roaring that often accompanies the absolute sound of disaster, and Jenny heard the voice again. Not whispering this time: speaking loudly, demanding attention.

And, she had a chilling feeling that it was directed at her.

Jenny decided to run. Fast. She was about to take off after the retreating crowd, when she glanced up at the ceiling and froze. The smoke, she discovered, was not smoke at all, but rather a huge black thing floating near the ceiling. It was pulsing with life, almost a heartbeat, and with every second it was growing larger.

Her mouth dropped open. No, it wasn't getting bigger. The thing was coming closer. Jenny felt her body shake with fear as it floated towards her. She edged backwards. The deep voice was speaking more softly now, almost a gentle caress, but just as deep and alien. Jenny wanted to scream. She wanted to run away to safety, but couldn't seem to tear her eyes from the giant shape coming closer.

Her back hit against a wall and she felt a sudden panic when she realized that she was trapped. The black thing rushed forward and swelled around her until she was completely cornered. Her backpack slid from her shoulder and hit the ground with a thud, but she didn't care anymore. Forget her art… what good would it do her if she was going to die?

A soft wind came from the thing as it pulsed. Jenny was too frightened to make a sound. The voice continued speaking the strange language to her, louder, but this time it trailed off with a drawn-out moan of… sorrow? Jenny sucked in her breath, confusion mingling with her terror. There was a faint sound like weeping in the midst of the howling wind, but this didn't lesson her fear. Especially when a long black arm formed in the smoke and reached for her.

Oh my God, Jenny thought in wonder. I really am going to die.

But instead of strangling her like she was sure it would, the hand reached higher and she felt a strange tingling sensation along her jaw line. It was touching her. Jenny trembled as the strange coolness swept over her cheek. Why was it doing that? Why not just kill her and get it over with? She felt angry at the creature for drawing out her death.

And then in one second, everything changed. Jenny wasn't afraid anymore. It wasn't going to kill her. She didn't know why the bastard was hovering there, stroking her cheek, but she'd had enough. Carefully, she tried to step away, but another arm formed from the black mass and shoved her against the wall, pinning her shoulders back so she couldn't move.

Okay, this was really not good.

Jenny swallowed and tried to look at the black thing without crying. The howling wind had blown the hair tie from her ponytail, and her red hair was now sweeping across her face. The thing started touching her again, and as Jenny stared at it in numb shock, she understood what it was saying. She didn't know how, but suddenly among the rambling words she recognized three. She wasn't sure if they were spoken in Japanese, English or even Swahili, but she knew the meaning.

Come with me.

At this, Jenny opened her mouth and finally gained the courage to scream.