Xana speaks up. "Do you need help?" I nod, barely, to keep that man from shooting me. "Please, anything!" A strange feeling takes hold of my body, the same one from earlier. Atilea watches in horror as my body tenses up, then I relax...my eyes close and I become lost in my own mind.

Atilea's POV

Jeremie relaxes, head bowing down, becoming limp. A long sigh echoes throughout the room as the policeman approaches him. I watch, useless in the situation. "Come on, son. We need to talk about what happened to your friend."

"No," growls a deep voice, twisted in many ways. A blend of Xana and Jeremie, it probably was. "Come on, kid! We need to interrogate you!" "NO!" screams the voice. Jeremie grabs the man's wrist and zaps him lightly, then runs off. I take off after him, flying as fast as I can.

He glares up at me, eyes blank, yet full of malice. Jeremie's hand snakes out and grabs my arm. "Ow! Let me go!" I yell, as his nails dig into my skin. A white liquid secretes from the small cut in my arm. "I know it's you, Xana!" He stops cold.

"You...you aren't supposed to know...! Tell me how you know!" demands that same voice, from within Jer's body. "I know everything there is to know about my protégé!" I yell, yanking my arm free and examining the wound. Nothing serious, it would heal by itself.

Suddenly Jeremie slumps to his knees and closes his eyes. A small wisp of black leaves his body and floats off into the air, where it disappears. "Jeremie, are you ok?" I ask, gliding down and landing on the ground. His eyes open and blink a few times. "What happened?"

"Xana saved you, Jeremie," I whisper, pulling him to his feet. "We have to find Odd and Ulrich, ok?" He nods, looking slightly confused, as if in a stupor. "Jeremie?" I wave a hand in front of his face. "Jeremie?" "Huh?" Glasses go off and he rubs his eyes. "Yeah, ok..."

Jeremie's POV

We walk through the factory, looking for Odd and Ulrich. My head hurts, pounding hard, unrelenting. "Odd, are you here?" Atilea calls. "Odd? Ulrich?" I follow suit. "Hello, are you guys here?"

"There you are!" yells Odd's voice, as he runs over to us. I gasp as Atilea looks startled. "What? What is it?" I point to a piece of reflecting light. Odd looks in it. His hair is getting a little darker, and he's gotten a little smaller. "Odd...you're taking on Ulrich's characteristics!" Atilea yells.

"Who was that?!" demands Odd, turning around. Atilea waves before coming up from behind me, her dusky wings flapping. "My name is Atilea, I'm Jeremie's guardian angel." She flicks her thumb in my general direction. "We'd better get out of here."

We walk through that field, Ulrich's body missing from its 'grave' or whatever that is. "He may be at the morgue," Atilea sighs. Odd goes blank for a second. "No. Something is wrong-very wrong!" growls Ulrich's voice, as we go to that school thing and into a big room.

"Yumi! Do you know where Ulrich is?" "Uh, no..." she mumbles. "But he's dead, right?" Yumi shakes her head. "Actually, Ulrich's wandering around outside." Odd's expression turns to horrified. "WHAT?!" yells Ulrich's voice, as Odd's body dashes out. "But..." I follow, panting hard. "It has to be Xana!"

"It's not me!" yells a voice, coming from within my body. Odd stops and turns, shocked. "Jeremie...you-?" asks Ulrich, eyes wide. "No, Xana, idiot!" the voice hisses. "You're right. Something is very wrong. I cannot comprehend it, but something is out of the ordinary."

There's Ulrich's body! Odd grabs it by the wrist and yanks it backwards. "Wait a sec!" Xana yells at them. It bites Odd on the hand. "Ouch! Oh no!" yell both Odd and Ulrich, at the same time. A change creeps over them. Xana mentally cringes in my head. "Jeremie, run. Now," he growls at me.

I run, run for my life. A split second later, Odd/Ulrich are after me, looking...different somehow. "Gah! This stinks! I'm always being chased!" I yell, a different feeling taking hold of me. "Jeremie, it's a zombie," Xana informs me plaintively. "Well, what do those do?" "They bite you, get ahold of your will. You don't want that to happen."

"You'll protect me like Atilea, won't you?" I ask. "Um..." Xana has a hint of nervousness in his voice as I ram into someone and fall down. "Aelita!" "Jeremie, what's going on?" she asks, scared. "Zombies! Odd and Ulrich are one, Aelita. Xana told me!" She gives me a strange look.

Hot pain slashes through my right arm as something bites me. I look down to see nothing there-perhaps it was gone already. "Agh!" My head goes into my hands. "Jeremie!" Aelita yelps, as I grope for her hand. "Shut up!" Xana yells at her. "Jeremie will be fine...but...I WON'T!"

"Xa-Xana...?" she stammers, frightened. I take off running, dragging Aelita with me. "Don't look ba-AAAAGH!!!!!!" screams Xana, in unknown depths of pain. "Aelita, run!" I command, another shriek of agony bursting forward from my body.

"Aelita...we need full cooperation..." Xana pants, after another round of blistering pain. His voice drips in a strange feeling...like the feeling of things jumping in your stomach. "But...how?" she asks. My left hand, as if controlled, points to my right-to the sign on it. Aelita's eyes widen. "P-possession?" she squeaks out.

"It's the only way!" I yell at her. Her hand grips mine tight for a second, then relaxes. She slows down. "Ok. Do it. But if you do anything to my body, Xana..." she growls. "OK, I UNDERSTAND!" yells his voice.

My shadow begins to move. It rips itself off the floor and engulfs Aelita, before disappearing into her chest. She jerks spasmodically, but settles down after a few seconds. "Jeremie, we've got to get going," commands both Aelita and Xana in my head. "Ok." We take off again, Aelita dragging me this time.

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Preview of next chapter:
"Ulrich, knock it off!" I yell, furious. The zombie turns and glares at me. "Why should I stop for a pitiful being like yourself?" I stop cold. How could I keep him from hurting others?

And then an idea strikes me.