I immediately begin skating, as fast as I can.

I use shortcuts and longcuts until I make it home.

My home isn't much, just a two-story house my parents and I share.

I walk into the house, panting.

Did I lose him? Hopefully…

I notice all the lights are out, as though my parents decided to go to bed early.

I walk up the stairs, looking around warily.

When I enter my room, I close the door behind me and sigh.

"Nice try, kid," a voice says.

Even without the glasses, I can tell Omega-Xis is right next to me, his mouth near my ear.

I put on the glasses.

I then walk over to my bed and say, "You weren't supposed to follow!"

"Technically, I am," Omega-Xis says, looking around as he enters into the room, "Because I bound myself to you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I say, tossing a pillow at Omega-Xis, to no avail.

"Meaning I'm supposed to stay with you until you die or I die, whichever comes first," the AM-ian says, "and we can EM Wave Change."

"EM Wave what?" I say, thinking that maybe this is all a dream.

"We fuse together to beat up viruses," Omega-Xis says, "but with this new…'virus-enslaving' system, we can just zip around and do whatever."

"And I'm supposed to believe all that?" I say, "Even the fusing part, no matter how weird it sounds?"

Omega-Xis nods and says, "Listen, Layla, I had a partner nearly like you. Stubborn, unbelieving at first…hopefully you don't live the same way he did."

"Like what?" I say angrily, "My parents are having another child, I go to school like any other person, and in general I'm having a great life until you show up!"

To my surprise, Omega-Xis rolls his eyes and says, "You're getting annoying, and quickly. All I'm supposed to do is protect something, and you have the same EM waves as I do. It's for that reason only that I'm joining you."

"Protecting something?" I ask, "What?"

"Something that my partner died for," Omega-Xis says, "and that some FM-ians are going to want back, badly."

"FM-ians?" I ask, "What's the difference?"

"Many," Omega-Xis says, "It's pretty late, and I know how humans prefer not to be kept from their sleep, so I'll tell you more tomorrow."

Omega-Xis leaves the room, leaving me to wonder what to do next.

So what if it's a dream, and tomorrow's really New Year's? Then I don't have to worry about anything.

And, by some random chance, what if it's real? Sticking with Omega-Xis and helping him protect whatever he's protecting doesn't sound hard.

I yawn.

It's been a long night. I should rest.