Chapter 4

"Shit! Not again!" I say it loud enough the whole world probably heard me. But do you think I care? Not in the slightest! The world could hear me scream then roll over and die for all I care! I hate everything; my mother, my father, my school, my friends, and most importantly that little rat my parents insist is my sister!

Oh, dear Precursors, she was going to die today. I was going to strangle her until the light dies from her eyes. I storm from my room, across the hall, and throw my entire weight on the door to her room. At first it doesn't give and step back enough to kick it. A loud pop as the metal gave way and the door swung open.

And there she is, ladies and gentlemen, the rat, or more commonly know as Haley. She spins in her chair in front of her computer, to look at me with wide eyes. She looked innocent- not she was the very embodiment of innocent. Bright blue eyes stare me in fear (that was not real, I'll tell you that!), her blonde curls framing a petite little nine year old face. I swear, she based her entire way of life on those stupid cartoon girls that got anything they wanted by looking innocent, then turning around biting other people in the ass.

"What do you want?" she questioned.

"My money."

She then smiled, as if she found something really funny and just couldn't hold that smile back anymore. "I'm sorry. I needed for a new game (insert some sort of ridiculous game site that has the name Geegee Pets, or something)."

"You spent all of it?"

"No, I gave the rest to Mom." Her smile got a little wider. "You know what she says about you keeping money from her."

"I swear to God, Haley, if you steal my money again, I'll gut you out on a pike and display it to all the neighbors."

She had turned around, faking a yawn and moving her attention to the pink computer. "Right, that's what you said last time. You know that either I get it, or Mom finds out you've been stealing it from people."

She didn't get to say much else because I left the room. Yeah, real smooth. But she was right. I couldn't hide my money from her, and if she didn't find it, she'd tell Mom I had money, which was one of the house rules. I wasn't allowed to have money. Of course, neither does she. She just uses Mom's credit card and dumps all my money in Mom's purse, like the good little girl she is.

I slam the door behind me and collapsing on my bed, feeling the need to both scream and cry. Why was it always so hard? Why was it always so unfair?

I suddenly stood up, seeing my empty jar. It was pointless, always pointless. I was stuck, couldn't escape, felt trapped, suffocated, and angry. I was so angry, I didn't know what to do with it. I wanted to scream, cry, thrash, destroy something. I wanted to be back with Jak, with Crow, and Sig. I wanted to go home where I belonged.

About then in my internal ranting, was the first time I felt it. It was both beautiful and ugly, painful and sweet. Light a fluttering heart, it was energy, and it was mine. I was stupid, defiant, and longing for my freedom. I reached inside myself and reached for it. And then, electricity was everywhere. Toxic green in color, it danced and wove through the air, cracking and snapping, and setting my senses on fire.

It took me a moment, then but I reigned myself in and pulled a lid on it. The effort left me sprawled out on the floor, breathing heavily and laughing hysterically.

/-/-/

What's the best way to avoid stalkers? Pretend you don't see them…

Of course, it doesn't always work. "Hi!"

"Go away, Microbe."

No deflation, I'm frightened. "That was really amazing what you did on Saturday." He was walking beside me now, somehow able to keep up with my stride.

"What are you talking about?" I asked incredulously.

He smiled at me then. It was the kind of smile you had when you found out your best friend had a crush. It was creepy. "I have to ask, were you wearing conductors? The way you wielded that lightning was so cool!"

I grabbed him hard and through him into a wall, out of the sight of the other students. I gained a few looks but I couldn't give a rat's ass. "Have you been stalking me?"

"I wouldn't call it stalking. More like keeping tabs, or watching your back." He shrugged, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that he pinned to a stucco wall. "So really, how'd you do it? Where you wearing conductors or something? Or were you born with this power?" His eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh I get it! You're a super hero, like Batman, or Superman. Can I be Louis Lane?"

Okay, what? Did he just…? But then in moments of great panic, come great ideas (or bad, depending on how you want to look at it). I let him go. "You are the weirdest human I have ever met."

"So you aren't human!"

"Shut up! Idiot, I don't want the whole world to know."

He suddenly looked ashamed. "Sorry." He paused a moment to look guilty before he got over it and asked me another question. "Where are you from?"

"Another dimension. I came here to search out information but I'm stuck now."

"Stuck?" he repeated. I hated it when people did that.

"Yes, stuck. My portal blew up."

"So why don't you make a new one?"

"I don't know how." I stated bluntly. "And the fact that your currency is hard to get a hold of."

"I have plenty of money! I can give you some!"

"But that doesn't solve my problem."

He looked to be in thought for a moment, mulling it over. Outside, I was looking over my shoulder, pretending to be paranoid. On the inside, I was trying not to scream with joy. This was a chance, a real chance to get home.

"I've had a few theories of my own about dimensional travel, but I don't know where to start. Not only that, but I don't think I can pinpoint a certain place in the layers of reality."

I was dancing the Macarena by now. "I can fix that! Just build it, and I can do the rest."

"On one condition." He suddenly took on an act that resembled a kid with too much power. I was scared again, and most defiantly not dancing. "You have to me girlfriend."

"What!" Oh no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Bad idea, bad, bad, bad!

It's your only way home… And it's not like your ever coming back.

Sigh. "Fine, I'll be your girlfriend."

Damn that insufferable smile, and the smugness. The little bastard was my only way home. How stupid!

/-/-/

How stupid can I get? It's been three days and he hasn't even mentioned his part of the deal. He's spent the last three days spreading around the news that we're 'dating'. Worse decision of my life. Either that or I'm just impatient.

It doesn't change the fact that I'm now the laughing stock of the entire school. But it's okay, I'm never coming back to this place as soon as I get a portal. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. The beginning part, I mean. I don't think I could come back after this humiliation, even if I decided I wanted to.

He told me today that he would come over to my house right after school, before my parents came home, with a little surprise for me. I'm both apprehensive and not a little pissed. I wonder if he chose today because he knew my parents and sister wouldn't home until eight. If he's planning to get laid, he's got another thing coming, like a new face.

XXX

Broken Wolf/D.R.M.