AN:Thanks again for all my reviewers and my beta Art! This chapter can be seen as the beginning of Act 2 of my story.

Warnings:Language

Chapter 14
DIA

TIME:6 Hours and 25 Minutes Later, 18:25 UTC-4
LOCATION:City Park, Denver, USA

A pale skinned, dark haired boy of 16 slouched in a booth seat in a small diner, repeatedly flipping open his cellphone for the time; glancing around occasionally.

Where are they?

About three seconds later, his question was answered when the door flew open, and in came running a laughing Hispanic girl who quickly made her way over to the table.

She was still giggling when she sat down, and had to wait a few seconds to calm herself down. "Hey James, sorry I'm late!"

James smirked and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you are. Now where's-"

Another figure shoved the door open quickly, rushing into the diner and joining the two at their table.

"Hey James, sorry about that. Nydiaheld us up."

"Aw relax Nova, it was just a joke," Nydia smiled innocently.

The blond girl sitting across from her was obviously not amused. "Stuffing the CPR mannequin into my locker is not a joke! It's messed up, and theft of school property."

"Well I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as theft if it stays on school property."

"How the hell did you fit that thing into her locker in the first place?" asked James.

"Oh, all you gotta do is put some muscle into it. Not that you would know ya' wimp."

The boy ignored the comment, and instead shifted his attention to the waiter approaching the table. "Hey, Mike."

The young man clicked his pen and sighed. "Hey brats, how are you planning on tormenting me today?"

"Hey, it's not my fault you choose to work at the restaurant right down the street from your favoritesibling's high school," smirked Nydia.

Of course, none of them felt the need to point out that Mike had no other siblings. James did point out something else though. "Hey! We," he indicated himself and Nova, "don't even complain when you get our drinks wrong, so don't group us together with her."

The 22-year-old rolled his eyes. "First of all, anyone who willingly associates with her is defected in someway. Second, 'together with' is redundant."

"Wow bro, you sure are putting that English major to good use. I mean, just look at what a successful career you have."

"Just shut the hell up and order your drinks."

"I'll just have a coke," shrugged James.

Nydia eyed her brother. "You know I'm on a diet, get me a water."

Nova skimmed over the board on the wall. "Um…I'll try one of those fruit smoothies."

"Your funeral," Mike snickered. He quickly retreated back into the kitchen before Nova could change her mind.

Nova sighed as she turned her attention to Nydia. "Why do you have to be like that?"

Nydia shook her head, "Nova, my parents have been trying to change me and my brother for years. I've known you and James for only about three months." She mimed a set of scales with her hands. "So yeah."

James played with the salt and pepper shakers. "Hard to believe it's only been that long, huh?"

Nydia smiled. "Yeah, summer school dragged on forever."

That's not the point I was trying to make,James thought.

He would have said it out loud but felt the effort to explain would be lost on Nydia, and he was pretty certain Nova already knew what he meant. She was...special like that.

"It's hard to believe tomorrow's the last day, huh? Then we have a two week break." Nydia's smiled disappeared and she slumped in her seat. "Then it's back to another year of torture. At least we've got one more year after this one."

James looked over at Nova. "I still say that they got it wrong with you, not only do you look older than us, but you act more mature than about 90% of the people in our grade." He looked over at Nydia who currently had her head buried in her arms. "Especially her."

Nydia's response was a single finger accompanied by a muffled. "Screw you."

James ignored her. "But seriously, I'm convinced that you're just a slightly shorter than average 20 something year old."

Nova shook her head as they received their drinks from a very disinterested Mike. "Thanks Mike." She returned her attention to her friend. "I told you, the doctors all say I can't be older than 18 at the most, and besides, my physical age doesn't matter. They ranked me academically at an 11th grade level."

James nodded. He recalled that, strangely enough, although Nova's mathematics, English, and science were up to par for the most part, she was so devoid of historical knowledge that she had to take a summer course.

He, himself, wasn't actually in summer school like the two girls. The school offered a summer art course that he had joined.

Nydia stirred her drink absentmindedly. "So are you guys going to party in LoDo tomorrow? Everyone in summer school's going to celebrate that it's over."

"Wow, go to a no doubt seedy club to party with brainless morons and the future inhabitants of our country's fine incarceration system?" James deadpanned. "Where do I sign up?"

Nova shook her head. "Sorry, the orphanage have a curfew of nine, you know that."

"You mean the orphanage?" Nydia inquired,

"You know they prefer 'group home'."

Nydia shrugged. "Yeah well, my brother prefers 'Mike' to 'asstard'; sure hasn't stopped me."

James facepalmed, "Why do Nova and I continue to hang out with you?"

"Who knows, it's one of life's great mysteries. Like Nova." She gestured at the other girl before sipping her drink.

Nova squirmed slightly, which James noticed. "Why did you have to bring that up?"

Nydia tilted her head in confusion. "What do you - Oh you mean that?!" she scoffed. "Seriously, you have to stop being so touchy-feely about this crap, Nova's fine. Right?"

Nova nodded and smiled nonchalantly. "Yeah James, don't worry, I'm fine."

No, you're not Nova, I can tell it still bothers you.He shook his head and returned to his drink. Maybe I'm wrong and I'm trying too hard to psychoanalyze you, Dad says that I always do that.

Nova got up suddenly. "Sorry guys, but I've gotta go. See ya'!" And with that, she ran out of the diner.

Or maybe I was totally right.

"Come on kid! What's taking ya'?"

Chiro grunted as he tried to unsnag his shirt from the barb wire. "I'm coming! Just gimme a - Yes, finally!" He held up his arms victoriously, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do in his current position.

"Oww…" Chiro found himself staring straight up at the sky, his head pounding as he heard his teammates rush over.

Antauri came beside him. "Chiro, are you alright?!"

He slowly got up, holding the back of his throbbing head. "Yeah, my head's just a little sore. Good thing I fell on the grass, huh?"

"Yeah, that fence is pretty high," Otto smiled as Chiro got to his feet. "Why did they have to be so mean and put those spikes on top of it?"

Sprx rolled his eyes,."Who cares? At least we're finally out of there. That airport was huge!"

"So where do we go from here, Antauri?" asked Otto.

"I am not exactly sure Otto, I suppose - "

Otto cut him off ."Oh wait, never mind! There's a sign right here." The simian pointed to a sign the same color as him next to a currently empty dirt road. "It says Denver is 25 miles away!" Two seconds later Otto realized something and he frowned,."Wow that's pretty far."

Sprx groaned. "No kidding! With all these mountains and hills it'll take us, like, a day to get there!"

"Sprx, please calm down," said Antauri. "Chiro can just hitchhike for us again."

Sprx shook his head violently. "Ohhhhh no! Did you see the guy who picked the kid up back in Brazil?"

Chiro squirmed a little."He kept on looking at me in this freaky way, and he smelled funny."

"Hmmm yes, I do recall he did give off an… unpleasant feeling," Antauri muttered before sighing. "This road does not seem to be heavily used. It is probably some sort of service road. I suppose we will have to walk."

The four began the trek towards the city, heading along the dirt path.

"So who do you think it is Sprx? Nova or Gibson?" Chiro asked

Sprx shrugged. "I hopeit's not brainstrain, but I don't have a clue."

"Nova!"

Is that?

"Nova! Wait up!"

The teenage girl turned around. "James?"

Sure enough, the boy was running towards Nova, and after a few seconds reached her.

"Hey Nova," he said in between labored panting.

Nova smirked. "You're already out of breath? The diner's only a block away."

"Oh um…" James grasped for an excuse. "Screw it, we both know I need to work out more."

Nova snickered."So what's the problem?"

"Well, I was kinda going to ask you..."

"Huh?"

James sighed. "Nova, you left so fast after Nydia mentioned… Are you alright?"

"James, I said I'm fine, alright?"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," said Nova. "You worry too much. I mean, I'd liketo know, but I don't dwell on it."

Liar,she inwardly berated herself.

"Okay…" he walked besides her as she continued.

She looked over at him. "Aren't you gonna' head back to the diner?"

"Nah', Nydia and me don't really get along all that great in case you haven't noticed," James shook his head. "Besides, the food there sucks."

"True, I mean how do you burn soup?!"

He laughed. "Yeah. So are you really going back to the group home, or was that just what you told us to get rid of us and go do something you didn't want us to know about?"

She smirked. "Yes James, that's exactlyit, I'm off to go see my pimp."

James faked a gasp. "I knew it!"

The two laughed loudly together.

Nova took a few seconds to stop as they came to the crosswalk. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

When she looked over he was staring.

"What?"

"Uhhh… nothing," he blushed slightly and looked away.

"What?" This time more demanding.

"Nothing.Just - look it must have been a trick of the light or something."

"What do you mean?"

"Well for a second your eyes looked pink."

"Pink?" Nova blanched.

James shrugged. "Yeah, but like I said, trick of the light." The crosswalk light turned green. "Well see you tomorrow Nova." He ran across the street.

"Yeah… tomorrow." Nova stood there for a few more seconds before going. Well that was weird.

As she made her way 'home', Nova contemplated her friends.

She had met Nydia in her home room for summer school. Apparently, the girl had failed both English and mathematics, Which became very obvious as sherepeatedlycopied my homework. She's lucky she wasn't held back.

Her abrasive and boastful nature had attracted Nova. It felt very familiar and strangely comforting. And besides, she knew that deep down Nydia cared. Well that's what I hope, anyway.

James, she had met outside of school actually, his parents volunteered down at the group home, and they had dragged him down there more than once. When she first saw him, she could have sworn that she already knew him. He just looked so… familiar. Messy black hair, deep blue eyes; it was weird.

She was just grateful that he had reciprocated her feelings of friendship and not the… other feelings that most boys in the school tended to direct towards her (well until she kicked that one guy in the crotch, most of the guys avoided her after that).

Together, it felt almost like she was home when she was with the two of them… Wherever 'home' actually is.

DIA-Denver International Airport, and yes it is really 25 miles from the actual city; you try finding a place big enough for an airport in the middle of the Rockies