Finally a new chapter! I know that this story starts out slowly but I hope you enjoy it. Trust me. I'm building up to something, Oh! And the summary may change a couple times...

"Makaila? Makaila? Wake up honey. Please wake up."

Makaila sat bolt upright in bed with sweat running down her forehead. She had had another nightmare. She could still feel the fear pumping through her veins. But she couldn't remember what the dream was about for the life of her.

"Makaila?"

Makaila turned to her right and looked at her mother but instead of falling into her eyes like she usually did, she took a deep quavering breath and said quietly, "I'm ok. I'm gonna go back to bed." Then she lay back down and rolled over so that her face was hidden.

Misty looked toward her husband behind her wearily. He nodded mutely and Misty stood and made her way to him. "Alright. If you need me again just call, ok?" she asked quietly, not sure what else to say.

Makaila nodded behind them and then kept perfectly still, hoping that they would think she had fallen asleep. Within a few moments the door had shut and she opened her eyes. Her breathing was finally slowing down again.

What was that dream about? She strained her memory but try as she might, she just couldn't remember. She sighed and pushed herself out of bed, making her way to the window. As young as she was, she had already learned that when she was troubled she could climb to a high place or stick her head out of a window for a quick breath of air to help calm her.

So it was no different tonight when she stuck her head out of the window with her eyes closed and took a deep breath of the clear night air, fresh before people had woken and hopped in their cars to go to work. It was no different when she opened her eyes to take in the beautiful dark sky and shimmering stars and half moon. It was however strange for her to see something abnormal on her neighbors roof. Something that she hadn't seen before. She couldn't have possibly overlooked it, as she had studied things outside of her window so many times before.

There was a strange lump jutting out of the side of their roof. Unfortunately, the moon was behind the house and casting a perfect shadow over it. She tilted her head to the side and leaned farther out of the window, attempting to get a better look. All too late she realized that she had lost her balance and she had started falling forward from her two story window. She shrieked and tried to pull herself back in, but within seconds, she had completely slipped and was falling headfirst.

Some children scream when they are afraid. In fact that would probably be the most common reaction. But Makaila was not a common little girl. Instead of screaming, the terror of what she knew was coming sealed her throat, making it impossible to scream or to breathe. Her eyes closed tightly and though the fall was high, it wasn't long and she should have reached the ground quickly. She did, but to her it felt like a millennium and she could feel the wind rushing past her ears through her hair and over her sparsely covered legs. She was falling headfirst and it would be so easy for her break her neck instead of an arm or a leg.

Just before she hit the ground she heard a small sound near her, like rustling in the bushes, a quick sound that she barely had time to register. Next thing she knew she had landed on the ground. But not headfirst, on her side and she barely felt the impact.

After a few moments of steady breathing she opened her eyes and sat up, checking herself for any kind of injury. But there was none. She was completely unscathed. Then suddenly she remembered why she had been leaning out of the window in the first place, and she looked back to the roof.

The lump was gone. Had she imagined it? A trick of the light? No, there was no light. So a trick of the shadow?

Wait. She was outside. Had her mother heard her scream when she was still in her room? Would she coming in to check on her again?

She jumped to her feet and ran to the front door then made her way back up to her room as quietly as possible. Her mother had been crying lately. She remembered a time when her mother didn't cry at all. She liked that more. The worst part was that she knew the reason for her mothers tears were her, and she didn't want to worry her parents any more. She would make it through the rest of her dreams by herself if she had to.

A few hours earlier:

"Skye, I'm home!" Taylor stepped through the front door and placed her coat on the rack. "Thanks Michael." She said happily.

"You're welcome." He replied softly.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See ya."

Taylor softly shut the door and sighed but within a few moments a hand was on her shoulder and she jumped. "Oh! I'm sorry, Skye." She laughed. "I didn't hear you there."

He gave a short nod and smiled. Skye looked relatively the same since he had decided against Team Rocket. He had allowed his hair to grow just barely past his ears and was taller (not by much), his eyes were the same but softer. Basically he looked the same, but his features had softened, brightened, and relaxed as he had.

Skye had begun caring for Taylor as soon as they returned from Team Rocket. They lived in the same house and Taylor's room was upstairs while Skye's room was down. As Michael had commented it could be slightly awkward, but Taylor and Skye saw each other as no more and no less than a daughter and a father. And because of different reasons, they both relied on each other.

"How'd it go?" he asked, removing his hand and sticking it his pocket.

She smiled. "It was nice. Oh! Michael and I stopped by a bakery on the way home. Look what I got you!" she pulled a paper bag to her and stuck her hand in it, pulling out what looked like a cinnamon roll. "I know how much you like them."

Skye refrained from chuckling and took it from her outstretched had. "Thank you."

"Your welcome." She paused and tilted her head to the side.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Must have imagined it. My ears have been playing tricks on me a lot lately."

"Hmm." He paused and watched her walk by while tossing to covered cinnamon roll in his hands.

"Don't toss it. You'll ruin it."

He sighed, forgetting that she seemed to know what he was doing even though she couldn't see. "What are you? My mother?"

Taylor laughed. "You don't talk like that anymore." Then she straitened. "Well since neither of us have one I've decided to fill in that space."

"Then I'm the father."

"Ewe. Skye, you're disgusting."

He laughed. "So are you hungry? There's some stuff on the counter…"

"Skye, I stopped by a bakery. I couldn't eat anything else if I tried."

Skye sighed. "I suppose so…. Do you want me to show you upstairs? It's kind of dark."

Taylor turned around and squinted her eyes in confusion. "Skye, I barely understand you. I'm blind. What's with you tonight?"

"Nothing. Sorry."

"No. It's ok. I just…. Thanks for worrying. I'm going to bed."

"Right. See you tomorrow."

"K. Night."

Skye sighed once she was up the stairs and started toward his room with the roll in hand. Once there he closed the door and turned on the light. His room was plain. Somehow he had never outgrown it. That's the way it was in Team Rocket and it had perhaps been most hard for Skye to break away from Team Rocket. He didn't like change.

The room consisted of a single bed with white sheets and white blankets, a shelf full of jeans and black shirts (maybe a few dress shirts), and a small box full of small items. That was it.

He sat on the bed and unwrapped the roll. Then started nibbling at it. He glanced at the box and then picked it up and started to go through it.

In the box were mementoes from Team Rocket. Terrible memories. Happy memories. And some things that he didn't know how to dispose of without causing a scene.

Pausing for a moment, he turned round and dumped the contents out on the bed.

The first thing he did was pick out a very small tin container, and open it. Inside was a curl of hair, clumsily held together by a cut and tied rubber band. He paused and smiled sadly before sitting it beside him. Next was a small letter on a torn piece of paper. After picking up a couple more things (most in the shape as the previous two), he picked up a vial. Inside were the remnants of a green/blue liquid.

He stared at it for a few moments, then his face twisted and he slammed it to the floor were it remained untouched. Feeling his old senses take over, he stood and crushed it with his foot. The vial instantly shattered, but the remains flew with the glass, reaching his now uncovered ankle. His eyes widened and he jumped back onto the bed, cursing silently. There was now a perfect blue line going across his ankle and deepening each second. If it was just a normal sliver of glass it would have never happened. But the remains of the old vial used on him was getting in to his skin once again, sending his nerves on end and cutting through his skin to the point where it would invade his blood stream for the second time.

He clenched his teeth and leaned back in the bed, realizing there really wasn't anything that he could do to stop it. He would have to wait it out… again.

"Skye?!"

He started as he heard the pounding on the door.

"Are you ok?! Skye, please answer me!"

He took a deep breath and then yelled back, "I'm fine Taylor! I just dropped something!"

He didn't know for sure when she left. He was too concentrated on his ankle. He jumped once more when his phone started ringing. He expected it to be Taylor, but looking to his right he saw that the phone ringing was actually from the box. He looked at for a moment and then tilted his head to the side and flipped to his hands and knees. After a moment a voice came from the phone.

"Skye, pick up." His breath caught in his throat as he stared at it. It was no recording. This was an actual call. They knew he still had it. "One zero four four."

Skye stumbled towards the phone and picked it up, clicking the button a couple times through the shaking his hands were giving him. "What do you want?"

There was a satisfied chuckle on the other side. "Well, if it isn't Skye."

"What do you want?" he repeated.

"The instinct."

Skye froze. It took him longer than it normally would to choke out, "What about it?

"We're doing a test. We want you back."

Skye scoffed and sat back down on his bed. "We? You talk like they actually care that you're on their team." There was silence on the other end as Skye shook his head. "You picked the wrong time to call. You should have called eight years ago." He started setting it down but was stopped by the voice.

"I have reason to call you. We have test subjects here and we could use any of them we want."

"Sure you can." Skye stated sourly. "That's why you're calling me. Good bye."

"If you hang up-"

"You'll do what?"

"Just hear me out."

"Fine."

"One zero… I mean Sarah."

Skye put a hand to his temple and rubbed it then asked angrily. "What about her? What is it you want? Say it now before I decide that I don't care."

"Her third test. You remember it, don't you?"

Skye ground his teeth and spat. "Of course I do! We shared it you…"

"Now let's not cuss. I'm not done."

"Then what's your point?!"

"It went wrong."

"What did?"

"The test."

"I know that! She died! Of course it went wrong!" Skye was about ready to throw the phone against the wall and get it over with. It was torture to talk about this to someone who didn't even care, let alone to talk about it at all."

"What if I could bring her back?"

Skye felt as though he had been hit in the chest by a train. What if I could bring her back? He struggled to maintain regular breathing. 'They're just trying to bait you Skye.' He told himself. 'They're just repeating what they did before. Don't listen.' But try as he might, he couldn't seem to form any sentences. A quiet noise came from up the stairs and he realized that Taylor had turned on some music. He let out a deep breath and let his head fall against the wall. The listener on the other end was patient, but only because they wanted something from him. Skye shook his head. "You already did." And he hung up.

He started throwing the phone, but only managed to toss it onto the bed. Taylor turned the music up. Skye had learned that when she was stressed or unhappy she used music to calm herself, a luxury she hadn't had in Team Rocket.

Steady beeping. Skye turned to his right. It was coming from the phone. Confusion went through his eyes for a moment, and then suddenly they widened.

"Skye?" A timid voice from behind the door asked.

"Taylor!"

The beeping stopped just as she opened the door. Before she could even take a step, Skye jumped from the bed, wrapped one arm around her waist, put a hand to her mouth, and pulled her behind the dresser.

Taylor let out a small squeal but instantly fell limp in his arms once the shock had subsided.

Skye moved his head around hers and peaked towards the bed just as a small sliver of metal poked from it. The end of the metal bent like a straw, circled the room, and then folded back beside it. It was silent for a few moments. Right when Skye was thinking that it might be safe and muffled voice came from under the phone. "Goodbye Skye."

Skye jumped to his feet and grabbed Taylor's wrist, pulling her out of the room and the out of the house.

"Skye, what's happening?"

The house was secluded with a large area of land. After running a few steps, Skye pushed Taylor face down and used himself to cover her.

Taylor bit her lip and laid still. Barely three seconds later the ground vibrated beneath her and an earsplitting sound broke through the sky. "Hold still Taylor." Skye said to her. She managed to nod.

Skye waited a few minutes before righting himself and turning back to the house. His eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What happened?" Taylor asked.

Skye didn't answer. He leaned down and grabbed her wrist to help her up. "You ok?"

"Uh-huh."

"Skye, what's-"

"C'mon." He pulled her back into the house by her wrist and reentered his room. Most of the house was untouched, but his room had small scorch marks all around the phone, covering his sheets and small sections of the walls.

"What was that sound?" Taylor asked quietly. Skye finally let go of her hand and started walking towards the bed where the rest of the items from the box lay. He sifted through a couple and pulled up the small curl of hair, which nearly fell apart in his fingers as it was covered in burns. He clenched his teeth and slowly set it back onto the bed.

"Skye! Answer me!" Skye's eyes widened as he turned around to face her. "What's happening?" she asked quietly. "Are you hurt?"

Skye suddenly realized that his back was hurting. It must have been scorched too. Which was strange since the house was fine. "It's ok Taylor."

"You didn't answer my question."

He sighed. "Team Rocket contacted me." He said quietly as he sat back down on his bed.

"What?" Taylor walked cautiously towards the bed and stopped a few steps away. Skye reached out and held her wrist to guide her beside him. "What did they say?"

Skye's head shot up. He stared at her in shock. Of all the questions she could've asked…. "Sarah."

There was silence as she processed the name. "Sarah?" she asked finally. "What did they say about her?"

"I… It doesn't matter." He stood. "Get back to bed."

"Skye…. I'm not leaving until I know exactly what just happened."

And so for the next couple of minutes Skye recounted it to her. After she had started back up towards her room Skye lay on his back on the bed and raised the lock of hair to his gaze. He sighed and dropped it to the floor. Completely singed.

Of course.

A girl, or rather a woman at this point, sat strait up in bed, sweat rolling down her forehead and shoulders. She sat and breathed, trying to get herself to calm down. Finally realizing that it was no good, she picked up a phone near her.

A phone started ringing in a house not far from hers, and a now grown man, slouched out of bed and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Keagan…"

His eyes widened. "Alexi… are you ok?"

"Yeah… I just…"

"I'll be right over."

Alexi let out a breath of relief. "Thank you."

"Just hold on for a few minutes ok?"

"Yeah."

Exactly eleven minutes and forty-eight seconds later, Keagan had parked a car outside of Alexi's house and proceeded though the door and up the stairs before knocking. "Alexi?"

Alexi opened the door and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much."

"It's ok. Are you alright?"

"Mmm-Hmm."

"What is it?"

"My-My back."

"Can I…?"

Alexi pulled back and nodded. Keagan than proceeded to turn her around and lift up the bottom of her shirt. "Alexi… you're bleeding."

"I know."

"You know? Why didn't you do anything about it then?"

"Because I can't."

"What do you mean? You can't reach it?"

Alexi sighed. "No. It's hard to reach it, but it's not the problem. It doesn't stop bleeding no matter what I do."

"When did you get it?"

"A long time ago."

"What?"

"A long time ago!" She pulled her fists to her neck.

Keagan's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

"No… I'm sorry. It's just-"

"It's ok. You don't have to tell me."

"I get so scared."

Keagan was silent, and Alexi turned around and cried into his shirt. "It's not supposed to be like this! All I hear is screaming! I'm out now and it shouldn't be like this!"

"Alexi, that's just how life is. It's never gonna be perfect."

"I don't want it perfect! I just want to be able to go to sleep and not hear screaming! I want to stop hurting! I can't… I can't…." she paused to slow her breathing. "I'm sorry…."

"No. I understand." He wrapped his arms around her. "It's ok. It'll get better…. I promise."

Later in the morning:

Makaila woke up late and was practically dragged from her bed and out to the bus stop. As it happened, she ended up missing the bus. Makaila seceded not to tell her parents and proceeded to walk to school on her own.

The walk to her school was actually a long one. Long, that is, for a seven year old girl. The house her parents owned was very near the river and the forest. Therefore, Makaila had to walk through a part of the forest and past the river. She was about halfway through the path that crossed through the forest when a noise from behind her caught her off guard. She turned sharply but saw nothing. She shrugged it off and turned back around only to hear the noise again. Once again she turned. Some people would shrug it off once again, but not her.

She walked cautiously towards a collection of shrubs near her. Once she reached it, it was obvious that someone was hiding behind them. Shaky breaths came from it and she could just see the outline of a small figure. She smiled lightly and pushed a couple "branches" out of the way. A young boy was crouched on the ground, his eyes clenched shut. He had dark hair falling over the ends of his ears and just barely licking his eye lashes. A scratchy black t and a pair of jeans messily covered his body. Makaila tilted her head to the side. The boy was still crouched as if he didn't know that she was there. "Hi." She said softly.

The boy's head shot up sharply, his eyes opening wide in apprehension and shock. Makaila gasped when his gaze reached hers, sucking all the air from her lungs. For some reason she found that she could not look away. It was if an invisible force drew her to him and she just froze. Sharp bright blue eyes looked strait at her.

His mouth opened wordlessly and then shut. He looked at her with a completely unreadable face. The only word that came to her was: scared. After several moments she finally found her voice. "Were… Were you following me?" she whispered.

The boy still found himself unable to speak. Finally he stood up and shook his head while wiping dirt from his pants. He was slightly taller than she was and obviously bulkier. Almost too much strength was apparent for such a small body.

All of a sudden a bright smile flashed across Makaila's face. "Are you going to school too? You missed your bus too, didn't you?"

The boy opened his mouth, but she didn't give him time to answer. Instead she grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her. "C'mon! Let's go!" She didn't realize how quickly that she had jumped into it. But he did. The boy's mouth was open as he allowed her to pull him.

Eventually she slowed down and they both walked side by side, the boy fiddling with his fingers uncomfortably. Makaila glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and caught how uncomfortable he was. "Are you ok?" He nodded quickly and turned away. "What's your name?" she asked.

He blinked and then turned to look her strait in the eye. That old feeling returned and this time she felt as if acid was eating at her stomach. He looked at her as if he couldn't believe that she would ask him something like that. He bit his lip and looked away and Makaila released a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Well you don't have to tell me." This time his eyes darted to her. "I was just wondering. I'm Makaila by the way."

The reaction was not what she was expecting. He smiled for the first time. He didn't comment at all on what she had just said to him. He just smiled softly.

Makaila bit her lip, stifling a giggle at his reaction. "You're weird." She mumbled. "But you're nice. Oh! There's the school!" And there it was indeed. They were very close to it now. Makaila ran up to the gate and entered. She turned when she wasn't being followed. "Hey!" she yelled towards the boy standing at the gate. "Aren't you coming?"

He looked around the school grounds and then started turning.

"Hey-Hey wait!" she yelled and ran to his side laying a hand on his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

He shrugged and raised hands, motioning around himself.

"Oh… um."

Then he smiled lightly and tilted forward, leaving a small and innocent kiss on her cheek.

"Oh…" she repeated softly. He pulled back and turned around, heading in the direction that they had come. It was about this time that Makaila realized that he may never have been attending this school in the first place. She blinked and raised a tiny hand to her cheek. "What was that for?" she mumbled to herself. Then she dropped her hand and looked where he had left. He was gone now. He must have turned somewhere along the path when she wasn't looking.

She turned back to the school, realizing that she was now late and her parents would be receiving a call. They would know that she had walked to school alone. She sighed, and ran towards the door.

Awkward ending and still slow but I hope I've given you some stuff to think on while you wait. Trust me it gets better. I ended up changing it slightly from my sneak peak, because I found a better way to do it. But it's still going to be great. And as a sidenote, I asked someone on deviantart to draw a couple OC's for me. OC's from this story. I've just started drawing but if I can, I hope to be able to draw my own characters.

Hope it was worth it!

And please review!