Chapter 5

When she reached the living room, Leni's headache came back. She turned pale, thinking Scream hadn't removed the tumors after all.

Hey! I'll have you know that I ALWAYS keep my word! Scream protested in response, feeling insulted.

Sorry. I guess I'm not used to the whole sharing thoughts thing yet, Leni apologized mentally.

Eh, it could be worse. You could make people think you're crazy by talking to what they would assume to be yourself. After all, you're the only one who can hear me right now. Leni had to admit that Scream had a point. Not only that, but she also realized what was causing her headache this time.

The twins were arguing.

Again.

From what Leni could tell, it was a heated debate over what movie to watch. Lola wanted to watch The Little Mermaid, while Lana wanted to watch Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. This was the kind of dispute that had the potential to go on for hours, until one of the other siblings (usually Lincoln) felt brave enough to intervene.

The twins' argument thankfully hadn't come to blows yet, but trying to talk over them to get their attention would be useless. With no other choice, Leni walked over to them and pinched each of their ears.

"YEOW!" they both yelped and looked up angrily, only to shrink under their big sister's withering glare.

"Why do you two always have to fight?!" Leni demanded. "Look, I get it, okay? You both have quirks and preferences that annoy each other to no end. Well, guess what? So do me and Lori! The only difference is that she and I don't let it get in the way of our relationship as sisters. You two need to act your age and find some other way to settle your differences. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Leni," the twins said in unison, both looking down in shame.

"We're sorry," said Lana. "I just really want to watch a pirate movie."

"And I really want to watch a mermaid movie," added Lola. They both started to sniffle, and looked up when Leni put her hands on their shoulders with a smile.

"It's your lucky day, then," she told them. "I know a movie that has both mermaids and pirates in it. Why don't you two get us some snacks while I get it ready?" The twins both nodded eagerly and rushed off to the kitchen. Leni walked over to their collection of movies, pulled out her selection, and slipped it into the DVD player. The twins came back with a bag of microwave popcorn and a plate of apple slices, and the three of them sat together on the couch to watch Peter Pan.

The whole time, Lori and Rita had been watching from the stairs after gathering the family's dirty laundry. Mother and daughter looked at each other proudly before continuing on their way to the basement.

...

Leni had pleaded with Lori and Luna not to tell anyone they knew that she was alive and well, wanting to keep it a surprise for her friends and boss. Today was the day that she was planning to go back to work, and she was struggling to find an outfit to wear. She'd already showered and brushed her hair, and Lori had long since left the house in search of a new job. Thus, she was alone in her bedroom, standing in front of her half of the closet in her bathrobe.

"Can you give me a hand, Scream? I don't know what to wear," she asked aloud. Scream's gelatinous head appeared on Leni's left shoulder.

"It really shouldn't be this difficult," she said. "You wear an identical outfit almost every day, don't you?"

"That was before I met you, though. I want a new outfit to show people the new, improved me." Scream would have shrugged if she'd had shoulders.

"Fair enough. I have an idea you might like." Forming a yellow-and-black blob on Leni's back, Scream stretched out a tentacle that pulled a handful of items out of the closet and placed them in Leni's arms. "Put these on and stand in front of the mirror." Leni did so. What Scream chose was a white tank top and blue skinny jeans ripped at the knees, both of which hugged Leni's hourglass figure; a black belt with two rows of pyramid studs; and a pair of black faux-leather boots that stopped just below her knees, with pointed toes and slight heels. Leni scrutinized her reflection with a trained eye.

"Okay, I admit I look good in this. But it's missing something. Just one more thing to tie it all together," she said.

"I'm getting to that. Watch this!" Scream said before seeping back into Leni's skin. Moments later, yellow-and-black ooze covered Leni's torso, from her neck to her wrists and hips. The ooze quickly solidified into an open-front jacket of a leathery material. The shoulders, upper sleeves, and upper back of the jacket were black, while the lower sleeves and lower back had a red-and-yellow flame pattern. There! Pretty cool, right? Scream asked mentally. Leni gazed at herself and gave an impressed whistle.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!" she said, doing a few poses. She then took her wallet out of her purse and tucked it into the jacket, then grabbed her backup pair of black wraparound sunglasses from her dresser and put them over her eyes. "There! Now I'm ready to face the day!"

Atta girl! Go get 'em, Tiger! Scream encouraged. Leni walked down the stairs and out the front door, passing Luna, who was sitting on the porch with her notebook, trying to compose a new song for her band. Luna looked up as Leni walked past her, did a double take, and broke into a broad grin.

"Whoa-ho-ho! Lookin' sharp, sis!" she complimented, holding up both of her thumbs.

"Thanks, Luna!" Leni called back before continuing on her way to the mall.

As she walked through the automatic doors of the mall, a decent number of people stopped and stared as she passed them. To Leni's great surprise, Reinigers was totally empty!

It's not usually like this, is it? Scream asked.

Not at ALL, Leni replied worriedly. A slow day for this place is still like ants at a picnic. She looked down and spotted a silver desk bell right next to the cash register. A piece of masking tape stuck to the surface of the kiosk in front of the bell had RING FOR SERVICE written on it in Miguel's handwriting. She tapped the button of the bell, and the tinny ringing echoed around the empty room.

Leni was dumbstruck as Fiona slowly shuffled out of the employees' lounge with her head down and stood in front of the cash register.

"Hello, welcome to Reinigers. What can I do for you?" Fiona asked robotically, still looking down. Leni was instantly moved by how downtrodden her friend sounded.

"Jeez, Fiona, who killed your cat?" Leni asked before she could stop herself. Fiona jolted and looked straight at Leni. "Uh...Fiona?" Fiona's eyes bugged out the longer she stared. Finally, she let out a glass-breaking squeal and threw her arms around Leni.

"Leni! It's you! You're alive! MIGUEL! BOSS! LENI'S BACK!" she screamed. Miguel and Mrs. Carmichael came running and happily embraced Leni. Mrs. Carmichael explained that ever since she announced to the customers that Leni would no longer be working there, business had been poor. And when they heard about the meteor strike, Miguel, Fiona, and the rest of Leni's friends all though Leni was dead. Mrs. Carmichael was only too happy to give Leni her job back, and business started booming once more.

There was just one more thing Leni had to do...

...

Are you absolutely sure about this? Scream asked as Leni stood on the porch of Chaz's house, getting ready to ring the doorbell. I mean, showing me to Lisa was one thing, but-

"Yes, I'm sure," Leni interrupted. "If Chaz and I are gonna keep dating, he needs to know the truth."

Alright, if you say so.

Leni rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door was answered by a tall, skinny woman with fair skin and the same color of hair as Chaz. Leni assumed she must have been his mother.

"Good morning, Ma'am. Is Chaz home?" Leni asked politely. The woman sighed.

"He is, but he hasn't left his room for days! I've done everything I could to get him to come out and cheer up, but nothing's working," she said.

Aww, poor guy! He misses you! Scream cooed.

Quiet! I need to focus! Leni chastised in her mind. "Well, maybe I can help. I know for a fact that he'll be happy to see me," she told the woman.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to let you try. Come in," Chaz's mother decided, stepping aside to let Leni inside. Leni followed her through the house to Chaz's bedroom, the door of which was slightly ajar. "Chaz, sweetie, there's someone here to see you," his mother announced after knocking on the doorframe. There was no answer.

"Just let me handle this, Ma'am," Leni whispered, not wanting to ruin the surprise for Chaz. His mother nodded her consent and walked away. Leni stepped into Chaz's room and gently closed the door. She briefly wrinkled her nose at the ripe-smelling air, reminding her uncomfortably of Lynn and Lucy's room immediately after the tomboy girl arrived home from one of her various sports games.

Leni gazed around, ignoring the faint but unpleasant aroma. It was fairly dim in the room, because the blinds over the window were closed. Other than that, it was a typical teenage boy's room: a few articles of clothing lying around, a desk with a chair and a computer in one corner, and a few decorative posters and shelves displaying superhero merchandise (A/N: The Avengers and Spider-Man are real in this universe, as well as most of their villains). In the opposite corner from the desk was Chaz's bed, in which the boy himself was lying on his side, facing the wall and away from Leni. He was either asleep, or pretending to be in the hopes she'd go away.

With mental prompting from Leni, the leather jacket made from Scream's body retreated inside Leni, leaving the teen in just her white tank top and jeans. Leni walked over to Chaz's bed and gently poked his shoulder. Hearing him give a soft snort, she decided that he was genuinely asleep. Leni then took off her boots and slipped under the covers next to him, after which she wrapped one arm around him, pressed her body to his, and patiently waited for him to wake up.

Only, he was more deeply asleep than she initially realized.

Um, Scream? A little help, please? Leni asked nonverbally.

No problem, Gal Pal, Scream replied. A yellow-and-black tentacle sprouted from Leni's shoulder and stretched all the way to the window. Rise and shine, Tubby Ted! Scream declared before yanking on the drawstring for the blinds, allowing bright sunlight to pour into the room. Chaz blearily opened his eyes at the assault on his senses, rolled over to avoid it, and found himself staring in Leni's brilliant green eyes.

Chaz yelped and scrambled away until his back was against the wall. He squinted at Leni, then his eyes widened.

"I must be dreaming..." he said before rubbing his eyes and taking a second look. Leni was still there. "Please tell me this isn't a dream..."

Leni smiled and crept forward, causing Chaz to reflexively back away. He found himself pressed against the wall, but Leni continued to advance, her soft smile turning into a predatory smirk. Chaz squeezed his eyes shut as she drew closer...and closer...until finally a familiar pair of soft, warm lips was pressed against his own, and an equally soft hand was cupping his cheek. The lips withdrew, and Chaz opened his eyes to see that Leni's soft smile had returned.

"Still think it's a dream?" she asked softly, her hand still cupping his cheek. Chaz hesitated a moment, then sniffed and thew his arms around Leni in a rib-cracking embrace, catching her off-guard. So THAT'S why everyone complains about my hugs, Leni thought as she felt something in her back pop. While ignoring Scream's comment about not knowing her own strength, Leni noticed that her shoulder felt damp. "Chaz? Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm better than okay! I can't believe you're still alive!" Chaz said, pulling away to look into her face once more. "But...how?!"

"I'll explain everything, I promise," Leni said, "But first, you need a shower. Like, bad!" With a look of confusion, Chaz sniffed his armpit and gagged.

"Maybe you're right," he admitted. "I'm sorry, I've just been so depressed ever since...you know..."

"Yeah. Don't worry, I'd be the same way if our roles were reversed," Leni assured him. Chaz went to kiss her again, only to feel her finger on his lips, stopping him. "Please don't kiss me again until you brush your teeth. You have terrible morning breath, too."