The Chronicles of

What if...?

By Thunderboom

Story 2:

“Jonathan and Melissa’s Frightening Adventure”

Chapter 1

“Scary Stories”

“...And then, when they least expected it...” Melissa read.

Jonathan wasn’t listening, though, because scary stories always, well, scared him.

Instead, he was playing the Pokémon TCG with his sister.

“Melissa,” he asked, “How can you play a card game and read a book at the same time?”

“I’m very talented.”

“Whatever. It’s your turn, by the way.”

Melissa drew a card.

“I’ll level up my Cresselia to Cresselia Lv. X, and I’ll use Full Moon Dance to move one of my damage counters to your Dialga, and I’ll attack using Moon Skip.” she said, “So that does 40 damage, it knocks out your Dialga, and I get to draw a prize card. Oh, and an extra prize card thanks to Moon Skip. I win.”

“This is why I don’t like Level X Pokémon.”

“Anyway,” Melissa said, picking her cards up, “Are you looking forward to this weekend?”

“Huh?” Jonathan asked, confused, “Why would I be?”

“Well, for one thing, because we’re going camping.”

“W-we are?” Jonathan asked, “Why?”

“Because of school!” Melissa told him, “We’re having a field trip, and we get to go camping during it! We get to sleep in tents, and everything!”

“I-in a tent?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“Oh, no...”

“I thought you liked camping.”

“Not in a tent.”

“Weren’t you a boy scout?”

“Yeah, and I hated it then, too.”

“Well, we’re already signed up, so you can’t back down now.”

“What?!” Jonathan asked, “When’d you sign me up?!”

“Last week.”

Jonathan fainted.

“Oh, dear.” Melissa commented.

She decided to take the opportunity to look at all the cards in her borther’s deck, so she could better prepare for next time.

Chapter 2

“Camping”

“I can’t believe you tricked me into this...” Jonathan muttered, looking out the bus’ window.

“‘Brother, would you please come with me? I’ll be lonely if you don’t...’ ‘Fine...’ ‘Yay!’” Melissa reenacted.

A giggle came from the seat behind them.

A bespectacled girl from their class poked her head over the seat, smiling.

“That was a good story, Melissa.” she said.

“Thanks, Chiba!” Melissa replied.

“I especially like the part when you were doing your brother’s voice.”

Well, Jonathan thought, I’ve finally met someone as crazy as Melissa.

Chiba and Melissa bonked him on the head, looking angry.

“I am not crazy, Jonathan!” Melissa told him.

“Nor am I!” Chiba added.

“I didn’t actually say that out loud, did I?” Jonathan asked, rubbing his head.

The two girls just glared at him.

“Gomen nasai.” Jonathan apologized, bowing.

“Hmph!” Melissa said, “I guess I’ll forgive you. ...This time.”

Chiba just glared and sat back down.

“Well, I certainly hope you’re not happy.” Melissa told her brother, “You just offended her.”

“I know, all right?” Jonathan asked, clearly regretting it, “I don’t know why I said that. I shouldn’t have...”

Later, when they got to the camp, the students received their tent arrangements.

“It looks like I get one all to myself!” Jonathan told his sister, glad that he wouldn’t be having a roommate.

“Yeah, and I have to share a tent with Kaori.” Melissa replied.

“What’s wrong with that? I thought you liked Kaori.” Jonathan asked.

“I do, but I don’t really like sleeping next to someone.” Melissa told him, “It’s, you know, awkward.”

“Hai, that’s why I’m so happy.”

“Do you have to shove it in my face?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

The two twins went to go find their tents, and found out something interesting.

“We’re... right next to each other?” Melissa asked.

“Looks like it.”

“Hey, Melissa!” a girl called, “Wait for me!”

“Nani?” Melissa asked, turning around.

Kaori Satō, one of her classmates, was running towards her.

Kaori reached the other two students, and paused to catch her breath.

“I’m here, roomie!” she told Melissa, a huge smile on her face.

“R-roomie?” Melissa asked, confused.

“Yeah, you know, ‘roommate’!”

“This is certainly a new experience for me...”

Kaori turned to Jonathan and gave him a questioning look.

“But why are you here, Jonathan?” she asked, “This is the girls’ side.”

“This is where my tent is.” Jonathan said, and he looked around.

And all he saw around him was girls. No boys except him.

“Um, why is my tent here?” he asked no one in particular.

“I’ll go ask.” Melissa told him, and she raced off.

After a few minutes, Melissa returned.

“Well?” Jonathan asked her.

“They said it was because the boys’ side was filled up, and they had to place one person on this side.” his sister explained.

“Yeah, but why me?”

“They figured you’d be the least troublesome since you’re asexual.”

“That’s not very nice.”

“Well, they had to make the best out of the situation, and this was the best option.”

“I guess you have a pretty good point, don’t you?”

Chapter 3

“Story Time”

Later that night, Melissa was just finishing changing into her pajamas when she heard Kaori's voice behind her.

“Melissa?” Kaori asked, “Do you want to talk about anything?”

“Not really.” Melissa replied, turning towards her.

“Oh. To bad.” Kaori said, “I’m really bored.”

"Oh, yeah..." Melissa said, remembering something, "You mentioned something the other day about you living with your mother now. How'd you meet her?"

"Oh, I'd love to tell you that!" Kaori began, "It was just a couple of weeks ago..."

Kaori then told Melissa the whole story of how Chiba had helped her find her mother, and her mother’s subsequent explanations, including how Kaori was also her half-sister, as well as her daughter. When she was finished, Melissa couldn't help but have some questions.

"What kind of a sicko father did you have?!" she asked Kaori, "I mean... To his own daughter?!... I can't believe it..."

Kaori decided, right then and there, to never, ever mention that small detail to anyone again.

"Um, Melissa?" she asked, "Could you keep that part a secret You know, just between us girls?"

"Sure, Kaori." Melissa agreed, knowing full well why.

CHAPTER 4

“Nothing”

Later that night, Melissa walked into her brother’s tent to wake him up.

Jonathan yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“Nani?” he asked.

“Jonathan, I thought I heard something.” Melissa told him.

“So? Go back to sleep.” Jonathan replied, and he followed his own advice.

Melissa woke him up again.

“Come on, get out here and help me look!”

“At least let me change, first.”

“Fine, but make it quick!” Melissa told him, and she waited outside.

After a minute or two, Jonathan emerged from his tent, fully dressed and holding a flashlight.

“Come on!” Melissa told him, “It was this way!”

However, after fifteen minutes of searching, they found nothing, so they headed back to their tents.

Suddenly, their flashlights went dead.

“Um, now what do we do?” Jonathan asked.

“We should keeping moving forward.” Melissa told him, “After all, we’re almost there.”

After a few more minutes of wandering, Melissa spoke up.

“Jonathan?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“I think we’re lost.”

“Melissa, we’re wandering around in a dark forest in the middle of the night, with no way of knowing what way we’re going, and dead batteries in our flashlights, and you ‘think we’re lost?’”

Jonathan stopped to look around, and Melissa crashed into him. They were apparently at the top of a hill, and they went rolling down the side, and into clearing.

“Ow...” Jonathan commented.

“That’s funny.” Melissa said, “I feel fine.”

“W-who’s there?” someone asked, and they shone a flashlight on them.

Jonathan was sprawled on the ground, numerous cuts and bruises all over him, and Melissa was sitting on top of him.

Jonathan looked up at his sister.

“Well,” he said, “This is certainly awkward.”

CHAPTER 5

“Surprise!”

Jonathan jolted upright.

He was in his pajamas, sitting on his bed.

I guess it was all just a dream. No, scratch that. A nightmare. he thought to himself, And besides, our school wouldn’t do something like a camping trip, anyway...

The next day, Jonathan told his sister about his dream.

Melissa just laughed.

“Anata wa baka desu ka?” she asked him, “You know I would never drag you along on one of those things, much less go on one myself!”

“Yeah, I know.” Jonathan said, relieved that it never would happen.

“And besides!” Melissa pointed out, “It’s summer! School’s out for summer vacation!”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot...” Jonathan replied, looking down at his outfit.

Since he had forgotten about summer break, he was wearing his school uniform.

“I’m just glad I don’t have to wear that long skirt anymore.” Melissa commented, “It was really restricting my movements.”

“And I can wear shorts, like I usually do!” Jonathan added, overjoyed that he wouldn’t need to wear long pants for a couple of months.

Just then, the phone rang.

Melissa walked over to it and picked it up.

“Moshi moshi!” she said.

Pause.

“Um, okay. I’ll be right there.”

Melissa hung up.

“Who was that?” Jonathan asked.

“Amity. She wants me to help her with her manga.”

Jonathan shivered.

“Oh no...” he said, “You don’t mean that manga, do you?”

“I’m afraid so. Esper.”

Start Flashback...

It was the weekly meeting of the Dõjinshi Club. Its only members, Takumi, Kaori, Amity Jonathan, and Melissa, were seated around a table. Amity was grinning.

"What are you so happy about, Amity?" Kaori asked her.

"I just finished my first Dõjinshi!" Amity replied, pulling a book out of her bag.

"Wow." Takumi commented, "You've even printed it."

"Yep!" Amity said, and she handed a copy to each of them, "I call it Esper. It's about a young girl with psychic powers."

Her friends began reading her manga (Melissa put her glasses on first).

They were okay for the most part, until about 20 pages into it, when they decided to offer "constructive criticism".

"Wow, Amity..." Takumi commented, "You're certainly rather..."

He paused, trying to find the right word.

"Perverted." Kaori finished for him.

"This would be considered 'ecchi', right?" Melissa asked, "I haven't seen enough to call it an H-manga."

"Do you want it to be an H-manga?" Amity asked her, "Because I can certainly do that."

"N-no!" Melissa told her, "We're only 15! If we were in possession of something like that, we could get in big trouble!"

Jonathan had continued reading. Suddenly, his eyes got wide, and he slowly turned towards the manga's author.

"Er... Amity?"

"Yes, Jonathan?"

"Why did you kill a guy so graphically?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I just like showing death realistically."

"Amity, have you been watching Dõjin Work recently, by any chance?" Melissa asked.

"Hey!" Amity said, "It's not an H-Manga!"

"Close to it."

"It's definitely ecchi, Melissa, just like you said so yourself." Kaori told her, flipping ahead a few pages.

"Well, it borders on ero."

"I don't make H-manga!" Amity told the other girls.

"Oh?" Kaori asked, "You were offering to just a moment ago."

"I was kidding!"

"Oh. So you do make H-manga."

"I meant I was kidding about making them!"

"Too bad." Takumi said, sounding disappointed.

The others turned to him with shocked expressions.

Takumi burst out laughing.

"I'm not serious!" he told them, still laughing.

"H-manga isn't something to laugh about, you know." Melissa told him sternly.

...End Flashback

“She says she needs some help with dialogue. I won’t be gone long.” Melissa told her brother.

Melissa patted her brother on the head, and left.

“Hello, Jonathan.” said a voice, “Now we’re finally alone...”

Jonathan slowly turned around...

To Be Continued in

"What if...? - Story 3 - Elemental"