Worlds of Destiny written by MidoriChi

Disclaimer: Well, I don't really need one to give credit to others because this is an original! (duh, XD) O.o; But I just want to say that all of the characters in this story and the plot all belong to me. Neither should be used without my permission. Thank you.

Author's Note: (04/15/03)

Chapter 4 is done at last! *does the happy dance* I kinda like this chapter and I hope you guys do too. ^^ Took me a while, but I had finished most of it about a week after I had posted up the last chapter so no worries there. ^__^ I had a huge writer's block though and I had no idea about how to end the chapter. So instead of stalling longer, please Read and Review! Enjoy! ^ ~

Chapter 4: Portents of Betrayal

The world around me was spinning. Everything was a dark blue blur. The cold brisk air felt like pin pricks against my skin. Then the scenery suddenly halted and everything was clear. My dream was resuming. It was resuming from the night before when I was forced off of the cliff. A name echoed through the valley. It was the name I had called out seconds ago. It was like time had never stopped and that I had never woken up. The bruises were on my arms as before. Then it hit me. I had returned to plunge into my death at the sharp rocks below.

Suddenly something flashed in the corner of my eye. I turned my head and there was the most beautiful creature that I had ever seen. It was a dragon of some sort with its long serpent like tale and pearl blue eyes. It had a sapphire tint and outstanding elegance as it soared through the air. Its magnificent tail rippled as the dragon swam among the clouds. The moonbeams reflected off of the dragon's deep blue scales giving off a silver sparkle.

Seconds before falling among the sharp rocks of the chasm, the dragon dived in and I fell upon its smooth scaly back. I looked up towards the floating island watching if my assassin would follow, but he only swore and bawled at us, "Curse you, Lady Circe of Laorien! You will regret the day you saved that young maiden for all of you will suffer!"

I saw Yuki standing behind Baiko. His gaze forever watching me. Even though I was drifting farther and farther away from the island, I could still see his face as if we were a foot away from each other. He lipped the words, "Take care of yourself, young maiden." Yuki smiled and I grinned back accompanied with a gentle wave. As soon as I lipped the words, "I will." Yuki pushed the angry Baiko off of the island and walked off towards his magnificent castle.

Several hours, it seemed, passed and the dragon continued to soar through the air. I wondered where we were headed. Was this dragon going to eat me for dinner? Why did Baiko curse the dragon as if it were a human? Suddenly, we made a steep drop. I looked over the edge and realized that we were heading straight towards the water below. I screamed since I could not swim well, but the dragon did not hesitate or change its direction. As the water's surface came closer and closer, I grew more anxious, and when we had finally broke the surface I held my breath and closed my eyes.

I felt nothing. I could hear the water around me, but I didn't feel the coolness of the water's touch. I opened my eyes and realized that a giant air bubble enveloped the dragon and I. I was able to breath underwater. In amazement, I watched the fish scatter because of the massive creature that had just entered their environment. For over half an hour, the dragon swam through the deep blue sea. As I began to worry about our destination, I saw a shadowed object in the distance. It was bigger than coral and as we closed in towards the object I could see its true form. The blurry object was another magnificent castle fit for a mermaid princess.

The dragon headed towards the castle covered in barnacles that still had a gothic architecture. At least a dozen steeples and unlike the other castles, it had a somewhat overpowering feeling. Possibly because of it being the only manmade object built along the ocean floor. Enormous sea blue gates guarded the castle's surrounding area and ocean garden. The walls were covered in seaweed and the large panes seemed pearlized.

As we arrived, the towering gates opened without a sound and the castle grew in height. I realized that this castle could not have been manmade, but some sort of magic must have been holding it together. We entered the castle, and the bubble surrounding the dragon vanished. I was forced off of its back and fell upon the smooth marble tiles. I felt like a tiny mouse. Everything was enormous. The doors were fit for a giant and the hallways were fit for boulders. The dragon continued to walk and I followed. As we continued to walk down the long corridor, a figure appeared in the shadows. It was a slightly short, but slender woman. This figure was clad in long robes and held a scepter that was twice as tall as her. When she walked, it seemed that she was walking on air. Her short wavy hair bounced with each step and her robes flowed with every movement. Her long slender arms reached out towards the dragon and it nuzzled against her. She stroked it as if it were a mere feline and mumbled a long monotonous phrase resembling Yuki's. The dragon suddenly vanished and I jumped in shock.

The woman turned towards me and I prayed to myself that she would not make me disappear as well. She smiled and said, "Do not worry, young maiden. Eiko was a summoned beast. She has been relocated back to her home. I shall call upon her once more when it is time for you to leave." She paused, "Oh dear. Please forgive my rudeness." She curtsied and then her deep sapphire eyes gazed into mine. "I am Circe of Laorien, the enchantress of this world. I welcome you to my humble home. I take it that you have already met with my brother, Yuki."

"He's your BROTHER?!" I screamed with exasperation. The two did not look alike at all. Yuki had curly brown hair and emerald green eyes. His skin was surprisingly lighter than Circe's and he was much taller. Circe had a darker skin tone, jet black, short, wavy hair, and sapphire eyes. She was shorter than Yuki, but also skinnier so that she didn't have the resemblance of a midget or of a child. "He can't be your brother! One, he's taller and two, you don't even look like cousins!"

The enchantress smiled and the worries and questions lifted from my confused thoughts. "He is my brother and I, his sister. We are fraternal, not identical. Yuki watches over the land and I watch over the sea. We have never met face to face as you have, but we have conversed since we guard the same world." Her words wiped the sweat forming upon my brow and lifted the confusion in my heart. Her soft voice was a song to my ears. Her rod towered above me and great power emitted from the peak. It seemed heavy and quite a burden on the petite woman before me, but as she began to walk she swung it with ease by her side.

I ran to catch up with her as more questions filled my mind. "Wait! How did you now that I needed help when you were down here? There wasn't an ocean for thousands of miles."

"Young maiden, I am an enchantress. I have been gifted with the ability to foresee the future, to summon, and to heal. There are many other talents, but there is no need to mention them. For several nights now, I have seen your dreams and nightmares. I have witnessed the changes in your life by the second. I knew what would happen tonight. I saw it. There are so many things that I know, young maiden. So much, but so little to tell you." Circe answered.

"Why have you brought me here to your underwater castle? Can you tell me why I must dream these things? Why Baiko is trying to kill me? What can you tell me, Circe?" I begged.

She slammed the end of her staff onto the marble tile and spun around, "I could tell you everything that I have foreseen. You could know who will die in the next half minute. I could tell you the next five thousand crimes that would happen in your world, the dozens of diseases that will be discovered in loved ones that cannot be treated, and many other horrid facts. What I should tell you is what will happen to you. Where your fate lies. What is behind these life-taking dreams. What is Baiko's mission. But I can't." Circe paused once more to gather her breath. "I made a promise not to tell you, young maiden. But I can tell you one thing. Your time has come, young maiden. The ones you love will be used against you. Your feelings will be changed from love to hate and you will regret those changes. Your friends and everything that you have worked for will be stripped away and only your true identity will be left behind. Only true friends will stand by your side." She walked towards me and stroked my hair. Tears streamed down her face and she stumbled upon the last words. "Your battle no longer resides within here. Your enemies are no longer those you do not know. Things you cherish most now, will be lost forever. The hardest is yet to come, young maiden. Please stand strong for him. He believes in you. No matter what Baiko proclaims, he would sacrifice himself for your well being. Do not disappoint him. He wants you to live." Her lips trembled as if we were parting for the first time in thirteen years. "We all believe in you, young maiden. Even if we suffer because of you."

As she shook from the emotion that poured out of her, I noticed that the world around me had began to fade into the deep blue of the sea. The last words that I heard from the summoner were, "Do not be afraid young maiden for this is your destiny. The battle has just begun." Once said, she had disappeared completely and everything was pitch black.

Then I saw a light. It was dim, but I was determined to reach it; anything but the darkness, please. The light shined brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding. I blocked most of the light with my hand as I walked towards the center of the power and then something jumped me. I quickly jolted forward and suddenly found myself sitting on my bed. My mother was lying on the floor holding a flashlight. Apparently, I had smacked her as I sprung out of the bed. She slowly stood up and rubbed her arm. I immediately apologized and then asked her what in the world she was trying to do.

She massaged her arm and placed herself back on my bed. "Well if you must ask. I was trying to find another way that would wake you up. It seems that the bagpipe music might be a little disturbing for the neighbors."

"Really?" I implied sarcastically.

She rubbed the top of my head and told me to wash up. After I took a quick bath and brushed my hair, I gathered all of my things together and stuffed them into my itty-bitty little backpack. As I walked pass the kitchen with my overly stuffed bag and noted to my mother, "Mom, I think I might need a bigger backpack if I go to college next year." She chuckled and I kissed her on the cheek. I then grabbed the lunch she had made for me and said thanks as I went out the door.

As I left, I spotted Robby also stepping out of his apartment down the hallway. I quietly ran down the hallway as fast as I could and right after he said his goodbyes, I pounced him. We both went flying into the elevator, which had conveniently opened for us to tumble inside. Several of the other residents jumped over us in fear of falling as well while they tried to exit out of the elevator. When the elevator had reached ground floor, Justin was waiting for us in the lobby. We rolled out of the elevator, still entangled.

"Would you get off me, you pervert?!" I screamed.

Robby snapped back, "Me? Hey, you're the one who jumped me remember?!"

Justin walked up to us as we lay on the floor arguing with each other, "I don't even want to ask."

Several minutes later, Justin had finally been able to calm us down and we were able to stand up, at last. We piled into his car and drove off towards school. It was nice and quiet for a while as we sped down the freeway. I sat in the back seat for once and felt like a queen. Justin and Robby were my chauffeurs driving me around town. It was nice. I was able to truly relax instead of worrying about boyfriends, demon assassins, deadly dreams, and all of the fortune crap that that enchantress told me last night.

"So...what happened between you and lover boy yesterday? Huh?" Robby turned around and asked. "Was he angry about the 'you know what' that happened between us the other day?" He teased.

I scowled since he had interrupted my thoughts, but then calmed down. "Why would he be? We've been together for two long, happy years. Do you really think that a tiny little peck on the lips would break us apart? I don't think so!" I pointed out.

He smirked. "Just checking." Then he turned around as we exited off of the freeway.

Once we had arrived at the school, I grabbed my bag and thanked Justin for the ride. Then I jumped out of his car and ran over to the girls. Robby soon followed while Justin parked the car and walked over to his locker instead of joining with us. Confused, Robby watched Justin gather his books and then disappear into one of the buildings. Danny and the others gossiped more about school yesterday and I tried to listen while observing Robby's confused actions.

Then he finally tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Um...Karen. Why isn't Justin coming over here with us?"

The girls laughed and I faked a laugh. Melanie was the first to recover and informed Robby, "That loser? Why would he come over here is the question, Robby. He's not one of us."

"Yeah. He's a complete dork. An outcast. You should be able to tell. His looks just scream 'Computer Geek'." Exclaimed Jessie.

Robby was still confused so Danny tried to translate, "Justin Hiraga isn't popular. To be popular, you must be in style, happy, and well...not a geek. You see, Robby?"

Robby turned to me in shock of hearing this. The others turned to me waiting for me to add something. I only shrugged, "You covered all of the highlights, girls. If he doesn't understand now, maybe Robby should go into special ed."

The girls laughed at this as I chuckled. Robby scratched his head and as soon as the bell rang, my friends split towards their classes. The exchange student and I walked towards homeroom. I guess Robby was still confused maybe even felt betrayed. "What was that back there, Karen? I thought you and Justin were like best friends or something. How could you let them tease him like that?" Robby asked.

I bowed my head in shame. To be honest, I never really liked it when my friends talked about Justin and basically all of the "nerds". Maybe it was because I used to be a nerd and still am. Or was it because I felt guilty about keeping my friendship with Justin in secrecy. Or was it that I was ashamed about ever being with Justin. I told Robby that I would tell him about it later and to not bring it up again. He agreed and we finally reached our homeroom seconds before the second bell rang.

When lunch came around, I couldn't wait because I hadn't seen Jared all morning. So I rushed over to my locker and dumped all of the books that I did not need into my locker. Then I struggled to pull out the books that I needed trying not to make the rest of the books topple all over me. After several minutes of tugging and catching, I finally was able to take out all of my books for the next couple of periods. As I reached in my bag to take out my lunch, I did not feel a thing. So I looked up to see if it was in my locker, but all I saw were just books. Several minutes later, I then realized that I had left my lunch in Justin's car. I smacked myself in the forehead and then closed my locker shut while I headed towards the dean's office to get a pass into the parking lot.

The hallways were empty now since people were either eating or in class. As I neared the dean's office, I heard voices around the corner. I decided to eaves drop since I was really in no rush to be in the dean's office. I crept as close as I could to the corner and strained my ear to hear their soft voices. There were two people: a guy and a girl. They sounded like a couple by the way the girl giggled and they teased each other.

The girl giggled and then I heard a peck on the cheek before she spoke. "Can we kiss now, baby?" asked the girl in an urgent voice.

"Somebody might see us, pooh bear." Said the young man in a cautious voice.

"Who cares? Nobody who cared would be in the hallway now; it's lunch. Come on, baby. Please?" begged the girl. The guy chuckled and then there was a slight squeal from the girl. "Hey! We can't do that here, baby. Try and keep your hands above the waist, okay?"

The guy chuckled once more, "But we can't do anything else, sweet cheeks. I haven't told her yet about us."

The girl gasped in shock. "You haven't broken up with her yet?! I told you to do that weeks ago!" I heard the girl take a few steps away and then speak once more. "You still love her don't you?"

"Baby! I told you hundreds of times before and I'll say it now. You're the only one for me. I love you." Comforted the young man.

They embraced and then it was quiet. My guess was that they were kissing now. This little spat that this young couple just shared reminded me when Jared and I would argue over things. I would sometimes show anger towards him for looking at another girl or flirting with my friends even though he denied it. Jared always said that he hated my friends, but why would he? He was one of them after all. Jared would sometimes sneak up on me by pinching me or kissing me on my neck. From there, I would turn around and we would kiss or he would wrap his arms around me while I continued to chat with my friends. Although we never discussed it even after two years, I loved Jared. He was my all even though I knew that Justin still had an itty-bitty part of my heart.

There were sudden gasps and it sounded like they were not just kissing. These two were getting serious and I didn't want to pry into their love fest anymore. I decided to just walk casually pass the corridor and down the hall to the dean's office. Since they were a little busy, they wouldn't even notice me walking by, right? Besides, I was a little bit curious who each of them were. So as I took a deep breath and quietly walked pass the corridor, I glanced at the couple making out. What I saw shocked me. It shocked me so much that my backpack slipped from my shoulders and crashed to the floor revealing my presence. Both of them looked up at me and then froze. A fire grew in my heart. My hands were cold and my chest was hot. My head was spinning and my vision began to blur. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my lips trembled. I could not bear to look at the two. I looked down at the floor in anger and disappointment. My tears fell to the floor and my hands were clenched tight. I felt betrayed and robbed of my trust and my heart.

Jared took a step towards me and said in almost a whisper, "Karen! W-we...I can explain!"

Still disgusted and angered, I took a step back and lifted my head up, but I didn't look into his face. I then spoke between my heavy sobs, "There's nothing to explain, Jared. What could you say or do to fix this?!"

The other now spoke with a quiet voice also, "We are so sorry, Karen. We never meant for you to find out this way."

"Meant?" I finally was able to look up at their faces and screamed, "Well, nothing is ever meant to be, is it Jared?"

Jared took another step towards me and tried to calm me down, "Baby, please listen to...!"

I stepped back and interrupted him with a sharp tone. "Don't!! Don't 'baby' me, Jared! Don't!!" My tears were flowing from my eyes now. My hands were shaking with anger and my mind was now clearer than ever before.

"Please. Listen to us, Karen." Said the other with a soft, gentle voice.

I pointed at her with a shaky hand. "And you!!" I lowered my hand and my voice grew hoarse from the slight screaming. "I trusted you, Danny. You were my best friend." I then looked at both of them. "How could you guys do this to me?"

The two of them looked at each other in shame and they were silent. They saw how stubborn I was and they knew that they couldn't do anything to fix the friendship they had just destroyed. A friendship that had taken years to build had crumbled in a matter of seconds, but had been already rotting for several weeks. I heard running steps down the corridor and then slow into a heavy walk. I looked up and saw Robby wearing a look of glee and confusion.

Between heavy pants to regain his breath, Robby exclaimed, "There you are Karen!! Everyone's been wondering where all of you guys were. So they sent me to search for you. So what's going on?" Robby looked at me and then at Danny and Jared and then at me again. "Is this a silent contest or something? You all know that you're not supposed to play games and contests without ME!!"

"SHUT UP, ROBBY!!" shouted Danny and Jared.

I chuckled, "No! Let him talk. At least he's the only honest one that I can talk to around here." My tears and sobs returned once more. "Let him speak out his mind since he's the only one who can do that."

I couldn't take it anymore. Just standing in the same room as they were. Breathing the same air that they breathed. I just couldn't. So I ran. I ran as fast I as I could. I didn't look back. I didn't take my backpack. I didn't care about lunch anymore. All I wanted to do was get as far away as possible. Two of my closest friends had just betrayed me. They lied and secretly got together behind my back. Had everything just been an act? Was Danny really my friend? Did either of them really want to be with me or was I just an instrument to bring them together? I felt used and robbed of my trust and love. I felt stripped of my true self, of my innocence. I was a child who had discovered that Santa Claus was not real. I was a baby whose beloved stuffed animal was taken away. I was a rag doll replaced by a brand new cabbage patch kid. I was a seventeen-year-old teenager who had been cheated on by her boyfriend. And to make it worse, this seventeen-year-old teenager was left behind for her best friend after a two-year relationship of intimacy.

My chest hurt and my legs began to shake. I had run too hard. I found myself standing in the middle of the school parking lot and looking up at the tall gate that kept the students inside. I realized that the gate resembled a fence that would surround a prison with the barbed wire at the top and the way it would be locked closed during the day. It made me feel like I was enslaved and that the only things that were missing were searchlights. The bland color of the thick cement wall gave the schoolyard a dull look. Untouched by human hands, the wall did not have a single speck of dirt upon. I would be the first to scale such a smooth and plain wall. I would create a legacy as the one who climbed and escaped from our education imprisonment. I was ready to accept the consequences of ditching school and being free when others were not. My mind stayed unchanged.

I glanced at the area around me, checking for class officers who were looking for troublemakers, like me. When I saw that the coast was clear, I ran towards the wall at full speed. As I neared the obstruction, I leaped at the wall. In one bound, I had landed on the edge of the wall. I was about to jump over to the other side, until I heard a voice.

"Hey, you! You there!" It was our senior class officer. "Get down from there this instant! Come on, missy! You'll kill yourself if you fall. Now come back down to this side! You've already broke about fifteen school rules. Let's not add 'disobeying a class officer', okay?"

I turned towards him and looked down upon the loser. Shock filled his eyes since I was one of the most respected students in the school. I stuck my tongue out at him and yelled, "Come and get me, Shuzo! Unless you're too scared!"

He hesitated before he spoke, but I knew he was afraid of heights. Nothing was going to stop me from escaping. "Karen, what are doing? Are you crazy? We have an Analyzing Statistics exam in less than an hour. Why the heck are you leaving now? You'll fail if I turn you in, Karen."

"Then don't turn me in, Shuzo. It's your call. I really don't care anymore, Shuzo. Can't you see that?" I replied. While Shuzo thought about what to do, I said one last thing as I turned around, "See ya later, Shuzo!" Then I jumped and landed smoothly on the other side of the wall.

As I ran down the sidewalk away from the entrance of the school, I heard Shuzo call out, "I'm not afraid to turn you in Karen! I'll turn you in! Just wait and see. You'll be in big trouble, missy! You hear me? Big trouble!!" I could not help but laugh at his poor attempt to make me care about leaving the premises.

With the whole day ahead of me, I explored the city without a care in the world. I finally had time to go out and have fun. One activity that I had not done in years. I frolicked in the park, went movie hopping in the theater, pigged out on hot dogs, and read several books in the bookstore. I decided to end the day by spending several hours at my favorite arcade. When I entered, the entire place was empty since everyone was supposed to be at school. I strolled over to the counter and asked for a peach fruit smoothie. The young man attending the counter asked the size and if I wanted special toppings and then went off to create my order.

As he blended the ingredients, he turned towards me and asked, "So, what brings you here this early ma'am? We usually get no customers until the weekends."

I spoke to him as I leaned against the counter looking out at the sea of video games to play, "You won't turn me in if I told you that I skipped out on school, will you?"

"Karen?" the young man asked in a confused tone as he tried to look at my face. "Is that you?"

I turned towards him and screamed, "Matsuo?! I haven't seen you in ages!"

Matsuo went around the counter, and we embraced in several friendly hugs. "What the heck are you doing back here, Karen?! The last time you were down this street was, like, three years ago. You deserted us for those 'popular' kids. So what drags you back to my humble abode?"

For the first time after I had left the school grounds, the tears had returned to my eyes. They streamed down my cheeks and fell upon the smooth counter in the arcade. Matsuo realized the presence of my sadness and held me in his arms once again. I wanted to push him away, but something inside of me refused to let go. I rested my head upon his broad shoulders while he told me that I was allowed to cry as long as I wanted. After several minutes, I told him that I was all right, and I was able to tell him exactly what had happened without shedding a single tear.

I have known Matsuo ever since elementary school. He attends Tokyo University now, but we went to the same high school. He was a junior when I was an incoming freshman. Matsuo watched over me as I ventured into the new world of high school and upperclassman. He always made sure that I made friends with the right sort. After he graduated though, things changed. Without his watchful eye, I left my group of friends and befriended the 'popular' group. They easily accepted me into their clique and I fitted in like a hand into a glove. Nobody would have ever guessed that I used to be friends with those that were thought lesser of.

Once finished with my smoothie, Matsuo and I had the whole place to ourselves. Still obeying the law though, we played every single game in the entire arcade. We raced cars, fought dinosaurs, blasted aliens, arrested crooks, kicked butt, and danced through the evening on DDR. I don't think I ever had so much fun in my life. Of course, I was broke by the end of the day, but I didn't regret wasting a single penny for happiness.

Upon arriving home, my mother wrapped her arms around me while tears streamed down her face. She sobbed, "Honey, your home! I was so worried about you. I received a call saying that you had skipped most of your classes. Then Robby came over just a few minutes ago holding all of your things from school. We were so worried about you, Karen!" She pulled herself away from me and looked into my eyes. She spoke in a grave voice, "Where have you been, young lady?"

I shrugged my shoulders and looked away from her caring gaze "Around." I simply replied.

My mother screamed in frustration and sent me to my room until I was ready to talk. I didn't care because either way I was going to end up back in my room. It was the only place in the world I would rather be. Even though it's full of photographs and gifts that reminded me of Jared, my room was my safe haven, my refuge. I walked mindlessly down the hall and slowly shut my bedroom door. At that very moment, my anger had finally taken its toll. I yelled in anger and heart break. I threw a complete temper tantrum. At the end, my room had turned topsy-turvy. My bed had been pushed aside. Books and make-up were thrown everywhere. Picture frames lay on the floor, broken. Stuffed animals were missing body parts, and everything that reminded me of Jared and Danny had been ripped up or crushed. After it was all over, I fell to my knees and tears streamed down my face once more. This time they weren't tears of anger or hatred; they were tears of regret and of stolen love.

I missed Jared more than ever, now that he wasn't mine anymore. I wanted him back more than anything, but I knew he wouldn't come back. No longer would his strong arms be wrapped around me. There would be no more beautiful sunsets watched upon a sandy beach. Jared was gone, along with my best friend, Danny. I'll miss the shopping sprees and all of the fun Danny and I would have when we attended parties. My life was going to change and nothing would be the same, ever.

There was a pitter-patter on the roof and the wind howled against the walls. These were portents of a thunderstorm. In minutes, the light sprinkle of raindrops turned into the pounding of hail and rain. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder followed. There was a loud snap and the power went out all over the city. I walked up towards my balcony window and looked out upon the city of Tokyo. It was completely pitch black and then a sharp pain went down my back. Across the street, standing on the roof of a building, a figure stood in the darkness. It was clad in long robes that rustled in the wind. I could see several of its features when the lightning would illuminate the sky. But for several minutes, the silent bolts of light did not come. When it struck once more, I saw the figure standing still on the edge of the building, but during the next light show, the creature had disappeared from its spot. I moved closer towards the window, searching for it, and when the lightning struck again, I found him. The figure had appeared right before me on the other side of the glass with a toothy grin across his pale face.

I screamed and slowly backed away from my balcony window. The creature licked his pale, blue lips and clawed at the glass that separated the two of us. I tripped over my bed and fell onto the floor. Crawling away now, the creature eyed me as if I were his prey. His cold icy stare made my chest hurt. Footsteps sounded down the hall and my mother swung the door open. I turned towards her and she ran over to me with her arms wide open. I looked back towards my window once more, but the creature was gone.

My mother wrapped her arms around me and I tightened my grip on her arm. For the fourth time today, tears streamed down my cheeks. "What's wrong honey? What is it? You can tell me." Asked my mother in concern.

I held my sobs back and shook my head, indicating that there was nothing wrong. She asked if I was lying and I nodded. My sobs overcame my will power, and I buried by head into my mother's arms. She rubbed my back and told me that everything was okay. "Mom, I'm ready to talk." I said and after a slight pause, I told her everything that had happened that day leaving out the hideous creature I had just seen.

Afterwards, my mother and I went into the kitchen, and she served us up some hot cocoa using our battery powered cocoa machine. I was shivering, but I didn't know why, the thermostat read eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit. My mother wrapped a blanket around me and we talked until the power went back on. At that, she walked me back to my room and tucked me in bed. My eyes were still swollen and red from the crying and I had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time I would cry this week. My mother patted my head and closed the curtains to my balcony window. Kicking aside the items on the floor, my mother made her way to my door and said goodnight before turning off the lights.

Soon after, the storm started up again and this time, fiercer than before. The wind rattled my balcony window and door. I heard the chairs and plants sitting on my balcony porch tumble around. Lightning illuminated the city once more and lit up my room as the light passed through my translucent curtains. The thunder shook the apartment building and my bed vibrated. This storm was going to last all night, and for some reason, I believed that it was because of the raging storm stirring in my heart.

Author's Note: (04/15/03)

Finally! A chapter that doesn't end with Karen sleeping or referring to her dreams! XDD Well, actually, my goal was to have every chapter kind of end that way, like a cliff hanger, but...yeah! I kinda think that you guys might get a little annoyed by that, maybe it was just me. ^^;

I even added a little bit of a Sailor Moon touch in the last couple of pages, in case you didn't tell. In the original of this original (hah! that sounds funny!), I had Karen always hangout in a arcade, but I thought that was too Sailor Moony so I took it out. But just for fun, I added it in anyway for her little emotional refuge. (if you get my drift ^^;)

I made up a whole bunch of names and such in this chapter. I had a last name for them too, but I forgot what the last name of the class officer nerd was. Oops! _ Oh well...! I'll make up another one. ::friends fall down anime style::

Sad tho, huh? Jared cheated on Karen. Some of you've been wondering when she'd dump him. But to add a little twist, I let the jerk cheat on Karen with her best friend. Ouch!

Wow! Look at me! I'm starting to sound like those manga artist extra columns in the corner of the pages. XDDD I don't even have a lot of reviews. That's funny. (guess I should stop reading that extra stuff, huh?)

Well, arigatou for reading the fourth installment of Worlds of Destiny. Please review this chapter and the next chapter should be up in another month or so. (I know, long time, but I'm a working girl. XD)

HAPPY EASTER!!!

^^ MidoriChi