Chapter Six: Just between a vampire and a Nobody.

Jim was lost. Lost in his mind, lost in his heart, lost in his soul. Absolutely spinning. Everything hurt, but it wasn't physical. He was exhausted and wired to the point of breaking at the same time. A crying jag sounded really good right about then, but Jim wanted to laugh, too. Laugh and shout and break down in tears.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" The voice came out of nowhere. Jim blinked sluggishly, not used to hearing someone else talk to him. He'd been rejecting all visitors, so who could this be? Looking around the room with his reddened eyes, he saw that there was indeed no one there.

"It's okay, I don't really exist." If anything, that just sunk Jim down deeper. Now he was crazy, too. Hearing voices kind of crazy. "But, y'know, not existing sucks. So let's say I'm here to listen. C'mon, kid, spill your guts."

"My life sucks." Jim didn't know what had possessed him to actually say that; it just slipped out. He must've been more desperate to talk to someone than he thought.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I'm a fucking vampire, for starters." Jim was starting to warm up a bit to the non-existing voice and the conversation. "All of my friends like to pretend that nothing's changed, but ignore the fact that everything has. They can't be around me, and I can't be around them."

For a moment the voice was silent, and Jim thought it had vanished, and he was alone again, alone with no one and it hurt-- "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You didn't cause this," Jim said. The words were meaningless, they were always meaningless anytime anyone said them, but guilt ultimately forces them out.

"No, you're right. I didn't cause this. But someone has to apologize for the way the world's fucked you over. So... a vampire, huh?" Jim flinched.

"Yes, I already said that," he ground out.

"Vampires are interesting characters, you know. Living, but their heart doesn't beat. Wouldn't you say that's like not even having one?"

Jim shrugged. "I guess. The technicalities aren't really what I'm worried about."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have a heart." Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't? And what do you mean by that?"

"I didn't have any emotions. But then... I died. Or faded back into the non-existence I came out of, either one. Now I'm not sure if I have a heart or not."

"...Right."

"Well, listen kid, it's been nice talking t'ya, but I've got to go find someone now. Someone.. very important to me."

Feeling a lot better, actually, after having a conversation even that short, Jim staggered to his feet, and then to his bed. "Alright, that's fine with me. First, though, could you tell me your name? I just told you some of my most personal thoughts, so it's only courteous that you could do that much."

The voice chuckled. "I'm Nobody, but you can call me Axel."

"Bye then, Axel. I hope you find who you're looking for. Just... just in case he or she drops by like you did, what should I tell them?"

"He. His name's Roxas, and you can tell him that Axel's working his ass off trying to find him, so don't move an inch and wait for me. Oh, and even if he doesn't tell you his name, or can't remember it, or something, you'll know him because he'll be sappy as hell." Jim could practically hear the soft smile in Axel's voice as he talked about his friend.

"Okay. I hope you find him."

"I hope you come to terms with being a vampire. Try to make the best out of it. Maybe if you...." Axel's voice slowly faded out, as if he was walking away. Jim felt his mouth twitch upwards into what might have been a smile.

Make the best of it, huh? As Jim fell asleep for the first time in over 48 hours, he resolved to speak to a representative from Ingravesco Deus tomorrow. Maybe he could look more into that offer about becoming a Pius Unus....

Axel and Roxas (c) Square Enix

Chapter Five: Normal Class Period in Dimension #2.

I blinked heavily, realizing belatedly that I'd been reading the same sentence for the last few minutes. Raising a hand to my eyes, I rubbed them in an effort to try and wake up, before hiding a yawn with the same hand. How much longer until class was over? I glanced around the history classroom with its four cinderblock walls and lack of windows several times before remembering that Mr. Athern (what a weird name...) had taken down the clock so people like me wouldn't constantly look at it.

Giving up on finding a clock, I examined the wrists of those sitting close to me, trying to find someone with a watch. Nope. Then again, there weren't that many people sitting near me--the rows of desks, a small amount to begin with, were mostly empty. I vaguely remembered that they had been full at the beginning of the year. Again, I resolved not to let myself drop out.

"Miss Bellerman?" I snapped my head back to the front of the room to see Mr Athern staring at me. Damn, he just asked a question, didn't he? Couldn't he choose who he wanted to answer first, and then ask?

"Um..." I was stalling. My eyes scanned the pages of the European history textbook in front of me, even though I knew I wouldn't find what he had said there. "I... do not know." At least Mr. Athern was moderately kind to students who had no idea what was going on, like me. Instead of pressing for an answer, asking that I stay awake, or even lingering and staring at me, he quickly moved on.

"Mr. Cook?" It was a ritual. A very well-disguised one albeit, but a ritual all the same. Call on a person who hasn't said anything yet in class. Wait to see if they answer correctly, or even at all. Move onto another person who needed to be called upon. Finally, choose someone that he knew would be able to answer.

That was how he taught us; he asked us questions, we answered. How was one supposed to even take notes over something like that? I 'tch'ed quietly. 'Sorry,' I said in my mind derisively, 'but I'm not going to write down what Snoozy McNosepicker said as something to study off of for a test.'

Crossing my arms over my chest again, I slid down in my seat, then bent my head over until my chin was almost sitting on my chest. Time to go back to sleep, even if this position did give me a bit of a crick in the neck.

Chapter Four: They knew it was coming.

I huddled under my covers. "No school today.... No school today...." I repeated to myself, willing my body to become sick. If I tried hard enough... there. Nausea. Actual nausea. But was it sickness at what I was about to do to myself and my mom, at the thought of going to school, or was this truly a stomach bug? Of course it wasn't the last one. That must have been my inner hypochondriac speaking.

No school.... Those two words even made my heart flutter with what they symbolized. A full day of reading meaningless fanfiction on the computer, surfing the internet and generally having some quiet peaceful time and a chance to sleep in. I kept trying to tell myself that I'd definitely use it to make up the homework I didn't do the previous night, but my subconscious just laughed at me.

Footsteps. I suppose it was a blessing that not only was my room on the opposite end of the house, but that my parents walked like elephants. There was a click and a shuddering sort of sound as my door opened. "Breakfast." Mom simply said, and turned to leave, but stopped when I groaned.

She knew what was coming.

"I don't feel too good..."

"How so?" I can hear her disappointment, her sadness, everything in her voice. The guilt hit me at full force, but I buried it deep, deep under and left it there to rot a hole in me.

"Bad stomach sick." Remember, Katie: keep your words simple, act really sort of tired, keep your lips pressed together as if you're resisting the urge to vomit.

Mom sighed, and sat on the side of the bed. I shifted, moved my leg out from under her, and curled up into a ball. "Well, you have to go to school."

"I feel really, really bad. Like throw-up bad. Like sitting in math class then suddenly vomiting in front of everyone embarrassing myself for the rest of eterny bad." Shitshitshit, no, when you lie don't be that specific, especially when opening your mouth is supposed to make you want to toss your cookies.

"...And?"

"I don't think I should go to school." There it was, the bombshell. Luckily I remembered how blunt I was about wanting to stay home last time I was actually sick, so I can put it into good practice here.

"Eventually, you're going to gather up so many sick days you'll fail your classes." I know. I know. I know. Please, don't make me feel bad. Don't do this to me. "You don't want to repeat another year." IknowIknowIknowIknowIknow. Stop....

"No."

"...You need to call Liz."

I groaned. Couldn't I just sleep? "Can you call her?"

"You owe her. You're staying home sick. Now call her while I call the school." The weight left my bed and the door opened, Mom paused at the exit, obviously waiting for me to pick up my cell phone. I sighed, grabbed it off of my bedside table, and switched to the phonebook. Mom left, and I squinted against the backlight of the phone to make out Liz's number.

It rang three times before Liz answered.

"Yes?"

"Hey Liz... it's Katie."

"Oh, hey." She knew what was coming, too. Was I that predictable now? Had I gone that far?

"I'm... sick." Yeah, right. "I won't be able to take you in. Can you get a ride?"

"Yeah, yeah. You get better, 'kay?" She doesn't believe me. I can hear it, I can hear it saturating every syllable of every word she says, but Liz plays along.

"'Kay. Bye." I slid the phone shut.

I was a horrible person. 'But,' I resolved to myself quietly, 'I'll change.' My subconscious mocked me again, laughing at me as I slipped back into sleep, hoping for good dreams that would make my lie worthwhile.

Chapter Three: Normal Morning in Dimension #1.

"Hey, I bet in another dimension, there's a race of people made from soda cans," I said, holding my Diet Coke up reverently. "Yeah, and they worship at factories and their version of satan are those nasty bottles of soda."

Liz stared at me. "What?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

"No, seriously! There's probably an infinite amount of dimensions out there. Alternate universes. Timelines, where, say, Martin Luther committed suicide. Or Einstein was actually recognized for his brilliance, and was placed in a private school that smothered his creativity, and the theory of relativity never saw the light of day. And there's probably another one where we're celebrities."

"Or there could be no other dimensions at all," Lucy said sarcastically. "Did you think of that?"

"No-- well, really yes, but it seems more likely that the theory of there being millions of dimensions existing and more created every nanosecond is true. Imagine; a whole universe where I ate waffles for breakfast this morning, and not cereal," I said grinning. "What story opportunities!"

"No crossovers, plox," Lucy said. My grin grew even more.

"Why, Lucy, the way you're carrying on one would think you don't like my way of looking at the world like a story or fanfiction!"

"Because it's not."

That made me frown. "Well, duh, but do you have to be so serious about it all of the time?"

"Hold up you two!" Liz broke in. "Let's change the subject now. So... Who watched Gossip Girl last night?"

"ME!" I giggled. "Dan was great!"

"Not me," Lucy said listlessly. "It's garbage."

"Y'know," I said thoughtfully, "I believe there's an old adage about this situation... right! 'If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all.'"

"True dat." Liz nodded. Lucy groaned and stood up.

"See you guys later, then."

"See ya!"

"Tschüß!"

Chapter Two: All our strength.

Mother Nature and I weren't the best of friends; she snows and I wish for warmth. The sun glares down at me, and I think fondly of December when the sun cooled down. I couldn't even spend half an hour outdoors in her embrace before said embrace began to feel more like a death hold and I retreated beyond glass windowpanes and wooden walls.

Mother Nature and I weren't the worst of enemies, either. When she sends pounding rain that drives itself against the house with the sound of a hundred pattering feet, I feel comforted and at home. Flowers bloom and butterflies bask in the glow of them, getting drunk on the nectar and I watch from a distance, longing for that grace and elegance.

Hurricanes and tornadoes rip their way through the land, yet while people lost homes and died all I could think of was what an awe-inspiring power that was. Earthquakes, mudslides, floods and lightning strikes and tsunamis all coming together to play their part in a symphony of ordered chaos, with her at the podium.

Everything humans are, everything we've been and will be is cared for by Mother Nature. We have a key role to play in her realm, if we could just find our scripts and get to working. As it is we're fumbling it all. As it is, we have become a terminal illness for this world.

Now, I realize, it's up to us to cure her.

If only to hold on to those winter nights where silence envelopes all, and fat white flakes slowly drift to earth, reminding us of her gentler side. If only for spring mornings when all of nature unfurls itself at once. If only for fireflies and peaceful sunsets and falling leaves, and purely selfish reasons.

We must hold on to her with all our strength.

Chapter One: That would be beautiful.

'It would be nice to be in love,' I thought to myself. 'Yes, it would definately be nice.' I nodded to myself, as if that would somehow confirm the reality of the statement even more. I even smiled a bit, thinking about how wonderful it would feel.

'But I'm not.' At that the slight smile slid off my face and crashed on the floor. 'I'm not in love, and the chances of me ever falling in love is slim.'

Sighing, I returned my attention to the book I was reading, attempting to push these thoughts away. It didn't work, but that was probably because I was reading a romance novel. Then, I began to worry. What if I really never did fall in love? What if I went about my life as normal for ages, but never encountered someone like that? As it was I didn't even have many guy friends; not to mention the chances of a background (secondary at best) character like me getting noticed by guys was slim.

I was a fan of being honest with myself, so I by my standards I wasn't ugly. Maybe a bit plain (and I hated how my chin crinkled when I pressed my lips together and those couple zits lingering on my forehead had to go), but not bad to look at. In fact, I thought my eyes were quite pretty.

Same story with my personality; it's not very outgoing, and I could be a bit annoying to people I know, and I was definately shy. Nothing was happening there that would make me noticed. In fact, even when it did get noticed people either liked to assume that I'm happy all of the time or serious to a fault.

That's why I broke up with Zed, I guess. When I was young I outlined the things I wanted in a boyfriend. He should be able to make me laugh, we should share most interests, and our personalities should compliment nicely. Zed didn't really; he was depressed and depressing, and while we did share most interests (and what we didn't share we managed to discuss civilly), I wasn't interested.

The problem with that relationship was that while all logic said that we should be a perfect couple, we weren't, no matter how much Zed saw it that way. I would never tell him this, though. I felt like an ass for breaking it off, but it's better than leading him on then rejecting his marriage proposal.

I blinked, then noticed I was crying. Wiping my eyes, I tried not to let this get to me as I returned to my book. Tears silently poured down my face as the man announced his love and the woman, weeping, told him the same. In my mind, I thought,

'Yes, to be in love like that would be beautiful.'