Title: West Side Hell Author: Megan XFilr FeedbacK: Treasured and begged for here at XFiles718@aol.com Classification: SH Keywords: Pre-XF Mulder/Scully Friendship Rating: Slap it a PG-13 since I curse but I block out the worst ones. Archive: If you want, you can have it. Gossamer; start updating! Summary: Dana Scully is fifteen in 1998 and has now started to attend West Side High School in Soho, New York City. There she meets the paranoid 10th grader Fox Mulder and the rest of the New York Scene. It's the duo's first X-File. Anything else would ruin the plot. Dedication: To the 1013 Newsletter. The editor, founder, president and everything else in any sense of power, Jen Kuhn, aka JenXPhily2. I recommend you join her newsletter since its the best thing since buttered bread. (Gotta love butter.) Give her an e-buzz at JenXphily2@aol.com and she'll hook ya up. This is to all the members of the newsletter, since most sent me feedback on this project. You either love it or you hate it. Sorry. Author's Notes: ::clears throat::: This was a push off from Jen XPhily2 who loves my writing. (I KNEW there was SOMEONE out there who did) and wanted me to write a series in her newsletter (see the dedication) and I obliged since she is my BEST friend. This pet project of mine took eight issues of the newsletter, if I'm not mistaken, and it finished on Dec. 28th, 1998. I thought it was one of my best works yet but you know, sometimes life treats you badly. I am going through some rough times but still managed to write since it's my only strong point. PLEASE send me feedback on this. Disclaimer: You know the drill. Not mine, no money, yadda yadda yadda. Just read the damn story! Um sorry. Ignore me. West Side Hell by Megan XFilr http://come.to/meganxfiler Dedicated to the 1013 Newsletter and Jen Dana Scully smoothed her skirt. She hated moving. A new school; new people to talk to. New people to dislike her. But she was used to it. Her father worked for the government in the military. They moved every year, and although Dana didn't like it, she honored her dad. So she complied. He was transferred to a base in New York City. Only for a year, he said. So Missy, Charles, Bill Jr. and her had to go to school here. Dana had just turned 15...Bill and Missy were older and took courses at the local college for credit. Charles went to the local junior high. And Dana went to high school. Wearing a black, tight skirt, a white blouse and her long red hair in a braid, she stood tall. Her black penny loafers had a 4 inch heel; she was only 5'2" after all. Her bookbag was a green Jansport, one that she had for years already. Her binder was set for this year. She never had been to New York City. She heard the rumours though. What happens here; the crime. She was going to...West High in Soho. She heard of Soho. Dana knew she might not fit in. She was very prim and proper, while the reputation of the Soho area was stylish nuts. West High didn't sound so bad. Staring up at the steps, she was slightly scared. The steps stretched for miles, it seems. A tone rang from inside, and Dana made her way up the stairs. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The office was a scary place. Full of woman who looked like they could be doing ANYTHING but working. Long nails, glasses with cords, large noses and bleached hair, they were typing or drinking coffee. Dana approached the gray, cabinet thing they used for the office main desk. "Excuse me?" she asked in an innocent tone. No one turned around. Dana cleared her throat. "Ahem, can someone help me?" Still no one. Suddenly, a tall guy walked into the office. He was about 5'8", wearing a Bare Naked Ladies shirt and dockers. His blond hair was in a mushroom cut and he walked into secretary area through a push door. He turned to Dana. "So you need something?" Dana found her voice. "Ah, yeah. I am new here...and I was wondering where I could find out my classes?" The boy smiled. "Sure, hold on." He dropped his black bookbag on a chair and walked behind the gray cabinet. He grabbed a pen from a holder designated for the job and a piece of paper. "Name?" "Dana. Dana Scully." He wrote the name. Scully noticed he was left handed. "Okay, let me find your record." He strode over to the cabinets; he walked like...well...like a senior. He whisked it open. "Scully, scully," he muttered. "Ahah! Scully!" He grabbed a folder, opened it and removed a sheet of paper. Walking back over, he said, "You're ten-ten." He gave her the sheet. Dana looked at it. Typed on white paper, in Courier font, it was a program schedule. On the top, a listing of her parent's name, her current address and phone number and important info. Further below was a listing of classes; English, math, science, biology, physical education and such. Circled in red at the bottom was 1010. Dana looked up. "Thank you." The boy nodded, and walked to the secondary office for the principal. Dana grabbed her books and left to find room number 601...presumably on the 6th floor. She wondered what type of homeroom 1010 was. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Finding it with ease, Dana pushed open the door. A seating arrangement of at least 40 students were scattered about the room in a spiral pattern. Some kids looked at her; some kids didn't know she was there. Dana walked inside and approached the teacher at the front. He was laughing; wearing a gray blazer, jeans, a tye-dye tie and a goatee. He looked at Dana. "How may I help you?" "Um, I'm knew. My name is Dana Scully." The teacher looked heavenward-searching his memory. "Dana, Dana...yeah you're the transfer from the military base?" Dana nodded. "Fine then, I'm Mr. Weiss." He spoke quickly and got up. "You can have locker number six...although it sticks slightly. You can take any seat." Dana nodded again. "Thank you very much." She walked to the locker. Seeing number 6, she put her bag down and tried to open the door. It would not budge. She tried again. Nada. She could hear some of the other 10th graders giggling. She sighed and tried again. "That locka is moider." A tall, black haired girl was standing beside her. "Excuse me?" Dana inquired. "Lemme try it. No one has been able to open it." The girl reached over. She slid the slide upwards while pulling. With a little grunt and shrine from the locker, it opened. "I had it earlia this year. My name is Lacey." Lacey was about 5'7" with long, curly black hair. Her eyes were black and she wore small silver glasses. Her nose was pierced...and she was wearing black lipstick. Her outfit consisted off jeans and a t-shirt that had a photo of Leonardo DiCaprio on it...except he had a mustache. The caption read, "Titanic THIS!" "Thanks. I'm Dana." Dana smiled, feeling inferior and short to this rather burly girl. She wasn't fat, but Lacey looked slightly overweight. "You new?" "Yeah, for a little while. My dad works at the base and I'm here for the year." "Ah, well, good luck. You gonna need it. Just don't knock into the seniors if Megan aint there to help ya." "Thanks. I won't." "See yuz around." Lacey turned around and sat next to a hispanic boy in baggy Genkos and spiked hair. Dana wondered who this Megan character was as she put away her light windbreaker. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX WHile in the homeroom, she looked over her schedule. English with a Ms. Sossi, social studies with Mrs. Rocklin, french with a Ms. Duke, Band with a Mr. Marshal, math with Mr. Stahl, then lunch, then biology with Dr. Varhagen, then chemistry and earth science with Dr. Speigel and then it read EXTRA SEE MR. PERINE. A loud BRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGGG! filled the room and the kids got up and filed out. Dana grabbed her books and was the last one out the door. In the hallways, Dana felt extremely underdressed. Most kids were at least 5'5", wearing either extremely baggy clothing or tight clothing. She doubted anyone had their own hair color and every person had something pierced or a tattoo...or both. She knocked into a couple of really tall kids who didn't take notice of her petite body crashing into them. She found room 321 easily as well and went inside. There were less students, about 24 in this class. Most of the kids were black and had pink or purple hair. Dana walked to the front and introduced herself to "Ms. Sossi." "Oh, yes! I knew you were coming! Why dont you wait up here until the class settles and I can seat you!" Sossi spoke like everything was the best thing in the world to say. Dana wasn't thrilled with the idea but she smiled. Waiting less than 2 seconds, the bell rang and the kids disparsed. They were now sitting. "Everyone? This is Dana! She is going to be joining us!" "Poor, unfortunate soul," whispered the boy infront of her. "Noah...," the teacher warned. "Well, are there any empty seats?" Sossi looked into a binder on her desk. "There is a seat between Megan and Jennifer. Why dontcha take that seat?!?!?!" Dana smiled and walked over to the the seat Ms. Sossi was referring to. It was in the last row and Dana clicked over to them. "Jennifer" was in the corner and there was a seat right next to her. Dana turned to see "Megan" but the seat was empty. Ms. Sossi noticed this as well. "Jennifer, Sasha, where is Megan." "Somewhere." stated a girl on the other side of where Megan should have been sitting. She was huge with long, curly blonde hair and at least 5'8". She was wearing a tight shirt that looked like it was made of lioncloth. It went from a centimeter above her bustline to the tip of her navel. Her shorts brought new meaning to the term, short. She was wearing knee-high boots that were sequined and had tye-dye heels. "Jennifer, do you have anything better to contribute?" "That where ever she is, she's taller than the person standing next to her." This brought a guffaw from the rest of the class. Dana looked confused; what was THAT supposed to mean? Was it a joke on her height? Jennifer wasn't as tall as Sasha but she was certainly grogeous. About 5'5" and perfect weight, she had a look of joke on her face. Her brown hair had highlights of blonde and she was dressed in casual yet stylish clothes. She had a baggy shirt that said, "The Z Files," and baggy black jeans. Her hair was short, about to her shoulders. Dana wanted to be friends with this girl; she seemed popular and a crackwhip; 2 things Dana had always wanted to be. Suddenly the door opened. "Sorry I was late, Ms. Sossi! Meeting for yearbook." A very, very, very tall girl walked into the classroom. At least 5'10" with platnium blonde hair that was obviously natural, she had piercing green eyes that looked as if she could melt metal. She had a rabbit style nose dusted with freckles. She had small tortoise shell glasses on her nose that looked like she used them for image. Her hair was down to her knees with streaks of black, red, brown and pink going through it. She was wearing a nose ring and...yes...it was a stud in her lower lip. Her jeans jacket had little "Z" drawn all over it and was open to show a shirt that read, "Do you want me? Then call, 1800-YOU-WISH" Her tight bootleg jeans were a stonewash blue and she was wearing boots with no heel..maybe a centimeter. It had President Clinton up one of them, in an Irish Jig movement and Monika, what was her name...oh well. She was climbing up the either one. THe girl walked up to Ms. Sossi's desk and handed her a pass. "Next time, I'll let you know." The girl walked back towards Dana. She looked dumbfoundedly at Dana but shrugged and sat...right next to her. THIS was Megan? Megan leaned back and stretched out her long legs. She took out her binder from her black, lace bookbag and a reading book: Ivanhoe. Ms. Sossi smiled. "Now, we will continue.." She walked to the front where the blackboard was. "As I was about to say, we are going to continue on the retrospective of Hamlet." Jennifer groaned. "What is wrong, Ms. Kuhn?" Jennifer faced her teacher. "Listen, if the guy wasn't sure if he should be or not, let him die. At least I wouldn't be studying him right now." "Do you have anything better to do?" "I do, " Megan said. "And that is,,,,,,,,?" Ms. Sossi glared. "Watch the paint dry on my nails." "Miss Kozinsky," "That's koooshinski" Megan annunciated. Dana wondered what type of name THAT was. "Megan, you are a disruption to this class." "And you're cyanide to it." Ms. Sossi glared. Dana didn't like being inbetween these two kids. "Ms. Sossi, lets just get to the part where Hamlet dies, ok?" Jennifer piped up. Noah cracked up. "NOAH!" Ms. Sossi looked dispared. "ARC!" Megan yelled. "Megan and Jennifer, if you don't quiet down now, I will...." BRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG! "Yet another episode of Days of Our Delinquents is saved by the bell. Tune in next week for Ms. Marion Sossi's cornoary! Only on CBS!" Megan cracked as she left the room. Jennifer followed. Dana was scared. She looked at her program and ran to french. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX By the time she got there, she noticed that this Megan and Jennifer were sitting in the back joking with a rather cute guy. Actually, Jennifer was doing all the talking...Megan was just intercepting and cracking. Dana walked to the teacher's desk. A large, blonde woman was sitting there chatting with a young girl. "Excuse me?" Dana piped. "Yeah?" The teacher had a bellowing voice...like a linebacker. She was AT LEAST a 40DD and wore the corniest clothing in the world. Even Dana could mock this womans choice of a striped shirt and polka-dot mini skirt. She was wearing bright pink lip stick and white underliner. "Yo, Ms. Duke, you fall into a rainbow?" Megan cracked from the back. "Megan, shut up!" called a dork from the front. "Make me!" "I will!" "Hey, you two. Cut it out. Babe, don't even talk to Sarah." Jennifer whispered to Megan. Sarah sniffed. "Don't stand up for me, Jennifer. I am quite able to handle myself." "I ain't standing up for you! I just don't want Meg's rep to be tortured by your exsistence!" Jennifer snidedly cracked. Dana realized how much these people resembled each other. Physically, one was salt and the other, pepper. But the way they spoke...and finished each other's sentences...it was freaky. "Bonjour, class!" "Bonjoue Madame Duke," came the reply. "Today, we have a new student. Her name is Dana," The large woman motioned to Dana, who was standing. "Hey Dana, you got stuck with Duke too?" Jennifer called out. A thin boy told Jennifer, "And she got Sossi? Damn gal!" "Zienniver, Etienne," the teach annunciated. This woman had a pretty lousy french accent. "We must sit this fine speciman on human nature. You may sit where you please." Dana nodded. There was a seat in the back, but she avoided those two girls, Meg and Jennifer. To the left, there was only one boy sitting in the middle. "I'll sit over there," referring to the seat next to the kid. "Fantastique! Viet! Viet!" the teacher clapped her hands. "That means fast," called out Megan. Dana ran to her seat and sat down. She pulled out her binder. In putting her bookbag on the floor, she sit the boy next to her. "Im sorry." Dana was horrified. What a lousy day. "That's fine," the kid said as he smiled a lopsided smile. "Luckily, Dana has come in time for the group project. I am going to call out some names on my random sheet, and I will explain the idea of this project." The teacher, Ms. Duke, walked to her desk and grabbed the sheet, which was on a clipboard. "First group is Adam, Simon, Leslie, Amanda and Nicole." The three girls who were called went, "Eeeee!" Valley girls, all of them. "Second group is....oh my." "Wa?" called Jennifer. "I think I might have to split them up here." "Wy?" Megan called. "Because...well, I'll add the new girl...never mind. Group Two is Megan, Kyle, Jennifer, Fox, Lacey and Dana." Meg and Jennifer looked at each other with mystical grins. Dana looked around. She noticed Lacey from this morning, and she knew Megan and Dana...but Kyle and ..>Fox? What type of name was THAT? "Group 3 is Samantha and Robbie and Theo and Michael and Irene. Everyone who's name I didn't call are in group 4. Now, attencion! Everyone, get into your groups. Meet each other." Dana got up as the sound of pushed out chairs and desks. She walked over to Megan and Jennifer who weren't moving. "Well, looks like we're stuck with all of youse," Lacey smiled, showing braces this time. "Don't make it sound so bad. Least we aint with Amanda and Nicole." Jennifer reminded Lacey. "Twoo, twoo." "Ok, peeps? This is Dana, I'm Megan as you all gotta know, thats Jen, Lacey, Kyle and Fox." Dana nodded. Kyle was Asian with a japanese face and a wide smile. Fox was...the boy sitting next to her! Mr. Lopsided smile. "I don't know what this project's bout, but it better be cool." Jennifer sighed. "I can't take Sossi and Duke consecutive to each other." "Neither can I. But, live wit it, right?" Megan shrugged out. "Classe! Classe! May I explain the project now?" Ms. Duke called out. "Can you explain your horrid choice of clothing?" Jennifer called back. Duke ignored her. "You will be assigned to report on one part of the school. The project must be in French. Quite simple. I am passing out report sheets with your specific group area on them." Dana and her group memebers got a piece of paper saying, "GANGS AND VIOLENCE." "YEah, surprising. Why did we get stuck with this one?" Megan whined. "Cuz you guys are the most popular people around," Lacey said to Megan and Jen. "Megan is the center of all fights and Jen knows everything and anything in the student body." "Great, I just hope we don't have to inact anything." Megan shrugged again. "This could be fun," Fox spoke up. "And how's that?" Kyle cracked. "Well, I don't know. But, I mean, with Meg and Jen here, we could see why fights really happen. What's the reason and all." "Great." Jen rolled her eyes. The bell rang with a definate loudness. Meg and Jen got up first. "I'm going out for lunch. Wanna join?" Meg asked. "Im going too," Jen said. "If you wanna come, ask now or forever hold yer piece." Kyle glanced upward. "IdontwanttositoutsidewithallyouchattersIhavetogostudy!" Kyle stood and hurried out. Megan raised her eyebrow, something she was used to doing. Dana looked at that face...Megan wasn't a very sociable person obviously. "I'll come," Lacey croaked. "Hey, Fox, why don't you come?" Jen asked him. Fox looked up with wide eyes. "Um, that's ok." "Eh, come on. Dana's coming, right?" Megan looked at me. Dana was overjoiced! These people wanted to spend time with HER? "Of course!" she smiled. Fox lopsidedly smiled again. "It's alright, really." "Pulease, Fox. Now you're sounding like Megan...always apologizing and not wanting to get people pissed," Jennifer rolled her eyes. Megan raised her eyebrow at Jennifer. Jennifer smiled. "Megan, Jennifer and clan, please leave," Duke motioned to the door. Megan nodded and looked at Jennifer. With a slight nod, they walked outside the door....and SLAMMED the door. "And yet another menace to society is locked up," Jennifer laughed as the echo of the slam filled the hallway. They turned down the hall, the five of them. Megan and Jennifer in the center, a few steps ahead of the rest of them. Dana walked next to Jennifer and Lacey and Fox were next to Jennifer. No talking, but kids just spread out for them. When they reached the front door, the kid who was doing guard duty said, "Ooooh, waiiiit! Where are your passes?" "We don't gone none." Jennifer said, standing with her hand on her hip. "Then you aren't going anywhere." The hall monitor was defiant. Megan sighed and stepped forward. "Hey...Norman." The monitor gulped."Heya...Megan." "How are you?" she asked, walking closer. "Fine." "Good. Do you want to stay that way." "Yes." Jennifer started gigling but covered her mouth. "Well then, I suggest you let us by." "I can't." "Why not?" "Cuz." "Cuz...why? Scared of what M. Grgas is gonna say?" "Yeah." "You should be scared of me." "I am." "Fine, then let us through." "Um...I can't." "Norman," Megan said sweetly. "Let us through or Jen here is going to release quite a stash of anger into your adorable face," She said, pinching his 'adorable' face. "So whatdya say," Jennifer said, lifting her chin. "Go ahead," Norman quietly smiled. "That's more like it!" Megan walked out. The rest of them followed their leader. Or at least the tallest girl in the school. Or both. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~XX~X~X~X~X~X They sat on the front steps. Megan was on the top one, right next to Jennifer. Fox was a little to the left, kind of outcasted. Lacey was right infront of Jen and Meg. Dana was standing. "Dana, baybee, chill honey," Lacey spoke in her scratchy voice. "But isn't this against school policy?" Dana inquired. "Sure is, gal. But they ain't gonna do nothing to us," Lacey smiled. "Since we got Meg and Jen here, they can't lay a finger on us." "Why is that? Ever heard of suspension?" "Not here. Meg's dad's a cop. As in Men In Blue," Lacey motioned with her head to Megan. "Sargant. That's it. Nothing major," Megan explained. "Oh yeah? So when Caroline got busted for drugs couple o' months earlier, why aint she in jail? Answer; Sarge Kuczynski made sure that the case was dropped." Lacey pointed out. "So? She was lucky," Megan shrugged. "Megan, admit it. Our butts would be in timbuckto if your Dad didn't step for absolutely everything we do against the law," Jennifer said, taking out a cigerette. "Anyone got a light?" "Me," Lacey said, pulling out a lighter with "Z"'s all over it. Dana wondered what that Z meant. And why were they smoking? Leaning in like an expert, Jen lighted her cigerette and drew short puffs on it. Holding it between her thumb and ring finger, she took a long drag and puffed out on Megan, who was in the process of opening up her sandwich. "Jesus, Puff. Go somewhere else to be your magic dragon self," Megan said, swiping at the smoke. "Join the crowd," Jennifer said, handing her the pack. "I think not, thank you. I would like to eat this." Jennifer looked disappointed. "Later. Promise." Jennifer put the pack away. "So did you hear what happened to Amanda? Jesus Christmas of Latter Day Saints, you would never......." Lacey and Megan huddled around Jennifer while she told the gossip of the lunch. Dana looked at Fox. He was eating a cheese danish and a Dunkin Donuts Cafe Cooler. He was also reading a book. Dana walked over to him and sat down. "Hi." He looked startled. "Oh, hello." "I'm Dana." "Yeah, I figured." "I'm in your French class." "I do have eyes." Dana attempted to raise her eyebrow but suceeded in only a satisfactory Look. The kid had one lousy sense of humour. "Well, whatcha reading?" Dana looked for the cover. "Oh, um, nothing." Fox smiled that annoyingly cute lopsided grin. "Come on," Dana smiled, showing perfect teeth. Dana thought. "Well, its a book on how abductees reaccount their abductions." Dana tried her Look again. "Abductees? As in aliens?" "Right on the nose." He showed her the cover, which was a UFO with the red type LETTERS FROM THEM. By a Dr. Kurtzweil, it featured a subtitle ABDUCTEES AND THEIR MEMORIES. "Sounds.....interesting." "Very. Actually, I can relate." Another Look escaped from Dana's face. She was getting good at this. "My sister...well...I won't bore you. She's gone and Im trying to exhaust every possible senario." "Very...CIA." "More FBI." "Ah." "So tell me, whats a gal like you doing in a place like this?" "Whatdya mean?" "Well, you got Miss I-Sound-Like-A-Bullweiser-Frog-Lacey-Kiernan who thinks that Titanic is an adjective for sex. Then you have Miss-I-am-the-funniest-gal-in-da-world, which is true by the way, Jennifer Kuhn. Then comes Miss-Smartest-Girl-In-NYC-Who-Skipped-2-grades Megan Kuczynski who is absolutely the tallest girl I know. Then you have me Weird-Different-Fox-Mulder," Fox shrugged. "Pretty Little Rascals if ya know what I mean." "What description do you have of me?" "Miss Impeccable-Dana-WhateverYourLastNameIs. You probably iron your socks." Dana did her Look again. "Jesus, what Is that Look?" "Something that alerts you of when you're pushing the limit." "Ah, something to remember." "Correct." Dana didn't smile. Fox was actually quite right. "So, hows that Danish?" "Oh, great. It's cheese. My favorite." "Mine too." "So what is your last name?" Before Dana could answer, a break of laughter came from the trio. Megan's laugh was high pitched and belting. Jennifer's was deep and mysterious and Lacey's was...well...squeaky. "Scully. Dana Scully." "Please to meet you Miss Scully. And how old are you?" "15. Can't you tell? I'm in 10th grade." "Ah, but in this case, you could be something else." "How's that?" "Well, Megan's 13." "What??!" "Yup. Skipped grades. Looks can be decieving. She's tall but she's young and slightly immature. Normal for a kid of that age. But cool for a kid with an I.Q. of 209." Dana could not believe it. "She is NOT 13." "Wanna bet?" "No, I trust you. But this, woa." "Exactly." "So that's why you asked me my age." "I took you for someone younger." "Why is that?" Dana put on her mock voice that fooled her sister Melissa so many times. "Um, you're not average height." "I am fully aware of that." Fox smiled. "Dana, do you smile at all?" "Only when something is funny." "Ah." Megan suddenly yelled, "Oh look who it is." Her tone was cocky and sassy and powerful. "Do I gotta?" Jennifer whined. "Miss Amanda Kohen. And how are you today?" Megan stood and went to stand on the side walk. Coming from the opposite direction was a tall thin girl with long, red hair. She was wearing a hooch clothing; very tight with Scary Spice material. Her heels however reclaimed the term Ginger Spice. "Quite fine." The girl's voice was a Valley. Dragging on the vowels, the girl was a disgrace to the Carrot Tops of America. "I'm sure. At least where you left. There, your presence is only but a memory." "More like a nightmare," Jennifer cracked. "I bet the school's thrilled that you're outside right now." Amanda smiled evily. "Yup. So that your blood doesn't stain the marble." "Is that a challenge?" "Are you shorter than me?" "Listen," the girl said, putting her fake-nailed-adorned hands on her wide hips. "I just ate. And I dont feel like wasting the energy on you." The girl walked away. "Oh, look! The I.Q.s in the area just got higher!" Jennifer exclaimed. Amanda turned around. "What did you say, Jennifer?" "You know exactly what I said." "I'm just making sure you don't want to take it back." "I wish your parent's would take you back to the hell hole they found you," Megan grimfully said, standing next to Jennifer now, arms crossed. "Oh, oh!" Amanda said, her hand fluttering to her chest. " I am SO hurt." "You will be once I get through with you," Jennifer replied. "Whaats wwongg Amaaaanda?" a voice called from across the street. "Nothing. Just the street brats decided to pick a fight with me." "It aint no fight when the person wins before it starts," Lacey piped up. A trio of fake blondes walked across the street in identical leopard shirts and bootleg jeans. They crowded around Amanda. "Oh look, it seems that the ASPCA held an adoption yesterday," Megan cracked. "And who took you home?" A blonde called. "You wanna piece of me, Nicole?" Jennifer asked. "You stay outta this, Jennifer." "Uhuh. What you say to Meg you say to me." "Fine. I do wanna piece of you." "Are you sure? That may go straight to your thighs and believe me gal, you can afford to take just the cole slaw," Megan nodded sarcastically. "Callista Flockheart," Amanda said in an accusing tone. "And that's an insult because...." Megan made a revolving motion with her hand. "Anorexic." "I aint anorexic." "Sure," Nicole nodded and everyone laughed. "Uh oh," Lacey said, putting her head in her lap. "Nicole, go walk up to Mike Tyson. Be sure to tell him that he talks funny," Jennifer snidely came back with. "Why? So he can remember you?" the next blonde said. "Hey, Veronica..how's rehab? I hear they let you have a weed everyday month when you behave well." "Shut up Megan." "And make me, Veronica." "I might just will!" "If you think that you can do that you are wrong little missy. I could ---" "Hey!" Fox said, standing. "Come on! This aint worth it. Meg, Jen, is ruining your makeup worth *them*?" "True," Jennifer said. "Come on Meg. Let's go do something more productive. Like....ooh! Play I Spy!" The Valley girls all said, "What-EVER!" and walked away. "And yet another reason animals eat their young," Megan shook her head. They all sat down again. "So, y'all going to that party tonight down at Carter's house?" Lacey asked. "Ooh, I wouldn't miss it!" Megan exclaimed. "Fer sure," Jennifer said with a mock accent. "I mean, Rhandel and Jackson are gonna be there!" she singsonged. "Hey, that thang is OVER!" Megan laughed. "You two coming?" Lacey asked Dana and Fox. Fox opened his eyes wide. "Me?" "No, your alter ego. Yes you!" Lacey joked. "I wasn't invited." Fox shrugged. "Yeah you were," Megan insisted. "I didn't get an invitation." "You're hanging with me. That's invitation enough. Come oN!" Megan laughed again. Dana began to wonder if some vodka was in that Coke can.... "And you Dana, you coming?" Lacey asked again. "If I can, I will," Dana smiled. "Fine, I'll have Alex pick us up 7 so we can be there in time to see Luis and Rhandel as drunk as Sam Adams himself!" Megan smiled. The bell rang from inside and everyone collected their things. Dana was beginning to like Soho. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~XX~~X~XX~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~XX~~X~X~X~X~X Next on the list was Social Studies. Dana never really liked Social Studies; history was boring. But maybe, she decided, she would try to have some fun this year. The classroom was dark and dirty. The woman at the front was a total fraud. Her hair was blonde with notice-me roots. Her nails were so long that Dana doubted that plastic CAME in that length. Her clothin was all from the Kathie Lee Line and the make-up was beyong a notification. The class was already filling up. Dana smiled as she saw Megan and Jennifer, again. She was sharing all the classes with these two nuts. Glancing to the right, she saw Amanda Kohen. She was flippin' her hair, all self consincious. Next to her was a blonde and they were talking with all the hand movements. "Atten........TTTTTTTIOOOON!" The teacher yelled. Dana dropped her book. "And whoooo...are youuuu?" The teacher spoke like the Cheshire Cat. "Her name is Dana and she's suicidal cause she got stuck..wit..you!" Jennifer called out. "Um, yeah, I'm Dana Scully. I'm new." "Well I can SEE THAT," The teacher grinned. "Let's see, where can I sit you?" The teacher thumbed a page in her Delaney book with a long, cheap nail. "AhHA!" She pointed to a seat beside Amanda. "Nicole, move to the seat behind you and YOU DANA....you sit next to Amanda." Dana furrowed her brow. The red head looked at her with a cold expression. Dana clicked her way to the back of the room where she was to be sitting. Flopping down, she took out her binder. Pulling out a pen, she wrote her heading on a piece of looseleaf and entitled the page SOCIAL STUDIES. "Geek," Amanda mumbled. Dana looked at Amanda. "What did I ever do to you?" "You hang out with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, that's wat." Amanda pointed at Megan and Jennifer. Megan was leaning back in her chair, her long legs on the back of the boys chair infront of her. Jennifer was in the corner, giving the whole world an evil glance. She was...yes she was; she was listening to her CD player and rapping along with the words. "They're my friends." "Yeah, I figured." Dana looked at the teacher who was about to leave the room. "Class! I will beeee....riiight...BAAACK!" She slid out. Amanda turned behind her. "Hiya Nicole." "Hello Amanda." They both giggled. "I dont know WHY she moved me back HERE," Nicole whined. "What did I ever do?" "You were born," Dana muttered. "What did you say, twerp?" Amanda looked at Dana, her black eyes piercing Dana's cool blue ones. "If you're referring to the twerp, go ask yourself," Dana smiled. "Jesus, is Meg and Jen already rubbin' off?" "No. I just think they have a right to fight with an asswipe like you." "Wayll, Amanda. You never let a kid talk to you like THAAT." Nicole chanted. "Fer sure." Amanda stood and approached Dana. "I don't like you." "Feeling's mutual." Dana was playing her game. Amanda punched Dana in her face. Dana went sprawling into the desk. Megan got up. "Hey! Leave her alone!" "Make me Megster or maybe YOU'LL be next." "Oh look, I'm shaking," Megan walked over. "Danes, you ok?" Dana didn't answer. "Amanda what the hell did you do that for?" "She's an asshole but you eradicate assholes." "Obviously, the exterminator missed you. There's always some roaches that stick inside the walls." "Stop talking 'bout yourself." "Go smoke hickory." "Same to you!" Megan shrugged. "I admire your talent for taking yourself seriously." Megan stood and walked over to her seat just as Ms. Rocklin waltzed in. "Class! Weeee....are HAVING...a RAPID DISMISSAL!" The class cheered. "So...in 10 MINNUTES! we will leave THE BUILDING and GO HOME!" Megan nudged Jennifer. Jennifer nodded. Dana rubbed her cheekbone. A large gong rang.."GEEEONG! GEEONG! GEEONG!" "Have a nice daaaay!" She singsonged! Dana walked over to Megan and Jennifer, who were ready to leave. "What is a rapid dismissal?" Megan turned and smiled at Dana. "Nothing that can kill you. We just leave early." "No shit sherlock. Dana, we have them because there are a lot of shootings and bomb threats so they want to see if we can leave early without panic," Jennifer said, waving her hand in a forcoming motion. "Oh," Dana said. Megan looked at Jennifer and they shared a weird look. Jennifer nodded. Dana tried her own Look. Slowly, at the intersection of hallway, they each went a seperate way. Dana to the left to Mr. Weiss, Jennifer to Ms. Cohen and Megan to Mr. Heend for homeroom. Dana wondered what that all was about. X~~XX~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~XXx~x~x~x~x~x~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X At homeroom, Dana yanked open her locker and removed her small sweater and a notebook she left in there. Mr. Weiss was sitting with his legs crossed and his thumb in his mouth. His goatee had been replaced by a mustache. "I see we had some late minute shaving, eh Weiss?" Lacey asked as she waltzed in. "Save it Khellson!" Weiss snap back. Dana sat down in an empty chair. Everyone was chatting. Well, not everyone. A pair of girls were making out in the corner. "Jacqueline and Lucy. As gay as anyone can get," Lacey said as she sat down. "So?" Dana asked. "Nothing. Just thought you should know." "Oh." Dana nodded. "Jeez you don't say much do you?" "Not really." A knock on the door came. A kid opened it and Megan and Jennifer walked in. "Sup Weiss." "Megan...Jennifer...for what have I recieved such a blessing that I get to see you once again?" Weiss said as he stood up. "Nothing," Jennifer said as she cracked some Winterfresh gum. "We just came to take one of yer students along with us." "And which of my little pupils do you want?" Megan motioned to Dana. "Her." Weiss raised his eyebrow; not as high as Megan's though. "Scully....get your rear end up here." Dana stood and walked up. Weiss smiled. "I see we got on the right foot here, ladies." Megan nodded. "But if you don't shaddup I'll stick my left foot up a place that I shouldn't be." Weiss smiled again. "Have a nice day!" Dana followed the duo. From behind, they were different. Megan's blonde hair swayed in her step. Jennifer's shorter brown hair with a multicolor streak job didn't move but she walked with superiority. Megan walked slightly....shy although shy wasn't the word to describe her at all. Once out the door, Megan turned to Dana. "You wanna join me and Jen on the roof?" "Um, why?" "Cuz," Jennife smiled. "You can see the whole Soho area from up there. Duh." "Isn't that dangerous?" "Sure as hell is." "So why are we doing it." "Because..." Megan said widening her eyes, "You have to see the whole city. THEN we're gonna take YOU round town." "But why?" "Meet the locals." Jennifer shrugged. "I'm not very sociable." "Can you use a gun?" "Yes." "See, you're already popular!" Megan laughed. "Come on!" Megan and Jennifer both turned to walk up the stairs. Dana scurried along. She made a mental note not to wear heels anymore when she hung around these two. X~XX~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~XX~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X After 7 flights of stairs and a couple of pick-with-bobby-pin-doors, Meg, Jen and Dana were on the roof. Megan put her bag down. "Welcome to as close to heaven you will ever get." Dana looked out. "It's...beautiful." The tops of all the buildings poked up from endless gray. The sunlight reflected off buildings and their windows. Lights flashed, cars honked and the gravel roof was the one place that Dana felt like she was the King of the World. "Before you get all poetic, lemme tell you a story." Jennifer sat down and pulled out a cigerette pack. She perched on a slab of wood, convienently placed. "There was this kid, like four years ago. His name was Thomas. Thomas Jenkins. Great guy. Cute. Good family. Good grades. On the basketball team. Usual perfect junior." Jennifer leaned in as she lit the cigarette and tossed the pack to Megan. "So," she dragged on the tobacco, "he comes up here one day. No big deal, rite? So, he leans over the edge to look down. And he falls." Dana widened her eyes. "How awful!" "Honey, that's nothing. He lands, not a bone hurt, not a scratch on him. Down 6 NYC floors." Jennifer shrugged. "Damn lucky guy." Megan lit her cigarette. Blowing the gray smoke out of her nose, she continued. "So he decides to try again. Climbes back up and falls back down. Survives. Did it at least, oh, 30 times." Megan sat down next to Jennifer. "But when he went to jump again, his jacket got caught on that antenna you see over there," she said pointing to a cable antenna 'bout 10 feet away. "So he gets caught and he's hanging..choking." "And finally when all else is going wrong, he screams. Teachers hear him, run up and they see him." Dana opened her mouth and gasped. "He fell?" 'Uhuh, "Jennifer shook her head. "Had...the atenna going through his heart. Died on the spot." "Big surprise was.....that atenna...never got another transmission ever again." MEgan nodded solemly. "It's the school story." Dana nodded. "How awful." Megan dragged on her cigarette once more and put it out. "Wanna go see my dad?" Jennifer put her's out too. "Why not?" They all stood. Dana smiled. She wanted to see THIS guy. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~x~XX~X~X~X~~X~X At the 113th Precinct, it was your usual NYPD BLUE senario. Hookers lined the benches and desk clerks drank coffee and donuts. Cops were in and out of the place. The whole aura was green...everything was lead-paint-green. Posters of Uncle Sam and That Smoking Old Guy hung everywhere, along with APBs and MOST WANTED photos. Dana was intimidated. She was shorter than a lot of them. Megan walked straight through them though to the tall desk. "Heya Jack." The man looked down. "Hello Megan. Jennifer. And who's the little one?" Jennifer smirked, "Her name is Dana. She's in our grade." "Ah, Meg you want to see your dad?" "Why, you think I'm here for my health?" Megan sighed. The man shook her head. "You're father's sweet. How did you end up like that?" "Ever meet my mom?" "Yeah, why?" "You just answered your own question." Jack laughed and went to go find her father. Megan sighed. "You'd think by now they'd know the drill," Jennifer muttered. Jack came back. "Interigation room seven. Go have fun." "I'll send you a post card." Megan assured as she walked down the hall. At the door, a green sign said, "InterRoom 7" Megan knocked. No answer. MEgan walked in. "Hey, eva heard of privacy?" a black voice called. "Not in this lifetime," Megan cracked as she sat down in one of the chairs. "Hey, you my attorney?" "Listen, big boy I aint in college yet so don't get your hopes up." "I do believe you'd do a better job than most of these public defenders do," a voice called from the door way. Standing, clad in a black uniform, was Sergeant Kuczynski. A good 6'8" with long blond hair and cool black eyes, he was holding 3 Pepsis. He threw one to Megan and to Jennifer. "Oh, I didn't know we had company. I would have brought another Pepsi." He threw Dana the last one. "Here ya go." Kuczynski sat down. "Well, well, well...hey Cocoa." The black man jittered. "Hey man." "How many times are we going to have to go through this?" "I dunno," he moved again. "You got the Miranda rights down?" "Yeah," he twitched. "Good. So what you do this time?" Kuczynski crossed his arms and leaned back. "Eh...Ia....eh...took some speed." Kuczynski snapped back into a tall position. "Speed? Isn't crack your deal? Or is that market going down. Shucks, "he snapped his fingers. "I forgot, foreign trade, is that bringing down the prices? Going to for the better stuff?" Coca twitched again. "Whatsamatta Cocoa...got ants in yer boxers?" Kuczynski winked. "Who'd you buy the speed from?" "Ratboy." "Where's he at?" "I aint telling!" "Why not?" "Cuz he gonna kill me if I tell you!" Cocoa stood up. "No he aint," the sergeant told him. Megan looked at Dana. "Welcome to Hells Gates, where the doors are always open!" Dana smiled. What a character! "So Cocoa...come on. Spill it." Kuczynski leaned and tipped his chair. "I have enough of this game." "Listen...he gonna kill me! He killed Daddy!" The black man was jumping around though. "He killed Combs? Come on....which one?" "Danny Combs! We call 'im Daddy. His bro is Puffy." "Original. Megan, you listen to this Puff Daddy." He winked again. "Sure I do," Meg nodded. "Great...great...great. Well, Cocoa, I'm personally fed up. You write your statement," Kuczynski said as he reached for his yellow pad and pen, "or I'll arrest you for hiding evidence from me. Capiche?" Cocoa nodded and took the pen. "If I die...." "You wont," Kuczynski assured. "He chillin' at the corner...at that hospital." "Greenday?" "Um, yeah. The one with that light that keeps fallin' on peeps." "Yeah, that's Greenday. I'll be back in 10...make sure that statement makes sense." Kuczynksi got up and patted Cocoa on the back. He headed out. Meg and Jen followed. So did Dana. "He's back again, Dad?" Megan asked. Kuczynski nodded. "You'd think he'd learn. But we'll find Ratboy soon enough." "Then whatcha gonna do?" Jennifer asked, sipping on her Pepsi. "Arrest him, scare him crapless. Ya know, the usual." Kuczynski stopped at a desk, with a nameplate: Sgt. Maciej Kuczynski. He sat down and propped his feet on his desk blotter. "So Meg, Jen, who's this pal of yours that seems so quiet?" "Oh, this is Dana. Dana Scully, meet my dad." Dana smiled shyly. "Hi." "You don't have to be scared. Just because I'm cop doesn't mean I'm going to hurt ya." "Don't mean you wont," Jennifer cracked. "Funny, Jennifer. So how'd you get stuck with my daughter and her reject pal?" "We go to school together," Dana said shyly again. "She got stuck with Duke, Sossi AND Rocklin," Jennifer shook her head. "My word!" Kuczynski shook his head. "I thought beating kids in school was bad enough." "It's more like students beating teachers, Dad," Megan smiled. Megan sat down and pulled some Jolly Ranchers out from her dad's desk. "Hey! Those are mine, Megan!" Jennifer grabbed them. "Why? SO you can pick out all the grape ones?" "Yeah! Let the desk clerk eat em." Jennifer pulled out one, inspected the inside and popped it into her mouth. "At least ask Dana if she wants one," Kuczynski nodded at Jennifer. "Oh right. Wa flavor you like, Danes?" "Lemon, if you would." Jennifer searched and finally pulled out a light yellow one. She threw 2 on the desk. "Geez, Sarge. You might think that by now I would have pulled them all out!" Kuczynski grabbed the two purple Jolly Ranchers. Aiming expertly at the woman a few desks away. His blue uniform and badge crinkled at the joints as he plicked the rancher into the mess of blond-dyed hair . The woman turned around as everyone started laughing. Kuczynski's long blonde hair flapped in his pony tail. Even Dana cracked a smile as Jennifer bleated out another enigmatic stream of laughs and Megan joined in with a high pitched yelling giggle. "You know, Mage, by now you would be more mature than your daughter," the blonde said. "Lizette, chill. It was just a jolly rancher. Matches your roots!" Jennifer snorted. "Mage." The gal shook her head. She turned to Dana. "Look what your daughter has pulled into her evil grasps. Hiya!" Dana smiled. "I'm Dana. I go to school with Megan." "I figured. I'm Lizette Cunnings. I'm your friend's father's rookie." "Your a rookie?" Jennifer widened her eyes. "Hard to believe, but I've been working in Greenwich as a desk clerk. I want to be on the field." "Then move to Alabama and get a cotton plantation, ma'am," Kuczynski smiled. "Very funny." She turned around. Kuczynski snickered. "Hey, Jon!" A burly man turned around. "Yeah, what?" "Go get me chinese!" "I'm not on the way there." "Now you are!" The man shook his head. "You use me!" "No I dont! I just give you something to do!" Jon walked away. "Sucker," Megan smiled. "Megan, why don't you take Dana home? Cook some dinner, I'll be home by 9. Jennifer, welcome to join." "Coo," Jennifer nodded. Dana smiled. "I need to ask my mom." Kuczynski picked up the phone. "Number?" "555-0245." Kuczynski dialed. He cleared his throat and deepend his voice. "Hello may I speak to..uh...Miss Scully? Yes, my name is Maciej Kuczynski here at the 112th Precinct. I have your daughter right here. I just would like to ask her a few questions." Dana opened her mouth. "NO!" "Nothing to worry about. She made friends with my daughter Megan and we were wondering if she could over for a little welcoming dinner. Sure, here she is." He handed her the phone. "Mom?" "Dana, honey! YOu scared me!" "Well, Mr. Kuczynski scared me too." "What was he saying?" Maggie Scully inquisited. "Well, Megan and Jennifer, who are his daughter and her friend, became my friends. They would like me over for dinner so we can chat. Please?" "Fine. Let me talk to this Megan." Dana handed Megan the phone. "My mom wants to speak to you." Megan shrugged. Grabbing the phone, she said, "Hiya Miss Scully! Yeah, this is Meg. No, no problem. Just wanna get to know her. I'm very nice, Miss Scully. My GPA is 3.98. Don't worry. Jen is just as nice! Really! Just some chinese...no MSG. Great." Megan handed back the phone. "It's fine." "Thanks mom," Dana said to the phone. She hung it up. "I do less questioning when we try to convict a guy for Murder One. Woa, your mother's protective!" Kuczynski smiled. Jennifer stood. "Where do you keep the beer?" "Jennifer, if I gave you beer you'd get arrested and I'd get suspended." "And you're telling me this cuz...." Jennifer smiled. Kuczynski shook his head. "Wait another year, gal. You can drink when your 16." Jennifer sat down again. "Damn." "But, to make you happy, here's something you'll like." Kuczynski leaned back and popped a tape into the player on his typewriter desk. One Week started playing. Jennifer mouthed all the words along with Megan as they stood. Jennifer opened her hand towards Kuczynski. He dropped keys into her palm and shooed them off. Still singing, they left the office while Jon entered back with a couple of bags. Walking down the street, Jennifer stopped by a white BMW. "You'd think a cop would have somehting more practical." She clicked the automatic door opener and jumped into the drivers side. Megan went in on the front and Dana sat in the back. Back! Forward! Zoom! On their way to a glorious adventure. Dana smiled. She couldn't wait to see this gals home. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~XX~X~X~~ Jennifer was a wild driver. Dana's head ended up in the window a few times. Parking infront of a tall apartment building in lower Soho, near Greenwich, Jennifer broke with a start. She got out as Megan climbed gracefully out and held the door for Dana. A valet appeared asking, "Miss Kaye, park it?" "Sure, John." Megan nodded. "Thanks." The valet raised his cap cover and got in. Jennifer sighed and breathed in. "Ah...bus fumes." Dana smiled. Jen and Meg waltzed in the lobby. The ceiling was tall with a glass chandelier and the marble floor and wall tiles echoed with ever click of their heels. The couches were pure leather and had mahogeny coffee tables. The elevators had large circulatory gold numbers and silver plated doors. "Woa, this place is great!" Dana exclaimed. "Yeah, aint it?" Meg snorted. "I feel so Seinfeld-ish." "The rent has to be skyrocketing!" Dana turned around with her arms wide in the large room. "Not really, NYC pays for it. My dad works for them. No big deal." Megan smiled again. Jen snorted in a humourous disgusted manner. "Yeah, this kid is spoiled. Wait till ya see the apartment." Walking towards the farthest elevator, they waited until the elevator came down. As the door slid open, Megan stepped in and pressed 48. Dana and Jen stood inside as the elevator made its ascent. Jen leaned against the bar and seat that was on the back wall. "The ELEVATOR is bigger than my room." "So?" Megan smiled another crooked-tooth-smile. "SO...." Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Meg, god, you got a hell of an average but you are damn slow gal." The doors opened to the 48th floor. The hallway was all black with white nude sculptures and brass door numbers. Megan walked to 10134 <<>>> and put a key in the double lock. A twist and a turn and they were inside. Dana let go a low whistle. The place was grande and clean. A german shephard met them at the door. "Sup Morus. Kipluck," Jennifer leaned down to pet the dogs. Morus was a huge longhaired shephard, Kipluck was a wolf hybrid. Dana walked around them and petted the young Pekinese and Jack Russel Terrier. "You have a lot of animals, Megan." "Tell me about it," Megan said as she stepped around the dogs and the cats and...a hedgehog. "They eat more than Jen." "And what is THAT supposed to mean?" "Nothing. Just add beer to their diets and you got clones of Miss. Kuhn over here." Jennifer stood, puffing herself out. "Say wa?" Jennifer approached Megan but no puffing could make Jennifer as tall as Megan. "I think she was joking, Jen." Dana smiled. "Duh." Jennifer smiled as she walked into the kitchen. Dana followed. The house had a leather scheme...the couch and all accessories were white leather. The carbet was black silk rayon and the walls had gold leaved patterns of Greek Gods. Megan walked straight through about four doors and opened one with a huge Z on it. The room's smell was odd...a mixture of sawdust and clementine. The room's walls were all black with white lining. The bed was on the floor inbetween two desks. A series of four computers and two laptops scattered the desks, night tables and book shelfs. A large bureau surrounded a small leather loveseat against one wall. Across from it was a VCR and a television...big screen naturally. This was all one row. Against the window, which faced the park, were lines of fish tanks and snakes and turtles and god knows what else. On the other wall was a leather bench running all around with shelves and cd runs, all across the length of the 30 foot wall. The wall outjutted to three closets, all with posters from ER, Noah Wyle and characters from the Z-Files. On the wall of the bench were photos, pictures, autographs and a drawing of a dragon. Scattered among those were TVGuide Ads of the X-Files. And last, but certainly not least, was a collection of CDs and a CD Player. Over 200 cds and songs circulated the large stereo. Dana was overwhelmed. "It's like a dream room." "Like hells gate if you ask me. Give me Amish any day." Megan sat on the couch. Jen walked in, three beers in her hand. "Whens your mom home?" A large persian cat leaped onto Megan's lap. "I dunno." She popped the top to the beer bottle with her teeth. Jen walked over to the computer, pulling the beer bottle cap in similar fashion. She turned on the IBM and leaned on the leather desk chair. "This girl doesn't realize what type of princess she is." "What do you mean?" Megan interjected as a Golden Retriever walked over to Jennifer and layed down. "You are spoiled rotten, Meg." "Am not." "You can be." Dana interjected, "I wish I had a house like this." "I hate it. I like everything simple." "Cept your clothing, Meg, eh?" Jennifer laughed a throaty laugh. The computer booted and the sound of "Megan has E-mailed." filled the large room. The desktop showed a camp photo of Megan, Jen and a few boys she has seen around school. Jennifer loaded America Online and waited as the software reared it's ugly head. "Come on, come on." Jennifer sighed. "I hate AOL." "So do I." "AOHELL, more like it,"Jennifer cracked. Dana laughed. The doorbell rang. Megan looked at Jen. "Mom?" "Shit," Jen dumped the beer down the garbage shute along with some napkins and plates that she had brought. Megan walked over. "Yes?" "Megan, honey, it's me." Megan opened the door. "HI MOM," Megan said so we could hear. "I brought home some...oh hello girls. Jennifer." "Hey Ms. Xixetel." "Who is the other one," Ms. Xixetel walked over to Dana. "She's Dana Scully. New kid in school." Megan explained. "Pleasure, Dana. Would you like something to eat?" "She came over for chinese, ma'am," Jennifer sniped the words ma'am. Xixetel walked over. "You've been smoking and drinking, Jennifer." "No I haven't," She claimed innocently. "If I catch you I will call your parents." "No reason to." Jennifer smiled again. "Well, I brought home chinese. Can't be home long, have to go to that trial and cover it. I'll see you around later." "Mom, can Jen and Dana stay over?" "If your Dad says fine, it's alright with me. Cheerio!" The woman left. "God what a whore," Jennifer shook her head. "Jen that isn't nice!" Dana said. "Neither is she," Jennifer shot back. Dana sighed. She looked at Megan who was indifferent. "Who wants ribs and who wants sweet and sour chicken." Dana grabbed the chicken. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~ Over two hours later, they were stuffed with ribs, rice and any other chinese dish known to New Yorkers. The phone rang. Jennifer leaned over. "Yoyosup? Uhuh. Hold on." She pulled away. "It's for you." Megan grabbed the phone. "Yea? NO! NO! NO! Nay...Naw...NO! Oh f, oh shit. Dog doodo! I'll be right there." Megan hung up. "Lacey's hurt." Jen got up. "Lets go." They dumped the dish and Megan ran out with the keys. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~ Walking down 54th Street and Broome, they ran. Dana barely kept up with them in her heels. They reached the corner of Grande an Greene and turned right. Megan sprinted to the yellow police line near 51st road. Megan ducked under the line. "DAD!" Kuczynski turned around, his Riggs ponytail flapping in the wing. "Megan, did you get Rachel's message?" "Yup, what happened?" Jennfier interupted. "Seems to be that some lesbian attacked jumped Lacey and hit her in the head with a stick." "How do you know its a lesbian?" Dana asked. "Tried to kiss Lacey. Lacey described a tall red head. She doesn't remember anything else." Megan walked over to Lacey, who was sitting in the doorway of an ambulance. "Lace, what happened." ''I got attacked by some gal who was interested in my in the 3rd degree. She hit me but I guess she got scared off. All I got to prove is this bump and a grab of the girl's shirt." Lacey showed Megan a piece of striped cloth. "You ok, though?" Jennifer asked, sitting next to Lacey. "Yeah, I'm fine." A news van pulled up and Ms. Lydia Xixetel got out. "Oh, f**k," Jennifer looked heavenward. "It's too nasty, we'd better leave," Lacey got up. "Come on Dana or we'll be in the center of-" Megan started. "Maciej?" Ms. Xixetel called. "Lydia," Kuczynski walked over to his divorced wife and mother of his wild daughter. "What are you doing here?" Lydia asked strangely. "Well, I'm a cop and I'm investigating. I'm doing my job." "That's wonderful. Is anyone hurt?" "A friend of Megans was attacked. She's talking to her-" "Megan's here?" "Yes." Maciej flipped his ponytail and ran through his hair.He was trying to change the subject. "The last time you took her to a crime scene she got-" "I know. I know. Just chill. Ok? Lydia, she's just here to chat and ask Lacey questions. So what are you doing here?" "I'm a newsreporter. New York Times wants an exclusive." "You aint getting it." "Why not, Maciej?" "Because this is a crime scene, I have to ask you to leave." Megan sighed. "This is insane. They fight ALL the time." "At least they aren't doing the 'blame me and kill me thing' like last time." "What's that?" Dana asked. Jennfier rolled her eyes again. "Once, when we were here, her father had to throw her mother out of the crime scene. They went into a whole thing about why he sucks at a parent and why she can't listen to the law, yadda yadda yadda. Ended up that the luietenant governor had to pry them apart. Meg stayed at my house that whole month." Jen shook her head. "Sad to see them fight." "I wish they would just kill each other and spare me the misery, " Megan sighed. "That's awful to say Meg!" Dana exclaimed agaiin. "Wait until you see The It's-Your-Fault skit...you're mind will change," Jennifer smiled. "My house this time?" "Fine," Megan shook her head. "I don't know why I put up with you!" Lydia replied, throwing her arms in the air. "God only knows!" Mage flew back. "I cannot believe our little girl is being pulled around the city by a wacked-out cop who cannot keep his baby on a leash!" "What is she, a freakin' husky? Lydes, she's 13, she hangs out with fifteen and sixteen yearolds and you are telling me that she has to stay near her *Mommy?* FAN-tastic!" Mage walked away. "This is all your fault!" "MY FAULT????" "If she hadn't gotten-" "If maybe you didn't GET involved, this would never happen at all!" "You are such a worry wart!" Lydia exclaimed again, her perfect hair coming undone. "Oh, ok," Mage picked up an imaginary telephone. "Hello Kettle? Yeah, its Pot. You're black." "Oh hilarious, Mage...just become another Bill Maher." Megan cleared her throat. The dueling couple turned. "WHAT?" they said at the same time. "I know I must be on your mind like a wart on a finger but can we get back to the matters at hand?" Megan approached her parents. "And that would be?" Lydia asked, hands on her hips. "Why Lacey was attacked," Jennifer piped up. "Duh." Lydia groaned. "You know, I am so happy those papers will be signed soon." "This may be the first time I agree with you." "See you later procrastinator." Lydia walked away. "If she wasn't your mother I'd call her some things that you've never even heard Jennifer say." Mage shook his head. "S'ok. She probably has,"Jen cracked as she walked over to Megan and her father. Dana hadn't spoken. She was afraid of this family and their associates. They were odd. Mage shook his head. "Megan, take Lacey down to the station with your friends. They gotta take a statement, ya know." Jennifer pulled the BMW keys out of her pocket. "K Sarge." They walked away as Lacey came up. They knew the drill. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~XX~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X Dear Diary, This town is neat, and all, but the population needs to grow on you. MY new friends Megan and Jennifer are really popular and cool, but they are a little mature for little ol' me. I mean, they handle things I have only seen on N.Y.P.D. Blue. It makes me want to avoid all areas of law enforcement and the like. The kids at the school are neat. I met this shy boy named Fox. I think he likes me but his eyes are so distant. I still don't know about his past...but I can't worry about lust when Lacey is hurt. Lacey Kiernan got attacked. She is yet another friend of Megan's. Meg's father is a cop and they are trying to stop this attacker. Meanwhile, Megan has a personal problem that her best pal Jen and Lacey cannot help her with. HEr parents fight like two pitbulls in Los Angeles, no offense to Carrie in LA. I just hope Megan turns out fine and we find out who hurt Lacey. But in NYC, I don't think many things go solved. Especially divorce. Love, Dana. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~XX~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X Dana looked over her diary entry. She had walked home from the station. Lacey was questioned for hours until Megan pried the investigator off of her. Jen drived her home where her mother did her own District Attorney impersonation about school and the like. Dana ran to her room, avoiding her sister who wanted to know all about the cute guys in high school, and thought about her new acquantinces. As she dropped off to sleep, she thought about Megan's parents. And who did that to Lacey. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~XX~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X Dana was early in homeroom. Lacey was a little late, which was understandable under the conditions she had been exposed to. Mr. Weiss gave her the once over, pulling every joke about lesbian attackers Leno had ever said on Network Television until Meg and Jen appeared in the doorway. "Yosup Weiss," Megan called as she walked in. "Oh, look. It's Miss-Topenga Lawrence and her sidekick Corey Mathews. Which one of you does Yoga?" Weiss tried to snap. "Yeah, that's a new one. Hey why don't you tell the class about that blind date last night." Weiss blushed. "Where did you find out." "Not bright to grab your date to MCDONALDS, eh Chris?" Jennifer laughed another enigmatic outburst. The whole homeroom started to giggle as Mr. Weiss reached into his drawer. Megan held out her hand as he dropped a set of keys into her hand. Jennifer motioned to Lacey and Dana, who followed them out. "Did somebody say.....McDonalds!" Jennifer cracked as they ran out. X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~XX~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~~X~X~X~X~X "Um, good morning." Dana tried. "And bees in the knees to you," Megan smiled. "Got the keys, ya baybe!" "What keys are that?" Dana asked. "In this high school, the one place that is off limits are the computer rooms." Lacey explained, rubbing her head. "And we got the keys to the office computer room," Jennifer continued. "Therefore, we have full and total access......" Lacey inched.. "To the security cameras!" Jennifer danced. "Which means we can cut school!" Megan finished. Dana was outraged. She stopped in her tracks. "CUT SCHOOL?" "What, your hearing aid go out?" Jennifer asked. "MY MOM WOULD KILL ME!" Dana was hyperventilating. "Actually, it aint cutting. We are going to find out who this stalker is." Megan smiled. "Besides, we'll be back intime for lunch." "OH yeah, back intime for 'Gumbo Surprise.' Oh yeah." Jennifer rolled her eyes. Dana tried her Look again. "This is crazy." "Oh I know," Megan laughed maniacally. "It's the thrill. Plus, I wanna know which moron attacked me, even if it was a girl, boy, homo, straight or all of the above!" Lacey yelled. Jennifer stopped at the hallway they just turned into. "I'm looking." Megan slid a yellow key into a closet-like door and pushed it. LAcey ran in as Jennifer slid by, pushing Dana inside. Megan closed the door as she stepped in and flicked the light switch. The small security room smelled like coffee and sweat socks. Dana screamed. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "What the HELL is THAT?" Dana screamed. Hanging from the ceiling was dead rat. Megan sighed. "Another joke for us. They know we come in here." Megan pulled up to a large computer station with video cameras. She sat perched on the leather chair. Jen pulled in near her, ready to help Miss Hacker at Work. Lacey just took some coffee from the machine. Above this coffe-perk maker read a sign: "Please clean out the filter every three years." Dana shuddered. She walked over to Salt and Pepper. "What are you doing?" "Well, I'm watching the second level cameras until all the guards go on conviniently congruent coffee breaks. Then we shut down the recording system for exactly three minutes so it's not noticable and we ditch this place," Megan said matter-of-factly. "And I'm waiting till I see the Principal walk-off for a meeting he has at a perfectly placed time." Jennifer smiled. "God, I love this school." Megan took out a cigarette and lit it with a match. She leaned back and drew a small drag. "Drag a fag?" "Why not?" Jennifer smiled. "Isn't that illegal?" Dana asked, the goody too-shoes here. "Well, the legal age is 15. Megan can pass for whatever she feels like so why worry?" Lacey piped up. "I'd smoke but I got asthma and it would suck if I died." Dana nodded. Megan looked at the screens again. "Oh look, it is time!" Megan said, mimcking Rafiki from the Lion King. On A1, the male, burly black guard looked to each side and quickly slipped out of his area. On A2, the young white guard looked in her empty coffee cup and slid off. On A3, the old woman was fast asleep. On A4-A10, the guards slipped away for a well-needed cigarette. Megan typed quickly a series of Alt-Control-X codes and used the cursor key several instances. She let out a whistle. "Let me know when Baldy leaves to take a leak." Jennifer nodded. She counted silently: Five, Four, Three, Two, One. "Bingo." Megan hit enter three times. "We got 4 minutes to kick this joint!" Lacey opened the door and shut the lights as Megan and Jennifer grabbed their bags and dashed out. Dana followed as they all went out a back staircase. Running down the stairs, Meg held all the doors until they were standing on Wooster Avenue. "Alright, safe." "For now," Jen added. Dana shuddered in the wind. If her mom found out... "Alright, let's go see my Dad. Maybe they found out something." Megan offered. "This is WAY tight, man." Jennifer seriously giggled, if that was even possible. They turned left and caught the MQ8 bus straight to the station. They couldn't risk being seen by a coffee-break guard. Megan sat with her long legs stretched out infront of her. Jen sat tight and shulted in the corner. Lacey sat like a movie star as she tossled her hair. Dana settled as she hugged her bookbag. The ride was only about two minutes long as Megan pushed the bar that signled that they wanted off. The bus slowed and Meg jumped down the stairs. Jen, Lacey and Dana followed. The bus sped off, if a bus could ever do that, leaving a pungent odor of diesel fuel. Megan walked towards the station doors and opened them. Dana realized it wasn't as full as when they had come. Only three hookers spoke to a detective. Nobody really noticed them, except Kuczynski. "Megan, what are you doing here?" Kuczynski laughed. "We wanna help with the case," Jen said. "Your name's Megan?" "How can you get us confused?" Jennifer asked. "Well, we found some dish on the perp." Kuczynski sat down with a coffee mug as he flicked his wavy hair again. "Turns out the gal was a red head who permed their hair. Probably had AIDS, too." "How'dya find THAT out?" Lacey asked. "Breakdown of the hair. Hey, I'm no scientist. Anybody else you think of that could have done that?" Kuczynski propped his feet on his desk. "The only red head I know is Amanda but she don't got the spleen to do somethin' like that," Jen thought aloud. "And if she's gay, Ellen's straight." "Right. Could be you don't know the jerk," Megan offered. "Yeah, but I KNEW the person. It was weird. Ya know," Lacey shrugged. "Well, the kid's on the lookout, asking hooks and pimps, ya get it," Kuczynski sighed. "Takes a real screw up to try somethin' like that." "Um, hello? It's New York City. This isn't exactly odd," Jennifer laughed. "I don't know why you're so skeptical," Dana said. Megan picked up an imaginary phone. "Yo kettle? It's pot, you're black," Megan shook her head. "What? Are you calling me skeptical?" "Is the sky blue?" Megan said. "Is Megan a smart ass?" Jennifer smiled. "That defeats the analogy, jen!" Lacey smiled. "Hey, hey. No dissin' my kid. I could arrest you for cuttin' school,' Kuczynski smiled lopsidedly. "But I'm not. I need you to help me mess some 'pects out." "Finally, my talents are known," Jennifer said, punching her fist into her palm. Kuczynski handed Megan a piece of paper. "Here are some suspects that they came up with. All at Lincoln High School." MEgan let out a long whistle. Jennife shuddered. "What?" Dana asked. "Toughest high school in the world. 78% murder rate," Megan gritted her teeth. "Even I got messed up there once." "Oh," Dana shuddered again. She didn't like this development AT ALL. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Megan walked very toughly and sassy towards the black teenagers leaning on the fence infront of Lincoln Essense High School. Jennifer walked afoot and Lacey stayed behind. Dana stood with Lacey; she had no intention of coming home with a black eye. "Yo, whishone of youse is Theo?" Jennifer called out. A black guy with a pantyhose buttonhat walked over. He was at least 6 feet and a good head taller than Jennifer, but not quite Megan. His yellow and blue nautica jacket accented the large blue earring and scar running down his left cheek. "Who's asking?" "The Pope, you retard," Megan rolled her eyes. "Why you here?" Theo asked, raising his chin up and down. "It aint for my health," Jennifer stood serious. "Youz health aint gonna be existent if you don't step off ma turf," Theo warned, stepping closer to Jennifer. "You try and make me," Jennifer offered. "You scared of a couple of girls, Theo? Can't get a date so you gotta knock one silly before you can lay it down," MEgan taunted. A couple of hoots came from the bums near the fence. "Who do you think you are messing with me?" Theo asked, stepping closer to Megan. "Don't give me attitude!" Megan screamed. "YOu ever try to mess a hispanic gal couple o' nights ago?" "Why do you care?" Theo asked. "Answer the question or you gonna get up close and personal with my fist," Jennifer approached the tall black dude. Theo shook his head. "I don't gotta answer your questions. You guys are a bunch of white trash." Megan stuck her hand out to stop a charging Jennifer. "Listen, punk, I don't give a Lordy Mary if you're the Messiah, answer the question or you are going to be sporting a nose that resembles one of a Chiuahua. As in Taco Bell." "I aint gonna answer shit," Theo insisted. "Perfect your 'Viva Gordita' deary, cuz you gonna be takin' Gidget's place," Jennifer said almost ready to give this moron a mouthful. "Answer the question or I'm gonna let Jen here letcha have it. I'm givin' ya fair warning. I'm also saving you a substantial dental bill," MEgan offered. "No freakin' way." Megan removed her blocking hand. Jennifer rushed up and lifted this large kid off the pavement and rushed him into the brick wall. "Listen Theo, give us straight answers or you're gonna have Noah Wyle and George Clooney helping you into a body cast. Now," Jennifer put a long, index finger to his face, "unless you want my class ring impressioned on that sad excuse for a face, answer the question. Capiche?" Jennifer raised both of her eyebrows. Theo actually looked like he was going to do Accident #2 in his pants. "Whatdya wanna know?" Jennifer let him drop. "I knew that I could convince you." Megan walked over, her job now beginning. "Did you ever try to slip a Hispanic gal and rape her." "What?" Theo scrunched his face. "Maybe if Jen hits ya a couple of times, you're ear's'll start working." Megan shrugged. "Your choice." "Ok, ok. No I didn't." Theo surrendered with his arms. "I don't like Hispagals. I like tall blondes." "Which sex?" Jennifer piped up. "Say wa?" Theo asked. "Gal or guy, simple question. Complex consequence." Megan offered again, motioning to Jennifer. "Gal. I aint no homo." "Just cuz you can't get laid...did you ever change yer mind?" Jen asked. "Uhuh. Really." Theo looked sincere. Megan nodded. "K. If we find out you were lying, we're going to make another cameo appearance that your public is going to never forget." Megan turned on her heel and walked away. Jen tried to walk away but she did a double take and ~~WHACKED~~ Theo in the right face. "THAT's for TAKING my LINE! I see you using 'Say wa' again and you better turn the other cheek and I don't mean on your ugly face." She walked away chin in the air. Theo wondered how he got in this mess. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Any luck?" Lacey asked. "Naw. He didn't know anything," Megan shook her head. Her glasses fell a bit off her nose. "But he isn't a female OR a red head," Dana thought outloud. "Why is he a suspect." "He hangs out with red headed gals that are capable of knockin' Lacey out. He would know if somethin' like that happened. " Jennifer looked heavanward. "Whose next?" "Nelson Dayvis," MEgan raised her eyebrow. "SAY WA?" "NELSON?" Jennifer exclaimed. "NO WAAAY!" Lacey said, grabbing the sheet. "How'd he get there?" "I know he got red hair AND he's gay but the guy can't hit a tennis ball." Megan shook her head again. "Well, do we got a choice? We gonna disobey the Sarge?" Jennifer shrugged. "Let's go. He's probably at ant club." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At the youth center, the group of geeks who joined ant club got off from school everyday from 9 to 12 to help out at the hills. Megan knocked on the door to the Ant Hill Club office, inside the Soho Community House. She opened it and inside were ten boys with black, prismatic glasses with taped nose-bridges. Dana did another Look. They all had suspenders and plaid pants. Most of them had pocket protectors. "How can I help you?" a young boy asked, sporting a name-card reading COREY WILLMANI, PRESIDENT. "Wheres Nelson?" Jennifer asked. "Nelson? Which one?" "There's more than, one, Nelson?" "Oh yes. There are six Nelsons, three Minkis' and one Corey. I'm the Corey." Corey smiled, showing braces with black pucks. "Yeah, I can read," Megan smiled shyly. Then she rolled her eyes. "I need to see Nelson Dayvis." "Oh! Secretary of Dirt! He's outside. Near the stream. Best dirt for our red females." "I bet," Dana said. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Why isn't it the double rebles themselves Jennifer and Megan. For what do I owe the pleasure." "Cut the...dirt...and...never mind. WHere were you last afternoon?" Megan inquired, hands on her hips. "Yesterday? After a nice poetry reading of Robert Frost, I went over to Cafe` Cafe` to have an expresso. THat is where I was," Nelson nodded. He wore a black turtleneck and black tight jeans. His gold glasses were large and he wore red suspenders with little shovels on them. He put down the bucket of mud he was collecting. "What is all this about?" "Nothing," Megan said. "I don't know why I'm here." "Well, since you are here, would you like to have a Coffee Coolatta?" "Some other time, Nelson. I have a dictionary to read," Megan smiled. "Ah. I understand. Nothing but the best books, eh Megan? Have a nice day." Megan and her crew walked away. "He didn't do it. Why did he send us here?" Lacey thought. "Maybe because they have to rule out everything." Dana smiled, showing a toothy-grin. "OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Jennifer exclaimed. "What?" Megan turned to Jennifer, annoyed. "We got three minutes to make it to lunch." "Oh f........................" They ran off to catch the bus. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX They walked into the cafeteria as the late-bell rang. Megan dropped her bookbag on the bench of the lunchroom. Jennifer threw hers underneath the white fake-granite table. Lacey kept hers on her back and Dana held onto it tightly, afraid of the gum, germs and villanous-hands that might come in contact with it. A large, shrill whistle screeched through the still air and the room full of 10th graders stood to a halt. The balding 10th grade Dean, Mr. Dean Berkowitz was short, thin and has a severe case of scoliosis. His white turtleneck and purple jeans with New World Order patches on him made him look like a kid from That 70's Show! and it wasn't good for his popularity level. "Nooow.....wheeen III blow this whistle...............you caaan go OUTSIDE," he said, talking like a kid on heroin. He blew the whistle again and three-quaters of the lunch room left. Actually, Dana, Lacey, Megan and Jen were the only people left at the previously full table. Megan took out a Mint Iced Tea Snapple Bottle and popped the cap. Pressing the safety pop in and out, she said, "Ohkay...we need to rule out all possibilities for the rest of this list." She laid the now slighlty crumpled piece of Squad Stationary on the table. "We've scratched Theo and Nelson...but we still have three more people to huff through." She pointed to the first on the list. "Jen and I can take Amanda since we know how to handle cockroaches like her." Jen nodded. "I personally have been known to spray roaches with Fantastik so I could watch them squirm and....hey I'm joking! Light up a little! Sarcasm. Geez," she shook her head. "What happened to you all?" "Moving on," Megan said, drawing her eyes back to the sheet of paper, "is Sam Chorns." "Have I interuppted something?" Fox said as he sat down next to Dana. "Not really, looking through a list," Jen said. "Oh yeah, Lace, I heard about that attack. My sympathies naturally,' Fox said showing another goofy grin. "Already acknowledged. We're helping Kuczynski find the idiot. You wanna help out?" Lacey said, flicking her black hair back again. "What can I do?" Fox leaned in closer and stared at the list. "We're surveiling the remaining three suspects. Jen and I are getting Amanda and we're breaking off the other ones." "Well, I'll take Sam. He's a friend of mine, actually," Fox said, making a "t" with his hands and resting his chin upon them. "Good, Dana, why don't you take Sam with Fox?" Jen offered. "Sure!" Dana said, a little too eagerly. "Great, Lacey, why don't you grab your brother Kyle and take Michael Doolitlye?" Megan threw. "No problemo cicquita," Lacey nodded. "I suggest we get started right after-" "Miss Kuczynski? You have a phone call at the main office," Mr. Berkowitz said as he leaned over Megan. "Ah, thank you." MEgan shrugged as he walked away. She took off to the office. Five minutes later she was back. "Another attack. This time, the kid died." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The crime scene tape was lifted as Dana, Megan, Jen, Lacey and Fox entered the crime scene. Meg walked over to her dad. "And luck?" "Nada. Girl's name was Charlene Torrense. Hit in the head, knocked cold, raped, your usual rape and flee. Same trace hair...turns out we had enough to say it is DEFINATELY a guy," Kuczynski said, ruffling his hair. "Found face down in a lap of blood. A hooker found her, thought she had been gyped." "I'll say," Jennifer said as she leaned down to see the victim. The blonde young girl's neck was turned at deadly angles. Her blue eyes were unfocused. Her nose, probably quite pretty in life, was smashed in like a broken doll's. "Any clues?" Lacey asked. "Nothing weird or outstanding, although I wish there was," Kuczynski said. "Sarge, what are these lines here?" Fox asked, pointing next to the hand of the body. "I don't know. Probably side walk decay. People like writing in cement," Kuczynski said without really looking. "But this is in dirt. Maybe a dying plea?" Fox asked again. Kuczynski looked up. "Cathrine! Get the coroner over here and the photogal!" A short burly coroner put on a new pair of rubber gloves and the brunnette taking pictures posed the flash where the coroner sat. "Well, there is dirt residue here under this index nail...yup...I'd say she scratched the dirt," Medical Examiner Fisher said. The flash went off and a collection of five photographs came out. As the pictures developed, Kuczynski handed one to his rookie, one to Fox and Dana, one to Jen and Meg and one to Lacey. The other he let the brunnette take. "I don't know what they are...but if it helps use em. I gotta go call you're Mom, Meg. See you around?" Kuczynski walked away with a wave. "So what are these lines?" Megan asked. "Looks like lines...that's it." "They are all different shapes and lengths," Jen agreed. "I think they are just scratches from her thrashing." It was actually just lines. The first set was three short lines, then a short and longer line, followed by longer lines. "No legible words. Mean anything to you?" Dana asked Fox. "No. Not yet." Fox fingered his chin. "Well, we better get back to school. I'm gonna say bye to my dad. Cheers," Megan walked away. As Fox and Dana walked away, Fox said "Lets start the watch tonight. I'll pick you up around 9 pm?" "Uh sure," Dana said, unknowing how her mom might react. "You live in the Surfiel Apartments?" Dana nodded. "See you then," Fox walked off to catch the bus to soccer practice. Dana looked at the picture of the lines. "What were you trying to say, Charlene? What were you trying to say?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana was curled on the sofa at her living room, reading through her new english text book and taking notes on the stories she was supposed to read by the next day. There was a ring at her doorbell. Her mother came from the other room to open the door. Swinging it open, she cocked her head to the side. "Yes?" "Hi, I'm...Fox Mulder....I'm a friend of Dana's," Fox said as she he leaned on the doorway in an overcoat, kinda big for his lanky stature. Maggie looked at Dana. "Dana do you know this Fox?" "Yeah, mom," Dana said as she got up and removed her reading glasses. Her mom smiled and walked away. Dana pulled her hair out of the pony tail. She was in blue leggings and a ratty t-shirt. "Hi Fox," Dana smiled towards him, showing her incisors. "Hey Dana...ready?" Fox was still leaning. "Yeah, let me grab my jacket. MOM!" she yelled. "I'M GOING FOR AN HOUR OR SO TO GET A BOOK FROM WALDEN's. DON'T WAIT UP FOR ME!" "Alright Dana!" her mom called back, probably sewing something back together that Missy had broken. Dana pulled her coat on. Fox grabbed it and helped her into it. "NO reason for me to be impolite." Dana smiled again; she found herself smiling around him a lot. Walking towards Fox's car, a white toyota in pretty decent condition, she scurried. She slid into the passenger side as Fox started up the car. "Next stop, the Yellow Cab bar. That's where Sam is now." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX It was nearly three hours later. Sam was sitting at a booth near the window and Dana has a mighty clear view of Sam's conversation with an Asian girl. Fox chewed on sunflower seeds and a cheese danish. "Anything new from Sammy boy?" Fox asked, mouth full. "I think he's about to break the law of consent for sex, if you ask me," Dana said. "Is he ever going to leave?" She sighed and leaned back. "So why are you here in New York?" Fox asked her. "Huh? Oh, my dad works at the military base on Staten Island so we're here until they move him again." "Neat." Fox chewed more cheese danish. "Any siblings?" "Yeah, two older ones, Melissa and Bill Jr and a younger, Charlie." "Interesting." "What about you Fox? You never did tell me about yourself," Dana pried as she adjusted herself to turn to face him. "Nothing much," he admitted. "My dad works for the Central Intelligence Agency and my mom's a housewise. My sister was taken away when I was twelve and she was eight." "She was kidnapped?" Dana said with horror. "Abducted, actually. At least that is what I think." "By...." Dana motioned with her hand. "Aliens," Fox stated blantly. "I see," Dana said giving him the Look. "Oooh, a look. I see you don't believe me. Join the line behind me. Actually we don't know where she is." "Any clues to her wereabouts?" "I think I need a napkin for this danish..." Fox said, looking around him. "Ah, change of topic. I understand," Dana said nodding. Fox smiled. "Someday I might tell you. Only a few people know what I believe and you're not ready for it." Dana looked mockingly shocked. "Really?" "Yeah, live through a couple of fights, see a friend get shot, THEN you can handle it." Fox smiled again but then that look turned to a look of urgency. "Sorry to burst your bubble on this very nice conversation but Sammy Boy has decided that his broad wasn't his type," Fox said as he shifted the car into reverse, then drive, and followed the red Suburu that Sam drove. Sam drove quite quickly and Dana was surprised that Fox could keep up. Yet, he didn't drive too closely. "I see you've done this before?" Dana asked, making sure her seat belt was fastened. "Yeah, you'd say," Fox said as he turned a corner and then slammed to a stop. Once Dana had removed her head from the windshield and smoothed the seat belt impression in her chest, she asked Fox, "What the hell are you doing?" "Certainly not killing you, Dana. Actually, this is a private road and we'd blow our cover if we followed him up it," Fox said as peered over the steering wheel. "And if you ask me, Sam brought home a worker." Getting out of the car was a red head in a leopard mini skirt and a shirt that wouldn't define as underwear, except in stripes. She was about five-four, give or take an inch. Sam lead her inside. About ten minutes later, the red head left nodding. She got back in the red car, counted money and was about to drive off. Sam yelled through the window. "Remember! Theo gets half!" "Yeah, I know," the carrot top mumbled as she drove away. Dana turned to Fox. "Why'dya think of that?" "She has really bad taste in clothing," Fox nodded. "No, I mean Sam!" "He got really bad taste in women," Fox nodded again. "FO-OX!" "Okay, okay, sorry. Theo's worked in on this?" "Do horses have hooves? Dana smirked. "Don't get sly with me, carrot top," Fox said as he turned to drive off. "I'm not. But stop asking dumb questions. You're like those idiot dates I've had that throught the ENTIRE movie, they ask questions that were JUST answered; I think they like knowing that they were right," Dana shook her head. "Bad dates from hell? You haven't been to New York if you didn't have a date to the Knick's Game," Fox said. "I bet," Dana said." "If ya ever wanna go, lemme know?" Fox smiled another lopsided grin. "Coulda, woulda, shoulda, lemme, wanna...your grammar is worse than Megan's!" Dana smiled. "Yeah, well, I've had more practice. English ain't Megan's first language," Fox said. "Really?" "Yeah, she's Polish and German so her first languages were that," Fox said matter-of-factly. "Neat, she really is smart?" "She's as smart as Jen is a good actress," Fox stated. When Fox dropped her off home, she thought about it. What would the next day bring? She hoped nothing too drastic; New York was giving her a major headache. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The next day, after homeroom, Dana sat down in English class. Ms. Sossi was talking to Noah, inferring about a book. Jen was sitting and listening to more music. Dana turned to the other side; Meg wasn't in school. "Jen, where's Meg?" Dana asked. Jen kept singing to herself. "Jen? JEN?" Dana snapped her fingers. Jen snapped back into the present demension. "Huh? Meg? Oh, she's helping her dad or something." Dana nodded. She knew Jen was hiding something. Jen sent her a look: I'll tell you later. Miss Sossi clapped her hands. "Class? Class? Today, we are going to discuss the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer since we all are required to do a thesis on it." Groans emitted from a good percentage of the student body. "-But first, let me take the attendance..." Sossi hummed. "Megan? Megan Kuczynski?" Sossi looked up. "Is Megan in school today? Jennifer?" Jennifer looked up. "What?" "Is Megan in school today?" "Whya askin' me?" "I suspect you are best friends." "Bullseye. Can't Meg be absent?" "Did you see her today?" Sossi was getting impatient. "Listen, it's kinda hard to miss her, dontcha think?" Jennifer shrugged. "I didn't see her." "Don't start an attitude with me, Miss Kuhn, because you are going to be very sorry." "I already am," Jennifer smiled sweetly, so that tooth decay was forming in even the class hamster. "Well then, Jennifer, you can answer all my questions today." "Goody goody gum drops," Jennifer rolled her eyes. "The story takes place near the Mississippi. Jen, can you spell Mississippi?" "The state or the river?" Jennifer asked. Even Dana had to giggle at that one. "The river," Miss Sossi said patiently. "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I. I can also spell my name and count to ten. Aren't you proud?" Jennifer stayed deadpan. "Great. Can you find it on a map?" "I didn't take it...why do *I* have to find it?" "Miss Jennifer Kuhn take your attitude out of here!" Sossi screamed. "Deal," Jennifer picked up her books and was about to leave the room. "STOP!" Jennifer turned around. "Wa?" "Listen, little missy, watch your tongue!" "I dont gotta mirror. Without one, dats pretty tough." Sossi looked heavenward. "Sit down. Dana, maybe you can answer this question. "Ill try." Dana looked scared. "Who wrote Tom Sawyer?" "Mark Twain, or Samuel Clemens." "Very good, Dana." Sossi smiled. "May I remind that this is an accelerated class?" Jen piped up. "I wonder what you are doing here," Sossi smiled back. "The same as the others...being bored out of our frickin' minds," JEnnifer raised her lip. The bell just rang. "This period goes by very quickly." Sossi looked at her watch. "See you all tomorrow." "Unfortunately, that might occur," Jennifer muttered as she left the room. Dana jogged to catch up with her. "Where's Megan?" "She went to help her dad with the case. We gotta meet her outside at 10 minutes to the end of lunch." "Oh, ok," Dana smiled. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Jen has cut the next classes or so and Dana met her again in lunch. Dana got on line to get hot lunch and she literally bumped into Jennifer. "Oh, sorry. Hi Jen!" Dana smiled again. "Dark and evil to ya," Jen said. "Ready to eat?" "Yup. God was IS that garbage?" Dana sniffed. "Precisely," Jen shrugged. "It smells liek tomato sauce and cider," Dana offered. "Sounds great. Why didn't I pack a sandwich?" Jen shook her head. A little farther down the line, Jen had given her tray to Martha, the cook. Martha dumped a heaping the mystery dish onto Jen's tray. Martha was about to hand it back...but yanked it towards her again. "What Martha? Has lunch been recalled?" Jen asked. "Oh, you're such a tease! No, I forgot to give you your beans!" She heaped the brown gobuls onto the dish. "Eat your beans dear. They're full of protien." "So what are we eating, either than protien?" Jen asked, giving the tray a disgusted look. "Apple lasagna," Martha said as she took Dana's try. "Well I don't know your face. You new?" "Uh yeah. My name is Dana Scully." Dana offered. "She hangs with me and Meg," Jen concluded. "Ah. I hope to see you more often!" Martha waved them off as they left the hot lunch line. Sitting down, Jen took one last look at the meal and started eating it quickly. Dana started eating but after a few bites, something wasn't right. Her throat tightened and she felt nauseaus. "Danes, you ok?" Jen asked, almost finished. "Yes, I ate too fast. I'll feel better once I...." Dana coughed. "Throw up," Jennifer offered and on cue Dana let the lasagna make a repeat appearance. As Dana was helped away by Jennifer, Jennifer oculdn't help commenting, "Another interesting thing about Martha's food is that it doesn't look any different after you've eaten it." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "I had no idea I was allergic to fat free ricotta," Dana explained as she walked away form the nurses office. Jen walked to the front door of the school and held it for Dana. "Who would think?" As they walked out with Norman giving so much as a squeak, Dana looked for Megan. She was sitting on the steps. "I heard, Dana. That food is killer," Megan smiled. She had her blonde hair up in a french braid. "Any news Brownose?" "Nothing cool. Nothing that we haven't already found out. Figures, eh?" Megan got up. "So how was class?" "I wouldn't know," Jen shrugged. "Ah, a cutter? Neat-o. After school, do you want to go down to the station? We can chat and discuss crap." "I can't. I have to finish unpacking," Dana smiled sadly. "Sorry." "No biggie. Well, I gotstogo. Cheers, bellas." She walked away to catch the next bus. She stopped and winked at me. "Telephone-tu moi." She walked away. Dana sighed. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana was reading a book on the living room couch at three am. She could't sleep; she had unpacked for three hours or more. The Andromeda Strain was an excellent book and Dana wanted to finish it. She had called Meg before and she had faxed her the case files. Dana found nothing interesting. The phone rang. "Hello?" Dana whispered. "You're awake?" Fox MUlder's voice called from the reciever. "No, you're speaking to my conscience," Dana asked. "Kay Jiminy Cricket," Fox joked. "WHy are you calling me when you should be asleep?" "Wanted to know what you thought of this case." "Case?" Dana sounded quizical. "LAcey's attack and the murder..." "Are we working for, what, the FBI?" "You could say. Who do you think did it?" "I dunno. I think Theo got connections so maybe he had something to do with it." "Theo?" "I went with Meg and Jen to that." "Ah." Fox sounded like he was nodding his head. "Well, I am going to try to go to sleep." "Goodnight mademoiselle," Fox said. "Night Fox," Dana said as she hung up the phone. She fell asleep on the couch. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At six A.M. the next morning, Dana was awakened by the phone ringing. "Hello?" Dana's voice was thick with sleep. "Hey Morning Sunshine. I got news!" Meg exclaimed. "Is it a New York thing to call everyonee at either really late at night or really early in the morning?" "Probably. Theo's checked in to the six foot under hotel." "Huh?" "Bit the dust...kicked the bucket...." "What?" "HE DIED!" Megan sounded like she was announcing a party. "What?" "He's gone...killed just like Charlene. Get your pretty little legs down here to the station...Jen, Fox and Lacey are already here!" "I'm coming." Dana hung up the phone. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana walked into the station. Jen was sitting on the entrance desk talking on the phone. Meg and her dad were around his desk. Lacey was drinking coffee. Fox spotted Dana. "Dana!" He called. "We were waiting for you!" "Do you sleep?" Dana asked as she was dragged outside into a police car. "What's sleep?" "Figures." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Theo's body was face down...almost a mirror image of Charlene's. No clues, no hints, no fingernail scrapings. "God this guy is good," Kuczynski said. "What gave you the tip off?" Jen rolled her eyes. Kuczynski leaned down. "This is really odd. They always make a mistake. This perp knew what he was doing." "I suspected that much," Meg said. Fox looked at DAna. "Can I talk to you over there?" Dana gave him a Look and followed him. "What?" "Quite convienient for him to die today," Fox stated. "What makes it convienient?" "You told me over the phone that you suspected him." "So?" "And today he's dead." "I say again..So?" "That phone line isn't secure." "What?" Dana rolled her eyes. "Thats beeswax." "Hey, its a theory." "A rather weak one at that," Dana scrunched her eyebrows. "Forget I mentioned it," Fox walked away. Dana raised her eyebrow; something Meg had rubbed off onto her. This town was weird. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana was tired in school due to lack of sleep and an early wake up call. Walking home, she fell into bed. At 10pm, she got a phone call from Fox. "Hey Dana...we might be having a french quiz tomorrow. Remember to bring your textbook." "That huge thing, man," Dana whined. "Bring it... Night..." Fox hung up. As Dana placed the book in her pack, she couldn't help thinking why he called her. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At six A.M. the next morning, Dana was awakened by the phone ringing. "Hello?" Dana's voice was thick with sleep. "Hey Morning Sunshine. I got news!" Meg exclaimed. "Is it a New York thing to call everyonee at either really late at night or really early in the morning?" "Probably. Theo's checked in to the six foot under hotel." "Huh?" "Bit the dust...kicked the bucket...." "What?" "HE DIED!" Megan sounded like she was announcing a party. "What?" "He's gone...killed just like Charlene. Get your pretty little legs down here to the station...Jen, Fox and Lacey are already here!" "I'm coming." Dana hung up the phone. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana walked into the station. Jen was sitting on the entrance desk talking on the phone. Meg and her dad were around his desk. Lacey was drinking coffee. Fox spotted Dana. "Dana!" He called. "We were waiting for you!" "Do you sleep?" Dana asked as she was dragged outside into a police car. "What's sleep?" "Figures." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Theo's body was face down...almost a mirror image of Charlene's. No clues, no hints, no fingernail scrapings. "God this guy is good," Kuczynski said. "What gave you the tip off?" Jen rolled her eyes. Kuczynski leaned down. "This is really odd. They always make a mistake. This perp knew what he was doing." "I suspected that much," Meg said. Fox looked at DAna. "Can I talk to you over there?" Dana gave him a Look and followed him. "What?" "Quite convienient for him to die today," Fox stated. "What makes it convienient?" "You told me over the phone that you suspected him." "So?" "And today he's dead." "I say again..So?" "That phone line isn't secure." "What?" Dana rolled her eyes. "Thats beeswax." "Hey, its a theory." "A rather weak one at that," Dana scrunched her eyebrows. "Forget I mentioned it," Fox walked away. Dana raised her eyebrow; something Meg had rubbed off onto her. This town was weird. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana was tired in school due to lack of sleep and an early wake up call. Walking home, she fell into bed. At 10pm, she got a phone call from Fox. "Hey Dana...we might be having a french quiz tomorrow. Remember to bring your textbook." "That huge thing, man," Dana whined. "Bring it... Night..." Fox hung up. As Dana placed the book in her pack, she couldn't help thinking why he called her. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When Dana got to french class, she pulled out her textbook. Fox pulled out his. Ms. Duke wrote the Fait Maintenant on the board. Dana did it and she realized Duke didn't announce a quiz. She raised her hand. "Are we having a quiz today?" Duke scrunched her brow. "No...would you like one?" "NO, I was...sorry...confused." Dana embarrassedly looked at the class and jabbed Mulder in the ribs. "What?" He muttered. "What quiz?" Dana sniped. "Gotcha!" Fox winked. Dana sighed and copied down the new IR verbs. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dana had just stepped out of the school and was on her way home when Fox called to her. "Hey reddy." "Oh, hi. Why did you make me lug that textbook?" "No reason." Fox smiled. Megan popped from inside the school. "Another kid has choked on dust," she shook her head. "Who?" Dana said, giving a perplexed look towards Megan. "Some red head. NO offense. Let's go." Dana ran inside. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The crime scene was practically empty except for Kuczynski and the body. Megan called to him. "Who's the broad?" "That's the $64,000," Kuczynski shrugged. "No I.D. But we got an eyewitness." "Never can be happy, eh Sarge?" Jennifer smiled. "She's over there, brownose and hitchcock. Have a ball." Kuczynski pointed to the sqaud car and started to dial another number on the cell. Megan walked over to the older woman, drinking coffee. "Hi, I'm Megan and this is Jennifer, Fox and Dana. We're helping my dad out over there. What did you see?" The older lady smiled. "Nothing much, really." "What's your name?" Dana asked. "Clorinda Rhys. I live down the block. I was just getting the New York Times." "What did you see?" "Some kid attack that young lady," Clorinda pointed at the body. The blonde hair was spreaddled around her and was soaking in a pool of cakey blood. "You didn't want to DO anything about it?" Dana demanded. "Honey, it's New York. I thought I was some hooligan. But I decided that this wasn't right so I called out 'Hey!'" "And?" Jennifer asked. "The kid looked at me and ran away. They dropped their bookbag and ran down the street." "Bookbag?" Megan raised her lip. 'Yes, the officer has it. Quite full." Fox walked towards Kuczynski. "Sarge, can I see the bag?" Kuczynski gave him a pair of gloves and the bag. Dana made her way over to take a peek. Inside was a clean, new notebook, a math textbook and.... A french textbook. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Fox offered to take Dana home that evening. As they walked to the subway, Fox nudged Dana. "Fancy that kid having a french textbook, eh?" "What do you mean?" Dana asked. "Nobody brought it today except you. Why did he, or she, bring it?" "Maybe you told someone and they spread the word," Dana said. "I only told you." "That was a mighty sick joke. My back doesn't forgive you." Fox turned serious. "I told you. Over the phone." "I remember," Dana nodded sarcastically. "It was a lie, but I remember." "So how did that kid know?" "What's your theory?" "What makes you think I have a theory?" "I don't know. YOu have a look in your eye. You know something I don't." "No WAY!" Fox smiled. "Cut it," Dana grepted. "Anyway," Fox thought aloud. "Maybe our phones are bugged?" Dana raised her eyebrow. "Huh?" "Bugged. Maybe somebody is listening in." "Unless you are having some interesting conversations, I don't know why. The only convos I have are between my mom, my dad, megan and you." "That dull?" Fox laughed again. "Get real Fox," Dana said as she stepped onto the E train. As they sat down, Fox looked heavenward. "It's just really weird. The one day I tell you to bring the textbook, someone else does too." "Coincidence, Fox. Just coincidence," Dana assured. "In New York, there are no such things as coincidences." ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana got home and went straight to bed, skipping dinner again. She realized her parents weren't home. A note on the refridgerator read "Dana; we went out. Meatloaf in here. Go to bed by midnight. Love, Mom" Dana didn't eat. She just went to bed. She didn't hear the phone ring and the answering machine pick up. "Hi, you've reached Dana Scully's machine. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you when hell freezes over. Thank you." BEEP! Three digital tones. BOOP! BOOP! BIP! "You have 1 messages." the electronic voice called. The message played back. "Hey Dana. It's Missy. Stop by Barnes and Nobles tomorrow after school. Get me Jane Eyre. I'll love you for it. Ciao!" BEEEEEEEEP! The line went dead. Dana never heard this. She didn't know that someone had just checked her messages. Damn the digital age. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` The next morning, Dana went to school. Fox didn't. He spent the whole morning with a 'friend.' After school let out, he called Dana. No answer. "Hmm, Melvin. She isn't in," Fox said as he hung up the phone. "She probably has a life, Fox," Melvin said as he started to put together the phone he had just dismembered. Melvin Luther Frohike was over Fox Mulder's house to look for bugs. Melvin was a mere five foot one inch tall with silver glasses and a bulldog face. His brown hair was thin and flat but inside that skull was a brain with a knack for bugs and an affinaty for pornography. Fox laughed. "I know. And call me Mulder." Melvin shrugged. "Why? Do I ask you to call me Frohike?" "I would if you asked." "very funny. This phone is clean," Melvin announced as he snapped the cover back on. "ONly one phone left but I don't see any bugs yet, Fox." "You never know. How's Ringo?" "Probably listening to The Band Formerly Known As The Huh's. I have NEVER heard of any of those bands." "They have names like Print Me Fine," Fox agreed. "I call them the Dweebmunks. Ringo always tells me that i'm harshing his mellow, man." "He sure is mellow," Fox thought. Melvin started to pull apart this last phone. "Did you see Johnny Boy yet?" "No, I heard he was studying biology tonight," Fox shook his head. "That guy needs a life." "And the pot calls the kettle black," Melvin said. "Hey. Do you see ME studying bio?" "No, but I do see you thinking about this 'Dana.' Tell me, is she hot?" "Melvin, to you, an popsicle is hot." "Especially if it's wearing one of those three million dollars appendages from Victoria's Secrets," Melvin agreed with a peverted smile. "Oh shut up," Fox said, as he glanced through a Celebrity Skin. "Oh, you know what I'm talkin' about. The one with the feathers and the diamonds and the really, really, REALLY small you-know-whats," Melvin said as he pried open the phone. "Oh............man." "Just remember you ARE Christian." "Not that." "What then?" "Fox Mulder, you wanna see a bug?" Fox looked up. "What?" "A 539 point boinger. More commonly known as Lawyer's Trick. Damn, gets BOTH side of the conversation." "How did it get there?" Fox said, as he twirled the the green and white computer chip. "Inserted, probably. Manual installation my guess," Melvin shrugged. "Damn, I got to tell Dana. I'm going to her house." "Hey! Don't I get to meet her?" Melvin pouted. "I don't think she's ready to meet you. She's never seen Times Square," Fox shook his head *again* "Come on, I found the bug. Let me see how hot she is," Melvin pleaded. As Fox nodded and Melvin grabbed his coat and they left the apartment, Fox stated, "I never said she was 'hot'." ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Fox knocked again. No answer. "Come on Fox. Hitting that door for the eighteenth time is just giving your knuckles a one way ticket to County General." Melvin smiled. "Just pick the lock." "PICK THE LOCK? Are you of your mind?" Fox almost slapped Melvin. "Fine, I'll do it." "If you insist," Fox laughed. Three minutes later, Fox looked around the Scully's family living room. Melvin walked over to a photo on the piano. "Which one is she?" Fox pointed to the younger red head in the black dress. "That one." "She is sooooo HOT!" Melvin spreaded. Fox slapped Melvin. "I leave messages on her personal machine. Let's see if she has some bugs." Melvin followed Fox as they walked into Dana's bedroom. The white carpet and black dress for the bed, with red pillows and a mahogeny desk, made even Melvin gape in shock. "She is REALLY, REALLY HOT!" Melvin said, as he fell on the silk cover. "Get off," Fox said slapped him. He grabbed Dana's phone. "Check." Melvin grabbed a nail file from the desk and pried it apart. A few moments later, he showed a similar chip. "Bingo. The Eagle has lan-DED!" Fox looked at the chip. "What can this chip do?" "It gets digital transcripts of all incoming and outgoing calls form the phone. It also can checks messages if the machine is a digital one." Fox ran to the machine. "Is this digital?" "Ooh, a panasonic. Yup, it's digital." "So the chip-placer could check her messages?" "Duh, are you deaf?" Melvin joked. Fox looked around. He press the PLAY button. BEEP! "Hey Dana. It's Missy. Stop by Barnes and Nobles tomorrow after school. Get me Jane Eyre. I'll love you for it. Ciao!" BEEP! "Hey Dana...thought you were going to return my call. I need the math homework. It's Gary. 555-8193. Later." BEEP! "Hello this message is for Diane Scullman. Hi, my name is Jack Nohlenson for AT & T and we want to of----" "Could the guy hear that message?" "About the AT & T thang? Only if they gave a rats a-" "I meant the Barnes and Noble thing." "Oh, yeah." "So...they know she's there." "Inferringly." "So they could kill her there since they know?" "If the chip planter watched the Rainmain too many times." "Bingo. Oh SHI*!" Fox ran out and got into his car. "I gotta help her." Before Melvin left, he looked around one last time. "Man, she is REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY--" "Are you coming man?" "--REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY--" "Come now or I'll leave you behind." "Fine...--REALLY REALLY REALLYREALLYREALLY HOT!" Melvin jumped into the car. "I mean that!" ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana was standing in Barnes and Nobles, glancing through the latest Nelson DeMille adventure, when a man came up to her. "Do you have the time?" Dana looked up. "I'm sorry, I'm not wearing my watch." She went back to her book. The man came in closer. "You *need* to help me." He accented the HELP. Dana looked perplexed. "Sir, I do not think you need the assistance of a high schooler." The man leaned in. "Come with me or the gun underneath my coat will explode your pretty little jeans off." He showed the barrel of the gun. "Surprisingly, I think I have my watch. It's the time to go, isn't it? Well, I'm in a helpful mood," Dana tried to act cockily as she rode teh escalator infront of this mysterious man. ONce off, he stepped infront of her. "Follow me or you die." Not the one to ask twice, she did as she was told. He walked past the classics and stopped infront of Catcher in the Rye. "Good book?" "No, I haven't read it." DAna nodded. "Pick it up later. I hear it has some good plot development," the man said. He continued walking. They went to the restrooms. Dana followed him into the men's room. The man stood her against the wall. "You know Megan Kuczynski?" Dana nodded. "Good. You hang out with her?" Dana nodded again. "Even better. I suggest you let the matter you are looking into alone." "Why?" Dana asked. "Because if you don't...I might have to kill you," the man said matter of factly. Dana nodded again. "If you answer this next question right, I'll let you go. IF it is wrong, you might as well bend over and kiss that ass of yours goodbye." Dana didn't move. "Who commited the crimes?" The man's heavy breath was on her face. Dana thought. She didn't know. Well Dana, she thought. Time for some guessing. "John Brown. Ask me again and I'll knock you down," Dana said, trembling. The man's breathing increased. "What?" "Johnny Tremain. Ask me again and I'll tell you the same." "Hey, you little rascal, answer the question or I'll kill you." "I thought Theo was the murderer. But he's gone." Dana said. "Then you are wrong. Arivadeci!" The man cocked his pistol. Dana closed her eyes. The door slammed open. Fox Mulder was standing there with a glock 13 gun, ready to fire. "Get the hell off her!" The man was surprised. He turned to shoot Fox. Fox fired once. Dana looked at Fox, who smiled. "Tranquelizers. Come on before you don't live long enough to see Madison Square Garden." Fox grabbed Dana by the hand and led her through the back exit door near the women's bathroom. Down the stairs they ran, Dana's hair flapping in the friction. Mulder went first and put his gun in his pocket. He swung around and ran out the back door. Dana looked around. "Where the hell are you?" Fox grabbed her and threw her in the alley. "DAna, shut up. Alright?" He looked around himself, paranoidly. Then he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into the subway entrance. The warm air wafted above them as they made their way down into the subway. Mulder got two tokens and dropped them in teh slot as Dana and him walked through the revolvers. "How did you know where I was?" "There was a bug in my phone. Digital whatchamacallit. My friend says they can check messages. I checked your messages and I realized a 'Missy' said you should go to the bookstore. I decided to follow the lead." "Wait a minute; how did you get into my apartment." Fox ignored the question. "Why did they bug our phones?" "I don't know." Dana admitted. "Some wants something they think we have." Dana was still confused. "What do they want from me?" "I dont know," Fox said. "But I know who ever commited these murders will do them again. And that same person wants you dead." "And you? They know you saved me." "Yeah, my ass is in a sling too. Thanks for asking," Fox blew his lips. "What do we do?" "I don't know. I don't think Kuczynski can help us. Neither can Megan or her constituents. We are on our own." "I don't find that comforting." Fox looked above himself. "WHo was that guy?" "I don't know." Dana shrugged. "He needed my help." "What did he tell you?" Fox looked at her closely. "He asked for the time and then I asked for my help. That's it," dana offered. "The time? The guy was wearing a watch," Fox thought about it. "I didn't notice." "He did...on his right arm." Fox closed his eyes. "A digital." "I don't care. What does this have to do with us?" "Time means something else. Help, too." "What?" "Hey listen, I have a lot of questions. What I don't have are answers." Fox shook his head. "The guy who is commiting these murders think we know." "How?" "He tapped our phone lines, remember?" The R express train pulled up Fox lead Dana inside. As they sat down, Dana spoke. "But we don't know who did it." "We are gonna have to find out, Dana. And fast too." They rode in silence. When the train stopped at Blueberg Station, Fox got off. Dana followed. "Dana, go to the police station. Maybe the cops can help. ONLY talk to KUCZYNSKI," Mulder emphasized. "What are you going to do?" "I'm gonna find out what Mr. Literate Time Teller wanted from you." He walked away. ==That guy has a huge habit of ditching people== Dana thought. She walked the block to the station adn entered. Kuczynski was drinking coffee. "Kuczynski?" He looked over. "Dana, whats wrong?" "I need to talk to you." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX After relaying the events to Kuczynski, Dana asked who this man was. "Could you idenitfy him?" "No. I didn't see his face." "Damn." Kuczynski rubbed his eyes. His radio chirped. "Kaye, I need you near Keyfood. Armed robbery. Your kid is here." Kuczynski's eyes widended. "Oh shi-----" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX As the police squad car pulled up to the scene, Dana saw Megan talking with the guy with the gun. Kaye stepped out, gun ready to splint. The robber was armed. Dana knew that coat....the gun... "That's him!" Dana screamed. "THAT'S THE GUY!" The robber looked at Dana and turned to Megan. He fired once... Twice... Three times.... Megan went down. The man started running away. Dana got out and started to run after him. Luckily, she decided that sneakers were due that morning. She cut corners. The man wasn't running too fast. His left leg was stiff. Prosthetic, she thought. She kept running. Just...get...the...man, she thought. He came closer, and closer. And she jumped. They both hit hard on the pavement. Dana snapped his hands around his back. "Who are you?" "John Brown. Ask me again and I'll knock you down!" the man screamed. He wiggled his fingers free and took his gun and pointed it... At his own head. The man was dead instantly. "Oh frick." Dana looked heavenward. A couple of beat cops came running up. "Is he down?" "He has a suite at the Hellsaday Inn." Dana got up. She ran back to Megan, who was on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance. "Are you ok?" Megan rolled an eye. "Better than ever. I'd rather have a Duke test." Dana smiled at her little joke. The doors closed. Kuczynski waved his blond hair. "Who is that creep?" "I can tell you what he is...dead." Kaye shook his head. "What's going on here?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Megan had three shots in the stomach. Jen and Lacey were in to say hi and all. Dana was thinking. Who was this? Why did they stalk her and shoot Megan? What had she gotten herself into? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Fox called her from a pay phone. "Anything new?" "Megan's shot by our Mystery Swatch." "What?" Fox sounded surprised. "She's fine. But who is he?" "Any ID on him?" "If there was, that would answer my previous question." Fox sucked his teeth. "I got to go. I'll call later." He hung up. Dana wondered. ID? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Dana, what are you doing at the station?" Kaye asked. "I want to see the french text book from Theo's crime scene." Dana said. Kuczynski leaned into his desk and grabbed it from a drawer. "Okay.." Dana leafed through it. On a good number of the pages said Sweet Cherub. "Who's "sweet cherub'?" "Graffitti tag name." Kuczynski said. Dana nodded. "Thank you." Dana left the office. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX The next morning at school, she asked Jen who Sweet Cherub was. "I've never heard of him." Jen shrugged. "Probably some newbie. That tag is WAY to long to be a pro." Dana nodded. "Thanks." And for the first time without Megan...Dana cut school. Out of the school, she ran to the park and sat down and played with letters from Sweet Cherub. One interesting combo was Stewe Burech. She looked in the white pages from a local payphone. Burech...M & S. No address. Phone number was 555-1034. She dialed the number. "Hello?" a womans voice called. "Hi, is Stewe there." "Stewe isn't. May I take a message?" "That's alright. When do you expect him to be back?" "Tonight, maybe." "Thank you." Dana made another call. This one was to Jennifer, who was outside for lunch. Dana called the payphone on the street." Jennifer's wary voice came on. "Hello?" "It's Dana. Listen, is anyone going out with a Stewe Burech?" "Stewe? Yeah...at least they were. Amanda was, actually." Dana almost dropped the phone. "really?" "Yeah." "Ok..I got to go." She hung up. Dana thought about it. Was Amanda in on this too?" ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` IN the meanwhile, Fox Mulder was at a secret place. Actually, not that secret. Three other people knew about it. But if you found out, they might kill you. Really. As Fox ate a cookie, no raisins, he leafed through a magazine. He glanced at the Three Tenors of Computers; Johnathan, Ringo and Melvin. John Byers, a catholic school representative, attended Holy Cross High School. He was still dressed in his perfect tie and suit and shiny, black leather shoes. At fifteen, he already showed signs of a goatee and had cool blue eyes that always seemed to worry. His brown hair was neatly cut. He was an expert on computer technology and the internet. Fox liked to think that Megan and him could make a happy family; both obsessive compulsive and anal retentive. Ringo Langly was a punk. He had long, stringy blond hair that was almost as long as Dana's. He wore various tee-shirts of no-name bands. Today was The Kopas. His baggy black jeans fell over Nike brand sneakers. His long, gangly nose resembled that of Noah Wyle's and his sunken black eyes seemed to be distrusting. He was an all around hacker, very knowledgable in the times and was always on the head of conspiracy. Melvin Frohike, a peverted young adolescent, who attended Russell Sage Junior High, was a master of technicks. He knew all the latest models of all hacking equiptment and electric cabling. Mostly, however, he left the usage of them to Ringo and John. Fox had told the trio that he wanted info on a couple of people; Stewe Burech, Sam Morrison, Theo Kurken, Charlene Gladmire and Amanda Kirklebee. "So Mulder, Doohike tells us you have a new girlfriend," Ringo said as he typed on a small laptop. "She's not my girlfriend. She's a girl that's a friend." "A red head is your friend? I thought you went for blondes," John joked. "Really. Dana's a nice gal. A little too tight if you ask me." "Oh, now I see that Jennifer gal is rubbing, eh Fox?" Melvin said as he fiddled with a bug switch adapter. "Cut it." "Don't eat my cookies and then tell me to cut it," Melvin protested. Ringo stopped typing. "Ooh, baybe. DO THE LOCAMOTION!" Fox looked up. "Either that the fact that you have the singing talent of a hamster, what is so cool?" "Birth certificates. The school password is so simple." "So simple after you ask Megan for it!" Melvin joked. Ringo looked up. "Charlene Gladmire has a weird birth certificate." "How so?" Fox asked as he walked to the computer. "Well, her records say Glasmire. But her certificate says Landof." Fox looked at it. "Is she adopted?" "Lemme check." A few more clicks. "Actually, yeah." Fox raised his eyebrow. "Try Theo." More clicks. Ringo whistled. "Theo Kurken. Certificate name is Orenbach. Adopted as well." "And Stewe Burech?" "Real name Stewe Varlamov. Ditto." "What about Amanda Kirklebee?" "Broke the chain there. Parents remarried. Original name Amanda Kirkle. New father is Bee. She just added them there." "And what about Sam Morrison?" "Samuel Erlich. Adopted." Fox sat down. He wrote these new names on a piece of paper. Spread out on the cluttered desk were photographs and papers. He had the crimescene photo of the scratches. He also had the list of the kid's real names. It looked like this: School Name real name Lacey Kiernan Theo Kurken Orenbach Charlene Gladmire Landof Stewe Burech Varlamov Sam Morrison Erlich Fox looked up. "What about Lacey Kiernan." Ringo clicked again. "Nothing. Regular birth mother...nothing fancy shmancy. Full name is Lacey Kiernan-Loight." He altered this list. School Name real name Active Adopted? Lacey Kiernan Kiernan-Loight Alive N Theo Kurken Orenbach Dead Y Charlene Gladmire Landof Dead Y Stewe Burech Varlamov Dead Y Sam Morrison Erlich Alive Y He realized there was a pattern here. The people who were adopted were dead. Only Lacey and Sam were alive. But Lacey wasn't adopted. And she was attacked. She couldn't be the killer. But Sam? Fox played around with the letters of the adopted children; their birth names. Taking the first letter of every name of the adoptees: O L V E Putting them in order of their deaths: L O V Fox turned to John. "Yo, who's going out with Sam Morrison?" "Amanda. Why?" Fox wondered. "Hey Melvin. If you wanted to spell out to a girl you loved her, what would you say?" "What I always say. That line from Sleepless in Seattle." "Which is?" "I'll love you, I'll kill for you, I'd write LOVE in their graves." It clicked. "Oh my god!" He was spelling out Love for Amanda. But wasn't she going out with Stewe? Cheating? But he was missing and E. And Fox realized that there would be one more death. A suicide. ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Fox ran to the Mite Phel inn. Well, he drove. He bursted in the builing. "SAM?" He called out. He went ot the room on the right. A hand clasped around his mouth. "What are you doing here?" Sam asked. "Don't do it Sam," Fox mumbled. And then Fox was fast asleep. ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Fox woke up under bondage. He was tied to a chair in twine. Sam was sitting in front of him. "Have a nice nap?" "NOt without my Teletubby blankie," Fox coyed. "Shut up Fox. Why did you come here?" "Because I know your plan." "Ah, a regular James Bond? No Money Penny is going to save you now." "But why?" Sam got up and fingered a slick blade marble knife. "Why, Fox? Have you ever been in love?" Fox shrugged as well as he could underneath the rope. "I used to have a crush on Jennifer Aniston. But that was with her old haircut." "I mean true love." "Not really, unless you count a magazine photo." Sam ignored him. "I loved Amanda. We were so close. Her mom and my mom were inseperable. I thought we were meant to be. "But then she started seeing Stewe while we were going out. Cheating..on me. I told her I loved her but she didn't believe me. I told her I would do anything for her. "I started killing people. For her. I was spelling out-" "Love, yeah I figured." Fox smiled. "You are quick, Fox. We all were in the same orphanage. I remember very well. So I started killing people. I started with Lacey until I realized this 'L' wasn't adopted. I hit her but then I remember. So I ran." "So I had to kill Charlene. But she knows me." "The scratches in the dirt were Sam in morse code," Fox said. "I didn't know." "You learn something every day." Fox laughed. "This is not funny Fox. So I killed Theo for the O and Stewe because he was a V. I thought this would convince Amanda. But it didn't. "I decided that I needed to finish the word. I was the only adopted E I knew." "It isn't worth it," Fox coaxed. "But I LOVE her, Fox! When you love someone, you would die for them. And that is what I shall do." Sam raised the knife in the air. Fox turned away as he heard the slight scream. He looked at Sam on the floor with an almost comical knife in his temple. "Remind to never get too close to Dana," he thought. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana was sitting back at home when a window crashed. She turned to find.. Blackness. ````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana woke up. She was handcuffed to a pipe. She smelled cigarette smoke. "Megan?" "Not quite," a familiar voice called. The black ID man was alive! He came closer, smoking on a Morley. "Aren't you dead?" Dana asked. "I only played dead. WHy kill myself? My work is just beginning." "What work?" Dana asked. He puffed on the cigarette. "I am friend's with Fox. I want to...get to know him." "I don't think he's your type," Dana said as the man blew cigarette smoke in her face. "Life's a B**ch aint it, Dana?" "How do you know my name?" "I know a lot about you." "For some reason I don't feel so great about that," Dana joked. Cigarette Smoking Teenager put out his cigarette. "You don't know me. I am your worst nightmare. I might end your life. Yet I might save your soul." "I think Kavorikian said that on 20/20 a while ago," Dana shrugged. "Dont joke with me, Dana. I know what I mean." Dana was worming her way out of the handcuffs. Fox was a good teacher. She finally was out of them but she pretended that she wasn't. The CST started to light a cigarette again but she jumped at him and ran across the basement. Dodging heat pipes and drains and mysterious rats, she ran to the door she saw. She plowed into it. And it was locked. The Cigarette Smoking Teenager was right behind her but coughing; no doubt those non-filtered fags had gotten to him. She doged underneath a large heat pipe and appeared in a maze of pipes. LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT! She hit a pipe. RIGHT! RIGHT! LEFT! Her head hit a wall. RIGHT! LEFT! LEFT! A door was in vision and it had a dull red EXIT sign. She ran towards it and opened the closed latch. The fresh air filled her lungs as she ran ontoo Wooster Boulevard. She glanced both ways. She HAD to tell Fox. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Running to Fox's apartment and ringing the doorbell, a short teenager opened the door. Dana raised her eyebrow. "Is Fox around?" "No. Who are you?" "I might ask you the same question," Dana gave him a Look. "I'm Melvin. You MUSt be Dana." "What has Fox talked about me?" "Kinda, sorta, maybe. Come on in." As Melvin opened the door, Dana waltzed inside, ducking her head in a shy manner. A gangly blonde and an alter-boy style geek were sitting and watching television. "Does anyone know where Fox is?" Dana asked. Everyone shook their heads. "Do you all have voices?" "No," John whispered. "The walls have ears." "I have ears." "But the wrong people may hear us," Ringo said. "You don't want to be on my bad side. And who are the Throats?" dana said, looking at his tee-shirt. Ringo got up and walked over to her. He was taller than Dana, but Dana was used to that. "Fox did some sribblings and ran off to some Inn." Ringo motioned to the desk where Fox had been working. Dana looked at his deductions. "Mite Phel Inn? Oh my God! Fox!" Dana ran out the door. Melvin sighed. "She is SOOOOO hot." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dana ran to the Mite Phel Inn, taking public transportation. Just then, she saw Fox leaving. "Fox! Are you ok?" dana sounded worried. "Geez. What people would do for a room," Fox sighed. "Is Sam dead?" "As a doornail," Fox cliched. "How did you know?" "I have a knack for those sort of things." "There HAS to be a scientific explanation for this," Dana said, hands on her hips. "There is no explanation for love," Fox said as he smiled and walked back to his car. As Dana got in the passenger's side, she said," ID Man is alive." "What?" Fox actually sounded surprised. "He took me and handcuffed me to a pipe. I escaped." "I can see that," Fox said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm serious." "Are you sure you don't remember anything about him? Did he SAY anything?" Fox started the car and started to leave the property. "No, he smoked." "Like everyone in New York." "And..." Dana snapped her fingers. "He said something about Catcher in the Rye! At the bookstore!" Fox nodded. "Ok." ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Dana ran up the escalator and went ot the Catcher in the Rye display. She grabbed the first copy, which had not been touched. She opened it up. On page ten till page thirteen was a handwritten message on the book: Dear Amanda: I loved you so much. But you didn't believe me. I killed them all. To prove my love. You told me too. And by the time you read this, I'll be dead. But I do Love you Amanda. Really. I couldn't love you enough. Goodbye. Sam Dana wiped a tear in her eye. She read the scribblees on the side of the story. Fox stood over her shoulder. "Why must we bee some teenagers in love?" Fox sang. Dana laughed. "Some people just weren't cut for the love ordeal." "That's sad," Fox said, smiling a lop sided grin. Dana look up, up, up at him. "I'm going home. Okay? Promise not to get lost without me?" "Deal." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next month or so were great. Dana and Fox went around the school as Watson and Sherlock, Abbott and Costello, Donnie and Marie. Dana was finally accepted in the Megan-and-Jen clique. Amanda commited suicide one hour after she was shown the note Sam had made. She jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. No body really missed her. Nicole cried but that dyed her hair back to being brown. "I like Brown better." Kuczynski solved the case. Megan left the hospital in a full cursing condition. When she left, Dana asked how she was doing. "I'm @(*$&@( fine! just Fine! Attatched to some @$(*@ Star Trek machine because they don't think I can PEE on my OWN, but that's OK! Oh, go (#*&$(#*&$ the *#&(*#& the #)(*%&)#*&%)*#&%& Hospital system! Give me death!" "I guess she's back!" Jen smiled. Two months later, the school prom was held. Megan was asked by Rhandel, a friend of hers. Jen was blessed, or cursed, to go out with Michael Hendrick, the coolest guy in school. Dana went with Fox. It WAS a sight; Megan was taller than her guy. Dana was a lot shorter. Jen was even more popular but was happy to let Michael steal a dance with the cheerleaders. Dana won the school science fair. Megan won the school spelling bee. Jen got the main part in a play. Fox became editor of the newspaper. Lacey was very happy with her new baby sibling, Katherine. And life was at ease. But Dana cried when she found out they were being moved again. That meant leaving Megan, and Jennifer, and Lacey, and Sasha...and all those godforsaken teachers. And leaving Fox. When she told her friends, Megan actually shed a tear. Jen held a moment-without-sarcasm. Lacey hugged Dana and said it would be o.k. Fox just nodded his head, like he always did. When that faithful day came that Dana was to leave with her family, all her new found friends crowded around her moving van. Dana hugged Megan, as akward as it ended up being. Megan smiled and handed her a package. Dana raised an eyebrow. "It's a little momento." Inside was...................................................... The School Yearbook. "I got the first edition. Show it around in Hicksville, Alabama or where ever you go. Get a bumper sticker; 'I survived Soho, New York!' Ok?" "Megan, I don't think I will ever meet another person quite like you." "You won't. I'm one of those counterfounded things that never go quite the way it was planned." Jen offered a "tackle hug" and an "awww." Dana really liked Jennifer. "I will remember to tell all your jokes to everyone." "Just don't give the one about he man from Nantucket!" Dana laughed. Dana hugged Lacey, who handed her a diskette. "Inside is some photographs I scanned of all of us. Just in case." Dana smiled. Fox wasn't around. "Where is Fox?" Megan looked around. "Late?" "I wouldn't be surprised," Jen rolled her eyes. Suddenly, Fox came running up. "Hey!" Dana smiled and ran to him. "I thought I wouldn't get to see you!" "Yeah right!" Fox hugged his little friend." "I'm gonna miss you, Fox." Dana smiled. "Ditto," Fox laughed. "Dana! We're going!" Maggie Scully called. Dana nodded. "I love you all!" Fox hugged her again. Dana looked up and pecked Fox a little kiss on the lips. "Don't forget me!" "How could we?" Fox smiled and waved, throwing her one last lopsided grin. "Oh don't get all mushy. It's New York! keep that chin up!" Megan smiled. "There's always tomorrow!" Jen smiled. "Jeez Annie, is this when you hug the dog and sing?" Megan joked. As Dana sat in the back seat, next to Melissa, Missy asked: "Who are those people." And for once, Dana said, "My friends." And as the car drove away, Dana looked back. Megan had her arm drapped over Jen as they walked away. Dana knew there would always be another fight, another dance. Another movie, another murder. Another Kuczynski case. Another chinese food dinner. Another day would go by with Meg and Jen surviving the world's horror and terror. Another sun would rise and set and Fox would still be paranoid, Lacey would still have a terrible accent, Jen would listen to another CD and Megan would save the world. It WAS New York. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As Special Agent Dana Scully, M.D. smoothed down her skirt, she smiled at the nameplate on the door. She had been sent to this office and couldn't help being giddy when Blevins told her. Opening it, she smiled even wider. "Agent Mulder?" she called out. "My name is Dana Scully. I've been assigned to work with you." And the rest.....well, you ALL know the rest.