Carly

An increase of patients being admitted to the hospital is the headlining story on all the news stations. Carly's mother was one of those patients. Some went right in and came right out. Her mom hasn't left since they took her in Friday. It's Monday now and she still hasn't woken up. They don't know what happened. They can't find an answer. At this rate, Carly doesn't know what will happen to her mom. No matter how she tries to distract herself, she keeps going back to that diamond necklace. If it was really some weapon Nathen had, then it had to be the cause. Now that it's broken, it shouldn't be a problem anymore, right? Carly hasn't been able to get a hold of KP to ask him. She really hopes to see him today. She needs to know what happened to her mother.

Walking to school felt stranger than usual. Nathen wasn't anywhere to be found, and neither was KP. Whenever they're both gone, it makes her anxious to know what's happening. Is KP out making more of those strange boxes or fighting crime to save the world? Never in Carly's seventeen years would she have thought that could be a possibility. Until moving to Midtown.

"Carly!" Someone called from behind. It scared her more than it should have to see Lodia.

"You okay?" She asked obviously seeing the fear.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look it. Did something else happen with your mother?"

"No, still the same thing with her. I'm just... I have a funny feeling about today is all."

"You think something's going to happen?"

"I don't know, maybe. I could just be paranoid because of my mom." Carly told her. Her mom being in the hospital was a concern, but there was something else that she wasn't sure what it was. She looked at Lodia when she noticed KP in the distanced behind her.

"I need to go talk to KP." Carly took off. She couldn't let him get away this time.

"Hey, KP!" Carly called out to him. His motions were slow, but he stopped and turned to her.

"Are you alright?"

"Hi Carly. I'm alright. Just a bit of a headache is all." He said. He looked pale and seemed to be sweating. That couldn't just be a headache.

"You don't look alright at all. You need to go to the doctor or go home."

"It'll pass. I'll be fine." He said trying to walk away.

"You're not even walking straight. How are you fine?" She asked. He stopped and took a few breathes.

"Okay, maybe I'm not alright. I can't see straight." He blinked hard trying to clear his vision.

"You seriously need a doctor."

"No. I have medicine at home I can take."

"I'll help you get there."

"Carly, why did you take off on me?" Lodia came over.

"Can you help me take him home? He looks like he can pass out any minute now." Lodia looked at KP.

"You're having a reaction to something." She told him. KP's eyes widen in shock.

"How do you know that?"

"I've seen this before. You need to do something quick before it's too late." Both KP and Carly looked to her. What does she mean reaction and how does she know?

"I can get home myself. You two should go to class. I'll be alright getting there. I'll be back after I take something." KP started slowly walking away. He still sounded weak, but it was almost like he was angry now. Carly wanted to make sure he got home, but seeing as he doesn't want to be bothered, She let him be for now. Her chance to talk to him has once again left.

The day went on as normal. Carly attended classes and nothing happened. She still felt strange, but nothing has proven to be out of the ordinary. She still didn't seen anyone again. Even Lodia didn't show up to their last class. It was already lunch time. Neither Nathen or Tom were at the table when she got in the cafeteria.

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Nathen or Tom today?" She asked the guys that sit at the table with them.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." One of the guys said, "You hang around them a lot, but we haven't seen them either."

"Any ideas where they could be?"

"We don't really hang out so I couldn't tell you. We're honestly just trying to stay on his good side. The last time someone tried them, they were gone. No one knows what happened and I don't want to find out." He explained. Another disappearing rumor. Carly is still feeling anxious, but if they're never around, why is she so worried? They haven't done anything to her so far so there shouldn't be a reason to be so concerned.

"Maybe your security friend knows where they are." He said. Carly turned to look at his post at the back of the room but he wasn't there.

"Have you seen KP?"

"I saw him before. He was in the halls though."

He's not usually patrolling the halls during lunch. He was looking like death this morning so she didn't think he'd come back and be on duty so fast. Carly went out to find him. He couldn't have recovered that fast, but if he did, she can ask him what she wants to know.

Everyone was in the cafeteria, so the halls seemed extremely quiet now. The classrooms were empty. If he was out here, she should be able to hear him breathing with this silence.

Carly ended up by the hall that was closed off to students. She could use the excuse that she was going to the library if anyone found her. To play it safe, she peaked inside the library, and no one was there.

"Where are you going?" She turned after hearing a voice. The hallway was empty, and Carly was sure that sounded like a kid. Her heart started to race. Who was that and who were they talking to?

She went further down the hall past the library to the last room on the right. It was a classroom She's never seen. She looked around and didn't notice anything until seeing a girl that was hitting the whiteboard. She couldn't tell what she was trying to do. She seemed too young to be in high school. But couldn't be the little girl she heard a minute ago. She was still banging on the white board until she stopped and noticed her. Her hair swinging around as she faced Carly.

"Can I play with you now?" The girl asked. Carly looked behind her wondering if she was talking to someone else. But no one seemed to be here besides her.

"Who are you?" Carly asked.

"My owner calls me Miku." She replied. The voice she heard early sounds like it came from her. The person she was talking to must be this owner. But why is she referring to her parents as owner?

"So, can we play?" Miku asked again. Carly didn't know how to respond. Some strange girl in a high school asking to play wasn't what she was mentally preparing herself for. She looks innocent enough, but she still needed to find KP.

"I-I have to go." Carly backed away slowly.

"Okay, see you later." Miku waved. Her movements seemed a little weird. She might have been in an accident, but now wasn't the time to ask that question. She didn't have much time left before her next class started. Maybe KP went back home still not feeling well. He was nowhere to be found.

If it really didn't matter who came to school or what time they came or left, was it really a point in her being here? They let parents bring their kids to work and she's the only one that seems to want her education. She thought to leave early today, especially after seeing that weird girl, but the final bell just rang and she was still there walking the hall.

"Carly." She looked behind her and saw Lodia walking up.

"Lodia, what happened to you? You disappeared after second period."

"Sorry about that, but we have a problem right now." She said calmly.

"What's wrong."

"I think we need to hurry up and go."

"Is something happening?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to leave." Lodia became serious. She's never seen her like this before. She couldn't even ask again. She just got her things and followed Lodia.

School was over and most of the students were already out of the building. Lodia was moving fast, almost making Carly have to jog to keep up.

"Where are we going?"

"Out of here." Lodia responded without stopping.

"But wh-"

"Are you trying to take away my prey?"

Carly was cut off by someone standing at the end of the hallway. She looked up and saw it was Nathen and Tom standing there. They've been gone all day and now they show up.

"I kind of figured you'd try to help Carly out since you became friends, but wouldn't you rather work with us?" Nathen said.

"What's going on here?" Carly asked.

"Sorry I wasn't around today. You must have been lonely with none of us with you. We borrowed Lodia for a bit today and it seems your friend KP is a little under the weather.

"How do you know that? What did you do to KP?"

"I did nothing. But one of my toxic gases did spill over and he might've inhaled some of it."

"Toxic gas?"

"It wasn't accidental though." Lodia said.

"How do you know that?" Carly asked her.

"Because she knows a lot more than you think." Tom told her. Carly looked back to them and saw Nathen reached into his pocket and pulled out something. She wanted to run. She didn't know what was going on but she wanted to get out of there. She wasn't sure who to trust at this moment. Lodia has been with them and seems to know what's going on.

"Miku, come!" Nathen yelled. Carly saw him press something that looks like a little radio remote. The girl she saw earlier came out of a room. Somehow, she looks different from earlier. Her eyes were gone and there was a more intense aura around her. She couldn't tell where she was looking but her face was in Lodia and her direction.

"Can I play with you now?" Miku smiled. With only the whites of her eyes, Carly could tell she was looking at her.

"You know her?" Lodia asked.

"N-no. Well, I saw her earlier today in a classroom. But she looked different then."

"She wanted to see the school and I let her out for a little while. But play time is long over. Now the main event starts." Nathen said. Carly didn't know what he meant by main event and didn't want to find out. She looked over and noticed Lodia moving towards the wall.

"When I say go, I need you to duck and run back." Lodia whispered to her.

"W-what?"

"Miku, capture her." Nathen spoke. She looked back to him and saw the girl lower her head and took off towards her.

"Carly, now! Duck!" A sudden explosion came from behind Lodia.Carly ducked like she said to as a piece of the wall flew over her. Lodia suddenly grabbed her and had them run through the hole in the wall she created. Carly could hear Miku coming their way but stopped. She quickly looked back and saw all of the dust and debris in the air. It must have blocked her view of Carly and Lodia.

"Do you mind telling me what that was and what is going on?!" Carly asked as they left out the doors of the classroom they blasted into.

"Carly, now isn't the time. We just need to get out." She said as she kept pulling her along. Until now, Lodia was energetic and happy. Now she's serious and seems more focus. There has to be something different about her. No regular person could blast a hole in the wall. The hand that she's holding here's with was so hot she almost cant hold on.

Carly realized where they were as they passed the cafeteria. Their goal was to head out, so she pulled them to the right and headed for the main exits. She pulled on the doors and they were stuck.

"They're locked!" She said pushing and pulling the doors.

"They must have sealed all them."

"Did you hear that?" It was faint, but Carly suddenly heard a sound like a lighter. Next thing she knew, she sees something rolling towards them with a lit fuse. There was no time to put it out as it started going off.

"Smoke bomb." Lodia said, "Carly, stay near me."

"You're not the only one that can use a dust wall." Carly heard Nathen's voice. He was on the other side of the smoke that was spreading fast. She looked back to the door trying to open them one last time when she noticed someone on the other side.

"KP!" She shouted. The smoke was making it harder to see but she could tell it was him.

"Don't think your guard will save you now." Nathen say.

"Carly, I can't see well through this kind of fog so don't go anywhere until I say so." Lodia told her.

"There you are." Carly heard the little girl's voice. That Miku person was close. She couldn't see well in the fog either, but she could feel her heart racing. Something was going to happen and she doesn't want to just stand here and let it happen. Carly stepped away from Lodia to try and get the doors open one more time. KP was on the other side pulling as she was pushing. They just about had the door broken open when she felt something on her back.

"You're coming with us now." Miku said. And then the world went black and she felt herself being lifted.