After Kaylen and Lyra left, I showered and brushed my teeth and combed through my wet hair. I loved the feeling of my fingers running through my wet hair as I brushed out the tangles. After braiding my hair back out of my face, I got dressed in a green T-shirt and worn jeans. This felt much more natural than the dress I had worn last night.

I had just slipped my silver jacket over my shoulders when the phone rang in the living room.

"I got it!" Kat called out. I heard her say a greeting and then she called out, "Rhea, it's for you."

"Who is it?" I called back as I pulled some tennis shoes over my socks and feet.

"Your sister. Now hurry up!"

I stood and walked down the hall where Kat was waiting, phone in hand at the end. She held it out and I took the phone from her and put next to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rhea," Robyn's voice said through the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. I just got out of the shower. Why?"

"I wondered if you wanted to go for a walk."

Robyn and I went on walks all the time. We sometimes found the coolest things. One time, we found an old fountain that was dry and covered with mold.

"Sure," I said. "You got a place in mind?"

"Just around the lake," she said. "Atlanta and I are going to the market today to pick up our food for the week at noon, so I thought we'd make it quick."

"Okay," I said. The walk around the lake took about ten minutes. I looked over at the clock. It was eleven now, so she would be right on time if we left in about half an hour.

"Okay," she said when I told her to meet me then. "See you in thirty minutes then." Then all I heard was the dial tone.

I pushed the END button with my thumb and hung the phone back where it went.

"Kat?" I called. There was no response, so I guessed she was in the shower. When I heard the water running and her singing, I knew I was right. I didn't hear what song she was singing, but if I knew Kat, it was probably Taylor Swift.

I went downstairs and turned on to the BBC channel on the TV and started to watch an episode of Merlin, which is like my favorite TV show ever. I loved the magic and the mystery and the adventure in it.

When the clock announced that it was 11:20, I shut off the television set and went back upstairs to find Kat.

I found her in her room, curled up by the heater with a book. Her damp hair was brushed through and pulled up into her ever-present ponytail. She was dressed in blue jeans, a gray shirt, and a pair of socks on her feet. I couldn't see the title of the book she was reading, but the cover was red and the binding was old. Kat was always reading. Most of her life was spent reading books, novels, and magazines when she had nothing else. I loved to read too, but she's read more books than I have because I couldn't get books for like, six months because I lost my library card, which turned out to be hiding in Kat's dresser.

"Hey, Robyn and I are going to take a walk," I said.

"Okay," she said, not paying attention.

"We'll be at the lake if you need me," I said, testing her.

"That's nice."

"I'm going to jump in the lake and drown myself," I said, trying to get her attention.

"Have fun."

I sighed and rolled my eyes with a small smile as I headed for the front door. When she got into a book, there was no getting her out 'till she was finished.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Robyn was waiting for me at the edge of the lake, her wavy blonde hair blowing out behind her in the wind, her gray-blue eyes squinting against the cold air. She wrapped her blue jacket more firmly around her and she shuffled her feet as she waited for me to show up.

"Hey," she greeted when she saw me.

"Hi. You're here early," I noticed.

"The earlier we start, the sooner we can finish," she replied curtly.

"So I'm just something to check off your check-list?" I asked her, eyebrow raised.

She smiled, hung her head, and heaved a sigh. "You know, I would say you're a pain in my neck, but I don't have that high of an opinion of you."

I laughed and we began to walk in silence. Finally she said, "You know, you're more to me than a check-list."

"I know," I said. "I'm just that awesome."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such an idiot sometimes."

"Why thank you, m'lady," I said as I marched on.

We walked on for about five minutes before we were half way around the lake. We talked about school and classes and other things. We didn't disagree on anything. Sometimes Robyn and I were so much alike, people often wondered if we were twins.

We were about three-quarters around when a loud buzzing sounded from Robyn's jeans pocket. She fished around for a bit while the sound continued, and she brought out her phone and answered the call.

"Hello?" she said. "Really ... Are you sure?... Already?... Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.... Okay, I'll meet you there."

She hung up and turned to me. "I've got to go. That was Atlanta. She said our supplies are in early and we need to pick them up in five minutes."

"Okay," I said. "Looks like we may just have to speed up our walk." I got down, ready to run, looked at her, and grinned. She rolled her eyes, but lowered herself into a running position.. "On your mark... Get set... GO!"

We tore off down the path around the lake towards where we had started. My damp hair flew out behind me, my pulse raced and my breathing became faster as I raced my sister down the path, her keeping up with me easily.

When we reached the finish, we were both panting hard and smiling like madmen. When we had both caught our breath, I hugged Robyn and she went off on her way.

I decided to take another walk around the lake. It was a peaceful day, and there was nothing to do at home. As I walked I stared into the shimmering water of the crystal green lake. The water was murky, and it was banned from swimming in because of it. Everyone was so scared of what might be hidden in the waters they were forbidden to be swum in. I had always wondered what it would be like to swim with the fish below and find mysterious wonders of the forbidden lake.

I stared into the water moving in rhythm with the wind when it happened; I thought I saw a wet, pale, cold hand shoot out of the water. I stopped in my tracks and stared at the water where the white hand had appeared. There was no sign of any human hand; not even ripples in the water. I studied it some more, determined to find the hand.

I was so engrossed in the water and finding that hand that I ran straight into trouble. Literally.

"Ugh, watch where you're going, Rhea Orthys," Cal Camper said as he slammed me down to the sidewalk. Cal was the tallest guy around, with blue eyes and blonde hair. He was also one of the meanest people in the entire city of Omega. He cussed, he was violent, and he thought he could get whatever he wanted just because his cousin was Kelli, the prettiest girl in school. Sure he was "cute" as most of the girls said (gag me), but he was complete idiot and a jerk.

"Watch yourself, Camper," I growled as I pulled myself to my feet.

"What's the matter, Orthys?" he said. "Did Kat finally come to her senses and kick you out? Or did you come here simply because you realized no one wanted you around?"

I smiled sweetly. "I could ask you the same thing. What's the matter? Did Chris finally realize that the horrible smell in his apartment was you?" I plugged my nose and waved my hand in front of my face for added effect. "Man, you've got skill, Stink Man."

His face turned red. "Whatever. You're still a loser."

I said, mocking his voice, "Whatever, you're still and idiot."

He sneered and walked past me, muttering and cussing fowl words under his stinky breath as he went.

Now that he was gone, I looked back at the lake where I had seen the hand, but still there was no sign of it. I walked away slowly, a cold hand gripping my heart. What I had just seen must have been something I had seen in a dream. Maybe it was the dream I had last night? A creeping feeling told me that I was right. Whatever it was, I knew it couldn't be good.

Author's Note: What do you guys think? What do you think of Cal? No one answered the last chapter's question, but here's this one's: What do you think was with the hand? First to answer correctly or get a close guess gets the next chapter dedicated to them!